Jotiba Temple - Kolhapur

Name : Jotiba Temple

Location :
Jyotiba Temple is located 14 km north-west of Kolhapur in the Panhala Range, in Maharashtra. It is situated at an altitude of 3124 ft above the sea level.

Legend :

This temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. This is also called Kedarnath and Wadi Ratnagiri. Mythology says, Jotiba helped Mahalaxmi in her fight with the demons. He founded his kingdom on this mountain. He belongs to the Nath cult. He was born in the hands of Vimalmbuja, the wife of the sage Pougand, on Chaitra Shukla 6. This God is avtaar of Guard (Bhairav).

The temple is dedicated to Jyotiba (also Dattatreya), which was formed by the amalgamation of the jyotis (souls) of three gods - Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Legend has it that the three gods took the form of Jyotiba to destroy the evil Ratnasur who troubled civilians.
With this incidence name of village was Wadi Ratnagiri. Instead of taking such long name public accepted this place as the name of God ‘Jotiba’ and this name became famous.

Description :

The original temple was built in 1730 by Navajisaya. The interior is ancient and the idol is four-handed. There are other temples and Light-towers.



Decorated bamboo sticks called as SASAN KATHI are attraction of this fair. Not less than 2000 sticks are traditionally involved in fair. Sequence of these sticks is a convention. It is not changeable. A colorful procession of SASAN KATHI is main attraction of fair. Devotees from abroad and various parts of country take part in this procession.

Festivals :

On Chaitra Poornima (appr. In Mar-Apr.) a big fair is held, when lacs of devotees come with tall (Sasan) sticks. Due to scattering of 'Gulal' the whole mountain is turned pink.

Sunday is a preferable visiting day. On the full moon day a Palkhi procession is carried out.

There is other temple of goddess ‘Yamai’ on the northern part of hill. She is believed to be sister of Jotiba.

Website :
http://tourism.kolhapurworld.com/jotiba_temple.html

Maa Sharda Temple - Maihar

Name : Maa Sharda Temple

Location : Maihar city lies in Satna District of State of Madhya Pradesh. Sharda Devi (goddess) is situated in Trikuta hill around 5 km from the heart of the town. Maihar is about: 42 km. away from Satna, 65 km. away from Katni,

Description :

Maihar is a holy town of Madhya Pradesh State. Devotees from all over India visits ‘Maa Sharda Temple’ throughout the year. Temple is located in top of the mountain and can be reached through 1060 steps, road. It is quite obvious that visit is not easy task specially for aged or physically unfit devotees. Considering the problem of devotees, management had started the service of ropeway service for devotees to reach Mother goddess Sharda Temple conveniently and in short time. Many peoples visit the temple in Navratri or Ram Navmi.

There is one ancient inscription near the feet of stone sculpture of Sharda Devi situated in Sharda Devi temple. There is another statue of Lord Narsingh along with Sharda Devi. These statues were installed by Nupula Deva on Shake 424 chaitra krishna paksha 14 Tuesday, vikram samvat 559 i.e. 502 AD. This stone inscription Sharda Devi in four lines is of size 15" by 3.5" in Devanagari script. Another stone inscription at the temple is of size 34" by 31" inscribed by a shaiva saint Shamba who had knowledge of Buddhism and Jainism also. This inscription bears a scene of Nagadeva and reveals that it was about Damodara, son of Saraswati, was considered the Vyasa of Kaliyuga. And that there prevailed system of goat sacrifice at that time during worship.

Legends :

1. It is a common belief that first fall Adiguru Shankracharya offered his prayer and worship in this temple.

2. Traditional sacred stories says that when Lord Shiva was in state of deep sorrow and anguish, due to the death of Sati (Wife of Lord Shiva) and was roaming in earth with her dead body on his back. Lord Vishnu, came forward to save mankind and cuts the body of Sati in to 52 pieces. In Maihar necklace of Sati fell down and hence temple was established here. Its name “Maihar” can be broken to two parts “Mai” means mother and “har” means necklace.

3. Local tradition reveals that the warriors Alha and Udal, who had war with Prithvi Raj Chauhan, are associated with this place. Both the brothers were very strong followers of Sharda Devi. It is said that Alha penanced for 12 years and got the amaratva with the blessings of Sharda Devi. Alha and Udal are said to be the first to visit the goddess in this remote forest. Alha used to call the mother goddess by the name 'Sharda Mai' and henceforth she became popular as 'Mata Sharda Mai'. One can see down hill behind the temple, the pond known as 'Alha Pond'. At a distance of 2 km from this pond is situated the akhara of Alha and Udal where they did practice of kusti.

Website :
http://www.prlog.org/10293618-ropeway-facility-for-maihar-temple-tour-indus-excursion.html
http://www.indianetzone.com/16/maihar_mother_goddess_sharda_temple.htm

Kedareshwar Cave

Name : Kedareshwar Cave

Location : Harishchandragad, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra

Legend : It seems that the Shivalinga had Four pillars around it. One pillar was entirely damaged and cannot seen now. Two pillars have their remains stuck to the cave roof. Only one pillar is fully seen. Local legend holds that when the fourth pillar breaks, the world will come to an end.

Description : Going rightwards of Harishchandreshwar temple, we come across a huge cave. This is the cave of Kedareshwar, in which there is a big Shivlinga, which is totally surrounded by water. The total height from its base is five feet, and the water is waist-deep.

It is quite difficult to reach the Shivlinga, as the water is ice-cold. There are sculptures carved out here. In monsoon it is not possible to reach this cave, as a huge stream flows across the way.

