SwapnilJirageTravelPost: https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com blog back up ( part 4 )

Vaikuntanatha Temple, Therani, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh

Vaikuntanatha Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located at Therani village in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is believed to be 500 years old. The temple was constructed during 16^th Century on the banks of river Kushasthali.

History

The temple was built during 16^th Century by Therani Nadadur Sudarsanachary, a Pundit in the royal court of the Karvetinagaram Rulers. On his request, the local rulers got the temple constructed with the permission of the mighty Vijayanagara emperor Sri Krishandevaraya, who was wielding control over these areas. With the passage of time, the temple turned into a ramshackle structure, especially with the migration of the families of hereditary trustees to greener pastures like Chennai, Mumbai and beyond the shores. T.N. Gopalan, a retired Public Works engineer with the Government of Tamil Nadu and having roots in the village, was instrumental in getting the temple renovated and bringing it back to life. It took just 57 days for the entire process of resurrecting the ruined structure and breathing life into the deities through elaborate processes as enshrined in scriptures.

The Temple

Presiding Deity is called as Vaikuntanatha Swamy. The Sanctum houses the deities of Vaikuntanatha Swamy along with Sridevi and Bhoodevi on either side.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 3 Kms from Ekambarakuppam Railway Station, 5 Kms from Nagari Railway Station, 5 Kms from Nagari Bus Stand, 22 Kms from Thiruthani, 49 Kms from Tirupati Airport, 52 Kms from Tirupati, 58 Kms from Chittoor, 110 Kms from Chennai and 107 Kms from Chennai Airport.

Location

Kataragama Murugan Temple, Srilanka – The Temple

The Temple is facing east with an entrance arch. Almost all the shrines are small rectangular buildings without any ornamentation. There is no representative of deities adorning the outside of the buildings. This is in contrast to any other Hindu temple in Sri Lanka or India. Almost all shrines are built of stone except that one dedicated to Valli which shows timber construction. They have been left as originally constructed and there are not any plans to improve upon them, because people are reluctant to tamper with the original shrine complex.

The most important one is known as Maha Devale or Maha Kovil and is dedicated to Skanda-Murugan known amongst the Sinhalese as Kataragama deviyo. It does not have a statute of the deity; instead it holds a Yantra, a spiritual drawing of the deity's power. Of all the shrines in the complex, it is the largest and the first that all pilgrims come to visit.

Although it does not have a representation of the deity, kept in an adjoining room is a statue of Shiva also known amongst Sinhalese as Karanduva. Within it there is a clay arm chair known as Kalana Mandima that supposedly belonged to Kalyanagiri Swamy. It is covered by a leopard’s skin and on it has all the ceremonial instruments. To the left of the main shrine lies a smaller shrine dedicated to Hindu god Ganesha who is known as Ganapati devio amongst Sinhalese. Tamils refer to him as the Manica Pillayar as well. It too is a small rectangular building without any decoration.

To the left of Ganesha shrine stands the Vishnu Devale the shrine dedicated to Vishnu within which there is also a Buddha image. Behind this is a large Bo tree that tradition holds as sprung from the sapling of the original Bo tree in Anuradhapura, hence is very much held in high esteem by the visiting Buddhists. Attached to the western wall of the shrine complex are shrines dedicated Kali, Pattini, Managara devio, Dedimunda and Suniyam.

Outside the temple yard and beyond the northern gate lies the shrine to Deivanai, the consort of Murugan. Deivanai shrine is managed by the Sankara Mutt from Sringeri in Karnataka, India. The shrine dedicated to Valli, the consort of the main deity lies in front of the mosque. Close to the Valli shrine is a Kadamba tree that is sacred to Murugan. Within the mosque are number of tombs of Muslim holy men.

There is also a separate shrine dedicated to the tomb of Kalyanagiri Swamy known amongst Tamils as Mutuligaswamy Kovil. It is also known as the Siva Devale. Next to the Maha Devale, the modest Archeological Museum features Buddha statues, moonstones, ancient inscriptions, huge fiberglass replicas of religious sculptors from various places in the island, along with other bits of religious statuary & paraphernalia-conch shells, stone figurines.

Subramanya Swamy Temple, Kothapet, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh

Subramanya Swamy Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Murugan located in Kothapet, a well-known locality in Vijayawada City in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is situated on the foot of the celebrated Indrakeelaadri Hills.

Legends & History

lddhipalli Guruvula Das, a pious follower and admirer of Lord Subrahmanya, used to offer Surya Namaskara to Lord Surya Bhagavan every day. On an auspicious day, Sri Subramanya Swamy appeared to him in an avatar of a snake. The devotee felt blessed. Exactly after six days of this miraculous appearance of Subramanya Swamy, lddhipalli Guruvula Das had a dream in which the Lord wanted him to erect a temple, with the help of the local people. Later, when the pious devotee decided to build a temple, the local people suggested him to visit the temples of Lord Muruga in Tamil Nadu and choose one that is worthy of imitation.

The devotee went on a pilgrimage to the famous Arupadai Veedu (Six Holy Abodes) of Lord Murugan in Tamil Nadu. He went on to visit Thiruthani Subramanya Swami Temple, Swamimalai Swaminatha Swamy Temple, Pazhani Dhandayudhapani Temple, Pazhamudircholai Subramanya Temple, Thiruparankundram Subrahmanya Swami Temple and Thiruchendur Subrahmanya Swami Temple. Among the six holy abodes of Lord Murugan in Tamil Nadu, lddhipalli Guruvula Das picked Thiruthani Subramanya Swami Temple and the primary deity of the temple - Lord Tanikesan with his consorts Deivanai and Valli and commenced with construction.

He was lucky enough to unearth a priceless buried treasure, an idol of Sri Balasubramanya Swamy and a few clay lamps during excavation. His joy knew no bounds that went on to establish two sacred sites, one for Balasubramanya Swamy and another for Sri Valli Deivanai Sametha Lord Subramanya. During the year 1954, the sacred idols were installed according to the Agama Shastras as per the traditions of Hinduism. A large number of people participated in the auspicious occasion of Ashtabandana and Kumbabhishekam of Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple in Vijayawada.

Furthermore, just close to the shrine, an ant hill is found - the natural habitat of snakes that is revered by people with equal zeal as that of primary deity. Therefore, Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple in Vijayawada is endued with a triplex distinction, that is to say, Sri Dhandayudhapani Swamy in the form of a boy, Sri Valli Devyani Sametha Subramanya - Lord Murugan with his consorts and lastly; the almighty in the form of a serpent. The three forms of Sri Subramanya Swamy in a same location is regarded to be singular and the temple is frequented by devotees from faraway locations.

Learned about this unique Sri Subramanya Swamy kshetram, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, the 69^th acharya and pontiff of the renowned Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham - a famed Hindu monastic establishment situated in the temple town of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, offered the deities and structures of Balipeetha, Idumban and so on. Besides, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal laid the foundation stone for the flight of steps. Many other eminent gurus and acharyas like Sri la Sri Sivanadha Mouna Swamigal of Thiruvalam, Thirumuruga Kirupanandha Variyar Swamigal visited this shrine and made the place of worship proud.

The Temple

The Temple is situated in the Indrakeelaadri hillock. This Temple overlooks the city of Vijayawada and the river Krishna and is one of the most admired temples in Vijayawada. This temple maintained by a famous family known as Iddipilli. This Temple has the special credit of having many regular devotees hailing from Tamil Nadu.

This Temple has a distinction of three forms of Lord Murugan. Dhandayudhapani Swamy in the form of a boy, Lord Murugan with his consorts and in the form of a serpent. The three forms of Sri Subramanya Swamy in a same location is regarded to be singular and the temple is frequented by devotees from faraway locations.

Temple Opening Time

The Temple remains open from 05.00 am to 12.00 Noon and 05.00 pm to 08.00 pm.

Festivals

Skanda Shashti is the most famous festival celebrated here. Thousands of devotees visit here during this time. Devasena Kalyanotsavam, Panguni Uthiram, Padi Utsavam and Thai Poosam are the other festivals celebrated here.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 500 meters from Nehru Bomma Bus Stop, 750 meters from Kothapet Fish Market Bus Stop, 1 Km from Kothapet, 3 Kms from Vijayawada Railway Junction, 3 Kms from Vijayawada Bus Station, 23 Kms from Vijayawada Airport and 37 Kms from Amaravathi. The Temple is situated on the foot of Indrakeelaadri hills, reachable from Kothapet. Vijayawada is well connected to other parts of Andhra Pradesh and India by all means of Transport.

Location

Varasiddhi Vinayaka Swamy Temple, Kanipakam, Andhra Pradesh

Varasiddhi Vinayaka Swamy Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha located in Kanipakam Village near Chittoor City in Andhra Pradesh, India. Ganesha is the controller of ‘Ganas’, the remover of obstacles, and the Lord of wisdom. The Temple is situated on the banks of River Bahuda. The temple is under the control of Endowments department of Andhra Pradesh.

Etymology

The word ‘Kanipakam’ originates from two Tamil words – ‘Kani’ meaning ‘wetland’ and ‘Pakam’ meaning ‘flow of water’.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

The temple was constructed in the early 11^th century CE by the Chola King Kulothunga Chola I and was expanded further in 1336 by the Emperors of Vijayanagara dynasty.

The Temple

Presiding Deity is called as Varasiddhi Vinayaka Swamy. It is believed that the deity is Swayambhu (Self-manifested). The deity is seen in the well, full of water always. The well from where Lord Vinayaka appeared as Swayambhu still exists in the place. The well water is offered as Prasad to the devotees. There is a shrine for serpent planets Nagar Sannidhi. People pray here for relief from adverse effects of these planets.

Temple Opening Time

The Temple remains open from 06.00 a.m. to 01.00 p.m. and 04.00 p.m. to 08.00 p.m.

Pooja Timings

· Suprabatham, Bindu Teertha Abishekham (4.00 A.M to 5.00 A.M)

· Paalabhishekam (7.30 A.M to 8.00 A.M ,12.30 P.M to 1.00 P.M, 2.00 PM to 2.30 PM, 3.30 PM to 4.00 PM and 5.45 PM to 6.15 PM)

· Sankata Hara Ganapati Vratham (9.00 A.M to 12.00 Noon)

· Special Abhishekam (5.30 AM to 6.00 AM, 9.00 A.M to 10.00 A.M, 11.00 A.M to 12.00 noon,1.00 PM to2.00 PM and 6.15 PM to 7.15 PM)

· Pavalimpu Seva (Ekantha Seva) (9.30 P.M to 10.00 PM)

· Nithya Kalyanotsavam (11.00 AM to 12.00 PM)

· Vunjala Seva (6.30 PM to 7.30 PM)

· Nijaroopa Darshan (Morning 5.00 to 5.30, 7.00 to 7.30, 8.30 to 9.00, 10.30 to 11.00 and Evening 4.30 to 5.00)

Festivals

The annual Brahmotsavam commences from Ganesh Chaturthi. It goes on for 21 days. The Utsava Murti (Festive idol) is taken out in procession on all the days colorfully decked on different vahanas (Carriages) amidst large number of pilgrims across the country. Deepotsava is the celebration involving floating of lamps in the Temple Tank. It is another important festivity and the temple looks magnificent amidst hundreds of floating lamps, under the starry sky.

Prayers

There is a shrine for serpent planets-Nagar Sannidhi. People pray here for relief from adverse effects of these planets. Devotees perform milk abishek for relief from prolonged diseases and for solutions for problems among couples, money matters etc. They also perform Ganapathi Homam for which they have to register in advance. Every evening an event called Satya Pramanam is conducted in the temple. Those accused of cheating others on money matters and cheating women are asked to depose before the Lord if they are really innocent. No one can escape punishment awarded by Lord Vinayaka if they dare speak lies. Andhra devotees regard Kanipakkam Vinayaka as their Chief Justice.

Accommodation

The Temple Management runs 6 guest rooms and Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams Trust runs the operations of 14 rooms for devotees. Another accommodation complex with 100 rooms is under construction. Besides the Temple accommodation, several private hotels and lodges also provide good quality accommodation to the devotees, in Chittoor city.

Contact

Varasiddhi Vinayaka Swamy Temple,

Kanipakam, Chittoor,

Andhra Pradesh – 517 131

Phone: +91 8573 281 540 / 281 640 / 281 747

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Location

Someswara Swamy Temple, Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh

Someswara Swamy Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located at Bhimavaram Town in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, India. Presiding Deity is called as Someswara Swamy and Mother is called as Rajarajeswari. Someswara Swamy Temple is also called as Somarama Temple. It is one of the centrally protected monuments of national importance.

This Temple is one of the Pancharama Kshetrams (five temples), dedicated to Lord Shiva in Andhra Pradesh. It is a widely held belief that a visit to all five temples in a single day would ensure salvation. Amararama in Amaravathi, is also the only one that lies on the banks of the Krishna River while the other four are located, two each in the East and West Godavari districts.

The Pancharama Kshetrams are:

· Amareswara Swamy Temple, Amararama

· Bhimeshwara Temple, Draksharamam

· Someshwara Temple, Somarama

· Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple, Ksheerarama

· Kumararama Bhimeshwara Swamy Temple, Kumararama

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

The existence of this temple can be traced to 3^rd century AD and was believed to be constructed by the King Chalukya Bheema.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Temple Opening Time

The temple remains open from 5.00 AM to 11.00 AM and from 4.00 PM to 8.00 PM.

Festivals

Important festivals celebrated in this temple are Radhotsavam and Theppotsavam performed during Maha Shivaratri (February/March) and Navaratri (September/October).

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1 Km from Bhimavaram Railway Junction, 1 Km from Bhimavaram New Bus Stand, 2 Kms from Bhimavaram Old Bus Stand, 3 Kms from Bhimavaram Town Railway Station, 22 Kms from Palakollu, 64 Kms from Eluru, 87 Kms from Rajahmundry, 91 Kms from Rajahmundry Airport, 100 Kms from Vijayawada Airport, 108 Kms from Vijayawada and 149 Kms from Amaravathi. Somaramam is well connected by Road and Railway route.

Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) runs buses frequently from Palakollu, Eluru, Rajahmundry and Vijayawada. In Karthika Masam, APSRTC runs special Pancharamams tour buses to cover all Pancharamams in a single day. Nearest Railway Station is Bhimavaram Railway Station. This Railway station is not present in main-line. So many expresses will not go through this station. It is better to step down at Vijayawada or Eluru. Nearest Airports are located at Vijayawada and Rajahmundry.

Location

Someswara Swamy Temple, Bhimavaram – The Temple

The Temple is having a seven-tiered Raja Gopuram as the entrance of temple. This temple is an old but looks like a new one because of paintings on the walls and sculptures. A 15 foot tall pillar can be found in front of the Raja Gopuram at the main entrance. There is a pond called Chandra Kundam, found in the entrance of Someswara Swamy Temple is always found to be covered with lotus flowers.

There is a big hall to the left side immediately after the entrance. This Hall houses the shrines of Lord Srirama and Hanuman. There is an open hall on the right side immediately after the entrance. When there is a crowd, pujaris / pandits conduct puja here for individuals. Massive Nandi can be found in the hall facing the sanctum. Another distinct feature is presence of five Nandi statues opposite to Shiva Lingam.

Presiding Deity is called as Someswara Swamy. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam. Shivalinga in this temple is small unlike in other Pancharamams. Shivalinga will change its color according to Lunar aspect is the specialty of this Temple. At the time of Pournami (full moon nights), Shivalinga will be in white color and during Amavasya days (dark nights), Shivalinga will be in black color.

Another unique feature is that the shrine of Goddess Annapurna was built on top of the Shiva temple, something that cannot be seen anywhere in the country. Surprisingly, the Goddess has the sacred thread around her neck and a baby near her feet. This exemplifies the Lord Shiva bearing Goddess Ganga on his head.

Mother is called as Rajarajeswari. Shrine of Aadhilakshmi can be found to the south of the sanctum. There is a marriage hall at ground and first floor situated to the south of the sanctum. Marriages are conducted both in the new hall and also in Goddess Annapurna mandapam.

There are shrines of Anjaneya Swamy, Kumara Swamy, Navagraha, Surya, Ganesha can be found in the Temple premises. There is a Pushkarini pond also called as Soma Gundam, situated to the east side of this temple. Somarama Temple is adorned with numerous sculptures and images which gives the devotees a delightful experience.

Kumararama Bhimeshwara Swamy Temple, Samalkota – The Temple

The temple is surrounded by two prakara walls built of dressed sand stones. The outer prakara wall is pierced by gopura - entrance on all the four sides. The main entrance of the temple is also popular as Surya Dwaram. The four gopura - dwara have Ardha mandapas on either side. The inner enclosure wall is divided horizontally into two sections separated by a cornice. It has a two storeyed pillared mandapa running all the inner side.

The temple has a mandapam that is supported by 100 pillars and is of great architectural importance. The temple has an Ekasila Nandi (A Bull carved from a single stone) guarding the Shiva Lingam at the entrance of the temple. The temple resembles the other Pancharama temple at Draksharama which is also called Bhimeshwara Temple. The main shrine is a free-standing monument lying at the center of the inner enclosure.

The temple is a rectangular structure and has two storied. Presiding Deity is called as Bhimeshwara Swamy. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam. Darshan of Sivalingam is at the first floor. Steps are available at both the side. The limestone Linga, installed in the shrine, is 16 feet tall that it rises from the pedestal on the ground floor and enters the second floor by piercing the roof, where the Rudrabhaga is worshipped.

Similar to Draksharamam temple the lower stair at the Shiva Linga is dark. Devotees worship the Shiva Linga from upstairs. The present Vimana of the main shrine has been renovated and is covered with thick plaster. It consists of flat pattas, row of geese kutas, salas, simhalalatas, lotuses and kalasa. It is a dvitala vimana of the dravida order with regional variations.

Mother is called as Bala Tripura Sundari. There are shrines of Kala Bhairava, Saraswathi, Durga and Ganapathi in the Temple premises. There is a shrine of Lord Raj Narayana Swamy to the west of this temple. To the East side, there is a mandapam called Koneti. Pushkarni (Koneru) lake can be seen here. There is also a Mandapa built in the centre of this pool.

In the west gate of the temple, there is a long stone Pillar. There is also a small stone carved Nandi on this pillar. When the fort built by Bhima was demolished, a lady (Gopakonta) used to come to this temple regularly to worship Lord Bheemeshwara. This pillar was built in her remembrance.

Trimbakeshwar Temple, Trimbak, Nashik, Maharashtra

Trimbakeshwar (Tryambakeshwar) Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Trimbak Town near Nashik City in Maharashtra State, India. The Temple is believed to be one among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva. The extraordinary feature of the Jyotirlinga located here is the Linga in the temple is in the form of a three faced embodying Hindu Trinity, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishu and Lord Shiva. The current temple was built by Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao (Nanasaheb).

Kushavarta, a Kund (sacred pond) in the temple premises is the source of the Godavari River, the longest river in peninsular India. It is at the foothills of amazing Brahmagiri & Gangadwar mountains nestled among lusting green woody trees and picturesque environments. The serene ambiance and the pleasant climate make the town of Trimbakeshwar a hot spot for nature loving tourists apart from Hindu pilgrims.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Temple Opening Time

The Temple remains open from 05.30 AM in the morning to 9.00 PM in the night.

Poojas

Three Pujas are performed every day. In the morning snana, Abhisheka and Aarati are performed. In the afternoon, an Aarati is performed and a Mahanaivedya is offered. 10'o clock at night, Shej Aarati is performed after which the silver mask of the Linga is kept on the bed. This silver mask is taken in the palanquin to Kushavarta tirtha every Monday for a ritual bath. On festive occasions, mainly on Tripuri Poornima and Mahashivaratri, the Linga is adorned with the five-headed golden mask.

Festivals

Shri Trimbakeshwar Sansthan takes care of daily three-time pooja, all the festivals and gala carnivals of the year. Famous festivals celebrated here are;

1. Sinhastha Kumbha Mela - Once in twelve years when Brihaspati or Jupiter is in Sinha Rashi (zodiac sign Leo).

2. Godavari day - In the month of Magha (February) - the first twelve days of bright moon.

3. Nivrutti Natha festival - three days in Pausha - sometime in January.

4. Rathayatra of Trimbakeshwar - On the full moon day of the month Kartika, called Tripuri Poornima- sometime in November.

5. Mahashivaratri - on the 13^th day of Krishna paksha of the month Magha - sometime in March.

Religious Significance

For brief details, please refer below link;

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 300 meters from Trimbakeshwar Temple Bus Stop, 1 Km from Trimbak, 28 Kms from Nashik CBS Bus Stop, 29 Kms from Nashik Mahamarg MSRTC Bus Station, 30 Kms from Nashik, 39 Kms from Nasik Road Railway Station, 178 Kms from Mumbai and 179 Kms from Mumbai Airport. Major cities like Mumbai and Pune and other cities in Maharashtra are well connected with Nashik by means of road and rail services. Trimbakeshwar is located on the foot hills of Brahmagiri Mountain.

Trimbakeshwar is reachable by state transport bus and or private transport like taxi services from Nashik. Buses start from CBS bus station Nasik at morning 5.00 AM till 9.00 PM every 15 mins to half an hour. CBS Bus Stop, Nashik is 10 Kms from Nashik Road railway station from where ST buses ply frequently. From Mumbai, drive through Thane- Jawhar- Shree Ghat to go to Triambakeshwar. The nearest Railway station is Nasik Road. All major trains halt at Nasik Road. Nearest Airport is Mumbai Airport.

Location

Trimbakeshwar Temple, Trimbak, Nashik – The Temple

The temple is located between three hills namely Brahmagiri, Nilagiri and Kalagiri. The Temple has been built in local black basalt stone and inside a courtyard measuring 260 by 220 feet. The Temple is built in the Nagara style of architecture and is enclosed in a spacious courtyard. This temple has huge area with lot of small Shiva Lingas in the small shrines near the walls. The boundary is also covered with huge fort like wall to prevent it from Muslim kings.

Nandi, Bull vehicle of Lord Shiva has a separate different temple outside the Jyotirlinga Temple. Pilgrims first visit Nandi Temple and then they visit Lord Shiva’s temple. It is mandatory here to visit Nandi first. There is also a Theertha called Kushavarta Tirth, near this temple which contains water of Godavari river. The sanctum internally a square and externally a stellar structure. The sanctum is crowned with a graceful tower, embellished with a giant Amalaka and a golden kalasha.

The temple consists of three ardhamandapas, one gudhamandapa, antarala and sanctum. The ardhamandapas are at the three sides providing three entrances to the gudhamandapa. There are six exquisitely carved pillars in the gudhamandapa. Preceding the square sanctum is a rectangular antarala. The floor level of the sanctum is a little low than the antarala and the mandapa floors.

In the center of the sanctum floor, is a self-emanated Shivalinga, which is usually covered by a silver mask having one face depicted on it. On festive occasions, a golden mask with five faces is kept as a cover over the Linga. The Linga is crowned with a jewel studded crown believed to be from Pandavas. The crown is adorned with diamonds, emeralds, and many other types of precious stones. The Crown is displayed on every Monday in the evening 4 to 5 pm.

The Jyotirlinga is little bit down below around three feet in the sanctum. One has to go down through steps from the door and reach there if he wants to touch the Linga. But in Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga, only a male who performs abishek along with pandits are allowed to touch the Linga. The unique feature of the Jyotirlinga located here is the Linga in the temple is in the form of a three faced signifying Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva.

The Shiva Lingam of the temple consisted of the world famous Nassak Diamond. It was appropriated by the British in the Third Anglo-Maratha War. The diamond presently lies with Edward J. Hand, a trucking firm executive from Greenwich, Connecticut, USA. On the exterior walls of the temple, images of various gods and goddesses are carved along with the depiction of Ashta Dikpalas, damsels and sages.

The doorways of the ardhamandapas are also carved beautiful. Stylistically these sculptures show a western Indian influence. But the as far as the architecture is concerned this is the only temple in Maharashtra that gives an exact idea of North Indian style of Shikhara with its existing and intact curvilinear tower. The shikhara or the spire is adorned with the replicas of its own and narrows at the top.

There are images of various deities, namely, Gangadevi, Jaleswara, Rameswara, Gautameswara, Kedarnatha, Rama, Krishna, Hanuman, Parasurama and Lakshmi Narayana. The temple has also several monasteries and samadhis of saints like Brahmanand Maharaj, Anandi Maharaj, Nivrittinath etc. There are also centers of several orders of sadhus here. Near the northern wall of the courtyard, there are thirty small shrines built in a row enshrining different deities.

Theerthas:

The temple tank is called Amritavarshini, measuring about 28 m (92 ft) by 30 m (98 ft). The water in this pond is used specifically and only for the abhisheka and snana of the deity. There are three other bodies of water, namely, Bilva Theertha, Viswanatha Theertha and Mukunda Theertha. Ganga dwara is the spot on the Brahmagiri where the Ganga emerged and is located to the west of the Trimbak village. It is a small tank from which a small stream of water is constantly flowing down from a stone Gomukha.

Kushavarta Tirth is referred as the major tirthas, where the water of the Godavari has been accumulated and secured with the grass by sage Gautama. The Tirth is a large rectangular reservoir measuring 94'' by 85'' and is situated in the midst of the village. It is believed that a dip in this tirtha washes all sins of the man and if taken on the Simhastha occasion it gives immense merit to the person.

Varaha Tirtha, is the place where Lord Vishnu is said to have taken bath, in the form of Varaha. Rama and Lakshman Kunds and a Rama temple have also been erected here. Several other tirthas and Kunds like Indra Tirth and Prayag Tirth are located in the area. Of these, Gangasagar and Gautamalya is the most notable for their size and utility. To the east of the village is a small streamlet called Ahalya and is considered as a highly sacred spot.

Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati, Assam

Kamakhya Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to the mother goddess Kamakhya, located in Guwahati City in Kamrup District of Assam, India. It is one of the four Adi Sakthi Peethas and oldest among the 51 Shakti Peethas. The Temple is situated on the Nilachal Hill in western part of Guwahati city. It is an important pilgrimage destination for Hindus and especially for Tantric worshipers. Historians believe the present name of Kamrup has been derived from the very Temple of Kamakhya.

The Kamakhya Temple is a familiar landmark of Assam, so much so, that the name of the Temple has become synonymous with the State itself. The Temple overlooks the ever-burgeoning city, and the mighty Brahmaputra meanders along its northern side. In July 2015, the Supreme Court of India transferred the administration of the Temple from the Kamakhya Debutter Board to the Bordeuri Samaj.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Temple & Pooja Timings

The General Darshan Timings of Kamakhya Temple at Guwahati (Assam) are as follows. On Special Occasions, like Durga Puja, the timings are modified.

5:30 AM	Snana of the Pithasthana.
6:00 AM	Nitya puja.
8:00 AM	Temple door open for devotees.
1:00 PM	Temple door closed for cooked offerings to the goddess followed by distribution among the devotees.
2:30 PM	Temple door reopens for the devotees.
5:30 PM	Aarati of Goddess followed by closing of the temple door for the night.

There are no defined visiting hours for the Pilgrims and Tourists. They can visit whenever the temple Remains open, which is from 5:30 AM in the morning to 10:00 PM in the night. On Special Occasions, these timings get extended.

Festivals

For brief details, please refer below link;

Worship Practices

For brief details, please refer below link;

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati – The Temple

The current structure has been built during the Ahom times, with remnants of the earlier Koch temple carefully preserved. The Temple was destroyed during the middle of second millennium and temple structure was renovated in 1565 by Chilarai of the Koch dynasty in the style of medieval temples. The current structural temple, built and renovated many times from 8^th -17^th Century, gave rise to a hybrid indigenous style that is sometimes called the Nilachal type: a temple with a hemispherical dome on a cruciform base. The Kamakhya Temple is a living shrine and even today hordes of pilgrims pay homage to the Goddess on the Nilachal. The temple consists of four chambers: garbhagriha and three mandapas locally called Calanta, Pancharatna and Natamandira aligned from east to west.

Garbhagriha:

The garbhagriha has a Pancharatha plan that rests on plinth moldings that are similar to the Surya Temple at Tezpur. On top of the plinths are dados from a later period which are of the Khajuraho or the Central Indian type, consisting of sunken panels alternating with pilasters. The panels have delightful sculptured Ganesha and other Hindu gods & goddesses. Though the lower portion is of stone, the shikhara in the shape of a polygonal beehive like dome is made of brick, which is characteristic of temples in Kamrup. The shikhara is circled by a number of minaret inspired angashikharas of Bengal type charchala. The Shikhara, angashikharas and other chambers were built in the 16th century and after.

The uniqueness of the Temple, amidst all the other Hindu places of worship in India, is that it enshrines no image or idol of the Goddess Kamakhya. The inner sanctum, the garbhagriha, is below ground level and consists of no image but a rock fissure in the shape of a yoni (female genital). The garbhagriha is small, dark and reached by narrow steep stone steps. Inside the cave there is a sheet of stone that slopes downwards from both sides meeting in a yoni-like depression some 10 inches deep.

This hollow is constantly filled with water from an underground perennial spring. It is the vulva-shaped depression that is worshiped as the goddess Kamakhya herself and considered as most important pitha (abode) of the Devi. The garbhagrihas of the other temples in the Kamakhya complex follow the same structure—a yoni-shaped stone, filled with water and below ground level.

Calanta:

The temple consists of three additional chambers. The first to the west is the Calanta, a square chamber of type Achala (similar to the 1659 Radha-Vinod Temple of Bishnupur). The entrance to the temple is generally via its northern door, that is of Ahom type dochala. It houses a small movable idol of the Goddess, a later addition, which explains the name. The walls of this chamber contain sculpted images of Naranarayana, related inscriptions and other gods. It leads into the garbhagriha via descending steps.

Pancharatna:

The Pancharatna is situated to the west of Calanta. It is large and rectangular with a flat roof and five smaller shikharas of the same style as the main Shikara. The middle shikhara is slightly bigger than the other four.

Natamandira:

The Natamandira extends to the west of the Pancharatna with an apsidal end and ridged roof of the Ranghar type Ahom style. Its inside walls bear inscriptions from Rajeswar Singha (1759) and Gaurinath Singha (1782), which indicate the period this structure was built.

