Ujjaini.

Ujjaini Mahakaleswar Temple

Mahakala of Ujjain is known among the twelve celebrated Jyotirlingas in India. The glory of Mahakaleshwar temple has been vividly described in various puranas. Starting with Kalidasa, many sanskrit poets have eulogised this temple in emotive terms.

The tradition of Mahakala in minds of the people is eternal Ujjain used to be centre point of the calculation of the Indian time and Mahaklala was considered as the distinctive presiding deity of UjjainThe presiding deity of time, Shiva, in all his splendor, reigns eternal in Ujjain.

Mahakaleswar

The temple of Mahakaleshwar, its shikhara soaring into the skies, an imposing façade against the skyline, evokes primordial awe and reverence with its majesty. The Mahakal dominates the life of the city and its people, even in the midst of the busy routine of modern preoccupations, and provides an unbreakable link with past traditions.

One of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India, the lingam at the Mahakal is believed to be swayambhu (born of itself), deriving currents of power (Shakti) from within itself as against the other images and lingams which are ritually established and invested with mantra-shakti.

Mahakali
The idol of Mahakaleshwar is known to be dakshinamurti, facing the South. This is a unique feature, upheld by tantric tradition to be found only in Mahakaleshwar among the 12 jyotirlingas.The idol of Omkareshwar Shiva is consecrated in the sanctum above the Mahakal shrine.

Mahakali Temple

The images of Ganesh, Parvati and Karttikeya are installed in the west, north and east of the sanctum sanctorum. To the south is the image of Nandi. The idol of Nagchandreshwar on the third storey is open for darshan only on the day of Nagpanchami.

On the day of Mahashivaratri, a huge fair is held near the temple, and worship goes on through the nightMahakaleshwar temple at Ujjain is located near a holy lake named Rudra Sagar; it is three storied temple. The main sanctum deity is at the ground floor. The temple itself is located in a spacious courtyard surrounded by massive walls.
The shikhara is adorned with sculptural finery. Brass lamps light the way to the underground sanctum. It is believed that prasada offered here to the deity can be re-offered unlike all other shrines.

Kurukshetra.

The name Kurukshetra is associated in the Puranas and the Great Epic with the legendary king Kuru although it appears to be more logical to trace it to the tribe of Kurus which was born as a result of merger of the various classes of the Great Bharatas who are described in the Rigveda as kindling sacrificial fires on the banks of the sacred Sarasvati and Drishadvati.

The Sarasvati is described in the Rigveda as a perennial river par excellence, flowing from the Himalayas to the ocean most probably it refers to the Ghaggar. The Drishadvati was the river in whose bed the Hansi-Hisar branch of the Western Yamuna Canal now flows. The Kurus also were known to the Rigveda as the mention of a King named Kurushravana indicates.

Many geographical names and personalities connected with Kurukshetra occur in the earliest Sanskrit literature and around this region were enacted the opening scenes of the drama of Indian history. Most of the Vedic literature was composed here and most of the social, religious and political traditions of this country arose in this region.

It is therefore regarded as the cradle of Indian civilisation and culture. Kurukshetra shot into prominence as the battle field of Mahabharta and as the birth place of the holy Gita. The great 18-day battle of Mahabharta was fought here in the ancient past between Kauravas and Pandavas for upholding the cause of dharma.
It was a war between good and evil, in which the Pandavas were victorious. Bhagvad Gita, the Song Celestial, is the divine message which lord Krishna delivered to Arjuna on the eve of the Great War when he saw the latter wavering from his duty. It epitomises all that is the best and noblest in the Hindu philosophy of life.Jyotisar, near Thanesar, is supposed to mark the site where it was delivered.

Kurukshetra is mentioned a great deal in ancient literature. A flourishing country of the Kurus, it was the most sacred region of the Dvapara age according to the Matsya Purana and one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas of Jambudvipa. It was the region of lakes and lotus beds which can be seen even now. Manu indirectly praises the prowess of the people of Kurukshetra. Bana describes it as the land of the brave in the eyes of the warriors.

