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Mohd. Rashideen Saifi

Nishant Gautam
Swati Goel
IIIrd Yr. Sec-B
? c
J formally known as c J was
the ancient capital of Chamba districtJ IndiaJ at
an altitude of 7000 feet in the Budhil valley J
forty miles to the south-east of Chamba.

? It is known for its scenic beauty and for its

ancient temples. Some of temples are believed
to be as old as 10th century. As the whole
country around Bharmour is supposed to belong
to lord ShivaJ it is popularly spoken of as Shiva
BhumiJ abode of lord Shiva.

? Bharmour proper is now the headquarters of

Bharmour sub- division. Being the home of an
interesting Gaddi tribeJ it is also called
Gadderan.
 History
? MeruJ the father of the first recorded prince Jaistambh in the
Chamba Vanshavali was the first to settle at this place. He
belonged to a ruling family of Ayodhya. Meru penetrated to
the upper Ravi valley through the outer hills. He defeated the
patty Ranas holding the territory there and founded the
town Brahampura and made it the capital of new state which
took place in the middle of 6th century A.D.

? According to one legendJ there existed a more ancient

kingdom of Bharmour in the territories of Garhwal and
KumaonJ and that Meru gave the same name of Brahampura
to the state that he founded with present Bharmour as his
capital. After Meru several Rajas ruled in succession till Sahil
Varman who conquered the lower Ravi valley and transferred
the seat of govt from Brahampura to the new capital which
he had founded at Chamba.

? The original State was of very small extent and in all

likelihood comprised at the most the present Bharmour sub-
division i.e. the valley of the Ravi below Bara Bangahal.

http://hpchamba.nic.in/destBharmaur.htm

View of Bara Bangahal

 The myths
? This used to be the vatika (garden) of goddess
Brahamani who used to reside where her shrine now
stands on the ridge at a distance of 3-4 kilometers.
Brahamani Devi was having a son who was very fond of
her pet choker or (birds). One day the choker was killed
by a peasant and the son was shocked to death by this
loss . Grief-strickenJ Brahmani Devi also sacrificed by
burying herself alive. The spirits of these trio dead
souls started haunting the people awfully who raised
Brahmani Devi to the status of deity and built her a
temple. The people so believe that the place was called
Brahmpura after Brahamani Devi. Manimahesh
? The legend further says that God Shiva with 84 Sidhas while on his way to Manimahesh happened to visit
BrahmpuraJ the Vatika of the Goddess Brahmani Devi and settle there for the night. When Brahmani DeviJ the
presiding deity of the place saw the smoke of fires lit by the SidhasJ she felt very angry at this trespass. She came
down to the place and ordered Shiva and the Sidhas to get out of the place. Shiva importuned in all his humility for
allowing them to spend a night there. Goddess Brahamani condescended to their wishes. The 84 Sidhas
transformed themselves in to 84 Lingas because they wished to settle there. The Lord Shiva granted a boon to
Brahamani Devi that all persons intending to go on pilgrimage to Manimahesh must have a dip in Brahmani pool.
Failing thisJ their pilgrimage would not be acceptable to Lord Shiva.

? Infact this is prime reason of the increasing tourism in Bharmour because people on pilgrimage visit the 84 sidhas
of chaurasi villageJ which also acts as a resting point in the journey.

? http://hpchamba.nic.in/destBharmaur.htm
Access routes to Chaurasi temple

Urban Design Deaprtment

 Traveller͛s guide
? Bharmour.
     

  

 


107 kmts from Dalhousie. There are two roads to
Bharmour; one is via Banikhet and Chamba while the other
is via Khajjiar and Chamba. The first route is a little longer
but better as the road is wider and with fewer turns. The
Khajjiar / Chamba road is very narrow and hilly. Via
BanikhetJ it is a good 4hrs driveJ the last quarter of which
is fairly tough with broken roads due to construction of
dams on River Ravi. Public buses regularly ply from
Dalhousie via Chamba.

? Go there only if you have 3 days to spareJ otherwiseJ just

staying overnight is not really worth it. Since the drive to
Bharmour is quite exhaustingJ the day you reach here is
spent resting.

? The best place to stay here is the PWD guest house. It is

located centrallyJ is clean and at INR 250/- per day.

