The Temples

Discussion in 'Religious places & Spiritual people' started by dark_angel, Jun 15, 2014.

  1. Muthuraji

    Muthuraji IL Hall of Fame

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    Thanthondreeswarar Temple (Belur, Salem)


    Sri Thanthondreeswarar Temple or Sri Thanthondrieswarar Temple (Tamil: ஸ்ரீ தான்தோன்றீஸ்வரர் கோவில், Thanthondreeswarar Temple [SUP]?[/SUP]) is at Belur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

    The temple was built by the Cholas kingdom in the 12th century AD. The main deity is Lord Thanthondreeswarar (Lord Shiva) and the female deity is Goddess Dharmasamvarthini.

    Thanthondreeswarar Temple is located on the banks of Vasishta Nadi (Vasishta River). The temple has a serene atmosphere and is surrounded by beautiful hillocks.

    This temple comes under the Hindu Religious Charitable Endowment Department.


    History

    The inner sanctum was constructed by 'Milagu Chetty' and the rest were constructed by King Paranthaga Chola (Paranthaka Chola). Construction of Rajagopuram was started during the 12th century by King Paranthaka Chola, but was left incomplete.

    It also showcases the Dravidian architecture and is representative of the Chola Empire's Ideology and the Tamil civilisation.

    Myth

    Manickam Chetty, a pepper merchant was living near a village close to the temple. His job was carrying loads of pepper and selling it in the market place. One day he was crossing this dense forest where the shrine is located at present. As darkness sunk in, he wanted to take rest. In order to eat, he crossed pea aubergine (Sundaikai, an edible vegetable) with a stone. Suddenly he heard a voice saying, "The stone hurts my head. Apply some pepper on my head. Bewildered by this incident, the merchant said that he did not have any pepper and added that he had only Black Gram (Ulundu). Next day he proceeded to the market place and opened his baggage. He was shocked to find black gram instead of pepper. He worshipped God and prayed for His forgiveness. God asked him to bring some mud from the place where he had crushed pea aubergine (sundaikai) and spray it in the baggage containing black gram. He followed His instructions and black gram transformed into pepper again.

    On his way back, out of curiosity, he examined the place where he took rest. He was surprised to find a Suyambu Lingam (Lingam which originates by itself from earth). He worshipped the Lord and it is believed that the inner sanctum of the temple was built by him. Henceforth he was called Milagu Chetty (Milagu means Pepper) and the place where pepper transformed into black gram is called Ulundurpettai. The place has retained its name since then. As per history the inner sanctum was constructed by Milagu chetty and the rest was constructed by king Paranthaga chola. This has been mentioned in the book "The Manual Of Salem District in the Presidency of Madras" by Lee Fanu and the same idea has been endorsed by Rajannan, a History professor.

    Le Fanu, Henry (1883). A Manual of the Salem District in the Presidency of Madras. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4367-3939-9.

    Rajagopuram

    The Rajagopuram is about 97 feet tall having 7 stages(floors). Consecration Ceremony (Kumbabishekam) for the new Rajagopuram was performed on the 24th of February 2002.

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    Belur Temple Tower.


    Brahmanda Purana

    Brahmanda purana is one of the 18 puranas in Sanskrit and is written by the great saint, Vedha Vyasa. In 130th chapter of this purana, Sudamuni narrated the glory of Lord and this temple to his disciples and other saints.

    Kanampulla Nayanar

    Kanampullar, one of the Nayanmars hailed from a rich family in this same village. He was a sincere devotee of Sri Thanthondreeswarar. He considered lighting lamps in this temple as his prime duty and did it with utmost dedication.

    He went through a rough phase and lost all his wealth. Poverty drove him to Thirpuliswaram and he continued lighting lamps in a Shiva temple there. To earn his living, he used to cut a kind of grass called Kanampul and sell it in the market. He spent his meagre income on oil and wicks.

    Lord Shiva decided to test his devotion. One day his grass was not sold and he did not have enough money to buy oil and wick to light the lamps. He used his locks of hair as wick in the lamp and lighted it. Extremely pleased with the supreme devotion of Kanampullar, Shiva appeared in front of him and he became one with God.

