Day: February 16, 2017

Ramanathaswamy Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to god Shiva located in the island of Rameswaram in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It falls in the Gulf of Mannar and is a peninsula. It is a beautiful temple in southern India which was created for worshipping lord Rama as Hindu mythology has a great history for the place and it has been a great pilgrim place for the people who have the wish for achieving salvation in life.The Ramanathaswamy temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holy abodes of Lord Shiva and one of the holiest Hindu Char Dham shrines that has to be visited in one’s lifetime. According to the Hindu mythology, this is the place where Lord Rama created a bridge across the sea to Sri Lanka . Lord Rama is believed to have prayed to Shiva here to absolve any sins that he might have committed during his war against the demon king Ravana. It is believed that Rama had fixed an auspicious time for conducting the Puja, and sent Anjaneya to get the lingam from Mount Kailash. However, Anjaneya could not return in time. Thus, Sita caricatured a lingam of sand and they performed the Puja on time.

After successful completion of Brahmahata Dosham ceremony, Lord Rama along with Umadevi announced that anybody who takes bath in the Danudkodi and prays to the Shivalingam, will be known as Ramalingam. Hence, the place came to be known as Rameshwaram after the deity called Ramanathswamy.

When Anjaneya returned with lingam, he found that the Puja was nearly over and in anguish tried to remove the sand lingam from his tail. In spite of many attempts, he was not able to do so and realized the divinity of Sita. Then Ram ordered him to place the lingam that he brought on the northern side of Ramalingam. After it Rama also ordered that people should worship the Ramalingram, only after worshipping the lingam that was brought and installed by Sri Anjaneya. Shrines in the temple complex and around Rameshwaran

• Ramanathaswami Shrine
• Viswanatha Shrine
• Visalakshi Shrine
• Parvathavardhini
• Utsava Idols
• Sayanagriha
• Perumal Shrine
• Santanaganpathi
• Sukravara Mandapam
• Mahaganapathi Shrine
• Subrahmanya Shrine
• Sethumadhava Shrine
• Ramalinga Pratishta
• Natraja Shrine
• Anjaneya Shrine
• Sethupathi Mandapam
• Anuppu Mandapam
• Mahalaxmi Shrine
• Kalyana Mandapam
• Nandi Mandapam
• Gandhamadanaparvatam
• Arilmigu Kothandaramar Temple
• Nandi Statue

Omkareshwar is a Hindu temple dedicated to God Shiva and 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 ? symbol. There are two temples here, one to Omkareshwar (means “Lord of Omkaara or the Lord of the Om Sound”) and one to Amareshwar (means “Immortal lord” or “lord of the Immortals or Devas”). But as per the sloka on dwadash jyotirligam, Mamleshwar is the jyotirling, which is on other side of Narmada river. It is situated in the Khandwa district about 12 miles (20 km) from Mortakka in Madhya Pradesh in India. 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.

Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga also has its own history and stories.Three are them are prominent. The first story is about Vindhya Parvat (Mount). Once upon a time Narada (son of Lord Brahma), known for his non-stop cosmic travel, visited Vindhya parvat. In his spicy way Narad told Vindhya Parvat about the greatness of Mount Meru. This made Vindhya jealous of Meru and he decided to be bigger than Meru. Vindhya started worship of Lord Shiva to become greater than Meru. Vindhya Parvat practiced severe penance and worshipped parthivlinga (A linga made from physical material) along with Lord Omkareshwar for nearly six months. As a result Lord Shiva was pleased and blessed him with his desired boon. On a request of all the gods and the sages Lord Shiva made two parts of the lingas. One half is called Omkareshwara and the other Mamaleshwar or Amareshwar. Lord Shiva gave the boon of growing, but took a promise that Vindhya will never be a problem to Shiva’s devotees.

