Monday, March 27, 2017



                                  TRIBUTE TO ABID  HUSSAIN


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Shaping India’s Future –Essays in Memory of Abid Hussain ; Edited by Deepak Nayyar and Rana Hasan ; Published by Academic Foundation ; Pages 245 ; Price Rs 995/-

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When the definitive history of post-Independence India comes to be written unquestionably Prof.Abid Hussain’s name will appear in letters of gold. His spectacular contribution covered a remarkable range of areas. He wore several hats with distinction—outstanding civil servant, distinguished diplomat and a citizen totally committed to India’s advancement.

The Editors themselves are highly renowned—Deepak Nayyar has taught in Oxford, Sussex, IIM Kolkata and is currently Professor Emeritus in JNU. He was Vice Chancellor of Delhi University. He was Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India and Finance Secretary for a number of years. He has 15 books to his credit and over 75 papers in respected journals. Rana Hasan is a Ph.D in Economics from University of Maryland and an M.A from the Delhi School of Economics. He has published books on trade as also several articles in learned journals.

The book under review is in two parts. The first part includes nine essays on                       “ Economics and State” and “ Governance and Society”. The second part comprises tributes to Prof.Hussain by very eminent scholars.

We shall first take up the “ Tributes” and understand the role played by Abid Hussain. 

Jagdish Bhagwati, Professor in Columbia and  Adviser to several International Organisations declares, ”He must be remembered for his pioneering work on community development and his unwavering support for our economic reforms.”


Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes --- “ his contribution to a range of social and economic institutions is enormous. He was an irredeemable believer in India’s prospects and was eternally youthful in his optimism about what India could achieve.”

Deepak Nayyar recalls some attributes of Hussain---” He had remarkable leadership qualities, was embedded in delegation, trust and loyalty ”.

Aravind Panagariya speaks of Hussain’s diplomatic skill. Such were his attainments that the Government felt compelled to eschew the normal practice of appointing a member of the Indian Foreign Service or a politician as our Ambassador to the United States and chose him for that post instead.

Jairam Ramesh recounts how Hussain’s contributions were not confined to Industry and Trade. He authored a Landmark Report on restructuring of the Council of Industrial and Scientific Research and on the Textile Policy in the late 1980s.

Dr.Y.V.Reddy declares that “..his greatest quality has been that his very presence added to happiness all-round in every moment of his life. I had the honour and privilege to be trained by him.”Hussain was the Collector of Vishakhapatnam and Dr.Reddy was his Assistant Collector.”

Let us now deal with the Essays in the book.

Deepak   Nayyar analyses “ The State and the Economy ”. Noting the enormous diversity in the nature of the State in different areas of the world he argues that the success of a variety of models depended on the abilities of the countries and governments to make course corrections. Governments must endeavour to change the nature and quality of its intervention in the markets. differentiating between the functions, the institutional and strategic aspects.

RBI’s Ex--Governor Dr. Reddy in a perceptive essay on “Planning and Finance Commissions” examines the role of the Planning Commission, the NITI Aayog and the Finance Commission. He argues that the Planning Commission’s replacement by the NITI Aayog captures the new realities of macroeconomic management and of Union—State relations, especially the need to foster a spirit of competitive federalism within the context of broader environment of cooperation. The recommendations of the Finance Commission are relevant for NITI Aayog as they enable the States to cement their partnership with the Centre for transformation and development.

Rajiv Kumar emphasises how India chose to undertake simultaneously three distinct transitions—social, political and economic. This is a tremendous task viewing India’s continental size and diversity, He strongly recommends that “Employment Maximisation” must be chosen as the exclusive policy goal that will provide the required analytical framework for policy making in the country.

RBI’s former Deputy Governor Rakesh Mohan focuses on the Transportation needs of the country over the next twenty years. Both the quantum and the types of investment are crucial if the country is to achieve growth rates of 8—9 per cent. He calls for a step-on in public investment in railways and again a coherent and integrated strategy for the transport sector.

