10. KEDARNATH JYOTIRLINGA TEMPLE IN UTTARAKHAND

KEDARNATH JYOTIRLINGA TEMPLE IN UTTARAKHAND

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The lingam at Kedarnath, unlike its usual form, is pyramidal and is regarded as one of the 12 jyotirlings.

Hindu mythology

According to Hindu History, during the Mahabharatha war, the Pandavas killed their relatives; to absolve themselves of this sin, the Pandavas undertook a pilgrimage. But Lord Vishweshwara was away in Kailasa in the Himalayas. On learning this, the Pandavas left Kashi. They reached the Himalayas via Haridwar. They saw Lord Shankara from a distance. But Lord Shankara hid from them. Then Dharmaraj said: “Oh, Lord, You have hidden yourself from our sight because we have sinned. But, we will seek You out somehow. Only after we take your Darshan would our sins be washed away. This place, where You have hidden Yourself will be known as Guptakashi and become a famous shrine.”

From Guptakashi (Rudraprayag), the Pandavas went ahead till they reached Gaurikund in the Himalayas valleys. They wandered there in search of Lord Shankara. While doing so Nakul and Sahadev found a buffalo which was unique to look at.

Then Bheema went after the buffalo with his mace. The buffalo was clever and Bheema could not catch him. But Bheema managed to hit the buffalo with his mace. The buffalo had its face hidden in a crevice-in the earth. Bheema started to pull it by its tail. In this tug-of war, the face of the buffalo went straight to Nepal, leaving its hind part in Kedar. The face is Doleshwar Mahadev in Sipadol, Bhaktapur, Nepal.

On this hind part of Mahesha, a JyotirLinga appeared and Lord Shankara appeared from this light. By getting a Darshan of Lord Shankar, the pandavas were absolved of their sins. The Lord told the Pandavas, “From now on, I will remain here as a triangular shaped JyotirLinga. By taking a Darshan of Kedarnath, devotees would attain piety”. A triangular shaped rock is worshiped in Garbhagriha of the temple. Surrounding Kedarnath, there are many symbols of the Pandavas. Raja Pandu died at Pandukeshwar. The tribals here perform a dance called “Pandav Nritya”. The mountain top where the Pandavas went to Swarga, is known as “Swargarohini”, which is located off Badrinath. When Darmaraja was leaving for Swarga, one of his fingers fell on the earth. At that place, Dharmaraj installed a Shiva Linga, which is the size of the thumb. To gain Mashisharupa, Shankara and Bheema fought with maces. Bheema was struck with remorse. He started to massage Lord Shankara’s body with ghee. In memory of this event, even today, this triangular Shiva JyotirLinga is massaged with ghee. Water and Bel leaves are used for worship.

When Nara-Narayan went to Badrika village and started the worship of Parthiva, Shiva appeared before them. Nara-Narayan wished that, for the welfare of the humanity, Shiva should remain there in his original form. Granting their wish, in the snow-clad Himalayas, in a place called Kedar, Mahesha himself stayed there as a Jyoti. Here, He is known as Kedareshwara.

source :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kedarnath_Temple

Pilgrims traditionally first visit Yamunotri and Gangotri and bring with them the holy waters from the sources of the rivers Yamuna and Ganga and offer abhishekams to Kedareshwara. The traditional pilgrim route is Haridwar - Rishikesh - Devaprayag - Tehri - Dharasu - Yamunotri - Uttar Kashi - Gangotri - Triyugnarayan - Gowrikund and Kedarnath. Alternatively, the route to Kedar from Rishikesh is via Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag and Ukhimath. Near Kedarnath is the source of the river Mandakini. Mandakini joins Alakananda at Rudraprayag.

Kedarnath Temple in winter

9. BADRINARAYANA TEMPLE at BADRINATH , UTTARAKHAND,

                 BADRINATH TEMPLE

                       

One of the four Char Dham and Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites....

