Ever wondered why Himachal is called “Dev Bhoomi” or “Land of Gods”? The fact is that Himachal is home to many deities. Every region of the state worships a different God and its people have their own set of beliefs. People in Himachal have utmost faith in their regional deities and they perform many rituals to be blessed with the power of these Gods.
Worshiping of these Gods and Goddesses is since time immemorial and this belief has developed due to the experience of some unnatural power that is beyond explanation. People of Himachal have undying faith in them and these deities have certain aura and vibrancy, power of which shows that everything is not just science, there are unexplainable energies that are running the universe. In Himachal, the local deities are divine powers and Himachalis seeks their presence and blessings on every occasion. In the local language, these deities are called “Devta” and “Devi”. Much of the culture and tradition of Himachal is influenced by this faith.
To give you a deeper insight below mentioned are some of the most common and worshiped deities in Himachal:
Lord Shiva: The biggest power and the God of Trinity, he is known as the God of destruction. Lord Shiva is the center of all the forces of the universe. He dissolves himself to recreate. The mysteries of life and death, creation and destruction reside with him and he is the ultimate guide of the entire existence.
Vishnu: The one, who preserves all the laws of running the universes, is Lord Vishnu. He is always in a sleeping posture with closed eyes who dreams of the entire universe and its existence. His four arms signify his presence in the physical as well as the spiritual world.
Shakti (Durga): Shakti also referred to as Shiv Shakti is Goddess Parvati, wife of Lord Shiva. Parvati refers to Prakriti which means nature, the perishable things. Shiv and Parvati are complementary to one another and one has no meaning without the presence of the other. Maa Durga has many forms of existence and she has two sons Kartikeya and Ganesh.
Kali: One of the forms of Goddess Parvati, she is known as the Goddess of destruction. She came into existence to destroy the evil power demon Raktabija. In defeating Raktabija she had to intake a lot of his blood which led to her rampage and she became destructive and killed everyone who came her way. In the demonstration of Goddess Kali Lord Shiva is shown behind the right foot of Kali. It was done as Lord Shiva stopped Kali by lying himself on her path to calm down her extreme anger and save the world from destruction.
Saraswati: Goddess Saraswati is the symbol of learning, knowledge, and wisdom. She is the companion of Lord Brahma, the ultimate creator. The name Saraswati is derived from Sanskrit which means self-essence. Self-essence can be realized through knowledge and wisdom. Saraswati is depicted holding a book and a musical instrument.
Hanuman: Hanuman is the lord of apes. He was born as the son of Anjana as a blessing by Lord Shiva. Hanuman was an incarnation of his mother Anjana and the God of wind, Pavan became his godfather. Hanuman is worshiped for his strength, agility, and valor.
Here are some of the excerpts of the great mythological stories of Gods and their existence. These are some of the most prominent Gods and Goddess worshiped in Himachal Pradesh and, therefore it is called “Dev Bhoomi”.