| Temples & Legends of Himachal Pradesh |
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| Temples & Legends Of India |
CHAMBA |
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a buffalo used to be pushed into the river as an offering but now only coconuts are thrown
into the river. The word Minjhar means maize flower. The fair is a symbolic homage to the
river goddess for a successful maize crop and at the time of the fair maize is in flower.
The worshippers wear a tassel of the golden coloured maize thread and this is called
minjhar. There is a lake Ghadasaru about half a mile in circumference and at an altitude
of about 11,500 feet about 16 miles from Tisa, the headquarters of the Chauras tahsil.
There is a Kali temple at this place. The lake has become a place ofpilgrimage after this was discovered by theGeological Survey of India. The forgotten surveyor who actually discovered the lake with the help of the compass is commemorated as the Kapasibabu.The temple of Det Nag is located at Kilar about 68 miles from Chamba. This temple being in the midst of a rather inaccessible area is not much visited. It is said that Det Nag used to be propitiated with human sacrifice before. There is a legend that it was the turn of the only remaining son of a poor widow, and before the time of sacrifice she was bewailing her misfortune. A man belonging to the Gaddi caste happened to pass by and volunteered to replace her son. He, however, stipulated that the Nag should be allowed to devour him alive, and, on his presenting several parts of his body in succession without any result, he got angry and threw the Nag into the Chander Bhaga. It got out of the river at Kilar and being found by a cowherd was carried upto the site of the present temple, when it fell from his back with the face on the ground.
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