Naini Lake is dedicated to
Lord Shiva's wife,
Sati. Legend says that when Sati's father failed to invite Shiva to a family sacrifice, she burnt herself to death in protest. Later, Shiva collected the corpse in his arms and continued to engage in a cosmic dance, which threatened to destroy the world. In order to stop the dance,
Lord Vishnu split up the body into pieces with his chakra, and the remains were scattered across India. The
Naina Devi Temple is located at the northern end of the lake which is built over the spot where Sati's eye is believed to have fallen.
