Shoolpaneshwar Mahadev Temple

Gora Village, Kevadia Road, Tal. Nandod, Dist. Narmada

Shoolpani is one of the names of Lord Shiv. “Shoolpani” means “the one who holds a trident (shool) in his hand.” The ancient abode of this form of Shiv, known as Shoolpaneshwar, is located in Gora village near Rajpipla on the banks of the Narmada River. Due to the Sardar Sarovar Project, the original temple was submerged. Hence, a new temple was constructed at a nearby site along the Narmada River. Many devotees come here to bow before Lord Shiva with the belief that, the divine energy of the original Shoolpaneshwar resides in the new temple too. Since the exact period of the original temple’s construction is unknown, local legends attribute it to the Pandavas.

This location is also associated with the slaying of the demon Andhakasura. According to the Shri Rudra Samhita (Part 4) of the Shiv Purana, there’s a tale of Shiv engaging in battle with the demon Andhakasura. During the battle, Shiv struck the demon’s heart with his trident and lifted him on it. The demon’s body was scorched by the sun’s intense rays, drenched by rains and torn apart by hailstones. According to mythology, although Shiv defeated the demon, he incurred the sin of Brahmahatya (killing a Brahmin), which caused Andhakasura’s bloodstains to remain on his trident. In an effort to cleanse the trident, Shiv wandered into a forest and arrived at the site of the original temple in Gora. When he struck the ground with his trident, a stream of water emerged from the earth – the sacred Narmada – which washed away the bloodstains and absolved Shiv of the sin. A Shivling appeared at the very spot where the trident struck, hence the temple came to be known as Shoolpaneshwar.

The temple is located just 5 km from Gujarat’s famous ‘Statue of Unity’, a colossal 600-foot tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Nearby is also the Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary. The original temple was near Manibeli village in Maharashtra, at the confluence of the Narmada and Devganga rivers. It was an ancient and magnificent structure. During the Sardar Sarovar Project, the increase in the dam’s height led to the submergence of the original temple. As a result, the Gujarat government allocated a site 160 feet above the left side of Gora bridge to build the new temple. On May 7, 1994, a new Shivling was ceremoniously installed in the newly constructed temple. Many attempts were made to extract the Shivling from the original temple before it was submerged, but the deeper they dug, the more the Shivling seemed to sink into the earth. The Shivling remains submerged to this day.

A vast ghat has been constructed near this temple on the banks of the Narmada. After walking upward some distance from there, one reaches the spacious, tiled courtyard of the temple. In the center is a temple of modern construction. The temple consists of an open assembly hall (sabha mandap), an antechamber (antaral), and a sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha). The domed ceiling of the assembly hall has attractive carvings. In the assembly hall, on a platform in front of the sanctum, there is a statue of Nandi. In the antechamber, there is an idol of Ganesha in the shrine on the left side and an idol of Hanuman in the shrine on the right side. There are doorkeepers (dwarpalas) near the entrance to the sanctum. One needs to descend a few steps to enter the sanctum. In the sanctum, there is a Shivling in the center with a cobra forming a canopy over it. From the water vessel (Galantika) in the upper part, the Pindi (Shivalinga) receives continuous abhisheka. In the small shrine on the wall behind the Shivling, there is an idol of Goddess Narmada.

Many devotees and tourists visit this temple from Gujarat as well as other states. A grand fair is held in the temple premises from the thirteenth day (Trayodashi) of the dark fortnight of Chaitra month until the new moon (Amavasya).

At that time, this area becomes crowded with devotees from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Various cultural programs are also organized during this fair. A grand aarti of the Narmada River is performed on the vast ghat near the temple, similar to the aartis performed on the ghats of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.

The temple doors remain open to welcome devotees and tourists for the darshan of Shoolpaneshwar Mahadev daily from 6:00 am until 8:00 pm.

Key Features –

• Situated at a distance of 21 km from Rajpipla
• State transport buses and private vehicle services operate regularly from Rajpipla and Nandod.
• Private vehicles can drive directly up to the temple premises.
• Comfortable lodging and breakfast facilities are available in the immediate vicinity.
• Contact: Temple Office, Mob. 9998898084