Tarkeshwar Mahadev

TTarkeshwar Mahadev Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is an ancient temple and the belief is that the deity here fulfills ones wishes. The Mahashivarathri festival is celebrated in this temple with great enthusiasm in Lansdowne.. You can get the view of thick blue pine forests, dense deodars and oak trees in the surroundings of this temple.

The residing deity of the temple Lord Tarkeshwar Mahadev is the ruling deity of the Garhwal Riffles, and after returning from any war the troupes of the Lansdowne cantonment visit the temple and offer special prayers and t malso make an offering of a bell, which is then hung on the main entrance gate of the temple. it is believed that the Lord Shiva is very easy to please and all your wishes get fulfilled on visiting the temple and praying to Tarkeshwar Mahadev and on fulfillment of the wish the devotees make offering of a bell to the temple and all these bells numbering in thousands are tied along the gateway passage leading to the main temple. The visitors at the temple ring the bells on their way to the temple and the chimes of the thousand bells ring and echo to add to the serenity of the place.


The temple is situated in a bowl shaped circular valley which is surrounded by dense deodar, blue pine forests and oak trees. It is situated at a height of 2092 meters. We can virtually feel, touch, smell, hear and smell the nature at its best. It is not like any other temple of India, there is no human intervention, no shops or commercialization in and around the temple.  Trees are worshiped here and are considered holy. The most striking feature of the temple is this particular Deodar tree which stand just behind the main temple, usually and almost all the deodar trees are single stem trees which grow vertically straight, but mysteriously this particular tree has three form a HOLY TRISHUL (Trident) at the tip, it is said to be so, as this is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and TRISHUL is his weapon.

Another fact worth pondering is the sinking Shiva Lingam, which was supposed to be the main deity, and the devotes used to pure water on it, but in the recent years the Shiva Lingam have sunk under the ground and the spot is covered with a mesh and an idol of Lord Shiva have been placed there. Further amazing is a bird which chants through out the night.

tarkeshwar This is no doubt the nearest anyone can get to realizing the presence of God, it is a place blessed with the presence of God in form of nature and serenity. The exotic Flora and fauna, the variety of birds and their sound, the wild life, one can actually hear the nature sing, the USP of the place is it is yet to be explored and this has saved it from being exploited. If one reaches the top of the cliff above the meditation centre of the temple a little before sunrise, one can experience the most beautiful sunrise. . The majestic Himalayas starting from Himachal Pradesh, the Yamunoutri peaks, the Gangoutri peaks, the Chaukhamba, Nandadevi and Trishul (800kms of snow clad Himalayan range) can be seen if luck favors you.

How To Reach Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple Lansdowne
Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple is located at 38 kms from Lansdowne and can be reached easily by hiring taxi from Lansdowne to Gundalkhet village. From the village, temple is just 1 km ahead which can be easily trek. Nearest rail connectivity is at Kotdwara railway station (70 kms) and airport at Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun (177 kms).