Twelve Jyortilinga

JYOTIRLINGA: THE STORY OF THE LIGHT

What is jyothirlinga ?

Worship
of shivalinga is considered the prime worship for the devotees of Lord
shiva. Worship of all other forms is considered secondary. The
significance of the shivalinga is that It is the resplendent light
(flame) form of the Supreme – solidified to make the worship of It
easier. It represents the real nature of God – formless essentially and
taking various forms as It wills. More details on the shiva linga
significance could be found at Shaivam A Perspective.

This jyoti swarUpa
of God exist in all the shivalinga forms, there are prominent abodes
across Indian subcontinent, where It is in a splendid form. These are
renowned as dvAdasa jyotir lingas or 12 jyotirlingas. These are held at much great esteem since the ancient pre-historic times. purANas
talk in many sections as well as in detail about the glory of these
abodes. Devotees have been getting pulled towards these kshetras due to
the highly benevolent divine presence in these abodes, since ancient
times.

The 12 jyothirlinga temples

There is an sanskrit
shloka that lists the twelve jyotirlinga temples. (This and the
complete dvAdasa jyotirlinga stotra could be found at Scripture Page)

�Saurashtre Somanathamcha Srisaile Mallikarjunam|
Ujjayinya Mahakalam Omkaramamaleswaram ||
Paralyam Vaidyanathancha Dakinyam Bheema Shankaram |
Setu Bandhethu Ramesam, Nagesam Darukavane||
Varanasyantu Vishwesam Tryambakam Gautameethate|
Himalayetu Kedaaram, Ghrishnesamcha shivaalaye||
Etani jyotirlingani, Saayam Praatah Patennarah|
Sapta Janma Kritam pApam, Smaranena Vinashyati||�

Mahadev,
the Lord incorporates in Himself, the aura and the holiness of all the
twelve JyotirLingas. The grandeur of these places is unique. Devotees
line up in great numbers to take a look and get a Darshan of all the
JyotirLingas.

Location of the jothirlinga temples

Two
on the sea shore, three on river banks, four in the heights of the
mountains and three in villages located in meadows; the twelve
Jyotirlingas are spread out like this. Every place has been described
in glorious words by many detailing the surroundings etc.

Those
of us who go to these temples of Shubhankar Shankar- Jyoti-Sivasthan,
receive the holy blessings of the Lord, and come back happy, peaceful
and blessed. This in indeed depends on one�s devotion and experience
too.

1. Somnath in Saurashtra (Guj)

2. Mallikarjun in Srisailam (A.P.)

3. Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain (M.P.)

4. Omkareshwar in Shivpuri / mAmaleswara (M.P.)

5. Vaidyanath in Parali (Mah)

6. Nageswar in Darukavanam

<mah)>

7. Kedareswar in Kedarnath / Himalayas (Utt)

8. Tryambakeswar in Nasik (Mah)

9. Rameshwar in Setubandanam / Rameshwaram (T.N.)

10. Bhimashankar in Dakini (Mah)

11. Visweswar in Varanasi (U.P.) and

12. Ghrishneswar in Devasrovar (Mah).

Those who chant the Dwadasa JyotirLinga Stotram or prayer will attain
salvation and enlightenment and be released from this cycle of human
existence with all its travails. By worshipping the Lingas, people of
all castes, creeds and colour would be freed from all difficulties. By
eating the holy offering made to these Lingas (Naivedyam) one would be
rid of all the sins instantly.

As a matter of fact, we do the Darshan of the JyoritLingas as a part of
our daily life. Sun, Fire and Light etc., are indeed a part of that
great Light. Om tatsavituvarenye� these magical words of the Gayatri
mantra or chant invoke this Supreme light only. By chanting this
powerful Mantra, humans can obtain divine power to their life-light or
Atmajyothi.

The aura of the Sun rays and the various benefits that can be derived there from is indeed
a difficult task to describe. This gorgeous life-light is the only
thing that is responsible for the activity in the universe. We salute
this life force.

Agniï or fire is a great light. For all the activities on the earth, �Fire� is the pivot.

Deepajyoti or light and its greatness, is known to all of us, and we offer our
prayers. Let us celebrate the glory of light. Light is offered a place
of pride at welcome celebrations and on all auspicious occasions.

ïShubham karoti kalyanam Arogyam Dhanasampada|
Shatru buddhi vinashaya Deepa Jyoti namostute||

This light removes the darkness from the lives of one and all. Darkness
means ignorance and it is destroyed by this light. The natured light of
God makes all our wishes come true, when we take a Darshan of it.

Thus, by taking a Darshan of these twelve JyotirLingas, the auspicious air
surrounding them and the holy pilgrimage, will bring happiness, peace
and satisfaction to all.

1. SOMANATH in Saurashtra

Somnath, the first in the twelve jyothirlingas, is located at the Viraval port – Prabhas Pattan in Saurashtra – Gujarat.

Anceint Glory

Known as prabhAsa kshetra, Somnath occupied a much esteemed place in the Hindu holy places. It finds many references in the purANas & itihAsas.

The inner temple of the Garbhashay was supported to be aglow with the
luster of these gemstones. The Nanda Deep was always kept lighted with
Kannauji attar. The treasure of the temple was forever full of vast
wealth and was kept safe.

For worship of the Lord-and Abhishek (worship with holy water) sandalwood scented water was brought from
Haridwar, Prayag Kashi every day. However flowers for special
festivities were imported from Kashmir. For the routine daily worship,
one thousand Brahmins were appointed. About three hundred and fifty
dancing girls were appointed for the regular music and dance concerts
that took place in the Temple courts.

This religious place of worship was earning the produce of ten thousand
villages. Among the twelve JyotirLingas (Lingas of light) Somanath is
considered as the primary one. Because this deity is supposed to be
Swayanbhu (self-born) and is always awake, lakhs of devotees visited
this temple and considered themselves blessed and to have achieved
piety. Offerings made by crores of devotees amounted to crores of
rupees which kept the Temple always rich and abundant. Along with this,
the Sun worshipping foreigners (probably Parsis) also contributed a pat
of their profits to the temple treasury which kept its coffers full,
all the time.

Sthala purana

Chandra, (moon) was the first one to receive the benefic boon of Shri Somanath
of Saurashtra, the Shiva pilgrimage, Agni Teerth and Surya Teerth. Then
Chandra built a beautiful golden temple and put a glorious JyotirLinga
in it, the first of its kind in India.

According to Prabhaskhand of Skanda Purana, the legend goes like this:

Chandra married the twenty seven daughters (stars) of Daksha, but was very
partial and showed lot more love and affection to rohini. The remaining
twenty six wives not only felt neglected but also insulted. They were
disappointed with their husband and went and complained to their
father. Daksha was upset to see his daughters suffer thus, and tried
twice to convince his son-in-law to change himself, but in vain.