The place was visited by Buddha and appears to have been favoured by his masterly discourses. Kurukshetra also finds mention in Panini's Ashtadhyayi. It was also visited by nine out of the ten Sikh Gurus, Guru Angad Dev the Second Guru, being the only exception. The place where Guru Nanak stayed during his sojourn at Kurukshetra is well known as Gurdwara Sidhbati on a mound near the pumping station across the Kurukshetra Tank.

The gurdwara dedicated to Guru Hargobind, the sixth guru, stands near Sannihit tank. Another gurdwara near the Sthaneshwar tank marks the spot sanctified by the visit of the ninth Guru Tegh Bahadur. And on the main bank of the Kurukshetra tank, stands the Gurdwara Rajghat built in the memory of the visit of the tenth Guru Gobind Singh; who also visited Jyotisar.

This region saw the rise and fall of many an empire through centuries. Sons of the soil fought invaders in the battlefield of this sacred land from time to time and their exploits fill the pages of history. The period of King Harsha was a golden age.

Jambukeswaram.

There is said to have been a forest of Jambu trees near the Chandrateertha tank (filled with the water of the Kaveri) here and Shiva is said to have appeared under one of the trees as a Shiva Lingam. Legend has it that two devotees of Shiva were born under the influence of a curse as a white elephant and a spider. The elephant worshipped Shiva with flowers and water brought in its trunk (hence the name Tiru Aanaikka).

The spider worshipped the Lingam by spinning a web on top, to protect it from falling leaves. The elephants worship would destroy the spiders web, and the spiders web amounted to desecration in the eyes of the elephant leading to animosity between the two, of such proportion that a fight between them resulted in the death of both. The spider was born again in the royal Chola family (in Uraiyur - during the Sangam period). An interesting tale is associated with his birth. His parents Subhadeva and Kamalavati prayed to Nataraja of Chidambaram for a male successor.
The royal astrologer is said to have predicted an auspicious time for the birth of a successor who would be a ruler of great fame. The hour of birth approached sooner though and the royal queen bade her attendants to tie her legs and hang her upside down, with the aim of delaying the birth of the child. She achieved her objective although the royal offspring was born with reddened eyes, earning for himself the name 'Chenkannan' - the red eyed one. In his life time Ko Chenkannan is said to have been built several elevated temples - out of reach of elephants, keeping with the legend of his animosity with an elephant in his previous birth.

The stala vriksham is said to have grown out of a munivar, who offered his worship to Shiva.Akhilandeswari (Parvati) is said to have meditated upon Shiva here, and her shrine here, is considered to be of great significance. It is believed that Akhilandeswari was originally an Ugra Devata of great fury, and Adi Sankaracharyar is said to have converted the fiery energy of the deity into a manifestation of peace. Shrines to Vinayaka and Subramanya face Akhilandeswari. This temple has records of patronage from the Chola Pandya, Hoysala and the Madurai Naik kings. The temple is said to have been built by the Chola King Ko Chenkannan and it was of special significance to the Chola kings.
Ko Chenkannan is praised by tamil literature for having built more than seventy temples - and he is historically placed in the Sangam period (the very early years of the Christian era). Inscriptions from the tenth century AD testify to later Chola patronage. The Hoysalas who had a base near Samayapuram (near Tiruchi) built four temples in Northern Tiruvanaikkaval (Vallaleeswaram, Padmaleswaram, Narasimheswaram and Somaleswaram). The Pandyas and the Hoysalas contributed to the Eastern tower. Adi Sankara is said to have visited the Akhilandeswari shrine. He is said to have adorned her with ear-rings bearing the symbol of the chakram.
There is a shrine to Adi Sankara in this temple. This is a vast temple (18 acres) with lofty gopurams, 5 prakarams and ornate mandapams. The second and third prakarams date back to the 13th century. The dwajasthampa mandapam has grand sculptural work. There is an image of Ekapada Trimurthy representing the unity of Bhrama Vishnu and Shiva in this temple. The Akhilandeswari shrine is located in the fourth prakaram. The Eastern tower with seven levels has fine sculptural specimen of musical scenes, while the Western tower has nine levels. The first prakaram has been renovated in this century. Annual festivals here include the Pankuni Bhrammotsavam, Vasanta Utsavam, the float festival in Thai (Capricorn) , Aadi Pooram (Cancer) and the Pancha Prakara festival.
For more information please see the Templenet Special Feature on Tiruvanaikka. Tiruchirappalli is connected by air with Chennai and with other cities. It is a major railway junction between Chennai and Madurai, and is also connected with Erode on the Chennai - Coimbatore line. Several trains link Tiruchi with Chennai and Madurai. Tiruchirappalli has several modern lodging facilities.Other attractions here include the Rock Fort Temple (Uchhi Pillaiyaar and Taayumanavar) and the Sri Ranganathar Temple at Srirangam. The Regional Engineering College at Tiruchirappalli is one of the leading educational institutions in India. Samayapuram, near Tiruchi is home to the famous Mariyamman temple attracting thousands of worshippers.

