Five famous Temples of India

FIVE FAMOUS TEMPLES OF SOUTH INDIA

Temples are considered one of the most important places in Hinduism. They are seen as a sacred place where Hindus can go to worship and connect with their gods. Temples hold an important place in one’s mind and are often seen as a symbol of hope. For many Hindus, a temple is a place of refuge during difficult times.

There are many famous temples in South India. Let us see five of those temples..

• Sri Venkateshwara Temple – Tirupati
• ArulmiguRamanathaswamy Temple – Rameswaram
• Meenakshi Temple -Madurai
• Annapoorneshwari Temple – Horanadu
• Ayyappa Temple – Sabarimala

Sri Venkateshwara Temple – Tirupati

Sri Venkateswara Swami Vaari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared on the earth to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. Hence the place has also got the name Kaliyuga Vaikuntha and the Lord here is referred to as KaliyugaPrathyakshaDaivam. The temple is also known by other names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple and Tirupati Balaji Temple. Venkateswara is known by many other names: Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa. The temple is run by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which is under control of Andhra Pradesh Government

Tirumala Hills are part of Seshachalam Hills range.  and comprise seven peaks, representing the seven heads of Adisesha. The temple lies on the seventh peak—Venkatadri, on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini, a holy water tank. Hence the temple is also referred to as “Temple of Seven Hills”.

It is one of the richest temples in the world in terms of donations received and wealth.

ArulmiguRamanathaswamy Temple – Rameswaram

Ramanathaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva located on Rameswaram island in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is also one of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples. The temple, located in Rameswaram, is considered a holy pilgrimage site for Shaivites, Vaishnavites and Smarthas. Mythological accounts depict the presiding deity, the Lingam of Ramanathaswamy (Shiva), as having been established and worshiped by Rama, before he crossed his bridge to the present-day island of Sri Lanka.

The primary deity of the temple is Ramanathaswamy (Shiva) in the form of lingam. There are two lingams inside the sanctum – one built by Rama, from sand, residing as the main deity, Ramalingam and the one brought by Hanuman from Kailash called Vishwalingam. Rama instructed that the Vishwalingam should be worshipped first since it was brought by Hanuman – the tradition continues even today.

No Hindu’s journey is complete without a pilgrimage to both Varanasi and Rameswaram for the culmination of his quest for salvation and is hallowed by the epic ‘Ramayana’.

Meenakshi Temple -Madurai

Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundaraswarar Temple is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai Riverin the temple cityof Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to goddess Meenakshi, a form of Shakti, and her consort, Sundareshwarar, a form of Shiva. Meenakshi is a term meaning “fish-eyed”,derived from the words mina (“fish”) and akshi (“eyes”).  According to another theory, the name of the goddess literally means “rule of the fish”, derived from the Tamil words meen (fish) and aatchi (rule). She is also known by the Tamil name “Angayarkanni” or “Ankayarkannammai” (literally, “the mother with the beautiful fish eyes”).

Meenakshi Amman Temple, also known as Meenakshi-Sundareshwara Temple, is one of the oldest and most important temples in India. Located in the city of Madurai, the temple has a great mythological and historical significance. It is believed that Lord Shiva assumed the form of Sundareswarar (the handsome one) and married Parvati (Meenakshi) at the site where the temple is currently located. It is also one of the main attractions of South India with thousands of devotees thronging every day. During the ‘Tirukalyanam Festival,’ which takes place over a period of 10 days, the temple attracts more than a million devotees.

The temple has four main towering gateways (gopurams) that look identical to each other. Apart from the four ‘gopurams,’ the temple also houses many other ‘gopurams’ that serve as gateways to a number of shrines.The temple also has numerous pillared halls called ‘Mandapams.’ These halls were built by various kings and emperors and they serve as resting places for pilgrims and devotees.