Badrinath temple sometimes called Badrinarayan temple, is situated along the Alaknanda river, in the hill town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand state in India. It is widely considered to be one of the holiest Hindu temples, and is dedicated to god Vishnu. The temple and town are one of the four Char Dham and ChotaChar Dham pilgrimage sites. It is also one of the 108 Divya Desams, holy shrines for Vaishnavites. The temple is open only six months every year (between the end of April and the beginning of November), due to extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region.

Several murtis are worshipped in the temple. The most important is a one meter tall statue of Vishnu as Lord Badrinarayan, made of black Saligram stone. The statue is considered by many Hindus to be one of eight swayam vyakta kshetras, or self-manifested statues of Vishnu. The murti depicts Vishnu sitting in meditative posture, rather than His far more typical reclining pose. In November each year, when the town of Badrinath is closed, the image is moved to nearby Jyotirmath.

The temple is approximately 50 ft (15.0 metres) 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 Buddhism 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.

The main shrine area houses the black stone image of Lord Badrinarayan, sitting under a gold canopy, under a Badri Tree. There are fifteen more murtis around the temple that are also worshipped. These include murtis of Nara & Narayana, Narasimha (the fourth incarnation of Vishnu), Lakshmi, Narada, Ganesha, Uddhava, Kubera, Garuda (the vehicle of Lord Narayan), and Navadurga. Hard sugar candy, Tulsi, and dry fruits are the typical prasad offered at Badrinath temple.
The Tapt Kund hot sulphur springs just below the temple are considered to be medicinal—many pilgrims consider it a requirement to bathe in the springs before visiting the temple. The springs have a year-round temperature of 45°C.

Source : https://www.facebook.com/SreeguruBabajiMahavtarBabaji/photos

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Badrinath Temple in winter

Alakananda River & Badrinath Temple

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8. DAKSHINESWAR MAA KALI TEMPLE , KOLKATA

DAKSHINESWAR MAA KALI TEMPLE , KOLKATA, West Bengal.

Dakshineswar Kali Temple....

Dakshineswar Kali Temple is a Hindu temple located in Dakshineswar near Kolkata. Situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, the presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini, an aspect of Kali, meaning, 'She who liberates Her devotees from the ocean of existence i.e. Samsara'. The temple was built by Rani Rashmoni, a philanthropist and a devotee of Kali in 1855. The temple is famous for its association with Ramakrishna, a mystic of 19th Century Bengal.

The temple compound, apart from the nine-spired main temple, contains a large courtyard surrounding the temple, with rooms along the boundary walls. There are twelve shrines dedicated to Shiva—Kali's companion—along the riverfront, a temple to Radha-Krishna, a bathing ghat on the river, a shrine dedicated to Rani Rashmoni. 'Nahavat-Khana', the chamber in the northwestern corner just beyond the last of the Shiva temples, is where Ramakrishna spent a considerable part of his life.

The Dakshineswar Kali Temple was founded around the middle of the 19th Century by Rani Rashmoni. Rani Rashmoni belonged to Kaivarta caste and was well known for her philanthropic activities. In the year 1847, Rashmoni, prepared to go upon a long pilgrimage to the sacred Hindu city of Kashi to express her devotions to the Divine Mother. Rani was to travel in twenty four boats, carrying relatives, servants and supplies. According to traditional accounts, the night before the pilgrimage began, Rashmoni had a vision of the Divine Mother, in the form of the goddess Kali in a dream and reportedly said,

“There is no need to go to Banaras. Install my statue in a beautiful temple on the banks of the Ganges river and arrange for my worship there. Then I shall manifest myself in the image and accept worship at that place. ”

Profoundly affected by the dream, Rani immediately looked for and purchased a 20-acred plot in the village of Dakshineswar. The large temple complex was built between 1847 and 1855. The 20-acre (81,000 m2) plot was bought from an Englishman, John Hastie and was then popularly known as Saheban Bagicha, partly old Muslim burial ground shaped like a tortoise, considered befitting for the worship of Shakti according to Tantra traditions, it took eight years and nine hundred thousand rupees to complete the construction, and finally the idol of Goddess Kali was installed on the Snana Yatra day on 31 May 1855, amid festivities at the temple formally known as Sri Sri Jagadishwari Mahakali, with Ramkumar Chhattopadhyay as the head priest; soon his younger brother Gadai or Gadadhar (later known as Ramakrishna) moved in and so did nephew Hriday to assist him. On 31 May 1855 more than 1 lakh Brahmins were invited from different parts of the country to grace the auspicious occasion amidst the controversy of the Rani being in no position to own a temple and to offer Brahmins to feed since she was belonged to the low cast of Shudra.

