Jyotirling in Maharashtra, 5 Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra, History & Significance, Download PDF

Jyotirling in Maharashtra

• Maharashtra is a land of varied faith and religion. Thousands of people worship a million gods every moment, and every single day there is a new celebration of faith. 
• There are thousands of temples and pilgrim centres all over Maharashtra. For the devotees of Lord Shiva, there are 12 Jyotirlingas situated in various parts of India. 
• The 5 most significant of these 12 Jyotirlingas are located in Maharashtra. It is considered that Lord Shiva disclosed himself to his devotees in the form of light, so these pilgrims are named Jyotirlingas.

List of Jyotirling in Maharashtra

There are 5 jyotirlingas in Maharashtra. Here is the list:

1. Bhimashankar
2. Trimbakeshwar
3. Grishneshwar
4. Nagnath in Aundha
5. Parli Vaijnath

Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga

Trimbakeshwar Temple is located in Nashik, Maharashtra. It is an element of the holy Jyotirlinga pilgrimage, and it is also one of the 5 Jyotirlingas in Maharashtra. Trimbakeshwar Temple is devoted to Lord Shiva, and like all the Jyotirlingas, it is honored as Swayambhu. The temple is also the origin of the holy river Godavari.

Significance of Trimbakeshwar Temple

• The Linga present here is called Trimbaka. It is named so because it contains 3 Lingas (small thumb-sized) describing Brahma, Vishnu & Mahesh. Some people also acknowledge that it is because Lord Shiva has three eyes.
• The Linga of the Trimbakeshwar Temple includes three heads covered with silver.
• The Trimbakeshwar temple is the singular Jyotirlinga where the genuine Linga is present in depression.
• Devotees also assume that the eyes of the three Lingas are representations of Sun, Moon, and Fire, each facing in diverse directions. One who worships this linga attains salvation by worshipping all three gods simultaneously.

History of Trimbakeshwar Temple

• The history of the Trimbakeshwar temple relates to the legend of Rishi Gautam. According to theologies, the land was a Tapobhoomi in the Satya Yuga, when many Rishis & Munis lived here. Gautam Rishi lived at Trimbak with his wife, Ahilya.
• Once, there was a huge drought, and the world was suffering from a lack of water. 
• Gautam Rishi offered prayers to God Varuna, and God Varuna accepted his prayers and offered him a tank that provided a never-ending water supply. 
• The Rishi grew crops like rice, wheat, and other vegetables using this water. Then he fed them to the other Rishis residing there.
• After some time, the jealousy of some other sages increased, and they wanted to stop Gautam sage. So, they prayed to Lord Ganesha, asked him to send a cow to the sage's field, then she died. However, Lord Ganesha warned the sages that this would not be good for them. But still, he sent a cow to the field. Sage Gautam saw it and then threw Darbha grass to scare him. But the cow died in the field.
• Sage Gautam and his wife Ahilya performed penance for Lord Shiva. Pleased with their devotion, Shiva ordered Ganga to come to earth.
• The river Ganga was flowing on the earth from Brahmagiri hill, and the sage Gautama trapped it in the modern-day pool called Kushavarta and bathed in it for purification. The river was the South Ganges and is now known as Godavari and Gauthami.
• Then Gautam Rishi, other gods, and the Godavari requested Lord Shiva stay here. Lord Shiva accepted them and converted them into lingas to live there.
• Maratha ruler Nana Saheb Peshwa built the present Trimbakeshwar Temple in the 18th century. Later, Shrimant Rao Saheb expanded the Trimbakeshwar temple around Kushavarta Kunda and improved the approach to the tank.

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