Spiritual India Handbook

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SPIRITUAL INDIA HANDBOOK A GUIDE TO TEMPLES, HOLY SITES FESTIVALS AND TRADITIONS S T E P H E N K N A P P JAICO PUBLISHING HOUSE Ahmedabad Bangalore Bhopal Chennai Delhi Hyderabad Kolkata Mumbai Published by Jaico Publishing House A-2 Jash Chambers, 7-A Sir Phirozshah Mehta Road Fort, Mumbai - 400 001 [email protected] www.jaicobooks.com © Stephen Knapp Published in arrangement with Stephen Knapp 180 Lenox Street Detroit, Michigan 48215, USA SPIRITUAL INDIA HANDBOOK ISBN 978-81-8495-024-3 First Jaico Impression: 2009 No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Printed by Contents Introduction . 1 PURPOSE AND BENEFITS OF PILGRIMAGE . 5 TAKING THE TRAINS . 9 BE CAUTIOUS . 10 AVOIDING SCAMS . 11 BEING PREPARED . 14 DEALING WITH RICKSHA OR TAXI DRIVERS . 14 CURRENCY EXCHANGE . 15 FOOD PRECAUTIONS . 17 HEAT STROKE OR HEAT EXHAUSTION . 17 EXPECT PERSONAL CHANGES IN YOURSELF . 18 WHAT IF TEMPLES DO NOT LET US IN? . 18 Chapter 1 The Major Holy Places in East and Central India and Nepal . 21 NEW DELHI. 22 MATHURA . 29 GOKULA. 31 VRINDAVANA . 33 GREATER VRAJAMANDALA . 40 AGRA. 45 FATEHPUR SIKRI . 50 GWALIOR. 52 JHANSI TO ORCHHA. 53 - vii - viii SEEING SPIRITUAL INDIA KHAJURAHO (or KHAJURAO) . 54 CHITRAKUT. 59 ALLAHABAD (PRAYAGA) . 61 THE TRADITION OF THE KUMBHA MELA. 63 VARANASI. 64 SARNATH . 73 AYODHYA . 74 NAIMISARANYA (TIRUNAIMISARANYAM). 76 GORAKHPUR/KUSHINAGAR . 80 GOING TO NEPAL AT SAUNALI FOR LUMBINI . 81 GOING TO NEPAL THROUGH RAXAUL TO BIRGANJ . 82 LUMBINI . 83 POKHARA . 84 MUKTINATH . 85 GOING TO KATHMANDU . 86 KATHMANDU . 87 JANAKPUR . 94 WHERE TO GO NEXT?. 95 PATNA . 95 VAISHALI . 96 NALANDA . 96 RAJGIR. 97 PAWAPURI . 97 GAYA . 97 BODHGAYA . 99 BARABAR HILL. 100 DEOGHAR . 100 VISHNUPUR . 101 KOLKATA . 102 MAYAPUR . 104 EKACHAKRA . 116 RAMAKELI . 119 GANGA SAGAR. 120 Stephen Knapp ix REMUNA . 121 JAGANNATHA PURI. 124 BHUBANESWAR . 134 SRI KAKULAM to KURMAKSETRA . 136 VISAKHAPATNAM . 137 NAGPUR & RAMA GIRI . 139 VIJAYAWADA. 139 MANGALAGIRI . 141 AGIRIPALLI . 144 HYDERABAD & YADAGIRIGUTTA . 144 BASARA. 145 WARANGAL . 146 PALAMPET . 147 VEMULAWADA . 147 SRISAILAM . 149 ALAMPUR. 150 NANDYAL. ..

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The Ashtavinayaka Temples, the Yatra Vidhi and More
Newsletter Archives www.dollsofindia.com Ashtavinayaka - the Eight Holy Abodes of Ganesha Copyright © 2018, DollsofIndia Sri Ganesha, also known as Vinayaka, is one of the most popular deities of the Hindu pantheon. Highly revered as the Harbinger of Success and the Remover of Obstacles, this Elephant- Headed son of Shiva and Parvati is venerated not only by Hindus, but also by people from all religions and all walks of life; from all over the world. One can find innumerable Ganesha temples all over the globe. In fact, all Hindu temples; irrespective of who the main deity is; necessarily have at least one shrine dedicated to Vighnavinayaka. Devotees first visit this shrine, pray to Ganesha to absolve them of their sins and only then proceed to the main sanctum. So exalted is the position of this God in Hindu culture. Shola Pith Ganapati Sculpture There are eight forms of Vinayaka, collectively referred to as Ashtavinayaka ('Ashta' in Sanskrit means 'eight'). The Ashtavinayaka Yatra implies a pilgrimage to the eight Vinayaka temples, which can be found in the Indian State of Maharashtra, situated in and around the city of Pune. The Yatra follows a particular route, in a pre-ascertained sequence. Each of these ancient Ashtavinayaka temples features a distinct murti (idol) of Ganesha and has a different legend behind its existence. Not only that; the appearance of each murti; even the angle of his trunk; are all distinct from one another. In this post, we bring you all the details on the Ashtavinayaka temples, the Yatra vidhi and more. Resin Ashtavinayak with Shloka on Wood - Wall Hanging The Ashtavinayaka Temples The eight temples of Ashtavinayaka, in their order, are as follows: 1.