The next year, Ramkumar Chhattopadhyay died, the position was given to Ramakrishna, along with his wife Sarada Devi, who stayed in the south side of the Nahabat (music room), in a small room on the ground floor, which now a shrine dedicated to her.

From then until his death 30 years later in 1886, Ramakrishna was responsible for bringing much in the way of both fame and pilgrims to the temple.

Rani Rashmoni lived only for five years and nine months after the inauguration of the temple. She seriously fell ill in 1861. Realizing that her death was near she decided to handover the property she purchased in Dinajput (now in Bangladesh) as a legacy for the maintenance of the temple to the temple trust. She accomplished her task on 18 February 1861 and died on the next day.

Source : https://www.facebook.com/SreeguruBabajiMahavtarBabaji/photos/a.521803697845812.138385.52179

By the side of river Ganges

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7. KONARK SUN TEMPLE , ODISHA

                            Konark Sun Temple (13th century)....

Konark Sun Temple is a 13th century Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda), at Konark, in Odisha. It was constructed from oxidized and weathered ferruginous sandstone by King Narasimhadeva I (1238-1250 CE) of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is an example of Orissan architecture of the Ganga dynasty. The temple is one of the most renowned temples in India and is a World Heritage Site. It is one of the Seven Wonders of India (as per the poll collected by NDTV).

Legend has it that the temple was constructed by Samba, the son of Lord Krishna. It is said that Samba was afflicted by leprosy, brought about by his father’s curse on him. After 12 years of penance, he was cured by Surya, the Sun God, in whose honour he built the magnificent Konark Sun Temple.Located on the shoreline, now a little over 3 km from the sea, the temple takes the form of the chariot of Surya (Arka), the Sun God, and is heavily decorated with stone carving. The entire complex was designed in the form of the God's huge chariot drawn by seven spirited horses on twelve pairs of exquisitely decorated wheels at its base. The huge wheels carved at the base of the temple are one of the major attractions. The spokes of the wheels serve as sundials and the shadows cast by these can give the precise time of the day. The pyramidal roof soars over 30 m (98 ft) in height. The temple complex also contains erotic sculptures similar to the temple in Khajuraho.

The entrance is guarded by two giant lions, which are each shown crushing a war elephant. Each elephant in turn lies on top of a human body.Here lion is represented as pride and elephant is represented as money both money and pride crushes man. The temple symbolizes the majestic stride of the Sun God. At the entrance of the temple is a Nata mandir. This is where the temple dancers used to perform dances in homage to the Sun God. All around the temple, there are various floral and geometric patterns. The temple is now partly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by the Archaeological Survey of India. The poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote of Konark: "Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man."

Source : https://www.facebook.com/SreeguruBabajiMahavtarBabaji/photo

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The folklore story on construction of SUN TEMPLE at Konark  goes as under :

"Konark Sun temple is not only interesting for its majestic structure but also for the stories that  lives in the folklore for ages. One of the stories that describes the construction of the temple is the story of a 12 year old bright kid who sacrificed his life to save twelve thousand craftsman.

Dharmapada grew up in a small nondescript village in Orissa in the 12th century. Right from his childhood he was interested in architecture and crafts and being the son of a great temple architect, Bisu Maharana, he had access to the manuscripts describing details of temple construction. By the time he turned 12, he had mastered the art of Odiya temple architecture.

But he was always sad as he had never seen his illustrious father and his mother would not tell him much about him. On his 12th birthday, he asked his mother a gift, the chance to meet his father, which she could not refuse anymore.

After a long journey a tired Dharmapada reached a deserted beach where the sight of a magnificent structure caught his attention. He knew immediately, this is the place where his father is building the biggest temple of the land dedicated to the Sun God. He rushed to the construction site and it did not take him long to spot his father. Behind the hugs and kisses Dharmapada could see something was troubling his father.

