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/Baijnath Temple
State Temple
Baijnath Temple
बैजनाथ शिव मंदिर
Location
Baijnath, Himachal Pradesh
Darshan
–
Deity
🪔Lord Shiva (Vaidyanath)
Entry
Free entry
Built in 1204 CE by two local merchants, Ahuka and Manyuka, the Baijnath temple is one of the most remarkable monuments of the Kangra Valley. The Lord is worshipped here as Vaidyanath (the Lord of Physicians). Some local traditions claim this to be the real Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga.
Mythology
According to legend, the demon king Ravana performed severe penance to Lord Shiva at Mount Kailash. To please Shiva, he offered his ten heads one by one. Shiva, acting as a Vaidya (physician), restored his heads. Ravana then asked Shiva to accompany him to Lanka. Shiva agreed, converting himself into a Linga, but condition was that if placed on the ground, he would stay there forever. Ravana handed the Linga to a shepherd (who was Lord Ganesha in disguise), who placed it on the ground at Baijnath.