A very valuable essay is the unpublished essay of Abid Hussain which deals with bureaucracy in a democratic society like ours. He notes the general disenchantment with bureaucracy. It must recreate the sense of pragmatic idealism which was once its hallmark and should become more mission—oriented with a sense of pride in doing service to the people.

There are some more critical articles which we have not touched upon due to space constraints.

Each chapter has a rich bibliography. The book is a highly useful addition to the literature on India’s development.

P.P.Ramachandran.
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TIT-BITS

1. Abid Saab was a man with a great sense of humour. When he was our Ambassador to USA, he was harassed by journalists during an interview. He diffused the situation by saying ‘ Gentlemen, there seems to be some confusion here. I am “Abid Hussain from India”, not “Sadam Hussain from Iraq”.---P 237

2. An interesting anecdote.”Prime Minister Indira Gandhi once said to him,”Abid Saheb, I gather that you are partial and select only those whom you know or are your friends.”. In reply Abid Hussain said, “ Yes, Madam, that is correct. But I assure you that everyone I chose is better than me !.’—P 235

3. Abid Hussain was the legendary collector of Vishakhapatnam. There is an “Abid Nagar” in that city. Abid’s only daughter was named”Vishakha”—P 240

P.P.Ramachandran.
26 / 03 / 2017


JYOTIRLINGAS--PART  THREE

 PPR 27 / 03 / 2017
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     MALLIKARJUNA   JYOTHIRLINGA  IN SRISAILAM


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Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy  Temple is  dedicated to Shiva and is located at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh. Shiva is worshipped as Mallikarjuna. His consort Parvati is depicted as Unnamulai Amman. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanars  and classified as Padal Petra Sthalam.

The temple is established on the Shri Sailam Mountain near the banks of the Patal Ganga river. It is fondly known as Kailash of the South. The temple complex covers 2 hectares and houses four gateway towers known as gopurams. The temple has numerous shrines and  many halls. The huge temple is built in the Dravidian style with lofty towers and sprawling courtyards and is considered to be one of the finest specimens of Vijayanagar architecture. Temples of Tripurantakam, Siddavatam, Alampura and Umamaheswaram located in the vicinity of Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga are considered to be the four gateways to Srisailam.

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            MALLIKARJUNA   TEMPLE

The temple is situated facing East. The central mandapam has several pillars, with a huge idol of Nandikeshwara. The temple is enclosed by tall walls measuring 600 ft by 499 ft and 28 ft tall. There are a number of sculptures in the precinct each rising above another. There are inscriptional evidences from the Satavahana Dyanasty which establishes the temple’s existence  from the 2nd century. Most modern additions were done during the time of King Harihara of Vijayanagara Empire. The Mukamandapa, the hall leading to the sanctum, has intricate sculpted pillars. The shrine where Mallikarjuna is housed is considered the oldest in the temple, dating back to 7th century. There is a Sahasra Linga  believed to have been commissioned by Rama and five other Lingas believed to have been commissioned by Pandavas.    A mirror hall in the first precinct has images of Nataraja. The present masonry structure was built during the Vijayanagar rulers of the Sangama Dynasty.

When Shiva and Parvati decided to find suitable brides for their sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya  there was an argument as to who is to get wedded first. Shiva bade that the one who goes round the world in Pradakshinam could get married first. By the time Kartikeya could go round the world on his vahana, Ganesha went round his parents 7 times ( according to Shastras, going in pradakshinam round one's parents is equivalent to going once round the world)-- Bhupradakshinam. Siva got Buddhi (intellect), Siddhi (spiritual power), and Riddhi (prosperity) married to Ganesha. Kartikeya on his return was enraged and went away to stay alone on Mount Krauncha in the name of Kumarabrahmachari. On seeing his father coming over to pacify him, he tried to move to another place, but at the request of the Devas, stayed close by. The place where Siva and Parvati stayed came to be known as Srisailam.

