Gayab Mandir: This Gujarat Shrine Disappears Twice A Day

India is a land that is historically and culturally rich. Religion holds a lot of importance in the country. That is why it houses innumerable temples, mosques, churches, and gurudwaras. Each of these sites hold special importance. People from all over the world come to visit these places. Each of these places of worship is dedicated to a deity. One such temple belongs to Lord Shiva and is located in Gujarat. The name of the temple is Shri Stambheshwar Mahadev Temple. One of the unique things about this temple is that it puts on a disappearing act at least twice a day. People come in large numbers for the darshan of this temple and to seek blessings for Lord Shiva.

The Shri Stambeshwar Mahadev Temple is in Vadodara, Gujarat, and is also known as the Gayab Mandir by the local people. The main reason why the temple disappears is because it is located a few metres away from the seashore. The temple submerges during high tide and reappears at low tide. As the sea level rises twice a day, the temple submerges and then emerges again.

The temple has a unique story. It has been found that the gods or Devas, were headed by Lord Kartikeya, who installed Stambeshwar Mahadev Linga after defeating a demon named Tarakasur. Even though Tarakasur was a demon, he was considered a great devotee of Lord Shiva as well. He spent years in penance to meet Lord Shiva. Finally, after many years, Lord Shiva was impressed by him and decided to meet him. It is believed that Tarakasur took advantage of this and asked for a boon. He told the god that he could always be protected from death. But Lord Shiva couldn’t grant him his wish as death was inevitable, and as a result, he instructed him to ask for something else. The demon told him that no one other than the six-year-old son of Lord Shiva could kill him. After this, he started creating havoc, and then Lord Kartikeya was born, which put an end to the story.

The temple also has a special Skanda Purana that actually refers to a pillar called Vishwanandak Stamb that was setup by the gods at the Mahi Sagar Sangam Teerth Kshetra.