Nageshwar Jyotirlinga

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga Temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in the sacred land of Bharat. The Jyotirlingas are those sacred lingas of Lord Shiva where He appeared as a column of light. Hence, these Jyotirlinga sites are very holy, powerful and revered by extraordinary number of devotees. At least once in a lifetime we want to have darshan of all the Jyotirlingas.

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga is located in the Dwarka city (Gujarat) at a distance of less than two kilometres from the entrance of the city. It could also be said that it lies in Darukavanam between Gomti and Dwarka in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Parvathi Devi, the consort of Lord Shiva is worshiped here too as Goddess Nageshwari. Those who worship Lord Nageshwar will be freed from the effects of all kinds of poison both subtle and gross.

Adi-Shankaracharya had also laid the foundation of his western mutt at Kalika Peetha here. In the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram, Adi-Shankaracharya praises the Nageshwar Jyotirlinga as Naganath

yamye sadange nagaretiramye vibhushitangam vividhaishch
bhogai sadbhaktimuktipradamishamekam shrinaganatham sharanam prapadye

The appearance of Nageshwar Jyotirlinga

The Nageshwar Jyotirlinga temple has a unique pastime ascribed to it just like the appearance of the other Jyotirlinga temples. A demon by the name Daruk and his wife Daruka used to live in the forest now known as Daarukavanam. Being arrogant due to boons received from Parvathi Devi, the consort of Lord Shiva, the couple used to harass the devotees coming in the region of Daarukavanam.

Once, they captured and imprisoned a great devotee of Lord Shiva named Supriya. But this did not deter the devotee’s devotion to Lord Shiva. He kept on reciting the holy names of Lord Shiva and induced others around him to do so. Being pleased by Supriya’s devotion, Lord Shiva appeared at the place where Supriya was kept as a prisoner.

Lord Shiva killed the demons and saved his dear devotee. By Parvathi Devi’s grace, the other demons were spared. This forest, where the demons were killed came to be called as Daarukavanam. Hence, the Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva was established here and it came to be called Nageshwar Jyotirlinga or Nagnath Mahadev.

The Linga of Nageshwar Jyotirlinga

The linga is made from Dwarka Shila. You can see small chakras on it. The linga is shaped like a Tri-Mukhi Rudraksha and faces the southern direction while the temple faces the eastern direction. Once Sant Namdev had visited Nageshwar Jyotirlinga and was singing the abhang for the pleasure of Lord Nageshwar. Few devotees could not have darshan of the Jyotirlinga as Namdev was blocking their vision. When devotees asked him to stop blocking their vision of Lord Nageshwar while chanting the holy names of the Lord. Sant Namdev asked the devotees to suggest a direction where the Lord does not exist. Irritated, the devotees carried him to the southern direction and left him there. To the astonishment of the devotees, the Jyotirlinga turned to the southern direction. Since then, devotees have the darshan of Lord Nageshwar from the southern direction only.

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga Temple timings and festivals

The temple is open to devotees at the following times throughout the year:

6:00 AM to 12.30 PM
5:00 PM to 9.30 PM

Make sure you plan in advance if you intend to conduct any pujas. You can also offer the Rudra Abhishekam to Lord Nageshwar during the day time.

Many festivals are celebrated at the temple. But the Maha-Shivaratri is the most important festival here along with the Navratri festival. Other festivals like Diwali and Holi too are celebrated here.

How to reach Nageshwar Jyotirlinga Temple

Being located in the Dwarka city, you have to reach Dwarka in order to visit the Nageshwar Jyotirlinga temple. A trip with Tirtha Yatra on their Pancha Dwarka Yatra would be ideal if you are seeking the best devotional experience.

The other ways of travelling to Dwarka are as follows –

By Land: Dwarka is well-connected to major towns and cities. You can travel using a private vehicle. Or else, enough taxis and buses are available from Jamnagar, Porbandar and nearby cities.

By Rail: Dwarka has its own railway station (DWK) which is well connected to major cities in India. You can catch a train that goes directly to Dwarka or makes a stopover. So, no worries about changing buses or cars.

By Air: The nearest airports to Dwarka are in Jamnagar and Porbandar at a distance of 131 kms and 109 kms respectively. You can fly into Jamnagar/Porbandar and catch a taxi or bus to Dwarka.

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga: The liberator

Lord Nageshwar implies the Lord of Nagas (snakes). Hence, praying to Lord Nageshwar will free you from the effects of all kinds of poison whether subtle or gross. Our subtle poison in the form of envy, lust, anger, deceit, etc are more poisonous than the gross poison. Only our sincere prayers to Lord Nageshwar, that too in the holy dham of Dwarka will ensure that we become free from the subtle poison that haunts us during our lifetime. This pilgrimage will then be truly fulfilling. Jay Nageshwar Mahadev!