? In September 2007J the Government of Himachal Pradesh

started chopper service to the chaurasi temple located at
an altitude of 14J000 ft.
 About the temples
The settlement has two focal points ʹ The Shiva Temple and
The Brahmani Devi Temple.

The Shiva Temple is the main structure of the Chaurasi

Complex and the whole settlement is located on the
periphery of the complex.

Shiva TempleJ BrahmourJ in 1875

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The Brahamani Devi Temple
? The Chaurasi Temple ComplexJ is a beautiful and clean and surrounded by numerous schools. All of the Schools have a
lunch break at 1pm and pack up at 4pm. The rush of brightJ cute and energetic children from all sides is a sight to see.

? The HelipadJ which is a short steep climb up the temple road. The view from the helipad is great and is a nice place to
stroll in the evenings. A Sati Temple at the distant end of the helipad was a shocking thing to tumble upon.

? The star attraction of Bharmour is the Mani Mahesh Lake. To reach the lake one drives for a hour ahead of Bharmour
to the road end at village HadsarJ about 13kms away. From there you have to trek for 4hrs to reach the lake.
Photographs of the lake seem magnificent.
? ¦

 is a complex formed by a collection of 84
 


 and nearly half the structures housing
them.

? The Chaurasi is gated but does not have a boundary

wall. The dense settlement is situated around it. It
has houses and a number of schools on the
periphery.

? The Chaurasi is a protected monument and the ASI

preserves it.

? The Approximately 1500 year old monument has

survived the earthquake of 1905J which only a few
structures of the settlement could.

The Chaurasi Complex

? Chaurasi shows a great transformation through out the day.

? In the morningJ after the prayersJ people gather and chat in different
corners of the complex.

? Later in the morningJ school children assemble in different parts of the

complex for P.T. and school prayers.

? Bharmour being the administrative headquarter of the tehsilJ invites a

lot of people from nearby towns and villages. During the dayJ these
people flank the Chaurasi complex.

? In the eveningsJ people again gather and sit around. The Chaurasi also
has a few shops in the complex itself which draw quite a few people into
the complex.

? You can also find children playing around the sculpture of O
 


  They play catch and sometimes even climb the sculpture.

? A bit grown up kids can be spotted playing cricket too in the complex.

? The complex is a fun and happening place to be with people also playing
the game of chausar.
? Now the complex is pawed in stoneJ
creating a sense of demarcation from the
rest of the settlement. Earlier the
settlement was much more into the
complex since the complex had grass
growing all over.
 Planning

? Bharmour lies on the route to Manimahesh. This factor has forced Bharmour to develop in a linear fashionJ along the
highway. People have constructed tourist facilities along the road. The core settlement still remains more or less intactJ
with traditional wooden houses constructed in º
 º
style.

? Bharmour has developed rapidly as an economy due to tourism and horticulture. This has created a divide in the rich
and the poor too. But the major effect is the use of concrete for construction and migration of people from
surrounding towns into Bharmour. Causing a steep rise in the number of inhabitants and tenancy.
 Occupation
? Bharmour used to be a shepherd town. Gaddis and Gujjars are
the major part of the population still. But due to the decrease
in pasturesJ these tribes have switched to an agrarian society.
They grow maize in large quantities and farm mushrooms. But
now there has been a steep rise in the practice of horticulture
too. As the apple cultivation is much more profitable.

? While a lot of people also work as officers in the development

authorities in HimachalJ there are also those who move
around from house to house knitting blankets.

? Bharmour lies on the route to ManimaheshJ A major

pilgrimage centre associated with Lord Shiva. This has lead to a
rise in the hospitality business in Bharmour. Hotels and
markets have come up along the major streets.
 Construction
There are a varied methods of construction that can be found
in Bharmour-

? The traditional Kath- Kona style which is the interlinking of

wooden planks with stones in filledJ most commonly seen
in many places in Himachal.

? The second being timber houses made out of tight

interlinking of thick wooden planks which stop moisture
from entering. Majorly used in store rooms now.

? Some construction which was earlier done in stone with

timber beamsJ has been taken over by concrete beams.

? While the third is our most favourite concrete

construction which is commonly followed in most of
North-India and people in hills are also blinding following
not considering the impacts of this.

? So the plan which earlier planked stone roofs now glitters

in G.I. sheets.
 Overview
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On your way͙.
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