Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga: Godavari Source, Legend and Travel Guide

About thirty kilometres from Nashik in Maharashtra, the small town of Trimbak lies beneath the Brahmagiri hill, one of three hills that surround it (the others are Nilagiri and Kalagiri). The Godavari, the second longest river of India, is said by tradition to begin on Brahmagiri, and the temple of Trimbakeshwar stands near the point where the river is believed to emerge. It is the tenth name in the traditional list of the twelve jyotirlingas.

Where it is

The black stone temple, with a tall pyramidal spire, sits inside a courtyard at the town’s centre. Beside it is a kund, a sacred tank called Kushavarta, which tradition identifies as the source from which the Godavari flows. The name Trimbak means “the three-eyed”, an old title of Shiva, and the Shiva Purana links the place to the river’s origin.

What sets the shrine apart is the linga. In the sanctum the linga is a small hollow in the stone, in which three small shapes, usually described as the three faces, stand for Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Water seeps over them continually. Other jyotirlingas are mainly Shiva, and so this arrangement gives Trimbakeshwar a character shared with no other shrine of the twelve.

The legend

The story is told of the sage Gautama, who lived with his wife Ahalya in the hills during a long drought. By his austerity and prayer he received a boon from Varuna: a never-failing well, and so grain for himself and for many other sages who came to live nearby.

The other sages grew jealous. They sent a cow into Gautama’s field, and when he touched it to drive it away, it fell dead. Killing a cow is a grave sin in the tradition, and the sages declared him guilty and demanded penance. Gautama prayed to Shiva, who asked how he could help. Gautama asked that the river Ganga come to the hills to cleanse him. Shiva agreed, and the Ganga flowed out of his matted hair and into the world as the Godavari, which is also called Gautami, after the sage. When the other sages came to bathe in it, Shiva stayed at Gautama’s request, as Trimbakeshwar, and the place became sacred to all.

Read this as a sacred story about why a river is holy and how the generous are tested. It tells us what the tradition values, and does not claim to be history.

The temple’s history

The present temple was built by the Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao, called Nanasaheb, and the work is dated to the middle of the eighteenth century, roughly 1755 to 1786. It stands on the site of an older temple, which tradition says was damaged in the Mughal period. The style is Hemadpanthi, the dry stone masonry of the Deccan, and the carving is plain and strong.

The large jewel called the Nassak Diamond is recorded as having adorned the deity here before British forces took it in the early nineteenth century.

Why many families come here

Trimbakeshwar is known as a centre for rites for the ancestors, the Narayan Nagbali and Tripindi Shraddha ceremonies, and for the kalsarpa puja. These are rituals that families choose according to their own advice and customs. We do not say that any such ritual is needed. If you are unsure, speak first to a family priest or a trusted astrologer, and be careful with anyone who asks for large payment or pressures you through fear. The temple also has a priestly tradition that keeps genealogical records of pilgrims’ families.

The Nashik region also hosts the Kumbh Mela, called the Simhastha here, which takes place about once in twelve years in Nashik and Trimbak.

How to get there

• Airport: Nashik (Ozar) has a small airport with limited flights. Mumbai and Pune are the larger gateways, a few hours away by road.
• Railway: Nashik Road station is the main railhead, with a road journey of about an hour to Trimbak.
• Road: state buses and taxis run from Nashik, and the road is well used by pilgrims.

The season

The monsoon is spectacular here, with waterfalls on the hills, though the roads are crowded on Shravan Mondays, when devotees do a circuit of the Brahmagiri hill. Winter is cooler and quieter. Please check the festival calendar for Maha Shivaratri and Kartik Purnima, which are large days. The Maha Shivaratri page gives the date for your city.

Etiquette

Dress modestly, and follow the rules at the entrance. The trust may restrict entry to the innermost sanctum, set special dress for particular rites, and limit who may take part in some of them; all of this is decided by the temple and is stated on its official website, so please read it there. We do not quote timings, fees or booking rules.

Bathing in the Kushavarta kund is a common devotion, so take care on wet steps. A short Mahamrityunjaya mantra is often chanted here, because Trimbak is the Shiva of that mantra’s first words, “tryambakam yajamahe”.

Related pages

• The twelve jyotirlingas
• Bhimashankar jyotirlinga
• Grishneshwar jyotirlinga
• Mahamrityunjaya mantra
• Amavasya
• Pilgrimage guides

Frequently asked questions