Trimbakeshwar

Trimbakeshwar, in the Nashik district of Maharashtra at the foot of the Brahmagiri mountain, is unique among the twelve Jyotirlingas for housing a linga with three faces (tri-mukha) representing the entire Hindu trinity — Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva — in a single stone. The site is simultaneously the source of the Godavari river, the longest river of the Deccan Plateau (1,465 km to the Bay of Bengal), and one of the four Kumbh Mela venues.

The sacred tank Kushavarta, within the temple complex, is considered the actual source of the Godavari, and bathing here carries the merit of the entire river. The mountain behind — Brahmagiri — is the geographical source, with a 4-km trek to the hilltop where the river first appears. The Simhastha Kumbh Mela is held at both Nashik and Trimbakeshwar simultaneously every twelve years, drawing tens of millions. The 18th-century temple, built in the Hemadpanthi architectural style with its distinctive carved black stone and interlocking construction, is remarkable for the density of its sculptural programme.

Sage Gautama, living on Brahmagiri, was falsely accused by jealous sages of killing a cow. To purify himself, he performed tapas to bring the Ganga to Trimbak. The Ganga appeared as the Godavari, and Shiva — who had descended the Ganga in his locks — remained as the Jyotirlinga at the site of Gautama's penance. The three faces of the linga represent Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who appeared together to witness the miracle and bless the sage.