Stambheshwar Mahadev Temple, also known as Kavi Kamboi Temple, is a unique

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

temple located in the village of Kavi Kamboi,

Jambusar Jambusar is a town and a municipality in Bharuch district in the Indian state of Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of ...

tehsil,

Bharuch district Bharuch (formerly commonly known as Broach) in India, is a district in the southern part of the Kathiawar, Kathiawar peninsula on the west coast of state of Gujarat with a size and population comparable to that of Greater Boston. Bharuch derives ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The temple is situated on the bay of Cambay and the shore of the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea () is a region of sea in the northern Indian Ocean, bounded on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, Gulf of Aden and Guardafui Channel, on the northwest by Gulf of Oman and Iran, on the north by Pakistan, on the east by India, and ...

, and it is renowned for its unique phenomenon of disappearing into the sea twice a day.

History and legend

Kartikeya Kartikeya (/Sanskrit phonology, kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda (Sanskrit phonology, /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/Sanskrit phonology, sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha (Sanskrit phonology, /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan ...

, the son of Lord Shiva, killed the demon Tarakasura and established a

Shivling A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...

at the spot where he killed the demon. The temple is also mentioned in the

Skanda Purana The ''Skanda Purana'' ( IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest '' Mukhyapurāṇa'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Shaivite literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parv ...

, which refers to a pillar called Vishwanandak Stambh set up by the Devas at the Mahi Sagar Sangam Teerth Kshetra.

Architecture

Stambheshwar Mahadev Temple is a simple temple with no extraordinary architectural features. However, its unique feature is that it disappears into the sea twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. The temple is submerged in the sea during high tide and emerges as the tide recedes, revealing a 4-foot high Shivling.

Visiting information

The best times to visit the temple to witness its disappearance into the ocean are: * During the Shravan month and on

Maha Shivratri Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually to worship the deity Shiva, between February and March. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is observed on the fourteenth day of the first half (night start with darkness - ...

. * On

Purnima Pūrṇimā () is the word for full moon in Sanskrit. The day of Purnima is the day ('' Tithi'') in each month when the full moon occurs, and marks the division in each month between the two lunar fortnights (paksha), and the Moon is aligned exac ...

(full moon) or

Amavasya Amāvásyā () is the lunar phase of the new moon in Sanskrit. Indian calendars use 30 lunar phases, called tithi in India. The dark moon tithi is when the Moon is within 12 degrees of the angular distance between the Sun and Moon before conj ...

(new moon) days. * Between 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, as after that the high tide starts and the temple gets submerged. The temple's disappearance and reappearance timings vary each day based on the Gujarati calendar used by the temple administration. Visitors are advised to check the temple's website or contact them in advance to get the exact timings for the day they plan to visit.

Facilities and amenities

There are two-bed non-AC rooms available at Shree Stambheshwar Mahadev Tirth, located 3.2 km from the temple, which offers affordable accommodation and amenities like CCTV cameras, hot water, and clean drinking water. It is recommended to visit the temple on Purnima or Amavasya days to witness the full phenomenon. The beach is clean, but the water is muddy and not suitable for swimming. There are tea stalls and snack kiosks available, and it is advisable to carry your own food, as options are limited.

External links

Official Website

References

Hindu temples in Gujarat Shiva temples in India {{Hinduism-stub