Doi Thepnimit temple

Name : Doi Thepnimit temple

Location :

Doi Thepnimit is a monastic residence with a fantastic panoramic view over Patong beach. You can see its iconic white pagoda from the beach, if you know in which direction to look, of course, it’s pretty tiny. To access Doi Thepnimit is a bit tricky since the new road to reach it is precisely at the top of the notoriously dangerous Patong Hill. If you are familiar with Patong you will know right away how to spot that small road: it’s next to the Chinese temple where everyone honks three times for good luck! The way to the Chedi is now nicely paved on a couple of kilometres, and there is ample parking next to the temple.

Description :

Doi Thepnimit is a small but so beautifully decorated temple, and with such a view, it’s worth stopping on your way in or out Patong beach. The Doi Thepnimit temple is a "Samnak Song" (สำนักสงฆ์) which is more like a monastery or meditation center. These places may not have all features of a larger Wat. Doi Thepnimit has really just one large Chedi with a great view and on a lower level are buildings that look like accommodation and dining areas for Monks or people coming to study or meditate.

The Chedi (a Buddhist stupa) is ornate with colourful seven-heads Naga (a mythical serpent-like creature) and many other mythological characters. All the sculptures and carvings are exceptionally well executed, and it is a pleasure to admire the craftsmanship. Note that the pagoda area is not always opened, but you can still walk around it. The shape of the chedi is Pra Tat Pra Nom style, from the northeast part of Thailand. This Temple is impressive and very bright and colourful as it's so new! The entrance (below) is guarded by 2 Yaks (mythical giants, often seen at temples) and also by 2 Naga (7 headed mythical snakes) - Buddhist stories tell of the king of the Naga sheltering Buddha from a storm by covering him with his 7 heads, so you see the Naga in pretty much all Buddhist temples too.
Just remember to dress and behave appropriately as this is a religious place and you will frequently see monks and nuns meditating or sweeping the surrounding of the temples.

There is another temple called Wat Thepnimit located between Phuket Town and Chalong. Just make sure you mark the right one when using Google map

 Websites :

 https://www.jamiesphuketblog.com/2018/09/doi-thepnimit-temple-near-patong.html

St. Mary's GunadalaMatha Shrine Vijayawada

Name :  St. Mary's  Gunadala Matha Shrine 

Location :

Gundala Matha Shrine, or Mary Matha Shrine, known popularly as St Mary’s Church, is constructed on a hilly region Gunadala in Krishna district near Vijayawada. An iron cross, erected atop the hill, stands as a rare distinction of the shrine.

Shrine History :

Mother Mary is said to have appeared on this hill as on 11th Feb.1858.

Description :

One of the most popular churches and pilgrim places for Christians in Andhra Pradesh, A shrine for the Christians situated in Gunadala, a hilly region of district Krishna at Vijayawada is the Mary Matha Shrine or Gunadala Matha Shrine and its more popular name, St Mary's Church. It has the rare distinction of having an iron cross set up on the hill top. 

It houses a museum having a collection of ancient holy relics and precious gifts of the followers. The shrine is filled on Sundays and other important festivals and occasions. The annual feast for Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated with devotion and gaiety.its a famous pilgrimage place where people take the help of Mother Mary's prayers and lakhs of people come from all over places to worship, every February 9,10&11 more than 5 lakh people come to visit at the hill top.there are only steps way to go up the hill,and on the top there is a huge Jesus crucified statue

Annual Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes attracts many devotees and is celebrated with much enthusiasm and devotion. After getting their heads tonsured and breaking coconuts at the shrine, the devotees lined up to the grotto on the hillock to light candles.

The other side of extended gunadala hills haves historically important mogalrajapuram caves and a large statue of lord Shiva a top.

Gunadala Matha Festival

Gunadala Matha Festival was successful , more than 10 Lakh devotees attend this festival every year. Of those 10 Lakhs only 60% were Catholics means 4 lakh remaining people are mixed people from different religions ( Hindus, Muslims) and of course Protestants.

Ever year the Festival startes with Holy mass on 9th Feb at 6.30 AM and around 8.30 AM Adoration Started and will end on 11th Feb late night.

Many Religious ( Sisters , Priests, Deacons, Brothers, Seminary & Convent students) , General devotees from Vijayawada and other parts of AP also took part in this Adoration along with Jesus Youth of Vijayawada Diocese.

