Anuvavi Subramanyaswamy Temple

Name : Anuvavi Subramanyaswamy Temple

Location : This Anuvavi Subramanya Swamy Temple is located at Periyathadagam, at a distance of 12 kms from Coimbatore.

Main Deity : Subramanyaswamy

Legend :

When Lord Anjaneya was on his way back bringing Sanjeevi hill he felt very thirsty and stopped in this place to quench his thirst. Unfortunately Lord Anjaneya could not find water in that area. So Anjaneya prayed to Lord Muruga for water. As an answer to Anjaneya's prayer Lord Muruga appeared with Deivanai and with the help of his weapon "VEL" pierced on this hill and water started to ooze out from the hill which helped Lord Anjaneya to quench his thirst. Even today the villagers of this area use the natural water from that particular pond for drinking and other purposes. The last Kumbabhishekam was performed in the year 1969.

Description :

There are nearly 550 steps to be claimed to reach the main temple. There is small temple for the Lord Ganasha on the way. Main deity here is Lord Subramaniya (Sri Karthikeya) with his
consorts Sri Devayani and Sri Valli.

Adjacent to sannathi of Lord Subramaniya is the sannathi of Lord Anjaneya Swami. There is a small 'rath' made of wood for taking the deity around the temple in 'parikrima'.

If you climb the steps that are adjacent to the Anjaneya sannathi, you will see the place from where Lord Subramaniya had witnessed Lord Anjaneya quenching his thirst.

Adjacent to that is the spring from where water is collected in the tank.

Festivals :

The temple celebrates all the functions connected with Lord Subramaniya like Karthika of every month, thai pusam, panguni uttaram vaikasi visakam etc.

Website : http://www.pearlscorniche.com/anuvavi-subramanyasamy.html

Ramagiri Sri Vaaleeswarar

Name : Ramagiri Sri Vaaleeswarar alias Thiru Arikarai

Location : Ramagiri village is situated in Andhrapradesh, about 95 kms northwest of Chennai, enroute to Puthur from Uthukkottai after crossing Suruttuppalli and Nagalapuram, on the right hand side.

Significance of the Temple :

This temple is one of the five faces of Lord Shiva.
1) Ramagiri alias Thiru Arikarai - Ishana face
2) Pallikondeswaram alias Suruttapalli - Tatpurusha face
3) Vamadhevapuram alias Arani near Periyapalayam (not North Arcot) - Vamadheva face.
4) Varamoorthy Kshethram alias Ariyathurai - Sadhyojatha face
South Gokaranam alias
5) Chinthamaneeswaram - Kattur near Minjur, the place where Brahma Aranya river merges with sea represents Aghora face of Lord Shiva.

Description :The deity here is Sri Vaaleeswarar and Goddess Sri Maragadhambikai.

Though this is a Shiva temple, the Pradhana Murthy (Primary Deity) here is Sri Kala Bhairavar, also called as Santhaana Praapthi Bhairavar.

Here Sri Bhairavar is worshipped by childless couples to be blessed to get a baby. Many childless couples perform pooja here and are blessed with a child.

Legend : There is an interesting story behind this temple. In Ramayana, after defeating Ravana, Rama reached Rameswaram, on his way to Ayodhya. As he killed Ravana, he was caught by Brahmahathi Dhosha. One will suffer from this Dhosha, if he kills a Brahmin. Ravana, though being a demon king, was a Brahmin as he was born to a Rishi. Rama was advised by His Guru Sage Vasishtar to get a Shiva Lingam from Kaasi (Varanasi) and perform poojas to Lord Shiva to get relieved from the Dhosha, so that he can proceed to Ayodhya to take charge as the king.

Rama took his Guru’s advice and sent Anjaneya (Hanuman) to bring a Shiva Lingam from Kaasi Kshethra. Anjaneya took the order of his master and went to Kaasi and brought a Shiva Lingam.

