The Baglamukhi Devi Temple was widely propitiated and deeply venerated by the native people as well as other devotees. The temple attracted pilgrims from far and wide till the implementation of the Beas-Satlej Project submerged it.
Legends of Baglamukhi Temple
The legend associated with Baglamukhi Devi is that centuries before people of Mandi State visited the Guma village on Mandi-Pathankot road and used to scrape out rock-salt from the Guma salt mines. As the journey was long the people carries cooked food along with them. A man from Bhakli went to Guma for salt. On the way he stopped under a tree and opened his bundle of food and he found a stone in the midst of the eatables. He threw away the stone. At the second halt again on opening the food he found the same stone. He was bewildered and threw it away again. At Guma and again on the way back the same miracle happened. Exasperated the man threw away again the stone into a stream called Bakhli. As narrated the incident to other villagers. He even began to demonstrate abnormal symptoms and then rushed out to the stream and jumped into it. The villagers thinking him to be dead performed his last rites.
Eighteen days later suddenly the man appeared with a ladle with smouldering incense and the same round stone. The man told the villagers that the stone was Baglamukhi Devi, a powerful manifestation of Goddess Durga and she wanted a temple to be built and consecrated to her. The temple was built and the round stone was installed as the deity. The doors and lintels, however, had carvings of Krishna episodes. The Raja of Mandi learnt about the appearance of the Devi and visited her. He also gave a jagir for the temple.
Another legend is also associated with the goddess Bagalamukhi Temple. The Beas-Sutlaj Link authorities in the course of the execution of the Project had decided to acquire the Baglamukhi temple and the village of Bhakli in Mandi as the area had to be submerged in the Pandoh reservoir. The temple has a legend behind it and was not very old either. Mandi Raj had conferred some Jaigir, meaning rent-free grant of land for the maintenance of the temple and the regular worship of Baglamukhi deity.
After all the formalities had been carried out like serving notices, the Acquisition Cell of the Project consisting of a gazetted Sub-Divisional officer and his staff visited the area and wanted to assess the valuation of the property for payment of compensation.
The Gur or diviner of the Devi gave out that he had a visitation and the temple should not be dismantled. He also warned that the goddess would resent any kind of disturbances. However the plea was rejected and some members of the Acquisition Cell of the Project entered the interior of the temple. It is said that some unseen force in the cell suddenly hit the intruders who fell down. The Gur then got into a religious trance and said that unless a goat is sacrificed the goddess would not be appeased. Thus a goat was sacrificed at the feet of the goddess by the Sub Divisional Officer. The Gur had assured them that the Devi which was only a round stone had come out of water and would remain satisfied in water. The temple was submerged in due course along with the Deity.
