CHAMBA-LORD LAKSHMI NARAYAN SHRINE (लक्ष्मी-नारायण,चम्बा)
श्री हरि भगवान विष्णू , सृष्टि के पालनकर्ता,
मंत्र- ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
अस्त्र-शस्त्र- पांचजन्य शंख, सुदर्शन चक्र, कौमुदी गदा पद्म
जीवनसाथी- लक्ष्मी
वाहन- गरुड़
लक्ष्मी-नारायण, चम्बा-. 10th century AD
Lakshmi Narayan or Lakshmi-Narayana
About Laxmi Narayan Temple,
Regarded as the oldest as well as the largest one in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, the Laxmi Narayan Temple attracts a whole lot of visitors. The six temples in the Laxmi Narayan Temple complex are arranged from north to south and are dedicated to either Shiva or Vishnu.Though built in the 10th century, the Laxmi Narayan Temple continued to be decorated by rajas who occupied the throne of Chamba afterwards. For example Raja Balabhadra Verma added the metallic image of Garuda on a high pillar at the main gate of the temple while Raja Chhatra Singh contributed the gilded pinnacles on the temple tops.The legend of the temple states that Raja Sahil Verma, who constructed this temple, sent nine of his sons to the Vindhyas mountains to get marble which was suitable for the construction of the Vishnu idol.The Laxmi Narayan Temple is constructed in the Shikhara style. There is Bimana (Shikhara), garbhgriha and also a mandapa like structure. The wooden chattris and the shell roofs reflect the climactic condition of the place where snowfall is quiet expected. The Lakshmi Narayan Temple complex is opened first between 6 am to 12.30 pm and then from 2.30 to 8.30 pm.
The Lakshmi Narayan temples complex, devoted to the Vaishnavite sect, includes the main Lakshmi Narayan temple, built in the 10th century by Raja Sahil Verman. It has been built to suit the local climatic conditions with wooden chatries and has a shikara, and a sanctum sanctorum (Garbhagriha), with an antarala and a mantapa. A metallic image of Garuda, the vahana (mount) of Vishnu is installed on the dwajastamba pillar at the main gate of the temple. In 1678, Raja Chhatra Singh adorned the temple roof with gold plated pinnacles, as a riposte to Auranagzeb, who had ordered demolition of this temple.