Raghunathji Temple is the principal shrine of Devprayag, dedicated to Lord Vishnu as Rama (Raghunathji) with Goddess Lakshmi as Sita. The temple sits on a rocky terrace above the confluence, reached by a steep flight of stone steps that pass through narrow lanes and small shrines. Built in the Deula / Dravidian style with a tall conical shikhara, it has a walled courtyard containing subsidiary shrines for Badrinath, Shiva, Hanuman, Adi Shankaracharya and others. Inside, the black stone murti of Raghunathji stands in a graceful posture, richly adorned with garlands and ornaments. As one of the 108 Divyadesam temples glorified in the Tamil Alvar hymns, the shrine attracts not only Himalayan pilgrims but also Vaishnav devotees from South India, making it a unique meeting point of northern and southern traditions.
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History & highlights
Temple tradition and inscriptions suggest that the shrine existed as early as the 8th–10th century CE, and is widely believed to have been formally established or revived by Adi Shankaracharya during his campaign to strengthen Sanatan Dharma in the Himalaya. Copper-plate records mention donations by Garhwal rulers such as Sahaj Pal, Raja Man Shah and Raja Prithvi Pat Shah in the 16th–17th centuries; one inscription from 1610 even contains an early mention of the region by the name “Garhwal”. Legends say Lord Rama himself meditated here to atone for the sin of killing Ravana, a Brahmin king, and the place of his tapasya is still shown inside the complex. The temple has survived earthquakes and floods – including a serious quake in 1893 after which it was repaired by local rulers – and is now maintained by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, continuing its role as Devprayag’s main spiritual anchor.
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