Binsar Mahadev temple is about 12 to 13 km from where we are staying in ythe Ranikhet Club. It is an ancient Hindu rock temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, worshipped as Bindeshwar, a popular deity in this region. It is located at 8202 ft. above sea level and is situated in Bisaona village. In most of the hill temples we climb above on to the hill to visit a temple. But here in Binsar we go down the hill amidst thick forests to visit the temple. This temple is set amidst dense forests of birch, deodar and rhododendron. The original temple structure held great archaeological significance, but it has been destroyed and a new structure has come in its place. It is a pity that we as a people have no sense of history and heritage preservation and replace old structures with new ones and make new figures of God's and Goddesses with coloured paint and think we are beautifying the place. I am sure originally there would have just been a Shiva linga here which is still present but today dwarfed by the other statues. The sanctam sanctoram is surrounded by monolith pillars. The central chamber of the temple features the idols of Ganesha, Shiva-Parvati and Mahishasuramardini. A fair is organized there on Vaikuntha Chaturdashi every year. The beauty of the place is that you have Deodar jungles one one side and a thick pine forest on the other. There are beautiful roads with soft curves and bends that zig zag through the temple. The terrain is breathtaking and the peace in the vicinity is unmatched. There are big boards that proclaim that ringing of the bells is not allowed. A wonderful place for peace and solitude. Thanks a lot Kamala and Naveen for introducing me to this site.