As per Hindu legend, the presiding deity in the form of Linga (an iconic form of Shiva) was worshipped with jasmine (locally called Mallika), leading to the name of presiding deity as Mallikarjuna.

Shakti Peeth

Srisailam Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple is one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas. The mythology of Daksha Yagna and Sati's self immolation resulted in the emergence of  Parvati in the place of Sati Devi and making Shiva a house holder. This mythology is the story behind the origin of Shakti Peethas. They are holy abodes of Adi Parashakti formed due the falling of parts of the body of Sati Devi's corpse when Shiva carried it and wandered. It is believed that Sati Devi's Upper lip has fallen here.

Located at about a distance of 215 kilometers from the city of Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana, Srisailam is situated atop the Nallamala hill. En route to Srisailam the mighty Krishna River  geographically divides the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The temple complex has the main Jyotirlinga besides an idol of Goddess Shakti (female power) and several other Lingas like – Surya Linga, Chandra Linga, Akash Linga, Jal Linga, Prithvi Linga, Agni Linga etc.

But before you visit the actual temple complex, you will find a temple dedicated to Sakshi Ganapati. The sculpture of the temple shows Ganesha holding a notebook in his left hand and a pen in his right hand. It is believed that he keeps a note of all those who visit his father’s idol at the main temple complex, thus becoming a witness to a devotee's trip to the divine place.

 The place where Lord Siva and Parvati stayed came to be known as Srisailam. Lord Siva visits Lord Kartikeya on Amavasya day and Parvati Devi on Poornima.

The presiding deities of Mallikarjuna temple are Mallikarjuna --Lord Shiva and Bhramaramba Devi. Goddess Bhramaramba Devi is considered among one of the eighteen Mahasakthis and both the deities are self-manifested. The temple sculptures depict the epics from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

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BHRAMARAMBA  TEMPLE                                                       

 This temple is considered extremely holy. The unique feature of the temple is that all the devotees who visit the temple are allowed to touch the idol. Anybody can enter the Sanctum Sanctorum to perform puja. The Srisailam temple has rich sculptural art, tall walls and towers. The temple is constructed in Dravidian style with sprawling courtyards.

Located adjacent to the Mallikarjun Temple is a shrine dedicated to Goddess Jagdamba who is known as Bhramaramba here. The Bhramaramba shrine is considered to be of great significance. Legend has it that Durga is said to have assumed the shape of a bee and worshipped Shiva here, and chose this place as her abode.

Legends

There was a princess Chandravati whose father was the ruler of Chandraguptapuram on the bank of the Krishna river. The King returned home after a long journey and fell in love with his own grown up daughter. When she came to know of his evil intention, she left her house cursing her father and stayed in Srisailam. The ruler was drowned in Patalaganga. One of the cows of the Princess yielded no milk. She enquired and found out that the cow voluntarily poured out its milk on a Shivalinga. The princess dreamed of a Shiva who was manifesting himself in the form of a Shivalinga. She then constructed the first temple of Lord Shiva over that Linga. She worshiped there daily with jasmine or malllika flowers and therefore this Shivalinga became known as Mallikarjuna. This legend is engraved on a panel on the courtyard wall.

Another legend says that Lord Shiva came here as a hunter and married a beautiful girl of the Chenchu tribe. This legend is illustrated in one of the bas-reliefs on the courtyard wall. The Chenchus believe themselves to be self-appointed guardians of the Mallikarjuna Temple.

In one of the smaller temples in the complex there is a beautifully Linga carved so as to have in it one thousand miniature Lingas. This Sahasra Linga is surrounded by the three-headed Naga and is placed on a very beautiful pedestal or Yoni Mandala.



The Shivaratri festival is the most prominent festival of the temple.

P.P.Ramachandran
27 / 03 / 2017

Friday, March 24, 2017



JYOTHIRLINGAS--PART  TWO

DO READ THE ARTICLE AND ADMIRE THE VIDEO.

