Located in Vadodara district of Gujarat, Kayavarohan Shiv temple is one of the sixty-eight 'teerthas' (Pilgrimage) of Lord Shiva as mentioned in the Shiva Purana. It is an important pilgrimage to Pasupatas (followers of Pashupati) as its home to Lord Shiva temple in Lakulisha avatar. Lakulish is considered to be the 28th birth of Shiva. The temple is also called Kasi of Gujarat.

Location Gujarat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad

Legend

According to the legends, Lord Shiva took the incarnation of Lakulish in this temple. Lord Shiva took the form of a brahmin child so the place is known as Kayavarohan. Kayavarohan lingam represents the formlessness and uniqueness of Lord Shiva. The legend has it that during the invasion of Mahmood of Ghazni, the luminous jyotirlinga with Lakulish merged the light of all of the other 12 jyotirlingas into its form and disappeared. It is believed that Ichhapuri was the main place of pilgrimage in Satyuga, Mayapuri in Treta Yuga, Meghavati in Dwapar Yuga, and Kayavarohan is the main pilgrimage of the present Kali yuga.

Architecture

Lord Shiva's idol is made of black stone and is unique as it presents a human figure in the lingam. The temple is built in Indian tradition with walls and pillars depicting intricate carvings of nature. The walls display various forms and asanas of Yoga. The ling itself is a manifestation of a meditating yogi (Shiva) in Shambavi mudra.

The temple also has an underground meditation cave.

Picture Courtesy: commons.wikimedia.org

Culture

Kayavarohan (or Karvan) is an ancient town and is believed to have retained the sacred status from the Vedic times. The ancient town is believed to be the home of Lord Shiva's 28th & last incarnation as the Yogi that we see in the Shivling. He is known as the propounder of the Yogi tradition and one can easily find the Yogic culture flourishing here.

People are highly spiritual and follow the shaivite way of life. 'Jai Bhagwan' is equivalent to 'Namaste' and it is a way of saluting the god that resides within. Also, it has a great tradition of Vedic learning.

Darsan Info

Temple timings - 6:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. (All the days of the week)

Maha Shivratri fall in the month of Feb/March is the major festival of Lord Shiva. It is the best time to visit the temple. Devotees adorn themselves as Lord Shiva and flock the temple.

Darsan Dresscode

Avoid Shorts, Skirts, Tanktops and do not expose legs.

Pooja Samagri

The accessibility to good quality pooja articles in today's adulterated world as well as availability of all the items required is a major concern for many devotees. Please check out our P-STORE page for various high quality Pooja Samagri for your Pilgrimage

Famous Festival

February - Maha Shivratri

Kripalu Nirvandin

Temple Rituals

Abhishek (Regular Jyotirling Rituals are at planning stage)

Special Rituals

On Maha Shivratri, the Temple is decorated with Garlands and Diyas (Lamp). As it is the Major festival of Lord Shiva, on this day Thousands of Devotees visit this Indian Temple. During the sacred day, hundreds of men wear Lord Mahadev's attire and appear at the temple.

Additional Info

 

Eateries near Kayavarohan Shiva Temple :

Hotel Sahyog

Hotel Regal

Hotel Rajeswari

Sainath Restaurant

 

 Supermarket : Available