| Temples & Legends of Himachal Pradesh |
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| Temples & Legends Of India |
THE BACKGROUND OF THE TEMPLES IN HIMACHAL PRADESH |
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| "In
Bhramaur of Chamba district, which is famous for its ancient 'images and shrines, there is
a temple- of Kelang Naga near the village Kugti. The legend has it that once when an
epidemic broke out, it was this deity who came to the rescue of the people. The deity was
then residing in British Lahaul of pre-independence days. The people invoked him in their
hour of distress. The deity responded favorably and came riding on the horns of a ram.
While coming from Lahaul he stopped at Dughi, some three kilometers from the present
temple site. Later he moved to Darun, which was a cold place and was not easily
approachable. Here on digging a three-headed image, in padmasan posture, of stone was found and when it was removed a spring gushed forth. A temple was erected and Raja Ram Singh of Chamba installed there an ashtadhatu (an alloy of eight metals) image with figures of serpent all-round. Now the deity enjoys a good position. He is the lord of the Kugti Valley and its people, especially the Gaddis, offer him goats in sacrifice with a view to getting blessings and boons." $ The masked and other forms of Lama dances, the Lama mystery plays, the folk-tales, the Hindu mythological legends, the pahari painting on the walls of the temples, the folk and ritualistic arts, the religious songs, the religious fairs and festivals (of which there are many in every district) have gone to feed the hunger for religion and worship of the Himachalis. The temples of Himachal Pradesh, large or small, have this deep sense of faith and worship as the background. $ The Cultural Heritage of the Himalayas by K. L.
Vaidya, (National : Now Delhi, 1977), p. 18. |
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| About The Background Of The Temples | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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