The Devas (Celestial gods) were very sad at Chandra�s plight and went to
Brahma. The Creator, in order to find out a remedy for this condition
of Chandra and get a solution for redressing the curse. Brahma told
them that the only way out was to worship Vrishabhdhwaj Shankar at
Prabhas Kshetra Mahamrityunjay. Chandra went on a penance for six
months and prayed to Lord Shiva, at the end of which Shankara appeared
before him. He gave Chandra the boon that in a month, he would grow for
fifteen days in one half and in the other half he would keep loosing
one Kala (shade) per day and decrease in size. He was pleased with the
Devas and in order to increase the prestige of the place, Lord Shiva
Himself came to be known as Someshwar, meaning famous moon (Soma). The
Devas established a Someshwar Kund there. By taking a holy dip in this
pond or Kund, it is believed that one would obtain release from all the
sins.

Chandra or moon is also called Som. That is why this JyotirLinga has become famous as Somanath.
Chandra or moon looks very bright here. Therefore, this place is also
known as �Prabhasapattana�.

Later, Shri Somnath Mandir was built by Ravana fro Rupa in the treda yug and Lord Krishna fro Chandran in . Emperor vikramAditya built the temple in the kali yug.

Troubled times and Hindu Resilience

This grand temple of Somanath came under the attack of the Muslims several
times. In the year 722, Junamad, the Sindh Subedar attacked it for the
first time and looted innumerable items from its treasure.

The beautiful statue of Somanath, can be seen from the center because of
the miraculous magnetic power. Ghajni Mohammed, destroyed this statue
on Friday, the 11th of May 1025 AD. From then onwards, Ghajni Mohammed
came to be known as the �Statute Destroyer� (Iconoclast). On that
day, he plundered and looted a treasure worth 18 crores.

In 1297 AD, Allauddin Kkhiji sent his Sardar Altaf Khan to Somanath on a
mission of destroying and putting down the Somanath Mandir. The
Somanath Temple was subjected to series of attacks starting in 1479 AD
by Mohammad Begada, Mujaffar Shah, II, in 1503 AD, and finally by
Aurangazeb, known to be the most intolerant towards other religions, in
1701 AD, where in, the temple was totally destroyed, plundered and
looted in a most horrible way. A large number of people were killed
mercilessly and a lot of money stolen.

In 1783 AD Sadhvi Alalya devi Holkar, a great devotee of Siva, built a new
temple for Somanath after India become independent, the lion of
Gujarat, Sardar Vallabhai Patel renovated the Somanath Temple on the
advice of Kakashaheb Gadgil of Maharashtra with its revived Indian
architectural beauty for which it became an unique example. It drew the
attention of the world.

The Somanath JyotirLinga statue was reinstated (Pran Pratishta) on Friday
the 11th May 1951 at 9.46 A.M. It was done by the then President of
India, Honourable Dr. Rajendra Prasad, to the tune of the Veda chanting
of Vedamurti Tarka Teertha Lakshman Shastri Joshi, in a grand manner.

This primary JyotirLinga located in India, is the cynosure of all Indian
pilgrims. It is always crowded with lakhs of devotees. A large number
of Sadhus and pious men can be met there. With the offerings of
devotees, the Somanath Temple�s grandeur is revived. In spite of
being subjected to destruction by intolerants, the faith of Indian
devotees, dedication and their love was never destroyed. Shri Somanath
JyotirLinga stands as the legendary example of the same.

The temples 15th memorial and the ancient monument located on the sea side
of Kahiavad near Prabhaspattan. There are many famous mythological
stories attached to them. The sun temple is the most ancient of all.
There is no presiding deity in it, but the architecture of temple is so
exquisite, that even by seeing the ruins one can imagine.

Saint Agastya, is supposed to have drunk the entire sea near Prabhasapattan.
Mythological heroes like Janamejaya, Pandavas, Ravana are supposed to
have visited Prabhasapattan Teerth. In the month of Magha (sometime in
February) on the day of Shivaratri, Somanath JyotirLinga festival is
celebrated with great aplomb.

2. SRI MALLIKARJUNA in Sri Sailam

shrIshailashRiNge vibudhAtisaNge tulAdrituNge.api mudA vasantam |
tamarjunaM mallikapUrvamekaM namAmi saMsArasamudrasetum ||

Jaya Mallikarjuna! Jai Mallikarjunaï

Srisailam is located in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. This whole area is
full of forests of Kadali, Bilva trees, mountain ranges and Patalaganga
(Krishnaveni river). All of them echo from these joyous voices of
devotees.

Puranic History of Srisailam

When Kumar Kartikeya returned to Kailash after completing his trip around
the earth, he heard about Ganesha�s marriage from Narada. This
angered him. In spite of being restrained by his parents, he touched
their feet in obeisance and left for Krounch Mountain. Parvati was very
distraught at having to be away from her son, implored Lord Shiva to
look for their son. Together, they went to Kumara. But, Kumara went
away a further three Yojanas, after learning about his parents coming
after him to Krouncha Mountain. Before embarking on a further search
for their son on each mountain, they decided to leave a light on every
mountain they visited. From that day, that place came to be known as
JyotirLinga Mallikarjuna. It is believed that Shiva and Parvati visit
this palce on Amavasya (No moon day) and (full Moon day) Pournami,
respectively. Visiting this JyotirLinag not only blesses one with
innumerable wealth, but also name and fame and fulfils all the desires.

Once, a princess named Chandravati decided to go to the Jungles
to do penance and meditation. She chose Kadali Vana for this purpose.
One day, she witnessed a miracle. A Kapila cow was standing under a
Bilwa tree and milk was flowing from all of its four udders, sinking
into the ground. The cow kept doing this as a routine chore everyday.
Chandravati dug up that area and was dumb founded at what she saw.
There was a self-raising Swyambhu SivaLinga. It was bright and shining
like the sun rays, and looked like it was burning, throwing flames in
all directions. Chandravati prayed to Siva in this JyotirLinga. She
built a huge Shiva Temple there. Lord Shankara was very pleased with
her. Chandravati went to Kailash wind borne. She received salvation and
Mukti. On one of the stone-inscriptions of the temple, Chandravati�s
story can be seen carved out.

Location and Development of mallikarjuna swamy temple

Shaila Mallikarjuna�s holy place is located on the banks of River Krishna.
Here River Krishna is in the form of Patalaganga (underground spring).
Lakhs of devotees take a holy dip here and then go for the Darshan of
the JyotirLinga.

During the Karnataka Movement, Chatrapati Shivaji used to come to take a Darshan
of the JyotirLinga during the Maharatri. He built a tower on the right
side of the Temple and also opened a free-meal center.

Nature And Beauty

The kings of the VijayaNagar Dynasty too built a Temple, Tower, Portico and
a pond. Ahelyadevi Holkar, a great devotee of Siva built a strong
bathing wharf consisting of 852 steps on the banks of the Patalganga.

