THE BACKGROUND OF THE TEMPLES IN HIMACHAL PRADESH

It is often said and not far from wrong that in the Himalayan region there are as many gods as there are villages and probably more. Every village whether it consists of twenty hamlets or a few hundreds of them has a village deota or godling andprobably also a kul-deota of the family of the principal man in the village.Then there may be a dangerous corner of the meandering hilly foot-path nearby where there may be a mound of stones and some flags or pieces of cloth tied to some of them or to a nearby tree.

This is considered to be the abode of the spirit of the hill-side who has to be appeased if a slip is to be avoided and every passer-by is expected to throw a stone on the mound. If there be some large trees of particular species they may also be the home of the bana-devata or the forest-deity. Also if there is a piece of unhewn wood stuck near patches of cultivation it may be the symbol showing the spirit of the soil who has been worshipped.

Author - P.C. Roy Chaudhury

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