Chinnamasta Temple, Rajrappa

Name : Chhinnamasta Temple

Location :

Chhinnamasta temple is located at Rajrappa, 65 km away from Hazaribagh along NH-23 in the Ramgarh district in the North Chotanagpur division division of the state of Jharkhand, India. It is situated on a hillock at the confluence of the Damodar and Bhera (Bhairavi) Rivers near the Rajrappa falls.

Etymology :  Chhinnamasta (Sanskrit: छिन्नमस्ता, Chinnamastā, "She whose head is severed"), often spelled Chinnamasta and also called Chhinnamastika and Prachanda Chandika, is one of the Mahavidyas, ten Tantric goddesses and a ferocious aspect of Devi, the Hindu Divine Mother. Chhinnamasta can be easily identified by her fearsome iconography. The self-decapitated goddess holds her own severed head in one hand, a scimitar in another. Three jets of blood spurt out of her bleeding neck and are drunk by her severed head and two attendants. Chhinnamasta is usually depicted standing on a copulating couple.

Description :

Chinnamasta Temple dedicated to Goddess Chinnamasta is a hindu pilgrimage centre and located in Rajrappa, in Ramgarh district of Jharkhand. The place attracts devotees from all parts of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. It is located on top of the hill from where Rajrappa Waterfall comes down  forming a 20 feet high waterfall. Boating facilities are available here.

The temple enshrines the Goddess Chinnamasta (the beheaded Goddess Kali), one of the ten forms of the Goddess Durga. The statue shows the goddess holding her own head in her left hand and her head drinking the blood oozing out of her neck. The headless idol of Goddess Chhinnamastika stands on the body of Kamdeo and Rati ( Manmadhan & Rathi ) in Lotus bed. Many smaller temples have been build around the main temple such as the temples of Ashtamatrika and Dakshina Kali. The temples of Mahavidyas built in a series nearby are Tara, Shodashi, Bhubneswari, Bhairavi, Bagla, Kamla, Matangi, Dhumavati.

The temple is very old and the place Rajrappa finds mention in the Vedas, Puranas and Hindu scriptures as a "Shakti Peeth" which is flocked by devotees from Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal Assam and Nepal for worship of Goddess Chinnamastika. Vedic book Durga Saptashati also mentions the temple. The art and architectural design resembles the design of temples of Tantrik importance. The temple is considered as notable as the tantrik site of Kamakhya Temple of Assam which has a similar architecture. The temple is one of the 10 Mahavidhyas. The ancient temple of Goddess was destroyed and later a new temple was constructed and the original idol of Goddess was placed in it. Animal sacrifice is still practised in the temple. The sacrificial animals are killed on Tuesdays, Saturdays and during Kali puja.

A large number of pilgrims arrive here throughout the year. Large congregation of people takes place here during the full Moon and New Moon nights. Owing to the religious importance of the place, it is also popular among the disciples for marriage and ritual of Mundan or shaving the head. Vehicle owners come here to get blessings for their new vehicles as they believe that the first worship of vehicles here multiplies the life of vehicles and brings luck to the owners. Tantriks look upon this place for Tantric accomplishment.

Rajrappa also is a pilgrim centre for the Santals and other tribals who come for immersion of the ashes of their loved ones in the Damodar. They come mostly during the month of December, in groups known as yatri. As per their mythology it is their final resting place. In their folk songs Rajrappa is referred to as "Thel Kopi Ghat" (Water Ghat) and they use oil after bathing. They come in significant numbers from the southern parts of Jharkhand state such as East and West Singhbhum and Saraikela districts. Maa Chinmastika devi is also known as Manokamna devi due to the belief that it fulfils the wishes of the devotees. Devotees tie a red thread around a rock in the temple for the fulfillment of their wishes.

In the month of January a special fair is held here on the festival of Makar Sankranti and attended by lakhs of people. A fair is also organized during the festival of Vijaydashmi, Vijayadashami and attended by large number of people. Visitors take holy bath in the river.