Vindhya began to grow, but did not keep his promise. It even obstructed the sun and the moon. All deities approached sage Agastya for help. Agastya along with his wife came to Vindhya, and convinced him that he would not grow until the sage and his wife returned. They never returned and Vindhya is there as it was when they left. The sage and his wife stayed in Srisailam which is regarded as Dakshina Kashi and one of the Dwadash Jyotirlinga. The second story relates to Mandhata and his son’s penance. King Mandhata of Ishvaku clan (an ancestor of Lord Ram) worshipped Lord Shiva here till the Lord manifested himself as a Jyotirlinga. Some scholars also narrate the story about Mandhata’s sons-Ambarish and Mucchkund, who had practiced severe penance and austerities here and pleased Lord Shiva. Because of this the mountain is named Mandhata. The third story from Hindu scriptures says that 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.

Nageshvara Jyotirlinga is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines mentioned in the Shiva Purana and is believed as the first Jyotirlinga on the earth. Jageshwar temple near Almora in Uttarakhand state, the Nageshwara temple near Dwaraka in Gujarat state and the Nagnath temple in Aundha in Maharashtra state are three major holy shrines belived to be identical to Nageshvara Jyotirlinga.

According to a narrative, the Balakhilyas, a group of dwarf sages worshipped Shiva in darukavana for long time. To test their devotion and patience, Shiva came to the Darukavana as an digambara (nude) ascetic, wearing only Nagas[serpants] in his body. Wives of sages were attracted and ran after the ascetic, leaving back their husbands. Sages got very disturbed and frustruated with this. They lost their patience and cursed ascetic to loose his linga. Shivalinga fell on the earth and whole world trembled. Brahma and Vishnu came to Shiva, requested him to save earth from destruction and take back his linga. Shiva consoled them and took back his linga.(Vamana Purana Ch.6 and 45) Shiva promised his divine presence in Darukavana as Jyotirlinga for ever. Later Darukavana became favourate place of Nagas and Vasuki worshipped Shiva here for long and there after the Jyotirlinga came to be known as Nagnath or Nageshvara.

Also,according to the legends, a devotee called Supriya was attacked by a demon named Daaruka in a boat.The demon imprisoned the devotee and several others in his capital called Daarukaavana. It is believed that Lord Shiva appeared in the form of Jyotirlinga and rescued the imprisoned and vanquished the demon. The Shivalingam in the temple faces South with the Gomugam facing East. There is a legend regarding the position of the idol. It is believed that a devotee called Naamdev was singing bhajans in praise of Lord Shiva and was asked by other devotees to stand aside and not to hide the image of Lord. On being asked to do so Naamdev argued and asked for one such direction where Lord is not present, this angered the devotees and they picked him up and placed him on the south side. To everyones astonishment even the Linga was then facing South with the Gomugam facing east.

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one among twelve Jyotirlingams, which are supposed to be the most sacred abodes of Shiva. It is located in the ancient city of Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India and is situated on the side of the Rudra Sagar lake.

The temple is situated on the side of the Rudra Sagar lake. The presiding deity, Shiva in the lingam form is believed to be Swayambhu, deriving currents of power (Shakti) from within itself as against the other images and lingams that are ritually established and invested with mantra-shakti. The temple complex was destroyed by Sultan Iltutmish during his raid of Ujjain in 1234-5.[4][5][6]The present structure was built by the Srimant Raanojirao Shinde Maharaj Scindias in 1736 AD. Later on , further developments and management was done by Following Rulers : 1. Shreenath Mahadji Shinde Maharaj also known as Madhavrao The First(14.01.1761 – 13.Feb.1794) 2. Srimant Maharani Bayzabai Raje Shinde (1827–1863) In the regime of Maharaja Shrimant Jayaajirao Saheb Shinde Alijah Bahadur till 1886 various major programs of the then Gwalior Riyasat used to be held at this Mandir. After Independence the Dev Sthan Trust was replaced by Municipal corporation of Ujjain. Now a days it is under the collectorate. The Temple 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 idol of Omkareshwar Mahadev is consecrated in the sanctum above the Mahakal shrine. The images of Ganesh, Parvati and Karttikeya 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 idol of Nagchandreshwar on the third storey is open for darshan only on the day of Nag Panchami. The temple has five levels, one of which is underground. The temple itself is located in a spacious courtyard surrounded by massive walls near a lake. 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. According to the Puranas, the city of Ujjain was called Avantika and was famous for its beauty and its devotional epicenter. It was also one of the primary cities where students went to study holy scriptures. According to legend, there was a ruler of Ujjain called Chandrasen, who was a pious devotee of Lord Shiva and worshipped him all the time. One day, a farmer’s boy named Shrikhar was walking on the grounds of the palace and heard the King chant 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 Ripudaman and Kind 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, he started to pray to Lord Shiva inside 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 Mahakal form and destroyed the enemies of King Chandrasen. 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 Mahakal 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.

