Veerabhadreshwara Temple

Name : Veerabhadreshwara Temple

Location :

This is an ancient cave temple situated in the lovely picnic spot of Kalhatti falls. This temple is near Kalhattipura which is 20 km south of Tarikere in Chikmagalur District and about 10 km from Kemmannagundi. Tarikere Junction Railway Station is the nearest railhead.

Description :

This temple i am not sure if it is Hill temple, but it is constructed in a gap between rocks, this temple is said to have been built during the Vijaynagara period. The main deity is Lord Veerabhadreshwara, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. The entrance of the temple is decorated with three stone carvings of three elephants. According to legends, this place has once hosted the hermitages of Sage Agastya.

The temple conducts its festival for three days every year. No animal sacrifice is made at this temple, but animal sacrifice occurs at the goddess temple a few yards before the Shiva temple.

Other Attractions :

Goddess Chowdeshwari Temple and the Kalhatti falls, situated amidst the natural surroundings, attract both tourists and pilgrims.

Website :

http://www.india9.com/i9show/Veerabhadreshwara-Temple-63045.htm

Phnom Chngouk Temple

Name : Phnom Chngouk Temple

Location : Tropeang Pring, Cambodia

Description : Just eight kilometres east of quiet Kampot town lies Phnom Chngouk, one of Kampot's oldest known cave temples.

The winding dirt road to the temple snakes past scenic views of the Cambodian countryside, lush with rice paddies, small farms and dramatic limestone formations, covered in dense vegetation.

There is brick temple within the cave that dates back to 7th century during the Funan period. It has over the course of millions of year, grown into an almost prefect linga.

Phnom Chngouk itself is a hulking limestone karst, which contains many hidden chambers, rocky outcrops and stalactites, formed by calcium carbonate deposits in water. The largest cave contains an ancient red brick Hindu temple resting under a massive rock formation resembling an eagle.

Now the temple is tended to by the elderly Loak Ta Neak Sohl, or "Grandfather White Dragon". He came to this area 12 years ago to devote himself to the Buddhist dharma and meditate. At that time not many people knew about this temple; there were no steps up to the cavern, only forest and rocks. With his encouragement, the villagers pooled their money to build stone steps up to the temple.

The slight, wiry patriarch explained that many electronic devices such as cell phones and watches cease to work in the cave, and that even airplanes and helicopters never fly over the site, as it interferes with their controls.

Next to the main chamber is a passageway that leads to the interior of the cave. The path is slippery and dark, and littered with large boulders, a stalactite resembling the head of a cow, and a cool, subterranean pond filled with tiny black fish.

The journey through the cave and out to the rice fields below and behind the mountain is easily negotiated by the young boys who hop effortlessly through the obstacles with only a flashlight. But it is not an easy trip for first-time visitors.

Tourists don't often explore this cavern, as they are too scared. Only visitors under 80 or 90 kilogrammes are advised to go here as some of the passageways are too tight for larger visitors.

Website : http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009061826534/Life-Style/Kampot-s-cave-temples-make-for-a-magical-trip.html

Wat Kirisan

Name : Wat Kirisan

Location : located in Kampong Trach, 29 kilometres from Kep, Cambodia

Description : Wat Kirisan is a modern temple built at the base of a large karst formation with numerous caves and passages on the inside. The main pagoda is located outside the karst, and from there you can take an underground passage to go to the shrines and caves on the inside. There is also a large reclining Buddha inside the karst formation too. The cave network is explorable with a proper light source, but a guide is recommended for serious exploration..

Armed with a flashlight, the guide leads visitors down the temple steps and under the mountain into a channel carved out by a now-defunct river.

"During the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge used the soil in this cave for the rice paddies nearby because it was full of minerals," he said. "Later, Vietnamese soldiers hid in the caves, but the Khmer Rouge found them and killed them. Some Vietnamese officials returned to collect the bones, but many of their bones still remain in hidden recesses."

Around the perimeter of the rock walls are grottoes, carved by ancient streams, which contain multiple Buddhist and animist shrines. Some of the grottoes lead to vast underground caverns with lunar-like landscapes and echo with the eerie sound of water softly dripping into the underground pools. People come here to pray to the forest spirit for health, wealth and better life.

