Famous temples in India Tourisum Places, Tourism Full Information

Famous temples in India

Golden Temple

Amritsar:
Amritsar, literally means the Pool of Nectar. Amritsar derieves its name from Amrit Sarovar, the holy tank that surrounds the fabulous Golden Temple. The Sikh cult largely dominate the city. During centuries, this complex of Sikh culture grew from a sacred village pond into a spiritual-temporal center. The passionate pilgrims of the faith of Guru Nanak (15th century), who united Hindu and Muslim elements and initiated a reformation, flocked here generation after generation.

History unfolded:
Guru Arjan Sahib, the Fifth Nanak, conceived the idea of creating a central place of worship for the Sikhs and he himself designed the architecture of Golden temple also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib. Guru Arjan Sahib got its foundation laid by a muslim saint Hazrat Mian Mir ji of Lahore in December 1588. The construction work was directly supervised by Guru Arjan Sahib himself and he was assisted by the prominent Sikh personalities like Baba Budha ji, Bhai Gurdas ji, Bhai Sahlo ji and many other devoted Sikhs.

Front View of Golden Temple

Side View of Golden Temple

Meenakshi Temple

Tamil Nadu- Madurai:
Thousands of temples with lofty towers dot the skyline of the southernmost state of Tamilnadu in India. These temples are torchbearers of the glorious heritage of the Tamil speaking region. Madurai is called the `Athens of the East' because of the way myth meets life here. Legends of warrior princesses, the gods falling in love and divine promises abound. Originally called Madhurapuram because honey (madhu) is said to have dripped off the locks of Shiva here, Madurai is now the second largest city in Tamil Nadu. is now among the most important pilgrimages for Hindus.

History Revisited:
The original temple was built by Kulasekara Pandya, but the entire credit for making the temple as splendid as it is today goes to the Nayaks. The Nayaks ruled Madurai from the 16th to the 18th century and left a majestic imprint of their rule in the Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Temple.

Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam: The tank has a mandapam at the centre enshrining Lord Vigneshwara. In this tank, float festival is conducted in January/February.

Tirumalai Naik Palace: Tirumalai Naik palace is a gracious edifice built in the Indo-Saracenic style famous for the stucco-work on its domes and arches. Here Sound and Light shows are being conducted by the Department of Tourism.

Ranakpur Jain Temples

Ranakpur: Ranakpur is located in the mountain ranges of Pali district, 23 kms. away from the Phalna railway station. Ranakpur in the state of Rajasthan, is one of the five most important pilgrimage sites of Jainism. Amidst the sandy land stands the Chaturmukh Jain Temple of Rishabhadev or The Ranakpur Jain Temple.
Location: Ranakpur complex is one of the biggest and most important Jain temples in India, the extremely beautiful. Ranakpur is located about 56 miles north of Udaipur. It lies in a remote and quiet valley of the Aravalli Range 60 km from Udaipur.
The past: Ranakpur is one of the five holiest places of the Jain community and spectacular in architecture. It is probably the most complex and extensive of Jain temples in India. The Ranakpur Jain Temple were built under the reign of monarch Rana Kumbha in the 15th century and is the largest Jain temple in India.
Key attractions:

Kumbhalgarh: It is the most important fort in the Mewar region after Chittaurgarh. A historical site around 30 km northeast of Ranakpur. The other important place to visit in Kumbhalgarh is a wildlife sanctuary known for its wolves.

Sadri: 8 km away, Sadri is famous for some beautiful temples and an old dargah of Khudabaksh Baba. The Varahavtar temple and the Chintamani Parsvanath temple are the oldest of the temples situated here.