The temple was the biggest ever built by the famed craftsman of Orissa. 12 thousand of the best from the land had labored for 12 long years to build the sun temple. It was the pinnacle of craftsmanship, architecture and details ever put together. But the temple was not complete yet. The final key stone or the ‘Kalasha’ was yet to be placed on the temple. And these craftsman had failed multiple times and no body knew how to top the Kalasha. The king, Narshinghdev, had announced the deadline till the morning, failing which all the twelve thousand craftsman would be killed. And being the chief architect of the project, Bisu Maharana was upset for being the failure which could kill so many people.

Dharmapada asked his father to take him around the temple and show him the construction. As he reached the top of the temple, he remembered the manuscripts he had read about the temple construction. He knew he had the solution. He knew the design of the stone that would fit as the key stone and would hold the temple together. As he explained the design to his father, Bisu was pleasantly surprised. He was so proud to have a son as talented as Dharmapada.

The father and the son, immediately went in to the workshop and in couple of hours the ‘Kalasha’ was ready to be installed. As they rolled the stone on the sand slopes to the top of the temple, the moon was shining in its full glory. By mid night the key stone was in place and the temple was complete. Bisu was happy for his son who had managed to save thousands of lives.

As the euphoria of success subsided, Dharmapada heard  a whisper among the people gathered around to see the completion of the temple. People feared the king would not be too kind to the failed craftsman as the Kalasha was completed by a 12 year kid and not by the craftsman themselves.

Dharmapada never wanted glory, name or fame for his achievements. He was happy he could save so may lives by completing the temple for the God. He slowly made his way though the crowd to the top of the temple. In no time he was standing on the top of the Kalasha he had just erected . He looked at the horizon as the first rays of the sun started touching the temple, as if the Sun God was showering his blessings. With tears in his eyes,  Dharmapada jumped off the temple-top into the deep blue waters of the sea.

A young boy who achieved the ultimate glory for Odiya art , craft and architecture by completing the greatest temple ever built, sacrificed his life to save the life of others. After thousand years, the sun temple is ruined but Dharmapada still lives in the folklore and in the aspirations of every young craftsman of the region."

Source : http://www.sid-thewanderer.com/2010/12/konark-story-of-dharmapada-legend-and.html

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6. LIGARAJ TEMPLE AT BHUBANESWAR , ODISHA

           LIGARAJ TEMPLE AT BHUBANESWAR , ODISHA

Lingaraj Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Harihara, a form of Shiva and is one of the oldest temples of Bhubaneswar, the capital of the East Indian state of Odisha. The temple is the most prominent landmark of the Bhubaneswar city and one of the major tourist attractions of the state.

The Lingaraja temple is the largest temple in Bhubaneswar. The central tower of the temple is 180 ft (55 m) tall. The temple represents the quintessence of the Kalinga Architecture and culminating the medieval stages of the architectural tradition at Bhubaneswar. The temple is believed to be built by the kings from the Somavamsi dynasty, with later additions from the Ganga rulers. The temple is built in the Deula style that has four components namely, vimana (structure containing the sanctum), jagamohana (assembly hall), natamandira (festival hall) and bhoga-mandapa (hall of offerings), each increasing in the height to its predecessor. The temple complex has 50 other shrines and is enclosed by a large compound wall.

Bhubaneswar is called the Ekamra Kshetra as the deity of Lingaraj was originally under a mango tree (Ekamra) as noted in Ekamra Purana, a 13th century Sanskrit treatise. The temple is active in worship practises, unlike most other temples in Bhubaneswar and Shiva is worshipped as Harihara, a combined form of Vishnu and Shiva. The temple has images of Vishnu, possibly because of the rising prominence of Jagannath cult emnating from the Ganga rulers who built the Jagannath Temple in Puri in the 12th century.

Lingaraja temple is maintained by the Temple Trust Board and the Archeological Survey of India (ASI). The temple has an average of 6,000 visitors per day and receives lakhs of visitors during festivals. Shivaratri festival is the major festival celebrated in the temple and event during 2012 witnessed 200,000 visitors.