Earlier, this part of the Shaila mountains was an unreachable tough terrain and
fraught with danger. Even then, devotees, with their sheer will power,
used to reach there in large numbers. Hiranyakashipa, Narada, Pandavas,
Sri Ram are some of the great mythological personalities who have
visited this holy shrine. shankara bhagavatpAda, rENukAchArya(1), akka
mahAdevi, hemareddy mallamma are some of the great devotees who
worshipped Lord mallikArjuna here.

sambandhar, appar and sundharar have sung one padhikam (2) each on the Lord of Srisailam.

3. SRI MAHAKALESHWAR inUjjain

avantikAyAM vihitAvatAraM muktipradAnAya cha sajjanAnAm |
akAlamRityoH pariraxaNArthaM vande mahAkAlamahAsuresham ||

On the banks of river Kshipra, the city of Ujjain exists in Madhya
Pradesh. It is also known as Indrapuri Amaravati, and Avantika. Because
of the number of golden towers of several temples, this town is also
known as �Swarna Sringa.

One of the seven cities of deliverance or salvation, Avantika Nagar has 7
Sagar Teerthas, 28 teerthas, 84 SiddhaLingas, 25-30 SivaLingas,
Ashtabhairav, Ekadasa Rudrasthana, temples for hundreds of deities,
Jalakund and monuments are there.

Once there lived a Brahman who had four sons, who were all devotees of Siva.
The wicked demon king Dushan came to Avantika after attaining a boon
from Lord Branhma and started torturing the erudite Brahmanas of
Avantika. But the Brahmanas who were very engrossed in their worship of
Shiva did not even flinch.

The demon king sent all four of his henchmen with the orders that they have
to ensure that no Vedic Dharmanushtan activities are to take place. The
harassed people came running to the Brahmans seeking help. The
Brahmanas assured the people and pacified them. They immediately
started praying to Lord Shiva. Meanwhile, just as the Demon king tried
to attack the Brahmanas, the earth would split open near the Parthiv
Murty with a loud noise and huge crater would form there. In this
manner, Siva assumed the colossal form of Mahakal and appeared. He
ordered the wicked Demon from going anywhere near the Brahmanas. But
the wicked Demon king did not pay heed. As a result, Siva burnt him to
ashes with just one grunt. Seeing Lord Siva in this Avatar, Brahma,
Vishnu and Indra and other Devas came down and prayed to the Lord and
pleased Him.

The grandeur of Mahakaleswar is indescribable. Chandrasena, the king of Ujjain was not
only a scholar, but also a staunch devotee of Lord Siva. Once his
friend Maheswari�s follower Manibahdra gave him a beautiful gemstone
called Sundara Chintamani. It shone so bright and beautiful when
Chandrasen wore it on his neck, that he looked even more glorious than
the celestial gods. It would make even them feel jealous. Once, some
kings went and asked Chandrasen to part with the jewel and Chandrasen
promptly refused to do so. This angered the kings, who in turn attacked
Chandrasena�s kingdom. When Chandrasena realized that he was
surrounded by the enemy he sought the help of Mahakal. Bhagawan Shiva
was pleased with his prayers and showed him a solution for his problem.
Just then, by chance, a Brahman woman wandered near Mahakal, carrying
her child with her, and suddenly became a widow. An illiterate boy once
saw the king performing Puja in the stone and installed it in his empty
house. He imagined it to be an incarnation of Shiva and started
worshipping it. The boy became so engrossed in prayer and chanting,
that he even forgot all about food. When his mother went to call him,
any number of calls had no affect on him. He was silently praying.
Angered by this, the mother who was still bound by worldly love, threw
away the SivaLinga. She destroyed all the thing of worship. The boy was
very sad at what his mother had done. He started to pray to Shiva with
his entire concentration. Siva was not long in coming to the rescue of
his devotee. This stone SivaLinga which was brought by the son of a
cowherd soon became adorned with gemstones and turned into a
JyotirLinga. After singing in praise of Lord Siva, when the boy
returned to his house, he was amazed to find a beautiful palatial home
instead. Thus, with the Grace and Blessings of Lord Siva, the boy
became rich and led a very happy life.

In the mean time, the enemy kings who attached ceased Chandrasena�s
empire, began to fight among themselves. They began to say king
Chandrasena is a Siva devotee and ujjain itself is the city of Mahakal.
It is therefore, impossible to anyone to win it. They then decided to
extend a hand of friendship to king Chandrasena and together they all
worshipped Mahakal.

At that time, the Vanara King Hanuman appeared there. He told the kings that only
Siva could grant salvation to mankind and nobody else. Siva can be
pleased with worship done even without chanting any mantras. The
example of the son of cowherd is for us. Then Hanuman looked at
Chandrasena with eyes filled with affection and benevolence and
disappeared.

Historic glory of Ujjain

The Adyapeetha i.e., is the foundation of Sanskrit learning, ethics,
knowledge or science and art had their initiation at this place. It is
indeed the Triveni Sangam or learning of the three great things. The
greatness of Ujjain city was enhanced by the Maurya kings as well as
other dynasties. The great emperor Vikramaditya who began new era by
starting a new way of counting the years, made Ujjain his capital.

It is here that Raja Bhartrihari wrote his great epics (love stories)
Virat Katha, neeti Sataka, the love story of Pradyot Princess
Vasavadatta and Udayan. The beauty of this city found a pride of place
in the descriptions of a great many poets and writers who song its
praise. At the auspicious time at dawn, the women of this town
sprinkled vermillion water in their courtyards and decorated them with
Rangoli designs.

In the Mahakal Shiv temple located in Ujjain on the banks of River Kshipra, at 4 AM
puja is performed. After Abhishek, Chitabhasm (Ash of cemetery) is
applied all over Mahakal.

According to classics, Chitabhasm (human ash) is considered as unholy and
inauspicious. If any one even touches it by mistake, one is required to
bathe in order to be purified. But this very ash becomes holy, by
merely touching the body of Mahakal, because Siva is Nishkam or
lust-less. He is not touched by material desires. That is why Shiva is
Mangalmay or auspicious.

The greatness of Shiva is described in this Sloka, thus:

shmashAneshhvAkrIDA smarahara pishAchAH sahacharaaH

chitAbhasmAlepaH sragapi nR^ikaroTI parikaraH |
amaN^galyaM shIlaM tava bhavatu nAmaivamakhilaM
tathApi smartR^INAM varada paramaM maN^galamasi || �.

Thus Shiva is auspicious and beautiful. Avanti Nagar is Shiva�s favorite
town. Those who visit the Mahakal temple and take a darshan, will never
be touched by sorrows even in their dreams. Those who pray for whatever
they desire to the Mahakal JyotirLinga would be granted all his/her
wishes. They would attain salvation.

