Bagnath Temple ( Kumaoni: बागनाथ थान) is an ancient shrine dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

, situated in the

Bageshwar Bageshwar ( Kumaoni: ''Bāgshyār'') is a town and a municipal board in Bageshwar district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is located at a distance of 470 km from the National Capital New Delhi and 332 km from the State Capital ...

city at the confluence of

Sarayu The Sarayu is a river that originates at a ridge south of Nanda Kot mountain in Bageshwar district in Uttarakhand, India. It flows through Kapkot, Bageshwar, and Seraghat towns before discharging into the Sharda River at Pancheshwar at the I ...

and

Gomati river Gomati, which means, among other things, "full of water", may refer to: Geography * Gomati district, a district of Tripura state, India * Gomati monastery, a monastery in Khotan, Turkistan, see Buddhism in Khotan * Gomati Lake, a lake in Vadtal, du ...

s. Bagnath Temple is festooned with bells of all sizes and features impressive carvings. It is the most famous Temple in

Bageshwar District Bageshwar is a district of Uttarakhand state in northern India. The town of Bageshwar is the district headquarters. Prior to its establishment as a district in 1997 it was part of Almora district. Bageshwar district is in Kumaon, and is bounded ...

. It is flooded with devotees on the occasion of

Shivratri Maha Shivaratri (IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu c ...

. The city of Bageshwar gets its name from this Temple.

Geography

Bagnath Temple is located at 29.8370° N, 79.7725° E. The temple is situated in Bageshwar City in Bageshwar District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is situated at the confluence of Saryu and Gomati rivers. It has an Elevation of 1004 m above mean sea level.

History

According to Hindu Legend, Sage Markandeya worshipped

here. Lord Shiva blessed sage Markandeya by visiting here in the form of a

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...

. 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. In 1996, the Archeology department of Uttarakhand state took over the temple, following which, several inscriptions and idols from the eighth to the tenth century were sealed inside the temples. These include idols of Shiva, Ganesha, Vishnu, Chaturmukhi Shiva, Teen Mukhi Shiva, Panch Mukhi Shiva, Mahishasura Mardini, Sahasra Shivalinga, Ganesh, Karthikeya, Panchdevapath, Navagraha etc. The significance of the temple finds mention in the

Skanda Purana The ''Skanda Purana'' (IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest '' Mukyapurana'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Kaumara literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parvati, w ...

. Hindu Pilgrims file in throughout the year to worship here. 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.

Festivals and Religious Practices

The Uttarayani 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".

Gallery

File:Bagnath Temple at Bageshwar Uttrakhand - panoramio.jpg, Bagnath Temple at the confluence of

Saryu The Sarayu is a river that originates at a ridge south of Nanda Kot mountain in Bageshwar district in Uttarakhand, India. It flows through Kapkot, Bageshwar, and Seraghat towns before discharging into the Sharda River at Pancheshwar at the I ...

and

Gomti The Gomti, Gumti or Gomati River is a tributary of the Ganges. According to beliefs, the river is the son of Rishi Vashishtha and bathing in the Gomti on Ekadashi (the 11th day of the two lunar phases of the Hindu calendar month) can wash a ...

References

{{Hindu temples in Uttarakhand
History Behind Bagnath Temple
Bageshwar Hindu temples in Uttarakhand Shiva temples in Uttarakhand