Blog
How to reach Baglamukhi Temple, and the Devi circuit
The Baglamukhi temple is at Bankhandi in Kangra district — 462 km from Delhi, 174 km from Ludhiana, 47 km from Dharamshala. It also sits in the middle of five other shrines, and the order you drive them in decides whether the trip takes two days or four.
Written by the people who drive these roads · Last checked
The short answer
Maa Baglamukhi Temple is at Bankhandi, near Dehra in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. By road it is 462 km from Delhi, 205 km from Chandigarh, 190 km from Amritsar, 174 km from Ludhiana and 47 km from Dharamshala. The nearest airport is Kangra (Gaggal) and the nearest railhead is Una or Pathankot. Most people come by road, because the temple is one stop on a circuit rather than a destination on its own.
The facts, in one place
- Baglamukhi Temple is at Bankhandi, Dehra tehsil, Kangra district, at about 540 m.
- Delhi to Baglamukhi is 462 km by road, ten to eleven hours in a car.
- Ludhiana to Baglamukhi is 174 km, Amritsar 190 km, Chandigarh 205 km.
- Jwala Ji is 30 km away and Chamunda Devi 51 km — the Kangra shrines cluster tightly.
- Naina Devi is 142 km from Baglamukhi but only 106 km from Chandigarh, so it belongs at the start.
- Chamunda Devi → Kangra22 km
- Jwala Ji → Baglamukhi30 km
- Chintpurni → Jwala Ji33 km
- Baglamukhi → Chamunda Devi51 km
- Baglamukhi → Naina Devi142 km
Read the whole postClose the post
Most pages about this temple tell you which goddess it is dedicated to and nothing about how to get there. So: the distances first, and the theology somewhere else.
Maa Baglamukhi Temple is at Bankhandi, in Dehra tehsil of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh, at about 540 m. It is not in the mountains. It is down in the Beas country, below the Kangra valley, and people who have driven five hours uphill from Delhi are often surprised to arrive somewhere flat and warm.
Road distances to Baglamukhi
| From | Distance | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 462 km | 10–11 hours |
| Chandigarh | 205 km | 5 hours |
| Amritsar | 190 km | 4–5 hours |
| Ludhiana | 174 km | 4 hours |
| Dharamshala | 47 km | 1.5 hours |
Distances are road distances, measured rather than remembered. The times are ours, and they follow the arithmetic in how long Himachal drives take — these are mostly plains and low-hill roads, so they run faster than a Manali or Dharamshala hill route of the same length.
Getting there without a car
- By air. Kangra airport at Gaggal is the nearest, about an hour away. Flights are few and cancel in weather.
- By train. Una and Pathankot are the practical railheads. The Kangra narrow-gauge line is charming and slow and will not get you to Bankhandi.
- By bus. There is no direct long-distance service to Bankhandi. Come to Dharamshala, Dehra or Una and take a local bus or a taxi for the last leg.
Bankhandi itself is a small place. Whatever you arrive on, the last stretch is usually local.
The circuit, and the order that works
Baglamukhi is rarely a trip on its own. It is one of a cluster, and the useful thing we can tell you is the geography rather than the devotion.
| Leg | Distance |
|---|---|
| Chintpurni → Jwala Ji | 33 km |
| Jwala Ji → Baglamukhi | 30 km |
| Baglamukhi → Chamunda Devi | 51 km |
| Chamunda Devi → Brajeshwari (Kangra) | 22 km |
| Baglamukhi → Naina Devi | 142 km |
Four of those legs are short. One is not.
The Kangra five sit inside about 135 km of driving in total. Chintpurni, Jwala Ji, Baglamukhi, Chamunda Devi and Brajeshwari at Kangra can be done properly in two days, and rushed into one long one.
Naina Devi is the odd one out. It is 142 km from Baglamukhi — four hours — but only 106 km from Chandigarh. So the mistake people make is to base themselves in Kangra and drive out to Naina Devi and back, losing a whole day to it. Take it on the way up from the plains instead, and it costs you an afternoon rather than a day.
That single reordering is usually the difference between a four-day trip and a three-day one.
A sensible three days
This is roughly what we run, and it is the shape of our Shaktipeeth Devi darshan route.
Day one. Leave the plains early. Naina Devi on the way — it is a short climb from the road and the view down over the Gobind Sagar is worth the stop. On to Chintpurni for the evening.
Day two. Chintpurni in the morning, then Jwala Ji, then Baglamukhi. Three shrines, about 63 km of driving, and enough slack to sit down somewhere.
Day three. North to Chamunda Devi, then Brajeshwari at Kangra. Finish in Dharamshala, which is 47 km from Baglamukhi and a reasonable place to end up.
Continue to Dalhousie (130 km) if you have a fourth day. Manali is 255 km and is honestly a different holiday.
Two things worth knowing before you go
Timings beat distances. Every one of these temples has its own aarti and closing hours, and they are not the same. A circuit planned purely on driving time will get you to a shut door. Ask locally the day before rather than trusting a schedule published on the internet a few years ago — including ours.
Bankhandi is small. There is limited accommodation at the temple itself. Dehra, Jwala Ji and Dharamshala all have more. If you want to be at Baglamukhi for an early darshan, sleeping at Jwala Ji 30 km away is usually easier than finding a room in Bankhandi.
Also asked
Questions that come up
How far is Baglamukhi Temple from Delhi?
462 km by road, and ten to eleven hours in a car. The route runs Delhi – Ambala – Chandigarh or Ropar – Una – Dehra, and the slowest part of it is getting out of Delhi. A six o'clock departure and a nine o'clock departure are genuinely different journeys.
How do I reach Baglamukhi Temple from Delhi by car or bus?
By car it is one long day, 462 km. By bus you would normally go Delhi to Dharamshala or Delhi to Una overnight and pick up a local bus or taxi for the last stretch — Baglamukhi is 47 km from Dharamshala and there is no direct long-distance service to Bankhandi itself.
Where exactly is Maa Baglamukhi Temple in Himachal Pradesh?
At Bankhandi, in Dehra tehsil of Kangra district, at roughly 540 m above sea level. It sits low, in the Beas country below the Kangra valley proper, not up in the hills — which surprises people who have driven up from the plains expecting a mountain shrine.
How far is Baglamukhi from Chamunda Devi and Jwala Ji?
Jwala Ji is 30 km from Baglamukhi and Chamunda Devi is 51 km. Chamunda to the Brajeshwari Devi temple at Kangra is another 22 km. The four of them sit inside a very small area, which is why a Kangra Devi darshan trip is a realistic two days.
How far is Baglamukhi from Naina Devi?
142 km, which is a long way in this landscape — around four hours. Naina Devi is only 106 km from Chandigarh, so if you are coming up from the plains it is far better to stop there on the way in than to drive out to it from Kangra and back.
How far is Baglamukhi from Dalhousie or Manali?
Dalhousie is 130 km and Manali is 255 km. Both are commonly tacked onto the end of a Devi circuit. Dalhousie works as a natural continuation; Manali is most of a day's drive away and is really a separate trip.
How many days does the Devi circuit take?
Two days covers the Kangra cluster properly — Chintpurni, Jwala Ji, Baglamukhi, Chamunda and Brajeshwari. Add Naina Devi and you want three, unless you catch it on the drive up. Four gives you time to do it without arriving at every temple at the wrong hour.
Keep reading