Bateshwar

Bateshwar, an ancient temple complex and an important spiritual and cultural centre for Hindus, is located at a distance of 70 Km from the city of Taj , Agra. The place is named after the presiding deity of the region BATESHWAR MAHADEV (another name of Lord Shiva). The temple complex consists of more than 100 temples dedicated to lord Shiva. The temples are all lined along the crescent shaped curve of the river-front and several have ghats (steps) leading down to the water. Said to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna’s mother, Bateshwar is associated with numerous myths and legends. Several ancient scriptures refer to it as Surajpur in honour of its founder Raja Suraj Sen, Lord Krishna’s grandfather.

Bateshwar is an important part of the Hindu pilgrimage circuit and is referred to as the ‘son of the Dhams’ – it must be visited once after all four Dhams considered sacred by Hindus (Badrinath in the North, Rameshwaram in the South, Dwarka in the West and Jagannath Puri in the east) have been visited.

Bateshwar is also the birthplace of the 22 nd Jain Tirthankar Nemichand and is an important pilgrimage site for both the sects of Jain devotees, Digambar and Shwetambar. Several beautiful and intricately carved Jain temples add to the glory of Bateshwar dedicated to the Tirthankar here and at Shauripur , 3 km away from this place.