Kedarnath Temple Rare Photos

Before going to in detailed article would like to mention some Kedarnath Temple Rare Photos included. 

History

Kedarnath Temple Rare Photos

As per Shiv Mahapuran, once Brahma (the Hindu God of creation) and Vishnu (the Hindu God of saving) had an argument in terms of supremacy of creation. To test them, Shiva pierced the three worlds as a huge endless pillar of light, the jyotirlinga. Vishnu and Brahma split their ways to downwards and upwards respectively to find the end of the light in either directions. Brahma lied that he found out the end, while Vishnu conceded his defeat. Shiva appeared as a second pillar of light and cursed Brahma that he would have no place in ceremonies while Vishnu would be worshipped till the end of eternity. The jyotirlinga is the supreme partless reality, out of which Shiva partly appears. The jyothirlinga shrines, thus 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 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.

Kedarnath Temple Now

A Hindu holy town located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is a nagar panchayat in Rudraprayag district. The most remote of the four Char Dham sites, Kedarnath is located in the Himalayas, about 3584m(11759 Ft.) above sea level near Chorabari Glacier, the head of river Mandakini, and is flanked by breathtaking snow-capped peaks.

Kedarnath hosts one of the holiest Hindu temples, the Kedarnath Temple, and is a popular destination for Hindu pilgrims from all over the world, being one of the four major sites in India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage.

Read More

Somnath Jyothirlinga Temple

Somnath Temple is a significant temple, comprising one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. Located in Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval, Somnath Mandir falls in Saurashtra region that lies on the western coast of Gujarat. It is a pilgrimage centre held in great reverence throughout India. Situated 79 kilometres from Junagadh and 25 kilometres from Chorwad, the legendary shore temple of Somnath is one of the twelve most sacred Shiva shrines in India. According to the legend, Somnath is as old as creation, built by none other than the Moon God himself. 

The temple of Somnath can be easily reached from anywhere in Gujarat. Bus services to Somnath are available from all the cities and towns of Gujarat. To ensure a comfortable journey, one can also opt for taxis that can be hired throughout the state of Gujarat. 

Somnath Temple stands as a symbol of rich cultural heritage of India. The mention of this ancient temple has been made in the scriptures like 'Rig Veda' of the Hindu origin. The term Somnath suggests 'the protector of Moon God'. Lord Shiva is depicted here in the form of a Jyotirlinga (linga of light), as the protector. The incredible temple of Somnath is called as 'the Shrine Eternal' since, the temple has been shattered for not less than six times and every time, it has been reconstructed. 

Present Temple

Legend

Somnath Temple has a legend behind its establishment. It is believed that Lord Chandra (Moon God) was very proud of his beauty. Due to this reason, he was cursed by his father-in-law Daksha, to get smaller. In order to get rid of this curse, Moon God prayed to Lord Shiva at Prabhas. Lord Shiva became happy with the penance of the Moon and reduced the curse to an extent. This incident led to the periodic waning of moon.

\

1869 Temple back side

Read More

Wonderful History of SriSailam Jyotirlinga

SriSailam Jyotirlingam:

Main Lingam

This sthalam is situated in Andhra Pradesh. It has been constructed in the traditional Dravidian style. This sthalam, along with Thiruppudaimarudur near Ambasamudram and Thiruvidaimarudur is considered an Arjuna Shetram. The three Saivaite saints Thirugnanasambandar, Thirunavukkarasar and Sundarar have sung in praise of this Lord. Adi Sankarar is said to have composed the Sivananda Lahari at this sthalam. The presiding deities are Mallikarjuna Swamy and Brahmaramba. Lord Nandikeswar in the form of a mountain is considered to be holding up Lord Siva. 

Sthala Puranam: 

Main Statues in Temple

When Siva and Parvathi decided to find suitable brides for their sons, Ganesha and Muruga argued as to who is to get wedded first. Lord Siva bade that the one who goes round the world in Pradakshinam could get married first. By the time Lord Muruga could go round the world on his vahana, Lord Ganesha went round his parents 7 times (for according to Sastras, going in pradakshinam round one's parents is equivalent to going once round the world (Boopradakshinam). 

Lord Siva got Siddhi & Buddhi, the daughters of Viswaroopan married to Lord Ganesha. Muruga on his return was enraged and went away to stay alone on Mount Kravunja in the name of Kumarabrahmachari. On seeing his father coming over to pacfy him, he tried to move to another place, but on the request of the Devas, stayed closeby. The place where Lord Siva and Parvathi stayed came to be known as Sri Sailam. Lord Siva visits Lord Muruga on Amavasai day & Parvathi Devi on Pournami. The temple is situated facing East. The centre mandapam has several pillars, with a huge idol of Nadikeswarar. Ambal's sannadhi is to the west of Iswaran Sannadhi. River Krishna runs along the foothills. Since it runs underground during parts of its journey, it is known as Patala Ganga. Devotees believe in a darshan of the the Sri Saila Sikaram (Peak of the Temple) from the Sikareswarar temple situated six miles from Sri Sailam

New Srisailm Temple

Architecture of Mallikarjun Temple

The architecture of the ancient Mallikarjun Temple is very beautiful and intricate. The temple has fort like walls, towers and a rich endowment of sculptural work. The huge temple is built in the Dravidian style with lofty towers and sprawling courtyards and is considered to be one of the finest specimens of Vijayanagar architecture. Temple of Tripurantakam, Siddavatam, Alampura and Umamaheswaram located in the vicinity of Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga are considered to be the four gateways to Sri Sailam.

Read More