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

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

, 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 Sarju ( Kumaoni: सरज्यू, Hindi: सरयू), also known as Saryu, is a major river draining Central Kumaon region in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Originating from Sarmul, Sarju flows through the cities of Kapkot, Bageshw ...

and

Gomati river Gomati ( Kumaoni: गोमती) is a tributary of the Saryu River. The river originates in the higher reaches of Bhatkot northwest to the town of Baijnath in Uttarakhand, India. It joins Saryu at Bageshwar, which then proceeds towards Pan ...

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 bounde ...

. It is flooded with devotees on the occasion of

Shivratri Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually to worship the deity Shiva, between February and March. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is observed on the fourteenth day of the first half (night start with darkness - ...

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

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

. Though some sources state the existence of Bagnath temple since 7th Century, the present building in

nagara style Nagara Style or Nagara architectural style is a Hindu style of temple architecture, which is popular in Northern, Western and Eastern India (except the Bengal region), especially in the regions around Malwa Malwa () is a historical region, ...

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 '' Mukhyapurāṇa'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Shaivite literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parv ...

. 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 Makar(a) Sankrānti (), () also referred to as Uttarāyana, Makara, or simply Sankrānti, is a Hinduism, Hindu observance and a mid-winter harvest festival in India and Nepal. It is typically celebrated on 14 January annually (15 January on a ...

. The religious ritual of the fair consists in bathing before daybreak at the confluence. After bathing, an offering of water to 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 Sarju ( Kumaoni: सरज्यू, Hindi: सरयू), also known as Saryu, is a major river draining Central Kumaon region in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Originating from Sarmul, Sarju flows through the cities of Kapkot, Bageshw ...

and Gomti

References

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