Shilanath Mahadev Mandir ( Maithili: शिलानाथ महादेव मंदिर) 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 India. It is located at the outskirts of the Jainagar town in the Madhubani district of Bihar.

Description

Shilanath Mahadev Mandir is located at Shilanath Dullipatti village near the outskirts of the Jaynagar town in

Madhubani district Madhubani district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar, India, and is a part of Darbhanga division. Its administrative headquarters are located in Madhubani. The district has an area of and has a population of 4,487,379 (as of 20 ...

. It is situated at a distance of approximately three kilometers from the headquarter of the sub-divisional town

Jaynagar Jaynagar may refer to: * Jaynagar Majilpur, a town of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal * Jaynagar Majilpur Municipality, a municipal corporation of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal * ...

. It is said that the Shilanath Mahadev Mandir is one of the nine shrines for Lord Shiva. According to legend, it is believed as the origination place of the '' Ardhanarisvara'' form of

and

Goddess Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: / pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: / gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, d ...

from the mouth of the

Kamala River The Kamala River (Hindi and ; romanized: Kamalā nadī) originates in Nepal and flows through the Indian state of Bihar. Course The Kamala originates from the Churia Range near Maithan which is near Sindhuli Gadhi in Sindhuli District of Nepal ...

. ''Ardhanarisvara'' is believed as the joint form of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. Every year on the occasion of

Kartik Purnima Kartika Purnima (), also known as Kartika Pournami, is a Hindu, Sikh, and Jain cultural festival that is celebrated on ''purnima'' (full moon day), the 15th day of the lunar month Kartika. It falls on November or December of the Gregorian ...

, a festival fair is held at the campus of the temple called as ''Kartik Purnima Mela''. In the fair, a huge number of devotees from different parts of the Madhubani,

Sitamarhi Sitamarhi is the headquarters of the Sitamarhi district in Tirhut Division, Bihar. The city was named in honour of Sītā, wife of Rāma, who was born in Sitamarhi according to Hindu legends. In 1875, a subdivision for Sitamarhi was create ...

, Shivhar,

Samastipur Samastipur is a City and Municipal Corporation in Bihar, India. It is the headquarter of Samastipur district and comes under Darbhanga division. The Burhi Gandak River flows through the city. It is one of the five railway divisions of ECR, H ...

Darbhanga Darbhanga is the fifth largest city and municipal corporation in the state of Bihar in India, and is considered an important city in North Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of the Darbhanga district and the Darbhanga division. Darbhanga ...

and other districts, including neighboring country

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 ...

come here to participate in the fair. The devotees take sacred bathes in the Kamla river and worship the

Lingam A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or Aniconism, aniconic representation of the Hinduism, Hindu Hindu deities, god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Up ...

of Lord Shiva in temple.

History

The structure of the present temple was renovated by the ''King Visheshwar'' of the

Raj Darbhanga The Darbhanga Raj, also known as Raj Darbhanga and the Khandwala dynasty, was a chieftaincy located within the Mughal province of Bihar which controlled territories, not all contiguous, that were part of the Mithila region, now divided betwee ...

. The King Visheshwar was also an astrologer cum

Pandit A pandit (; ; also spelled pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt. or Pdt.) is an individual with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge in Hinduism, particularly the Vedic scriptures, dharma, or Hindu philosophy; in colonial-e ...

. He appointed a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

at the temple for conducting the regular worship of the deities in the campus of the temple. He also donated 36 acres of lands to the temple for the income of the priest's family.

References

Shiva Shiva temples Shiva temples in Bihar Mithila {{India-hindu-temple-stub