Baijnath Temple (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...

: बैजनाथ मंदिर) is a

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, ...

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

situated in a small town of Baijnath located in

Kangra District Kangra district is the most populous district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Dharamshala is the administrative headquarters of the district. History Kangra is known for having one of the oldest serving Royal Dynasty in the world, the Katoch of ...

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

, India, and was built in 1204 AD by two local merchants named Ahuka and Manyuka. It is 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 ...

as Vaidyanath (

: वैद्यनाथ), meaning ‘the lord of physicians’. The temple is protected and conserved by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

(ASI).

History

According to the inscriptions on the present day Baijnath temple structure, a temple of Shiva had existed before construction of present-day structure. The inner sanctum houses a Shiva

lingam A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or Aniconism, aniconic representation of the Hinduism, Hindu Hindu deities, god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Up ...

. Further images are carved in the walls and in niches on the exterior. In 1786, ruler Sansar Chand took control of the Kangra Fort and he undertook the renovation and restoration of the temple. An inscription in the temple mentions that the family priest of Sansar Chand named Ganga Ram led the repair works of the temple, which involved reconstructing the spire of the shrine and the outer roof. The 1905 earthquake created massive destruction in the

Kangra valley Kangra Valley is a river valley situated in the Western Himalayas.

Dussehra

The festival of Dussehra is not celebrated at the Baijnath temple. Legends in the

Puranas Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

say that once king Ravana was worshipping lord Shiva in Kailash, and sacrificed his ten heads to be bestowed with invincible powers. With his wishes granted, Ravana requested lord Shiva to come along with him to Lanka. He transformed into a '' shivling'' and asked Ravana to carry the ''shivling'' without placing it in the ground. When Ravana reached Baijnath, then known as Kiragrama, he placed the ''shivling'' on the ground to quench his thirst, and the ''shivling'' settled there in the form of Ardhanarishwar. To respect Ravana's devotion to lord Shiva, Dussehra has never been celebrated in Baijnath temple.

Archaeology

Two long inscriptions are engraved on stone slabs in the main hall. These inscriptions are in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

written using

Sharada script The Śāradā, Sarada or Sharada script is an abugida writing system of the Brahmic family of scripts. The script was widespread between the 8th and 12th centuries in the northwestern parts of Indian Subcontinent (in Kashmir and neighbouring ...

and local

Pahari language Pahari, or Pahadi ( 'of the hills/mountains'; ), is an ambiguous term that has been used for a variety of languages, dialects and language groups, most of which are found in the lower Himalayas. Most commonly, it refers to: * Pahari-Pothwari, ...

Takri script The Tākri script (Takri ( Chamba): ; Takri (Jammu/Dogra): ; sometimes called Tankri ) is an abugida writing system of the Brahmic family of scripts. It is derived from the Sharada script formerly employed for Kashmiri. It is the sister scrip ...

. These inscriptions provide details about the construction of the temple by the merchants ''Manyuka'' and ''Ahuka'' in

Indian national calendar The Indian national calendar, also called the Shaka calendar or Śaka calendar, is a solar calendar that is used alongside the Gregorian calendar by ''The Gazette of India'', in news broadcasts by All India Radio, and in calendars and officia ...

(Saka) in 8th century. These inscriptions besides praising

, name the current ruler king Jaya Chandra, list of the names of the architects and the names of donor merchants at time of construction. Another inscription names Kangra district's old name, that is, Nagarakot, the district in which the temple is built.

Sculptures

Numerous idols are carved on the walls of the temple. Some of them dating prior to the present temple was built. Idols include:

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

, Harihara (half

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

and half Shiva), Kalyanasundara (wedding of the Shiva and

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

) and the defeat of

asura Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the wor ...

Andhaka by Shiva.

Travel

Baijnath temple is reachable by bus, train, and flight. It lies between Kangra and Mandi, on the Pathankot - Manali National Highway No. 154. The nearest airport is the Gaggal airport in Dharamshala. The nearest railway station is at Paprola, which is connected with Pathankot through a narrow gauge line, and the Amb Andaura station, which is connected through a broad gauge line. Nearest towns are Dharamshala, Palampur, Bir, and Pathankot from where taxis and buses ply daily on the Baijnath route.

Gallery

File:The encient shiva teple baijnath.jpg, Garden and Entrance File:BaijNath.jpg, Closer look of the dome of temple File:Shivling at Baijnath Shiv Temple Kangra HP.jpg, ShivaLingam File:Baijnath Temple.jpg, Another picture of entrance File:Baijnath Mandir.jpg, Baijnath Mandir

References

{{Hindu temples in Himachal Pradesh Hindu temples in Himachal Pradesh Buildings and structures in Kangra district Himachal Pradesh Shaivism Wikipedia Feminism and Folklore