Near the coastal pilgrimage town of Dwarka in Gujarat, Nageshwar is honoured as the Jyotirlinga that shields devotees from poison and every worldly harm — "Nagesham Darukavane," as the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram names it. Its legend, told in the Koti Rudra Samhita of the Shiva Purana, recounts how a demoness named Daruka and her consort imprisoned a Shiva-devotee named Supriya in the forest of Darukavana; when Supriya led his fellow captives in chanting the Lord's name, Shiva manifested as a blazing Jyotirlinga and delivered them, then remained at the spot as Nageshwar, the Lord of serpents.
Because Nagesha subdues all venom, devotees invoke him for protection from harm seen and unseen. A vast statue of a seated Shiva rises beside the temple, visible from afar and welcoming pilgrims to the shrine.
Set close to Dwarka — itself one of the Char Dham and a city sacred to Sri Krishna — Nageshwar completes a deeply revered corner of the Saurashtra coast, where the worship of Shiva and Vishnu meet.