Kedarnath is a holy town for hindu relgion. It is a nagar panchayat in Rudraprayag district located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Kedarnath is located in the Himalayas, about 3584m above sea level near the head of river Mandakini, and is flanked by breathtaking snow-capped peaks making it most remote site among all four char dham sites.

The Kedarnath Temple, and is a popular destination for Hindu pilgrims from all over the world, being one of the four major sites in India’s Chota Char Dham pilgrimage. The temple is believed to have been built by Adi Sankaracharya and is named in honor of King Kedar who ruled in the Satya Yuga. The Kedarnath temple existed from the times of Mahabharata, when the Pandavas are supposed to have pleased Shiva by doing penance in Kedarnath. Kedarnath is located at 30°44’N 79°04’E30.73°N 79.07°E. It has an average elevation of 3,553 metres (11,657 feet). During winter due to heavy snowfall, the temple is open only between the end of April to Kartik Purnima (the autumn full moon). During the winters, the murtis (idols) from Kedarnath temple are brought to Ukhimath and worshipped there for six months. In this region, Lord Shiva is worshipped as Kedarnath, the ‘Lord of Kedar Khand’, the historical name of the region.

When Palki of Lord Kedarnath is transferred, People shift their settlement too from Kedarnath to nearby villages. Around 360 families of Tirtha Purohit of 55 villages and other nearby villages are dependent on Kedarnath for livelihood. The temple opens on Akshaya Tritiya (April end or first week of May) and closes on Bhai Duj (October end or 1st week of November) due to heavy snowfall and extreme cold weather during winter. In between Rudraprayag and Kedarnath there are several places of pilgrimage such as Agastyamuni, Ukhimath, Phauli- Pasalat Devi Maa, Bamsu (Lamgoundi) Vanasur, Maa Kali at Kalimath, Trijugi Narayan (7 km from Son Prayag) (Where Lord Shankar got married to Goddess Parwati from when the fire of hawan kund is still alive) and Kashi Vishwanath at Guptakashi.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. This holy temple is located in Benaras, the Holiest existing Place of Hindus, where at least once in life a Hindu is expected to do pilgrimage, and if possible, also pour the remains (ashes) of cremated ancestors here on the River Ganges.

The Kashi Vishwanath temple is located in the heart of the cultural capital of India, Varanasi, on the western bank of the holy river Ganges, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The Jyotirlinga of Shiva, Vishweshwara or Vishwanatha, is enshrined in the Kashi Vishwanath temple, considered as one of the holiest temples of India and is among the twelve Jyotirlingas. Two domes of the Temple were covered by gold and are 15.5m high. The original temple was destroyed by aurangzeb who built a mosque in its place, but the traces of the old temple can be seen behind the mosque. The present temple was built by Maharani Ahilya Bai of Indore in the year 1776 and the gold plating on the towers of the temple was provided by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Indore. A Shiva temple has been mentioned in Puranas including Kashi Khanda (section) of Skanda Purana. In 490 AD , the Kashi Vishwanath Temple was built. In 11th Century AD, Hari Chandra constructed a temple. Muhammad Ghori destroyed it along with other temples of Varanasi during his raid in 1194.

