Mandi, one of the beautiful towns of Himachal Pradesh boasts the rare Ardhanari image with superior carvings.
The right half of the stone image in the temple represents Shiva and the left half his spouse Parvati. Shiva is seen in his typical knotted hair and wearing a garland of skulls, an entwined serpent, a musical instrument in one hand and a `damru` or `drum` on the other. Parvati, on the other hand is seen wearing a diadem, a pair of earrings and a ring on the nose.
There is a slab joined to the image. On this the vehicles of the deities- the bull and the lion, are carved artistically. There are also the images of Bhairon and Hanuman. The temple consists of a cellar, porch and a mandap. The temple carvings are of high order.
