Bering Nag Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Naini Saini Airport at Pithoragarh is the nearest airport, 112 km away.

• By train

  Kathgodam is the nearest railway station, 178 km away.

• By road

  Berinag is connected by road to Pithoragarh (85 km) and Almora (96 km), and National Highway 309A passes through the town.

Why devotees come here

Bering Nag Temple stands on Berinag Hill, about one km uphill from the town of Berinag in Pithoragarh district. It is a shrine to the serpent deity, Nag Devta. The town's name is tied to this temple.

Berinag is a hill station and municipality, 124 km from Pithoragarh city. It is one of the six tehsils of Pithoragarh district in the Kumaon division. The town is said to take its name from this temple, though a legend gives another origin: that it was named after the Nagveni King Benimadhava. It is one of many Nag temples in the area.

Local belief says settlers from Maharashtra came to live here and found many coiled snakes of every colour. As a sign of reverence, they built a snake temple, which is believed to date from the fourteenth century.

Accounts differ on the deity. One description ties the shrine to Vishnu, while another calls it a Nag Devta temple dedicated to the serpent deity. The temple stands on the hill above the town, about one km uphill to the south of Berinag proper.

Festivals

• Every yearBerinag Mahotsav and Berinag Kautik

  Both are staged in Berinag each year, alongside a Ramleela. Check locally for the dates before you travel.

Tips for your visit

• Chaukori, a hill station about 10 km from Berinag, is an option if you have time for a second stop in the hills.
• The Pithoragarh district government website has a temples page that covers this shrine, so check it before you go.

Questions people ask