Besides religious importance the place is also a famous picnic spot owing to its natural beauty. Hilly landscape covered with lush forest and river are some of its features. The hot water spring located here increases the beauty of the region. The Bhera River joins the Damodar River from a height of 20 feet creating a waterfall. The location offers boating facilities and visitors enjoy boat rides in the locality having various rock formations along the river bank. The place also attracts many foreign tourists due to its natural and religious importance.

The region around the temple is quite and eerie after sunset. Due to this Satyajit Ray chose Rajrappa as the setting for Feluda adventure Chhinnamastar Abhishap.

Website :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhinnamasta_Temple

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhinnamasta 

Keeri Malai

Name : Keerimalai

Location :

Keerimalai is a town in the Valikaamam North division of Jaffna District, Sri Lanka and situated West of Palaly. Naguleswaram temple is located in this suburb also a mineral water spring called Keerimalai Springs reputed for its curative properties. In Tamil Keerimalai means Mongoose-Hill.

Legend :

The stories associate the place with a sage called Nakula Muni. He was called by that name because he had a face of a mongoose. Nagula in Sanskrit means a mongoose. He was relieved of his curse and acquired a human face after taking bath in the natural springs at this place. He made the place as his abode and hence it became Keerimalai. Keeri is the Tamil synonym for nagula, meaning a mongoose.

The Siva temple established by this sage at this place was named Nakulesvaram, which according to the chronicles of Jaffna, is one of earliest in Sri Lanka, existed prior to the arrival of Vijaya of the Pali chronicles.

The stories continue to say that later, a Chola princess was also relieved of her curse of having a horse-like face by taking bath in the springs.

These myths found place in written literature at a later time.

Nakulisa or Lakulisa was the first preceptor of the Pasupata school of Saivism, which was the earliest among the sects of Saivism.

The word pasupata should be pronounced as paa'supatha. Originating from Gujarat, the sect spread across the sub-continent and even beyond in historical times. The sect doesn’t exist today.

The priority given to Guru (preceptor and initiator) in the fundamentals of Saiva Siddhanta (Guru, Linga, Sangama) and the idea that a Guru is Siva himself originated from the Pasupata teachings.

The iconographic representations of Lukulisa which was synthesized with Buddha in his teaching position in some parts of South Asia, was synthesized into Siva in the form of a teacher (Thadchanaamoorthi) in South India.

Thirumoolar, an early saint of Tamil Saivism, is regarded as one who had come from the lineage of Pasupata preceptors.

In all probability, it was one such Pasupata preceptor or a group of Pasupatas who had come to Keerimalai and made an establishment there. The present temple, Nakuleasvaram, at Keerimalai is a recent structure. There is a strong possibility that the original temple was a samaadhi temple (a burial or memorial temple). The Pasupatas were largely known to officiate in such temples built for preceptors or rulers.



There is yet another possibility for the origins of the name Keerimalai. As a limestone cliff, it can also mean ‘the white hill’. Keeram is milk according to the lexicons, Thivaakaram, Pingkalam and Choodaama’ni. The cognate in Sinhala is Kiri.

Description :

The Pasupata establishment at Keerimalai might have succeeded by a Veerasaiva one, probably in the times of the Vijayanagara Empire. Such transitions smoothly took place elsewhere too, because both Pasupatam and Veerasaivam were non-Brahmanic traditions.

Today, Keerimalai is an important centre of the Veerasaivas, who probably had come from Karnataka. Until recent times, the old generation of them was retaining a code-language, with traces of Kannada vocabulary, to speak among them, without being understood by others.

“Keerimalai” is 50 feet above the main sea level. The fresh water comes from an underground fresh water spring. Keerimalai is a pilgrim centre and is considered a sacred place to perform rituals to ancestors.

“Nagulaambigai Sametha Sri naguleswara Perumaan” temple (commonly known as “Naguleswaram” temple) spreads to 50,000 square feet. “Naguleswaram” temple is one of the hallowed Sivan temples (Pancha Ishwaram) in Sri Lanka is situated here as well. Lord Siva is the destroyer or transformer. He is viewed as the supreme deity in Hinduism. There are five famous Ishwaram~ Sivan temples in Sri Lanka. They are Thirukoneswaram in trincomalee, Thiruketheeswaram in Mannar, Naguleswaram in Jaffna, Munneswaram in Chilaw and Kokkattichcholai Thaanthondreeswaram in Batticaloa.

