This is one of the holy places of Saivism today. Legend has it that Mrikandu, a sage and devotee of Lord Shiva, prayed to God to bless him with a son. God appeared and gave him a choice to select the type of child he wanted. An honest responsible and virtuous son who will live only for 16 years a son who would live for 100 years but whose behavior is bad. Mrikandu chose the former.
The boy Markandeya also grew up to be an ardent devotee of Shiva. The destined time came, When Yama (the lord of death) tried to snatch the life of a boy. Markandeya went to the temple and clutched at the Shiva Lingam in a bid to escape death. Pleased by the boy's belief, Shiva rescued him from death, incarnating his as Kalantaka (the enter of death).
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