kedarnath jyotirlinga temple

KEDARNATH  JYOTIRLINGA TEMPLE

Kedarnath is amongst the holiest pilgrimages for the Hindus. It is set amidst the stunning mountainscape of the Garhwal Himalayas at the head of the Mandakini River. Kedar is another name of lord Shiva, the protector & the destroyer. Shiva is considered the embodiment of all passions - love, hatred, fear, death & mysticism which are expressed through his various forms.   Kedarnath is one of the twelve Jyothirlingas, of Lord Shiva, and one of the Panch Kedars. Mythology identifies the deity at Kedarnath temple, with the rump of a bull, a form assumed by Lord Shiva, when eluding the Pandavas, who had come for repentance for killing their kith and kin, in the great battle of Kurukshetra. When the Pandavas followed him to the site, he dived into the ground leaving behind a hump on the surface. This conical projection is worshipped as the idol in the shrine.

. It is believed that the temple of Kedarnath, was constructed by the Pandavas. At the entrance of the temple, is the statue of Nandi, the divine bull of Shiva. The wall inside the temple, is exquisitely carved with images, and the temple houses a shiva lingam, which unlike its usual form, is pyramidal. 

OMKARESHWAR TEMPLE IN MADHYA PRADESH

Omkareshwar Temple in Madhya Pradesh
is a temple dedicated to God 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. There are two temples here, one to Omkareshwar (whose name means "Lord of Omkaara or the Lord of the Om Sound") and one to Amareshwar (whose name means "Immortal lord" or "lord of the Immortals or Devas").
It is situated in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh state
Omkareshwar is formed by the sacred river Narmada. This is one of the most sacred of rivers in India.

MAHAKALESHWAR JYOTIRLING UJJAIN

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga 
is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingams, which are supposed to be the most sacred abodes of Lord Shiva. It is located in the ancient city of Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The temple is situated on the side of theRudra Sagar lake. The presiding deity, Lord Shiva in the lingam form is believed to be Swayambhu, deriving currents of power (Shakti) from within itself as against the other images and lingams that are ritually established and invested with mantra-shakti.

Mallikarjun Temple in Andhra pradesh

Mallikarjun Temple in Andhra pradesh

Mallikarjun Temple is situated on Shri Shaila Mountain by the banks of the Patal Ganga, Krishna River in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Also known as Kailash of the South, Mallikarjuna constitutes one of the 12 Jyotirlingam shrines of Shiva. The presiding deities of Mallikarjuna Temple are Mallikarjuna (Shiva) and Bhramaramba (Devi).

Legend of Mallikarjun Jyotirlinga
According to Shiva Purana, when Lord Ganesh was married of before his brother Kartikeya, he (Kartikeya) became angry. Despite being consoled by his parents Shiv-Parvati, Kartikeya went away to the Kraunch Mountain. Even the Gods went and tried consoling Kartikeya but all their efforts were in vain. Because of this incident Shiv-Parvati were very sad and both decided that they would themselves go to Kraunch Mountain. However, when Kartikeya came to know that his parents have arrived, he went away. Eventually Lord Shiva assumed the form of Jyotirlinga and resided on that mountain by the name of Mallikarjuna. Mallika means Parvati, while Arjuna is another name of Shiva. In this way both Shiva and Parvati came to reside in this linga. It is said that by merely seeing the tip of mountain one is emancipated from all his sins and worries. The person becomes free from the vicious cycle of life and death.

SOM NATH JYOTHIRLINGAM

SOM NATH JYOTHIRLINGAM

The Somnath Temple located near Veraval in Saurashtra (Gujarat) is the first among the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is an important pilgrimage, considered sacred due to the various legends connected to it. Somnath means "Lord of the Soma", an epithet of Shiva Somnath Temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal". This legendary temple has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Most recently it was rebuilt in November 1947, when Sh Vallabhbhai Patel visited the area. The shiva linga in Somnath is believed to be one of the 12 jyotirlingas , where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. The jyotirlingas are taken as the supreme, undivided reality out of which Shiva partly appears.
According to historians, the site of Somnath has been a pilgrimage site from ancient times on account of being a triveni sangam(the joining of three rivers — Kapila, Hiran and the mythical Saraswati). Soma, the Moon god, is believed to have lost his lustre due to a curse, and he bathed in the river Saraswati at this site to regain the lustre. The result is the waxing and waning of the moon, no doubt an allusion to the waxing and waning of the tides at this sea shore location

12 JYOTIRLINGAS IN INDIA

12  Jyothirlingas in India 

 The jyothirlinga shrines  are places where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. Originally there were believed to be 64 jyothirlingas while 12 of them are considered to be very auspicious and holy Each of the twelve jyothirlinga sites take the name of the presiding deity, each considered a different manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the primary image is lingam representing the beginningless and endless Stambha pillar, symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva. The jyotirlinga is the supreme partless reality, out of which Shiva partly appears.