Source : https://www.facebook.com/SreeguruBabajiMahavtarBabaji/photos

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5. BALADEV JEW TEMPLE AT KENDRAPARA , ODISHA

BALADEV JEW TEMPLE AT KENDRAPARA , ODISHA

Kendrapara Baladev Jew Temple

The Legend of Siddha Baladev Jew Temple at Kendrapara is as follows :

xxxxx   “It is said that after the death of Baladeva, his dead body was transformed into a stone image which was worshipped by Devatas at the door of Patalapuri, which is identified with Lalitagiri in Dwarpa Yuga. The area extending from the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Lalitagiri and Assia mountain range in the north-west, River Baitarani in the north and River Mahanadi in the south are called part of Patalapuri (nether world) in the Puranic literature. When Kali Yuga appeared and Buddha Dharma (Buddhism) spread over the area, theDevatas kept the image of Balabhadra in disguise, hidden underwater in the River Madhusagar, which is now called the River Gobari. After Gopal Siddha das discovered the image of Balabhadra near Siddha Sarovar, he worshipped him at Kendrapara. “ xxxxx

xxxxx”   Kandarasura, a demon king and a destroyer of yajnas, was ruling over the area surrounding Lalitagiri and the Assian mountain ranges. Tulasi Kshetra Mahatmya  reveals that he lived near Lalitagiri-Alatigiri, and was terrifying the local people. Lord Balarama defeated him in a fight, as a result of which he left the place and went to Kapilash Mountain near Dhenkanal, where he lived in disguise in the nearby mountain ranges, as he was an ardent devotee of Lord Siva. Lord Baladeva thoroughly searched every nook and corner of the hill and lastly ploughed the hill with his plough (hala), as a result of which one perennial spring emerged from the hill. This is now called Langal Siar Jharana (spring of the plough). After persuading him from Kapilash, Lord Baladeva killed the wicked demon Kandarasura in a fight and threw his scattered body all over the nearby places.”

It is very interesting to note that the present place names surrounding Kendrapara are known according to the names of the fallen body parts of the demon king. Asureswar is derived from the fallen cut head (Asura Sira) of the demon, Balagandi is derived from the fallen gandi (trunk) of the demon (i.e. Kandara padi), Kamar Khandi is derived from his fallenkamar (waist), and Navi Khanda Lahakhanda is derived from the fallen navi (Naval) of the demon. Besides these places, Lord Baladeva founded some Siva' temples over the other fallen parts of the demon, like Swapneswar Siva temple at Kantia, Lankeswar Siva temple at Gualisingh, and Biuleswar Siva temple at Kajala, where demon's body parts like feet, neck and part of the waist respectively were fallen. The demon's body (gandi) is buried at Balagandi, which is Kendrapara proper.

Some research scholars have the opinion that Kandarasura, who lived near Chandikhol, was not a demon but an ardent Buddha arhat (follower of Buddhism) and a tantric, and that he was a leader of an aboriginal race like the Kondha (Kondharasura). According to his name, the place name 'Kandharapara' or 'Kendraparah' has been derived. But other scholars think differently, that the name 'Kendraparah' is derived from the word 'Kendra' (a kind of musical instrument made of from the gourd) and 'para' means pada, or hamlet of a village.[19] This instrument is played by some sects of people called Natha Jogi (Yogi), who makes his livelihood by playing Kendara and by moving from door to door for alms. “ xxxxx

xxxxx “Kandharasura, the destroyer of Yajnas was finally killed by Lord Balabhadra. His head was cut five times, but again appeared, which indicates the Pancha-skandha of Buddhism, i.e.,Rupa, Bedana, Sangya, Sanskar and Bijyan. This legend describes the culture of Buddhism. It is a conflict between Buddhism and Brahmanism.

At last the Brahmanism (Tulasi) won the battle. Lord Baladeva married Tulasi, the daughter of Kandarasura on the 12th day of the bright-fortnight of the month of Magha. This Magha Sukla Dwadasi day is observed as Tulasi Bibaha day (Marriage day of Tulasi) with great pomp and ceremony every year.

