About Bageshwar District
Bageshwar is one of Kumaon's most historically and spiritually significant districts. The town sits at the confluence of the Saryu and Gomti rivers at 960m and is dominated by the ancient Baijnath temples and the massive annual Uttarayani Fair.
Bageshwar Town & Bagnath Temple
The Bagnath Temple (dedicated to Lord Shiva) is the principal temple of the district — a beautifully carved medieval temple at the river confluence. The annual Uttarayani Fair (Makar Sankranti, January) held around the temple is one of the largest fairs in Kumaon, attracting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and traders for weeks of folk music, Jhora dancing, craft markets and river bathing.
Baijnath
A group of ancient Parvati-Shiva temples at Baijnath (18 km from Bageshwar) dating to the 12th century CE. The temples sit on the banks of the Gomti river in a picturesque setting. The main Vaidyanath (Shiva) temple is beautifully carved and still an active pilgrimage site.
Pindari Glacier Trek
The most accessible glacier trek in Kumaon — starting from Loharkhet (near Song village, 36 km from Bageshwar), the 9-day round trek passes through Dhakuri, Khati, Dwali and reaches the Pindari Glacier at 3,820m. Apple orchards, pine forests and views of Nanda Kot and Nanda Devi East. See our trekking guide.
Kafni Glacier
A less-visited but spectacular glacier above Pindari — 5 km beyond the Pindari glacier camp. The Kafni Glacier (3,600m) is surrounded by the walls of Nanda Devi East, Nanda Khat and Nanda Bhanar peaks.
Kanda Village
A small village at 2,200m above Bageshwar offering some of the finest views of Panchachuli and Trishul peaks. Surrounded by apple, peach and plum orchards. Several homestays are available here — excellent for 1–2 night village stays.
Sumari Bugyal
A beautiful high-altitude meadow (3,600m) above Baijnath — 3-day trek through rhododendron forests with outstanding views of the Kumaon Himalayas. Far less visited than Chopta or Dayara Bugyal.
History of Bageshwar District
Bageshwar district occupies the upper Saryu and Gomti river valleys in the heart of Kumaon — a landscape so ancient in terms of human habitation that its history reaches back to the earliest Vedic period. The district's name itself derives from Bageshwar (Lord Shiva in his tiger-lord manifestation), and the town at the Saryu-Gomti confluence has been a sacred pilgrimage site since at least the 7th century CE.
The earliest historical dynasty with a strong presence in this area was the Katyuri kingdom (7th–11th century CE), who built the magnificent Baijnath temple complex on the Gomti river, 18 km from modern Bageshwar. Completed primarily in 1150 CE, these 18 temples to Vaidyanath Shiva represent the pinnacle of Katyuri architecture — a fusion of North Indian Nagara temple style with distinctive Kumaoni mountain proportions. The temples stand to this day and remain among the finest medieval monuments in the western Himalayas.
As the Katyuri empire declined in the 11th–12th centuries, the region came under the influence of local petty chiefs before being absorbed into the Chand kingdom of Kumaon in the 14th century. The Chand rulers developed Bageshwar town as an important religious and trading centre. The great Bagnath Temple at the river confluence was renovated and expanded under Chand patronage. The famous Uttarayani Fair — held on Makar Sankranti (January 14–15) — became institutionalised as one of Kumaon's most important trading fairs during this period, when merchants from across the Himalayan trade network gathered to exchange goods.
The Gurkha occupation (1790–1815) affected Bageshwar as it did all of Kumaon — heavy taxation and begar (forced labour) suppressed the population. After the British took over following the Anglo-Gurkha War (1814–16), Bageshwar became part of the Almora district under the Kumaon Division of the British administration. The British developed the Saryu valley road network and established administrative infrastructure, but Bageshwar remained primarily a pilgrimage town and agricultural centre throughout the colonial era.
Bageshwar holds a significant place in India's independence history. In 1921, Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement reached Kumaon when Bageshwar became the site of a major anti-begar (forced labour) campaign led by Badridutt Pandey. Thousands of Kumaoni workers publicly burned their begar registers at the Uttarayani Fair in Bageshwar — one of the most powerful acts of civil disobedience in Himalayan India. This "Kumaon Gandhi" movement preceded the national Non-Cooperation Movement and demonstrated the district's deep involvement in the independence struggle.
Bageshwar became a separate district in 1997, carved out of Almora district to provide better administrative access to the remote upper valleys. As a district, it now encompasses the starting points for the Pindari and Kafni glacier treks — routes first surveyed by European explorers in the 19th century and now among Kumaon's most beloved wilderness journeys. The district continues to honour its dual identity as a sacred pilgrimage town and a gateway to some of the highest and most beautiful terrain in the Indian Himalaya.
How to Reach Bageshwar
- By Road from Almora: 90 km (2.5 hours)
- By Road from Haldwani: 180 km (4–5 hours)
- By Road from Pithoragarh: 90 km (3 hours)
- Nearest Railway: Kathgodam (180 km)