Raghunath Temple is situated at
Deoprayag in
Tehri Garhwal District of
Uttaranchal. This place is the meeting point of the
Alaknanda and
Bhagirathi rivers. The temple is dedicated to
Lord Ram, who is known locally by the name Raghunath. Other deities include
Sita and
Lakshman. The sculptures on the walls exhibit a confluence of Buddhist and south Indian styles.
Maharaja Gulab Singh, founder of the kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir, started the construction of the temple in 1835. Later, Maharaja Ranbir Singh, son of Maharaja Gulab Singh, finished the construction in 1860. According to legends, this temple was built by Raja Jagat Singh of Kullu to absolve a terrible sin he had committed. The idol in the temple was brought from Ayodhya, the birthplace of lord Ram. The main temple’s inner walls are covered with sheets of gold on the three sides. The depictions of Rama Lila and Krishna Lila here have made the temple very famous. There are many galleries with thousands of Saligrams, which are sacred stones that manifest Lord Vishnu.
Raghunath Temple adheres to the age old custom of employing the
Telugu speaking priests, who had settled here centuries ago.
The nearest railhead is at Rishikesh, 71 km from Deoprayag.
