THE BITTER TRUTH: Some famous ancient temples of India

AMARTNATH TEMPLE

Amarnath cave is a Hindu shrine located in Jammu and Kashmir. The cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,756 ft), about 141 km from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir and reached through Pahalgam town. The shrine forms an important part of Hinduism, and is considered to be one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism. The cave is surrounded by snowy mountains. The cave itself is covered with snow most of the year except for a short period of time in summer.

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Kailashnath Temple, Ellora

This was built as a dedication to Lord Shiva, the destroyer. It is a tribute to man's greatness, even though academia have not given it its due place in our school history syllabus. It was carved in perfect proportion and alignment to its adjacent structures, which include columns, flying bridges, stone arches, and statues and buildings - all made out of a single piece of rock.

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Chennakeshava Temple, Karnataka

Situated on the banks of the Yagachi river, this temple was an early masterpiece of the Hoysala Period. It was built by the Vijayanagara ruler to commemorate their victory over the Cholas and is solely dedicated to Vishnu as most of the figural carvings depict aspects of Vishnu, particularly the incarnations and the God seated with Lakshmi.

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Tugnath Temple, Uttarakhand

At an elevation of 3680 metres above sea level, the Tugnath Temple is the highest elevated of the Panch Kedar, the others are Madhyamaheshwar, Kedarnath, Rudranath and Kalpeshwar. The temple is connected to the Ramayana where Lord Ram meditated to release the curse of Brahmahatya for having slaughtered Ravana. The temple is quite small, and hence only 10 people are allowed in at a time.

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Adi Kumbeswarar, Tamil Nadu

Located in the temple town of India, Kumbhakonam, this temple dates back to the Vijaynagara period. Adi Kumbeswarar is the presiding deity of the temple and the shrine is located in the centre. Kumbeswarar is in the form a lingam believed to have been made by Shiva himself when he mixed the nectar of immortality and sand.

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Jagatpita Brahma Mandir, Rajasthan

Although the structure of this temple dates back to the 14th century, this temple is said to be 2000 years old. The temple is mainly built of marble and stone slabs. It has a distinct red pinnacle and a bird motif. The temple sanctum sanctorum holds the central images of Brahma and his second consort Gayatri. It witnesses a festival dedicated to Brahma during the Kartik Purnima.

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Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Tamil Nadu

Varadharaja Perumal Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in the holy city of Kanchipuram. It is one of the Divya Desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu believed to have been visited by the 12 poet saints, or Alwars. It is believed that the lizard sculptures that adorn the ceilings of the temple when touched forgive the sins of your past life.

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Konark Sun Temple, Odisha

This temple was built by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty around AD 1250. The temple is in the shape of a gigantic chariot with elaborately carved stone wheels, pillars and walls. A major part of the structure is now in ruins. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Dilwara Temples near Mount Abu, Rajasthan

Located about 2.5 km from Mount Abu, each of these five temples are unique in their own way and were built between the 11th and 13th century AD and are remarkable for their stunning use of marble. These five temples (Vimal Vasahi, Luna Vasahi, Pittalhar Temple, Parshvanatha Temple and Mahavir Swami Temple) are considered the most beautiful Jain pilgrimage sites in the world.

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Pancha Ratna Temple, Bankura, West Bengal

Built in 1643 by King Raghunath Singha, this temple stands on a low square plinth and consists of an ambulatory pathway with a porch opened by three arches on the four sides of the temple. The walls are richly decorated with terracotta carvings featuring aspects of Lord Krishna’s life.

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Badami Cave Temples, Karnataka

The Badami cave temples are a complex of temples located at Badami, a town in the Bagalkot District in the northern part of Karnataka, India. They are considered an example of Indian rock-cut architecture, especially Badami Chalukya Architecture.

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Vittala Temple, Hampi, Karnataka

Perhaps one of the most popular of all the temples in the Hampi complex, this houses the famous musical pillars that have amazing acoustics. The British wanted to find out the reason behind this, and so they cut two pillars to check if there was anything inside that was producing the sound. They found nothing but hollow pillars.

