Shimla/Bharmour, Feb. 7 -- A devastating fire on Friday gutted the nearly 700-year-old Gird Mata Temple, a revered centre of faith, located atop a rock in Gird village of Khundel Gram Panchayat under the Bharmour Assembly constituency.
The blaze reportedly broke out around 3.30 pm and reduced the historic wooden shrine to ashes within a short span.
According to locals, flames suddenly engulfed the temple structure, built predominantly of intricately carved deodar (cedar) wood, leaving little scope for rescue.
Marble, black stone and brass idols housed inside the sanctum were damaged, while the exquisitely crafted wooden architecture -an example of traditional Chamba temple art -was destroyed. Preliminary estimates suggest losses running ...