Lodheshwar Mahadev Temple is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hi ...

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 Hin ...

, located in village Mahadeva, Ram Nagar tehsil in

Barabanki district Barabanki district is one of the five districts of Faizabad division (officially ''Ayodhya division''), in the central Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh, India. Barabanki city is the administrative headquarters of Barabanki district. Total area of ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. The deity of Shivling worshiped in this temple is one of the rarest of the 52 Shivlings found on the Shakti Pithas across India. This ancient temple has been mentioned several times in

Mahabharat The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuru ...

. Lodheshwar Mahadev is Kuldevta of

Lodhi Lodhi may refer to: * Lodi (Pashtun tribe), a Batani Pashtun (Ghilzai) tribe mainly found in Afghanistan and Pakistan * Lodhi dynasty of Delhi Sultanate * Lodhi Colony, a residential colony in South Central part of New Delhi * Lodhi (caste), a Hind ...

Rajputs Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

. Its importance has been mentioned in many Hindu scriptures and holy books. This shakti peetha is considered to be one of the most sacred places on earth.

Location

It is a

temple which is situated at village Mahadeva in tehsil Ram Nagar of district Barabanki on the banks of Ghaghra.

History

There are several instances in Mahabharata where this ancient temple is referred to. Pandav after the Mahabharata had performed the Mahayagya at this place, a well exists even today by the name Pandav-Kup. It is said in the

vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...

that the water of the well is having spiritual qualities and those who drink this water get cured of a number of ailments. When

Parshurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Veerarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. He is believed to be one of the ''Chiranjeevis'' (Immortals), who will appear ...

was cleansing the earth of

kshatriyas Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the co ...

, the surviving

lodhis The Lodhi (or Lodha, Lodh) is a community of agriculturalists, found in India. There are many in Madhya Pradesh, to where they had emigrated from Uttar Pradesh. The Lodhi are categorised as an Other Backward Class but claim Rajput ties and ...

went to their

Kuldevta A kuladevatā (), also known as a kuladaivaṃ, is an ancestral tutelary deity in Hinduism and Jainism. Such a deity is often the object of one's devotion ('' bhakti''), and is coaxed to watch over one's clan (''kula''), gotra, family, and chi ...

Lodheshwar Mahadev to help them. He then asked them to drop their weapons thus their warrior lineage and pick up agricultural tools. Hence, many of them were the large landowners and zamindars till to date.

Fair

There are two fairs held at Mahadeva: * Fair in the Month of March–April : During this fair, held on the occasion of Mahashivratri at Mahadeva millions of devotees throng the place. * Local Fair : This fair is held in November–December. This is fair for local peoples. A large number of cattle's are sold / bought in this fair.

Procession

Walking pilgrims with Kanwar of district Kanpur, Banda, Jalaun and Hamirpur worship with Ganges water of Shiva at Lodheshwar Mahadeva

References

{{Reflist Barabanki district Shiva temples in Uttar Pradesh Hindu temples in Uttar Pradesh