The war of Lord Baladeva with Kandharasura indicates the war of religious understanding. From the early times, worship of Nagas (snakes) was prevalant in Orissa, and Naga Pujamingled with Brahamanism. During archaeological excavations at Paharpur in Rajshahi districts of East Bengal (now Bangladesh), they discovered one gray sandstone sculpture of Lord Balaram, one of the ten incarnations of Visnu, depicted with plough (hala) and under snake-hood. [21] As this image is dated to the 9th century A.D, it is proved that the Balabhadra Upasana was fully developed from at least the 9th century A.D. in the neighbouring province of Orissa.

In the 13th century A.D., King Anangabhimadeva-III of Ganga dynasty constructed one temple for the worship of Lord Baladeva near the present Kacheri of old Kendrapara town, which is about 60 hands (28 metres) high, for the worship of Lord Baladeva Jew in the heart of Tulasi Kshetra.

The original temple was demolished by Khan-i-Dwina (1660-1667 A.D.), the then Subedar of Orissa during the time of Moghal Emperor Aurangazeb. [22] He constructed a Masjid on the foundation of the dismantled temple in the year 1663 A.D.

Devotees took the Deity in disguise in a boat through the river Govari by boat and kept the Deity secretly near Baranga (Chhedara) Jungle. Afterwards it was shifted to Balarampur village near the Luna River at Samkhi Bata, so this place is also sacred for Vaisnavas.

Because the original stone image (Manibigraha) of Lord Balabhadra was found in the Tulasi forest by the cowherd boy Gopal Siddha das, the name of the presiding Deity Lord Baladeva is "Siddha Baladeva Jew".

In 1761, the present Baladeva Jew temple was constructed at Ichhapur (Kendrapara) during the Maratha rule in Orissa. It was constructed by the king of Kujanga, Raja Gopali Sandha and Zamindar (landlord) of Chhedara killa, Sri Srinivas Narendra Mahapatra. One saintSantha, Gopi das, and Sairatak Giri convinced the then Maratha King of Janoji to construct the Jagamohan, Bhoga Mandap, etc. of the main temple of Gundicha and the compound wall. The viman and Jagamohan are built in pidha style of temple architecture. Afterwards Mukti Mandap, Ananda Bazar, Bhandarghara (store), Gouranga temple, Basudeva temple and Garuda pillar were constructed inside the compound wall.” xxxxx

This is an extract from “Balabhadra Upasana and Tulasi Kshetra -  BY: ER. NIRAKAR MAHALIK source : odisha.gov.in/e-magazine/Orissareview/june2006 “

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4. KAKHARUA BAIDYANATH TEMPLE at MANATRI, Dist: Mayurbhanj (Odisha)

KAKHARUA BAIDYANATH TEMPLE at MANATRI, Dist: Mayurbhanj (Odisha)

Manatri is situated at 7 miles to the south-east of Badasahi and 24 miles from Baripada, and is famous for its presiding deity, Kakharua Baidyanatha (Lord Shiva). The local people were required to offer three Manas of paddy to the deity,a practise not yet altogether given up. The name Manatraya or Manatri (literally three manas) is said to have originated in this way.

Numerous devotees from distant areas come here to present offerings to the deity. During Shivaratri, JATRAS (fairs) are held in honour of this God.

Tales says that a Ruler from Soma dynasty was attacked with leucoderma; his entire body being depigmented with white patches, he was called ‘Kakharua’. Since the Ruler’s disease which gave him a look of a Kakharu(Watermelon), was cured by Lord Baidyanath, the deity was named as Kakharua Baidyanath.

There are remains of an ancient fort about half a mile to the west of the temple. Tradition has it that Maharaja Ramachandra Bhanja built this fort and lived here for some years. It is further state that adjoining it there was once a big town,and that at one time both the fortress and the town were thickly populated.

A number of Pucca roads lead from this village joining Badasahi in the north-west., Betnoti in the north-east, Kuamara in the west and Baisinga in the east.

Source : http://hotelambika.co.in/heritage/manatri-shiva-temple/

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