    A statue of Kanampullar holding a lamp can be seen in this temple in front of Pradhosha Nandi (The Devine Bull). He is the 48th among the Nayanmars.
    This adds to the pride of Belur.
     
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  2. dark_angel

    dark_angel Silver IL'ite

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    The next temple series is of belonging to Maa durga .....Jai Mata di

    god15a.jpg
     
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  3. dark_angel

    dark_angel Silver IL'ite

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    Tara devi temple

    The Tara Devi Temple is situated at the top of a hill in Simla and the lush green environs surrounding it give the temple a very peaceful and tranquil atmosphere.

    The origin of this temple can be traced back to around 250 years. It is said Goddess Tara was brought all the way from West Bengal to Himachal Pradesh. A King from the Sen dynasty visited this place after some years. He had brought along a small gold locket in which his an idol of his deity was encased in gold. He always wore this locket in his upper arm. The idol remained encased in that locket for many generations to come. One fine day, Raja Bhupendra Sen ( of the 96th generation ) had an unusual incident. While hunting in a dense forest, he had a vision of Goddess Tara along with Hanuman, who desired that she should be available for the public to pray and seek blessings.

    tara-devi-temple-shimla.jpg
     
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  4. dark_angel

    dark_angel Silver IL'ite

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    sharda temple.jpg


    Mata sharda Temple Maihar
    Maa Sharda Devi Temple situated on the top of the Trikuta Hill around 5 km from the heart of the town. This temple is known for the 1063 steps to the top
    There is one ancient inscription near the feet of stone sculpture of Sharda Devi situated in Sharda Devi temple. There is another statue of Lord Narsingh along with Sharda Devi. These statues were installed by Nupula Deva on Shake 424 chaitra krishna paksha 14 Tuesday, Vikram Samvat 559 i.e. 502 AD. This stone inscription Sharda Devi in four lines is of size 15" by 3.5" in Devanagari script. Another stone inscription at the temple is of size 34" by 31" inscribed by a shaiva saint Shamba who had knowledge of Buddhism and Jainism also. This inscription bears a scene of Nāgadeva and reveals that it was about Damodara, son of Saraswati, was considered the Vyasa of Kaliyuga. And that there prevailed system of great sacrifice at that time during worship.
     
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  5. DKI

    DKI Platinum IL'ite

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    CHOTTANIKKARA DEVI TEMPLE - CHOTTANIKKARA, KERALA

    The Chottanikkara (corruption of Jyotiannakkara) Temple is a famous temple of the Hindu mother goddess Bhagawati. The temple is located near Ernakulam in the southern Indian state of Kerala and is one of the most popular temples in the state and in terms of temple architecture,this temple stands out to be an ultimate testmonial for the ancient vishwakarma sthapathis (wooden sculpture) in sculpting this temple along with Sabarimala. Bhagawati is one of the most popular deities in the area, Chottanikkara Devi is worshipped at the temple, in three different forms: as Saraswati in the morning, draped in white; as Lakshmi at noon, draped in crimson; and as Durga in the evening, decked in blue. Lord Shiva is also worshiped at the temple. People suffering from mental illnesses commonly visit the temple, as Bhagawati is thought to cure her devotees. One should not miss the 'Guruthi Pooja' in the 'Keezhkkaavu' temple at Chottanikkara. This is a ritual done at late evening to invoke the goddess. Earlier 'Guruthi Pooja' was done only on Fridays. But nowadays, it is performed everyday.


    'Chottanikara Makam thozhal' is the famous religious festival temple.


    The ritualistic bath of "Devi" in ceremonial pond in the morning at the sacred pond at Onakkoor far on the northern side of the Temple. After this "Devi" accompanied by Lord Sastha on the back of the eleven caparisoned elephants march towards the "Pooraparambhu" the traditional vantage point where they remain till 11 a.m.