Website : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harishchandragad

Harishchandreshwar

Name : Harishchandreshwar

Location : Harishchandragad is a hill fort in the Ahmednagar region of Maharashtra.

Description : This temple is marvelous example of the fine art of carving sculptures out of stones that prevailed in ancient India. It is about 16 m high from its base. Around this temple there a few caves & ancient water tanks. The river Mangal Ganga is said to originate from one of the tanks located close to the temple. The top of the temple resembles construction with the north-Indian temples. Harishchandragad is necessarily a two day trek , one can do the overnight stay in the caves, which are clean and well maintained

A similar temple is situated in Buddha-Gaya. Here we can see many tombs, in which a typical construction is seen. These are built by well-finished arranging stones one on top of the other. There are three main caves near the temple. The cisterns near the temple provide drinking water. A short distance away, another temple called Kashitirtha is located. The fascinating thing about this temple is that it has been carved out from a single huge rock. There are entrances from all four sides. On the main entrance there are sculptures of faces. These are faces of guards of the temple. On the left side of the entrance is a Devnagri inscription, which is about saint Changdev.

The various Puranas (ancient scriptures) like Matsyapurana, Agnipurana and Skandapurana include many references about Harishchandragad.

Fascinating Spots :
Saptatirtha Pushkarni : To the east of the temple is a well-built lake called “Saptatirtha”. On its bank are temple-like constructions in which there are idols of Lord Vishnu. Recently these idols have been shifted in the caves near the temple of Harishchandreshwar. These days many trekkers have been responsible for the sad plight of this beautiful place, as they throw plastic wastes and other things in the pond. 7 years back the water was potable, and now it isn’t suitable even to swim.



Kedareshwar Cave : Going rightwards of Harishchandreshwar temple, we come across a huge cave. This is the cave of Kedareshwar, in which there is a big Shivlinga, which is totally surrounded by water. The total height from its base is five feet, and the water is waist-deep. It is quite difficult to reach the Shivlinga, as the water is ice-cold. There are sculptures carved out here. In monsoon it is not possible to reach this cave, as a huge stream flows across the way.

Taramati peak : This is the topmost point on the fort. It is the second highest peak in Maharashtra after Kalsubai. Leopards are seen in the forests beyond this peak. From here we can have a glimpse of the whole range of Naneghat and the forts near Murbad.

Caves on Harishchandragad : These caves are situated all over the fort. Many of these are situated at the foot of Taramati peak & are the place of accommodation. A few are near the temple, whereas some are near the citadel and some far away in the forests. A 30 feet deep natural cave is on the northwestern side of the fort, to the right of Kokan Kada. Many other caves are still said to remain undiscovered.

Nageshwar temple near Khireshwar : This is a great antique construction, and diverse artistic works are seen on this. On the ceiling of the temple are beautiful carvings.

Konkan Kada :

The major attraction of Harishchandragad is Kokan Kada . Its beyond description, one should actually see it to experience the nature's architecture. Konkan kada should be visited in the evening as well as morning. In evening one is enchanted by the sunset where as in the morning one can experience the divine feeling of being in the heavens. Taramati and Rohidas , the two peaks atop Harishchandragad, are also worth visiting as they offer beautiful views of the sahyadri ranges. The ancient temple of Lord Shiva atop Harishchandragad is also good sight for observing. An ancient temple and the caves present at the base village Khireshwar are also worth seeing.



Please follow the link to download the map of Harishchandragad. This map has been provided by courtesy of Mr. Mahesh Chengalva.

Website : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harishchandragad


http://deepabhi.tripod.com/harishchandragad.html

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

BAHUBALI HILL

Name : These hills are popularly known as 'Kumbhojgiri'

Location : Bahubali Hill Temples are situated 27 km south of Kolhapur, Maharashtra on the Bahubali Hills.

No of Steps : 400

Deity : BahuBali ( the sage who mediated here about 300 years before )

Description : Huge devotees come to the temple to worship the 28-feet tall marble statue of Bahubali and visit the temples of the 24 Tirthankaras or saints.

A fair is held here on the 15th day of the bright half of the month of Kartak, on the 15th day of the bright half of the month Chaitra and on the 10th of day the dark half of the month of Magasar.

Visitors can take a train from the nearest railway station at Hathkalangad, about 8 km away, on Kolhapur - Miraj railway line This temple looks very beautiful and splendid. The scene of the forest and the village farms looks full of delight and beauty.

PARVATI HILL - PUNE

Location : Pune

Steps : Parvati hill is the daily visiting place for a number of citizens and for many people, going to Parvati (103 steps) forms a part of their daily exercise regimen. A special black quarry stone has been used for all these steps. It is weather-resistant and except for a few places, the stone has survived for over two hundred and fifty years even after being fully exposed to sun, wind and water. The steps are so wide that an elephant can easily walk with all pomp and gaiety towards the temple. They are not too steep and even old people can climb with ease.

Altitude : 2100 feet above sea level and 260 feet from the city level.

Description : The temples on Parvati hill are the oldest heritagestructures in Pune and reminiscent of the Peshwa dynasty.

There is one Devdeveshwar temple on the hill and other temples of Lord Kartikeya (Murugan), Vishnu and Vitthal. Every temple has a place in the history of the Maratha empire.

Located on this hill is an interesting museum that commemorates the Peshwa rule. It is from this museum that we come to know that the Parvati Hill and Temple of Pune bore an idol which was carved out of gold by a craftsman from Karnataka; but it was stolen and replaced by a golden plated silver idol.

Timings : Parvati gates open at 5.00 am and close at 8.00 pm.

Website : More information on http://www.parvatidarshan.in