Reconstruction of the temple started soon after. This was demolished by Qutb-ud-din Aibak. After Aibak’s death the temple was again rebuilt with the permission of his successor Iltutmish. In 1351 it was destroyed again by Firuz Shah Tughlaq, who also had Hindu holy works translated in Persian. The temple was rebuilt in 1585 by Todar Mal, the Revenue Minister of Akbar’s Court. Aurangzeb ordered its demolition in 1669 and constructed Gyanvapi Mosque, which still exists alongside the temple.[8] Traces of the old temple can be seen behind the mosque. The current temple was built by Ahilya Bai Holkar, the Hindu Maratha queen of Malwa kingdom, in 1776. The temple spire and the dome are plated with 1000 kg of gold donated by the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab, in 1835.

The Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple is one of the ancient and holiest shrines of India and is the holy abode of one of the 12 jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva. The temple is located at a distance of 11km from Daulatabad (once known as Devagiri) near Aurangabad in Maharashtra.

Grishneshwar Temple was contructed by Ahilyabhai Holkar, who also re-constructed the Kasi Viswanatha temple at Banaras and the Vishnu Paada temple at Gaya. Grishneshwar is also known as Ghushmeswara and Lord is also known by several names like Kusumeswarar, Ghushmeswara, etc. Legend has it that a devout woman Kusuma offered worship to Shiva regularly by immersing a Shivalingam in a tank, as a part of her daily ritual worship.

Her husband’s first wife, envious of her piety and standing in society murdered Kusuma’s son in cold blood. An aggrieved Kusuma continued her ritual worship, and when she immersed the Shivalingam again in the tank, her son was miraculously restored to life. Shiva is said to have appeared in front of her and the villagers, and then one is believed to have been worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlinga Ghusmeshwar.

Bhimashankar Temple is located in the village of Bhorgiri 50 km north west of Khed, near Pune and is located 127 km away from shivaji nagar(Pune) in the Ghat region of the Sahyadri hills , in India. Bhimashankar is the source of the Bhima river, which flows south east and merges with the Krishna river near Raichur. Bhimashankar in Maharashtra is an ancient shrine, enshrining Bhimashankara one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva. This temple is closely associated with the legend of Shiva. Eons ago in the dense forests of Dakini, on the lofty ranges of the Sahaydris lived an evil Asura by the name Bhima with his mother Karkati. Compassion and kindness shivered in the presence of Bhima. The divine and the mortals were scared of him alike. But he was confronted by certain questions about his own existence which continuously tormented him. When Bhima could no longer sustain his agony and curiosity, he asked his mother to unveil the mysteries of his life.

He urged his mother to tell him who his father was and why he had abandoned them in the wilderness of the forest. After much hesitation and with a lingering fear, Karkati his mother, revealed to him that he was the son of the mighty Kumbhakarna, the younger brother of the Lankadheeswara – the mighty all powerful King Ravana of Lanka. Lord Vishnu in his incarnation as Lord Rama annihilated Kumbhakarna. Karkati told Bhima, that his father was killed by Ram in the great war. This infuriated Bhima and he vowed to avenge Lord Vishnu. To achieve this he embarked on a severe penance to please Lord Brahma. The compassionate creator was pleased by the dedicated devotee and granted him immense prowess. This was a terrible mistake. The evil tyrant caused havoc in the three worlds. He defeated King Indra and conquered the heavens. He also defeated a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva – Kamarupeshwar, and put him in the dungeons. He started torturing Rishis and Sadhus. All this angered the Gods. They all along with Lord Brahma beseeched Lord Shiva to come to their rescue. Lord Shiva consoled the Gods and agreed to rescue them from the tyrant. On the other hand Bhima insisted and ordered Kamarupeshwar to worship him instead of Lord Shiva. When Kamarupeshwar denied, the tyrant Bhima raised his sword to strike the Shiva Linga, to which Kamarupeshwar was doing abhishekam and pooja. As soon as Bhima managed to raise his sword, Lord Shiva appeared before him in all his magnificence. Then the terrible war began. The holy sage Narada appeared and requested Lord Shiva to put an end to this war. It was then that Lord Shiva reduced the evil demon to ashes and thus concluded the saga of tyranny. All the Gods and the holy sages present there requested Lord Shiva to make this place his abode. Lord Shiva thus manifested himself in the form of the Bhimashankar Jyotirlingam. It is believed that the sweat that poured forth from Lord Shiva’s body after the battle formed the Bhimarathi River.

