Faith in the Hills: The Religious Traditions of Himachal Pradesh
The Himalaya has long been a meeting point of different peoples and cultures. The first hunter-gatherers settled in these hills. Later came Austric-speaking groups from the east, Tibeto-Burman peoples from the north, and the Khasas, an Indo-Aryan people who came from the northwest. Each left its mark, and the quiet, varied landscape of the mountains shaped what they believed. Cults that could not survive in the plains often found a lasting home in the Himalaya.
The Shakta tradition
Himachal Pradesh to which present article is confined lies in the Western Himalaya and popularly known as Dev Bhoomi. Hinduism is the main religion of the state, and it broadly follows three traditions: Shakta, Shaiva and Vaishnava. The Shakta tradition dominates the Shivalik hills, with major shrines at Chamunda Devi, Naina Devi, Jwalamukhi, Chintpurni (Chhinnamastika) and Vajreshwari. References to Shakta worship begin to appear in Puranic literature around the 7th century(Thakur, 1997). However, these sites may much older. Shakta tradition in the hills, probably took present shape after Buddhism declined, and some may once have been linked to Buddhism. For Example- It is believed that Buddhist monk Nagarjun once lived in Jawalamukhi, in fact there is still a temple dedicated to him near Jawalamukhi (https://maps.app.goo.gl/HfAfykC6Xi4E1Hi76) . It is quite possible that even Buddhist borrowed this tradition from early society. These sites are popular all over the India and visited by devotee from other part of countries. ( For More Detail-https://geohimachal.com/himachal-history-digital-archive/)
The Shaiva tradition
Shiva is worshipped in the hills in very local forms. He is known as Dhudu in Chamba, as Shirgul in the Mahasu region, and as Mahadev elsewhere. Shaivism is an old sect, but its earliest records in the state come from Chamba and from Nirmand in Kullu district. Like the Shakta sites, Shaiva sites show Buddhist elements in their images and rituals. The Siddha and Nath traditions of the early medieval period help explain this borrowing between religions. For example, at the Triloknath temple in Lahaul-Sipiti , the same image is worshipped by Buddhists as Avalokiteshvara and by Hindus as Shiva. The current form of Shaivism which rise in Kashmir under the influence of Mahaya Buddhism become dominant religion only after 7-8th Century with decline of Buddhism. The Shaiva tradition is strongest in the lower and middle Himalaya.
The Vaishnava tradition
Vaishnavism spread widely in the hills during the Mughal period, carried by the Bhakti movement. It took root mainly in the Beas valley, from Kangra to Kullu, and across the Shivalik hills. The earliest possible trace of Vaishnavism in Himachal is at the Masrur rock-cut temple in Kangra. However, the Vaishnava images there may belong to a later reuse of the site rather than its original plan. The earliest definite evidence comes from Devi-ri-Kothi in the 12th century. Thus, Vaishnavism came later and is limited to a few select sites
Jainism
Jainism left traces in the Shivalik hills of Kangra and probably arrived with traders. The earliest records are two inscriptions at the Baijnath temple, dated 1240 AD, and an image from Kangra Bazaar dated to 14-15 century. Other Jain remains have been found at Chari near Nagrota Bagwan, at Baijnath and at Kangra Fort(Hāṇḍā, 1994).
Buddhism
Buddhism had the longest-lasting effect on the culture of the hills. Its roots in the region go back to about the 2nd century BC. The Pathiyar inscription (c. 200 BC) and the Khaniyara rock inscription (c. 100 AD) point to an early institutional presence. Buddhist remains have been found all over the Himalaya, Himachal included. Among the best known is the Kushan-period stupa at Chetru. Rewarsar, Trilokinath, Nirmand, Kalath etc are important religious places which were associated with Buddhism. Unlike the other traditions, Buddhism was not confined to one region. It flourished in the hills until about the 7th century, when Brahmanical Hinduism overtook it. Even so, it left a deep imprint on both the Shakta and Shaiva traditions. Buddhist elements still survive in the Siddha and Nath traditions of the hills, and in the popular stories of the 84 Siddhas who visited Chamba and performed miracles. In Jawalji there is Gorkh Dibbi , a site dedicated to Grokhnath , who is believed to be Buddhist Sidha. Similarly, Sidh Baba Balak Nath, who is also a Sidha and Nath shows how Buddhism transformed and lost its identity. In Shivalik and Mid Himalaya many Sidha and Nath sites are still very active and revered by many.
Conclusion
The religious landscape of Himachal Pradesh is not a set of separate traditions standing side by side. It is layered, like the hills themselves. Buddhism came first and spread furthest, and when it declined it did not disappear. It sank into the Shakta shrines of the Shivalik’s, the Shaiva cults of the middle hills, and the Siddha and Nath stories that are still told in villages. Shiva became Dhudu and Shirgul, Avalokiteshvara is worshipped as Shiva at Trilokinath, and old sites such as Masrur were taken over by new faiths. Jainism came with traders and stayed in the market towns of Kangra. Vaishnavism arrived last and spread on the wave of Bhakti.
What made this possible is the mountain setting itself. Isolated valleys, local kingdoms and village deities allowed beliefs to survive and blend instead of replacing one another. A cult that faded in the plains could live on here under a new name. To understand religion in Himachal, then, we have to look past the labels of Shakta, Shaiva, Vaishnava, Jain and Buddhist, and see a single living tradition shaped by many peoples over two thousand years.
References:
The Realm of Faith Subversion, Appropriation, and Dominance in the Western Himalaya,By Mahesh Sharma · 2001
Hāṇḍā, O. (1994). Buddhist Art & Antiquities of Himachal Pradesh, Upto 8th Century A.D. Indus Publishing.
Thakur, M. R. (1997). Myths, Rituals, and Beliefs in Himachal Pradesh. Indus Publishing.