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Annapoorneshwari temple – Horanadu

The Annapoorneshwari Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Annapoorneshwari (Annapoorna), located at Horanadu. It is situated on the banks of river Bhadra. Sri KshetraHoranadu is home to the goddess Annapoorneshwari. The prithistapana of the deity was done by his holiness Agasthya Maharishi several centuries ago. The word Annapoorna is a made of two words Anna meaning rice grains or food and Poorna meaning perfect and complete. Hence, Annapoorna means complete or perfect food. Sri Annapoorneshwari is believed to be an incarnation of Goddess Parvati, wife of Lord Shiva.

As goddess Annapoorneshwari is believed to be the goddess of foodthere is a  belief in Hindu mythology, if one offers prayers to the goddess and seeks her blessings there will not be any scarcity of food in their lives. Goddess Annapoorneshwari can be seen here in a standing pose on a peetha. She is holding Shanku, Chakra, Sri Chakra and Devi Gayatri in her four hands. The idol is covered in gold from head to toe.AkshyaTritya is the main festival celebrated in this temple. This day is believed to be the birth date of Devi Annapoorna.

Ayyappa Temple- Sabarimala

The Sabarimala Temple  is a temple complex located at Sabarimala hill inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Perinad Village, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India.It is one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites in the world with an estimate of over 10 to 15 million devotees visiting every year.The temple is dedicated to a Hindu Brahmachari deity Ayyappan also known as Dharma Shasta, who according to belief is the son of Shiva and Mohini, the feminine incarnation of Vishnu. The traditions of Sabarimala are a confluence of Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and other Śramaṇa traditions.

The temple is situated on a hilltop amidst eighteen hills at an altitude of 487 m (1598 ft) above the mean sea level, and is surrounded by mountains and dense forests. The dense forest, part of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, around the temple is known as Poongavanam. Temples exist in each of the hills surrounding Sabarimala.

At Sabarimala, the deity is worshiped as Ayyappan. The shrine of Sabarimala is an ancient temple. The devotees are expected to follow a Vratham (41-day austerity period) prior to the pilgrimage. This begins with wearing of a special Mala (a chain made of Rudraksha or Tulasi beads). During the 41 days of Vratham, the devotee who has taken the vow, is required to strictly follow the rules . They are expected to bath twice in a day and visit the local temples regularly and only wear plain black or blue coloured traditional clothing.

All Pic courtesy : Google

Article done by – TRISHA .G

FIVE FAMOUS TEMPLES OF WESTERN INDIA

Somnath Temple

Somnath temple is located in Prabhas Patan, Veraval in Gujarat, India and it was built by Pratishtha King Nag Bhatt II.  This temple was rebuilt many times because it was raided by many Muslim invaders and rulers mainly starting from Mahmud Ghazni.  In a straight line from the temple to the Antarctic continent, the Baan Stambh or arrow pillar stands tall on the Indian landmass.  No other landmass or island exists between them.  The word Somnath means the protector of The Moon God.

Dwarakadhish Temple

Dwarakadhish temple is located in Dwarka, Gujarat, India.  The word Dwarakadhish means ‘King of Dwarka’.  It was believed to be built by Lord Krishna’s grandson Vajranabha which then later was destroyed by Mahmud Begada in 1472 and then built again by       Raja Jagat Singh Rathore.  This is a sacred place for Lord Krishna.  The Dwarka we see today is the 7^th avatar of the city that has been submerged under the sea six times.

Siddhi Vinayaka Temple

The Siddhi Vinayaka temple is located in Prabhadevi, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.  Unlike most Ganapati idols in the country, the trunk on the maid is tilted toward the right and also Ganesha’s idol was carved out of a single black stone.  This temple is said to be one of the richest temples in India.

Kailasa Temple

Kailasa Temple is located in Ellora Caves (group 13-29), Aurangabad District, Maharashtra, India.  It is the largest rock-cut temples.  This temple was built between the 7^th and the 10^th century by Krishna I of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty.  It took labours 5.5 years to build this temple.  Vertical excavations are an important feature of Kailasa Temple.  Steel rod drills were used to roll down large boulders split from the mountain.  Walls surrounding the building still show drill marks.

