The Shiva Tandava -as the destroyer of the universe.

     
Lord Shiva is also known as Nataraj, the Dancing God. This divine art form is performed by Lord Shiva and his divine consort Goddess Parvati. The dance performed by Lord Shiva is known as Tandava. Shiva’s Tandava is a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. Tandava depicts his violent nature as the destroyer of the universe.

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.

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.