Nartiang Durga Temple, West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya

Nartiang Durga Temple, West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya

Nartiang Durga Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Mother Parvathi located at Nartiang in the West Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya, a state in North-Eastern India. The Temple is believed to be 500 years old. Being one of the 51 Shakti Peethas of Hindu Mythology, this temple is one of the holiest sites for devotees of the Shakti sect of Hinduism.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2019/06/nartiang-durga-temple-west-jaintia-hills-legends.html

History

This temple was built in the 16^th century by Jaintia King King Dhan Manik. The original structure of the temple was similar to a typical Khasi house, with a thatched roof over a central wooden pillar. Later the thatch was replaced by a corrugated tin roof. It had been further modified and reconstructed by Ramakrishna Mission of Cherrapunjee in the year 1987 to preserve, protect and encourage the tradition, faith and culture of the people.

The Temple

The temple is situated on top of a hill. Originally the temple resembled a thatched roof house, which is similar to most of the houses of the Khasi people. Later on, Ramakrishna mission took over the redevelopment of this temple at it got a tin roof and a more permanent structure. The temple has an idol of Goddess Durga, the main deity of the temple. But it also has a Shiva temple situated nearby the premises of the main temple. One can get a view of the Myundu River flowing below from the temple as it is set on the top of a hill right above the river.

In the basement, the temple houses the "Boli Garbha" or the ritual sacrificial pier. This place is connected to the river by a tunnel. The sacrificing ritual is followed at the Boli Garbha. Earlier humans were sacrificed at the temple during Durga Puja which was later banned by the British Government. Now human sacrifice is replaced by goats and ducks. The priest of this temple belong to the same family. Priesthood is passed on from generation to generation.

The temple is also an abode of ancient guns of the kings which makes it not only a place for the preachers of Goddess Durga but also an interesting place for the archaeologists and historians. The Village of Nartiang is significant for its summer palace of the Jaintia King whose capital was Jaintiapur. The remnants of the summer palace is located on a hillock approximately two kilometers from the Nartiang market.

This place is also called as Garden of Monoliths since, the place has several scattered monoliths (stone pillars). The temple overlooks the monoliths. The Monoliths are Menhirs (the upright stones) locally known as Moo Shynrang (Men) and Dolmens (the flat horizontal stones) known as Moo Kynthai (Women). Some of these were erected in the 1500 AD. The tallest Menhir is known as Moo Long Syiem. It is 8 metres high and 18 inches thick. It was named after U Mar Phalyngki a great warrior and Jaintia lieutenant.

Festivals

Durga Puja is the most important festival of this temple. During Durga Puja, a banana plant is dressed up and worshipped as the Goddess. At the end of the four-day festivities, the plant is ceremoniously immersed in the Myntdu River. A gun salute is also given to the Goddess on the occasion. It celebrates the Durga puja every autumn in a unique way with the fusion of the culture of Bengal and that of the Khasi-Jaintia Hills. In conformity of the Khasi custom of not using figurine images of Gods and Goddesses, the image of Durga is represented by a plantain trunk decked with marigold flowers.

Worship Practices

The rites at the temple not performed the conventional way as in the plains, but in a unique way, a blend of Hindu and ancient Khasi traditions. The local chieftain or Syiem is considered the chief patron of the temple. Even today, during Durga Puja, the Syiem sacrifices goats in the Goddess’s honour. Earlier, human sacrifice was offered at the temple, but the practice had been stopped by the British. The human head used to roll down a tunnel from the sanctum sanctorum to the Myntdu River flowing below. Nowadays, goats and ducks are sacrificed. But what is most interesting is the fact that the goats are made to wear human masks and then sacrificed.

Religious Significance

The Nartiang Devi temple is believed to be a Shakti Peetha, one of the most revered shrines of Shaktism because Shakti Peethas are holy abodes of Parashakti. The Shakti Peethas have originated from the mythology of Daksha Yaga and Sati's self-immolation Shiva carried the corpse of Sati Devi and body parts of the corpse fell in the path he wandered. There are 51 Shakti Peeth linking to the 51 alphabets in Sanskrit. Each temple have shrines for Shakti and Kalabhairava. The "Shakti" of Nartiang Devi shrine is addressed as "Jayanti" and the "Bhairava" as "Kramadishwar". It is believed that Sati Devi's left thigh has fallen here. It is a unique shrine in its own right as it synthesizes the two different religious traditions – Hinduism and the indigenous faith and blends the two harmoniously.

