Lakhamandal

Lakhamandal is a Shiva temple complex in the village of the same name, in Dehradun district's Jaunsar-Bawar region, with the Yamuna flowing alongside the village. It lies 128 km from Dehradun on the Mussoorie–Yamunotri road, beyond Kempty Falls. The name is explained as 'many temples' or 'many lingams', and Shaivites believe that a visit here brings an end to their misfortunes.

The surviving Nagara-style temple dates from about the 12th–13th century, but brickwork beneath it goes back to the 5th–8th century, and a 6th-century inscription records a Shiva temple raised here by Princess Ishwara of Singhpura to benefit the soul of her late husband. Sculptures and architectural pieces scattered around suggest other shrines once stood nearby. The chief attraction is a graphite lingam that shines and reflects its surroundings when wet. Two guardian figures flank the shrine; some identify them as Bhima and Arjuna. Local tradition places Duryodhana's plot to burn the Pandavas in a lac house here, and a nearby cave, Dhundhi Odaari, is said to have sheltered them.