Place · Himalayan summit · India
Chandrashila
/tʃənd̪ɾəʃilaː/
Also known as Chandrashila Peak, Chandra Shila, Chandrashilla
The summit ridge above Tungnath, its name meaning "moon rock," rising to roughly 4,000 metres. The short climb from the temple opens a view running from Nanda Devi and Trishul to Bandarpunch, and the peak is visited as part of the Tungnath pilgrimage rather than separately.
- Function
- Sacred site & pilgrimage
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
- Location
- 30.490, 79.220
Worth knowing
Tradition attaches the summit to Rama's penance after killing Ravana; other tellings give it to Chandra, the moon, doing penance here. A small shrine stands at the top. The Chopta–Tungnath–Chandrashila walk is now one of Garhwal's most travelled short treks.
Connections (1)
- Site adjacencyTungnāth
Chandrashila, the moon rock, is the summit ridge a short climb above Tungnath at about four thousand metres, and the view from it runs from Nanda Devi round to Bandarpunch. Tradition ties it to Rama's penance after killing Ravana, and in other tellings to Chandra's own austerities — so the highest Shiva temple in the world has a Vaishnava story attached to the rock immediately above it.
Sources
Wikipedia, “Chandrashila”. Archaeological Survey of India and State Archaeology monument records, and the standard regional literature.
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