The Great Tower Temples of Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India

The Great Tower Temples of Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India are dedicated to “Shringa Rishi” who is the chief deity of Banjar valley, Kullu District, Himchal Pradesh. The temple of Shringa Rishi is situated at village Bagi.This tower temple of Chaini is the tallest standing structure of its kind in the entire Western Himalayas.This tower survived the devastating 1905 Kangra earthquake. It is believed that this temple was built around the 17th Century by a local King Dhadhu and that’s why this temple is locally known as Dhadhiya Kothi as well. The tower temple stands on a plinth, which is almost 15 meters deep, and is made of locally available stone and deodar wood.

The vashisht temple

This village lies at a distance of 6 km from Manali, on the banks of the Ravi River. The natural Hot springs found in this village are believed to have medicinal properties capable of curing any skin ailment. According to the Hindu mythology, the hot sulphur springs in Vashisht were formed by the younger brother of the deity Rama, Lakshman.Pilgrimage sites dedicated to Kala Guru and the 7th incarnation of Hindu deity Vishnu, Rama, are also located in the Vashisht Village.

The Champavati Temple

The Champavati Temple, located in the heart of the city of Chamba, is a pilgrim destination for many Hindus. It is named after Champavati, the daughter of King Sahil Varman, the founder of the temple. The temple holds great historical and religious relevance for many Hindus. Champavati Temple enshrines an idol of Goddess Mahisasuramardini, the avatar of Goddess Durga. According to the legend, the daughter of King Sahil Varman Champavati was a religious person and used to visit temples and sadhu’s ashrams regularly.

The Renukaji temple

The Renuka Lake or Temple (672 m) is regarded as the embodiment of Renukaji, the wife of the sage Jamadagini and the mother of Parshurama – one of the ten `Avatars` of Lord Vishnu. Shaped like the profile of a woman, the lake has the circumference of 2.5 km and is the largest in Himachal.

Soul Practice – The Yoga or Yogi Life’s

In the Classical Sanskrit of the Puranas, the word yogi  originally referred specifically to a male practitioner of yoga. In the same literature yoginī is the term used for female practitioners as well as for divine goddesses and enlightened mothers, all revered as aspects of the Divine Mother Devi without whom there would be no yogis. The two terms are still used with those meanings today, but the word yogi is also used generically to refer to both male and female practitioners of yoga and related meditative practices in Buddhism, Jainism.

Om chanting Aum

Om is the main sound, from which all other sounds are produced, even the sound of mother. There is a lot of significance of chanting Om, which you will get to realize within a few days of chanting. It will have a major impact on your day to day life. When you start reciting Om, you will feel its power. Well, in this article, we will provide you with information on the power of Aum, so read on.When you take a deep breath and chant Om, it causes a very calmful effect, which will totally relax your mind and body. It is the first stage of meditation, which aims at drawing your attention away from all other tensions that have occupied your mind. The sound of Om is very pleasant to hear. When accompanied by slow deep breathing, it gives a very gentle massage to your chest, spine, tummy and head. Om chanting improves the functioning of all organs of the body and thus, helps in curing various diseases. It helps to improve your concentration power, thereby enabling you to grasp more information. Om chanting is like an orientation to the spiritual practices. When your mind is away from all the worldly thoughts, it is the stage when you get truly connected to the almighty God. It infuses vitality in the body and one tends to feel stronger.

Lohri – The Harvest Festival of North India

Lohri is an extremely popular Punjabi agricultural winter festival celebrated throughout Punjab and in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Jammu.The harvest festival of Punjab and Haryana is also referred as the bonfire festival. Huge bonfires are lit to thanks the God for abundant crops.It is celebrated on 13th of January during the month of Paush or Magh, a day before Makar Sankranti. This festival marks the departure of the winter season and onset of spring.

