About Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
The Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga Temple is one of the 12 Jyothirlinga temples dedicated to Lord Shiva in India. It is located in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh on an island in the Narmada river. The temple is situated on a picturesque island called Mandhata, which is also known as Omkareshwar Island because of its shape resembling the Hindu symbol “Om.” This island is about 4 km long and 2 km wide.
Also Read about 12 Jyotirlingas in India
History
There are different stories regarding the origin of this Jyothirlinga. One story says that Vindhya Parvat worshipped and meditated upon Lord Shiva in the form of Parthiv Linga, and Lord Shiva appeared and blessed them and appeared in the form of Pranava Linga. It is also said that after the prayers of the Gods, the Shivling split into two parts and one part was called Omkareshwar and the other part Mamleshwar. It is said that Jyotirlinga is located in Omkareshwar and Parthiv Linga is located in Mamleshwar. The other story says that King Mandhata of the Ikshvaku dynasty performed rigorous penance here, then Lord Shiva blessed him and appeared here, since then Lord is present in Omkareshwar. It is also believed that Lord Shiva appeared in the form of the Omkareshwar Jyothirlinga to grant his devotees salvation. The temple is connected to the story of two demons, Shankh and Zar, who were punished by Lord Shiva and later, this island was blessed with the divine presence of the deity.
Architecture
The temple is famous for its great architecture. The temple is built on a hilltop overlooking the Narmada River, offering scenic views of the surrounding landscape. There is a huge Sabha Mandap in the temple which is about 14 feet high and is based on 60 huge pillars. The temple has a total of 5 floors and different deities are installed on all of them. Which are Shri Omkareshwar, Shri Mahakaleshwar, Shri Siddhnath, Shri Gupteshwar, and Dhwajadhari Shikhar Devta respectively from bottom to top.
Temple Timings
4:30 AM to 9:30 PM
4:30 AM to 5:00 AM | Mangla Aarti and Naivedhya Bhog |
5:00 am to 12:20 PM | Mangal Darshan of God |
12:20 PM to 1:15 PM | Mid day Devotional |
1:15 PM to 4:00 PM | Mid day Darshan of Lord |
4:00 PM to 4:15 PM | Change of decoration to Lord |
4:15 PM to 8:00 PM | Bhagwan Shringar Darshan |
8:00 PM to 9:00PM | Shayan Shringar and Aarti |
9:00 PM to 9:30 PM | Bhagwan Ke Shayan Shringar Darshan |
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Best Time To Visit
October to March: Ideal Weather to visit the temple and surrounding places. The climate will be cool.
April to June: Manageable warmer climate to visit the place.
Nearby Attractions
- Mamleshwar Temple: Also called as Amreshwar Temple. Mamleshwar Temple is another sacred site associated with Lord Shiva. It is considered equally significant and is part of the Omkareshwar pilgrimage circuit. It is located on the Southern bank of the Narmada River, at a distance of 1 km from Omkareshwar Bus Station.
- Narmada Aarti: Narmada ki aarti is performed at the local Kotitirtha ghat every evening.
- Narmada River Boat Ride
Hotels
Address
Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga Temple, Mandhata, Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh 451115
How To Reach
Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport Indore is the nearest Airport to Omkareshwar which is 77 kms away. From their one can hire taxi.
Omkareshwar has its own railway station, known as Omkareshwar Road (Mortakka) Railway Station. Closest broad-gauged railway station from Omkareshwar is Khandwa Railway Station, at a distance of 77 kilometers.
The nearest bus station is Moratkka which is 12 kms away.
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