Sapteshwar Nath Mahadev Mandir (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: सप्तेश्वर नाथ महादेव मंदिर), also known as Mithileshwarnath Mahadev Mandir, is an ancient temple of

Lord Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism. Shiva is known as ''The Destroyer' ...

in the

Mithila region Mithila (), also known as Tirhut, Tirabhukti and Mithilanchal, is a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothil ...

of the

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

. It is located at Satoshar Sthan in the

Dhanusha district Dhanusha District, (; ), a part of Madhesh Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. It is situated in the Outer Terai. The district, with Janakpurdham as its district headquarter, covers an area of and has a population (202 ...

of the Madhesh Pradesh province in the plains of the

Terai The Terai or Tarai is a lowland region in parts of southern Nepal and northern India that lies to the south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas, the Sivalik Hills and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This lowland belt is characterised by ...

region in the Himalayan nation of

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

. This temple is one of the fifteen locations in the famous Mithila Madhya Parikrama.

Etymology

The name ''Sapteshwar'' is a Sanskrit word derived from

Saptarshi The Saptarshi ( ) are the seven seers of ancient India who are extolled in the Vedas, and other Hindu literature such as the Skanda Purana. The Vedic Samhitas never enumerate these rishis by name, although later Vedic texts such as the Brahm ...

in Hinduism. The temple is attributed to the Saptarshi sages. It is believed that the Saptarshi sages had performed their ''

Tapasya Tapas (Sanskrit: तपस्, romanized: tapas) is a variety of austere spiritual meditation practices in Indian religions. In Jainism, it means asceticism (austerities, body mortification); in Buddhism, it denotes spiritual practices includin ...

'' at the location of the campus of the temple. So that the name of the temple is attributed after their common name

. The name of the campus of the temple is Satoshar Sthan.

Description

Sapteshwar Nath Mahadev Mandir is located at the campus of the ancient Ashram of

in the Mithila region of Nepal. According to legend, it is believed that the ''Satoshar Sthan'' in the

was once the ashram of the Saptarshi sages. During the pilgrimage of the famous Mithila Madhya Parikrama, the pilgrims reach and take rest here on the 11th day of the journey. According to legend, it is said that the King

Janaka Janaka (, IAST: ''Janaka'') is the King of Videha who ruled from Mithila (region), Mithila, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Janaka was married to Sunayana (Ramayana), Sunayana. He is the father of Sita and Urmila in the epic. The term Janaka ...

built four temples of

on the four corners of the capital

Janakpur Janakpurdham or Janakpur (), is the capital city of Madhesh Province. This sub-metropolitan city is a central hub for the Maithili language, as well as for religious and cultural tourism in Nepal. The city was founded in the early 18th centur ...

dham in the ancient

Mithila Kingdom Videha ( Prākrit: ; Pāli: ; Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of north-eastern Indian subcontinent whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The population of Videha, the Vaidehas, were initially organised into a monarchy ...

. These temples are Kalyaneshwar Mahadev Mandir, Jaleshwar Mahadev Mandir, Kshireshwar Mahadev Mandir and Sapteshwar Nath Mahadev Mandir.

References

Shiva temples in Nepal Mithila Hinduism {{Hindu-temple-stub