Aundha Nagnath Temple

History

Maharashtra Tourism describes Aundha Nagnath as an ancient Jyotirlinga site rebuilt under Yadava patronage with intricate stone carving.

The Jyotirlinga leaflet groups Aundha with Parli Vaijnath for devotees completing the Maharashtra Shiva circuit.

Stories

Darukavana and the demoness Daruka

Tradition holds that this region was once Darukavana, a forest of deodar trees. The Shiva Purana tells of a demoness named Daruka who won boons from Parvati and then tormented people, among them a devotee of Shiva named Supriya.

In answer to Supriya's prayers, Shiva is said to have appeared, defeated the demon and stayed as a Jyotirlinga called Nagnath. Because the same legend is also tied to Nageshwar in Gujarat, devotees differ on which shrine it belongs to; Aundha is counted as the eighth Jyotirlinga by its own tradition.

The temple that turned to face Namdev

A well-known story is told of the Varkari saint Namdev, who was born in Narsi in Hingoli district. Tradition says that when he sang kirtans here, the temple priests made him move to the back of the shrine. In deep devotion he prayed, and the whole temple is said to have turned so that its entrance faced him.

Believers point to the present layout, with the Nandi at the back, as a sign of this event. Sixty-one hymns attributed to Namdev are included in the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, which is why the story is also valued by Sikhs.

Stone laid without mortar

Historically, the original structure is dated to the 13th century, under the Yadavas of Devagiri, and it is a prime example of the Hemadpanti style, said to be named for the Yadava minister Hemadri Pandit. The style is marked by interlocking stones used without mortar.

Tradition, by contrast, credits the Pandavas, saying Yudhishthira built the temple during exile. The Archaeological Survey of India is reported to protect the temple as a monument of national importance, and a grand chariot festival marks Mahashivratri.

Good to know

Jyotirlinga-listed Shiva temple — Maharashtra Tourism

Hingoli district pilgrimage centre

Hemadpanti architecture

Getting there

Nearest airport: Nanded (~61 km) or Aurangabad. Hingoli and Parbhani are the usual railheads; state buses connect from Nanded and Aurangabad.