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Baneswar, Cooch Behar district, West Bengal · 26.3991°, 89.4975°
A Shiva temple about ten kilometres from Cooch Behar town whose linga stands in an underground sanctum beneath a squarish domed structure with a curved cornice. Its foundation is contested between several traditions, variously crediting Raja Jalpeswar, the Khen ruler Nilambar, and the Koch rulers Nara Narayan and Pran Narayan, and it draws large crowds at Maha Shivaratri.
What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.
Tradition tells that the demon king Banasura persuaded Shiva to come down to earth, and that when Banasura halted at Baneswar the god vanished, leaving a linga on the bank of the Bangti river.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Undetermined
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…