Temples Of India

Golden Temple (Amritsar)

The Golden Temple, also known as Harmandir Sahib, meaning "abode of God" (Punjabi pronunciation: [ɦəɾᵊmən̪d̪əɾᵊ saːɦ(ɪ)bᵊ]) or Darbār Sahib, meaning "exalted court" (Punjabi pronunciation: [d̪əɾᵊbaːɾᵊ saːɦ(ɪ)bᵊ]), is a Gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India.[2][3] It is the holiest Gurdwara and the most important pilgrimage site of Sikhism.The temple is built around a man-made pool (sarovar) that was completed by Guru Ram Das in 1577.[5][6] Guru Arjan – the fifth Guru of Sikhism, requested Sai Mir Mian Mohammed – a Muslim Pir of Lahore to lay its foundation stone in 1589.[7] In 1604, Guru Arjan placed a copy of the Adi Granth in Harmandir Sahib, calling the site Ath Sath Tirath (lit. "shrine of 68 pilgrimages").[2][8] The temple was repeatedly rebuilt by the Sikhs after it became a target of persecution and was destroyed several times by the Muslim armies from Afghanistan and the Mughal Empire.[2][4][9] The army led by Ahmad Shah Abdali, for example, demolished it in 1757 and again in 1762, then filled the pool with garbage and blood of cows.[2][10] Maharaja Ranjit Singh after founding the Sikh Empire, rebuilt it in marble and copper in 1809, overlaid the sanctum with gold foil in 1830. This has led to the name the Golden Temple.The temple is spiritually the most significant shrine in Sikhism. It became a center of the Singh Sabha Movement between 1883 and 1920s. In the early 1980s, the temple became a center of conflict between the Indian government led by Indira Gandhi, some Sikh groups and a militant movement led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale seeking to create a new nation named Khalistan. In 1984, Indira Gandhi sent in the Indian Army as part of Operation Blue Star, leading to deaths of over 1,000 militants, soldiers and civilians, as well as causing much damage to the temple and the destruction of Akal Takht. The temple complex was rebuilt again after the 1984 damage.

Shri Swaminarayan Temple (Nagpur)

The 750th Swaminarayan temple in India was inaugurated in the city on Monday 7th October 2013, amidst chanting of Vedic mantras and rituals that began two days before. Located in Wathoda near the Middle Ring Road, the temple is the largest among the over 1,000 temples that have been set up by Swaminarayan Sanstha across the world.Headed by the 93-year-old Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the fifth successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, the sanstha was established in 1907 and has millions of followers around the world. Run by BAPS which stands for Bochanwasi Akshar Purushottam Sanstha, the congregation is dominated by Gujaratis as its founder hailed from Gujarat.80% of the cost of constructing this massive structure has come from donations of local devotees. "We had set up a residential school here a decade back on demand of our followers. This temple, too, has been built on their request."The construction work began five years ago on January 28, 2008. Designed on the style of Sompuri architecture which is about temple designs, the temple also has a yatri niwas, sadhu sadan and a food court which will take some time to complete."To understand the scale of our operations one has to understand the depth of this organization are running about 172 activities around the world which include de-addiction programmes, education, tribal welfare and environmental activities. Our purpose is to guide the society to a better meaningful life through spiritual path," says Rathod.

Shree Siddhivinayak Temple ( Mumbai)

The Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shri Ganesh. It is located in Prabhadevi, Mumbai, Maharashtra It was originally built by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil on 19 November 1801. It is one of the richest temples in India.The temple has a small mandap with the shrine for Siddhi Vinayak ("Ganesha who grants your wish"). The wooden doors to the sanctum are carved with images of the Ashtavinayak (the eight manifestations of Ganesha in Maharashtra). The inner roof of the sanctum is plated with gold, and the central statue is of Ganesha. In the periphery, there is a Hanuman temple as well.

