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Chandravati discovers a Jyotirlinga at Shri Sailam and erects a temple to Shiva. Over the centuries rulers expand the temple town to make it a living monument.
Shri Sailam is one of the Dwadasa Jyotirlingas, located in the hill town of Shri Sailam in central India. The Jyotirlinga is also known as Mallikarjuna. Mallika is another name of Parvati and Arjun is another name of Shiva. According to legend both Shiva and Parvati reside in this Jyotirlinga. The temple is built in Dravidian style with fort-like walls, lofty towers, sprawling courtyards and rich sculptural work. The garbhagriha contains a naturally formed lingam which devotees are permitted to touch. The entry to the garbhagriha is made through several chambers each containing shrines to deities like Ganesh and Nandi. Mahashivratri is the most celebrated day at Shri Sailam. In addition, all Mondays in the months of Sravana and Kartik are considered holy. Kartik is celebrated as a thanksgiving for the autumn harvest. Thousands of lamps are lit in the temple at night giving it a heavenly appearance. The LegendThe temple dates from antiquity. A row of lingams in the courtyard is believed to have been installed by the Pandavas. The Skanda Purana glorifies it. There are several legends associated with the Shri Sailam Jyotirlinga. Durga, an avatar of Parvati, once took the form of a bee and worshipped Shiva here. She then made Shri Sailam her permanent abode since Shiva was eternally residing here. There is a temple dedicated to Bhramaramba, the bee form of Durga. The main legend concerns a princess named Chandravati, who used to meditate in the forests here. She once saw a cow with milk flowing from its udders. In order to find out the reason Chandravati dug that spot and was astonished to find a radiant Shiva Lingam. Chandravati prayed to this Jyotirlinga and also built a temple there. Pleased with her devotion Shiva called her to the Kailash Mountain, where she received immediate salvation. This legend has been carved out in one of the panels of the temple. Shiva and Parvati were on this hill when the topic of the marriage of their sons Skanda and Ganesh was raised. It was decided whosoever circumambulated the world first would be married earlier. Ganesh simply went around his parents who were the world to him and thus finished ahead of Skanda. This hill, on which the Jyotirlinga stands, also came to be known as Mallikarjuna because both Shiva and Parvati had dwelt here. The HistoryThe Shri Sailam Temple first finds mention in the Tamil literature of the 2nd century AD. Adi Shankaracharya composed his immortal Shivananda Lahiri here. All rulers of South India have donated generously to the expansion of the shrine. The Satavahanas built the first temple in the first centuries of the Christian era. The present main temple was built by Myala Mahadevi, a Kakatiya princess, in 1230 AD. The chamber closest to the garbhagriha, the Rang Mandap, was added by the Vijayanagar king Harihara in 1405 AD. A later king of this dynasty, Krishnadevaraya, constructed the gold dome and repaired the huge wall around the temple, which still stands. Then Aurangazeb’s armies repeatedly looted the temple and left it under Muslim satraps. Some satraps, like Ibrahim, were devoted to the temple and provided for its maintenance. In the late 17th century, Shri Sailam came under the Maratha King Shivaji. He built the northern tower and added gold to the spires. There is a memorial depicting the Goddess Bhramaramba giving Shivaji a sword. Durga was the family deity of Shivaji. Today the Devadaya Dharmadaya Sakha, a trust, manages the temple. Please check my course on Hindu Mythology Please check my articles on Mythology from India
The copyright of the article Shri Sailam Jyotirlinga in Hinduism is owned by Harsh Nevatia. Permission to republish Shri Sailam Jyotirlinga in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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