On his way back, he was passing through this place called Kaalinga Madu Karai or Thirukkaarikkarai, where Lord Kala Bhairavar was present. Kala Bhairavar saw Anjaneya with the Shiva Linga and wanted Lord Shiva to take abode in His place here. He wanted to play a trick for His dream to come true. He requested Lord Surya (Sun God) and Vaayu (God of Air) for cooperation. Suddenly Sun started shining heavily emitting high temperature and dry wind blew all over. Anjaneya became thirsty because of this act. He landed up there and saw a boy wandering with his cows who was Lord Kala Bhairava in disguise.

He enquired the boy for any water source nearby. Lord Kala Bhairava prayed to Mother Ganga (Ganges) and a water pond hit Anjaneya’s sight. Anjaneya requested the small boy to hold the Shiva Lingam till he comes back as it should not be kept on the ground. The boy agreed and while Anjaneya was quenching his thirst, the boy told Anjaneya, that the Shiva Lingam was too heavy for him to hold anymore and kept it on the ground and went off.

Anjaneya came back and saw the Shiva Lingam on the ground. He tried lifting hit but he couldn’t. He roped around the Shiva Lingam with his lengthy tail and tried to pull it up using all his strength. The Shiva Lingam tilted a bit but never came off the ground. Anjaneya realized that it is impossible to lift it and started to Kaasi again to bring another Shiva Lingam for Lord Rama. When he started, he felt that the atmosphere was normal. Suddenly, the heat of the Sun came down and there was cold breeze. He understood that it was a trick played by someone.

Out of anger, he cursed the pond to become a hill. The pond became the hill here, on which a Murugan Temple is situated now. The Shiva Lingam which was brought by Lord Anjaneyar is situated in the temple at the foot hill.

As Anjaneya brought the Shiva Lingam here, which was meant for Rama, the place came to be known as Ramagiri.

Since Anjaneya tried to pull the Shiva Lingam with his tail, the Lord here is called as Vaaleeswarar. (Vaal means Tail in Tamil & Vaalam is the Sanskrit word for tail)

Here even today, the Shiva Lingam is seen in a tilted position towards North, as it was pulled by the tail of Hanuman. Also there are marks of the tail on this Shiva Lingam.

Another unique feature of this temple is Lord Anjaneya is present in front of the sanctum between the deity and the Nandhi facing Lord Shiva in a praying gesture. Such Shiva temple is not seen anywhere else.

Theertham : The temple pond which is situated in front of the temple, is called Nandhi Theertham. There is a small Shiva Lingam with a Nandhi nearby. Nandhi’s front half is seen protruding from the wall of the pond. The water originating somewhere from the hill, reaches a small well and from there it passes and comes through this Nandhi’s mouth and flows into the pond. Native villagers say that they have never seen this water flow stop, since their memory. Also they are not sure about the source from where the water reaches Nandhi.
The nandhi theertham has medicinal value for those who are suffering from nervous problems.



Also one can see Sri Bhairavar only in the praakaarams of Shiva Temples. But here, Sri Kaala Bhairavar has a separate shrine located in such a way that one has to visit Him first before proceeding for the dharshan of Lord Shiva.

As the Shiva Linga here is brought by Anjaneyar from Kaasi, it is said that by worshipping Sri Vaaleeswarar here, one gets the benefit of worshipping Lord Shiva of Kaasi.

Website : I took all the details from the website http://dharsanam.blogspot.com/2008/02/ramagiri-sri-vaaleeswarar.html

Chandi Devi Temple

Name : Chandi Devi Temple

Location : At the top of Neel Parvat (Hill), Haridwar, India

Description : Chandi Devi Temple is a renowned holy shrine of North India. Perched at the top of Neel Parvat (Hill), the temple is located at a distance of 6 kms from the main city of Haridwar. In 1929, Chandi Devi Mandir was built by Suchat Singh, the king of Kashmir. The Temple is easily accessible from the city of Haridwar by buses, auto-rickshaws, Tongas and Taxis. In order to reach the main shrine, you can opt for trekking of 3 kms and the way starts from the Chandighat. Another mode to reach the temple is cable car, which is trouble-free as well as adventurous.

The main idol of the Goddess is said to have been established by Adi Shankaracharya dating back to the 8th century. There is a legend behind the foundation of this temple. As per the legend, two demon kings, Shumbha and Nishumbha captured the kingdom of Lord Indra. Due to the reason, all the Gods were thrown out from the heaven. At that time, Chandi Devi emerged from the power of Goddess Parvati to slaughter the demon kings. The goddess is believed to have taken rest at this place for some time, since that time the place is considered sacred.

