Part 4.8 - Description of Nāgeśvara Liṅga

Nāgeśvara is one of the temples mentioned in the Śaiva Purāṇa and is one of the twelve Jyotirliṅgas. The Śiva Purāṇa says Nāgeśvara liṅga temple was located in between Arabian sea and Gomati of Darukavanaṃ. Once the living place of lord Krishna “Dvārkā’ was also located in this Darukavaṇa [Dārukavana?]. A narrative in the Śiva Purāṇa about the Nāgeśvara Jyotirliṅga tells of a demon named daruk, who attacked a Śiva devotee named Supriya and imprisoned him along with many others in his city of Darukavaṇa, a city under the sea inhabited by sea snakes and demons. At the Urgent exhortations of Supriya, the prisoners started to chant the holy mantra of Śiva and immediately thereafter Lord Śiva appeared and the demon was vanquished, later residing there in the form of a Jyotirliṅga. The demon had a wife, a demoness named Daruka who Worshipped Mātā Pārvatī. As a result of her penance and devotion, Mātā Pārvatī enabled her to master the forest where she performed her devotions, and renamed the forest “Darukavana” in her honour. Wherever Daruka went the forest followed her. In order to save the demons of Darukavana from the punishment of the gods, Daruk summoned up the power Pārvatī had given her. She then moved the entire forest into sea where they continued their campaign against the hermits, kidnapping people and keeping them confined in their new lair under the sea, which was how that great Śiva devotee Supriya, had wound up there.

According to Epics

Once there lived a rākṣyasa named “Darukuder” and his wife was “Daruka”. Both wife and husband fortured all the sages and saints by destroying their huts and “Yashasalas” (where satrificining works to be done). They also occupied hearly 1000 yards at the south coastal area. Then all the suffering people went to Aurva maharṣi” and prayed him for soluation of their problems. Then that Maharṣi sinned that rākṣyasas as if they again tree tourture any people on earth then will meet the death at once”. On knowing about this sin both that wild husband and wife shifted their place to the mid-area of sea. As the Aurva Maharṣi sinned that they will die if the touture and kill the people on earth. So they are killing people on the sea who were on travel. They are living happily there.

Once at the Western side of the sea, a group of ships are on voyage. On seeing them, that Darukuda attacked that group and all of them sentenced to jail. Among them “Supriyudu” was a great devotee of lord Śiva. Even though he was in jail, he doesn”t stop worshipping lord Śiva and made all the people in jail in devotees. He used to wear “Bhaṣma’ (ash) and Rudrākṣya’ every time and used to chant the mantra “Oṃ namaḥ Śivāya”.

But the rākṣyasa people doesn”t accepted this and worned Supriyudu to stagnet the worship of lord Śiva which then doesn”t like. Thus lord Śiva accepted his request and appeared in front of him as a Jyothirliṅga with temple. And killed all the rākṣyasa people with his highest weapon “Pāśupatam”. Then that place became the “place for devotees of lord Śiva”. And that place was called “Darukavanam’ and that Jyothirliṅga a was named as “Nāganāth’.