The twelve jyothirlinga are: 

Somnath in Gujarat, 

Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andra Pradesh,

Mahakaleswar at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, 

Omkareshwar in MadhyaPradesh, 

Kedarnath in Uttrakhand,

 Bhimashankar near Nasik in Maharashtra, 

Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, 

Triambakeshwar near Nasik in Maharashtra, 

Vaidyanath Temple at Parli in Beed District inMaharasthra ,

 Aundha Nagnath at Aundha in HingoliDistrict in Maharashtra,

 Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and

Grishneshwar at Ellora near Aurangabad, Maharashtra

Konark Temple Odisha

Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century  Temple at Konark in Odisha

 It is believed that the temple was built by king Narasimha deva I of Eastern Ganga Dynasty around 1250 CE. 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 aUNESCO World Heritage Site

The name Konark derives from the combination of the Sanskrit words, Kona (corner) and Arka (sun), in reference to the temple which was dedicated to the Sun god Surya . The temple has been built in the form of a giant ornamented chariot of the Sun god, Surya. It has twelve pairs of elaborately carved stone wheels which are 3 meters wide and is pulled by a set of seven horses (4 on the right and 3 on the left). It is carefully oriented towards the east so that the first rays of sunrise strikes the principal entrance 

The original temple had a main sanctum sanctorum , which was supposedly 229 feet (70 m) tall. Due to the weight of the super structure (70m tall) and weak soil of the area the main vimana fell in 1837 The audience hall (Jagamohana), which is about 128 feet (30 m) tall, still stands and is the principal structure in the surviving ruins. Among the structures, which have survived to the current day, are the dance hall (Nata mandira) and dining hall (Bhoga mandapa).  

Mandir as it existed centuries back

Mandir in ruins now

wheel of chariot

entrance to temple

huge chariot of Sun God

Jagan nath Puri Mandir

The Jagannath Temple of Puri is a

 sacred temple dedicated to Bhagwan Jagannath, located at Puri in the state of Odisha.

The temple is an important pilgrimage destination for  Hindus, and is part of the Char Dham pilgrimages that all Hindus are expected to make in one's lifetime

Even though most Hindu deities are made out of stone or metal, the image of Jagannath is wooden. Every twelve or nineteen years these wooden figures are ceremoniously replaced by using sacred trees, that have to be carved as an exact replica. The reason behind this ceremonial tradition is the highly secret Navakalevara ( 'New Embodiment') ceremony, an intricate set of rituals that accompany the renewal of the wooden statues

The temple was built in the 12th century atop its ruins by the King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva. The temple is famous for its annual Rath Yatra, in which the three main temple deities are hauled on huge and elaborately decorated Raths.

In the inner sanctum,Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and the goddess Subhadra are seen sitting on the bejewelled platform or the Ratnabedi .  The deities of Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan Chakra are made from sacred Neem logs  Depending on the season the deities are adorned in different garbs and jewels. Worship of the deities pre-date the temple structure and may have originated in an ancient tribal shrine.

Legend surrounding the Temple Origin

The traditional story concerning the origins of the Lord Jagannath temple is that here the original image of Jagannath at the end of Treta yuga manifested near a banyan tree, near seashore in the form of an Indranila nilamani or the Blue Jewel. It was so dazzling that it could grant instant moksha, so the god Dharma or Yama wanted to hide it in the earth, and was successful. In Dvapara Yuga King Indradyumna of Malwa wanted to find that mysterious image and to do so he performed harsh penances to obtain his goal. Vishnu then instructed him to go to the Puri seashore and find a floating log to make an image from its trunk.

The King found the log of wood. He did a yajna from which god Yajna Nrisimha appeared. Vishwakarma appeared in the form of artist and prepared images of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra from the tree  When this log, radiant with light was seen floating in the sea, Narada told the king to make three idols out of it and place them in a pavilion. Indradyumna got Visvakarma, the architect of Gods, to build a magnificent temple to house the idols and Vishnu himself appeared in the guise of a carpenter to make the idols on condition that he was to be left undisturbed until he finished the work.

