Shravanabelagola - Gomateshwara

Name : Gomateshwara

Location : Shravanabelagola, Hassan District situated 158 km away from Bangalore

Description : Gomateshwara or Bahubali is a monolithic statue standing at 60 feet (18 m) above a hill in a place called Shravanabelagola. The statue was built by the Ganga minister and commander Chamundaraya in honour of Lord Bahubali. It was built in the 10th century AD and is the size Jains believe humans used to be. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, devotees and tourists from all over the world flock to the statue once in 12 years for an event known as Mahamastakabhisheka.

This gigantic statue of lord Bahubali, the Jain saint, is carved out of a single block of granite and stands majestically on top of a hill. For centuries, Shravanabelagola has remained a great Jain center and thousands of pilgrims flock to see the magnificent, gigantic statue. The saint is shown completely nude, in the Jain custom. It is 17 m. (55 ft) high and is visible from a distance of 30km.

This statue is regarded as one of the largest monolithic statues in the world. It was created around 983 AD by Chavundaraya, a minister of the Ganga King, Rachamalla (Raachmalla SathyaVaak IV 975-986 AD). The neighbouring areas have Jaina bastis and several images of the Jaina Thirthankaras. One can have a beautiful view of the surrounding areas from the top of the hill.

Festivals : At Shravanabelagola the Mahamastakabhisheka festival is held once in 12 years, when the image of Gomateshwara is bathed in milk, curds, ghee, saffron and gold coins.

Murudeshwara Temple

Name : Murudeshwara Temple

Location : Murudeshwara is a town in the Bhatkal Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, India.

Deity : "Murudeshwara" is another name of the Hindu god Shiva.

Description : Famous for the world's tallest Shiva statue, this beach town lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea and is also famous for the Murudeshwara Temple.

This temple is built on the Kanduka Hill which is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Arabian Sea. It is a temple dedicated to the Lord Shiva, and a 20-storied Gopura is being constructed on the temple. Two life-size elephants in concrete stand guard at the steps leading to the temple.



Murudeshwara Fort : A fort present behind the temple is said to have been renovated by Tipu Sultan.

Statue of Lord Shiva : A huge towering statue of Lord Shiva, visible from great distances, is present in the temple complex. It is the tallest statue of Shiva in the world.[1][2] The statue is 123 feet (37 m) in height, and took about 2 years to build. The statue was built by Shivamogga's Kashinath and his son Sridhar and several other sculptors, at a cost of approximately 10 million Rupees. The idol is designed such that it gets the sun light directly and thus appears sparkling.

Junagadh Hill Temples

Name : Junagadh Hill Temples

Location : Junagadh, Gujarat

Description : The hill, ascended 10,000 steps, is reputedly covered with medicinal herbs. It holds the shrine of many faiths.

1.There is a mosque at the foot of the hill.


2.4,500 steps up is a Jain temple on 1st Mountain.


3.A thousand steps further is the temple of Ambaji on 2nd Mountain.


4.Shree Gorakhnath Samadhi on the 3rd Mountain




5.At the top, is the great temple of Shree Dattatreya.

Website : http://picasaweb.google.com/chandrahas.dabke/GirForestGirnarMountain2023032008#

Amba Mata Temple

Name : Amba Mata Temple

Location : Mount Girnar, Junagadh, Gujarat

Description : A highly revered pilgrimage which attracts thousand of pilgrims every year, Junagadh is one of the most picturesque town in India. Dotted with historical monuments and religious places, the small town situated at the base of the holy Girnar mountain makes an interesting destination. The pilgrimage site of Mount Girnar is a popular place to visit. An old wall, much of which is now missing, surrounds the city.

At the summit of the mountain is the temple of Amba Mata. This Hindu temple is dedicated to an incarnation of the mother Goddess. Newly married couples come here to be blessed by the Goddess and thereby be assured of eternal conjugal bliss. Dating back to the 12th century, it is said that a visit to this temple guarantees a happy marriage. There are good views from the top of the mountain.

Kalkaji mandir, Delhi

Name : Kalkaji mandir

Location : The temple is situated on a hill and is dedicated to Kali. Situated beyond the commercial complex of Nehru Place, Delhi.

Description : Kalkaji mandir is very famous and has numerous devotees thronging it on many religious occasions, throughout the year. Small red flags decorate the temple then, and women outnumber men among the devotees. Folklore is replete with tales of the Kalkaji temple, so much so that one does not know where legend ends and history begins.

