Baijnath temple shut after Covid threat

Our Correspondent

Palampur, April 16

The Archeological Survey of India today shut the famous Shiva Temple at Baijnath, 20 km from here, in view of rising number of cases of Covid-19 in the state.

A notification issued by the Director General of ASI said states: “All heritage assets, monuments, including temples under the control of ASI all over India including Baijnath temple, will remain closed till further order following directions issued by the government keeping in view the rising Covid 19 cases. No pilgrims or visitors will be allowed to enter in the temple or its premises. Only the staff will be allowed into temples from today morning”.

Talking to mediapersons at Baijnath, the trustees of the temple said they were expecting a large number of devotees due to Navratris going on this week. They said the web and YouTube channels would be operational to provide ‘darshan’ to devotees. The devotees coming for the Shiva temple are being stopped at the entry points and sent back after counseling on corona virus.

The temple built in 1204 AD by the two native merchants by the name of Ahuka and Manyuka is dedicated to Lord Shiva. A revered shrine of Himachal Pradesh, it is located at a distance of 16 km from Palampur in the Beas valley. The Lingam (known as Vaidyanath) here is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India. The architecture of the temple is of the ‘Nagara’ style, which has been imbibed from Orissa’s traditional style. The water of this temple is believed to contain medicinal properties, which can cure several diseases. Thus the shrine is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year.

The major festival here is Shivratri, when thousands of devotees visit the temple to seek the blessings from Lord Shiva. The temple is considered a part of India’s rich heritage.