Divinity of Jageshwar dham

‘ॐ नमः शिवाय’

Divinity of Jageshwar dham

Jageshwar temple complex - cocooned in the Doedar forests

Nestled in the Almora district of Uttarakhand, also known at the ‘Land of Gods’, perched at an altitude of 1870 meters (MSL) and lying in the East to North East direction of Almora township, about 37 Kms. ahead towards Bare China and cocooned in the dense forests of Deodar (Cedrus deodara), lies the temple complex comprising the reverend & famed Jageshwar dham. The place finds mention in the ancient treatise of Prasadmandanam, which describes this place as an abode of Lord Shiva and in Sanskrit it is stated as –

हिमाद्रेरूत्तरे पार्श्वे देवदारूवनं परम्
पावनं शंकरस्थानं तत्र् सर्वे शिवार्चिताः।

The Dandeshwar temple complex in Jageshwar

The self appearing Shiva Lingam inside Dandeshwar temple complex

      Jageshwar is the place of Nagesh, 8th among the Dwadasa Jyotirlingas (the ten plus two or twelve resplendent lingas of Lord Shiva established by Lord Vishnu), which is stated to exist in the forest of Deodar or daruka (Sanskrit: दारूक वन, transliteration: daruka van). Renowned Hindu Saint Adi Shankaracharya visited this place and composed this hymn in praise of Lord Shiva -

सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम् ।
उज्जयिन्यां महाकालमोकांरममलेश्वरम् ।
परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमशंकरम् ।
सेतुबंधे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारूकावने ।
वाराणस्यां तु विश्वेशं त्रयंम्बकं गौतमीतटे ।
हिमालये तु केदारं घुश्मेशं च शिवालये ।
ऐतानि ज्योतिर्लिंगानि सायं प्रातः पठेन्नरः ।
सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं स्मरणेन विनश्यति ।
— Dwadasa Jyotirlinga Stotra by famed Hindu Saint Adi Shankaracharya

The saint is also credited with the rejuvenation of Hindu religion & repair of this holy shrine, before he moved ahead to Kedarnath, where he established the famed shrine temple.

Inside courtyard view of Jageshwar temple complex

          There are several mythological stories associated with the formation of the 12 (twelve) Jyotirlingas. Jyotirlinga in Sanskrit means ’Pillar of light’. Although some do not list Jageshwar in the list of 12 Jyotirlingas and identify Nageshwar to be in Dwarka, Gujrat, whereas in some others it does list as being in Jageshwar in Uttarakhand. The twelve Jyotirlingas are listed as follows –
1. Somnath at Prabhas Patan, Saurashtra, Gujarat.
2. Sri Mallikarjun in township of Srisailam,Andhra Pradesh
3. Mahakaleshwar in township of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
4. Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh.
5. Vaidyanath temple at Deoghar, Jharkhand.
6. Bhimashankar in Dakini, Maharashtra.
7. Ramalingeswar in Setubandanam, Tamil Nadu
8. Nagesh in Jageshwar.
9. Vishwanath in Benaras, Uttar Pradesh.
10. Tryambakeshwar Jyotirlinga near Nasik, Maharashtra.
11. Kedareswar in Kedarnath Himalayas, Uttarakhand.
12. Ghrishneshwar in Devasrovar, Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

       As stated hereinabove that Jageshwar finds mention in very ancient Hindu texts and therefore, the exact dating of existence of the temples cannot be done definitively. There are about 120 temples in the temple complex and several edicts (about twenty five in number) providing for some clues to the origin of these temples. According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), they belong to the post-Gupta and pre-medieval eras and are estimated to be about 450 yrs old. These temples range in the period from the 8th century (early Katyuri Dynasty) to the 18th century (Chand Dynasty). The temples were renovated during the reign of Katyuri King Shalivahandev. There is an inscription of Malla Kings on the main temple premises indicating their devotion to Jageshwar. The Katyuri Kings also donated villages to the temple priests for its maintenance. The Chand Kings of Kumaon were also patrons of the Jageshwar temple. Numerous Jageshwar temples were constructed or restored during the Gurjara Pratihara era. It is believed that while establishing the various maaths in Uttarakhand, like the Kedarnath and Badrinath dhams, Adi Shankaracharya too had visited Jageshwar and renovated and re-established many temples before leaving for Kedarnath. The Samsan ghat of Jageshwar is also the cremation ground of the erstwhile Chand Kings. The temples architecture belongs to the Nagara style, characterized by a tall curved spire surmounted by an amalaka (capstone) and a kalasha crown. Most of the temples enshrine a stone Lingam, surrounded by stone sculptures of various deities. The pilgrimage to Jageshwar is considered as sacred as the famous Chardham yatra.

