Shiva is a Hindudeity worshipped by Shaivaites in India as the destroyer of ignorance spread all across the universe. As one of the three main gods in the Hindu pantheon, there are temples dedicated to his worship in India (and abroad). The most prominent of these are the Jyotirlinga temples and Mellacheruvu Swayabhu Shambhulingeshwara Swami. In Shaivism, Shiva is the god of all and is described as worshipped by all, including Devas (gods) like Brahma, vishnu and Indra, Asuras (demons) like Banasura and Ravana, humans like Adi Shankara and Nayanars, and creatures as diverse as Jatayu, an eagle, and Vali, an ape. Deities, rishis (sages), and grahas (planets) worshipped Shiva and established Shivalingas in various places.
The 12 Jyotirlinga temples
The 12 Jyotirlinga temples as mentioned in the Shiva Purana are :-[1]
The Pancharama Kshetras (or the Pancharamas) are five ancient Hindu temples of Lord Shiva situated in Andhra Pradesh. The Sivalingas at these temples are made from a single Sivalinga. As per the legend, this Sivalinga was owned by the demon king Tarakasura. No one could win over him due to the power of this Sivalinga. Finally, Lord Kumaraswamy, the son of Lord Shiva broke the Sivalinga into five pieces and killed Tarakasura. The five pieces of Sivalinga fell at five different places on earth namely,
The deity Kashiswar Jiu with the gauripatta in the temple.
Kashiswar Jiu temple (काशीश्वर जिउ मंदिर) is in Andul of Howrah district near the Saraswati river, West Bengal in India. The presiding deity is a Banlinga which was recovered from the river in mid 17th century by Kashiswar Datta Chowdhury, a local zamindar. In 18th century a stone made yoni-like structure (Gauripatta) that symbolizes goddess Shakti has been attached with the Linga after Bargi attacked in 1741 AD. The deity is consider to be one of the oldest in the district.
Other deities with Kashiswar Jiu
Deities
Year
Biseshwara
1785 AD
Nakuleshwara
19th century circa
Saurendra Mohaneshwara
18th century circa
The temples are presently run by SrisriKashiswar Debottur Trust.