History

One day while in the forest for hunting he reached Kethaki Vanam where he found a stream and washed his body, he was surprised to see his body cleansed and the same night Lord Shiva showed up in his dreams and asked him that he wanted the king to construct a sanatorium on the Shiva lingam. Raja Kupendra constructed a temple and dedicated it to Lord Shiva to show his gratitude. Pushkarni which came to be known as “astha theertha amrutha gundam” and is called as “Dakshina Kasi”. Gundam pooja is performed by followers from Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana due to its religious and historical importance and pays homage to Lord Shiva.
It is said that the Shiva lingam in this temple was consecrated by “Lord Bramha “.  As the present linga was instilled by Bramha now the pooja’s are being performed by Kethaki flowers (Kethaki flowers are generally not used for pooja’s) and also the water of that stream which the king converted into pushkarni consisting of 8 theerthas . Here Lord Shiva is called as Kethaki Sangameshwara.  According to legend, the king of Surya Vamsha, Raja Kupendra during “kruthayuga” suffered from a skin disease for which there was no remedy then.
One day while in the forest for hunting, he reached KetakiVanam where he found a stream and washed his body, and he was surprised to see that his body was cleansed. It is said that the same night Lord Shiva appeared in his dream and ordered the king to construct a sanctum sanctorumon the Shiva lingam. Raja Kupendra constructed a temple and dedicated it to Lord Shiva as a mark of his gratitude.