Location
Shool Tankeshwar is located at Dasaswamedh ghat steps, Varanasi. The temple is quite famous and also known as Bada Linga.
Legend
According to Kashi Khand, Chapter 69, the place where Lord Shiva wore the skin of Gajasur after slaying him was called Rudra Vasam. (Kindly refer to Krithi Vaseshwar)
Once the Lord, in his form as Krithi Vaseshwar, was sitting alongwith Goddess Parvati when Nandi offered his prayers and stated that there were 68 places of worship dedicated to Lord Shiva in this holy place. Various Idols/Shiv Lings have been brought from several other places by Nandi and installed in Kashi.
Near Prayag teerth one can find Shool Tankeshwar Linga. A devotee who takes bath in Prayag teerth and worships Shool Tankeshwar will attain the benefits equivalent to hundred times the benefits which would have accrued to him had he taken bath in Prayag (Sangam-Allahabad). Besides, the devotees will find all round happiness and attain Moksha.
When River Ganga approached Kashi with a violent force, Lord Shiva threw his Trishul (Trident) hard into the ground, just before the entry point to the south of Kashi. By this action, Ganga had to slow down her force and she agreed to flow gently through Kashi and that she would always remain in Kashi, giving happiness to the residents. Scientifically speaking, the River Ganga is perennial in Kashi and at some points, even during the dry summer, the depth is over 130 feet. Accordingly, people believe that Shool Tankeshwar temple is at a point almost 2 kms south of Assi.
But according to Kashi Khand, the place has been mentioned in the vicinity of Prayag teerth, which is almost a part of Dasaswamedh ghat.
Types of Pooja
The place of worship is open from 6AM to 12 Noon and from 05.30PM to 10PM. Devotees can perform pooja on their own.
