Tracing the origins

Trayambakeshwar Temple’s origins are shrouded in mystery and devotion. According to a legend, the revered Mahaguru Adi Shankaracharya established the temple in the 12th century AD, driven by his deep reverence for Lord Shiva. Another tale suggests that the Shivalinga residing in the tempe is a ‘swayambhu’, meaning a true piece of Lord Shiva himself and is self-manifested or self incarnated. They say no one has set it up, but it has itself found its place on the banks of peaceful Ganga. Beyond these stories, one thing that stands corrected is the temple's beauty, its views and its spiritual powers.

The temple's architectural prowess

Completely made of stones and carved with intricate designs of gods and goddesses all around, the 13-storey temple is a beautiful site to witness with artistry set right along the flowing Ganga, greatly enhancing the aesthetics of the temple.

The temple is built in classic Nagara and Dravidian style of architecture with Pillars and walls full of inscriptions and stories carved into it like a classical north Indian temple, but an immensely beautiful thing to notice is the south Indian influence with mandapas and gopuram. While mandalas are the halls where people celebrate the deities and chant their names, gopuram is a long structure that marks the site of the temple from far away and is adorned with beautiful sculptures and motifs, showing a great amalgamation of north and south Indian architecture.

The temple on each storey holds a story, with numerous deities on each floor, its structure also holds fascinating stories of wars, love, marriages and magic. Each floor is also filled with priests and you can worship as many deities as you want or directly move up to the Shivalinga at the top and worship Lord Shiva himself. The sight of the flowing Ganga from the 13th floor is so hypnotic, it can't be explained in the words.