Golu Devta (or Goljyu) is a revered deity across the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. His name is evoked with deep devotion across Kumaoni homes. If you are travelling in the region, many of these 10-seater taxis would often display banners reading ‘Jai Golu Devta’ across their windscreens. His temples, especially the famous one at Chitai, are flooded with devotees seeking blessings, often in the hope of having their wishes fulfilled or justice delivered, by Goljyu, the human embodiment of a divine force.

Who is Golu Devta? And why do people have such limitless faith in his divine power?

Many folk tales highlighting his valour and divinity have been well accepted and religiously followed by the people of the Kumaon region. His heroics and his power to solve one’s problems reverberate through the air in these hills.

Let’s delve deeper into his persona. Who was he?

I have spent some time and effort trying to trace his origins. There is no single concrete answer as to who he was – there are several possible theories. But one underlying aspect that cuts across all these narratives is his embodiment of righteousness and truth.

1. Golu Devta as a Royal Warrior

It is believed that there was a Katyuri king by the name of Jhalkari who had seven wives. He had everything in life except for a son who could succeed him. To be blessed with a child, he performed reverence, yagnas, and consulted astrologers and saints. Eventually, his horoscope suggested he marry again, and that his eighth wife would bear him a male offspring – one who would not be a typical human.  His seven wives until then, all lived together agreeably.

1.1 In one version, the king dreamt of a young lady perched on the summit of Neelkanth parvat, who introduced herself by the name Kalinka. Intrigued by her beauty, the next day he called everyone and set out to find her.  After great effort, the king eventually reached Kalinka’s location and convinced her to marry him.

1.2 In another version, the king once went hunting in the forests near the Kali river, where he saw two Bisons battling. Exhausted, he tried but failed to separate them. A series of events followed until a lady appeared at the spot and isolated the two battling bisons just by holding onto their horns. This act left the king speechless and in complete awe. He decided to marry Kali.

Both these scenarios led to a common outcome that followed. The other seven wives grew jealous of Kalinka, fearing that if the prophecy proved true, the child would become the centre of the king’s attention and affection, thus weakening their own standing. They decided to act against her. When the child was born, the seven queens dropped him in the goth (a place where livestock is kept in Kumaoni homes) and instead placed a blood-smeared sil-batta (grinding stone stab) before Kalinka, falsely informing her that she had delivered a stone.  Miraculously, the boy survived in the goth. Some versions of the tale present this slightly differently – that the queens placed the newborn in a heavy iron box and cast him into a river, yet he survived that too. Protected by divine forces, the child would later be known and worshipped as Golu Devta.  

1.3 While the above two versions place the tales during the Katyuri reign (roughly between the 7^th CE and 12^th CE), there is another version rooted in the time when the Chand dynasty ruled the region. Raja Baz Bahadur Chand, who ruled Kumaon between 1638 and 1678, is central to this narrative. In this version, Golu Devta is believed to have been an extremely courageous and high-spirited general, known to be a close friend of the king, a man of principles, intelligence, and fearless valour. He was martyred in a battle sacrificing his life to protect the king from a sword that was raised against him. Deeply moved, Raja Baz Bahadur commissioned a temple in Champavat, dedicated to Golu.

Soon, people began flocking to the temple, pouring out their sufferings and injustices by placing petitions there. Miraculously, many of these wrongdoings were resolved soon after their obeisance at the temple. One tale even mentions a farmer witnessing Golu Devta riding a white horse to the temple to collect the petitions. These incidents gained wide recognition, and the tradition of submitting letters and appeals at Golu Devta’s temple continues to this day.

2. Golu Devta as a divine Incarnation

He is revered as a legend, a god to the people – the God of Justice – and is widely believed to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva or Gaur Bhairav. In this form, he is not just a heroic figure but truly a divine being, an avatar of Lord Shiva himself.

3. Folk hero turned Deity

You can find references to Golu Devta in the songs and Jagars (oral narratives), where the singers (Jagariyas) invoke local Gods and deities, awakening them from their passive state to help solve problems and provide blessings. This custom still thrives across the vast expanse of the Kumaon region. If we carefully examine the story of the boy born of King Jhalkari and Queen Kalinka, we can infer that he possessed divine powers that thwarted every attempt to kill him. As he grew-up, he emerged as a just prince – someone who helped his people, resolved their grievances, and ruled the land fairly. He was indeed a hero to his people and eventually came to be revered as a deity.  

Numerous temples of Golu Devta across the region

Temples dedicated to Golu Devta can be found throughout the Kumaon region. One of the oldest is believed to be in Champavat town, the former capital of the Chand Dynasty, before it shifted to Almora in and around the 1560s during the reign of Chand ruler Balo Kalyan Singh. Another prominent shrine is the Chitai temple, located roughly 10 kms away from Almora town.

Chitai’s Golu Devta temple | The God of Justice

Enter the temple, and you will find the walls, pillars, and every concrete surface covered with countless brass bells and petitions – letters from people seeking Goljyu’s intervention.

It is believed that once the wishes inscribed in the petitions are fulfilled, devotees return to the lord and tie a bell in gratitude. As you stroll through the temple, the soothing hum of the bells and the holy chants emanating from the sanctum sanctorum create a mystic aura. The chants of worshippers –  ‘Jai Golu Devta’ (Praise to Lord Golu) echoes far and wide.

Location (Google Map link) – Chitai temple’s location

Golu Devta’s temple at Ghorakhal | Near Bhowali town – District Nainital

The temple at Ghorakhal is well-known for the weddings that take place here. While Golu Devta is revered as a wish-fulfilling deity, at this temple he also assumes the role of a guardian God, believed to bless couples with marital harmony and protection.

Location (Google Map link) – Ghorakhal temple’s location

We come to the end of this blog, and I hope you enjoyed reading it. I have drawn insights from various articles, along with my own observations made during visits to the temples at Chitai and Ghorakhal. If any aspects seem conflicting, I will humbly and respectfully examine them and make amends where possible. I sincerely hope I haven’t been disrespectful in any manner.

Jai Golu Devta

Acknowledgements

1. https://www.ijfmr.com/papers/2023/5/6506.pdf – Lore, Legends, and Landscape of Uttarakhand: Exploring the Socio- Religious Significance of Golu Devta- God of Justice | white paper by Dr. Ashish Kumar

• Book on Golu Devta by Dr. C.M. Agarwal – who served as Professor, Dept. of History, Kumaon University – SSJ Campus, Almora

• History of Kumaon – By B.D. Pandey