Trimbakeshwar is a place famous for two reasons. One is the Shiva temple here, which is considered one of the twelve jyotirlingas. The other is the source of the Godavari.
What Is a Jyotirlinga?
In the Indian Shaiva tradition, Shiva is worshipped in many forms, but the most revered form among them is the jyotirlinga. "Jyoti" means light and "linga" means symbol, sign. A jyotirlinga is the symbol of Shiva in the form of light. The Shiva Purana mentions twelve jyotirlingas, and their names have been linked to sacred places in different parts of India. They are: Somnath in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna of Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh, Mahakaleshwar of Ujjain and Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, Bhimashankar in Maharashtra, Kashi Vishwanath in Uttar Pradesh, Trimbakeshwar in Maharashtra, Vaidyanath in Jharkhand, Nageshwar in Gujarat, Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu and Grishneshwar in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra's dominance in the list is notable: the three jyotirlingas Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar and Grishneshwar (in some traditions a claim is also made for Aundha Nagnath and Parli Vaijnath) are in this very state. The pilgrimage for darshan of the twelve jyotirlingas is a lifelong resolve for many devotees of Shiva. Within it, Trimbakeshwar holds a special place, because the jyotirlinga and the source of the Godavari are together here, and it is also the basis for a celebration like the Kumbh.
The distinctive feature of the linga in the Trimbakeshwar temple is that, rather than standing tall, it lies in a hollow in the ground, and in it are three small linga-like mounds, which are considered symbols of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. The word "Tryambak" means the one with three eyes, that is, Shankar.
Very close to the temple is the Kushavarta Tirth, which is considered the visible source of the Godavari's flow. There is a stone pavilion around the kund, and a mention is found that its present structure was built by Sardar Raosaheb Parnerkar of the Indore princely state. During the Kumbh Mela, Shaiva sadhus bathe right here.