The Sages' Query in Naimisha Forest
The story begins in the sacred Naimisha Forest, where great sages like Shounaka were performing a twelve-year-long fire sacrifice. When the learned Suta Maharishi arrived, the sages greeted him and posed a profound question that puzzled them. They had heard from the Skanda Purana about the glory of sacred places like Kashi (Varanasi), but they wished to know why the Kaleshwaram Kshetra was considered "Yavadhika"—a barley grain's measure more sacred—than even Kashi. In response, Suta Maharishi began to narrate the divine legend.
The Origin of Yamapuri, the Southern Kashi
The tale starts with Yama, the God of Death and Dharma. Once, upon visiting Indra's celestial court and witnessing its splendor, Yama became disheartened. He lamented that beings in his own realm cursed him, while everyone yearned for the eternal bliss of Shiva's abode. Filled with compassion, he resolved to create a city on Earth so magnificent that humans would happily leave his realm and even heaven to seek the ultimate liberation in Shivlok.
He summoned Vishwakarma, the divine architect, and commanded him to build a city on Earth that was unparalleled in all the three worlds. Vishwakarma created a breathtaking city adorned with celestial trees, jewel-studded walls, and divine homes. At its heart, he fashioned a sacred water tank (kund) with jewel-encrusted steps, filled with blooming lotuses and celestial birds.
Yama, seeing this magnificent city and its sacred tank, resolved to make it as potent as the Manikarnika Ghat of Kashi. He undertook a severe penance to please Lord Shiva. Pleased by his devotion, Lord Shiva appeared and granted his wish, declaring that the sacred tank would grant liberation (moksha) and wash away all sins. Furthermore, Shiva himself manifested on the western side of the tank as Adi Muktishwara, the primordial lord of liberation. From that day on, Yama's city became renowned as Yamya Kashi (the Southern Kashi), a great and holy place of pilgrimage.
The Descent of the Godavari River
The narrative then shifts to the great sage Gautama, who lived with his wife Ahalya in the Mantrakuta ashram. During a severe famine, he used his yogic powers to create a perennial crop of barley to feed all the starving sages who sought refuge with him. However, over time, jealousy grew among some of the other sages. To tarnish his name, they used their powers to create a weak, illusory cow, which wandered into his barley field. When Gautama tried to shoo it away with a blade of Kusha grass, the cow fell down and died.
Accused of the terrible sin of cow slaughter, the grieving Gautama was told by the other sages that his only penance was to bring the celestial river Ganga from Lord Shiva's matted locks to the Earth. With a heavy heart, Gautama went to Kailash and performed an arduous penance. Lord Shiva, pleased, granted his wish. To contain the river's mighty force, Shiva released her onto a mountain from where she flowed down to Earth. Because she was brought by Gautama, this southern stream of Ganga came to be known as the Gautami or Godavari river. The river flowed south, purifying the lands, until it reached the holy city of Yamapuri.
The Celestial Dispute and the Rise of Muktishwara
A conflict later arose in the court of Lord Brahma between the Gautami-Ganga and the northern Jahnavi-Ganga over who was superior. Jahnavi boasted about the unparalleled glory of her home, Kashi, where Lord Shiva as Vishweshwara grants liberation to anyone who dies there, bestowing upon them a form similar to his own.
Humbled by this, Gautami undertook another intense penance to Lord Shiva, the heat of which began to scorch the three worlds. Shiva appeared before her, immensely pleased, and offered her a boon. Gautami prayed, "O Lord! As you reside on the banks of the Jahnavi in Kashi, please reside on my southern bank as Muktishwara, the Lord of Liberation. But unlike in Kashi where one must die to attain moksha, here may you grant liberation to anyone who simply has your darshan (divine sight) while they are still living".
Lord Shiva granted this extraordinary boon. He established himself as the Jyotirlinga of Shree Mukteshwara Swamy on the southern bank of the Godavari in Yamapuri. This confirmed the region's status as Dakshina Kashi, a place where the living could attain liberation.
The Dilemma of Yama and the Unification of Two Lingas
With Lord Mukteshwara granting instant liberation to all who saw him, a problem arose. Yama's realm became empty. His messengers reported that all beings were attaining moksha just by the sight of Mukteshwara, leaving no one for them to bring to the realm of death.
A deeply worried Yama approached Lord Brahma, who then led him to Lord Shiva to seek a solution. After hearing Yama's plea, Lord Shiva, with a gentle smile, revealed a divine plan. He instructed Yama, "On the very same pedestal (peetham) where I reside as Mukteshwara, you shall install another Linga in your name, which will be known as Kaleshwara".
Shiva then laid down a crucial condition: "Anyone who performs my puja as Mukteshwara but ignores your form as Kaleshwara, or shows any discrimination between us, will not attain liberation. Instead, they will go to a terrible hell".
Worship had to be offered to both Lingas to be fruitful. Following this divine command, Yama installed the Kaleshwara Linga on the same platform, creating the unique phenomenon of two Lingas on a single pedestal, representing both Yama (Kala) and Shiva (Eshwara).
The Final Proof: Why Kaleshwaram is Greater than Kashi
The final answer to the sages' question came through a surprising incident. In Kashi, a pious but widowed woman fell into a sinful relationship with a barber. Each day, after her sinful acts, she would bathe in the Jahnavi-Ganga to wash away her transgressions. The burden of this grave sin was so immense that it stained the pure Ganga herself, causing her to turn black and take the form of a crow every day.
To purify herself from this contamination, the Jahnavi-Ganga had to secretly fly south to Kaleshwaram each day. There, she would bathe in a specific holy pond known as the Vayasa Tirtha (Crow's Holy Pond). Only after bathing in these sacred waters could she regain her pure, swan-like form and return to Kashi.
The Ganga herself confessed this truth to the sage Jaabali, stating, "Therefore, Dakshina Kashi is indeed 'yavadhika' (a barley grain greater) than Kashi, for this place holds the power to cleanse the very sins that even I cannot wash away in Kashi".
Thus, the story concludes by establishing the supreme glory of Kaleshwaram—a place where the Lord of Death and the Lord of Liberation reside as one, where the living attain salvation, and whose sanctity is so profound that it purifies even the holiest of rivers.