All Over Indian Temples

Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple

Kumta, Uttara Kannada

This temple was originally built by Vir Singh Deo in 1622. Then in 1793, Prithvi Singh got it renovated. Then in 1938, India's big industrial family, the Birla Group, expanded and renovated this temple. This temple was inaugurated by the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi in 1939. Gandhiji inaugurated this temple on the condition that people of all castes would be allowed to visit this temple. On both sides of this temple are the temples of Lord Shiva, Krishna and Buddha which are attached to them are dedicated.

Kalahasteeswarar temple, sri Kalahasti

Sri kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh

According to ancient Tamil sources Sri Kalahasti has been known as the ‘Kailash of the South’ for slightly more than two thousand years and the small river on whose banks it sits, the ‘Ganges of the South.’

The claim that Kalahasti is the ‘Kailash of the South’ simply means that the small hill near the temple is to be taken as the spiritual equivalent of the Himalayan Kailash. Likewise, the small river flowing in a northerly direction beside the temple is to be taken as the mighty Ganges. 

At Kalahasti, the Goddess Gnanaprasoonamba (the giver of knowledge or the mother of all knowledge) represents the ‘wealth’ i.e. freedom from limitation conferred by self knowledge. The deity Kalahastiswarar (the lord of Kalahasti) faces west and symbolizes liberation.

SriKalahasti got its name because in the days of yore, a spider (sri), serpent (kala) and elephant (hasti) elephant worshipped Shiva with great devotion. A spider lived in the inner sanctum and worshipped the Lord by weaving elaborate temples and images of Shiva. 

One day, a breeze came up and caused the altar fire to destroy the spider’s offerings. It became angry and was about to extinguish the flame. In appreciative of its devotion, Shiva appeared and granted the spider a boon. The spider requested moksha, release from the cycle of births and deaths. Accordingly, it became one with Shiva, the Self. 

A cobra worshipped Lord Shiva by offering rare gems, pearls and rubies that it brought from Nagaland, a place where Nagas (serpents) dwell. 

After the snake had worshipped, an elephant, fresh from its purifying bath in the nearby river, came to worship. In preparation, it sprayed the altar with water from its trunk, scattering the gems. It then proceeded to decorate the altar with leaves from a holy tree. When the cobra returned, it was angered to see its offerings disrespected and replaced by mere leaves. So it replaced the leaves with gems.

This charade repeated itself every day until the cobra got fed up and decided to punish whoever was destroying its offerings. When the elephant returned to worship with its leaves, the cobra slithered up its trunk and bit the elephant, injecting its venom. In agony, the elephant dashed its head on the stone altar in an attempt to kill the snake. 

The snake fell out of the trunk and died from its wounds and the elephant succumbed to the poison. Understanding that both had sacrificed their lives for the sake of their love of the Lord, Shiva resurrected them, gave them liberation and took them into his own body. 

At the foot of the linga one can see a spider, two elephant tusks, and a five-headed (the five elements) serpent to remind the devotee of these acts of supreme devotion.

 The inner temple was constructed around 5th century and the outer temple was constructed in the 12th Century by the Chola kings and the Vijayanagara kings.

The main linga remains untouched by human hands; even the priests do not touch it. Abhishek (bathing) is done by pouring a mixture of water, milk, camphor and panchamrita. Sandal paste, flowers, and the sacred thread are offered to the utsava-murti, and not the main linga.

Patala Ganapati temple is a small underground temple located in the temple complex. One has to climb down carefully to worship this Ganapati 20 feet below the ground level on a very narrow staircase.

This is the place where the famous devotee of Lord Shiva, Kannappar got darshan of Lord Shiva! Kannappar was a hunter and one day he found blood and tears were flowing from a Shiva Linga.

Kannappa plucked out one of his eyes and placed it in the eye of the Linga that was oozing blood and tears. When the tears and the blood were still trickling from the other eye, Kannappa decided to remove his second eye and placed one of his feet on the spot of the right eye of the Shiva Linga. 

Before he could pull out his second eye with the arrow, Lord Shiva appeared and restored his eye while granting him a boon to occupy a place close to him. Thus, he became Kannappa Nayanar, on of the 64 Saints of Lord Shiva!

