18 Places related to Lord Shiva that you should not miss to visit, this Shivaratri!
“Devon Ke Dev, Mahadev”, “Aadi Ananta Shiva”, “Swayambhu Shiva” and whatnot!
The devotees of Lord Shiva worship him in different forms and avatars. Shiva, being the supreme God as per Shaivaites, is one of the prime deities in the trinity of Sanatan Dharm. Shivaratri is the very day when Lord Shiva married Goddess Parvati, an avatar of Shakti. Therefore, it is not just an ordinary marriage, but the togetherness of the Masculine and Feminine forces of nature or also known as Purusha and Prakriti.
The yogic culture considers it to be a very important time frame as the flow of energy is in the upward direction during the 24 hours of Maha Shivaratri. Hence, it is said to stay awake and meditate the whole night of Shivaratri.
In India, there are hundreds of Shiva Temples and 64 Jyotirlingas. Out of 64 jyotirlingas, 12 are considered to be the very important ones. Here are 18 such places to visit in India this Shivaratri. Some of the places are very close to Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Delhi. You can choose any of them based on your convenience and plan a visit this Shivaratri.
“Amongst the greatest of the names of Shiva is Nataraja, Lord of Dancers, or King of Actors. The cosmos is His theatre, there are many different steps in His repertory, He Himself is actor and audience…”
The Dance of Shiva by Anand Coomaraswamy
Immerse in the devotion of Mahadev this Maha Shivaratri
Let us immerse in the tales and faith of this powerful and kind-hearted God. Let us go to the places which you have read about only in books. Along with the 12 Jyotirlingas, which are considered to be the highly auspicious sites where Shiva manifested himself in the form of Lingam; here we present some places that are related to Lord Shiva you must add to your travel bucket list to experience the real Shiva.
18 best places to visit this Maha Shivaratri
1. Tunganath Mahadev temple
The temple is located in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. It is the highest Shiva temple in the world. It is situated at a height of more than 12,106 feet. Tunganath Mahadev means the “Lord of the mountains” and is one of the “Panch Kedar” temples of Uttarakhand. The Chandrashila peak is above the temple and is the point where the waters of the Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers are divided. The treks of Tunganath Mahadev and Chandrashila peak are the best trekking locations in Uttarakhand.
2. Somnath Mahadev temple
Somnath means the “Lord of the Moon”. The temple is situated in Veraval, Gujarat. It is considered to be the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas. It is the richest and most famous temple in India. Despite undergoing many invasions, the Somnath temple still stands tall. The temple provides a serene view because of its location near the sea.
3. Kashi Viswanath temple
It is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The city is said to be alive and Mahadev still resides here. It is considered to be the most powerful among the twelve Jyotirlingas. People believe that those who die here attain Moksha (liberation). The Jyotirlinga here is called the Visheshwar Jyotirlinga (the Lord of the Universe).
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4. Amarnath temple
It is situated in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir at a height of 12,756 feet and the shiva lingam here is situated inside a cave. It is formed naturally by drops of spring water. The Amarnath Yatra is a highly revered pilgrimage destination. Many rough paths have to be trekked and crossed to finally reach this destination.
5. Kedarnath temple
The Kedarnath temple is situated in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. It is a Jyotirlinga as well as one of the Panch Kedar temples and a part of Chota Char Dham. According to the Panch Kedar mythology, the hump of Lord Shiva disguised as a bull is here in the form of Shiva lingam. The myths attached to this temple and the natural beauty of this place attract thousands of tourists and pilgrims every year. At a height of 11,755 feet near the Chorabari glacier, this place is also the origin of the river Ganges.
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6. Tarkeshwar temple
Also known as Baba Taraknath temple, it is situated in Tarakeshwar, West Bengal. This form of Shiva is considered to be a violent avatar who drank the Halahal (poison) during the Samudra Manthan (ocean churning). The Tarapith temple dedicated to Maa Bhagawati Tara (a form of Goddess Shakti) is considered to be the wife of Taraknath Mahadev. The Shivalingam here is a Swayambhu Lingam (self-manifested). It is believed that those who fast here for 1 full day without even consuming a single drop of water will be blessed by Baba Taraknath.
7. Grishneshwar temple
It is situated in Aurangabad, Maharashtra and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. The most fascinating thing about this temple is that it is very close to the Ajanta and Ellora Caves. The temple was built by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar who also reconstructed the world-famous Kashi Viswanath temple. Grishneshwar means the “God of Compassion” and hence people come here to find compassion and love in their lives.
