Shri Naina Devi Ji, Bilaspur
Shri Naina Devi Ji, where Mata Sati's right eye fell: the hilltop temple in Bilaspur district, 81 min from Bilaspur, reached by steps or cable car.
Himachal Pradesh⛰ 673 m3 itineraries
Bilaspur
Bilaspur in Himachal: the new town above Gobind Sagar, the drowned temples of the old one, Shri Naina Devi Ji 81 min away, and measured drive times.
Bilaspur is a town at 673 m on the left bank of the Sutlej, and it is two towns. The old one, capital of the hill state of Kahlur and founded in 1663, went under the water when the Bhakra Dam filled Gobind Sagar. The new town was built upslope of it, and in the dry months the spires of the old temples stand out of the lake below.
It is the first big town in Himachal on the Chandigarh–Manali highway, 110 km and about two hours from Chandigarh, so most people know it as a place on the way. It is worth a stop of its own for Shri Naina Devi Ji, the Shakti Peeth on its hilltop 81 min away, and for the lake, which is full in October and November and runs water sports from August to January.
One day covers the temple and the town; two add Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib, just across the border in Punjab. See the one-day plan, the two-day plan, the five Shakti Peeths in three days, things to do in Bilaspur, when to go and how to reach Bilaspur.
Photos: Harmalhotra (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Invictus27 (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Manu moudgil (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Plans that include this
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One day in Bilaspur — Shri Naina Devi Ji and the drowned temples of Gobind Sagar
Day plan · Family · pilgrimage
A one-day Bilaspur plan: darshan at Shri Naina Devi Ji in the morning, then the new town's temple and the drowned temples of old Bilaspur in Gobind Sagar.
Best Jan–Apr · Oct–Dec
See the plan →
Two days from Bilaspur — Gobind Sagar, Naina Devi, Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib
1 night · 2 days · Family · pilgrimage
Two days from Bilaspur: the town and the drowned temples of Gobind Sagar, then Shri Naina Devi Ji, Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib on the way to Chandigarh.
Best Jan–Apr · Oct–Dec
See the plan →Himachal's five Shakti Peeths in three days — Naina Devi, Chintpurni, Jwalamukhi, Kangra and Chamunda
2 nights · 3 days · Family · pilgrimage · starts in Bilaspur
All five Shakti Peeths of Himachal in three days from Chandigarh: Naina Devi, Chintpurni, Jwalamukhi, Vajreshwari at Kangra and Chamunda, with drive times.
Best Jan–Apr · Sep–Dec
See the plan →Going together
No one has started a group going to Bilaspur yet. Start one and other travellers can ask to come along.
Places worth the drive
On the map
Open the Bilaspur map →The places a Bilaspur day reaches, with the road time from town. Each opens on the map with its plans and pages beside it.
Before you go
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Things to do in Bilaspur, Himachal — Naina Devi, the drowned town and the lake
Things to do in Bilaspur, Himachal: Naina Devi, the drowned temples of the old town, water sports on the lake, Vyas Gufa, Kandrour bridge and Anandpur Sahib.
How to reach Bilaspur, Himachal — distances and drive times
How to reach Bilaspur in Himachal by road from Chandigarh, Delhi, Mandi and Shimla, the nearest airport, and the drive on to Naina Devi, all measured.
Best time to visit Bilaspur, Himachal — the lake, the heat and the festivals
When to visit Bilaspur, Himachal: the full lake in October and November, the drowned temples in the dry months, the May–June heat and the Navratri crowds.
Nearby destinations
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Questions people ask
What is Bilaspur in Himachal known for?
For Gobind Sagar, the lake made by the Bhakra Dam, which drowned the old town and its temples in the 1960s, and for Shri Naina Devi Ji, the Shakti Peeth on a hilltop 81 min away. It was the capital of the hill state of Kahlur, and its new town sits upslope above the water.
How far is Naina Devi from Bilaspur?
About 48 km and 81 min by road on our measured routing. From Chandigarh it is closer to 104 km and 107 min, so many pilgrims go straight there. The last stretch climbs round the hill, then concrete steps or the cable car take you up to the temple.
Can you see the submerged temples at Bilaspur?
Only when the water is low. Gobind Sagar is completely full in October and November and the old temples are under it. As the level falls through the dry months their spires come back out; the picture on this page was taken on 22 March. They are 3 min from the new town.
Photographs by Wikimedia Commons contributors (CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA), resized; each picture is credited on its own page.