A temple in Himachal where after every 12 years, lightning strikes the Shivling in the temple and the Shivling is shattered to pieces by that lightning. The surprising thing is that in a few days the broken Shivling gets attached as if nothing had happened.
Today we are talking about Bijli Mahadev Temple located on the highest peak of Mathan mountain at the confluence of Parvati and Vyas river in Kullu district in Himachal. The name of this temple has also been kept because the lightning strikes here every 12 years.
Recently lightning has fallen in this temple on June 11, 2021, which means that the next lightning will fall in 2033. Due to this lightning, the Shivling located in the temple gets shattered, which is a day of celebration for the people of the nearby villages.
On the occasion of this festival, everyone joins every broken piece by applying butter paste on that Shiva Linga and the surprising thing is that by doing this, the broken Shiva Linga gets joined within a few days as if nothing had happened.
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Why does Lightning Fall and Why do People Here Celebrate it?
There is a mythological story behind the lightning falling in Bijli Mahadev Temple, which the local residents have been narrating for many years. According to them, in ancient times, a demon named Kulant used to live near this area.
One day that monster took the form of a giant python and reached Ghogghadhar of Mandi via Nagandhar. Then from there Mathan village came via Lahaul Spiti.There he sat down coiled in the middle of the river Vyas.
Read also:-Famous Temples of Himachal Pradesh – Part Two
His aim was to submerge the place by stopping the flow of river Vyas so that all the living beings living there would die by drowning. When Lord Shiva came to know about this, he appeared to stop Kulant.
It was not easy to control a giant python-like monster like Kulan. Lord Shiva first took him into confidence and then said in his ear that his tail was on fire. Hearing this, Kulant immediately turned back to his original form and Lord Shiva hit his head with trident.
The demon Kulant was killed by the blow of the trident and his huge body turned into a mountain at that very moment.
Kulant was dead but the fear of the people of the valley did not end, because Kulant was still there in the form of a mountain and could destroy the valley anytime. That’s why Bhole Shankar himself decided to sit on his head and got established on his head i.e. the top of the mountain.
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Along with this, Indra Devta was ordered to make a thunderclap at that place every 12 years. Since then, every 12 years, there has been a continuous sequence of lightning at that place.
To protect people and wealth, Lord Shiva takes this thunderbolt upon himself and that’s why lightning happens on Shivling only.
Due to lightning, the name of this temple has become “Bijli Mahadev Temple”. This temple is also a symbol of the protection of the people of the valley from the demon Kulant.
