Sri Hanuman Temple - Jakhu

 

Jakhu Temple is located is situated on Jahku Hill, Simhla’s highest peak in Simhla district in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It is at a height of 2455 m(8054 ft) above sea level.

This temple is dedicated to Lord Hanuman.

The statue of Lord Hanuman is 108 feet in height and is among the tallest Hanuman statutes in the world.

The word Jakhu comes from the sage Yaku who built this temple.

This temple relates to Tretayug.

The temple has a great mythological tale attached to it dating back to the fierce battle between Lord Rama and Ravana in Lanka. During the battle, Lakshmana, the younger brother of Rama got injured by an arrow from Meghanath, Ravana's son, and lost his senses. He could not be cured despite numerous efforts. Then a herb practitioner told Lord Rama that Lakshmana could only be saved by the Sanjeevani herb to be brought from the Himalayas. Hanuman was entrusted with this life-saving task of bringing the herb.

 

While going towards the Himalayas to get the herb, He saw sage Yaaku sitting on Jakhu mountain in penance. Lord Hanuman landed on the mountain to gather more information about the herb. The mount could not bear the weight of the Lord and sunk to the earth, remaining half of its original size. Having cleared his doubts about the herb, the Lord restarted his journey and promised Yaaku to meet him while returning.

 

But on his way back, Lord Hanuman had to fight with a dangerous demon, Kaalnemi. This took a lot of time and He had to take the shortest route to reach Lanka whereas the sage kept waiting for Him. Hanuman did not want to make the sage unhappy. So he appeared before the sage and told him the reason for not keeping his promise. As Hanuman disappeared, having pacified Yaaku, an idol of Him appeared on the hill by itself. Yaaku built a small temple to commemorate the Lord's visit on the hill and kept that idol there. The idol can be seen in the temple to date along with the footprints of the monkey god.

According to Ramayana Hanuman stopped at the location to rest while searching for the Sanjeevini to revive Lakshmana.

This temple is said to have existed from the age of the Ramayana era.

Every year a festival is held in Dasara.

This temple is accessible by foot, horse, taxi, or ropeway.

Best time to Visit – May to July, September to October.

The weather is cold throughout the year. Rainfalls and Snowfalls often occur here. One should wear proper winter clothes with mufflers and gloves. An umbrella is a must to carry.

Temple Timings

7.00 am to 8.00 pm

How to reach the Temple

3 km from Shimla

Nearby Temples

Kachi Ghati, Tara Devi Temple – 20 km.