Located in the Kangra Valley, the entire temple complex is situated on a hilltop at a height of 2500 feet and is surrounded by the majestic snow-clad Dhauladhar range.
Constructed alongside a rectangular pool of water mirroring the mesmerizing temple complex, all the temples are in cohesion and built around a central shrine encompassing the three black stone metaphors of Ram, Lakshman and Sita. Although the main temple is dedicated to Ram, Lakshman and Sita, the existence of the figure of Shiva in the centre of the lintel purveys a strong notion that the temple may have been originally built in reverence to Lord Shiva.
Legend has it that the Pandavas built the Masroor Rock Temple during their period of exile (Ancient name for Kangra is Bhimnagar, named after its founder - Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers). It is believed that the temple was built by an avid Lord Shiva devotee, a local Raja Yashovardhan. Art historians also consider that initially this temple may have been dedicated to Lord Shiva and after an ancient earthquake was remodeled into a shrine of Rama.
Another quake, this time in the year 1905 which hit Kangra Valley greatly ruined Masroor Temples which bore the blunt of the powerful earthquake. It is also believed that this earthquake destroyed 4 of the original 19 monolithic rock cut temples completely and defacing the currently standing massive 15 structures.
Architecturally, inscriptions and sculptures point to a 6th to 8th century construction. No notable inscriptions inside the temple and no literary description about this temple leave the precise history and origin of these temples a mystery.
Although common in South India, yet temples made out of free-standing rocks are unique in the Himalayas and are akin to the country’s other great monolithic structures, namely, Pancha Rathas in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu and Kailasa Temples of Ellora in Maharashtra.
The air of the unknown history along with the majestic and magnificence of the intricate carvings and sculptures adorning the walls of these marvellously beautiful and massive monolith temples gives you more than a reason to visit Masroor Temples.
The temple can be visited throughout the year but the best time to visit them is between March and October avoiding the harsh winters of Himachal. The temples are nearly 35kms from Kangra and 50kms away from Dharamshala city.