Sree Sree Adinath temple was established after the name of Hindu God Mahadeva, the God of the Gods. Adinath Shiva Temple, a Pilgrimage, is located at the top of Mainak hill with a spectacular surrounding near the Bay of Bengal at Moheshkhali in Cox’s Bazar district, a southern region of Bangladesh. The other name of Adinath is Mohesh.
The name “Moheshkhali” was named after this ‘Mohesh’ it was established around thousands of year ago in the treta era, which has historical evidence and this fact can be found in the Ramayana, Hindu Myths and in the description of historians. He is full of all virtues; nevertheless, he is the pervasive spiritual God beyond all virtues. He is believed to have been in the form of the erected Shiva Lingo (Genital organ of the lord Shiva). He is wish, bountiful, redeeming, constant and eternal.
The Adinath Temple was inaugurated at a secluded and spectacular place next to the seaside hills. It is said that this place is traced back to a luminous history as a pilgrimage.
The history is narrated here in brief. Sree Sree Adinath is an important pilgrimage of Hindu community. It is believed that no Sanatan believes can ever become successful without having first visited the Adinath Temple.
As Mahadeva ( Lord Shiva ) appeared physically at this place, this is the best place for fulfilling the dormant desires as well as having salvation of souls of the pilgrims.
The fierce fighting between Rama and Ravan took place in the treta era. Ravan was very much determined to defeat Rama in the battle of Lanka. He prayed for immortality from Mahadeva. At that time, Mahadeva was in meditation in the Kailash. Being satisfied in Ravan’s worship, Mahadeva showered Ravan with his blessings. However, Mahadeva binded him with the condition that Ravan had to carry the erected Shiva Linga from Kailash to Lanka without resting it anywhere throughout the journey.
If it was put down anywhere, Mahadeva would be there. Ravan agreed to the condition and started his journey carrying Mahadeva on his shoulder. On the way, Ravan had to place Mahadeva on the top of Mainak and at that time Narayan appeared there as Brahman. Ravan requested the Brahman to stand there to take care and went behind this hill being called by the nature. Narayan sat a fixed time, so time is not wasted. But Ravan failed to finish even in several hours. That place, known as Mudirchara, still exists and it is one kilometer of the temple at the backyard. After coming back, Ravan did not find the Brahman. He attempted to lift the stoned Mahadeva on his shoulder but he failed. Finally, he became furious but still failed to lift the stone even after using his full strength.
His attempts to lift the stone left a mark on it, which still exists. At this stage, he heard oracle
from the god saying that Ravan’s attempt to be immortal was in vain and that Ravan should move towards Lanka empty handed.
It was also said that Mahadeva would be on the top of Mainak. As soon as Ravan arrived in Lanka, Ravan was defeated by Rama in a devastating battle. Incidentally, there is an anecdote handed down by tradition in manifestation of Sree Sree Adinath in Mainak hill. Although this is an anecdote, the inhabitants of this area have authenticated the veracity of the belief.
Therefore, the underlying incident in the story has assumed more beautifully presentable form establishing the fact that the very pilgrimage of Hundu community was discovered by a solvent Muslim of Moheshkhali and thus attained a special honor. The name of this person was Nur Mohammad Shikdar. One of his cows suddenly stopped giving milk.
In this connection, being suspicious; he started scolding the shepherd every day.
Having been vexed, the shepherd started keeping an eye on the cow in the cowshed at night to check whether anyone would steal the milk. At the dead of night, he found the cow moving towards the deep forest, leaving the cowshed. So, he started following the cow. Moving forward, the cow straight away stood on black stone and milk was automatically streaming down the black stone. As soon as the flow of milk stopped, the cow went back to the cowshed. Having witnessed such incident, the shepherd narrated the whole story to his master. However, the master did not pay heed to the boy and moved the cow to a place name Boro Moheshkhali. On that night, he dreamt that even if the cow was shackled, it would not stop giving milk on that black stone; rather it would be difficult for the cow to move being chained.
