Amidst one of the highest peaks surrounding Mandi town in Himachal Pradesh is the temple of Shikari Devi. It is also called the crown of Mandi because of its majestic grandeur. On the Shikari peak, there is a roofless temple of Shikari Devi, the Goddess of the Hunters. It is believed that the temple was established by the Pandavas.

Shikari Devi temple is about 18 Kms from Janjehli and connected by a jeepable Forest road. It is situated at an altitude of 3359 Mtr. Thick forests on the way to Shikari peak are amazing.  Vast green pastures, captivating sunrise and sunset, and panoramic views of snow ranges make this place a favorite amongst nature lovers.

The place receives a lot of snow during winters. The place can be approached from Karsog which is just 21 Kms from Shikari Devi. It is said that sage Markanday also meditated at this place for a number of years. It has been observed that despite the fact that the temple has no roof, no snow is spotted on temple premises during winters when the entire region around this temple is covered in snow up to several feet.

Visitors can trek to Chindi, Karsog, Janjehli through different trek routes from Shikari. Adventurists can visit Kamrunag by undertaking a day long journey of 16 Kms by trekking the vast spread pastures on this hill top route with breathtaking scenic beauty and perfect calmness.

The local legend says that the history of the Shikari Mata temple dates back to Dwapar Yuga when the great battle of Mahabharata was fought between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. This place also finds mention in Markandey Purana (A Hindu religious scripture) which was written thousands of years ago. It is also said that the great sage Maharishi Markandey had done his penance in this place.

History of Shikari Mata

The Shikari Mata is originally Adishakti and had appeared before the Pandavas when they were gambling with Duryodhana. The goddess appeared there as an ordinary woman and had warned Pandavas that they would lose everything. And become beggars if they continue gambling. Since the goddess had appeared as an ordinary lady, the Pandavas did not bother but rather threatened her to leave the place. The goddess failed, went away and as a result, the Pandavas got 13 years of exile. It is said that during their exile, the Pandavas stayed in the Shikari Devi area. One fine day, the Pandavas had gone in the forests for hunting where a beautiful deer appeared. Pandavas chased the deer for many hours but couldn’t hunt it and the deer mysteriously disappeared into the forests.

During the night hours, they heard the voice of a lady around the Shikari hilltop uttering the words that she was the same lady who came in the guise of an ordinary woman and warned them while gambling with Duryodhana.

To regain their kingdom they should unearth that. And find out her symbolical idols and stone images for the worship of the people to fulfill their wishes. Soon after Pandavas realized their folly. They followed the instructions of the goddess and found the stone images underneath. They established a roofless temple as desired by the goddess.

It is due to this fact the goddess is known as Shikari Mata since the goddess appeared in the hills while the Pandavas were on the hunt. Thereafter Pandavas regained their lost kingdom with the blessings of goddess Shikari. Since then, thousands of people from the entire length and breadth of the country come to this temple for seeking the blessings of Shikari Mata.