Legend of Mindhal Basan Devi Temple The spot where the temple stands was originally occupied by a house, consisting of an upper and lower storey, as is usual in Pangi, belonging to a widow with seven sons. One day in early autumn while she was cooking in the upper storey, a black stone appeared in the chulah (hearth) causing her much annoyance. She tried to beat it down but in vain. At last she was seized with a trembling, and thus knew that the stone was a Devi. Rushing outside she called her sons, who were ploughing in a field with two oxen to a plough, and told them that a Devi had appeared in the house. They made light of the matter and asked tauntingly if the Devi would enable them to plough with one ox or give them a sasan, Immediately, the widow and her sons were turned to stone, she in the house and they in the field. From that time only one ox to a plough has been used in ploughing at Mindhal and the place has been a ‘sasan’ grant for many centuries. People believe that if two oxen are used for plugging, one of them will die. ‘Sasan’ stands for revenue-free grant of land which the temple enjoyed for centuries. Festival at Mindhal Basan Devi Temple The annual fair, held in the month of Bhado, fetches a great number of people from all over the valley. Umpteen sheep and goats are ritually sacrificed on this event as offerings to the deity. It is believed that blood of the sacrificed livestock flows through a hole at the temple door to a pool at the foot of Kulal Village, thus giving it a hint of red. |