4.SRI OMKARA MAMALESHWARAM

kAverikAnarmadayoH pavitre samAgame sajjanatAraNAya |
sadaiva mAndhAtRipure vasantamoNkAramIshaM shivamekamIDe ||

Location of OmkAreshwar Jyothirling

OmkAreshwar is a beautiful self manifest (swayambhu) linga. From the Vindhyanchal
mountain range in Madhya Pradesh, river Narmada, turns westward and
meanders in that direction. The deep wide river looks like it has
assimilated into itself all the sins and sorrows of the humans and
releasing them from these. This river Narmada, which flows rippling
from the mountains, is also known as �Reva�. The smooth, round
pebbles found in this river are called BanaLingas

½Narmada ke Kankar, UtteShankar� is the belief of the devotees. That is how, Narmada is also known as �Shankari� river.

On
the banks of river Narmada, there is a huge island on which the fourth
of the JyotirLinga �Omkaram Amaleshwar� is situated. This island
and the river are shaped like �OM� and that is how it derives its
name. It is a natural phenomenon. The devotees who go round the temple
consider themselves blessed because they are doing a Parikrama or
Circumambulation of Omkara itself and Darshan of the holy JyotirLinga.
The Narmada banks and the island are extremely beautiful. The beauty of
Nature here is seen to be believed. The houses perched on the terraced
green, strong mountains, the temple, KotiTeerth located in the
waterfalls and valleys like Chakrateerts are some of the places to be
seen. One can see very big fish and also crocodiles in these waers.
There are many trees with beautiful creepers all over them. Groups of
monkeys live on these trees. There are a variety of birds. The temple
towers look bright and shiny in between. The whole atmosphere echoes
with the the sound of �Om Namah Shivaya�. It is here that Lord
Sankara has taken the forms of �Omkareshwara� and
�Amaleshwara�, as JyotirLinga.

 Omkareshvar

In the ancient times the Demons defeated the gods or divines. Indra was
worried. The Danavas or Demons have wrecked havoc in all the three
worlds, i.e., Trilokas. In order to empower the Devas once again, Lord
Shiva assumed the form of Jyotirmaya Omkararoop. He came out of the
nether world or Patala. Lord Shankar came out in the form of Linga on
the banks of river Narmada. The gods or Devas have worshipped the Linga
which made them powerful once again. This time they were able to
destroy the demons and re-acquiesced their empire in Heavens.

Brahma and Vishnu also lived in the same place as Omkar Amaleshwar. That is
why on the banks of Narmada Brahmapuri, Vishnupuri and Rudrapuri are
built which are known as Tripuri Kshetra. The Amareshwar JyotiraLinga
is situated in Rudrapuri.

Later on, in the mythological era or Purana Kala, Yavanaswa Putra Mandhata
came into power here with the blessings of Indra. He served Lord
Shankara with great devotion. Lord Shankara was pleased with him. The
waters of Narmada emanated from the Arghya (holy water) or Jalahari of
the Omkar JyotirLinga and flown through the mountains, downward and
later on flow unseen. Narmada joins the deep-water spring located near
the Linga idol of Omkareshwar. It flows there eternally. When some
bubbles appear at the bottom of this spring, it is said, that Lord
Shankar is pleased.

King Mandhata made this holy place his capital. Therefore, this place is also known
as Omkar Mandhata. The descendents of Mandhata live here even today.
The Vindhya mountain also performed a severe penance and pleased
Omkar-Amareshwar. As a result of which, the whole place turned
beautiful. Many hermits like Agastya have performed severe penances and
japas at Omkar-Amaleshwaram JyotirLingam. They had built their
hermitages.

This place of pilgrimage became famous in the historical times too. In 1063 AD,
Paramarking Udayaditya installed four stone inscriptions with four
Sanskrit Stotras and dedicated them to the Amaleshwar Temple.
Pushpadanta�s �Shiva Mahima Stotra� can also be seen as a stone
inscription.

Initially aboriginals used to live here on Omkareshwar island as a settlement. It belonged to
Kalika devi. Devotees of this goddess were known as Bhairavgan and used
to harass pilgrims. They used to sacrifice them. After sometime, a
saint by the name Dariyayinath took charge of that place and stopped
the atrocities of the Bhairavgan. Since then, pilgrims started moving
there freely.

After that, Bhil reign began there. In 1195 AD, King Bharat Singh Cahuhan won over the
Bhils and improved the grandeur of the Omkar Mandhata. Even today the
palace ruins of Raja Bahrat Singh Chauhan can be seen. The heirs of
Bharat Singh Chauhan call themselves the �Kings� of Omkar island,
even now staking their right.

The temple was renovated by Peshwa Baji Rao, the second. After Peshwa,
Punyashlok Ahilya Devi Holkar, has made several improvements in this
ancient shrine. She built strong, expansive and beautiful ghats. The
important one among there is the KotirLingarchana schedule.

This shrine of Omkar Mandhata Shiva pilgrimage is most beautiful. According to Shankaracharya. It is:

kAverikAnarmadayoH pavitre samAgame sajjanatAraNAya |
sadaiva mAndhAtRipure vasantamoNkAramIshaM shivamekamIDe ||

Meaning:

Ipay my obeisance to the One Who is the savior of the good people and
the great One Who always resides at the Holy merging point of Kaveri
and Narmada, i.e., Omkar Shiva.

5. SRI VAIDYANATHA in Parali

Urvottare prajvalikAnidhAne sadA vasantaM girijAsametam |
surAsurArAdhitapAdapadmaM shrIvaidyanAthaM tamahaM namAmi ||

Location of Vaidyanath Temple

If one is to draw a line between Kanyakumari and Ujjain, Parali village
can be clearly seen on that line. This village is located on the slopes
of Meru or Naganarayana Mountain. Parali is an ancient village located
near three rivers, Brahma, Venu and Saraswati, because of the presence
of one of the twelve JyotirLingas of Shankara, it has become famous.
This village is also known as Kantipur, Madhyarekha Vaijayanti or
Jayanti. It is 26 kilometers from Ambejogai in the Beed district.

History of Parali Vaidhyanath jyothirlinga temple

Yogeshwari of Ambejogai was married to Lord Vaidyanatha of Parali. But by the time
the marriage party reached, the auspicious time of the wedding had
passed. As a result the people of the marriage party turned into stone
statues. Yogeshwari was waiting away from Parali. This is one story
that is frequently heard there.

