NAINA DEVI GUFA

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A modified natural sacred cave (temple cave), which is accessible by cable car (note 1), is exploited as a religious show cave marketing one of the 51 sites representing a shakti pitha (peeta, peetha, pita; seat). SITUATION (note 2): On a beautiful hillock near Naina Devi (note 3), a Sikh Gurdwara (temple) in the Naina Devi Hills above the town of Anandpur Sahib (N31°15': E076°30'), in Ropar district (note 4), Punjab State, 75 km north-west of Chandigarh (N30°44'14”: E076°47'14”), and at a distance of about 60 km along the road approximately north-west from Bilaspur (N31°20': E076°45'). CULTURAL HISTORY: Shri Naina Devi is one of the 51 shakti peethas. According to a belief, Shiva's consort Sati, once died to avenge an insult. The distraught Shiva picked up her corpse and gyrated in his horrific dance of destruction. Then Vishnu, the Preserver, unleashed his discus [sudarsana, chakra] and cut the body [of Sita] into 51 pieces to save the earth from Shiva's wrath. NainaDevi, is where Sati's eyes are supposed to have fallen … (indiatravelogue.com/dest/him/hp13-temple.html accessed 29.08.2004). HUMAN USE: A big fair [mela] during Sravana [July / August] Ashtami is held every year. Again in the Navratras [note 5] of Chaitra [March / April] and Ashwin [September / October], fairs commemorating the goddess are held here.A modified natural sacred cave (temple cave), which is accessible by cable car (note 1), is exploited as a religious show cave marketing one of the 51 sites representing a shakti pitha (peeta, peetha, pita; seat). SITUATION (note 2): On a beautiful hillock near Naina Devi (note 3), a Sikh Gurdwara (temple) in the Naina Devi Hills above the town of Anandpur Sahib (N31°15': E076°30'), in Ropar district (note 4), Punjab State, 75 km north-west of Chandigarh (N30°44'14”: E076°47'14”), and at a distance of about 60 km along the road approximately north-west from Bilaspur (N31°20': E076°45'). CULTURAL HISTORY: Shri Naina Devi is one of the 51 shakti peethas. According to a belief, Shiva's consort Sati, once died to avenge an insult. The distraught Shiva picked up her corpse and gyrated in his horrific dance of destruction. Then Vishnu, the Preserver, unleashed his discus [sudarsana, chakra] and cut the body [of Sita] into 51 pieces to save the earth from Shiva's wrath. NainaDevi, is where Sati's eyes are supposed to have fallen … (indiatravelogue.com/dest/him/hp13-temple.html accessed 29.08.2004). HUMAN USE: A big fair [mela] during Sravana [July / August] Ashtami is held every year. Again in the Navratras [note 5] of Chaitra [March / April] and Ashwin [September / October], fairs commemorating the goddess are held here.