Baijnath Temple

Baijnath Temple stands on the bank of the Binwa river below the Dhauladhar range and is dedicated to Shiva as Vaidyanath. Two long inscriptions set into the walls of its mandapa record that the brothers Manyuka and Ahuka built it in 1204 CE around a Shiva linga already worshipped there without a shrine. It is counted among the twelve Jyotirlingas.

Legend ties the linga to Ravana, who was taking it to Lanka on condition that it never touch the ground; a shepherd holding it for him set it down here, and it stayed. The temple was repaired several times, notably under the Katoch ruler Sansar Chand II in the 18th century, and needed major restoration after the 1905 earthquake.