Draft:Puramahadev Temple

Puramahadev (also known as Parshurameshwar) is an ancient temple of Hindu god Shiva located in the village of Pura, near the city of Meerut in the Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is situated about 4.5 kilometers from the Balawali town. This temple serves as a center of devotion for Shiva devotees and is considered a sacred place of pilgrimage. It is also regarded as an ancient Siddh Peeth (a place of spiritual attainment). Its significance is not limited to this region alone but is recognized throughout western Uttar Pradesh.

Millions of Shiva devotees walk on foot from Haridwar, carrying the holy water of the Ganges in a kanwar (sacred pitcher), during the months of Shravan and Phalgun. They perform the sacred ritual of abhishek (pouring of holy water) on the idol of Parshurameshwar Mahadev. It is believed that Lord Shiva becomes pleased and fulfills all the desires of his devotees.

The place where Parshurameshwar Puramahadev Temple is located used to be a dense forest called Kajri Van (Kajri Forest) in the past. In this forest, Jamadagni Rishi used to reside with his wife Renuka in their hermitage. Renuka would daily fetch water from the Hindan River and offer it to Lord Shiva by filling a clay pot. The Hindan River, also known as Panchatirthi in the scriptures and famous by the name Haranandi River, flows nearby. This temple is situated at a distance of 36 km from Meerut and 30 km from Baghpat.

History
In ancient times, King Sahasrabahu once arrived at the hermitage while engaged in a hunting expedition. In the absence of the sage, Renuka showed utmost respect and hospitality to the king due to the divine blessings of the Kamadhenu cow. The king desired to forcefully take the extraordinary cow with him from there but was unsuccessful. Eventually, in anger, the king forcefully took Renuka with him to his palace in Hastinapur and locked her in a room. As soon as the opportunity arose, Renuka was freed by her younger sister. Renuka returned and narrated the entire incident to the sage. However, due to spending one night in another man's palace, the sage ordered Renuka to leave the hermitage. Renuka repeatedly prayed to her husband, asserting her purity and commitment to not leave the hermitage. She even requested her husband to kill her with his own hands if he doubted her, so that she could attain salvation. But the sage remained firm on his command.

Subsequently, the sage instructed his three sons to sever their mother's head, but they refused. It was the fourth son, Parashurama, who considered his father's command as his duty and beheaded his mother. Later, Parashurama deeply regretted his actions and began intense penance at a nearby location. He installed a Shivling and started worshipping it. Pleased with his penance, Lord Shiva appeared before him and granted him a boon. Parashurama requested the revival of his mother. Lord Shiva granted his request and brought his mother back to life. He also gave Parashurama a divine axe and told him that whenever he used it in battle, he would be victorious. Parashurama settled in a hut in the nearby forest. After a few days, he used his divine axe to defeat King Sahasrabahu along with his entire army. Filled with anger due to the misdeeds of the contemporary Kshatriyas, Parashurama imposed the death penalty on them and eradicated the Kshatriya lineage from the Earth twenty-one times. At the place where he had installed the Shivling, he also built a temple. Over time, the temple turned into ruins. Many years later, one day, Queen Landaura happened to pass by and her elephant stopped at that spot. Despite the efforts of the mahout, the elephant didn't move. The queen ordered her soldiers to dig the area. During the excavation, a Shivling was discovered. The queen then built a temple at that site, which is now renowned as the Parashurameshwar Temple.

At this sacred place, Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Krishna Bodha Ashram Ji Maharaj also performed penance, and it was through his compassion that the Puramahadev Mahadev Samiti was established to manage this temple.

External Resources

 * पुरा महादेव की महिमा- एमपी-३ भजन डाउनलोड करें।
 * पुरा महादेव मंदिर