Kamrunag Temple in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh

From the ridge the shrine looks out over the Dhauladhar Range and the Balh Valley, and the walk in passes through deodar and oak the whole way. In local belief the presiding deity, known as Bada Deo Kamru Nag, is the King Yaksha of the Mahabharata who was worshipped by the five Pandavas. The lake is said to hold the treasure of Kamrunag Devta, filled with the gold, silver and coins left by devotees whose wishes came true. It runs so deep that no one has ever measured what lies at the bottom.

Distances, the trek profile and the seasonal access window on this page are checked by our Himachal team against Mandi district tourism records, so you can plan the climb with real numbers rather than guesswork.

Kamrunag Temple at a glance

Kamrunag is a high forest shrine above Mandi, reached only on foot. Here is the short version before the detail.

The legend and history of Kamrunag Devta

Kamrunag Devta is one of the oldest and most revered deities of the Mandi region, honoured as a rain god whom farmers across the Seraj and Suket valleys still call on before the sowing season. Local tradition ties him to the Mahabharata. In the version told most often he is a mighty Yaksha warrior, sometimes named Ratan Yaksha, whose devotion was so complete that he asked for one thing only, to watch the great war at Kurukshetra from beginning to end.

Several accounts connect this figure to Barbarik, the grandson of Bhima, who is worshipped elsewhere in India as Khatu Shyam. That is why many pilgrims see a thread between Kamrunag and Khatu Shyam, and why the two names often come up together. Whichever telling you follow, the heart of it is the same. A warrior was granted a boon and is remembered on a lonely ridge above Mandi where the Pandavas are believed to have honoured him.

Kamrunag Lake and the gold and silver offering ritual

The Kamrunag Lake lies right beside the temple, a small, still sheet of water held in by forest. As a centuries-old ritual, devotees drop gold, silver and coins into it when a wish is fulfilled, so no one has ever been able to count what rests on the bed. By custom the lake is never dredged and the offerings are never removed, which is how the belief in its hidden treasure has carried down the generations. For most visitors the quiet water and the ring of forest are the reward at the end of the climb.

How to reach Kamrunag: the Rohanda trek

Kamrunag cannot be reached by road. The last motorable point is the village of Rohanda, and from there it is a steep forest trek of about 6 km, roughly 3 to 4 hours each way, to the shrine and the lake. Rohanda is around 47 km from Mandi town, so most people drive up in the morning, trek to the top and return the same day, though a few camp near the shrine around the June fair. An alternative base is Chail Chowk, about 29 km from Mandi, with the trail beginning near Khunda through the Seraj valley.

Carry water, sturdy shoes and a warm layer even in summer, because the ridge turns cold the moment the sun drops. The climb is moderate rather than technical, and fit walkers of most ages manage it, but it is a real trek, not a short stroll. For city-by-city routes, train and bus options and the full distance breakdown, see our detailed guide on how to reach Kamrunag Temple.

Distances and travel time to Kamrunag

The most-asked question about Kamrunag is simply how far it is. Every route ends with the same 6 km trek from Rohanda, so the table shows the drive to Rohanda first, then the walk on top.

For live train and bus timings from your city, our how to reach Kamrunag Temple guide goes route by route.

Best time to visit Kamrunag Temple

The trail and the shrine are open only from about May to October. Through late spring and summer the daytime weather on the ridge is pleasant, roughly 15 to 25 degrees Celsius, cooling sharply after dark. The monsoon weeks of July and August leave the forest trail muddy and slippery, so many trekkers pick May, June, September or early October for clear views of the Dhauladhar. From November the top takes heavy snow and stays largely snowbound and cut off through winter, which means a December or January visit is not realistic. The single busiest day of the year is 14 June, the temple fair.

Kamrunag Fair, timings and entry

The Kamrunag fair on 14 June is the high point of the temple calendar, a gathering that runs over a few days when devotees from Mandi, Suket and Seraj climb up together, hold a night vigil and make their offerings at the lake. It is the one time the lonely ridge fills with people. There is no entry ticket for the temple, and darshan follows daylight hours, since the site is remote and unlit after dark. For the current opening hours see Kamrunag Temple timings, and for any charges or the fair schedule see Kamrunag Temple entry fees.

Other places to visit near Kamrunag

Kamrunag pairs well with the wider Mandi circuit. Rewalsar Lake, sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs alike, and Parashar Lake with its floating island and three-tier pagoda temple are both within a day of Mandi town. Closer to the trek base, two spots are worth a stop.

• Bandli Wildlife Sanctuary: home to the Cheer pheasant and, rarely, the snow leopard, set in dense hill forest near Sundernagar.

• Hatkoti Temple: a revered shrine to the goddess Hatkoti in the Jubbal area, about 100 km from Shimla, worth adding if you carry on east.

For the full list of sights in the district, see our guide to places to visit in Mandi.

Plan your Kamrunag trip

Ready to build Kamrunag into a wider Himachal itinerary? Browse our Mandi tour packages or the full range of Himachal tour packages, each customisable around the trek and the June fair. For everything else in the district, start with the Mandi travel guide.