Chandi Devi Temple is known as one of the Siddha Peethas (Holy Places where one's wishes are fulfilled) together with Mansa Devi and Maya Devi of Haridwar. It is said that Goddess Chandi fulfills all the wishes of her true devotees. A temple of Anjana Devi (Mother of Lord Hanuman) is situated at a distance of 200 meters from the shrine of Chandi Devi. Chandi Devi is one of the most ancient temples of India.



In the earlier days, people used to reach the shrine by trekking through the steep path which incorporates bit difficulties. With the passage of time, a ropeway has been made for the convenience of the pilgrims. This ropeway takes around 20-25 minutes to reach the temple complex. Chandidevi alongwith Mansadevi and Mayadevi temple form a Siddhapeeth triangle in the holy city of Haridwar. In this manner, people can also enjoy the panoramic view of the natural beauty. Every year, this temple receives millions of people from far and near. Pilgrims come to this holy shrine to seek blessings from the Goddess.

Website : http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-temples/chandi-devi.html

http://www.blessingsonthenet.com/newtemple/nindex.asp?tempid=T027

Gaumukh Temple

Name : Gaumukh Temple.

Location : Mount Abu, Rajasthan

Legend : The Gaumukh Temple was built in its location as a dedication to Saint Vashishth. It is believed that Saint Vashishth performed a yagna there that created the four major Rajput clans. There is also a tank that you should visit- the Agni Kund. The Agni Kund is believed to be the site of a sacrificial fire which Saint Vashishth used to perform the yagni from which the four clans were born.

The temple has got its name from a nearby natural spring that surges through a carved cow's head. The cow is considered a sacred animal by those who make religious pilgrimages to the Gaumukh Temple and nearby the temple you will find a spring that is believed to have emerged from the mouth of a rock that is shaped similar to a cows head. A large marble statue of a cow has been built on the site. The bull is representative of Nandi, who was Shiva’s vehicle. There is a stream of water that flows from the mouth of the marble bull. Nearby you will find statues of Nandi, Saint Vashishth, Lord Ram and Lord Krishna.

Description : The Gaumukh Temple is also popular for religious pilgrimages and meditation. If you wish to experience some of the local religious culture of Mount Abu region, you must visit the Gaumukh Temple. Once only popular for Ancient sages and saints to meditate at, the Gaumukh Temple is now a popular tourist destination.

The Gaumukh Temple is located around 5 kilometers from the Hanuman Temple situated in a wild valley that is reached by climbing down over 700 steps. The area is covered with very think forest cover and visiting the place after dark & rainy season is not recommended without proper information and local guidance, you should plan for a full day trip to Gaumukh if you want to enjoy the beauty and nature of this place.

Website : http://www.mountabu.com/tourist_attractions/gaumukh.html

Satgarah Temples - Pakistan

Name : Satgarah Temples. Other temples in this complex include Mallot Temple and Katasraj temple. Among this Satgarah and mallot are Hill temples.

Location : KatasRaj is a Hindu temple situated are located 40 kilometres from Chakwal District in Katas village of Punjab in Pakistan.

Legends : Many legends are associated with the temples, some of them involving Shiva himself.

1. Legend says that the five Pandava brothers, heroes of the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, stayed here for four out of the 14 years that they spent in exile.

2. Another legend involves the death of Shiva's wife Satti; the story goes that when she died he cried so much and for so long that his tears created two holy ponds - one at Pushkara in Ajmer and the other at Ketaksha, which literally means "raining eyes" in Sanskrit. It is from this name that the word Ketas is derived. Another version of the legend mentions the two pools at Katasraj and Nainital.

3. Another legend involves the death of Shiva's horse Katas; the story goes that when that horse died he cried so much and for so long that his tears created two holy ponds - one at Pushkara in Ajmer and the other at Ketaksha, which literally means "raining eyes" in Sanskrit. It is from this name that the word Ketas is derived.

