HOW TO WORKSHIP SHIVLING ?

Shivling or Shiva lingam connects a devotee with the Supreme Being – Lord
Shiva. The lingam is the symbol of Lord Shiva and the lingam puja helps the devotee in understanding
Lord Shiva. The Lord cannot be described but still we say he is without a beginning and an end and is
without a form. It is difficult for a devotee to understand this formless nature. Therefore Lord Shiva
appeared in the form of Jyotirlinga before Brahma and Vishnu. The Lingam thus is a symbol of Lord
Shiva. Each Lingam puja, step by step, takes the devotee to the eternal truth – that he/she is part of the
Supreme Being.
Worshipping Shivling at Home
Before starting the Puja, the devotee takes a bath and wear freshly washed clothes. Hymns praising Lord
Shiva or the mantra ‘om namaha shivayaa’ are repeated to create a mood for worship. Then, the
devotee sits in front of the lingam and blows conch or ring bells. This indicates the beginning of the Puja.
First it is the panchamrit abhishek - the libation of five holy liquids over the lingam. The libation can
consist of any five of the following – water from river Ganga, honey, sugarcane juice, milk, yogurt, ghee,
seawater, coconut water or milk, fragrant oils, rose water or other precious liquids. Usually, only milk of
cow is used. While pouring the liquid, om namah shivaya is uttered. Some devotees utter the Lord’s
name 108 times and some 1008 times. There is no fixed rule.
After the panchamrit abhishek, the lingam is cleaned with water from Ganga. (This is might not be
possible always so just normal water.) After this the lingam is smeared with sandalwood paste and is
decked with flowers. Water and sandalwood paste is used to keep the lingam cool, as Lord Shiva is
always in a highly inflammable state. In some Shiva temples, cooling liquid constantly drops from pot
hung above the Lingam.
Next, sweets, coconut and fruits are offered to the Lord. Camphor and incense are lit and ‘arati’ is
conducted. Some devotees fan the lingam and sing praises of the lord.
Finally, ringing of bells or blowing of conch indicates the end of Puja. White ash (vibhuti) is rubbed on
the forehead and it is also distributed. Fruits, sweets and coconut are distributed as ‘prasad.’

Shehra’s Historical Lord Shiva TempleMardeshwar
Every place in the world got some history, but there are some places which gloves among others. Such one place is mardeshwar mahadev, situated one k.m away from village shehra of shahera taluka, on Lunawada Godhra highway.
This place has incredible history. Centuries ago, a saint named Bhadrasen was living there. He was a devotee of lord shiva and meditated for a years. One day the enemy forces reached there and his meditation was disturbed. He left the installed shivling there.One day saint mardeshwar saw this shivling and started the meditation. The god appeared. The saint mardeshwar asked lord shiva to stay in that land divinized by saint bhadrasen. When atheist people deteriorated divinity, Lord shiva decides to leave the place. One day he came in dream of his devotee ‘Nagar Nathajibaba’ and ordered him to built a temple. ‘Mangalgiriji Maharaj’ has also meditated in this temple.
Mardeshwar mahadev is a big temple with huge ‘shivling’. The main characteristic of this shivling is that it is made up of ‘Ramad’ type of clay, not form stone. It has uneven surface resemble to ‘Rudraksh’.
You can find holy water flowing from ‘shivling’. The devotee considered this water as gift from god. If we empty this water from shivling, it get refilled by it self so, it is also believed that it is steam from ‘ganga’ directly coming from head of Lord Shiva.
It believed that this shivling increase by length of one rice every year. Adjusatant to temple a 350 years old ‘vaav’. Some devotee says that there is secret tunnel joining the place with kashi.
Enormous flow of devotee comes there, in the divine month of ‘Shravana’ to worship the lord shiva. The lord shiva fulfills the wishes of all devotees coming to worship.