About the book:

The temples are not merely the religious shrines but are also the centres of vibrant social life resulting in peace, harmony and exalted spiritual life. Himachal Pradesh abounds in Shaiva, Shakti and other temples. The People of Himachal are Very religious-minded and have great faith in their gods and deities. Almost every village has its own temple.
The present book aims at an exposition of architecture, sculpture, religious and cultural significance of the temples of all the districts of Himachal Pradesh. This book studies the differnt architectural styles of temples and also high-lights some of the temple sculptures which are the marvel of folk arts.
The book is based on the author's visits to various temples of Himachal Pradesh and his observations of the hill-temple art and other aspects. He had covered entire Himachal Pradesh and hard visited Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Pangi tribal area and other places during the course of his study of different temples. His interaction with the priests and related functionaries of the various temples provided him a clear, authentic and first-hand knowledge of different characteristics of the temples.

About the author:

Dr. Neelmani Upadhyay was born at Mandi town, Himachal Pradesh on 17th December 1931. He obtained his post-graduate degrees in Sanskrit, English and Hindi, and M.Ed. and Ph.D. He had worked as teacher for 8 years, Lecturer for 24 years and Principal for 8 years in educational institutions of Himachal Pradesh. He had worked diligently in the field of preservation of folk culture and culture in general and hard produced 29 CDs of folk songs and rituals of the hill deities. His acquaintance with religion, culture and social life of Himachal Pradesh is evident from his several books and articles besides a book on "Temples of Mandi". He had made extensive travels and study of the temples and religious shrines of Himachal Pradesh and had gained valuable experience in conducting surveys of the temples in their architectural, aculptural and socio-religious aspects. He had also made a deep study of Kashmir Shaivism especially 'Pratyabhijna Darshan' (Doctrine of Recognition Philosophy).
Earlier, he had been a member of the State Advisory Board for Education and Culture, Himachal Pradesh; member of Academic Council, H.P. University; and member of the University Court of H.P. Univeristy, Shimla.
Dr. Neelmani Upadhyay, unfortunately, died when this book was at the printing stage.

 Table of contents:

Foreword by Dr. Karan Singh
Introduction

1. Temples of Mandi District
2. Temples of Kullu District
3. Temples of Bilaspur District
4. Temples of Kangra District
5. Temples of Chamba District
6. Temples of Una District
7. Temples of Hamirpur District
8. Temples of Sirmour District
9. Temples of Solan District
10. Temples of Shimla District
11. Temples of Lahaul-Spiti District
12. Temples of Kinnaur District