Golu Devta is considered as incarnation of Lord Shiva. There are many Golu Devta Temples in Kumaun region. One of the famous Golu Devta Temple is at Ghorakhal near Nainital. I visited here in 2013 and again in 2016 while on summer vacation trip to Nainital.
How to reach
The temple is in Ghorakhal and very near to Nainital. It is about 17 Km from Nainital and it takes about 40 minutes by Car. Ghorakhal is also famous for Sainik School, which is located beside the temple. During the day many devotees come and temple becomes bit crowded. I visited the temple in the early morning and found the place very calm and divine.
Bells in the Temple
When I visited the temple in 2013, I was surprised by seeing thousands of bells of different sizes hanging in and around the temple. It was something new for me. I learnt that these are hanged by Devotees over the time.
Petitions by Devotees
There is unique tradition of writing and submitting petitions by devotees. The devotees writes their wish on peace of paper and hang in the temple. It is believed that Golu Devta reads the petitions and accomplish the wishes of devotees.
The devotees come again in the temple once their wishes are accomplished and hang new bells in the temple. Over the time, temple is flooded with bells all across and around the temple.
Ashok Kumar 