Naguleswaram temple is endowed with special three attributes such as Moorthy (deity), Thalam (temple) and Theerththam (water). This temple has the Biggest Linga in Srilanka, The SahasraLinga (Linga with 1000lingas in it).



The old “Naguleswaram” temple was destroyed by the Portugese in 1621. A Brahmin priest, who fled the area during the Portugese regime, took the valuables from the temple, put and preserved them in a well according to Yaazhpaana Vaipava Maalai.

In 1878, Hindu reformer Sreelasri Aarumuga Naavalar campaigned to rebuild the temple. After 17 years, the consecration ceremony took place at “Naguleswaram”. But, due to an accidental fire in 1918, the temple was severely damaged. The current temple is being renovated, and nearly 70% of the construction work is completed so far.

The Keerimalai springs are not warm like those in Kanniya (near Trinconamalee), but they are as big as a swimming pool. It’s very nice, if you get there before the back-flipping kids.

Festivals :

Hindus flock in large numbers on “Aadi Amaavaasai” day which falls during the Tamil month of “Aadi”, to carry out rituals for their forefathers and take a divine dip in the natural springs. These rituals are usually carried out by men. “Keerimalai” is famous for “Aadi Amaavaasai” and continues to be the foremost place.

Websites :

http://passionparade.blogspot.com/

http://www.sathesan.com/articles/21/1/Keerimalai/Page1.html

Ramdham - Ramtek

Name : Ramdham

Location :

The temple is located on the Ramgiri Hill situated in Ramtek, which is 42 km northeast of Nagpur city, Maharashtra. One can travel by car up to the entrance of the temple on the hill.

Legend :

The legend says that Lord Rama stopped at Ramtek, along with His wife Sita and brother Lakshmana, while on his exile. Another fact that adds to the attraction of the town, from tourism point of view, is its association with the Great poet Kalidasa. He wrote his excellent poem, Meghdoot in the hills of Ramtek only. Infact, it is often said that it was the beauty of Ramtek Hills that inspired him to write the poem.

Description :

Ramdham is a historical temple of Lord Rama, which is said to be more than 600 years old. The temple dedicated to Lord Ram, Sita and Laxman on the top of the hill. The major attractions of Ramtek comprise of the 27 Brahmanical style temple that have been constructed atop the hill. Amongst them is the Lakshmana Temple, which dates back to as far back as 1400 AD.

The temple is known for its unique OM structure which is 350 feet long and 10.5 feet high and 11 feet wide which is situated at foot of the hill.

The town serves as the venue of the Kalidasa Festival, held every year in the month of November. A fortnight-long festival, it boasts of performances by virtuosos in the field of music, dance and drama.



The Ambala talab is a big tank found at the foot of the Ram Temple in Ramtek. A number of temples have been built around the Lake. The tank is also important because the ashes of the dead are immersed here (Pitru Pooja).

Website :

http://www.bharatonline.com/maharashtra/travel/nagpur/ramtek.html

http://gurusriguru.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html

Thiruvilwamala Sree Ramabhadraswamy and Lakshmana Swamy Temple

Name : Thiruvilwamala Vilwadrinatha temple

Location :

The place Tiruvilwamala is situated in Talappilly Taluk of Trichur district attains great prominence. Vilwadrinatha temple of Tiruvilwamala has a rich heritage in the history of temples. The place is famous for its serene and picturesque beauty.The hills and the Bharatapuzha river (which is only half a mile from the temple ) adds natural beauty to this place. These hills are called Vilwamala which is why Lord Sreerama is also called Vilwadrinathan. The temple of Vilwadrinatha is the most important of all the ‘Beejakshetras’.

