• Home

The Complete Pilgrim - Religious Travel Sites

Howard Kramer's, The Complete Pilgrim, Religious Travel Site

  • AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SITES
  • CHRISTIAN SITES
  • JEWISH SITES
  • CATHOLIC SITES
  • ISLAMIC SITES
  • INDIAN/HINDU SITES
  • HOLIDAY SITES
  • CASTLES
  • BATTLEFIELDS
  • MOUNTAINS
  • NATURE
  • WILDLIFE SITES
  • PHOTO GALLERIES
  • ARCHIVES
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

AUNDHA NAGNATH (NAGESHVARA) TEMPLE

August 9, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Aundha Nagnath, Maharashtra

The Nageshvara Temple is one of the Jyotirlingas, one of twelve Hindu temples of particularly special importance to the deity Shiva. It is traditionally the tenth temple of the list, though not necessarily in either importance or in order to be visited. Per the Jyotirlinga legend, Shiva appeared on the spot as a beam of light. Like several of the other Jyotirlingas, the site of Nageshvara is uncertain, and it is probably the most controversial of all twelve sites. At least two major rival temples also claim to be the location of this particular Jyotirlinga.

History

The Nageshvara Temple is absolutely the hardest of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines to identify. Named in the list of twelve lingas, there is virtually no clue given as to where this site is except that it is located deep in a forest. The three claimants are the Aundha Nagnath Temple in Maharashtra; the Nageshvara Temple in Gujarat; and the Jageshwar Temple in Uttarakhand. The dominant claimant appears to be that of the Aundha Nagnath Temple.

Aundha Nagnath is a very old center of Hindu worship. As with many of the Jyotirlinga shrines, that of Nageshvara is tied to a tale of a battle between Lord Shiva and a demon. After defeating the demon, who had taken the local villagers hostage and kept them imprisoned under the sea, allowed his linga to reside here (again, this story may actually refer to one of the other villages).

More specific to Aundha Nagnath, a tale is told of two popular Hindu saints, Namdev and Visoba, who once met at the temple. Mamdeth, finding Visoba with his feet resting on the linga, chastised the famous guru. However, the guru observed that no matter where one stood, Shiva was there anyway, proving his omnipresence.

Temples have stood in Aundha Nagnath since the Middle Ages. The current structure dates largely from the 13th century. This temple was badly damaged by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb during the 17th century. Perhaps because of its uncertain location, the Aundha Nagnath Temple does not receive quite as many pilgrims as the other Jyotirlingas, but is still considered one of Maharashtra’s more important Hindu sites.

Visiting

The Aundha Nagnath Temple is one of the most easily recognized Hindu temples in India, which is saying a lot. This is thanks in large part to the two completely different styles of construction that cannot be mistaken even by a small child. The bottom half of the temple dates back centuries. Built of well-weathered stone, every inch of the lower half is covered in intricate carvings. The top half of the temple, constructed much more recently, consists of some of the most brilliant white marble work ever seen. The effect is that the place looks as though one brand new temple was simply dumped on top of a shabby old temple.

The temple interior is more uniform, though it too has enjoyed considerable renovations in recent years. The centerpiece linga juts out of the ground directly underneath the towering, brilliant white pyramid dome that completely dominates the surrounding neighborhood.

The Aundha Nagnath Temple is located on the south side of the city of Aundha Nagnath, approximately 250 miles east of Mumbai. As of this writing no visitor information was available. Web: www.maharashtratourism.gov.in (official tourism website of Maharashtra).

Other Sites

There are no other temples in Aundha Nagnath that measure up to the stature of the Jyotirlinga, despite the rival claims. However, for those pilgrims who want to be absolutely certain they have visited the correct Nageshvara Temple, there is the Nageshvara Temple in the city of Dwaraka and the Jageshwar Temple in Almora.

Filed Under: Hindu Tagged With: India (South)/Sri Lanka

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

Follow us!

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2023 The Complete Pilgrim, LLC || Marietta, GA 30068 || Legal Disclaimers

Website by: Kristina McInerny, Notes From Kris, Inc.