Himachal
Kangra
Places to visit
Top most amazing facts about Baijnath Temple
Did you know that the Baijnath temple was got built by two merchant brothers or that the old name of Baijnath was Kiragrama? Here is everything you should know about Baijnath temple before you pay a visit to this historic monument.
Situated amidst the hills of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, Baijnath temple is not only culturally but also historically and archeologically a significant monument.
Built with stones, the temple of Baijnath or Vaidyanath (Lord of physicians) is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Baijnath temple is also an important pilgrimage site.
Here are the top most interesting facts on the Baijnath temple.
1. Baijnath temple and the two brothers
The temple was got built by two pious merchant brothers — Manyuka and Ahuka. An inscription in the temple reads, “there lived a well-known merchant, the son of Siddha, named Manyuka, whose younger brother called Ahuka, have erected this temple of Shiva, the slayer of Tripura…”
Baijnath was known by its old name Kiragrama then. According to archaeologist J Ph Vogel, Kiragrama was named after Kiras, a tribe from the neighbouring Kashmir. Kiras also find mention in the Chamba history as a warlike tribe employed by the Dogra Raja against Sahilla Varman, the founder of Chamba. Vogel says in the Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of India (1905-06) that at the time of the Baijnath temple construction, Kiragrama had been the seat of feudal chiefs, who owed allegiance to the kings of Trigarta or Kangra kingdom, for at least eight generations.
2. Baijnath temple is more than 800-year-old
It was believed that the Baijnath temple was built in 804 AD. According to archaeologist Alexander Cunningham, who had founded the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the temple was built in 804 AD, making this monument at least 1200 years old.
However, Vogel, another eminent archaeologist and epigraphist, corrected Cunningham and concluded after examining the Baijnath temple inscriptions that the temple was built in 1204 AD, four centuries later than 804 AD. Thus if we go by Vogel, Baijnath temple is more than 800-year-old.
To drive home the point, Vogel says in the Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of India (1905-06) that it was untrue that Mahmud of Ghazni had destroyed the Baijnath temple when he had attacked and plundered Kangra fort in 1009 AD and that it was rebuilt later as “the truth is that at the time Mahmud of Ghazni attacked the Kangra fort, the Baijnath temple had not come into existence.”
3. Baijnath temple’s uniqueness lies in its architectural style
The marvellous stone-built Baijnath temple faces the West and consists of adytum or the sanctum sanctorum, measuring 8 square feet inside and 18 feet outside. The sanctum contains the lingam or the Vaidyanatha and is surmounted by a spire or shikhara of conical shape. In front of the adytum is a large hall or mandapa of 20 square feet with four huge pillars that support its pyramid-shaped roof.
The North and South walls of the mandapa are adorned with graceful balcony windows.
In front of the mandapa is a stately porch that rests on four columns and at a short distance from here is a small figure of the sacred Bull Nandi, the vahana (mount) of Lord Shiva.
On the four corners, there are miniature shikhra temples, each containing two niches with image slabs. The outer walls of the sanctum have three pillared niches, each flanked by two smaller niches with images of gods and goddesses.
The central niche in the east wall contains an image of the Sun God Surya and the niche on the North contains the image of the war God Kartikeya.
4. King Sansar Chand and the Baijnath temple
It is believed that Sansar Chand, who is hailed as one of the greatest kings of Kangra’s Katoch dynasty, had renovated and restored the Baijnath temple after taking control of the Kangra fort in 1786. According to Cunningham, the temple was repaired by Ganga Ram, the family priest of Sansar Chand and that there is an inscription mentioning this in the temple.
According to various historians, the main body of sanctum and mandapa is original but the outer roof of the mandapa and the spire of the shrine were largely reconstructed or covered with so thick a coating of lime that it masked the original.
5. How Baijnath temple survived the earthquake of 1905
The earthquake of 1905 had created mass destruction in the entire Kangra valley. But surprisingly Baijnath temple had survived the earthquake even though it is situated close to the centre of the earthquake. It was nothing short of a miracle, literally.
The body of the temple building had suffered no damages except few cracks. Only the projections at the four corners of the mandapa were damaged and rebuilt later.
How to reach the Baijnath temple
Baijnath temple is located in Kangra district near the border of the neighbouring Mandi district. You can reach here via road either through the Mandi-Kullu side or from the Kangra-Palampur side. The nearest airport is Kangra airport in Gaggal.
The Pathankot-Jogindernagar rail line, which is the longest narrow-gauge line (164 kms) in India, also passes through Baijnath and culminates at the nearby Jogindernagar in Mandi district.
Best time to visit the Baijnath temple
You can visit the Baijnath temple anytime of the year but the spring and winter is the best time. In spring, the whole Kangra valley is in bloom and in winter a visit to the temple with snow-capped Dhauladhar mountains all around is an unforgettable experience.
References:
Archaeological Survey of India report (1872-73)
Archaeological Survey of India report (1905-06)
The Ancient Geography of India (1871)