Somnath Temple Gujarat: Gujarat, the 'Jewel of the West,' is a tourist destination that offers something for every visitor. A journey through Gujarat unfolds a religious, cultural and historical panorama. The state with the longest coast line (1290km) in the country is renowned for its beaches, holy temples, historic capitals replete with immense architectural assets, wildlife sanctuaries and hill resorts. However the famous Somnath temple here is an exemplar of architectural splendor.
Location: Somnath at Somnath Patan, near Veraval in Gujarat is a pilgrimage center held in great reverence throughout India. Somnath is considered to be the first of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva. Somnath Gujarat is situated on the south coast of Saurashtra.
Prime locations:
Palitana Jain Temple

Traditional Pithora Mural

Thanjavur Temple
The Granary of South India, Thanjavur was the royal city of the Cholas, Nayaks and the Mahrattas in the ancient India. Thanjavur or Tanjore reached the acme of art & culture and development during the rule of the Chola king, Rajaraja Cholan. Even today, Thanjavur is remains to be the center of all the classical arts and music. This city has produced many classical musicians and bharathanatyam dancers and is also well known for its unique painting style called Tanjore Painting.

Thanjavur boasts of numerous beautiful temples and the Big Temple of Thanjavur stands tall with its beaming tower. It's one of the architectural marvels of the world. Known for its exquisite handicrafts, bronzes and south Indian Musical Instruments, Thanjavur is also famous for its distinctive art style and world famous weaving silk sarees.

Key Attractions:

The Palace

The Palace The Palace of Thanjavur, located near the temple is a vast structure of masonry built partly by the Nayaks around 1550 AD and party by the Marathas. This the architecture of this palace is worth seeing. Two of the palace towers, the armoury and the observation tower are visible from every part of the city. The palace also houses an art gallery, a library and a hall of music.
Brihadeshwara Temple & Fort

Built by great Chola king in the 10th century AD, Brihadeshwara Temple & Fort is an exquisite example of Chola architecture and is listed in world heritage. A monolithic cupola made of a single granite block weighing 80 tons covers the head of the temple. The cupola was taken to the top by being pulled on a 6 km long inclined ramp, a technique used by pyramid builders of Egypt. For over thousand years, the temple has been the centre of continuous worship. Non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple.

Srirangam Asia's Largest Temple Island

Srirangam - Asia's Largest Temple Island

Srirangam is the island, which was known as Vellithirumutha gramam in older period. The Tamil name of this place is Thiruvarangam. This city part of Tiruchirapalli is also identified as Tiruchi or Trichy.

This amazing Indian tourist place is bonded by the River Kaveri. Followers of Lord Vishnu are attaining Srirangam in huge amount. This greenery and nature view in this small city is special thing to watch. Jayalalitha the film actress and CM of Tamil Nadu won the election of State Assembly elections in 2011 from Srirangam.

The key spots for visitors in Srirangam are temple of Sri Ranganatha Swamy, gopuram of Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple, White Gopuram of the temple and pillars of the temple.

This attractive island Srirangam is popular for Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple. This temple is having importance for Hindu’s as it is the major pilgrimage destination particularly for the Sri Vaishnavites. Sri Ranganatha Temple is the leading complex of temple in India. The area of this holy place is 6,790,000 square feet. This India’s biggest busy temple is all time crowded so tourist might have to spend extra time to get blessings of Lord Vishnu.

Temple in Srirangam is also special because it is the primary temple in 8 self-noticeable holy shrine of Hindu God Sri Vishnu. Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple is also listed in the important 108 major temples of Lord Vishnu. The other known names of this shrine are Bhogamandabam, Periya Koil, Thiruvaranga Tirupati and Bhoologa Vaikundam. The seven enclosures of temple are special. The thick and enormous wall makes it differ from other temples of India. The 21 superb pillars in the temple are offering exclusive vision to the visitors. The gopuram situated in the temple is identified as Rajagopuram, which is 72 meter tall.

The 3 holy Ranganatha shrines on the River Kaveri are Madhya Ranga, Antya Ranga and Adi Ranga. Visitors can have auctioned clothes of God Sarees, Towels, Dhoti and other stuffs.

Because of popularity of this shrine, Srirangam economy is changing all time because tourists are reaching this island in large amount. Followers from Hindu community are coming to Srirangam from all areas of India. The devotees from abroad are also coming here every year. Vaikunta Ekadashi is the festival when devotees come to Srirangam in large quantity.