PPR
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TWELVE      JYOTHIRLINGAS

There are Twelve Jyothirlingas
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Somnath  in Saurashtra (Guj), 
Mallikarjun in Srisailam (A.P.), 
Mahakaleshwar  in Ujjain (M.P.),
 Omkareshwar  in Shivpuri / mamaleswara (M.P.)
Lord Baijnath  in Devghar (Bihar)
Nageswar  in Darukavanam  (Guj)
Kedareswar  in Kedarnath / Himalayas (Utt)
Triambakeswar  in Nasik (Mah)
Rameshwar in Setubandanam / Rameshwaram (T.N.)
Bhimashankar  in Dakini (Mah)
Visweswar  in Varanasi (U.P.) and
Ghrishneswar  in Devasarovar (Mah).

We have covered Triambakeswar.

In this article we cover the Jyothirling
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In Somnath.





The Somnath temple located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat is believed to be the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.  Destroyed and reconstructed several times in the past, the present temple was reconstructed in Chalukya style of Hindu temple architecture and completed in May 1951. The reconstruction was envisioned by Vallabhbhai Patel and was completed under K. M. Munshi, the then head of the temple trust.Munshi was the Founder of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,

The temple is considered sacred due to the various legends connected to it. Somnath means "Lord of the Soma", an epithet of Shiva. The Somnath temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal".

Somnath finds its reference in the most ancient texts like Shreemad Bhagavatam, Skandapuranam, Shivpuranam and Rig-Veda which signifies the importance of this temple as one of the most celebrated pilgrimage sites or Tirthdham.


According to tradition, the Shivalinga in Somnath is one of the twelve jyotirlingas in India, where Shiva is believed to have appeared as a fiery column of light. The jyotirlingas are taken as the supreme, undivided reality out of which Shiva partly appears.

The site of Somnath has been a pilgrimage site from ancient times on account of being a Triveni sangam (the confluence of three rivers — Kapila, Hiran and the mythical Sarasvati.  Soma, the Moon god, is believed to have lost his lustre due to a curse, and he bathed in the Sarasvati River at this site to regain it.


According to popular tradition  the first Siva temple at Somanath is believed to have been built at some unknown time in the past. The second temple is said to have been built at the same site by the "Yadava kings" of Vallabhi around 649 CE. The Gurjara-Pratihara  King Nagabhata II is said to have constructed the third temple in 815 CE, a large structure of red sandstone.


In 1024, during the reign of Bhima I, the prominent Afghan ruler Mahmud of Ghazni raided Gujarat, plundering the Somnath temple and breaking its jyotirlinga. He took away a booty of 20 million dinars. 

The temple at the time of Mahmud's attack appears to have been a wooden structure, which is said to have decayed in time (kalajirnam). Kumarapala ( 1143–72) rebuilt it in "excellent stone and studded it with jewels," according to an inscription in 1169. 

 The temple was rebuilt by Mahipala Deva, the Chudasama King of Saurashtra in 1308 and the lingam was installed by his son Khengar sometime between 1326 and 1351. In 1395, the temple was destroyed for the third time by Zafar Khan, the last governor of Gujarat under the Delhi Sultanate. In 1451, it was desecrated by Mahmud Begada, the Sultan of Gujarat.By 1665, the temple, one of many, was ordered to be destroyed by  Mughal  emperor Aurangzeb. 

In 1782-83 AD, Maratha King Mahadaji Shinde, victoriously brought back three silver gates from Lahore ,after defeating Mahmud Shah Abdali, to Somnath. After refusal from priests of Gujarat and the then King Gaekwad to put them back on Somnath temple, these silver gates were placed in the temples of Ujjain. Today they can be seen in two temples of India, Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga and Gopal Mandir of Ujjain.

In the 19th century novel The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, the diamond of the title is presumed to have been stolen from the temple at Somnath and, according to the historian Romila Thapar, reflects the interest aroused in Britain by the Gates.

