Information about Bageshwar District

Bageshwar, the 'Abode of Gods' is an important pilgrim and tourist centre. It is located about 90 kms from Almora on the confluence of the rivers Saryu and Gomti. The town is famous for ancient Bagnath Temple and the annual Uttaraini fair held in January.
The beautiful town is also a delight for adventure sports lovers. The famous Pindari, Sunderdunga and Kafni glaciers can be reached via Bageshwar.
Bageshwar gets its name form this ancient temple of Lord Shiva set in the heart of the town. According to mythological legends, sage Markandey lived here and the place was visited by Lord Shiva in the form of Bagh or tiger.

Bageshwar Stats

District Headquarters: Bageshwar
Area: 2310 sq km
Total Population: 241,659
Literacy: 71.94%

Bagnath Temple:

Bageshwar gets its name form this ancient temple of Lord Shiva set in the heart of the town. According to mythological legends, sage Markandey lived here and the place was visited by Lord Shiva in the form of Bagh or tiger. The sacred shrine was built during the reign of the Chands and it is believed that no one could install the Shivlinga in the sanctum, finally, Shri Manorath Pandey of Palayn village performed penance and succeeded in installing the Shivlinga on Shivratri. Since then a massive fair is held here on 'Shivratri' to mark this auspicious occasion. Large number of pilgrims flock to the shrine, especially on Shivratri and on every Monday of the holy month of 'Sharvan'.

There are also group of temples dedicated to various Hindu deities. The main shrines among them arethe Bhairav temple, Dattatrey Maharaj, Ganga Mai temple, Hanuman temple, Durga temple, Kalika temple, Thingal Bhairav temple, Panchnam Junakhara and the Vaneswar temple etc.

Chandika Temple:

This beautiful shrine of Goddess Chandika attracts large number of devotees during the holy Navratras.

Shri Haru Temple:

This important shrine lies about 5 kms from Bagheswar. It is believed that the wishes. of the devotees are fulfiled here. A large fair is held here on the auspicious occasion of Vijaya Dashmi.

Gauri Udiyar:

The sacred site is 8 kms from Bageshwar and has a large cave enshrining idols of Lord Shiva.

Other important shrines in and around Bageshwar are - Ram Ghat temple, Agnikund temple, Nileshwar temple, Kukuda Mai temple, Shitla Devi temple, Trijugi Narayan temple, Hanuman temple, Nileshwar Dham, Swarg Ashram, Ramji temple, Loknath Ashram, Ashram of Amitji, Jwala Devi temple, Veni Mahadev temple, Radha Krishna temple, Bhileshwar Dham, Suraj Kund, Siddartha Dham, Gopeshwar Dham, Golu temple and Praktishwar Mahadev.

Baijnath (26 kms):

This historical and pilgrim site on Gwaldam motor road is set on the banks of river Gomti in Katyuri valley. It was once the capital of Katyuri dynasty and the ancient temples here stand in testimony of the erstwhile era. The ancient Shiva temple here is famous for the magnificent idol of Goddess Parvati. Another important shrine is the Kotkimai temple, 8 kms from here.

Another sacred site nearby is the Pandusthal, which is said to be the legendary battle ground of the Kaurvas and Pandavas.

Kanda (25 kms):

The charming site on Bageshwar Chaukori road is a nature lover's delight. Nearby is an ancient temple of Bhadrakali.

Vijaypur (30 kms) :

It affords panoramic views of the snow-clad Himalayan peaks.

Pindari Glacier:

This world famous glacier is situated in the Pinder Valley at an altitude of 3353 mts. between the Nanda Devi and Nanda Kot mountains. The glacier is a trekker's paradise, as it is one of the most easily accessible of all the Himalayan glaciers. The rugged beauty of the glacier presents an aweinspiring site. The glacier is 5 kms long, the snout is about 6m high and 2.5m wide and above the snout, the glacier extends for about 3kms in length and 300- 400m in width, between an altitudinal range of about 3600m to 5000m. The colour of Pindari Glacier is very white and Pinder river emerging from it is a sight to behold.

Pindari Glacier Trek:

The base camp is at Song which can be reached by road from Bageshwar (36 kms), Almora (109 kms), and Kathgodam (199 kms). After that one has to trek 45kms upto zero point (Pindari Glacier).

Song to Loharkhet - 3kms trek
Loharkhet to Dhakuri - 11kms
Dhakuri to Khati - 8kms
Khati to Dwali - 11kms
Dwali to Phurkia - 7kms
Phurkia to Pindari Glacier - 5kms

Sunderdhunga Glacier

Sunderdhunga or the 'valley of beautiful stones' is slso located in the Pindar region. The glacier offers a tough trek as compared to Pindari and Kaphini. There are two glacier for trekkers and nature lovers, namely Maiktoli and Sukhram. The route upto village Khati is common for both Pindari and Sunderdhunga glacier.

Sunderdhunga Glacier Trek:

The trek length is 54 kms from Base Camp - Song.
Song to Loharkhet - 3kms Loharkhet to Dhakuri - 11 kms
Dhakuri to Kathi - 8 kms
Kathi to Sundardhunga Glacier - 30 kms

How to reach Bageshwar

By Air: The nearest airport for Bageshwar is Pantnagar (206 kms)
By Rail: Nearest rail head is Kathgodam (180 kms)
By Road: Bageshwar is well connected by road to major towns and cities.