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The serpent king, however, felt slighted and to avenge himself, he summoned
all the serpents on the earth and deputed them to kill Guga. Guga, nevertheless,
imprisoned all the snakes within a charmed circle, for a week.
It is a popular belief, current even today, that during the period
of one week in the rainy season when the festival of Guga is on, the snakes either do not
bite any man or even if they do the poison has no adverse effect.
Subsequently a fight ensued between Guga on
one side and Arjun and Surjan on the other to capture the ancestral throne. Gnga was
ultimately triumphant and is, therefore, venerated and is praised in folk songs by the
people to perpetuate the memory of his valorous deeds.
Lakhdata saint is also held in great
reverence. There are a number of fairs held in the district in his honor and wrestling
bouts form the chief feature in these fairs. Several villages claim to have the saint
Lakhdata's grave. This shows the hold of the saint on the people. The women worship
another saint Deo Sur particularly.
It is said that Nar Singh Bir was a
servant of Deo Sur and attained sainthood by his service to Deo Sur. Deo Sur isworshipped
on the first Sunday of the month. Another sage Markandey has been deified and is
worshipped in a temple at village Makri (tahsil Sadr). Sage Markandey is said to be a
contemporary of the sage Vyas who has given the name Biaspur and then Bilaspur to the
district.
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