Deities :

The main deity being Sree Ramabhadraswamy and Lakshmana Swamy, the Upadevas of this temple are Lord Mahaganapathy, Lord Veera Hanuman, Lord Ayyappa with Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi on the same pedestal.

Legend :

Being a very old temple there are lot of intresting legends about this temple.

1. Sri Vilwadri Mahatmya, a Sanskrit text with 18 chapters, describes the origin of this ancient temple. It is in the form of a conversation between Uma (Parvati) and Maheswara (Siva). According to this, Bhargava Rama, as Parasurama is called, prayed to Siva for the liberation of his pitrus. Pleased with the prayers of Parasurama, Parameswara granted him the image of Vishnu which He Himself was worshipping. Parasurama, in his search for a suitable place for the installation of the deity, came across the beautiful Vilwadri, full of Amala trees. He constructed a temple here, consecrated the deity and laid down the pooja routine. He brought the pirtus and got them liberated as a result of the darshan of the divine deity. The place he settled down finally is still known as Bhutan mala. Self born Image The image in the sanctum facing west is Swayambhu or self born.

It is the believed that the idol here is the one, which is worshiped by Siva in Kailasa. It is four to five feet tall and is permanently fitted with a gold plated cover for the protection of the image.

It is said that there used to be a hole on the pedestal in front of the deity. The. water filled here was served as tirtha. Once a piece of kadali plantain fell into this. The priest tried to remove this by piercing the hole with a sharp instrument. He heard a cracking sound of the stone and the tool fell from his hand. The tirtha also dried up subsequently. It is believed that below the sanctum there is a cave and also a golden Vilwa tree. Some say, it is because of this that the place came to be called Vilwamala.

2. When the news of this holy shrine which Parasurama installed, spread widely, Pandavas too decided to visit this place to conduct the ceremonies for the moksha of their pitrus. They came to the banks of the River Bharatapuzha( which is also known as the Ganges of Kerala) and conducted the ceremonies under the guidance of Lord Krishna. They built a temple, there for Lord Krishna, which is now popularly known as Ivormadom Sreekrishnaswamy Temple.

3. The story of the origin of Swayambhu deity in the west is related in Vilwadri Mahatmyam. According to this, Aamalakan, son of Kashyapa Prajapati started rigorous tapas to propitiate Lord Mahavishnu. The asuras became panicky. They thought that this severe penance would bring about their ruin. They tried to create terror in Aamalakan. Aamalakan opened his eyes which emitted sparks of fire. The asuras died on the spot. The heap of the dead was transformed into rock. This is one version as how the name rakshasapara came into being. Sage Aamalakan continued his prayer. Pleased, Lord Mahavishu appeared before him asked his devotee to name any boon. Aamalakan said he desired nothing, but unstinted devotion. He also requested the lord to remain there for the protection of those who suffer in this world. Mahavishnu agreed and transformed into a deity.

4. The other version of how name rakshasapara came into being is that, The popularity of this two shrines and the power of Lord Mahavishnu increased enormously as a result of which, the asuras became furious. It is believed that on one ekadasi day, the Asura Kumbhanasika tried to stir the image on the sanctum on the western side. Lord Mahavishnu appeared and took hold of Kumbhanasika and other asuras and pulled them into a cave towards the south. They were locked up there. This particular place is what we now call the “rakshasapara”.

5. It is also said that the pathway inside the cave seen near the peepul tree close to the eastern gateway of the temple had been connected to ‘Tirunelli’ through an underground passage. The story goes that when a priest returning through this passage after worshipping the deity at Tirunelli, the young lady walking in front showing light to the priest got impure and consequently the underground passage behind was sealed forever. Even now a part of this underground passage where extreme darkness prevails is explorable.

6. There are a lot of legends about ‘Moorikkunnu’, ‘Thalavettipara’, ‘Monnuruttikallu’, ‘Maharshipala’, etc. which are only just mentioned .

7. Since Parasurama’s time, Punarjani is a symbol of freeing oneself of all sins. The ritual crawling through the cave takes place on the full moon Ekadesi day in the malayalam month of Vrischikam. It coincides with Guru Ekadesi.