Srikalahasti is one of the Pancha Bootha Sthalam and represents the Vayu Sthalam .

Lord Vayu performed penance for thousands of years to "Karpoora lingam" (Karpoora means camphor). Pleased with his penance, Lord Shiva manifested before him and said, "O Vayu Deva, though you are dynamic in nature, you stayed here without movement and did penance for me. I am pleased with your devotion. I shall grant you three boons". 

Lord Vayu said, "Swami! I want to be present everywhere in this world. I want to be an integral part of every Jiva who is none other than the manifestation of Paramatma. I want to name this Karpoora Linga, which represents you, after me”. Shiva said," Your are qualified for these three boons. As per your wish, you will be spread throughout this world. Without you, there will be no life. This linga of mine will forever be known all over through your name”. 

Lord Shiva disappeared after granting these boons. Thereafter, this Karpoora Vayu Lingam is worshipped by everyone.

The temple is also associated with Rahu and Kethu (of the nine Grahams or celestial bodies in the Indian astrological scheme) and special Pujas are performed here to appease Rahu – Kethu and Sarpa doshas.

The temple address and contact details: Sri Kalahastiswarar Devasthanam, Kalasathi, Chithoor District, AP 517644. Telephone: +91 8578 221655 / 222787. 

Kalahasti is about 40 Km from Tirupati and good hotel accommodation is available in Tirupati.

Durga Temple, Varanasi

Varanasi, Varanasi

Durga Mandir, also known as Durga Kund Mandir or Durga Temple,  is one of the most famous temples in the holy city of Varanasi. This temple has great religious importance in Hinduism and is dedicated to Maa Durga. Durga Mandir was constructed in 18th century by a Bengali Queen.

The temple is dedicated to Goddess Durga. Next to the temple, is a kund (pond) that was earlier connected to the river Ganges. It is believed that the existing idol of the Goddess was not made by a man but appeared on its own in the temple.

In Chapter 23 of the Devi-Bhagavata Purana, this temple's origin is explained. As per the text, Kashi Naresh (the King of Varanasi) called for a Swayamvar for his daughter Sashikala's marriage. The King later learnt that the princess was in love with the Vanvasi prince Sudarshan. 

So Kashi Naresh got his daughter secretly married to the prince. When the other Kings (who were invited for the Swayamvar) got to know about the marriage, they got angry and went to war with Kashi Naresh. 

Sudarshan then offered prayers to Durga, who came on a lion and fought the war for Kashi Naresh and Sudarshan. After the war, Kashi Naresh pleaded to Durga to protect Varanasi and with that belief, this temple was constructed.

The temple was built in North Indian Nagara style of architecture. The temple is painted red with ochre to match the colours of the central icon of Durga, the goddess of strength and power.

 Inside the temple, many elaborately carved and engraved stones can be found. The temple is made up of many small sikharas conjoined together.

The Durga Mandir is on Sankat Mochan road, adjacent to Durga Kund, 250 meters north of the Tulsi Manas Mandir.

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple (Pancharanga Kshetram), Adiranga

Srirangapatna, Karnataka

According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the temple is one of considerable antiquity. An inscription at the temple reveals it was first consecrated in 984 A.D. by a local chief called Tirumalaiah, a vassal of the Western Ganga dynasty. In the early 12th century, Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana (r.1108-1152) granted the village of Srirangapatna to the Vaishnava saint Ramanujacharya as an agraharam (place of learning). An inscription of the great Hoysala King Veera Ballala II (1210 A.D.) confirms that additions and renovations were made to the temple at that time. The tower over the entrance bears features consistent with Vijayanagara architecture. According to historian George Michell, contributions were also made by the Wodeyar kings of the Kingdom of Mysore The temple was not destroyed by Maratha as is claimed because they were strong Hindu supporters. the temple is just 400metres away from Tipu palace."Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple". Archaeological Survey of India, Bengaluru Circle. ASI Bengaluru Circle. Retrieved 21 December 2013. The temple is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India as a monument of national importance. According to historian K.V. Soundararajan, the Ranganatha temples in South India built during the 9th and 10th centuries have a systematic arrangement of subsidiary deities as seen in this temple along with the Appakkudathaan Perumal Temple at Koviladi, Sowmya Narayana Perumal temple at Thirukoshtiyur, Veeraraghava Perumal Temple at Thiruevvul and Rajagopalaswamy temple at Mannargudi.

