Barahi Devi Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Pantnagar airport in Udham Singh Nagar is 170 km from Champawat town, the district headquarters.

• By train

  Tanakpur railway station is 75 km from Champawat town.

• By road

  Champawat town is well connected by road to neighbouring districts and the rest of Uttarakhand, and onward to Nepal through Tanakpur.

Why devotees come here

Devidhura in Champawat district, Uttarakhand, is famous for its Varahi temple, which is dedicated to Varahi. The town is also known for Bagwal, a cultural heritage practised on Raksha Bandhan.

Devidhura is famous for its Varahi temple, which is dedicated to Varahi. Devotees come to worship Devi Barahi here. The town is also known for Bagwal, a cultural heritage of Devidhura.

Bagwal is commonly practised on the day of Raksha Bandhan. On that day it is a popular attraction in Kumaon. Four local clans, Walik, Chamyal, Lamgaria and Gaherwal, take part in the ritual on the temple grounds every year. The ritual is believed to please Devi Barahi, to whom the annual fair is dedicated. A Times of India report says that after a 2013 Uttarakhand High Court intervention, stones were replaced with fruits and flowers. One news report says over 20,000 devotees at Devidhura refused to throw stones during Bagwal on Raksha Bandhan.

Jim Corbett's book Temple Tiger is associated with the Devidhura temples. The Bagwal fair is held in Devidhura village. Devidhura lies in Champawat district, in the eastern part of Uttarakhand and the Kumaon region. Champawat town is the district headquarters, and the district is part of the eastern Kumaon division.

Festivals

• Raksha Bandhan dayBagwal

  A cultural heritage of Devidhura, held on the temple grounds and taken part in by four local clans.

Tips for your visit

• The Bagwal date is announced by the temple priests and the Barahi temple committee.
• Bagwal involves stone-pelting, and a Times of India report says at least 75 people were injured and treated at a medical camp.
• According to a Times of India report, the stone-pelting lasted eight minutes in one Bagwal.

Questions people ask