Sculptures:

There are lot of sculptured panels in the Temple premises. There are images of Ganesha, Chamundeshwari, dancing figures etc. Within the temple premises, one can also find two full size representational statues of Malladeva and Sukladhvaj, Koch Bihar Royals.

Dasamahavidya:

The Nilachal is also the abode of the Dasamahavidya or ten forms of the Goddess Uma. According to the Brihaddharma Purana, when Uma (Sati) wanted to attend her father Daksha's yajna (sacrifice) and Siva forbade her, the ten different forms, the Dasamahavidya, came out of the third eye of Sati to frighten Siva into granting consent. These different forms of the Mother Goddess, namely Kali, Tara, Sodashi, Bhuvaneswari, Bhairavi, Matangi, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi and Kamalatmika are enshrined in different temples dedicated to her on the Nilachal.

They contain no image and are known as Sakti Peethas. The object of worship consists of a stone each moistened by a natural spring. Among these, Tripurasundari, Matangi and Kamala reside inside the main temple whereas the other seven reside in individual temples. According to the Pithanirnaya, the names of the Bhairavas associated with the Goddess Kamakhya are Umananda, Sivananda, Ramananda and Ravananda.

Kamakhya's consort Lord Shiva:

The Nilachal Hill also has a number of temples dedicated to the different forms of Kamakhya's consort Siva. They are the Ghantakarna, Kedar Kshetra, Amratakesava, Kamesvara, Siddhesvara, and Kamalesvara. In the middle of the Brahmaputra river that flows beside the Nilachal, on the island of Bhasmachala (Ash Hill), are the shrine of Umananda, Haragauri and Chandrasekhara. All of them enshrine the aniconic form of the God, i.e. the Linga. The adjacent islands of Urvasi and Karmanasa also bear the remains of Saivite shrines, the latter being the abode of Kalpesvara Siva.

Na-Math Kali Mandir:

During the reign of the Ahom king Rudra Simha Krisnaram Nyayavagis, a Sakta Brahman from Nabadwip in Bengal was installed on the Nilachal as the chief priest of the Kamakhya Temple. He came to be called the Parbatiya Gosain. One of his descendants, known as the Nati-Gosain, was instrumental in the construction of the temple of the Na-Math Kali Mandir, adjacent to the Kamakhya Temple. This temple was embellished by terracotta tiles and decorative blocks and strongly resembles the temples of Bengal. An inscription of Gaurinath Simha, fixed to the inner wall of the temple premises, bears testimony to the sacrifice of one lakh animals by the Bhitarual Phukan.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Kashi Vishwanath Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Varanasi (Kasi) City in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganga, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva temples. Presiding Deity is called as Vishwanath or Vishveshwara meaning Ruler of The Universe. Mothers are called as Visalakshi and Annapoorani. The temple town, which claims to be the oldest living city in the world, with 3500 years of documented history, is also called Kashi and hence the temple is popularly called Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

The temple has been referred to in Hindu scriptures for a very long time as a central part of worship in the Shaiva philosophy. It has been destroyed and re-constructed a number of times in history. The last structure was demolished by Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor who constructed the Gyanvapi Mosque on its site. The current structure was built on an adjacent site by the Maratha ruler, Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore in 1780. Since 1983, the temple has been managed by the government of Uttar Pradesh. During the religious occasion of Shivrathri, Kashi Naresh (King of Kashi) is the chief officiating priest.

Kashi is one of the seven cities, considered by the Hindu's as Mokshadayikas or the cities leading to salvation. This city is known as Varanasi as it is located between the two rivers Varana and Asi. Millions of pilgrims converge here to perform an abhishekam to the sacred Jyotirlinga with sacred water of river Ganga. Because of the immense popularity and holiness of Kashi Vishwanath temple, hundreds of temples across India have been built in the same architectural style. Security arrangements do not allow any cell phones, camera, belts with metal buckle, cigarettes, lighters, etc. inside the temple.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Temple & Pooja Timings

The Temple opens daily at 2:30 A.M. In Mangala Aarti 3 to 4 A.M. ticket holders are permitted to join. From 4 to 11 AM general Darshan is allowed. 11.30 to 12 AM mid-day Bhog Aarti is done. Again 12 Noon to 7 PM devotees are free to have Darshan. From 7 to 8.30 PM evening Sandhya Aarti is done after which darshan is again possible up till 9.00 PM, when Sringar/Bhog Aarti starts. After 9.00 PM Darshan from outside only is possible. Shayna Aarti starts at 10.30 PM. The Temple closes at 11 PM.

Festivals

Foundation Day, Makar Sankranti, Mahashivaratri, Shrawan Maah, Dev Deepawali, Annakoot, Rangbhari (Aamlaki) Ekadashi and Akshaya Tritiya are the festivals celebrated here with much fanfare.

Religious Significance

For brief details, please refer below link;

Prayers

Kashi is One of the seven cities, considered by the Hindu's as Mokshadayikas or the cities leading to salvation. Devotees believe that the Lord resides here and is the giver of liberation and happiness. The one who prays and worships Vishweshwara with devotion attains all his desires and one who incessantly recites his name attains all siddhis and finally gets liberated.

Contact

Kashi Vishwanath Temple,

Vishwanath Gali,

Varanasi – 221 001

Uttar Pradesh, India

Phone: +91 542 239 2629 / 239 0550

Fax: +91 542 239 2629

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Location

Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi – The Temple

The temple complex consists of a series of smaller shrines, located in a small lane called the Vishwanatha Galli, near the river. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is also popularly known as the ′Golden Temple′ due the gold plating done on its 15.5-meter high spire. One ton of gold donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh has been used in the gold plating of the spire.

According to the structure of the temple, there is a Sabha Griha or Congregation Hall leading to the inner Garbha Griha or Sanctum Sanctorum. The venerable Jyotirlinga is a dark brown colored stone which is enshrined in the Sanctum, placed on a silver platform. The Linga of the main deity at the shrine is 60 cm tall and 90 cm in circumference housed in a silver altar. The structure of Sanctum is composed of three parts.

The first compromises a spire on the Sanctum of Lord Vishwanath. The second is gold dome and the third is the gold spire atop Lord Vishwanath carrying a flag and a trident. The main temple is quadrangle and is surrounded by shrines of other gods. There are small temples for Kala Bhairava, Dhandapani, Vishnu, Vinayaka, Avimukteshwara, Sanishwara, Virupaksha and Virupaksh Gauri in the complex.

There is a small well in the temple called the Jnana Vapi also spelled as Gyan Vapi (the wisdom well). The Jnana Vapi well sites to the north of the main temple and it is believed that the Jyotirlinga was hidden in the well to protect it at the time of invasion. It is said that the main priest of the temple jumped in the well with the Shiv Ling in order to protect the Jyotirlinga from invaders.

Noteworthy about the temple is 15.5-meter-high gold spire and gold dome. There are three domes each made up of pure gold. Though the interior of the temple is not large and elaborate it presents the peaceful atmosphere ideal for worship. The Kashi Vishwanath temple receives around 3,000 visitors every day. On certain occasions the numbers reach 1,000,000 and more.

Bhimashankar Temple, Maharashtra

Bhimashankar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located near Pune in the Ghat region of the Sahyadri Hills (Western Ghats) in the State of Maharashtra, India. Bhima Shankar Temple lies on the banks of the river Bhima. Bhimashankar is also the source of the river Bhima, which flows southeast and merges with the Krishna river near Raichur. Bhimashankar can be termed a pilgrim's paradise.

The dense forests surrounding the high ranges are an abode for rare species of flora and fauna. The Temple is believed to be one among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva. The other Jyotirlinga shrines in Maharashtra are Trimbakeshwar near Nashik and Grishneshwar near Aurangabad. It may be noted that according to the Shiva Purana, the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is situated on the Mountain Brahmapur in Kamrup District, Assam.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Pooja Timings

Three worship services are offered every day.

Event	Timings
Opening Time	4.30 am
Morning Aarti	4:45 am to 5.00 am
Nijaroopa (Original Shivalinga) darshan	5:00 am to 5.30 am
Normal Darshans and Abhishekam	5:30 am to 2:30 pm
No Abhishekam between	12:00 pm to 12:30 pm
Maha Puja (Naivedya Pooja)	12.00 pm. to 12.30 pm
Afternoon Aarti	3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Shringar Darshans	3:30 am to 9:30 pm
Evening Aarti	7:30 pm to 8:00 pm

(No Pradosham is done on Mondays or Amavasya (new moon day) or Grahan (eclipse) or Mahashivaratri). (In the Hindu months of Karthik and Shravan, there is no Mukut or Shringar Darshans).

Festivals

Maha Shivrathri is the most famous festival celebrated here.

Accommodation

Pilgrims usually stay here for three days. The local upajjhayas (priests) make arrangements for the lodging and boarding of pilgrims at a small cost. Visitors are accommodated in either temporary hutments or in dharamshalas near the village. Natraj Holiday Resort located before 8 kms from the temple, has 23 rooms. A new dharmashala is under construction. There are several hotels near Bhimashankar. Places like Shinoli and Ghodegaon are good for staying near Bhimashankar. Accommodation at Bhimashankar mainly comprises two bungalows (with a capacity of 8 beds) and tents.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit is between August and February. Though any time of the year is good to visit Bhimashankar, it is better to avoid visiting it during summer. Similarly, during monsoon, unless one likes trekking, it is better to avoid a visit. That leaves the best period to seven months between August and February.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Location

Bhimashankar Temple – The Temple

Bhimashankar Temple is situated in picturesque extreme end of the Sahyadri Ranges and provides a wonderful view of the forts, the rivers and the hill stations around. The dense forests surrounding the high ranges also play an abode to the rare species of flora and fauna. The Bhimashankar temple is a composite of old and new structures in the Nagara style of architecture. It shows the excellency of the skills achieved by ancient Vishwakarma sculptors.

It is a modest, yet graceful temple and it dates back to the 13^th century while the Sabha Mandapam was built in the 18^th century by Nana Phadnavis. The shikhara was also built by Nana Phadnavis. The great Maratha ruler Shivaji is said to have made endowments to this temple to facilitate worship services. As with other Shiva temples in this area, the sanctum is at a lower level.

Although the structure here is fairly new, the shrine Bhimashankaram (and the Bhimarathi river) have been referred to in literature dating back to the 13th century CE. Saint Jnaneshwar is said to have visited Tryambakeshwar and Bhimashankar. The idol of Nandi, Lord Shiva's Vahana (vehicle) has been installed as is the case with all the Siva Temples, just at the entrance of the temple.

It is believed that the ancient shrine was erected over a Swayambhu Lingam (that is the self-emanated Shiva Lingam). It can be observed that the Lingam is exactly at the centre of the floor of the Garbhagriha (the Sanctum Sanctorum) of the temple. Intricate carvings of divine beings interspersed with human figurines adorn the pillars and the doorframes of the temple. Scenes from mythology find themselves captured in these magnificent carvings. Within the temple precincts there is also a small shrine dedicated to Lord Shani (also called Shaneeshwara).

Between the two pillars outside the Shani temple, one comes across an ancient huge Portuguese bell. This bell has an idol of Mother Mary with Jesus. This large bell was presented by Chimaji Appa (Brother of Bajirao Peshwa I and uncle of Nana Saheb Peshwa). On 16 May 1739, Chimaji Appa collected five large bells after he won a war against the Portuguese from the Vasai Fort. He offered one here at Bhimashankar and the others at Menavali near Wai in front of a Shiva Temple on the banks of the Krishna river, Banshanker Temple (Pune), Omkareshwar Temple (Pune) and Ramalinga Temple (Shirur).

Behind the temple, there is a small pathway that leads one to the banks of a river. There are other temples and shrines, near the main temple. There is a shrine to Kamalaja near the Bhimashankar Temple. Kamalaja is an incarnation of Parvathi, who aided Shiva in his battle against Tripurasura. Kamalaja was worshipped with offerings of lotus flowers by Brahma.

There is a shrine for Siva Ganams, Shaakini and Daakini who assisted Shiva in the battle against the demon, Bhima. Koushika Maha Muni is said to have done 'Tapas' (penance) there. The place where he bathed is called Moksha Kund Theertham, which is located behind the Bhimashankar Temple. There are also the Sarva Theertham, the Kusharanya Theertham - where the Bhima river begins to flow eastward, and the Jnana Kund.

Omkareshwar Temple, Mandhata, Madhya Pradesh

Omkareshwar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Mandhata in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh State in India It is one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is on an island called Mandhata or Shivapuri in the Narmada river; the shape of the island is said to be like the Hindu Om symbol. Omkareshwar is formed by the sacred river Narmada. This is one of the most sacred of rivers in India and is now home to one of the world's biggest dam projects. The temple is situated on Mandhata island on the banks of Narmada and river Kaveri (a tributary of Narmada).

The island is 2.6 km2 (2,600,000 m2) in area and can be approached by boats. There are two main temples of Lord Shiva here, one dedicated to Omkareshwar located in the island and one to Mamaleshwar located on the south bank of Narmada River on the mainland. As per the sloka on Dwadasa Jyotirlinga, Mamaleshwar is the Jyotirlinga, nonetheless, many consider both Omkareshwar and Mamaleshwar equally sacred and representative of Jyotirlinga at this sacred place.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

According to the history of Omkareshwar Temple, nobody knows the original date of construction of this historic temple. The earliest evidence states that in 1063, King Udayaditya installed four stone inscriptions each with Sanskrit Stotras. In 1195, Raja Bharat Singh Chauhan renovated the temple and built a palace near it. In the medieval period, Mandhata, the area where Omkareshwar Temple was situated, was ruled by the aboriginal Bhil chieftains under the suzerainty of the Parmaras of Dhar, the sultans of Malwa, the Scindia of Gwalior, who in turn handed over Mandhata to the British in 1824. The last Bhil chieftain Natthu Bhil fell out with Daryao Gosai a powerful priest of the place. The latter approached the king of Jaipur to set right Natthu Bhil.

The king sent his brother Bharatsingh Chauhan, then Subedar of Jhalarapatan on the border of Malwa. Finally, the entire tussle ended with the marriage of Bharatsingh and the only daughter of Natthu Bhil. Bharatsingh along with some of Rajput associates who also married other Bhil girls settled in Mandhata in 1165 A.D. Their progeny is called Bhilalas. Bharatsingh’s descendants ruled Omkareshwar since then. During the British rule the Rajas (Officially known as Raos) had Mandhata Omkareshwar as their Jagir rights, all abolished now. Bharatsingh’s direct descendants are called Rajputs.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Pooja Timings

Timings	From	To
Morning Darshan	5 AM	3:50 PM
Evening Darshan	4:15 PM	9:30 PM
Mangal Aarti	5 AM	5:30 AM
Jalabhiseka	5:30 AM	12:25 PM
Evening Aarti	8:20 PM	9:05 PM

Poojas & Festivals

For brief details, please refer below link;

Religious Significance

The significance of Omkareshwar temple is that the Jyotirlinga is split in nature – one half in the Omkareshwar Temple (known as Omkar) and the other half in the Mamaleshwar Temple (known as Amaleshwar). The pilgrims must visit both these temples to get a darshan of the complete Jyotirlinga.

Prayers

Devotees also believe that by performing Aarti at the Koti Tirth (on the banks of River Narmada), one can achieve health and happiness in life. As per some other beliefs, one can earn Punya or Blessing if one offers Naivedyam Bhog from their home to the Lord Shiva’s Linga on special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1 Km from Omkareshwar Bus Stand, 12 Kms from Sanawad Railway Station, 12 Kms from Omkareshwar Road Railway Station, 70 Kms from Khandwa, 78 Kms from Indore Junction Railway Station, 78 Kms from Indore, 84 Kms from Indore Airport, 139 Kms from Ujjain and 257 Kms from Bhopal.

Omkareshwar is connected to Indore, Khandwa, Bhopal and Ujjain by regular bus services. Nearest Railway Stations are Omkareshwar Road (Mortakka) and Sanawad Ratlam - Khandwa section of Western Railway. The nearest airport is located at Indore, connected by regular flights from all over India. Indore having direct flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and other major cities.

Location

Omkareshwar Temple, Mandhata – Legends

Jyotirlinga:

According to Shiva Mahapuraan, Brahma (The Creator) and Vishnu (The Preserver) once had a disagreement about which of them was supreme. To test them, Shiva pierced the three worlds as an immeasurable pillar of light, the Jyotirlinga. Vishnu and Brahma parted company to determine the extent of each end of the pillar. Brahma, who had set off upward, lied that he had discovered the upper end of the pillar, but Vishnu, who had gone in the direction of the base of the pillar, admitted that he had not. Shiva then appeared as a second Jyotirlinga and cursed Brahma, telling him that he would have no place in the ceremonies, though Vishnu would be worshipped until the 'end of eternity'.

The Jyotirlinga is the supreme indivisible reality from which Shiva appears. jyotirlinga shrines commemorate this time when Shiva appeared. It was believed that there were originally sixty-four Jyothirlingas. Twelve are considered to be especially auspicious and holy. Each of the twelve sites takes the name of the presiding deity and each is considered a separate manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the primary deity is a lingam representing the beginning less and endless Stambha pillar, symbolizing the Shiva's infinite nature.

The twelve jyotirlingas are;

· Somnath in Gujarat,

· Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh,

· Mahakaleswar at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh,

· Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh,

· Kedarnath in Uttarakhand,

· Bhimashankar in Maharashtra,

· Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh,

· Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra,

· Vaidyanath at Deoghar in Jharkhand,

· Nageshvara Jyotirlinga,

· Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu,

· Grishneshwar at Aurangabad in Maharashtra.

Mandhata:

The story relates to Mandhata and his son's penance. King Mandhata of Ikshvaku clan (an ancestor of Lord Ram) worshipped Lord Shiva here until the Lord manifested himself as a Jyotirlinga. Mandhata's sons-Ambarish and Muchukunda had practiced severe penance and austerities here and pleased Lord Shiva. Because of this the mountain is named Mandhata.

Lord Shiva fought war with Demons on behalf of Devas:

Once upon a time there was a great war between Devas and Danavas (demon), in which Danavas won. This was a major setback for Devas and hence Devas prayed to Lord Shiva. Pleased with their prayer, Lord Shiva emerged in the form of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga and defeated Danavas.

Adi Shankara's Cave:

Adi Shankara's Cave is said to be the place where Sri Adi Sankara met his Guru Govindapada in a cave. This cave can be found even today just below the Shiva temple where an image of Adi Shankara has been installed.

Omkareswarar & Amaleshwarar:

It is said that once, sage Naradhar during his visit to the Vindhyas, sang the praise of mount Meru to Mount Vindhya. On hearing this, Mount Vindhya prayed to Lord Siva to gain importance. Lord Siva blessed him and appeared here as Omkareswarar & Amaleshwarar and gave him the boon of growing, but without hindering Siva devotees. But the Vindhyas did not stop growing, and even obstructed the sun and the moon.

Sage Agastya subdued its growth by saying it should not grow till he gets back there. He never went back & hence the growth was arrested. The lingam that was worshipped by Vindhya was split into two on the request of the Gods and sages. One of the lingams is known as Omkareshwar which is located in the Omkareshwar temple on the Shivpuri hills. The other Lingam known as the Mamaleshwar is situated at the opposite bank of the Narmada river.

Omkareshwar Temple, Mandhata – The Temple

There are two main temples of Lord Shiva here, one dedicated to Omkareshwar located in the island and one to Mamaleshwar located on the south bank of Narmada River on the mainland. The Omkareshwar Temple is built in the Nagara style and is characterized by a lofty shikhara. A special feature of the location of Omkareshwar Temple is that the river Narmada branches into two and forms an island Mandhata or Shivapuri in the center.

The shape of the island resembles that of the visual representation of the Omkara sound, Om. The temple can be reached by ferry from the banks of the river. The temple is 5 storeyed each having a different deity. Omkareshwar temple has a grand Sabha Mandap (meeting or prayer hall) standing on about 60 huge brown stone pillar (14 feet high), elaborately carved with a curious frieze and fillet of satyr like figures. Many of them have broad shoulders and meditating foreheads.

Before entering the sanctum, one has to pass through two rooms. The unique feature of this Jyotirlinga is not situated below the usual Cupola (dome-like structure where temples keep the idols of Gods). Instead, it is present at the top of the temple. Moreover, the temple did not fix the Omkareshwar Linga to the ground. It is naturally present there with water surrounding it.

Mahakaleshwar Shrine is situated on the first floor of the Temple and it commands an excellent view of Narmada River. It also has a beautiful sculpture for River Narmada. Shrines of Siddnath, Gupteshwar and Dhwajeshwar are located on the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th floor of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga. There is a shrine for Annapurna and five-faced Ganapati in the temple.

There are three regular ‘Pujas’ in the temple. The morning one done by the temple trust, the middle one by the priest of Scindia state and the evening one by the priest of the Holkar state. The temple is always crowded with pilgrims, coming after a bath in the Narmada and with pots full of Narmada water, coconuts and articles of worship, many of them performing Abhishek or special worships through the priests.

Adi Shankara's Cave:

Omkareshwar is said to be the place where Sri Adi Sankara met his Guru Govindapada in a cave. This cave can be found even today just below the Shiva temple where an image of Adi Shankara has been installed.

Mamaleshwar Temple:

The other half of the Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga is present here. The Linga itself is popular as Amareshwar. The temple is small with a hall as well as a sanctum. One can also perform the Linga Abhishekam themselves.

Gop Temple, Zinavari, Jamnagar, Gujarat

Gop Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located at Zinavari village in Jamjodhpur Taluka of Jamnagar District, Gujarat, India. The Hindu temple is dated to the 6^th century and is one of the earliest surviving stone temples in Gujarat. The temple architecture has an influence of Gandhara architecture pattern and it also resembles the construction style of north and south Indian temples. The Gop temple is consecrated to Lord Shiva who is also known as Gopeshwar or Gopnath.

Though the presiding deity is Lord Shiva, but the temple is famously called as Surya Temple. The Temple is located on the bank of Vartu river and south-west of the Gop hill of Barda Hills. The Zinavari village is also known as Juna or Nana Gop and is located east of Gop village. It is located north of Ghumli, on a hill top. The temple is protected monument by Archeological Survey of India and is designated as Monument of National Importance.

Legends

As per the legend, Gop temple is associated with Lord Krishna and Gopi. At this place, Shri Vallabhacharya had delivered his discourses and hence the place is also worshipped as one of the 84 Mahaprabhuji Bethak.

History

The ancient temple of Gop is considered the earliest surviving stone temple of Saurashtra, Gujarat. Burgess in 1876 estimated it not later than 6^th century. Sankalia states that the temple belongs to 5^th century but not earlier than Uparkot caves of Junagadh based on the Kahu-Jo-Darro stupa of Mirpurkhas. The temple is generally dated to late 6th century (575-600 CE). K. V. Soundara Rajan assigned the first half of the 7^th century. The most probable date considered now is the last quarter of 6^th century (Maitraka period) to the first half of the 7th century.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 6 Kms from Gop Patiya Bus Stop, 7 Kms from Gop Jam Railway Station, 25 Kms from Jamjodhpur, 27 Kms from Bhanvad, 65 Kms from Jamnagar, 65 Kms from Jamnagar Airport, 117 Kms from Rajkot, 128 Kms from Dwarka and 363 Kms from Ahmedabad. The Temple is situated on Bhanvad to Jamnagar Route (SH 27). The place has good road connectivity. State-owned buses and private buses are available to reach this temple.

Location

Gop Temple, Zinavari, Jamnagar – The Temple

The temple has a square plan to which were added bricked double courtyards centuries later. The temple was bigger and included a mandapa and a roofed pradakshina-patha (circumambulation passage), but most of it was damaged and has fallen away leaving a peculiar looking skeletal structure. The sanctum walls remain standing and parts above the shikhara. The shrine is 10 feet 9 inches square from inside. It is 23 feet high and has 2 feet 6 inches thick walls. The walls are plain without any ornamentation and perpendicular to height till 17 feet and over it survives the pyramidal shikhara.

Each course is about 8 inches deep and is jointed. Thus, it is built from stones without any kind of cement. At 11 feet from the floor, there are four holes in the front and back walls, each 14 inches high, probably for joists; and over them, in side walls, are six smaller holes, probably for rafters. The sanctum faces the east. Its front wall fell and seems rebuilt at someone with the inner sides of the stones turned out, showing the sockets of the clamps with which, the stones had been secured. There is an inscription on the left jamb of the door which Burgess was unable to decipher.

The shikhara (spire) is formed by six or seven courses having beveled edges followed by square faces and at last the apex covered by single slab. It follows corbel principle; the interior is hollow. From outside, it rises in tiers having three clear divisions. The lowest division has two gavakshas or arch-shaped motifs on each side, with some images carved in. The apex is crowned by a single stone amalaka (stone disc) on it. Some figures on the Shikhara are identifiable. There is Ganesha figure still visible in the west side and another Deva figure on the north side.

There are a series of holes 21⁄2 feet below the string-course which supported beams that once supported the roof of inner courtyard. Of two courtyards, the inner courtyard is mostly broken. It was 35 feet 2 inches square with bay on the east side 18 feet 4 inches by 7 feet 3 inches. It may have served as parikrama path so it is sandhara (with circumambulatory path) type of temple. The basement of it was decorated on all four sides by one niche in centre and one each at the corners. These are empty, but likely had sculpture inside.

The stretch between these niche was ornamented with small figures such as dwarfs. The outer courtyard was about 91⁄2 feet wide. It was probably open above or at least laterally. There are two figures of deities in yellow stone inside the shrine. It cannot be decided who are they exactly. They are locally known as Rama and Lakshman. The Ram figure has high square Mukuta or head-dress while Lakshmana has low crown, long ear-rings, ringlets and holds spear in right hand. The temple features iconography of Vishnu, Skanda, Surya (the solar deity) and the temple has been locally called Surya Mandir. The site also shows iconography of Shivaism, with evidence that Hindu monks lived here.

The temple is an unusual architectural variation on the Nagara style. It has resemblances with early Dravidian temples of Pattadakal and Aihole. It also have similarities with temples of Kashmir in arrangement of roof and the trefoil niches on outside wall of inner courtyard. Such temples include Martand Sun Temple, Pandrethan and Payar temples though all of them are later than 8^th century. Gupta period temples, the temple is on high and square plinth, jagati, with a projection on the east. But the plinth is much higher and is made of heavy blocks of stone which is characteristic local form.

The temple has chaitya-windows similar to Uparkot caves of Junagadh but they had lost their use as vedika so they must have evolved later. The sculpture of Kahu-Jo-Darro stupa of Mirpurkhas has similarities with sculptures of Gop temple. As it is dated 4^th to 5^th century, the Gop temple may belonged to similar period. The radiocarbon dating of wood beam from the temple dating has confirmed its age of 550 AD.

Danteshwari Temple, Dantewada, Chattisgarh

Danteshwari Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Goddess Sakthi, located in Dantewada Town in Dantewada District in the state of Chattisgarh, India. The Temple is considered to be one of the 52 Shakti Peethas, shrines of Shakti, the divine feminine, spread across India. The temple was built in the 14^th century.

Dantewada is named after the Goddess Danteshwari, the presiding deity of the earlier Kakatiya rulers. Traditionally, she is the Kuladevi (family goddess) of Bastar state. The Temple is situated in Dantewada, south-west of Jagdalpur, at the confluence of the holy rivers Shankini and Dhankini, both the rivers have different colors.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

The temple is almost 600 years old and was constructed by the Chalukya Kings of this region during the 14th century CE. This is the main reason for the temple being styled like a South Indian Temple.

The Temple

The temple is divided into four parts such as Garbha Griha, Maha Mandap, Mukhya Mandap and Sabha Mandap. Garbha Griha and Maha Mandap were constructed with stone pieces. There is a Garuda Pillar in front of the entrance of the temple. The temple itself is located in a spacious courtyard surrounded by massive walls. The shikhara is adorned with sculptural finery. The idol of Danteshwari Mai is chiseled out of black stone.

Festivals

For brief details, please refer below link;

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1 Km from Dantewada Bus Stand, 3 Kms from Dantewada Railway Station, 84 Kms from Jagdalpur, 87 Kms from Jagdalpur Airport, 87 Kms from Jagdalpur Railway Station, 106 Kms from Bastar, 339 Kms from Raipur and 346 Kms from Raipur Airport. Cab, Taxi and Bus services are easily available from Jagdalpur city to reach the Danteshwari Temple. Dantewada Town is well connected by broad gauge railway line from Visakhapatnam.

Location

Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple, Ksheerarama, Palakollu, Andhra Pradesh

Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located at Palakollu Town in West Godavari District in Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Presiding Deity is called as Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy. It is believed that staying one day in Ksheerarama is equivalent to staying one year in Varanasi. The Rajagopuram is one of the tallest among the temple towers in Andhra Pradesh. This ancient temple has been listed as a protected monument by the Archaeological Department.

The Pancharama Kshetrams are:

· Amareswara Swamy Temple, Amararama

· Bhimeshwara Temple, Draksharamam

· Someshwara Temple, Somarama

· Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple, Ksheerarama

· Kumararama Bhimeshwara Swamy Temple, Kumararama

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

Palakollu Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy temple was constructed during the reign of Chalukya Bhima of Chalukya dynasty in the 9^th century. The Prakara was designed by Sri Velupathi during the 10^th century and gopuram was constructed under the rule of Musunuri Nayaks who had their bases at Warangal and Rajahmundry during the 14^th and 15^th centuries. Kalyana mandapam and Ashta Bhuja Lakshmi Narayana Swamy temples were built in the 17^th century. It is known from the inscriptions that Great poets Nanayya, Thikkana, Srinatha visited this shrine.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Temple Opening Time

The Temple remains open from 5:30 am to 12: 00 noon and 4:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Abhishekam and Astottaram will be performed from 6:00 am – 11:00 am. Astottaram and Kumkum Pooja will be performed from 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm.

