Jambukeshvar

Sacred site (tirtha) and southern Indian
temple-town near the city of
Tiruchirappalli in the state of Tamil
Nadu, directly opposite the great
temple complex of Shrirangam. The
temple at Jambukeshvar is dedicated to
the god Shiva in his role as “Lord of the
Rose-Apple (jambu) Tree;” the image of
Shiva is placed under one of these trees.
Jambukeshvar is also one of the
bhutalingas (“elemental lingas”), a
network of five southern Indian sites
sacred to Shiva. In each of these
sites Shiva is represented as a linga,
the pillar-shaped object that is his
symbolic form, and at each site the
linga is believed to be formed from one
of the five primordial elements
(bhuta)—earth, wind, fire, water, and
space (akasha). At Jambukeshvar,
Shiva’s image is associated with water,
and the linga is set into a pool created
by a natural spring.