Shri Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple Nashik

Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga is an ancient Hindu temple in the town of Trimbak in the Nashik district of Maharashtra. It is located at a distance of about 28 km from the main city of Nashik. It is at the origin of the river Godavari. The Trimbakeshwar Temple is revered as one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. Monday is an auspicious day here and Shivratri is the holy day of Shiva worship throughout the year.  The ancient religious place in the state of Maharashtra is known as Trimbakeshwar. Situated in a small village called Trimbak in Nashik district, it is also known as Trambakeshwar. It is originally famous for its historical Hindu temple which is the main deity of Lord Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. The city is the source of the holy River Godavari which is the longest river in peninsular India.

The origin of the holy Godavari river is in the Brahmagiri hills and it flows downstream and merges with the sea at Rajahmundry. Although it originates from the mountains, Hindus believe that it is the origin of the Kushavarta river. Kushavarta is a kund that is considered to be the most sacred bathing place for Hindus.

The place is also known for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela which takes place every 12 years.
What makes the Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga unique is that it has three faces Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Mahesh (Shiva). The main deity among all the other Jyotirlingas is Shiva. The temple is known for its attractive architecture and sculpture.

The Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga is located in a small hollow space with a pot of water. The water of the Godavari river is constantly flowing on the top of the linga. This Jyotirlinga is unique as it has the three faces of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Mahesh (Shiva). The Jyotirlinga usually has a silver cover on the occasion of the festival and has a golden cover with a golden crown of five faces each.


It is the place of Tri-Sandhya Gayatri, the birthplace of Lord Ganesha, and the place of the first Naths of the Nath sect. The Simhastha Mahatmya mentions that Lord Rama had traveled to Trimbakeshwar. Trimbakeshwar is considered to be one of the most sacred places to perform shradh. This temple was built by Maratha Peshwa Balaji Bajirao (Nanasaheb) who ruled India. Later on, many Maratha kings contributed in many ways to improve the temple. People bathe here before going to the temple which is considered a holy place. This place of river Godavari has been formed after it flowed down from Brahmagiri.


Centuries ago, the place was filled with sages and sadhus who meditated here and this land was called one of the tapobhoomis. Sage Gautama (one of the Sapta rishis) also stayed here with his Ahilya. Once upon a time for 25 years, this place did not receive rain and there was drought and there was no water. So Sage Gautama used his tapobala (the power of meditation) and created a small pond filled with water for urgent needs. He and his wife Ahilya used to give water to other sages and their wives only for urgent needs as there was not much water in it. Since the lake was conditional, the wives of other sages began to envy the tapobala of Sage Gautama and they made them do something to remove the fame and ego of Sage Gautama.


Lord Ganesha warned here that this is an evil deed and he will not give any blessings. But the sage was firm on this one wish. Wishing them as the fruits of the yagna, Lord Ganesh went into the sanyasi of Gautama in the form of a weak and weak cow and she died when Sage Gautama went to feed the cow. Some sages saw this and said that this incident made Sage Gautama and his wife Ahilya the sin of killing a cow and they had to bring the river Ganga from heaven to wash away their sins by doing penance of Lord Shiva which they found impossible.

 Sage Gautama started meditating on Lord Shiva along with his wife Ahilya. Many years passed in meditation and his rigorous penance pleased Lord Shiva and came to this place along with Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, the three gods, and all the gods to give him boons. Gautama asked for the river Ganga from Lord Shiva and asked him to stay in this place forever for the benefit of mankind. Lord Shiva shoots his hair (Jata) on Brahma Giri mountain and from there the river Ganga rises and comes down to the name of Gautami or Godavari.


For centuries, gods and goddesses used to roam India. He helped the sages and the people living here in times of various crises, especially from the troublesome monsters. However, this battle caused great harm to both god and demons in general. The issue of supremacy was decided to be settled once and for all. He agreed that whoever captures Amrit Kumbh (nectar) will win. Amritkumbh (pot with nectar) occurs on the surface of the sea.

The gods succeeded in getting nectar by fooling the demons. When the demons came to know about this, they started a violent fight for Amrit Kumbh (Amrit). In the process, amrita drops fell at four places- Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain, and Trimbakeshwar. Trimbakeshwar is one of the four places where the drops of heavenly nectar fell. At that time, the planet Jupiter (Jupiter) had entered the hemisphere of Leo. And since the same planet enters the hemisphere once in 12 years, the Kumbh Mela is held once in 12 years in the respective areas.


Some of the important puja rituals in the vicinity of Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga are performed by The Trimbakeshwar Pandits. And its specialty is that the whole of India happens only here. Peshwa Nanasaheb has given the honor of worship here to the priests in the form of a copper plate. The pujas that take place here are among the following. Narayan Nagabali Puja, Kalsarpadosh Puja, Tripindi Shradh Vidhi, Mahamrityunjay Mantra Jap Vidhi. etc.