Nag (Indian Cobra) Devta is oft the Isht Dev of the himachali villages- their guardian God. Many stories abound about them- each area with its own version. the most common one being that cobras or a cobra used to stay in the area and devotees built a temple for them. the one I visited (near Mashobra) said that it was a reincarnation of Danveer Karna (of the Mahabharat fame)-.
Typically temples of the hilly areas are on the very top of steep hills, and this was no different. the hills below the temple were strewn with huge misshapen boulders and all of them had these circular indentations in them. such indentations are seen in the rocks only in this area. (see inset)
the story goes that this are did not have a God of their own deity to oversee them and their general well-being.
One night, the villagers got together and stole the statue of God from the nearby village. the Gods got angry and rained stone bullets on the rouge devotees. But even this did not deter the villagers and they established their God on the hill in their village. Since then each month only on the full moon day the temple is opened for its devotees. The rest of the days the general compound is open though the inner sanctum remains closed.
The temple compound has various attending Gods and a huge wish fulfilling tree in the centre. Devotees place a stone under the tree and make a wish. once the wish is fulfilled they return and pay homage.
the interiors of the temple are made with rich wooden carvings depicting scenes from scriptures and various forms of Gods.
The atmosphere is peaceful and quiet, with a mild cool wind blowing through (even at the height of summers). It invites you to sit quietly and just Be — even if one is an atheist.
Each area in Himachal have their own version of the Nag Devta.
The famous BeriNag temple at Kinnaur, the Bhagsu Nag temple at Dharamshala, Khajji Nag temple at Khajiar, Kamru Nag temple near Mandi — to name just a few.