April 29, 2023
This is in continuation of the Kumaon experience. See other parts of this journey - part 1, part 2.
After visiting the Jageshwar Dham we started for Chitai Golu dev temple. Golu devta also known as Goljyu in Kumaon is the God of the Kumaon community in Uttarakhand. Also known as the God of justice, Golu devta has many temples in Uttarakhand, the major ones being Chitai and Ghorakhal.
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| Chitai temple gate |
Golu dev is an incarnation of Gaur Bhairav (Shiva). Golu dev wears a white pagdi, white horse is his consort and he is considered as the lord of justice.
There are tales about Golu devta, the most famous one in which Golu devta is the son of the Katyuri kings who ruled Kumaon or Kurmanchal as it was then known from 7th-12th century. It is said that his mother was the favorite queen and when he was born, her jealous co-wives exchanged him with stone and left him in the river nearby. He was saved by a fisherman and at the age of eight returned riding a wooden horse. He took the horse to the pond where the queens of the king were taking bath and made it drink the water. When the queens laughed at him, he said – if a woman can give birth to a stone, he can ride a wooden horse. King came to know of this, punished the queens and made Golu the king. In time, the boy came to be known for his justice and became popular as Golu Devta.
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| Golu dev |
Chitai Golu temple is very famous not just amongst the Kumaoni people but throughout Uttarakhand and even nearby states. People come here looking for justice. One can see prayers in the form of letters written on plain paper to stamp paper to blue mail envelopes asking for the fulfillment of their wishes. When the prayer is fulfilled, they come back and offer a brass bell at the temple. Thus the temple courtyard is full of letters and brass bells in different shapes and size. Most temples in Kumaon are on a hill so the ambience is quite peaceful and scenic if one wants to sit in the courtyard.
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