Lord Shiva Temples

The village of Trimbak, 36 kms from Nashik, is famous for the Trimbakeshwar Temple and as the source of the Godavari River. Trimbakeshwar enshrines one of the 12 jyotirlingas dedicated to Shiva and this one is considered to be the main jyotirlinga.

Legend has it that Guatam Rishi performed a rigorous ritual of prayer and penance or tapasya to Shiva on Brahmagiri Hill which rises above the present-day temple. Pleased with this devotion, Shiva is said to have blessed him and brought down to earth from heaven the sacred rivers of Ganga, Gautami and Godavari. At the Kushavarta Teertha, devotees usually dip themselves into the waters and purify themselves of all sins before entering the temple. To this day, Hindus offer shraad prayers (prayers for the souls of the departed) here. It is also believed that bathing in the waters of the Godavari will bring moksha or salvation.

Mondays are considered particularly holy and the priests carry the idol of Trimbakeshwar in a palanquin on their shoulders around the temple. The annual festival of Shivratri is also celebrated with great pomp and gaiety and attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over.

History

The Trimbakeshwar Temple was initially built by Raju Balaji Baji Rao, one of the first rulers of the Maratha dynasty to establish the shrine. In the following years, it was further improved by other Maratha kings.

The ancient chronicle of the Trimbakeshwar temple is closely associated to the origin of the River Godavari. According to the legend, a sage named Gautama had committed a sin by killing a cow. Then he prayed to Lord Shiva to be pardoned. Pleased by his devotion, the God had appeared in front of the sage and told him that his sins would be washed away if he bathed in this watercourse. He then released the Ganges on top of the Bramhagiri Mountain. Now, the Ganga considered herself sacred and refused to be used as a component to get rid of erudite sins.
But the sage continued to pray to her and then Lord Shiva performed a 'Tandav Nrutya', commonly known as a cosmic dance on top of the mountains. Frightened by these actions she began to flow. Gautama placed grass on the sides of the river that stopped the flow of the water. This region is now called the Kushavarta. Thereafter, the other Gods and Goddesses pleased with Shiva and Ganga requested them to institute themselves for eternity in the same area. It has been said that the 'lingas' formed naturally and the river still continues to flow over the main deity inside the temple. Today however, the river is popularly referred to as River Godavari by the locals.

How to Reach

The famous Trimbakeshwar temple is located in Nashik of the state of Maharashtra. The city has a thriving economy and good transportation facilities.

By Air The Ozar Airport operates flights from Nashik to Mumbai, Pune, Hyderbad and Chennai. The airport authorities plan to extend these services by increasing the regularity of flights to various cities. Once you reach Nashik, taxi services are available that commute to Trimbakeshwar.

By Road The Nashik district is geographically located in a position that can connect to different cities within Maharashtra. The NH-3 highway runs through Mumbai-Agra and passes through Nashik. If you are travelling from Pune then the NH-50 is preferable. The state highway also connects other cities such as Surat, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmednagar and Dhule.

By Train The nearest railway station in Nashik is located 11km away from city center. The Panchavati Express and the Godavari Express make stopovers at Mumbai and once you arrive here, any sort of transportation is available.

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