Administration

The Central Puja Committee, the official representative of the Hindu community in Meghalaya, is the caretaker of the temple. It finances a major part of the daily expenses incurred by the temple and carries out development activities in the temple premises. It is also responsible for the popularization of the Durga Puja conducted in this ancient temple.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 3 Kms from Nartiang, 61 Kms from Shillong, 62 Kms from Shillong Bus Station, 153 Kms from Guwahati Railway Station and 177 Kms from Guwahati Airport. This Temple is situated to east of Shillong. Guwahati Railway Station is the nearest railway station. Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport located in Guwahati is the nearest International Airport.

Location

Nartiang Durga Temple, West Jaintia Hills – Legends

Nartiang Durga Temple, West Jaintia Hills – Legends

In Hindu mythology, Daksha Yajna or Daksha-Yaga is an important event, which is narrated in various Hindu scriptures. It refers to a yajna (sacrifice) organized by Daksha, where his daughter Sati immolated herself. The wrath of god Shiva, Sati's husband, thereafter destroyed the sacrifice. The tale is also called Daksha-Yajna-Nasha (destruction of Daksha's sacrifice). The story forms the basis of the establishment of the Shakti Peethas, temples of the Hindu Divine Mother. It is also becoming a prelude to the story of Parvati, Sati's reincarnation who later marries Shiva. The mythology is mainly told in the Vayu Purana. It is also mentioned in the Kasi Kanda of the Skanda Purana, the Kurma Purana, Harivamsa Purana and Padma Purana. Linga Purana, Shiva Purana, and Matsya Purana also detail the incident.

Sati-Shiva marriage:

Daksha was one of the Prajapati, son of Brahma, and among his foremost creations. The name Daksha means "skilled one". Daksha had two wives: Prasoothi and Panchajani (Virini). Sati (also known as ‘‘Uma’’) was his youngest daughter; born from Prasoothi (the daughter of the Prajapati Manu), she was the pet child of Daksha and he always carried her with him. Sati (meaning truth) is also called Dakshayani as she followed Daksha’s path; this is derived from the Sanskrit words Daksha and Ayana (walk or path).

Sati, the youngest daughter of Daksha, was deeply in love with the god Shiva and wished to become his wife. Her worship and devotion of Shiva strengthened her immense desire to become his wife. However, Daksha did not like his daughter’s yearning for Shiva, mainly because he was a Prajapati and the son of the god Brahma; his daughter Sati was a royal princess. They were wealthy nobility and their imperial royal lifestyle was entirely different from that of Shiva.

As an emperor, Daksha wanted to increase his influence and power by making marriage alliances with powerful empires and influential sages and gods. Shiva on the other hand led a very modest life. He lived among the downtrodden, wore a tiger skin, smeared ashes on his body, had thick locks of matted hair, and begged with a skull as bowl. His abode was Mount Kailash in the Himalayas. He embraced all kinds of living beings and did not make any distinction between good souls and bad souls.

The Bhutaganas, his followers, consisted of all kinds of ghosts, demons, ghouls and goblins. He wandered through garden and graveyard alike. As a consequence, Daksha had aversion towards Shiva being his daughter’s companion. However, unlike Daksha, Sati loved Shiva as she had the revelation that Shiva was the Supreme God. Sati won Shiva as her husband by undergoing severe austerities (tapas). Despite Daksha's disappointment, Sati married Shiva.

Brahma's Yajna:

Once Brahma conducted a huge yajna (sacrifice), where all the Prajapatis, gods and kings of the world were invited. Shiva and Sati were also called on to participate in the yajna. All of them came for the yajna and sat in the ceremonial place. Daksha came last. When he arrived, everyone in the yajna, with the exception of Brahma, Shiva and Sati, stood up showing reverence for him. Brahma being Daksha's father and Shiva being Daksha's son-in-law were considered superior in stature to Daksha. Daksha misunderstood Shiva’s gesture and considered Shiva's gesture as an insult. Daksha vowed to take revenge on the insult in the same manner.

