Devotees are arriving in Shiva temples since morning to perform Jalabhishek of Bholenath. Har Har Mahadev is echoing all around.
Amid continuous rain since morning, there is a long queue of devotees for Jalabhishek in Shiva temples. The month of Sawan is very special for the devotees of Bholenath. There are some famous temples of Mahadev in Uttarakhand, where devotees reach especially today for Jalabhishek.
Kankhal, the ancient capital of Brahma’s son Daksha, is the holy land on which Daksha organized a huge yagya and Bhagwati Sati sacrificed herself by burning in the flames of insult. During the yagya, the feet of Vishnu, Brahma, 84 thousand sages and innumerable gods fell on this land.
Mahadev had come with Yakshas, Gandharvas and Kinnars to marry Daksha’s daughter Sati. Now in Shravan, he comes as Daksheshwar to fulfill his promise. This is the same land which has created history by creating 52 Shaktipeeths of the country. On this very land, the sages had produced sacrificial fire for the first time by churning the Arani, apart from heaven. The Shivatva center of Bhagwati’s Mayanagari Kankhal is in the sky and the Shakti center of Mahamaya is in the netherworld. The universe is tied with the string of these power centers.
Kankhal is the unique city of the eternal god Brahma’s son King Daksha. Shiva came to this holy land to marry Daksha’s daughter Sati, but did not come again while Daksha was alive. On this holy land, 84000 sages from all over the world had produced sacrificial fire by churning the Arani, in the presence of Brahma, Vishnu, Indra, Narada and other gods. Here, there is Shivatva, divinity and the immense power of Mahamaya. Keeping the promise given to Daksha, Lord Shankar now resides in Kankhal as Daksheshwar every Sawan.
The enraged Shiva had performed Tandava
Sati was born in the Kankhal Sheetla temple in Mayapuri. After being burnt in the Yagya Kund, the place where Shivgan Veerbhadra kept her mortal body is today’s Mayadevi. From here, the enraged Shiv carried the burnt body on his shoulder and performed Tandava. The places where Sati’s body fell in pieces are worshipped as 52 Shakti Peethas today.
Shitala Mandir, Satikund, Maya Devi, Chandi Devi and Mansa Devi temples together form the five Jyotirthals of Shakti. Their center is in the womb of Adi Peeth Mayadevi, i.e. the netherworld. Like Shakti, Shiv also has five Jyotirthals whose center is in the sky, these are Daksheshwar, Bilveshwar, Neeleshwar, Veerbhadra and Neelkanth. The center of the five Jyotirthals is on the high Kailash, i.e. the sky, connected to Neeleshwar and Neelkanth.
These ten Jyotir centers of Shiv and Shakti shower blessings from the ten places on the Shiv devotees who come to fill the Kanwar in the month of Sawan. Only with the blessings of the ten places, the Ganga Yatra of Shiva devotees is able to reach their desired Shiva temples safely.