Contact : +91 9948695979, 0866-2450244

Websites :  http://www.gunadalamathashrine.com/

Chetti Thambiran Temple & Konganar Siddhar Samadhi (Karur - Tamil Nadu)

 

Name : Chetti Thambiran Temple & Konganar Siddhar Samadhi (Karur - Tamil Nadu)

Location :

From Trichy: 73km via Kangeyam. Break journey via Kangeyam via Vellakovil.
From Tiruppur: 40km via Kangeyam. Break journey via Kangeyam.
From Dharapuram: 19km towards Kangeyam. Frequent buses are available.
From Kangeyam: 14km towards Dharapuram. Frequent buses are available.
Nearest Bus Stop: Uthiyur aka Pon Uthiyur

Legend :

When the great Ramayana war happened between Rama and Ravana in Ceylon, Rama’s brother Lakshmanan was attacked by an arrow sent by Ravana which made him almost dead. So to cure him, Jambavan asked Hanuman to get a Sanjeevani herb from the Himalayan range in between the peaks of Rishabam and Kailasa. And Hanuman followed suit. But in the specified location in the hill between the 2 peaks he couldn’t find the herb. So frustrated he felt like breaking the hill into pieces. But he suddenly came up with the idea of lifting the whole hill and taking it to Jambavan and he did it. When he flew across the whole length of India from Himalayas to Ceylon a few pieces of the hill fell in several places along the length. One of it was in Uthiyur, where the sage Konganar Sithar meditated in a small cave at the top of the hill. Once Hanuman reached, Jambavan took the Sanjeevani herb from the hill and gave its juice to the whole battalion and saved everyone's lives.

Description :

It was a pretty small village with a hillock at one side. Not just a hillock, there were atleast 3-4. There was a little temple after a flight of 100 steps from the ground, which is the base temple ‘Uthanda Velayudhasamy Thirukoil’ with a huge water-well as well and the little path with few rocky steps beside the temple lead us to the base of a hillock and the steps ended there as well. There were few more little mandapams in a dilapidated condition.

 

This hill, till date, is considered to have all those medicinal plants including Sanjeevani. Though the program didn’t give any details about the medicinal plants in this it gave a decent coverage about the place on a whole with interviews from several locals. Though the program said that the place is near Kangeyam, I had no clue where in Kangeyam is this place. After searching the net for pretty long time, I found some details about this place. It was spelt Uthiyoor by some other site and atleast I got the info that its midway to Dharapuram from Kangeyam. We started off and were there at Uthiyur shortly.

There were few sculptures here and there, and also some hero-stones. But I couldn’t make out the era it could have been from. Must be Chola period with regards to its location, but which Chola king or which century, I had no clue.

From that point there was no proper path as well. The little temple like structure at the peak of one of the hillocks is destination. There is a little muddy pathway that is rocky at most of the places. Also there are several smaller pathways that lead to the hillock. The route is rocky and the hill is pretty vertical. Many places the muddy pathway will be missing. Filled with several plants that formed a decently thick forest-like area, several among these huge number of plants must be medicinal which would include the Sanjivani as well.

A route will be divided into 2 and there is a little board that shows an arrow to a route that reads “Route to Chetti Thambiran Temple”. A little more trek and will lead to the Chetti Thambiran Temple. This is a small temple formed by the space in between 2 rocks. The sounds heard here were freaky at times, thanks to the several rocks and boulders and heavy winds that blow through them. A little more climb from there will take us to the hill top and there was a little temple of Lord Ganesh.( Uchi Pillayar Temple)

 To reach Kongana sithar cave, we have to climb another hill with boulders atop (as you see in the picture below).

 

  To go there we have to use the other pathway where we were directed to Chetti Thambiran Temple. The other path leads to the peak of the hill to go to the Konganar Caves. Care had to be taken not to go to the edges of the boulders there. A fall from there could definitely prove fatal. Here again there is a little room created by the space between 2 boulders. It was here that Sage Konganar Sithar meditated and lost his physical self. Sithar’s are yogists who are in the high meditative state and lose their physical state and attain divinity.

There is a pathway to enter this cave from the rear as well. It could be entered from the rear side through a small tunnel like opening and crawled down into the cave. Else in a simpler way you could enter it from the huge front opening.

Food: There are a few local messes here. Nearest place for good restaurants and hotel is Kangeyam.

Contact number of Konganar cave Priest : +91 99425 32193

Websites : https://travel.bhushavali.com/2010/05/uthiyur-hills-aka-pon-uthiyur-konganar.html