The district Pauri is remarkable for Neelkanth temple where the origin of Shivarathiri started according to the ancient sacred texts. India celebrates the great rescue of gods and demons by Lord Shiva. The temple’s architecture is one of a kind which shows the vulnerable heritage of India the uniqueness of this temple is enough to attract the tourists around the world
Significance of the Temple
Interestingly enough ancient engravings of Samudra Manthan which happen between gods and rakshasas (Evil/Demons) are beautifully depicted above the entrance door of the temple, and the whole story is engraved on the ancient walls of the temple. The magnificent architecture of the temple gives a divine feeling to the soul.The temple remarks the ending of a misunderstanding quarrels between King of Gods Indra and holy man Dhruva Rishi who gifted a garland to him made of ivory where Indra gave that to his elephant the elephant hated it and threw the garland in front of Dhruva Rishi where he thought Indra did that on purpose so he cursed the Indra to lose his powers which affected other gods and made the demons take over the universe; Indra wanted to make things right so he seeked one of the Rakshasas(Demons) they both went to Lord Vishnu he told them to churn the indian ocean for the amrita. Dhruva Rishi realized his mistake so he helped them too while making the amrita they made the deadly poison Halahal where even a small interaction with the poison will kill them including the demons so every god and demon seeked the help of Lord Shiva where he was told to get rid of the poison so he drank the poison because he didn't find any way to get rid of it. Goddess Parvati was concerned so she took the form of vidya and stopped the poison entering his stomach and estranging it in the throat itself so he was forced to stay awake throughout the night thus the gods and demons made music and danced for Lord Shiva to keep him awake from dying this event is now celebrated as Mahashivarathiri. The name Neelkanth derived from Shiva’s heroics (Neela -blue, Kanth- throat) the temple is dedicated to the heroics of Lord Shiva.
The lush greenery and streams surrounding the temple lends tremendous natural beauty to the shrine, giving it a serene and peaceful ambience. It is idyllically situated in the valleys of Manikoot, Brahmakoot and Vishnukoot, at the confluence of the Rivers Pankaja and Madhumati. The shrine is a prominent religious and spiritual destination which attracts innumerable visitors throughout the year from within the country and foreign shores. Its height is around 1330 meters. The Peepal trees in the temple are believed to grant the wishes who tie it to the trees.
Accommodation:
The temple has more ways to travel within and outside too; Pauri is a pilgrim center for the devotees who seek Lord Shiva which is also a tourist spot near Himalayas which is perfect for the people to pilgrim in shivratri. Neelkanth Mahadev temple is situated at a comfortable distance of 32 km from Rishikesh. Taxis are available from the taxi stand at Swargashram Gaddi at Ram Jhula for a nominal charge of Rs. 200/- each for going up and coming back down. Many pilgrims prefer to take a 22 Km trek to the temple to observe the incredible natural landscapes. The trek takes around 4 hours from Ram Jhula, Rishikesh. The Nearest Railway station to Neelkanth in Rishikesh Railway Station and the Nearest Airport is Jolly Grant Airport. Everyone are allowed in with no discrimination and the timings depend on the time of the year.
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