Veer Hanuman Temple :

The temple has an enormous courtyard. To the southeast side of the courtyard is the idol of Veera Hanuman. There were two instances when fire broke out in this temple. It is well known that after the installation of this idol of Veera Hanuman, such a calamity never arised. This idol has immense power and devotees offer Vadamala, Vettilamala, Aval nivedyam etc to please Anjaneya, the beloved devotee of Lord Sreerama.



Punarjani:

The main attraction in the temple is the ‘Punarjani Guha’ (cave). The "punarjani" cave is in between the Vilwamala and the Bhoothamala. The Punarajani cave is a natural 15-meter long tunnel in the rocky cliff. It is believed that by crawling through the tunnel from one end to the other, one washes away all his sins and thus attains rebirth. The ritual is known as ‘Punarjani noozhal’. Once we enter the Punarjani cave it takes about 45minutes to reach the exit.

At 3.30 am on the auspicious day, the priest accompanied by his aides and ritual music heads to the Punarjani. After the rituals at the mouth, the priest drops a gooseberry into the cave. The sight of the gooseberry emerging from the other end of the cave is amazing. The movement through the cave demands all kinds of bodily postures like standing, sitting, creeping, crawling etc. Only men are allowed to perform this ritual, while women can only visit the cave. The ritual is practiced only in one day in an year, the Guruvayur Ekadasi day in ‘Vrischikam’ (November-December). 

It is believed Sage Parasurama reached here to atone for his sin of massacring Kshatriyas. Since Par...

Read more at: https://travel.manoramaonline.com/travel/essential-kerala/2018/07/03/thiruvilwamala-thrissur-palakkad-cave.html

It is believed Sage Parasurama reached here to atone for his sin of massacring Kshatriyas. Since Par...

Read more at: https://travel.manoramaonline.com/travel/essential-kerala/2018/07/03/thiruvilwamala-thrissur-palakkad-cave.html

Theerthams :

1. Before starting to Punarjani we have to touch the “Ganapathi theertham” (which never gets dried up) on the northern side of the mountain about quarter of a mile eastwards from the temple.

2. Next we can reach a steep rock about seventy feet high on travelling about one and a half miles over the mountain. The broad “Papanasini Theertham” is seen if we proceed a little further in the southwest direction over the narrow projection on the rock. This was made by Parasurama and the presence of Ganga has been brought in this Theertha. Railings have been provided here for the devotees to walk easily without fear of falling down from the narrow projection of the rock.

3. After making the Punarjani noozhal, custom is to go to papanasini again to purify the body and then go to the entrance once again. Next the devotees have to bathe or wash their hands, feet and face in the “Pathala Theertha” on the west at a distance of about thirty feet. It is believed that Parasurama who had brought the presence of the purified water of “Brahmakamandalu” here made this also.

4. The next step is to take holy water in our hands from the “Kombutheertha”, which was formed when Indra’s elephant Iravatha struck his tusk on the rock.

5. Nearby lies the “Ambutheertha” from which water has to be taken out using some stick or anything like that. People believe that one “Janma” or span of life is reduced from the cycle of births and deaths if we go through the punarjani cave once.



Stala Viruksham :

To the north west side of the courtyard is the banyan tree. To circle this tree is very auspicious (arrayal pradakshinam) and to see the lizard in this particular tree is considered as having the darshan of Lord Guruvayoorappan.

Festivals :

Every year thousands of people from far and near come to Bharathappuzha to offer their oblations to their Pitrus espe­cially on the new moon days in the Malayalam month of Karkidakam (June-July) and Thulam (Oct-Nov).

The important annual festival here is Ekadasi. It is a belief that Lord Guruvayurappan will come all the way from Guruvayur and visit Vilwadrinathan on this particular day. Niramala, is another great festival which falls in the month of chingam.The lights and the decoration with flower garlands is one of exquisite beauty. Ramanavami is also celebrated with great splendour.

Website : http://www.thiruvilwamala.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19&Itemid=27

http://thiruvilwamala.000a.biz/?page_id=175