VIPIN_GOEL_TP_Impex
★★★★★5.0Wrote on 6 Nov 2023
Perfect place to sit, relax and do meditation in divinity and spirituality all around
Sun Temple Katarmal is located in Village Katarmal near Almora (12km) on Almora Bageshwar Road near Kosi village (1.5km) at 2116m above sea level on a beautiful hill top. Other than Katarmal Sun Temple, there are four other famous Sun Temples in India; they are Konark Sun Temple, Orissa, Modhera Sun Temple, Gujarat, Martand Sun Temple, J&K and finally in Osia, Rajasthan. We parked our car in designated area near the temple and climbed the temple on the paved path through the village life. One should keep drinking water while going up as there are no shops on the way and in the temple complex. Once you reach in temple complex, you will feel the divinity and spirituality all around. Fresh air, no noise, cleanliness and views of the valley makes it a perfect place to sit, relax and do meditation (Dhayana) here. Being Sun temple, as expected, the first ray of the Sun falls on the Shivlinga inside the main temple. Katarmal Sun Temple is stone based and was constructed by the Katyuri King Katarmal in the 9th century by using a mixture of lime and lentil paste. As written on the Information Stone Panel, there are 45 miniature small shrines in small groups clustering around temples around the main shrine seems to be constructed at different periods. The main deity Surya here is called as Burhadita or Vraddhaditya. Other deities like Shiva-Parvathi and Lakshmi-Narayana are also established in this temple complex. The carved wooden doors and panels of the main shrine were transported to the National Museum, Delhi, after an idol from the 10th century was stolen. The temple has carvings on walls and panels and is maintained by ASI. We came here in the afternoon after visiting from Jageshwar Temples and proceeded to Club Mahindra Binsar via a short adventurous driving route through unknown villages. We travelled to Village Maler near Guldaar Valley on Almora-Someshwar-Kausani highway then took right turn crossing the Kosi River on 12km drive (out of this last 6.5km were kachha road) on Patali Bager- Thapinia Motor Marg to reach adjacent to Club Mahindra resort on Binsar Bageshwar Road. This short cut is not recommended during rains.