Daksha Yaga:

Daksha’s grudge towards Shiva grew after Brahma's yajna. With the prime motive of insulting Shiva, Daksha initiated a great yajna, similar to that of Brahma. The yajna was to be presided over by the sage Bhrigu. He invited all the gods, Prajapatis and kings to attend the yajna and intentionally avoided inviting Shiva and Sati.

Dadhichi – Daksha argument:

The Kurma Purana discusses the dialogues between the sage Dadhichi and Daksha. After the sacrifice and hymns where offered to the twelve Aditya gods; Dadhichi noticed that there was no sacrificial portion (Havvis) allotted to Shiva and his wife, and no Vedic hymns were used in the yajna addressing Shiva which were part of Vedic hymns. He warned Daksha that he should not alter the Holy Vedas for personal reasons; the priests and sages supported this. Daksha replied to Dadhichi that he would not do so and insulted Shiva. Dadhichi left the yajna because of this argument.

Sati's Death:

Sati came to know about the grand yajna organized by her father and asked Shiva to attend the yajna. Shiva refused her request, saying that it was inappropriate to attend a function without being invited. He reminded her that she was now his wife more than Daksha’s daughter and, after marriage, is a member of Shiva’s family rather than Daksha’s. The feeling of her bond to her parents overpowered the social etiquette she had to follow. She even had a notion that there was no need to have received an invitation in order to attend as she was Daksha’s favourite daughter and no formality existed between them.

She constantly pleaded and urged Shiva to let her attend the ceremony and became adamant in her demands without listening to the reasons Shiva provided for not attending the function. He allowed Sati to go to her parents' home, along with his followers including Nandi, and attend the ceremony, but refused to accompany with her. Upon arriving, Sati tried to meet her parents and sisters; Daksha was arrogant and avoided interacting with Sati. He repeatedly snubbed her in front of all the dignitaries, but Sati maintained her composure.

Because of Sati’s persistence in trying to meet him, Daksha reacted vehemently, insulting her in front of all the other guests at the ceremony to which she had not been invited. He called Shiva an atheist and cremation ground dweller. As planned, he took advantage of the situation and continued shouting repugnant words against Shiva. Sati felt deep remorse for not listening to her beloved husband. Daksha’s disdain towards her, and especially her husband Shiva, in front of all the guests was growing each moment she stood there. The shameless insult and humiliation of her and her beloved, eventually became too much to bear.

She cursed Daksha for acting so atrociously toward her and Shiva and reminded him that his haughty behavior had blinded his intellect. She cursed him and warned that the wrath of Shiva would destroy him and his empire. Unable to bear further humiliation, Sati committed suicide by jumping into the sacrificial fire. The onlookers tried to save her, but it was too late. They were only able to retrieve the half-burnt body of Sati.

Daksha's pride in being a Prajapati and his prejudice against his son-in-law created a mass hatred within himself, which resulted in the death of his daughter. The Nandi and the accompanying Bhootaganas left the yajna place after the incident. Nandi cursed the participants and Bhrigu reacted by cursing the Bhootaganas back.

Destruction of the Yajna by Lord Shiva:

Lord Shiva was deeply pained upon hearing of his wife's death. His grief grew into a terrible anger when he realized how Daksha had viciously plotted a treachery against him; but it was his innocent wife who fell into the trap instead of him. Shiva learned of Daksha’s callous behavior towards Sati. Shiva's rage became so intense that he plucked a lock of hair from his head and smashed it on the ground, breaking it into two with his leg. Armed and frightening, two fearsome beings Virabhadra and Bhadrakali (Rudrakali) emerged. Lord Shiva ordered them to kill Daksha and destroy the yajna.

The ferocious Virabhadra and Bhadrakali, along with the Bhutaganas, reached the yajna spot. The invitees renounced the yajna and started running away from the turmoil. Sage Bhrigu created an army with his divine penance powers to resist Shiva’s attack and protect the yajna. Bhrigu’s army was demolished and the entire premises were ravaged. All those who participated, even the other Prajapatis and the gods, were mercilessly beaten, wounded or even slaughtered.

