Devotees in Himachal Pradesh line up to greet palanquin of local deity

Nahan (HP), Dec 14 (PTI) Thousands of devotees gathered at the Meenus bridge on the Tons River in Sirmaur district on the Himachal-Uttarakhand border to take a glimpse of the palanquin of the local deity, Shri Chalda Mahasu Maharaj.

This is the first time that the palanquin of the deity arrived in the state.

Industries Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan congratulated the people of the state on Maharaj's arrival and said this is a historic moment that has been awaited for centuries.

Accompanied by thousands of devotees, the deity on a palanquin reached the Meenus bridge on Saturday night, considered the gateway to Himachal Pradesh. The deity will stay at the temple in Pashmi village in the Shalai area for a year.

Diwan Singh Rana, the priest, who accompanied the procession, said the arrival would bless the region with peace and prosperity.

According to the tradition, families in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh have been worshipping Maharaj as their family deity for centuries, said a cultural activist Om Prakash Sharma, from the trans Giri region of Sirmaur district.

There are hundreds of temples of Maharaj in these regions, while the main temple is located in the Hanol village on the banks of the Tons River, near Tyuni in Uttarakhand.

As per the traditional songs, ancient legends and literature, Mahasu Maharaj has four brothers -- Basik Mahasu, Gotha Mahasu, Pawasi Mahasu, and Chalda Mahasu -- of whom Chalda Mahasu travels the most extensively throughout the region.

These four brothers came here from Kashmir and established peace in the region by vanquishing several demons. PTI COR BPL SMV APL