Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga | Jyotirlingas in India
Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga | Jyotirlingas in India
Spread across the country, Jyotirlingas are visited by devotees and travelers from different parts of the world. A Jyotirlinga or Jyotirling or Jyotirlingam, is a devotional object representing the Supreme God Shiva. Jyoti means ‘radiance’ and lingam the ‘Image or Sign’ of Shiva; Jyotir Lingam thus means the The Radiant Sign of The Almighty Shiva. Jyotirlingas in India are Swayambhu, which are supposed to have originated on their own, and not installed by people. The Shiva Purana mentions as many as 64 Jyotirlingas. Out of these 12 are called Maha Jyotirlingam or the Great Jyotirlingas. We will take you through spiritual journey of all 12 Jyotirlingas in India ( Read the list here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyotirlinga ) with separate article delights. This article delight provides insights for one among them ; Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga
Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga
Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga is only one of the 12 jyotirlingas in India that does not only honor Lord Shiva but the other two gods in the Holy Trinity – Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma as well.  Hence the name Trimbakeshwara (Three Lords). They are covered by a jewelled crown that is believed to date to the era of the Pandavas. Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple is located in Trimbak, which is about 28 km from Nashik, Maharashtra, India. The Godavari River originates near Trimbak. There are three hills surrounding this temple – Brahmagiri, Nilagiri and Kalagiri. As per its structural over view,  the temple is built by Shri Nana Saheb Peshawa in 1755-1786 AD. An entire temple is built with black stones which enhances its architecture. This temple is considered to be the 10th Jyotirlinga among 12 Jyotirlingaas.
Story behind Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga
There are two stories related to Trimbakeshwar Temple. One story is considered from Padma Puran. According to the story, after the churning of Ocean, Gods occupied immortal nectar from Demons by fooling them. When the demons came to know of this, they fought with Gods for Amritakumbha. In process drops of Amrit fell at four places – Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain and Trimbakeshwar. And from that time, Trimbakeshwar is considered to be the holiest place on the earth along with Haridwar, Prayag and Ujjain. Therefore, the Kumbha Mela is held on these areas in every 12 years.
According to other story, Sage Gautam used to live in the area of Bramhagiri Mountain. Once there was a miserable drought for 24 years. To rescue of people, sage Gautam worshipped Lord Varun (rain) and the god was pleased. And he blessed the sage with the gift of plenty of rains in the area. But this made other sages jealous of him. They sent a cow to destroy the granary of Gautam. When Gautam tried to shoo her away, she was injured and died. And by seeing this, other sages charged a sin of killing a cow. Gautam did a hard penance to please Lord Shiva who in turn asked Ganga to come to Gautam place. Sage Gautam and Ganga both prayed to Lord Shiva to come here with Parvati and stay with them. And Shiva pleased with the prayed and settled down. Here the Ganga appeared in the form of Godavari River.
Places to visit near Trimbakeshwar temple
Kushavarta Kund
The point of Godavari River origination, Kushavarta Kund is a sacred bathing place that is close to the Trimbakeshwar temple. Taking a holy dip in the Kushavarta kund as legends says it can wipe off sin. It has six corners, which gives this place another name – Teerthraj. And on every corner, there is a temple. Don’t forget to see the statues of 30 deities including of Dash Avatar.
Gorakhnath Gufa
Located on the Brahmagiri Hill next to Goddess Ganga temple, Gorakh Cave is a must visit in Trimbakeshwar. The temple is prominent because it is the place where Guru Gorakhnath performed penance. Besides, it is prominent for the beautiful carvings that adorn the walls. Pilgrims and devotees travel all the way to spend some solitude time at the Gufa and undergo penance for sins they may have committed .
Anjaneri Fort
Anjaneri fort trek is one of the famous treks in Nasik-Triambakeshwar mountain range of Maharashtra. It is an attraction of Nashik city and Triambakeshwar region. Located 20 km away from Nasik and 6 km from Triambakeshwar. It is situated at an altitude of 4263 feet from the sea level. The locals believe that the fort is the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. Therefore, it is considered as one of the religious places among Hindu devotees.Â
Simhasta Kumbh Mela at Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga
The mela begins when the sun and Jupiter enter the constellation of Leo (Simha in Sanskrit). This is the reason why it is called the Simhastha Kumbh Mela. Devotees believe it is very auspicious to take the first dip on that day. The Kumbh Mela derives its name from the Puranic legends associated with the “pot of nectar”. Kumbha in Sanskrit means pitcher or pot and mela means festival. Legend has it that the Kumbh Mela evolved from that time when the nectar of immortality was produced by demigods and the demons. The demigods feared that the demons would drink their share of the nectar. In an effort to keep the precious stuff from falling into the wrong hands, they hid it in four places – Ujjain, Prayag (Allahabad), Hardwar and Nasik. A drop of the nectar spilled at each of these places, giving the place mystical powers.Nashik, unlike the other mela venues, is unique in that it has two spots for bathing. Trimbakeshwar, located 27 km from Nashik city, is where the Saivites offer prayers and take their holy dip. Ramkhund at Panchavati in the city is where Vaishnavites pray.Â
Best time to visit Trimbakeshwar
Trimbakeshwar is always full of extremity in weather conditions. It all starts from scorching summers and ends with freezing winters. The pilgrims prefer October to March for the moderately cold climate and thus the duration becomes the best time to visit Trimbakeshwar.
The best thing that you will absolutely love about Trimbakeshwar is just the tranquil environment there. Soothing ambience and the serene aura of the temple surrounding adds on to the pleasant experiences of spirituality.
Read more : Baidyanath Jyotirlinga | Jyotirlingas in India ( https://thebrightdelights.com/baidyanath-jyotirlinga-jyotirlingas-in-india/ )