Uttarakhand’s Baijnath temple and its lost miracle stone

Once upon a time, there was a special stone! A round one with a high density within. It was lying in the courtyard of an ancient temple complex. Legend held that the stone could only be lifted by a group of nine people, using their index fingers and chanting ‘nau, nau, nau’—meaning nine. For those who scoff at such legends, this author would like to add that he has been part of one such group of nine people lifting the stone himself.

That was in 1994, when, as a young teenager, he too curled his index figure on the side of the stone with eight others, and up it went, to the chants of ‘nau, nau…’. Being of a somewhat sceptical disposition, he tried various permutations and combinations—with fewer people—while trying to lift the stone with both hands instead of just one finger, etc. Without success! Perhaps more permutations could have been tried; perhaps there was a scientific explanation for this phenomenon; perhaps it was a marvel of physics. Perhaps anything….

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The stone was in Baijnath Dham, a celebrated and much revered temple complex in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district. Baijnath lies on the banks of the Gomti River and was once called Kartikeyapura. In that avatar, it was the capital of the powerful Katyuri rulers, who, at their peak, controlled not just the Kumaon region but also Garhwal and parts of Nepal as well. The kingdom lasted between the 7th and 12th centuries CE. After it crumbled, offshoots took root in various parts.

Throughout its reign, the dynasty engaged in temple building, and the Uttarakhand of today, especially the Kumaon region, is dotted with iconic memories of that era. The group at Baijnath, comprising eighteen shrines in all, is one of the finest examples of their work. The focal point is a temple dedicated to Baijnath, or Shiva, which passes on its name to the entire town.

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Mythology meets history in this place, and legends abound. One account holds that the temple marks the spot where Shiva and Parvati were married. Another says that the temple was built in a single night by the Katyuris. A mere two kilometres away is the Kot Ka mandir, built inside what was once the fort of the ruling dynasty. A story says that Adi Shankaracharya himself stayed at this shrine while en route to Badrinath.

At the Baijnath group, religious iconography includes Chandika, Brahma, Ganesha, Kuber, and Surya, apart from Shiva and Parvati. The shrines, while conforming to the Nagara style of architecture, come in various sizes. It is probable that they were built by successive rulers of the dynasty over time, each seeking to claim his share of immortality while adding to this sacred space in the heart of their mountain kingdom. Moreover, the temples have been restored and modified too, including in recent years.

Three decades ago, when the author first arrived at the temple site in Baijnath, it was a very quiet place. Official data put the population then at a few hundred. Houses were few and far between, and resorts were distant. The faraway, snow-clad Himalayan ranges seemed to bless the temple valley. Tranquility prevailed, as it should in a place of worship.

A few days ago, like thousands of city slickers seeking sanctuary in the mountains from the furnace of the plains, the author found himself back in the same place as 1994. The Baijnath of today bears little resemblance to its past. Highways and roads have improved access, and that has brought loads of people, and not just tourists, from the looks of the place. The valley is rapidly filling with structures of all shapes and sizes, and vehicles abound. Near the path leading to the temple complex is a large supermarket, unimaginable in the Baijnath of the 1990s.

The temples still stand, trying hard to defy the changes in their neighbourhood. The place is now ringed by a protective metal fence, and a few security guards move around. A couple of priests are in charge of the main temple. Visitors explore the place, and a few young people use the background for an Instagram reel. Welcome to the 21st century, Baijnath! The Gomti still flows nearby, although it seems to carry a reduced amount of water than it did earlier. In a world where some leaders still ponder whether global warming is real or not, before and after pictures of this place may provide some insight.

Trying to make up for the reduced water in the Gomti, there is a large artificial lake in front of the temple complex. Apparently this has come up in the last decade and is a bit of a state government initiative to improve the place. The water looks clean and contains fish. A few people are out for a boat ride. In the middle of the waterbody is a small island. As per locals, this elevated spot was the place where saints were laid to rest, and it is now an island within the lake. Nearby is a barrage, next to which is a tiny stone enclosure containing the iconography of Rama, a rare site in this land of Shiva temples.

While the main shrine complex is more enclosed than before, one element is missing, the round stone is gone. The stone was called ‘Bhim Gend’, a miracle stone that was considered a ball with which Bhima used to play when the Pandavas spent time here, as per mythological beliefs. Some accounts say that the stone weighed as much as ninety kilograms. If he had not been part of an experiment of lifting that stone decades ago, believing in its weight would have been difficult for the author.

News reports dating to August 2020 say that one day the stone was found broken into two parts. Locals in Baijnath were outraged, and suspicion fell on miscreants from a certain community. The theory was that the damage was deliberate and linked to the first anniversary of a decision taken by the central government on August 5, 2019. The investigation that followed did not yield results. It is believed that the broken parts of the stone are in safe custody with the government department in charge of such antiquities.

Whatever the case, Baijnath’s special miracle stone is now an object confined to folklore and remains in the memory of those who saw and lifted it. The temples remain in worship. The swanky new roads bring more visitors; they pray, take a few pictures, admire the clear lake water, and drive away. The Shiva icons stand serene, as they have for a thousand years. Maybe the temples miss the special stone friend that once stood in the precincts, waiting for nine people to come and pick it up. So if you are on a holiday in the hills and you arrive at the Baijnath shrine, remember that once upon a time there was a special stone here!

The author is a heritage explorer by inclination with a penchant for seeking obscure sites. A brand consultant by profession, he tweets @HiddenHeritage. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.