Shulatankeshvar Temple

About

About 15 kilometers away from the city of Varanasi, in the south, from the place where the Ganga enters Kashi through Uttaravahini, there is the temple of Shooltankeshwar. The priests of the temple tell that the name of this temple was earlier Madhaveshwar Mahadev after the name of Rishi Madhav. He had established this linga for the worship of Shiva. This is before the descent of the Ganges. At the time of Ganga's descent, Lord Shiva stopped Ganga with his trishul at this place and took a promise that she would flow touching Kashi. Also, no aquatic creature will harm any devotee who takes bath in Ganga in Kashi. When Ganga accepted both the promises, Shiva withdrew his trishul. Then the sages and sages who performed penance here named this Shivling as Shooltankeshwar. The belief behind this was that just as the suffering of the Ganga was removed here, similarly the suffering of other devotees should be removed. This is the reason why devotees come here for darshan throughout the year, but the devotees whose wishes are known to be fulfilled by visiting here, come from far away in the month of Sawan.