Grishneshwar Temple, Ellora,
Maharashtra
Grishneshwar
Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Ellora, also known
as Verul, near Aurangabad in Maharashtra State, India. Presiding Deity
is called as Grishneshwar / Ghurmeshwar / Ghushmeshwar / Kusumeswarar and
Mother is called as Grishneshwari. Grishneshwar Temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga
Shrines mentioned in the Shiva
Purana. The word Grishneshwar means "lord of
compassion". The temple is an important pilgrimage site in Shaivism tradition
of Hinduism,
which considers it as the last or twelfth Jyotirlinga (Linga of light).
It is presently an important and active pilgrimage site
of the Hindus and attracts long lines of devotees daily. Anyone can enter the
temple premises and its inner chambers, but to enter the sanctum sanctorum core
(Garbha Griha) of the temple, the local Hindu tradition demands that men must
go bare chested. Famous Ellora Caves,
UNESCO world heritage site, featuring ancient rock cut monuments from the 1st millennium
CE, and Ajanta known for its exquisite cave paintings again from the 1st
millennium CE are located nearby.
Legends
For brief details, please refer below link;
History
This temple was destroyed by the Delhi Sultanate during
the Hindu-Muslim wars of 13th and 14th century. The
temple went through several rounds of rebuilding followed by re-destruction
during the Mughal-Maratha conflict. The history of Grishneshwar temple speaks
of Maloji Bhosle, an ardent devotee and chief of the Verul village. He built
the temple and a lake in Shikharshinganapur in the 16th century
after he found a treasure hidden inside an ant hill. Rani Ahilyabhai Holker,
Queen of Indore, renovated the temple in the 17th century. She also
re-constructed the Kasi Viswanatha temple at Benares and
the Vishnu
Pada Temple at Gaya.
The Temple
The Grishneshwar Temple is built in South Indian Architectural
Style. The temple, built of red rocks, is composed of a five tier shikara. This
temple covers an area of about 240 ft x 185 ft. This temple is the
smallest Jyotirlinga temple in India. Presiding Deity is called as Grishneshwar
/ Ghurmeshwar / Ghushmeshwar / Kusumeswarar. He is housed in the sanctum in the
form of Lingam. He is facing east. The sanctum sanctorum includes Lord
Grishneshwar and his consort Grishneshwari.
The Garbhagriha measures 17 ft x 17 ft. There
is a Nandi bull in the court hall. Halfway up the temple, Dashavataras of
Vishnu are carved in red stone. A court hall is built on 24 pillars. On these
pillars, there are carvings summarizing various legends and mythologies of
Shiva. Devotees can see the marriage scene of the Lord and his consort in the
temple murals and carving. The Grishneshwar Temple also houses a well that serves
as the sacred Theertham of this temple.
Temple Opening Time
Timings
|
From
|
To
|
Darshan
|
5:30 AM
|
9:30 PM
|
Darshan (In Shravan)
|
3:00 PM
|
11:00 PM
|
Notes/Tips: It usually takes
2 hours to complete darshan during normal days. During Shravan, it takes around
6-8 hours due to heavy rush.
Pooja Timings
Poojas
|
Timings
|
Mangal Arati
|
4.00 a.m.
|
Jalhari Sanghan
|
8.00 a.m.
|
Maha Prashad
|
12.00 Noon
|
Jalhari Sanghan
|
4.00 p.m.
|
Evening Aarti
|
7.30 p.m.
|
Night Aarti
|
10.00 a.m.
|
Festivals
Maha Shivaratri in February / March, Ganesh Chaturthi in
August / September, Navaratri in September/October and Diwali in October /
November are the festivals celebrated here with much fanfare.
Religious Significance
According to tradition, the Shivalinga in
Ellora (Verul) is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India, where Shiva is
believed to have appeared as a fiery column of light.
The jyotirlingas are taken as the supreme, undivided reality out of
which Shiva partly appears. Each of the 12 jyotirlinga sites take the
name of a different manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the
primary image is a Lingam representing the beginning-less and
endless Stambha
(pillar), symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva.
The twelve Jyotirlinga are:
·
Somnath Temple, Gujarat
·
Mallikarjuna Temple, Srisailam, Andhra
Pradesh
·
Mahakaleswar Temple, Ujjain, Madhya
Pradesh
·
Omkareshwar
Temple, Khandwa, Madhya
Pradesh
·
Kedarnath
Temple, Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand
·
Bhimashankar Temple, Pune, Maharashtra
·
Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi, Uttar
Pradesh
·
Triambakeswarar Temple, Nashik, Maharashtra
·
Vaidyanath
Temple, Deogarh, Jharkhand
·
Nageshwara Temple, Dwarka, Gujarat
·
Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameshwaram, Tamil
Nadu
·
Grishneshwar
Temple, Ellora, Maharashtra
Prayers
The significance of Grishneshwar Temple is that pilgrims
believe that, by paying a visit to the Grishneshwar Temple, one can reap the
benefits of worshiping all the 12 Jyotirlingas.
Contact
Grishneshwar Temple,
Verul, Maharashtra – 431 102
Phone: +91 2437 244 585
Connectivity
The Temple is located at about 1 Km from Verul Bus
Stand, 29 Kms from Aurangabad Central Bus Station, 30 Kms from 29 Kms from Aurangabad
Railway Station, 31 Kms from Aurangabad, 36 Kms from Aurangabad Airport, 100
Kms from Manmad Railway Station, 258 Kms from Pune and 326 Kms from Mumbai. Nearest
Railway Station and Airport is located at Aurangabad. Nearest Major Railway
Station is located at Manmad. This pilgrimage site is located in Ellora (also
called Verul),
less than a kilometer from Ellora
Caves – a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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