Balussery Kotta Vettakkorumakan Temple

Balussery, Kozhikode

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Chaturbhuj Temple

Gwalior Fort, Gwalior

Chaturbhuj Temple, dedicated to Vishnu, is situated at Orchha in Madhya Pradesh, India. The name Chaturbhuj is a combination of 'chatur' meaning "four" and 'bhuj' meaning "arms" which literally translates to "one who has four arms" and refers to Rama an Avatar of Vishnu. The temple has a complex multi-storied structural view which is a blend of temple, fort and palace architectural features.

According to a local legend, the temple was built after the queen had a "dream visitation" by Lord Rama directing her to build a temple for Him; while Madhukar Shah was a devotee of Krishna, his wife's dedication was to Rama. Following the approval to build the Chaturbhuja Temple, the queen went to Ayodhya to obtain an image of Lord Rama that was to be enshrined in her new temple. When she came back from Ayodhya with the image of Rama, initially she kept the idol in her palace, called Rani Mahal, as the Chaturbhuj Temple was still under construction. She was, however, unaware of an injunction that the image to be deified in a temple could not be kept in a palace. Once the temple construction was completed and the idol of the lord had to be moved for installation at the Chatrubhuj Temple, it refused to be shifted from the palace. Hence, instead of the Chaturbuj temple, the Rama's idol remained in the palace whereas the Chaturbhuj Temple remained without an idol in its sanctum. As Rama was worshiped in the palace it was converted into the Ram Raja Temple; it is the only shrine in the country where Rama is worshiped as a king.

Thalikkunu Maha Shiva Temple

Mankave, Kozhikode

Thalikkunu Shiva Temple is one of the oldest temples of Malabar. This temple has been attacked many times. Currently the Temple is under His Highness Zamorin of Calicut.[citation needed]. Thali, Thiruvannur, Varackal, Puthur, Govindapuram etc. are other important temples in the town of Kozhikode as well as those nearby were completely destroyed as a result of Tipu's military operations. Some of them were reconstructed by the Zamorin after he returned following the defeat of Tipu Sultan in Sreerangapatanam and the Treaty of 1792. According to the Malabar Gazetteer, the following important temples were destroyed by Tippu's Army. Tali Mahadeva Temple, Kozhikode. Sree Valayanadu Bhagavathy Temple, Govindapuram, Calicut. Tiruvannur Siva Temple, Kozhikode.

Sri Mukhalingeswara Swamy Temple

Srikakulam, Srikakulam

Sri Mukhalingeswara shiva temple is a very old temple where shiva lingam appears as Mukha (Face) Avatar. Very unique one compare to other shiva temples

It is one of the oldest temples in this region. Apart from being a site of historical significance, it is noted for its architectural beauty, which comprise intricate designs, commendable reliefs and wonderful domes.

 There is a Golam at back side of the lingam, As per local poojari words it was donated by local pot maker to the god when he was blessed with boy after worship to this shiva. and it is believed that who don't have childrens will bless here if they are worshiping to this god

Aadishakti Mata Ekvira Devi Temple

Ekvira Devi Rd, Karla, Maharashtra

According to the legend, this temple was constructed by the Pandavas during their exile in the forest (araṇyavāsam). Once when Pandavas visited this holy place, Ekvīrā Mātā appeared before them. She instructed them to build a temple for her. To test the kārya Diksha (work ethic) of the Pandavas, the Goddess laid a condition that the construction must be done overnight. The Pandavas then indeed built this beautiful temple in one night. Impressed by the bhakti (devotion) of the Pandavas, the Goddess blessed them and granted the boon that they will not be discovered by anybody during their ajñātavāsam (secret exile). The Goddess is an avatār of Renuka Devi. However, the carbon dating states that the shrines were developed over two periods – from the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD, and from the 5th century AD to the 10th century.