    After the mid-day the door of Sanctum Sanctorum closes. Only to re-open at 2 p.m for the "Makam Darsanam" at that time Devi who appears in her sacred full-fledged splendour and glory decked in her sacred gold ornaments, precious jewellery and innumerable garlands. This is exactly the form of vision which Villwamangalam Swamiyar was believed to have had when he faced westward after the "Prathishta" (installation) of Kizhukkavu Bhagavathy, Chottanikkara Devi appears at this moment clad in glittering clothes brilliant ornaments and fine jewellery with her four arms bearing varam, Abhayam, Shank and Chakram (Offering gift and refuge) to her ardent devotees. It is fervently believed that Darsanam at this moment will result in the fulfillment of all prayers and cherished desires. It is fervently believed that those who gain Darsanam at this crucial Mithuna Lagna, will be blessed with the fulfillment of their long standing desire and prayers






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  6. dark_angel

    dark_angel Silver IL'ite

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    Naina Devi temple is a hill top temple situated in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh. The hill top temple is dedicated to Maa Naina Devi, one of the form of Maa Shakti and also considered as one of the 51 Shaktipeeths. Naina Devi temple is build where the eyes of Mata Sati’s fell, The sight is a holy place for Hindu’s.


    naina-devi-temple.jpg

     
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  7. dark_angel

    dark_angel Silver IL'ite

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    Vijayawada-Photos-kanakadurga-temple-Vijayawada-5218-46-jpg-destreviewimages-510x339-1324602135.jpg


    Kanaka Durga Temple is a famous Hindu Temple of Goddess Kanaka Durga located in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The temple is located on the Indrakeeladri hill, on the banks of Krishna River. Kaalika puraana, Durgaa sapthashati and other vedic literature have mentioned about Goddess Kanaka Durga on the Indrakeelaadri and have described the deity as Swayambhu, (self-manifested) in Triteeya kalpa

    Kanaka Durga Temple is synonymous with Vijayawada. It is mentioned in the sacred texts.
    This is the place where Arjuna obtained the Pasupatha astra after his great penance for Lord Shiva. The temple was constructed for Goddess Durga by Arjuna. It is connected by steps and a ghats road.
    The temple occupies an important place in the scriptures as several of the Siva-leelas and Shakti-mahimas were enacted on or around it, making the region a place of unequaled spiritual significance and attracting pilgrims since times immemorial.
    It is mentioned in the Vedas that the deity in the Kanakadurga temple is regarded as 'Swayambhu' or self-manifested, hence considered very powerful.
    Inscriptions of different dynasties are found in the temple
     
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  8. rkgurbani

    rkgurbani IL Hall of Fame

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    very nice...your post is indeed a very divine journey.
     
  9. dark_angel

    dark_angel Silver IL'ite

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    mansa-devi-temple.jpg

    Mansa Devi Temple, Haridwar (Hindi: मंसा देवी मंदिर, हरिद्वार) is a temple dedicated to goddess Mansa Devi in the holy city of Haridwar in the Uttarakhand state of India. The temple is located atop the Bilwa Parvat on the Sivalik Hills, the southernmost mountain chain of the Himalayas. The temple also known as Bilwa Tirth is one of the Panch Tirth (Five Pilgrimages) within Haridwar.



    The temple is known for being the holy abode of Manasa, a form of Shakti and is said to have emerged from the mind of the lord Shiva. Mansa is regarded as the sister of the Nāga (serpent) Vasuki. The term Mansa means wish and it is believed that the goddess fulfils all the wishes of a sincere devotee. Devotees who want their wishes to be fulfilled by Mansa tie threads to the branches of a tree located in the temple. Once their wishes are fulfilled, people come back again to the temple to untie the thread from the tree. Mansa is also offered coconuts, fruits, garlands and incense sticks in order to appease her.
    Mansa Devi Temple is a Siddh Peetha which are the places of worship where desires get fulfilled. It is one of three such Peethas located in Haridwar, the other two being Chandi Devi Temple and Maya Devi Temple. The inner shrine has two deities installed, one with eight arms and the other one three headed with five arms
     
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  10. kalpavriksham

    kalpavriksham Gold IL'ite

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    It was indeed a pleasure to travel the journey of temples. Splendid work by dark angel and muthuraji. God bless u both with the best things in ur life. the photos were excellent. Muthuraji dear, "photos ellam kannula appadiyae niranji irukku. PRAMADHAM poga!
     
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