Nageshwar Jyotirlinga Temple, Dwarka, Gujarat India

Nageshwar near Dwarka in Gujarat is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.The Jyotirlinga in the temple is known as Nageshwar Mahadev. The temple is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year. The Jyotirlinga situated in the temple is considered to protect everybody from all sort of poisons. It is believed that one who offers prayers in the temple becomes poison free. The temple is located between Dwarka and Dwarka island in Gujarat on the coast of Surat. According to the legends, a devotee called Supriya was attacked by a demon named Daaruka in a boat. 

The demon imprisoned the devotee and several others in his capital called Daarukaavana. It is believed that Lord Shiva appeared in the form of Jyotirlinga and rescued the imprisoned and vanquished the demon. The Shivalingam in the temple faces South with the Gomugam facing East. There is a legend regarding the position of the idol. It is believed that a devotee called Naamdev was singing bhajans in praise of Lord Shiva and was asked by other devotees to stand aside and not to hide the image of Lord. On being asked to do so Naamdev argued and asked for one such direction where Lord is not present, this angered the devotees and they picked him up and placed him on the south side. To everyone's astonishment even the Linga was then facing South with the Gomugam facing east. The other two temples dedicated to Nageshwar Jyotirlinga are situated near Audhgram near Purna and another near Almora in Uttar Pradesh. There are many more Jyotirlinga in India, named as Nageshwar Jyotirlinga. There have been many beliefs related to this fact. Jyotirlinga in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh is also famously known as Nageshwar Jyotirlinga. In Almoda, Jageshwar Shivalinga, is also popularly called Nageshwar Jyotirlings by the devotees. But in Shivapuran,the Jyotirlinga established in Dwarka is the only one considered as Nageshwar Jyotirlinga. According to many religious scriptures, Nagesh Dwarkavne is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. This place today is well known as Jageshwar.

Recently some scholars found complementary evidences of the name Nageshwar from Hindu scriptures. Nag means snake. Panini, the famous grammatologist of 5th century BC has mentioned in his book Ganapatha that the region was known as Kutch,Saurastra and Anarta was the land of snakes.They were denizens of patallok and they used to come in this region. Nag girls were known for their beauty. Hindu scriputres narrate that King Yadu of Yadu clan fame was married to a Nag girl. Skand Puran mentions that the King Raivat of Kushsthali was an avtaar of Takshak Nag and he ruled over this region. Interestingly, Dwarka is also known as Kushsthali in Hindu scriptures. 

Present Temple was renovated by Late Gulshan Kumar. He initiated the work in 1996 and his family completed the work after his assassination. The entire project cost Rs.1.25 crores. Gulshan Kumar Charitable Trust bore the entire expense of the project. Nageshwar Temple is visible from a distance of 2 km. A huge, attractive statue of Lord Shiva in meditation pose greets devotees outside the temple. It's a 125 feet high and 25 feet broad statue. Main entrance is simple but beautiful. First is a hall or sabha mandap, where the Puja material counters are located. The Jyotirlinga is in a basement type sanctum. Main Jyotirlinga is situated below the sabhamandap floor. The Jyotirlinga is moderately big and shalunka is plated with silver. A silver replica of Nag (snake) is also placed. Behind the Jyotirlinga there is an idol of Goddess Parvati. At Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, only male devotees can enter and perform puja in Garbhagriha. They have to wear a dhoti. No one knows the reason for this male only practice.

Located in the suburbs of Dwaraka, Nageshwar Temple or Nagnath Temple is one of the well-known Shiva shrines in the country. This temple symbolizes the confiscation of evil forces from earth. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, this temple abodes an interesting legend about its origin. Shiv Purana describes the story about the temple and says that Lord Shiva started staying here in the form of Jyothirlinga after killing the devil named Daruka. The region got its name from the devil as he had asked God to name this place after him. The Shivalinga of the temple is placed facing the south direction and the gopuram is placed on the eastern side. The huge idol of Lord Shiva allures the devotees with its charm. During Shivaratri, the temple gathers a huge crowd of devotees which almost changes the whole atmosphere into a place of festivities. Counted among major Dwarka attractions, the temple is visited by thousands of tourists every year. 

Nagesgwar Jyotirlinga is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga in India. It is situated in Dwarka near Gujarat. In Religion Scripture, Lord Shiva is a lord of Snakes. Thus, Nageshwar means Lord of Snakes. Nageshwar Jyotirling is 17miles away from Dwarka puri. In Greatness of Nageshwar Jyotirling it is said that , the person who visits this place with devotion and faith , gets relieved from all the sins.