Naina Devi, Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh

Naina Devi Temple is one of the well-known temples of 9 divine powers in Himachal Pradesh. Naina Devi Temple is a holy place that is dedicated to Shri Naina Devi, one of the forms of Goddess Shakti. Located on the top of a hill in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh and Naina Devi Temple is one of the 52 Shakti Peeths.

Naina Devi Temple is a sacred place, especially for the Hindus. Devotees come to visit this temple to pay their allegiance 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 later, a temple was built here to solemnize the goddess. The term ‘Naina’ means ‘eyes’, so the goddess came to be known as Naina Devi.

History

The chief legend of Nainadevi relates to the creation of the Shakti Peethas. Sati, the daughter of Prajapati Daksha, was married to the god Shiva despite his wishes. Daksha arranged a yajna but didn’t invite Sati and Shiva. Uninvited, Sati reached the yajna site, where Daksha ignored Sati and Shiva.

Sati was not able to withstand this insult. So, Devi Sati gave her life by jumping into the fire of Havan organized by her father King Daksh. When Lord Shiva was running around the planet carrying her body Lord Vishnu divided the body into 51 parts utilizing his Sudarshan chakra. Out of those 51 parts, from which the ‘Both eyes’ of Sati fell to this place.

Another story associated with the temple is of a Gujjar boy named Naina. Once he visited to graze his cattle and saw a white cow pouring milk from its udders on a stone. He observed an equivalent thing for the next several days. One night while he was sleeping, he saw the Mother Goddess during a dream saying that the stone is his Pindi. Naina told Raja Bir Chand about the entire situation and her dream. When the king saw that this was actually happening, he got a temple named Sri Naina Devi constructed at the same place.

Legend

According to legends, Mahishasura was a mighty demon who was blessed with immortality by Sri Brahma, but the condition was that he could be defeated only by an unmarried woman. Due to this boon, Mahishasura created terror on the earth and the gods. started All the gods combined their powers to face the demon and created a goddess who could defeat him. Different types of weapons were presented to the goddess by all the deities. Mahishasura was mesmerized by the immense beauty of the goddess and proposed marriage to the goddess. Devi told him that she would marry him if he defeated him. During the battle, Devi defeated the demon and removed both his eyes.

Importance

People believe that the diseases of the eyes of those who reach here are cured. This sanctum witnesses a large crowd of pilgrims and devotees around the year and particularly during Shravan Ashtami and within the Navratras of Chaitra & Ashwin.

One Important story is related to the Sikh Guru Gobind Singh. When he started his campaign against the Mughals in 1756, he visited Shri Naina Devi and performed a Mahayagya to seek the blessings of the Goddess. After being blessed, he successfully defeated the Mughals.

Architecture

Naina Devi Temple is about 1219 Meter height from sea level. The Govind Sagar Lake and Bharka Dam are situated near this temple. The entrance of the temple is coated with silver. The temple of Naina Devi is situated on the top of a triangular hill commanding an unparalleled view of the Holy Anandpur Sahib Gurudwara on one side and Gobindsagar on the other.

Idol

There are three idols placed inside the Temple. One story tells that one of these idols had been established by lord Ram During Vanvas.

Festivals

• Navratri
• Makarsankranti
• Vasant Panchami
• Maha Shivratri
• Dussehra
• Tara Ratri
• Holi
• Ram Navami
• Raksha Bandhan
• Ganesh Chaturthi
• Diwali

Other Temple in Temple Campus:

• Jatt Jeona Morh-Samadhi Samadhi of one of Ma Naina Devi’s devotees.
• there are 2 big Peepal tree that is acclaimed to be present from the past many centuries.
• there is a small cave, which is known as Shri Naina Devi Cave.

Other places near the Temple

• Gobind Sagar serovar.
• Kandrour Bridge.
• Laxmi Narayan Mandir.
• Govind Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Rudra Shiva Statue.
• Bhakra Dam.(about 31 kilometers)
• Fortee Bahadurpur.

How to Reach

• By Air: The closest airport is the Chandigarh International Airport which is nearly 100 km from Naina Devi temple
• By Train: Anandpur railway station is at a distance of 30 km which is the nearest railway station to Naina Devi. Devotees can rent out taxis from there to reach the Naina Devi bus stand where one can take Palkis to reach the destination.
• By Road: The temple is attached to National Highway-21. Transport bus services are given by the government of Punjab and Haryana from all important cities. One can also take a bus from Delhi which is located about 350 km from the temple.

Temple Timings

Darshan Timing

Morning Timing	Evening Timing
05.00 AM To 12.00 PM	4:00 PM To 9:00 PM

Aarti, Bhog and Pooja Timing

Aarti	Time
Mangal aarti	4:00 AM
Shringaar aarti	6:00 AM
Madyaanh aarti	12:00 PM
Shayan Aarti	6:30 PM

• Evening aarti is the best to attend as the surroundings and weather become serene and the worshippers get a spiritual experience and also the temple gets beautifully decorated and lit up during evening and night. There are two bells that are rang by the devotees and the sound of those big bells mesmerizes everyone. The evening aarti occurs around 6:30 p.m. and is the final aarti of the entire day.

Temple Video