Trimbakeshwar Shiva Jyotirlinga is one of the Divine Jyotirlinga among 12. There are many places to visit in trimbakeshwar other than Shiva temple.
Bramhagiri Hill
The Trimbakeshwar Temple is situated on the picturesque, green Brahmagiri hills. The river Godavari rises on this hill and flows through the Brahmagiri range. The original Ganga and Trimbak shrines are on the Brahmagiri hill, adjacent to the Trimbakeshwar temple.
Brahmagiri is considered to be a huge form of Lord Shiva, & therefore climbing was considered a sin. However, in 1908, Seth Lalchand Jashodanand Bhambhani and Seth Ganesh of Karachi built stone steps at a cost of Rs.500. After 40,000 this has given easy access to Brahmagiri. The Godavari flows in three ways on the mountain.
The one flowing east is called the Godavari, the one flowing south is called Vaitarna, and the one flowing west is called Ganga flowing west, and it meets the Godavari near Chakratirtha. Ahilya river meets the Godavari in front of Trimbakeshwar temple. Childless families worship at Ahilya Sangam and are believed to have miscarriages.
The first peak of Sahyadri is called Brahmadri. The related story is that Shankara was pleased with Brahma and said, “I will be known by your name”. Hence, it is called Brahmagiri. The mountain is 1800 feet high. It has an elevation of 4248 feet above sea level.
Kushavart
Just 5 minutes away from the main temple is a sacred lake called “Kushavart” from where the river Ganga flows into the rest of India.
It is believed that taking a dip in this sacred river removes sin. Sage Gautam committed the sin of killing a cow and washed his sins by bathing in this river, and bathing here brings liberation from all sins.
According to the story, Sage Gautam forced the river Ganga to stop in his enchanted grass area and made a vow on it. He has done this to take a holy bath in this water and to get rid of the sin of killing a cow.
Shimano Raosaheb Parnekar built a temple around the stagnant water at this place, which we see today. Various idols are carved on the inner walls of the sabha mandapa and there are some small temples in all the corners.
The most important fact of this lake is that it is the starting point of Kumbh Mela which takes place once in 12 years and then in 2015. Saints from all over the world come here for holy baths on the occasion of the fair.
The government has given a fixed time, according to which the saints should bathe. They bathe in the order of their seniority and when they are done the rest of the common people can move on. As per the rules, the sadhus (saints) of the “Vaishnava” sect will bathe in the Godavari at Ram Kund, Panchavati, and the people of the “Shaiv” sect will bathe here.
It flows from Godavari (Ganga) and reaches Ram Kund, so both are considered sacred. The rule was imposed by the Peshwa during a time when the two groups clashed over who should perform the holy bath before one of the Kumbh Melas, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people.
