Shri Kashi Vishwanath

Standing on the western bank of India's holiest river Ganges, Varanasi is the oldest surviving city of the world and the cultural capital of India. It is in the heart of this city that there stands in its fullest majesty the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in which is enshrined the Jyotirlinga of Shiva, Vishweshwara or Vishwanatha. Here gravitate the teeming millions of India to
seek benediction and spiritual peace by the darshan of this Jyotirlinga which confers

liberation from the bondages of maya and the inexorable entanglements of the world. A simple glimpse of the Jyotirlinga is a soul-cleansing experience that transforms life and puts it on the path of knowledge and bhakti. Vishweshwara Jyotirlinga has a very special and unique significance in the spiritual history of India. 

Tradition has it that the merits earned by the darshan of other jyotirlinga scattered in various parts of India accrue to devotee by a single visit to Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Deeply and intimately implanted in the Hindu mind, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple has been a living embodiment of our timeless cultural traditions and highest spiritual values. The Temple has been visited by all great saints- Adi Shankaracharya, Ramkrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekanand, Goswami Tulsidas, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati, Gurunanak and several other spiritual personalities. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple attracts visitors not only from India but abroad as well and thereby symbolises man's desire to live in peace send harmony with one another. 

Vishwanath being a supreme repository of this spiritual truth thus strengthens the bonds of universal brotherhood and fellow feeling at the national as well as global levels. On January 28, 1983 the temple was taken over by the Govt. of Uttar Pradesh and it's management ever since stands entrusted to a Trust with Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh. Former Kashi Naresh, as president and an Executive Committee with Divisional Commissioner as Chairman. The Temple in the present shape was built way back in 1780 by Late Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore. In the year 1785 a Naubatkhana was built up in front of the Temple by the then Collector Mohd. Ibrahim Khan at the instance of Governor General Warren Hastings. In 1839, Two domes of the Temple were covered by gold donated by Punjab Kesari Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. Third dome still remains uncovered, Ministry of culture & Religious affairs of U.P. Govt. is taking keen interest for gold plating of third dome of Temple.

Important Festivals

1. Mahashivratri

Shivaratri is celebrated on the 6th night of the dark Phalgun (Feb or March) every year. On the auspicious day, devotees observe fast and keep vigil all night. Mahashivaratri marks the night when Lord Shiva performed the 'Tandava'. It is also believed that on this day Lord Shiva was married to Parvati Ma. On this day Shiva devotees observe fast and offer fruits, flowers and bel leaves on Shiva Linga. At our temple this festival celebrated with great spritualism.

2. Rangbhari ( Aamlaki) Ekadashi

Once, in the month of Phalguna (February - March), the holy fast of Amalakii Ekadasii arrived, conjoined with Dvadasi. This particular fast would bestow especially great benefit. Amalakii is offspring of Lord BrahmA, who can destroy all kinds of sinful reactions. Amalakii, is actually the form of Brahman, and was once worshiped by Lord Ramachandra Himself. Whoever circumambulates her is therefore immediately freed of all his sins.

3. Annakoot

Annakoot is celebrated in observance of the episode in Sri Krishna's childhood, in which He gave protection to the cowherd clan of Vrindavan from the wrath of Indra and humbled Indra in that process. The cowherds, their wives, children and cattle jubilantly surrounded Sri Krishna. They were awed by His superhuman accomplishment and celebrated Sri Krishna's feat with a sumptuous feast. Thus began the tradition of Annakoot. After the prayers, traditional worship & Aarti, innumerable varieties of delicious sweets/ all cookings / 56 bhogs were ceremoniously raised in the form of a mountain before the deity as "Bhog" and after Lord had it full , now it was citizens turn to approach the Mountain of Food and take Prasad from it. It was a Great Feast for residents of Goverdhan & they all enjoyed it thoroughly

