Shanaleshwara Swayambhu Temple ( sa, श्री शानालेश्वर स्वयंभू मन्दिर) dedicated to the worship 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 ...

. "Shanaleshwara" means, the sign that is worshiped as Lord Shiva. It is situated at 7 Kilometre away in the Nalas village of

Rajpura Rajpura () is a city in Patiala district in the Indian state of Punjab, India, situated along the border of the Indian state of Haryana. It is located 26 KM Patiala city, towards East from District Head Quarter. It is Tehsil Head Quarter. Rajp ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

. It is maintained by the ascetic sadhu's of Juna Akhara Foundation.

Temple

Swayambhu

Inside the Shanaleshwara Temple is the

Swayambhu Swayambhu ( sa, स्वयंभू) is a Sanskrit word that means "self-manifested", "self-existing", or "that is created by its own accord". Often, the word swayambhu is used to describe a self-manifested image of a deity, which was not made ...

lingam of Lord Shiva. Shiva in the lingam form is believed to be Swayambhu. Swayambhu lingams are Self-created or natural lingams, discovered in the place where they now stand. Most of these are oval- shaped stones. These lingams do not need a ''prana pratishtha'', because a Swayambhu lingam already inherently embodies the power of Shiva.

Importance

Maha Shivaratri 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 ...

is great festival here, three-days fair is held here every year on Maha Shivaratri and lakhs of people come to the fair to ask for a vow. It has been a tradition that on Maha Shivaratri and in this area (near Rajpura) most of the devotees start their journey on foot from their homes to the Shanaleshwara temple and volunteers serve food to the devotees along the way. In 1592,

Maharaja of Patiala The Maharaja of Patiala was a maharaja in India and the ruler of the princely state of Patiala, a state in British India. The first Maharaja of Patiala was Baba Ala Singh (1695–1765). Yadavindra Singh became the maharaja on 23 March 1938. H ...

built this temple. Since the 15th century temple has been home to

Sadhu ''Sadhu'' ( sa, साधु, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female)), also spelled ''saddhu'', is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. Th ...

's. The

Lingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional im ...

of Shanaleshwara is also known to be

Pancha Bhoota Pancha Bhuta or Pancha Maha-Bhuta ( sa, पञ्चभूत, ; ), five great elements, also five physical elements, is a group of five basic elements, which, according to Hinduism, is the basis of all cosmic creation. These elements are: ''Pr ...

. The temple of Shanaleshwara is a place of Guru–shishya tradition.

Timing

Each row displays several details. Some are there by default, others can be added. These are the available Timings (GMT+5:30):

History

According to the legend, a cow always showered own milk on the lingam. Nalas region was in jungle, at that time cowherds used to came to feed their

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

's.

Access

Road

From Rajpura to nalas village travelers can reach this destination by private vehicles.

References

{{reflist Hindu temples in Punjab, India Shiva temples Shiva temples in India Shiva temples in Punjab, India 15th century in religion Shaivism