Kaleshwara Mukteswara Swamy
Temple, Kaleshwaram
– The Temple
The Kaleshwara – Mukteswara
Temple is a unique temple because the temple houses two Shiva Lingas on the
same platform. These Lingams are named after Lord Shiva and Lord Yama. One is
believed to be a manifestation of Kaleshwara or Lord Yama, the God of death. The
other Linga is Mukteswara or Lord Shiva, the Liberator, freeing you from the
cycle of life, together Kaleshwara and Mukteswara are the givers of Moksha,
salvation. Devotees can go right inside the sanctum and offer prayers.
The amazing fact is that this
Shivalinga has two nostrils. The water poured into these nostrils just
disappears and merges into Godavari and Pranahita rivers while travelling along
with River Saraswathi. The sanctum sanctorum has four Maha Dwaras like in Kasi
Viswanathar Temple in Varanasi and Pashupathinath Temple in Nepal. Nandi is
installed before the four doors leading to the sanctum sanctorum.
Jaya and Vijaya who stand as
door-keepers at the entrance of Lord Sri Maha Vishnu in Vaikunda is seen here
as door-keepers (Dwarapalakas) guarding the sanctum. There is a four-sided arch
called Yama Konam, can be found near the sanctum. Devotees had to pay to pass
through the arch. It is believed that if you manage to pass through the arch
without your head / body touching the roof, Lord Yama would treat you in good
way in Yama Loga.
The temple has a separate shrine
for Lord Ganesha. The devotees are said to worship Lord Ganesha first and then
Lord Yama and finally Lord Shiva. There are shrines of Shubhananda Devi,
Saraswathi, Rama, Dattatreya, Sangameswarar, Durga, Maha Ganapathi, Veerabhadra,
Vijaya Ganapathi, Annapoorani, Chinthamani Ganapathi, Surya, Swarna Akarshana
Kala Bhairava, Anjaneya, Mathsya Avathara and Navagrahas in the Temple
premises.
There is an interesting
sculpture of a fish in the Temple premises. Though the origin of this sculpture
is unknown it is remarkable for its structure and style. Theerthams associated
with this Temple are Brahma Theertham, Chithsukha Theertham, Gnana Theertham,
Pakshi Theertham, Sangama Theertham, Narasimha Theertha, Hanuman Theertham and
Vyasa Theertham. The Adi Mukteswara Temple is a small shrine located in the
middle of fields, about 1.5 Kms from the main temple. It is customary to visit Adi
Mukteswara Temple at first and then visit the main Temple to reap the spiritual
benefits.
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