Rudraksh Nag locally called as Godrashinag Kishtwar, is a spring of clean & fresh drinking water gushing out of the solid rock at the foothill of Naginshiroo mountain peak, 3 kilometers away from Kishtwar town.
Like all other Nag devtas, it is also revered as an abode of Lord Shiva, due to which the place is held in high esteem by Hindus of Kishtwar.
In yesteryears, when paddy was grown at Shalimar where now a colony of NHPC stands, farmers, after harvesting the crops would first offer the rice-khichdi due to the deity here and then use it at their homes. The practice is in vogue even now when no paddy is grown here. The villages in the vicinity of Godrashinag namely Semna, Zewar, etc perform regular worship to their deity Lord Shiva in the form of Nag devta by offering incense, flowers,home_cooked Prasad, ghee, honey, milk, etc. especially on the auspicious days of Ashtmi, Ekadashi, Puranmashi, Amavasya, Sankranti, etc. The residents of Semna village have erected a symbolic temple and a platform in front of the spring for offering puja and performing Hawan there. The place is also a good picnic spot where all sections of people go and enjoy themselves.
The spring existed from the post-Vedic period. It has got a reference in Kishtwar history. Shankar Maaji, the widow of Yaqub Shah of Kashmir and foster sister
of Raja Bahadur Sigh of Kishtwar(1570AD_1605AD) during her social work done in memory of her husband got a Kuhl (watercourse created by digging of the earth) dug from Lahla stream to Drangwaji to feed a pond in the heart of Kishtwar town to meet the drinking water requirement of the town. Another Kuhl was laid out from Godrashinag / Kaninag to Zewar village of Kishtwar. For these acts of social service for Kishtwar, she is still remembered in gratitude.
Nag Sanskriti of which people of Kishtwar, too, are ardent believers, prevailed in the whole of the North_western Himalayan region from the times immemorial.
‘Nag’ literally means a snake, which adorns the neck of Lord Shiva. surprisingly, devotees, on many occasions have seen a varied_hued snake in the waters of Godrashinag.
Other prominent Nag temples with springs in Kishtwar district are the Kaninag, Bemarnag in Kishtwar, Bimal nag in Saroor, Ghomain nag in Nagseni, Kali nag in Bonjwah, Dhenshar nag in Chhatru, Shesh nag, Mayo nag, and Bhairav nag in Paddar where local festivals are celebrated at least once a year. The places of tourist_attraction are in dire need of development.
Spiritual Philosophy behind Nag worship:_according to Yoga philosophy, there is a place between the kidneys and the anus called ‘Muldhar were a serpent _shaped coiled ring called Kudalni’ is situated. When this ring gets vibrated by means of Yoga practice’ and Sadhna, it rises up and up and finally rests at the center of the brain called ‘Sahasrar’, thus endowing the practitioner with the bliss of enlightenment and self_realisation.In this state of mind, he is endowed with ever_lasting bliss and attains supernatural powers.
So, according to the ‘Nag cult’, the worship of Nag is considered fundamental for attaining spiritual bliss which is the goal of every believer.
Authored by Sh Somnath Sharma, renowned Historian and Poet of Kishtwar.
Thanks Sh Somnath ji and mykishtwar.com for providing so much information about Godresh Naag . This information will be very handy for the next generation whenever they will need it for reference . Jai Godresh Naag Devta Bless Kishtwar n Kishtwaris ❤️
Superb article,explicit ,informative intertwined with fresh thoughts .
Was unaware about the real name of this naag .Someone had told me that it’s real name is Godarshan naag but Rudraksh naag meaning the water droplet of Shiva’s eye seems more appropriate as it conjoins with the Shiv and his abode .
We need such articles frequently on your page to understand our culture and history . Thanks for sharing
Very Nice Article.Thank you Sh.Som Nath Sharma Ji,for providing such a useful info about a place to which we are spritually connected since ages and which has a great significance in our lives, as whole Kishtwar town and adjoing areas are getting water to drink from the said place and infact we are blessed to have such a place which always has Quenched our thrist.Keep sharing such info which will enlighten us further. mykishtwar.com is a very good platform to spread knowledge about our culture and places and everybody should help and promote the page which will encourage the people like Sh Som Nath Sharma to share more info as above.
Very informative, nicely written by a nice and renowned writer of kishtwar Sh Somnath Sharma ji. I have been there several times but was unaware of the reason for mostly offering khichdi to the Godresh naad devta by locals
Nice information for our younger generation thanx sir
A well thought out and informative article indeed! I wasn’t aware about this location and will definitely visit next time I am in Kishtwar. This goes to show there are so many wonderful places in Kishtwar, all tourism worthy, with their own beautiful stories and history. Thank you to Mr. Somnath Sharma’s wonderful writing to paint a picture for us, explaining the beauty of the valley.
Here’s to hoping that these locations get more government attention and development so as to boost the local tourism and keep the legend of Kishtwar going for many more generations to go.
We are very grateful to Shri Somnath Sharma ji as well as mykishtwar.com for letting us know such an interesting and useful information. Hoping for more informational articles.