The Bhootnath Temple, located in the main street heart of the town was built by Raja Ajber Sen in 1527 AD and is located at Mandi Himachal Pradesh. This temple is devoted to the Great Lord Shiva and was built at the time when Our Himachal Pradesh State Capital was shifted from Bhiuli to present place. There is tradition of Raj Madhav Rao, the deity who ruled the Mandi state, visiting the temple and offer prayers before starting the procession of Maha Shivratri Fair along-with all the visiting hill deities.
Bhootnath Temple History
A legend is told of the building of Bhoothnath Temple. It is said that, in 1526, Raja Ajber Sen heard the story of a cow offering milk on her own volition to a particular stone in a forest in Mandi. Lord Shiva is said to have appeared in the Raja’s dream and directed him to extricate the Shiva Linga that was buried at that site. Thereafter, the Raja found the Shiva Linga at the indicated location, which he deified in a temple that he erected in 1526, at the place it was found. He called it the “Bhootnath Temple” and started the observance of the Shivaratri festival at Mandi. Concurrent with this event, the Raja shifted his capital from Bhiuli to Mandi
How To Reach at Bhootnath Temple
Boothnath temple is accessible by road from Shimla, Chandigarh, Pathankot and Delhi. The nearest railway stations are Joginder Nagar and Shimla by narrow gauge train. It is connected to Chandigarh and Kalka by broad gauge line of the Indian Railways. Kullu-Manali airport Bhuntar is the nearest airport, it is about 45 km from Mandi town.
