Best Places for Shiva Bhakt

 According to Hindu mythology, Shiva is the supreme power. He has played the most vital role in the formation of the Indian culture. Each and every individual do believe the forces that protect us and guide us in every path of life. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Lord Shiva is worshipped in different forms. If you are a true believer of the supreme power or Shiva Bhakt, then the below-listed destinations would be worth visiting.

Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

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Kedarnath has one of the most esteemed Shiva temples across India and is located on the Garhwal Himalayan range of Uttarakhand near the Mandakini river. This destination is said to be the fourth shrine of Char Dham. As the Kedarnath is located at the higher elevation so the destination receives winter heavy snowfall. Due to atmospheric conditions, the temple remains open from April till mid of November. The Kedarnath temple constitutes of the five temples of Panch Kedar. According to the legends, pleased by the severe penance of the Nara and Narayana two incarnations of Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva took up permanent abode in Kedarnath in the form of this Jyotirlinga. People believe that praying at this site, one gets all his desires fulfilled.

Read more:Kedarnath Complete Travel Guide || Ngtraveller

Somnath, Gujarat

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Another most important Shiva temples is located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra. This temple constitutes one of the temples among 12 Jyotirlingas. The recent temple of Somnath was constructed in 1974. The historical incidents marks that this temple has been invaded a number of times for it's valuable gems and jewellery too. The prime attraction of Somnath temple is an arrow pillar known as Baan Stambh. According to the Shiva Purana, the moon was married to 27 daughters of Daksha Prajapati, out of which he loved Rohini the most. Seeing his negligence towards his other wives, Prajapati cursed the moon that it would lose all its radiance. A disturbed moon along with Rohini came to Somnath and worshipped the Sparsa Lingam after which he was blessed by Shiva to regain his lost beauty and shine. On his request, Lord Shiva assumed the name Somchandra and resided there eternally. He became famous by the name Somnath.

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Mallikarjuna Swamy, Andhra Pradesh

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Another esteemed Shiva temple located at Andhra Pradesh and the temple is known as Mallikarjuna Swamy. The silver-plated gates and the ornate temples make this temple stunning and have a gilded spire too. In this temple, Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Mallikarjuna and Goddess Parvati is worshipped in the form of Bhadrakali. This temple was built 6 centuries back by the King Harihara Raya of Bijayanagara kingdom

Mahakaleshwar, Madhya Pradesh

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This temple is located in the city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. Mahakaleshwar is considered to be the fierce form of Lord Shiva. The deity is the lord of death. Mahakaleshwar is a Swayambhu Lingam which is called Dakshinamurti. The prime attraction of the Mahakaleshwar is Bhasma Arti which is must-see sight for Shiv Bhakts.

Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh

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Omkareshwar is the most popular Hindu pilgrimage in India. It is located on an island shaped in the form of Om. Om is considered to be a holy symbol in Hinduism. This temple is a five-story building that is enclosed with all the Hindu deities and the most interesting fact to be noted is that the deity is worshipped here three times a day by different priests instead of the same time head performing it at all three times. The morning worship is done by the temple trust, the Puja at mid-day is done by the priest of Scindia state while the evening Puja is performed by the priest of the Holkar state.

Bhimashankar, Maharashtra

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This esteemed temple of Lord Shiva is located in Pune, Maharashtra. The temple is located where the river Bhima originates. The architectural style of the temple truly depicts the Nagara form of architecture and its style is very modest. According to Hindu mythology, Tripurasur was a devil, who did penance in the Bhimashankar forest in order to seek the divine blessings of Lord Shiva. When Lord Shiva was pleased, he blessed him with the gift of immortality and was told that he will use his power for the betterment of human life. But as time flies, he forgot everything and started abusing people and not even take care of orders given by god. In order to stop the harm Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati took a new form which came to be known as Ardhanarishwarwho ultimately killed Tripurasur. This is the story behind the history of this Jyotirlinga.

