Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga is one of the Dwadasha Jyotirlingas in Bharata. The Jyotirlingas are those swayambhu lingas of Lord Shiva which initially manifested as a column of light in twelve places. Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga is located in Trimbak village, around 30 kms away from Nashik city in Maharashtra (India).
सह्याद्रिशीर्षे विमले वसन्तं गोदावरितीरपवित्रदेशे |
यद्धर्शनात्पातकमाशु नाशं प्रयाति तं त्र्यम्बकमीशमीडे ||
“In the land of holy Godavari, I meditate with exclusive devotion to Shri Trimbakeshwar, the Trimurti, who always resides on the top of Sahyadri. All the sins of the devotees who come here for darshan with pure bhava are destroyed.” – Dwadasha Stotra by Adi Shankaracharya
Sitting at the foothills, framed against the sacred Brahmagiri mountain, the temple is surrounded by lush green and dense forests, lakes, rivers and mountains. This very sight pleases the mind of devotees who are usually busy with the hustle and bustle of urban life. It helps them focus on their devotion and worship of Lord Trimbakeshwar.
Among all the Jyotirlingas, the Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga is unique that it represents the Trimurtis i.e. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Trimbakeshwar is also known by the name Tryambakeshwar and Trambakeshwar. The name ‘Trimbakeshwar’ implies ‘The Three-eyed Lord’. It is also said to refer to the Trimurtis.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the great Saint and devotee-incarnation of Lord Krishna had visited Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga on His South India tour. This is mentioned in Madhya Lila 9.317 of Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita:
nasike tryambaka dekhi’ gela brahmagiri
kusavarte aila yahan janmila godavari
“Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu then visited Nasika, where He saw the deity of Tryambaka (Lord Siva). He then went to Brahma-giri and then to Kushavarta, the source of the river Godavari.”
The origin of Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga
Lord Shiva was carrying the sacred Ganga river on his head to prevent her from flooding the earth. However, his consort Parvathi Devi was unhappy with the presence of Ganga on her husband’s head. She requested Lord Shiva to release her but he was not ready as Ganga was the charanamrita of Lord Vamana. Thus, Parvathi Devi devised a plan to get Ganga released from her husband’s head.
Meanwhile, the powerful Sage Gautama lived in Trimbakeshwar along with his wife Ahalya. During a 24-year drought, Sage Gautama’s ashram region was exclusively blessed with rains due to his pious credits. Sage Gautama would sow grains in his field early morning and harvest the crop by afternoon, cook them and offer them to the Sages and Brahmanas who had taken shelter at his Ashram.
As a result, his pious credits kept on increasing while it threatened the position of Indra. To counteract this, Indra sent rains everywhere outside the ashram region. By doing so, the sages and brahmanas who took shelter at the ashram would go back to their places resulting in the decrease of Sage Gautama’s pious credits. But Indra’s plan did not work out. Sage Gautama kept on feeding everyone who had taken shelter at his ashram without letting them go.
Parvathi Devi’s Plan
Now, as per the plan of Parvathi Devi, her maidservant Jaya took the form of a weak and old cow along with Lord Ganesha as the cowherd boy. In the form of a cow, Jaya started eating the crop before Sage Gautama would come to harvest them. Observing this, the sage tried to shoo away the cow using a Kusha grass.
But in the process, the cow died due to the strength of the Kusha grass. Lord Ganesha, in the form of a cowherd boy started to cry that the sage has performed Gohatya. Hearing this, the other sages along with brahmanas assembled and said that they would not stay anymore in a place where Gohatya has happened.
Hearing this, Sage Gautama immediately offered to purify himself of the sin of Gohatya. Requesting for the right process of atonement, everyone assembled there suggested that the sacred Ganga should flow there to purify the ashrama and that Sage Gautama should take a bath in its holy waters. This would purify the sage of his sin and give back life to the cow.
Without waiting further, he ascended to the peak of the Brahmagiri mountain and performed severe penances to please Lord Shiva. When Lord Shiva appeared in front of Sage Gautama after being pleased with his penances, the sage requested Lord Shiva to release Ganga from his head. Lord Shiva granted the desire of the sage but Ganga was not ready to come to earth at all.
In great anger, Lord Shiva beat his matted locks of hair i.e. jata against the Brahmagiri mountain to release her. Due to this Ganga appeared and disappeared in bits and pieces at various places on earth, Patalaloka, etc., frequently. Sage Gautama also could not take a holy bath in Ganga.
Finally, with the power of his Kusha, he created the Kushavarta Kunda, where he received and stored the waters of Ganga. Once it got filled, he took a holy bath in the Kushavarta Kunda, thus releasing him from the sin of Gohatya. The Ganga water was given to the dead cow too which resulted in its coming back to life. The Ganga river got the name ‘Godavari’ due to this lila of giving life to Go i.e. cow. The imprints of Lord Shiva’s hair are still present at the Jata Mandir.
Being pleased with the devotion and humility of Sage Gautama, the Trimurtis asked him to wish for a boon. The sage simply desired that the Trimurtis reside in Trimbakeshwar along with Godavari to liberate the conditioned souls. The Trimurtis agreed to this desire causing the appearance of the Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga.
Deities of Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
The Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga is quite unique unlike other Jyotirlingas or Shivalingas. It is a bowl shaped linga with depression. Within the depression, there are three swayambhu thumb-like lingas of the Trimurtis i.e. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva appearing like corners of a trinagle. A silver mask carved with faces of the Trimurtis cover the linga. A gold mask is used on special occasions with a jeweled crown from the time of the Pandavas.
The Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga is not worshipped with abhisheka as usual because it sits in a depression on the floor. The linga of Shiva is offered abhisheka by a constant natural stream of water. It is said that the flames come from the depression along with a rumbling sound occasionally.
A deity of Nandi is present at the entrance. One more marble deity of Nandi is present inside the temple. There is a Shivalinga outside the temple where pujas are done for devotees.
There is a deity of Gangadevi outside the main temple. At the rear of the Gangadevi temple is a caravansary, where the Deities of Lord Rama and Lord Karpureshwar Mahadev are installed. There is a separate temple for the Ashwini Kumaras in front of the Gangadevi temple, temples of Jwareshwar Mahadev and Kanchaneshwar Mahadev, the Dashavatara Deities and deities of 33 divine personalities.
It is said that all these deities reside in person here during the Sinhasta Kumbha Mela on the orders of Lord Shiva.
Kushavarta Kunda adjacent to Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga
Kushavarta Kunda is the source of River Godavari. It lies adjacent to Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple. Although the river is originally emerging from Gomukh on the peak of Brahmagiri Mountain, the water gets collected at Kushavarta Kunda. The river then appears here. The kunda has been wonderfully renovated. There are ghats and steps on all the four sides for devotees to take holy bath. There are stone pavements and verandahs on the sides.
There are four deities at the four corners of the Kushavarta Kunda –
- South-East corner: Kedareshwar Mahadev who disguised as Kedar Bhatta and made Sage Gautama bathe in the Kunda giving him relief from the sin of Gohatya.
- South-West corner: Sakshi Vinayak who is a witness to the yatra-vidhi of all pilgrims.
- North-West corner: Kusheshwar Mahadev
- North-East corner: Godavari Devi
Architecture of Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
Like the many other temples in Maharashtra, the Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple too presents a beautiful architectural view based on the Nagara style. You would definitely love to pose for a selfie.
The present temple structure was built in the 18th century by the third Peshwa of the Marathas Shri Balaji Bajirao at a cost of Rupees 16 Lakhs using black basalt stone. The work started in 1755 CE and was completed in 1786 CE.
The Jyotirlinga is placed in a Garbagriha i.e. sanctum having a huge Vimana, Amalaka and Golden Kalasha. In front of the Garbagriha and Antarala, there is a mandapa with doors on all four sides, of which three are covered with porches. The roof of the mandapam is a curvilinear slab, rising in steps.
You can observe sculpting and carvings on the temple structure such as Lord Brahma, other devatas and figurines. The original temple of Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga was razed down completely by the Muslim Kings.
Festivals of Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple celebrates a variety of festivals year long. Some are special occasions marking the entry into a new month by ornamenting the deity specially. All of them keep the spirit of the temple alive throughout the year.
Amongst them, Maha-Shivaratri and Sinhasta Kumbha Mela are the biggest. A large mela i.e. fair happens here on these occasions.
The other big festival here is the Sinhastha Kumbha Mela which happens every 12 years when Jupiter enters Leo. It begins at the Kushavarta Kunda. The next Kumbha Mela is in 2027.
Every Monday, Palkhi Sohla is performed where the golden crown of Lord Trimbakeshwar is brought to the Kushavarta Kunda for abhishekam followed by arati. It is brought here in a Palki to the beating of drums and then returned to the temple.
The Rath Poornima is held between January and February for a month. The Panchamukhi deities are carried on a Ratha to the chanting of special prayers.
The Tripuri Poornima falls between November and December. It is a one-day festival to celebrate the victory of Lord Shiva over Tripurasura. Special Kheer, which is infused with moonlight is distributed on this day.
The Ganesha festival is celebrated in the month of Bhadrapada i.e. August to September.
Temple Timings of Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple is open from 5.30 AM in the morning to 9 PM in the evening. There could be fluctuation in timings in the event of a festival or special occasion.
Since the last 350 years, worship of Lord Trimbakeshwar is done thrice a day as per the tantrik system originating from Kashmir.
How to Reach Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
If you’re ever thinking of visiting the temple, do hop on the best Pandharpur Nashik Yatra conducted by Tirtha Yatra.
To reach Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga, you need to reach Nashik located around 30 km away. From Nashik, you can catch regular state transport buses at CBS (Mela Bus Stand) to the temple. Taxis are also available here.
Here are the means to reach Nashik –
By Road: Nashik is well-connected by road to the other regions of India being an important city. You will get state and private buses to Nashik from Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi, Aurangabad, Bengaluru, Surat, Valsad, etc. Taxis are available from nearby cities in Maharashtra.
By Rail: Nashik Road Railway Station, around 40 km away, serves the city and is well-connected to important stations throughout India.
By Air: Nashik Airport (ISK), around 23 km away at Ojhar, serves the city on domestic routes. The nearest international terminal is at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai 165 km away.
Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga: Where Ganga Plays Hide-N-Seek
The Kushavarta Kunda in Trimbakeshwar is the source of the Godavari river, which is originally the sacred Ganga river flowing here in three directions. The Godavari stream flows eastward, the Vaitarna stream flows southward and the west-flowing Ganga meets Godavari near Chakra Tirtha. The Ahilya river too meets Godavari in front of the temple. Ganga has her ways indeed!
Looking at the presence of the Jyotirlinga hosting the Trimurtis, the sacred rivers and the heavenly beauty all around, Trimbakeshwar is undoubtedly heaven on earth. There is no doubt that your prayers will go unanswered. Perhaps no holy place compares to its aura.
Another glory was the presence of the Nassak Diamond, a world-famous gem on the Jyotirlinga till the 18th century. But the gemstone was looted by the British during the 3rd Anglo-Maratha war and taken away to Britain. It is currently owned by a U.S. based businessman in Connecticut.
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