Baijnath city is located in the middle of the 'Katyur' valley on the banks of the Gomti River in the Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand, about 300 kilometers from the state capital Dehradun. Baijnath was the capital of the Katyuri kings, who ruled the region from the 9th-12th century AD.
Baijnath is a small town full of ancient temples. Baijnath or Vaidyanath, also known as the Lord of Physicians, takes its name from the famous twelfth century Lord Shiva temple built by the Katyuri king of Kumaon. This temple holds great significance because, according to Hindu mythology, the marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvati took place at the confluence of the Gomti River and Garur Ganga.
This group of temples includes the main temple of Lord Shiva and 17 subsidiary temples named Kedareshwar, Lakshmi-Nayan and Brahmani Devi etc. Baijnath Temple is actually a complex of temples which houses the idols of Shiva, Ganesha, Parvati, Chandika, Kuber etc. .Surya and Brahma. This temple is situated at an altitude of 1126 meters on the left bank of the Gomti River. The main temple has a beautiful idol of Parvati carved in black stone.
Baijnath is also known for its mythological stories. Apart from the Katyuri rulers, many Pikayas were built and rebuilt here by the Chand and Manikoti rulers also. It had a group of 18 statues, in the middle of which was a temple of Lord Shiva. Who are still in the ashram. Even today, remains of mythological stories and stones are found in the rocks about 10 kilometers away from Baijnath.
Apart from the main temple of Baijnath, there are temples of Surya, Brahma, Kuber, Chandi, Kali etc. Most of the idols of gods and goddesses present here are kept in the Archaeological Museum. Due to the historical heritage of Baijnath temples, it has been given the status of Monument of National Importance in Uttarakhand by the Archaeological Survey of India. It is one of the four places in the country to be added under the Shiva Heritage Circuit by the Government of India.
The Nepali king Crunchaldev attacked Kartikeyapur in 1190 and defeated the Katyuras. Due to this defeat the Katyuri Empire disintegrated into more than half a dozen different principalities. Nevertheless, Katyuri descendants ruled here until 1565. The Katyuris ruled here until it was captured by King Kalyan Chand of Almora in 1565. In 1790, the Gorkhas attacked and captured the entire Kumaon. In 1815, the East India Company defeated the Gorkhas and British rule was established over it with the Treaty of Sugauli...
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