Lakhamandal is a beautiful village nestled in the lap of nature, located 120 km away from Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand. The ancient Shiva temple located here is believed to date back to the Pandava period. The Shivalinga located in the courtyard of the temple is made of graphite, where one can see their own shadow in it, and it shines when water is poured on it. Legends believe that during exile, the Pandavas installed lakhs of Shivling at this place, hence earning the name Lakhamandal (meaning ‘Lakh Linga’). The architectural structure of this temple is quite similar to Kedarnath temple. Alongside the Shiva family, visitors can also find the idols of Lord Vishnu, Kaal Bhairav, and Kartikeya in the sanctum. Additionally, there are footprints within the temple, which are considered to be the footprints of Mother Parvati. The evening Arti is the focal point for devotees, drawing participants of all age groups.
As per the locals, the temple discovery was aided by a cow. Many years ago, a person grazing his cow noticed that his cow mysteriously went somewhere for some time. After observing this for several days, the man followed the cow’s path and found cow’s milk dripping spontaneously. Upon sharing the incident with the villagers, they cleaned the place and found a Shivalinga. Since then the locals have started worshiping the Shivling. It is also said that when a person died in the village, the corpse was placed in front of the big Shivling situated in the middle of the gatekeeper known as Dev and Danav statue. Depending on their deeds, the soul would either go to the Vishnu Loka or the Jeeva Loka. Upon sprinkling the holy Ganges water, revive the corpse for a few minutes. Subsequently, the person would be fed milk and rice before departing to Vaikuntha Dham. However, this tradition ended when a mother embraced her child during the ritual, urging him to return home. According to the legends, the left side of Lakhamandal temple is said to represent Vaikuntha Loka, while the right part symbolizes Jeeva Loka.
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