The temple of Sudh Mahadev is situated near Patnitop, 120 km from Jammu and at an altitude of 1225 meters above sea level. This temple is one of Shiva's main temples. The main specialty of this temple is that here three pieces of a huge Trident (trishul) are buried in the ground, according to mythological legend, this trident (trishul) belongs to Lord Shiva himself. Goddess Parvati's birthplace, which is known as mantalai, is situated a few kilometers away from this temple. This temple was built around 2800 years ago, which was rebuilt almost a century ago by a local resident Ramdas Mahajan and his son Parag Mahajan. Shri Masu Shahane did the construction of the entrance door of the temple of Sudh Mahadev. There is an ancient Shivling (Shivling may refer to Lingam, a representation of Shiva; Shivalinga) and idols of Nandi and Shiva family in this temple. During July - August a fair is held here with 3 days of music, singing and dancing.
Story of Sudh Mahadev
As we know mantalai is a place where Goddess Parvati was born and got married to Lord Shiva. According to an old story, Goddess Parvati used to come in this temple regularly for daily worship from Mantalai. One day when Goddess Parvati was worshiping there, only then, demon Sudhant, who was the devotee of Lord Shiva, came to worship there. When demon Sudhant saw that Goddess Parvati is worshiping there, he stood beside her to start a conversation with her. After completing the worship, when Goddess Parvati opened her eyes and found that the demon Sudhant standing in front of her. She started screaming. After hearing her scream, Lord Shiva threw his trident from Mount Kailash (where shiva lives or home of shiva) that killed the demon Sudhant. After throwing the trident, Shiva realized that he had unknowingly made a big mistake. Shiva then felt guilty as Sudhant was a devotee of the God Shiva and offered his life back but he politely refused. Lord Shiva blessed him saying that this place would be famous by his name, and then he broke his trident and buried it here. Today, there is a temple with a name of Sudh Mahadev, where devotees pay homage and also witness the ashes of Sudhant Demon. The broken trident in three pieces, is still installed in the temple. There is a small pond outside the temple which is known as Pap Nashini Baoli, in which 24 hours water comes from the mountains. It is believed that bathing in it causes all sins to be destroyed. Most devotees go inside the temple only after bathing in it. Here the temple of Mata Parvati and the Gauri Kund is the best place to watch. Gauri Kund, 5-km distant, is a small cave associated with Goddess Parvati. Sculptures from Hindu Mythology can be seen at the Pap Nashni Bauli springs. On the full moon of the month of Shravan, here held a three-day fair where Shiva devotees gather from all over India. Then the view here is unforgettable.
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