Bateshwar
Bateshwar is a village on the banks of the river Yamuna situated at a distance of 70 km from Agra. It is an important spiritual and cultural centre for Hindus and Jains.
The name Bateshwar is derived from the main Bateshwarnath Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva or Bateshwarnath Mahadev. As per the legends, under a Banyan tree (Bat in Sanskrit), lived a Shiv devotional eremite, who raised a shrine of Shiva, to be known as Bat-Ishwar; the Banyan Lord.
In The Great epic of Mahabharat, Bateshwar is referred as Shouripur a flourishing suburb, beginning as early as 3000BC. Bateshwar is known for 101 Shiv Temples built by Raja Badan Singh Bhadauria on a dam on the banks of Yamuna. Shaouripur, near Bateshwar, which is the birthplace of the 22nd Tirthankar of Jain faith, Lord Neminath. Each year the region hosts a Religious Fair in October and November. The commercial livestock event is also of significance to Hindus, who make pilgrimage to the river Yamuna in honor of Lord Shiva.
Although the origins of this ancient fair are religious, and of immense importance in the Hindu religious calendar, the fair is also of great commercial value and is renowned as the 2nd largest Animal Fair in the country (Sonepur in Bihar being the largest).
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