But just after two weeks, the Queen became very anxious. She took the carpenter to be dead as no sound came from the temple. Therefore, she requested the king to open the door. Thus, they went to see Vishnu at work at which the latter abandoned his work leaving the idols unfinished. The idol was devoid of any hands. But a divine voice told Indradyumana to install them in the temple. It has also been widely believed that in spite of the idol being without hands, it can watch over the world and be its lord. Thus the idiom

Dwarakadheesh" Temple Gujrat

1. "Dwarakadheesh"Mandir, is a  temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, who is worshipped here as 'King of Dwarka'. The main shrine of the 5-storied building, supported by 72 pillars, is known as Jagat Mandir or Nija Mandir, and is 2,200 - 2,000 years old.  According to tradition, the original temple was believed to have been built by Krishna's grandson, Vajranabha, over the hari-griha (Lord Krishna's residential place). The temple became part of the Char Dham pilgrimage  after Adi Shankaracharya, the 8th century Hindu theologian and philosopher, visited the shrine. The other three being  Rameswaram, Badrinath and Puri.There are two entrances to the temple. The main entrance (north entrance) is called "Moksha Dwara" (Door to Salvation). This entrance takes one to the main market. The south entrance is called "Swarga Dwara" (Gate to Heaven).Outside this doorway are 56 steps that leads to the Gomati River

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Char Dham( contd) : Rameshwaram Temple in Tamil Nadu

Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga represents the southernmost of the 12 Jyotirlingams of India and has been a time honored pilgrimage center,
Rameshwaram Temple is situated in the island of Rameshwaram, off the coast of Tamil Nadu and can be reached via the Pamban Bridge across the sea. Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, is connected to mainland India by the Pamban Bridge
Rameshwaram Temple Jyotirlinga is associated closely with the Ramayana and Rama′s victorious return from Sri Lanka. According to Hindu mythology, this is the place, where Hindu God Rama built a bridge, across the sea to Lanka to rescue his wife Sita from Ravana.
Rama, the seventh avatar of the God Vishnu, prayed to Shiva here to absolve any sins"Brahma Dosham". that he might have committed during his war against the Ravana in Sri Lanka. To worship Shiva, Rama wanted to have the largest lingam and directed Hanuman to bring it from Himalayas. Since it took longer to bring the lingam, Sita built a small lingam, which is believed to be the one in the sanctum of the temple. Rama offered worship to a Shivalingam at a pre-chosen auspicious moment. This lingam is referred to as Ramalingam and the town is known as Rameswaram
Different rulers built the temple as it stands today, at different periods in the 12th century A.D
There is a popular belief that one needs to take bath in 22 theertha wells within the temple premises before having darshan.
The primary deity of the temple is Ramanathaswamy (Shiva) in the form of lingam. There are two lingams inside the sanctum - one built by Goddess Sita, from sand, residing as the main deity, Ramalingam and the one brought by Lord Hanuman from Kailash called Vishwalingam. Rama instructed that Vishwalingam should be worshipped first since it was brought by Lord Hanuman - the tradition continues even today.

.Om namah shivaaye

YAMUNOTRI TEMPLE UTTRAKASHI

Yamunotri Temple is situated in the Garhwal Himalayas at an altitude of 3,291 metres (10,797 ft) in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand state. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Yamuna and has a black marble idol of the goddess. The Yamunotri temple is a full day's journey from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun. The temple is only accessible by a 13 kilometres  trek from the town of Hanuman Chatti and a 6 kilometres  walk from Janki Chatti; horses  are available on rent for those who can not trek. The hike from Hanuman Chatti to Yamunotri is very picturesque with beautiful views of a number of waterfalls.

The temple opens on Akshaya Tritiya (May) and closes on Yama Dwitiya (the second day after Diwali, November) for the winter. A little ahead is the actual source of the river Yamuna which is at an altitude of about 4,421 metres (14,505 ft) approximately. Two hot springs are also present at Yamunotri offering relief to tired hikers at a height of 3,292 metres (10,801 ft), Surya Kund, has boiling hot water, while Gauri Kund, had tepid water suitable for bathing The spring water is said to be hot enough to cook rice and potatoes.