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Madhyamaheshwar Temple, Uttarakhand
Locality/village : Mansoona
State : Uttarakhand
Country : India
Nearest City/Town : Garhwal
Best Season To Visit : Beginning of Summer till Oct/ Nov
Languages : Hindi & English
Temple Timings : During the Day
Photography : Not Allowed
Madhyamaheshwar Temple, Uttarakhand
Madhyamaheshwar is the second temple to be visited in the Panch Kedar pilgrimage circuit, comprising five Shiva temples in the Garhwal region. The other temples in the circuit include: Kedarnath, Tungnath, Rudranath and Kalpeshwar. The middle (madhya) or belly part or navel (nabhi) of the bull, considered a divine form of Shiva, is worshiped at this temple.
It is a Hindu temple located in the Mansoona village of Garhwal Himalayas, at an altitude of 3625 meters above sea level in Uttarakhand, India.
The Temple is constructed in unique North Indian architecture. The older, so-called ‘Vriddh-Madhyamaheshwar’, temple is a tiny blackened shrine on the ridge, which looks straight up at the commanding Chaukhamba peaks. In the current temple, a navel-shaped Shiva lingam, made of black stone, is enshrined in the sanctum.
Two other small shrines are also installed in the temple, one of which is dedicated to Parvati and the other one to Ardhanarishvara, half Shiva and half Parvati idol. The second Pandava brother, Bhima is believed to have built the temple. A small temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati and a marble icon of the Goddess inside it is also installed here.
It is believed that Madhyamaheshwar temple is built by Pandava’s (heros of mahabharata war) over 1000 years ago.
Story associated with the temple is that after killing their cousins in the war, Pandavas started their journey to visit Lord Shiva to wash away their sins. Lord Shiva wanted to avoid them as he was deeply incensed by the death and dishonesty in the Kurukshetra war. Therefore, he disguised himself in the form of a bull (Nandi) and disappeared into the ground with different parts of the body appearing at various places. His hump appeared at Kedarnath, his bahu (arm) was spotted at Tungnath, his head surfaced at Rudranath, the stomach and navels were traced at Madhyamaheswar and his jata (tress) was divined at Kalpeshwar. Pandvas built a temple at each of these places to worship Lord Shiva and to please him. Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of navel – shaped lingam in Madhyamaheshwar.
Shiv Ratri is the main festival celebrated here.
Madmaheshwar Opening and Closing Timings
The Temple remains open from the beginning of the summer months after the winter and lasts till October/November from start of the winter season when the temple precincts are not accessible due to snow conditions.
During the winter period, the symbolic idol of the god is shifted with religious formalities to Ukhimath for continued worship. Priests at this temple are called Jangamas of the Lingayat cast who hail from Mysore in Karnataka state. This induction of priests from outside the state enhances the cultural communications from one part of the country to the other, with language becoming no barrier.
By Air
The nearest Airport is Jolly Grant Airport (250 km)
By Train
The nearest railway station is Rishikesh railway station (220km)
By Road
To reach Madhyamaheshwar, following is the Road Route from Delhi:
Delhi – Meerut – Haridwar – Rishikesh – Devprayag – Srinagar – Rudraprayag – Ukhimath – Uniana – Trekking (21 kms) – Madhyamaheshwar.
Madhyamaheshwar Temple, Uttarakhand
