Jiv Kant Jha
The Triyuginarayan temple in a namesake village located at the confluence of the Sone-Ganga and Mandakini rivers in the Rudraprayag district in the state dedicated to Lord Vishnu
If you are one of those piligrims who love visiting divine destinations, then this place in Uttarakhand will leave you spellbound. Small wonder that Uttarakhand is also known as Dev Bhoomi. There are several places here that are associated with ancient Indian epics and scriptures. Uttarakhand is also the place where the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers meet to give birth to the mighty Ganga at Dev Prayag. Among various places of spiritual importance, the Triyuginarayan finds a special mention.
What is Triyuginarayan famous for
The Triyuginarayan temple in a namesake village located at the confluence of the Sone-Ganga and Mandakini rivers in the Rudraprayag district in the state dedicated to Lord Vishnu is of considerable significance because it was the venue chosen for Lord Shiva and Parvati’s marriage.
What does Triyuginarayan mean?
Triyuginarayan consists of three words – Tri + Yuga + Narayan. The word Tri denotes Three, Yuga means era and Narayan refers to Lord Vishnu. This temple has been in existence since Satyuga, followed by Treta Yuga and Dwapar Yuga. The Satyuga was the Yuga of Lord Vishnu, while Treta and Dwarapa were the Yugas when he reincarnated as Rama and Krishna respectively.
The legend associated with the temple
Goddess Sati took birth as Parvati, the daughter of Himavan to marry Lord Shiva. She practised severe penance to win Lord Shiva’s heart. After years of Tapasya at the Gauri Kund, Parvati succeeded in convincing Lord Shiva to accept her as his wife. According to the legend, Shiva proposed to Parvati for marriage at a place known as Guptakashi and then tied the nuptial knot at Triyuginarayan.
Who attended the celestial marriage?
The celestial marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvati took place in the presence of Lord Brahma, who turned a priest to conduct the ceremony and Lord Vishnu, who performed the duties of the bride’s brother. The sages and the locals witnessed the divine union. And most importantly, the Agni (fire) that was Sakshi (witness), of the wedding ceremony, still exists today. The eternal flame is called Akhand Dhuni, where Akhand means endless and Dhuni means flame.
Significance of the Triyuginarayan Temple
Since this place witnessed the celestial marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvati, devotees visit the temple for marital bliss and harmony. Moreover, one can see the Akhand Dhuni, the Brahma Shila, where the marriage took place and the kunds (ponds) – Saraswati Kund, Vishnu Kund, Brahma Kund and Rudra Kund where the divine couple took a bath before getting married. Devotees take ashes from the Akhand Dhuni as Prasad and donate wood for the havan for the perpetual fire.
There is an akhanda jyothi burning inside the sanctum. In front of it there is an idol of Shiva and Parvati blessing devotees in newly wed form.A special feature of this temple is the fire that flames in front of the temple which is believed to have been burning from the times of the divine marriage. Thus the temple is also known as Akhand Dhuni temple.
In addition, four water tanks exist that are called as Rudra Kund for bathing, Vishnu Kund for cleansing, Brahma Kund for sipping water and Saraswati Kund for offering libations. Pilgrims, who visit Triyuginarayan temple also pay obeisance at the Gauri Kund temple, which is the base camp for Kedarnath Temple trek. The architect of this temple resembles Kedarnath Temple. The sanctum houses a 2 feet silver idol of Prabhu Vishnu accompanied by goddess Lakshmi. There are idols of Badrinarayan, Sita Ramachandra, and Kubera.