When the Gods and Demons made their combined effort in Amrit Manthan
(Churning for Nectar), fourteen gems emerged. There were Dhanwantari
and Amrit Ratnas in it. When the Demons rushed to grab Amrit, Lord
Vishnu hid the Amrit and Dhanwantari in the Shiva Linga of Lord
Shankara. Just as the Demons tried to touch the Linga, flames started
emanating from the Linga. The scared Demons ran aay. But when devotees
of Lord Shankara touched the Linga, there was a free flow of Amrit from
the same. Even today, devotees touch the Shiva Linga as a part of
taking Darshan. Here, there is no discrimination between caste, creed
or color. Anyone can come and visit this place. As the Lingamurthy is
supposed to have Amrit and Dhanvantari, it is also known as Amriteshwar
and Dhanvantari.

Vaidyabhyam Poojitam Satyam, Lingametat puratamam
Vaidyanathamiti prakhyatam Sarvakamapradayakamï¿.

The mountains and jungles and the rivers, are full of useful medicinal
herbs. That is why Parali JyotirLinga is also known as Vaidyanatha.

It is here that Lord Vishnu successfully helped the Devas to obtain Amrit.
Therefore, this place is also known as �Vaijayanti�.

Once the Demon King Ravana went to Kailasa mountain and did a severe penance
to please Lord Shankara. Put up with cold, heat, rains and fine and
even then when Lord Shiva did not appear before him, he began to cut
his head off in order to offer it to the ShivaLinga. Then the Lord
appeared after Ravana tried to offer his tenth head. He restored all of
Ravana�s heads and granted him boons. Ravana expressed his desire to
take Lord Shiva to Lanka as a boon. He said, �I want to take you to
Lanka�. Shankara, who is very soft hearted to His devotees, agreed to
accompany Ravana to Lanka. He told Ravanan, �You must carry my Linga
with care and devotion, but do be careful not to put it down on the
earth until you reach your destination, or else, it will stay at
whichever place you put it down� Shiva cautioned.

Ravana began the journey homeward carrying the Shivaling. On the way, he
wanted to relieve himself by urination. He bid a cowherd boy to hold
the Linga while he relieved himself. The cowherd was not able to bear
the weight of the Linga and when he could no longer hold it, he put it
down on the earth. And the Shiva Linga put there stayed as Lord Shiva
already ordained and came to be known as Vaidyanatheswar.

Here, the gods were sad about Ravana taking away Shiva to his Lanka. They
requested saint Narada to do something. Narada met Ravana and said to
him by way of praising his penance and Tapas. �You made a mistake in
trusting Shiva. Believing Shiva�s word was wrong. Go to him and
slander him and get your way. Go to Kailasa and move it entirely. Your
success will be gauged by your art of moving Kailasa from there�.
Ravana was tricked into believing Narada. Ravana promptly carried out
Narada�s bidding. Lord Shiva saw the ego driven mischieves rAvaNa and
told him: �A unique power is soon going to born which will destroy
your pride in the strength of your arms�. Narada informed the Gods of
these tidings and his success in his mission. The gods were relieved
and were happy. In the meanwhile, Ravana too was happy with the boon he
received from Lord Shiva. He returned and was in a trance and was under
the influence of Shiva�s mythical power. He was heady and drunk with
power. He decided to conquer the entire universe. To subdue his ego
only God had to descend on the earth in the Avatar of Rama.

Recent developments in Parli Vaidhyanath

Near Parali Village, the temple is built with stones on a high mound. The
temple is surrounded on all four sides by strong walls. The insides
have corridors and a courtyard. Outside the temple there is huge Deep
Stambh or pillar. The main gate or the Mahadwar has a Minaret nearby.
It is called a Prachi or Gawaksha, i.e., window. With the help of the
location of these special prayers are held for Sun God, based on the
sunrays falling through these windows, directly on to the Lingamurthy.

There is a strong, wide staircase to enter the Temple. It is called �Ghat�. The old Ghat was built in the year 1108.

The inner portal of the temple and the court hall are both of the same
size. Therefore, the deity�s Darshan has to be done from the
courtroom itself. No other place has this type of arrangement. At other
places, the inner portal or the Garbhagriha is visually deep.

The Lingamurty at Vaidyanath is made of Shaligram stone. It is beautiful
and very smooth and is in a benevolent attitude. On all the four sides
of the temple, Nanda Deeps (lights) keep burning.

Vaidyanath temple was renovated in the year 1706 AD, by Shiva devotee Ahalyadevi
Holkar. She obtained some special stones from the nearby mountain range
of Trishula Devi range, which is close to Parali. This place was
Ahalyadevi�s favorite.

Late Nanarao Deshpanda built the wonderful court hall of the temple. The
artisans were brought from the village and with the help of the
devotees. A Rama Rajeshwar Mahadev Temple too is built in memory of
them near to the Vaidyanath temple. With in the premises of the
Vaidyanath temple itself, there are eleven more temples for Shiva. The
Veerashaiva Lingayats consider Vaidyanath Temple as the best.

Srimant Pershwa donated a large piece of land as an endowment to the temple
commission. Today this establishment works through a committee. Several
auspicious events are arranged here. Travelers can stay here in
comfort.

Just as Parali is a place of pilgrimage for Shiva devotees, it is also a meeting point for Hari
Hara. In this mixed holy place, Lord Krishna�s festivals too are
celebrated along with Lord Shankara�s festivals, with great
festivity. The water from the Harihar Teerth is brought for the daily
worship of Vaidyanath. Every Monday devotees gather here in great
numbers.

On Chaitra Padva, Vijayadashani, Tripuri Pournima, Maha Shivaratri and Vaikunth
Chaturdashi, big celebrations take place. During these celebrations,
there is no distinction between Bel and Tulsi. Mahadev is offered Tulsi
leaves and Vishnu is offered Bel leaves. This unique practice is seen
only in Vaidyanath. During the rainy season (Sravan) worship of
Vaidyanath, the entire area of Parali echoes with the chanting of
Rudrabhisheka Mantrochchar. The regular Puja is also done with great
devotion and dedication.

Markandeya, obtained his boon of life here in Parali from Vaidyanatha. This story
is from Shivapuran, Markandeya was not blessed with a long life. Yama
wanted to take his life in accordance with the time of Markandeya�s
life. But Shiva released him from imminent death and from Yama. A pond
is named after him. It is here that this happened.

The story of Satyavan and Savitri too is based in Parali this holy place.
On the Narayan mountain, the Vata Vriksh or Banyan tree of Savitri�s
story, is still here to be seen. There is a temple of Vateshwara there.

King Sriyal and Queen Changuna�s dear son Chilia, came to life due to the kindness of Lord Shiva in Parali Vaidyanath.

Lord Ganesha�s idol without the usual trunk and in a sitting posture like a body builder can be seen here.

Great saints like Vakrebua, Dhundiraj, Yamaraj, Vishweswar, Guru Lingaswamy
lived here. Their holy touch has made Parali even holier. It is a place
of pride for Maharashtra.

