Baijnath Temple Palampur

Baijnath temple , Himachal Pradesh

Baijnath Temple is a revered shrine of Himachal Pradesh. Located at a distance of 16 kms from Palampur in the Beas valley, Baijnath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. According to the inscriptions on the walls, Baijnath Mandir was built by the two native merchants by the name of Ahuka and Manyuka in 1204 A.D. In the porch of the temple, the two long inscriptions state that before the present temple, there was a shrine of Lord Shiva at the same spot.

History:-

As far as the history is concerned, the temple has been in worship since 1204 AD. There is an amazing story about the temple. It is said that king Ravana had worshipped Lord Shiva in this temple and had sacrificed his head ten times at a place marked out in the temple. And people are still following the same traditions and it is said that during Dussehra, people here don't organize festivals as they keep away of celerbation of Dussehra. People here think that they can offend Lord Shiva to celebrate the death of his devotees. 

Lord Shiva is commemorated here as Vaidyanath (the Lord of Physician) and is placed in the form of 'Lingam' (phallic form of Lord Shiva). The main sanctum comprises five projections on every side and a tall curved shikhar (spire). The history of Baijnath temple is inscribed on the stone slabs inside the complex. As per the beliefs, Ravana (King of Lanka) had worshipped Lord Shiva in this temple.