Sravana Belagola.

The hill of Sravanabelagola, 120 kilometers west of Bangalore in the state of Karnataka, is a noted place of pilgrimage for the Jains. The large hill, also called Vindhyagiri or Per-kalbappu, is 3347 feet above sea level. A flight of 614 steps, finely chiseled into the granite of the mountain, leads to the summit, where stands an open court and the great statue of Sri Gomatheswar. Sravanabelagola means 'the monk on the top of the hill' and hermits, mystics and ascetics have resided here since at least the 3rd century BC.

Gomateswara

In those early times the hill was thickly wooded and hermits could feed themselves from the vegitation of the forest. Near the middle of the 10th century AD, temples began to be constructed upon the hill and from that time the place has become one of the most important pilgrimage sites of the Jain religion. The 58 foot, 8 inch statue of Sri Gomatheswar, carved between 978-993 AD, out of the granite bedrock of the mountain is the tallest free-standing statue in the world. Sri Gomatheswar, also known as Bahubali, was the son of the legendary first Tirthankara, Adinatha (tirthankaras are the mythical, enlightened sages of Jainism).

The chief festival of Sravanabelagola is called Maha Masthaka Abhisheka, or the 'Head Anointing Ceremony'. Prior to the festival an enormous wooden scaffolding is built around the statue of Sri Gomatheswar and more than one million pilgrims assemble around and upon the slopes of the sacred hill. During the climax of the festival, priests and devotees standing atop the scaffolding chant holy mantras and ritually pour thousands of gallons of milk, honey and precious herbs over the head of the statue.

While flowing downwards over the body of the statue these sacred offerings are believed to acquire a powerful charge of spiritual energy from the great deity. Collected at the feet of the statue and distributed to the throngs of waiting pilgrims, the magical libations are considered to assist individuals in their quest for enlightenment. The festival is performed only once every twelve to fourteen years during periods of rare astrological significance. Recent festivals occurred in February 1981 and December 1993. The next ceremony is in February of 2006.

Bahubali Gommateshwara was the second son of Rishabhanatha, the first Jain Tirthankara and his queen Sunanda. He had a step-brother named Bharata. After the renunciation of Rishabha, the two sons, Bharata and Bahubali, get two different regions of the Rishabha’s kingdom to rule over. Bharata soon began to subdue the various principalities around him, and even wanted his brother Bahubali and ninety eight others to submit to him. All except Bahubali gave up their kingdoms and became monks. Bahubali alone refused to surrender.
So Bharata challenged Bahubali on the battlefield and engaged him in duel. As Bahubali was about to overpower Bharata, he suddenly realized the absurdity of pride in physical victory and gave up the fight and became a monk and began to perform various penances as a Jain Sramana. He steadfastly observed penance in a Kayotsakga pose braving the rigors of sun, rain and storm. The beasts of the Jingle attacked him. Ants built their little mounds at his feet. Serpents crawled up his legs. Creepers sprang up and entangled his body. But undeterred he remained firm in his resolve to attain liberation.Yet, unable to attain Kevala-Jnana, as he still harboured pride, he stood erect conscious of his suffering.

