Aundha Nagnath

Aundha Nagnath is one among the 12 Jyotirlingas of India. Among the 12 Jyotirlingas, 5 lie in Maharashtra. Aundha Nagnath is considered to be the first Jyotirlinga where Shiva is worshipped. It is believed that the Aundha Nagnath was built by Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandav, while they were send in an exile for 14 years.

The Aundha Nagnath has Hemadpanthi style of architecture spreading for over 60,000 sq ft area. The most unique part of this temple is that the idol of Nandi is not present in front of the shrine of Mahadeva. A separate Nandikeshwara temple is built beside the main temple. The main temple is surrounded by small temples of 12 Jyotirlingas on all four sides. In all total there are 108 Shiva temple and 68 shrines of Shiva are to be found here. Besides, there are idols and temples of VedavyasaLinga, bhandareshwar, Nilakanteshwar, Ganapati, Dattatreya, Muralimanohar, Dasavatar.

Another fascinating part of the Aundha Nagnath temple is that snakes flanking the Shiva linga with their hoods are often seen here. The temple has an exquisite architectural beauty. It has large corridors and a 8 pillared court hall. The Shiva Linga is located in Garbhagriha.

Getting There:
Nearest rail head is at Chondi, 21 km from Aundha Nagnath. By road Aundha Nagnath is 579 km from Mumbai, 359 km from Nagpur, 210 km from Aurangabad. State transport buses are frequently available.