have resulted from a sword blow by a Kullu soldier of the time. The original temple columns date from the time of King Lalitaditya in the 9th century CE. At the courtyard are large Buddhist prayer wheels and a granite lingam and small Nandi (bull) representing Shiva, while the ancient wooden pagoda-style temple is decorated with Tibetan prayer flags. Both Hindus and Buddhists celebrate the three-day Pauri Festival here in August. Typical of the style introduced in the region during the 7th to 8th centuries, this temple consists of a curvilinear stone tower shikhara crowned with the characteristic amalka (imitating a segmented gourd). Unlike the temples on the plains there is no pillared hall mandapa in the hill temples perhaps due to the lack of clear ground. A silver idol of Kali as Mahishasurmardini was installed by Thakur Himpala in 1959-60. Footnotes References Dare, Annie, et al. (2009). Footprint India Handbook. Footprint Handbooks, U.K. . Handa, O. C. (1987). Buddhist Monasteries in Himachal Pradesh. Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi. . Handa, O. C. (2005). Buddhist Monasteries of Himachal. Indus Publishing Company. . Hutchinson, L.R. & S.E. and J. PH Vogel (1933). History of the Panjab Hill States. Reprint (2000): Department of Language and Culture, Himachal Pradesh. Mitra, Swati. Editor & Publisher (2007). The Temples of Himachal. Department of Language, Art and Culture. Shimla, India. . Buddhist temples in India Hindu temples in Himachal Pradesh Villages in Lahaul and Spiti district Buildings and structures in Lahaul and Spiti district