The Vayu Purana mentions the attack of Bhutaganas: the nose of some goddesses were cut, Yama's staff bone was broken, Mitra's eyes were pulled out, Indra was trampled by Virabhadra and Bhutaganas, Pushan's teeth were knocked out, Chandra was beaten heavily, all of the Prajapatis' were beaten, the hands of Vahini were cut off, and Bhrigu's beard was cut off. Daksha was caught and decapitated, the attack culminated when the Bhutaganas started plucking out Bhrigu’s white beard as a victory souvenir. 

The Vayu Purana do not mention the decapitation of Daksha, instead it says Yagna, the personification of yajna took the form of an antelope and jumped towards the sky. Virabhadra captured it and decapitated Yagna. Daksha begs mercy from the Parabrahmam (the Supreme Almighty who is formless), who rose from the yajna fire and forgives Daksha. The Parabrahmam informs Daksha that Shiva is in fact a manifestation of Parabrahmam. Daksha then becomes a great devotee of Shiva. The Linga Purana and Bhagavatha Purana mention the decapitation of Daksha.

Certain other puranas like Harivamsa, Kurma, and Skanda narrate the story from the perspective of the Vaishnava-Shaiva community feud prevalent in ancient times. In these puranas, there are fights between Vishnu and Shiva or Virabhadra, with various victors throughout. The story of Daksha Yaga in Vaishnava and Shaiva puranas end with the surrendering of Daksha to the Parabrahmam or with the destruction of yajna and decapitation of Daksha.

Aftermath:

As the obstruction of the yajna will create havoc and severe ill effects on the nature, Brahma and the god Vishnu went to the grief-stricken Lord Shiva. They comforted and showed their sympathy towards Shiva. They requested him to come to the yajna location and pacify the Bhutaganas and allow the Yaga to be completed; Shiva agreed. Shiva found the burnt body of Sati. Shiva gave permission to continue yajna. Daksha was absolved by Shiva and the head of a ram (Male goat) meant for yajna was fixed on the decapitated body of Daksha and gave his life back. The yajna was completed successfully.

The later story is an epilogue to the story of Daksha yajna mentioned in Shakta Puranas like Devi Bhagavata Purana, Kalika Purana and the folklores of various regions. Shiva was so distressed and could not part from his beloved wife. He took the corpse of Sati and wandered around the universe. To reduce Shiva's grief, Vishnu cuts Sati's corpse as per Vaishnava Puranas; whose parts fell on the places Shiva wandered. The Shaiva version says that her body disintegrated on its own and the parts fell while Shiva was carrying Sati's corpse in various places. The left thigh of Goddess Sati fell here at Nartiang in the Jaintia Hills. It is for this reason that the Goddess is known as 'Jainteshwari'.  

These places commemorating each body part came to be known as the Shakti Peethas. There are 51 Shakti Peethas, representing the 51 letters of Sanskrit. Some of the puranas which came in later ages gave more importance to their supreme deity (depending on Vaishnava, Shaiva, and Shakta sects) in their literature. Shiva went to isolation and solitude for ages and wandered all around until Sati reincarnated as Parvati, the daughter of the King Himavan. Like Sati, Parvati took severe austerities and gave away all her royal privileges and went to forest. Shiva tested her affection and devotion in disguise. He eventually realized Parvati is Sati herself. Shiva later on married Parvati.

Jaintia King Dhan Manik built this Temple:

The Jaintia king Jaso Manik (1606–1641) had married Lakshmi Narayana, the daughter of the Hindu Koch king Nara Narayana. It is believed that it was Lakshmi Narayana who had influenced the Jaintia Royalty to embrace Hinduism. King Dhan Manik had made Nartiang the summer capital of the Jaintia Kingdom about 600 years ago. One night, the goddess appeared to him in a dream and informed him of the significance of the place and asked him to build a temple in her honour. Following this, the Jainteshwari Temple in Nartiang was established. The strategic location of the temple and presence of weapons like cannons etc. suggests that the temple must have been part of a fort of the Jaintia Kings.

