Located at the top of the hill, Raghunath Temple is surrounded by lofty mountains. Dedicated to Lord Rama, the holy shrine is situated on the confluence of Rivers Alaknanda and Bhagirathi. The temple houses 6 ft tall idol of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita and Lakshman. Lord Rama’s majestic idol in Gandhara style is seen inside the temple. There are small temples of Hanuman, Annapurna Devi, Adi Guru Shankaracharya and Garuda near the main temple.
It is believed that Raghunath temple was established by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century, and was later expanded by Garhwal Kingdoms. Mythology states that Lord Rama had killed Ravana and since Ravana was a Brahman, Lord Rama did penance here for killing a Brahman.
It is also believed that Lord Brahma did penance here and hence this place is known as Prayaga, which means the best place to do penance. It is thought that this place has a Banyan tree which will always remain here. Devotees believe that Vishnu lives in the leaves of the tree.
Raghunathji temple is made of a huge stone. Temple’s architecture resembles Buddhist and South Indian style of architecture.
Raghunath Temple is highly revered as it is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is famous for Six feet tall statues of Lord Rama, Mata Sita and Lord Lakshman.
Major festivals which are celebrated at Raghunath Temple are Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti, Diwali and Dussehra.