Bharmour
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Bharmour (भारमौर) is a village in Brahmaur tahsil in Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh, India. It was the ancient capital of Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh, India. Bharmour is known for its scenic beauty and for its ancient temples. Some of the temples are believed to date from 10th century.
Variants
- Bharamaura भारमौर, हि.प्र., (AS, p.665)
- Brahmpura/Brahampura (ब्रह्मपुरा) (earlier name)
- Varmmapuri (Alexander Cunningham)
- Barmawar (Alexander Cunningham)
Location
Situated at an altitude of 7000 feet in the Budhil valley, forty miles to the south-east of Chamba. It lies between the Pir-Panjal and Dhauladhar range, between Ravi and Chenab valley. It is located at following distances: Chamba: 64 km, Kangra: 220 km, Dharamsala: 145 km, Manali: 220 km, Shimla: 350 km, Pathankot: 174 km.
History
Meru, the father of the first recorded prince Jaistambh in the Chamba Vanshavali, was the first to settle Bharmour. He belonged to a ruling family of Ayodhya. Accompanied by his youngest son Jaistambh, Meru penetrated into the upper Ravi valley through the outer hills. He defeated the petty Ranas holding the territory there and founded the town Brahmpura and made it the capital of a new state. This event is believed to have taken place in the middle of the 6th century A.D..
According to one legend, the name Brahampura was in use at a still earlier period for the more ancient kingdom of Bharmour which existed in the territories of Garhwal and Kumaon, and 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 until Sahil Varman. It was Sahil Varman who conquered the lower Ravi valley and transferred the seat of government from Brahampura to the new capital he founded at Chamba. Bharmour was capital for nearly four hundred years.
Bharmour is supposed to belong to Lord Shiva, it is popularly spoken of as Shiva Bhumi, "abode of lord Shiva".
Alexander Cunningham on Bharmour
Alexander Cunningham[1] writes that Chamba is a large district, which includes the valleys of all the sources of the Ravi, and a portion of the upper valley of the Chenab, between Lahul and Kashtwar. It is not mentioned by Hwen Thsang, and therefore, probably included by him within the limits of Kashmir The ancient capital was Varmmapuri or Barmawar, on the Budhil river, where many fine temples, and a brazen bull, of life size, still exist to attest the wealth and piety of its early rulers. According to the inscriptions these works belong to the ninth and tenth centuries. The country is frequently mentioned in the native chronicle of Kashmir, under the name of Champa, and each notice is confirmed by the local genealogies. Between A.D. 1028 and 1031 the district was invaded by Ananta of Kashmir,1 when the native Raja, named Sala, was defeated and put to death. His son founded a new capital, Champapura, called after the goddess Champavati Devi, which, under the name of Chamba, is still the chief place in the district. The Rajas of Kashmir after-wards intermarried with the Chamba family ;2 and during the troubles that followed the Muhammadan invasions this petty state became independent, and remained so until reduced by Gulab Singh, early in the present century.
1 Briggs's 'Ferishta,' i. 283. The Gakars inhabited the banks of the Nilab (or Indus) up to the foot of the mountains of Siwalik.
2 'Raja Tarangini," vii. 218. Ibid., vii. 589, 1520; viii. 1092.
Chaurasi Temple
Chaurasi Temple is located in the centre of Bharmour town and it holds immense religious importance because of temples built around 1400 years ago. The life of people in Bharmour centres around the Chaurasi Temple complex, named so because of 84 shrines built in the periphery of Chaurasi Temple. "Chaurasi" is the Hindi word for the number eighty-four. The beautiful Shikhara style temple of Manimahesh occupies the centre of the complex. Chaurasi Temple complex was built approximately the 7th century, although repairs of many temples have been carried out in later periods. There are 84 big and small temples in the temple complex.
Chaurasi is a spacious level ground in central Bharmour where the galaxy of temples mostly in the form of Shivalingas exists. The Chaurasi Temple complex offers a delightful, clean and scenic view. Another temple built in the same style is that of Lord Vishnu cast in his Narasimha avatar.
भारमौर
भारमौर (AS, p.665), चंबा जिला, हि.प्र. में स्थित है. इस स्थान पर प्राय: 1200 वर्ष प्राचीन कई मंदिर हैं. ये शिखर सहित हैं तथा प्राचीन वास्तु के अच्छे उदाहरण है. [2]