Of
all the major Hindu pilgrimages in the Uttarakhand, Jageshwar temple is one of
the most important for Shiva worshipping as it is sacred place of one of the
Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva . Jageshwar Dham is located in Almora district of
Uttarakhand, around 37 kms from Almora city at an elevation of approx.6000 ft.
in the Jata- Ganga river valley amidst dense deodar forest. Jageshwar dham comprises of a cluster of 124
small and large temples made of stone, dating 7th Century (Katyuri
Dynasty) to 18th Century (Chand Dynasty) AD.
It
is believed that Jageshwar Dham is the place of Nagesh Jyotirlinga, 8th
among the dwadasha Jyotirlingas (the twelve resplendent lingas of Lord Shiva
established by Lord Vishnu, which is stated to exist in the deodar forest or
daruk-van.
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 ।
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 Adi Shankaracharya
The ancient treatise Prasadmandanam describes this place as an abode of Shiva:
हिमाद्रेरूत्तरे पार्श्वे देवदारूवनं परम्
पावनं शंकरस्थानं तत्र् सर्वे शिवार्चिताः।
पावनं शंकरस्थानं तत्र् सर्वे शिवार्चिताः।
Jageshwar
was once the center of Lakulish Shaivism
(Lakulish is 28th Avatar of Shiva).
It is believed that Adi Shankaracharya visited Jageshwar and renovated and re-established many
temples before leaving for Kedarnath. Katyuri kings renovated these temples during their reign
and also donated villages to the temple priests for the maintenance of temples.
The Chand kings of Kumaon are also the patrons of Jageshwar temples.
Most of the temples enshrine a stone lingam, surrounded by stone sculptures of various
deities. There are many temples like Dandeshwar Temple, Chandi-ka-Temple, Lord
Rama & Sita Temple, Lord Hanuman Temple, Jageshwar Temple, Kuber Temple,
Mritunjaya Temple, Nanda Devi or Nau Durga, Nava-grah temple, a Pyramidal
shrine, and Surya Temple, amongst which the oldest shrine is the Mrityunjaya
Temple and the biggest shrine is the Dandeshwar Temple. The temples
architecture belongs to the Nagara style, characterized by a tall curved spire surmounted by an
amalaka (capstone) and a kalasha crown.
Over 25 inscriptions of different periods are inscribed on the walls and pillars of
the Jageshwar temples. Most of these belong to the period between 7th
Century AD to 10th Century AD. The dialect of inscriptions is Sanskrit and Brahmi. These are studied by Sh.
D.C. Sarkar and various other historians.
The main temple in the temple complex at Jageshwar Mahadev is
dedicated to ‘Bal Jageshwar’ or the ‘child shiva’. There is another temple few
kms away from Jageshwar Mahadev temple which is known as ‘Vridha Jageshwar’ or
‘Old Shiva’ temple. According to traditions and mythology, Lord Shiva came to
meditate here, and when the women of this village came to know the presence of
a saint or yogi, they immediately left their household chores to have his
darshan. When the men of this village heard about it, they were infuriated and
came to see who that yogi was who had captivated their women. Seeing the
commotion, Lord Shiva took the form of a child, which is why he is still
worshipped here as a child form. There are many other stories floated for
several other places in and around Jageshwar Dham like there are stories for
shamshan ghaat, Dandeshwar Mahadev temple, Maha Mritunjay temple etc.
Jageshwar Mahadev or Tarun Jageshwar is one of the principle
temples in the temple complex of Jageshwar. The temple has two dwarapalas (door
guardians) in the form of the armed Nandi and Skandi.
This is a west facing temple of Shiva. Here, Shiva is worshipped in the form of Nagesh/Jageshwar.
In the sanctum sanctorum of the temple,
the Shivlinga is divided into two parts. The larger
one depicts Shiva and smaller one his consort Parvati. An Akhand Jyoti, (an immortal
flame) burns in the temple. There is also a bed for Lord Shiva on the right
side of the Jyotirlinga behind a curtain. There are two Asthadhatu statues of Chand Kings Deepchand
and Tripalchand in the standing posture behind the Shivlinga.
The Mahamrityunjay temple is the largest and the oldest
temple in the Jageshwar temple complex. This temple of Shiva is east facing and
the linga is worshipped as the saviour from death - महामृत्युंजय. The
unique linga has an eye shaped opening. Pilgrims believe that reciting the Mahamrityunjay Mantra is a fruitful, auspicious and powerful method of
self-realisation, removal of evil effects, and freedom from all kinds of fears,
illness and negativity.
Besides these temples there are several other temples with
the name of Jhankar Sam Mahadev temple situated on the south of Jageshwar. Kot
Linga Mahadev situated at the intersection of Jata Ganga and Sam Ganga rivers.
It is believed that this is the place which Lord Shiva originally chose for his
meditation. Dandeshwar Mahadev Temple located at just one km a head of the main
temple complex. There is also a Brahma Kunda close to temple complex and a cave
known as Airavat Gufa not far away from the temple complex. There is a centuries
old tall and big deodar tree which is around 9 metres in diameter inside the
main temple complex. Most of the temples here are preserved by the Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI). The place is really enchanting. There are so many things
to surprise you in every nook and corner here.
There is an archaeological museum just outside the main
temple complex runs by Archaeological Survey of India and houses idols and
statuettes removed from Jageshwar temples dating 9th to 13th
Century AD.
The
surrounding deodar forests and Jata Ganga river flows through the temple
enhance the beauty of the place. The place also acts as a meditation centre due
to the calm, fresh and beautiful environment surrounding the place. The mystical and tranquil setting of
Jageshwar makes it a perfect holiday destination to explore and rejuvenate the
mind and body. Drive along beautiful villages and deodar forests make it a
popular off the beat track kind of destination.
