The ancient Baijnath temple is constructed in the Shikhara style and is located within a well maintained  complex of gardens, lawns and pathways in a single walled courtyard. The outside of the temple  is  beautiful  with  some exquisitely carved floral pattern and images of deities. The adytum or the sanctum is 8 feet square inside  and 18 feet outside. A conical shaped spire crowns it. The adytum is entered through a small anteroom and  contains  a linga called Vaidyanath. There is a 20 sq feet mandapa or front  hall, the  roof  of  which  is  held  by  four  huge pillars. The pillars are joined by elevated benches which together form a passage leading  upto  the  entrance  of the sanctum. The architraves of these pillars segregate the ceiling into nine  compartments.  Right  infront  of  the mandapa is a stately porch which is supported by four columns. Though a major portion inside the courtyard  of the temple is occupied by the main structure, still there are two  other  noteworthy  shrines  as  well.  Moreover, there are two pretty attractive statue of Nandi Bull (vehicle of Lord Shiva) too. Apart from the fact that  the two statues are nicely carved, what makes them unique is a rather peculiar feature - a small human figure is  depicted holding Nandi's tail.

Legends:- As per a legend, it is believed that the King of Lanka, Ravana had  worshipped  Lord  Shiva  in  the main Baijnath Temple. He sacrificed his head ten times at a place marked  out  in  the  temple. And  because  of this, the people here do not consider it right to celebrate Dussehra which remembers the day when  Lord  Rama killed Ravana. The people  here  think  that  celebrating  Dussehra  can  offend Lord  Shiva  a  lot. In  past  too, whenever any attempt has been made to celebrate the festival, the organiser died within years. Though  the  fact is that the deaths were in no  way  related  to  the  celebration  of  Dussehra, the  people  here  linked  the  two. Currently plans are again on to start the celebration of Dussehra in a nearby stadium.

Places of Interest

Bir and Billing - This village is famous for its Buddhist monasteries. Hang gliding pilots use  it  as  their  landing site. Bir, surrounded by tea gardens and an amphitheater of low hills, is an ideal landing around for para-gliders. Bir has Buddhist Monasteries that are worth visiting. Fine Tibetan handi craft are also produced here. Billing, up in the hills 14 kms. from Bir with an arena of 200 kms. for  high altitude and cross country  flying, is  one  of  the best aerosports sites in the country.

Punyagiri - Punyagiri is situated at Pithoragarh, not  far  from  Palampur. One of  the  most  important  religious centres around Pithoragarh, the Punyagiri temple, dedicated to Maa Punyagiri is atop a rocky pinnacle.

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

Bageshwar - Near to Baijnath lies 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.
                                               
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