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 Nageshwar(Naganathar) is located near Dwaraka, on the way
to Beti Dwaraka.
There once lived a rakshasa called Daruka, who was
extremely cruel and tortured the good ones. But yet he was a great
devotee of Lord Siva. A Siva devotee, Supriya who was a merchant
reached the Darukavanam, where Daruka lived with his wife Daruki,
while sailing with his goods.
Daruka asked Supriya to teach him the path of devotion to
Siva, the norms of performing pooja and penance. Fearing that Daruka
would use any additional powers gained by such penance, to bad use,
Supriya refused to guide him. The enraged Daruka began to torture
Supriya. Supriya however was staunch is his faith in the Lord and
was unmoved by any torture.
Lord Siva was pleased and appeared and killed the demon
Daruka. Daruki, Daruka's wife, now started giving even more trouble
than her husband. Siva vanquished her too and gives darshan to his
devotees at this place as Nageshwar.
The Sivalingam is facing South, with the Gomugam facing
East. There is a story for this position. A devotee by name Naamdev
was singing bhajans in front of the Lord. Other devotees asked him
to stand aside and not hide the Lord. To this Naamdev asked them to
suggest one direction in which the Lord does not exist, so that he
can stand there. The enraged devotees carried him and left him on
the southside. To their astonishment, they found that the Linga was
now facing South with the Gomugam facing
East.
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