Historical record
The shrine on the Sai
Local reporting places Baba Belkharnath Dham on an elevated site along the Sai River in Pratapgarh district, near Ahiyapur and Diwanganj. The district administration lists a block named for the dham. Reports describe river access, associated shrines and pilgrim facilities, which can change over time.
The Oudh gazetteer records a Mahadeva shrine called Bilkharnath in its account of Kot Bilkhar. The Golden Book mentions fort ruins at Agyapur in 1893. These are historical descriptions. The age of the standing buildings and the extent of the original fort are open archaeological questions.
Recorded tradition
Stories of worship and rediscovery
One tradition says Rama worshipped Shiva here during exile. Local sources vary on whether he established the lingam or worshipped at an existing shrine. The reference attributed to a 1916 Chauhan genealogy is documented below.
Another account tells of a woodcutter who encountered the lingam while sharpening his axe. Versions differ about what happened afterward. The family compilation attributes later rebuilding to the Raja of Dilippur and Shiv Harakh Brahmachari. These stories are preserved as local tradition, with construction dates still open.
Comparing accounts
The Chauhan genealogy cited as 1916
The June 1916 United Provinces book register identifies Gopal Kabi’s Batsa Gotra Chauhan Vamsarnava (वत्स गोत्र चौहान वंशार्णव), first edition, issued 13 March 1916. The publisher was Raja Pratap Bahadur Singh of Kurwar, Sultanpur. The British Library scan shows the entry on printed p. 37, serial 215. S. B. Singh’s 1979 bibliography cites a similar title, Vatsgotra: Chauhan Bans Varnan, with the same publisher and a date of 1901. It remains unclear how the two citations relate.
Amar Ujala reported the shrine’s chief priest Badrinath Giri’s attribution to the 1916 work in 2024 and 2025. The title page and the page about Rama and the shrine remain unverified. The 1878 Oudh gazetteer and the 1904 Partabgarh gazetteer independently document the shrine before 1916.
- United Provinces book register · Batsa Gotra Chauhan Vamsarnava
- S. B. Singh · alternate Chauhan genealogy citation
- बेलखरनाथ धाम और महाशिवरात्रि
- राजा बेल के नाम से प्रसिद्ध हुआ बाबा बेलखरनाथ धाम
- बेलखरनाथ मन्दिर
- Oudh gazetteer · Kot Bilkhar
- Partabgarh gazetteer · Jalalpur-Bilkhar and Yahiapur
- United Provinces printed-book registration statements
Local reporting
Pilgrimage and the festival calendar
Mahashivaratri and the month of Sawan are prominent in local reporting. Devotees offer water to the lingam in jalabhishek, and Sawan reporting describes kanwar pilgrims. Hindustan reported jalabhishek and a fair on the last Saturday of Sawan in August 2026. Some accounts also describe fairs during adhik maas and vows related to the wish for children.
The family’s account links the shrine to Belha Mai as part of its devotional life. Belha Mai and Baba Belkharnath are distinct sites and devotional references.