Surkanda Devi Temple is one of the popular Hindu pilgrimages of India located near a small resort hamlet of Tehri Garhwal District and Dhanaulti, in the state of Uttarakhand. It is perched at an altitude of 9500 feet or 2,757 meters and lie near a hill station of Chamba (22 km) and Dhanaulti (8 km). The temple is beautifully surrounded by thick forest covers and it affords a scenic view of the entire surrounding areas which includes the Himalaya Mountains to the north, and certain other cities like Dehradun and Rishikesh to the south.

Flowers of varied colours and kinds, and also indigenous herbs, are grown in abundance here. There are also some of the beautiful birds of the western Himalayas that are found in the neighbourhood as well. The Ganga Dussehra festival is celebrated with pomp and glory every year between May and June and pulls huge amount of crowd from across the country.

The Surkanda Devi Temple is very easily assessable from the southwest via Dehradun, but is a typical day trip for people to Mussoorie and Landour. It is situated on a hill region and a visitor can reach there after a steep 1 km trek, from the village of Kaddukhal on the Chamba and Dhanaulti road.

Legend of Surkanda Devi Temple
According to the legend, wife of Lord Shiva, Sati, sacrificed her life in an argument with her father (Prajapati Daksha), when he was not ready to accept Shiva as her daughters husband. As a result Prajapati Daksha started to defy and disrespect Lord Shiva openly. Sati, unable to take the disrespect shown to her husband, sacrificed her life.

Due to immense fury, anger and rage, Lord Shiva danced with the dead body of Sati. Lord Shiva, on his way back to Kailash, passed through this place, with the dead body of Sati whose head fell at the spot where the temple of Surkhanda Devi stands now.

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