Before independence, Prabhas Patan was part of the princely state of Junagadh, whose ruler had acceded to Pakistan in 1947. After India refused to accept his decision, the state was made a part of India and Deputy Prime Minister Patel came to Junagadh on 12 November 1947 to direct the stabilisation of the state by the Indian Army and at the same time ordered the reconstruction of the Somanath temple.


The ruins were pulled down in October 1950 and the mosque present at that site was shifted few kilometres away. In May 1951, Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Republic of India, invited by K M Munshi, performed the installation ceremony for the temple. The President said in his address, "It is my view that the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple will be complete on that day when not only a magnificent edifice will arise on this foundation, but the mansion of India's prosperity will be really that prosperity of which the ancient temple of Somnath was a symbol." He added "The Somnath temple signifies that the power of reconstruction is always greater than the power of destruction".



The present temple is built in the Chalukya style of temple architecture or "Kailash Mahameru Prasad" style and reflects the skill of the Sompura Salats, one of Gujarat's master masons. The temple's śikhara, or main spire, is 15 metres in height, and it has an 8.2-metre tall flag pole at the top.

The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land in a straight line between Somnath seashore until Antarctica, such an inscription in Sanskrit is found on the Bāṇastambha  (lit. arrow pillar) erected on the sea-protection wall. The Bāṇastambha mentions that it stands at a point on the Indian landmass that is the first point on land in the north to the South Pole at that particular longitude.

Legend goes that the moon was married to the 27 daughters of Daksha Prajapati. He was partial to Rohini, his favorite and neglected the others. An angered Daksha cursed him to wane into nothingness. A disturbed Chandra, came down to Prabhasa with Rohini and worshipped the Sparsa Linga of Somnath after which he was blessed by Shiva to grow and shine in the bright half. As the moon regained his light here, this town came to be known as Prabhasa. Brahma, one of the trinity, installed the Bhramasila, and paved way for the construction of the temple.

In its external design the Somnath temple compares well with the temple of Rudramala at Siddhapur and is more or less of the same size in length. The dome, however, is as large as any other built in this period. The temple faces to east and once had an enormous central hall with three entrances, each protected by a lofty porch. The fragments that lie scattered at a short distance from the site give some idea of the sculpture decorating the temple. The richly carved doorways, the sculptured representations of Nandi, Siva's bull, and the figures of goddesses and their female attendants must once have presented a grand ensemble of great beauty. In the recesses of the balconied corridor, there is a mutilated form of Nataraja, the dancing Shiva. 

The Shiva linga in the temple was believed to safely hide within its hollowness the famous Syamantak Mani, the Philosopher's stone associated with Lord Krishna. It was a magical stone, capable of producing gold. It is believed that this stone had alchemic and radioactive properties. It could create a magnetic field around itself that kept the linga floating above ground.

When Sultan Mahmud, the son of Sabuktagin, went to wage religious war against India, he made great efforts to capture and destroy Somnath, in the hope that the Hindus would then become Mohammedans. He arrived there in December, 1025 A.D. The Indians made a desperate resistance. They kept going in to the temple weeping and crying for help; and then they issued forth to battle and kept fighting till all were killed. The number of the slain exceeded fifty thousand.

After the victory, the King looked upon the idol with wonder, and gave orders for the seizing of the spoil and the appropriation of the treasures. There were many idols of gold and silver, and countless vessels set with jewels, all of which had been sent there by the greatest personages in India.

When the King asked his companions what they had to say about the marvel of the idol, and of its staying in the air without prop or support, several maintained that it was upheld by some hidden support. The King directed a person to go and feel all around and above and below it with a spear, which he did, but met with no obstacle.
One of the attendants then stated his opinion that the canopy was made of loadstone, and the idol of iron, and that the ingenious builder had skillfully contrived that the magnet should not exercise a greater force on any one side – hence the idol was suspended in the middle. When two stones were removed from the summit, the idol swerved on one side; when more were taken away, it inclined still further, until at last it rested on the ground.

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 " J Y O T H I R L I N G  A S ". P A R T  O  N  E 

PART TWO ON MONDAY.