Nageshvara Temple, Darukavanam, Saurashtra, Gujarat

Nageshvara Temple, Darukavanam, Saurashtra, Gujarat

Nageshvara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Darukavanam near Dwaraka in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat. The Temple is believed to be one among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva. Just like some other jyotirlingas, there is a conflict about the true location of the jyotirlinga of Nageshwar. Nagnath of Aundha, Nageshwar of Dwarka and Jageshwar of Almora are in the contest of the jyotirlinga. Placed in the three distinct directions and regions of India, the temple claims are backed by either the story of Purana or the meaning of the words.

Nageshwar Temple or Nagnath Temple is located on the route between Gomati Dwarka and the Bait Dwarka Island on the coast of Saurashtra in Gujarat. The Jyotirlinga enshrined in the Temple of Nagnath is known as Nageshwar Mahadev and attracts thousands of pilgrims all-round the year. The Rudra Samhita sloka refers to Nageshwar with the phrase ′Daarukaavane Naagesham′. It is an important pilgrimage and tourist spot of Gujarat.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2019/06/nageshvara-temple-darukavanam-saurashtra-legends.html

History

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

The Temple

Presiding Deity is called as Nageshvara, the Jyotirlinga. Jyotirlinga is housed in the sanctum. Nageshwar Mahadev Sivalingam is facing South while the Gomugam is facing 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 Rudraksha. An idol of Parvathi Devi can be seen behind the Linga. The major attraction of this temple is a 25-meter-tall statue of Lord Shiva in a large garden with a pond surrounding the statue.

Poojas & Festivals

Poojas:

Rudrabhiseka, the pooja conducted when Shiva is in rudra (angry) form. The Shiva Linga is washed with water which continuously keeps pouring over it through a vessel along with continuous chanting of mantras (Dudhabhishek). There are various other forms of abhishekam and poojas known as Rudrabhiseka with bhoga, ek somvar (one Monday), char somvar (four Mondays), Laghurudra and Shravan.

Festivals:

Mahashivaratri is the famous festival celebrated here. During this festival the devotees decorate the lingam with flowers and conduct the Abhisheka with milk.

Prayers

This Jyotirlinga has the power to protect beholders and worshippers from all kinds of poisons especially snake poisons. It is also mentioned that those who mediate upon Nageshwar with a pure mind obtain freedom from all physical and spiritual poisons (Maya, sin and anger and temptation). A person who prays at this temple can fear no harm from snakes and this deep-rooted belief gives the temple its own importance while drawing thousands of devotees of it.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 16 Kms from Dwaraka Railway Station, 17 Kms from Dwaraka, 18 Kms from Dwaraka Bus Stand, 19 Kms from Okha, 127 Kms from Jamnagar Airport, 131 Kms from Jamnagar, 225 Kms from Rajkot and 439 Kms from Ahmedabad. Dwarka is on the state highway from Jamnagar to Dwarka. Direct buses available from Jamnagar and Ahmedabad. Dwarka is a station on the Ahmedabad-Okha broad gauge railway line, with trains connecting it to Jamnagar, Rajkot and Ahmedabad. Daily trains are available to Dwarka from major cities of Gujarat and India. The closest domestic airport to Dwarka is located at Jamnagar. There are regular flights from Jamnagar to Mumbai International Airport. Taxi cabs are available from Jamnagar airport to Dwarka.

Location

Nageshvara Temple, Darukavanam, Saurashtra – Legends

Nageshvara Temple, Darukavanam, Saurashtra – Legends

Darukavana:

The Shiva Purana says Nageshvara Jyotirlinga is in 'the Darukavana', which is an ancient name of a forest in India. 'Darukavana' finds mention in Indian epics, such as Kamyakavana, Dvaitavana, Dandakavana. A narrative in the Shiva Purana about the Nageshvara Jyotirlinga tells of a demon named Daaruka, who attacked a Shiva devotee named Supriya and imprisoned him along with many others in his city of Darukavana, a city under the sea inhabited by sea snakes and demons. At the urgent exhortations of Supriya, the prisoners started to chant the holy mantra of Shiva and immediately thereafter the Lord Shiva appeared, and the demon was vanquished, later residing there in the form of a Jyotirlinga. The demon had a wife, a demoness named Daaruki who worshipped Mata Parvati.

