Gujarat Global

On Omkareshwar Mamaleshwar Jyotirlinga pilgrimage

2008-12-06 12:59:01
Last Updated 2009-05-25 13:47:57

Omkareshwar is an island in the river Narmada in the Nimad region of Western Madhya Pradesh.
On Omkareshwar Mamaleshwar Jyotirlinga pilgrimage
Omkareshwar is an island in the river Narmada in the Nimad region of Western Madhya Pradesh. It is the place
where Adi Shankaracharya met his Guru Govind Bhagavat Paada and took diksha. Sikh Guru Nanakdev came here for
darshan and Parikrama. This is the fourth Jyotirlinga in the 12 Jyotirlinga circuit and is also known as Omkar Mandhata ,
Amareshwar and Mamaleshwar. The story of Omkareshwar Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga also has its own quota of stories.
Three are prominent. The first story is about Vindhya Parvat (Mount). Once upon a time Narada (son of Lord Brahma),
known for his non-stop comic travel, visited Vindhya parvat. In his spicy way Narad told Vindhya Parvat about the
greatness of Mount Meru. This made Vindhya jealous of Meru and he decided to be bigger than Meru. Vindhya started
worship of Lord Shiva to become greater than Meru. Vindhya Parvat practiced severe penance and worshipped
parthivlinga (A linga made from physical material) along with Lord Omkareshwar for nearly six months. As a result Lord
Shiva was pleased and blessed him with his desired boon. On a request of all the gods and the sages Lord Shiva made
two parts of the lingas. One half is called Omkareshwara and the other Mamaleshwar or Amareshwar. Lord Shiva gave
the boon of growing, but took a promise that Vindhya will never be a problem to Shiva's devotees. Vindhya began to
grow, but did not keep his promise. It even obstructed the sun and the moon. All deities approached sage Agastya for
help. Agastya along with his wife came to Vindhya, and convinced him that he would not grow until the sage and his wife
returned. They never returned and Vindhya is there as it was when they left. The sage and his wife stayed in Srisailam
which is regarded as Dakshina Kashi and one of the Dwadash Jyotirlinga. The second story relates to Mandhata and
his son's penance. King Mandhata of Ishvaku clan (an ancestor of Lord Ram) worshipped Lord Shiva here till the Lord
manifested himself as a Jyotirlinga. Some scholars also narrate the story about Mandhata's sons-Ambarish and
Mucchkund, who had practiced severe penance and austerities here and pleased Lord Shiva. Because of this the
mountain is named Mandhata. The third story from Hindu scriptures says that once upon a time there was a great war
between Devas and Danavas(demon),in which Danavas won. This was a major setback for Devas and hence Devas
prayed to Lord Shiva. Pleased with their prayer, Lord Shiva emerged in the form of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga and
defeated Danavas. Omkareshwar Island: Omkareshwar is a 6 km long narrow stretch of an island in the river Narmada.
It is connected by a bridge. But vehicles are not allowed. One can go by boat also.The Omkar Mandhata Temple or
Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga is situated on this island. The mainland of Omkareshwar is a small aggregation of houses,
bazaar, temples including Mamaleshwar Jyotirlinga and a bus stand. The boat takes Rs.20 per person for to and fro
journey. The river here is full of variety of fish. People enjoy feeding fish while going to island for darshan. From the
Omkareshwar Ghat where boat brings a devotee the main temple is just 100 steps. Omkar Mandhata Jyotirlinga
Temple: The main structure of the present temple complex was built by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. It's a five
storey temple. Main Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga is situated on the ground level. It is naturally installed there. There is
always water around it. It is said that Narmada water flows invisibly under Jyotirlinga. It is a tiny Jyotirlinga. The
significance of this linga is that the linga is not situated below the cupola. The idol of Lord Shiva is situated on the top of
the temple. On the backside of Jyotirlinga, one can see the idol of goddess Parvati. It is decorated by silver framing.
Akhand Deepak is always seen in this temple. The Garbhagriha is very narrow and can accommodate only 14/15 people
at a time. However, the main exit gate provides immediate relief to the devotee after performing puja on the Jyotirlinga.
The temple hosts 20 other shrines of various gods and goddesses. These include Panchamukhi Ganesh, Nandi,
Ranchhodraji etc. Like Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain where Omkareshwar temple is situated on the 2nd floor, one can
also observe that Mahakaleshar temple is also situated on the 2nd floor of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga temple. On the third
floor is Siddhanath, on the fourth floor is Kedareshwar and atop the fifth floor is Gupteshwar Mahadev temple. Sukhdev
Muni Idol: There is an idol of Sukhdev Muni at the entrance of Garbhagriha. It is said that Lord Shiva Parvati and deities
come here to play chopat every night. There is an interesting story. Before independence, one English man tried to find
out the truth and he hid behind the Sukdev Muni idol at night. Next day, his dead body was found in the temple. Temple
Administration, Darshan Timings and Puja: The Omkar Mandhata temple is managed by Shri Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga
Temple Trust. The temple opens daily at 5:00 am arti if performed thrice, in the morning, noon and evening. The first one
which is also called Gupt arti is from 5:30 am to 6:00 am. The second is from 12:30 pm to 1:15 p.m. and the evening arti
is from 9:00 pm to 9:30 pm. The temple closes at 10:00 p.m. The Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga is usually bathed with
panchamrita having milk, water, curd, honey and ghee. The devotees also offer rice, turmeric and vermillion to the
Jyotirlinga. A devotee has no problem in performing pooja here. There are priests easily available. There are no fixed
rates for puja. One can offer as per his wish. There is a special entrance which is known as VIP darshan gate. If you hire
