Daksheswara Mahadev Temple, Haridwar, Uttarakhand
| Date built: | 1810 CE |
|---|---|
| Deity: | Daksheswara Mahadev (Shiva) |
| Architectural style: | Nagara style |
| Major festivals | Maha Shivaratri, Navratri |
| Locale: | Kankhal |
| District:: | Haridwar |
| Address: | – |
| Phone | – |
Daksheswara Mahadev or Daksha Mahadev temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in the town of Kankhal, about 4 km from Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India. It is named after King Daksha Prajapati, the father of Sati. Daksha is one of the fourteen Prajapatis, creator deities, who preside over procreation and are the protector of life in Hindu mythology.
The present temple was built by Queen Dhankaur in 1810 and rebuilt in 1962. It is a place of pilgrimage for Shaivaite devotees on Maha Shivaratri
Architecture
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.
Standing next to the main temple is the Das Mahavidya temple, dedicated to the Mahavidyas. It is a venue for devotees of Devi to congregate for special pujas during the Navratri celebrations. There is also a temple in the complex dedicated to Ganga river. Next to the temple is the Daksha Ghat on the Ganges and close by is the Nileshwar Mahadev Temple.
Legend / Local stories
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.
As mentioned in the Mahabharata and other texts of Hinduism, King Daksha Prajapati, the father of Sati, Shiva’s first wife, performed yajna at the place where the temple is situated. Although Sati felt insulted when her father did not invite Shiva to the ritual, she attended the yajna. She found that Shiva was being spurned by her father and she burnt herself in the Yajna Kunda itself. Shiva got angry and sent his Gaṇas, the terrible demi-god Virabhadra and Bhadrakali to the ritual.On the direction of Shiva, Virabhadra appeared with Shiva’s ganas in the midst of Daksha’s assembly like a storm wind and waged a fierce war with the gods and mortals present culminating in the beheading of Daksha, who was later given the head of a goat at the behest of Brahma and other gods. Much of the details of the Ashvamedha Yagna (Horse Sacrifice) of Daksha are found in the Vayu Purana.
Photo Gallery
How to Reach:
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 Air
While 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 Rail
Haridwar railway station is the nearest and cab and a rickshaw can be hired from Haridwar to reach to the temple.
Contact Details
Official Address