Moteshwar Mahadev

Moteshwar Mahadev

Moteshwar Mahadev

Shree Moteshwar Mahadev, also known as Shree Bheem Shankar Mahadev, is an abobe of Lord Shiva in Kashipur. This place was known as the Dakini State in ancient days.

Kashipur (Govishn) is a historic place in Nainital district. Around 1 km away is a place known as Ujjanak. This is where Lord Shiva is situated in his full face as a Jyotirlingam known as Bheem Shankar. This is the Bheem Shankar Jyotirlingam.The primary deity worshiped is Shiva. Other deities are Parvati, Kartikeya, Ganesha Hanuman, Kali, Bhairo

Shree Moteshwar Mahadev is in the Ujjanak area of Kashipur which is around 3 km from the Kashipur bus station. Kashipur is well connected by road with all major cities of North India and is linked to Delhi, Lucknow, Moradabad, Ramnagar and Varanasi by train.

Kashipur was known as Govishan or Govisana during the time of Harsha (606–647 AD), when Xuanzang (631–641 AD) visited this region. The ruins of the large settlement of those days are still near the city. Kashipur is named after Kashinath Adhikari, the founder of the township and governor of the pargana, one of the officers of the Chand Kings of Kumaon in the 16th-17th century.

According to the Shiv Puran Bhima Shankar Jyotirlingam is in Kamroop. After seeing historic and spiritual books, it is called the place of Bheem Shankar Jyotirlingam. The reason for this is after looking to many of the spiritual books we come to know that this place was known as Kamroop.

In Mahabharata time this place was also known as Dakini. This was the reason Adi Shankaracharaya has illustrated the place by saying "Dakiniyam Bhimashankaram". Its existence is also described by Kalidas in his "Raghuvansh". Hence we have to believe that this is the Kamroop Desh. The reason for the name Dakini is the forests which has gone from Saharanpur to Nepal consisted a Hidimba named devil which took birth in Dakini Yoni and got married with the victorious PandavaBhushan BheemSen. She was a Dakini but as she lived in a devil posture she was called a Devil.

The lingam of this temple is very large and touching the whole ling with two human hands is impossible. This kind of lingam is not present in any other part of the country. It is believed that it rises and till now it has reached second floor. After seeing many facts we can say this temple was built around 302 AD. It include a BharavNath temple and a Kund known as ShivGanga Kund; in front of this kund is the river Kosi.

West is a temple of Maa Jagdamba Bhagwati Balsundari, and every year in month of chaitra a huge fair is organized here. A place known as kila describes the historic nes of this temple. This is the kila where Guru Dronacharya gave teaching to Kaurava and Pandava Guru dronacharya motivated Bheemsen to reconstruct this temple which later was known as Bheem Shankar. Shravan Kumar rested here. West to this kila is Dronasagar which was also built by pandavas for their guru Dronacharya. The lingam is too fat so people here named it "Moteshwar Mahadev". Shree Moteshwar  Mahadev is regarded as one of the 12 Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva.