Location :
Churdhar Sanctuary is named after the Churdhar peak, which has an elevation of 3647 metres above sea level and is located in Sirmour, Shimla district of the indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Churdhar peak is the highest peak in Sirmour district and is also the highest peak in the outer Himalayas. The peak has a great religious significance for the people of Sirmour, Shimla, Chaupal and Solan of Himachal Pradesh and Dehradun of Uttrakhand.
Legend 1 :
According to legend, Shirgul was imprisoned by the Mughals in the mid-16th century. His "fault" was that he defended the Haattis of Sirmaur against exploitation and for slaying butchers caught slaughtering a cow in Delhi. A sweeper woman, Bhaghayni, sent word to Shirgul’s ally, Goga Pir, who led a covert mission to free Shirgul from prison. Together, they returned safely to the hills.
Once back, Shirgul found a demon threatening the life of Churu, a devotee, and his family at Choorhdhar. Joined by Bijjat, the two brothers decimated the demon, saving Churu, who is also now worshipped as a deity in the region. Shirgul, deeply devoted to Lord Shiva, established the Mahadev temple at Choorhdhar, which houses a life-size Shivling and two idols.
It is believed that Shirgul later distributed his kingdom to his trusted minister, Deviram, and his third brother Brijeswar. Shirgul dedicated his life to meditating and worshipping Lord Shiva at the Mahadev temple here. Both Shirgul and Bijjat mysteriously disappeared after 200 years of spiritual devotion at Choorhdhar.
Legend 2 :
Shirgul and Bijjat are revered across the region, with over a hundred big or small temples dedicated to them in Shimla, Sirmaur, and Solan districts of Himachal Pradesh and the Jaunsar Bawar and Janpur regions of Uttarakhand.
Shirgul Devta and Bijjat Maharaj are centuries old deit ies of Himachal situated at Churdhar in Sirmaur. Both deities had a centuries old fight but now after 1, 500 year, both the deities are ready to end their fight and they will meet each other very soon at a joint jagaran in the region. People of two panchayats are associated with these deities. Chadhna and Devmanal panchayats are the two panchayats where people couldn’t organise fairs and festivals together due to the fight between their deities. But, now they will come together for a jagaran, local people informed. They stated that once both the deities shared a great relationship with each other which was known as shata-pasha. After that, neither both deities met in a festival nor people of the two panchayats had any relations with each other. But now the deities have ordered the local people to stop the fight and organise a deity fair where they will meet each other. It was decided in a joint meeting of both the panchayats, where panchayat pradhan and other members of the villages were present.
After 52 years, the ShantMahayagya ceremony was held this year. A highlight of the Mahayagya was Bijjat Devta’s grand journey from Sarahan, accompanied by thousands of devotees. The revamped temple complex, unveiled through the week-long Shant Mahayagya, culminated in the installation of beautifully carved deodar-Kurud atop the temple. It also also revived the legendary meeting of the royal family of King Bhukru, his wife Dudma Rani, parents of Shirgul, and his trusted friend Goga Pir, alongside his adopted sister, Devi Bhaganyani, whose temple stands at a cliff near Haripurdhar in Sirmaur.
Description :
Churdhar is a holy place related with Shri Shirgul Maharaj also know as Chureshwar Maharaj, a deity widely worshipped in Sirmour and Chaupal. The major god of area is Lord Shirgul Maharaj. Many gods goes their for religious pilgrim and bath at the holy temple of lord shirgul.
Choorhdhar, standing tall at nearly 11,870 feet, is not just a spiritual destination, but also a geological wonder and a wild life sanctuary. So when you reached this place then there are so many places for the visit, firstly there is statue of Lord Shiva are made on the top of hill. When you came down to the hill then there so many big stones are present there and in the last there is temple where Shiva’s Ling is present. From this place you can enjoy the Paragliding and beautiful view of mountains. The best season to visit this place in the summer because it is situated on the top of hill and in the winter there is heavy snowfall and even when you visit in the summer then wear warm clothes because there climate suddenly changes.
The legends of Shirgul and Bijjat resonate deeply here. The devotees find here Shauni Ghori, mare of the Shirgul, Asur Ki J Kanali, the utensil used by the demon and mysterious routes and caves.
A massive rock near the temple is still worshipped as the site where Churu and his family were saved.
Rajput families in the region maintain the tradition of bringing their children to Choorhdhar for the sacred ritual of cutting their Choortha (a symbolic lock of hair) as an offering to Lord Chooreshwar when they come of age- a ritual practice as good as abandoned now.
This revival of ancient traditions at Choorhdhar has reawakened the spiritual essence of this sacred mountain, marking a significant religious milestone for devotees from across the region.
How to reach :
You can reach there by bus. As this temple is located in the Sirmour district firstly you have to go to Nauradhar then after that you have to go walk or riding on the horse, from this place it is about 15-16 km which takes around 6 to 8 hours, you can also come from Sranha from it its distances is reduces to half. This place is on the solan-haripurdhar road, from solan nauradhar is about 60 km, in which there are so many places for the wondering and when you reach the nauradhar then after that you have to go to the top of the hill, in the ways there is forest and also there are two or three shops so don’t go there alone and also go some fruits in your bags and take bottle for water, there are so many resources of water.
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