There are many such religious places in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, whose description is also found in the Puranas. There are many historical and mythological temples on the tapobhumi of sages, in which Hindu devotees have great faith. Jageshwar Dham is one such religious place in the Almora district.
Where devotees keep coming throughout the year, but on the occasion of Sawan and Mahashivratri, there is a massive crowd of people. Jageshwar Dham is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.
Linga worship started from here
The temple of Jageshwar Mahadev is believed to witness the beginning of Shivling worship in the world. A total of 124 temples including Parvati, Hanuman, Mrityunjay Mahadev, Bhairav, Kedarnath, Durga are located in the temple complex of Jageshwar Mahadev, situated on a hill amidst dense forests of pine trees, about 40 km from the headquarters of Almora district of Uttarakhand.
The Archaeological Department of India has described this temple as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in the country and has also put up a stone plaque announcing it. It is also a fact that the Linga worship of Lord Shiva started from this temple itself. It was only after worshipping here that Shivling started being worshipped all over the world and many self-made Shivlings were later worshipped as Jyotirlinga.
It is believed that the Shivling established here is self-made i.e. originated on its own and since when it is being worshipped, it is not known exactly but the grand temples have been built here in the eighth century. There are 124 temples including Pushti Devi (Parvati), Navadurga, Kalika, Neelkantheshwar, Surya, Navagraha in the vast complex amidst dense forests.
Jageshwar Mahadev Temple
Jageshwar Mahadev Temple is one of the famous temples of Jageshwar. It is also called Tarun Jageshwar or Bal Jageshwar. Armed statues of Nandi and Skandi and two gatekeepers or guards can be seen at the entrance of the temple. The main temple in the complex is located on the west side and is dedicated to Bal Jageshwar or the child form of the Hindu god Shiva.
According to a legend, Lord Shiva came here to meditate. On knowing this the women of the village gathered to have a glimpse of him and when the male members of the village came to know about this, they became furious and the ascetic came to find the one who had fascinated the women. Lord Shiva took the form of a child to control this chaotic situation and since then, Lord Shiva is worshipped here in the form of Bal Jageshwar.
The Shivalinga in the temple is in two parts, where the larger half represents Lord Shiva and a smaller portion represents his consort Goddess Parvati.
All the temples of Dham are in Kedar style
All the temples in Jageshwar Dham are made of Kedarnath style. Famous for its architecture, this temple is also known as the tapasthali of Lord Shiva.
The stream of river Jata flows on the banks of this temple, which comes under the Department of Archeology. It is believed that here the Saptarishis did penance and worship of Lord Shiva in the form of Linga started from here.
The special thing is that here Lord Shiva is also worshipped in a child or young form. Jageshwar Dham has 124 small and big temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temples have been built with huge stones. Situated on the ancient route of Kailash Mansarovar, it is believed that Guru Adi Shankaracharya visited Jageshwar before leaving for Kedarnath and also renovated and re-established many temples here.
How to reach Jageshwar Temple?
This place is usually located at a distance of 49 km from Almora.
Jageshwar, located in Almora district, the cultural capital of Uttarakhand, can be reached from Kathgodam and Dehradun.
While Kathgodam can be reached by rail, Doon can also be reached by air service. The nearest airport is Pantnagar in Kumaon and Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun in Garhwal. There is a direct bus and taxi facility from Kathgodam to Almora. Jageshwar is well connected by road to the major cities of the state.
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