Located
in the Sutlej valley of Himachal Pradesh, Bilaspur is a small district
that boasts of scenic natural surroundings. Bilaspur covers an area of
1167 square kilometers. Bilaspur is divided into two parts by River
Sutlej that passes right through its center. This little district has
many tourist attractions and is the ideal place to go on sightseeing
tours. People who come to Bilaspur on tours always return back with
wonderful memories of the place. To experience the same magic yourself,
plan a tour to Bilaspur of Himachal Pradesh.Fort of Kotkahlur
Raja Bir Chand built fort of Kotkahlur as a fort-palace. It is a double-storied building with each story about 15 m high. The fort is square in shape, each side measuring 30 meters. It is made up of stones and each of its walls is about 2 meters thick. On the upper storey, there is a small temple with the stone idol of Naina Devi. The floor of the second storey is supported on stone pillars and it has windows about 12 meters high to aim the guns at any possible external attackers.
Fort of Bachhretu
Bachhretu is a town in Bilaspur district situated on the western slope of Kotdhar hill at an altitude of 3000 ft. The small ancient fort provides excellent views of Gobind Sagar Lake and the panoramic hills. Raja Ratan Chand of Bilaspur built the fort about 600 years ago. This rectangular shaped edifice has one-meter thick walls tapering to the top and about fifteen rooms or compartments that can still be traced out. It is also believed to have a tank once. The fort also houses a small temple of Goddess Asht Bhuja and some other deities.
Laxmi Narayan Mandir
This temple near the bus stand in the present Bilaspur town was built to compensate for the temple in old Bilaspur town, which was submerged in the Gobind Sagar Lake. It was built in Shikhar style and houses the Linga of Shankeshwar (Lord Shiva) and idols of deities such as Lord Laxmi Narayan, Lord Rangnath, Goddess Durga and Baba Bengali.
Shivalaya Bachhretu
3 kilometers from Shahtalai and 3000 ft above sea level, Shivalaya Bachhretu is situated on the western slope of Kotdhar. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the huge statue of ox in the courtyard is of Nandi, the sacred vehicle of the Lord.
Vyas Gufa
The most famous and oldest pilgrimage place in Bilaspur, Vyas Gufa is a cave situated on the left bank of River Sutlej, at an altitude of 610 meters above sea level. It is believed to be the cave where Maharshi Vyas, who wrote Mahabharata, performed his meditation and penance. It lies between the old and new Bilaspur Township. According to the folklore, Bilaspur was once known as Vyaspur, after the Rishi's name.
Baba Nahar Singh Temple
Baba Nahar Singh Temple is situated at Dholra, which falls under the Bilaspur district. Baba Nahar Singh is believed to be an incarnation of God and is also known by the names of Bajia, Peepal Wala amd Dalian Wala.
Badol Devi Temple
Badol Devi Temple is situated in Badol village of Bilaspur. There is a very interesting legend attached to this temple. It is said that one day, an old villager named Bhura noticed that his cow had shed her milk on a particular place.
Mandir Jalapa Mai
Mandir Jalapa Mai is situated in Sangirathi Village, on the on Bilaspur-Shimla Road. It is situated at a distance of approximately 14 km from the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh.
Markandeya Ji
Markandeya Ji Temple is situated in a beautiful place known as Markanday, situated 20 km from Bilaspur. Named after the famous sage Rishi Markanday, this temple holds much significance, especially amongst childless couples.
Naina Devi Temple
Naina Devi temple, one of the most important Shakti Peeths of India, is situated in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh. Raja Bir Chand got this temple constructed in the 8th century.
Naras Devi Temple
Naras Devi temple is situated on a hilltop at Baroha, 2 km from Naras village that falls under the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh. The temple is more than 400 years old and is believed to have been constructed by King Kalyan Chand.
Sheetla Mandir
Sheetla Mata Temple is situated in a village named Jangla, at a distance of approximately 1.5 km from Gehrwin city of Himachal Pradesh. Like the Golden Temple of Amritsar, this temple is also built in the middle of a tank.
Deoli Fish Farm
Deoli Fish Farm, which comes under the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, came into existence in the year 1962. It is spread over an area of 4.4 hectares and has 14 nursery ponds and 2 big brood stock tanks.
