It is about 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) from Cooch Behar and is located near the Baneswar railway station on the Alipurduar-Bamanhat branch line. It is 1.6 kilometers (0.99 mi) from the New Baneswar railway station on the New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section of the Barauni–Guwahati line.
The beginning of the Baneswar Shiva temple is mired in mythology. According to popular belief the legendary Raja Banasura, an ardent devotee of Shiva had made the latter agree to come down to earth. When Shiva was following Raja Banasura, the latter suddenly stopped at Baneswar (earlier name Gordasandara), which was a breach of the agreement. Shiva instantly disappeared and later established a Shiva-linga on the banks of the Bangti River. Many believe that the place was named after the Raja. However, there is no mention of the temple in the legend.
According to some, the temple was built by Raja Jalpeswar, who built the Jalpesh temple. He is believed to have ruled in the second or third century and is mentioned in ‘Jalpesh Mahatya’. Some others think that Raja Nilambar of the Khen dynasty had built it. Yet others think that Maharaja Nara Narayan of the Koch dynasty established it and Maharaja Pran Narayan of the Cooch Behar State subsequently revamped it.
