Shri Naina Devi Temple is located at an elevation of 1177 metres in the Himachal Pradesh district of Bilaspur is one the very important religious places in Himachal.
Shri Naina Devi Temple is one of the 51 Shaktipeethas and is linked to several mythological stories.
The legend of Shri Naina Devi Temple Bilaspur
There are many legends sorrounding this temple.
As per one legend ( and the most popular one ) goddess Sati is said to have burned herself alive during a Yagna, which upset Lord Shiva. He took Sati’s body on his shoulder and began his Taandav dance.
All of the gods in heaven were terrified because this may lead to a worldwide catastrophe. Lord Vishnu was requested to use his Chakra to sever the Sati’s body into 51 pieces.
Sati’s eyes fell to the ground at Shri Naina Devi Temple.
Yet, another legend associated with the shrine is that of Naina, a Gujjar boy. He was grazing his cattle one day when he noticed a white cow dripping milk from her udders onto a stone.
For the next few days, he observed the same thing. He saw Goddess in her dreams one night while sleeping, and she told him that the stone was her Pindi.
Hence he informed the then king of the region raja Bir Chand . When Raja witnessed it unfold in real life, he built a temple on the place and named it Naina’s Temple.
There is another legend associated with this temple as well. It is said that the Goddess defeated the demon Mahishasur at this place, hence Shri Naina Devi Temple is also known as Mahishapeeth.
Mahishasur was a formidable demon who was granted immortality by Lord Brahma on the condition that he could only be defeated by an unmarried lady.
Mahishasur began to terrorise the Earth and the Gods . To deal with the demon, all of the Gods pooled their resources and formed a Devi to help them defeat him.
All Gods bestowed various types of weaponry on the Devi. When Mahishasur was attracted by Devi’s amazing beauty and proposed to her, she accepted. Devi informed him that if he could overcome her, she would marry him.
There was fight between the Devi and the Demon. Devi overcame the demon and removed both of his eyes during the struggle. This prompted the Gods to joyfully say “Jai Naina,” thus the name.
And Sikh Guru Shri Gobind Singh Ji is linked to yet another narrative. In 1756, before embarking on his military campaign against the Mughals, he performed a Sacrificial Yagna to seek the Goddess’s blessings. After receiving the blessings, he was able to beat the Mughals.
How to reach Shri Naina Devi Temple Bilaspur
The temple is located at around
- 70 Kms from Bilaspur
- 350 Kms from Delhi
- 110 Kms from Chandigarh
There are regular buses from Delhi and Chandigarh.
Bilaspur has railway station and there are direct trains from Delhi and Chandigarh.
Naina Devi Temple address and contact details
Temple Trust Shri Naina Devi Ji – for official website click here
Shri Naina Devi Ji
Distt. Bilaspur
Himachal Pradesh
Phone numbers: +91-1978-288048, 288621
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