BAGESHWAR

Bageshwar

Situated at the confluence of rivers Saryu, Gomti and latent Bhagirathi, lies the holy township of Bageshwar; also revered as the pious land associated with Lord Sadashiva, the redeemer of all sins. As the puranas state, this undoubtedly is a place capable of liberating one from the eternal bondage of births & deaths. With the east and west flanked by the Bhileswar

and Nileshwar mountains and surrounded by Suraj Kund in the north and Agni Kund in the south, this land of Lord Shankar is of great religious, historic and political significance. Since time immemorial, this place has been the symbol of faith for the entire Uttarakhand region. Because of its spiritual magnetism, it has attracted many saintly men and numerous patriots who have always been ready to lay down everything for the sake of their revered motherland.

The temple of Bagnath situated here is venerated by one and all. Devotees gather here on every Monday of the holy month of Shravan to worship the Lord, who is also known as the remover of sorrows. During the fairs of Uttarayani and Shivratri, it becomes very difficult to control the hoards of devotees who come to attend these fairs from far and near.

The Nilaparvat, situated between the rivers Saryu and Gomti is inhabited by all the 33 crore Gods of the Hindu pantheon, the celestial being like Siddha, Gandharva, Vidyadhar, Urvashi etc. and manu sages. Irrigated by the Saryu, the Nilaparvat is held to be more important than the Vindhyachal. Those who desire to embrace death at place between Surya Kund and Agni Kund, become equivalent to the Gods by attaining salvation at the feet of Lord Shiva himself.

During the reign of the Chands, the Shiva temple was constructed at Bageshwar. Legend has it that when repeated attempts to install a Shiv Linga proved futile, it was Shri Manorath Pandey of Palayn village who succeeded in installing the idol after performing penance on the Shivratri. From then onwards, a massive fair is held on Shivratri each year to commemorate the event.