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Orchha Temples, Madhya Pradesh

Temple is imposing with tall spires built atop a high platform. Its exterior is richly ornamented with lotus symbols. The Raja Ram Temple resembles a palace as the Ram is worshiped as a king here. The Lakshmi Temple is an odd mixture of temple and fort and an unique mixture of concentric forms. It consists of an octagonal central tower inside a triangular temple.

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Golden Temple Punjab

Sri Harmandir Sahib (also known Darbar Sahib or Golden temple) is the most pious pilgrimage place for Sikhs. The temple was built on the values of universal brotherhood and equality. The four doors, opening in the four prominent directions, openly welcome people from any faith or race to seek religious and spiritual contentment. The structure, revered for its superb architecture, is built on a level lower than that of the immediate surroundings, symbolizing the value of humility.

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Gangotri temple

The sacred origin of Ganga Maa (mother) is worshipped at Gangotri temple, which is situated in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. A partially submerged Shivaling lying along the temple in the waters of Bhagirathi signifies the place where God Shiva entangled Ganga in his hair. Built in the 18th century the temple is made from the white granite.

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Siddivinayak temple Maharashtra

Siddhivinayak or Lord Ganesha is the supreme deity of the temple and is famous for being the first one to be worshipped before commencing any new work or assignment. That is why he is also known as Vighnaharta (the terminator of impediments).

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Vaishnodevi temple Jammu and Kashmir

Abode of Maa (mother) Vaishno Devi and is located at an altitude of 5200 ft in a mountain called Trikuta. It is situated in Jammu and Kashmir, near Katra town. Vaishno Devi is present here in the form of three rock heads, called the Pindies, instead of a statue. Due to the strong faith of the people, every year millions of them come to take the blessings of Maa Vaishno Devi.

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Rameshwaram temple

The reason for its being so sacred is the belief that Lord Rama along with his wife Sita first landed on its shore after defeating the demon Ravana (who was also a Brahmin). To seek atonement for killing a Brahmin, Rama wanted to pray to Shiva. Hanuman was sent off to Kailash to bring an idol of the God. In the mean time, Sita made a small lingam. The one made by Sita is called Ramalingam and one brought by Hanuman is called Vishwalingam.

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Sanchi Stupa M.P.

Sanchi is a village in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, which is a home to several Buddhist structures built in between 3rd century BC to 12th century AD. The most significant of them all is the Sanchi Stupa, also known as the Great Stupa. A Stupa is a holy place of Buddhist, which is built in the shape of a dome that consists of relics of Buddha.

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KEDARNATH TEMPLE (UTTARAKHAND)

Kedarnath temple is one of the most sacred Shiva temples in the world. This holy abode of Shiva is said to be built by the Pandavas to atone for their sins committed during their battle with Kauravs. The temple was restored by Adi Sankaracharya in 8th century. It is one of the Chota Char Dhams of Uttarakhand and requires a pilgrim to walk a distance of 14 kms over the hilly surface. One can make use of a pony or manchan to simplify the journey.

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Puri Jagannath Temple Odisha

Situated on the eastern coast along the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal, Orissa offers to magnificent temples. While several temples have vanished or have declined in importance, the great temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri is still a living and vibrant temple. Over the centuries it has attracted kings, conquerers, religious teachers, devotees and pilgrims.

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BADRINATH TEMPLE

This holy shrine of Lord Vishnu forms a part of the four holiest sites (Char Dhams) in Hindu religion. It is also one of the four Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites (comparatively minor pilgrimage sites). It is one of the 108 temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu (Divya Desams), which find mention in the works of Tamil saints who existed from 6th to 9th century.

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TIRUPATI BALAJI TEMPLE

located in the hilly town of Tirumala (Andhra Pradesh), the temple is also known as Tirumala Venkateshwara temple. The temple is devoted to Lord Venkateshwara, who is popularly called ‘Balaji’ and is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Venkateshwara Tirupati Balaji is the second richest religious site with people offering money and gold to their Lord running into millions, each day.

