Himachal lights up trek to hilltop shrine with solar power
Shimla : Local authorities in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district have lit up a steep trek to the hilltop ancient Adi Himani Chamunda Temple with solar lights, making the trail of lights a fairy tale after the sunset.
“Recently 101 solar lights have been installed by the district administration en route to Adi Himani Chamunda Temple,” said Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal.
“A panoramic view in the late evening hours. The trail of lights to the holy temple is truly a spectacular sight to behold. #JaiMataDi #Tourism,” remarked Jindal in a tweet.
The ancient Himani Chamunda temple can be reached through an uphill trek of about 16 km from the famous shrine of Chamunda Devi near Dharamsala town, some 250 km from the state capital Shimla.
Earlier, the government allowed a private operator to daily ply a heli-taxi to the famous shrine, but it failed to evoke response from the public who preferred to trudge that to opt a sortie.
Officials said the government also plans to link Aadi Himani Chamunda with a six-km-long ropeway with a carrying capacity of 1,000-1,200 people per hour each way between Dharamsala and the temple.
The total travel time by the ropeway would be around 20 minutes.
Himachal Pradesh has 28 Hindu temples. The popular shrines are Chintpurni in Una, Naina Devi in Bilaspur, Baba Balak Nath in Hamirpur and Jwalaji in Kangra.