Kelang Naga is a snake deity and is worshipped in the Chamba
District of Himachal Pradesh especially in Bharmour, Bhattiyat, Churah regions.
The most important temple dedicated to Kelang Naga is located near Kugti. The
deity protects the people and other living beings of the region from epidemics
and natural disasters. He is the guardian deity of the Kugti Valley .
Legend has it that once there was a huge epidemic in the Kugti Valley
and people prayed to Kelang Naga who was then residing in the Lahaul region of
the Himachal Pradesh. To help the people the region, the deity left Lahaul and
came riding on a horse towards Kugti
Valley .
Kelang Naga stopped at Dughi, around 3 km from Kugti, and
then moved towards Darun and disappeared.
People then excavated the place where the deity disappeared
and found a three-headed murti in padmasana posture. A temple was built in
honor of the deity near Kugti. The king of Chamba contributed towards the
development of the temple. He donated an Ashtadhatu murti to the temple. He
also ordered the sculpting of numerous naga murtis in the temple.
Kelang Naga is widely worshipped by the Gaddi and Lahula
shepherds of the region. They believe that he is the father of all the nagas on
earth.
The deity is also symbolically represented by a darat – a
sickle used by shepherds.
The deity is worshipped for peace, prosperity and against
epidemics. He is also invoked for the protection of the live stocks of the
shepherds.
During important occasions a goat is sacrificed to the
Kelang Naga deity. The first harvest of maize in a newly brought land is also
shared with the deity.
One can find Kelang Naga temples in Dughi, Darun, Kugti,
Jangal-Kalundi, Kalah, Ulasan, Lothal, Mehra, Aghara and Bhalad in the Chamba
District.