The temples nearby Srirangam are Rock Fort Temple, Tiruvaanaikovil Temple, Mariam Temple, Vaiyalur Temple, Kaatazhagiya Temple and Uraiyur Amman Temple.

Attaining to Srirangam:

By Air: nearby airport to Srirangam is Trichy or TIA (Tiruchirappalli International Airport). The frequent flights from Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Thiruvanathapuram, Dubai, Singapore, Sharjah, Malaysia, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi are available to reach the destination.

By Rail: the city itself is having big railway station and direct trains are accessible from Chennai to the Srirangam. Tiruchirappalli and Trichy junction are next big rail heads to reach Srirangam.

By Bus: going through road is possible by reaching the bridge connecting Trichy to Srirangam. This big bridge is constructed on River Kaveri. The state buses are available from Tamil Nadu to reach Srirangam.

MAHAMUNI TEMPLE: TEMPLE OF BUDDHIST RELIGIOUS AND ARCHITECTURAL IMPORTANCE

 

Mahamuni Pagoda is situated at Manubankul village, under Sabroom Sub-Division in South Tripura. Subroom is a border town in south Tripura. It is famous for its ancient Buddhist monastery. The monastery bears the Buddhist idioms of expressions in religious architecture; The Temple attracts thousands of Buddhist and non Buddhist pilgrims from every corner of the state as well as countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Srilanka, Japan and neighboring county Bangladesh. A famous festival/fair is held every year in month of March and April and continues for seven days. Traditional Mahamuni festival & ‘Owha’ festivals, originally a Buddhist festival, but now a days one of the most beautiful festivals in state every year. Peoples are really enjoy to seeing of this auspicious festival and participates spontaneously. During the festival Lord Buddha is worshipped in the monastery by both Buddhist and Hindu Communities.  Mahamuni is dominated by people belonging to the Mog Tribal community. Actually the ethnic Chakma, Mog and Barua Tribal communities of Tripura have been traditionally Buddhists. It is located in Sabroom sub-division. It is about 155 Kms away from Agartala airport.

Location: It is 134Km away from Agartala and 82 Km away from Udaipur town, 25 Km away from Sabroom town, Jolaibari 23 Km and 20 km away from Manu bazaar.

Accommodation: Some of the Tourist Lodges and Yatriniwas are run by Tripura Tourism Development Corporation Limited. One is Pilak Tourist Lodge, Jolaibari and Manu Yatriniwas, Manu Bazar and another is Dashinayan Tourist Lodge, Subroom. One can night halt at Udaipur also. There are also T.T.D.C. run Tourist Lodges and Yatriniwas which are Gunabati Yatriniwas, Matabai Udaipur and Gomati Yatriniwas, Udaipur town.

Khajuraho Sculptures | pictures of khajuraho

Khajuraho temples are famous of erotic Khajuraho sculptures. The Khajuraho is located in Chhatarpur District of Madhya Pradesh. It has massive medieval Hindu and Jain temples which speak of its glorious bygone splendour. The construction of temples began in the 11^th century and continued for next 200 years. The majestic temples are declared as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Erotic Khajuraho Sculptures

Khajuraho temples marks exquisite erotic sculptures, exhibiting passionate union of man and woman in form of carvings. Khajuraho sculptures are so beautifully carved that it seems to be very realistic, a specimen of creative artistic work. The external curvature and carvings of the temples depict human beings body and the changes that occur in human bodies, as well as facts of life. In addition common man everyday activities are sculpted with consummate artistry, such as woman decorating herself and also showcases varied moods of women, as well as common activities of musicians, farmers and several other folks.

Catch a glimpse of these exquisite Khajuraho sculptures during your vacation in India.

Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage Yatra | Kailash Mansarovar Yatra | Pilgrimage in India

Located at a height of 22,028 ft, is a holy abode of Lord Shiva (who is considered as destructor of the universe) and his wife Goddess Parvati. Known by the name of Kailash Parvat or Mount Kailash, this abode located in Tibet, and is one of the most sacred pilgrim center for the Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and pre-Buddhist animistic religion Bonpo devotees.

