Posted on: 21 June 2013

Beijnath Temple, Kangra Valley - 1870

Photograph of the Beijnath Temple in the Kangra Valley from the 'Bellew Collection: Photograph album of Surgeon-General Henry Walter Bellew' by a photographer with the initials H.B.C. dating from c.1870.

Copyright © The British Library Board


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thats not kulu valley its in kangra valley

The Shiv- Linga here is supposed to be the one Ravan carried in his attempt to take Shiva to Lanka. Shiva however told him that if he put him down on the ground, he will stay there and this happened at this spot when Ravan just had to go relieve himself.

The story you are referring to did not happen in Kangra Valley - it happened in gokarna.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabaleshwar_Temple,_Gokarna check the link

It looks the same today

@parag sane the same wikipedia also ascribes similar story to the temple of Baijnath in kangra. The recorded history dates back to 1240 AD.

we missed it

Parag even in the serial Har har Mahadev lord Vishnu comments about Baijnath shrine.Dushera festival is not celebrated in baijnath even today

Spectacular!

the actual Shivalinga of associated with Ravana & the legend here is Baijyanath or Baba Dham in Deoghar, Bihar

splendid architecture!

@manoj - i gave the wikipedia link just for a reference of the place and not endorsing whether wikipedia is always true - the story as per the scripts is about ganesha tricking ravana and the gokarna reference is there in many other scripts - this irritates ravana and he hits Ganesha[disguised as shepherd boy] on his head...

Due to this Ravana gets angry and tries to uproot the AtmaLinga with all his mighty powers and to destroy it but that doesn't happen. In a fit of rage he throws away the covering cloth and broken 5 pieces away. They fall in various places and become holy places of Atma Linga. Disappointed Ravana pulled up and threw the case of the Linga, which fell 23 miles away at Sajjeshwara; he threw the lid to the south, which fell at Guneshwar, 27 miles away; another broken piece at Dhareshwar, and flung the cloth draped on the idol to the south. It settled at Kanduka Hills on a sea shore in the form of Aghora at Mrideshwara. Thus the Linga came to be called Murudeshwara.

I have visited Gokarana personally on a road trip and found out that the atma linga is not in a normal form as you see it in any of the temple - it is below the earth

Dear Vivek - I dont see these serials so can't comment on that but I am sure they are all twisted to suit the producer for the maximum TRP's

no intentions to argue or prove anything - just wanted to share what I know :) would appreciate if there is more information with anyone....