Website : http://www.geckogo.com/Attraction/Cambodia/Kampong-Trach/Wat-Kirisan/

Ratu Boko Temple in Boko Palace

Name : Ratu Boko Palace

Location : about three kilometres south of Lara Jonggrang Prambanan temple complex in Yogyakarta Indonesia

History :

Not many people know that this palace is witness of the initial triumph in Sumatera land. Balaputradewa once fled to this palace before leaving for Sumatra when he was struck by Rakai Pikatan. Balaputradewa rebelled because he felt to be second person in the reign of Old Mataram Kingdom because of Rakai Pikatan's marriage to Pramudhawardani (Balaputradewa's sister). After his defeat and escape to Sumatra, he became the king of Sriwijaya Kingdom.

Description : It was a well defended palace-fort, some kind of citadel. Situated up on the hill, the Ratu Boko complex consist of:  Series of Gates.

Protective wall,  Roofless temple for cremation ceremony, Some walled structure of living space (pendopo). The body and roof is made from decayed material like wood or clay roof, but the base of building (palace) remains.

Small miniature of temple for religious ceremony within living space (serve like home temple)

Bathplace (pemandian), series of pools encirceled with walls and series of gates.More foundations and floor of buildings, also walled enclosure with gates.

Aeschetic small cave for meditation At the northern part from pendopo, isolated from the rest of the site, lies two caves that were formed of sediment stones. The upper cave is called Gua Lanang (Male Cave) and the lower cave is called Gua Wadon (Female Cave). In front of Gua Lanang, there is a pond and three effigies. Based on the research, the effigy is known as Aksobya, one of Buddha Pantheons. The cave probably functioned as a meditation place.

This site is located 196 m above the sea level, on the highest point in the site, there is a small pavilion from which one will be able to see a panoramic view of Prambanan temple with Mount Merapi as the background.

 King Boko Palace was a glorious building that was constructed during the reign of Rakai Panangkaran, descendant of Sailendra dynasty. The palace that initially was named Abhayagiri Vihara (that means a monastery on a peaceful hill) was built for seclusion purpose and to focus on spiritual life. From this palace, you will feel peace and will be able to see Yogyakarta city and Prambanan temple with Merapi Mountain as the background.

This palace is located 196 meters above the sea level. The area of the palace as wide as 250,000 m2 is divided into four, namely center, west, southeast, and east parts. The center part consists of the main gateway, square, Combustion Temple (cremation place), pond, square terrace and assembly hall. Meanwhile, the southeast part includes hall, platform, three temples, pond, and a complex for princess. The caves, Buddha effigy, and a pond are in east part while the west part consists of hills only.

If you enter from the palace gateway, you will directly be guided to the center part. Two high gates will welcome you. The first gate has three entrances while the second one has five. If you look it in detail, you will read 'Panabwara' writing on the first gate. Based on Wanua Tengah III inscription, the word was written by Rakai Panabwara (the descendant of Rakai Panangkaran) who took over the palace. The intention of carving his name on the gate was to legitimate his authority, to give 'power' to the gate in order to look more glorious and to give sign that the building was the main building.

About 45 meters away from the second gate, you will see a temple made of white stones so that it was named Candi Batu Putih or Temple of White Stones.

Close to the place, you will also find Combustion Temple. The temple is of square form (measuring 26 meter x 26 meter) with two terraces. The function of the temple is to burn dead body as the name suggests. Around 10 meters away from the Combustion Temple, there are sacred terrace and a pond.

A mysterious well will be seen if you walk southeastward of the Combustion Temple. As the legend tells, the well was named Amerta Mantana that means sacred water treated with charms. At present time, the water of Amerta well is still used. The legend tells that the water brings luck for anyone who uses it. Hindu people use it in Tawur Agung ceremony, one day before the Nyepi day. Using water in the ceremony is believed to support the achievement of the objective, namely to self purify and to return the earth and its content to its initial harmony. IndonesiaTravelVisit.com suggests that you visit Prambanan temple one day before Nyepi day to see the ceremony process.

Moving to the eastern part of the palace, you will see two caves, big pond measuring 20 meters x 50 meters and Buddha effigy that sits quietly. Those two caves were formed of sediment stones. The upper cave is called Gua Lanang (Male Cave) and the lower cave is called Gua Wadon (Female Cave). Right in front of Gua Lanang, there is a pond and three effigies. Based on the research, the effigy is known as Aksobya, one of Buddha Pantheons.

Even though it was built by a Buddhist, there are Hindu elements in it. This can be seen from the presence of Lingga and Yoni, Ganesha statue, and golden plate with the writing "Om Rudra ya namah swaha" on it as form of worship to Rudra as the other name of Shiva. The Hindu elements proved religious tolerance that is reflected in architectural works. In fact, Rakai Panangkaran who embraced Buddhism lived side by side with Hindu people.

