List Of Famous Ancient Shiva Temples 2024

Associated with time, Lord Shiva or Mahadeva is considered as the destroyer of all things. He is identified as many personalities - an ascetic, a warrior, leader of ghosts and spirits, he is related to goodness and benevolence and mysticism and the occult as well. He is the Adi yogi - the first yogi who inculcated the seed of wisdom in the first seven rishis also known as the Saptrishis.

If you go searching about him then you are bound to find an abundance of stories and legends about this being.

Stories & Tell Tales Owing To which Shiva Is Revered As a God

The Story Of Ganga Avtaran

Not many of us know that Ganga was given to Lord Shiva by the Supreme being Vishnu. The reason being that he couldn’t take any more of the quarrels between his then three wives Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Saraswati, and Goddess Ganga.

However, to protect the world from the power of Ganga and to shield the impact it was Lord Shiva who took the holy river water in his hair knot. This event showcases his quality of self-sacrifice. Thus, it is only natural to see that he is a being of mighty spiritual reverence and considered as a God.

Shiva’s Ardhnarishwar Form

It is believed that Shiva and his beloved wife Parvati represent the form of Ardhnarishwar. Yes, our universe in itself is considered to be a play of yin and yang energies. In other words, it is an interplay of Masculine and Feminine energies. And this is what Lord Shiva represents - an amazing concoction of balance and flow of both these energies.

However, there are some Shiva temples around which there is a certain sense of mysterious aura!

Yes, out of the many ancient temples dedicated to Lord Shiva there are a few temples that lie more or less on the same longitude like the Kedarnath temple, Kaleshwara Mukteeshwara Swamy Temple, Srikalahasti Temple, Ekambareswarar Temple, Jambukeswara Temple, Annamalaiyar Temple, Nataraja Temple, and Ramanathaswamy Temple. All of them more or less around the same geographic longitude which is 79° E 41’54”.

And if you look at the map then you will get to know that if we connect the dots then it will make a straight line.

So, the question which arises here is that was there some reason to take such a step? Because our ancestors didn’t have any means to specifically map out the exact geographical locations of these places. If yes, what kind of tools or instruments they used? And where is the record for such tools to have existed in the current timeline?

Furthermore, what is really interesting to know is that each of these temples signifies a respective element of the Pancha Boota namely Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space.

The temple signifying water element is located in Thiruvanaikaval, the temple signifying fire is in Thiruvannamalai, the temple for air element is situated in Kalahasti, the Earth element is in Kanchipuram. The temple depicting the space element is in Chidambaram.

The Geographical Alignments

It is said that these temples were particularly built according to the certain yogic sciences. And accordingly, they have been placed in certain geographic alignment. The reason for that could be to enhance the spiritual possibilities which they can offer. But this is just a guess.

There is no denying the fact that these temples have been there for thousands of years. And at that time there were also no measures to see that what has been done is right or not that is to say if the temples have been located on the right longitude or not.

But how these temples were constructed is quite a mystery till now. And perhaps will remain one for a long time.

It is interesting to know that the flickering lamps in the Srikalahasti show how the wind functions. And the water spring in the sanctum of Tiruvanaikka temple depicts the relationship it to the element of water. The Swayambhu lingam of the sand at Kanchipuram signifies the prominence of Shiva’s relation with Earth. Whereas it is mostly the formless space located at the Chidambaram temple showcases the association of the lord with the popular belief of nothingness. Here are the latitude and longitude positing of these temples.

• Kedarnath – Kedarnath Temple (30.7352° N, 79.0669)
• Kaleshwaram – Kaleshwara Mukteeshwara Swamy Temple (18.8110, 79.9067)
• Srikalahasti – Srikalahasti Temple (13.749802, 79.6983)
• Kanchipuram – Ekambareswarar Temple (12.847604, 79.7003)
• Thiruvanaikaval – Jambukeswara Temple (10.853383, 78.705455)
• Tiruvannamalai – Annamalaiyar Temple (12.231942, 79.0677)
• Chidambaram – Nataraja Temple (11.399596, 79.693559)
• Rameswaram – Ramanathaswamy Temple(9.2881, 79.3129)

Top 8 Mysterious shiva temple in India

1. Kedarnath Temple

Located in the Garhwal Himalayan range near the river Mandakini, this temple has an incredible spiritual might. It is open for public darshan from the months of April to November. Situated at a height of 3583 m the very meaning of the name “Kedarnath” means lord of the field. According to the legend, it is believed that Pandavas had built this temple to forgiveness from Lord Shiva.

2. Kaleshwara Mukteeshwara Swamy Temple

This temple has its significance owing to the two Shiva Lingas which have been found on a single pedestal. And they have been named Lord Shiva and Lord Yama and are collectively called the Kaleshwara and Mukteswara Swamy.

3. Srikalahasti Temple

The Srikalahasti Temple is situated in the town of Srikalahasti. According to the beliefs, it is said that this is the site where the brave Kannappa was ready to offer his eyes with the purpose to cover the flowing blood from Siva linga. It was then that he was stopped from taking this by Lord Shiva himself and was granted the boon of Mukti.

4. Ekambareswarar Temple

Associated with the five elements - this temple holds a great significance to the Hindus. Lord Shiva is also worshipped as the Ekambareswarar. It is the biggest temple in Kanchipuram. So, if you are on a spiritual travel getaway then this is a temple which you cannot afford to miss and immerse in its religious prominence.

5. Jambukeswarar Temple

The Jambukeswarar Temple is a very famous Shiva temple located in Tiruchirapalli in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is believed that this temple was built by the people from the early Chola dynasty dating back to 1,800 years. 

6. Annamalaiyar Temple

This temple is located in the town of Thiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, India, and is associated with the element of fire. The overall area in which this temple is located is around 10 hectares and is also one of the largest in India.  

7. Nataraja Temple

Also known as the Chidambaram Nataraja temple or Thilliai Nataraja temple - this temple signifies Shiva’s dancing form - the Nataraja. This present temple was built somewhere around the 10th century making it one of the oldest temple complexes existing in Southern India.

8. Ramanathaswamy Temple

One of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples, it is located in the Rameswaram district in Tamil Nadu. Expanded during the 12th century by the Pandya dynasty. However, if the legends are to be believed then, the seventh Avatar of Vishnu prayed to Lord Shiva for getting rid of the sin which he had done by killing Ravana. And for this Rama, needed a large lingam. So, lord Hanuman was instructed to bring this lingam from the distant Himalayas. But owing to some reason he was delayed. And seeing this it was Maa Sita who made a small lingam instead of using the sand of the seashore. It is believed that the same lingam is placed in the sanctum of this historic temple. 

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