Baijnath-Town with no Dussehra or Goldsmith
Yesterday’s walk to breathtaking Bhagsunag Temple & Bhagsu Falls was relaxing and rejuvenating. the fresh mountain air filling your lungs gives you newfound strength and enthusiasm to scale any heights. Today we shall be going to Baijnath and Palampur so we hired a cab through the hotel. We shall cover the below spots today.
Baijnath is famous for its 13th-century temple dedicated to Shiva as Vaidyanath, ‘the Lord of physicians’. Originally known as Kiragrama, the village lies on the Pathankot-Mandi highway (National Highway No. 20) almost midway between Kangra and Mandi. The present name Baijnath became popular after the name of the temple. The village is located on the left bank of the river Binwa (Kheer Ganga), a corrupt form of ancient Binduka, a tributary of river Beas.
Baijnath Temple
Legend has that during the Treta Yug, Ravana in order to have invincible powers worshiped Lord Shiva in the Kailash. In the process he offered his ten heads in the holy fire pit (havan kund). Influenced by his extra ordinary deed, Lord Shiva not only restored his heads but also bestowed him with powers of invincibility and immortality.
Shiva consented to the request of Ravana to accompany him to Lanka (today’s Sri Lanka) and converted himself into ling. Lord Shiva asked him to carry the ling and told him that if he places the ling down on the ground on his way it shall get established there itself. Ravana started moving in south direction towards Lanka and reached Baijnath where he felt thirsty.
On seeing Lord Ganesh disguised as a shepherd Ravana asked him for water. Lord Ganesh requested Lord of Water/Lord of Sea (Varuna) to fill the entire self in the small pot of water which he offered to Ravan. On drinking it, Ravana felt the urge to micturate and handed over the Shivling to Lord Ganesh and rushed to relieve himself. Lord Ganesh put the linga on the ground and thus the Shivling got established there as Vaidyanath (Baijnath).
Another version also suggests that while Ravana was descending from the Himalayas with the Shivling Lord Shiva had awarded him after years of worship which was supposed to be established at Lanka, now Sri Lanka, which would have blessed him (Ravana) with undefeatable powers even to the Gods which was not to be placed anywhere during the course of travel, even during resting.
Ravana was tricked by one of the Gods, who posed as a beggar and wanted help from Ravana and promised to hold the Shivling for him while Ravana could fetch some food for the beggar. The God placed the Shivling on ground in absence of Ravana. The Shiva idol or the Shivling at Baijnath temple is the same Shivling which was placed by the God after tricking Ravana.
The history of the ancient Baijnath Temple is hazy. The two long inscriptions fixed in the walls of the mandapa of the temple account that the temple was built in Saka 1126 (CE 1204) by two brothers Manyuka and Ahuka in devotion to Lord Vaidyanatha. The inscriptions tell us that a Sivalinga known as Vaidyanatha already existed on the spot but was without a proper house so the present temple and a porch in its front was constructed.
British Archaeologist Alexander Cunningham noticed an inscription of 1786 in the temple referring to its renovations by king Sansara Chandra. An inscription on the wooden doors of the sanctum of Baijnath temple provides the date as samvat 1840 (AD 1783) that is very near to Cunningham’s date.
It is unbelievable that the Hindu festival Dussehra, which celebrates Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana, is not celebrated in Baijnath. In the past till 1970, whosoever tried to celebrate the festival and burn the effigy of Ravana faced disastrous consequences and ultimately had to die.
In Baijnath, there are no goldsmiths. The logic being that Ravana lived in Lanka, “Sone Ki Lanka”, and wanted to take Lord Shiva with him. Even though Lord Shiva considered gold as good as any other stone and wished to live where the nature was at its best, he accepted to go. This disagreement between the Lord and his devotee is enough to keep the people from ever trying to open a jewellery shop.
Saurabh Van Vihar
Saurabh Van Vihar is a nature park built on the foothills of the mighty Dhauladhars in the memory of the Kargil war hero Capt. Saurabh Kalia. It is around 21 km from Baijnath temple just a few minutes’ drive from the main town of Palampur. It is a nature park with well-defined walking trails. There is a cable suspension bridge connecting the parking area to the park across the Neugal Khud (ravine), one of the major tributaries of river Beas. It has an entrance fee of INR 10.
There is a statue of martyred Capt. Saurabh Kalia on a hillock accessible by stone cut steps. Water has been diverted from the ravine to create an artificial lake where one can enjoy boating. There are some wonderful bird houses built inside the park to attract birds. The park is home to over 151 species of flora and fauna, including numerous medicinal plants. Tourists can also spend some leisurely time at the Children’s Park, Picnic Sheds, Health trails, Water streams, Open Air Theatre, Bamboosetum and Tiger Hill Bridge, in the park.
Gopalpur Zoo
Gopalpur Zoo also known as Dhauladhar Nature Park is situated in Gopalpur village in Kangra district at a distance of 22 km from Dharamshala on Dharamshala-Palampur road. It is more of a botanical garden than a proper zoo. Considering the publicity being bandied by tour operators and hotels, it’s a dampener. There are few animals in the middle of a lavishly landscaped botanical garden of sorts.
The zoo is surrounded by Dhauladhar Range of the Himalayas. It is adorned with maple trees, horse chestnut trees, chil and greenery. Claimed major attractions of the zoo are Asiatic lion, leopard, Himalayan black bear, sambar deer, barking deer, ghoral, wild pigs, Indian crested porcupine, Bhutan Grey Peacocks, Cheer Pheasant, Red Jungle Fowl peacocks, vultures, eagles, etc. but you won’t find lion. If you are already in the surrounding area then can visit. Otherwise, not worth much.
Gyuto Monastery
Gyuto Tantric Monastery (Gyuto Dratsang) was established for the preservation and promotion of the tradition of tantric teachings of the great Teacher Tsongkhapa, the crown among the learned and accomplished masters of Tibet, who had the transmission of the entire teachings of the Buddha, through Nagarjuna and other learned Indian Buddhist scholars of Nalanda University and great Tibetan translators and accomplished masters.
In 655 (AD), Tibetan Dharma King Songtsen Gampo, who was an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, founded the two most historical and famous temples in Tibet – Rasa Trulnang and Ramoche, to enshrine the Buddha’s two statues: Jowo Mikyo Dorje and Jowo Shakyamuni. Later, due to political chaos in Tibet, the locations of the two statues were changed to Jowo Mikyo Dorje in the Ramoche Temple and Jowo Shakyamuni in the Rasa Trulnang Temple.
In 1474 (AD), Kunga Dhondup Pel Sangpo (1419-1486) started teaching tantra at U-tö Jampaling monastery, and gradually his disciples increased and thus the name Gyuto (Upper) Tantric Monastery came into being. Once Kunga Dhondup, together with his disciples, performed peaceful and wrathful rituals and calmed down rising Kyichu river. As an appreciation, Depa Kyisho the governor of Kyisho region offered him the Ramoche Temple. Kunga Dhondup founded a tantric monastery inside the temple and started teaching tantra.
In 1959, due to an unprecedented political crisis in Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama fled to India, followed by thousands of Tibetan refugees. At that time, about eighty-three monks of the Gyuto Tantric Monastery escaped from Tibet to India. In spite of difficulty in even earning a livelihood, they made their best effort to continuously practice, teach and study their traditional tantric traditions. They stayed in Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh, for about fourteen years.
In 1974, at the instruction of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Dharamshala, the Gyuto monks at Dalhousie moved to Tenzin Gang in Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh, where a monastery and monk quarters were built to preserve and promote the Gyuto tantric traditions. Since the majority of the people of that area are Buddhists, a very cordial and pure relationship developed between the monastery and the local people.
Since Bomdila is located near the Indo-Tibet border, there were great restrictions on daily activities in the area. Moreover, due to its remoteness, the monks faced many severe problems when they become sick. Therefore, under the guidance of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, a plan was made to relocate the monastery to Dharamshala. In 1989 His Holiness was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. With the financial donation from the Sarasvati Dharma Centre in Japan, Gyuto monastery was built at Sidhbari, near Kangra. In 1996, His Holiness inaugurated the monastery.
The Gyuto monks are known for their tradition of overtone singing, also described as “chordal chanting” which is said to have been transmitted by their founder. It achieved renown in the West following the release of recordings made by David Lewiston in 1974 and in 1986 by Windham Hill Records.