Websites :

http://indonesiatravelvisit.blogspot.in/2016/03/king-boko-palace-glory-on-peaceful-hill.html 

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

RudraNath Temple

Name : RudraNath. The strange mountain formation when given a close glance resembles the face of Lord Shiva. Hence the place is known as Rudramukh. “Rudra” refers to Lord Shiva and “mukh” means “face”.

Location : 23 km from Gopeshwar, Gaurikund, Uttranchal. Rudranath is sometimes considered as the toughest Panch Kedar temple to reach.

Altitude : 2,286 m

Year of Construction : 8th Century AD

Legend : According to the legends of Panch Kedar, this temple shelters the face of Shiva. There is a small rectangular space just outside the sanctum sanctorom. The deity is a Swyam Bhuva (Self Appeared) Shivalinga shaped like a human face formed by the projection of a huge rock. This face has a serene smile and a gaze of pure benevolence in the all-seeing eyes. Measuring about 3 feet from the chin to the top of the jatas, a white cloth remains bound tightly on the crown of Lord Shiva.

The Rudranath temple is believed to be established by the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Legend has it that the Pandavas came to the Himalayan mountains in search of god Shiva, to redeem them of the sins of killing in the epic Kurukshetra war. God Shiva did not want to meet them and escaped in form of a bull in the ground and reentered in parts in the Panch Kedar places: the hump raising in Kedarnath, the arms appearing in Tunganath, the navel and stomach surfacing in Madhyamaheswar, the face showing up at Rudranath and the hair and the head appearing in Kalpeshwar. In winter, a symbolic image of Shiva is brought to Gopeshwar for worship. The Doli Yatra starts from Gopeshwar. The Doli Yatris cross Liti Bugyal and Panar and finally reach Pitradhar. The worship of ancestors is done here. Then, after crossing Dhalabni Maidan, the Doli or the symbolic image of Shiva, reaches Rudranath.Here first the Vandevi is worshipped. The local belief is that Vandevi protects the area. The Kheshtra is protected by Vandevi or Vandevatas.

Description :

Rudramukh is located at a height of 2286 meters and is surrounded by supreme natural beauty. The temple is the third temple to be visited in the Panch Kedar pilgrimage circuit, comprising five Shiva temples in the Garhwal region. The other temples in the circuit include: Kedarnath and Tungnath to be visited before Rudranath and Madhyamaheshwar or Madmaheshwar and Kalpeshwar to be visited after Rudranath. The face (mukha) of god Shiva is worshipped as "Nilkanth Mahadeva" here.

Tourists need to trek for fifteen kilometers in order to reach Rudranath from Gopeshwar. The Mandir Committee has a guesthouse where devotees can spend the night if they wish to. A motorable road is present up to the village Sagar — 5 km (3 mi) from Gopeshwar, beyond which a 20 km (12 mi) trek has to be undergone to reach Rudranath. The trek winds through tall grass, oak and rhododendron forests. The trek path is stated to be slippery. Other routes include: an uphill, 17 km (11 mi) trek from Gangolgaon — 3 km (2 mi) from Gopeshwar — through the forest and Panar and Naila shepherd settlements. Another trek route from Gopeshwar to Rudranath passes via Mandal (13 km/8 mi) and then additional 6 km (4 mi) to the Anusuya Devi temple and then another 3 km (2 mi) to Rudranath. The Anusuya Devi temple is home to goddess Anusuya, who is believed to help devotees in distress.

There is a natural ledge overhanging the face of Shiva from where droplets of water fall perennially. The temple is very damp and cold with small puddles here and there. There are a few pieces of flat wood on which the pujari or temple priest and his assistant stand during the performance of the elaborate rituals. The large half open eyes of the deity are kept covered with larger golden coverings. The enormous upturned, golden moustaches transform this face into a terrifying angry face. Every evening, in elaborate worship, the mask is removed from the face of Shiva to give a brief glimpse of a rarely-sighted aspect of Shiva. This is the only temple of Shiva where his face is his symbol.

There are numerous sacred water tanks ("Kund") near the temple. These include Surya-kund, Chandra-kund, Tara-kund, Mana-Kund etc. Nanda Devi, Trishul and Nanda Ghunti are the famous mountain peaks, which provide the backdrop to the temple. The Vaitharini stream or Baitarani or Rudraganga flows near the temple, which has a grey stone idol of Rudranath. The river is identified with the "river of salvation", where souls of the dead cross to reach the other world. Thus, devotees visit Rudranath to perform rituals of the dead, such as performing a pind offering. Some believe that offering a pind to ancestors here equals offering a hundred million at the holy city of Gaya.

