A legend says that after Goddess Sati sacrificed herself in the honor of Lord Shiva in her father's Yagya. Shiva took her body on his shoulder and started Tandav. In order to stop him from destroying the world Lord Vishnu divided the body of Sati into 51 parts with his Chakra. The left breast of Sati fell at this spot, thus making it a Shakti Peetha.
The original temple is said to have been built by the Pandavas at the time of Mahabharatha. Legend says that one day Pandavas saw Goddess Durga in their dream in which she told them that she is situated in the Nagarkot village and if they want themselves to be secure they should make a temple for her in that area otherwise they will be destroyed.
That same night they made a magnificent temple for her in the Nagarkot village. In 1905 the temple was destroyed by a powerful earthquake and was subsequently rebuilt by the government.
Temple structure
The main gate entrance has a Nagarkhana or drum house and is built similar to the Bassein fort entrance. The temple is also surrounded by a stone wall like a fort.Kangra was founded by a king of the Katoch dynasty. Chand dynasty again is a popular dynasty that ruled in this area during the Vedic times.
This is a town which has preserved its cultural heritage. Once known as the Kingdom of Trigata, it became a princely state and was annexed by the British later. It has a lot of temples like the popular Bajreshwari Temple. The Kangra Fort - a part of which collapsed after the earthquake of 1905 - is a popular hub for tourists. Kaleshwar Mahadev temple of this area is also very popular.
Some of the temples were reconstructed after the earthquake of 1905. It is the rich cultural heritage of Kangra, which makes it such a perfect place for a history buff. It is a place that has its name engraved in the pages of history as it is also linked to Mahabharata, the popular epic in India.