�Vaidyanatheswaram NaamnaatalLinga Bhavamukheta
Prasiddham Trishulokeshuh Bhuktimukti pradamsataam
JyotirLingamidam sreshtam Darshant Poojanaadapi
Sarvapapaharam Divyam Bhuktivardhana muttamam
Maanusham durlabham Praanya Vaidyanathasya Darshanam
Na Karoti naro yastu Janma nirardhakam�.

6. SRI NAGANATH in Darukavanam

yAmye sadaNge nagare.atiramye vibhUShitANgaM vividhaishcha bhogaiH |
sadbhaktimuktipradamIshamekaM shrInAganAthaM sharaNaM prapadye ||

Purana of Aunda Nagnath temple

Pandavas came here during their Vanvas (life in forests) build a hermitage for
themselves. Their cows used to go to the same river bank to drink
water. After drinking wate, milk used to automatically flow into the
river as if the cows were offering to the river. One day Bhima saw this
miraculous event. He promptly told Dharmaraja about the same. Then
Dharmaraja said, �Surely, some great God must be living in this
river�. Then the Pandavas started removing the water from te river.
The middle part of the river was so hot that the water there was
boiling.

Bheema lifted his mace attacked the river thrice. The water gave way instantly. At the very
moment , instead, blood started oozing like a spring. Lord Shankara�s
Linga could be seen as the JyotirLinga.

On the west coast in an area of 16 Yojanas Daruka and Daruk need to live.
The hermits were tired of being harassed by Daruk, and others. So they
went and sought refuge with Orvamuni, who in turn cursed the Demons
that they would be destroyed. The Devas launched an attack on the
Demons. Now, the Demons began to worry. Daruka, who received some
special boons from Parvati, lifted the entire forest, took it away on
the path of the sky and put it in the middle of the sea. Only then, did
the Demons relax and continue to live there. They used to go by boats
and capture the hermits and imprison them the island. Once, there was a
Shiva devotee by the name Supriya who was among the prisoners. He never
ate food or drank water without worshipping Shiva. He continued to do
Puja even while in prison.

When the guards informed their chief about his, he ordered that Supriya be
put to death. Then Supriya prayed to Lord Shankara for his life. The
Lord appeared before him immediately and destroyed the entire group of
demons including their families. The Lord laid open the entire island
for all the four classes of people for living. On the other land,
Parvati here granted a boon to Daruka. As a result, at the end of that
era, only Demons would be created and she would rule Daruka. Lord Shiva
accepted this. Then Shiva and Parvati stayed there. Shiva once again
assumed the form of JyotirLinga, with the name Nageshwar and Parvati
was known as Nageshwari.

Specialities of Naganath Temple

The architectural beauty of the Nagesh Temple is simply exquisite. This
temple built with stones during the Pandava period is strong. The four
walls of the temple are very strong and the corridors are large. The
court hall is supported by eight pillars. It is oval shaped. Both this
and the Nagesha Lingamurthy is located in the small internal
Garbhagriha.

Here, there is no Nandi idol in front of Mahadeva. There is separate Nandikeshwara temple
back of the main temple. On all the four sides of the main temple,
smaller temples for the twelve JyotirLingas are constructed. Apart from
these, VedavyasaLinga, bhandareshwar, Nilakanteshwar, Ganapati,
Dattatreya, Muralimanohar, Dasavatar temple and idols etc., are there.
In all, there are 108 Shiva temples and 68 shrines are located here.

The structure of the Naganath temple is very beautiful. Inside it, there is
another shrine called Runamochan teerth. Both these shrines are called
�Mother-in-law- Daughter-in-law� shrines. Every 12 years, at the
time of Kapila Shashti, kashi Ganga offering as �Padarpan� is
performed. During this the water in the teerth kund looks crystal
clear. Again at a specific time it becomes �Shivala Yukt�.

Close to the Naganath temple, there are several statues of various divines.
Besides these there are many more idols of animals, soldiers relating
some stories. These stones idols are very beautiful to look at. At a
huge corner, there is an idol of Paravti, who is sulking with Shiva
trying to pacify her. This statue is amazing to look at with its
stunning features. It is unmatched in its expression of emotions.

Aurangazeb was intolerant towards other religions and wanted to destroy this Hindu
temple. When he tried, thousands of bees came out of the temple and
attacked Aurangazeb and his army. He left the demolition work midway
and went away. The devotees rebuild the broken temple.

Sometimes snakes with their hoods open can be seen standing guard on the Naganath
Linga idol. When they drink the milk left in cups for them, is never
known.

�Amardakamidam Kashi Dughdeyamkila Jahnave|
Vishwesho Naganadhoyam, Bhawani Kanakeshwara||�

7. SHRI KEDARNATH in Himalayas

mahAdripArshve cha taTe ramantaM sampUjyamAnaM satataM munIndraiH |
surAsurairyaxa mahoragADhyaiH kedAramIshaM shivamekamIDe ||

Location and Surroundings of Kedharnath

Among the twelve JyotirLingas of Bhagwan Shankara, the one at Kedarnath is
located in the snow-covered area of the Himalayas. This JyotirLinga can
be visited only during six months in a year. From the month of Vaisakha
to Ashwin (Ashwiyaja) is the time when pilgrims can make the journey to
this. The rest of the year it is too cold and the Himalayas are covered
in snow. Therefore, the Kedarnath temple remains closed for pilgrims.

During the month of Karthik, due to snowfall, Sri Kedareshwar idol is brought
out of the temple after lighting a ghee lamp, �Nanda Deepa�. Then
the temple is closed for the winter. From the month of Karthik to
Chaitra Sri Kedareshwar�s abode is shifted to the Urvi Math, which is
in the valley. In the month of Vaishakh, when the temple doors are
opened the lamp �Nanda Deepa� still keeps burning. People come to
see this glorious lamp and the Shiva devotees consider themselves
blessed.

Hardwar is considered to be the gateway to heaven, the magic city or Mayapur. Ahead of Haridwar,
there are holy places like Rishikesh, Devprayag, Sonprayag and Triyugi
Narayan, Gaurikund. To Kedarnath one has to pass through these places.
Some part of the journey is motorable and the rest has to be walked
upon. This part of the way through the Himalaya is very difficult. But
devotees go through all this with dedication and determination. They
overcome all the difficulties with perseverance.

To climb the steep path, some use mules, some use Dolis (swing like
carriages) and some others use walking sticks. There are arrangements
for acquiring these here. There are chowltries and resting places in
between for the tired yatris. At Gaurikund, the pilgrims get to have a
bath in the hot springs there. After this, they take a Darshan of the
head-less Ganesha. It is here in Gaurikund, that Lord Shiva cut off
Ganesha�s head with the trident and later replaced with the head of
an elephant.

A little farther from Gaurikund, near the snow-clad mountains, on the banks of River
Mandakini, the Kedarnath temple of the glorious JyotirLinga of Lord
Shankar becomes visible. This is where Lord Shankar had made His abode.
The shivalinga here is self-manifest and not installed by anyone. It is
said that this is the hind part of Mahisha (he-buffalo).

