Barah Jyotirlinga Mandir

Malakoli, Taluka Loha, District Nanded

According to Hindu Puranas, the places where Bhagwan Shiva Himself manifested in the form of light are known as Jyotirlingas. Devotees believe that these are not merely temples, but awakened abodes of consciousness and energy. Therefore, darshan of these twelve radiant Jyotirlingas of Shiva holds special significance. It is not possible for everyone to visit all these sacred places spread across the country, from Somnath to Kedarnath. However, at the temple in Malakoli, Nanded district, replicas of all these twelve Jyotirlingas can be seen under one roof. This is a unique feature of this temple, allowing devotees to experience the merit of a complete pilgrimage in one place.

The villagers here say that this temple might be about three hundred to four hundred years old. The ancient Hemadpanti style of architecture here attests to the temple’s antiquity. The legend of this temple is that after completing the composition of the Ramayana, Maharishi Valmiki, while travelling across Bharat for darshan of the twelve Jyotirlingas, reached here when the Mahashivratri festival had begun. He felt very sad that he would not be able to have darshan of any Jyotirlinga during this festival. Therefore, he gathered twelve stones lying in the barren land and installed and worshipped twelve Jyotirlingas from them. Seeing Maharishi Valmiki’s devotion, Mahadev was pleased and gave darshan to the Rishi, establishing Himself in these twelve Jyotirlingas.

On the road leading to this temple, situated in the central part of the village, there is a large welcome arch. Two square, ornate pillars on both sides are connected by an arched gateway. On the platform above it is a ‘bashing’ (a decorative archway). In the niche of the bashing is an idol of Ganesha, while on both sides of the bashing are idols of Mahadev. At the top of the bashing is an amalaka, and above that, a kalasha. From here, one enters the temple courtyard, which is covered with paver blocks. In front of the temple is a darshan mandap with a tin roof supported by iron pillars. The entrance to the temple is about six feet higher than the darshan mandap. In front of this entrance is a platform about five feet wide. A stainless steel safety railing surrounds the platform. There are eight steps to climb the high platform. The entrance has ornate wooden shutters covered with silver plating. In the niche on the facade wall above the entrance is an idol of Ganesha. On both sides of the niche are ornate Vamanastambhas and a kalasha above. In the centre of the sabhamandapa, on a vajra-peetha, is an idol of Nandi.

The garbhagriha is about one foot lower than the sabhamandapa, so one has to descend two steps to enter. Inside the garbhagriha, on a large vajra-peetha, are twelve Jyotirlinga Shivlingas. Above all these Shivlingas, twelve brass abhishekapatras, holding streams of water, are suspended from the ceiling. On the vajra-peetha is a brass chaturmukha Shivlinga mukhavata (four-faced Shivlinga mask). There are two niches in the walls of the garbhagriha, containing idols of Ganapati and Maruti. There are windows in the garbhagriha for air and light. These windows have wooden shutters covered with silver plating. There is a door at the back to exit the garbhagriha. The ceiling of the garbhagriha is dome-shaped, with a ring of lotus flower carvings at the bottom and a vertical ridge pattern above.

On the roof of the garbhagriha is a circular shikhara with five tiers. In the first two tiers of this shikhara, there are eight niches each, containing deity images. The third tier is round and dome-shaped, and the fourth tier has a ring of lotus flowers. The fifth tapering tier has a vertical ridge pattern. At the top is an amalaka, and above that, a kalasha. Adjacent to the temple is a spacious hall, which is used for cultural and social activities. There is a freshwater well in the temple premises. Some villagers believe that these twelve Jyotirlingas might have been found in this very well.

A seven-day festival is celebrated in the temple on the occasion of Mahashivratri. Throughout all seven days, programmes such as bhajan, kirtan, pravachan, music, mahaprasad, jagaran, etc., are organised in the temple. Parayana of various religious texts is performed. On the Amavasya of the month of Magha, the Lord’s Rathotsava is celebrated. At this time, the Lord’s chaturmukha Shivlinga mukhavata is placed in the ratha and a gramapradakshina (circumambulation of the village) is performed. Many devotees attend to participate in the ratha procession. To the sound of drums and cymbals, with gulal being showered, the Lord completes the gramapradakshina and is re-installed in the temple. During annual festivals, thousands of devotees visit the temple for darshan of the Lord and to fulfil their vows. On Shravan Masa, all Mondays, Pradosh, Pournima, Amavasya, etc., there is a crowd of devotees for darshan.

Useful Information:

• Eleven kilometres from Loha
• Forty-three kilometres from Nanded
• ST bus facility from Loha
• Private vehicles can reach the temple
• Breakfast facility available in the vicinity
• Contact: Pintu Honmode, Mobile: ७८४१९८४२४४