Kashi Vishwanath, Uttar Pradesh

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According to the Hindu mythology, those who take their last breathe in kashi get rid of the cycle of rebirth. Kashi is the oldest city in the world and the house of uncountable Shiv Bhakts. This temple is located in Varanasi and it is one of the twelve jyotirlinga temples of Lord Shiva. Kashi Vishwanath possesses the most vital place in Shaivism. This jyotirlinga temples main deity is Vishwanatha or Vishweshwara, which means the ruler of the universe. It is believed that Banaras is the site where the first Jyotirlinga manifested its supremacy over other Gods, broke through the earths crust and flared towards heaven. This temple is said to be the dearest to Lord Shiva, and the people believe that those who die here achieve liberation.

Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra

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Trimbakeshwar is a Jyotirlinga temple located at a distance of 28 km from city Nashik in Maharashtra. This temple is located at the originating place of river Godavari. The temple is completely made up of black stone and depicts the Hemadpanthi style of architecture and it was built by Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao. The lingam of Shiva in the temple depicts three faces embodying Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma, and Lord Rudra. The lingas are adorned with three distinct golden crowns jaded by diamond and expensive gems. It is located in the Sahyadri Mountain Range and proffers a brilliant view of the pristine nature.

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Vaidyanath, Deoghar, Jharkhand

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This esteemed temple of Lord Shiva is located in Jharkhand and the literal meaning of Vaidyanath is Vaidya means doctor and Nath mean the lord. The proper connotation would be the lord who acted as the healer of people. It is also among one of the Jyotirlinga temples of Lord Shiva. The mythological belief behind this temple is that the Ravana sacrificed his ten heads to please Lord Shiva and seek his divine blessings. Lord Shiva is pleased with the devotion of Ravana, who appeared in Deoghar and treated Ravana as a doctor. So the place became famous by the name of Vaidyanath.

Rameshwar Jyotirlinga, Tamil Nadu

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Rameshwar Temple, the southernmost of the 12 Jyotirlingas, is located on the island of Rameshwaram, off the Sethu coast of Tamil Nadu. The temple is well known for its architectural style. The long ornate corridors, towers and the 36 theerthams. According to Hindu mythology, when Lord Rama was traveling to Lanka, he stopped in his way at Rameshwaram and started drinking water on the seashore, where he heard celestial proclamation that you are drinking water without worshipping me. After listening to this, Lord Ram made the Shiva Linga and worshipped and asked for the blessings to defeat Ravana. He got the blessings from Lord Shiva who then turned into a Jyotirlinga and resided at the place for eternity.

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, Gujarat

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The Nageshwar temple also known as the Nagnath Temple is located on the route between Gomati Dwarka and the Bait Dwarka Island on the coast of Saurashtra in Gujarat. This temple holds a special significance among Shiv Bhakts as it symbolises protection from all types of poison. It is believed that those who worship at this temple become free of all poisons. According to the Hindu mythology, a Shiv Bhakt named Supriya was captured by the demon named Daaruka. The demon imprisoned her with several others in his capital Darukavana. Supriya advised all prisoners to chant Om Namaha Shivaya which enraged Daaruka who ran to kill Supriya. Lord Shiva manifested in front of the demon and put an end to him. Thus the Nageshwar Jyotirlinga came into being.

Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga, Aurangabad

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The Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga is located in a village called Verul, which lies 20 km from Daulatabad, near Aurangabad in Maharashtra. This temple is also known by other names like Kusumeswarar, Ghushmeshwar, Grisham Swara and Grishneshwar and it was built by Ahilyabai Holkar. According to Shiv Purana, a couple named Sudharm and Sudeha resided on the Devagiri Mountain. They were childless. Thus Sudeha got her sister Ghushma married to Sudharm. They gave birth to a son. In the jealousy, Sudeha threw their son in the lake in which Ghushma used to discharge 101Shiv Lingams. So in order to get back his son Ghushma prayed to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva ultimately returned back her son and informed her about her sisters deeds. On Sudharms request, Shiva manifested himself in the form of Jyotirlinga and assumed the name Ghushmeshwar.

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Other famous temples of Lord Shiva are Amarnath, Bhojpur Shiva Linga Temple, Amareshwar temple, Amarkantak, Murudeshwara, Shankaracharya temple, Kashmir, Lingaraj temple, Bhubaneswar, Mukteswara temple, and great Kailasanathar Temple. So if you are a true Shiv Bhakt then this time, head towards these destinations to have a vacation and enjoy the spiritual traveling.