Tameshwarnath Dham, Sant Kabir Nagar
Sant Kabir Nagar is just seven kilometers from the district headquarters Khalilabad. The importance of Devadhidev Mahadev Baba Tameshwarnath Temple (Tameshwarnath Dham) situated at a distance of 1000 meters has been going on since time immemorial. Even today, due to the glory of this place and its being the center of faith, there is a constant flow of devotees.
Tameshwarnath Temple over time
According to folklore, this place was a forest area of Maharaja Virat’s kingdom during the Mahabharata period. This was the exile area of the Pandavas and during their exile, Kunti had lived here with the Pandavas for a few days. Mother Kunti had established Shivalinga at this very place, this is the same Shivalinga.
This is the place where Mahatma Buddha, who spread the message of Buddhism to the world about two and a half thousand years ago, had abandoned his royal clothes after undergoing the Mundan Sanskar. This place is famous for Mundan as Lord Buddha performed the Mundan Sanskar here.
On Mahashivratri, a large number of people come here to get their children tonsured.
Tameshwarnath Temple and Mahant
After this, the importance of this place increased day by day and with time it came under the rule of Tamragarh Bansi Naresh, who built the temple in view of the huge number of devotees coming here. Where Jalabhishek is performed on the established Shiva Linga and Ruddhabhishek is performed here, devotees from far and wide come to worship Shiva and get the desired results.
About one hundred and fifty years ago, the king of Bansi called the Gusai family from Jaisarnath village near Harnahi in Gorakhpur district and entrusted them with the responsibility of worshiping the temple. Since then his descendants are taking charge of the worship here. Retired teacher and Mahant Ramraksha Bharti confirms this. He told that among his ancestors, an elderly person had taken Samadhi while alive in front of Tameshwarnath temple, he was a proven person. Even today Gudbhanga is offered at his Samadhi after Shivarchan.
This temple is built on an eight feet high platform. There are nine small and big temples in this ancient temple complex and five other temples adjacent to it. Among these, there is a temple right in front of the main temple, which is not of the gods but of a human being who had taken Samadhi here while he was alive. People say about a person in Samadhi that he appears from time to time and removes all the obstacles and difficulties, and is called by the name of Goswami Bujhavan Bharti Baba. Their descendants are the Goswami Bharatis here, who take care of the Baba Tameshwarnath temple.
This place was named Tamargarh and later Tama. It is said that there were two big ponds to the north of Tama village which are currently called Lathiyahwa and Jhajhwa. Similar ponds-Pokhare and Bhita are also situated in the eastern direction. Adjacent to it is Kotia. From this name it appears that there used to be a fort or fort here. Old people also say that earlier people of Tharu caste used to live here. Its distorted form is Tama which is now popular by the name Tameshwarnath Dham. People believe that before the construction of the temple, the Shiva Linga had risen up and such a Shiva Linga is not found anywhere else. Just east of the temple is a huge pond made of bricks. People perform Jalabhishek by taking water from here. It is said that the famous saint Devarhava Baba got inspiration from here.
- Legend about Shivalinga
There is a legend about Tameshwarnath, a Shivalinga of copper colour, that three and a half hundred years ago, 8 km south of Khalilabad, an old Brahmin woman, while walking to her maternal home, first encountered a Shivalinga of Tamari color emerging in a field. When other people came to know about it, out of curiosity they tried to dig it out but could not find its root. When the news of this suddenly emerging Shivalinga reached Aurangzeb’s clerk Khalilur Rahman (Nawab), he hired laborers and tried to take it out of the field and take it somewhere else. Even after digging the whole day, the temple was back to its original condition at night. This sequence continued for months due to which when Nawab got angry and wanted to remove the idol, a large number of scorpions, snakes and bees started coming out near Shiva Linga and many people lost their lives. Frightened, he stopped the work. Nawab was forced to withdraw his decision. In the end, respecting Hindu beliefs, a temple had to be built there and a roof was installed. Since then the importance of this place increased. Later, as people’s wishes were fulfilled, their faith increased.
Worship in Tameshwarnath Temple
Devotees coming to Tameshwarnath temple say that all the wishes of the people who pray here are fulfilled by having darshan here and performing Jalabhishek. In Tameshwarnath, people come every Monday and perform Jalabhishek and it is a fair like scene.
But thrice a year a huge fair is organized here in which people not only from the district but from entire Purvanchal come together and perform Jalabhishek.
Many saints and mahatmas have organized rituals and satsangs at this place. But the people of this region who are working in the country and abroad also perform Abhishek and worship of Lord Shiva when they come home.
According to people, during the British era, suddenly a mischievous Baba from Kashi arrived here. His mind was absorbed here. Whoever came to him with his sorrow and pain, he used to say, offer water to Baba, ask for it from Baba, but if you ask for it yourself, he would abuse you. On Shivratri, people even from distant provinces come here for darshan and worship. Great men like Swami Karpatriji, Jagadguru Shankaracharya Abhinav Vidyarthi Ji Maharaj, Maharishi Deorhava Baba etc. have come and offered prayers at this temple.
Even before the beginning of the month of Shravan, there is a fair like scene. In the month of Shravan, devotees from far and wide flock for Jalabhishek. The Dham remains buzzing with the gathering of Kanvaris and Shiva devotees. This scene is worth seeing on Monday when the whole atmosphere is resonating with cheers. On the occasion of Teras festival, a large number of devotees reach here from far and wide.
Fair at Tameshwarnath Temple
The fair continues for ten days every year on the festival of Shivratri in Tameshwarnath Dham.
tourist destination
The historical Shiv temple Tameshwarnath has been declared a tourist destination.