Another version of the legend mentions the two pools at Katasraj and Nainital.People bathe in that holy pond and seek forgiveness as Hindu belief holds that bathing in the pond (especially on certain occasions) causes the forgiveness of sins and helps attain salvation. Many people believe that this will come from bathing in the pond at any time. Depth of this holy pond is still a mystery.

Description : Dedicated to Shiva, the temple has existed since the days of Mahabharata and the Pandava brothers spent a substantial part of their exile at the site.

The Ramachandra temple is situated to the east of the Hari Singh Haveli and is closed from all sides except for an entrance on the east.

The Hanuman temple is on the western extreme of a high rectangular enclosure with entrances on the south and the north. The temple's ceiling is undecorated, and lime-plastered. The Shiva temple is also built on a square platform. Its entrance is a recessed round arch with faint cusps and a rectangular opening to the north.

The lake in the complex is believed to have magical powers and supposed to be where Yudhisthira defeated the Yaksha with his wisdom to bring his brothers back to life.
With the major temple complex and the pond on the right. It is a picturesque sight.
Even nowadays, worshippers from all faiths perform pilgrimages to the temple every year and bathe in the sacred pool around which Katasraj is built.

Manki Point - Kasauli

Name : Manki Point, kasauli

Location : Manki Point is just 4 km from Kasauli bus stand. Kasauli is located 77 km from Shimla, 65 km from Chandigarh and 50 km from Panchkula.

Legend : According to legend Kasauli came into being when Lord Hanuman, on his way to getting the Sanjeevani herb (Magical Herb) touch the hill by his foot thus top of hill is in foot shape. Description : This Hanuman Mandir is situated atop the 300 m high hillock, called Manki Point, where Lord Hanuman is supposed to have rested his feet. There is about more than 200 plus upstairs for the main temple from the main gate of the temple. This temple lies within the confines of an air force radar station and base and is subject to security restrictions (no cameras or bags allowed). This temple is located in the middle of the Air-Force base camp, so the whole area is protected by the air force.

You have to bring with yourself ID proof like Voter Card, Driving License, PAN Card, Adhaar Card etc. if you want to visit the Hanuman temple. On a clear day, one can get views of nearby cities like Chandigarh. One can reach this point by road or on foot. On foot, it takes nearly two hours from Kasauli town but the scenery and harmony you enjoy makes the walk worth the effort.

Other Attractions : 

You can visit the Air Force base camp where you can see dummy model of aircraft, weapons and other instruments which are used by the Air Force. You can also visit famous Kasauli Market , Kasauli Christ Church and open area of Kasauli forest with your family/friends. You can also visit Baba Balak Nath Temple at Garkhal which is about 3KM from Kasauli bus stand.

Hanuman Garhi - Nainital

Name : Hanuman Garhi ( Nainital )

Location : Nainital

Description : This place is of religious importance. Situated at a height of 1951 meters this place was established by Baba Neem Kiroli. A very beautiful Hanuman mandir is at the top. From Hanuman Garhi watching the Sunset is very soothing. You can walk down from Nainital to Hanuman Garhi.

The Hanuman Garhi - Ayodhya

Name : The Hanuman Garhi

Location : Situated in the center of Ayodhya, this temple is approachable by a flight of 76 steps.

Legend : It is said that Hanuman lived here in a cave and guarded the Janambhoomi or Ramkot. The main temple contains the statue of Maa Anjani, with Bal Hanuman seated on her lap. The faithful believe that all their wishes are granted with a visit to this holy shrine.

Hanuman Garhi is located in a fort situated at the western gate of Ram Kot as a place of watchman. Hanuman ji, (a brave devotee to Lord Ram) is considered (on the basis of mythological faith), the Kotwal (watchman) of Ayodhya city.

King Vikramaditya constructed this temple of Hanuman ji. After a period Nawab Mansoor Ali constructed a fort around the temple through Tikait Rai which is now famous as Hanuman Garhi. In this temple, golden idol of Shri Hanuman ji in the lap of his mother Anjani is established.

For the management of Hanuman Garhi, there are four arrays of saints named as Haridwari Patti, Basantia Patti, Ujjainia Patti and Sagaria Patti. They have their own Chief as well as a principal Chief who is known as Gaddinashin.

