Sunday, 15 January 2023 | Prem Prakash Upadhyay/Bageshwar
The ten day famous Uttarayani fair started at the confluence of the Gomti and Saryu rivers on Saturday. The famous Bagnath temple, known as the Kashi of the North, is situated here. Apart from being an important site from the archaeological, religious and cultural point of view, the place is considered as Tapobhoomi of Markandeya Muni. It is believed that on the prayer of Muni, Lord Shiva agreed to reside at this place by the name ‘Vyaghreshwar’. Since then this Vyaghreshwar became today’s Bageshwar. An old saying in the area, ‘Ganga nan Bageshwar aur Devta Dekhan Jageshwar’ means one should go to Bageshwar for a bath in Ganga bath and visit Jageshwar to see the deities.
The Uttarayani fair has been organized at this place every year on Makar Sankranti since ancient times. It has also been mentioned in the copper plates of Katyuri King Lalitsurdev and Padmatdev. In the past, many traders from Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet used to bring things like woollens, Chutka, Thulma, Aasan, Pashmina Shawls, Vests, pulses and many types of herbs and shrubs. Even dogs, puppies and horses were brought for sale in this fair. During the Uttarayani fair many cultural programmes are also held.
Archaeologically very ancient inscriptions and idols of Chaityagavaksha, Dwarshakhas and idols of various gods and goddesses – Uma-Mahesh, Surya, Vishnu, Parvati, Mahishasuramdini, Dashavatara Patta, Saptamatrika Patta, Chaturmukhi, Panchmukhi Shiv Ling, Harihar, Ganesha, Kartikeya Sahastramukhi Shiva Ling Sheshshayi Vishnu, Nandi and Ganesha prove that temples here must have been built before the 6th, 7th century AD. A rare idol of Suryadev ( Sun god) riding on the chariot of seven horses in the Bagnath temple of Bageshwar has been preserved by the Archaeological Department of India.
There are four miniature Devkulikas present in the Bagnath temple premises, all these Devkulikas are built in Nagara style with Trirath type Rekha Shikhar. Aakash linga has been installed on the top of all Devkulikas on top of Amalak, in one of the sanctum sanctorum of one such structure, the statue of Surya has been installed. Chaturmukhi and one faced Shivling are kept in other Devkulikas. In front of the idol shed, another four-faced Shivling is established for worship in the open sky. There is another tradition in Bageshwar that fire is taken from the Dhuni of Dhikal Bhairav temple to light the funeral pyre.
The famous Coolie begar movement led by Badri Dutt Pandey also started from this place on the occasion of the Uttarayani Fair. In January 1921, the Forest Department could not find coolies in Ganai and Dwarahat due to the movement. To his great surprise the then deputy commissioner of Almora, Diabil got humiliated in Bageshwar by the activists. The leaders in their speeches denounced the practice of Coolie begar and on their call the coolie registers were thrown in the Saryu River.
The Begar abolition movement was the first freedom movement of Uttarakhand, in which various sections of the local society took maximum participation.