The Bhimashankara temple is a composite of old and the new structures and is built in the Nagara style of architecture. It is a modest temple yet graceful temple and it dates back to mid 18th century. The shikhara of the temple was built by Nana Phadnavis. The great Maratha ruler Shivaji is also said to have made endowments to this temple to facilitate the carrying out, of worship services. As with other Shiva temples in this area, the sanctum is at a lower level. There are Buddha style carvings of Amba-Ambika, Bhootling and Bhimashankar in the hills of Manmod near Bhimashankar. This is at the height of 1034 mtrs. A big size bell in Hemadpanthi structure built by Nana Phadanavis is also a feature of Bhimashankar. Various places that could be visited in Bhimashankar are Hanuman Lake, Gupt Bhimashankar, Origin of River Bhima, Nag Phani, Bombay Point, Sakshi Vinayak and lot more. Bhimashankar is conserve red forest area and wildlife sanctuary where a variety of birds, animals, flowers, plants can be seen. A rare animal “Shekru” can be found in deep woods. Bhimashankar is worth visited for jungle lovers and trekkers as well as for pilgrims.

Badrinath is a Hindu holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Badrinath temple (Badrinarayan temple), is situated along the Alaknanda river, in the hill town of Badrinath. It is the most important of the four sites in India’s Char Dham pilgrimage.

The Badrinath temple is the main attraction in the town. According to legend Shankara discovered a black stone image of Lord Badrinarayan made of Saligram stone in the Alaknanda River. He originally enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs. In the sixteenth century, the King of Garhwal moved the murti to the present temple. The temple has undergone several major renovations because of age and damage by avalanche. The temple is approximately 50 ft (15 m) tall with a small cupola on top, covered with a gold gilt roof. The facade is built of stone, with arched windows. A broad stairway leads up to a tall arched gateway, which is the main entrance. The architecture resembles a Buddhist vihara (temple), with the brightly painted facade also more typical of Buddhist temples. Just inside is the mandapa, a large pillared hall that leads to the garbha grha, or main shrine area. The walls and pillars of the mandapa are covered with intricate carvings. Badrinath Temple was originally built by King Pururava, and none other than the great artisan of gods, Vishwakarma, artistically carved it. Much later in 8th century, well-known Hindu reformist Adi Shankaracharya re-enshrined the temple.

The temple architecture puts a fabulous semblance for the eyes of the on looker. It is divided into three segments namely the ‘Garbha Griha’ or the sanctum sanctorum, the ‘Darshan Mandap’ the Ritual Hall and the ‘Sabha Mandap’ or the Devotees Assembly Hall. The whole temple complex has 15-idols, of which the statue of Lord Badri or Vishnu, subtly chiseled from Black stone, simply catches the imagination by awe and reverence. Badrinath Temple open every year in April and May, and closes in third week of November. The temple is opened for the devotees from 0430 hrs till 1300 hrs. It opens again from 1600 hrs to 2100 hrs after the Rawal recites Geet Govind. Rawal is the celibate temple administrator or the Pujari who is well versed in performing special morning prayers, Abhishek and Mahaabhishek; and evening Pujas such as Aarti and Geet Govind in Sanskrit respectively. The individual devotees can also carry out sacred oblation. And every Puja ceremony must be carried out only after taking holy dip in Tapta Kund.