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

Kurunda Malai - Kulanthai VelayuthaSwamy Thirukoil

Name : Arulmigu Kulanthai VelayuthaSwamy Thirukoil

Location : It is located at Kurunthamalai, in Coimbatore District, in Tamil Nadu. It is about 24 km from Coimbatore and 4 km from Karamadai.

Description : The presiding deity here is Kuzhandai Velayudaswamy (Lord MUruga), enshrined in a west facing sanctum. There is a Vinayakar image worshipped at the base of the hill. Tirumalai Nayakar of Madurai is believed to have built this hill temple.

Arulmigu Kulanthai VelayuthaSwamy Thirukoil is one of the most beautiful temples in the region and was built around 750 years ago. The temple was named after its location on a hill covered with full of ‘Kurunda’ trees and hence the name ‘Kurunda Malai’.

Legend : Legend has it that Thiru Agasthiya Munivar got 'Mandira Upadesam’ from Lord Muruga at this temple.

Festivals : The major festivals celebrated here include Thaipusam, Panguni Uthram and Chithirai Kani. During the festive occasions thousands of devotees throng here to obtain the blessings of the Lord.

Website : http://www.india9.com/i9show/Arulmigu-Kulanthai-VelayuthaSwamy-Thirukoil-26844.htm

Lingyin Temple

Name : Lingyin Temple, Língyǐn Sì. The temple's name is commonly literally translated as Temple of the Soul's Retreat.

Location : It is located north-west of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China. It is one of the largest and wealthiest Buddhist temples in China.

Description : Lingyin Temple is a Buddhist temple of the Chan sect. The monastery is the largest of several temples in the Wulin Mountains, which also features a large number of grottos and religious rock carvings, the most famous of which is the Feilai Feng; literally "the peak that flew hither").

History

The monastery was founded in 328 AD during the Eastern Jin Dynasty by Indian monk Huili. From its inception, Lingyin was a famous monastery in the Jiangnan region. It still has the Stone Pagoda which contains Huili's Ashes.

At its peak under the Kingdom of Wuyue (907-978), the temple boasted nine multi-storey buildings, 18 pavilions, 72 halls, more than 1300 dormitory rooms, inhabited by more than 3000 monks. Many of the rich Buddhist carvings in the Feilai Feng grottos and surrounding mountains also date from this era.

The Feilai Feng grottos

Feilai Feng, or "the Peak that Flew Hither", also commonly translated as "Flying Peak", is located in front of the temple proper. The peak is so-named because it is made of limestone, giving it a craggy appearance very different from the surrounding mountains. Legend holds that the peak was originally from India (with some versions suggesting that it is Vulture Peak, but flew to Hangzhou overnight as a demonstration of the omnipotence of Buddhist law. A large number of carvings dot the surface of the peak. More are located in various caves and grottos throughout the peak. Within the main cave, dedicated to the bodhisattva Guanyin, there is a crack in the ceiling of the cave that stretches up to the surface, so that a person standing at a certain position can see a sliver of sunlight. This is known as the "one thread of heaven"

Other Attraction :

Hall of the Heavenly Kings

The formal entrance of the temple is the Hall of the Heavenly Kings. The principal statue in this hall is that of the Maitreya Buddha in his manifestation as the cloth bag monk, or the Laughing Buddha. At the back, facing up the hill, is the Skanda Buddha, or Weituo as he is known in Chinese. This statue dates from the Southern Song Dynasty. Arranged along the left and right are the Four Heavenly Kings. The ceiling is ornately painted and decorated with phoenixes and dragons.

Visitors to the temple are often impressed by the size and majesty of the entrance hall and its statues of the heavenly kings. Indeed, the hall of the Heavenly Kings at the Lingyin Temple is as large or larger than the main hall at many temples, reflecting its status as the centre of Buddhism in south-eastern China.

Grand Hall of the Great Sage

The second and principal hall is the Mahavira Hall, or the Grand Hall of the Great Sage. It is separated from the Hall of the Heavenly Kings by a large courtyard, featuring a raised lawn bordered with trees. To the left of the courtyard stands the Hall of the Five Hundred Arhats.

Hall of the Medicine Buddha

Further uphill and behind the main hall is the Hall of the Medicine Buddha, housing a statue of the Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, commonly called the Medicine Buddha.

Sutra Library

Uphill from the Hall of the Medicine Buddha is the Sutra Library (Chinese: 藏经楼; pinyin: Cángjīng Lóu). This, and the Huayan Hall behind it, were built from 2000 to 2002 to re-create the five-hall main axis. The Sutra Library does not house a major statue and is not open for worship.

Huayan Hall

The fifth and last hall on the main axis is the Avatamsaka Hall, or Huayan Hall. Built in 2002, this hall houses statues of the three sages of the Avatamsaka Sutra, known as the Huayan Sutra in Chinese - Shakyamuni, Manjusri, and Samantabhadra.

