Mrikula Devi Temple
The Mrikula Devi Temple at Lahul in Himachal Pradesh is dedicated to Goddess Kali. The temple appears to have been built in a period between the tenth to eleventh centuries. The temple is not very impressive in its outlook, as conical roofs and crude outside walls produce a dilapidated look. However, inside are some beautiful, intricate deodar-wood carvings.
The Mrikula Temple has an ante-room or mandapa in front of the shrine, proper, and a solid wall enclosing both. The whole temple is covered with a steep gable roof of the shringles, which over the sanctuary proper, rises to a height of forty-five feet above the ground in a steep pyramid.
The facade of the shrine, displays scenes from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana epics. The two door guardians (dvarpalas) are stained with the blood of sacrificed goat and rams. The silver image of Kali, erected inside the temple, exhibits an amalgamation of Rajasthani and Tibetan styles, with an oddly proportioned body.
