Shri Naina Devi Temple Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh

SHRI NAINA DEVI TEMPLE

Naina Devi, Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, India

Goddess

Naina Devi Temple is a holy shrine that is dedicated to Shri Naina Devi, one of the forms of Goddess Shakti.

Best Season To Visit

The best season to visit the temple is Summer season. The best months to visit are May to July and September to October.

Weather

Highest - April to June (21°C during day and 19°C during night)Average - May (24°C during the day and 20°C during night)Lowest - December to February (14°C during day and 8°C during night)Monsoon season - August to October

Dress Code

For men the dress code is Shirt & Trouser, Dhoti or Pyjamas with upper cloth.
For women the preferred dress code is saree or half-saree with blouse or chudidhar with pyjama and upper cloth.
Shorts, mini-skirts, middies, sleeveless tops, low-waist jeans and short-length T-shirts are not allowed.
The weather is cold throughout the year. Rainfalls and snowfalls often occur there. one should wear proper winter clothes with mufflers and gloves. An umbrella is also a must to carry.

Do's & Dont's

Do bathe and wear clean clothes before you enter the temple.
Do respect ancient customs and co-piligrims while at temple.

Smoking and drinking is prohibited in this temple.
Chewing betel leaves, tobacco, gutka and spitting inside temple is strictly prohibited.

transport connections

Name	Distance	Contact Number
Una Bus Stand Road	56.4 KM	01975-223938
Anandpur Sahib Railway Station	22.4 KM	139
Shimla Airport	111 KM	01772736835

Railway Station Name	Distance	Contact Number
Anandpur Sahib Railway Station	22.4 KM	139

Airport Name	Distance	Contact Number
Shimla Airport	111 KM	01772736835

Architecture

In the Naina Devi 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.

Religious Significance

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 his shoulder and started his Tandava 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.

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.

History

This temple was built by Raja Bir Chand in the eight century, when he found the beautiful image of Goddess Durga on top of the hill. This ancient temple is understood to have been built in the 15th century A.D, which was destroyed in a landslide. Later 1842 Moti Ram Shah while settling in Nainital had installed the idol of Naina Devi along with other idols of Gods and Goddesses which is said to have been re-established in 1883 after the landslides in 1880.

Temple Timings

Day	Timings
All Days	04:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Tours

Airports

Airport Name	Distance
Shamshabad	40 KM
Lorem Ipsum	12 KM

Railway Stations

Railway Station Name	Distance
Secunderabad	10 KM
Nampally	12 KM
Begumpet	6 KM
Lingampally	20 KM

Bus Stations

Bus Station Name	Distance
MGBS	35 KM
CBS	28 KM
kukatpally	20 KM
Lingampally	30 KM
Uppal	35 KM

Private Transports

Transport Name	Distance	Contact Number
Private Transport	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757