Omkareshwar Temple, Mandhata – Legends

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.