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Kankhal
is a small town, located 5 kms from Haridwar.
One of the ‘Punch Teerth’ (five Pilgrimages -
Ganga, Kushwart, Bilwa
Teerth, Neel Parvat and Kankhal), the Mahadev Temple and Sati Kund here
are associated with the immolation of Sati, first wife of lord Shiva. This
is the place where Daksha Prajapati Mandir is situated.
THE LEGEND
Legend has it that Sati, the first wife of lord Shiva immolated herself
in the fire of the yagna that was being performed by her father, Daksha
Prajapati. Daksha did not invite Lord Shiva and hence Sati felt insulted.
Therefore she burned herself in the "yagya kund'.
This incident provoked the disciples and followers of Mahadev who killed
King Daksha, but later on Lord Mahadev brought him back to life. Daksha
Mahadev temple is thus, a tribute to this legend.
Religious Places
Daksha Mahadev Temple:
The ancient temple of Daksha Mahadev is situated in the south of the town
of Kankhal.
Sati Kund:
Sati, the first wife of lord Shiva is said to have sacrificed her life by
jumping into the sacrificial fire, in this place.
Nileshwar Mahadev Temple:
This is believed to be the place where Lord Shiva was, when the yagya
being performed by the Sati’s father, Daksha, was abruptly
terminated.
Kankhal is a major shopping centre of the Haridwar region.
Air: The nearest airport from Haridwar is Jolly
Grant in Dehradun.
Rail: Haridwar is a major railway station, situated justt 5-km
away from Kankhal. Being a major pilgrimage center, Haridwar is well
connected by trains to all the major towns of India.
Road: The National Highway No - 45 crosses through the city of
Haridwar, so it is connected to other cities of the State as well as other
towns in India in an efficient manner. There are buses available from
Delhi to this place. The state transport has ordinary as well as deluxe
and semi-deluxe buses on this route for long distance travel. There are
private buses avaialable too, which will take you to nearby places and
some of these private deluxe buses run on the long distance routes.
Kankhal is also considered an important religious place, being a neighbour to Haridwar and pilgrims as well as tourits can get quite a resonable number of accommodations over here. Still if you are looking for better options, there's always Haridwar where there are numerous Dharamshalas and hotels avaialable to stay.
Haridwar: 5-km