Baneswar Shiva Temple

Baneswar Shiva Temple stands at Baneswar in the Cooch Behar II block, about 10 km from Cooch Behar town and close to Baneswar railway station. Its origins are uncertain. Popular legend tells of the devotee king Banasura, who persuaded Shiva to come to earth but broke their agreement by halting here, after which Shiva vanished and set up a linga by the Bangti River. Various accounts credit the building to Raja Jalpeswar, to Raja Nilambar of the Khen dynasty, or to the Koch king Nara Narayan, with a later renovation by Maharaja Pran Narayan.

The square temple, topped by a dome, is 10.9 metres high with walls 2.5 metres thick, and the 1897 earthquake left it tilting slightly to the east. The linga and gouripat lie in a sanctum 3.1 metres below the plinth. The nearby Shiv pukur pond holds critically endangered black softshell turtles, held sacred locally as Mohan. A week-long fair marks Shiva Chaturdashi.