| Temples & Legends of Himachal Pradesh |
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| Temples & Legends Of India |
CHAMBA |
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| Kali-ka-dull,
- a lake dedicated to goddess Kali about 12 miles from Tisa at Chaurah tahsil is another
important pilgrim centre. This place is also visited near about the same time when Mani
Mahes Kailash is visited. The entire route upto the lake has to be covered on feet, and it
is a very hazardous journey. There are some caves here and there which give shelter to the
pilgrims in inclement weather. The object of undertaking the pilgrimage is to offer sukhan
or bandha (homage on the fulfillment of a prayer) and physicalhazards and hardships are
cheerfully borne.There are some religious Jatras, which arelargely attended. The Devi
Debra near Bathri Jatra lasts for eight days. The other similarweek- long religious jatras
are held at villages Banikhet, Nag Mandhor at Khatain and Nag Bintru at Gawani. The local
deity is worshipped and the chief attraction is that the traditional chela, the chosen man
of the deity gets possessed and talks and acts abnormally but answers to the questions of
the pilgrims. Some of the other local jatras are held at villages Baira, Barnota, and Hungiri. The Jatra at Baira is held in the month of Sawan. People still talk of the man-eating leopard that used to infest this area. Goddess Yali was offered puja and promised a Jatra if the menace could be removed. It is said after this promise the man-eater disappeared and the jatra came into existence. Although the Hindus constitute about 91% of the population, we cannot ignore the religious practices of the people whose religious beliefs veer round demons, ancestors and nature's forces. Some of the original beliefs and traditions still persist in conventional Hindus and have inadvertently crept into orthodox Hindu religious practices.
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