4. Makar Shakranti

Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious day for the Hindus, and is celebrated in almost all parts of the country in myriad cultural forms, with great devotion, fervor & gaiety. Lakhs of people take a dip in places like Ganga Sagar & Prayag and pray to Lord Sun. It is celebrated with pomp in southern parts of the country as Pongal, and in Punjab is celebrated as Lohri & Maghi. Gujarati's not only look reverentially up to the sun, but also offer thousands of their colorful oblations in the form of beautiful kites all over the skyline. They may be trying to reach upto their glorious God or bring about greater proximity with the one who represents the best. It is a day for which Bhishma Pitamah kept waiting to leave his mortal coil.
Makar Sankranti is the day when the glorious Sun-God of Hindus begins its ascendancy and entry into the Northern Hemisphere. Sun for the Hindus stands for Pratyaksha-Brahman - the manifest God, who symbolizes, the one, non-dual, self-effulgent, glorious divinity blessing one & all tirelessly. Sun is the one who transcends time and also the one who rotates the proverbial Wheel of Time. The famous Gayatri Mantra, which is chanted everyday by every faithful Hindu, is directed to Sun God to bless them with intelligence & wisdom. Sun not only represents God but also stands for an embodiment of knowledge & wisdom. Lord Krishna reveals in Gita that this manifested divinity was his first disciple, and we all know it to be indeed a worthy one too. No Sundays for the Sun, may be because one who revels in its very 'being', the very essence of his own Self, is always in the Sunday mood.
The co-relation of cosmic events with individual life and values is one of the most astounding traits of Hindu Masters. Once this co-relation is brought about thereafter these cosmic events become instrumental to remind us the best which we cherish & value. Of all the cosmic bodies Sun is the most glorious & important, thus every sun-centric cosmic event became very important spiritual, religious & cultural events. On Makar Sankranti day the Sun begins its ascendancy and journey into the Northern Hemisphere, and thus it signifies an event wherein the Gods seem to remind their children that 'Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya'. May you go higher & higher - to more & more Light and never to darkness.

5. Shrawan Maah

Shrawan Maah is highly auspicious month for the lord Shiva devotees. Special decoration is been done on every Monday of the month. On first Monday of the month lord Shiva’s decoration is being performed, on second Monday lord Bhagwa Shankar and mother Parvati’s moveable statues are being decorated. On third and fourth Monday , shri Ardhyanarishwar and Shri Rudrakshay , decoration is being performed respectively.
The whole month of Shrawan Maah is celebrated with great enthusiasm, it is highly auspicious as every member of Lord Shiva’s family are decorated and special 'Jhoola Sringar' is being performed.

6. Akshya Tritiiya

Akshya Tritiiya is considered one of the four most auspicious days of the Vedic Calendar. It is the third day of the new moon of Vaishakh month (April-May).

After having bath offered Amalakii tree a pot filled with water, as well as garland and aromatic incense. Then worship Lord Parashurama with these prayers: 'Oh Lord ParashurAma, Oh son of Renuka, Oh all-pleasing one, Oh liberator of the worlds, kindly come beneath this holy Amalakii tree and accept our humble obeisances.'

If the Amarlaki tree isn't available then worship the sacred Tulasi tree. Also plant the sacred Tulasi seeds, and offer lamps to her.

Thiruvanamalai

Lord Arunachalar History

Traditional stories tell us that there was an unsettled dispute between Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma as to who was superior. They sought the help of Lord Siva to judge .who was really superior; Lord Siva grew into a long flaming light stretching between earth and heaven, and asked them to find root and crown.
Brahma agreeing to reach the crown took the form
a swan and flew, and flew to an extending height and could not reach the crown. In his upward flight he caught hold of a flower of Pandavas falling from Siva's crown and requested the flower to bear a false witness that he collected it from Siva's crown . Knowing this Lord Siva cursed Brahma that he would never be worshipped in the temple, and banished Pandavas flower from his adornment.

Lord Vishnu took the form of pig and kept digging down to reach Siva's foot; Siva was really pleased with the humility of Vishnu and took him his heart.

Girivalam

Full Moon pulls people and swells the crowd

Earthlings enjoy every full moon night. On every full moon day, the temple wears a festive look and draws devotees from all parts of the land as the nectar of the floral disc attracts bees with an osmotic pull of an astounding force. The full moon not only swells oceans and seas but also the crowd of devotees who throng about the temple. The moon shows its whole disc illuminated and this illumination exerts an influence upon earnest adherents by imperceptible means. While the waning phases of moon bring in depression its waning phases waken up soul of men to winsome elation; and the lovely luminous (full) moon brings in the devotees a magical sense of spiritual awakening. A glow with aspirations the adherents find a promise of new life, new spring in the severe summer of the earthly life.

