Masrur Rock-cut Temple Complex - Kangra

A documented stop on Adi Shankaracharya's route across India.

The Masrur Temples is a complex of rock-cut Hindu temples located in the Kangra Valley of the Beas River in Himachal Pradesh, facing northeast towards the Dhauladhar range and built in the North Indian Nagara style — dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu, Devi, and the Saura tradition. Carved entirely from a single rock, the 15-temple cluster is often called the Ellora of Himachal Pradesh.
Adi Shankaracharya stayed here for five days during his Yatra — and the physical evidence of that presence is extraordinary:
- A Sri Rama Temple with a Dvibhuja Rama consecrated by the Acharya
- A set of wooden Padukas confirmed as Shankaracharya's own and two Shankas (Conch) whose usage by the Acharya is authenticated by Shastras
- An Anjaneya vigraha blessed by Shankaracharya — carrying immense Shakti according to the temple's custodians — sits tucked beneath a staircase, without any caretaker
- An Ishwara Linga also consecrated by the Acharya lies outdoors, similarly unattended.
- A stone vigraha of a Yati in blessing posture — given by Shankaracharya directly to the Adivasi community here — points to the same social integration principle the Acharya enacted across the Yatra.
At the back of the complex, multiple small caves are preserved — one used for Anushtana, another for receiving food — and the cave at the uppermost point is identified by local tradition as the place where Shankaracharya himself rested during his five-day stay.