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Varanasi, July 25 (HS). Every particle of Kashi, the city of Lord Adi Vishweshwar, is filled with Shiva. Temples symbolizing 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva are situated here. Divided into three sections, Kashi's Kedar Khand, Vishweshwar Khand and Omkareshwar Khand, every Shiva temple situated in this section has its own glory and specialty. Similarly, Kedarnath Mahadev himself resides in the form of Gauri Kedareshwar in the Kedar Khand of Kashi. Lord Kedareshwar's Shivling in the temple situated at Kedar Ghat is divided into two parts. In one part of the Shivling, Mahadev and Mother Parvati are present, while in the other part, the savior of the world, Shri Hari Vishnu is present with his better half, Mother Lakshmi. By seeing both the Shivlings, one gets the darshan and blessings of Lord Shiva, Mother Parvati, Lord Vishnu and Mother Lakshmi. Khichdi is offered as bhog along with Belpatra, milk and Gangajal on the self-manifested Shivling.
According to Kashi Khand, the God himself comes to accept the khichdi as an offering. Dr Mridul Mishra of Shiv Aradhana Samiti says that in this temple the Brahmins perform aarti of Shivling four times a day wearing unstitched clothes. Khichdi is definitely offered on the Shivling along with Belpatra, milk, Gangajal. By visiting here, the devotees of Lord Shiva get 7 times more virtues than those of Kedarnath Dham. There is a mythological story related to the temple. Where the temple is today, there the sage Mandhata used to live in a hut. The Shiva devotee sage used to eat after chanting and meditation. Before eating, they would first keep the food aside for Lord Shiva and Parvati ji. Then they would divide that khichdi into two parts.
According to Shivpuran, Rishi Mandhata used to go to Himalayas every day to feed Gauri Kedareshwar with a portion of Khichdi prepared by his own hands and then on returning, he used to divide half of the Khichdi into two parts and give one part to the guest and eat the other himself. Once Rishi Mandhata fell ill. His health deteriorated. One day he was unable to go to Himalayas to prepare Khichdi and offer it to God. Then, feeling very sad, he called out to Mahadev and fainted. Then Gauri Kedareshwar appeared at this place from Himalayas and took his own share of Khichdi and offered it to God. Mahadev fed Mandhata Rishi's guests present there with his own hands from the other half of the portion. After this, he woke up Rishi Mandhata and fed him Khichdi and blessed him that from today onwards, one of my forms will reside in Kashi. This temple is even older than Shri Kashi Vishwanath.