On Wednesday, a Nationalist Congress Party leader in Maharashtra objected to an Assam government advertisement claiming that the sixth ‘Bhimashankar’ Jyotirlinga was located in the state’s north-eastern region.
The Shiva temple at Bhimashankar, near Pune, is traditionally regarded as the sixth of the country’s 12 Jyotirlingas.
Jyotirlingas are the locations from which Lord Shiva emerged in Hindu mythology.
“The Union government has yet to correct its incorrect information about the Parli Vaijanath temple in Maharashtra being in another state,” said former state minister Dhananjay Munde.
1/2 Leave aside industries BJP wants to snatch away even Bhagwan Shiv from Maharashtra. Now BJP Assam govt claims that the sixth Jyotirlinga of Bhimashankar is situated in Assam & not in Maharashtra’s Pune district. We strongly condemn this highly preposterous claim. pic.twitter.com/hiSUCTUYRK
— Sachin Sawant सचिन सावंत (@sachin_inc) February 14, 2023
Nobody, according to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis, can make such a claim.
“Bhimashankar belongs to us (Maharashtra). It is known as a jyotirlinga. Nothing will happen if someone makes a claim. For centuries, our Bhimashankar has been revered as a jyotirlinga “He stated.
The Assam government’s claim about the existence of Bhimashankar Jyotirling in the state, according to Akhil Bhartiya Tirth Purohit Mahasabha, is also an attempt to distort religious history.
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An advertisement for the Assam government’s tourism department has sparked a firestorm because it claims Assam’s Kamrup is the location of India’s 6th Jyotirlinga. The advertisement, which features a photo of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, invites devotees to Dakini Hill on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri on February 18. The advertisement extolling the glory of the 6th Jyotirlinga infuriated Maharashtra’s opposition, who claimed that after industry, Maharashtra’s cultural and spiritual heritage was also being stolen.
According to Mahesh Pathak, president of the All India Tirth Purohit Mahasabha, the Assam government published full-page advertisements in newspapers claiming Bhimashankar as one of the state’s 12 Jyotirlingas.
The advertisement also encourages people to pay their respects to the deity on the occasion of Maha Shivratri by visiting Bhimashankar Jyotirling in Assam, he said.
