Devasangheshvara
Shiva
About
After a distance of 2.50km, by turning left towards the village of Karoma at a further distance of 1.50km one meets the temple of Devasangheshvara, which stands on a very high platform from the surface. The temple contains several lingams and images of other associated deities like Surya, Ganesha, Parvati, and Vishnu. there are three images of Shiva’s bull, Nandi. Here giving gift to Brahmins and the poor is considered as a part of religious act. After about 16km pilgrims reach to Shivpur, a neighbourhood of the Varanasi City, the fourth stopover on this pilgrimage route. This area provides a scene of urban crowd and less pleasant environment. To avoid this uneasy situation many pilgrims avoid staying here, and prefer to pass their night at Tarana, about 4km before Shivpur. At Shivpur pilgrims’ worship but this shrine is not mentioned in the Kashi Rahasya, or any other treatises. According to the folk tradition it is believed that during the period of their forest-exile the five lingams were established by the Five Pandava brothers (of the Mahabharata), viz. Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva. These Five Brothers lingams of decreasing size faced by Five Nandis of equally decreasing stature, the whole being existing in the same elongated vessel. Around them, against the wall and facing them are Ganesha, Vishnu, sage Narada, Kala Bhairava, Annapurnima and some other unidentifiable images. in the open space near the series of lingams in the house, there are human-like images of the Five Brothers and their common wife Draupadi in large slabs ranged side by side against the wall. There are 4 rest houses (dharmashalas) nearby a large tank. Sometime people call it Draupadi Kund, at the eastern bank of which has recently been made a magnificent temple of Durga. Pilgrims staying there in the dharmashalas pay visit to Draupadi Kund (a well) and a small shrine of Draupadi Devi (the common wife of the Five Brothers) lying under the nim, the margosa tree (Azadirachta indica). According to folk legend this area was formerly a dense forest, and more than one pilgrim was robbed by dacoits in this jungle, therefore an overnight stopover has been introduced. in course of time business community might have developed this site in this form for overnight stay.Pilgrims sprinkle water drops from the Draupadi Kund and perform puja in the temple.