PPR
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YESTERDAY WE LEFT BY CAR TO TRIAMBAKESWAR IN NASIK. HERE IS ONE OF THE TWELVE JYOTHIRLINGAS. DO READ MY NOTE TO GET AN IDEA OF JYOTHIRLINGAS AND THE STORIES CONNECTED WITH THE TEMPLE AS ALSO THE GODAVARI RIVER. 

WE HAD A WONDERFUL DARSHAN OF THE DEITY AND WERE VERY MUCH IMPRESSED BY THE TEMPLE SCULPTURE.
PPR
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05 / 03 / 2017​

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              THE TEMPLE                 SHIVA LINGA 




Jyot
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irlingas are the 12 special shrines dedicated to Shiva since ancient times .A Jyotirlinga is a shrine where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a Jyothirlingam

There are Twelve Jyothirlinga Temples in India.

Somnath Jyot
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irling in Saurashtra (Guj), 
Mallikarjun jyotirling in Srisailam (A.P.), 
Mahakaleshwar jyotirling in Ujjain (M.P.),
 Omkareshwar jyotirling in Shivpuri / Mamaleswara (M.P.)
Lord Baijnath jyotirling in Devghar (Bihar)
Nageswar jyotirling in Darukavanam  (Guj)
Kedareswar jyotirling in Kedarnath / Himalayas (Utt)
Triambakeswar jyotirling in Nasik (Mah)
Rameshwar jyotirling in Setubandanam / Rameshwaram (T.N.)
Bhimashankar jyotirling in Dakini (Mah)
Visweswar jyotirling in Varanasi (U.P.) and
Ghrishneswar jyotirling in Devasrovar (Mah).

Two jyotirlinga are on the sea shore, three jyotirlinga on river banks, four jyotirlinga in the heights of the mountains and three jyotirlinga in villages located in meadows.


Triambakeshwar  

This is an ancient Hindu temple in the town of Triambak, in the Triambakeshwar tehsil in the Nashik District  of  Maharashtra, India, 28 km from the city of Nashik.

Kusavarta, a Kund (sacred pond) in the temple premises is the source of the Godavari River, the longest river in peninsular India. The current temple was built by Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao (1720--1761).He was known as Nanasaheb.

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The temple is located between three hills namely Brahmagiri, Nilagiri and Kalagiri. The temple has three lingams (an iconic form of Shiva) representing Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. The temple tank is called Amritavarshini, which measured 28 m  by 30 m . There are three other bodies of water, namely, Bilvatheertha ,Viswananthirtha and Mukundathirtha. There are images of various deities, namely, Gangadevi, Jaleswara, Rameswara, Gautameswara, Kedarnatha, Rama, Krishna, Parasurama and Lakshmi Narayana.

As per the Shiva Purana, once Brahma  and Vishnu  had an argument in terms of supremacy of creation. To test them, Shiva pierced the three worlds as a huge endless pillar of light, the Jyotirlinga. Vishnu and Brahma went their ways to downwards and upwards respectively to find the end of the light in either directions. Brahma lied that he found out the end, while Vishnu conceded his defeat. Shiva appeared as a second pillar of light and cursed Brahma that he would have no place in ceremonies while Vishnu would be worshipped till the end of eternity. 

The Jyothirlinga shrines are places where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. Originally there were believed to be 64 Jyotirlingas while 12 of them are considered to be very auspicious and holy. Each of the twelve Jyotirlinga sites take the name of the presiding deity - each considered different manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the primary image is lingam representing the beginningless and endless Stambha , symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva. 


Mythology

Triambakeshwar is a religious centre having one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. The extraordinary feature of the Jyotirlinga located here is its three faces embodying Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Rudra. Due to excessive use of water, the linga has started to erode. It is said that this erosion symbolizes the eroding nature of human society. The Lingas are covered by a jewelled crown which is placed over the Gold Mask of Tridev (Brahma Vishnu Mahesh). The crown is said to be from the age of Pandavas and consists of diamonds, emeralds, and many precious stones. The crown is displayed every Monday from 4-5 pm. 

