Jageshwar Temple, also known as Jageshwar Dham. The temple is located in the Jageshwar Valley in the Kumaon region of the Himalayas, 36 km from Almora in the Uttarakhand state of India. In India, there are 12 Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva, in which the 8th place is believed to be of Nagesh Daruka Bane, also known by the four names Jageshwar, Yageshwar, Hatkeshwar, and Nageshwar.
Jageshwar Dham has a group of 125 small and big temples, of which 108 are Shivlinga and 17 temples of other deities. It is said that Lord Shiva appeared here by himself, not established by anyone. The Shivling named Ardhnarishwar has two-part, in which Lord Shiva is situated in the big one and Goddess Parvati in the small one. Apart from this, there is also the Dandeshwar temple complex, which is visible while entering the Jageshwar valley from Almora. There is also a Kuber temple complex near the Jageshwar temple. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has set up a museum near the temple, mainly there is a divine sculpture of Uma-Maheshwar (Shiva-Parvati).
The main temples list of Jageshwar Dham includes Jagnath (Jyotirling), Mrityunjaya Temple, Hanuman Temple, Surya Temple, Neelkanth Temple, Navagraha Temple (dedicated to nine planets), Pushti Mata Temple, Lakulesh Temple, Kedarnath Temple, Navdurga Temple & Batuk Bhairav Temple, etc.
Jageshwar Dham is open 365 days a year, movement of pilgrims remains throughout the year. Snowfall can also be enjoyed from mid-December to the end of January. The nearest railway station is Haldwani and Kathgodam, Nearest airport is Pantnagar and Pithoragarh.
The Story
There is no history of the Jageshwar temple site. It is said that Shri Adi Shankaracharya went to Kedarnath Dham after renovating many temples in Jageshwar Dham. Later in the 7th century, King Shalivahan rebuilt the old wooden temples with stones. In those days, pilgrims went to Kailash Mansarovar after worshiping Lord Shiva here. This area was also the center of Lakulesh (a great devotee of Lord Shiva) Shaivism.
My Experience
I have been to Jageshwar Dham thrice, my experience was very divine and memorable there. I also went once on the occasion of Maha-Shivratri. I never faced any issues while going to Jageshwar, the route is very nice & comfortable. I never faced traffic on the way, so I reached there easily. Whenever I went, I left my house early in the morning and reached there by evening or night. Then, first of all, I search for a room, which is easily available for up to ₹ 500. If the number of pilgrims is more, then it could be around ₹ 700 to ₹ 1000.
After resting the first night, on the next day. First visit the temple later roaming around for some time, then came back. I have never stayed there more than 24 hours.
I did not like the food much there. I ate at 3-4 restaurants but I didn’t like the food anywhere. I do not eat eggs & omelets, I am vegetarian so I always eat pulses, roti or parathas, which are not that good. I also faced the problem of water there, but it happens often in the mountains. There seems to be some lubricity in the water, which I felt there as well. Otherwise, there was no problem everything was fine.
Whenever you visit, must keep in your mind that there is no ATM service available, so definitely take cash with you. Second, No network works there till now (2022), keep this in mind. Rest there it can rain anytime, as it happens in the hill areas, then definitely keep a raincoat with you. The rest is what Mahadev wishes to be.
