Kamal Guha at 13:06, 18 November 2023

2023-11-18T13:06:00Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox Hindu temple
| name = Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
| image = Grishneshwar temple in Aurangabad district.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| map_type = India Maharashtra
| map_caption = Location in [[Maharashtra]]<ref>[http://tourism.gov.in/CMSPagePicture/file/marketresearch/statewise20yrsplan/Maharashtra.pdf Grishneshwar Aurangabad GPS] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911083450/http://tourism.gov.in/CMSPagePicture/file/marketresearch/statewise20yrsplan/Maharashtra.pdf |date=11 September 2013 }} Govt of Maharashtra</ref>
| coordinates = {{coord|20|1|29.9|N|75|10|11.7|E|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| native_name = घृष्णेश्वर ज्योतिर्लिंग मंदिर
| country = [[India]]
| state = [[Maharashtra]]
| district = [[Aurangabad district, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]]
| location = [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra]]
| elevation_m =
| deity = Shri Grishneshwar ([[Shiva]])
| festivals = [[Mahashivratri]]
| architecture = Hemadpanthi
| temple_quantity =
| monument_quantity =
| inscriptions =
| year_completed =
| creator =

}}

'''Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple''', sometimes referred to as the '''Ghrneshwar ''' or '''Ghushmeshwar Temple''', is one of the shrines dedicated to [[Lord Shiva]] that is referenced in the [[Shiva Purana]].{{Sfn|Lochtefeld|2002|p=247}}<ref>{{cite book|author=Swati Mitra|title=Omkareshwar and Maheshwar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_0RpUoGiou4C&pg=PA25|year=2011|publisher=Goodearth Publications|isbn=978-93-80262-24-6|page=25}}</ref> The word ''Ghrneshwara'' means "lord of compassion".{{Sfn|Lochtefeld|2002|p=247}} The temple is an important pilgrimage site in the [[Shaivism|Shaiva]] tradition of [[Hinduism]], which considers it as the last or twelfth [[Jyotirlinga]] (linga of light).<ref name="Norman1988"/> This pilgrimage site is located in Ellora (also called [[Verul]]), less than a kilometer from [[Ellora Caves]] – a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. It is about {{convert|30|km|mi|abbr=off}} north-west of the city of [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]], and about {{convert|300|km|mi|abbr=off}} east-northeast from [[Mumbai]].

==History==
The temple structure was destroyed by the [[Delhi Sultanate]] in 13th and 14th-century. The temple went through several rounds of rebuilding followed by re-destruction during the Mughal-[[Maratha]] conflict. It was rebuilt in the current form in the 18th century under the sponsorship of queen [[Ahilyabai Holkar]] of Indore, after the fall of the [[Mughal Empire]].<ref name="Norman1988">{{cite book|author=Bruce Norman|title=Footsteps: Nine Archaeological Journeys of Romance and Discovery|url=https://archive.org/details/footsteps00bruc |url-access=registration|year=1988|publisher=Salem|isbn=978-0-88162-324-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/footsteps00bruc/page/99 99]–100}}</ref> It is presently an important and active pilgrimage site of the Hindus and attracts long lines of devotees daily. Anyone can enter the temple premises and its inner chambers, but to enter the sanctum sanctorum core (garbha-ghrya) of the temple, the local Hindu tradition demands that men must go bare-chested.{{Sfn|Lochtefeld|2002|p=247}}

[[File:Grishneshwar Shiva temple Maharashtra.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Grishneshwar Shiva temple is next to the Ellora Caves.]]
The Grishneswar temple is an illustration of maratha temple architectural style and structure. The temple, built of red rocks, is composed of a five-tier ''shikara''. The temple was re-constructed by [[Maloji Bhosale]] of Verul, (grandfather of [[Shivaji]]) in the 16th century and later again by queen [[Ahilyabai Holkar]] in the 18th century. She is credited with rebuilding some of major Hindu temples such as the [[Kashi Vishvanath]] temple in [[Varanasi]], a [[Vishnu temple]] in [[Gaya, India|Gaya]], and a much larger Shiva Jyotirlinga temple in [[Somnath Temple]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Swati Mitra|title=Omkareshwar and Maheshwar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_0RpUoGiou4C&pg=PA25|year=2011|publisher=Goodearth Publications|isbn=978-93-80262-24-6|pages=23–25}}</ref>

This 240 ft x 185 ft temple is the smallest Jyotirlinga temple in India. Halfway up the temple, Dashavataras of Vishnu are carved in red stone. A court hall is built on 24 pillars. On these pillars, there are carvings summarizing various legends and mythologies of Shiva. The Garbhagriha measures 17 ft x 17 ft. The Lingamurty faces eastward. There is a Nandi bull in the court hall. Ghrishneshwar Temple is a revered temple, situated in the state of Maharashtra. The temple houses carvings and sculptures of many Hindu gods and goddesses.

==Connectivity==
'''Nearest Airport''': [[Aurangabad Airport|Aurangabad]]

'''Nearest Railway Station''': [[Aurangabad railway station|Aurangabad]]
==References==
{{reflist}}

==Notes==
*{{Cite book | last=Eck | first=Diana L. | year=1999 | title=Banaras, city of light | place=New York | publisher= Columbia University Press | edition=First | isbn=0-231-11447-8
| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J57C4d8Bv6UC&q=jyotirlinga&pg=PA107}}
*{{Cite book |last=Gwynne|first=Paul |title=World Religions in Practice: A Comparative Introduction|year=2009|publisher=Blackwell Publication |location=Oxford |isbn=978-1-4051-6702-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tdsRKc_knZoC&q=jyotirlinga&pg=PT271}}.
*{{Citation | last = Lochtefeld | first = James G. | title = The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M | year = 2002 | publisher=Rosen Publishing Group | isbn=0-8239-3179-X | page=122 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC}}

== External links ==
* https://grishneshwar.org/
* https://templeknowledge.com/about-grishneshwar-temple/

{{Hindu temples in Maharashtra}}
{{Shaivism}}
{{Shiva temples}}

[[Category:Hindu temples in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Jyotirlingas]]
[[Category:Shiva temples in Maharashtra]]

Grishneshwar Temple - Revision history

Kamal Guha at 13:06, 18 November 2023