Festivals

Mahashivaratri is an important festival when thousands of people offer prayers to seek the blessings of the Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy to attain Mukti. Navratri is also celebrated joyously in this temple.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 400 meters Palakollu Main Bus Stand, 2 Kms from Palakollu Railway Station, 11 Kms from Narsapur, 24 Kms from Bhimavaram, 69 Kms from Rajahmundry, 79 Kms from Rajahmundry Airport, 130 Kms from Vijayawada, 144 Kms from Vijayawada Airport and 171 Kms from Amaravathi. Palakollu is located at the National Highway 214. The temple is situated near the main bus station. Bus services are available from all major places in Andhra Pradesh to reach the temple in Palakollu. Nearest railway station is Palakollu Railway Station. Trains are also very easily available on a regular basis from the Vijayawada Railway Junction. Nearest Airport is Rajahmundry Airport.

Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple, Ksheerarama, Palakollu – The Temple

The temple is a huge structure with a towering Rajagopuram. The Rajagopuram is one of the tallest among the temple towers in Andhra Pradesh. The height of the temple tower is 120 ft and 9 floors and was constructed during the Chalukya period (9^th century) during the reign of Chalukya Bheema. The Prakara was designed by Sri Velupathi during 10^th century. Gopuram was constructed by Sri Alladu Reddy during 14^th Century. There are 72 pillars made of black stone in the temple mandapa.

Presiding Deity is called as Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam. The Shivalinga is a unique milky white in color and the tallest. The Lingam can be seen from the windows of the sanctum on all four sides. Gokarneshwara and Vigneshwara Shrines can be found on left side of the sanctum. Subramanya Swamy and Janardhana Swamy Shrine can be found on right side of the sanctum. Nandi can be found facing the sanctum.

There are shrines for Kashi Vishweshwara, Parvathi, Lakshmi, Veera Bhadra, Nagareshwara Lingam, Dundi Vigneshwara, Kumara Swamy, Sapta Matrikas, Kanaka Durga, Brahma, Saraswathi, Kartikeya, Kala Bhairava, Mahishasura Mardini, Surya, Nagas, Nataraja, Dattatreya, Nageswara, Shaneeshwara, Radha Krishna, and Sankara in the Temple premises. The Gostani River flows through Palakollu and there is a Sangam (confluence) near Narsapur with the Godavari River. From here the river empties into the sea at Antarvedi.

Bhimeshwara Swamy Temple, Draksharamam, Andhra Pradesh

Bhimeshwara Swamy Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Draksharamam Town in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, India. Presiding Deity is called as Bhimeshwara Swamy and Mother is called as Manikyamba. It is in Draksharamam, East Godavari District. The presiding deity at Draksharamam Temple is in the form of a Linga, 2.6 m tall of one large Crystal (known as the “Spadika Linga”). The Temple is situated on the eastern bank of the River Godavari. Draksharamam also called as Dakshina Kasi or the Southern Banaras. It is also one among the Ashtadasa Shakti Peethas and Trilinga Kshetrams.

The Pancharama Kshetrams are:

· Amareswara Swamy Temple, Amararama

· Bhimeshwara Temple, Draksharamam

· Someshwara Temple, Somarama

· Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple, Ksheerarama

· Kumararama Bhimeshwara Swamy Temple, Kumararama

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

This temple was built by the Eastern Chalukyan King of Vengi - Bhima, during very troubled times (9^th - 10^th centuries), when his kingdom was under attack by the Rashtrakutas. Inscriptions reveal that he had to fight as many as 360 battles. Chalukya Bhima also built the Chalukya Bhimeswaram temple at Samalkota nearby. This temple is famous for its sculptures and inscriptions and it contains nearly 400 inscriptions. The earliest is dated 1038. These inscriptions can be traced back to the Eastern and the Western Chalukyas as well as the Cholas and Kalinga rulers. Architecturally and sculpturally, it reflects a blend of Chalukyan and Chola styles. This temple is managed by the Executive Officer under the control of the Endowments Departments.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Temple Opening Time

The Temple remains open from 6.00 AM to 12.00 Noon and 3.00 PM to 8.00 PM. On Wednesdays, the Temple remains open from 6.00 AM to 11.30 AM and 3.00 PM to 8.00 PM. Once a month on Masa Shivaratri and once a year on Maha Shivaratri, the temple is open throughout the day starting from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Festivals

Maha Siva Ratri, Navaratri, Kartika Masam, Dhanur Masam, Birthday Celebration of Bhimeshwara Swamy, Subrahmanya Shashti, Kalyanotsavam, Vaisakha Pournami, Sravana Purnima, Kartika Purnima, Vasantha Panchami, Gowri Vratham and Dasara are the main festivals associated with Draksharamam. On every Ekadashi day Lord Bhimeshwara Swamy and Manikyamba Devi Ekantha Seva will be performed. Eight slokas will be sung by priests regarding Manikyamba Devi and Bhimeshwara Swamy and their romantic love story. Fridays also important days to worship Manikyamba Devi. Kumkum Archana will be done in Fridays.

Religious Significance

For brief details, please refer below link;

Accommodation

In the Devasthanam, dormitories are available at a charge of Rs. 200.00/- per day. Devotees can also avail one of the two A.C. suites with attached Bathrooms at a cost of Rs. 700.00/- per day per suite. Other rooms are also available at reasonable prices and usually, the prices start from Rs.100 or 200 per day depending on the room sizes. There is one Choultry adjacent to the compound wall of the Temple.

Sri P.V.R. Choultry: Phone: +91 884 2363 535

Contact

Bhimeshwara Swamy Temple,

Draksharama, Ramachandrapuram (M),

East Godavari District,

Andhra Pradesh – 533 262

Phone: +91 8857 252 488

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Bhimeshwara Swamy Temple, Draksharamam – The Temple

The temple covers an area of about 12 acres and is surrounded with huge walls. The temple is situated on the eastern bank of Godavari River. The Temple has two prakarams. The temple has four entrances in the outer prakara each marked with a gopuram, facing the four cardinal directions. The western entrance is the biggest. It is of five tiers. Dundi Ganapati and Natya (Dancing) Ganapati can be found at the main entrance. The trunk of Ganapati faces to his right which resembles Ganapati in Kasi.

On the south is the entrance to the inner prakara, which is lined by a pillared two-storeyed verandah. The main temple is twin storeyed. Two flights of stairs lead us into the upper level of the sanctum. This has a pillared pradakshina on three sides and a Garbhagriha. Presiding Deity is called as Bhimeshwara. He is enshrined in the sanctum in the form Shivalingam. He is about ten feet high. Presiding deity is a Spatikakara. The bottom part of the lingam appears in black color and the upper portion appears in white color. This is said to be a symbol of Ardhanariswara Tatwa.

The early morning sun light falls directly on the Shiva lingam. Visitors can take a flight of steps towards the upper level of the Sanctum to see the upper structure of Lord Bheemeshwara Swamy. For performing puja (Abhisheka), water from Sapta (seven) Godavari Kundam (pond) is used as it is considered sacred. This inner sanctum consists of a pedestal which has been built for priests to perform their rituals. Aurangzeb, when he invaded the temple, plundered the diamonds that had been studded into the walls. Ever since then this sanctum remains dark as the diamonds acted as a light source.

A pillared verandah, in two storeys, runs around the main shrine in the second enclosure. In a corner is the shrine of the Goddess, Manikyamba. In another corner, there is a miniature of the main shrine. One legend says that as ages go by, the height of humans would reduce to such an extent that the current temple would become a huge gigantic structure, and hence another temple was built for the tiny people of the future. Another legend says that the tiny temple is for the tiny creatures that inhabitate the land. And some say that it is the prototype of the main temple.

Mother is called as Manikyamba. Her shrine is located in the inner prakaram. It is situated in the north east corner of the Temple. There is a Srichakra below Manikyamba Idol. The Goddess is looking towards the left which signifies her as Vamachara Devatha. Shrine for goddess Manikyamba, said to be one part of the 18 pieces of Sati Devi that fell here, is a Shakti Peetha.

Lord Vishnu, present at the Draksharamam temple with his consort Lakshmi Devi, is the Kshetrapalaka of Draksharamam. His shrine is at the entrance of main Temple. The Kashi Visweswara Swamy Shrine faces south and is on the right side of Bheemeshwara Swamy temple. Kashi Visweswara Swamy can be seen along with his consort Annapurna. There are shrines of Virupaksha Swamy, Bala Bheemeshwara, Saptha Mathas, Suryanarayana Swamy, Subrahmanyeswara Swamy, Lakshmi Ganapati and Lord Brahma installed by Krishna Devaraya can be found in the Temple premises. There are halls for Navagraha and Ashta Dikpalakas.

The water from the Sapta Godavari Kundam (seven Godavari pond) is very sacred and is used for performing pooja. According to mythology, “Saptamaharishis” or the Seven Sages divided the Godavari River into seven streams in an attempt to end their penance. Of these seven streams, Draksharamam, Bharadhwaja, Viswamitra and Jamadagni streams known as the “Antarvahinis” and are believed to have gone underground. Later, these streams merged into a pond which is now known as Sapta Godavari Kundam.

The temple walls and pillars are decoratively carved with mythological figures. The inscriptions and scripts are written in Dravidian, Tamil, Devanagari, Telugu scripts in Sanskrit and Telugu languages. The inscriptions speak of the Chola, Satavahanas, Vijayanagara and Reddy dynasties that once ruled over this region. There are nearly 800 ancient inscriptions on the walls of the temple.

Amaralingeswara Temple, Amaravathi, Andhra Pradesh

Amaralingeswara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located at Amaravathi town in Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Presiding Deity is called as Amareshwara / Amaralingeswara / Krouchandha and Mother is called as Bala Chamundika / Bala Chamundeshwari Devi. The Temple is considered to be an important and very sacred as it is located on the southern bank of holy Krishna River.

The Pancharama Kshetrams are:

· Amareswara Swamy Temple, Amararama

· Bhimeshwara Temple, Draksharamam

· Someshwara Temple, Somarama

· Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple, Ksheerarama

· Kumararama Bhimeshwara Swamy Temple, Kumararama

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

Amaravati, additionally called Dhanyakataka / Dharanikota was the location of an excellent Buddhist stupa, built in pre-Mauryan times. It had been the capital of Satavahanas, ruled central India after the downfall of Mauryas. Legend says that the temple was originally Buddhist and was adapted for Hindu worship. Hence the foundations are laid in Buddhist style. The presiding deity within the sanctum is in the form of a white marble lotus medallion, which is a feature of the Buddhist architecture. The Gopuram of the temple is renovated as it developed cracks in masonry due to the passage of Heavy equipment. It was rebuilt at a cost of Rs.1.56 crore. The former structure was renovated in 1796 by the local ruler Vasireddy Venkatadri Nayudu. During this renovation ancient artifacts dating back 1800 years are found in the foundation pits.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Temple Opening Time

The temple remains open from 9.00 AM in the mornings to 6.00 PM in the evenings.

Festivals

The main festivals in the temple are Mahashivaratri during the Hindu month of Magha Bahula Dasami (March) and Navaratri (September- October). The temple celebrates the Kalyana Utsava throughout the year. These are marriage festivals and hence, visitors can witness the typical South Indian style of the wedding during the wedding months at the temple. Janmashtami is the celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna. This festival generally takes place during the month of Bhadon (July or August).

Connectivity

The temple is located at about 2 Kms from Amaravathi Bus Stand, 19 Kms from Peddakurapadu Railway Station, 33 Kms from Guntur, 36 Kms from Mangalagiri, 36 Kms from Guntur Railway Junction, 39 Kms from Vijayawada Railway Junction, 44 Kms from Vijayawada and 59 Kms from Vijayawada Airport. Amaravathi is well connected with all other major cities or towns of the state by road. State run APSRTC runs bus services from Guntur, Vijayawada and Mangalagiri to this temple. Nearest railway station is located at Peddakurapadu. Nearest Major Railway Stations are located at Vijayawada and Guntur. Nearest Airport is located at Vijayawada.

Amaralingeswara Temple, Amaravathi – The Temple

The temple located on Krouncha Shaila, a small hillock on the banks of the Krishna, is a blend of Buddhist and Dravidian architecture, with four lofty gopurams in its outer circumambulatory path. Rajagopuram is of 7 tiers. The sanctum sanctorum which is at an elevation from the ground, is accessed by a flight of steps. Presiding Deity is called as Amareshwara / Amaralingeswara / Krouchandha. He is 15 ft tall white marble lingam with a circumference of 3 ft, is the biggest of the Pancharama Lingams. A legend states that this was originally the Ayaka Stambha or an Ayaka pillar, and which was later consecrated as a symbol of the Shivalinga.

The Shivalinga here is very tall that the archakas mount a pedestal platform and perform the daily rituals as well as Abhisheka. The top of the Linga has a red stain on it. It is said that Shivalinga was growing up in size and to stop its growth, a nail has been hit onto the top of the Shivalinga. When the nail dug into the Linga, blood started to ooze from the Shivalinga it seems. The stain can be see even today.

Mother is called as Bala Chamundika / Bala Chamundeshwari Devi. She is housed in a separate shrine in the prakaram. She is supposed to have been installed by Adi Sankara. Also, she is considered as the fourth of the 18 goddesses. The temple has three circumambulatory paths or prakaram where there are shrines to several gods, including one for Vishnu as Venugopalaswamy, in keeping with Agama sastra. The first prakaram houses the shrines of Mahishasura Mardini, Veeerabadhra, Omkareswarar, Dattatreya, and Agastheeswarar. The second prakaram houses the shrines of Vinayaka, Kalabhairava, Anjaneya, Nagendra Swamy, Kumaraswamy along with the statue of Lord Krishna under a tree.

Third Prakaram is situated is bit above the second prakaram and houses the shrines of Kasi Viswanathar, Mallikarjuna, Pushpadanteswara Swamy and Kalahasthishwarar. This Temple has numerous inscriptions on its walls like those of the Kota chiefs of Amaravati and of Krishandevaraya, the great Vijayanagara emperor. On a pillar in the Muhamandapa, the wife of Proli Nayudu, who was minister of Kota King Ketaraja, has left an inscription.

Moghalrajpuram Caves, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh

Moghalrajpuram Caves are rock cut Hindu cave temples located in Vijayawada City in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is one of the centrally protected monumemts of national importance. It has five rock cut sanctuaries dating back to the 5^th century AD and of these only one is in good condition. During 5th century AD, Vishnukundins who ruled Krishna district might have excavated cave temples at Moghalrajpuram. The idols of Lord Nataraja, Ganesha in one cave are still in good condition among the worn images of deities.

Cave 2 shows an overhanging cornice with artificial windows. This Moghalrajpuram temple has an Ardha Narishvara statue which is thought to be the earliest in South India. It is located at about 200 meters from Sidhartha College Bus Stop, 4 Kms from Vijayawada Railway Junction, 4 Kms from Vijayawada Bus Station, 19 Kms from Vijayawada Airport and 41 Kms from Amaravathi. Vijayawada is well connected to other parts of Andhra Pradesh and India by all means of Transport.

Location

Manikanteswara Temple, Kanipakam, Andhra Pradesh

Manikanteswara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Kanipakam Village near Chittoor City in Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is situated adjacent, on the right side of the Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple. This Temple is believed to be built during the period of Kulothunga Chola (11^th century) and later expanded during the reign of the Vijayanagara Kings in the year 1336. Presiding Deity is called as Manikanteswara and Mother is called as Maragathavalli. The Temple is very well maintained with an absolutely beautiful garden.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 500 meters from Kanipakam Bus Stand, 12 Kms from Chittoor, 12 Kms from Chittoor Bus Stand, 12 Kms from Chittoor Old Bus Stand, 12 Kms from Chittoor Railway Station, 44 Kms from Katpadi Junction, 68 Kms from Tirupati, 83 Kms from Tirupati Airport, 78 Kms from Thiruthani, 51 Kms from Vellore, 181 Kms from Bengaluru Airport and 163 Kms from Chennai Airport. Kanipakam is well connected to Chittoor.

By Road:

Chittoor is well connected to major cities through national and state highways. The National Highways through Chittoor City are, National Highway 40 (India) connecting Chittoor with Kadapa and Kurnool on North and connecting Vellore and Chennai on South National Highway 69 (India) connecting Chittoor with Kolar and Bangalore on West National Highway 140 (India) connecting Chittoor with Tirupati and Nellore on East.

By Train:

Chittoor railway station is a National railway station in Chittoor city of Andhra Pradesh. It lies on Gudur-Katpadi Branch line section and is administered under Guntakal railway division of South Central Railway zone. Nearest Major Railway Junction is Katpadi Junction railway station Tamil Nadu. There are direct trains daily from Chittoor to Vijayawada, Kakinada, Kacheguda (Hyderabad), Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, New Delhi to Kanyakumari Him Sagar Express and weekly/biweekly/triweekly trains connect Chittoor with Mannargudi, Jammu, Katra, Tirunelveli, Mangalore, Ernakulam, Visakhapatnam, Hatia Ranchi, Santragachi (Kolkata) and Jayanthi Janata express, etc. which run through Chittoor.

By Air:

Nearest Domestic Airport is Tirupati Airport at Renigunta in Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh. The nearest international airports are Chennai International Airport at Chennai and Kempegowda International Airport at Bangalore.

Kulandeshwara Temple, Kattamanchi, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh

Kulandeshwara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Kattamanchi, a suburb in Chittoor City in Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is one of the oldest temple in Chittoor City.

Legends

It is believed that Chola King saw Lord Shiva in the form of Child (Kuzhandhai in Tamil). Lord came to be called as Kulandeshwara because of this incident.

History

The Temple was built in the 11^th Century by the Chola Dynasty.

The Temple

Presiding Deity is called as Kulandeshwara. The 100 years old Sthala Vriksham of this Temple was broken or destroyed due to Natural Calamity. But fortunately, a small tree of the same kind is growing beside the broken tree. Lord Ganesha was installed below this Tree. Hence Lord Vinayaka came to be called as Vriksha Ganapathy.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Konetirayala Temple, Keelapatla, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh

Konetirayala Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, located at Keelapatla Village in Palamaner Taluk in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh State, India. Konetirayala Swamy Temple is also known as Venkateshwara Temple. Presiding Deity is called as Konetirayadu / Venkateshwara. The temple at present is being administered by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams board.

Legends

Sage Brighu consecrated the idol:

According to temple legend, Saint Brighu came to earth after kicking on the Lord Vishnu’s chest. To eradicate such a sin, Saint Kashyapa advised him to establish the lord idols in 7 different place which shows the features of Lord Venkateshwara Swamy. Some of these places are:

1. Dwaraka Tirupati, near Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh

2. Kalyana Venkateshwara Swamy, Srinivasa Mangapuram, Andhra Pradesh

3. Konetiraya Swamy, Keelapatla, Andhra Pradesh

4. Diguva Tirupati, Mulbagal, Karnataka etc.

These places were hidden and the saint himself who went into disappearance by his mystical powers, were established much before the Lord himself came to the Earth. After Lords arrival, Brighu came into existence with Agastya Maharshi, the mystical powers which hid these places were removed and they came into visible light of the common man. The idols were all under trees. The ruling kings then came forward to build temples around these idols.

Lord Venkateshwara placed his Holy Foot here:

It is believed that Lord Venkateshwara first placed his Holy Foot here at Keelapatla and then reached Tirumala.

History

History says that this temple was constructed by the Regents of Pallava Kings in the 9^th and 10^th centuries. Later renovated by Thondai Mandala rulers, Cholas, Punganuru Zamindars and Vijayanagara Empire. The 15^th century Hindu saint, Andhra Pada Kavita Pithamaha, Annamacharya mentions the name of Konetiraya in many of his Sankirthanas. Saint Poet Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya is said to have visited this great shrine in the latter half of 14^th century and penned some extraordinary kirtanas like, “Kondalalo Nelakonna Koneti Rayudu Vadu”, “Podagantimayya Mimmu Purushottama-Nedayakavayya Konetirayada”, “Tirumalagiriraya…Kondala Konetiraya” and so on.

The Temple

The temple is constructed based on Dravidian style of architecture. The temple has pyramid shaped towers and are constructed with sandstone, soapstone or granite. The temple has four gateway towers and gopuram on its four sides. The base of the eastern tower, the Rajagopuram is made of granite. Presiding Deity is called as Konetirayadu / Venkateshwara. The Deity is believed to be Kalpatharu (A heavenly tree that gives boon), Chintamani (A celestial power) and Kamadhenu (the heavenly cow that gives all).

The significant feature of this temple is that the presiding deity of Sri Konetirayadu Swamy is a look-like of Tirumala Sri Venkateshwara Swamy. He is in standing posture with his "Kati Varada Hastas", natural "Sankhu Chakras" and with the impressions of Sridevi and Bhoodevi, on the chest. Huge Dwarapalakas Jaya and Vijaya can be seen guarding the sanctum.

To protect the presiding deity from Muslim invasion, it was preserved safely in the huge temple tank located opposite the shrine and later it was re-consecrated. As the deity was protected in the temple tank-Koneru, the presiding deity is known as “Konetiraya Swamy”. It is believed even today, that there is a passage from this area to Tirumala. An ancient Chenna Kesava idol with his two wives, five Alwars, Bhoovaraha Moorthy, Garudalwar, Anjaneya Swamy statues, all can be seen in the temple.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 5 Kms from Gangavaram Bus Stop, 7 Kms from Palamaner Bus Stop, 33 Kms from Punganur, 44 Kms from Chittoor, 45 Kms from Chittoor Railway Station, 111 Kms from Tirupati, 133 Kms from Tirupati Airport, 147 Kms from Bengaluru Airport and 185 Kms from Chennai Airport. The Temple is situated off Tirupati Bengaluru Highway.

Kalyana Venkateshwara Swamy Temple, Narayanavanam, Andhra Pradesh

Kalyana Venkateshwara Swamy Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, located at Narayanavanam, a town in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh state, India. Presiding Deity is called as Kalyana Venkateshwara Swamy and Mother is called as Padmavathi. Daily rituals are held as per Vaikanasa Agama. The temple at present is being administered by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

Legends

As per legend, Narayanavanam is the capital of King Akasaraja, who is ruling this region. Akasaraja performed the marriage of his daughter Padmavati, the presiding deity of Padmavathi Temple, Tiruchanur to Lord Venkateswara, the presiding deity of Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala, at this place. As the marriage took place in Narayanavanam, Padmavathi’s brother build two Temples; one is here, another in Tirumala to commemorate this occasion. It is one of the few temples where we can see both Venkateswara Swamy along with Padmavathi Devi in one complex.

History

The temple was established in the year 1541 AD. It was extended in later times. The current temple was built during the Vijayanagara period.

The Temple

Presiding Deity is called as Kalyana Venkateshwara Swamy and Mother is called as Padmavathi. It is said that Lord Venkateshwara married his consort Padmavati Thayar in this place and hence he is considered as the groom here. He holds a sword to indicate this fact. In Tirupati, Lord Venkateshwara and Padmavati are not in the same temple. However, the specialty of Sri Kalyana Venkateshwara Swamy temple is that both Venkateshwara and Padmavathi are present in the same temple. Idols of Dashavatara and Alwars can be found near the sanctum.

This Temple has four small shrines of Padmavathi, Andal, Prayaga Madhava swami and Varadaraja Swami. A small Garudalwar Shrine can be found facing the sanctum at the entrance. There are also shrines for Parasareswara, Veeerabadhra, Sakthi Vinayaka, Agastheeswarar, Avanakshamma, Lord Rama with Sita & Lakshmana, Ranganathar inside the temple premises. There is a grinding stone in the temple, which is considered as sacred as it is believed to be used for grinding turmeric during the marriage of Venkateshwara and Padmavati.

Temple Opening Time

The temple remains open from 6:00 am in the mornings till 8:00 pm in the evenings.

Festivals

The most important festival in the temple is Srivari Annual Brahmotsavam which is being celebrated in the month of Vaisakha (April/May) for a period of 10 days. The other annual festivals/rituals are Ugadi, Rathasaptami, Andal Neerotsavam, Panguni Uttarotsavam, Varalakshmi Vratham, Theppotsavam (Float festival), Anivara Asthanam and Vaikunda Ekadasi which will be celebrated once in a year in a grand manner. Kalyana Mahotsavam is being performed to the Lord on the day of Rathotsavam during the annual Brahmotsavam once in a year. At the end of Sankranti every year, Giri Pradakshinam, that is, circumambulation of the Hill, is held and the Utsava moorthis of Parasareswara Swami and Champakavalli, Agastheeswarar and Markathavalli are taken in procession. Navaratri festival is also celebrated at the Avanakshamma Shrine every year.

Contact

Kalyana Venkateshwara Swamy Temple,

Narayanavanam, Chittoor,

Andhra Pradesh – 517 581

Phone: +91 8577 224 417

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 2 Kms from Siddarth College Bus Stop, 5 Kms from Puttur, 6 Kms from Puttur Railway Station, 5 Kms from Puttur Bus Stand, 15 Kms from Nagari, 26 Kms from Nagalapuram, 30 Kms from Renigunta Railway Junction, 36 Kms from Tirupati Airport, 38 Kms from Tirupati and 114 Kms from Chennai Airport. A.P.S.R.T.C Direct buses are available from Tirupati to Narayanavanam Temple. A.P.S.R.T.C Buses which goes to Picchattur, Nagalapuram, Utthukotai goes by this route. Buses to Puttur or Nagari are be available at high frequency. You should get down at Puttur Bypass and from Puttur Bypass it is 5 Kms to Narayanavanam Temple.

Gondeshwar Temple, Sinnar, Nashik, Maharashtra

Gondeshwar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Sinnar Town in the Nashik District in Maharashtra, India. It represents the best example of the Hemadpanthi style of architecture popularized during Yadava’s period. This Temple is the largest & complete example of the medieval temples of the Deccan for the Indo-Aryan style. Gondeshwar Temple is situated at north-east of Sinnar town near Nashik.

History

The Gondeshwar temple was built during the rule of the Seuna (Yadava) dynasty, and is variously dated to either the 11^th or the 12^th century. Sinnar was a stronghold of the dynasty during their pre-imperial period, and modern historians identify it with Seunapura, a town established by the Yadava king Seuanchandra. According to local tradition, the town of Sinnar was established by the Gavali (that is, Yadava) chief Rav Singhuni, and the Gondeshvara temple was commissioned by his son Rav Govinda. According to another suggestion, the temple is also known as Govindeshvara. It was built by the Yadava feudatory Govinda Raja, but no historical evidence supports this suggestion.

The structure was constructed using the locally available black basalt stone and lime. The temple’s origin dates back to 12 – 13th century during Yadava dynasty. There are differences of opinion among the scholars about the Yadava king who built the temple, as per some – Raj Govinda& as per other – Govind Raja (may be a similarity in the name caused this confusion). According to Cunningham’s report, the earliest historical mention of Sinnar appears to be in a copperplate grant of 1069 A. D.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 2 Kms from Sinnar Bus Station, 24 Kms from Nashik Road Railway Station, 31 Kms from Nashik, 183 Kms from Pune, 183 Kms from Mumbai and 184 Kms from Mumbai Airport. MSRTC buses are available from Nashik / Pune / Mumbai Bus stands to Sinnar. Sinnar lies to southeast of Nashik city on the Nashik – Pune Highway. Sinnar is well connected via Pune-Nashik highway & private vehicles are available on hire at Nashik and Sinnar. Nearest railway station is Nashik Road railway station. Nearest Airport is located at Mumbai.

Gondeshwar Temple, Sinnar – The Temple

The Gondeshwar temple is built in the Bhumija style, in form of a Panchayatana complex, which features a main shrine surrounded by four subsidiary shrines. The temple is situated on a rectangular platform that measures 125 x 95 feet. The plan of the temple is very similar to that of the Ambarnath Shiva Temple, but the sculptures on its exterior walls are of inferior quality than those of the Ambarnath Temple.

The temple complex was originally surrounded by a wall, which is now mostly destroyed. The main shrine is dedicated to Shiva, and contains a large Linga. The shrine and the Nandi pavilion facing it are located on an elevated plinth. The mandapa (pavilion), which has porches on three sides, acts as the entrance to the temple. The shrine has a Nagara-style shikhara (tower), whose finial is no longer preserved.

The temple in the Deccan style is different from north Indian temples. Here, the shikhara does not have turrets grouped around the lower part of the structure. Instead, the shikhara has a distinct vertical band rising upwards. These are along each of its angles taking the form of a spine or quoin. Moreover, the space between is filled with smaller reproductions of the shikhara.

The pillared hall carved with tortoise, the Kurma Avatar of Lord Vishnu, on the ground, is small, elegant and unique in this part of the country. The walls of the temple depict scenes from the ancient epic Ramayana. The subsidiary shrines are dedicated to Surya, Vishnu, Parvati, and Ganesha: all of them have a porch. They are rectangular in plan, and include a mandapa, an antarala (vestibule), and the garbhagriha (sanctum).

Amruteshwar Temple, Ratanwadi, Maharashtra

Amruteshwar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Ratanwadi Village in Akole Taluk of Ahmednagar District in Maharashtra, India. This intricately carved Temple is believed to be around 1200 years old. The Temple is situated on the banks of holy river Pravara. The area around the temple is rich in dense forests and wildlife. Because of the natural beauty, this place is also called as Kashmir of Maharashtra. This Village is the gateway to famous trekking place named Ratangad, an ancient hill fort. The Temple is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

History

The temple is considered to be over 1,200 years old. This beautiful temple was built by the rulers of Shilahara dynasty in 9^th century AD. This is one of 12 Shiva temples built by King Jhanj.

The Temple

The Amruteshwar Temple has been constructed in Hemadpanthi architectural style with beautiful rock carvings on the main shrine. It was built with black and red stones. The temple has a sanctum, a labyrinthine structure dominated by the sculptures of the god, and goddess carved out of stone, and a pond within its complex. Sanctum houses the presiding deity in the form of Shiva Linga. There is a hot spring below the Shiva Lingam. In monsoon, when the level of hot spring rises, the main sanctum fills with water.

The ceiling and the walls of the temple are decorated with some impressive and lovely murals. There is a mantapa with 12 pillars. All the pillars have beautifully carved statues and flowers. Around the temple, there's a pond, which also carries beautifully sculptures made out of black stone. Ratangad Fort is also located at a close distance from this Shiva temple.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 16 Kms from Bhandardara, 17 Kms from Bhandardara Dam, 17 Kms from Shendi Bus Stand, 50 Kms from Ghoti Railway Station, 59 Kms from Igatpuri Railway Station, 73 Kms from Sangamner, 81 Kms from Sinnar, 83 Kms from Nashik, 161 Kms from Ahmednagar, 180 Kms from Mumbai and 180 Kms from Mumbai Airport. This temple is approached by road from Igatpuri and Sangamner Town via Bhandardara. It would be good to travel by taxi or car as through these mode of transports one can reach here directly. If traveling by bus, then one can get it from Igatpuri but only till Shendi. Further tourists will have to walk to reach the temple. Ratanwadi village is also approached by boat from Bhandardara. By boat, it is a 12 Kms journey and further it is a 4 km walk till Ratanwadi.

Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

Mahakaleshwar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Ujjain City in Ujjain District in Madhya Pradesh State, India. The temple is situated on the side of the Rudra Sagar lake. The temple of Mahakaleshwar, its shikhara soaring into the skies, an imposing façade against the skyline, evokes primordial awe and reverence with its majesty. The Temple is believed to be one among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva. It is also considered as Sakthi Peeth. Ujjain is situated on the right bank of River Shipra. It is a very holy city for the Hindus, a site for the triennial Kumbha Mela. According to Hindu scriptures, it was originally called Avantika. Ujjain is considered as one of the seven Moksha Puris.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Temple Opening Time

The Temple remains open from 04.00 am in the morning till 11.00 pm in then night.

Pooja Timings

1. From the month Chaitra to Ashwin:

· Morning Pooja: 7:00 AM - 7:30 AM

· Mid-day Pooja: 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

· Evening Pooja: 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM

· Aarti Shri Mahakal: 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM

· Closing Time: 11:00 PM

2. From the month Kartik to Falgun:

· Morning Pooja: 7:30 AM - 8:00 AM

· Mid-day Pooja: 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

· Evening Pooja: 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM

· Aarti Shri Mahakal: 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM

· Closing Time: 11:00 PM

Festivals

Mahashivaratri is the most famous festival celebrated here. Thousands of pilgrims flock to the fairgrounds near the Mahakaleshwar temple and do their worship throughout the night. Simhastha Kumbha Mela is a mammoth fair, held once in twelve years at Simhastha. The Puja-Archana, Abhisheka Aarati and other rituals are regularly performed all the year round in Mahakala temple.

Religious Significance

For brief details, please refer below link;

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Location

Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain – Legends

Sakthi Peeth:

In Hindu mythology, Daksha Yajna or Daksha-Yaga is an important event, which is narrated in various Hindu scriptures. It refers to a yajna (sacrifice) organized by Daksha, where his daughter Sati immolated herself. The wrath of god Shiva, Sati's husband, thereafter destroyed the sacrifice. The tale is also called Daksha-Yajna-Nasha (destruction of Daksha's sacrifice). The story forms the basis of the establishment of the Shakti Peethas, temples of the Hindu Divine Mother. It is also becoming a prelude to the story of Parvati, Sati's reincarnation who later marries Shiva. The mythology is mainly told in the Vayu Purana. It is also mentioned in the Kasi Kanda of the Skanda Purana, the Kurma Purana, Harivamsa Purana and Padma Purana. Linga Purana, Shiva Purana, and Matsya Purana also detail the incident.

Daksha was one of the Prajapati, son of Brahma, and among his foremost creations. The name Daksha means "skilled one". Daksha had two wives: Prasoothi and Panchajani (Virini). Sati (also known as ‘‘Uma’’) was his youngest daughter; born from Prasoothi (the daughter of the Prajapati Manu), she was the pet child of Daksha and he always carried her with him. Sati (meaning truth) is also called Dakshayani as she followed Daksha’s path; this is derived from the Sanskrit words Daksha and Ayana (walk or path).

Sati, the youngest daughter of Daksha, was deeply in love with the god Shiva and wished to become his wife. Her worship and devotion of Shiva strengthened her immense desire to become his wife. However, Daksha did not like his daughter’s yearning for Shiva, mainly because he was a Prajapati and the son of the god Brahma; his daughter Sati was a royal princess. They were wealthy nobility and their imperial royal lifestyle was entirely different from that of Shiva.

As an emperor, Daksha wanted to increase his influence and power by making marriage alliances with powerful empires and influential sages and gods. Shiva on the other hand led a very modest life. He lived among the downtrodden, wore a tiger skin, smeared ashes on his body, had thick locks of matted hair, and begged with a skull as bowl. His abode was Mount Kailash in the Himalayas. He embraced all kinds of living beings and did not make any distinction between good souls and bad souls.

The Bhutaganas, his followers, consisted of all kinds of ghosts, demons, ghouls and goblins. He wandered through garden and graveyard alike. As a consequence, Daksha had aversion towards Shiva being his daughter’s companion. However, unlike Daksha, Sati loved Shiva as she had the revelation that Shiva was the Supreme God. Sati won Shiva as her husband by undergoing severe austerities (tapas). Despite Daksha's disappointment, Sati married Shiva.

Once Brahma conducted a huge yajna (sacrifice), where all the Prajapatis, gods and kings of the world were invited. Shiva and Sati were also called on to participate in the yajna. All of them came for the yajna and sat in the ceremonial place. Daksha came last. When he arrived, everyone in the yajna, with the exception of Brahma, Shiva and Sati, stood up showing reverence for him. Brahma being Daksha's father and Shiva being Daksha's son-in-law were considered superior in stature to Daksha. Daksha misunderstood Shiva’s gesture and considered Shiva's gesture as an insult. Daksha vowed to take revenge on the insult in the same manner.

Daksha’s grudge towards Shiva grew after Brahma's yajna. With the prime motive of insulting Shiva, Daksha initiated a great yajna, similar to that of Brahma. The yajna was to be presided over by the sage Bhrigu. He invited all the gods, Prajapatis and kings to attend the yajna and intentionally avoided inviting Shiva and Sati.

Dadhichi – Daksha argument:

The Kurma Purana discusses the dialogues between the sage Dadhichi and Daksha. After the sacrifice and hymns where offered to the twelve Aditya gods; Dadhichi noticed that there was no sacrificial portion (Havvis) allotted to Shiva and his wife, and no Vedic hymns were used in the yajna addressing Shiva which were part of Vedic hymns. He warned Daksha that he should not alter the Holy Vedas for personal reasons; the priests and sages supported this. Daksha replied to Dadhichi that he would not do so and insulted Shiva. Dadhichi left the yajna because of this argument.

Sati came to know about the grand yajna organized by her father and asked Shiva to attend the yajna. Shiva refused her request, saying that it was inappropriate to attend a function without being invited. He reminded her that she was now his wife more than Daksha’s daughter and, after marriage, is a member of Shiva’s family rather than Daksha’s. The feeling of her bond to her parents overpowered the social etiquette she had to follow. She even had a notion that there was no need to have received an invitation in order to attend as she was Daksha’s favourite daughter and no formality existed between them.

She constantly pleaded and urged Shiva to let her attend the ceremony and became adamant in her demands without listening to the reasons Shiva provided for not attending the function. He allowed Sati to go to her parents' home, along with his followers including Nandi, and attend the ceremony, but refused to accompany with her. Upon arriving, Sati tried to meet her parents and sisters; Daksha was arrogant and avoided interacting with Sati. He repeatedly snubbed her in front of all the dignitaries, but Sati maintained her composure.

Because of Sati’s persistence in trying to meet him, Daksha reacted vehemently, insulting her in front of all the other guests at the ceremony to which she had not been invited. He called Shiva an atheist and cremation ground dweller. As planned, he took advantage of the situation and continued shouting repugnant words against Shiva. Sati felt deep remorse for not listening to her beloved husband. Daksha’s disdain towards her, and especially her husband Shiva, in front of all the guests was growing each moment she stood there. The shameless insult and humiliation of her and her beloved, eventually became too much to bear.

She cursed Daksha for acting so atrociously toward her and Shiva and reminded him that his haughty behaviour had blinded his intellect. She cursed him and warned that the wrath of Shiva would destroy him and his empire. Unable to bear further humiliation, Sati committed suicide by jumping into the sacrificial fire. The onlookers tried to save her, but it was too late. They were only able to retrieve the half-burnt body of Sati.

Daksha's pride in being a Prajapati and his prejudice against his son-in-law created a mass hatred within himself, which resulted in the death of his daughter. The Nandi and the accompanying Bhootaganas left the yajna place after the incident. Nandi cursed the participants and Bhrigu reacted by cursing the Bhootaganas back.

Destruction of the Yajna by Lord Shiva:

Lord Shiva was deeply pained upon hearing of his wife's death. His grief grew into a terrible anger when he realized how Daksha had viciously plotted a treachery against him; but it was his innocent wife who fell into the trap instead of him. Shiva learned of Daksha’s callous behaviour towards Sati. Shiva's rage became so intense that he plucked a lock of hair from his head and smashed it on the ground, breaking it into two with his leg. Armed and frightening, two fearsome beings Virabhadra and Bhadrakali (Rudrakali) emerged. Lord Shiva ordered them to kill Daksha and destroy the yajna.

The ferocious Virabhadra and Bhadrakali, along with the Bhutaganas, reached the yajna spot. The invitees renounced the yajna and started running away from the turmoil. Sage Bhrigu created an army with his divine penance powers to resist Shiva’s attack and protect the yajna. Bhrigu’s army was demolished and the entire premises were ravaged. All those who participated, even the other Prajapatis and the gods, were mercilessly beaten, wounded or even slaughtered.

The Vayu Purana mentions the attack of Bhutaganas: the nose of some goddesses were cut, Yama's staff bone was broken, Mitra's eyes were pulled out, Indra was trampled by Virabhadra and Bhutaganas, Pushan's teeth were knocked out, Chandra was beaten heavily, all of the Prajapatis' were beaten, the hands of Vahini were cut off, and Bhrigu's beard was cut off. Daksha was caught and decapitated, the attack culminated when the Bhutaganas started plucking out Bhrigu’s white beard as a victory souvenir.

The Vayu Purana do not mention the decapitation of Daksha, instead it says Yagna, the personification of yajna took the form of an antelope and jumped towards the sky. Virabhadra captured it and decapitated Yagna. Daksha begs mercy from the Parabrahmam (the Supreme Almighty who is formless), who rose from the yajna fire and forgives Daksha. The Parabrahmam informs Daksha that Shiva is in fact a manifestation of Parabrahmam. Daksha then becomes a great devotee of Shiva. The Linga Purana and Bhagavatha Purana mention the decapitation of Daksha.

Certain other puranas like Harivamsa, Kurma, and Skanda narrate the story from the perspective of the Vaishnava-Shaiva community feud prevalent in ancient times. In these puranas, there are fights between Vishnu and Shiva or Virabhadra, with various victors throughout. The story of Daksha Yaga in Vaishnava and Shaiva puranas end with the surrendering of Daksha to the Parabrahmam or with the destruction of yajna and decapitation of Daksha.

As the obstruction of the yajna will create havoc and severe ill effects on the nature, Brahma and the god Vishnu went to the grief-stricken Lord Shiva. They comforted and showed their sympathy towards Shiva. They requested him to come to the yajna location and pacify the Bhutaganas and allow the Yaga to be completed; Shiva agreed. Shiva found the burnt body of Sati. Shiva gave permission to continue yajna. Daksha was absolved by Shiva and the head of a ram (Male goat) meant for yajna was fixed on the decapitated body of Daksha and gave his life back. The yajna was completed successfully.

The later story is an epilogue to the story of Daksha yajna mentioned in Shakta Puranas like Devi Bhagavata Purana, Kalika Purana and the folklores of various regions. Shiva was so distressed and could not part from his beloved wife. He took the corpse of Sati and wandered around the universe. To reduce Shiva's grief, Vishnu cuts Sati's corpse as per Vaishnava Puranas; whose parts fell on the places Shiva wandered. The Shaiva version says that her body disintegrated on its own and the parts fell while Shiva was carrying Sati's corpse in various places. The Upper Lip of Goddess Sati fell here, and the Shakti is called as Maha Kali. The shrine is revered as one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peetham

These places commemorating each body part came to be known as the Shakti Peethas. There are 51 Shakti Peethas, representing the 51 letters of Sanskrit. Some of the puranas which came in later ages gave more importance to their supreme deity (depending on Vaishnava, Shaiva, and Shakta sects) in their literature. Shiva went to isolation and solitude for ages and wandered all around until Sati reincarnated as Parvati, the daughter of the King Himavan. Like Sati, Parvati took severe austerities and gave away all her royal privileges and went to forest. Shiva tested her affection and devotion in disguise. He eventually realized Parvati is Sati herself. Shiva later married Parvati.

Jyotirlinga:

The twelve jyotirlingas are;

· Somnath in Gujarat,

· Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh,

· Mahakaleswar at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh,

· Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh,

· Kedarnath in Uttarakhand,

· Bhimashankar in Maharashtra,

· Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh,

· Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra,

· Vaidyanath at Deoghar in Jharkhand,

· Nageshvara Jyotirlinga,

· Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu,

· Grishneshwar at Aurangabad in Maharashtra.

Mahakala:

According to legend, there was a ruler of Ujjain called Chandrasena, who was a pious devotee of Lord Shiva and worshiped him all the time. One day, a farmer's boy named Shrikhar was walking on the grounds of the palace and heard the King chanting the Lord's name and rushed to the temple to start praying with him. However, the guards removed him by force and sent him to the outskirts of the city near the river Kshipra. Rivals of Ujjain, primarily King Ripudamana and King Singhaditya of the neighboring kingdoms decided to attack the Kingdom and take over its treasures around this time.

Hearing this, Shrikhar started to pray and the news spread to a priest named Vridhi. He was shocked to hear this and upon the urgent pleas of his sons, started to pray to Lord Shiva at the river Kshipra. The Kings chose to attack and were successful; with the help of the powerful demon Dushan, who was blessed by Lord Brahma to be invisible, they plundered the city and attacked all the devotees of Lord Shiva. Upon hearing the pleas of his helpless devotees, Lord Shiva appeared in his Mahakala form and destroyed the enemies of King Chandrasena.

Upon the request of his devotees Shrikhar and Vridhi, Lord Shiva agreed to reside in the city and become the chief deity of the Kingdom and take care of it against its enemies and to protect all his devotees. From that day on, Lord Shiva resided in his light form as Mahakala in a Lingam that was formed on its own from the powers of the Lord and his consort, Parvati. The Lord also blessed his devotees and declared that people who worshipped him in this form would be free from the fear of death and diseases. Also, they would be granted worldly treasures and be under the protection of the Lord himself.

Fruit of Immortality:

Bharthari was the elder son of King Gandarva Sena and received the kingdom of Ujjain from the celestial god Indra and the King of Dhara. When Bharthari was king of Ujjaini (modern day Ujjain) in his state, there lived a Brahman who after years of austerities was given the fruit of immortality from the celestial tree of Kalpa Vriksha. The Brahman presented the same to his monarch, Raja Bharthari, who in turn, passed it on to his love, the beautiful, Pinglah Rani or Ananga Sena Raja Bharthari's last and youngest wife. The queen, being in love with the head police officer of the state, Mahipaala, presented the fruit to him, who further passed it on to his beloved, Lakha, one of the maids of honour.

Eventually, Lakha being in love with the king presented the fruit back to the king. Having completed the circle, the fruit revealed the downsides of infidelity to the king, he summoned the queen and ordered her beheading, and ate the fruit himself. After that he abdicated the throne and became a religious mendicant. He later became a disciple of Pattinatthar (Swetharanyar or Pattinaththu Chettiyar is poorvasrama name of this saint from Poompuhar, Tamil Nadu) who first indulged in an argument about samsari and sanyasi with king Bharthari.

Later during the conversation Pattinatthar said that all women have 'dual mind' and it might be the true case even with Parameswari. King conveyed this news to rani Pinglah and she ordered Pattinathar to get punished and to sit in 'Kalu Maram' (Tree, whose top portion would be sharpened like a pencil and whole tree is fully coated with oil, a person who is punished to sit in the top will be split into 2 pieces), they tried to kill Pattinatthar, but Kalu Maram started burning and nothing happened to Pattinathar, the king came to know this news and went directly to Pattinathar and asked him to get ready to die the next day, but Pattinathar replied, " I'm ready right now, to die".

The next day king came with tears in his eyes and released saint from jail because he actually noticed queen Pinglah in love with horsemen that night, He threw away his empire, wealth, even full coat dress and dressed in a simple Kovanam (loin cloth), the king became a disciple of Pattinatthar and got Mukthi (salvation) in Kalahasthi temple.

Origin of the City:

There is an interesting tale behind the sanctity of the city. It's origin is ascribed to the mythological legend of Sagar Manthan (churning of primordial ocean to discover the pot of nectar). The story goes that after the nectar was discovered, there was a chase between the gods and demons to have the nectar first and thus attain immortality. During this chase a drop of nectar spilled and fell on Ujjain, thus making the city sacred.

Annihilation of Dushanan:

There once lived a Brahmin in Avanti, who had four sons, who were great devotees of Lord Siva. Dushanan, a demon was giving trouble, disturbing all good & religious activities. The brahmins from all over the land gathered with the four sons & performed pooja to Lord Siva. The spot where they had taken mud to make the Lingam, had become a huge pond. When Dushanan came to disturb their pooja, Lord Siva rose from this pond as Mahakaleshwar & destroyed Dushanan. On the request of the brahmins, Lord Siva gave darshan to devotees at this place, one of the Jyotirlinga Sthalams.

References in Hindu Scriptures:

According to the Puranas, the city of Ujjain was called Avantika and was famous for its beauty and its status as a devotional epicenter. It was also one of the primary cities where students went to study holy scriptures.

Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain – The Temple

The temple of Mahakalesvara is a planned admixture of the Bhumija, Chalukya and Maratha styles of architecture. The sprawling temple is situated on the side of the Rudra Sagara Lake; this is a three storied temple, where is Mahakaleshwar Lingam installed at the beneath part, while Nagachandresvara installed at the uppermost part of the temple. One can only see Nagachandresvara at the festival time of Nag Panchami.

The idol of Mahakaleshwar is known to be Dakshinamurti, which means that it is facing the south. This is a unique feature, upheld by the tantric shivnetra tradition to be found only in Mahakaleshwar among the 12 Jyotirlingas. The Lingam of Mahakalesvara is colossus. The silver-plated Naga Jaladhari and the inscribed and esoteric silver-plate covering the roof of the garbhagriha add extra grandeur to the shrine.

The idol of Omkareshwar Mahadev is consecrated in the sanctum above the Mahakala shrine. The courtyard just opposite to the Omkareswarar temple add much to the magnanimity of the temple-complex. Just adjoining to this temple, there are two pillared projections facing the east and adding a lot to the architecture of the temple. The images of Ganesha, Parvati and Karthikeya are installed in the west, north and east of the sanctum sanctorum. To the south is the image of Nandi, the vehicle of Lord Shiva.

The temple itself is located in a spacious courtyard surrounded by massive walls. The shikhar or the spire is adorned with sculptural finery. Brass lamps light the way to the underground sanctum. It is believed that prasada (holy offering) offered here to the deity can be re-offered unlike all other shrines. There are various sculptures have been carved during the Parmar period in the inner and outer walls.

There is a Shrine for Swapaneshwar along with his consort Swapaneshwari in the precincts of the Mahakaleshwar temple. Devotees pray here to realize the most important dreams of their lives. He is so empathetic, benevolent and easy to please that devotees are sure to be granted the boons they wish for with a pure heart in this temple.

A very large-sized Kunda named Koti Tirtha also exists in the temple-complex. The Kunda is built in the sarvatobhadra style. The Kunda and its water both are treated as very celestial. On the path adjoining the stairs of the Kunda, may be seen many images representing the sculptural grandeur of the temple built during the Paramara period.

In the east of the Kunda is a large-sized Veranda in which there is the entrance to the path leading to the garbhagriha. In the northern side of the verandah, in a cell, the images of Sri Rama and goddess Avantika are worshipped. In the southern side of the main shrine, there stand many small Saivite temples built during the Shinde regime among these the temple of Vrddha Mahakalesvara, Anadi Kalpesvara and Saptarshi are prominent and are the remarkable pieces of architecture.

Malinithan Temple Ruins, Likabali, Arunachal Pradesh

Malinithan is an archaeological site which consists of ruins of a Hindu Temple of the early medieval period on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The archaeological site is located at the base of the Siang mountains in the Likabali town and a sub-division of the Lower Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. It is situated on a hill that rises to a height of 21 metres (69 ft), which affords a commanding view of the plains around it and of the Brahmaputra River.

The archaeological studies of the ruins indicate that the temple was built with granite stones during the period of Hinduism influence in the region, distinct from the other temples in the northeastern region built with bricks. The fame of Malinithan as a holy place of worship draws a large number of visitors and pilgrims. In addition to pilgrim, Malinithan also has some interesting trekking and hiking trails to the Siang Hills.

Legends

In local mythology, it is said that when Krishna wanted to marry Rukmini, the daughter of King Bhishmaka of Vidarbha, he abducted her prior to her wedding with Shishupala. Krishna and Rukmini, then travelled from Bhishmaka Nagar to Dwarka, stopping at Malinithan on the way over, where they were guests of Shiva and Durga, who were doing penance. Parvati, Shiva's consort, warmly welcoming her guests, presented them with garlands made of flowers plucked from her orchard. Krishna was so enamored by the beauty and the scent of the flowers that he addressed Parvati as Malini, meaning "the mistress of the garden", and since then the place is named as Malinithan.

History

It was built by Chutiya king Lakshminarayan in the early 15^th century. This was the period when the Chutiya kings had started settling Brahmins in different areas of their kingdom offering them land grants. Durga / Kechai-Khaiti is believed to be the chief deity who was worshipped in the ruined temple in her Shakthi form. The archaeological finds at the site of sculptures of Durga, a Shiva Linga and a bull, the mount of Shiva, relates to Shiva cult. Based on these, archaeologists have inferred that the Shakti cult was practiced in the region.

A copper plate inscription of the Pala Kings gives further confirmation that an Aryan colony existed on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra in the northeastern region where worship of Shiva and Parvati was in vogue. It was one of the three leading centers of Shaktism; the other two centers are stated to be Bhaghawati, the mother goddess at Gorehoga village in North Lakhimpur, and Hahithan in Dhakuakhana in the west end Tamresari in the east.

There was also then the influence of the Vasudeva cult, the earliest form of Vaishnavism in Assam, which was followed during the reign of Mahabhuti Varman (554 AD). From all archaeological evidences at the site, archaeologists have opined that the temple belonged to the medieval period in India. Relics of stone images of Malinithan came to be noted from the early twenties of the present century. In course of series of excavation from 1968 and ending 1971, ruins of temples and valuable scriptures were unearthed at this site.

The Temple Ruins

Relics of stone images of Malinithan came to be noted from the early twenties of the present century. In course of series of excavation from 1968 and ending 1971, ruins of temples and valuable scriptures were unearthed at this site. The archaeological excavations revealed a very well designed and carved plinth of a temple, of 8 feet (2.4 m) height, sculptures of deities and animals, designs of flowers, damaged columns and panels. Four sculptures of lions on two elephants were found at the four corners of the ruins of the temple.

Among the sculptures found at Malinithan, five notable ones carved out of granite stone are of Indra riding his mount Airavata, Kartikeya riding a peacock, Surya (Sun) riding a chariot, and Ganesha mounted over a mouse, and a large Nandi bull. An image of a female without the head was unearthed during the excavations, which represented Malini who was the lover of Shiva.

On the basis of the erotic Maithuna sculptures found here in different postures it is believed that tantrism prevailed here as a fertility rite of the primitive tribal people who held the "mother principal as the procreative power of nature". The Image of the goddess Durga found here is known as "Pupane", an ancient name for the Divine Mother. The temple dedicated is built on the classical tradition of Orissa.

Connectivity

The Site is located at about 2 Kms from Likabali, 9 Kms from Silapathar Railway Station, 59 Kms from Dibrugarh, 68 Kms from Dibrugarh Airport, 101 Kms from North Lakhimpur Airport, 154 Kms from West Siang, 174 Kms from Itanagar and 477 Kms from Guwahati. Malinithan is located in the West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. It is situated at the foot of the Siang hills under the Likabali Sub-Division. By bus or car one can easily reach Malinithan from Guwahati (Assam). One can also take a bus from Itanagar. Nearest railway station is at Silapathar, Assam. From here you can pick a bus to Malinithan. The nearest airport is located at North Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh in Assam. A helipad is also situated at Along. From here you can pick a bus to Malinithan.

Parshuram Kund, Lohit, Arunachal Pradesh

Parshuram Kund is a Hindu pilgrimage centre situated on the Brahmaputra plateau in the lower reaches of the Lohit River and north of Tezu in Lohit District of Arunachal Pradesh. This pilgrimage site is dedicated to sage Parshuram, the popular site attracts pilgrims from Nepal, from across India, and from nearby states of Manipur and Assam. Over 70,000 devotees and sadhus take a holy dip in its water each year on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, in the month of January. Parashuram Kund is situated within the Kamlang Reserve Forest area. It is said that the waters of the Kund is as sacred as the waters of the Ganga River.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Kund

It is a shrine of all-India importance located in the lower reaches of the Lohit River. The Parashuram Kund itself is a small temple pilgrim complex and behind the temple premises there are idols depicting the legendary story of Lord Parashuram beheading his mother, Renuka. Sanctum houses the idols of Lord Vishnu and Parashuram. The Kund is surrounded by dense forests of Rudraksha trees which is said to bear sacred fruits. One has to obtain entry permit to reach this place. The office of the Deputy Commissioner of Lohit District issues these permits for pilgrimages on the occasion of Makarsankranti. Arrangements are also made to issue entry permits for pilgrims at Dirak and Sunpura check posts during this period.

Festivals

For brief details, please refer below link;

Prayers

It is believed that whosoever takes a dip on this date, get rid of the biggest of the sins that he has committed and align with the richness of the life.

Connectivity

The Kund is located at about 47 Kms from Tezu, 50 Kms from Tezu Airport, 124 Kms from Rupai Railway Station, 151 Kms from Tinsukia Railway Junction, 195 Kms from Dibrugarh Airport, 204 Kms from Dibrugarh Town Railway Station, 202 Kms from Dibrugarh, 405 Kms from Itanagar and 640 Kms from Guwahati. Reach Tezu by Air and then hire a vehicle to reach Parashuram Kund or reach Tinsukia by Train and hire a vehicle to reach Parashuram Kund. The picturesque route goes through Kakopathar, Choukham, Medo, Wakro. This is the shorter route from Tinsukia or at Tinsukia bus stand get the semi deluxe Arunachal State Transport bus at 6:30 am and go to Tezu and hire a vehicle.

To enable the visitors to obtain easy entry, District Administration has also been making suitable provision for issue of Inner Line Permit for 30 days both at Dirak check gate and Sunpura check gate for visitors from outside. To reach Parshuram Kund the visitors can travel from either Dibrugarh-Tinsukia via Rupai near Doomdooma to Dirak check gate where Inner Line Permit will be issued on the spot to them. Another route is through Sadiya, crossing the Bhupen Hazarika Bridge via Sunpura to Tezu, the District Headquarters.

Location

Siddheshwar Nath Temple, Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh

Siddheshwar Nath Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Ziro Town, headquarters of Lower Subansiri District in Arunachal Pradesh, India. This Temple houses the world largest Shiva Linga. The Temple is located at an altitude of 5754 ft. (1,780m) above sea level inside Kardo Forest.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

Siddheshwar Nath Temple houses the naturally formed world largest Shiva Linga. Shiva Linga in about 25 feet tall and 22 feet in circumference. He is wearing Rudra Mala and Vasuki Naga at top of head and also Bheel patta at head of left side. It is also believed that the goddess of water, the Ganga lives with Lord Shiva as the constant flow of water from the base of the Lingam can be clearly seen.

It is believed that Snakes worship this Shiva Linga in every 3 (three) years during Shivrathri. The temple has beautiful idols of Lord Ganesha in sitting posture to the left side of the Lingam, Kartikeya to the right side of the Lingam and Goddess Parvati in standing posture to the back side of the Lingam. Nandi is laying under earth that slightly appearing in surface.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 5 Kms from Ziro, 114 Kms from Itanagar, 118 Kms from North Lakhimpur, 121 Kms from North Lakhimpur Railway Station, 123 Kms from North Lakhimpur Airport, 435 Kms from Guwahati and 436 Kms from Guwahati Airport. The Temple is around 114 Kms from the state capital Itanagar and takes approx. 4 hours via the improved Hoj-Potin road along NH 229 and 150 Kms via the Assam route. Nearest Railway Station is North Lakhimpur Railway Station, situated in Assam near the Arunachal Pradesh – Assam border. Nearest Airports are located Lilabari Airport, North Lakhimpur and Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati.

Gangamma Temple, Boyakonda, Andhra Pradesh

Gangamma Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Goddess Sakthi, located at Boyakonda in Andhra Pradesh, India. The Gangamma temple was taken over by Endowments Department of Andhra Pradesh in 1990. Since then an Executive officer is in charge of administration of the temple and efforts were made to develop the temple and facilities were created for devotees.

Legends

Gangamma saved Boya Tribals from Muslim Army:

Centuries ago, the Tribals Boyas and Yelikas lived in the forest area around the hillock. They stood up against the repressive and autocratic rule of the Nawabs. They retaliated against the Muslim soldiers and chased them away. The Golconda Nawab rushed additional troops to crush the revolt. Boya Tribals could not withstand the onslaught of the Muslim army and fled into the forest and prostrated near the hillock and prayed Almighty to save them.

The spirit of the Goddess Shakti descended from the hillock, shielded the tribals and crushed the Nawab's army. Local people say that the Shakti has tied the heads of soldiers to banyan tree branches. In the event of victory Boyas built the Gangamma temple, which saved them against evil forces and became famous for centuries.

Sister of Tirumala Venkateshwara Swamy:

According to Purana, Boyakonda Gangamma Devi is sister of Venkateshwara Swamy. This makes Gangamma one of the most significant Goddess connected with Tirupati, perhaps only next to the Lord’s consort Padmavathi.

Temple

The temple of Goddess Gangamma is situated on a hill top. The word "Baikonda" pronounced as "Baa-ee-kon-da" means mountain which has a well. The Goddess resides right besides this well and is believed to be very powerful. This goddess is known to destroy all evil and those who sincerely worship her are bound to succeed.