His father, Rishabhanatha the Tirthamkara asked his daughters Brahmi and Sundari to go and persuade him to give up his pride. Bahubali did so and achieved enlightenment.Bharata erected a stature of his brother at Podanpura. In the course of time, this region was overgrown with forest and the image became invisible to all but the initiated. According to Jain tradition, it was Bahubali who attained salvation first during the Avasarpini, Descending half-cycle of time-era, and so being the first man to attain liberation he became an object of universal worship.

Gangotri.

Gangotri (10,020 ft.) is the ritual source of the Ganges, although the present source is the glacier at Gaumukh, ten miles upstream. This temple was built late in the 19th century by the king of Jaipur, and its primary deity, not surprisingly, is the Goddess Ganga. This picture was taken in June 1990. For more updated pictures (June 2002), see the photo section on Tourism and Himalayan Pilgrimage.

Gangotri Temple

Here's a closer shot of the temple entranceway. You can see a railing barring the public from entering, and the scaffold behind on which an image of Ganga is brought out for viewing in the morning and evening. Hindu temples primarily serve not as centers for congregational worship, but as homes for their resident deities.

In the hours between worship, Hindu temples tend to have a lot of other things going on, and here you can see pilgrims hanging out and meeting with the temple priests.This picture was taken in June 1990.This smaller temple to the side of the main temple is dedicated to Shiva, who plays an important role in the mythology of the Ganges (when she comes down from heaven, Shiva agrees to let her fall on his head, thus saving the earth from destruction by her impact).

Although small, this temple is built in the Nagara architectural style, in which the most prominent feature is a high tower over the image of the primary deity. As will later be clear, the particular style of this tower is very characteristic of the temples in the hills. Gangotri's primary deity, of course, is the Ganges itself, here as the tributary named the Bhagirathi.

Himalayan rivers run rough, fast, and cold, and are strongest in the summer and monsoons. As you can see, even though there has been some building since 1987, when the road came to Gangotri, it is still a very small town (this was true in the early 1990s, but no longer, since town's size has exploded in the past 15 years.

Pilgrimage chronicles from earlier times describe people having to cross swaying rope across raging torrents, often with loss of life, and the last gorge below Gangotri was not bridged by road until the 1987. This shows the river at running through a gorge near GangotriHere Mr. Datta, one of our companions on a tour of the mountains, has just taken a bath in the Bhagirathi River at Gangotri. Ten miles upstream this water is still a glacier, so this water is cold enough to suck the breath out of you.

Another of the rituals performed on pilgrimage is shraddha, a memorial rite for the dead. Certain sraddhas are performed right after death, but others are done on particular occasions, such as visiting a pilgrimage place. This picture was shot a Gangotri in 1990; the man with the hat on is performing this rite for his father and other ancestors, while the man in the dark coat is his hereditary pilgrimage priest.

Yamunotri.

Yamunotri is situated at an altitude of 3,235 m above the sea level in the district of Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand in northern India. It is a full day's journey from Uttarakhand's main towns — Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun. The source of the river Yamuna lies about 1 km further ahead at an altitude of about 4,421 m. It is the seat of the goddess Yamuna, and one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage.

The sacred river of Yamuna originates from Yamunotri glaciers on the western edge of the Bandarpoochh peak (6,315 m).Yamunotri can be reached by a 13 km trek from Hanuman Chatti. Maharani Gularia of Jaipur constructed the temple of Goddess Yamuna in the 19th century AD by Maharani Guleria of Jaipur.