This is a very old temple and the oldest part was built up in 1764 A.D. The Kali Temple in Kalkaji boasts of an existence of 3,000 years, although the oldest surviving portion of it dates to 1764-1771 when the Marathas were in power. Looking at the present-day Kalkaji temple one may find it hard to believe that this shrine to Kali is an antique one, where perhaps even the Pandavs and Kauravs had worshiped during the reign of Yudhisthir, whose citadel of Indraprastha had the fabled fairy gates of which bards sang, much like Homer of old, right up to the time of Prithviraj Chauhan.

There is a very distinctive feeling there and the devotees are overwhelmed by light, which stay during the whole night. The power of Ma Kali is ambiguous but powerful. Devotees also try to meditate there and a spectacular tantric aarati is held at about 7 pm. The temple is also quite near to the Bahai Temple, which is just opposite on the other side of a big road.

Kamakhya Temple, assam

Name : Kamakhya Temple

Location : Kamakhya is located on a hill - Neelachala Parvat or Kamagiri near the city of Guwahati in Assam.

Legend 1: Once when Parvati's father King Daksha organised a yagna, he did not invite his daughter and son-in-law to participate in it. Parvati, who was angry at this treatment of her father, went to her father's place to ask the reason for it. Daksha insulted Parvati again by calling Shiva poor and wild. Being the ideal consort of Shiva, Parvati could not bear the fact that her husband was being insulted in front of the guests. She immediately jumped into the yagna fire out of shame and anger and killed herself. Knowing this, Lord Shiva, became very angry and came to Daksha's palace. On seeing the dead body of his wife, he was so enraged that, he lifted the body on his shoulder and started dancing the tandav (the dance of destruction). The dance continued for several days and the earth was on the brink of being destroyed.

Then, on the appeal of all the other gods and goddesses, Lord Vishnu with the help of his chakra, started cutting Goddess Parvati's body. It is said that the parts of Parvati's body fell at different parts of the country, which are all considered centers of power or Shakti peeth. The reproductive organ of Goddess Parvati is said to have fallen atop the Neelachal hill in Guwahati and that is where the Kamakhya temple stands now.

Legend 2 : Another legend says that the demon Narakasura fell in love with Goddess Kamakhya once and he wanted to marry her. But as a goddess cannot marry a demon or asura, Goddess Kamakhya played a trick to save herself. She laid a condition that she would marry him only if he builds a temple for her within one night. Narakasura agreed to it and almost finished building the temple overnight. This scared Goddess Kamakhya and before the final steps of the temple were completed, a cock was sent to cry cock-a-doodle-do to announce the arrival of the morning, before it was actually dawn. This made Narakasura very angry and he killed the cock on that spot. But according to the condition Narakasura couldn't marry Goddess Kamakhya after that. It is said that the present Kamakhya temple is the same that Narakasura had made for the Goddess.

Legend 3 : The supreme creative power of Bhrahma was challenged by Shakti, the mother Goddess, and that Bhrahma could thereafter create, only with the blessings of the Yoni, as the sole creative principle. After much penance, Bhrahma brought down a luminous body of light from heaven and placed it within the Yoni circle, which was created by the Goddess and placed at Kamarupa Kamakhya in Guwahati.

The Temple Structure : The Kamakhya Temple has a beehive like shikhara. Some of the sculptured panels seen here are of interest. There are images of Ganesha, Chamundeswari, dancing features etc. The temple is a natural cave with a spring. Down a flight of steps to the bowel of earth, is located a dark, mysterious chamber. Here, draped with a silk sari and covered with flowers, is kept the "matra yoni".

There is no image of Shakti here. Within a corner of a cave in the temple, there is a sculptured image of the Yoni of the Goddess, which is the object of reverence. A natural spring keeps the stone moist.

Temple description : This temple honour the Mother Goddess Kamakhya, the essence of female energy. It is one of the 108 Shakti Peethas of Goddess Durga. The temple is a natural cave with a spring. Down a flight of steps to the bowel of earth, is located a dark, mysterious chamber. Here, draped with a silk sari and covered with flowers, is kept the "matra yoni".

The Temple was rebuilt in 1665 after being destroyed by Muslim invaders, but its origins are much older than that. It was probably an ancient Khasi sacrificial site, sacrifices are still very much part of worshiping here. Group of devotees arrive each morning with goats to offer to Shakti.

Festivals :
1.Durga Puja is celebrated annually during Navaratri in the month of September-October. It is a three day festival attracting several visitors.
2.A unique festival observed here is the Ambubasi / Ambubachi (Ameti) fertility festival wherein it is believed that the Goddess (mother Earth) undergoes her menstrual period.