Nilkanth
Encyclopedia
Nilkanth is a name used to refer to Shiva
, one of the Hindu trinity of Creator (Brahma
), Preserver (Vishnu
), and Destroyer (Shiva).
According to the Purna
s, Shiva received this name as he drank the poison that emerged from the oceans after it was churned (Samudra manthan
) for getting 'amrut
' - the nectar of immortality. With his yogic powers, he stopped the poison in his throat, preventing it from going any further and harming his body. But the poison did turn his neck blue, so he has been known as Nilkanth - the Blue-Throated one.
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, one of the Hindu trinity of Creator (Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
), Preserver (Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
), and Destroyer (Shiva).
According to the Purna
Purna
Purna is a town with a municipal council in Parbhani district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Geography:Purna is located at . It has an average elevation of 386 metres ....
s, Shiva received this name as he drank the poison that emerged from the oceans after it was churned (Samudra manthan
Samudra manthan
In Hinduism, Samudra manthan or Ksheera Sagara Mathanam, Churning of the Ocean of Milk is one of the most famous episodes in the Puranas...
) for getting 'amrut
Amrut
Amrut is the name of a village in Kunduz Province in the Khinjan valley near the mouth of the Bajgah glen, about six miles east of Khinjan. It has earlier been inhabited by Koh-i-Gadi Hazaras....
' - the nectar of immortality. With his yogic powers, he stopped the poison in his throat, preventing it from going any further and harming his body. But the poison did turn his neck blue, so he has been known as Nilkanth - the Blue-Throated one.
Other uses
- Neelkanth Mahadev TempleNeelkanth Mahadev TempleNeelkanth Mahadev Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Nilkanth . The temple is situated at a height of 1330 meters and is located about 32 km from Rishikesh in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand....
, near Rishikesh - Nilkantha (mountain), GarhwalGarhwal DivisionGarhwal is the north-western region and administrative division of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand which is home to the Garhwali people. Lying in the Himalayas, It is bounded on the north by Tibet, on the east by Kumaon region, on the south by Uttar Pradesh state, and on the north-west by...
HimalayasHimalayasThe Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau... - Neelkanth (Bird), a local name (in India) for Indian RollerIndian RollerThe Indian Roller , also called the Blue Jay in former times is a member of the roller family of birds. They are found in southern Asia from Iraq to Thailand and are best known for the aerobatic displays of the male during the breeding season...
(Blue Jay)