At a glimpse :

Location : One kilometer from Likabali district, Arunachal Pradesh, India

Major importance : Pilgrimage center

Excavated in year : 1968 and ended in year 1971

Best season to visit : All around the year

Facts :

Located in the northern eastern part of India, Arunachal Pradesh is not only renowned for its scenic natural beauty, stunning hills, cascading waterfalls, lush green forest, and also deep valleys. But it is marked more for its amazing pilgrimage centers and enduring archeological sites that attracts around myriads of devotees and tourists every year. There are various temples situated in this state and worth to witness while exploring here. But among all of them, the most popular is the Malinithan Temple which is also famous in the list of archeological sites. It is a frequently visited sacred pilgrimage center that lies in the Likabali district and the holy shrine is positioned at the bottom of Siang hill in the District of West Siang.

Malinithan is the most popular holy temple which is placed in ruins. This enduring holy shrine is set at the foothills of the stunning Siang hills in regions of the Likabali Sub-Division of Arunachal Pradesh state. It is situated at a very convenient place, mainly at a short distance of around one kilometer to the eastern part of the Likabali region. It also lies close to the administrative centre. While wandering in this sacred place, you can notice some of the ruins of rock stones that mark the significance of the Malinithan temple. The relics of the stones are preserved here from the earlier period of time till today. The constructed of this glorious temple was started in the year 1968 and ended in the year 1971, where this beautiful temple was placed at the feet of the Siang hill. During the period of construction, the leftovers of holy temples and also the valuable scriptures were excavated from this site. The Malinithan temple is well known as the holy place for worshipping their deities which draws numerous of visitors and devotees.

This splendid site is one of the most beautiful archeological sites in this region, which enhance the glory of the Arunachal Pradesh state in India. The holy shrine was unearthed and is beautifully adorned with complex but exquisite designed and the basement of this temple is ornamented with the images of god and goddess, symbols of deities, floral designs, animal motifs, marvelously carved panels and columns. The images or the sculptures that are excavated from the rich granite belong from the earlier period of time, mainly from the 14 to 15 century. When you see this temple, the most significant images of the deities you can spot here are of Lord Indra on his Airavat, Lord Surya on his beautiful chariot and the vast Nandi bull. The Malinithan temple at the Likabali district is mainly dedicated to the Goddess Durga, which is constructed in classical Tradition and Clture of Orissa.

According to mythological stories, this temple is related with this place; it is said that Lord Krishna carried Rukmini and run away and reached Likabali. She was the only daughter of great King Bhismaka, she left her house at the time of her marriage with her fiancé Shishupal. Lord Krishna and Rukmini were madly in love with each other and were welcomed at this place by Goddess Parvati holding garlands as a sign of greeting them. Later on Parvati gained the name as Malini and also the place as Malinithan.

As per the legend tales, it is said that on the way to Dwarka from the kingdom at Bhismaknagar, Lord Krishna and his newly married wife Devi Rukmini prayed for the blessings from Goddess Parvati. After hearing their prayers, Goddess Devi Parvati welcomed the newly married pairs with beautiful fresh wreath. The string of the beautiful garland was so mystic and unique, that Lord Krishna was overwhelmed and called goddess Devi Parvati as the "Sucharu Malini." She was also called out with a name as “a lady who threads garlands beautifully and therefore from the Malini to the Malinithan was given the name.

The Malinithan Temple is beautifully situated in the state of Arunachal Pradesh which offers a scenic view of the natural beauty that is surrounded amongst this holy shrine. The striking natural beauty of this place pleases the eyes of the visitors with charm and delight. Each and every corner of the temple reflects the culture and tradition of the Hindu religion. This popular temple holds the most significant attraction in the minds of the devotees, which they hail from all different corners of the world. Each year the percentage of the visitors increases, and hence is known as the most visited pilgrimage center. There is no specific ideal time where you can witness this religious shrine, but a large numbers of pilgrims and tourist hail here every year. Majority of the devotees not only who are local to this district come here, but also pilgrims from other regions and countries do visit this archeological site. The Malinithan temple is so sacred due to its mythological stories that devotees come here to pray and worship their holy deity here. Some of them along with their wish also offer some of the gifts to their Goddess once their wish is fulfilled. The panels and the sculptures are carved from rock stones, while some of them are made from one rock cut. The beautiful complex or the floral designs enhance this pilgrimage center more with the glory. The floral, images of the deities, and some other amazing motifs carvings those are valued to glance on the surface of the wall and on the ceiling.

Other places of interest in Malinithan at Arunachal Pradesh :

Besides the major importance of the Arunachal Pradesh that is the Malinithan Temple or known as the Durga Temple, there are some of the other attractions that are worth to watch. If you are on tour to this holiday destination, you can also witness some other ruins of this popular place.

Likabali is the most popular pilgrimage center situated in the state of Arunachal Pradesh at a short distance of one kilometer from the Malinithan city. This place is the closest administrative centre that lies from Malinithan. Another pilgrimage center of Assam is the Silapathar which lies at a miles of ten kilometer from here. While exploring in this sacred place, you will come across with various other holy shrines that are preserved here from earlier period of time. Akashiganga is the most significant place in Arunachal Pradesh which is located some miles away around 12 kilometers from here. There are various mythological stories hidden behind the formation of the Akashiganga sacred place. It is said that the head of the Devi Sati was chopped off and fell in this place so it is named as the Akashiganga.

Leelabari is the most prominent tourist destination in Assam state that lays around a distance of one hundred and ten kilometer form the Malinithan. North Lakhimpur is located at a short distance of over one hundred and nine kilometers at Assam state. Itanagar is the capital city of the Arunachal Pradesh state, which is also the most popular destination for preserving sacred temple. It lies at a miles of around one hundred and eighty nine kilometer. The capital city of this state, Itanagar is located at a convenient place that directly connects to Assam’s capital city Guwahati by road. There are various mode of transport that you can choose from to reach Guwahati city from any corner of India.

Where to stay in Malinithan at Arunachal Pradesh :

Accommodation is not a problem in the archeological site at Likabali district in Arunachal Pradesh. There are wide ranges of accommodation facilities available like the Circuit House, lodges, hotels, and many more in this region. They are situated at a closure distance from this enduring pilgrimage center, where visitors can stay while exploring in this place. All the accommodations are well equipped and are provided in affordable price.