Baijnath Temple (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ...

: बैजनाथ मंदिर) is a Nagara style Hindu temple situated in a small town of Baijnath located in

Kangra District Kangra is the most populous district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Dharamshala is the administrative headquarters of the district. History Kangra is known for having the oldest serving Royal Dynasty in the world, the Katoch. In 175 ...

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, and was built in 13th Century by two local merchants named ''Ahuka'' and ''Manyuka''. It is dedicated to

Lord Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

as Vaidyanath (

: वैद्यनाथ), ‘the Lord of physicians’. According to the inscriptions on the present day Baijnath temple structure, a temple of

had existed before construction of present-day structure. The inner sanctum houses a Shiva

lingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary '' murti'' or devotional ...

. Further images are carved in the walls and in niches on the exterior.

Archaeology

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

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

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 neighbourin ...

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, the ...

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 scri ...

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

Indian national calendar The Indian national calendar, sometimes called the Saka 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 official communications i ...

(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 i.e. 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:

Lord Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...

, Lord Harihara (Half

Lord Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

and Half

), Kalyanasundara (wedding of the

and

Goddess Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi in ...

) and defeat of

asura Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the word is sometimes translated ...

Andhaka In Hindu literature, Andhaka (Sanskrit: अन्धक, IAST: Andhaka; lit. "He who darkens") refers to a malevolent asura, whose pride is vanquished by Shiva and Parvati.. His story finds mention in various Hindu texts, including the '' Matsy ...

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

References

{{Hindu temples in Himachal Pradesh Hindu temples in Himachal Pradesh Buildings and structures in Kangra district