Hall of the Five Hundred Arhats

The Hall of Five Hundred Arhats, also a modern addition, faces onto the western side of the court yard in front of the main hall. The building has a complex floor plan, shaped like a Buddhist swastika. Along the arms of the swastika are arranged the five hundred arhats as slightly larger-than-life bronze statues. Each statue is seated on a unique ornate seat. At the centre, where the arms of the swastika join, stands a bronze canopy housing statues of four bodhisattvas representing the four cardinal directions. This is currently the tallest solid bronze structure in the world.

Website : http://www.lingyinsi.org/

Buddha Statue in Nha Trang

Name : Buddha in Nha Trang

Location : Nha Trang, Vietnam

Description : At the top of the hill, behind the pagoda, is a huge white Buddha seated on a lotus blossom and visible from all over the city. Around the statue's base, are fire-ringed relief busts of Thich Quang Duc and six other Buddhist monks who died in self-immolations in 1963. The platform around the 14m-high figure has great views of Nha Trang and nearby rural areas. As you approach the pagoda from the street, the 152 stone steps up the hill to the Buddha begin to the right of the structure.

You should take some time to explore off to the left, where there's an entrance to another hall of the pagoda. Genuinely desperate-seeming beggars congregate within the complex, as do a number of scam-artists. The pagoda is located about 400m west of the train station, just off Ð 23 Thang 10.

Website : http://www.vietnamtraveltour.net/nha-trang-buddha.html

Kye Monastery

Name : Kye Monastery

Location : Situated at an altitude of 13,500 feet and in a place that is known as the 'Little Tibet' is Kye Monastery. The monastery is around 12 km north of Kaza in the Spiti valley (the Middle country or the Little Tibet) above Kye village. It can be reached by covering a distance of 210 km from Manali to Kaza and from there following a track on the north that leads to the monastery.

Description : The monastery is a wonderful example of the monastic architecture that came into prominence during the 14th century because of the Chinese influence. Regular invasions have led to temples built over one another. There are low rooms and narrow corridors. Not so well lit passages, difficult staircases and small doors lead to prayer rooms which themselves do not conform to a single design.

The walls of the monastery are decorated with beautiful paintings and murals which instantly attract the attention of visitors. An image of Buddha in the position of dhyana is also there in the monastery.

Kalachakra Ceremony : Kalachakra, for Buddhist, is 1000 years or the 'Wheel of Time'. The Kye Monastery was established in 1000 AD and in the year 2000, it became exactly 1000 year old. This millennium year celebration saw the presence of His Holiness Dalai Lama. The Kalachakra ceremony is also initiated every year by the Dalai Lama. The ceremony is hugely sacred for the Buddhists and sees more than merely pujas and religious congregation. It is actually an opportunity for the Buddhists to arise their Buddha nature by various means - teaching, prayers, blessings, devotions, mantra, yoga and meditation. The ceremony that continues for few days is an excellent way to discover peace within oneself. Infact, the ceremony is considered so auspicious that even being simply present there is believed to free one from his agonies.

The concentration during the ceremony is basically on five subjects - cosmology, psycho-physiology, initiation, sadhana and Buddhahood. Showing way to the devotees are the Kalchakra Mandala and Viswatma deity in union with his consort.

Website : http://www.indialine.com/travel/himachalpradesh/lahaul-spiti/kye-monastery.html

Jwalamukhi Temple

Name : Jwalamukhi Temple

Location : It is perched on a ridge called Kali dhar in Himachal Pradesh. Jwalaji is 30 km. from Kangra, 473 Km from Delhi and 212 Km from Shimla.

Legend : Jwalamukhi is said to be the spot where the half-burnt tongue of Sati fell, hence the burning flames or 'tongues' of fire.

The temple of Jwalamukhi is not an architectural delight. Moreover, there is no idol to worship too. The building has a gilt dome and a silver plated folding doors. Inside, there is a 3 feet square pit with pathway all around. In the centre, there is a hollowed rock over a primary fissure of flame. This one is regarded as the mouth of the Mahakali. Flames emit out from several other point in the pit. They are nine in total and represent the different form of the goddess - Saraswati, Annapurna, Chandi, Hing Laj, Vindhya Vasini, Mahalakshmi, Mahakali, Ambika and Anjana. There are two lions in front of the temple.

The History of Jwalamukhi Temple : The history of the Jwalamukhi Temple states that the great Mughal emperor Akbar visited it and tried to douse of the flame of the temple. However, when unsuccessful, he willingly submitted to the power of the goddess. He presented a gold chhatri (umbrella) for the goddess which is said to have turned into copper when he turned around to have a look at it before leaving. The King of Nepal presented a magnificent bell, which adorns the front hall. Milk and water is offered to the flames, the 'puja' going on for the whole day.

Time to visit : During March-April and September-October every year, colorful fairs are held during the Navratra celebration.

Website: http://www.indialine.com/travel/himachalpradesh/kangra/jwalamukhi-temple.html