Nagesawaram is one of the 12 jyothirlingas of Lord Siva. ‘nagesam darukavane’[sivamahapuran kotirudra samhita 1/21-24]

It is believed to be the first sivalinga on earth.

Text says Nageswaram is in ‘Darukavana’, which is an ancient epic name of forest in India. Darukavana finds mention in Indian epics like kamyakavana, Dwaitavana, Dandakavana,etc.

According to legend, ‘Balakhilyas’, a group of dwarf sages worshipped SIVA in darukavana for long time. To test their devotion& patience, SIVA came to darukavana as an digmbara ascetic[nude] wearing only Nagas[serpants] in his body. Wives of sages were attracted and ran after the ascetic, leaving back their husbands. Sages got very disturbed and frustruated with this.They lost their patience and cursed ascetic to loose his linga. Sivalinga fell on the earth and whole world trempled.Brahma and VIshnu came to Siva, requested him to save earth from destruction and take back his linga. Siva consoled them and took back his linga.[Vamana purana CH.6th& 45th]

SIVA promised his divine presence in darukavana as ‘jyothirlinga’ for ever. Later darukavana became favourate place of Nagas and Vasuki worshipped Siva here for long and there after jyothirlinga came to be known as ‘Nagnath/Nageswar’.

Also there is a story in Shiv Purana on jyotirlinga nageswaram. It says, a demon named Daaruka attacked a Shiva devotee by name Supriya and imprisoned her along with several others in his city of Daarukavana.This place was a city of snakes and Daaruka was the king of the snakes. On the insistence of Supriya, all the prisoners started to chant the holy mantra of Shiva and instantly Lord Shiva appeared and vanquished the demon and later started to reside here in the form of a Jyotirlinga.

At present, there is a debate on location of epic forest Darukavana so as to identify the jyothirlinga of Nageswaram. Since no other important clues are left in the text which help in locating the place,’darukavana’ remains as the vital clue.

Many SIVA temples across the country are claiming their shrine as Nageswara and their location as darukavana. Out of these, three are most prominent.

1.Nageswara temple near Dwaraka, Gujarat

2.Jageswara temple near Almora, Uttarkhand

3.Nagnath Temple in Audha, Maharashtra

The very name of Darukavana in text is misread as ‘dwarakavana’ by many at their own interest to locate jyothirlinga at Nageswara temple at Dwaraka. In fact there is no legendary forest at this part of dwaraka that finds mention in any of the india epics. In legends of SriKrishna, we find mention of Somnath and adjoining Prabhas theerth, but never there is any mention of ‘Nageswara or Darukavana’ in Dwaraka and outskirts.

Darukavana is again misread as ‘daruvana’ [meaning deodar forest] by many to locate it in almora. Deodar[daru vriksha] is found in western himalayas in abundance and is not found in peninsular India. According to The ancient treatise Prasadmandanam, Thus many identify ‘Jageswara’ temple in Almora, Uttarkhand as Nageswara jyothirlinga.

But ‘Darukavana’ finds mention adjacent to Vindya Mountains in epics. It is south-southwest of Vindyas extending to sea in west.

In dwadasa jyothirlinga sthothram, sri sankaracharya has praised jyothirlinga as ‘Naganath’.

“Yame sadanganagarethi ramye
vibhushithangam vividhaischabhogai
sathbhakthimukthipradameesamekam
srinaganatham saranam prapadye”

which clearly says that it is located south ['yame'] in the beautiful town of ‘sadanga’. ‘sadanga’ is the ancient name of Audh in Maharashtra and is located ‘south’ compared to Jageswara shrine in Uttarkhand and Dwaraka Nageswaram at West end.

This clearly shows that Nagnath Shrine at Audha [Parbhani Dist. Maharashtra] is the real Nageswara Jyothirlinga and Darukavana is located south-west of Vindhyas. Darukavana has nothing to do with Dwarakavana or Daruvana.

Nearest Rail Head is Parbhani Station on Manmad-Nanded line.

Deities: Lord Shiva
Location: Omkareshwara, Madhya Pradesh
Famous for: One of the twelve jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva
Best time to visit: July to March

Gods of all the Gods Lord Shiva’s Omkareshwar linga is situated on the mountain Mandhata.Shri Omkareshwar temple stands on a one mile long, half a mile wide island that has been formed by the fork of the Narmada.

The sacred island, shaped like the holiest of all Hindu symbols, `Om’, has drawn a hundred generations of pilgrims. The white dome of the temple is constructed of soft soap stone displaying intricate carvings on the upper portions and stone roof of the temple. Verandhas with columns which are carved in circles, polygons and squares encircle the shrine. The tower or Shikhar was built in Nagara style and consists of 5 layers, each representing a different deity.

Before entering the temple one has to pass through 2 rooms. The Omkareshwar is not affixed to the ground, but is naturally installed there. There is always water around it. The significance of this linga is that the linga is not situated below the cupola. The idol of Lord Shiva is situated on the top of the temple.

Situated on the banks of the Narmada, Omkareshwar is one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is located at a distance of about 12 miles from Mortakka in Madhya Pradesh. The river Narmada spits into two and forms an island Mandhata or Shivapuri in the center. The shape of the island resembles that of the visual representation of the Omkara sound, Om. There are two temples here, one to Omkareshwar and one to Amareshwar.