The Shiva Linga

The legend of Shiva Linga or Lingodbhavamurthy is deeply related to Mahashivaratri. The legend narrates the story of vain search by Brahma and Vishnu to discover the Aadi (beginning) and the Antha (end) of Lord Shiva. The legend thus proves the supremacy of Lord Mahadeva over other Hindu Gods and explains why the lingam is believed to be one of the most potent emblems in Hindu ideals. The story is stated in the three of the puranas – the Kurma Purana, the Vayu Purana and Shiva Purana

According to Puranas, once the other two of the triads of Hindu Gods, Brahma and Vishnu were fighting over each other’s prowess. Horrified at the intensity of the battle, the other gods asked Shiva to intervene. To make them realize the futility of their fight, Lord Shiva assumed the form of a flaming Linga in between Brahma and Vishnu and challenged both of them by asking them to measure the gigantic Linga (phallic symbol of Lord Shiva). Awestruck by its magnitude, Brahma and Vishnu decided to find one end each to establish supremacy over the other. Lord Brahma took the form of a swan and went upwards while Lord Vishnu assumed the form of Varaha – a boar and went into the earth towards nether land. Both searched for thousands of miles but neither could find the end.

Statue of God – The sadhu

     

India is the Land of Gods, and we see and serve to god in the form of sadhu….

The Sadhu usually wears on his forehead the three lines of the god’s trident drawn in ash or sandalwood paste which may be vertical or horizontal. Endless variations of these sectarian marks, depending on the sect, are possible. They may decorate their bodies with various lines and markings, cover the entire torso with ashes, carry a metal trident and wear rosaries. The hair and the beard are uncut and matted.The Sadhu is credited with much of the development of Indian culture, art, architecture, music, poetry and literature, influencing and forming the very world he has abandoned with his endless travels from one sacred site to another, singing songs and reciting poetry and carrying icons, paintings and other sanctified objects.

lord of the cremation – Shiva

                          
Shiva, the third god of the Hindu triadition, has three eyes, the third one (between the eyebrows) being usually closed, except at the time of destruction of things. He wears long hair, supports the holy Ganga river on his head and the crescent moon on his matted hair. He has two to four arms, holds a trident in his hand, is naked except for a tiger-skin, besmears himself with ash and is decorated with snakes on his head, neck and arms. He is very fair-coloured but has a blue throat due to his having drunk poison during the time of the churning of the ocean by the gods. In his other hands he holds an axe, an antelope, and an hour-glass shaped drum called a ‘damru’. He wears a garland of skulls and is also known as the lord of the cremation grounds. His consort is Parvati and he is the father of Ganesha and Skanda (Kartikeya). His vehicle is the bull called Nandi.

The Mahamrityunjaya – Victory from death

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Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is one among the finest Mantra’s in Indian Mythology and Spirituality belongs to Lord Shiva.It is a combination of three hindi language words i.e. “Maha” which means Great , “Mrityun” means Death and “Jaya” means Victory which turns into Conquer or victory over death. It is also known as “Rudra Mantra” or “Trayambakam Mantra”. Rudra refers to Lord Shiva.

Om Trayambakam Yajamahe, Sugandhim Pushti Vardhanam,

Urvarukmiv Bandhanat, Mrityurmokshaya Mamratat.

त्रयम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् ।

उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान् म्रुत्योर्मुक्षिय मामृतात् ॥

The Shani Dev – one of the nine Navagraha or planets

ShaniDev is one of the (Planet)”Navagraha ”which are the nine primary celestial beings in Hindu astrology, or Mtyhs. The word Shani (Saturday) also denotes the Seventh day or Saturday in most Indian languages.Shanaye Kramati – the one who moves slowly, as Saturn takes about 30 years to rotate around the Sun. Shani is also known as Shanaiscarya, Shani Bhagavan, Shaneesvara, Saneesvara, Shaneesvaran, Shani Deva.

Shani is a Lord and son of Surya (the Sun God) and his wife Chhaya (goddess of Shadow) and hence also known as Chayyaputra. He is the cousin of Yama, the Hindu God of death. It is said that when he opened his eyes as a baby for the very first time, the sun went into an eclipse, which clearly denotes the impact of Shani on astrological charts. He is known as the greatest teacher. He is known in Hindu scriptures as the greatest trouble maker as well as the greatest well wisher. He is depicted dark in colour, wearing cloths in black, holding a sword, arrows and two daggers and variously mounted on a black vulture or a raven.

