A Must Visit Place- Jageshwar Dham, Almora, Uttarakhand

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 7^th Century (Katyuri Dynasty) to 18^th Century (Chand Dynasty) AD.

It is believed that Jageshwar Dham is the place of Nagesh Jyotirlinga, 8^th 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 ।

— 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।

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 7^th Century AD to 10^th 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 9^th to 13^th 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.