Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Badrinath pilgrimage yatra- (Chardham Temples)

Badrinath pilgrimage yatra- (Chardham Temples)

Badrinath Temple is the abode of Lord Vishnu. It is situated at the banks of Alaknanda. ...Badrinath temple is located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Badrinath is one of the four sacred shrines of the pious Char Dham Yatra along with Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri

At the backdrop is the NeelKanth mountain peak situated between twin peaks named Nar and Narayan. The name of the place is derived from wild berries called Badri.

Adi Shankarcharya established the idol of Vishnu in the temple, the idol is made of black granite. Near the temple is a hot water sulphur spring known as Tapt Kund.

Places to Visit

Badrinath Temple(Adi Shankaracharya Ji)
The Temple has been renovated several times due to damage by avalanches. The present structure is 15 mtrs high and has a gilded cupola. The rawal or chief priest of the temple is a Namboodripad Brahmin from Kerala. The temple is divided into three parts - the garbha griha or sanctum sanctorum, the darshan mandap where the rituals are conducted and the sabha mandap where devotees assemble.

Tapt Kund And Surya Kund
The famous hot springs just below the temple. The sulphurous waters have a temperature of 550C. A dip, considered holy and refreshing to the body as well as the soul, is a must before offering prayers to Shri Badrinath ji.

Neelkanth
A majestic peak of the Himalayas, towering to 6600 mtrs, presents the most dramatic sight of Badrinath.

Excursion

Mata Murti Mandir
About 3 km from Badrinath, on the right bank of the Alaknanda stands this temple, dedicated to the mother of Shri Badrinathji.

Mana Village
4 km. Inhabited by an Indo-Mongolian tribe, it is the last Indian village before Tibet on this route.

Vyas Gufa, Ganesh Gufa, Bhimpul and Vasundhara Falls
3-6 km. All these destinations are famous for their links with Hindu mythology and form part of the pilgrimage of Badrinath.

Govindghat, Ghangaria
24 km. Here the Alaknanda and Laxman ganga meet. Provides access to the famous Valley of Flowers National Park (19 km) and Hemkund Sahib (20 km).

Vasuki Tal
This is high altitude lake which can be reached by an 8 km trek that ascends to 14,200 feet.

Hemkund Sahib
45 km.

Deoprayag
70 km from Rishikesh. The confluence of Rivers Alaknanda and Bhagirathi this is an important pilgrim spot with its famous Shiv and Raghunath temples.

Shrinagar
105 km from Rishikesh. An important cultural and educational centre, this old capital of Garhwal was once completely destroyed in the Gohna Lake dam-burst. Places to visit here are the Kamleshwar and Kalpaveshwar Temples and the Shankar Math.

Rudra Prayag
137 km from Rishikesh. The confluence of the Alaknanda and Mandakini. The temples that dot this region are those of Rudranath and Chamunda Devi. A road branches from here to Kedarnath.

Karna Prayag
169 km from Rishikesh. The confluence of the Alaknanda and Pindar rivers, where there are temples dedicated to Uma and Karn.

Nand Pyarag
169 km from Rishikesh. The confluence of the Alaknanda and Pindar rivers, where there are temples dedicated to Uma and Karn.

Nand Prayag
190 km from Rishikesh, where the River Alaknanda meets the River Mandakini. An important pilgrim centre that has the temple of Gopalji.

Bhavishya Badri
It is commonly believed that in the course of centuries, the road from Joshimath to Badrinath will be blocked. This will happen because the two hills flanking Badrinath will become joined. Then will the temples at Bhavishya Badri, one of the Panch Badri's, be worshipped. The other four are Vishal Badri (Badrinath), Yoga Badri (Pandukeshwar), Adi Badri and Vridha Badri (at Animath, near Joshimath).

Adi Badri
Situated at an altitude of 3,200 feet, Adi Badri has ancient temples. It is 17 km from Karnaprayag on the Karnaprag-Ganai-Ranikhet route. Accommodation is available at a PWD Inspection Bungalow.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Pilgrimage Spiritual Tour to Chardham Temple,

Char Dham (Devanagari: (literally: 'the four abodes/seats') are the four abodes of God in the four directions of India - Puri in the east, Rameshwaram in the south, Dwarka in the west, and Badrinath in the north. These are the most revered sites for Hindus that have to be visited in one's lifetime. They were collated by the 8th century reformer and philosopher Adi Shankaracharya, into the archetypal all-India pilgrimage circuit to the four cardinal points of the Indian subcontinent in a bid to unify people across the region [1].

Over the years, this has also lend itself to Char Dham pilgrimages in the Garhwal Himalayas, also known as Chota Char Dham or 'Little' Char Dham to differentiate them from the original Char Dham sites, though after mid-20th century they were started being called the Char Dham themselves

Chardham temple, Uttarakhand, the scriptures of HINDU RELIGION are to be believed, the holy centres of Gangotri, Yamunotri,Badrinath and Kedarnath - collectively called the Chardham (meaning four sacred spots) - are the mostsacred of all pilgrimages.

.It is also said that heaven and earth converge inthese holy spots, and to be born or die here is a boononly the very fortunate have. The Chardham must be visited from left to right -beginning with Yamunotri, going on to Gangotri, Kedarnath and culminating the journey at Badrinath.This route follows the Hindu tradition of parikrama orclockwise circumambulation

Badrinath Temple,Uttaranchal
Kedarnath Temple,Uttranchal
Gangotri Temple, Uttranchal
Yamunotri Temple,Uttranchal

അഷ്ടവിനായക്

Ashtavinayaka Temple

Everybody should visit the Ashtavinayak in at least once in a life time.

Ashtavinayaka literally means "eight Ganeshas" Ganesha is the Hindu deity of prosperity and learning. The term refers to a pilgrimage to the eight Hindu temples in Maharashtra state of India that house eight distinct idols of Ganesha, in a pre-ascertained sequence.

The Ashtavinayaka yatra or pilgrimage covers the eight ancient holy temples of Ganesha which are situated around Pune. 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.


1 The eight temples

Shri Mayureshwar
Shri Siddhivinayak
Shri Ballaleshwar
Shri Varadavinayak
Shri Chintamani
Shri Girijatmaj
Shri Vighnahar
Shri Mahaganapati