Followers of Jainism call Mt Kailash by the name of 'Astapada', a place where their first Tirthankara Rishaba attained enlightenment. Buddhist followers call it the 'Precious Jewel Peak' where they can achieve final illumination. Hindus also believe that a yatra of the Kailash Mansarovar helps in reliving from the ultimate cycle of the rebirth.

The Beginning of Yatra:
With each passing year more and more devotees are coming on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra to seek the holy blessings of the God. This yatra begins in the month of August with the joint efforts of Indian and Chinese Government. The Yatra begins with the pilgrims arriving at the Kathmandu airport in Nepal. There they can visit the popular Pashupatinath temple that is considered as a holy residence of Shiva. Next day the yatries arrive at Nyalam, a small town in Tibet where they can rest for the difficult yatra next day. Next morning the pilgrims begin their yatra from Paryang to the Mansarovar Lake. After arriving at the lake the devotees conduct puja and take holy dip in the water to get rid of all their sins. They also take parikrama of Mansarovar. After this the final parikrama of Mt Kailash begins. On the entire route the pilgrims keep enchanting 'Om Namah Shivay' to maintain their inner power. This is the final stage of this yatra.

So take some time out of your busy schedule and gain spiritual satisfaction while you come on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

All South Indian Temples Details

South Indian Temples are the most visited temples in the world. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world travel to South India to explore the sights of these enriched carved temples. Take a South India Temple Tour to numerouancient temples in South India.

Famous South Indian Temples

Mahabalipuram temple 

 

Mahabalipuram temple is one of the most visited South Indian Temples, built around 2,000 years back. Mahabalipuram temple is located in the state of Bali and is centre for Pallava culture and arts. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the temple has been included by UNESCO in World Heritage Sites.

Somnathpur Temple

Somnathpur Temple also known as Kesava temple is the famous temples in Karnataka . The temple was built in 1268 AD by Somnath. The temple is visited by the tourists for its artistic expressions of the past.

Tirupati Tirumala Temple - Andhra Pradesh

Tirupati temple is the most famous and richest temples among the South Indian Temples. The temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara or Balaji and is located in Tirumala hills of Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh. The temple portraits beautiful Dravidian style architecture.

Kanchipuram Temple

Kanchipuram is home to thousand ancient temples, built in Dravidian style of architecture. Kanchipuram Temple are the cluster of famous South Indian Temples. Visit the most famous temples in Kanchipuram - Kailasanathar Temple Kamakshi Amman Temple Varadarajar Temple Vaikunta Perumal Temple.

Monday, November 16, 2009 Shravanabelgola - Karnataka

Shravanabelgola - Karnataka

Shravanabelgola is a city located in Hassan District in Karnataka state. Shravanabelgola is a extraordinary Jain Pilgrimage site spreads over two hills, several tanks and village. Its highlight is the main temple crowning Indragiri Hill. Inside its precincts stands a 57-foot monolithic statue of Gommata. With long arms and legs entwined with creepers, he is wonderfully serene and oblivious to the crowds of prostrate pilgrims below. Sculptures of Jain Tirthankaras (prophets) and Yaksas (demigods), as well as 9th to 19th century reliefs carved into boulders, continue on Ghandragiri, the samll hill to the north.

How to reach:

Shravanabelgola is 158 kms away from Bangalore, 89 kms away from Mysore and 364 kms from hubli. State buses are available from Bangalore and Mysore.

Hassan is the nearest railway station and Bangalore is the nearest Airport for Shravanbelgola

Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Full Details

Shirdi Sai Baba was the Indian yogi, guru, and fakir devoted by Hindu’s and Muslims. Loads of Hindu followers wrote the many religious books like Shri Sai Satcharitra. Hindus believe Sai Baba as a living form of Lord Krishna whereas rest devotees believe Sai Baba as Lord Dattatreya. Lots of devotees consider that Sai baba was the Sat guru, a Qutub or the liberal Sufi Pir. No provable details are available concerning Sai Baba's origin place and date.

