Sri Papnash Temple
Papnash Shiva Temple is situated in Bidar district in North-east Karnataka. It is believed that the Shiva Linga idol in this temple is one of those installed by Lord Rama during the time of his journey back from Lanka. A natural spring flows into a pond in front of the temple called Papnasha which means destruction of sins.
Every year, during Shivratri festival lots of tourists visit Papnash Shiva Temple. At the ruins an ancient Shiva Temple along with a New Temple has been built on the slops of the hill. The location of the temple in a valley is mesmerising to the eyes. At the foot of the temple is a cistern measuring 16 ft by 14 ft. The cistern is continuously fed by the natural spring and towards the north there is small tank which is said to be built during Lord Rama s times.
It gets very crowded during Shivaratri celebrations. In the sanctum, there is a big Shiva Linga. In the temple complex, there are three other Shiva Lingas. These Shiva Lingas can be touched by devotees, and they can directly offer pujas to them.
Papnash means destroyer of sins. It is believed that a visit to this temple and a dip in the Papnash pond will destroy all the sins committed by a person. For this reason alone, this temple attracts a large number of pilgrims
Incidents that took Place here :
1) The King Visits the Teerth on the advise of the Brahmins and takes a Holy Dip here. Also he meets a Sanyasi here who narrates the Story of a Ujjaini Brahmin who was Blessed by Rishabha Muni.
2) Shri Guru on the request of the King visits Bidar and Comes to Papa Vinashini Teerth where Sayamdeos Son Naganath comes to meet Shri Guru and also takes him to his Home for a Samaradhana.
3) Shri Guru returns to the Teerth after the Samaradhana and the King who traveled for a Day from Gangapur meets Shri Guru here and takes him to his Kingdom
Accordingly he (rajaka) takes birth in the Royal Kingdom of Vidarbha. Due to devotation of previous birth he was kind and pious. He treated all religions and sects equally. Thus the king was ruling impartially. Once he had a tumour on his thigh, Vaidyas and Hakims treated him but to no effect. The King then consulted the Local Brahmins who suggested him to take a bath at the Holy Papa Vinashini Teerth there.
The King accordingly visited the Holy Teerth and had a Holy Dip at the Teerth. There he met a Sanyasi who explained him the Importance of Sadguru Darshan and also quoted him the following Story ;
There lived a Brahmin at Ujjaini who gave up his Brahmin Rites and lived with a Prostitute. But once they Served Rishabha Muni with Devotion. Later on in their old age, both the Brahmin and Pingla died.
The Brahmin took birth as a Son of the Eldest Queen of King Vajrabahu. The Young Queen who was Jealous gave poison to the Eldest Queen Sumati when the Baby was in womb. Both the Mother and Son were affected by erruptions all over the body and the King who failed to treat them ordered that they must be left in the Forest. But to their fortune they met a Pious King who arranged for their Stay. But one day the Child died and when the Mother was weeping bitterly. Rishabha Muni recalling the Brahmins Past Service not only revived him to Life but also cured both of them.
Thus the Sanyasi asked the King to Serve a Saint and said that the King should Visit Shri Guru Narasimha Saraswati at Ganagapur. The King immediately went to Ganagapur and visited Sangam to meet Shri Guru. On seeing him Shri Guru asked " O, Rajak, where have you been so far? I am seeing you after a long period". On this the King at once recalled his Past birth and prostrated before Shri Guru and began to shed tears of love and joy. When he wanted to show the Tumour , he found it was already Cured. He then Pleaded Shri Guru to visit his Place. Shri Guru agreed and said him that he would meet him at Papavinashini in Bidar. Shri Guru disappeared Instantly and reached Papavinashini Teerth where Sayamdeos Son visits and takes Shri Guru to his home for a Samaradhana. Shri Guru then comes back to PapVinashini and the King takes him to his Kingdom. Shri Guru then Visits Goutami and returns to Ganagapur.
Thousands of devotees will gather every year at the Papanash temple fair in Bidar on the occasion of Mahashivaratri
The annual fair held on the mountain in front of the temple was colourful, reminding one of a village fair. The temple trust had allotted space to shopkeepers to put up stalls near the temple. There were vendors of all wares here. Despite most devotees fasting on the day of Mahashivaratri, the food stalls did brisk business. They sold ‘susla,' a local delicacy made from puffed rice. Its rival was the‘mirchi pakoda.' Bakkappa Ramgond sold a unique eatable. He cut slices from the Ram Gadde, a sweet root found in the jungles of Khanapur in Bhalki taluk, and sold them for Rs. 2 a piece. Next to him was the snake-charmer Dhoolappa with his son Akash from Aurad. They had brought three baskets full of snakes that they said were caught near the Papanash Lake and Chitta village. A beggar had turned an empty can of baby food into a musical instrument by fixing it with thin steel wire and bamboo.
The authorities had to work hard to control the crowd. The police barricaded the area and restricted vehicle entry. The Department of Women and Child Development put up a stall to sell materials prepared by women's self help groups (SHGs) in the district. The Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya put up an exhibit of pictures and posters about Lord Shiva.
This is a small but old Shiva temple on the outskirts of Bidar, placed on a small hill inside a verdant valley close to a lake. Below the steps of the temple, covered with a small white chattri (dome) is a natural water spring. People believe that taking bath in the waters of this spring leads to pap nash(cleaning of the sins), giving this temple its name.
Pilgrims come from far away to visit this temple.
The theme of sacred water-bodies, linked with some mythological story to explain their holiness and the ritual of taking bath in the sacred waters are recurring themes in most cities of India.
If you want to understand more about this, I suggest you to read Diane Eck's wonderful book "India - a sacred geography". You can read Dalrymple's review of this book on The Guardian:
Hindu mythology consistently visualises India as a spiritually charged and "living landscape in which mountains, rivers, forests and villages are elaborately linked to the stories of the gods and heroes. The land bears traces of the gods and the footprints of the heroes. Every place has its story and, conversely, every story in the vast storehouse of myth and legend has its place … In this mental map, geography is overlaid with layer upon layer of story."... Just as the sacredness of the landscape percolated from pre-Vedic and tribal folk cults into classical "Great Tradition" Hinduism, so in the course of time the idea slowly trickled from Hinduism into Buddhism, Sikhism, Indian Islam and even Indian Christianity....
"The affirmation of the everywhere of the sacred – this is the peculiar genius of the theology given expression in the landscape of India." No one, she writes, "says it better than the poet saints of south India who praise the supreme lord who is right here where the rivers meet, right here where the herons wade, right here where the hillock rises, right here where the palms sway over the estuary, right here where the mango blossoms are fragrant. The places they praise are different. The taste of the lord is different in each. But each one is a 'beloved place', and each one enables the pilgrim soul to catch a glimpse of the vast reality of God."
Photo Courtesy:-Sunil Deepak
How to Get to Papnash Shiva Temple:
The Papnash Shiva Temple is located near the Bidar-Udgir Road. There is a bus station about two kilometers away which is connected to Bidar city from where other transport options can be taken.
