Bagnath Temple, Bageshwar, Uttarakhand
Bagnath Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord
Shiva, situated in the Bageshwar city
in Uttarakhand State, India. The Temple is situated at the confluence of Sarayu and Gomati
rivers. It is the most famous Temple in Bageshwar District. It is flooded with
devotees on the occasion of Shivaratri. The city of Bageshwar gets its
name from this Temple. It has an Elevation of 1004 m above mean sea level.
Legends
Bageshwar:
According to Skanda Purana, Rishi Vasishta was asked to
bring down River Sarayu by
Lord Brahma. But as Rishi Markandeya was meditating on its path it was not
possible for Sarayu to flow. So, Rishi Vasishta prayed to Lord Shiva and asked
for his help. Lord Shiva took the form of a Lion and came down on this place
along with Parvati in the form of cow. The Lion (Lord Shiva) attacked the Cow
(Mother Parvati) in front of Rishi Markandeya, who after hearing the fight
opened his eyes and saved the Cow.
As soon as Rishi Markandeya left his spot, Sarayu flowed
freely and came down. Lord Shiva in the form of Byaghra (Lion) blessed Markandeya
Rishi and the place came to be called as Baghreshwar which later got corrupted
to Bageshwar. Baghreshwar originally meant the adobe where lord Shiva appeared
as Byaghra (Lion) but the term Bageshwar denotes Bag (tiger). A Chanda dynasty
king Laxmi Chanda established the temple of Bageshwar.
Manorath Pandey:
As per local folklore, the
Shiva Linga could not be installed in the temple and whoever tried to do so,
were either punished or died. It was finally installed by a local man – Shri
Manorath Pandey who belonged to Palayan Village after he performed hard penance
and got blessed by lord Shiva himself.
History
Sanskrit inscription here confirms the construction
details. Though some sources state The existence of Bagnath temple since 7th
Century, the present building in nagara style was
built in 1450 by Chand ruler, Laxmi Chand. The various statues
in the temple date back from 7th century AD to 16th century
AD. The significance of the temple finds mention in the Skanda
Purana. A water police post was opened in the premises of the
temple on 19 September 2016 for patrolling and prevention of water crimes in
the city.
The Temple
Presiding Deity is called as Bageshwar / Vyagreswar. He
is housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam. There are idols and shrines of Chaturmukhi
Shiva Linga, Trimurti Shiva Linga, Dasavatara, Bhairava, Dattatreya Maharaj,
Ganga Maiya, Lord Hanuman, Goddess Durga, Goddess Kalika, Thingal Bhairava, Panchnam
Junakhara and Vaneswar in the Temple premises.
Festivals & Religious Practices
The Utharayana fair is held in the month of January
every year on the occasion of Makar
Sankranti. The religious ritual of the fair consists in bathing
before daybreak at the confluence. After Bathing, an offering of water to
Lord Shiva inside the Temple is essential. Those who are more religiously
disposed, continue this practice for three days in succession, which is known
as Trimaghi. The Bagnath Temple attracts thousands of Shiva Devotees
every month and especially on the day of Shivaratri.
Connectivity
The Temple is located at about 1 Km from Bageshwar Bus
Station, 22 Kms from Baijnath, 71 Kms from Almora, 77 Kms from Jageshwar, 132
Kms from Nainital, 151 Kms from Kathgodam Railway Station,
185 Kms from Pantnagar Airport and 449 Kms from New Delhi Airport.
By Road:
Bageshwar is well connected by motorable roads with
major destinations of Uttarakhand state and northern India. The major roads
passing through Bageshwar include NH 309A, Bareilly-Bageshwar
Highway, Bageshwar-Garur-Gwaldam Road, Bageshwar-Someshwar-Dwarahat road
and the Bageshwar-Kapkot-Tejam
Road. Uttarakhand Transport Corporation runs
Buses Bageshwar bus station to Delhi, Dehradun and Almora; while
K.M.O.U (Kumaon Motor Owner's Union) runs 55 buses on various routes to Haldwani, Almora,
Takula, Berinag, Pithoragarh, Didihat and Gangolihat. Taxis
and Private Buses, mostly run by K.M.O.U, connect Bageshwar to other major
destinations of Kumaon region.
By Train:
Nearest Railway Station is Kathgodam Railway Station.
Kathgodam is the last terminus of the broad gauge line of North East Railways
that connects Kumaon with Delhi, Dehradun,
and Howrah.
By Air:
Pantnagar
Airport, located in Pantnagar is
the primary Airport serving entire Kumaon Region.
Indira Gandhi International Airport,
located in Delhi is
the nearest international Airport.
Location
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