Omkareshwar

Omkareshwar is set on Mandhata Island in the Narmada river, an island whose outline pilgrims say resembles the sacred syllable Om, which gives the place its name. It is counted fourth among the twelve Jyotirlingas. The river itself is held in great esteem, and tradition teaches that the Narmada purifies by sight, so a Jyotirlinga on an island in its current has a strongly watery, contemplative character.

The legend recalls the Vindhya mountain, who performed austerities to Shiva here in order to gain a boon. Pleased, Shiva is said to have manifested as Omkara, and in some retellings he divided into two forms, which is why Omkareshwar on the island and Mamleshwar across the water are visited together and counted as a single Jyotirlinga. Tradition also associates the island with royal Ikshvaku lineage through the name Mandhata, though this belongs to local lore.

In regional religion Omkareshwar is a principal stop on the Narmada parikrama, the long walk along the entire river which some Hindus take up as a vow. It stands apart from Mahakaleshwar to the north, since the mood here is of river and ritual bathing rather than of city temple life. Mahashivaratri and Kartik Purnima are the days tradition links with large gatherings, and the island is also remembered as a place Adi Shankaracharya is said to have studied.