रेणुका झ़ील

Renuka Ji:-

Renuka is another important place of religious and tourist interest in Sirmour. It is nearly 40 km away from Nahan and is well linked with motorable metalled road. This place has a famous lake. Boating in Renuka lake is main attraction for the tourists visiting Renuka. This sacred oval shaped lake has a circumference of 2.4 km.

This famous lake is visited by thousand of pilgrims every year on Kartika Ekadashi. The 1.6 km patch between the Giri and humming camp where villagers hailing from far off places stay for a couple of days. Nightlong festivities including Kirtans are held by various groups.

The place reaches full capacity during the days of the fair and offer a spectacular variety of activities. As one approaches the fair ground he is greeted by a notice board put up by the Wild Life Wing of the Forest Department warning, "Hold Your Gun--Game Sanctuary Starts".

To this fair the brass idol of Parasu Rama is brought from village Jamu, his permanent abode, in a silver palki accompanied by musical instruments with great pomp and show. The deity remains in the temple for three days i.e. sudi, dashmi to dwadashi (from 10th to 12th of the bright half). The hill people pry to pujari with questions during the night when he goes into a trance and turns an oracle. He answers each and every question. These answers foretell things and, quite often, enjoin upon the questioner some offering or sacrifice to the deity of some other act as a condition precedent to the fulfilment of the favourable prophecy such as deliverance from some misery or recovery of health from some disease. On dwadashi, generally, the people offer alms after the holy dip in the Renuka lake.