Category:Ranganatha Temples, Bilaspur Himachal Pradesh

Ranganatha Temples, Bilaspur Himachal Pradesh 

Submerged temple group near Bhakra Dam in old Bilaspur, India
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Instance of	Hindu temple
Location	Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, India
31° 19′ 47.5″ N, 76° 45′ 22.2″ E
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The Ranganatha temples of Bilaspur are a group of five temples that historically served as the hub of Old Bilaspur on the banks of river Sutlej in Himachal Pradesh. They were among the 28 temples of Old Bilaspur dated between 6th and 16th centuries that were submerged by the Gobind Sagar reservoir in the 1960s and 1970s by the waters of the Bhakra Nangal hydroelectric project.

The Ranganatha temples are Nagara-style temples with beautiful Hindu artwork from 8th to 9th century period. The largest temple of the group is dedicated to Shiva, while the other shrines to Sitla–Durga, Vishnu and Ganesha. One of the five is too ruined to determine who it was dedicated to. Some of the ruins from the Ranganatha temples have been moved to Shimla museum, a few have been moved to the Lakshmi Narayan temple in new Bilaspur town of Himachal Pradesh. However, a majority of historic Hindu artwork continues to be eroded by the waters of Gobind Sagar project. The damage to marble artwork inside the Ranganatha temples is substantial.

In style, the Ranganatha temples artwork seems similar to the Pratihara temples found between Ujjain and Kannauj. However, this Himachal group of temple also has its own unique style reflecting ideas that likely developed in the historic Himalayan Hindu kingdom of Kehloor by the 8th-century.

The Ranganatha temples are one of two groups of Old Bilaspur temple that re-emerge into view during the winter and spring when the reservoir water levels fall. Locals call them Sandhu Maidan temples. They get fully submerged during the monsoon season. When they become visible, regional Hindus visit the temples. In 2023, India launched a INR 1400 crore project to move the Ranganatha temples to a higher level to boost tourism and create regional pilgrims facilities year round.