हिंदीOn this day
Standing

Nishkalank Mahadev, Koliyak

Five Shiva lingas on a platform a kilometre out in the Gulf of Khambhat, reached on foot only when the tide goes out. Here, the katha says, the Pandavas were cleansed of the sin of the war.

Built: Five swayambhu lingas in the sea, held to be worshipped by the PandavasWhere: Gujarat (Bhavnagar district)Deity: Bhagwan Shiva as Nishkalank, the spotless21.60° N, 72.29° E
Photo: Shivaranisiddula · CC BY 4.0

01The black flag turned white

After Kurukshetra the Pandavas grieved for the kin they had killed. Shri Krishna gave them a black flag and a black cow and told them to walk until both turned white; where that happened, they would be free of the sin. They walked the length of Bharat, and at Koliyak, on the shore of the sea, the flag and the cow turned white. They sat in tapas, and Mahadev appeared to each of the five brothers as a linga. So the place is called Nishkalank, without stain.

02Walking out with the tide

Each linga has its own Nandi, and a flag on a tall pole marks the spot when the sea covers it. At low tide pilgrims walk out over the wet sand and rock, often barefoot, offer milk and flowers, and must start back before the water returns. The largest gathering is on Bhadarvi Amas, the new moon of Bhadrapada, when a fair is held on the shore and the flag is renewed. Many bring the ashes of their dead to immerse here.

Visiting

Koliyak is about 30 km east of Bhavnagar; check the tide table before you go, and leave the lingas as soon as the water starts to rise.

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