Omkareshwar Jyotirling, Madhya Pradesh

Omkareshwar Temple is situated on an island which is said to be in the shape of the Om (ॐ) symbol, the island is known as Mandhata, situated in the Narmada river at Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is one of the 12 holy Jyotirlingas of Bhagwan Shiva.
There are two temples of Bhagwan Shiva here, one of Omkareshwar located on the island and one of Mamleshwar located on the south bank of Narmada River on the mainland.

History

Omkaleshwar is home to beautiful caves. One of the most popular caves is Adi Shankara’s cave which is situated below Omkareshwar temple and is said to be the place where Adi Sankara met his guru Govinda Bhagavatpada. The image of Adi Shankara is placed in the cave which still can be found.
The early Omkareshwar temple was wrecked during Tughlaq Invasion. The existing temple was built by Ahilyabai Holkar. She also presented the silver idol which is currently present there.

Legends

There are three legends associated with the temple. the first legend as per Hindu scriptures says Vindya, the deity controlling the Vindyachal mountain range was worshiping Shiva in zero degrees plus to propitiate herself from the sins committed. She worshiped Lingam made of sand and clay. As a result, Prabhu Shiva was pleased with the worship and blessed her with the desired boon. Bhagwan Shiva made two parts of Lingas one is called Omkareshwar and the other is called Mamleshwar.

The second legend relates to Mandhata and his son’s penance. King Mandhata of the Ikshvaku clan(an ancestor of Bhagwan Ram) prayed Prabhu Shiva here until he emerged as a Jyotirlinga. Because of this, the island is named Mandhata.

The third legend is also popular, the story from Hindu scriptures depicts that there was a great war between Devas (gods) and Danavas (demons), in which Danavas won. The Devas couldn’t take the setback so they worshipped Shiva and ultimately Bhagwan Shiva got pleased and emerged in the form of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga and defeated Danavas.

Architecture of Omkareshwar Jyotirling, Madhya Pradesh

The temple structure stands on the island which is in the shape of Om and this entire island is said to be highly mystical. With exceptional architecture, it establishes many beautiful carvings and images. The temple has a built-in beautiful hall, supported by pillars and the archeological department has discovered many inscriptions here. However, this temple too was a subject of Islamic invasions, which destroyed most of the beautiful carvings and structures and was completely destroyed during these invasions.

Omkareshwar temple has been reconstructed many times by different dynasty rulers like Paramaras and the Holkars in the 11th and 19th century respectively. The entire structure is built in five stories, and the Lingam is on the first level. The Shiva lingam is believed to be self-manifested and hence, does not have a proper shape. Shrines of Bhagwan Ganesha and Karthikeya, and Mata Parvati are also there in the temple.

How to reach Omkareshwar Jyotirling, Madhya Pradesh?

By Train: Omkareshwar has its own Railway Station named as Omkareshwar Railway Station which is located at a distance of 12 Kms from the Omkareshwar city. It is situated on the major Ratlam-Khandwa railway line and is linked with the cities like New Delhi, Bangalore, Mysore, Lucknow, Chennai, Kanyakumari, Puri, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Ratlam.

By Air: The nearest airport to Omkareshwar is Indore airport aka Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport. It is located 77 km from Omkareshwar. Several airlines offer services from major parts of India to Indore.

By Bus: Omkareshwar is located about 87 km from Indore and is well connected via buses from there. Bus from Indore takes about 2/2.5 hours. It is also connected with Ujjain and Maheswar via road.

Self Drive: Omkareshwar is 73 Kms from Khandwa, 86 Kms from Indore, 114 Kms from Dewas, 133 Kms from Ujjain, 222 Kms from Jalgaon, 268 Kms from Bhopal, 334 Kms from Vidisha, 376 Kms from Vadodara, 446 Kms from Nagpur, 576 Kms from Pune, 576 Kms from Mumbai and is connected through Madhya Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (MPRTC) and some private travel services.