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1. Introduction: Siting and Experiencing Divinity in Bengal
chapter 1 Introduction : Siting and Experiencing Divinity in Bengal-Vaishnavism background The anthropology of Hinduism has amply established that Hindus have a strong involvement with sacred geography. The Hindu sacred topography is dotted with innumerable pilgrimage places, and popu- lar Hinduism is abundant with spatial imaginings. Thus, Shiva and his partner, the mother goddess, live in the Himalayas; goddesses descend to earth as beautiful rivers; the goddess Kali’s body parts are imagined to have fallen in various sites of Hindu geography, sanctifying them as sacred centers; and yogis meditate in forests. Bengal similarly has a thriving culture of exalting sacred centers and pilgrimage places, one of the most important being the Navadvip-Mayapur sacred complex, Bengal’s greatest site of guru-centered Vaishnavite pilgrimage and devo- tional life. While one would ordinarily associate Hindu pilgrimage cen- ters with a single place, for instance, Ayodhya, Vrindavan, or Banaras, and while the anthropology of South Asian pilgrimage has largely been single-place-centered, Navadvip and Mayapur, situated on opposite banks of the river Ganga in the Nadia District of West Bengal, are both famous as the birthplace(s) of the medieval saint, Chaitanya (1486– 1533), who popularized Vaishnavism on the greatest scale in eastern India, and are thus of massive simultaneous importance to pilgrims in contemporary Bengal. For devotees, the medieval town of Navadvip represents a Vaishnava place of antique pilgrimage crammed with cen- turies-old temples and ashrams, and Mayapur, a small village rapidly 1 2 | Chapter 1 developed since the nineteenth century, contrarily represents the glossy headquarters site of ISKCON (the International Society for Krishna Consciousness), India’s most famous globalized, high-profile, modern- ized guru movement.
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In the Name of Krishna: the Cultural Landscape of a North Indian Pilgrimage Town
In the Name of Krishna: The Cultural Landscape of a North Indian Pilgrimage Town A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Sugata Ray IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Frederick M. Asher, Advisor April 2012 © Sugata Ray 2012 Acknowledgements They say writing a dissertation is a lonely and arduous task. But, I am fortunate to have found friends, colleagues, and mentors who have inspired me to make this laborious task far from arduous. It was Frederick M. Asher, my advisor, who inspired me to turn to places where art historians do not usually venture. The temple city of Khajuraho is not just the exquisite 11th-century temples at the site. Rather, the 11th-century temples are part of a larger visuality that extends to contemporary civic monuments in the city center, Rick suggested in the first class that I took with him. I learnt to move across time and space. To understand modern Vrindavan, one would have to look at its Mughal past; to understand temple architecture, one would have to look for rebellions in the colonial archive. Catherine B. Asher gave me the gift of the Mughal world – a world that I only barely knew before I met her. Today, I speak of the Islamicate world of colonial Vrindavan. Cathy walked me through Mughal mosques, tombs, and gardens on many cold wintry days in Minneapolis and on a hot summer day in Sasaram, Bihar. The Islamicate Krishna in my dissertation thus came into being.