Legend has it that the Vindhya mountain prayed to Shiva – Omkareshwara and was blessed here. Legend also has it that upon the request of the Devas, the Shivalinga split into two, one half being Omkareshwara and the other Amaleshwara or Amareshwar. King Mandhatha of the Ishvaku clan is believed to have worshiped Shiva here.

The name Omkareshwar derives from the word Om, which signifies the most sacred Hindu symbol. This island is shaped like the Om and is about 2km long and 1km wide. As you probably know by now, the lingam is the symbol of Lord Shiva and there must be simply thousands of them in India. The jyotirlingam or the lingam of light, however, is special. It is believed to derive currents of power from within itself as opposed to an ordinary lingam which is ritually invested with mantra shakti (power invested by chants) by the priests.

Structure and Significance of Omkareshwar Temple
A special feature of the location of Omkareshwar Temple is that the river Narmada branches into two and forms an island Mandhata or Shivapuri in the center. The Omkareshawar temple is built in the North Indian style of architecture, with high spires. Devotees consider worship to Panchamuga Ganesha, to be very auspicious.

The Omkareshwar Temple is built in the Nagara style and is characterized by a lofty shikhara. There are also shrines to Annapurna and Ganesha here. The Omkareshwar is not affixed to the ground but is naturally installed there. There is always water around it. The significance of this linga is that the linga is not situated below the cupola. The idol of Lord Shiva is situated on the top of the temple.

Other Attraction:
Despite the damage done by Muslim invaders in the time of Mahmud of Ghazni (11th century), there are still many temples on this island, both Hindu and Jain. You can spot a huge Nandi Bull (the vehicle of Lord Shiva) carved in the hillside opposite the temple to Gauri Somnath at the western end of the island. Don’t miss the 24 Avatars, a group of Hindu and Jain temples, the 10th century Satmatrika Temples (6km) and the Kajal Rani Cave (9km), a lovely picnic spot with a great view and Shri Omkar Mandhata, Siddhnath Temple, 24 Avatars, Satmatrika Temples, Kajal Rani Cave.

Festival:
The Temple can be reached by ferry from the banks of the river. A huge fair is organised here on the day of Kartik Poornima.

How to reach:
By Air: Nearest airport is at Indore which is around 77 km away from here. You can take a bus or hire a cab to get here in around 2 hrs.
By Rail: Omkareshwar railhead is the nearest station from here at a distance of 12 km,hiring a taxi is the best way of commuting from station to the Omkareshwar city center.
By Road: There are regular buses in and out of Omkareshwar to all major cities of Madhya Pradesh.

Deities: Mallikarjuna (Shiva)
Location: Srisailam, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
Best time to visit: All year around
Festival & Event: Mahashivaratri

“Jay Mallikarjuna! Jay Mallikarjuna”

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.

Legend:
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 place on Amavasya (No moon day) and Poornima (full Moon day) 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 Shivalinga. 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:
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.

The kings of the Vijaya Nagar 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, Shri Ram are some of the great mythological personalities who have visited this holy shrine.

The Somnath Temple located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India is the most sacred of the twelve Jyotirlings (lingas of light) symbols of the God Shiva. It is mentioned in the Rig Veda. Somnath means “The Protector of Moon God”. The Somnath Temple is known as ‘the Shrine Eternal’, as although the temple has been destroyed six times it has been rebuilt every single time.

Name: Somnath
Creator: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (present structure)
Date built: 1947 (Present structure)
Primary deity: Shiva
Architecture: Chalukya
Location: Veraval, Gujarat, India
Website www.somnath.org

Significance
Hindu mythology states that years ago, the Moon God Chandra, being arrogant about his beauty, was cursed by his father-in-law Daksha to wane. The Moon then prayed to Lord Shiva at the Prabhas tirth who then removed the curse partially, thus causing the periodic waning of moon.

It’s been said that Somnath Temple was first built with gold by Moon God, with silver by Ravana, with sandalwood by Lord Krishna, and with stone by Bhimdeva (Solanki Ruler of Gujarat)

History
The Someshwar Mahadev temple stands tall among the temples of India. The construction of the present temple in Junagadh district began in 1947. It is the seventh temple built to commemorate the glory of Lord Somnath who is said to have known as Bhairaveshwar in the Satya Yug, Shravanikeshwar in Treta Yug and Shrigaleshwar in Dwapar Yug.

Architecture
The Present temple, Kailash Mahameru Prasada, is built in the Chalukya style of temple architecture and reflects the skill of the Sompuras, Gujarat’s master masons.

The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land in between from Somnath seashore to Antarctica. Such an inscription in Sanskrit is found on the ARROW-PILLAR erected on the sea-protection wall at the Somnath Temple. The Darshani Gates of the Golden Temple in Amritsar are the Somnath Temple Gates, which were brought back by the army of the mighty Jat-Sikh King Maharaja Ranjit Singh from Afghanistan.

In 1951 Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, who performed the Jyotirling-Pratishthapan ceremony of the new Temple said, “The Somnath Temple signifies that the power of creation is always greater than the power of destruction.”

How to Reach Somnath
Air – The nearest Airport is at Diu, (90 km ) which is connected with Mumbai.

Rail – Before Veraval (5 km) was the closest Railway station. However now, Somnath itself is a new railway station as of 16 October, 2008.

Road – State transport buses and private luxury coaches connect various centres of Gujarat to Somnath