The Augharnath Temple in Meerut | Temple info, Photos, Puja Details, Videos

The Augharnath temple is situated at Sadar Bazar, near Westend road in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh in north India. Augharnath temple is also known as Kalipaltan Mandir locally and is the site where the soldiers of the war of 1857 planned their operations. The temple is a little-known place of worship but of great historical importance all over northern India. Its significance comes out from religious significance but also for its distinctive role in India’s freedom struggle. The temple also has a memorial built to honour the martyrs of the revolt of 1857. A saint used to live here who asked Indian soldiers to destroy the British Empire. The old temple has been replaced by a modern version. It is believed that there is a self-manifested Shivalingam in the temple. This is one of the oldest temples of Lord Shiva in the city. On 10th May,1857 the Indian citizens had taken an oath at this place to secure freedom from the British. The Augharnath Temple is a heritage of our Culture and traditions.It consists of two temples ,the God Shiva Mandir and the recently constructed Shri Krishna Mandir. A large number of devotees hold belief in this temple. It sees a huge number of Kanwariyas on Shiv Ratri.

Augharnath Temple;

Legend
Significance
Architecture
How To Reach The Temple
Daily Poojas And Festivals
Videos

The legend goes like ‘shiv linga’ embedded in this temple has emerged on its own – it being one of the miracle which has been attracting the followers of Lord Shiva ever since its inception. According to local priests, near the temple, the great Maratha rulers used to worship and seek blessings before proceeding with their victory processions.

During British times the Indian army was called ‘Kali Platen’ known as the black army. As the temple was located close to the army barrack, it is been known by the name of ‘Kali Paltan mandir’. Its close proximity to the Indian army camps offered a safe haven for freedom fighters, who used to visit and stay here for their secret meetings with the officers of ‘Kali Paltan’.

During the Revolt of 1857 there was a well inside the complex of the temple that the soldiers used to quench their thirst frequently. In the year 1856, the Government introduced new cartridges and the soldiers which were supposed to remove its seal using their teeth. Since the seal was made of cow fat and as the cow was sacred in Hinduism, the priest disallowed them to use the well.

Until the year 1944 the temple had huge complex consisting only of a small temple and the nearby well. Then the temple was surrounded by huge cluster of trees. In 1968, a new temple with modern architecture including the old shivlinga very much there but only replaced the old temple was built. In 1987, a huge hexagonal hall was built for the purpose of religious ceremonies and ‘bhajans’. In May 2001, a 4.5 kg gold plated ‘kalash’ (pitcher) was installed at the spire of the temple.

There is no existence of the structure of the old temple. A self-manifested Shivalingam is present in theaugarnath temple meerut. It has been substituted by a modern version. In the current times, you can find two temples in the area that are recently built, Shri Krishna Mandir and God Shiva Mandir.

Meerut is well connected to the other major cities by rail and road. Meerut is only 70 kms away from Delhi, which is connected to the other cities by air.The near by cities are Delhi and Ghaziabad.

By Air – Reaching Meerut by air is the most feasible and the most hassle-free way. On the virtue of being located very close to New Delhi, the Delhi Airport is the nearest airport to Meerut. There are many private and public carriers that ply to and from the Delhi Airport regularly. In fact there are a number of flights that links Delhi with the rest of the Indian cities and the world. On your arrival at the Delhi airport, you can hire a cab. It would take you about an hour and a half to reach Meerut if you take the National Highways 24 followed by NH 58.

By Rail – The railways is the other alternative of getting to Meerut Cantonment Station. The station falls on the busy Delhi-Dehradun line of North Central Railways. There are a number of super fast trains that connect Meerut to the other towns and cities of Uttar Pradesh and the rest of India. If you are traveling from Delhi, Ghaziabad, Jaipur or Agra then you can throw your cares into the air as these cities are very well-connected to Meerut.

By Road – A discourse on how to reach Meerut remains incomplete without the mention of the road transportation. Meerut is easily accessible by a good network of roads from the cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Meerut, Kanpur, Varanasi, Jhansi and Agra. The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation that plies buses that connect these cities to Meerut. Traveling is made very easy and relaxing affair by the privately run luxury buses.

Augharnath temple timings are 6:00 AM to 8:30 PM from Monday to Sunday. In the morning, the priest starts the day with morning arati that is performed once in the evening as well. Devotees have the belief that by pleasing Shiva through their worship, they can obtain blessings, and attain salvation. Inside the Augharnath temple puja, footwear is not permitted. You must dress appropriately when entering this holy place. Cell phones must be avoided as well. You must engage in taking a ritual bath in the morning before entering the place of worship. By wearing fresh clothes, you can worship Shiva with all your heart for obtaining spiritual growth. In the abhishekha, the priest uses honey, sugar, milk, water, ghee and many other things.

Best time to visit the Augharnath Temple is in the month of March and July. And even during the Festivals like Shravan Month, Shiv Ratri, Holi Utsav and Annual Utsav.