Bagnath Temple, Bageshwar, Uttarakhand

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 7^th 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 7^th century AD to 16^th 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