Omkareshwar Temple, Mandhata – Legends
Jyotirlinga:
According to Shiva
Mahapuraan, Brahma (The Creator) and Vishnu (The
Preserver) once had a disagreement about which of them was supreme. To
test them, Shiva pierced
the three worlds as an immeasurable pillar of light, the Jyotirlinga. Vishnu and Brahma parted
company to determine the extent of each end of the pillar. Brahma,
who had set off upward, lied that he had discovered the upper end of the
pillar, but Vishnu,
who had gone in the direction of the base of the pillar, admitted that he had
not. Shiva then
appeared as a second Jyotirlinga and cursed Brahma,
telling him that he would have no place in the ceremonies, though Vishnu would
be worshipped until the 'end of eternity'.
The Jyotirlinga is
the supreme indivisible reality from which Shiva appears.
jyotirlinga shrines commemorate this time when Shiva appeared. It
was believed that there were originally sixty-four Jyothirlingas. Twelve are
considered to be especially auspicious and holy. Each of the twelve sites takes
the name of the presiding deity and each is considered a separate manifestation
of Shiva. At
all these sites, the primary deity is a lingam
representing the beginning less and endless Stambha pillar,
symbolizing the Shiva's infinite nature.
The twelve jyotirlingas are;
·
Somnath in Gujarat,
·
Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andhra
Pradesh,
·
Mahakaleswar at Ujjain
in Madhya Pradesh,
·
Omkareshwar in Madhya
Pradesh,
·
Kedarnath in
Uttarakhand,
·
Bhimashankar in Maharashtra,
·
Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar
Pradesh,
·
Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra,
·
Vaidyanath at Deoghar in Jharkhand,
·
Nageshvara
Jyotirlinga,
·
Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil
Nadu,
·
Grishneshwar at Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
Mandhata:
The story relates to Mandhata and his son's
penance. King Mandhata of Ikshvaku clan
(an ancestor of Lord Ram) worshipped Lord Shiva here
until the Lord manifested himself as a Jyotirlinga. Mandhata's sons-Ambarish
and Muchukunda
had practiced severe penance and austerities here and pleased Lord Shiva.
Because of this the mountain is named Mandhata.
Lord
Shiva fought war with Demons on behalf of Devas:
Once upon a time there was a great war between Devas and
Danavas (demon), in which Danavas won. This was a major setback for Devas and
hence Devas prayed to Lord Shiva. Pleased with their prayer, Lord Shiva emerged
in the form of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga and defeated Danavas.
Adi Shankara's Cave:
Adi
Shankara's Cave is said to be the place where Sri Adi Sankara met
his Guru Govindapada in a cave. This cave can be found even today just
below the Shiva temple where an image of Adi Shankara has been installed.
Omkareswarar
& Amaleshwarar:
It is said that once, sage Naradhar during his visit to
the Vindhyas, sang the praise of mount Meru to Mount Vindhya. On hearing this,
Mount Vindhya prayed to Lord Siva to gain importance. Lord Siva blessed him and
appeared here as Omkareswarar & Amaleshwarar and gave him the boon of
growing, but without hindering Siva devotees. But the Vindhyas did not stop
growing, and even obstructed the sun and the moon.
Sage Agastya subdued its growth by saying it should not
grow till he gets back there. He never went back & hence the growth was
arrested. The lingam that was worshipped by Vindhya was split into two on the
request of the Gods and sages. One of the lingams is known as Omkareshwar which
is located in the Omkareshwar temple on the Shivpuri hills. The other Lingam
known as the Mamaleshwar is situated at the opposite bank of the Narmada river.
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