8. Rameshwar temple
The temple is situated in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Rameshwaram is often referred to as the “Benaras of the South”. It is a part of the Char Dham Yatra. The Shivalingam here was made by Lord Rama himself before going to Sri Lanka in order to fight Ravana. Here, Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu are both worshipped.
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9. Kailasa temple
The Kailasa/Kailashnath temple is situated in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. It is located inside the Ellora Caves. And it is the largest rock-cut Hindu temple. It is believed that it was carved out of a single rock. The construction of the temple is still highly debated among archaeologists and scientists. Even modern technology is almost incapable of constructing this kind of marvel. There are a total of 34 temples within the complex.
10. Mahakaleshwar temple
The temple is situated in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. Along the banks of the Shipra river, this temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and also a Shakti Peeth. The Shivalingam is facing south which is also considered to be the zone of Yamaraja (the God of death). The Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlingam is called Swayambhu Jyotirlinga. The Shakti Peeth is called the Mahakali Shakti Peeth from which the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga energizes.
11. Murudeshwar temple
The temple is situated in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. It has the world’s 2nd tallest Shiva statue. The statue is 123 feet tall. The temple Gopura or the Raja Gopura is 237 feet tall. The Gopura has 20 floors. There are stairs and elevators available to reach the top and get an amazing view of the grand Shiva structure.
12. Mallikarjuna temple
It is situated at Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and also one of the eighteen Shakti Peethas. The temple dates back to the 2nd century. Shiva and Parvati stayed on this mountain in search of their son Karthikeya. The Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga and Bhramaramba Shakti Peeth hold high Importance among the Shaivaites and the Shakts.
13. Omkareshwar temple
The temple is situated in the Khandawa district, Madhya Pradesh and is an underrated destination as well. It is basically located on an Island in the state of Madhya Pradesh which is known as Mandhata. It is home to the ancient Bhil tribes residing here for ages and is now a very popular attraction for tourists looking for authentic locals and traditions.
14. Vaidyanath temple
Have you heard the story of the great Siva devotee Ravana who insisted Lord Shiva come to Lanka? On his way, as per God’s will, Ravana felt to relieve himself, but due to the strict instructions of Lord Shiva, he was not allowed to put it on the ground. Lord Ganesha disguised as a boy, asked Ravana to give the Lingam for a while and later kept it on the ground. When Ravana returned, he could not lift it again and it happened to be Baidyanath Jyotirlinga. Bidyanath Jyotirlinga is situated in Deoghar, Jharkhand and is one of the most visited Jyotirlingas in Hinduism.
15. Bhimashankar Temple
Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is one of the 12 jyotirlingas in Hinduism and is located in the Ghat region of the mountains of Sahyadri. Located in an ancient village of Bhojgiri, near Pune in India, Bhimashankar is also the source of the river Bhima. It is an amazing site for tourists that is not only known for its religious importance but its natural beauty is also pretty much appreciable.
16. Nageshwar temple
Nageshwar temple or Jyotirlinga is again one of the 12 jyotirlingas and is situated in Aundha Nagnath, Maharashtra. This is the very place where Vishnu and Brahma started to argue about their supremacy and then Lord Shiva emerged in the form of a pillar of light which had neither a beginning nor an end. It is an amazing destination for people looking for a Shiva temple to visit this Shivaratri.
17. Trimbakeshwar temple
Trimbakeshwar temple is a very ancient temple located in the beautiful city of Trimbak in Maharashtra. The temple is located on a mountain and is very near the origin of the river Godavari. The location of this temple is very beautiful and mesmerizing and is best to visit this Shivaratri from Pune or Mumbai.
18. Adiyogi Shiva temple
This masterpiece is a bust of Shiva in Coimbatore holding the title of the Guinness Book of world records as the largest bust sculpture. It is visited by thousands of tourists and pilgrims every year and is located at the ISHA yoga centre in Coimbatore. Read more!
A very happy Maha Shivaratri to all of Us
Shivaratri is a very special occasion for Shiva devotees. They like to meditate, practice yoga, and worship Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Its religious aspect says that it is the day when Lord Shiva was married to Goddess Parvati. However, some of the saints in yogic culture say that it is a very special day when the cosmic energy flows in an upward direction. Hence, they just sit with their heads up for hours and meditate.
Conclusion
Many devotees visit nearby Shiva temples to worship their deity on this auspicious day of Maha Shivaratri. Here in this article, we have mentioned the 18 best places to visit this Shivaratri. This Maha Shivaratri, plan your trip to any of these temples. Let us know in the comments out of these 18 places, which place are you going to visit this Maha Shivaratri. Namah Parvati pateh hara hara Mahadev.