At present, Mahant Shri Ramesh Das is Gaddinashin. In this temple, anniversary of Shri Hanuman ji is celebrated with great enthusiasm.

A massive structure in the shape of a four sided fort with circular bastions at each corner houses a temple of Hanuman and is the most popular shrine in Ayodhya.

Sholingur Hanuman Temple

Name : Yoga Anjaneyar

Location : It was half a kilometre away from the foot of the Sholingur Narasimha Perumal hill.

No of Steps : 400 Steep Steps. The Small Mountain (Chinna Malai) is about 200 feet where lord Anjaneya is found in sitting position found along with Sangu and Chakkaram in west facing direction. Here, Sri Vishnu gave His dharshan to Anjaneyar. Aanjaneyar is considered to be the resemblence (or) Avathaar of Shiva, but here he is resembling the avathar of Sri Vishnu.


Description : Hanuman has four arms (chatusbuja) with a Sanka and Chakra in two arms. Here Hamuman is known as Yoga Anjaneya. HE is also seated in a yogic posture with a Jap Mala and Jap Sanka and meditating upon Lord Narasimhan.Lord Rama Patabisheka is engraved on his Krida (crown) of Hanuman. Lord Hanuman here protects devotees and grants them various boons. Nowhere else in India is Lord Hanuman seen with Sanka and Chakra given by Lord Narasimha himself to protect the devotees. Hence, a visit to this temple will definitely ensure devotees a prosperous life.

Website : http://sudhamukunthan.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/04/sholingur-a-wonderful-hill-temple.htm

ANJANERI

Name : Anjaneri

Location : Anjaneri Village, Nashik Dist., Maharashtra

Description : Anjaneri a spiritual place lies before Tryambakeshwar infact before Bramhagiri mountain. This is the birth place of Hanuman.

The fort of Anjaneri, being the birthplace of lord ‘Hanuman’, has a great historical importance. Lord Hanuman was the son of ‘Pavan’ (the wind) and ‘Anjani’, and hence the fort is called as ‘Anjaneri’. Anjaneri is one of the important forts in the ranges of Tryambakeshwar near Nasik.

The Nasik-Tryambakeshwar road is branched at a distance of 20 km from Nasik as ‘Anjaneri Phata’.

The primary way to reach the Anjaneri fort is from Anjaneri village. One should get down at Anjaneri Phata, which is 20 km away from Nasik on the Nasik-Tryambakeshwar road. Anjaneri village is at a walking distance of 10 to 15 minutes from Anjaneri Phata. Two pinnacles called ‘Navara’ and ‘Navari’ can be seen from Anjaneri village.

The way to fort goes through Anjaneri village itself. Next to that there are some steps, through which we reach the plateau of Anjaneri. It takes almost one and the half hour to reach this plateau from Anjaneri village. This path leads to a wonderful trekking adventure through various sceneries of Waterfalls, caves, Anjaneri lake , Healing lake etc.

Pictures of the scenic beauty of Anjaneri can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xPm4DM0UK_4hLu1SRGIg1A

Kondagattu

Name : Kondagattu

Location : Kondagattu is located on the Karimnagar-Jagityal-Nizamabad State Highway at around 35 Kms from Karimnagar and 15 Kms before Jagityal.

Deity : Lord Anjaneya Swamy (Hanuman)

Legend : According to the folklore, the temple was constructed by a cowherd some 300 years ago.

Description : This breathtaking temple of Lord Anjaneya Swamy. Situated amidst hills, valleys & water springs Kondagattu is blessed by nature and very scenic. The present day temple has been built 160 years ago by Krishna Rao Deshmukh. It is believed that if a women offers puja for 40 days at this temple then she will be blessed with a child.

Apart from the temple, the fort of Kondalaraya & Bojjapotana caves are worth seeing at Kondagattu.

Lord Hanuman : Lord Hanuman was born in Anjaneri (now a hilltop temple). Anjaneri is near Triambakeshwar, Nasik - a pilgrim village in Maharashtra State. He is the son of Anjani and Maruti, born with the blessings of 'Vayu', the wind god (also called Pavan). He is considered to be an avatar (incarnation) of Lord Shiva.