The temple shows the Gupta era architecture and artwork in wood.
It faces north and it currently has a rectangular plan with about 11.6 metres (38 ft) external length and 8.73 metres (28.6 ft) width.
The temple sits on a square wooden jagati, about 0.45 metres (1 ft 6 in) above the ground.
The earlier versions of the temple had a combination of weight bearing wood and non-weight bearing stone walls.
The external wall of the temple was later plastered with mud, reaching a current thickness of about 0.85 metres (2 ft 9 in).

The entrance and the facade of the temple have been cleaned by the Archaeological Survey of India after 1950s, revealing the finer details that were not visible to Cunningham, Vogel or Goetz.
It is similar to the late Gupta style, with three parallel panels surrounding the doorway flanked by river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna.
Each band is separated by a thin carving of a floral scroll carved on a convex wood surface.
The outer wooden band consists of reliefs of single females standing in tribhanga posture and of amorous couples.
The middle wooden band features Ganga standing on makara on left and Yamuna standing on tortoise on right, with their attendants.
Above them are a series of Hindu deities, including Shiva with Nandi, Vishnu Vaikunthamurti, four armed Vishnu and Skanda (Kartikeya).
A goddess and god in this panel are not identifiable because their iconographic signs are too eroded.
The inner panel forms the door frame of the entrance.
The inner panel is carved with natural motifs such as leaves and flowers, two peacocks with their beak joined, and a pair of amorous couples in a mithuna scene.

Above the Gupta era-style carved temple entrance doorway, is a triangular pediment.
This is notable for its intricately carved triangular pediment highlighting Vishnu and Garuda.
This challenged the colonial era assumption that Shaktism, Shaivism and Vaishnavism may have been competing denominations in Indian history.
The Lakshana Devi temple, along with other temples in Chamba valley, attest to all of these traditions being revered together in a Panchaupasana or Panchayatana style.
The triangular pediment includes niches containing amorous couples in a range of courtship and intimacy (kama and mithuna) scenes.

The temple interior currently has a sandhara plan found in the Hindu texts on architecture.
It has an ardha-mandapa, a mukhya-mandapa, a circumambulation path and a rectangular sanctum, about 3.61 metres (11.8 ft) by 2.52 metres (8 ft 3 in).
The mukhya-mandapa is a gathering zone in front of the sanctum and marked by six square pillars, each with 22 centimetres (8.7 in) side.
The pillars are 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) in height.
The roof is pitch gabled, topped with slates.
The original roof extended up to the main entrance.
A roof projection to act as a canopy was added by the Archaeological Survey of India to protect the Gupta era style wood carvings.
According to Handa, the original plan of the temple may have been an open twin-tiered hansakara plan.
The snow and weather may have led the community to add structure to protect the temple, modifying it first into a nirandhara plan of Hindu temple architecture, and therefrom to the current sandhara plan.

The sanctum contains a 7th-century brass statue of Durga, locally called Lakshana Devi.
She is shown with four arms, holding a trishula in one hand, a sword in another and a bell in third.
Her left front hand holds the tail of the shape shifting deceptive buffalo-demon (Mahishasura).
Her right foot is on the head of the buffalo-demon, as she kills the evil demon.
The temple shows the Gupta era architecture and artwork in wood. It faces north and it currently has a rectangular plan with about 11.6 metres (38 ft) external length and 8.73 metres (28.6 ft) width. The temple sits on a square wooden jagati, about 0.45 metres (1 ft 6 in) above the ground. The earlier versions of the temple had a combination of weight bearing wood and non-weight bearing stone walls. The external wall of the temple was later plastered with mud, reaching a current thickness of about 0.85 metres (2 ft 9 in).
The entrance and the facade of the temple have been cleaned by the Archaeological Survey of India after 1950s, revealing the finer details that were not visible to Cunningham, Vogel or Goetz. It is similar to the late Gupta style, with three parallel panels surrounding the doorway flanked by river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna. Each band is separated by a thin carving of a floral scroll carved on a convex wood surface. The outer wooden band consists of reliefs of single females standing in tribhanga posture and of amorous couples. The middle wooden band features Ganga standing on makara on left and Yamuna standing on tortoise on right, with their attendants. Above them are a series of Hindu deities, including Shiva with Nandi, Vishnu Vaikunthamurti, four armed Vishnu and Skanda (Kartikeya). A goddess and god in this panel are not identifiable because their iconographic signs are too eroded. The inner panel forms the door frame of the entrance. The inner panel is carved with natural motifs such as leaves and flowers, two peacocks with their beak joined, and a pair of amorous couples in a mithuna scene.
Above the Gupta era-style carved temple entrance doorway, is a triangular pediment. This is notable for its intricately carved triangular pediment highlighting Vishnu and Garuda. This challenged the colonial era assumption that Shaktism, Shaivism and Vaishnavism may have been competing denominations in Indian history. The Lakshana Devi temple, along with other temples in Chamba valley, attest to all of these traditions being revered together in a Panchaupasana or Panchayatana style. The triangular pediment includes niches containing amorous couples in a range of courtship and intimacy (kama and mithuna) scenes.
The temple interior currently has a sandhara plan found in the Hindu texts on architecture. It has an ardha-mandapa, a mukhya-mandapa, a circumambulation path and a rectangular sanctum, about 3.61 metres (11.8 ft) by 2.52 metres (8 ft 3 in). The mukhya-mandapa is a gathering zone in front of the sanctum and marked by six square pillars, each with 22 centimetres (8.7 in) side. The pillars are 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) in height. The roof is pitch gabled, topped with slates. The original roof extended up to the main entrance. A roof projection to act as a canopy was added by the Archaeological Survey of India to protect the Gupta era style wood carvings. According to Handa, the original plan of the temple may have been an open twin-tiered hansakara plan. The snow and weather may have led the community to add structure to protect the temple, modifying it first into a nirandhara plan of Hindu temple architecture, and therefrom to the current sandhara plan.
The sanctum contains a 7th-century brass statue of Durga, locally called Lakshana Devi. She is shown with four arms, holding a trishula in one hand, a sword in another and a bell in third. Her left front hand holds the tail of the shape shifting deceptive buffalo-demon (Mahishasura). Her right foot is on the head of the buffalo-demon, as she kills the evil demon.
Lakshana Devi Temple, Bharmour