OVERVIEW

Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga in Aurangabad, Maharashtra

The twelve or Dwadasa Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva are the portals to freedom for living creatures besieged by the sufferings of the material world. Anybody who worships and gets darshan of these 12 jyotirlingas and those who participate in the prasadam presented to these Dwadasa Jyotirlingas is freed from all sinful responses and sufferings.

These twelve Lord Shiva temples may be found throughout India. Trimbakeshwar in Nashik, Grishneshwar in Aurangabad, and Bhimashankar in Pune are the three Jyotirlingas in Maharashtra.

The remarkable temple of Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga is located around 30 kilometers from Aurangabad, near the Ellora caves and Devagiri fort. The Padma Purana and the Shiva Purana both make extensive references to this shrine. According to one of the ancient texts, this was the home of the Naga tribals. They lived in anthills like snakes. Anthills are known as Vaarul in Marathi, and this location was known as Verul. Ellora gets its name from King Ella, who once lived here.

The emergence of the Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga

This is Shiva's final Jyotirlinga out of the 12 Jyotirlingas. It lies 12 kilometers from Daulatabad in the Maharashtra state, near the village of Verul. This is the narrative told in the Puranas about this Jyotirlinga. Sudharma, a bright Taponishat Brahmin, resided in the southern region near Devgiriparvat. Sudeha was the name of his wife. They both were madly in love with each other. They did not have any children. Astrological calculations showed that Sudeha would be unable to conceive. But she still desired a kid. Sudeha then requested that her husband, Sudharma, marry her younger sister. Sudharma did not accept at first, but Sudeha's persistence forced him to yield.

Sudharma married Ghushma, his wife's younger sister, and brought her home. Ghushma was a good and humble woman. She was also a Shiva Shankar admirer. Ghushma used to build 101 Parthiv Shivlings every day and worship them wholeheartedly. Shiva's favor was so great that a kid was born in his residence after a while. The joy of both sisters knew no boundaries. Both were living affectionately. But we don't understand how Sudeha's mind became clouded by erroneous thoughts. She assumed that everything in the home belonged to Ghushma and that she owned nothing.

Sudeha had given this subject so much attention that it had taken up residence in her thoughts. Sudeha was under the impression that the kid was also hers, and Ghushma had retained the right over her husband as well. Ghushma's child has also grown up and married. With all of these negative emotions racing through her mind, she murdered Ghushma's son while he slept one night. Simultaneously, his body was tossed into the pond. This was the same pond where Ghushma immersed the worldly Shivlings daily.

When dawn arrived, the entire home was in disarray. Ghushma and her daughter-in-law were overcome with emotion. Ghushma, on the other hand, did not abandon her trust in Shiva. She worshiped Shiva on this day, as she did every day. When she went to the pond to immerse the Shivlings after the worship, her son was spotted coming out from inside the pond. When he came out, he dropped at Ghushma's feet.

He appeared to be coming from somewhere. Soon, Shiva appeared. He urged Ghushma to request a boon. But Shiva was enraged by Sudeha's actions and was ready to sever Sudeha's throat with his trident. Ghushma, on the other hand, begged Shiva to forgive her sister with folded hands. What she did was horrible, but it was only through Shiva's kindness that she was able to reclaim his kid. She pleaded for her sister's life.

Ghushma appealed to Shiva to stay at this location indefinitely for the sake of the people. Shiva accepted both of Ghushma's requests and manifested himself as Jyotirlinga, where he began to reside. He was given the name Ghushmeshwar Mahadev in honor of Shiva devotee Ghushma. Ghrishneshwar is another name for it.

Timings for Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple

The temple is open daily from 5 a.m. until 9 p.m. The store is open from 4 a.m. until 1 a.m. on Mondays during Shravana masa. The timing of Vaikunta Chaturdashi is from 5 a.m. to 3 a.m. On Mahashivaratri, the temple opens at 4 a.m. and continues open throughout the night. Every day at 5 a.m., 12 p.m., and 8 p.m., Arati is performed. Jalabhiseskha to the Shivalinga is not permitted between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m.

How to get to the Grishneshwar Temple

The closest airport is Aurangabad, which has regular flights from New Delhi and Mumbai. Buses heading to Kannada, Surat, Indore, and Dhulia may be boarded from station number 8. A cab may be hired from Aurangabad, which is thirty kilometers from the shrine. Because Aurangabad has a railway station, it is easily accessible by train from Nagpur, Manmad, Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Amritsar, Nanded, New Delhi, and Mumbai.

Devotees visiting the Grishneshwar temple can make use of the following services

The Grishneshwar Trust is in charge of the temple. The trust has built six rooms and six halls for the comfort of devotees. There is also a samskruthika hall with seats for 700 to 1000 people. The trust will soon build bhakta nivas as well. Annadana, or lunch service, is available every day from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.