One more fact is nobody knows the real name of Sai Baba. Baba got the name "Sai" when he came to Shirdi, which is a small town situated in west area of the Indian state Maharashtra. The local priest of the temple Mahalsapati recognized Baba as a Muslim Pir. He greeted baba with Ya Sai which means welcomes Sai. In Persian language, Sai or Sayi is the title given to their saints. Though, Sai is also referred as Sanskrit word as it is taken from the term Sakshat Eshwar.

Devotees of Sai baba are everywhere today as lots of proofs of Sai Kripa are available, which proves that he was the incarnation of God. Presently, people are coming throughout the world to Shirdi every year and praying to baba. Baba is very much admired Saint, particularly in India. People around the world are worshiping the Baba. Sai Baba taught an ethical system of love, helping others, forgiveness, donations, happiness, inside harmony, and dedication to God and spiritual leader. The teaching elements of Baba were combined for Hinduism and Islam both. Baba gave a Hindu name to his mosque as Dwarakamayi. He practiced Muslim and Hindu rituals, trained people using words, which illustrated from equally customs. The admired epigram of Sai Baba is "Sabka Malik Ek, which means One God rules all. Baba forever voiced "Allah Malik" which means God is King.

Baba came and went many times from Shirdi to other places. However, in 1858 Baba came back to Shirdi and this time he adopted his well-known manner of dressing, which contains the knee-length single piece kafni and cotton cloth to cover the head. Baba’s contribution for mankind is special and every person today turned as a devotee of baba.

Reaching Shirdi is possible by road and train so visitors can easily get this destination with no worries. This small town is located in Maharashtra and easy accessible through Ahmednagar to Manmad State Highway route no.10. Shirdi is situated at just 83 km distance from Ahmednagar and 15 km distant from Kopargaon. This best-known place is the home of Shirdi Sai Baba.

Shirdi is just 296 kms away from Mumbai and helicopter services are easiest and time saving method to reach Shirdi. The constructed helipad is purchased by SSBST (Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust). However, the novel railway station constructed in 2009 known as "Sainagar Shirdi" is also another way to reach such a holy place. This station is just 2 kms away from Baba's Temple. Local bus services are available from station to temple so that devotees can reach the destination with no difficulties.

Sai Samadhi Mandir: This temple is covering the last remains of Baba so this temple is recognized as Sai Samadhi Mandir. The construction of this temple was done by rich merchant Sreemant Gopalrao from Nagpur. He left the body on October 15th, 1918 and then onwards this place holds immense worship for Baba's supporters and followers.

Dwarakamayi Mosque: this is the mosque located on the right side of Sai Samadhi Mandir. Here Baba lit up lights every night. The huge stone is located on this mosque, which was used to take support while sitting by baba.

Chavadi: situated close to the Dwarakamayi Mosque is another place to visit in Shirdi. This is a small house of two rooms known as chavadi. Sai baba spent almost every night in this house, and some proofs like seat (asan) is available there on which Baba uses to take a rest. Baba’s favourite wooden plank and wheel chair is also available in this house. At the time of Baba’s funeral his body was bathed in Chavadi.

Gurusthan: this is the holy spot placed under the tree Neem. Devotees can see the huge portrait of Sai Baba is Gurusthan, which is placed in front of shivling and Nandi cow. The burning incense in Gurusthan is also praised by devotees.

Khandoba Temple: this temple is situated at the Ahmednagar to Kopergaon highway road. Khandoba temple is devoted to Lord Shiva. This Shirdi’s oldest temple is must-visit spot for visitors of Shirdi.

Mahadev, Shani and Ganesh Temples: these temples are located in an adjacent row. These are old temples of Shirdi and loads of devotes are visiting these temples everyday.

Some other places to visit in Shirdi are Shani Shingnapur, Adul Baba Cottage, House of Laxmibai Shinde, Dixit Wada Museum, Thursday Palki Procession, Jangli Maharaj Ashr