Mahashivratri 2022: There are many famous Shiva temples in Madhya Pradesh with two Jyotirlingas Mahakaleshwar and Omkareshwar. These include Pashupatinath Temple of Mandsaur, Bhojeshwar Mahadev Temple of Bhojpur, Chauragarh Mahadev Temple of Pachmarhi, Bateshwara Shiva Temple of Morena, Mahadev of Kachnar City of Jabalpur, Ahilyeshwar Mahadev of Maheshwar are the centers of faith of the devotees. Along with Mahashivratri, special events are organized here in the month of Sawan, in which a large number of devotees reach to seek the blessings of Bholenath. You also know about these Shiva temples…
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirling, Ujjain
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple is located in Ujjain out of the 12 major Jyotirlingas of the country. The Bhasmari of Mahakal is the most famous, devotees from all over the country and abroad come here to see her. Before Mahashivratri, Shivnavratri festival is celebrated here. Along with this, the ride of Mahakal is taken out on Mondays of Sawan and Bhadau month. Simhastha Kumbh is organized here once in 12 years. There are 84 temples with Lord Bholenath in Ujjain along with Mahakal temple, known as 84 Mahadev. Ujjain is 56 km from Indore and about 185 km from Bhopal.
Omkareshwar-Mamleshwar Jyotirling
The Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva is situated in two forms Omkareshwar and Mamleshwar in Omkareshwar, a city situated on the banks of Narmada in Madhya Pradesh. It is believed that Vindhya Parvat had done penance of Bholenath here, due to which he appeared here in the form of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga and here on the penance of sages and sages, Lord Shiva separated Omkoreshwar into two forms. Chausar-dices, cradles and beds are decorated in the temple at night, behind this it is believed that Lord Shiva and Mother Parvat rest here at night. A large number of devotees reach Omkareshwar in the month of Sawan along with Mahashivratri. Especially in the month of Sawan, the Kavadias take the Narmada water to Mahakaleshwar after anointing Onkoreshwar from here and then offer Narmada water to them after reaching Ujjain. The distance from Indore to Onkoreshwar is about 78 km.
Pashupatinath Temple, Mandsaur
Pashupatinath temple on the banks of Shivna river in Mandsaur of Madhya Pradesh is a major center of faith of the devotees. Here on the idol there are eight faces of the Lord, in which his different postures are shown. A grand event is organized in the temple on the day of the foundation day of Pashupatinath on Krishna Panchami of Aghan month. Along with this, in the month of Mahashiratri and Sawan also, a large number of devotees reach here to have the darshan of Lord Shiva. Mandsaur is 225 kms from Indore.
Bhojeshwar Mahadev Temple, Bhojpur
Bhojeshwar Mahadev Temple is situated in Bhojpur village, about 23 km from Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh. The largest Shivling sits in the temple, whose height is 3.85 meters. It is believed that the Pandavas had vowed to build this temple in one night. After this, in the 10th century, Raja Bhoj got this temple renovated. The temple is situated on the banks of the Betwa river and devotees from all over the country and abroad come to see the big Shivling.
Chauragarh Mahadev Temple, Pachmarhi
Chauragarh Mahadev Temple is situated close to Pachmarhi, which is called the hill station of Madhya Pradesh. It is believed to offer Trishul here, devotees offer Trishul weighing up to 2 quintals to Mahadev in the temple. So far, more than 50 thousand tridents have been offered in the temple. A fair is organized here for eight days on the occasion of Mahashiratri. It is believed that Lord Shiva resided at this place after giving a boon to Bhasmasura. A large number of devotees reach here even in the month of Sawan.
Shiv Mandir of Bateshwara, Morena
There is a series of Shiva temples in Bateshwara of Morena. Here in the 11th century, Gurjara Pratihar kings built about 400 Shiva temples. However, later due to Muslim invaders and illegal mining of stone, the temple got frozen. But the Archaeological Survey of India has preserved these and KK Mohammad, the then state director of ASI, has made efforts to re-erect about a hundred Shiva temples. Today these temples remain the center of attraction for the tourists. Here tourists from all over the country and abroad come to see Shiva temples. Bateshwara Morena is about 30 km from district headquarter and 20 km from Gwalior. It is easily accessible by private vehicles.
Kakanmath Temple Sihonia, Morena
Morena is the main Shiva temple of the district and was constructed in the 11th century. There is a legend about the temple that it was built in a single night. However, this temple was built by Raja Sonpal Singh of Sihonian for his queen Kaknavati. The specialty of the temple is that the whole temple is made of huge stones and rocks, but nowhere lime or mortar has been used to connect these stones. Made simply by placing one stone on top of another. In the month of Sawan, devotees worship Gangajal Shiva by bringing kanwar from the Ganges river at this temple. Kakanmath Temple is 18 km away from Morena town in Sihoniya village. One can easily reach here by bus or private means.
Ishwara Mahadev, Morena
There is an ancient temple of Ishwara Mahadev in the forests of Pahargarh of Morena. The special feature of this temple is that it is in a cave and whether it is dry or lack of water on top of it. Water always keeps falling on the Shivling from the upper part of the cave. Along with this, there are such Belpatra trees near the temple, in which five and seven leaves come instead of three. Lord Shiva is worshiped from them only. If the legends are to be believed, then some unknown power goes to this Shivling in the early hours after worshiping. Also, in the valley of Ishwara Mahadev, no one cuts a tree because of the fear of evil. This temple is about 80 km away from Morena district headquarter. One can reach here only by private means.
Bandakpur, Damoh
Bandakpur is located in Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh. It is famous all over the country because of Jageshwar Nath Temple of Lord Shiva. A grand fair is organized here every year on Vasant Panchami and Mahashivratri. Even on Somvati Amavasya, there is a crowd of devotees here. Apart from Lord Jageshwarnath temple in the temple premises, there are temples of deities like Radha-Krishna, Goddess Durga, Kaal Bhairav, Lord Vishnu, Goddess Lakshmi and Mother Narmada. This time around one lakh devotees are expected to reach this famous pilgrimage area of Bundelkhand on Mahashivratri. For the last two years, people were not able to reach here due to corona infection, but due to normalcy, this time there is a possibility of a good crowd. Thousands of Kanwariyas will reach here on Shivratri and will perform Jalabhishek of Lord Shiva. The distance from Damoh to Bandakpur is about 17 km. There are passenger buses from Damoh to Bandakpur. From here one can also reach Bandakpur by taxi.
Posted By: Prashant Pandey