4 of the most amazing Shiva temples in India other than Amarnath and Kedarnath
Shiva. Mahadeva. Anant. Shankara. He has many names and
many forms. He is benevolent, He is fearsome, He is limitless, He is a yogi,
and He is so much more. In Hinduism, He is one of the three main deities.
People travel miles and climb the highest mountains to
reach His shrines and bow down to seek His powerful blessings. Be it the
naturally-formed Shiva lingas or the temples having His magnificent idols,
travellers from all parts of the world have always been drawn to the places
where He is worshipped. Well, it must be Shiva's power that draws so many
people. Besides, these temples are located in some of the most beautiful parts
of our country -- right from the seas to the rivers to the mountains.
Let's take a look at some of the most beautiful Shiva
temples in India.
Tungnath
The Tungnath Mandir in the Rudraprayag district of
Uttarakhand is considered the highest Shiva temple in the world. Located at an
altitude of a little over 12,000 feet at the base of Chandrashila peak, this
temple is one of the Panch Kedars and is popular among both trekkers and
devotees. Tungnath literally means Lord of the Peaks and the place remains true
to its name. Surrounded by snow-capped peaks on all sides, this place is
breathtakingly beautiful and offers the perfect break that a traveller looks for.
According to the legends, it was Arjuna, one of the
Pandavas, who built this temple centuries ago. While the arm of Lord Shiva is
worshipped in this temple, idols of popular Hindu sages like Kala Bhairav and
Vyas, are also enshrined along with images of the Pandavas.
Murudeshwar
The Murudeshwar Temple in Karnataka is known for having
the second-tallest Shiva statue in the world. Towering at 249 feet, the massive
structure of Shiva draws thousands of tourists and devotees from all parts of
the country and the world. The 20-storied temple is situated at the Kanduka
Giri hilltop and overlooks the Arabian Ocean. At sunset, the place looks
magical enough to leave a traveller teary-eyed.
Legend has it that Lord Ganesha had tricked Ravana into
giving up the linga he had received as a gift from Shiva, and placed it
somewhere in Gokarna. Angered by this, when Ravana tried to uproot the Shiva
linga, it broke into pieces and fell in different directions. One of them fell
on the hilltop of Kanduka Giri, the exact point on which the temple has been
built. Murudeshwar can be easily reached by train as the town has its own
station, which falls on the Mangalore-Mumbai Konkan railway route.
Bijli Mahadev
Although it is one of the lesser-known Shiva temples in
India, but Bijli Mahadev's location can be easily considered among the most
beautiful. It sits at the top of a mountain in the Kullu district of Himachal
Pradesh, at an altitude of 8,000 feet. Starting from the Chansari village, the three-kilometre-trek
leads you through a well-defined train maintained by the forest department.
Making a stiff climb through an alpine forest, one reaches a table-top peak,
which is a vast grassland often grazed by the local horses. The views are
mesmerising from this place. Looking down, one can see the entire Kullu
district along with the confluence of Beas and Parvati rivers. While on the
other hand, the 360-degree views of the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges are
simply breathtaking.
The temple is ancient and is said to have been built by
Shankaracharya himself to revive Hinduism. The Shivling inside the temple is
made of butter and sattoo. The locals believe that the 60-foot-tall-staff in
this temple draws divine blessings in the form of lightning, and hence saves
the nearby villages from natural calamities. Every year, the Shiv linga
shatters to several pieces due to the lightning, following which the villagers
hold a ceremony of putting the pieces together with butter and sattoo. The next
morning, the linga is visible in its natural form, as the cracks disappear on
their own. Right outside the temple are two imposing structures of Nandi.
Kotilingeshwara
The Kotilingeshwara Temple, located in the Kolar district
of Karnataka, never ceases to amaze anyone who comes near it. Living by its
name, the temple actually houses more than one crore Shiva lingas. Just imagine
seeing so many of them at one place. Isn't it amazing?
But, that's not the only thing which attracts so many
people to this temple. The temple also has a huge 108-feet tall Shiva linga,
which is considered to be one of the highest in the world. Besides that,
there's a 36-feet tall statue of Nandi, the mount of Lord Shiva.
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