The people of Kumaon consider Golzyu, the god of justice, their favorite deity … The construction of the Golgeu Devta Temple at Chitai in Almora was done in 12th century
Feature Desk, Amrit thoughts. Although there are many Devasthals in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, but one of them is the Golgeu Devta Temple located near Almora in the Kumaon region. It is believed that after the application in the temple, the Golju deities solve the problem of their devotee. The people of Kumaon consider Golju as their favorite deity.
About eight kilometers from Almora district headquarters, there is a temple of Golju Devta at a place called Chitai on the Almora-Pithoragarh highway. The deity sitting here is worshiped as the god of justice. Thousands of applications written on the stamp paper installed in the temple are witnesses that people come to the temple to solve their problems and plead for justice.
According to the belief of the devotees, the one who does not get justice from anywhere, gives him justice. This is the reason why hundreds of applications are paid in the temple every day. People also give their complaints and problems on stamp paper. The priests of the temple keep this application at the feet of the Golju deity and hung it in the temple premises with the devotees.
This is the story according to the public shrines
Pandit Santosh Pant, the priest of the temple, says that according to a legend, the Golgey deity is also known as Gwal Devta. The story is associated with the king and the queen, where the newborn was thrown into the river by step queens, which was rescued by a fisherman. Later, the identity of the Golu Devta was formed as a judicious king who provided justice in a fairness and came to be known as Gwal Devta or Golgey Deity. It is said that in addition to Champawat, the Golgey deity also used to put his court in Chitai of Almora. Where he used to judge people, since then he came to be considered the god of justice in Kumaon.
Temple was built in 12th century
According to the belief, a commander of Chand dynasty built the temple in the 12th century. There are many stories about the god of justice Golu deity. The most famous of them is that the rulers of the Katyuri dynasty were ruled here from 7th to 12th century. Golu Maharaj was the prince or general of the Katyuri dynasty.
Collection of thousands of hours in the temple
The Chitai temple has a collection of thousands of hours-earchers, people whose wishes are fulfilled, they offer bells here. Thousands of small and small bells are hung in the temple premises. Apart from this, thousands of bells have been kept in two rooms of the temple complex for years which fell due to strong winds or some other reasons.
How to reach the temple
Golu Devta Chitai Temple is located on Pithoragarh Road, about eight km from Almora. It is well connected by road and can be easily reached by sharing taxis, buses etc. The nearest rail connectivity Kathgodam railway station is about 94 km. The 124 km from Pantnagar Airport is the nearest airport to reach Almora.
Presentation: Kamlesh Kanwal, Almora
