Mankeshwar temple ( Marathi: माणकेश्वर मंदिर) is an ancient

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

temple. The temple is located adjacent to the Mumbai-Agra National Highway in the village Zodage in Nashik District of Maharashtra, India. Zodage is located 128Km from Nashik. .

History

It is believed that the temple was built by the

Yadavas The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and S ...

or the Shilaharas under

Chalukya The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty ...

suzerainty.

Structure

The temple covers an area of 5.57 sq mt. There is a sabhamandap with three doors and a ( Garbha gruha)sanctum sanctorium. The Mankeshwar temple has carvings in Basalt rock from top to the bottom. There is a beautiful Nandi(Bull) carved in stone in front of the temple As it is a

Shiva temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

, many sculptures of Shiva can be seen on the temple. The temple has an open ardhamandap, leading to the mandapa, subsidiary shrines, antaral and the main garbhagriha . The roof of the Mandapa and Ardhamandapa are currently missing. There is an amazing image of

Lord Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

in the shrine. The frightening sculpture of Chamunda can be seen here. Ashtadikpal (the lords of the eight directions), Bhairav and Vishnu, also add to the beauty of the temple. The exterior of the temple is adorned with beauties. Musician, Darpana, Nupurpadika, Matrika, Frog (scared of frogs), Shatrumardini, Sword-wielding Maneka, Woman and scorpion, Dancer Lady, Sursundari disturbed by hoarseness The temple is adorned with beauties such as a beautician, a lady removing thorns from legs, a Kamayani, a writer, a lady spy with a snake in her hand, Lady playing conch shells and lady leaving her hair loose. The peak is characterized by a terrestrial style with a replica of small peaks, it is a typical charascteristic of Bhumij style of architecture. The face of the man in the circle at the center of the diamond head is called Kirtimukh. The temple is adorned with sixteen such Kirtimukhas. On the front side of the temple, one above the other Kirtimukh dignifies the distinctiveness of the temple. In front of the temple is another Bhumij style ruined temple. It is also called the Saraswati Temple. The idol in the temple is missing. There is a pond across the highway in front of the temple. There is an inscription about the construction of the pond by a local merchant.

Narratives

The temple is also closely associated with lives of

Fair

A fair is held every year in the Hindu calendar month of Magha on 13th day.

Gallery

File:Zodage temple1.jpg, Sculptures File:Zodage temple2.jpg, Nandi

References

{{Hindu temples in Maharashtra Hindu temples in Maharashtra Tourist attractions in Nashik district Tourist attractions in Maharashtra