Amarkantak Temple in Anuppur

AMARKANTAK TEMPLE

Amarkantak, Anuppur, Madhya Pradesh, India

Goddess

Goddess Narmada is the main deity of this temple, who is an incarnation of Goddess Parvathi.

God

Here Lord Shiva is worshipped as Narmadeswar Amarnath. It is said that Lord Siva selfmanifested here.

Interesting Facts

Amarkantak is a Hindu Tirtha place, a site where three rivers including the Narmada, Son River, Johila River emerge and the Meeting Point Of Vindhya, Maikal and Satpura Ranges.
Popular 15th-century Indian mystic and poet Kabir is said to have meditated on Kabir Chabutra, also called the platform of Kabir situated in the town of Amarkantak.
Sati devi's Buttock (Right & Left) had fallen here and the temple is also one of the 51 Shakti Peethas..
This temple is also known as Maa Narmada Temple / Shona Shaktipeeth.

Best Season To Visit

The best season to visit the temple is Winter season. The best months to visit are September to February.

Weather

Highest - April to June (45°C during day and 35°C during night)Average - May (35°C during the day and 25°C during night)Lowest - December to February (26°C during day and 21°C during night)Monsoon season - August to October

Dress Code

For men the dress code is Shirt & Trouser, Dhoti or Pyjamas with upper cloth.
For women the preferred dress code is saree or half-saree with blouse or chudidhar with pyjama and upper cloth.
Shorts, mini-skirts, middies, sleeveless tops, low-waist jeans and short-length T-shirts are not allowed.

Do's & Dont's

Do bathe and wear clean clothes before you enter the temple.
Do respect ancient customs and co-piligrims while at temple.

Smoking and drinking is prohibited in this temple.
Chewing betel leaves, tobacco, gutka and spitting inside temple is strictly prohibited.

transport connections

Name	Distance	Contact Number
Amarkantak Bus Stand	1.4 KM	0755-2778383
Bhanwar Railway Station	34.6 KM	139
Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport	469 KM	0542-2623060

Railway Station Name	Distance	Contact Number
Bhanwar Railway Station	34.6 KM	139

Airport Name	Distance	Contact Number
Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport	469 KM	0542-2623060

Architecture

Amarkantak is a combination of two Sanskrit words, amara (immortal) and kantaka (obstruction). The poet Kalidas has mentioned it as Amrakuta, which later became Amarkantak. Amarkantak Temple is also known as Narmada Udgam. It is one of the ancient temples of great traditional value, Narmdeshwar temple which is dedicated to Narmada Devi is in Amarkantak. Narmada Udgam is an open 'kund 'at the origin of river Narmada in Amarkantak. As per mythological belief the holy river Narmada takes its origin from Lord Shiva and descended from heaven at Narmada Udgam in Amarkantak. This Shaktipeeth is also known as Kalmadhava Shakti Peeth is quite adorable. The white stone made temple with ponds all around it produces a picturesque view. Adding to the charm of the location, the picturesque view of Son River and the nearby kund, is something that can’t be left unseen. The most important part of this location is that, two main ranges, Satpura and Vindhya merge together here. There around 100 steps in total which are need to be travelled in order to reach the temple. One more thing that makes this place more charming is the flow of Narmada River.

Why Narmada turned westwards - The rivers, Narmada and Sone, originate at Amarkantak. Legend says that the two were to be wed. But Sone rebuffed Narmada and married another. The spurned Narmada was so hurt that she changed her course and began to flow westward.

Religious Significance

Narmada Udgam - There is a legend about the construction of this temple. It is said that the goddess Narmada appeared to Rewa Nayak, a banjara or nomad, in a dream. The river goddess directed him to clear the site of the present kund. When Rewa Nayak found the spot, it was covered with a dense mass of bamboo trees. He toiled hard, day and night, to clear the site. Once he cleared the site of trees, he found a stream, which was none other than the holy river Narmada. Rewa Nayak installed an image of the goddess in a temple at this spot. His descendants later installed Rewa Nayak’s image in one of the alcoves in the temple.

History

Almost 3000 years of Mahabharata have passed when the great sage and litterateur Adi Shankaracharya was born in 788 AD and consecrated on the banks of Narmada River. It was his enlightened vision that led to the establishment of Pataleshwar Mahadeva in Amarkantak at the origin of Narmada River from the bamboo clumps. Currently this region is known as Surajkund today. There are no bamboo clumps now. However in the more recent history, this area was given in dowry to the Kalachuri King by the Chedi King (10th to 11th century AD). Kalchuri Maharaja Karnadeva (1042-1072 AD) had constructed temples at Surajkund. In 1808 Amarkantak was ruled by the King of Nagpur and later came under foreign rule. Amarkantak is said to be founded about 6,000 years back by the Suryavanshi Samrat Mandhata.

Temple Timings

Day	Timings
All Days	06:00 AM - 08:00 PM

Tours

Airports

Airport Name	Distance
Shamshabad	40 KM
Lorem Ipsum	12 KM

Railway Stations

Railway Station Name	Distance
Secunderabad	10 KM
Nampally	12 KM
Begumpet	6 KM
Lingampally	20 KM

Bus Stations

Bus Station Name	Distance
MGBS	35 KM
CBS	28 KM
kukatpally	20 KM
Lingampally	30 KM
Uppal	35 KM

Private Transports

Transport Name	Distance	Contact Number
Private Transport	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757