Jagannath Temple (Hydrabad)

The Jagannath Temple in Hyderabad, India is a modern temple built by the Odia community of the city of Hyderabad dedicated to the Hindu God Jagannath. The temple located near Banjara hills Road no.12 (twelve) in Hyderabad is famous for its annual Rathyatra festival attended by thousands of devotees.[1] Jagannath means Lord of the Universe. The temple which was constructed during 2009 recently lies in Center of Hyderabad City. It is said that this is a replica of original Jagannath Temple of Puri (Odisha) in context of design. The most attracting portion of this temple is its "Shikhara" (the peak/top) measuring around 70 feet in height. The red color of the temple is due to the usage of sandstone (around 600 tonnes were brought from Odisha which is being used to build this whole architecture) and around 60 stone carvers got the blessing to carve this temple. There are shrines dedicated to Lakshmi, along with Shiva, Ganesh, Hanuman and Navagrahas. The amorous sculptures are also found outside the temple to ward off evil spirits. The sanctum sanctorum houses Lord Jagannath along with his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra.

Venkateswara Temple (Tirumala)

Venkateswara Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared here to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. Hence the place has also got the name Kaliyuga Vaikuntham and the Lord here is referred to as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam. The temple is also known by other names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple, Tirupati Balaji Temple. Venkateswara is known by many other names: Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa.[3]Tirumala Hills are part of Seshachalam Hills range. The hills are 853 metres (2,799 ft) above sea level. The Hills comprises seven peaks, representing the seven heads of Adisesha. The temple lies on the seventh peak -Venkatadri, on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini, a holy water tank. Hence the temple is also referred to as "Temple of Seven Hills". Tirumala town covers about 10.33 sq mi (26.75 km²) in area.

Sai Baba of (Shirdi)

Sai Baba of Shirdi, also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master who is regarded by his devotees as a saint and a fakir. He is revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees during, as well as after his lifetime.According to accounts from his life, he preached the importance of realization of the self and criticized love towards perishable things. His teachings concentrate on a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner peace and devotion to the God and guru. He stressed the importance of surrender to the true Satguru, who, having trod the path to divine consciousness, will lead the disciple through the jungle of spiritual training.Sai Baba's date of birth including his birthplace remains unknown and is debatable due to lack of evidence and no definitive information exists to prove it. Most definitive information about Shirdi Sai Baba tends to be derived from a book called Shri Sai Satcharitra written by a disciple called Hemadpant (also known as Annasaheb Dabholkar / Govind Raghunath) in 1922 in Marathi. The book itself is a compilation based on accounts by his various disciples and Hemadpant's personal observations of Sai Baba from 1910 onwards .

Shani Shingnapur (Maharashtra)

Shani Shinganapur is a village in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated in Nevasa taluka in Ahmednagar district, the village is known for its popular temple of Shani, the Hindu god associated with the planet (graha) Saturn. Shingnapur is 35km from Ahmednagar city. Shingnapur is also famous for the fact that no house in the village has doors, only door frames. Despite this, officially no theft was reported in the villagealthough there were reports of theft in 2010 and 2011.The temple is believed to be a "jagrut devasthan" (lit. "alive temple"), meaning that a deity still resides in the temple icon. Villagers believe that god Shani punishes anyone attempting theft.^] The deity here is "Swayambhu" (Sanskrit: self-evolved deity) that is self emerged from earth in form of black, imposing stone. Though no one knows the exact period, it is believed that the Swayambhu Shanaishwara statue was found by shepherds of the then local hamlet. It is believed to be in existence at least since the start of Kali yuga.

Patna Sahib (Patna)

Patna sahib is one of the five Takhts, i.e. the holiest hallowed places of Sikhism. It was worked by Maharaja Ranjit Singh as a recognition of the tenth master of Sikhs in particular Guru Gobind Singh as it said to be worked over his origin. The Takht was likewise graced by the nearness of Guru Nanak and Guru Tegh Bahadur. the design of this sacred place is astonishing, there is nothing unexpected in the event that somebody says that Patna sahib is a standout amongst other sanctuaries in Bihar.

Baidyanath Temple Deoghar (Bihar)

One of the twelve Jyotirlingas devoted to Lord Shiva, it is the most gone by Shiva sanctuary in Eastern India. The legend expresses that the sanctuary was the site for post-burial service ceremonies and a focal point of Tantra.

Ananthapura Lake Temple Ananthapura (kerala)

This is the only lake temple in Kerala, located at the southernmost tip of the state. The temple is located amid a beautiful lake, supplied with fresh spring water. Babia, the temple guardian is a vegetarian crocodile, that resides in the lake. Lord Ananthapadmanabha- the deity of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, is worshipped here. The temple is considered to be the moolasthanam- original abode of the Lord.

