Daksheshwara Mahdeva temple is one of the most revered temples of the state of Uttarakhand, India. This one of the most ancient temples of India is dedicated to worshiping Lord Shiva. The devotees of Lord Shiva particularly during the month of Saavan visit the temple in large numbers to get a glimpse of their favourite Lord. This temple in Uttarakhand in Kankhal, Harydwar has been named after Daksha who was a king and the father of Sati. The temple was built in 1810 AD by the queen Dankor and was later on reconstructed in the year 1962.
It is said that King Daksha after whome the temple had been named was born to Lord Brahma and was Sati’s father. Sati is believed to be the first wife of Lord Shiva and her father Daksha had once organized a Yagna at the place where the temple had been built, he invited all the deities there but he did not invite Lord Shiva. Upon which Sati felt a sense of insult for her husband and out of rage she jumped into the Agni Kund and she died. When Lord Shiva came to know about the death of Sati, he became very furious and called for a war by sending his disciples, Bhadrakali, Veerbhdra and Ganas to the site. During the war, king Daksha’s head was cut by Veerbhadra, but upon request from all the deities to forgive him, Lord Shiva restored his life by adding the head of a goat in the body of king Daksha and the king also realised his mistake.
After all this, Lord Shiva said that, he would be present here at Kankhal every year during the time of Saavan and so a temple named Daksheswar Mahadeva was built at the site of the yagna. It is believed that, the yagna Kund where Sati went into the fire is still located at the same place. Devotees from different parts of the country come here to worship lord shiva and they also take holy dip into the Great River Ganga. The Hindu scripture, Vayu-Purana has the mention of the Yagna that king Daksha had organized.
Daksheswara Mahadeva temple is one of the most celebrated temples of Hindu mythology which has been dedicated to Lord Shiva. Daksha, in the Hindu mythology has been considered as the minder of life. The temple is not that old but the place where the yagna was conducted is there from the ancient time. The temple is more revered for it is considered to be one of the five holy places of Haridwar in Uttarakhand. Just next to the temple is located the Das Mahavidya temple which is dedicated to Mahavidyas. At the temple the phallic form of Lord Shiva has been installed and flocks of devotees visit the temple to take a glimpse of Lord Shiva during Saavan in the month of August. On the day of Maha Shivarathri which is celebrated for being the marriage day of Shakti and Lord Shiva, various rituals are performed by the pilgrims here at the temple. People also visit Nileshawar Mahadeva temple and Daksha Ghat which is present near the Daksheswara Mahadeva.
It is said that King Daksha after whome the temple had been named was born to Lord Brahma and was Sati’s father. Sati is believed to be the first wife of Lord Shiva and her father Daksha had once organized a Yagna at the place where the temple had been built, he invited all the deities there but he did not invite Lord Shiva. Upon which Sati felt a sense of insult for her husband and out of rage she jumped into the Agni Kund and she died. When Lord Shiva came to know about the death of Sati, he became very furious and called for a war by sending his disciples, Bhadrakali, Veerbhdra and Ganas to the site. During the war, king Daksha’s head was cut by Veerbhadra, but upon request from all the deities to forgive him, Lord Shiva restored his life by adding the head of a goat in the body of king Daksha and the king also realised his mistake.
After all this, Lord Shiva said that, he would be present here at Kankhal every year during the time of Saavan and so a temple named Daksheswar Mahadeva was built at the site of the yagna. It is believed that, the yagna Kund where Sati went into the fire is still located at the same place. Devotees from different parts of the country come here to worship lord shiva and they also take holy dip into the Great River Ganga. The Hindu scripture, Vayu-Purana has the mention of the Yagna that king Daksha had organized.
After the body of the king Daksha was restored, Lord Shiva out of grief took the body of his beloved and wandered across the universe. It is believed that Lord Vishnu in order to separate Lord Shiva from the grief and separate him from the dead body of Sati, shopped off her body. All the places where the parts of the body of Sati feel became Shakti Peeths and people started celebrating those places.
The temple, from the Haridwar station is 5 kms away while from Rishikesh the temple is 35 kms away. It is convenient to hire a rickshaw to get to the site of the temple and can move around the nearby locations. The temple can be reached by all the three means of transportation that is by air, by road and by train.
By AirWhile the temple is 210 kms from Delhi airport the temple is around 35kms from the Jolly Grant Airport which is situated in Dehradun. The Dehradun airport is nearer as compared to the Delhi airport.
By RailHaridwar railway station is the nearest and cab and a rickshaw can be hired from Haridwar to reach to the temple.
FESTIVALS CELEBRATED AT THE TEMPLEShivaratri, one of the most celebrated festivals of Hindu religion is celebrated here at the temple with utmost fervour as the day is considered to be the marriage day of Lord Shiva and Shakti.
NEARBY TEMPLESIn front of the main temple Shree Maa Anandamayi temple is located and another temple of Shivalinga which is dedicated to Lord Shiva and which is made up of mercury is located near the temple. Hari har Ashram which is located in kankhal features the Shivalinga. Other attractions near the temple include the Maa Anandmay Ashrama, Shri Yatra temple and the Shivalinga which weighs around 150 kg. The main temple and the nearby attractions are visited every year by a large number of devotees from different parts of the country. Also the Rudraksha tree is also an attraction among the nearby celebrated places of Daksheswara Mahadeva temple.
Place of Interest in Daksha Mahadev Temple
On the serene bank of the River Ganga stand the main temple of Daksheswara and other temples like Dasham Vidya temple, Hanuman temple and others. One section of the temple has the Shiva Lingam while the other part has Yagna Kunda. On to the walls of the temple the whole story of King Daksha or the history behind the temple has been lucidly depicted on the walls of the temple. An ancient Banyan tree present in the ground of the temple is considered to be a scacred one and so is worshipped by the devotees. The tree is present opposite to the Yagnashal of the temple.
