Lord Siva at Nageshwar in Gujarat, India

Nageshvara Jyotirlinga is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines mentioned in the Shiva Purana. There are many shrines in India which are believed to be identical to this Jyotirlinga. The major three such shrines are the Nageshwara temple near Dwaraka (Gujarat) the Nagnath temple in Aundha in Maharashtra, and the Jageshwara temple near Almora in Uttarakhand. It is believed to be the first Jyotirlinga on earth.

Shiva Purana says Nageshvara is in the Darukavana, which is an ancient epic name of a forest in India. Darukavana finds mention in Indian epics like Kamyakavana, Dvaitavana, Dandakavana, etc.

According to legends, the Balakhilyas, a group of dwarf sages, worshipped Shiva in Darukavana for a long time. To test their devotion and intentions, Shiva came to Darukavana as a digambara (nude) ascetic, wearing only Nagas (serpents). The wives of the sages were attracted towards him and ran after the ascetic, leaving their husbands. The sages got very disturbed, frustrated, lost their patience and cursed the ascetic to lose his Linga. The severed Shivalinga fell on the earth and whole world trembled. Brahma and Vishnu came to Shiva and requested him to save the earth from destruction and take back his Linga. Shiva consoled them and took back his Linga (Vamana Purana Ch.6 and 45).

Then Shiva promised his divine presence in Darukavana as Jyotirlinga for ever. Later, Darukavana became the favorite place of Nagas, and Vasuki worshipped Shiva here for long, and thereafter the Jyotirlinga came to be known as Nagnath or Nageshvara.

Also, there is a narrative in the Shiva Purana on the Nageshvara Jyotirlinga. It says a demon named Daruka attacked a Shiva devotee, named Supriya, and imprisoned her along with several others in his city of Darukavana. This place was a city of snakes and Daruka was the king of the snakes. On the insistence of Supriya, all the prisoners started to chant the holy mantra of Shiva and instantly Lord Shiva appeared and vanquished the demon and later started to reside here in the form of a Jyotirlinga.

Tallest Shiva idol in the world at Murudeshwar Temple

Tallest Shiva idol in the world : Murudeshwar Temple, originally uploaded by abhiomkar.

Murudeshwar Lord Shiva idol is the tallest Shiva idol in the world. It is a recent attraction of Murudeshwar and is erected beside the temple. The idol rises 123 (37 m) feet into the sky and it is visible from a very long distance from the Arabian Sea.

It took about 2 years to build. The statue was sculpted by Shivamogga's Kashinath and several other sculptors, financed by businessman and philanthropist Mr. R.N. Shetty, at a cost of approximately Rs. 50 million. The idol is designed in such a way that it gets sun light directly and hence appears sparkling.

"Murudeshwara" is another name of Lord Shiva. Murudeshwar temple is in Bhatkal Taluk in Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, India. It is at a distance of 165 km from Mangalore. A lot of devotees of Lord Shiva and tourists visit this place. It is bounded by the Arabian Sea and rolling hills of Western Ghats. Murudeshwar is the finest beach with the temple, restaurants, guest houses, resorts and beautiful gardens in the coastal Karnataka.

The Arabian Sea is an intrinsic part of the landscape of Murudeshwar. The sea surrounds the temple on three sides. Two life-size elephants sculpted in concrete stand guard at the steps leading to the temple. There is a huge fort behind the temple, said to have been renovated by Tippu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore.

Murudeshwar’s history dates back to many thousands of years (Threthayuga), according to legends and mythology. The temple which embodies a Shiva Linga is believed to have erupted when Ravana, the demon King of Lanka, flung the cloth covering the Atmalinga at Gokarna while lifting it. Lord Shiva, following a complicated sequence of events, declared that Murudeshwar should be one of his five holy places.

You can visit Murudeshwar throughout the year, as the climate and other conditions remain more or less the same any day of the year. Places near Murudeshwar are Bhatkal (16 km), Idagunji (20 km), Gokarna (65 km), Karwar (120 km), Kollur (63 km), Jog Falls (90 km), Manjuguni (90 km), and Udupi (100 km). It is easily accessible by road from any of these places, or Mangalore. The Konkan Railways and other express trains plying on the Mangalore - Goa - Mumbai route make a stop at Murudeshwar. The nearest airports are at Mangalore and Goa.

Cave Temple of Lord Amarnath (Lord Shiva)

This is a photo of Lord Amarnath taken by Mr. Gangadhar Tambe, during his pilgrimage to Lord Amarnath (Deutsch: Foto der Eissäule von Amarnath - Autor: Gangadhar Tambe, auf einer Pilgerreise nach Amarnath aufgenommen).

This is the opening of the Cave Temple of Lord Amarnath (Deutsch: Die heilige Höhle von Amarnath im Norden Indiens).

The Amarnath cave shrine, dedicated to the Lord Shiva is over 5,000 years old according to ancient scriptures and other historical documents, and it is described in ancient Hindu mythology. The cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,760 feet), at a distance of about 141 km (88 miles) from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Inside the main Amarnath cave there is an ice stalagmite resembling Shiva Linga, which melts during May to August and gradually wanes thereafter. This Lingam is said to grow and shrink with the phases of the moon, reaching its full height during the summer festival. There are two more ice formations representing Parvati and Shiva's son, Ganesha.

Devotees generally take the 42 km (26 miles) pilgrimage on foot from the town of Pahalgam, about 96 km (60 miles) from Srinagar, and complete the journey in four to five days. There are two routes to the temple - the longer and traditional path from Srinagar, and the shorter route from the town of Baltal. Some devotees ride on horseback also to complete the journey.

This year, as reported by agencies, the annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine continued smoothly on Friday as Governor N.N. Vohra and about 6,000 pilgrims offered prayers there. Governor Vohra, who is also the chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), also interacted with the pilgrims there and later at the Baltal base camp.

The pilgrims expressed satisfaction at the arrangements made by the SASB and the state administration for their safe pilgrimage. The governor also visited Panchtarni on the Pahalgam route in south Kashmir to the cave shrine and took stock of snow clearance there.

The traditional south Kashmir route is yet to open as heavy snow still blocks the 34 km track from the Pahalgam base camp to the cave.

Ice Lingam inside the Holy Amarnath Cave

Ice Lingam inside the Holy Cave., originally uploaded by Somesh Goyal.

Hundreds of thousands of devout Hindus and other pilgrims undertake the arduous trek to Amarnath cave shrine every year in the months of June and July.

Maha Ganesh Top - Amarnath Yatra Series

Ganesh- Top Amarnath Yatra Series, originally uploaded by J I G I S H A-a.k.a Nitin Badhwar.

This location is called Maha Ganesh Top. On the entire route for Amarnath Yatra (to the world famous Amarnath cave shrine) all the names of mountain peaks are named after deities of the family of Lord Shiva. Approximate height of this place is over 12000 feet above sea level. Dipping mercury and oxygen levels makes it hard for people to breath there. But the place is so beautiful that one doesn't feel disheartened. After all faith in God always help, the pilgrims claim. This route is open till August 9 . On the day of Rakhi festival this route will be closed for pilgrims and other tourists. The entire route will then be covered with snow and ice.