Chamunda Devi Temple

Chamunda Devi Temple, near Palampur in Kangra district, is a shrine of about 400 years to a form of Durga. Its name joins those of two demons, Chanda and Munda, whom Kali is said to have killed at this spot. A legend tells of a 16th-century king and a priest who asked the goddess to let them move her temple somewhere easier to reach; she guided the priest in a dream to an old idol. The earlier site lies about 16 km uphill in the Dhauladhar range.

The many-armed idol holds a trident, drum, sword, skull cup and other emblems, with Bhairav and Hanuman on either side of the shrine. Stones marked with the goddess's footprints sit in one corner, and marble steps lead down to a cave with a Shiva Linga, which is why the site is also called Chamunda Nandikeshwar Dham.