Malaivalam (Girivalam)

A monthly ritual, a token of devotion working a stage in spiritual developments. The illumination of the entire disc of moon, is a monthly feature devotees drawn from different parts of the land visit the temple and phallic symbol placed in the sanctum sanctorum, and the mother Goddess 'UMA' and dextrally move in a circle in large numbers keeping the hill as the centre covering in a complete round a distance of nearly fifteen kilometers.

Viewing the vicissitudes of the vesture by which the nature covers the vertical monument.
Observing on all sides from the ground floor to the heavenly peak the changing moods of the hill.
Worshipping all along the way the hundred and odd lingams the masculine means of majesty, the phallic symbols used extensively in the cult of worship of 'Siva' and erected at regular intervals the procreative force (lingam).
Having a sense of detachment
Felling their oneness with the nature as they are
On joyous journey as
Go round the world, the universe, the constellations, all of which are his myth and manifestations.
Seeking spiritual union with the savior of all and for sometime the aspirants of higher aims are away from the harassing material world.

Devotees Glow in Health and return home refreshed

This monthly malaivalam, circuiting the sublime hill gives devotees spiritual power and relief from tension allays their suffering and alleviate their pain, calms their agitations and composes their feelings comforts them to a state to rest and joy offers an additional brightness of cheerfulness. This circumbulation issues a vital glow to the devotees who gain marvelous strength. All these one has to personally acquire and enjoy. The devotees return home refreshed and rejuvenated and refined regaining their lost hope and vigor with their psychic energy of primitive impulses converted into socially acceptable channels of endeavor.
One who thinks Arunachalam and desire to go around by water covering 15km the Arunachala hill and forwarding one foot will get equal benefit of Yagam and for second foot he will achieve the benefit of Raja suya Yagam and with clear mind of third foot will achieve Aswameda Yagam and who continues further will get beneficial of all Yagams.
Siddhas and devotees from various part of the World walk around on all days. In the full moon day of every month, lakhs of devotees go around the hill regularly.
Every angular sight of this holy hill - also known as Annamalai in the divine parameters of the upper worlds-offers various types of Godly visions of the mountain on your every footsteps and each such angular vision carries behind it thousand fold munificence and divine beneficence of the almighty all the 72000 cores of human physiology - are divinely activated and blissfully stream lined when you perform Girivalam here. the spiritual splendor of this holy mountain is enjoyed by physical circumambulation, under the divine guidelines of Sathguru who reveals its divine splendor .
The Siddhas tell going around the hill once destroys the karma of ten million births. That means nothing is as effective as MALAI VALAM. And siddhas like Sathguru Maharishi Venkatramana preaches devotees to walk around hill at least once in their life.

How to Make MalaiValam

Everyone should walk around the hill barefoot.
Mutter the name "Om Arunachala".
view the peak of the Arunachala hill during the circumambulation.
It should be undertaken during night.
There are 8 lingams, 360 holy tanks, mandapas and ashrams. There are eight lingams around the Arunachala hill one in each direction.

Sree Guruvayoorappan

Early history

According to the legends, the idol worshipped here is more than 5000 years old. But there are no historical records to establish it. In the 14th century Tamil literature 'Kokasandesam', references about a place called Kuruvayur is made. As early as 16th century (50 years after the Narayaneeyam was composed) many references are seen about Kuruvayur. In ancient Dravidic, Kuruvai means sea, hence the village on the coast may be called Kuruvayur.

But according to Prof. K V Krishna Iyer (eminent historian), the Brahmins had begun to come and settle at Kodungalloor during the period of Chandra Gupta Maurya ( 321-297 BC). Trikkunavay in the Guruvayur documents is the same as Thrikkanamathilakam or Mathilakam mentioned in the Dutch and British records. And this place was in between Guruvayur and Kodungalloor. Guruvayur was Trikkunavay's subordinate shrine since they were destroyed by the Dutch in 1755. That way Guruvayur must have come into existence before 52 AD. The story of Pandyan King building a shrine here may be a reference to the Azhavars , but they are all silent in their writing about Guruvayur.