Entrance to the Tarun Jageshwar temple

Nandi inside the Jageshwar temple complex

Performing puja inside the Tarun Jageshwar temple

       The folklore in the regions around Jageshwar tells us a gripping story about building the Main temple Near Kot Linga Temple Complex. Lord Shiva selected this place to be his abode. During the Tapasya by Lord Shiva, demons obstructed his penance. Then God "Sam" came into being as Trinetra (the third eye of Lord Shiva), who sent his ‘Ganas’/Demons to kill these demons. It is believed that Lord Sam will come to Kot Linga temple premises to save humanity and Jageshwar in Kalyuga. Adi Shankacharya tried to build the main temple at Kotlinga, but to no avail as Lord Sam wanted Kotlinga to be specifically reserved for the Meditation of his beloved Lord Shiva. Old ruins of a temple structure can be found near Kotlinga. Local people still believe that Lord Sam will come and built the real Jageshwar temple near Kotlinga and thus, save the mankind from adversities of Kalyuga.  It is also believed that anyone who prays here is saved from ‘akaal mrityu’/untimely or sudden violent death.  The temple city comprises a cluster of 124 large and small stone temples, dating 9th to 13th century AD, with many preserved by the  (ASI), which include Dandeshwar Temple which is situated upstream of the main temple complex and is in a more dilapidated condition and the lingam here is of a natural stone that is uncarved and in natural state, known as swayam bhu (meaning self-appearing).    The main temple complex that is situated next to the Jaata Ganga further downstream comprises of the Chandi-ka-Temple, Jageshwar Temple, Kuber Temple, Mritunjaya Temple, Nanda Devi or Nau Durga, Nava-grah temple, a Pyramidal shrine, Surya Temple and the Bhairav temple at the side of the entrance.  Tarun Jageshwar is one of the principal temples situated in the temple premises. The temple has two dwarapalas (door guardians) in the form of the armed Nandi and Skandi. This is a west facing temple of Lord Shiva. Here, Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Nagesh/Jageshwar.  In the middle of the temple is the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, the Shivlinga is divided into two parts. The larger one depicts Lord Shiva and smaller one his consort Parvati. An Akhand Jyoti, (an immortal flame) burns in the temple. There are two Asthadhatu statues of the Chand Kings - Deepchand and Tripalchand in the standing posture behind the Shivlinga.

Panoramic view of Mahamritynjaya temple with pyramid shaped temple in front and Deodar trees in the background

The spire of the Mahamrityunjaya temple in Jageshwar - the highest of all

        The most famous of them is the Mahamrityunjay temple, which is the largest and oldest temple in the Jageshwar temple complex. This temple of Shiva is eastern facing and the Linga is worshipped as the saviour from death. The unique linga has an eye shaped opening. Pilgrims believe that reciting the Mahamritunjaya Mantra is a fruitful, auspicious and powerful method of self-realization, removal of evil effects, and freedom from all kinds of fears, illness and negativity. The Mahamritunjaya Mantra is attested in the Sukla Yajurveda Samhita III/60 and reads as –

ॐ हौ जूँ सः
ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः
ॐ त्रयंबकं यजामहे सुगन्धिम् पुष्टिवधर्नम्
उर्वारूकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्यॊर्मुक्षीय मामृतात्
ॐ स्वः भुवः भूः ॐ
सः जूँ हौ ॐ

The Yagna pit inside Jageshwar temple



The statue of Bhairav inside the temple dedicated to the Lord in Jageshwar

The temple dedicated to Kuber in Jageshwar

             Visit to the Jageshwar Dham is not considered to be complete until one visits the temple complex of Vridh or Budh Jageshwar.  This temple complex is situated on a hill top about 3 Kms. from the main Jageshwar temple complex through a pedestrian hill path.  However, in case one wants to visit it by road i.e. using a vehicle, one will have to traverse back upto Bare China junction and therefrom, turn right (while coming from Jageshwar side) and head through a desolate but tranquil road for about 10 odd Kms. till you reach the end of the road, where the temple is situated.  Although there is not definitive written treatise about this place, but as per the folk lore, one of the Chand dynasty Kings who was passing through the place found a cow voluntarily milking itself at a spot and this was repeated regularly for several days.  He then visited the spot to find out a Swayam bhu Shiva linga jutting out of the land.  Since he was proceeding for a war, he prayed at the site and made a promise that in case he won the war, he would construct a temple at the site.  The King won the war and kept his promise.  The stones are said to have been sourced from a place about 10-12 Kms. from the site, a village called Panvanola and the village quarry yielded only those exact number of stones that were required to build the temple.  Inside the temple, a constant source of water flows, whose origins are unknown and this is offered as ‘Charana-amrit’ (Elixir flowing from foot of Lord – literal meaning) to those pilgrims visiting the temple.  It is said that this particular spot offers spectacular views of the Himalayas.  However, as we had visited during the ‘Shravan’ (rainy season) month, when it is considered to be the most auspicious time, the region was all covered with clouds. 

Panoramic view of Budh or Vridh Jageshwar

Another view of the Vridh or Budh Jageshwar

The temple spire of Vridh or Budh Jageshwar

Although we were albiet late while returning back after paying obeisance,  but we were treated to  a spectacular view of a rainbow while returning back.

Panoramic view of hills near Almora with rainbow across

Close up of the many hues of the rainbow

May the blessings of Lord Shiva be always with you…..

Bibliography – 1) Information has been sourced from Widipedia;

    2) Information sourced from the Archaeological Survey of India boards; and  

                           3) Information gathered from the temple priests etc.

                          4) The animated photograph of Lord Shiva has been sourced from the web