Naina Devi

Naina Devi
—  city  —
Naina Devi Location of Naina Devi in Himachal Pradesh and India
Coordinates	31°18′22″N 76°32′11″E / 31.3060277°N 76.5363944°E / 31.3060277; 76.5363944Coordinates: 31°18′22″N 76°32′11″E / 31.3060277°N 76.5363944°E / 31.3060277; 76.5363944
Country	India
State	Himachal Pradesh
District(s)	Bilaspur
Population	1,161 (2001[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)

Naina Devi is a town and a municipal council in Bilaspur district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

Demographics

As of the 2001 India census^[1], Naina Devi had a population of 1161. Males constitute 63% of the population and females 37%. Naina Devi has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 75%. In Naina Devi, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Temple

Naina Devi Temple-It was built by a Gurjar shepherd.

The Temple of Shri Naina Devi Ji is situated on a hilltop in the Bilaspur Distt. of Himachal Pradesh in India.It was built by a Gurjar Shepherd. The temple is connected with National Highway No. 21. The temple at the top of the hill can be reached via road (that curves round the hill up to a certain point) and then by concrete steps (that finally reach the top). There is also a cable car facility that moves pilgrims from the base of the hill all the way to the top.

The hills of Naina Devi overlook the Gobind Sagar lake. The lake was created by the Bhakra-Nangal Dam.

The 2008 stampede

Main article: 2008 Naina Devi stampede

Sunday, August 3, 2008, proved to be catastrophic day for this temple as at least 123 people died (many of them women and children). There are conflicting reports about the cause of these deaths. One report states that they were due to people falling down the cliff after the guard railing broke.^[2] Another report claims that they were due to rumors of a fight at the temple causing panic. And another states it was due to police who hit the fleeing worshippers with canes to get them to continue moving.^[3]

This happened in the holy month of Sawan, and the Temple's being a Shakti Peeth (place of strength) meant that there were as many as 3000 devotees present. According to the Times Online, 50,000 people were expected to attend Naina Devi during the day of the stampede, as part of a nine-day festival which had just started.^[4]

According to Daljit Singh Manhas, a senior police officer from the area, at least 40 of the victims were children.^[4]

The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh announced a compensation of Rs.100,000 for those who died, Rs. 50,000 for those seriously injured and Rs. 25,000 for those with minor injuries.^[5]

References

1. ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01. 
2. ^ "'Scores killed' in India stampede". BBC News Online. 2008-08-03. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7539509.stm. Retrieved 2008-08-03. 
3. ^ "'India temple stampede'". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/03/india.stampede/index.html. Retrieved 2008-08-03. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ ^{a b} Page, Jeremy (2008-08-04). "More than 100 die in Indian temple stampede". London: Times Online. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4452904.ece. Retrieved 2008-08-03. 
5. ^ Sahib, Anandpur. "Stampede at Naina Devi Mandir, 125 feared killed". Himvani. http://www.himvani.com/news/2008/08/03/stampede-at-naina-devi-mandir-125-feared-killed/1603/news/himvani/. Retrieved 2008-08-03. ^{[dead link]}

External links

• Naina Devi travel guide from Wikitravel
• Naina Devi website