Shri Koteshwar Mahadev Temple Gwalior Madhya Pradesh

The Shivalinga installed in the Shiva temple at Gwalior Fort was thrown down from the fort by Aurangzeb in the 17th century, which fell about 500 meters away. The same Shivalinga under the fort was restored by the Scindia dynasty in the year 1937-38 in the name of Koteshwar Mahadev. Water harvesting was done on the fort through Jalabhishek in the Shiva temple built on the fort.

Koteshwar Mahadev ancient temple. Aurangzeb had ordered his soldiers to destroy it. The soldiers tried to uproot the Shivalinga from Baba’s temple, after which hundreds of snakes reached there and bit the soldiers. After this, the soldiers somehow threw the statue installed in the temple from the fort to the foothills. The soldiers then drank the consecrated water to quench their thirst, after which all the soldiers were killed. Shivling fort remained lying in the foothills for 150 years, Later the Scindia dynasty established the Koteshwar Mahadev temple near the temple of the Banjaras at some distance from the fort foothills.

Baba’s consecration was done in the Shiva temple situated on the fort, this water was collected in a small pond below the temple. This water used to flow down from this pond through a pipeline about 4 inches thick. Which was collected in a big pond. No one was allowed to go down to the bottom of this pond. Whoever had to take the prasad of consecrated water would stand on the stairs and take the water. From here this water reached the fort hill through water harvesting. At the same time, just behind the present Koteshwar Mahadev temple, earlier there was a Shiva temple of Banjaras and two stepwells. Aurangzeb had removed Shivalinga from this temple and thrown it in this stepwell, which is about 12 storeys deep. But currently there is 30 to 40 feet of water inside it. In this stepwell, the water and rain water offered in the Koteshwar Mahadev temple flows through the drains built in the complex.