There is a miraculously huge well at the top of the hill, where the geographically underwater resource is scarce. This water resource has been known for centuries as a cure to many diseases. Some Ayurvedic practitioners have even used this water as a medicinal property with great success. According to Local farmers, sprinkling this water before the seeding process will yield a rich crop.

Festivals

Navratri festival is the most famous festival celebrated here.

Prayers

Devotees come here and make their wishes and once the wish comes true, they come back to make an offering to the Goddess Gangamma which they would have agreed upon once their wish became true. The water from the well is believed to cure many skin ailments. Local people believe that the Pushkarini water is very powerful and sprinkling it in the field will yield good crop. The offering for the Goddess is generally a hen or a sheep which will be sacrificed to the Goddess and the meat will be cooked at the same place and shall be eaten by all the family members who would have come along.

At this Boyakonda Gangamma Temple, the devotee’s seek the permission and direction from Sri Gangamma Devi through placing a flower on top of her head. This permission seeking is known as Pushpam Aduguta. If the Goddesses let the flower drop onto here right side, this is taken an affirmative permission and the devotee continues with his/her decision. If the flower falls onto her left side, then this is taken as warning from Sri Gangamma Devi, meaning that he/she needs to be further careful while taking the decision.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 5 Kms from Venkatagirikota, 7 Kms from Venkatagirikota Bus Stand, 21 Kms from Mulbagal, 38 Kms from Bangarapet Railway Junction, 41 Kms from Kuppam, 76 Kms from Krishnagiri, 87 Kms from Vellore and 118 Kms from Bengaluru Airport. The Temple is situated at trijunction of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Location

Varaha Temple, Pushkar, Rajasthan

Varaha Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, located in Pushkar Town near Ajmer in Rajasthan State, India. Presiding Deity is called as Varaha and Mother is called as Pundareegavalli. This is a rare temple dedicated to Lord Varaha, a Wild boar incarnation, considered as third avatar in the Dashavatara of Lord Vishnu. Pushkar is most famously known as the primary place of worship of Lord Brahma and is thus known as a Teertha Raj. Varaha Temple is one of the largest and ancient temples located in Pushkar town of Rajasthan. This is a fortified Vaishnavite temple in Pushkar and is considered to be the most ancient temple in the city. The Temple is considered as eighth among the eight Swayam Vyatka Kshetrams.

Legends

According to a legend, Demon Hiranyaksha has carried the Mother Earth and went under the Cosmic Ocean. To save earth, Lord Vishnu appeared as Wild Boar with two tusks to rescue Mother Earth from the demon Hiranyaksha and fought with him for thousands of years and brought back the Mother Earth holding between the two tusks and restored it in the Universe in original position.

History

The original Varaha Temple was built in Pushkar during the reign of King Anaji Chauhan (1130-1150 A.D.), who was the grandfather of King Prithviraj Chauhan. It was destroyed by the Ghaznavid army under Arnoraja during that time. The temple was first rebuilt by the Hada Chatrasal of Bundi and was again destroyed by Aurangzeb. It was rebuilt in 1727 by Raja Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur. To this day, the ruins of stone lintels, carvings and broken architectural ornaments lie strewn about the temple compound. The temple was again renovated in 1806 by Gokul Chand Parikh, a Scindia minister.

The Temple

The temple itself is built of heavy stone and plaster in typical Rajasthani Haveli style. Situated inside a walled temple compound, the structure has large pilasters, gateways, chhatris and hanging eaves. Devotees ascend a long staircase to the entrance on one side. Presiding Deity is called as Varaha and Mother is called as Pundareegavalli. The temple has 2 feet white idol of Lord Varaha in the sanctum sanctorum. The Lord has the body of a boar and the head of a man.

Various sculptures, elegant carvings, life-size statues of Dwarapalakas and gold-styled pillars depicting Garuda, the mythical bird are situated within the temple. Varaha Ghat is one of Pushkar's most important Ghats, and the 7 Kms parikrama traditionally starts out from the Ghat. The Temple has an elegant structure and is heavily decorated with invaluable ornaments. The temple was said to be 150 feet in height and ornamented with excellent Vaishnava sculptures as per ancient records.

Temple Opening Time

The Temple remains open from 06.00 AM to 12.00 Noon and 04.00 PM to 08.00 PM.

Religious Significance

The temple is considered one of the eight Swayambhu Kshetra of Vishnu where presiding deity is believed to have manifested on its own. Seven other temples in the line are Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple, Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple, and Vanamamalai Perumal Temple in South India and Saligrama, Naimisaranya, Pushkar and Badrinath Temple in North India.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 350 meters from Pushkar Railway Station, 1 Km from Pushkar Brahma Temple, 1 Km from Pushkar Bus Station, 1.5 Kms from Pushkar Lake, 14 Kms from Ajmer, 14 Kms from Ajmer Railway Junction, 14 Kms from Ajmer Bus Stand, 39 Kms from Kishangarh Airport, 43 Kms from Kishangarh, 147 Kms from Jaipur and 151 Kms from Jaipur Airport. The Varaha Temple is just about 10 minutes walking distance from the most popular Lord Brahma Temple.

Pushkar is situated in centre-east part of Rajasthan, on the western side of Aravalli mountains. Pushkar is about 14 Kms from Ajmer, connected via Pushkar road (Highway 58) which goes over the Aravalli Range mountains. Pushkar has its own railway station. Ajmer is also the nearest major railway station. Nearest Airports are located in Kishangarh and Jaipur.

Location

Bhojeshwar Temple, Bhojpur, Madhya Pradesh

Bhojeshwar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Bhojpur village very close to to the state capital Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh State of India. The Temple houses a 7.5 feet (2.3 m) high lingam in its sanctum. The temple's construction is believed to have started in the 11^th century, during the reign of the Paramara king Bhoja. The construction was abandoned for unknown reasons, with the architectural plans engraved on the surrounding rocks.

Despite being unfinished, the temple is in use for religious purposes. The temple has been designated as a Monument of National Importance by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Because of its proximity to the state capital Bhopal (28 km), it attracts a considerable number of tourists. In 2015, the site received the National Tourism Award (2013–14) for the "Best maintained and Disabled Friendly Monument".

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Festivals

On Maha Shivaratri, thousands of devotees visit the temple. The Government of Madhya Pradesh organises the Bhojpur Utsav cultural event at the site every year around Maha Shivaratri.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 10 Kms from Mandideep Bus Stop, 11 Kms from Mandideep Railway Station, 23 Kms from Habibganj Railway Station, 29 Kms from Bhopal, 30 Kms from Bhopal Railway Junction, 30 Kms from Bhopal Bus Stand and 41 Kms from Bhopal Airport. Bhojpur is well connected to Bhopal. National Highway No.12 passes through Bhopal which connects it to Jabalpur in the East and Jaipur in the West. National Highway 86 connects Bhopal to Sagar in the East to Dewas & Ujjain in the West. State Highway 17 connects the city with Indore. An interstate bus terminus is located near the Habibganj railway station.

Bhopal lies in the West Central Railway Zone. Considering both North-South and East-West train routes, it is one of the most rail connected cities in India which halts more than 200 daily trains, with a total of more than 380 trains within a week. The main stations of Bhopal are the Bhopal Junction station located in old Bhopal as well as Bhopal Habibganj station located in new Bhopal. The Raja Bhoj International Airport is located near the suburb of Bairagad and is the primary airport serving the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. Bhopal has non-stop flights to New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Shirdi, Hyderabad and Raipur and direct flight to Bengaluru and Kochi.

Bhojeshwar Temple, Bhojpur – The Temple

The temple lies on a platform 115 feet (35 m) long, 82 feet (25 m) wide and 13 feet (4.0 m) high. The building as it stands consists of the inner cella or garbhagriha, supported by massive pillars, surmounted with an elegant corbelled dome. The outer walls and superstructure of the temple were never built. On the platform lies a sanctum containing a large lingam. The sanctum plan comprises a square; on the outside, each side measures 65 feet (20 m); on the inside, each measures 42.5 feet (13.0 m). The lingam is built using three superimposed limestone blocks. The temple houses one of the largest Lingas in India. The lingam is 7.5 feet (2.3 m) high and 17.8 feet (5.4 m) in circumference. It is set on a square platform; whose sides measure 21.5 feet (6.6 m). The total height of the lingam, including the platform is over 40 feet (12 m).

The doorway to the sanctum is 33 feet (10 m) high. The wall at the entrance features sculptures of apsaras, ganas (attendants of Shiva) and river goddesses. The temple walls are window-less and are made of large sandstone blocks. The pre-restoration walls did not have any cementing material. The northern, southern and eastern walls feature three balconies, which rest on massive brackets. These are faux balconies that are purely ornamental. They are not approachable from either inside or outside of the temple, because they are located high up on the walls, and have no openings on the interior walls.

The northern wall features a makara-shaped spout, which provided a drainage outlet for the liquid used to bathe the lingam. Other than the sculptures on the front wall, this makara sculpture is the only carving on the external walls. 8 images of goddesses were originally placed high up on the four interior walls (two on each wall); only one of these images now remains. The four brackets supporting the cornerstones feature four different divine couples: Shiva-Parvati, Brahma-Shakti, Rama-Sita, and Vishnu-Lakshmi. A single couple appears on all the three faces of each bracket.

While the superstructure remains incomplete, it is clear that the shikhara (dome tower) was not intended to be curvilinear. The shikhara was intended to be a low pyramid-shaped samvarana roof, usually featured in the mandapas or the shikhara probably intended to be of phamsana (rectilinear in outline) style, although it is of bhumija (Latina or curvilinear in outline) style in its detailing. The incomplete but richly carved dome is supported by four octagonal pillars, each 39.96 feet (12.18 m) high. Each pillar is aligned with 3 pilasters. These 4 pillars and 12 pilasters are similar to the navaranga-mandapas of some other medieval temples, in which 16 pillars were organized to make up 9 compartments.

The remnants of a sloping ramp can be seen on the north-eastern corner of the building. The ramp is built of sandstone slabs, each measuring 39 x 20 x 16 inches. The slabs are covered with soil and sand. The ramp itself is 300 feet (91 m) long, and slopes upwards to a height of 40 feet (12 m). Originally, the ramp reached up to the temple wall, but currently, a gap exists between the two. The building is under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India.

Bhojeshwar Temple Museum:

There is a small museum dedicated to Bhojeshwar Shiva Temple and it is situated nearly 200 meters from the main temple. The museum depicts the history of Bhojeshwar Temple through posters and sketches as well as it covers the reign of Bhoja. The museum describes the reign of Bhoja and important books written by him as well as the mason marks. There is no entry fee in the museum and the museum is open for visitors from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Quarries and Rock Drawings:

The temple at Bhojpur is unique in being left unfinished, with a series of large architectural parts still located in the quarries where the stones were cut and fashioned. In addition, there are a significant number of architectural drawings engraved on the flat surfaces of the quarry showing mouldings, pillars, and temple plans. Also of note is the large earthen ramp behind the temple which shows how medieval craftsmen raised the large blocks of stone into position.

Cave of Parvati:

Immediately opposite the temple, on the west side of the gorge facing the Betwa, is a rock-shelter or cave, now occupied by religious mendicants. Popularly known as Parvati’s Cave, the cave contains a number of sculptures and architectural fragments dating to the eleventh century.

Remains of Bhoja's Royal Palace:

On the low plateau above the Cave of Parvati and opposite the Bhojpur temple are the remains of Bhoja's palace. Only the foundations survive. The complex is laid out as a grid in a square, with a courtyard in the centre. It is oriented on an exact north-south axis as prescribed in the Samarangana Sutradhara, an architectural treatise ascribed to Bhoja. Among the many features of interest are unfinished carved blocks and graffiti engraved on the rock floor.

The latter includes diagrams for games and a series of names dating to the eleventh century and later. The palace is a unique survival, being the only medieval building of its kind in northern India. Its association with Bhoja and its close conformity to a text ascribed to the king mark it out as a site of national and international cultural importance. The site of the palace, like the neighbouring dams, is unprotected. The remains of the palace are being slowly destroyed as local people collect stones for modern building purposes.

Chandi Devi Temple, Haridwar, Uttarakhand

Chandi Devi Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Goddess Sakthi located in the holy city of Haridwar in Uttarakhand state of India. The temple is situated atop the Neel Parvat on the Eastern summit of the Shivalik Hills, the southernmost mountain chain of the Himalayas. The temple also known as Neel Parvat Teerth is one of the Panch Tirth (Five Pilgrimages) located within Haridwar.

Chandi Devi Temple is highly revered by devotees as a Siddh Peetha which is a place of worship where desires get fulfilled. It is one of three such Peethas located in Haridwar, the other two being Mansa Devi Temple and Maya Devi Temple. Also, Chandi Devi Temple is one of the popular Shaktipeeth in Haridwar. The pilgrims can visit the temple by the ropeway in around 5 minutes while the steep climb by steps takes over 45 minutes.

Legends

Goddess Chandi also known as Chandika is the presiding deity of the temple. The story of the origin of Chandika is as follows: Long time ago, the demon kings Shumbha and Nishumbha had captured the kingdom of the gods and king of heaven - Indra and thrown the gods from Swarga (heaven). After intense prayers by the gods, Parvati assumed the form of Chandi, an exceptionally beautiful woman and amazed by her beauty, Shumbha desired to marry her.

On being refused, Shumbha sent his demon chiefs Chanda and Munda to kill her. They were killed by goddess Chamunda who originated out of Chandika's anger. Shumbha and Nishumbha then collectively tried to kill Chandika but were instead slain by the goddess. Thereafter, Chandika is said to have rested for a short while at the top of Neel Parvat and later a temple was built here to testify the legend. Also, the two peaks located in the mountain range are called Shumbha and Nishumbha.

History

Chandi Devi Temple was built in 1929 by Suchat Singh in his reign as the King of Kashmir. However, the main Murti of Chandi Devi at the temple is said to have been installed in the 8^th century by Adi Shankaracharya, one of the greatest saints of Hindu religion.

The Temple

The temple is situated atop the Neel Parvat on the Eastern summit of the Shivalik Hills, the southernmost mountain chain of the Himalayas. To reach the temple one has to either follow the 3 Kms trekking route from Chandi Ghat and reach the shrine by climbing a number of steps or climb the recently introduced rope-way (cable car) service. The rope-way service known as Chandi Devi Udankhatola was introduced for the benefit of the pilgrims.

The rope-way carries the pilgrims from the lower station located near Gauri Shankar Temple on the Naziabad Road directly to the Chandi Devi Temple located at an altitude of 2,900 metres (9,500 ft). The total length of the ropeway route is about 740 metres (2,430 ft) and height is 208 metres (682 ft).

There is a dense forest on the other side of the hill and the ropeway offers scenic views of the Ganges River and Haridwar. The temple is run by the Mahant who is the presiding priest of the temple. Leather accessories, non-vegetarian food and alcoholic drinks are strictly prohibited in the temple premises. The Temple of Anjana Devi, mother of Lord Hanuman is located nearby. Neeleshwar Temple is also situated at the foot of the Neel Parvat.

It is said that Mansa and Chandi, the two forms of goddess Parvati always reside close to each other. The temple of Mansa is exactly on the other side of the hilltop on the Bilwa Parvat on the opposite bank of River Ganges. This belief can also be found true in other case since near to Mata Mansa Devi Mandir in Panchkula, Haryana, there is a Chandi Mandir located nearby in Chandigarh.

Temple Opening Time

On a normal day, the temple is open between 6.00 am. to 8.00 pm. and the morning aarti at the temple begins at 5.30 am.

Festivals

Chandi Chaudas, Navratri and Kumbha Mela are the famous festivals celebrated here.

Prayers

Thousands of devotees flock to the temple to seek the blessings of the goddesses who is believed to fulfill their wishes.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 2 Kms from Haridwar, 3 Kms from Haridwar Railway Junction, 3.5 Kms from Haridwar Bus Stand, 4 Kms from Har Ki Pauri, 22 Kms from Rishikesh, 40 Kms from Dehradun Jolly Grant Airport, 55 Kms from Dehradun and 230 Kms from New Delhi Airport. Haridwar is situated on highway No. 45 and is connected to all major centers in the region and other parts of the country by well-maintained roads. One can easily reach Chandi Devi Temple by taking local Buses, Rickshaws, Tongas or by hiring Taxis from Haridwar.

To reach the temple one has to either follow 3 Kms trekking route from Chandi Ghat and reach the shrine by climbing a number of steps or take the recently introduced rope-way (cable car) service. Though it is a wonderful experience to trek up to the temple, visitors also have the option of using the ropeway to reach there. If you enjoy steep climbs, you will take 45 minutes to reach the temple of Chandi Devi in Haridwar. However, you can cut short the travelling time by choosing the ropeway; reaching the temple by ropeway takes up just 5-10 minutes.

Location

Bhavishya Badri, Joshimath, Uttarakhand

Bhavishya Badri is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located close to Joshimath in the state of Uttarakhand, India. The temple is located to the east of Joshimath, which is a popular town en route to Badrinath and an important military cantonment. It is located in a village called Subhain in the Niti valley. Bhavishya Badri is part of famous Panch Badri and Saptha Badri Temples of Uttarakhand. Enshrined in the temple is an idol of Narasimha, the lion-faced incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Adi Shankaracharya founded this temple while the priests traditionally come from south India.

Legends

According to the legend of Bhavishya Badri (literally "Badri of the future"), when evil transcends the world, the mountains of Nara and Narayana would block up the route to Badrinath and the sacred shrine would become inaccessible. The present world will be destroyed and a new one established. Then, Badrinath will appear at the Bhavishya Badri temple and be worshipped here, instead of the Badrinath shrine. The shrine of Narsingh Badri at Joshimath is closely associated with the legend of Bhavishya Badri.

The Temple

The presiding deity of this small temple is Lord Narsimha, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and known to be the future seat of Badrinath.

Best Time to Visit

The ideal time or peak season to go for a Char Dham Yatra is from May to October, except monsoons. This is because; all the four sacred sites are perched in Garhwal Himalayas, which is prone to heavy snowfall. As a result, all the passage leading to the shrines are blocked. Moreover, during the monsoon season, there is undue threat of having landslides, which can further disrupt the journey. For safety reasons, the gates of the temples are also closed for this period of time and the idols are shifted to nearby pilgrim points.

Connectivity

Bhavishya Badri is located at about 23 Kms from Joshimath, 63 Kms from Badrinath, 102 Kms from Karnaprayag, 135 Kms from Rudraprayag, 274 Kms from Rishikesh, 272 Kms from Rishikesh Railway Station, 295 Kms from Haridwar Railway Junction, 294 Kms from Haridwar, 289 Kms from Dehradun Jolly Grant Airport and 526 Kms from New Delhi Airport. Bhavishya Badri is situated at about 23 Kms from Joshimath, beyond Tapovan and approach is through dense forest, only by trekking. It is situated on an ancient pilgrim route to Mount Kailash and Manasarovar, along the Dhauli Ganges River.

It is situated on the way from Tapovan to Lata in the Niti valley. Bhavishya Badri is connected by a motorable road to Saldhar, beyond which, trek is required to reach the shrine. The initial trekking path from Saldhar to Subhain village is very steep and approximately takes one hour. From Subhain, the destination is about 2 Km trek through unmarked path. It is advised to take a guide at Subhain village to complete the remaining part of the trek. Accommodation cab be arranged in home stays by villagers of Subhain.

Location

Baleshwar Temple, Champawat, Uttarakhand

Baleshwar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, situated within city of Champawat in Uttarakhand State of India. Champawat was formerly the capital of the Chand dynasty rulers of Kumaon. The Baleshwar Temple was built by the Chand rulers in the 12^th century and is an excellent monument with marvelous stone carving works.

History

The Temple was built by the rulers of the Chand Dynasty. There is no correct information about the construction of the Baleshwar temple. It is believed that the construction of this temple was built between the 10^th and the 12^th centuries. Baleshwar temple has been declared as National Heritage Monument in Champawat and has been maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India since 1952.

The Temple

The main temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva known as Baleshwar. There are two other temples in the complex of Baleshwar temple, one is dedicated to Ratneshwar and the other is dedicated to the temple Champawati Durga. The exteriors of Ratneshwar and Champawati Durga temples are carved with the different posters of the local deities. The architecture of the temple is based on South Indian style or it resembles the one which is found in the temples of South India.

It is a beautiful medieval temple with two shrines joined together by a covered passage each half consisting of a sanctum sanctorum and mandapam’ Of the entire structure the domed mandapam of the western shrine has survived. The other parts of the temple seemed to have fallen long back as they have not been conserved. Only the lower portion of the wall remains to a height of about six feet. The sanctum sanctorum consists of seven vertical segments along the axis.

The mandapam wall, instead of seven has five offsets on each face. The sanctum sanctorum and the mandapam are six and 12 feet square. The adjoining western shrine exhibits its details in a comparatively better manner. The moulded plinth of the shrine is wholly visible. The mandapam is square with small projecting porticoes on the north and south. Originally it was supported on 12 pillars three of which have fallen down. All the existing pillars are erected on a parapet wall, three feet and six inches high.

The surviving roof is domical with intricate architectural designs. The shrine is full of carvings. There are registers of elephant friezes running throughout the basement wall. The upper portion contains figures of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva with their consorts. The pillars are also decorated profusely with floral designs, geometrical patterns and tiny human figures, which cannot be identified owing to bad preservation. Adjacent to the Baleshwar Temple is a Naula which is a fresh water resource.

Festivals

Maha Shivarathri is the most important festival of the temple. A fair is held on the occasion of Mahasivarathri where local handicrafts, local food, the traditional folklores, and dances are a major attraction.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 73 Kms from Pithoragarh, 75 Kms from Tanakpur Railway Station, 151 Kms from Nainital, 170 Kms from Pantnagar Airport and 424 Kms from New Delhi Airport.

Location

Baijnath Temple Complex, Baijnath, Uttarakhand

Baijnath Temple Complex is a cluster of 18 Hindu temples, situated in the town of Baijnath in Bageshwar District in Uttarakhand, India. The complex is situated along the banks of Gomati river at an elevation of 1,125 m (3,691 ft) above mean sea level. These temples are renowned for possibly being one of the very few temples in the world where Parvati is depicted with her husband Shiva. Pilgrims arrive here on occasion of Shivaratri and Makar Sankranti. Baijnath Temple Complex has been recognized as Monuments of National Importance by the Archaeological Survey of India in Uttarakhand. Baijnath has been selected as one of the four places to be connected by the ‘Shiva Heritage Circuit’ in Kumaon, under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Government of India.

Legends

Lord Shiva’s divine marriage:

The temple holds significance because, according to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva and Parvati were married at the confluence of River Gomati and Garur Ganga.

Brahmin woman built this Temple:

Legend goes that the temple was built by a Brahmin woman and dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Katyuri Kings built this Temple in one night:

It is also believed that it was built in one night by katyuri kings.

History

Baijnath, then known as Kartikeyapura, was the seat of the Katyuri kings who ruled over an area consisting of combined parts of Garhwal and Kumaon in modern-day state of Uttarakhand, India and Doti in Modern day Nepal. When the Katyuri kings shifted their capital from Joshimath to Kartikeyapura, a large number of followers of Shaiva sects like the Lakulisa, Nath (Kanphata), Jangam, Vairagi, Sanyasi also followed them. In order to rehabilitate them, The Katyuris built a large complex of temples dedicated to Vaidyanath Shiva, the name later got corrupted to Baijnath.

The first permanent settlement of the area was a town named Karvirpur or Karbirpur. The ruins of this town were used by Katyuri King Narsingh Deo to establish his capital in the area. Nepalese invader Kranchaldev invaded Baijnath in 1191, and defeated the Katyuri kings. The weakened Katyuri Kingdom later disintegrated in the 13^th century giving rise to 8 different princely states. Baijnath remained under the rule of Baijnath Katyurs, descendants of Katyuri kings, till 1565 until king Balo Kalyan Chand of Almora annexed Baijnath to Kumaon.

In 1791, the Gorkhas of Nepal while expanding their kingdom westwards across Kali River, invaded and overran Almora, the seat of the Kumaon Kingdom and other parts of Kumaon. The Gorkhas were defeated by the East India Company in Anglo-Nepalese War in 1814 and were forced to cede Kumaon to the British as part of the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816. In 1901 it was a small village with a population of 148.

This Temple is said to have been built by the Kumaon Katyuri king in around 1150 A.D. Several inscriptions dating back to AD 1202 have been found in the Temple complex. The temples were restored and rebuilt during the reign of king Gyan Chand. The temple complex was plundered by the Rohillas in AD 1743-1744 which led to the destruction of the Shikhar of the main shrine.

The Temple Complex

Baijnath Temple complex is a cluster of 18 stone temples, located in the eastern part of the Baijnath town on the left bank of Gomati river. The temple is approached from the riverside by a flight of steps made of stones constructed by the orders of a Katyuri queen. On the way to the main temple, just below the house of the Mahanta, is the temple of Bamani. The main shrine in the complex is dedicated to Vaidyanath Shiva in the form of a lingam. The depiction of Parvati, made of grey chloride schist, is a marvel of art.

Another sculptural element of note is a life-size image of Kal Bhairava in vilasasana seated outside the Vaidyanath Temple. There are 102 stone images, some of which are under worship, while other have been reserved by the Archaeological Survey of India. The principle deities at Baijnath temple complex are the Vaidyanath (Shiva), Parvati, Nrithya, Kartikeya, Narsimha, Brahma, Mahishasuramardhini, Sapta Matrikas, Surya, Garuda and Kubera.

An artificial lake near the temple compound was announced in 2007-2008. It was completed and inaugurated on 14 January 2016 by Harish Rawat, the then Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. The lake is full of “Golden Mahaseer” fishes. Although fishing is strictly restricted at this site, the lake is a major tourist attraction where tourists offer Chana to fishes. The nearby market is Garur which is supposed to be one of the oldest in the region.

Satyanarayan temple is also located nearby. It is just a small walk away from the main temple complex. Around 2 Kms from Baijnath there is a temple of Bhagwati Mata Kot Bhramri Devi Temple or (Kot Ka Mandir), which once was a fort owned by the Katyuri Kings. Also, there is a myth that Adi Guru Shankaracharya stayed on this temple overnight while en route to Badrinath.

There is widespread belief among the local populace that the goddess, (after whom the temple is named) Kot Bhramri Devi’s, Goddess face should not be shown to anyone except the priest of the temple if not followed this advice the entire Katyur Valley will face ill luck and massive disaster will follow hence backside of the goddess is worshipped, except during the annual festival of Nandaashtmi during Bhadrapad Ashtami or Radha Ashtami during September month (the state government declares as State holiday) or when the Raj Jaat Yatra which takes place once in twelve year.

Since last 150 Years buffalo and Lamb used to be sacrificed in the name of Nandaashtmi has been stopped by The Honorable High Court of Nainital on a Public Interest Litigation filed by Animal Protection Society and as a result under police protection this practice has stopped. Though the Goddess Ma Bhramri is Satvik but some 200 years back during Nepalese Invasion and their Kingdom, local deity Ma Nandadevi’s status got installed at Kot Bhramri Mandir as a result animal sacrifice got started some 200 years back.

Connectivity

The Temple Complex is located at about 17 Kms from Kausani, 21 Kms from Bageshwar, 69 Kms from Almora, 90 Kms from Karnaprayag, 98 Kms from Jageshwar, 131 Kms from Nainital, 150 Kms from Kathgodam Railway Station, 184 Kms from Pantnagar Airport and 443 Kms from New Delhi Airport.

By Road:

Baijnath is well connected by motorable roads with major destinations of Uttarakhand state and northern India.

By Train:

Nearest Railway Station is Kathgodam Railway Station. Kathgodam is the last terminus of the broad gauge line of North East Railways that connects Kumaon with Delhi, Dehradun, and Howrah.

By Air:

Pantnagar Airport, located in Pantnagar is the primary Airport serving entire Kumaon Region. Indira Gandhi International Airport, located in Delhi is the nearest international Airport.

Bagnath Temple, Bageshwar, Uttarakhand

Bagnath Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, situated in the Bageshwar city in Uttarakhand State, India. The Temple is situated at the confluence of Sarayu and Gomati rivers. It is the most famous Temple in Bageshwar District. It is flooded with devotees on the occasion of Shivaratri. The city of Bageshwar gets its name from this Temple. It has an Elevation of 1004 m above mean sea level.

Legends

Bageshwar:

According to Skanda Purana, Rishi Vasishta was asked to bring down River Sarayu by Lord Brahma. But as Rishi Markandeya was meditating on its path it was not possible for Sarayu to flow. So, Rishi Vasishta prayed to Lord Shiva and asked for his help. Lord Shiva took the form of a Lion and came down on this place along with Parvati in the form of cow. The Lion (Lord Shiva) attacked the Cow (Mother Parvati) in front of Rishi Markandeya, who after hearing the fight opened his eyes and saved the Cow.

As soon as Rishi Markandeya left his spot, Sarayu flowed freely and came down. Lord Shiva in the form of Byaghra (Lion) blessed Markandeya Rishi and the place came to be called as Baghreshwar which later got corrupted to Bageshwar. Baghreshwar originally meant the adobe where lord Shiva appeared as Byaghra (Lion) but the term Bageshwar denotes Bag (tiger). A Chanda dynasty king Laxmi Chanda established the temple of Bageshwar.

Manorath Pandey:

As per local folklore, the Shiva Linga could not be installed in the temple and whoever tried to do so, were either punished or died. It was finally installed by a local man – Shri Manorath Pandey who belonged to Palayan Village after he performed hard penance and got blessed by lord Shiva himself.

History

Sanskrit inscription here confirms the construction details. Though some sources state The existence of Bagnath temple since 7^th Century, the present building in nagara style was built in 1450 by Chand ruler, Laxmi Chand. The various statues in the temple date back from 7^th century AD to 16^th century AD. The significance of the temple finds mention in the Skanda Purana. A water police post was opened in the premises of the temple on 19 September 2016 for patrolling and prevention of water crimes in the city.

The Temple

Presiding Deity is called as Bageshwar / Vyagreswar. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam. There are idols and shrines of Chaturmukhi Shiva Linga, Trimurti Shiva Linga, Dasavatara, Bhairava, Dattatreya Maharaj, Ganga Maiya, Lord Hanuman, Goddess Durga, Goddess Kalika, Thingal Bhairava, Panchnam Junakhara and Vaneswar in the Temple premises.