As a result of her penance and devotion, Mata Parvati enabled her to master the forest where she performed her devotions and renamed the forest 'Darukavana' in her honour. Wherever Daaruki went the forest followed her. In order to save the demons of Darukavana from the punishment of the gods, Daaruka summoned up the power Parvati had given her. She then moved the entire forest into the sea where they continued their campaign against the hermits, kidnapping people and keeping them confined in their new lair under the sea, which was how that great Shiva devotee, Supriya, had wound up there.

The arrival of Supriya caused a revolution. He set up a lingam and made the prisoners recite the mantra Om Namaha Shivaya in honour of Shiva while he prayed to the lingam. The demons response to the chanting was to attempt to kill Supriya, though they were thwarted when Shiva appeared and handed him a divine weapon that saved his life. Daaruki and the demons were defeated, and Parvati saved the remaining demons. The lingam that Supriya had set up was called Nagesha; it is the tenth lingam. Shiva once again assumed the form of a Jyotirlinga with the name Nageshwar, while the Goddess Parvati was known as Nageshwari. The Lord Shiva then announced that he would show the correct path to those who would worship him.

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.

Location Controversies:

The actual location of the legendary forest of Darukavana is debated. No other important clues indicate the location of the Jyotirlinga. 'Darukavana' remains the only clue. The name Darukavana, is derived from 'daruvana' (forest of deodar trees), is thought to exist in Almora. Deodar (Daru Vriksha) is found abundantly only in the western Himalayas, not in peninsular India. Deodar trees have been associated with Lord Shiva in ancient Hindu texts. Hindu sages used to reside and perform meditation in deodar forests to please Lord Shiva. Also, according to the ancient treatise Prasadmandanam, because of this the Jageswara temple in Almora, Uttarakhand is also identified as Nageshvara Jyotirlinga.

The written name of Darukavana could be misread as 'Dwarakavana' which would point to the Nageswara temple at Dwaraka. However, no forest is in this part of Dwaraka that finds mention in any of the Indian epics. The narratives of Shri Krishna, mention Somanatha and the adjoining Prabhasa tirtha, but not Nageswara or Darukavana in Dwaraka. Darukavana might exist next to the Vindhya Mountains. It is south-southwest of the Vindhyas extending to the sea in the west. In the Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra (6), Shankaracharya praised this Jyotirlinga as Naganath. This could be taken to mean that it is located in the south at the town of 'Sadanga', which was the ancient name of Aundh in Maharashtra, south of the Jageswara shrine in Uttarakhand and west of Dwaraka Nageshvara.

Pandavas found this Lingam:

Another story dates back to the Pandava brothers in Dwapara Yuga. The strongest of the 5 brothers, Bhima saw a river full of cream and milk and he along with the rest of his brothers found a Swayambhu (self-manifested) Lingam in the middle of the river. This was the exact spot where the Nageshwar temple was built.

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 (serpents). 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'.        

Lord Shiva play with Darukavana sages:

According to another fable (in local folklore), a group of dwarf sages known as “Balakhilyas” worshipped Lord Shiva in Darukavana for an extremely long time. To test their persistence as well devotion Lord Shiva came to them as a nude ascetic wearing only Nagas i.e. serpents on his body. All the wives of the sages got attracted to him and went after them leaving behind their husbands. This action made all the sages livid and made them curse the ascetic to lose his Linga. Hence, the Shiva Linga fell on earth and the whole earth trembled. Then appeared Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma who requested him to save the planet from getting destroyed and to take back his Linga. After consoling the sages, Lord Shiva then took back his Linga and promised his divine presence in the form of jyotirlinga in Darukavana forever.

Unique Position of Linga:

Nageshwar Mahadev Sivalingam is facing South while the Gomugam is facing east. There is a story behind this position. A devotee named as Namdev was singing bhajans in front of the Lord, while the other devotees asked him to stand aside and not hide the Lord. To this Namdev, asked them to suggest one direction in which the Lord does not exist, hence he can then stand there.  The infuriated devotees carried him and left him on the south. To their astonishment, they found that the Linga was now facing South with the Gomugam facing east.

Aurangzeb Army was attacked by Swarm of Bees:

Aurangzeb 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.

Lord Krishna worshipped Jyotirlinga here:

It is regarded that Lord Krishna himself used to worship here at Nageshvara Jyotirlinga and perform rudra Abhishek.