In the Puranas Himachal is mentioned as the Dev Bhumi. Now, it is known as the ‘valley of Gods’. It is a land of thousands of temples scattered throughout its hills and valleys. Every village has its own devta and so a temple for him. The devta is their ishta, protector, guide and a friend in need. A temple is the abode of devta and hence, it is the tirtha for the people. It is not only a symbol of devta, but is also a centre of religious, social, cultural and economic activities of the area. Thus, a temple plays an important role in the life of people. The temple architecture of the Himalaya has been wholly of wood, as extensive forests of deodar have been in existence here since times immemorial. A large number of temples in Himachal, scattered all over the middle belt of the area, are of wood, generally deodar. The shrines built, like most residential buildings of that material, are very large, but at the same time they look more picturesque, richly carved and evocative than the secular buildings. Some writings have been done on the wooden temples of Himachal Pradesh–a very few specialised and others of general nature. These works mostly discuss architectural peculiarities of the temples, paying little attention to other equally enchanting aspects. I have, therefore, deliberately written this book in a way that would, I hope, clarify many questions that have not been attempted so far.
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