In his dream, he was also ordered to tell the local Hindu Zamindar to establish a temple at that place. In the meantime, the shepherd became faint while trying to sharpen a knife on that black stone. Although he was rescued afterward; finally, he succumbed to death. Nur Mohammad was ordered again in another dream to take the Ostovuja of Lord Shiva from Nepal and place it at the top of Mainak Hill. While stealing the statue from Nepal State Temple in 1612, one Naga Sannyasi, who was assigned for the task by Nur Mohammad, was caught and sent to jail. The night before the verdict, the Naga Sannyasi attained the favor of Mahadeva through yougamaya, a kind of spiritual power of spell. Mahadeva gifted him with verbal consolation and also told him to be clam enough to reply to the questions of the judge, fearlessly and spontaneously.
On the next day, it happened as predicated. The honorable judge asked the king of Nepal about the color of the statue. In reply, the king referred to the color of touchstone while the Naga Sannyasi told that the statue was white. The honorable Judge unveiled the statue in front of all and found that the statue was white, indeed.
Immediately, verdict was given in favor of the Naga Sannyasi. The king of Nepal asked for forgiveness and became very much eager to know the fact. The Naga Sannyasi stated everything and the king himself took initiative to place the statue on the Mainak with due honor. He placed it beside the Sree Sree Adinath and constructed the main temple. Still now Nepalese Government gives some grant to the temple.
It is said that King Nasmasish of Nepal having found a dream of the deity built five Shiva temples at the five corners of the subcontinent. These are Pashupatinath of Nepal, Bishwanath of Kashi in Uttar Pradesh of Bharat, Bhuthnath of Pakistan, Adinath of Maheshkhali in Bangladesh and Chandranath of Sitakunda in Bangladesh.
The Then Nawab Ali Wardi Khan come to this island accompanied by a 9-years old boy Kishore Sarat Chandra son of Dewan Kalicharan, representative of the Dewan Borojo Kishore Lal Kanungo and bought this island. Later, Sarat Chandra became the disciple of that Naga Sannyasi. He subsequently made a sill of all of his zamindari property in favor of Sree Sree Adinath Temple in 1976.
The Adinath Temple was under Mohanths rule in accordance with Double-Management Puri Act. As huge complaints rose against the Mohanths, the management was given to Sitakund Shrine Committee in 1911 and still it continues.
The Mainak hill is a part of the Himalayas.
In ancient time, Tripura, Chittagong, Arakan, Burma, Maldives and East Indian Island were in the same geographical line. The present low riparian-Bengal was under the sea and the Aryan named this region as East Sea.
The sea was beside Maghs (Native of Burma) region. It is cited that the Vindhya Mountains was also positioned at the bank of south sea. In old Hindu sacred books it was mentioned that the site of Mainak was in the Salt Sea. Moheshkhali Island in on the south-west of Chittagong and Mainak is situated in this
island and at the peak of the hill is the dwelling place of Adinath Shiva. Pilgrims from different countries of the world as well as Indian Sub-Continent pay regular the visit to this temple to gain spirituality.
Millions of pilgrims congregate in Shiva Choturdoshi festival of Falgun (on first 14 day of Falgun, 11th Month of Bangla Year) in every year in search of purity and piety. The fair lasts for fourteen days. Every year, people from all parts of the Sub-continent irrespective of caste and creed gather here in order to gain religious virtue. Many people pay regular visit to this temple to offer a particular sacrifice to a deity on the fulfillment of a prayer in order to get relief from pain and sufferings. People are seen tying different trees with string or thin threat in the temple animing at the fulfillment of a prayer and untying it after fulfillment and offer puja (worship) by devotees. In Moheshkhali, there is no provision of making Durga idol as eight-handed goddess Durga exists physically.
At present, about 143 acres of land has been recorded as Devattar in the name of Adinath Temple, said Lakshmi Charan Dey, manager and accountant of the temple. He also said that around 160 acres of land has been recorded as Khas in DC Khatian which the newly formed committee will try to recover. Besides, about one hundred acres of land has been grabbed by some influential people, he said.