Festivals :

The temple celebrates an annual fair on the full moon day in the Hindu month of Sravan (July–August). The fair is attended mainly by locals. The priests at the Rudranath temple are Bhatts and tiwaris of Gopeshwar village. At Nandikund (2,439 m/8,002 ft), on the trekking route to Rudranath, devotees worship old historic swords protruding from the rocks, believed to be of Pandavas.




Website : http://littlerandomwalks.blogspot.com/

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

CHENNIMALAI

Name : This hill is also called Sigaragiri, Pushpagiri and Siragiri.

Location : This temple is located in the city of Chennimalai of Perundurai, Erode District. Chennimalai is 26 kilometres from Erode and 13 kilometres from Perunthurai. The nearest railway station is Ingoor and can be reached by road from Perundurai also. The Devasthanam has provided special buses to reach the hilltop.

Hill : This temple is situated at about 600 meters above sea level and this hill is noted for its natural flora and fauna. This hill also has rare medicinal herbs in its lush green forests.

Deity : The moolavar here is popularly known as Siragiri Dandayudhapani. This deity as per Sthala Puranam gave Dharsan to Saravana Munivar as single faced Murugan after appearing as the six faced Arumugam in the first instance. The utsava murti is Muttukumara Subramaniyar with his two consorts Valli and Teyvannai. Murugan is highly praised and sung with reference to this abode in Kundruthoradal. Chennimalai is one of them and abounds in natural beauty and splendor.

Special Features : The most famous temple of Lord Muruga in Coimbatore District is Chennimalai. This world famous temple of Lord Muruga is where Lord Arunagirinathar was blessed with "Padikasu", wealth of coins. This is where an unusual phenomenon, rather a miracle took place in the year 1984 on 12th February. A bullock cart with two bulls climbed the 1320 steps on their own on this eventful day. Saravana Munivar wrote the most popular Chennimalai Sthalapuranam before 700 years. Milk and curds are used as special offerings to Lord Muruga in Chennimalai and it is the general belief that curds do not become sour here.

Temple : The temple of Chennimalai is situated on the banks of Noyal also called Kanchima Nadhi. The Sanctum Sanctorum faces the east. Just in front of the temple we find the Puliyadi Vinayagar. Inside the temple to the right of Moolavar we find the Srines of Markandeswarar and to the left Umayavalli. On the left side we find the Srines of Kasi Viswanathar and Visalakshi.

If we take the steps found just behind the Moolavar Sannidhi, we reach the Valli Teyvannai Temple. The two consorts enshrined in a separate temple are a very unique phenomenon. On the top of the hill we find the Pinnakau Siddhar cave with the front yard filled with Vel of different sizes and shapes. This Siddhar is one of the popular 18 Siddhar known to the world for their Siddha yoga. Near this cave we find the Saravana Mamunivar's Tomb. There is also another very ancient cave near this temple.

Speciality of this temple : The main deity Murugan is equated to the Sevvai graham or planet Mars and all the rest of the eight planets encircle the Lord in perfect harmony. If one circumambulates the main deity he is believed to get the benefit of circumambulating the navagrahas and worshipping them.

Kanda Shasti Kavacham offering : Another most important feature here is that the popular daily prayer of Murugan Devotees, Kanda Shasti Kavacham was first offered to the world in this temple by Balan Devaraya Swamigal. From that day onwards till today many devotees keep chanting this prayer every day.

Sirasuppu Utharavu Kettal : Asking for the Lord's permission before taking up any task like building a new house or getting their children married or any other issue is customary in this temple. Devotees offer an Archnai and perform Sirasappu offering. If the reply is positive they whole-heartedly perform that action or event. Traditionally if the answer is negative the Devotees do not venture further.

The holy water for Abishekam is being brought everyday by the temple bulls, which are being maintained by the Devasthanam. This procedure is also a very unique one not found in other temples.

Sthala Theertham :
1. Mamanga Theertham - This spring is on the southwestern slope of Chennimalai just opposite the Vinayagar Srine.
2. Kandu Kanach Sunai - This spring can be seen only by yogis and saints (reference Verse 27 Siragiri Manmiyam)
3. Subramanya Theertham - This is found on the northern side of foothill. This is also called Saravanapoigai, Kumara Theertham. Saravana Munivar established this city on banks of this spring (Alayam Kanda Manmiyam verse 11).

Sthala Vriksham : Tamarind tree and is found in front of the temple where there is a Shrine for Puliamarathadi Vinayagar.

Website : http://murugan.org/temples/chennimalai.htm