Hadimba is celebrated as a demon goddess, a Kali, a blood-thirsty Rakshsi, who devoured human flesh.
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To appease the demon goddess, animals especially buffaloes used to be beheaded as part of sacrifice rituals at the Hadimba temple.
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Along with the animal sacrifice, human sacrifice was also practised at the Hadimba temple to appease the Hadimba goddess.
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It’s believed that Hidimba demoness mentioned in the epic Mahabharata is the same Hadimba of Manali forests who married warrior Bhim and gave birth to Ghatotkach.
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Hadimba temple was got built by Raja Bahadur Singh in 1553 AD. The goddess is enshrined inside a dark cave in a huge rock. Carved in the stone is a pair of unusually big black feet of the demon goddess in her cave.
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Raja Bahadur Singh had ordered to chop off the hand of Hadimba temple architect so that he doesn’t make another such temple.
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However, the artisan built Mrikula Devi temple in Udaipur in Lahaul Spiti and was executed for disobeying royal orders.
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