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Gomateshwara temple

Situated in the Shravanabelagola town of Karnataka, Gomateshwara temple is dedicated to Lord Bahubali also known as Gomateshwara. Built in the 10th century it is one of the most important pilgrimage places for Jains. The statue inspires awe among people world over because of its unique structure. Standing at an enormous height of 58.8 ft the idol is carved out of a single granite rock. This monolithic structure stands at such a great height without any external support.

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Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple kerala

108 Divya Desams (sacred dwellings of Lord Vishnu) is situated in the form of Lord Padmanabhaswamy. The elegant and splendid idol of Lord Vishnu is reclining over a 5 hooded serpent called Anantha. The idol of the Lord is very fascinating as it displays the supreme trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh (or Shiva). Out of the navel of Lord’s statue a lotus is seen as coming out over which Lord Brahma (the protector) is sitting.

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Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati Assam

The Kamakhya Temple also Kamrup-Kamakhya is a Hindu temple dedicated to the mother goddess Kamakhya. It is one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Pithas.Situated on the Nilachal Hill in western part of Guwahati city in Assam, India, it is the main temple in a complex of individual temples dedicated to the ten Mahavidyas.

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Meenakshi temple Madurai

Meenakshi Temple, is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the temple cit] of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort, Sundareswar, a form of Shiva. The temple is at the center of the ancient temple city of Madurai mentioned in the Tamil Sangam literature, with the goddess temple mentioned in 6th century CE texts.

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Kashi Vishvanath Temple

one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, 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 name Vishvanatha meaning Ruler of The Universe. Varanasi city is also called Kashi, and hence the temple is popularly called Kashi Vishvanath Temple.

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Vrindavan (Mathura U P )

Vrindavan is a town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the site where Lord Krishna spent his childhood days and is one of the main places in the Braj Bhoomi region. The town is about 11 km away from Mathura, Krishna's birthplace on the Agra-Delhi highway. The town hosts many temples dedicated to the worship of Radha and Krishna and is considered sacred by Vaishnavism.

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Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple

Sabarimala is one of the largest annual pilgrimages in the world with an estimated 45–50 million devotees visiting every year. Lord Ayyappan's temple is situated amidst 18 hills. The temple is situated on a hilltop at an altitude of 4,133 ft. above mean sea level, and is surrounded by mountains and dense forests.

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Shirdi

Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master who is regarded by his devotees as a saint, a fakir, a satguru and an incarnation of Lord Shiva. He is revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees during, as well as after his lifetime. Because of Sai Baba, Shirdi has become a place of importance and is counted among the major Hindu places of pilgrimage. This temple was built in 1922. It is believed that Sai Baba gave one Rupee to Dada Madye ji with which he built the temple in Kudal.

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Somnath temple gujarat

The Somnath temple located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, is believed to be the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.Destroyed and reconstructed several times in the past the present temple was reconstructed in Chaulukya style of Hindu temple architecture and completed in May 1951. The reconstruction was envisioned by Vallabhbhai Patel and was completed under K. M. Munshi, the then head of the temple trus

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Omkareshwar temple of Lord Shiva

It 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 ॐ symbol. As per the sloka on dwadash jyotirligam, Mamleshwar the other name of Amareshwar is the jyotirling, nonetheless, many consider both Omkareshwar and Mamleshwar equally sacred and representative of jyotirling at this sacred place.

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Kalighat Kali temple west bengal

Kalighat Kali Temple is a Hindu temple in West Bengal, India dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. Kalighat was a Ghat sacred to Kali on the old course of the Hooghly river in the city of Calcutta.

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Guruvayur srikrishna temple

Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu god Guruvayurappan located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala, India. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus of Kerala and is often referred to as Bhuloka Vaikunta which translates to as "Holy Abode of Vishnu on Earth".

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Mahabodhi temple

About 250 years after the Enlightenment, the Buddhist Emperor, Ashoka visited the site and is considered the founder of the Mahabodhi Temple . According to the tradition, Ashoka, as well as establishing a monastery, erected a diamond throne shrine at this spot with a canopy supported by four pillars over a stone representation of the Vajrasana, the Seat of Enlightenment.

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THE BITTER TRUTH

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Some famous ancient temples of India

AMARTNATH TEMPLE

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