Tarkeshwar Mahadev is a village 36 km from

Lansdowne Lansdowne or Lansdown may refer to: People * Lansdown Guilding (1797–1831), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines naturalist and engraver *Fenwick Lansdowne (1937–2008), Canadian wildlife artist * George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne (1666–1735) ...

and at a height of 1,800 m. The place is known for its temple dedicated to

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 ...

. Surrounded by thick forests of

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

and

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

, it is an ideal place for those who seek for beauty in nature. During

Shivratri Maha Shivaratri (IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu ca ...

, a special worship is held. The temple committee provides a

dharamshala Dharamshala (; also spelled Dharamsala) is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, India. It serves as administrative headquarters of the Kangra district after being relocated from Kangra, a city located away from Dharamshala, in 1855. The ...

for accommodation. At Lansdown you will find many hotels for stay. It is good place for family trip for 1–2 days.

History

According to the legend, Tarkasur was a demon who meditated and worshiped Lord Shiva at this location for a boon. Pleased by his devotion, Lord Shiva gave him a boon of immortality as per Tarkasur request except from Lord Shiva's son. Tarkasur started being evil by killing saints and threatening gods. Sages asked for help from Lord Shiva. Disturbed by wrongdoings of Tarkasur, Lord Shiva married Parvati and Kartikeya is born. Kartikeya soon killed Tarkasur but at the time of death Tarkasur makes prayer to Lord Shiva and asked for pardon. Mahadev then attached his name to the temple where Tarkasur meditated once. Hence the place named as Tarkeshwar Mahadev. The Presiding deity of this temple is Lord Shiva. The temple is located amidst thick forests of Deodar, Cedar and Pine. Earlier there was a Shivling present at the Tarkeshwar Mahadev temple, but now a Lord Shiva idol performing tandava is worshiped. The Shivling in the temple is placed under the idol of the deity. A temple dedicated to Goddess Shakti lies adjacent to the main temple. According to another myth, it is said that Goddess Parvati had transformed herself into 7 deodar trees, in order to provide shade to Lord Shiva and the deodar trees of the region have been originated from these 7 trees. The shape of the deodar grove is believed to be in the form of the letter Om.

Nearby Places

References

External links

Tadkeshwar Mahadev Temple, Lansdowne Pauri Garhwal : Full Story

Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple - The Divine India
Villages in Pauri Garhwal district {{Hindu-temple-stub

History

Nearby Places

See also

References

External links