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| Nageshwar Jyothirlinga Temple |
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History
Situated en route between Dwarka city and Beyt Dwarka Island on the coast of Saurashtra in Gujarat is one of the most important Lord Shiva shrines known as Nageshwar Jyothirlinga Temple. Enshrined as one of the 12 swayambhu or self-existent jyothirlingas in the country, the Jyotirlinga in Nageshwar Temple is in underground sanctum and is known as Nageshwar Mahadev.
Renowned as one of the major pilgrimage destinations for a Shiva devotee, main attractions of the Nageshwar Jyothirlinga Temple are a 25metres tall statue of Lord Shiva in a sitting position, which allures the devotees with its aesthetic appeal and a large garden with a pond.
Representing the spirit of removing all the evil forces from earth, it is believed that the Jyothirlinga in the Nageshwar Temple protects everyone from all sorts of malevolence and anyone who offers prayers in the temple comes out with cleanse soul and mind, which is free of all the negativity and poison.
Initially known as Darukavana, which is apparently an epic name of a forest in India, Nageshwar Jyothirlinga Temple houses an intriguing myth about its origin. According to Shiva Purana, there was a demon couple – Daruka and Daruki and the forest where they resided was known as Darukavan, which later came to be known as Dwarka. The demon Daruka was a devotee of Parvati and was blessed by her.
Daruka after being blessed started dictating local folks and one day he went far when he captured a Lord Shiva devotee Supriya and imprisoned her with other devotees. Supriya despite being captured by a demon advised all the prisoners to chant the Shiva mantra to protect them. Hearing this Daruka ran to kill Supriya, however Lord Shiva appeared in the form of a Jyothirlinga from the earth and protected Supriya from being killed by the demon. Since then the linga at Nageshwar Jyothirlinga Temple is revered as the protector from evil forces.
Otherwise boasting of peaceful environs, the Nageshwar Jyothirlinga Temple comes alive on the eve of Shivaratri, when the entire temple premises is decked up and there is a huge turnout of turnout of devotees thus transforming the whole ambience into one big celebration.
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Best time to visit
The best time to visit Nageshwar Jyothirlinga Temple is in the winter months between October to March when the weather is pleasant and temperatures range from 20 to 28 degree centigrade.
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Trivia
Interestingly the Linga in this temple is facing south while the Gomugam is on the east.
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Timing
The temple is open for darshan from 7:00 am to 12:30 pm in the morning and from 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm in the evening.
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Travel Tools
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