Baleshwar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Naini Saini Airport in Pithoragarh is about 80 km from Champawat town. It connects the area with Dehradun.

• By train

  The nearest railhead is Tanakpur, about 70 km from Champawat town.

• By road

  Champawat lies on National Highway 9, which links it with Delhi, Rudrapur, Tanakpur and Pithoragarh.

Why devotees come here

Baleshwar Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, in the town of Champawat in Uttarakhand. It is the most important of seven ancient temples in the valley of the Champavati stream. The compound also holds shrines to Ratneshwar and Champawati Durga.

The valley of the Champavati stream holds seven ancient temples: Baleshwar, Kranteshwar, Tadkeshwar, Rishneshwar, Dikteshwar, Mallareshwar and Maneshwar. Baleshwar is considered the most important of them. Its main shrine is dedicated to Shiva, who is also known by the name Baleshwar. Two other shrines in the same compound honour Ratneshwar and Champawati Durga.

Champawat, the administrative headquarters of Champawat district, lies in the Kumaon region of eastern Uttarakhand, in the Himalayan foothills. The temple is believed to have been built by the rulers of the Chand dynasty. Champawat was once the capital of that dynasty, which ruled Kumaon from the 10th to the 16th century. Sources differ on the date: one gives the 13th century, and the district government page calls it a 12th-century temple. According to a copperplate inscription dated 1423 AD, Hari Chand, who reigned from 1423 AD to 1427 AD, completed its reconstruction.

Sources praise the temple's stone carving. The district government page calls it an exquisite piece of stone architecture. A freshwater source called the Naula lies close to the temple. On Mahashivratri, a very crowded fair is held in the compound.

Festivals

• Mahashivratri dayMahashivratri

  On the day of Mahashivratri, a very crowded fair is held in the temple compound.

Tips for your visit

• Look for the Naula, a freshwater source, close to the temple.
• On Mahashivratri the compound is very crowded, so plan for a busy visit that day.

Questions people ask