BILASPUR

Among the many Vishnu temples now the Shri Gopal temple at new Bilaspur, Thakur Dwara temples at Dobehata, Talwar, Chandpur, Aur, Kasol and Kanaum, Gopal temples at Panjgain and Solon are quite famous. Thousands of pilgrims annually visit the temples for worship. It has to be noted here that the deity of Nar Sing Avatar is very prominent in this district. The ancient legend of Hiranyakashipu being killed by the Nar Sing Avatar of God Vishnu to save Prahlad is well known.

'The deity of half-man and half-lion is worshipped by men and women for the solution of problems and for ensuring the birth of a son. As customary in Himachal Pradesh there are mouth - pieces of some deities that recite the praise of the deity. If a barren woman worships Nar Sing, the mouth-piece sings particular songs with the accompaniment of music from two empty dried gourds connected- by a bamboo rod.

The woman usually goes into a trance and speaks at random and she is supposed to receive the blessings of Nar Sing. There is Nar Sing a temple at Bhaulra, Bhakra, and Sunhani (tahsil Sadr), Ghamarwin, Jajjar and Jhanjuta (tahsil Ghamarwin). It is an interesting study as to how the Nar Sing Avatar of Lord Vishnu came to be so popular in this part of Himachal Pradesh particularly.

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