Koteshwar Mahadev Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Bhuj airport lies 4 km from Bhuj city and has domestic flights from major Indian cities.

• By train

  Two daily express trains, the Bhuj Express and the Kutch Express, run from Bhuj to Ahmedabad in about 8 hours.

• By road

  Buses leave Bhuj twice a day, morning and evening, for Narayan Sarovar, 154 km away. The temple is 2 km from Narayan Sarovar, on the coast.

Why devotees come here

Koteshwar Mahadev Temple stands on the coast near the mouth of Kori Creek, in western Kutch, Gujarat. It is the last outpost of human construction at the westernmost limit of India. Its linga is self-born, a svayambhu lingam.

Koteshwar Mahadev Temple stands near the mouth of Kori Creek, at the western end of Kutch, Gujarat. It is an ancient Shiva temple. In the sanctum, a four-foot self-born linga sits in a jaladhari basin, set rather far back in the shrine. The temple stands at the westernmost limit of India, where the land meets the sea.

Legend says the story begins with Ravana, who won a boon from Shiva for his piety. To punish his carelessness, the linga multiplied into a thousand identical copies. Ravana took one copy away, and the original was left here.

The present fort and temples were built in 1820 by two merchants, Sundarji and Jetha Shivji, Brahma-Kshatris by caste. Over many centuries, various rulers of Kutch rehabilitated and renovated the temples.

Tips for your visit

• On a clear night, walk along the beach to see the glow of light from Karachi on the north-western horizon.
• A smaller Kalyaneshvar temple, built by the same men at about the same time, stands close to the main shrine.

Questions people ask