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Uttaranchal Surkanda Devi
Surkanda Devi is a famous Hindu shrine situated nearer a small resort hamlet called Dhanaulti in Tehri District which is at an elevated place of about 2,757 metres. This location lies closer to Dhanaulti and Chamba which are hill stations at 8 km and 22 km distance respectively and from Kaddukhal about 3 km walking distance.
This location being around Mussoourie and Chamba hill region, offer tourists a splendid and panoramic view of Himalayan hill range.
The region where Surkanda Devi Temple is situated is also surrounded by thick forestry and certain cities such as Dehradun, Rishikesh etc are lie around, which are famous tourism centres. The Ganga Dussehra festival celebrated here every year during the months of May and June attracts a lot of visitors to this place.
Surkanda Devi temple is one of the Devi Darshan triangle temples, the other two being those at Chandrabadani and Kunjapuri. Those who visit Surkanda Devi temple can get a 360 degree view of entire Garhwal valley of the Himalayas, besides the Dehradun valley and few other peaks. Most of the tourists trek along the route to reach the temple, however few choose to make pony ride to cover the distance from Kaddukhal.
History
The origin of Surkanda Devi is connected with the Legend of Lord Shiva’s famous dance held after his consort Sati burnt herself out of the incidents that occurred after Dakhsha her father emitted hatred against Lord Shiva, his son-in-law and insulted him by not inviting for the big yagna he conducted. In this dance, Lord Shiva held the dead body of Sati in hand, which angry mood he had at that time, caused fears in the Celestial world, upon which Lord Vishnu sent His Sudharshan Chakra, which made Sati’s body into at least 51 pieces, which were shrewd around in Indian sub-continent and nearby areas. The spots where Sati’s body fell were later assumed as places of Shakthi Peeths among which Surkanda Devi Temple location is the one where her head fell.
How To Reach
Surkanda Devi location can be reached from Dehradun and tourists take a day return trip to this place combining Mussoourie and Landour. Reaching this place involves trekking for about 1 km distance as one approaches from Kaddukhal in Dhanaulti Chamba Road, which destination is about 33.9 km from the Mall Road of Mussoourie and 113 km from Devprayag in Uttarakhand. The road in both ways is quite motor-able.
For Dehradun, there are transport facilities available by Road, Rail and Air, with direct buses and trains from Delhi.
Significance Of The Temple
Surkanda Devi temple site is important for those with Hindu faith as it is considered the place where Lord Shiva did his rudhrathandava, the celestial dance, when he was in rage and carrying the body of Sati, who immolated herself due to the enmity between her father Daksha and husband Shiva. It is also the place where Sati’s head fell, when her 51 body parts were shrewn around.
The Surkanda Devi temple is known for its annual ten day long Ganga Dussehra festival celebrated every year during May and June
Attractions
Besides its religious significance Surkanda Devi is a tourism rich place, having the following spots and features, attracting large number of visitors throughout the year:
- The Valley of Flowers trek starting from Govind ghat by the side of the river Laxman ganga & Pushpawati, covering a distance of 16 km, while the Valley offers  the sight of over 500 species of wonderful  flowers.
- Haridwar popularly known as the "Gateway to God" considered the most Holy place for Hindus who visit Har Ki Pauri at Hardwar, to have a Holy Dip in Ganga River.
- Rishikesh which is the Yoga Capital of the World, that gives also scope for  White Water Rafting, Rappling, Kayaking,  and Rock Climbing
- Camel’s Back Road offering a picturesque view of the sunset, while a life like figure of a sitting camel strikes the eyes.
- Lake Mist, a spot about 5 km nearer Kempty falls on the Mussoourie-Kempty road which is a good picnic spotshowcasing nature in an exquisite manner.
- Gun Hill cable rideoffering a thrilling ropeway travel to the second highest peak of Mussoourie, with a panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges.
- Mussoourie Lake which is another picnic spot situated on Mussoourie-Dehradun road.
- Vinog Mountain Quail Sanctuary situated in about 11 Kms, established in 1993, covering an area of 339 hectares, which is famous for some of the extinct bird species.
- Dhanaulti valley situated 24 Kms from Mussoourie, providing a breath-taking view of the valleys and the Himalayan peaks.
- Nagtibba an ideal spot for trekking available in 34km distance from Mussoourie.
- Lakha Mandal which is situated on the Yamunotri road, having hundreds of idols of archaeological importance. This is considered to be the palace where Pandavas were trapped to be burnt during their exile period.
- Bhadraj Temple which is another trekking spot about 15 kms from Mussoourie apart from its religious significance.
- The Churches in and around Mussoourie, which include Christ Church, St. Paul’s Church, Kellog Church, Methodist’s Church and Old Union Church.
- Historical Libraries, which are Public Library referred as Gandhi Chowk and Tilak Library.
Besides these, there are other attractions too, such as Yamuna Bridge, Childers’s Lodge, Municipal Garden, George Everest House, etc in Mussoourie, and some of the wonderful falls like Kempty Fall, Bhatia Fall, Jharipani Fall, Van Chetna Kendra, which are picnic spots nearby.
Jwalaji temple in the Benong Hill for Durga Mata and the Tehri Dam are other attractions that a tourist should never miss while making it to Surkanda Devi location visit.
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