In the country of India, you will see many big temples, which are known all over the country for their different specialties. Every temple has its own unique belief, which leaves people astonished. One such unique temple exists in Uttarakhand, where no devotee, male or female, is allowed inside the temple. Yes, you must be wondering how the deities are worshiped in the temple, then let us tell you, not only the devotees but even the priest of the temple is not allowed to have darshan of the God. Priests also perform puja in the temple with blindfolds, except them no one can go inside. Let us tell you about this temple.
There are many mysterious temples in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand. One of these is the temple of Latu Devta located in Chamoli. In this temple the priest worships by tying a bandage around his mouth and nose. According to beliefs, Lord Nagraj lives with a wonderful gem in this temple. Common people cannot see it. Not only this, the priests also perform the puja by blindfolding themselves so that they do not get scared after seeing the great form. Local people believe that the bright light of the gem can make a person blind. Not only this, the smell of the priest’s mouth should not reach the deity and the poisonous smell of Nagraj should not reach the nose of the priest.
- The doors of the temple open only once a year.
The gates of the temple open only once a year on the full moon day of the month of Vaishakh. On this day the priest opens the doors of the temple with a blindfold over his eyes and mouth. Devotees visit the deity from a distance. After opening the doors of the temple, Vishnu Sahasranama and Bhagwati Chandika recitation is conducted.
- Latu Devta is the brother of Nanda Devi.
According to mythology, Latu Devta is the religious brother of Nanda Devi, the revered goddess of Uttarakhand. This temple is also the 12th stop of the Shri Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra which takes place every 12 years. Latu Devta welcomes his sister Nanda Devi from Van to Hemkund. Every year on Vaishakh Purnima, a local fair is held here in which people from far and wide come and participate.
- Story of Latu Devta, brother of Nanda Devi
Latu Devta has a temple in Van village of Dewal Block of Chamoli District of Uttarakhand. This particular temple is of Latu deity who is imprisoned in this temple. The doors of this temple open only once a year and even at that time the priests perform the puja with blindfolds. It is said that Latu Devta resides in this temple in the form of Nagraj. The priest goes to the temple blindfolded so that the priest does not get scared after seeing them. Latu Devta is the religious brother of Bhagwati Nanda Devi and brother-in-law of Lord Shiva. Nanda Devi is also a form of Mother Parvati. Nanda Devi had no brother. One day in Kailash, mother Nanda Devi thinks that if she too had a brother, she would definitely have come to meet him. He would bring Bhitoli (a gift given to a married daughter) for her. With this, he would also get good news from his parents’ home. Thinking like this, Nanda Devi starts remembering her maternal home. And she becomes sad. When Lord Shiva saw it, he asked Nanda, why are you sitting quietly? Mother Nanda Devi says that my lord, my God, I am missing my maternal home. I don’t have any brother. Had he been my brother, he would have come to me, sometimes bringing Bhitoli for me and sometimes Kaleva from my parents’ home. Then Shivji says that Latu is the younger son of the king of Kannauj, you should make him your religious brother. On this Nanda Devi thinks that now she will get a chance to go to her maternal home. Nanda says can I go to my parents’ house. And from there I will go to Kannauj and bring Latu along with me as my brother. Then Latu will also come to drop me to my in-laws house. Seeing the enthusiasm of Mother Nanda Devi, Lord Bholenath smiles softly and allows her to go to her maternal home. Nanda Devi happily reached her maternal home in Risasu. And after taking permission from her father Hemant and mother Mainavati, she went to Kannauj to make Latu her brother. The family goddess of Kannauj was also Maa Durga i.e. Parvati. When Nanda reached there she was very happy. The name of the queen of Kannauj was Maina. He had two sons, Batu and Latu, but no daughters. Seeing Nanda, he felt as if a daughter had come to his house. Queen Maina asks Nanda Devi the reason for coming there. Then Nanda Devi says that I do not have any brother, can I take Latu along with me as my brother. Rani Maina wonders where Kannauj and where Risasu and even Kailash mountain is far away from there. Maina refuses at first but agrees when Nanda insists again. In this way Nanda Devi returns to her maternal home with her brother Latu. Nanda Devi was very happy that now she also has a brother who will now bring good health and happiness to her in-laws house. When Nanda Devi returns to her in-laws house. So not only the villagers but all the people of the area come to see him off. Her brother Latu also lives with Nanda Devi. When Nanda Devi’s procession reaches Von village, she goes to the river to take bath. And here Latu starts feeling very thirsty, so he enters a house where he meets an old man. Latu asks the old man to give him water. So the old man says, there are two pitchers in the corner, one of them has water, drink it yourself. Latu drinks all the water from one jug. But in reality there is water in one jug and local raw liquor in the other. Latu accidentally drinks raw liquor. And he gets intoxicated due to which he starts creating ruckus, and creates chaos in the village, due to which all the villagers get upset. Due to which mother Nanda Devi angrily orders Latu to be tied up and imprisoned, and says that he should be kept imprisoned here forever. When Latu’s intoxication subsides, he repents a lot. And asks for forgiveness from mother Nanda Devi and tells the whole story. Mother Nanda Devi also understands the reason for the mistake by then. Nanda Devi then tells Latu Devta that there will be her temple in Von village and she will be worshiped on the full moon day of Baishakh month. And not only this, every 12 years when Nanda goes to the kingdom, people will also worship Latu deity. Since then, Latu deity is worshiped in the 12th place falling in Von of Nanda dynasty. It is said that Latu Devta also goes from Von village to Hemkund to send his sister Nanda. And Shri Latu Devta is worshiped only once in a year.
- How to reach Latu Devta Temple :-
If you are traveling from Delhi, then the distance to Chamoli is approximately 465 km. The bus will take you to Chamoli via Rishikesh. For air travel, after traveling from Delhi to Pantnagar airport, one can reach Chamoli with the help of bus or taxi. After going to Haridwar or Rishikesh railway station by train, you will have to travel by bus. Latu Devta Temple is 27 km away from Chamoli. You can reach here through local temples.
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