Festivals & Religious Practices

The Utharayana fair is held in the month of January every year on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. The religious ritual of the fair consists in bathing before daybreak at the confluence. After Bathing, an offering of water to Lord Shiva inside the Temple is essential. Those who are more religiously disposed, continue this practice for three days in succession, which is known as Trimaghi. The Bagnath Temple attracts thousands of Shiva Devotees every month and especially on the day of Shivaratri.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1 Km from Bageshwar Bus Station, 22 Kms from Baijnath, 71 Kms from Almora, 77 Kms from Jageshwar, 132 Kms from Nainital, 151 Kms from Kathgodam Railway Station, 185 Kms from Pantnagar Airport and 449 Kms from New Delhi Airport.

By Road:

Bageshwar is well connected by motorable roads with major destinations of Uttarakhand state and northern India. The major roads passing through Bageshwar include NH 309A, Bareilly-Bageshwar Highway, Bageshwar-Garur-Gwaldam Road, Bageshwar-Someshwar-Dwarahat road and the Bageshwar-Kapkot-Tejam Road. Uttarakhand Transport Corporation runs Buses Bageshwar bus station to Delhi, Dehradun and Almora; while K.M.O.U (Kumaon Motor Owner's Union) runs 55 buses on various routes to Haldwani, Almora, Takula, Berinag, Pithoragarh, Didihat and Gangolihat. Taxis and Private Buses, mostly run by K.M.O.U, connect Bageshwar to other major destinations of Kumaon region.

By Train:

Nearest Railway Station is Kathgodam Railway Station. Kathgodam is the last terminus of the broad gauge line of North East Railways that connects Kumaon with Delhi, Dehradun, and Howrah.

By Air:

Pantnagar Airport, located in Pantnagar is the primary Airport serving entire Kumaon Region. Indira Gandhi International Airport, located in Delhi is the nearest international Airport.

Location

Ardha Badri, Joshimath, Uttarakhand

Ardha Badri Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. As the size of the idol is small, the temple is called Ardha Badri (literal meaning half Badri). It is also a part of the Char Dham Yatra Uttarakhand Destinations- the four holy places of Hinduism. Ardha Badri, located on the Joshimath-Tapovan road is in a remote village and can be approached only by trekking along a steep bridle path. May to October is the ideal time for one to visit this Temple.

It is the seventh among the ‘Sapta Badri’ temples which are a group of seven holy shrines in honour of Lord Vishnu. All the Badri temples are present in Badri-Kshetra. It extends from Satapanth to Nandaprayag in the Alaknanda river valley. The main temple among the Sapta Badri temples is the Badrinath. And in ancient times, the path to the temple went through the Badri van (Forest of berries). Hence, the suffix ‘Badri’ is added to the seven holy shrines of Lord Vishnu.

Legends

According to history, Adi Shankaracharya built Sapta Badri temples. As per beliefs, he did so to promote and spread Hinduism to all parts of the country.

The Temple

The significance of Ardha Badri is that in comparison to other temples, the idol of Lord Vishnu here is smaller. Hence, the name of the temple roughly means ‘the little Badri’.

Festivals

Krishna Janmashtami and Makar Sankaranthi are the festivals celebrated here with much fanfare.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Location

Grishneshwar Temple, Ellora, Maharashtra

Grishneshwar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Ellora, also known as Verul, near Aurangabad in Maharashtra State, India. Presiding Deity is called as Grishneshwar / Ghurmeshwar / Ghushmeshwar / Kusumeswarar and Mother is called as Grishneshwari. Grishneshwar Temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga Shrines mentioned in the Shiva Purana. The word Grishneshwar means "lord of compassion". The temple is an important pilgrimage site in Shaivism tradition of Hinduism, which considers it as the last or twelfth Jyotirlinga (Linga of light).

It is presently an important and active pilgrimage site of the Hindus and attracts long lines of devotees daily. Anyone can enter the temple premises and its inner chambers, but to enter the sanctum sanctorum core (Garbha Griha) of the temple, the local Hindu tradition demands that men must go bare chested. Famous Ellora Caves, UNESCO world heritage site, featuring ancient rock cut monuments from the 1st millennium CE, and Ajanta known for its exquisite cave paintings again from the 1^st millennium CE are located nearby.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

This temple was destroyed by the Delhi Sultanate during the Hindu-Muslim wars of 13^th and 14^th century. The temple went through several rounds of rebuilding followed by re-destruction during the Mughal-Maratha conflict. The history of Grishneshwar temple speaks of Maloji Bhosle, an ardent devotee and chief of the Verul village. He built the temple and a lake in Shikharshinganapur in the 16^th century after he found a treasure hidden inside an ant hill. Rani Ahilyabhai Holker, Queen of Indore, renovated the temple in the 17^th century. She also re-constructed the Kasi Viswanatha temple at Benares and the Vishnu Pada Temple at Gaya.

The Temple

The Grishneshwar Temple is built in South Indian Architectural Style. The temple, built of red rocks, is composed of a five tier shikara. This temple covers an area of about 240 ft x 185 ft. This temple is the smallest Jyotirlinga temple in India. Presiding Deity is called as Grishneshwar / Ghurmeshwar / Ghushmeshwar / Kusumeswarar. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam. He is facing east. The sanctum sanctorum includes Lord Grishneshwar and his consort Grishneshwari.

The Garbhagriha measures 17 ft x 17 ft. There is a Nandi bull in the court hall. Halfway up the temple, Dashavataras of Vishnu are carved in red stone. A court hall is built on 24 pillars. On these pillars, there are carvings summarizing various legends and mythologies of Shiva. Devotees can see the marriage scene of the Lord and his consort in the temple murals and carving. The Grishneshwar Temple also houses a well that serves as the sacred Theertham of this temple.

Temple Opening Time

Timings	From	To
Darshan	5:30 AM	9:30 PM
Darshan (In Shravan)	3:00 PM	11:00 PM

Notes/Tips: It usually takes 2 hours to complete darshan during normal days. During Shravan, it takes around 6-8 hours due to heavy rush.

Pooja Timings

Poojas	Timings
Mangal Arati	4.00 a.m.
Jalhari Sanghan	8.00 a.m.
Maha Prashad	12.00 Noon
Jalhari Sanghan	4.00 p.m.
Evening Aarti	7.30 p.m.
Night Aarti	10.00 a.m.

Festivals

Maha Shivaratri in February / March, Ganesh Chaturthi in August / September, Navaratri in September/October and Diwali in October / November are the festivals celebrated here with much fanfare.

Religious Significance

According to tradition, the Shivalinga in Ellora (Verul) is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India, where Shiva is believed to have appeared as a fiery column of light. The jyotirlingas are taken as the supreme, undivided reality out of which Shiva partly appears. Each of the 12 jyotirlinga sites take the name of a different manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the primary image is a Lingam representing the beginning-less and endless Stambha (pillar), symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva.

The twelve Jyotirlinga are:

· Somnath Temple, Gujarat

· Mallikarjuna Temple, Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh

· Mahakaleswar Temple, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

· Omkareshwar Temple, Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh

· Kedarnath Temple, Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand

· Bhimashankar Temple, Pune, Maharashtra

· Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

· Triambakeswarar Temple, Nashik, Maharashtra

· Vaidyanath Temple, Deogarh, Jharkhand

· Nageshwara Temple, Dwarka, Gujarat

· Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu

· Grishneshwar Temple, Ellora, Maharashtra

Prayers

The significance of Grishneshwar Temple is that pilgrims believe that, by paying a visit to the Grishneshwar Temple, one can reap the benefits of worshiping all the 12 Jyotirlingas.

Contact

Grishneshwar Temple,

Verul, Maharashtra – 431 102

Phone: +91 2437 244 585

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1 Km from Verul Bus Stand, 29 Kms from Aurangabad Central Bus Station, 30 Kms from 29 Kms from Aurangabad Railway Station, 31 Kms from Aurangabad, 36 Kms from Aurangabad Airport, 100 Kms from Manmad Railway Station, 258 Kms from Pune and 326 Kms from Mumbai. Nearest Railway Station and Airport is located at Aurangabad. Nearest Major Railway Station is located at Manmad. This pilgrimage site is located in Ellora (also called Verul), less than a kilometer from Ellora Caves – a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Somnath Temple, Gujarat

Somnath Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat. The Temple is believed to be the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva. It is an important pilgrimage and tourist spot of Gujarat. The Temple was reconstructed several times in the past after repeated destruction by several Muslim invaders and Portuguese. The present Temple is the seventh temple built to commemorate the glory of Lord Somnath. The present temple was reconstructed in Chalukya style of Architecture and completed in May 1951. The reconstruction was initiated by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Temple Opening Time

· Timings for Darshan at Somnath Temple: 6.00 am to 9.00 pm

· Timings for Aarti: 7.00 am, 12.00 Noon and 7.00 pm

· Jay Somnath Sound and Light Show: 8.00 pm to 9.00 pm

Religious Significance

According to tradition, the Shivalinga in Somnath is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India, where Shiva is believed to have appeared as a fiery column of light. The jyotirlingas are taken as the supreme, undivided reality out of which Shiva partly appears. Each of the 12 jyotirlinga sites take the name of a different manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the primary image is a Lingam representing the beginning-less and endless Stambha (pillar), symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva.

The twelve Jyotirlinga are:

· Somnath Temple, Gujarat

· Mallikarjuna Temple, Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh

· Mahakaleswar Temple, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

· Omkareshwar Temple, Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh

· Kedarnath Temple, Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand

· Bhimashankar Temple, Pune, Maharashtra

· Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

· Triambakeswarar Temple, Nashik, Maharashtra

· Vaidyanath Temple, Deogarh, Jharkhand

· Nageshwara Temple, Dwarka, Gujarat

· Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu

· Grishneshwar Temple, Ellora, Maharashtra

Accommodation

Pilgrims can avail the guest house facilities of Shree Somnath Trust. Trust maintains a VIP Guesthouse, Eighteen other guest houses and an economical dormitory. The total number of rooms in the trust guest houses are in excess of Two hundred.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 750 meters from Somnath Bus Stand, 2 Kms from Somnath Railway Station, 6 Kms from Veraval Railway Station, 7 Kms from Veraval, 57 kms from Keshod Airport, 80 Kms from Diu Airport, 83 Kms from Diu, 85 Kms from Junagadh, 175 Kms from Saurashtra and 411 Kms from Ahmedabad. Somnath is connected with Diu by road. Nearest Railway Stations are located at Veraval and Somnath. The Nearest Airport is at Keshod, which is connected with Mumbai. At present Jet Airways operates passenger flight from Bombay to Diu every day except Thursday.

Location

Somnath Temple – The Temple

The present temple is built in the Chalukya style of temple architecture or "Kailash Mahameru Prasad" style and reflects the skill of the Sompura Salats, one of Gujarat's master masons. The temple's Sikhara, or main spire, is 15 metres in height, and it has an 8.2-metre tall flag pole at the top. The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land in a straight line between Somnath seashore until Antarctica, such an inscription in Sanskrit is found on the Banastambha (arrow pillar) erected on the sea-protection wall.

The Banastambha mentions that it stands at a point on the Indian landmass that is the first point on land in the north to the South Pole at that particular longitude. In its external design the Somnath temple compares well with the temple of Rudramala at Siddhapur and is more or less of the same size in length. The dome, however, is as large as any other built in this period. The temple faces to east and once had an enormous central hall with three entrances, each protected by a lofty porch.

The fragments that lie scattered at a short distance from the site give some idea of the sculpture decorating the temple. The richly carved doorways, the sculptured representations of Nandi, Lord Shiva’s bull, and the figures of goddesses and their female attendants must once have presented a grand ensemble of great beauty. In the recesses of the balconied corridor, there is a mutilated form of Nataraja, the dancing Shiva.

The pinnacle rides to a height of 155 feet. The kalash atop the shikhar weighs 10 tonnes. The flag- mast is 37 feet long. These details give an idea of the size of the temple. In historical times the temple, the third to be precise, was raged to the ground by Sultan Mohmad of Ghazni. Then Sultans Aladdin and Mohmad Begda too desecrated it. After the Marathas took over Gujarat Rani Ahalyabai of Indore constructed a temple near the old temple and worship is offered there ever since.

The temple is illuminated every evening. Similarly, the Sound & Light Show “Jay Somnath” is also displayed every night during 8.00 to 9.00, which allows the pilgrims an ethereal experience in the backdrop of grand Somnath temple and the holy wave sounds of the Ocean. Kapardi Vinayak and Hanuman Shrines can also be found in the Temple premises. Vallabh Ghat is a beautiful sunset point. Vallabh Ghat offers a spectacular view of the Arabian Sea. Although essentially a Brahmanical temple, the influence of Jain architecture is clearly discernible.

Adi Badri, Chamoli, Uttarakhand

Adi Badri is a Hindu Temple complex located in Chamoli District in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Adi Badri is situated in the hill ranges beyond’ Karnaprayag (confluence of Pindar River and Alaknanda River. It is a group of sixteen temples, belonging to the Gupta period. The Chief Temple is the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. At present the entire temple sites are looked after by the Archaeological Survey of India. Adi Badri is an architectural marvel on the Himalayas.

Unlike other temples of Himalayas including the most important temples such as Badrinath and Kedarnath which have the recent structures, the structure of Adi Badri is very ancient. Adi Badri is part of famous Panch Badri and Saptha Badri Temples of Uttarakhand. The Adi Badri is the first temple complex among Badri temples. Adi Badri temple opens on Makar Sankranti and closes in the month of November.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

Adi Badri is an architectural marvel on the Himalayas. Unlike other temples of Himalayas including the most important temples such as Badrinath and Kedarnath which have the recent structures, the structure of Adi Badri is very ancient. Adi Badri is not a single temple. But it is a cluster of 16 small temples. 14 out of these 16 temples still exist in the original form. 7 temples in this group were built in the late Gupta period, between the 5^th century CE to 8^th century CE.

According to tradition, Adi Shankara is attributed as builder of all the temples. Adi Shankara is believed to have sanctioned these temples in order to spread Hinduism to every remote part of the country. In ancient times, when approach to the main shrine of Badrinath was closed due to weather conditions, pilgrims worshipped Vishnu at this temple. Adi Badri, also known as Helisera according to revenue records.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Religious Significance

Pancha Badri:

As this temple was the first one of the five Badri temple of Uttarakhand, where the worship been started first, so the temple is called as "Adi Badri". These five Badris are - Adi Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Yogathyan Badri, Vriddha Badri & Badri Vishal of Badrinath. Few people omit Vriddha Badri and instead include Narasinga Badri.

Saptha Badri:

The seven temples of Badri in and around Badrinath are called as Sapta Badri temples. They are Badrinath, Adi Badri, Vriddha Badri, Dhyan Badri, Ardha Badri, Bhavishya Badri and Yogathyan Badri. Hence, Adi Badri is one of the Sapta Badri sites. Some people include Narasinga Badri as one of the Sapta Badri sites.

Pilgrimage:

The Adi Badri pilgrimage was initiated by Adi Shankar in the 8th century AD. Every year during summers in May-June pilgrims visit Adi Badri and on Kartika Poornima (Nov – Dec) pilgrims visit this temple to participate on the Kapal Mochan fair. The worshippers take holy dip in Kapal Mochan Kund and worship the idol. Adi Badri is an integral part of Lord Vishnu’s abodes and one must pay visit to this place once in her / his life time.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 15 Kms from Chulakot, 19 Kms from Karnaprayag, 113 Kms from Ranikhet, 189 Kms from Rishikesh Railway Station, 192 Kms from Rishikesh, 212 Kms from Haridwar, 213 Kms Haridwar Railway Station, 207 Kms from Dehradun Airport and 446 Kms from New Delhi Airport. This temple is situated at about 19 Kms from Karnaprayag on the sub highway of Ranikhet Road of Uttarakhand. Adi Badri is an hour's drive from Karnaprayag and close to Chulakot on the way to Ranikhet.

Rishikesh is the major starting point for road journey to Joshimath. Regular buses operate from Rishikesh Bus Station to Adi Badri via Karnaprayag. The nearest railway station is at Rishikesh, which has a small railway terminal. Haridwar Railway junction, 24 Kms farther from Rishikesh, has train connections to most of the major cities in India. Nearest Airport is Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun.

Location

Adi Badri, Chamoli – The Temple

Adi Badri temple is a group of 16 temples adjacent to each other, belonging to the Gupta period. This is a tiny temple complex enclosed within a space of 14 metres (46 ft) X 30 metres (98 ft). The height of the temples varies from 2–6 metres (6.6–19.7 ft). All these temples are located in a space of about 42 by 85 feet.

The main temple is dedicated to god Vishnu, which is built over a raised platform, with a small enclosure in a pyramidal form. The sanctum holds black stone 1-meter (3.3 ft) image of Vishnu. The image depicts Vishnu holding a mace, lotus and chakra (discus).

The sanctum is very narrow and cannot accommodate more than 3/4 persons at a time. The other temples are dedicated to Kali, Shiva, Janaki, Hanuman, Gauri Shankar, Satya Narayan, Ganesha, Garuda, Annapurna, Chakrabhan, Lakshmi Narayan, Kubera and Kali. All the temples look similar in style though vary slightly in size. Few temples have the niche images of Dwarapalas and few other niche images at the entrance.

As otherwise, all the temples exteriors are plain. The deities inside the temples do not seem to be old. A Kund (pond) is located within the premises is believed to be the origin source of the Saraswathi river. Brahmins from South India serve as chief priests in the temple. At present the entire temple sites are looked after by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Bhoramdeo Temple Complex, Chattisgarh

Bhoramdeo Temple Complex is a complex of Hindu temples dedicated to the Lord Shiva in Bhoramdeo near Kawardha Town in Kabirdham District in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It comprises a group of four temples of which the earliest is a brick-temple. The main temple is the Bhoramdeo temple built in stone. The architectural features with erotic sculptures has given a distinct style akin to the Khajuraho temple and the Konarak Sun Temple in Odisha, and hence the Bhoramdeo complex is known by the sobriquet the "Khajuraho of Chhattisgarh".

Another temple within a distance of about 1 Km from Bhoramdeo, which is mentioned along with the Bhoramdeo complex is the Madwa Mahal, meaning marriage hall in local dialect, also known as Dullhadeo. It was built in 1349 during the reign of Ramchandra Deo of the Nagavanshi dynasty and has a unique Shiva Linga erected over 16 pillars. The Bhoramdeo temple complex is built at the foot of the thickly forested scenic backdrop of the Maikal range of hills, in the Dakshina Kosala, which is in the present day Indian state of Chhattisgarh.

History

The temple complex, rich in history and archeological details, is dated to the Kalachuri period (10^th – 12^th centuries, ruling over areas in Central India in west Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and were called Chedi or Haihaya (Heyheya) (northern branch)) with close identity with the sculptures found in nearby archeological sites such as Janjgir, Kalachuri, Narayanpur and Ratanpur sites. The brick temples were built during the rule of Pandus and are like those built in Kharod, Palari, Rajim and Sirpur in the state.

The temple complex, highlighted as a "scintillating poetry in stone", is credited to Nagwanshi Kings who practiced tantrism and who ruled in the then Southern Koshal region, which is now the state of Chhattisgarh. Its construction is dated between the 7^th and 12^th Centuries. As the Gond Tribals of the area worshiped Lord Shiva whom they called Bhoramdeo, the temple was also named Bhoramdeo with the Shiva Linga deified in it.

The Temple Complex

For brief details, please refer below link;

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Bhoramdeo Temple Complex – Temple Complex

Bhoramdeo temple, built of stone, and dated to the 11th century, which is older than the Khajuraho Group of temples. A sculpted figure of Nandi (the bull), the mount of Shiva, is installed and a colorful arch greets visitors. From this entrance is a well laid out esplanade leads to the temple complex. The esplanade is laid like an avenue planted with Sal (Shorea robusta), Giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus) and Arjun trees (Terminalia arjuna) on both sides. It terminates in a manmade lake with the Maikal Mountains forming its backdrop.

There are Gulmohar trees (Delonix regia) spreading its branches with profusion of flowers in orange-red hue. Boats, which ply in the lake, are moored to a jetty, and a fountain at the center of the lake spreads jets of water. The temple complex is situated on the banks of this lake. Its architectural style is known as the Gurur type, unlike the north Indian Nagara style of architecture.

The architectural features with erotic sculptures have given a distinct style akin to the Khajuraho and the Konark and hence the Bhoramdeo complex is known by the sobriquet the "Khajuraho of Chhattisgarh. Its structural uniqueness lies in the receding rows or tiers placed successively upwards in the top part of the temple tower. It has profusion of carved images on its exterior walls. The first stage of the temple is a large platform or plinth that is built to height of 5 feet (1.5 m).

The platform itself, on its exterior faces, has many sculptures of Hindu deities carved on it. The temple built over this platform which measures 60 feet (18 m) x 40 feet (12 m) has the conventional Hindu temple composition of a mandapa (hall), followed by an antrala or passage leading to the Garbha Griha or sanctum sanctorum, the main enclosure in the temple where the chief deity, Shiva in form of a Shiva Linga, is enshrined. The mandapa is square on plan and is supported on four main central pillars, apart from the peripheral pillars.

The sanctum sanctorum measures 9 feet (2.7 m)x9 feet (2.7 m). All the three enclosures are linked by passageways. The temple is built facing the eastern direction, where there is an entry door; in addition, there are two more doors which open to the south and north but there is no door in the westerly direction. The three doors have open "half shelters". Right at the entrance to the sanctum sanctorum, there are very finely sculpted images of the ten avatars of the god Vishnu, apart from images of Shiva and Ganesha.

The towering roof of this garbhagriha is topped by Kalasha, which is circular in shape. The garbhagriha has striking right angled offsets in the north east and southern part which add to the elegance of the temple. There are many small towers which surround the main tower. The front entrance door of the temple has sculpted images of Ganga and Yamuna on its doorpost.

Also sculpted on the exterior and interior walls of the temple are the bass reliefs in the entablature part, of elephants, mythical figures and sensuous sculptures; the sensuous figures on the exterior walls represent the Kama Sutra, the erotic postures which reflects the then prevailing social, cultural, architectural and religious ethos in the region. These sculptures are crafted in three tiers on the exterior face of the temple up to the pinnacle and are housed in niches.

The sculpted images arranged in rows on the outer faces of the main tower vary in size from 1 foot to 1.5 ft to 2 ft in descending order from the top of the tower to its lower end. The main tower expands lower down into four other subsidiary structures to provide stability to the main tower. The lowest tier of the exterior walls is embellished with sculptures of lions and elephants. The material used for the sculptures are of black and ochre stones (black stone is used to carve pantheon gods while Ochre stone is used for other sculptures). Also sculptured on the exterior face of the temple are divine images of Vishnu and his incarnations.

In addition, the entrance doors are flanked by images of mythological figures, which are of 1 or 2 ft in height. On the southern face of the shikara or tower there is well crafted image of Ganesha with six arms and well turned out trunk. Some of the other images of interest are: A stone slab of Vishnu and Lakshmi mounted on Garuda with a king offering prayers, a gana adorning the top part of the pillars; inside the sanctum sanctorum, next to the main deity of Shiva Linga, is serpent with raised hood, and also images of Ganesha and Shiva, and that of a king and queen.

Istaliq Temple:

The Istaliq temple or the temple built with dried or burnt clay bricks adjoins the main Bhoramdeo temple. It was the first temple built between 2^nd and 3^rd centuries. This temple, in a dilapidated condition. has only a sanctum sanctorum without an entrance hall or mandapam. The tower above the sanctum sanctorum is extant only to half its height. There is wall projecting out of this temple which is known as "Allinda". Other existing structural features seen in the sanctum sanctorum are a few sculpted pillars. A sculpted Shiva Linga is enshrined here along with images of Uma Maheshwar and of the king and queen standing in a worshipful pose.

Open Air Museum:

There is an open-air museum within the temple complex which has a large collection of archeological antiquaries unearthed from the area, which are dated to 2^nd and 3^rd centuries. A particular find on display is of Sati pillars, which have unique architectural motif in which couples are carved in squatting amorous postures called the "alingana-mudra". There are also many slabs (stelles), with one stele in particular carved with a sword as a commemorative slab, and images of Uma Maheshwar.

Other collections on display in the courtyard are: Many dilapidated images; friezes of Nandi and Linga; and on the northern part of the courtyard a temple made of bricks in a ruined state. A recently built temple washed in red color with the deity Hanuman, is also seen on one side of the courtyard. A draped Kal Bhairava sculpture is also seen in the complex at its exit end.

Cherki Mahal:

For brief details, please refer below link;

Madwa Mahal:

For brief details, please refer below link;

Madwa Mahal, Bhoramdeo, Chattisgarh

Madwa Mahal is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located at about a kilometer away from the Bhoramdeo Temple Complex. This is a west facing temple housing Lord Shiva in the form of Linga in the sanctum. As the temple was built like a marriage hall or pandal (fabricated structure), known in local dialect as "Madwa". It was built in remembrance of the wedding of Nagwanshi king Ramachandra Dev and Haihawanshi Queen Raj Kumari Ambika Devi that took place in 1349.

Entrance to the temple has traditional architectural embellishments. The ceiling of the entrance hall or mandapa had a dilapidated shikara, which has been remodeled crudely. The Mandapa rests upon 16 pillars. However, the lowest part of this tower has many small erotic sculptures made by local artists. The entrance hall also has the usual feature of an image of Nandi (the bull) offering prayers to Shiva Linga, which is housed in the sanctum sanctorum.

There is a stairway to approach the sanctum sanctorum from the main entrance. The external walls of this temple have 54 images in erotic sexual postures explained in the Kama Sutra, which are said to reflect the tantric culture practiced by the Nagwanshi kings. The traces of turmeric on the walls, indicate that marriage and other rituals must have been performed here from time to time.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Cherki Mahal, Bhoramdeo, Chattisgarh

Cherki Mahal is another Shiva Temple, located one Kilometer to the south west of Madhwa Mahal. The Temple was built during the Fani Nagavanshi dynasty during 14^th Century AD. This temple is dedicated to the Cheras, a band of nomadic pastoralists who inhabit this region. The garbhagriha houses a Lingam set in the middle of a small tank. This Temple is having the main entrance in the east. The walls are made of brick with plaster and are starkly unadorned. The Cherki Mahal is smaller in size in comparison to those of Bhoramdeo temple and Madwa Mahal.

The architecture of the temple and the sculptures has led scholars to conjecture that this temple was built around the same time as the Madwa Mahal. The roof of the sanctum of the temple has lotus decoration. The entrance porch has many aesthetic repeated patterns. This temple is situated in Shankari-Cherki basin at village Chaura (ancient Chawarapur) near the Madwa Mahal. It is not easily locatable as it is situated in a thinly forested area.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Someshwara Temple, Shivanasamudra, Karnataka

Someshwara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Shivanasamudra Town in Mandya District in Karnataka State, India. The Temple is situated on the island formed by Cauvery River and it is very close to Ranganatha Swamy Temple. This temple dates back to the Chola Period with modifications by the Vijayanagar and the Hoysala Kings.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

There is a grand entrance and exit with the exit facing the main road. Well carved imposing Nandi’s sit atop the two gateways. Presiding Deity is called as Someshwara. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam. It is believed that the Someshwara Linga here is said to have been existing much before the Ranganatha Idol. There is a fish carved on the roof of the mandapa and it is believed that wishes asked standing under the fish facing the Linga are granted.

Mother is called as Prasanna Meenakshi. She is housed in a separate shrine. Adi Shankaracharya is believed to have consecrated the Shri Chakra to which the standing goddess eyes are directed. The idol is life-like in size and appearance. Just outside this shrine is the venerated Shami Vriksha (Banni Mara) which devotees walk around after offering prayers to the goddess. The two shrines are surrounded by manicured gardens and flowering plants which were in full bloom.

Vana Durga Devi Temple is around 1 Km away from the Someshwara temple. The goddess is also fondly worshipped by the name "Varaprasadi". Large number of devotees throng this place every Tuesday and nowadays Fridays and Sundays also attract more number of devotees. Just before Ugadi every year, annual festival is celebrated here.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Someshwara Temple, Kolar, Karnataka

Someshwara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Kolar Town in Kolar District in Karnataka State, India. Someshwara Temple is located in the heart of Kolar Town and is one of the famous temples in this town. Presiding Deity is called as Someshwara. The Temple is believed to be built by Cholas and extensively renovated by Vijayanagara Kings in 14^th Century. The Temple follows Dravidian style construction. The temple is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India as a monument of national importance.

History

Kolar town is known for its antiquity has witnessed the rule of Cholas, kings of Vijayanagara, Wodeyars, Hyder Ali Khan, Tipu Sultan and the British Raj. The temple was built by the Cholas who ruled this region in the 11^th century. The temple was later expanded by the Vijayanagara Empire and is a fine example of the Vijayanagara style of architecture. The carvings on the inner pillars of the temple have an international connection which depicts the importance and value of trade to the King.

The Temple

The temple architecture resembles that of the Someshwara temple in Bangalore, except, this temple is more rich in finish and detail. The temple is noted for its tall superstructure (gopuram) over the main entrance (Mahadwara). The superstructure is built of brick and stucco. The huge gopura on the entrance stands testimony to the hand of the Cholas in the construction of this temple. Though both temples have a large open pillared Mukha Mandapam (hall) leading to the sanctum (garbhagriha), in Kolar the open mandapam has a central hall surrounded by a raised floor. Several ornate pillars on the raised floor support the ceiling of the Mandapam.

The temple has heavy Prakara walls, a Kalyana Mandapam (Wedding hall), a Mukha Mandapa with massive pillars, a Vasantha Mandapam (Marriage Podium) and a shrine for goddess Parvati Devi. There is a granite bull carved at the entrance of the temple. The door frame of this magnificent temple is carved in pure Vijayanagara style with the Dwarapalas (guards). Presiding Deity is called as Someshwara. Sanctum houses the presiding deity in the form of Lingam.

