It was last summer when I visited the surkanda Devi temple I’m local to Dehradun so it’s in my proximity zone. The trekking over there is pretty good but a long way to go. The climate over there is good and well suitable for every season. There’s a mythological story about the temple that once during the reign of aadinath known as the aadikal when Daksha Prajapathi father of goddess Sati had organised a yajna and as he was discontented with the choice of his daughter to marry shiva as he was a tapasvi he didn’t invite sati and shiva and sati in immense anger and humiliation jumped into the sacred fire and gave away her life in Shiva’s love . And in anger when shiva was roaming around everywhere doing tandava with burnt sati on his head , Vishnu’s Sudarshana chakra passed and sati’s head fell off when he was going to kailasha, the place where the head was cut off was surkanda Devi temple. It is a very auspicious temple in the whole of Uttarakhand people from all over the globe come to see this place.
Amidst the beautiful Himalaya valley lies this temple , I went with my family for a pilgrimage to this temple and the whole environment and aura was mesmerising and enchanting. There’s serenity in the environment as it is located pretty close to Dhanaulti, Mussoorie even during the months of December and January one can see snowfall and it’s pretty cold over there and Uttarakhand is a pretty humid area as precipitation levels are quite high so it often rains , it is also pretty close to the Champawat area . One can use any means of transportation and would be easily able to reach the temple , there’s also a saying that this temple is synonymous to transformations as dead sati was reincarnated as Parvati to fulfill her duties because she is the goddess mother and the divine consort of the god of god’s almighty Shiva. The optimistic aura is invincible and impeccable it’s just that you need to visit it and it will magnetise and hypnotise your conscience and you will be drawn to this place and spirituality. There are even certain things one need to keep in mind while travelling to sunderkanda Devi temple that it is pretty cold over there and it is quite wet as it rains heavily and the food over there is also quite limited but is still palatable and fresh but people with hypoxia and asthmatic and other respiratory issues shouldn’t travel.
Even if it’s a trekking spot there are still cable cars and easy mode of transmission and also as an aid to people for whom travelling is not possible but still they shouldn’t be devoid of the blessings of the goddess divine. The temple is triangular in shape, because of the significance of the three temples located nearby in the Tehri district only which are Kunjapuri temple and Chandrabadani temple. It is part of the 51 shaktipeeths . Inside the temple there’s a majestic and bewitchin Idol of the goddess which is spectacular adorned with silk saree and gold crown . Besides the enchanting idol of maa surkanda there are also various shrines of Lord Hanuman and Lord Shiva.
Devi temple as it is located amidst the magnificent Himalayan valley and its scenic architecture and an outstanding mythological history. It is also one of the prominent places of trekking in Uttarakhand and also hosts adventure sports and various activities. The initiation of trekking starts from Kaddukhal village and alongside are dense forests and a steep uphill terrain . The trek is not that difficult it would hardly take 2-3 hours depending on the person’s health and fitness even the pace and also climate is the greatest factor. Even a person can attain camping experience and also one can set up tents and bonfires during the night. There are even parkour sports like paragliding options available. And one should not worry about accommodation as there are Dharamshalas and guesthouses also that to not a very high cost. It is not only adventurous but also there is a festival of Ganga Dusherra which is celebrated every year during the summer season so it is also an optimum time to visit the surkanda temple . The evergreen forests also present in the vicinity of the temple acts as a catalyst to the every existing serenity of the place , Uttarakhand in general is a beautiful spot and this place is the protagonist cause of the same and is such a joyous experience with the most special people of my life along with the spiritual manifestation one seeks to attain and also being a yoga student it becomes essential for me to form an association with the nature and the almighty . I’ve had an invincible journey of mental healing in the temple and all through the way because the spiritual demeanour is extremely amplified and causes a psychological enhancement for the person.
Overall I would like to conclude that Surkanda temple was a great adventure also inclusive of spiritual abundance and a serene and contented environment, I wish to visit it every other weekend .
