Aundha Nagnath temple is the eighth Jyotirlinga of twelve famous Jyotirlinga also known as Nageshwaram.

Districts/Region

Aundha Taluka, Hingoli District,  Maharashtra, India.

History

There are 12 Jyotirlingas known in the traditions. Jyotirlinga is the devotional representation of lord Shiva. 
Aundhya Nagnath, a 13th-century temple is located in the Hingoli district. The temple was built by Yadavas of Devgiri, though the superstructure of the temple is pretty late. This temple has beautiful sculptural ornamentation.  The architecture of the temple is dry masonry style. The destruction of the temple took place during the reign of Mughal king Aurangzeb. The repairs of the same were made by the Holkar Queen Ahilyabai.
The present temple is in a fortified enclosure. Parts of it are in a dilapidated state and renovated. Though this is so, it stands with all its ancient glory. The half hall (Ardha Mandapa / Mukha Mandapa) is at the entrance of the temple which takes us to the main hall. The pillars and outer walls of the temple are highly decorated with sculptural ornamentation. The main hall has three such entrances. Beautiful sculptures of elephants at the entrance are worth seeing. Just behind the temple's ritual lake associated with it can be seen.
The place-name is derived from a mythological tale. The demon named is Daruka used to trouble the people of the area and make their lives unhappy.  The ascetic prayed to Lord Shiva who granted them their wish of destroying the demon. The demon died she requested Shiva that her name be remembered forever and associated with that place and Shiva agreed. Hence the name Darukavan. 
The temple has images of Vishnu, Shiva Brahma and other deities. The main sanctum is underground and probably built to save the temple from invaders in the medieval period. While entering, the hall (mandapa) has to descend a few steps through a narrow channel of steps. The chamber here consists of four pillars in the midst of which shivling is placed. Shivlinga is worshipped as the main deity in this temple. 
Saint Dnyaneshwar advised Saint Namdev to visit this temple. Sant Namdev met his guru Visoba Khechar at this place. Saint Namdev is one of the important names among the list of Bhakti cults in Deccan during the medieval period.

Geography

Aundha is surrounded by district Washim and the Northern side of Yavatmal. Parbhani on the western side and Nanded on the southeastern side.

Weather/Climate

The region of Aurangabad has a hot and dry climate. The summers are more extreme than winters and monsoon, with a temperature up to 40.5 degrees Celsius.
Winters are mild, and the average temperature varies from 28-30 degrees Celsius.
The monsoon season has extreme seasonal variations, and the annual rainfall in Aurangabad is around 726 mm.

Things to do

1.8 KM from Aundha Nagnath is Rajapur, there is a small temple where you can see rock-cut images of Saraswati, Narsimha and Ardhanarishwara. These images are beautifully carved out of stone and adorned with ornaments.

Nearest tourist places

There are so many temples in Parbhani.
• Shree Motha Maruti (Temple of lord hanuman ) (47.6 KM)
• Ashtbhuja mandir ( 52 KM)
• Pardeshwar temple (55.6 KM)
•Dargah of Hazrat Turabul Haq Shah (53.3 KM)

Special food speciality and hotel

As this area being Taluka headquarters, Hotels and Restaurants are available. Fast food is also available.

Accommodation facilities nearby & Hotel/ Hospital/Post Office/Police station

Limited facilities at Aundha Nagnath. Hotels are available at Parbhani. They provide good food and facilities.

Visiting Rule and Time, Best month to visit

Huge crowds during the Shrawan and Navratri season. 
Tourists are restricted to the summer and winter vacations.

Language spoken in area 

English, Hindi, Marathi