The base of the temple outer wall (adhishthana) consists of decorative moldings, with friezes of elephants, dwarfs and lions embellishing the upper moldings. The outer wall of the temple has miniature decorative pilasters (kumbha) with turrets (aedicule). The main shrine has a Dravida (south Indian) style tower (shikhara), a vestibule (sukhanasi) that connects the sanctum to a Navaranga (closed hall) which leads to the large pillared Mukha Mandapam.

An ornate Kalyana Mandapam ("marriage hall") built of granite, at the south-west corner of the complex, has pillars with decorative sculptures in relief. The Kalyana Mandapa has 64 – 16 sided pillars, a few depicting men, riding horses and others represent mythological stories. The carvings on the pillars bear influence of the European, Chinese and Thai style. The Kalyana Mandapam’s top portion depicts a Chinese style of architecture and the temple tower boasts of stucco figures.

The temple is enclosed by a cloistered wall (prakara). At the frontal extension of the hall are four full length pillars depicting riders on Yalis ("mythical beasts"). The Vijayanagara inscriptions are found on the walls of the Yagasala and temple store room which date back to the 15th century A.D. The temple also has a large stepped tank in Vijayanagar style called Kalyani.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Ranganathaswamy Temple, Shivanasamudra, Karnataka

Ranganathaswamy Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located at Shivanasamudra Town in Mandya District in Karnataka State, India. The Temple is built in the Dravidian style of architecture. While there are numerous Ranganatha temples in South India, and many of those are located along the banks of river Cauvery, there are three temples within the islands that are formed within the river itself. The temple is one of a such three major temples that are built on three different islands on the River Kaveri, the others being those at Srirangapatna (Adi Ranga) and Srirangam (Anthya Ranga). The Temple is also referred to as Madhya Ranga as it is situated between Srirangapatna and Srirangam. Among all the three Rangas, the deity here is believed to represent the youth form of the God and hence is also fondly referred to as 'Mohana Ranga' and 'Jagan Mohana Ranga'.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

History

The Ranganathaswamy Temple at Shivanasamudra dates back to the Chola period with modifications by later rulers like the Hoysalas. The most interesting thing about this temple is that the entire history of this temple is carved on a pillar in the Someshwara Temple at Ulsoor in Bengaluru.

The Temple

This Temple is the smallest of all the Rangas. Presiding Deity is called as Ranganathaswamy. The Deity housed in the sanctum represents the youthful form of the God. Hence, he is called as 'Mohana Ranga' and 'Jagan Mohana Ranga'. The Idol is about 8 feet in reclining posture. The main deity, Jagan Mohana Ranganathaswamy is believed to be carved in black fossil stone (Saligrama Shila). The idol isn’t as large and intimidating as the ones at Srirangapatna or Srirangam but is equally beautiful.

The goddess Lakshmi is depicted as Kaveri, the personification of the namesake river and sits near the feet of the reclining Vishnu. The serpent has a seven-headed hood unlike the five-headed hood at Srirangapatna and Srirangam. There is a separate shrine dedicated to the main deity’s consort, Ranganayaki. There is also a small Utsava Mandapa in the temple compound.

Outside the temple is a tall, four-pillared structure in stone and further away along the same line of sight is a pillared mandapa which is now used by the villagers to store their harvest and tie their cows. Both these structures are neglected and need to be restored. There are shrines for Cauvery, Takshaka, Ramanujacharya and Alwars in the Temple premises. There is also a statue of Sugriva in the temple. Close to the temple is Gaganachukki and Bharachukki falls. With the falls near the temple, it is the most picturesque of all the Ranganatha temples.

Festivals

All Vaishnavite festivals are celebrated here with much fanfare. On Vaikunta Ekadashi, the Alankara or decoration of Ranganatha with pure butter is a treat to watch.

Religious Significance

The Lord Vishnu appears as Ranganatha, reclining on the majestic Sesha, at three different locations on Bhooloka, on islands surrounded by Cauvery. They are Srirangapatna, Shivanasamudra and Srirangam which are known as Adiranga, Madhyaranga and Antya Ranga respectively. It is considered highly auspicious if one can offer prayers to the Lord at all three locations on the same day (Triranga Darshana).

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Location

Pattadakal Group of Monuments, Karnataka

Pattadakal Group of Monuments is a major Temple Complex, located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. Pattadakal is also called as Pattadakallu or Raktapura. It is a complex of 7^th and 8^th century CE Hindu and Jain temples in northern Karnataka . This complex is on the left bank (west bank) of the Malaprabha River which runs further north to meet the river Krishna. The Chalukyas of Badami (ancient Vatapi) or Early Chalukyas (543-753 CE) built a large complex of temples for royal commemoration and coronation in Pattadakal. Pattadakal is a testament to the architectural prowess of the Chalukya dynasty.

The city was earlier called Pattada Kisuvolal, which translates to ‘City of Crown Rubies’. There are ten major temples at Pattadakal, nine Hindu and one Jain, along with numerous small shrines and plinths. Eight of the major temples are clustered together, a ninth one about half a kilometer south of this cluster, and the tenth, a Jain temple, located about a kilometer to the west of the main cluster. The Jain temple is only dedicated to a single Jina.

The Hindu temples are all connected by a walkway, while the Jain temple has road access. The most sophisticated temples, with complex friezes and a fusion of Northern and Southern styles, are found in the Papanatha and Virupaksha temples. The Virupaksha temple is an active house of Hindu worship. Four temples are constructed in the traditional Dravidian style of architecture, with another 4 temples containing elements of Nagara architecture. The remaining two temples are a confluence of both architectural styles.

The Hindu temples are generally dedicated to Shiva, but elements of Vaishnavism and Shaktism theology and legends are also featured. The friezes in the Hindu temples display various Vedic and Puranic concepts, depict stories from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana, as well as elements of other Hindu texts, such as the Panchatantra and the Kiratarjuniya.

It is one of UNESCO World Heritage site. It was accorded World Heritage Status by UNESCO in 1987. UNESCO has described Pattadakal as "a harmonious blend of architectural forms from northern and southern India" and an illustration of "eclectic art" at its height. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

Temple Complex

For brief details, please refer below link;

Inscriptions

For brief details, please refer below link;

Significance

For brief details, please refer below link;

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Location

Pattadakal Group of Monuments – Temple Complex

There are ten major temples at Pattadakal, nine Hindu and one Jain, along with numerous small shrines and plinths. Eight of the major temples are clustered together, a ninth one about half a kilometer south of this cluster, and the tenth, a Jain temple, located about a kilometer to the west of the main cluster. The Hindu temples are all connected by a walkway, while the Jain temple has road access.

The Pattadakal monuments reflect a fusion of two major Indian architectural styles, one from north India (Rekha-Nagara-Prasada) and the other from south India (Dravida-Vimana). Four temples were built in the Chalukya Dravida style, four in the Nagara style of Northern India, while the Papanatha temple is a fusion of the two. The nine Hindu temples are all dedicated to Shiva, faces east and are on the banks of Malaprabha river.

The oldest of these temples is Sangameshwara, which was built during the reign of Vijayaditya Satyashraya, between 697 and 733 CE. The largest of these temples in Pattadakal is the Virupaksha Temple, which was built between 740 and 745 CE. The last temple built in the Group of Monuments is the Jain temple, known locally as the Jain Narayana temple, which was likely built in the 9^th century during the reign of Krishna II of Rashtrakutas. Its style is patterned on the lines of the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram.

The basic plan of the temples runs thus: the garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum) opens to an antarala (vestibule) and houses the Lingam (anionic form of Lord Shiva) on a pitha (pedestal). An expansive pillared mandapa (hall) adjoins the antarala. A shikhara (superstructure) rises on top of the garbha griha and contains an amalaka (a ribbed stone) with a kalash (pot with mango leaves and a coconut) at its finial. The vimana then comprises both the garbha griha and shikhara. However, depiction of religious motifs through free-standing sculptures and reliefs is not limited to Shaivism but recruits images generously from the Hindu pantheon.

Following are the Temples & Monuments present in the Complex:

Chandrasekhara Temple:

For brief details, please refer below link;

Galaganatha Temple:

For brief details, please refer below link;

Jambulingeshwara Temple:

For brief details, please refer below link;

Kadasiddheswara Temple:

For brief details, please refer below link;

Kashi Vishwanatha Temple:

For brief details, please refer below link;

Mallikarjuna Temple:

For brief details, please refer below link;

Papanatha Temple:

For brief details, please refer below link;

Sangameshwara Temple:

For brief details, please refer below link;

Virupaksha Temple:

For brief details, please refer below link;

Monolithic Stone Pillar:

For brief details, please refer below link;

Jain Narayana Temple:

For brief details, please refer below link;

Pattadakal Group of Monuments – Inscriptions

Several inscriptions in the old Kannada language have been found at Pattadakal, notably in the Virupaksha, Sangameshvara and Papanatha temples. These inscriptions are an important source of information regarding the grants made by King Vikramaditya, and Vijayaditya, various queens, and others, for the construction and operation of the temple. They have also provided valuable insight into the evolution of various written Indian scripts. As an example, one particular 8^th century column is inscribed in two Sanskrit scripts, the northern Indian Siddhamatrika script and the southern Indian proto-Kannada-Telugu script.

Other notable monuments at Pattadakal include a monolithic stone pillar bearing numerous inscriptions, the Naganatha temple, the Mahakuteshwara temple, which also bear numerous inscriptions, as well as several small shrines dedicated to Shiva. Near the Virupaksha, Sangameshvara and Mallikarjuna temples is a Shaiva stone pillar, featuring a trident emblem. The pillar bears inscriptions stating it was erected by Jnana Shivacharya from Mrigathanikahara, located on the north bank of the Ganges, and that he had gifted a parcel of land to the Vijayeshwara.

In 2008, a senior archaeologist with the ASI had located the quarry where the stones were sourced some 5 kilometers away from the Pattadakal. The site is notable for sketches of Shiva, Nandi, Durga, Ganesh, trident, peacock, swastika, symbols and inscriptions. Some of these may be emblems of guilds (sanghata) that quarried and supplied the stones for temples.

Jain Narayana Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Jain Narayana Temple is a Jain Temple dedicated to Jain Theerthankar, Parsvanatha located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. This temple is part of Pattadakal Group of Monuments, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple complex is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River. The Jaina temple at Pattadakal was built during the 9^th century, possibly with sponsorship from the Rashtrakuta King Krishna II or the Kalyani Chalukyas. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

It is a three-storied temple with the two lower stories still functional. The square garbhagriha houses an image of Parsvanatha. The adjoining antarala runs into a mandapa and finally a beautifully pillared mukha mandapa graces the visitor. A circumambulatory path, though with collapsed walls, is also present. The superstructure is built in a southern Vimana style with a four-sided amalaka at top. The plinth is decorated with triple mouldings.

The projections and recesses of the mandapa walls contain images of Jina in various postures among other figures. The pillars of the porch are partially lathe turned, and the doorway has on either side an elephant with its rider. A large figure of Makara (crocodile) in florid detail marks the entrance to the garbha griha.

Unlike the other temples in the Pattadakal complex, the Jain Narayana temple lacks Hindu deities and intricate panels of the other nine, but instead has a statue of a Jina carved into the north side kapota eave. Like the Hindu temples, this temple also features a square sanctum, a circumambulatory path, an antechamber, a mandapa and a porch. The mandapa is divided into seven bays at the north and south walls, with narrow niches containing seated Jinas.

The bays are in the North Indian style, and the tower storey has a carved square shikhara. The mandapa has a row of lathe-turned sand stone pillars. The kakshasana are decorated with the figures of dancers, purna-ghata, nidhis, vyalas but some of the artwork is only partially finished. The entrance features carvings of a life-sized elephant torso with riders. The niches of this Jain temple mandapa may have previously featured images.

The Archaeological Survey of India has conducted excavations at the site yielding evidence of an older temple and Jaina presence. According to the ASI, the excavations uncovered "the remains of a large temple complex built in bricks and also a beautiful sculpture of Tirthankara standing in sama-bhanga indicating the existence of a temple, probably belonging to the pre or beginning of the early Chalukya rule".

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Location

Monolithic Stone Pillar, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Monolithic Stone Pillar is a monument located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. This Pillar is part of Pattadakal Group of Monuments, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pattadakal Group of Monuments is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River. This pillar stands in front of the Mallikarjuna Temple. The inscription is in Siddhamatrika and Kannada – Tamil characters of 8^th century CE. It starts with invocations of Shiva and Hara Gauri and refers to the reigns of Kings Vijayaditya and Vikramaditya II. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Location

Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Virupaksha Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. This temple is part of Pattadakal Group of Monuments, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple complex is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River. The Virupaksha temple, located to the immediate south of the Mallikarjuna temple, is the largest and most sophisticated of the monuments at Pattadakal.

This is the only functioning shrine in the temple complex. In inscriptions, it is referred to as "Shri Lokeshvara Mahasila Prasada", after its sponsor Queen Lokmahadevi, and is dated to about 740 CE. The famous Kailasha temple at Ellora Caves was modeled after this temple, although the Virupaksha temple was itself modeled after the Kailasanatha Temple at Kanchipuram. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

As is common with other temples at Pattadakal, the Virupaksha temple was built facing east centered around a square garbha griha (sanctum), with a Shiva Linga, surrounded by a covered circumambulatory path (pradakshina patha). In front of the sanctum is an antarala with two small shrines within which are facing images of Ganesha and Parvati, in her Durga aspect as Mahishasuramardini killing the buffalo demon. The external Nandi pavilion is aligned on an east-west axis, as are the mandapa and antechamber.

The temple site forms a rectangle consisting of fused squares bounded by walls, which are decorated with carvings. Within the compound are smaller shrines, of which there were once 32, based on the foundation footprint layout, but most have since been lost. The entrance leads to a mandapa with 18 columns (4-5-aisle-5-4, with a 4x4 set forming the inner mandapa and two leading to the Darshana space).

The tower above the sanctum is a three-storey pyramidal structure, with each storey bearing motifs that reflect those in the sanctum below. However, for clarity of composition, the artisans had simplified the themes in the pilastered projections and intricate carvings. The third storey is the simplest, having only parapet kutas, a kuta roof with each face decorated with kudus – a structure common in later Dravidian architecture Hindu temples.

A kalasha-like pot, found in festivals, social ceremonies and personal rituals such as weddings, crowns the temple. The top of this pot is 17.5 metres (57 ft) above the temple pavement, the highest for any pre-9^th century South Indian temple. The sukanasa on the tower is large, exceeding half the height of the superstructure, to aid visibility from a distance. The sanctum walls, and those of the nearby mandapa space, are decorated with intricately detailed carvings.

These carvings depict images of Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism deities, and themes, such as Narasimha and Varaha (Vaishnavism), Bhairava and Nataraja (Shaivism), Harihara (half Shiva-half Vishnu), Lakulisa (Shaivism), Brahma, Durga, Saraswathi, Lakshmi, and others. Other than Hindu gods and goddesses, numerous panels show depict people either as couples, in courtship and mithuna, or as individuals wearing jewelry or carrying work implements.

The temple has numerous friezes spanning a variety of topics such as, for example, two men wrestling, rishi with Vishnu, rishi with Shiva, Vishnu rescuing Gajendra elephant trapped by a crocodile in a lotus pond, scenes of hermitages, and sadhus seated in meditative yoga posture. Vedic deities such as Surya riding the chariot with Aruna, Indra on elephant and others are carved in stone.

A few depict scenes from the Ramayana such as those involving golden deer, Hanuman, Sugriva, Vali, Ravana and Jatayu bird, Sita being abducted, the struggles of Rama and Lakshmana. Other friezes show scenes from the Mahabharata, Krishna's playful life story in the Bhagavata Purana and the Harivamsa as well as fables from the Panchatantra and other Hindu texts.

There is a large Nandi mandapam opposite to the shrine with black stone monolithic Nandi. The walls of the Nandi mandapa have few beautiful carvings of female images. The temple contains historically significant inscriptions that provide hints about the society and culture of 8^th century India. The epigraphy reveals this to have been built by Queen Loka Mahadevi (originally named as Lokeswara) after the successful military campaigns of King Vikramaditya II against the Pallavas (4^th - 9^th centuries CE).

In ground plan it resembles the Kailasanatha temple of Kanchipuram, citadel of the Pallavas, but in stone it is a realization of the fully mature Early Chalukyan architecture in all its glory. The temple is notable for its range, and quality, of construction exemplifying a well-developed Dravidian architectural style, as well as the inscribed names of the artists beneath the panels they worked on.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Sangameshwara Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Sangameshwara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. This temple is part of Pattadakal Group of Monuments, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple complex is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River. This temple has been dated to the mid-8^th century by ASI. Sangameshwara Temple is also called the Vijayeshwara Temple.

Sangameshwara Temple situated between Galaganatha and Virupaksha temples inside the temple complex is the oldest temple in Pattadakal. It was commissioned by Chalukyan ruler Vijayaditya in the year 720 AD, but it seems the construction was never completed. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

Sangameshwara Temple is a large, Dravida style east facing temple located on the south side of the Chandrasekhara Temple. Inscriptions at the temple, and other evidence, date it to between 720 CE and 733 CE. The death of its patron king, Vijayaditya, in 734 CE resulted in the temple being left unfinished, although work continued intermittently in later centuries. During the Badami Chalukya reign, between 543-757 CE, other important Sangameshwara temples were built, such as the one at Kudavelli; in modern times, this temple was relocated to Alampur, after extensive restoration work.

The inscriptions found in this and other temples mention sponsor names from different centuries, including those of Hindu queens, suggesting they actively supported the temple architecture and arts. The temple has two entrances on north and south. Although the temple is not the largest among those at Pattadakal it is nonetheless of imposing proportions. The temple has a square layout, with an east facing sanctum. The sanctum, surrounded by a covered pradakshina patha (circumambulatory path) lit by three carved windows. Inside the sanctum is a Shiva Linga.

In front of the sanctum is a vestibule that is flanked on each side by smaller shrines. These shrines once contained carvings of Ganesha and Durga, but the carvings have since gone missing. Further east of the hall is a seated Nandi. Past the vestibule is a mandapa within which are sixteen massive pillars set in groups of four, which may have been added after construction of the temple was completed. The vimana superstructure above the temple and the outer walls of the temple are well preserved.

The vimana is a two-tiered structure, crowned with a square kuta-shikhara and kalasha. The temple walls contain many devakostha (niches) carved with images of Vishnu and Shiva, some of which are in various stages of completion. The temple is built on a raised moulded base, with decorative friezes of elephants, yali and makara mythical creatures. Above the kapota (eaves) are detailed friezes of ganas (playful dwarfs), who are portrayed as if they are struggling to hold the weight of the temple structure.

The parapet displays hara (various kinds of string in Hindu temple texts) of various styles, including karnakutas(square), and salas (oblong), which flow with the design below them and are decorated with kudus. Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism themes are presented in the carvings at the temple. The Shaiva iconography include a dancing Nataraja, Ardhanarishvara (half Shiva, half Parvati as essential halves of each other), Shiva with Bhringi, Shiva spearing the demon Andhaka, and the yogi, Lakulisha.

The Vaishnava iconography includes avatars of Vishnu such as Varaha lifting goddess earth (Bhudevi). Excavations into the foundations of its ruined hall, in 1969 and 1971, revealed the archaeologically significant discovery of a brick temple structure beneath the hall. This discovery led to the proposal that Sangameshwara had been built over an older temple, possibly dating to the 3^rd century CE. The temple also has inscriptions dated 1162 AD, from the reign of Kalyani Chalukyas.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Papanatha Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Papanatha Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. This temple is part of Pattadakal Group of Monuments, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple complex is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River. This temple has been dated to the mid-8^th century by ASI. The Papanatha temple is situated apart from the main cluster of eight monuments. It is about half kilometer to the south of Virupaksha and has been dated towards the end of the Early Chalukya rule period, approximately mid-8^th Century.

This temple is known as Mukteshwar temple in the inscription. It appears to have been originally a modest structure but in all probability was extensively renovated at the time of construction of Virupaksha temple (AD 740). The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

The temple is noted for its novel mixture of Dravida, and Nagara, Hindu temple styles. The unusual layout of the temple is possibly due to its construction, which occurred in three stages, but there is a lack of epigraphical evidence to support this hypothesis. Its architectural and sculptural details do show a consistent and unified theme, indicative of a plan. The temple is longer, incorporating two interconnected mandapas, one with 16 pillars and another with 4 pillars. The decorations, parapets and some parts of the layout are Dravida in style, while the tower and pilastered niches are of the Nagara style. The Temple boasts of a vimana of the northern style with an elaborately carved sukanasa at front.

Lamentably, both the amalaka and kalash are missing. It is the largest temple in the compound in the rekha nagara (northern) style and seems to have undergone additions and modifications outside those of the original plan. It is possible that the temple, in the beginning, consisted of the typical composition consisting of a sanctum, a rectangular mandapa and a separate Nandi mandapa. Later modifications aimed to enlarge the existing mandapa and incorporate an enclosed circumambulatory path around the sanctum. This was extended in such a way that the once separate Nandi mandapam became a part of it.

This east facing temple has on plain Garbha Griha, Ardha Mandapam, Sabha Mandapam and Mukha Mandapam provided with Kakshasana. Curiously the eastern half of the Sabha Mandapam accommodates a huge monolithic Nandi instead of a separate Nandi Mandapam. This temple is built on unusually huge plinth with the usual mouldings, embellished with elephants and other animal motifs. The wall above is relieved with a large Kudu type of Deva Kostas at regular intervals accommodating Shaiva and Vaishnava deities and perches sheltering stone windows.

Only one of the dvarapala now survives at the entrance of the mandapa. Pillars and pilasters inside the hall are resplendently covered with figures in tribhanga mudra (thrice-bent pose), foliage motifs and other elements. Images of Shiva and Parvati, Anantasayana Vishnu surrounded by Dikpalas, Nagaraja, Gajalakshmi are carved on the ceiling while narrative panels depicting episodes from Kiratarjuniya, Ramayana and other ancient texts adorn the walls.

The façade of the garbha griha is beautifully decorated with a Garuda on the lintel and decorative pilasters on either side, accompanied by gracefully sculpted figures of Ganga & Jamuna. Outside, in the mandapas, are images of single women and couples, in courtship and different stages of mithuna. Many panels show musicians with different types of musical instruments. The sabhamandapa has 16 pillars with medium size sculptures of men & women. There is also a sculpture of Mahishasura Mardhini with 8 hands.

The pillars in mukhamandapa have wonderful carving of couples and mythical animals on three sides. The sides of mandapa have several lattice windows with miniature temple towers engraved inside with different sculptures like Rama Killing Vali, Vanaras building bridge to Lanka, Srirama's Coronation, Arjuna's penance, Ravana lifting mount Kailash, Narasimha & Hiranyakasipa fighting, Indra riding Airavata, Dasharatha performing Putrakamesthti yagna, Indrajit & Kumbhakarna attacking vanara army, etc.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Mallikarjuna Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Mallikarjuna Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. This temple is part of Pattadakal Group of Monuments, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple complex is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River. Mallikarjuna temple, also called the Trailokeswara Maha Saila Prasada in a local inscription, is a mid-8^th Century Shiva temple sponsored by queen Trailokyamahadevi. It is located south of the Kashi Vishwanatha temple, southwest of the Sangameswara temple and near Virupaksha Temple. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

The temple was built about the same time as the Virupaksha temple, with a similar design and layout, but is somewhat smaller and has a few important differences. The temple reflects a fully developed South Indian vimana style architecture. Its garbha griha (sanctum) has a Shiva Linga and features a circumambulatory path (pradakshina patha). In front of the sanctum is an antechamber (antarala) with small shrines for Durga as Mahishasuramardini killing the buffalo demon and another for Ganesha on each side, both currently empty.

Access to the sanctum is through a pillared sabha-mandapa (community hall) with entrance porches, enclosures (prakara) and a gateway (pratoli). The temple has three mukhamandapas on three sides with a partially collapsed stone Nandi mandapa in front of the temple. A large pillared hall is following by sanctum. The temple, though similar to the Virupaksha temple, experiments with new architectural ideas that makes it distinct.

The depiction of a dancing Shiva, as Nataraja, in the Mallikarjuna temple is set in the shallow arch of the sukanasa. There are only a few noticeable differences between these two, one of them being a hemispherical amalaka as opposed to a four-sided one, and a parapet devoid of certain architectural elements such as kuta (square), Sala (oblong) etc. that correspond to the projections and recesses below.

The niches on temple walls are also gracefully decorated. The use of stone carvings for storytelling is prevalent throughout the temple. The legends of Hindu epics and the Puranas are depicted on the temple pillars in the community hall. These stories span all major traditions within Hinduism, including Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism.

The mukhamandapas and the pillars of the hall have wonderful carvings of gods and scenes from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Panchatantra. The ceiling of the temple is also adorned with beautiful figures. The Mahamandapam has sculptures of elephants supporting the ceiling. The rasa leela of Krishna, whose stories are found in the Bhagavata Purana, are shown on friezes as are Hindu fables from the Panchatantra.

Like other Hindu temples, the friezes of the Mallikarjuna temple show kama and mithuna scenes of amorous couples. In other places, artha scenes such as a worker walking with an elephant carrying a log and single women with different emotional expressions are carved into stone; one of these women carries an 8^th century musical instrument.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Kashi Vishwanatha Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Kashi Vishwanatha Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. This temple is part of Pattadakal Group of Monuments, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple complex is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River. The Temple is also known as Kashivishweswara Temple. The temple has been variously dated to the late 7^th century, early 8^th century or the mid-8^th century. Kashi Vishwanatha Temple is situated adjacent to Mallikarjuna Temple. This 8th century structure is one amongst the jewels of Pattadakal built by the Rashtrakuta dynasty. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

This is probably the last temple built in this compound, datable to the middle of the 8th century CE. In plan, the temple follows the general pattern of Early Chalukyan architecture as evidenced in other temples of this location. It showcases the wonderfully developed style of rekha nagara shikhara rising in five stages, unfortunately the amalaka and kalash are missing. Sculptures of Ardhanariswara (half-Shiva, half-Parvati) and Lakulisha are carved into the northern wall of the temple mandapa, but these have been damaged and defaced.

The kapota (cornice) are decorated with motifs and carved with ganas (playful dwarfs) carrying garlands; brackets show flying couples and kirtimukhas. A well-preserved sukanasa adorns the front of the shikhara with an image of Uma-Maheswara carved within a chaitya arch. The whole shikhara surface is designed in a mesh-like manner. The temple has only sanctum and antarala left and the remaining parts are collapsed.

The sanctum is supported by two pillars and has a Shivalinga carved out of black stone. The temple also features a pranala, a stone structure used to drain out water used during devotional activities, and an antarala, or foyer, connecting to a mandapa with a ruined entrance porch. The river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna are still visible at the entrance to the mandapa. Beyond the mandapa, further east a small Nandi mandapa, now largely ruined, is placed.

The temple sits on a raised platform, with five layers of mouldings, decorated with 8th-century carvings of horses, elephants, lions, peacocks and flowery vine designs. The wall surfaces have pilaster pairs supporting chaitya-style arches. The entrance door features a Shaiva dvarapala (guardian) on each side. The doorway of the sanctum has a carving of Garuda holding snakes. Bottom of the doorway has nice sculptures of female figures in different postures.

Inside the temple are pillars and pilasters intricately carved with friezes depicting the Bhagavata Purana (Vaishnavism), the Shiva Purana (Shaivism) and the Ramayana. One frieze shows the demon Ravana lifting mount Kailasha, others show the playful pranks of Krishna, while another narrates the Kalyansundarmurti (marriage of Shiva and Parvati). One relief show Shiva coming out of the cylindrical Linga. The mandapa ceiling has carvings of Shiva, Nandi and Parvati holding Kartikeya. This image is concentrically surrounded by the ashta-dikpalas (eight directional guardians). There are also few pillar reliefs of men riding mythical animals.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Location

Kadasiddheswara Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Kadasiddheswara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. This temple is part of Pattadakal Group of Monuments, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple complex is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River. The Temple is dated to mid-7^thCentury. Kadasiddheswara is the first temple in the Pattadakal site. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

This is a small Temple and faces east. It is built around a square garbha griha (sacrum sanctum). It houses a Linga on a pitha (platform), and the Nandi bull faces it from outside; there is a mandapa around the sanctum. Another mandapa provides a circumambulation path in an expanded axial layout. Much of the temple has been eroded or was damaged in the following centuries.

The Shikhara (spire) is a northern Nagara style (Rekhanagara) with a sukanasa projection on the east. The sukanasa has a damaged Nataraja accompanied by Parvati. The outer walls of the Kadasiddheswara sanctum feature images of Ardhanarishvara (half Shiva, half Parvati) on its north, Harihara (half Shiva, half Vishnu) to its west and Lakulisha to the south.

Mounted on a lintel at the sanctum entrance is Shiva and Parvati flanked by Brahma and Vishnu on either side. The steps at the sanctum entrance are flanked by the river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna, with attendants. The Temple is very similar to the Hucchimalli Gudi shrine located in Aihole. Its ground plan and period of construction are both comparable to the Jambulingeshwara temple.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Jambulingeshwara Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Jambulingeshwara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. This temple is part of Pattadakal Group of Monuments, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple complex is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River. This Temple is also called as Jambulinga Temple. This Temple is dated to mid-7^th and or 8^th century. Jambulinga Temple is situated behind Galaganatha Temple. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

The style of the temple is northern rekha-nagara with a curvilinear profile of squares diminishing as they rise towards the sky. The amalaka and kalasha of the northern style, however, are damaged and not in place. The entrance of the Jambulingeshwara mandapa is decorated with three shakhas, each with purnakumbhas below their capitals.

A swan themed frieze covers the passageway with the faint remains of the carvings of swans, kutas and salas. Its ground plan and period of construction are both comparable to the Kadasiddheswara temple. The temple is built around a square garbha griha (sacrum sanctum), whose outer walls feature intricate devakostha (linteled niches with decorated frames with Hamsa and mythical makaras).

Inside the frames are images of Vishnu on its north, Surya (Sun god) to its west and Lakulisha to the south. The square garbha griha houses a Lingam on a pitha and opens to the antarala at front which further expands to a mandapa. The temple also experiments with the idea of projecting sukanasa from the shikhara in front, over the mandapa. The sukanasi of the temple has a carved image of Lord Shiva with Parvathi. The temple faces east, greeting the sunrise.

