KINNAUR

He is supposed to know by heart the legend about the origin of the deity. He recites the legend and gets into a trance and his services are often taken for appeasing or avoiding a distress. This recital is i known as Chironing. Before mentioning the temples and legends it may be observed that there are quite a number of well defined Hindu cults and a lot of miscellaneous Hindu cults which are rather elastic in import but have a tremendous influence at the particular villages that believe in them.

The three important Hindu cults are Devi or Kali, Siva and Vishnu. The important Devi or Kali cult temples are Bhagwati temple at Rakchham, Bhimakali temple at Kamru and Mathi at Chhitkul in Sangla tahsil; Chandika temple at Kothi in Kalpa tahsil; Chandika temple at Ropa, Khandma temple at Kanam, Khurmo Devi temple at Spilo in Pub tahsil; Chiterlekha at Taranda, Hirma Devi temple at Chauhra, Ukha Devi temple at Bara Kamba and Ukha Devi temple at Nachar in Nachar tahsil and Kali temple at Chuling in Hangrang sub-tahsil.

As mentioned besides a large number of better known Hindu and Buddhist temples there are any number of villages Devtas in the shape of stones etc. At places there were human sacrifices common at one time. At Kamru village there is a temple of Bhim Kali where human sacrifices were definitely offered at one time.

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