The temple remains closed from November to May because of heavy rainfall and snow. There is quite a few thermal springs in the vicinity of the temple, which flow into several pools. The most important of these springs is the Surya Kund. Divya Shila is a rock pillar which is worshipped before entering the Yamunotri Temple.

Gangotri Temple

The current temple is of recent origin, as past iterations have been destroyed by the weather. Ritual duties such as the making and distribution of prasad (sanctified offerings) and the supervision of pujas (ritual venerations) are performed by the Uniyal family of pujaris (priests).

Unique aspects of ritual practice at the site include hot springs where raw rice is cooked and made into prasad.Mythologically Yamuna is the daughter of the Sun just like Yama who is also considered his son. It is believed that Yama would not torment any person at the time of death who bathe in Yamuna that is his sister.

Surya Kund

Near freezing Yamunotri glaciers there are steaming hot spring known as Kunds. All this present divinely control over the entire setting. Surya Kund is the most important Kund. A pinch of rice or some potatoes tied loosely in a cloth and dipped in it and after few minutes is taken out gets completely cooked which is normally taken as 'Prashad' back home by the pilgrims.

Near 'Surya Kund' there is 'Shila' called 'Dibya Shila' which is worshipped before Puja is offered to Yamuna ji. Nearby, there is Jamuna Bai Kund built about 100 years ago which is used for the holy bath. The water is pleasantly warm and relaxing. The 'Pandas' or the Pujari of Yamnotri come from the village of Kharsala which is on the other bank of Yamuna near Janki Bai Chatti.

Rishikesh.

Rishikesh is all about the river, the Himalayas, the divine mornings, the starry evenings, the faint strains of shastriya sangeet in the air, sadhus bathing in the river, foreigners in saffron ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ kurtas and the constant chime of the temple bells. It is the unique package for the mind and body.

As we drive from Haridwar to Rishikesh you will first pass by the famous Ram jhula, a bridge swaying above the Ganga waters. People enjoy the experience of it by standing in the centre of Ram jhula and look down at the river to view fishes. Ram jhula connects Shivanand Ashram on the east bank with Swargashram on the west by getting its most popular name Shivanand jhula.

You can also find Laxman jhula, which is easier to cross where Laxman, Lord Ram’s brother crossed the Ganga on the rope. It is the centre of bazaars and crowded cafes. People not wanting just a spiritual break can book the room in this area, which is the most happening part of the town. Across the jhula you will find people feeding the fish through small dough breads. On crossing the bridge, you will find two 13- storey temples Swarg Niwas and Shri Tryambakeswar.

You can also view the Bharat Mandir near Triveni ghat, south of the road from Haridwar between Laxman and Ram jhulas. Going further to 17km trek up the east bank of the Ganga you will find the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple. It is believed that Lord Shiva saved the world by holding poison churned from the sea by the gods and the demons in his throat.

And the poison remains there forever, which is why Shiva’s throat is blue. Every March there is a celebration of Mahashivratri here.Rishikesh has gained popularity, especially between foreign tourist and the NRI as a centre of learning yoga, Hindu philosophy and ayurveda. There are plenty of ashrams offering yoga courses and the lectures on Hindu philosophy.

You can go around the east bank of Laxman jhula to Swargashram to check out the various ashrams.At the northern end of Laxman jhula you can view the stalls selling the religious audio and video cassettes, kullu topis, kurtas, salwar kameez and jewellery line the narrow streets.

There are many budget hotels in Rishikesh and other famous hotels like Glasshouse on the Ganges, Hotel Ganga Kinare, Hotel Natrajand many more. Rishikesh is strickly vegetarian and we cannot carry meat or alcohol into the town. You will find many cafes overlooking the Laxman jhula serving continental and Chinese vegetarian dishes.