Temple of Shamshari Mahadev of Himachal

Where is this place?

• Its in Kullu district which not far from Kullu city, there is a sacred temple of Shamshari Mahadev, the madhapati of four forts.

 

What is its significance?

• Baba Bhole is seated as Shamshari. This form of Bhole can be seen in the village of Shamshar near the national highway Sainj-Luhri-Ani-Aut, just three kilometres from Ani.

 

How old is this temple?

• According to the history inscribed in the premises of this ancient temple, this temple dates back to about two thousand years ago, which is confirmed by The famous Tankri learned Khub Ram Khushdil of Himachal. This has been written in the description in Hindi though the translation written in Tankari that this dev complex has been rebuilt in 57 AD and also according to Vikrami Samvat, from which it is believed that this temple was built about two thousand years ago.

 

What is the history behind this temple?

 

• The story of Shamshari Mahadev makes its name meaningful. In the sandhi division of the word ‘Shamshar’, Sham means peepal tree in the pahari language, whilst ‘Shar’ means head or means pond. According to legend, a cowbird from the ancient village of Kamand, some distance from Shamshar, came every day to the village of Shamshar to graze the milk cow of its owner.

 

• But often in the evening, when his master tried to milk the cow, he would be disappointed not to get milk from his udders and his servant would be the victim of his anger. The cowherd would also be worried about where the cow’s milk goes. One day his master found the trick and followed the cowherd. After going a long way, he found that the cow was pouring milk from its udders under a peepal tree in such a way that it was offering milk on the Shivling itself. On the same night, Dev appeared to that cowherd and said that where your cow offers its milk to me every day, my bhulinga is under the same ‘sham’ that peepal tree, take it out of there and install it in the village located on the hill behind. Since then, even today, cow ghee is first offered to Bholenath from Kamand village. That’s how Shamshar’s word ‘Sham’ is confirmed.

• According to the ancient legend about the second word ‘Shari’ that is a pond, a Gadariya went with his wife to pray for a son to the old serpent living in a place called Sareul, located some distance away from the Jalodi Pass. He promised to offer gold earrings to his mother if his wish was fulfilled. With the blessings of the mother, he got a son Ratna.

 

• According to his promise, Gadaria went to the mother and presented her earrings. But greed came to his mind. He thought that he had to have children, then why did he put on earrings? Bringing this evil thought to mind, when Gadariya reached the Triveni Sangam of Shamshar, he felt thirsty. As soon as the shepherd wanted to drink water from the ‘shari’ that is pond made from the water of the river coming from the sariul head of the old serpent mother, the same earrings came in his hands and his newborn son became lifeless there. The head of the same Triveni that is pond which is nowadays ‘Shar’ became ‘Shamshar’ by joining ‘Sham’.

 

Quick Points:

(Source:jansatta)

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