1 268
2 Cult of Mahddeo . ' kjJL
3 Cult names of Mahadeo are numerous. In the Simla Hills he is
4 called Bhoteshar, from Bhofchi, the name of a village in which his temple1
5 is situated.
6 The cult of Mah4deo is not only deeply seated in Kangra, but it is
7 also varied in form. Mahadeo being worshipped under various nam^s.
8 At Jawali he appears as Kamfceshax,* as Kalishar in Kuthiara,8 as Nar-
9 badeshar in Sujanpur,4 as Bilikeshar6 in Sapra '(Nadaun), as Tameshar
10 in N & daun ,6 and so on*
11 The real history of the shrine of Baba Baroh MahAdeo, near JawSla
12 Mukhi, is not known, but the story goes that under a banyan or bari
13 tree (whence the name baroh) appeared an idol of stone still to he seen in
14 Danaya, by name K&K N&th, whose merits Baba Itil Puri preached.
15 In 1740 3. Dhi£n Singh, wazir of Goler, was imprisoned at Kotda and a
16 soldier at the fort, a native of Dan&ya, persuaded him to make a vow to
17 B&ba Baroh, in consequence of which be was released. The wazir ,
18 however forgot his vow and so fell ill, until he made a large pecu¬
19 niary offering to the elirine. In that year the small old temple was
20 replaced by the present larger one under B?iba Lai Puri. The .fol¬
21 lowers of Biba Baroh keep a jholi (cloth bag), an iron chain, a Hard -
22 wdu (sandals), and a choli or shirt, in their houses. Grain is usu¬
23 ally offered at the shrine, with flour, ghi and gnr for the bullock
24 (there appears to be an image of a bullock also). If a he-goat is sacri¬
25 ficed, the skin and a hind-leg are offered up, the test being eaten by the
26 jdtri on his way home. Sometimes a Icudhu or living he-goat is offered,
27 as the substitute for a life in case of sickness, or by one who is childless.
28 Women can enter the shrine.7
29 Gow&Ia was a holy man in K&ngra. His legend runs thus : —
30 One day as he was sitting on a lofty hill near Baroh a wedding pro¬
31 cession passed by and he said to the bride: ‘ Thorns on this side
32 and on that : she who wears the red veil, is my wife/ The bride*
33 groom challenged him to jump down from the hill and lie did so
34 but was killed. The bride then took his head in her lap and said to the
35 bridegroom : i You gave me to him; I burn on the pyre with him/
36 i A temple to Mahadeo may owe its foundation to a trivial cause, e.g . the image of
37 Mahadeva off Purag was found in a field named Majhoni. It. resembled Shir in appearance
38 and hence it was called Mahadeva,.
39 * Ascribed to the time of the Pandavas, this temple contains a stone image called
40 Gang Mahddeo, one span high.
41 8 Also ascribed to the time of the Pandavas. Before that Kfili performed austerities
42 at this spot.
43 ♦ Called after a conical stone or ling brought from the Narbada, the temple was found¬
44 ed by R6ni Parsan Den, wife of RajaSansar Charul of Kangya. Pounded in S. 1870 it was
45 completed in 8. 1882. On each side of it are 4 small shrines : a sun temple, containing an
46 image of a man on seven-headed horsp, 2£ ft high; a Ganesh temple; one Chatarbhuji
47 Devf; and one to Lachhrai Ndrain. Kach of these contains a stone linage 8 ft* high. Bhog
48 is offered five times a day, misri , milk, leaf ah, gram etc. being given.
49 5 Said to be called * after the Bids and the Kanab/ It is said that 10,000 years ago the
50 Pandas or gods began 10 erect the temple by night. This was noticed by some men and so
51 the gods left it half -built. It wab finished by Kajd Bhom Chand.
52 6 Founded by Rajd Abhi Cband (date not known). It contains a stone ling 4i cubits
53 high. Connected with it is a temple of Sftala containing 4 images.
54 1 This shrine seems independent of the cairns near Baroh.