Bilaspur
was the last of the princely States to merge with Himachal Pradesh that became
a part C State in 1951. It continued to enjoy the status quo till 1954 when it
also got merged with the rest of the State. Bilaspur, which is the headquarters
of the District with the same name, falls on the main highway between Chandigarh
and Mandi or between Shimla to Mandi. The biggest manmade lake Gobind Sagar
drowned the old city of Bilaspur in the beginning of 60s but the first modern
planned township had already started showing signs of growing up in 1958 to settle
down the oustees. That is Bilaspur of today with public sector called Diary
and Raura and Government Sectors of Nihal and Changar.
Some of the most famous places to visit in Bilaspur are:
Gobind
Sagar: It
is 90km long and covers an area of about 170sq.km. It is a host to several
water and shore birds. Fishing is a regular activity here.
Bear
Gufa (cave): There
is this Gufa about 100m long in the town itself. The legend is that Rishi Beas
used to pray on this end of the Gufa whose other end opened at Markandeya and
that every morning the sage used to go to take a dip in holy water there.
Naina
Devi: The
famous shrine of Naina Devi is 57km from Bilaspur and 34 from Kiratpur Sahib.
The temple, up on a hill, presents a panoramic view of the town of Anandpur
Sahib also of the low lying rages by the side of flowing Sutlej. Navratra Melas
are held here that attract devotees from all over India, mostly from Punjab and
Himachal.
Markandeya: The temple of Rishi Markandeya
and the holy pond is situated about 20km form Bilaspur. It hosts a big mela
during Baishaki.
Pir
Bihuna: This
dargah (shrine) of a Pir is about 40km from Bilaspur. Both Hindus and Muslims
visit the dargah and seek blessings from the Pir.
Shah
Talai: It
has gained importance because this place was the place for Baba Balaknath’s
religious action and devotion. It is 64km from Bilaspur and has temples of Baba
BAlaknaths, Baba Bhritrahari, Guga Chauhan and Naharsinghon the banks of
Saryali Khadd(rivulet) . By the side of the temples, there is smoke fire
(Dhoona) of Baba. Deotsidh temple is 5 km from here.
