• 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

GRISHNESHWAR TEMPLE

August 9, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Aurangabad, Maharashtra

The Grishneshwar Temple is one of the Jyotirlingas, one of twelve Hindu temples of particularly special importance to the deity Shiva. It is traditionally the twelfth temple of the list, though not necessarily in importance. Per the Jyotirlinga legend, Shiva appeared on the spot as a beam of light. Although it is not mandatory that this temple be the last one visited by pilgrims when touring the Jyotirlingas, many aspire to complete their journeys here if possible.

History

The Grishneshwar Temple is located in one of the oldest inhabited areas of India, and may in fact be the oldest religious site that would later be home to one of the Jyotirlinga shrines. The site was almost certainly sacred to Buddhists even before Hinduism arrived in the area, which is closely tied to the clusters of cave temples at Ajanta and Ellora not too far away.

According to Hindu legend, a Brahmin and his wife lived in the area in very ancient times. The Brahmin’s wife was unable to conceive a child, and in desperation she turned to her sister. Her sister became pregnant by way of the Brahmin, and subsequently gave birth to a son.

The wife, jealous, killed the child and threw him into a sacred lake. This brought a curse of blood upon the family. However, the sister sought the forgiveness of Shiva for her sister. Shiva, impressed by her generosity and piety, took away the curse and left a linga manifested in the area. This story is one of the few Jyotirlinga tales that does not involve a battle with a demon. Some theologians have posed that this story may have similar roots to that of the Biblical Abraham.

The temple site is very ancient, though the building has been rebuilt and renovated several times. The multiple buildings of the complex were clearly built at very different times. Thanks to its proximity to the Ellora and Ajanta cave complexes, which draw increasingly large numbers of visitors, the Grishneshwar Temple is quickly becoming one of the more visited temples on the Jyotirlinga shrine list.

Visiting

The Grishneshwar Temple may be the all around best of the Jyotirlinga, at least in terms of architecture. Built in stages over many years, the entire site was renovated in the 18th century. It is one of the larger Jyortlinga shrines, with a magnificently carved, brilliant white pyramid dome that is arguably the best of the twelve temples.

The main sanctuary, built of reddish-brown brick, boasts a magnificent collection of carved figures and reliefs on the walls. In addition to the linga on site, which is the temple’s center of worship, there is a spring which empties inside of the temple, the waters of which are considered to be sacred.

The Grishneshwar Temple stands in the center of the town of Ellora a few miles northwest of Aurangabad, approximately 130 miles northeast of Mumbai. As of this writing no visitor information was available. Web: www.mahashivratri.org/grishneshwar-temple (official website).

Other Sites

The Grishneshwar Temple is located within walking distance of one of India’s most magnificent Buddhist shrines, the Ellora Cave Temples. The two religious sites are often visited together.

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.