Deotsidh | |
Settlement Type: | Pilgrimage town |
Pushpin Map: | India Himachal Pradesh#India |
Pushpin Label Position: | right |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Himachal Pradesh, India |
Coordinates: | 31.4551°N 76.5411°W |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | India |
Subdivision Type1: | State |
Subdivision Type2: | District |
Subdivision Name1: | Himachal Pradesh |
Subdivision Name2: | Hamirpur district |
Governing Body: | Panchayat |
Unit Pref: | Metric |
Area Total Km2: | 1118 |
Population Total: | 17252 |
Population As Of: | 2011 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Demographics Type1: | Languages |
Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
Timezone1: | IST |
Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
Postal Code Type: | PIN |
Postal Code: | 174047 |
Area Code: | 1972 |
Area Code Type: | Telephone code |
Registration Plate: | HP-21 |
Blank1 Name Sec1: | Nearest city |
Blank1 Info Sec1: | Shah Talai |
Blank1 Name Sec2: | Climate |
Blank1 Info Sec2: | Cool (Köppen) |
Demographics1 Info1: | Hindi |
Blank2 Name Sec1: | Sex ratio |
Blank2 Info Sec1: | 850 ♂/♀ |
Blank3 Name Sec1: | Literacy |
Blank3 Info Sec1: | 89.0% |
Blank4 Name Sec1: | Lok Sabha constituency |
Blank4 Info Sec1: | Lok Sabha constituency |
Blank5 Name Sec1: | Vidhan Sabha constituency |
Blank5 Info Sec1: | Hamirpur Assembly Constituency |
Blank6 Name Sec1: | Civic agency |
Blank6 Info Sec1: | Panchayat |
The place of Sidh Baba Balak Nath's gufa Deotsidh is a pilgrimage town in Barsar tehsil, Hamirpur district, Himachal Pradesh, India. The nearest broad gauge railway station is in Una district, about distant, and the nearest airport is about away in Chandigarh.
Beginning on 14 March, which is in the Hindu month of Chaitra, an annual fair is organised at Deotsidh and attracts thousands of devotees from all over India and abroad. The fair commemorates Baba Balak Nath, an incarnation of Lord Shiva in Kali Yuga.
The Shrine - Baba Balak Nath Trust is the Overall Authority to Look After the Temple And Local Premises including the Library, Langar and Sarai. The Main Gufa is Located in the south of the Hilltop which is strictly banned for physical visit for women devotees. However, the women in a different Queue are allowed to have Darshans from a platform located some 5 Metre ahead of the Samadhi Place. Many pilgrims prefer to walk uphill from nearly Shrine of Shahtalai chanting hymns and Bhajans, performing strict religious exercises.
Local Police are deployed in numbers when there is a seasonal rush of Pilgrims majority of which arrive from Punjab and neighbouring states. Apart from the Main Shrine, there are Permanent and seasonal novelty shops located in Deotsidh operated mostly by the local residents. During the peak Season of Melas There are number of food stalls and cool water points are installed by pilgrims serving the traffic and by passersby. The cleanliness drive and open littering becomes a regular drive during such times.
Deotsidh is situated at an average elevation of 1110 M above sea level in the Mid Shivalik Ranges Of The Outer Himalayas and Experience varying climates throughout the year ranging from Cool Winters (Mid October to Mid April) with Maximum Day Temperatures going as high as 20 °C with record low of -3 °C . Summers (Mid April to Mid July) are often moderate with Hotter days and pleasant nights at 37 °C to 17 °C, Monsoons lasts from Mid July to early September with Fair amount of Rainfall . Due to its geographical Location, Pine Forests are spread in large number . The last recorded snowfall occurred on 7 January 2012
Landscape
Deotsidh, as it is located in the Central Shivalik ranges at a sea level height of above 1000 meters presents a complete 360° panoramic view of far south Naina Devi and Bhakra Dam, lowlands Of Western Una and Hamirpur District. The far northern views of the Dhauladhar Himalayan ranges, the hills of Mandi District and some of the regions of Jalori Pass, the lower hills of Solan and the Hill Of Bahadurpur and Swarghat of Bilaspur District.
The village is a part of a pilgrimage circuit that includes the Chintpurniji, Brajeshwarji, Jawalamukhiji and Chamunda Devi temples. The village has a Deotsidh temple dedicated to Baba Balak Nath, from the top of which can be seen Bhakhra Dam, one of the largest dams in the world.