Situated at the heart of
Srinagar, Kamleshwar Temple - dedicated to
Lord Shiva - is one of the prominent shrines of the region. According to a legend, after killing
Ravana,
Lord Ram prayed for all the departed souls in the epic war of Lanka. Here, he worshipped Lord Shiva with thousand lotuses every day. In order to test his devotion, one day, Shiva made one of the lotuses disappear. Lord Ram thought of compensating this loss by offering one of his eyes. Impressed by his devotion, Shiva appeared before Rama and stopped him from doing so. This is why Rama came to be called as ‘Kamalanayan’ or the lotus-eyed. The annual festival of Vaikunth Chaturdashi is held here in November.