The Nandi too is provided with a raised platform which is in ruins and the Nandi image shows signs of erosion. The dancing Shiva Nataraja with Parvati and Nandi by his side on the frontal arch sukanasa is better preserved. This temple is constructed in the lines of Huchchimalli Temple in Aihole, but small in size. The temple is built on a high plinth having five moldings with decorated miniature ganas and birds.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Location

Galaganatha Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Galaganatha Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. This temple is part of Pattadakal Group of Monuments, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple complex is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River. The Galaganatha temple lies to the east of the Jambulingeshwara Temple and to the north of Virupaksha Temple. The Temple is estimated to be from mid-8^th century. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

The temple is a northern Rekha-Nagara style with a Linga, and a vestibule (antarala) within the temple sanctum (garbha griha). Outside the temple is a seated Nandi that faces the sanctum. The exterior sanctum walls are embellished with niches or devakostas that were produced by well-designed pilasters. The sanctum has a covered circumambulatory path (pradakshina patha), indicating that this Hindu tradition was well established by 7^th to 8^th century.

The pradakshinapatha (passage for circumambulation) is closed on three sides but the large open space atop the plinth in front of the temple suggests the regrettable loss of the mandapa to the ravages of time. Various mandapas exist in this temple, such as a social or community hall (sabha mandapa), used for ceremonial functions, and a mukha mandapa, of which only the foundation remains.

The entrance to the mandapa is flanked by the river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna with the lintel being carved with a Nataraja. Small statues of Kubera and Gajalakshmi have been placed within Galaganatha Temple. This temple was constructed on a plinth with three mouldings that present chaitya arch motifs as well as playing dwarves.

This temple possesses an exquisitely developed superstructure in the northern style as adopted by Early Chalukya architects. The Galaganatha temple is mostly in ruins, except for the southern part which contains a carved slab showing an eight-armed Shiva killing the demon Andhaka, while wearing a garland of skulls as a yajnopavita (sacred thread across the chest).

The Galaganatha temple is notable for being almost an exact copy of the Svarga Brahma temple of Alampur in Andhra Pradesh, a temple that is dated to 689 CE. Given both Alampur and Pattadakal were a part of the Badami Chalukya kingdom, an exchange of ideas is likely. The basement of the eastern moulding is notable for depicting friezes of Panchatantra fables, such as that of the mischievous monkey and the fable of two-headed bird.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Location

Chandrasekhara Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Chandrasekhara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. This temple is part of Pattadakal Group of Monuments, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple complex is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River. This temple has been dated to the mid-8^th century by ASI. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

The Temple

Chandrasekhara Temple is a small east facing temple without a tower. It is situated on the south side of the Galaganatha temple and to the left of the Sangameshvara Temple. Its architectural style is very simple, without any idols or fragile carvings. The temple has a garbha griha with a Shiva Lingam and a closed hall; a Nandi sits on a platform to the east facing the Linga. There is no superstructure on top of the garbha griha. It is laid out within a space 33.33 feet in length and 17.33 in breadth, on an adhishthana (platform based on certain design rules in Hindu texts).

Detailed Pilasters, yet lacking in ornamentation, decorate the exterior walls of the temple. There is a devakostha (niche) in the walls on either side of the Chandrasekhara temple sanctum. The temple lacks a lintel, but features a dvarapala (guardian) on each side of the entrance; the door frames are carved with shakhas.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Mallikarjuna Temple, Basaralu, Karnataka

Mallikarjuna Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Basaralu, a small town in the Mandya district, Karnataka state, India. The Mallikarjuna temple facing east located at the flank of the tank called “Gujjavve Kere” situated in the boundary of the village on the road to Nagamangala is a small temple but a significant structure among the Hoysala temples in respect of sculptures. The temple was built by Harihara Danda Nayaka around 1234 A.D. during the rule of the Hoysala Empire King Vira Narasimha II. This temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.

History

This temple was constructed in 1234 CE at the behest of Harihara Danda Nayaka, a minister under the Hoysala king Narasimha II. Harihara and his two brothers consecrated god Mallikarjuna in the name of their father. They also constructed a tank nearby, in the name of their mother. In one inscription, there was a reference of a certain Chikka-jiya who had gone to Sriparvatha to bring god Mallikarjuna. This Chikka-jiya might be a priest who went to Sriparvata to get the idol of the god which probably was executed at that site. “Jiye” in his name and reference to Sriparvata suggests Kalamukha association of this temple.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Festivals

The specialty of this temple is the festival of fire crossing, called Bhairava Konda, held on a Monday prior to Ugadi Festival (mostly in March). One more attraction during this festival is Kiccha Masti ritual performed in memory of Masti.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 17 Kms from Nagamangala, 26 Kms from Mandya, 26 Kms from Mandya Railway Station, 29 Kms from Melukote, 51 Kms from Srirangapatna, 70 Kms from Mysuru, 116 Kms from Bengaluru and 157 Kms from Bengaluru Airport. Basaralu is close to Nagamangala and about 65 km from the culturally important city of Mysore. Basaralu has a well-connected road network. It can be reached from Bangalore and Mysore. There are various buses plying towards Mysore and pass through Mandya. You will be required to take a right from the Mandya Chikki and travel an additional 6 kms before turning left and driving another 20 kms to reach the Basaralu village.

Mallikarjuna Temple, Basaralu – The Temple

The temple is highly ornate example of Hoysala architecture. The Mallikarjuna temple facing east located at the flank of the tank called “Gujjavve Kere” situated in the boundary of the village on the road to Nagamangala is a small temple but a significant structure among the Hoysala temples in respect of sculptures. It resembles the Trikuta temple of god Bucheshwara at Koravangala in Hasan Taluk. The temple faces east and consists of a Nandi Mandapa, Navaranga and Antarala or Sukhanasi. The temple is constructed in trikuta-chala style, consisting of three garbha-griha (sanctums/cells), one each on north, south and west. Only the main sanctum, in the west, is provided with antarala (vestibule), the rests directly opens into the common mandapa (Navaranga).

This Mandapam has a ceiling which is intricately carved with Ashta Dikpalas (8 deities protecting the eight quarters / directions of world). East is represented by Indira on Airavatam (White Elephant), South East by Agni on Mesha (Male Goat), South by Yama on Mahisha (Male buffalo), South West by Nirurti on Nara (Man), West by Varuna on Makara (the Crocodile), North west by Vayu on Mruga (Deer), North by Kubera on Ashwa (Horse) and North east by Ishana on Vrishbha (Bull).

The three shrines are connected by a common hall (mandapam) which is unique in that it mixes characteristics of an open and a closed hall. The lateral shrines are connected directly to the hall while the middle shrine has a vestibule that connects the sanctum to the hall. Beyond the Navaranga, towards the east, is a connected Nandi-mandapa, which is very much infused with the main temple making it a coherent unit. This Nandi-mandapa is covered with perforated screens on its sides. With the eastern side being closed by this Nandi-mandapa, the entrance to the temple is provided on its south and north sides, leading into a passage connecting Navaranga and Nandi-mandapa.

To enter the temple, a visitor first approaches the platform (jagati) through a flight to steps, on either side of which a miniature shrine is placed. On the platform, another flight of steps takes the visitor into the temple. On either side of this flight, an elephant is placed majestically. Since the lateral shrines have no tower over them and are directly connected to the hall without a vestibule and its corresponding tower like projection, they do not appear like shrines from the outside. Rather, they are absorbed into the walls of hall. The central shrine on the contrary is highly visible because of its tower and the sukhanasi that projects prominently from the tower.

The sanctum in the central shrine has a Linga, Mallikarjuna (the universal symbol of the god Shiva). The Mallikarjuna Shiva Linga inside the main sanctum is said to have been brought in from Srisailam and established in this temple around that time. A notable brilliance in the temple construction is the small opening opposite to the main sanctum, through which sunlight enters the temple, and passes through a hole in the ear of the Nandi and touches the Shiva Linga on a specific day in the Hindu calendar year.

The other cells have an image of Surya and Nagas at present however the 1910 Mysore Archaeological Report mentions that the southern cell had an image of Narayana and the northern cell had an image of Krishna. The doorframes of the other sanctums have decorations in five bands and Vaishnava doorkeepers. The Nandi sculpture in front of the Navaranga is also beautiful. Four Devakoshtas here almost look like small temples with beautiful Dravidian superstructures and sculptures of Sharada (Saraswathi), Ganapathi, Mahisha Mardini and Saptamatrika panels.

On the lintel of the doorframe of the entrance to the Navaranga is a sculpture of Tandaveshwara. The doorframe has Shaiva doorkeepers and perforated windows. The perforated windows on the wall of the eastern part of the Navaranga as well as the mukhamandapam, provide ventilation to the structure. The Kakshasanas to the east of the Navaranga and the mukhamandapam show that originally it has an open Navaranga, Ardha mandapam and Nandi Mandapa assembled into one unit with the help of perforated window walls.

Among the Vaishnava door keeper sculptures in the Mukhamandapam of the North-South entrance of the temple, one is missing. The tall and huge Nandi sculpture, as well as doorkeepers in the Mukhamandapam is excellent. The temple stands on a platform called jagati, a feature common to many Hoysala temples. The platform, in addition to its visual appeal, is meant to provide devotees a path for circumambulation (Pradakshinapatha) around the temple. It closely follows the outline of the temple, giving it a good elevated look. It has two flights of steps leading to each lateral entrance of the temple.

The tower over the central shrine and the vestibule (sukhanasi or nose) are intact and highly decorative. The other standard features of a Hoysala temple; the large domed roof over the tower (called "helmet" or amalaka), the kalasa on top of it (the decorative water-pot at the apex of the helmet) and the Hoysala crest (emblem of the Hoysala warrior stabbing a lion) over the sukhanasi are all intact, adding to the decorative look. The dome is actually a heavy, well sculptured "helmet" over the tower and is the largest piece of sculpture in the temple (2x2 meters). Its shape usually follows that of the shrine and hence can be either square or star shaped.

The decorative plan of the walls of the shrines and the mandapam (hall) is of the new kind, with two eaves that run around the temple. The wall panel images have the same quality of workmanship seen in the more famous temples at Belur and Halebidu, though the images are smaller and simpler. In the new kind of decorative articulation, the first heavy eaves run below the superstructure and all around the temple with a projection of about half a meter. The second eaves run around the temple about a meter below the first. Between the two eaves are the miniature decorative towers (Aedicula) on pilasters. Below the second eaves are the wall panel of images of Hindu deities and their attendants in relief.

Below this, at the base are the six equal width rectangular moldings (frieze). Starting from the top, the friezes depict Hansa (birds) in the first frieze, makara (aquatic monsters) in the second (though often interrupted with kirtimukhas in this temple), epics and other stories in the third (which in this case is from the Hindu epic Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and stories of Krishna), lions in the fourth (instead of the more commonly seen leafy scrolls), horses in the fifth and elephants at the bottom. At the entrance to the hall are elephant balustrades.

There is the Chandikeswara Shrine in the in the northeast corner of the temple complex. There is a Bhairava sculpture in the garbhagriha of Chandikeswara Shrine. Notable among the wall panel sculptures and depicting scenes from the epics and puranic stories are the 16-handed Shiva dancing on the head of a demon called Andhakasura, dancing images of a 22-armed Durga and Saraswathi, King Ravana lifting Mount Kailash, the Pandava prince Arjuna shooting the fish target, and Draupadi rushing forth with garland, and the slaying of the demon Gajasura.

To the east of the temple stands a sixteen feet high pillar, on top of which was a figure of a male and female. Only the figure of a female has survived. The male figure, when it was intact in 1910, was shown falling off the capital. This pillar is uninscribed, but deriving similarity to a pillar in Hoysaleshvar temple at Halebidu, it may be suggested that the theme depicted on this pillar is that of a self-immolation. There are 7 viragals found near the Peepal tree and 2 viragals opposite to the tree.

Kolaramma Temple, Kolar, Karnataka

Kolaramma Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Goddess Sakthi located at Kolar Town in Kolar District in Karnataka State, India. Kolaramma is the presiding deity of the town of Kolar in Karnataka. The Kolaramma temple is thousand years old and built by the Cholas in the South Indian style. The erstwhile maharajas of Mysore frequently visited this temple to get the blessings of Kolaramma. Kolaramma Temple is situated very close to Someshwara Temple.

History

The Temple was built in the Dravidian Style of architecture by Cholas. The Kolaramma temple was in existence at least from the time of the Cholas as known from an epigraph of the reign of Rajaraja mentioning some grants to the temple and another dated 1030 AD referring to the construction of a mandapa by Rajendra Chola I. The temple was renovated by Vijayanagara Kings in the 15^th century. It is believed that the royal family of Mysore used to visit the temple and get blessings of the Goddess.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

Temple Opening Time

On Saturday to Thursday, the Temple remains open from 8.00 am to 12.30 pm and 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm. On Fridays, the Temple remains open from 8.00 am to 2.30 pm and 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Kolaramma Temple, Kolar – The Temple

Kolaramma Temple was built in the Southern Style of architecture by Cholas. The temple has a Dravida Vimana Style of architecture and it has inscriptions from the period of 1012 A.D. There are intricate carvings and designs inside the granite stones of the temple. The temple is in L-shape housing two shrines; one for Kolaramma and the other for Sapthamadhas. A common vestibule is shared by both the shrines, although the main temple faces east and the other shrine faces north.

The treatment of walls with slender pilasters of the main shrine and a large image of Chamunda flanked by Virabhadra and Ganapati are noteworthy. The garbhagriha, adhisthana mouldings and the pilastered wall are covered with numerous inscriptions in Tamil characters. Facing east, the temple has an austere Mahadwara ornamented with Gajalakshmi in green stone on the lintel while its pillars inside have sculptured figures on all sides.

The inner Mahadwara is connected to a prakara. In the prakara, are several shrines in addition to a large pillared mandapa. The garbhagriha has stone images of Saptamatrikas with Dhakshinamoorthi to the right and Vinayaka to the left. The main image of Chamunda / Mahishasuramardhini faces south and is worshipped as the chief deity Kolaramma.

Kolaramma is the presiding deity of the town of Kolar in Karnataka. She is an eight-armed Goddess Durga. The devotees worship her by looking at the mirror which is placed opposite the idol. There is a special pooja conducted on Tuesdays and Fridays, which is when devotees visit the temple. In the southern cell are the stucco colossi of the Saptamatrikas and the utsavamurti of Kolaramma.

Another popular deity of this temple is Chelamma or the scorpion goddess. People believe that by praying at the Chelamma shrine, a person will be guarded from scorpion bites by the deity. There is a small pit near the shrine which is said to contain scorpions. During April and May at certain days a scorpion is said to come from this pit and sit near the deity.

Another interesting thing about the temple is the hundi or the well which is used to collect money offerings from the people, and it is a tradition to at least put one coin into the small opening on the floor of the temple, which apparently is a large hole dug into the earth, one can still hear the clicking sounds of coins accumulated over hundreds of years.

The temple was a prominent Shakti worship site and a tantric temple. The proof for this lies in the stone slabs inside the temple. These stone slabs are memorial stones with pictures depicting sacrifices taking place in the temple. You can also view the depiction of tantric goddess with a bow on the temple walls.

There is a slab which depicts a battle scene is now found on the front platform of the entrance to the temple. The heroic stone ‘Viragal’ which is around four and a half feet tall belonging to the Ganga period is covered with relief work of horses, soldiers, elephants, celestial cars and celestial nymphs. It has been noticed that there are more than 30 inscriptions found inside the temple, in Kannada and Tamil.

Kalleshvara Temple, Hire Hadagali, Karnataka

Kalleshvara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Hire Hadagali Town in Hoovina Hadagali taluk in Bellary district of Karnataka state, India. The temple is believed to have been built during 10^th Century by the Kalyana Chalukyas. It is undoubtedly one amongst the most beautiful temples of Karnataka. The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.

History

The temple was constructed by Demarasa, prime minister (or Mahamatya) to Western Chalukyan King Someshwara I, who reigned from 1042–1068 CE. An old Kannada inscription dated to 1057 AD at the temple calls it Bhimesvara-Demesvara. The inscription gives information about the genealogy of the Chalukya dynasty and refers to Vikramaditya VI as a Kumara (prince). Another old Kannada inscription (1108 AD) from the rule of Vikramaditya VI gives further details about the consecration of the temple by Udayaditya under the orders of Demarasa. A third poetic Kannada inscription (1212 AD) on the premises belongs to the rule of Hoysala King Veera Ballala II.

The Temple

There are two entrances to temple (one facing east and the other facing south). The unique feature of this temple is the embossed carvings on the pattikas. The main temple houses idols of Ganesha, Saptamatrikas, Uma-Maheshwari and Bhairava. All the doorways and the pillars are of classical Chalukyan type. There is a small idol of Nandi inside the temple. Another temple situated opposite to this temple is dedicated to the Sun God Lord Surya and has a huge Nandi in its front, facing the Kalleshvara.

The temple is two shrined (dvikuta, though only one shrine has a superstructure or shikhara), each with a sanctum (garbhagriha) and a vestibule (antarala) that connects to a common four pillared closed hall (Navaranga or sabhamantapa, lit meaning "gathering hall"). In the original plan, a large "main hall" (mukhamandapam) existed, connecting the closed hall to the outside of the temple, from the southern direction.

Outside the main temple complex, an open hall (called Nandimandapa) containing a sculpture of Nandi (the bull, a companion of the god Shiva) has been converted into a shrine. The decorativeness of the outer walls of the main shrine and its closed hall exemplify Chalukyan art. Projections and recesses with niches have been created and used skillfully to accommodate pilasters whose niches contains Hindu deities in relief, depicting the gods Indra, Shiva, his consort Parvati, Lakshmi and others.

The doorway to the vestibule has artistic carvings of Dvarapalas (door keepers), the goddess of love Rati, and god of love Manmatha. The door lintel (lalata) has an image of Gajalakshmi (Lakshmi flanked by elephants on either side). The eaves over the door has fine images of the Hindu deities Brahma, Kesava (a form of Vishnu) and Shiva. The Architecture is actually a southern Karnataka Hoysala influence on Chalukyan architecture.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 16 Kms from Hoovina Hadagali, 16 Kms from Holalu, 28 Kms from Harpanahalli, 28 Kms from Harpanahalli Railway Station, 52 Kms from Ranebennur, 140 Kms from Hubballi Airport, 157 Kms from Bellary, 326 Kms from Bengaluru and 344 Kms from Bengaluru Airport.

Kalleshvara Temple, Bagali, Karnataka

Kalleshvara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Bagali Town near to Harpanahalli town in Davanagere District in Karnataka State, India. Bagali is referred to as Baguli and was one of the capitals during the rule of Hoysala King Ballala II. Kalleshvara Temple is unique in its style and appearance, it is popularly regarded as Karnataka's Khajuraho. The Temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.

History

The construction of the temple spans the rule of two Kannada dynasties: the Rashtrakuta Dynasty during the mid-10^th century and the Western Chalukya Empire, during the reign of founding King Tailapa II (also called Ahava Malla) around 987 AD. (the dynasty is also called Later or Kalyani Chalukya). The temple premises have thirty-six old Kannada inscriptions (describing donations) from the 10^th and 11^th centuries.

The Temple

The temple comprises of a main shrine for the Hindu god Shiva with a sanctum (garbhagriha) facing east, a vestibule (antechamber or antarala), a main closed hall (Mahamandapam) with an entrance in the south and east. These structures are attributed to the 10^th century Rashtrakuta rule. The closed hall is preceded by a large, open gathering hall (sabhamantapa) with fifty highly ornate lathe turned pillars that support a decorative ceiling.

Also provided are a shrine for the Sun god Surya with a hall (mukha Mandapam) facing the east-west orientation, and a small shrine for the deity Narasimha (a form of the Hindu god Vishnu) in the north of the gathering hall. These constructions are ascribed to the Western Chalukya rule. In all, there are eight small shrines built around the main shrine. Of the fifty pillars, twenty-four pillars are located over the platform (jagati) provided with a balcony seating (kakshasana).

The doorways (doorjamb and lintel) of the eastern doorway that faces the Nandi (bull, a companion of the Hindu god Shiva), and the southern doorway that forms an entry into the close hall are intricately decorated. A few independent sculptures from the late Chalukyan period are found in the closed hall. These include Shiva, Umamahesvara (Shiva with his consort Parvati), Ganesha, Kartikeya, Surya, Anantasayana (the god Vishnu seated on a snake), Sarasvati and Mahishasura Mardhini (a form of the goddess Durga).

There are very few temples in India where the goddess and god of love (Rathi and Manmatha) are carved as Dwarapalakas. Here one can see the beautifully carved images of them guarding the temple. The temple was built in the vimana style of architecture. There are 36 old inscriptions in Kannada dialect that dates back to 10th and 11th centuries.

While major portion of the temple exteriors remain simple, the upper portion is adorned with reliefs of erotica. Though the erotic carvings beat that of Khajuraho in number (in depicting the various postures), they are far from being as perfect. With 62 carvings, it stands proudly as one housing the largest collection of erotica images. The prototypes of these images were taken to Paris for further examination as a part of study and are now a part of the Paris Museum. These erotic carvings on the temple walls were dated to late Rashtrakuta.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 10 Kms from Harpanahalli, 10 Kms from Harpanahalli Railway Station, 10 Kms from Harpanahalli Bus Stand, 23 Kms from Hoovina Hadagali, 33 Kms from Kotturu, 51 Kms from Davanagere, 149 Kms from Hubballi Airport, 307 Kms from Bengaluru and 325 Kms from Bengaluru Airport.

Kalleshvara Temple, Ambali, Karnataka

Kalleshvara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Ambali Town in Bellary District in Karnataka State, India. The temple is simple in its appearance with fine interiors. The Temple follows Western Chalukyan Architecture. This temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.

History

According to an Old Kannada inscription (dated 1083) placed in the Sabha Mandapam (lit, "gathering hall"), the temple was constructed during the reign of the Western Chalukya King Vikramaditya VI (also called as Tribhuvana Malla).

The Temple

The temple is a single shrine construction with an adjoining hall (Mandapam). The basic building material is Soap stone. The original superstructure over the shrine is lost. The temple is simple in its appearance with fine interiors. The temple which faces east comprises a sanctum, an antechamber (or vestibule or antarala whose tower is called the sukhanasi) that connects the sanctum to a gathering hall (Sabha Mandapam) which is preceded by a main hall (Mukha Mandapam).

The square bases of pillars in the Sabha Mandapam and Mukha Mandapam have the characteristic decoration with reliefs, depicting various Hindu deities such as Surya (the sun god), Bhairava (a version of the god Shiva) and Durga. The Garbagriha (sanctum sanctorum) houses a Shivalinga and has an ornate pancha (five) shaka (jamb) door frame decorated with lozenges, creepers, musicians, dancers, birds, lions and elephants. The door jambs have Dwarapalakas attended by Rati and Manmatha.

The lintel of the Garbagriha has a well sculpted Gajalakshmi with elephants on either side. The threshold of the door in front has a decorated moon-stone or semi-circular stone slab (chandrasila). The antarala door way is intriguing with lozenge flower decorated perforated screens. The door jambs have sculptures of Dwarapalakas.

The lintel of the antarala (sukhanasi/vestibule) has a beautiful carving of Nataraja (dancing Shiva) who is watched by goddess Parvati and attendants who include Lords Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi along with Lord Brahma and Goddess Saraswathi, and the Ashtadik-palakas (guardians of the eight cardinal directions) mounted on their respective vahanas (vehicles/mounts) on either side. This depiction ends with stylized makaras (crocodile with florid tail) at the ends of the lintel.

The exterior walls of the sanctum houses mouldings or friezes consisting of a miniature lions (Simha), elephants and makaras with strings of pearl tassels in combination. There are three finely carved miniature shikara on the three walls of the Garbagriha. The moulded adhisthana (basement or plinth) has indentations up to the walls which resolve into manch-bandha pattern whose projections carry niches. These are treated with Dravida turrets raised on slender pilasters.

The turrets (vertical projecting towers) are crowned with Kirtimukha (glory-faced) makara torana. The shikara above Garbagriha is comparatively plain and of Dravidian style. The natya-mandapam situated at the center has four lathe pillars with sculpted bases similar to the ones in many other Chalukyan temples. The mukha-mantapas have a Jagati (platform/stone bench) on which are present a set of pillars circular in shape and are lathe turned while the others set on ground along its periphery have dissimilar distinct shapes and are skillfully executed. The ceiling of the mandapam has a lotus motif.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 12 Kms from Ittigi, 12 Kms from Kotturu, 13 Kms from Kotturu Railway Station, 33 Kms from Harpanahalli, 73 Kms from Hadagali, 113 Kms from Bellary, 291 Kms from Bengaluru and 309 Kms from Bengaluru Airport. Ambali is located off the Kottur - Hadagali main road, about 12 km from Kotturu towards Hadagali.

Kasi Vishweshwara Temple, Antara Gange, Kolar, Karnataka

Kasi Vishweshwara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Antara Gange near Kolar Town in Karnataka State, India. The Temple is situated on Antara Gange Hills. Antara Gange Hills is situated in the Shathashrunga mountain range. The Temple is also called as Kashi of South.

Etymology

Antara Gange literally means "Ganges from deep" in Kannada.

Legends

The Antara Gange hill is associated with Lord Parasurama and Jamadagni. According to Hindu mythology, the killing of Kartaviryaarjuna by Parasurama followed by Jamadagni’s murder by sons of Kartaviryaarjuna and the self-immolation of Renuka was on this hill. Mythology also says that Parasurama took a vow to kill the entire Kshatriya race on this hill.

The Temple

Presiding Deity is called as Kasi Vishweshwara. The temple has a main Shiva Lingam and around four to five other lingams on the side of the Main Mandapam. There is a pond in the temple premises, which gets a continuous flow of underground water from the mouth of a Basava (stone bull). It is believed that drinking water from the pond cleanse one from many diseases. The devotees believe that the water is the sacred Ganga falling from the head of Lord Shiva.

There is a steep and narrow path behind the temple to top of the mountain. There are several small temples on the top of the hill. A clear view of entire town of Kolar can be seen from the top of this mountain. There are caves in the Antara Gange Hills. The caves are located at about 3 - 4 Kms from the temple. Trekking in and around caves is popular here. Tourists also do night trekking and camping here, especially in summer months. The mountains have many wild monkeys which grab food from the people visiting this hill.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com blog back up ( part 4 )

Vaikuntanatha Temple, Therani, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh

Kataragama Murugan Temple, Srilanka – The Temple

Subramanya Swamy Temple, Kothapet, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh

Varasiddhi Vinayaka Swamy Temple, Kanipakam, Andhra Pradesh

Someswara Swamy Temple, Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh

Someswara Swamy Temple, Bhimavaram – The Temple

Kumararama Bhimeshwara Swamy Temple, Samalkota – The Temple

Trimbakeshwar Temple, Trimbak, Nashik, Maharashtra

Trimbakeshwar Temple, Trimbak, Nashik – The Temple

Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati, Assam

Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati – The Temple

Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi – The Temple

Bhimashankar Temple, Maharashtra

Bhimashankar Temple – The Temple

Omkareshwar Temple, Mandhata, Madhya Pradesh

Omkareshwar Temple, Mandhata – Legends

Omkareshwar Temple, Mandhata – The Temple

Gop Temple, Zinavari, Jamnagar, Gujarat

Gop Temple, Zinavari, Jamnagar – The Temple

Danteshwari Temple, Dantewada, Chattisgarh

Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple, Ksheerarama, Palakollu, Andhra Pradesh

Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple, Ksheerarama, Palakollu – The Temple

Bhimeshwara Swamy Temple, Draksharamam, Andhra Pradesh

Bhimeshwara Swamy Temple, Draksharamam – The Temple

Amaralingeswara Temple, Amaravathi, Andhra Pradesh

Amaralingeswara Temple, Amaravathi – The Temple

Moghalrajpuram Caves, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh

Manikanteswara Temple, Kanipakam, Andhra Pradesh

Kulandeshwara Temple, Kattamanchi, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh

Konetirayala Temple, Keelapatla, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh

Kalyana Venkateshwara Swamy Temple, Narayanavanam, Andhra Pradesh

Gondeshwar Temple, Sinnar, Nashik, Maharashtra

Gondeshwar Temple, Sinnar – The Temple

Amruteshwar Temple, Ratanwadi, Maharashtra

Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain – Legends

Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain – The Temple

Malinithan Temple Ruins, Likabali, Arunachal Pradesh

Parshuram Kund, Lohit, Arunachal Pradesh

Siddheshwar Nath Temple, Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh

Gangamma Temple, Boyakonda, Andhra Pradesh

Varaha Temple, Pushkar, Rajasthan

Bhojeshwar Temple, Bhojpur, Madhya Pradesh

Bhojeshwar Temple, Bhojpur – The Temple

Chandi Devi Temple, Haridwar, Uttarakhand

Bhavishya Badri, Joshimath, Uttarakhand

Baleshwar Temple, Champawat, Uttarakhand

Baijnath Temple Complex, Baijnath, Uttarakhand

Bagnath Temple, Bageshwar, Uttarakhand

Ardha Badri, Joshimath, Uttarakhand

Grishneshwar Temple, Ellora, Maharashtra

Somnath Temple, Gujarat

Somnath Temple – The Temple

Adi Badri, Chamoli, Uttarakhand

Adi Badri, Chamoli – The Temple

Bhoramdeo Temple Complex, Chattisgarh

Bhoramdeo Temple Complex – Temple Complex

Madwa Mahal, Bhoramdeo, Chattisgarh

Cherki Mahal, Bhoramdeo, Chattisgarh

Someshwara Temple, Shivanasamudra, Karnataka

Someshwara Temple, Kolar, Karnataka

Ranganathaswamy Temple, Shivanasamudra, Karnataka

Pattadakal Group of Monuments, Karnataka

Pattadakal Group of Monuments – Temple Complex

Pattadakal Group of Monuments – Inscriptions

Jain Narayana Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Monolithic Stone Pillar, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Sangameshwara Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Papanatha Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Mallikarjuna Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Kashi Vishwanatha Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Kadasiddheswara Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Jambulingeshwara Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Galaganatha Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Chandrasekhara Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Mallikarjuna Temple, Basaralu, Karnataka