Temple
A Shiva temple below the Lower Dam, known for its Gajan fair
Overview
Temple
Lahariya Shib Mandir, also called Lahariya Baba Dham, is the Shiva temple of Lahariya village in Baghmundi block, at the foot of the Ajodhya hills beside the small Lahariya reservoir and below the Lower Dam. Quiet for most of the year, it fills with thousands for its Gajan and Charak fair before Chaitra Sankranti in mid-April, a festival known locally for bringing Hindus and Muslims together.
The temple stands where the road from the plains begins its climb to the Lower Dam, and travellers bound for the hills often stop here first. In front of it lies the reservoir known as Lahariya Dam, and behind it rises the great embankment of the PPSP's Lower Dam.
It is a working village shrine rather than a monument, and its deity is known as Lahariya Baba. Bengali Wikipedia's list of Ajodhya sights calls it an old Shiva temple; no reliable date for its founding has been found. Its priest in 2025, Tapan Mahato, said his forefathers had run the temple's fair before him.
Past & present
History & stories
When you're there
See & do
If you are here in mid-April, the temple grounds hold the Charak fair, with an all-night Chhau performance, drawing thousands from across Purulia and neighbouring Jharkhand.
Visit the temple and the reservoir in front of it before driving up to the Lower Dam.
From the Lower Dam you can look down on the Lahariya reservoir and the fields around it at the foot of the hills.
Gallery
Photos
Photos coming soon
We're putting together our own photographs of Lahariya Shib Mandir. Been there with us? We'd love to see yours.
Getting there
From Rangamati
Lahariya Shib Mandir is 10 km by road from the resort, to the north. A local guide, sightseeing cab or driver can be arranged on request.
Before you go
Through the year
Seasons & festivals
March – June
Mid-April brings the Gajan and Charak fair, the busiest days of the temple's year.
October – February
A quiet time to stop at the temple on the way to the Lower Dam, in the cool season that is the main tourist period in these hills.
Fairs & festivals
Worship begins two days before Chaitra Sankranti with the 'phalar' rite; the next night brings Chhau dancing and the fair, with Nil puja and the Charak rites. People of every community take part, and crowds come from across the district and from Jharkhand.
Good to know
Questions
About 10 km by road.
It ends on Chaitra Sankranti, the last day of the Bengali year, in mid-April. Worship begins two days earlier, and the night before the Sankranti brings Chhau dancing and the fair.
Everyone. It is known for drawing people of all faiths, and a Muslim family from nearby Bareria has long supplied the thread for the devotees' sacred threads.
A 2025 report put the Charak fair's crowds at several thousand people, including visitors from Jharkhand, so allow extra time on the road that week.
Yes. The temple is on the branch road that climbs to the Lower Dam, with Lahariya Dam in front of it. The resort can arrange a cab or driver.
Make a day of it
Close by
Other places close to this one, so you can see a few in a single trip.
On our suggested itineraries
From our travel journal
Seasons & festivals
Nature & outdoorsSources: openstreetmap.org · en.wikivoyage.org · theholidaystory.com · tripoto.com · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · outlookindia.com · tv9bangla.com · bartamanpatrika.com · bn.wikipedia.org · en.wikivoyage.org · openstreetmap.org · router.project-osrm.org
Rangamati is your base for the Ajodhya hills — tell us your dates and we'll plan the drive.
