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Shri Naina Devi Temple in Bilaspur Himachal Pradesh

Here is Some information about Shri Naina Devi Temple in Bilaspur Himachal Pradesh india.



Location:  On a hill top in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh
Built in:1567
Built By:
Dedicated to:Naina Devi
Entry: free
Photography:Allow
Temple Timing: 5:00 Am to 9:00 Pm
Significance: One of the 51 Shakti Peeths
Visiting Timing:30 Mins
Best time to Visit: April to Oct
Nearest Railway Station: Kiratpur Sahib,Simla
Nearest Air Port: Chandigarh and Bhuntar

Naina Devi Temple is a holy place which is dedicated to Shri Naina Devi, one of the forms of Maa Shakti. The Temple is located on the top of a hill in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, Naina Devi Mandir is one amongst the 51 Shakti Peeths which is connected to the National Highway No. 21 for the facility of pilgrims. The hill can be reached through a road by vehicles and to reach the summit, one can opt for concrete steps or cable car. The temple of Naina Devi is situated nearby about 7 miles from Anandpore Sahib on Bhakra Nangal rail –line. The temple is situated on Shivalik Mountain and devotees however have to cover a distance of above 2 km on foot. 
Naina Devi Temple is a sacred place especially for the Hindus. Pilgrims come to visit this temple to pay their homage to the Goddess. According to the legends, the different body parts of Sati fell on the earth during the time of self-sacrifice. It is believed that Sati's eyes fell at this point and subsequently, a temple was built here to commemorate the goddess. The term 'Naina' suggests 'eyes', so the goddess came to be known as Naina Devi.

In the temple complex, there is huge Peepal tree that is acclaimed to be present from past many centuries. On the right side of the entrance to the main shrine, idols of Lord Hanuman and Lord Ganesha are placed. After crossing the main gate of the shrine, two striking statues of Lions are visible. The main shrine reveals the images of three deities. Goddess Kali can be traced on the extreme left. In the centre, image of Naina Devi is visible, while Lord Ganesha is on the right side.

The Temple is perched over a small yet scenic hill. From the suburbs of the temple, one can spot the picturesque Govind Sagar Lake. Close to the main shrine, there is a small cave, which is known as Shri Naina Devi Cave. In the earlier days, people used to trek the steep path of 1.25 kms to reach the temple at the hill-top. Now, the facility of cable car has been launched to make to journey easy and enjoyable. On Shravan Ashtami, a big fair is held annually at this temple. During the time of Navratras, the temple is visited by large number of people. 

History of  Shri Naina Devi Temple

Shri Naina Devi Temple is located on an altitude of 1177 meters in Distt. Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh. Several mythological stories are associated with the establishment of the temple.

According to a legend, Goddess Sati burnt herself alive in Yagna, which distressed Lord Shiva. He picked the corpse of Sati on her shoulder and started his Taandav dance. This horrified all deities in the heaven as this could lead to holocaust. This urged Lord Vishnu to unleash his Chakra that cut the Sati’s body into 51 pieces. Shri Naina Devi Temple is the place where eyes of Sati fell down.

Another story related to the temple is of a Gujjar Boy named Naina. Once he was grazing his cattle and observed that a white cow is showering milk from her udders on a stone. He saw the same thing for next several days. One night while sleeping, he saw Goddess in her dreams who told him that the stone is her Pindi. Naina told about the entire situation and his dream to Raja Bir Chand. When Raja saw it happening in reality, he built a temple on that spot and named the temple after Naina’s name.

Shri Naina Devi Temple is also known as Mahishapeeth because of defeat of demon Mahishasur by the Goddess. According to the legends, Mahishasur was a powerful demon who was blessed by the boon of immortality by Lord Brahma, but the condition was that he could be defeated only by an unmarried woman. Due to this boon, Mahishasur started spreading terror on Earth and Gods. To cope with the demon, all Gods combined their powers and created a Devi to defeat him. The Devi was gifted different types of weapons by all Gods. When Mahishasur got mesmerized by the immense beauty of Devi and proposed her to marry him. Devi told him that she will marry him if he would overpower her. During the battle, Devi defeated the demon and took out both his eyes. This urged Gods to happily applaud “Jai Naina” and hence the name.

One more story is associated with Sikh Guru Gobind Singh Ji. When he left for his military campaign against Mughals in 1756, he went Shri Naina Devi and performed a Sacrificial Yagna to seek blessings of the Goddess. After getting the blessings, he successfully defeated the Mughals.

Festivals celebrated in Naina Devi Temple

Navratras
This festival is celebrated on the special three period of the year. The first time is for Mata Durga in order to destroy the vices, impurities and defects. The next period of three days are dedicated to Lakshami Mata who is considered to be the mother of wealth. And the last period of time Navartri is dedicated to Mata Sarawati who is considered the mother of knowledge.

Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankaranti is a one of the popular festivals in India. Almost every Hindu celebrates this festival. Thousands of people dips diyas in Ganga Sagar on this day. This day is celebrated as Pongal in the Southern India. In Gujarat, people flies hundreds of kites in the sky and celebrates Makar Sankranti.

Vasant Panchami
This festival is especially dedicated to Saraswati Mata. She is known as the Goddess of learning. Many devotees come here on this day. On this day, the Goddess is made dressed with yellow clothes and then worshipped. Also, most of the men and women wear yellow dress on this day.

Maha Shivaratri
This is a very special festival of Hindus. The festival is dedicated to Lord Shiva. On this day, people sing bhajans, recite Shlokes in Sanskrit, offer prayers, and also keep fast on this day. This festival is also celebrated with joy in Bhaijnath Temple of Himachal Pradesh. The players for Lord Shiva continue for late nights. Also, some special food is prepared for the honor of Lord Shiva.

How to Rich Shri Naina Devi Temple Bilaspur

By Road:This temple can easily be reached by the means of road transport. It is well connected by National Highway No.21. You can take the taxi or private bus to reach Naina Devi temple.

By Rail:You can take the Kalka-Shimla train that will drop you the the Shimla town. From here private buses are always available for tour to Palampur.

By Air:The nearest airport is in Chandigarh which is connected by the Indian Airlines Flights and Jet Airways. The total distance between the temple and Chandigarh is around 100kms.
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