Purana of Kedhar

During the war between the Kauravas and Pandavas, their own kith and kin gor
killed. In order to absolve themselves of this sin, the Pandavas went
for a pilgrimage. But Lord Vishweshwara was away in Kailasa in the
Himalayas. On learning this, the Pandavas, left Kashi. They reached the
Himalayas via Hardwar. They saw Lord Shankar from a distance. But Lord
Shankara hid from them. Then Dharmaraj said: �Oh, Lord, You have
hidden yourself from our sight because we have sinned. But, we will
seek You out somehow. Only after we take your Darshan would our sins be
washed away. This place, where You have hidden Yourself will be known
as Guptkashi and become a famous shrine.

From Guptakashi (Rudraprayag), the Pandavas went ahead they reached
Gaurikund in the Himalayas valleys. They wandered there in search of
Lord Shankara. While doing so Nakul and Sahadev found a he-buffalo. It
was unique to look at.

Then! Bhemma went after the buffalo with his mace. The buffalo was clever and
Bheema could not catch it. But Bheema managed to hit the buffalo with
his mace. The buffalo had its face hidden in a crevice-in the earth.
Bheema started to pull it by its tail. In this tug-of war, the face of
the buffalo went straight to Nepal, leaving its hind part in Kedar. The
face of the buffalo is known as Pashupatinath in Nepal.

On this hind part of Mahesha, a glorious JyotirLinga appeared. Lord
Shankara appeared from this great light. He appeared before the
pandavas. By getting a Darshan of Lord Shankar, the pandavas were
absolved of their sins. The Lord told the Pandavas, �From now on, I
will remain here as a triangular shaped JyotirLinga. By taking a
Darshan of Kedarnath, devotees would attain piety�. Near Kedarnath,
there are many symbols of the Pandavas Raja Pandu died here, when he
tried to make love to Madri. This place is famous as Pandukeshwar. The
tribals here perform a dance called �Pandav Nritya�. The mountain
top where the Pandavas went to Swarga, is known as �Swargarohini�.
When Darmaraja was leaving for Swarga, one of his fingers fell on the
earth. At that palce, Dharmaraj installed a Shiva Linga, which is the
size of the thumb.

To gain Mashisharupa, Shankara and Bheema fought with maces. Bheema was struck
with remorse. He started to massage Lord Shankara�s body with ghee.
In memory of this event, even today, this triangular Shiva JyotirLinga
is massaged with ghee. Shankara is worshipped here in this manner.
Water and Bel leaves are used for worship.

When Nar-nrayan went to Badrika village and started the worship of Parthiva,
Shiva appeared before them. A few days later, a pleased Shiva granted
them some boons. Nar-narayan wished that for the welfare of the
humanity, Shiva should remain there in his original form. Granting
their wish, in the snow-clad Himalayas, in a place called Kedar,
Mahesha himself stayed there as a Jyoti. Here, He is known as
Kedareshwara.

By visiting Kedareshwar, sorrows do not come even in dreams. By worshipping
Shambara (Kedareshwar) Pandavas were rid of all theor sorrows.
Badri-Keshwar�s darshan rids one of the material ties. Whoever gives
Dan (alms) at Kedareshwar, just gets assimilated into Shivaroopa.

Around the main Kedarnath temples, there are many holy places. At the back,
there is the Samadhi of Shankarachrya. A little further up, there is
dangerous cliff called Bhariguptan (Bhairav Udan). One has to pass
through dreadful, and life threatening circumstances. But what one gets
is not Mrityu (Death) but Moksha (Salvation). On all the eight sides of
the temple, there are eight shrines.

In short, it is to say that in order to visit Kedarnath, JyotirLinga, one
has to go through a treacherous route. But when people are determined
and dedicated, they never get tired. Every one keeps chanting Jay Kedarnath! Jay Kedarnath!!

Srimat Shankaracharya praised Lord Shiva thus:

mahAdripArshve cha taTe ramantaM sampUjyamAnaM satataM munIndraiH |
surAsurairyaxa mahoragADhyaiH kedAramIshaM shivamekamIDe ||

Meaning:

Oh Lord, who resides in the great heights of Himalayas, oh Lord, thou, who
art worshipped forever by saints, Hermits, Demons, Gods, Yakshas and
Maha Nag (giant snakes), I bow and offer millions of Pranams.

sambandhar, and sundharar have sung one padhikam (1) each on the Lord of Kedharam.

8. SHRI TRYAMBAKESHWAR in Nasik

sahyAdrishIrShe vimale vasantaM godAvaritIrapavitradeshe |
yaddharshanAtpAtakamAshu nAshaM prayAti taM tryambakamIshamIDe ||

Tryambakeshwar Jyothirlinga

Of the twelve JyotirLingas of Lord Shankara, the tenth one is known as
Tryambakeshwara. Tryambak is near Nasik in Maharashtra. This great
JyotirLinga on the banks of Gautami has a unique form. The Lord in this
temple�s Grabhagriha is not worshipped with Abhisheka with water
(Jalahari) unlike others. There is just a bottom part of the pounding
stone (Ukhali), instead, like a hole.

In that hole there are three Lingas shaped like the Thumbs. Hence
Tryambakeshwara. Of these three Lingas, the Linga of Mahesha has a
constant shower of water from an orifice above. It is a natural source
of water coming down as Abhisheka for the Lord.

Purana of Tryambakeshwar Temple

Ahalyaï husband, Gautama was doing Tapas or penance on the Dakshina Mountain.
It did not rain there for a hundred years and the land was drying up
and life forms disappearing. Seeing these conditions of drought, the
residents, the saints, and all the birds and animals fled from there.
Saint Gautam did a great Mangalik tapas through Pranayama for six long
months. Varuna, the deva of rains, was pleased and appeared before
Gautama, who inturn asked for water. At the behest of Varuna, Gautam
dug a hole on his hand. With the help of Varuna�s miraculous power,
it filled with water. Varuna said, �Due to the power of your penance,
this hole would be an unending source of water �Akshya�. It will
become famous by your name. It will augment all holy rituals like
Yagna, Dana, Tapa, Homa Shraadha, and worship of Gods. After this water
was thus acquired, the saints started making preparations for the Yagna
and the production of �Breehika�.