Mahabodhi Temple Gaya (Bihar)

Mahabodhi sanctuary is where Buddha achieved edification and consequently the star fascination is the Bodhi Tree. The sanctuary complex additionally houses supporter pictures of Surya, Shiva, and Vishnu. It is a standout amongst the most recreated Buddhist structures with reproductions existing as Mahabodhi Temple, Myanmar; Zhenjue Temple, China; Wat Chet Yot Temple, Thailand. One can peruse www.bodhgayatemple.com which is the official site of the board of trustees.

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram (kerala)

Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, is one of the most famous temples in Kerala. Built in Dravidian style architecture, this temple dates back to 8th century and is considered as one of the oldest Vishnu temples in the country. The idol here reclines on Anantha- the eight-hooded serpent God. The beautiful temple structure, stone carvings and murals pull tourists round the year, but maximum footfall of devotees is seen during Alpashy festival in October and November and Panguni festival in March and April.

Maruti Temple (Goa)

Once you are in Goa, you can’t afford to miss out the blessings of Lord Hanuman at the famous Maruti Temple. This temple depicts an intriguing history of its construction and the Tuesdays at this place is nothing less than a festival.

Mahalaxmi Temple (Goa)

One of the most visited Hindu Temples in Goa is the Mahalaxmi Temple. The deity of the entire population of Goa is worshipped over here. The sanctum of this particular temple has 18 pious images depicting the sects from the Bhagwat Gita.

Gauri Shankar Temple (Delhi)

It is an ancient temple that is located near the Digambar Jain Temple on the main Chandni Chowk Road. According to legends this temple was built by a war soldier who had vowed to construct the temple if he managed to come through the injury he suffered in the battle. It is reckoned that the Shiva Linga or the Phallus presiding in the shrine is 800 years old. Other than the idols of Shiva, his consort Parvati and their two sons Ganesha and Kartik, the silver paintings hanging on the walls and depicting scenes from the life of Lord Shiva are the major attractions. On Mondays the temple is thronged by devotees.Note: The best time to visit Gauri Shankar Temple is during the celebration of Shivratri, when the entire temple is decorated and looks incredible.

ISKCON Temple (Delhi)

ISKCON is a highly renowned name in Delhi if we speak about the places of worship. A massive structure built for the praise and worship of Lord Krishna, ISKCON Temple is situated on Hare Krishna Hill in East of Kailash. The holy shrine has incredible architecture, which has been designed by famous architect Achyut Kanvinde. There is a massive hall that has been embossed with scenes depicted from the Mahabharata. The angelic chant of the Hare Rama, Hare Krishna and the melodious beating of the Mridangam makes the ambiance of the temple extremely pious. ISKCON also has a museum, where one can find copies of the Bhagvad Gita in any language.Note: Do not miss the Mangala Aarti in the evening and the Robot Show that lasts for about an hour or so.

Kamakhya Temple (Assam)

The Kamakhya Temple also known as Kamrup-Kamakhya temple, Kamakhya Devalaya 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 of Saktism : Kali, Tara, Sodashi, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika Among these, Tripurasundari, Matangi and Kamala reside inside the main temple whereas the other seven reside in individual temples It is an important pilgrimage destination for Hindus and especially for Tantric worshipers.In July 2015, the Supreme Court of India transferred the administration of the Temple from the Kamakhya Debutter Board to the Bordeuri Samaj.

Dwarkadhish Temple (Gujrat)

The Dwarkadhish temple, also known as the Jagat Mandir and occasionally spelled Dwarakadheesh, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Krishna, who is worshiped here by the name Dwarkadhish, or 'King of Dwarka'. The temple is located at Dwarka, Gujarat, India. The main shrine of the five storied building, supported by 72 pillars, is known as Jagat Mandir or Nija Mandir, archaeological findings suggest it to be 2,000 - 2,200 years old The temple was enlarged in the 15th- 16th century. The Dwarkadhish Temple is a Pushtimarg temple, hence it follows the guidelines and rituals created by Vallabhacharya and Vitheleshnath.

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