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Guide to 275 SIVA STHALAMS Glorified by Thevaram Hymns (Pathigams) of Nayanmars
Guide to 275 SIVA STHALAMS Glorified by Thevaram Hymns (Pathigams) of Nayanmars -****- by Tamarapu Sampath Kumaran About the Author: Mr T Sampath Kumaran is a freelance writer. He regularly contributes articles on Management, Business, Ancient Temples and Temple Architecture to many leading Dailies and Magazines. His articles for the young is very popular in “The Young World section” of THE HINDU. He was associated in the production of two Documentary films on Nava Tirupathi Temples, and Tirukkurungudi Temple in Tamilnadu. His book on “The Path of Ramanuja”, and “The Guide to 108 Divya Desams” in book form on the CD, has been well received in the religious circle. Preface: Tirth Yatras or pilgrimages have been an integral part of Hinduism. Pilgrimages are considered quite important by the ritualistic followers of Sanathana dharma. There are a few centers of sacredness, which are held at high esteem by the ardent devotees who dream to travel and worship God in these holy places. All these holy sites have some mythological significance attached to them. When people go to a temple, they say they go for Darsan – of the image of the presiding deity. The pinnacle act of Hindu worship is to stand in the presence of the deity and to look upon the image so as to see and be seen by the deity and to gain the blessings. There are thousands of Siva sthalams- pilgrimage sites - renowned for their divine images. And it is for the Darsan of these divine images as well the pilgrimage places themselves - which are believed to be the natural places where Gods have dwelled - the pilgrimage is made.
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Ashta Vinayaka
ASHTA VINAYAKA Ashtavinayaka means "eight forms of Lord Ganesha". Ganesha is the deity of unity, prosperity, learning and remover of obstacles. The Ashtavinayaka yatra or pilgrimage covers the eight ancient holy temples of Ganesha which are situated around Pune, Maharashtra. Each of these temples has its own individual legend and history, as distinct from each other as the murtis in each temple. The form of each murti of Ganesha and His trunk are distinct from one another. Ashtavinayak Temples 1 Moreshwar Temple Morgaon, Pune district 2 Siddhivinayak Temple Siddhatek, Ahmednagar district 3 Ballaleshwar Temple Pali, Raigad district 4 Varadavinayak Temple Madh, near Khopoli, Raigad district 5 Chintamani Temple Theur, Pune district 6 Girijatmaj Temple Lenyadri, Pune district 7 Vighnahar Temple Ozar, Pune district 8 Mahaganapati Temple Ranjangaon, Pune district � Proud to be a Hindu� ASHTAVINAYAKA -1 of 8 - Moreshwar Shri Moreshwar or Mayureshwar Temple is situated along the Karha River in the Morgaon village in the Baramati Taluka of Pune district in Maharashtra. This region is also known as the Bhuswananda. Moregaon Village is said to have received its name as once upon a time the shape of this place was like a peacock and there was an abundance of peacock birds in this region. Literally Moregoan means ‘Village of Peacocks’ and is a combination of two words (more which means Peacock and goan means village). As per the legend Lord Ganesha riding a peacock in the form of Mayureshwara slew the demon Sindhu in response to pleas from the Gods. This is the first Temple to be visited during the Ashtavinayaka Temple Pilgrimage.
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Mayapur Katha’
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Property for Sale in Tirupati
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July (2021), Impact Factor: 7.188 Online Available at Email: [email protected]
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Why I Became a Hindu
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Ashtavinayak Temples in Maharashtra
Scan this QR Code to read the article Echoes on your unlimited Smartphone or Tab Tuck your soul away, in this nature’s velvet coat, indulge in the blissful sanctity of peace. Mahabaleshwar Or simply pamper your eye sight to the charming landscapes. With reasons unlimited, it’s only fair to say one trip is just not enough. Ashtavinayak Ashutosh Bapat The author is an avid trekker and history enthusiast Temples in and can be reached at [email protected] Maharashtra AMBOLI MATHERAN n LONAVALA Morgaon Siddhatek n Pali n Mahad n Theur n CHIKHALDARA Lenyadri n Ozar n Ranjangaon n at www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | Toll Free No: 1800 - 229930 www.maharashtratourism.gov.in Volume 4 | Issue 3 - 2015 | MAHARASHTRA UNLIMITED 35 21cm x 29.7cm Mountains Morgaon Siddhatek Photo Courtesy One of the most popular and revered gods in the Hindu pan- Photo Courtesy One of the ‘ashtavinayaka’ (Eight Ganeshas) temples in Maharashtra, the Siddhi Chinchwad Devasthan Trust, Chinchwad theon is undoubtedly Lord Ganesha. And while there are tem- Chinchwad Devasthan Trust, Chinchwad Vinayak Mandir of Siddhatek is the only one in the Ahmednagar district. Located ples dedicated to him in almost every city and village of Ma- on the northern bank of the river Bhima in the Karjat taluka, it is close to the rail- How to Reach harashtra, and even other states, the Ashtavinayakas (Eight How to Reach way station of Daund and is accessible from the small village of Shirapur in Pune Distance from Mumbai: 240 km Ganeshas) hold special importance for the devout.
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Seeking a Hindu Perspective on Dispute Resolution from the Holy Scriptures of the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita
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