All other Jyotirlingas have Shiva as the main deity. The entire black stone temple is known for its appealing architecture and sculpture and is at the foothills of a mountain called Brahmagiri. Three sources of the Godavari originate from the Brahmagiri mountain

Story related to the Godavari river


Brahmadev worshipped God Trivikram when he came to Satya Loka (on earth) with the same holy water of the Ganges, to get the river Ganges held up by God Shankar on his head, to flow. There was a famine of 24 years and people were affected by the pangs of hunger. However, Varuna - the God of Rains, pleased with Sage Gautama arranged rains every day in Gautama's Ashram (dwelling place) which was in Triambakeshwar. Gautama used to sow rice in the surrounding fields of his Ashram in the morning, reap the crop in the afternoon and with it fed a large group of rishis, who took shelter in his Ashram on account of the famine. The blessings of the group of rishis increased the merit (Punya) of Gautama. Lord Indra's position became shaky because of his increased merit. So Indra ordered clouds to rain all over Triambakeshwar, so that the famine will be over and Rishis will go back and the increasing merits of Gautama will be weakened. Although the famine was over, Gautama urged the Rishis to stay back and kept on feeding them and gaining merit. 

Once he saw a cow grazing in the paddy field and he drove her away by throwing Darbha (sharp, pointed grass). The slender cow died by this. It was Jaya - Parvati's friend, who had taken the form of a cow. This news upset the Rishis and they refused to lunch at his Ashram. Gautama requested Rishis to show a way out of this sin. He was advised to approach Lord Shiva and request him to release Ganges and a bath in the Ganges would set him free of his sins. Gautama then practised penance by going to the peak of Brahmagiri. Lord Sankara was pleased by his worships and gave him the Ganges.


However, Ganges was not prepared to part with Lord Shiva, which irritated him. He made Tandav Nrutya (dance) on the peak of Brahmagiri and dashed his jata there. Frightened by this action, Ganges appeared on Brahmagiri. Later on Ganges appeared in the Triambak Tirtha. Gautama praised her but she off and on appeared on the mountain at various places and disappeared in anger. Gautama could not bathe in her waters. Ganges then appeared in Gangadwar, Varaha-tirtha, Rama-Laxman tirtha, Ganga Sagar tirtha. Still Gautama could not bathe in her waters. Then Gautama surrounded the river with enchanted grass and put a vow to her. The flow stopped there and the tirtha thus came to be called Kushavarta. It is from this Kushavarta that the river Godavari flows up to the sea. The sin of killing a cow by Gautama was wiped off here.

This place is famous for lots of religious rituals (vidhis). Narayan Nagbali, Kalasarpa Shanti, Tripindi vidhi are done here. Narayan Nagbali puja is performed at Triambakeshwar only. This puja is performed in three days. This puja is performed on special dates. Some days are not suitable to perform this puja. This puja is performed for many reasons like to cure an illness, going through bad times, killing a Cobra (Nag), childless couples, financial crisis or you want to perform some religious puja to have everything.



The existing temple was built out of basalt after it was commissioned by Peshwa Nanasaheb. It so happens that the Peshwa made a bet on whether the stone surrounding the Jyotirlinga, is hollow from the inside or not. The stone was proved to be hollow, and on losing the bet, the Peshwa  built a marvellous temple out of it. The Shiva deity of the temple consisted of the world-famous Nassak Diamond. It was looted by the British in The Third Anglo-Maratha War and lies with one owner or the other ever since. The diamond presently lies with Edward J. Hand, a trucking firm executive from Greenwich, Connecticut, USA.

The place is known for its scenic beauty in rainy/monsoon season and is surrounded by lush green hills untouched by pollution. Anjaneri mountain, the birthplace of Lord Hanuman, is 7 km from Trimbakeshwar.

PPR
05/ 03 / 2017