Daksheswara Mahadev Temple

Daksheswara Mahadev Temple is a huge and beautiful Lord Shiva temple built on the Shivalik Range of the lower Himalayas. This is one of the important Shiva temples for the Hindus and a great pilgrim place on the Himalayan temple circuit. This ancient temple was renovated few centuries ago with many pilgrim amenities around the temple complexes. This temple is of ancient historic importance and has many religious values for the Hindu sects of peoples living in India and abroad. This is a holy Hindu shrine located at Kankhal Town, Haridwar District of Uttarakhand State in India.

Daksheswara Mahadev Temple Religious Significance

This temple is called up in the name of Daksheswara, who was the father of Sathi Devi. Sathi is the original wife of lord Shiva. This is the divine place where the great Daksha Yagna by Daksheswara Prajapathi conducted in the ancient time. Here the importance is for the Sathi Devi and she is called as Maa. Many Shivites take pilgrimage in the Shravana Masa either the August month of every year. This is also visited by other sects of Hinduism. This temple is mostly visited by all Hindu devotees who take the Haridwar pilgrimage. This is also an important temple to visit by the panch kedar pilgrim peoples. The daily poojas and rituals are conducted here; it is often visited by the local residents and always seen with devotees in the pilgrim season that starts from May to November of every year.

Festivals at Daksheswara Mahadev Temple

Daksheswara Mahadev Temple conducts the Navarathri and the Mahashivarathri as its main temple festival. During these auspicious days many special rituals and ceremonies are done by the temple priest with the presence of many devotees. This Shivaties sect of the Hinduism mainly visits on the Mahashivarathri day and performs individual poojas. On the festival occasion the temple is filled with lights and vendors. The Kankhal Town will be filled with many devotees who come to worship this temple.

Daksheswara Mahadev Temple Mythology & History

The legends for the Daksheswara Mahadev Temple are mentioned in the ancient Indian Hindu texts like the Veda and Skanda Purana. It is believed that the Daksheswara performed a great Yagna where he dint invited Lord Shiva. This was a disgrace for Sathi Devi who was Lord Shiva's wife. Daksha was the father of Sathi Devi. Here she stopped the Yagna by jumping herself in the Yagna fire to honor her husband and stopping the Yagna where her husband is not invited. Since then this place is known to be a holy and divine place for Sathi Devi. The Yagna Kundh or the fire place and the surrounds are the present temple built over here. That's why the temple is named after the Sathi Devi father as Daksheswara Mahadev Temple.

Daksheswara Mahadev Temple Architectural Significance

Since the ancient times the presence of Daksheswara Mahadev Temple is recorded in the Vedic records. Since the 19th century this ancient temple was modified and built in a huge temple structure. In the year 1810 AD the Dhankaur Queen built the new temple in the Nagara style. The same structure was recently altered in 1962 and the present temple is seen as huge and beautiful temple. One can find a life size color full idol of Lord Shiva carrying his dead wife Sathi Devi on his hands along with the trident. This is a divine idol to see on the front of this temple, which is the actual cause of this place. The main temple is seen with multistoried structures up to 2 floors. It has many obelisk small towers on it stop. The main dome is a pyramid shaped with having pediments on it. There are beautiful motifs run along the entire temple structure. The main deity is the Lord Shiva and is seen in the Linga form. There is also many other deities in the temple complex which are of Daksheswara Prajapathi, Sathi Devi and many other sub deities of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses. The important feature of this temple is the Sathi sacrificial place, either the Agni Khund where Sathi Devi jumped to self immolate here self. This place is believed as the exact place where the Daksha Yagna took place in the ancient times. This new temple is also built around it is the beliefs of Hindus. Another feature of this temple is the presence of a Linga with a black stone resembling to be the head of Daksha which was decapitated and fell down here by the action of Maha Rudhra. The new temple has vast place to carry out many rituals and ceremonies. It has suitable place for devotees to stay and worship here.