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What is the story behind Shree Aundha Nagnath Jyotirlinga
What is the story behind Shree Aundha Nagnath Jyotirlinga – The legend depicted as below.
Nagnath Jyotirlinga is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, which are considered to be the most sacred abodes of Lord Shiva in Hindu mythology. The temple of Nagnath Jyotirlinga is located in the town of Aundha Nagnath in the Hingoli district of Maharashtra, India.
According to legend, the temple of Nagnath Jyotirlinga was originally built by the Pandavas during their exile. After losing dice game with Kaurava, Pandawas had to leave their palace. While wandering they came to this dark forest and there was a cow with them in this place, that cow used to come down to one lake every day and give milk. Once Bhima saw this and the next day he followed the cow down to the lake and saw Lord Mahadev then he realized that the cow was milking the Shivalinga every day. They worshiped Lord Shiva here and sought his blessings to win the Mahabharata war. It is also said that the temple was later renovated by King Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Pandavas.
Another popular legend associated with Nagnath Jyotirlinga is that of a demon named Daruka. It is said that Daruka was a devout follower of Lord Shiva, but he was cursed by a sage and turned into a demon. However, even as a demon, Daruka continued to worship Lord Shiva with great devotion. Pleased with his devotion, Lord Shiva appeared before him and granted him the boon of being worshiped as a Jyotirlinga. Also Daruka got a boon that, Darukavana will be moved along with them wherever they travel. It is also said that demon Daruk and Daruka were husband and wife.
There is also a local legend associated with the temple, which states that the temple was originally located at a different site, but was moved to its current location by a group of devotees who were unable to bear the pain and suffering caused by the demon Daruka. The devotees believed that moving the temple would help alleviate their suffering, and as a result, the temple was relocated to its present location.
As daruka had power of moving darukavanam, there are different opinion listed about location of temple. Jyotirlinga located at Aundha Nagnath Temple, Maharshtra; second one said to be Nageshwar Temple Darukavanam, Gujrat; And third one said to be Jageswar temple Almora Uttarakhand. Still devotion to lord Shiva and Jyotirlinga remains same for devotees as of today.
Today, Nagnath Jyotirlinga is an important pilgrimage site for devotees of Lord Shiva, and attracts thousands of visitors every year.
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