The Sura Dev – The maker of day

       
Surya (Sun God) is the chief solar deity in Hinduism.In Hindu religious literature, Surya is notably mentioned as the visible form of God that one can see every day.Surya is the son of Sage Kashyapa and Aditi.He has two wives Samnja and Chaya.Surya is, the ruler of the worlds, who is crowned with rays, who appears at the horizon, who is greeted by gods and demons, and brings light.He constitutes created beings, He is the life-breath, the source of the seasons, the store-house of light, an offspring of Aditi, the progenitor, the Sun-God, the courser in the heavens, the nourished, the possessor of rays, the golden, the brilliant, the One whose energy constitutes the seed of the universe and the maker of day.

The Shiva MahaPuran

            

The Shiva Purana has twenty-four thousand shlokas.  There are total 18 Paranas. and number of Uppuranas. Shiva Mahapuran is one of them. Each Purana represents one God and describes him as the supreme most and glorifies him. The Purana consists of other relevant anecdotes and stories, also which make it more interesting . At the same time, it makes us available . Some historical facts, also . By studying these Puranas., we can learn how to find some solace while experiencing struggle and hardships in life. Puranas. have kept our cultural values alive. They have nurture our spiritual progress, also.

Goddess Parvati

                  

Goddess Parvati is regarded as the power and divine consort of Lord Shiva – the Destroyer. Like her consort Shiva, Goddess Parvati is said to have both mild and terrible aspects.The appearance of Goddess Parvati will vary depending on whether she is depicted alone or with Lord Shiva. When she is depicted along with Lord Shiva she has two hands with a blue lotus in her right hand and the left hand by her side.Kali is the first representation of Goddess Parvati and she was known as the destroyer. She is also known as the Goddess of time.

Krodh Shanti Mantra or Wrath spells peace

       

ॐ शान्ते प्रशंते सर्वे क्रोधोपश्मानी स्वाहा ||

Om Namaha Shaante Prashaante Om Hreem Hraam Sarvakrodh Prashamani Swaahaaa.

The mantra is very beneficial to calm anger.

Ringing the Bells -express thanks to the deities

                              

All the Hindu temples have bell at the entrance of the temple or inside the temple and usually you need to ring it before you enter temple and while doing pooja to God.Bells are important symbols in Hindu worship. Each temple, or mandir, generally hangs at least one metal bell at its entrance for devotees to announce their presence to the Hindu deities. Priests or devotees ring more bells within the temple during worship in order to invoke the gods. 

The Bhimakali Temple

The Bhimakali Temple in Sarahan is a very popular tourist attraction in Shimla, India. Also known as Bheemakali Temple of Shimla, this architectural wonder is one of the representatives of 51 Shakti Peeths. The unique thing about this temple is that the style of architecture used to build it is a unique amalgamation of both Hinduism and Buddhism. It is built of wood and is no less than an architectural masterpiece. Located near the temple are the palaces of the royal families of Shimla.

The temple has an interesting story behind it. It is said that long ago, there were many demons in the Himalayas who were proving to be a major distraction when the priests and saints used to meditate. They all prayed to the Gods above to send a powerful force to wipe the demons off. Hearing their pleas, the Gods decided to concentrate their powers on one point. A huge explosion took place and one could see a small girl child on that spot. This girl child grew up to be the force who destroyed all demons and was supposed to take repeated births to destroy any evil force on the face of the earth. The temple is dedicated to this great female power who was called Bhimakali.The temple also has interesting tit-bits that are truly intriguing. In the year 1905, a powerful earthquake struck this place and the temple tilted to one side. However, it reclined back to its original shape after another tremor jolted the place! People say that there is a secret tunnel inside the temple that was used to reach a nearby village by the priests. In the year 1927, another temple was built right next to the existing temple, which houses a 200-year-old idol of Goddess Bhimakali.