Once when the disciples of Gautama went to fetch some water, from that
waterhole, just then some of the saints wives were also there for the
same purpose. They insisted on taking water first. The disciples of
Gautama called Gautama�s wife. She intervened and allowed her
husband�s disciples to fetch water. The wives of the Rishis felt
insulted at this and complained to their husbands and while doing so
added a few lies here and there. The great saints at once started the
worship of Ganesha as an intial Puja in sheer scheme of vendetta. When
Ganesha appeared before them and granted some boons, they asked for the
power of being able to insult and chase away Gautama, as an indesirable
person from there. Ganesha understood that Gautama was very helpful by
nature, tried to persuade the saints from getting their way. He knew
that, but for Gautama�s efforts, the saints would be craving for even
a drop of water. But the saints would have none of it. Reluctantly,
Ganesha had to accode to the request of the adamant Rishis, but warned
them to be ready to face the consequences of angering a great saint
like Gautama.

One day, when Gautama went to get some �Breehi�, he saw a thin, starving cow
there. Just when he lifted a little twig to show away the cow, the cow
fell dead. The other Rishis caught the opportunity and accused Gautama
of slaying a cow �Gohatya�. They insulted him and said that he must
leave that palce immediately in order to save it from the aftermath of
Gohaty. Gautama became very sad and left feeling greatly depressed.

Gautama wanted to absolve himself of the sin of Gohatya �Cow slaughter�. He
thus resorted to the method of Tapas recommended by great saints. He
began the difficult task of bringing Ganga water with the power of his
Tapas, take bath with that water and chant Shiva mantras a crore times
and worship the Parthiva Linga. Shiva was pleased and told him that he
is indeed a pure soul and a great Mahatma. A great injustice was done
to him, Shiva told him that he could ask for some boons. Gautama asked
for Ganga, which would be of great help to the humanity. Shiva gave
Ganga to Gautama, in the form of Tatwarupa Avishishta Jal. After taking
the water, Gautama requested Shiva to absolve him of the sin of cow
slaughter. Shiva purified Gautama and wanted to go back to His abode
after that. But he told the Lord to remain on the earth till the end of
Kaliyuga. Ganga prayed to him and requested him to stay on the earth,
along with his consort Parvati. For the welfare of the world, Lord
Shiva granted Ganga her wish.

Ganga wanted to know from Lord Shiva, how people will know about her
greatness. The Rishis said that until Brihaspati stays on the Simha
Rashi (Leo), we will stay here on your banks and will take a holy dip
in your waters thrice a day before taking the Darshan of Shiva. Only by
doing so, would we able to war our sins. On hearing this Lord Shiva and
Ganga stayed there. Ganga has also come to be known as Gautami and the
Linga came to be known as Tryambaka.

The river which gave away cows as Go-Daan became Godavari. Ganga who came
on the request of Gautama became Gautam Ganga. That was the auspicious
time of Brahmagiri, the time in between, when the Kurmavatar was over
and before the assumption of Varahavatar, the Sanghiparva. The planet
Guru (Jupiter) was in the sign of Simha (Leo), Magha Shuddha Dashami,
Thursday after noon, when Gautami Ganga was born. The area of
Brahmagiri too looks like the Lingamurthyy. From the tip, the water of
Gautami Ganga flows.

Other speicialities of Tryambak zone

The spring at Brahmagiri from where Godavari comes out, is known as
Gangadwar. The Ganga water flows from a rock shaped like a cow face,
constantly. The temple of Godavari mata is located here. The idol looks
happy and peaceful. The Varaha Teertha is close by.

After emanating from Gangadwar, the river Godavari thins down and almost
disappears, only to appear again at Tahalhati. In order to prevent it
from disappearing, Gautam Rishi threw Darbhas on all four sides.
Because of this, Godavari flows in Kushavarti. The Kushavarti Maha
Teerth is a circle of 27 meters. It is built very strong. There are
steps on all four sides to facilitate going down to the waters.

At the time of Simhasta (in Leo), every 12 years, a Kumbhmela is held
here. Lakhs of people take a holy dip in Kushavarta. On all the four
sides of Kushavartha corridors are built. Beautiful statues are also
carved here in the Brahmagiri Talhati, near Kushavarti, there is a big
lake called Ganga Sagar.

On the parikrama path, there are beautiful places like Ram Teerth. Prayag
Teerth and Nrisimha Teerth etc, The Peshwa kings planted trees at every
25 hand distance. During the reign of the Peshwas, criminals were asked
to do the Parikrama (circumbulation) of Brahmagiri as punishment.

The Tryambakeshwar JyotirLinga is unique, great, holy and wonderful place of pilgrimage.

9. SRI RAMESHWAR in Rameshwaram

sutAmraparNIjalarAshiyoge nibadhya setuM vishikhairasa.nkhyaiH |
shrIrAmachandreNa samarpitaM taM rAmeshvarAkhyaM niyataM namAmi ||

Importance of Rameshwaram

Taking the Ganga water to Rameshwar, is considered as a very auspicious and
pious thing to do after the pilgrimage of the four holy shrines. After
taking a holy bath in Ganga water, the holy water is carried and
offered to Lord shiva of Rameshwaram. After this a little sand from
here is carried to Ganga and immersed there. Completing this ritual is
believed to make one�s pilgrimage complete and successful.

On the southern seaside of India, Rameshwar sea shrine is located.

In classics like the Skandha Purana, Shivapurana etc., Rameshwar is shown
as a very important place. The story of Rameshwara goes like this:

Puranam of Rameshwar Jyothirlingam

After Sitaï abduction, Ram wandered in the jungles looking for her. While
doing so, he met Sugriva and made friends with him. Later with the help
of special messenger Sri Hanuman, he found out where Sita was taken.
Then Rama prepared an army to invade Ravana�s empire and reached the
southern seashore. He did not have any means of crossing the sea.
Lakshman and Sugriva saw Rama, who is a Shiva devotee in great anguish
and could do nothing. But Ravana received some special boons from Lord
Shiva. Rama was aware of this and therefore, his fears could not be set
at rest. In the mean time, Rama was full thirsty. Just as he was about
to drink water, he remembered that he was yet to perform Shiva pooja.
He immediately made a Prathiv Linga and worshipped it with sixteen
methods, i.e., Shodasopachar Vidhis.

Ramji prayed to Lord Shiva ardently and soulfully, and sang songs of Lord
Shiva�s praise in a loud voice. He danced and made the sounds of
�Aagad bam bam�. This pleased Lord Shiva immediately and instantly
appeared before Rama and told him that could ask for any boons and that
he would grant them. Ram showed a lot of care, affection and love to
Lord Shiva and prayed and paid obeisance. Rama said �If You want to
grant me my wishes, please stay on this earth for the sake of all make
it holy� Shiva granted the same by saying �Evamastu� meaning
�so be it�. He thus stayed there and came to be known as
Rameshwara, in the form of a Shiva Linga and became popular.

With the blessings of Lord Shiva, Rama killed all the demons including
Ravana and became victorious. Any one who takes a Darshan of the
JyotirLinga at Rameshwar and sprinkles the holy water of Ganga, attains
salvation, Kaivalya Moksha or Nirvana.

Specialities of Rameswaram

The place where the JyotirLinga is located, a large and expans