The history of Kathara Shiva temple is related to the life time of Lord Buddha.

Maharajganj. The history of the ancient Shiva temple Kathara is very old. On one hand, the ancient Shivling of Ithiya, famous as Mini Baba Dham adjacent to Nepal, is the center of faith of millions of people, while on the other hand, people in the district have immense faith in the Shivling of Kathara, which was once found in the dense forests. The history of Kathara ancient Shiva temple is very old. Covered with natural beauty and forests, this Shiva temple is from the Buddhist period.
According to folklore, Gautam Buddha’s mother Gautami had gone to Lumbini (Nepal) via this temple during her pregnancy. This temple was situated in the middle of a dense forest. Afzal Khan, the landlord of this area, got Duggi-Munaadi installed and urged people to settle here. But, no one wanted to settle here, because a large number of predatory animals lived in the forest. Later the people here cut the forests and prepared agricultural land. There is also evidence of an ancient well about eight hundred meters south of the temple. There was also a tunnel from the well to the temple. The king used to go to see Lord Bholenath through this tunnel. People say that three hundred years ago, in the dark night, some thieves entered the temple and stole the bells and idols made of Ashtadhatus. Then they were surrounded by snakes, scorpions and poisonous animals. There was darkness in front of the thieves. Before the thieves could understand anything, it was morning. When the temple priest came to worship, he saw some people writhing on the ground. He could not see anything. The thieves were very ashamed of their actions. As soon as the king got this news, he got the thieves arrested. However, they were later released after the thieves apologized and promised not to make such mistakes again. Three huge ponds still exist on the northern side of Dir. It is said that queens used to come to bathe in this pond. Historians have also mentioned the Kathara Shiva temple.

Dharamshala has also been constructed in this temple complex. Throughout the month of Sawan, devotees from far and wide come here and perform Jalabhishek. A huge fair is organized here during Mahashivratri and the month of Sawan. Apart from the district, devotees from Gorakhpur, Deoria, Basti, Kushinagar, Siddharthnagar, Sant Kabirnagar, Bihar and Nepal also come to perform Jalabhishek of Lord Shiva.

On every Monday of the month of Sawan, a long queue of devotees forms from 12 o’clock in the night to perform Jalabhishek to Lord Shiva. The doors of the temple are opened after the worship of saints and sages at 12 o’clock in the night. The fair committee makes complete arrangements for it.