It was Melpathur's Narayaneeyam through which the Temple got publicity. The concept of Unnikrishna popularised by Poonthanam , Kururamma , and Villwamangalam brought more and more devotees to Guruvayur.

History of lord Maraprabhu


An idol of Lord Maraprbhu is situated at south side of the temple in the Sreevalsam compound.

The Moolamantra Of Lord Maraprabhu (The Primal Chant)

“Brahmanda Sarwaswavum Jeddhare vazhikkumee Mara Amara Prabhuve Pranamikkam”.

[Brahmnad – the whole universe, Sarwaswam – All, Jeddhare – womb, Vahikkume – carrier, Mara Amara – Mortal and Immortal]

Meaning
I worship the Lord Maraprabhu who carries the cosmic universe in his womb.

Note
Even the yogis and Devathas wonder what could Maraprabhu bear in the heart and the head!

CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF MARAPRABHU

Thousands of Artists worked hard for months together to complete this holy idol, which is constructed in terracotta.

Thousands of different types of herbs were used in the thanthric construction of this idol, which is 52 feet tall.

The idol Lord Mraprabhu is the material embodiment of all the medicinal herbs all over the world. Lord Maraprabhu is the whole and complete symbol of the eternal potentialities of medicinal herbs.This idol sculptured in the traditional terracotta style, is also a symbol of the bond between man and clay.
 

Vadapalani Murugan Temple

Vadapalani Andavar Temple is located in Vadapalani, Chennai. The temple is dedicated to Lord Muruga. The temple was renovated in 1920s and a Rajakopuram was built during that time. The temple has grown in popularity believed in part due to the patronage of cinema stars
Built about 125 years back, this much-hallowed and regularly frequented Lord Muruga sannidhi has emerged from a thatched shed, an unostentatious one enshrining a Murugan picture only, and established for itself a name on par with ancient places of worship. Around 7,000 couples are married here each year.

According to the sthalapurana, one Muruga devotee by name Annaswami Nayakar with his limited means built a small thatched hut and kept a Murugan painting for his personal worship primarily. During his meditation and worship, he used to experience some divine power entering his body and inspiring him to utter some mysterious things.whatever he said in his trance was found true. His utterance went by the name of 'arulvakku' ('God blessed statements') and relieved people in several ways, like curing diseases and getting jobs, solemnising marriages, etc.

There are very many sannidhis in the vast courtyards of the temple, like Varasiddhi Vinayaka, Chokkanathar, Meenakshi Amman, Kali, Bhairava, Shanmuga with Valli and Devasena.
The moolavar in standing posture resembles the Palani Muruga in every respect. In the inner prakara, there are many niches housing Dakshina Murti, Chandikeswar, Mahalakshmi, et al. It has a spacious hall used for conducting marriages and religious discourses. It is one of the most-frequented Murugan shrines in the city of Chennai.
The entrance to this temple is crowned with a rajagopuram adorned with several stucco images depicting legends from the Skanda puranam. In front of the temple is the temple tank. The eastern tower rises to a height of 40.8 metres. The 108 bharata natyam dance gestures can be seen on the eastern tower as well.

Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, Sabarimala

Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, is the most famous and prominent among all the Sastha temples in Kerala. The temple is situated on a hilltop (about 3000 feet above sea level) named Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta district, which is unique in many respects. The uniqueness gathers its voice, as the temple is open to all, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. There is a place near the temple; east to Sannidhanam, dedicated to the Vavar (a sufi and friend of Lord Ayyappa) which is called 'Vavarunada', an epitome of religious harmony. Another interesting fact is that it is not open throughout the year. It is open for worship only during the days of Mandalapooja, Makaravilakku and Chitra Vishu. It is said that the pilgrims have to follow fasting for 41 days to cleanse their minds before going to Sabarimala. The journey to the temple is to be taken through difficult paths in the forest as the vehicles can go only up to Pampa.