Apteshwar Mahadev Temple Pushkar Rajasthan

Apteshwar Mahadev Temple is a popular Shiva shrine situated on the banks of Pushkar Lake in the holy town of Pushkar, Rajasthan.
The most interesting part of this temple is that it has underground idol. It is believed that this beautiful temple remained underground for several years and after long time, it got appeared.

The main attraction of the temple is the idol of Lord Shiva with five faces and four arms, sitting on a lotus flower.Constructed in the 12th century, the temple is the perfect example of mind-boggling architectural style. After its construction, the temple was totally destructed by Aurangzeb but was well-furnished later on.
The temple was rebuilt in the 19th century and boasts of a spectacular architectural style.The temple has a beautiful white spire (shikhara) with a crescent moon (chandra) design at the top. The spire is visible from far away and adds to the temple’s beauty. Inside the main hall, there is a silver turtle on the floor, which symbolizes long life and wisdom.

Constructed in white marbles, the temple house a five faced idol of Lord Mahadev- four of its faces represent the four directions that they face, while the fifth one looks upwards and is a symbol of purity and spiritual progress. The five faces are called Sadyojat, Vamdev, Aghor, Tatpurush and Ishan. These five faces of Lord Mahadev also represent the five elements – Prithvi, Varun, Vayu, Agni and Akash.

According to a legend, Shiva had five faces because he wanted to see his beloved wife Parvati from all directions. However, one of his faces was burnt by his third eye when he saw Parvati with another man who was actually Vishnu in disguise. Therefore, he replaced his burnt face with a new one that looked upwards.

Legend

It is believed that Apteshwar Mahadev Temple was built by Lord Brahma. The story goes on to say that once Lord Brahma was performing a yagna at the Pushkar Lake when he saw Lord Shiva – the God of destruction, also attending the yagna in the form of tantric mendicant and had a skull in his hand. However, he was unaware that the tantric was Lord Shiva in disguise and so he insulted his appearance. This made Lord Shiva very angry and he filled the entire yagna space with skulls.

Soon after, Lord Brahma enquired and through his own supreme powers, found out that the tantric mendicant was Lord Shiva himself. He then apologized to Lord Shiva and requested him to participate in the yagna which Lord Shiva did. Humbled by his generosity and as a way to apologize to Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma built a temple at the site and dedicated it to Lord Shiva himself.

The main festival of the temple is Shivratri which is celebrated here with great enthusiasm and greatness.

Devotees offer ‘Bel’ leaves on the sanctioned Lingam of Lord Shiva.This belief that on doing so, one’s wishes get granted by the lord. Devotees would also be seen pouring milk, dahi, ghee and honey over Shiva Lingam. Owing to the belief of getting an ideal husband, unmarried girls particularly perform this ritual.