Naina Devi

City: Bilaspur                                         State: Himachal Pradesh
Location: North India                              Altitude: 670m. above in sea level
Type of Construction: Ancient                  Type of Building: Temple
Religion: Hinduism                                 Importance: Lord Shiva

This temple of Naina devi is situated on the northern end of Naini Lake, after whom the town is named. "Naina" means "eye" and "tal" means "lake". It is believed that the eye of the goddess Parvati fell into the lake as her spouse Shiva was carrying her back to his dwelling on Mount Kailash. There is festival here during August/September in honour of Nanda Devi, who is patron goddess of Kumaon. Though the temple is named after Naina Devi (another name for Sati), the biggest social occasion here is the festival held in honour of Nanda Devi, the patron goddess of Kumaon hills and a local princess Sunanda Devi.

The original Naina Devi temple was destroyed in a landslide in 1880 and then rebuilt. Nanda Devi Mela is a fair of great religious and cultural significance. It is said that the shimmering green waters of the Naini Lake is a reflection of the emerald green eye of Sati. 'Naina' means eyes which symbolizes the eyes of Sati. On the northern side of the lake is built a temple dedicated to Sati and is called the Naina Devi temple. Near the temple is the Tibetan market which sells many interesting items.