Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Midas Tümülüsü (Tumulus MM)
The Devil's Column
Weightlifting Hall of Fame
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All India Darjeeling Mahakal Mandir
AO Edited

Mahakal Mandir

At this unique temple in Darjeeling, Hindu and Buddhist practices co-exist harmoniously.

Darjeeling, India

Added By
Diwash Gahatraj
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Mahakal Mandir   Diwash Gahatraj
Mahakal Mandir   Diwash Gahatraj
Three lingas   Diwash Gahatraj
  Diwash Gahatraj
  Diwash Gahatraj
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

At Darjeeling’s Mahakal Mandir, Balaram Sharma, a Hindu priest, chants Sanskrit mantras while sitting next to Nima Tshering Lama, a Buddhist priest, who is chanting prayers in the Bhutia language. At this unique Indian temple, one can experience a peaceful co-existence of two religions. It is located on the highest ridge of the town called “Daara” by the locals, and Darjeeling Observatory Hill by the British officers. The century-old Hindu Shiva temple is a worship center for both Hindus and Buddhists.

Surrounded by a canopy of tall coniferous pine trees, the temple grounds are filled with colorful Buddhist prayer flags, brightly painted prayer wheels, and hundreds of metal bells. Three black rocks, which are worshiped as the Shiva linga, sit in the sanctum sanctorum of this round temple. A white plaster figure of Nandi, the sacred bull of Shiva, sits at the entrance.

Across the temple premises, there are many other smaller shrines dedicated to Hindu gods and goddesses including Lord Shiva, Siddhi Sai Baba, Hanuman, Lord Ram, goddess Kali, and goddess Durga. The temple complex is not the only space atop the hill—there are a few caves and tiny rock-like structures hidden away in the lower parts of the hill. As the name suggests, Observatory Hill has a stunning view of the snow-capped Mount Kanchendzonga and the nearby town of Darjeeling.

According to local history, before the British came to this region there was a Buddhist monastery named Dorje-Ling on the hill established by a lama named Dorje Rinzing. Legend also has it that three Shiva Lingas self-manifested themselves on the hilltop. Around 1788, the monastery was destroyed during an invasion by the Nepalese Gurkha Army and converted into a place of worship dedicated to Mahakal with the three lingas, the gold-plated rocks that can be seen inside the temple today.

According to historical data, the foreign troops were driven out by the British East India Company during the Anglo-Nepalese War. In 1817, the territory was returned to the Chogyal of Sikkim. In the Treaty of Sugauli, Nepal had to cede all territories the Gorkhas had annexed from the Raja of Sikkim to the East India Company. Locals believe the name Darjeeling was derived from the name of the monastery Dorje-Ling. In Tibetan, Dorje means thunderbolt (originally the scepter of Indra), and Ling means a place or land, hence “the land of the thunderbolt.”

In the 1860s, the monastery was relocated to its present location in Bhutia Busty, a settlement a few kilometers below the Mall road. The monastery belongs to the Red Sect of Buddhist Lamas and originally was a branch of the Nyingma sect’s Phodang Monastery in Sikkim.

Related Tags

Monasteries Religion History & Culture Hinduism Sacred Spaces Buddhism Temples

Know Before You Go

A 15-minute walk from the Mall road near Chowrasta in Darjeeling will lead to the temple. Temple opens early in the morning and stays open till late afternoon. Cabs and other vehicles are not allowed in the Mahakal mandir area. However, you can ride a horse or pony from Chowrasta. Be careful of the monkeys on the route, they can your snatch food.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Delhi and Rajasthan: Colors of India

Discover Colorful Rajasthan: From Delhi to Jaipur and Beyond.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

diwashgahatraj

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

December 21, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Mahakal Mandir
Chauk Bazaar
Darjeeling, 734101
India
27.047785, 88.267912
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Grave of Alexander Csoma de Kőrös

Darjeeling, India

miles away

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute

Darjeeling, India

miles away

Memorial Stupa of Helena Roerich

Kalimpong, India

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Darjeeling

Darjeeling

India

Places 3
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Grave of Alexander Csoma de Kőrös

Darjeeling, India

miles away

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute

Darjeeling, India

miles away

Memorial Stupa of Helena Roerich

Kalimpong, India

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Darjeeling

Darjeeling

India

Places 3
Stories 1

Related Places

  • Horyuji Temple

    Ikaruga, Japan

    Hōryū-ji

    Home to the world's oldest wooden building.

  • Hacienda Heights, California

    Hsi Lai Temple

    An unexpected and peaceful oasis on a hillside.

  • Dhamma Hall at Aruna Ratanagiri Monastery.

    Hertfordshire, England

    Amaravati Buddhist Monastery

    An oasis of calm, nestled in the English countryside.

  • One of the halls adorned with contemporary Buddhist art.

    Bangkok, Thailand

    Wat Sutthi Wararam

    Displaying religious art made almost exclusively in modern styles helps set this Buddhist temple apart from the myriad others in Bangkok.

  • Rawalpindi, Pakistan

    Hindu Temples of Rawalpindi

    Hidden among Rawalpindi’s modern buildings are the remains of dilapidated Hindu temples.

  • Pune, India

    Parvati Nandan Ganpati Temple

    This 17th-century temple gave the area of Ganeshkhind its name.

  • Choijin Lama

    Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

    Choijin Lama Monastery

    The monastery survived the Communist revolution in Mongolia as a religious museum.

  • Temple des Mille Bouddhas

    La Boulaye, France

    Temple des Mille Bouddhas (Temple of One Thousand Buddhas)

    On the grounds of a former estate in Burgundy stands an elaborate temple that is modeled after the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.