On the coasts of Saurashtra in the west of India, enshrined in the sanctum of the Nageshwar Mahadev temple, exists the divine manifestation of Lord Shiva. The first  Jyotirlinga on the earth among the 12 sacred Lingas, prayers offered here are believed to free devotees of all evils and poisons in their life.

It is regarded that Lord Krishna himself used to worship here at Nageshvara Jyotirlinga and perform rudra abhishek. There are stories in Mahabharata of how Pandavas during their Vanavas, saw the milk from the cows flowing to the river like an offering and on splitting the water saw the Jyotirlinga.

Auragazeb during the Mughal period  had unsuccessfully tried to ravage the Nageshvara Jyotirlinga Temple. He and his army had to flee as they were attacked by a swarm of bees.

Nageshvara Jyotirlinga , which initially was a very small shrine, was built to its present form by the Late Gulshan Kumar and his trust

Location Gujarat, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Gandhinagar

Legend

There are two legends associated with Nageshvara Jyotirlinga. According to the first, to test a group of dwarf sages who worshipped him in Darukavana, Lord Shiva came as a nude ascetic wearing only nagas (serpants). The sages upset by their wives' attraction to the disguised Lord, cursed him to lose his linga. The world trembled as the Lord's linga fell on earth. Brahma and Vishnu pacified Shiva to save the earth from destruction by taking it back. Shiva, then promised his divinity in Darukavana as 'Jyothirlinga'.

Myths also narrate about a demon couple Daruka and Daruki (after whom the forest of Darukavana is named), who imprisoned a devotee of Shiva, Supriya along with many others. They started chanting the Lord's name upon which he appeared in the form of a Jyothirlinga from the earth and rescued them. Since then, Shiva and Parvati decided to reside here as Nageshwar and Nageshwari.

Architecture

The Jyotirlinga of Nageshvara temple, located in the basement sanctum faces to the south and the Gomugam to the east. The linga in this temple is made of stone known as Dwarka Shila. It has small chakras on its top, and resembles a tri-mukhi rudraksh. Behind the Linga is the graceful idol of Parvathi Devi.  The imposing statue of Lord Shiva in the front of the temple is exquisite in its appeal.

Picture courtesy www.templeadvisor.com

Culture

Considered as one of the holiest cities in India, Dwaraka is popular for its  temples and pilgrimage sites. Believed to have been the first state capital of Gujarat, Dwaraka has been selected by Govt of India as one of the 12 heritage cities across the country under the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme

Darsan Info

Temple timings - 5.00 AM to 9.00 PM

During the holy month of Shravan, the temple remains open for a longer time.

Darsan Dresscode

At Nageshvara Jyotirlinga, male devotees have to wear a dhoti to perform pooja in the Garbhagriha. Dhotis are available for sale along with the pooja thali in the temple complex.

Famous Festival

Major festivals at Nageshvara Jyotirlinga  are

March - Mahashivaratri (Feb/Mar)

August - holy month of Shravan

October - Navratri

November - Diwali

December - Kartik Purnima (Nov-Dec)

Temple Rituals

Devotees can offer puja to the holy Linga by themselves at  Nageshvara Jyotirlinga.

Special Rituals

At Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, only male devotees can enter and perform puja in Garbhagriha.

Additional Info

 

Eateries near Nageshvara Jyotirlinga :-

Amrutras

Chappan Bhog

Charmi restaurant

       

Supermarket : Available