Trimbakeshwar is a temple of Lord Shiva; it is situated in Trimbak, Nashik District, Maharashtra, India. The temple is 40 km from Nashik road; the temple holds its significance among the Hindus as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Trimbak is also the place that is considered to be the origin of the sacred Godavari river.
There is a pond in the temple premise known as Kusavarta Kunda, the source of the Godavari River. The current temple was built by Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao (Nanasaheb), while the pond was the creation of Shrimant Sardar Raosaheb Parnerkar, the Fadnavis of Indore State.
The construction for the temple began in 1755 and went on till 1786; it took around 36 years for completion. The major construction remains in black stone, and the Lingam here is considered to be naturally manifested.
Architecture
Trimbakeshwar Jyothirlingam Temple is a religious site where every year thousands of devotees come to seek the grace of God. They feel mesmerized by seeing the unique Jyotirlinga with three faces for Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh or Shiva. However, due to the excessive use of water on the Lingam, it has started to erode. There is a belief that this erosion is not just of the Lingam but the human society too.
A jeweled crown adorns the Lingam; this crown dates back to Pandavas’ age and is built of precious stones like diamonds, emeralds, and more. The public gets a glance at the crown every Monday from 4 to 5 pm.
The temple is surrounded by three hills Brahmagiri, Nilagiri, and Kalagiri. All other temples only represent one Lingam, but here are three Lingams for Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, one of the temple’s notable features.
There are three water bodies as well Bilvatheertha, Viswananthirtha, and Mukundathirtha. The temple’s pond Amritavarshini, measures 28 m and 30 m. The temple also includes various Samadhis and Monasteries, which increase its significance. Other than the main Lingams, there are several deities as Gangadevi, Jaleswara, Rameswara, Gautameswara, Kedarnath, Rama, Krishna, Parasurama, and Lakshmi Narayana.
There are quarters built on all four sides of the temple, and the East direction presents the door as the entrance. The gate also leads to the main road in the village.
Inside the Temple
The Lingams inside the temple resides in a hollow space. Hence they are not directly visible to the devotees; the Shiv Lingam is under the ground and not over. There is a tilted mirror on the Shiva Lingam’s backside wall, and the devotees pray, gazing at it to get the Lord’s glance.
The entrance gate comprises various queues to facilitate the visit for the devotees. These queues lead through the Nandi temple, which is in front of the Shiva temple, Nandi facing Shiva. After crossing Nandi’s temple, there is a big hall with having a dome-shaped roof. The sanctum here houses the main Shiv Lingam as well as the three Lingams.
The overall temple is built using black stone except for the rooftop of sanctum sanatorium, made out of white marble. Going out of the temple, it is just a 10-minute walk to the bus stand.
Connectivity
One can reach the temple either by road or using the railway network as the temple is about 30 kilometers on the road from Nashik and 157 kilometers from Thane. The closest railway station is the Nashik Road Railway Station, from where you have to cover 39 kilometers to reach the temple.
Celebration in the Temple
Every year the temple celebrates many festivities; Maha Shivratri is the most significant. This year, it will be celebrated on March 11. Do visit the abode of Shiva and gain his blessings.
Besides the festivities, the scenic beauty and the peaceful nature of the place also become a reason for people to visit the place. Hence, many people can be seen all year round, especially during the month of Shravan when people observe fast and perform various Pujas to remove the Dosha in their horoscope, such as Kaalsarp Dosha.
Various pujas and rituals are performed in Trimbakeshwar, such as Narayan Nagbali, Tripindi, Kalsarp Shanti, Vishnubali, Uttarakriya, Chitrudra, Jananashanti, Simhastha Sinha Ridhi.
