Goddess Renuka Devi worship is very popular in Himachal Pradesh, especially in Sirmaur. There is a popular story associated with Goddess Renuka and Her sister Banika, connected to the holy Renuka Lake.
Renuka was married to Rishi Jamadagni and her sister Banika was married to King Sahastrabahu. Rishi Jamadagni planned a ceremony of great religious significance and invited many dignitaries but he did not invite Sahastrabahu.
Hurt by this exclusion, Banika asked Renuka to persuade Jamadagni to invite her husband. Reluctantly, Jamadagni agreed to the wish of his wife. The sage had been given the celestial cow by the king of gods, Indra to provide for his many guests. As Sahastrabahu was leaving he asked for the miraculous cow that had made the lavish hospitality possible. Jamadagni refused and returned Kamdhenu to Indra, at which Sahastrabahu flew into a rage and killed the sage.
Overwhelmed with guilt, Renuka ender her life in the present Renuka lake, making it holy but virtue of her great sacrifice.
In recognition of her piety, the Devas restored Renuka to life, and the lake remains an embodiment of the devout wife.