The Tarna Devi (also called Shyamakali) sits on a steep hill at the western edge of the old town, dedicated to the local form of the goddess Kali. The climb up is a series of stone steps that takes about twenty minutes from the bazaar — a slow walk past smaller shrines and resting platforms, with the view over the bazaar and the Beas opening up at each landing.
The temple at the top is a modest pyramid-roofed building in pale stone with a brass-faced inner sanctum. The reason to come is the view: the whole sweep of Mandi laid out below, the river curving through it, and the wider Himachal valley with snow on the high ridges in winter. Best at sunrise or in the late afternoon when the haze lifts.