any purohit for such puja, he will bring you from VIP gate. As mentioned above, the garbhgriha is narrow. Hence here
puja is wrapped up in 5 minutes. The rest of the rituals are performed outside the garbhgriha. The purohits are not the
demanding type. They are rather helpful. Mahashivaratri, holy Shravan and Kartik months attract huge crowds. Kartik
Purnima has a big fair here. Omkareshwar Parikrama: Apart from the Jyotirlinga, the island of Omkareshwar is in itself
a sacred site. Here river Narmada branches into two which forms this island. Interestingly, the island's shape resembles
the visual representation of the Omkara sound, Om. It is said that 33 crore deities,68 tirthas ,120 gupta rudralingas and
12 visible shivalingas are in Omkar Mandhata region. A Parikrama(circumambulation) of the island adds up to a walk of
about 8 kms and it takes 4 to 5 hours including rest periods. The parikrama starts from the temple. The first place is
Khedapati Hanuman temple and the others are Omkarmatha,Ramkrishna matha,Mallikarjuna,Kedareshwar and Gayatri
temple etc. Adi Shankaracharya did parikrama when he visited Omkareswar Jyotirling. Parikrma is regarded very
important as during parikrama, Shankaracharya had met his Guru Shri Govindapaada who taught him Advaita thoughts
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of Indian philosophy. The main places are Runamukteshwar temple where the devotee offers chanadal and it is said
that the offering and darshan will free the devotee from earlier unpaid debts. The Siddhanath temple is also a must visit
place. It is about 170 steps ahead of Omkar Mandhata Temple. The huge temple is a fenced structure protected by
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Gauri Somnath Temple also comes during Parikrama. This old temple can be
reached by a long flight of steps cut into the hill-face west of the bridge. Triveni Sangam: It is the sacred meeting point of
Narmada and Kaveri River. Here every stone is considered as Shivalinga. According to legends, in ancient times a
yaksha called Kuber performed penance and pleased Lord Shiva. He got a boon from Lord Shiva to be always a king of
yakshas. The devotees come to this place to offer tarpan to their ancestors. On the site there is a Narmada Kaveri
temple. Shankaracharya Caves and Gurudwara: Just behind the Omkar Mandhata temple there is a cave of Adi
Shankaracharya . An idol of Shankaracharya is also installed in the cave. Founder of Sikh religion Guru Nanakdevji
visited this place. It is said that a Muslim fakir Godadshah briefed Nanakdev about Omkareshwar Parikrama. Inspired by
the fakir, Nanakdevji did a parikrama. Sikh devotees visit this place round the year. Places in Omkareshwar:
Mamaleshwar Jyotirlinga: The Omkareshwar Mamaleshwar Jyotirlingas are different. Many devotees tend to get a bit
confused about this. Omkareshwar is undoubtedly main Jyotirlinga but another name which often comes in this context
is Mamaleshwar. The temple of Mamaleshwar is situated south of the river Narmada, but both the forms of Shiva have
been counted as one. This is the last spot in the mainland before getting boat for main Omkar Mandhata temple. It's a
peaceful 11th century temple complex with finely carved stones and material from old temples around it. The devotees
also perform puja in this temple. The main linga is big and situated on the ground floor of the temple. Here, devotees
can also find purohits to perform puja for them . Omkareshwar Dam: The dam built by Narmada Hydroelectric
Development Corporation is also a place to visit. Boats are available which charge around Rs.60 per person for a two
hour round in river Narmada. The 73.12 meter high dam is becoming a popular tourist destination. Where to stay?
Omkareshwar is a small village and the entire economy of the village depends upon tourists. There are more than two
dozen dharmashalas and most of them run along caste lines. However, recently few ashrams have been built in
mainland of Omkareshwar. Gajanand Swamy (Shegaon of Maharastra fame) Ashram is a good . There are 3 Yatri
Niwas complexes having more accommodation capacities. The rooms with attached bathrooms are clean and the
canteen offers simple food. Other option is Narmada Resort run by MP Tourism, which is situated about 300m south
west of the bridge, with pleasant views of the Narmada and the temple. How to Go? From Ahmedabad, 9309 Shanti
Express is daily available for Indore. It departs at 7:45 pm from Ahmedabad and reaches Indore next day morning at
6:00 am. Indore is 537 km from Ahmedabad. It would be advisable to get down at Indore and take state road transport
buses which are available at regular intervals. Private vehicles are also available from Indore. The distance between
Indore and Omkareshwar is about 90 kms and it takes two hours by road. In return Journey, 9310 Shanti Express
departs from Indore at 10:00 pm and reaches Ahmedabad at 8:50 am. Related Information: Devotees who visit
Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain normally also visit Omkareshwar near Indore. Popularly it is referred as twin Jyotirlinga yatra.
The distance between Ujjain and Omkareshwar is about 145 km and it takes 3 and half hours by road. One can also
plan a connecting journey of Maheshwar, which is 60 km away from Omkareshwar. It is situated between Mandu and
Omkareshwar. MP state Road Transport buses and private vehicles are available from Omkareshwar. It combines a
wide and beautiful Narmada, very clean ghats, tranquil temples and scenic fort surrounded by pipal, neem and old
banayan trees. In Maheshwar there are places like Queen's fort, Rewa Society and Rajrajeshwar temple. One can also
buy famous Maheshwari Sarees,which are available in the range of Rs.800 to Rs.5000. It was Rani Ahilyabai Holkar of
Indore, who built or renovated most of the temples and ghats in this area. Vipul K Shukla(The writer is Ahmedabad
based Public Relations Consultant .He visited the shrine in November, 2008.He can be contacted at
vipulkshukla@gmail.com

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