The Sun Temple

The sun temple is located in Modhera village of Mehsana district , Gujarat, India.  Bhima I of the Chaulukya Dynasty built this temple in 1026-1027 CE.  This temple is 996 years old.  Allauddin Khilji destroyed this temple and its idol and ever since then this temple stayed in its ruins.  This temple was built for Lord Surya.  The temple is shaped like a huge sun chariot.  This chariot is drawn by 7 horses, which represent the 7 days of a week.

All pictures courtesy by Google.

Jaichitra Rajesh, 10 years.

FIVE FAMOUS TEMPLES OF EAST INDIA

By: Tejas Kulkarni

JAGANNATH TEMPLE, PURI

.Picture courtesy: Google

The Jagannath Temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu – one of the trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism. Puri is in the state of Odisha, on the eastern coast of India. The present temple was rebuilt from the tenth century onwards, on the site of preexisting temples in the compound but not the main Jagannatha temple, and begun by AnantavarmanChodaganga, the first king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.

The Puri temple is famous for its annual Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival, in which the three principal deities are pulled on huge and elaborately decorated temple cars. Unlike the stone and metal icons found in most Hindu temples, the image of Jagannath (which gave its name to the English term ‘juggernaut‘) is made of wood and is ceremoniously replaced every twelve or 19 years by an exact replica. It is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites.

KONARK SUN TEMPE, KONARK

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Konark Sun Temple is a 13^thcentury CE (year 1250) Sun temple at Konark about 35 kilometer northeast from Puri city on the coastline in Puri district, Odisha, India. The temple is attributed to king Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty about 1250 CE.

Dedicated to the Hindu Sun God Surya, what remains of the temple complex has the appearance of a 100foot (30 m) high chariot with immense wheels and horses, all carved from stone. Once over 200 feet (61 m) high, much of the temple is now in ruins, in particular the large shikara tower over the sanctuary; at one time this rose much higher than the mandapa that remains.

KALIGHAT KALI TEMPLE, KOLKATA

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Kalighat Kali Temple is a Hindu temple in Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal, India dedicated to the Hindu goddessKali. It is one of the Shakti Peethas.

Kalighat was a Ghat (landing stage) sacred to Kali on the old course (Adi Ganga) of the Hooghly river (Bhāgirathi) in the city of Kolkata. The name Kolkata is said to have been derived from the word Kalikata devi of Kalighat Temple. The river over a period has moved away from the temple. The temple is now on the banks of a small canal called Adi Ganga which connects to the Hoogly. The Adi Ganga was the original course of the river Hooghly. Hence the name Adi (original) ganga. The Kalighat temple in its present form is only about 200 years old, although it has been referred to in MansarBhasan composed in the 15^ts century, and Kavi Kankan Chandi in the 17^th century.

KASHI VISHWANATH TEMPLE, KASHI

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The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to lord Shiva. It is located at Vishwanath Gali, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in 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. The main deity is known by the names Shri Vishwanath and Vishweshwara (IAST: Vishveshvara or Vishveshvur) literally meaning Lord of the Universe. Varanasi was called Kashi (“shining”) in ancient times, and hence the temple is popularly called Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

The temple is considered a central part of worship in the Shaiva culture by Hindu scriptures. It had been demolished several times by the Muslim rulers, most recently by Aurangzeb constructed the GyanvapiMosque on its site.

KAMAKHYA TEMPLE, ASSAM

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The Kamakhya Temple at Nilachal hills in Gauhati, Assam is one of the oldest and most revered centers of Tantric practices. The temple is the center of the Kulachara Tantra Marga and the site of the ambuchali mela, an annual festival that celebrates the menustration of the goddess. Structurally, the temple is dated to the 8^th-9^th century with many subsequent rebuildings —and the final hybrid architecture defines a local style called Ninachal. It is also one of the oldest of the 51 pithas in the SHAKTA tradition. An obscure place of worship for much of history it became an important pilgrimage destination, especially for those from Bengal, in the 19^thcentury during colonial rule.

By Tejas Kulkarni