Bharath Darshan....
| Sabarimala | Details |
| 18 SHAKTI PEETAS | Details |
| Nava Dwarka Darshan | Details |
| Char Dham | Details |
| Char dham by Adi Shankaracharya | Details |
| Panch Kedar | Details |
| Sabha temples | Details |
| Trilinga Kshetras | Details |
| Pancha Bhoota Lingas | Details |
| Navagraha temples in Tamil Nadu | Details |
| Pancharama Kshetras | Details |
| Ashtavinayaka Darshan | Details |
| 12 Jyotirlinga Temples | Details |
Nava Dwaraka......
There are nine Dwarakas known as “Nava Dwarakas” out of which five (Pancha Dwaraka) are very famous holy dhams visited by all vaishnavas .
The “Nava Dwarakas” are listed below
1) Mukti Dwarka (Gomti Dwarka)-main temple located in Dwarka in Gujarat
2) Rukmini Dwarka (4 kms from Dwarka)
3) Bhet Dwarka ( in an island 8 kms from Dwarka)
4) Moola Dwaraka (Rajkot-Dwarka route)
5) Sudama Dwarka (Porbandhar)
6) Nathdwara (near Udaipur in Rajasthan)
7) Kankroli Dwarka (near Nathdwara)
8) Prabhasa Theertha (Veravel near Somnath)
9) Dakore Dwarka (near Ahmedabad)
The “Pancha Dwarakas” are listed below
1) Mukti Dwarka (Gomti Dwarka)-main temple located in Dwarka in Gujarat2) Bhet Dwarka ( in an island 8 kms from Dwarka)
3) Nathdwara (near Udaipur in Rajasthan)
4) Kankroli Dwarka (near Nathdwara)
5) Dakore Dwarka (near Ahmedabad)
Chota Char Dham
Chota Char Dham, is an important Hindu pilgrimage, included representatives from all three major Hindu sectarian traditions, with two Shakta (goddess) sites, (Yamunotri and Gangotri), one Shaiva site (Kedarnath), and one Vaishnava site (Badrinath), located in the Garhwal region of the state of Uttarakhand.
| Sl No | Dham | Altitude | Speciality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yamunotri Dham | 3,293 metres (10,804 ft) | the source of the Yamuna River and the seat of the goddessYamuna |
| 2 | Gangotri Dham | 3,100 metres (10,200 ft) | the source of the Ganges (River Ganga) and seat of the goddess Ganga |
| 3 | Kedarnath Dham | 3,583 m (11,755 ft) | Shiva is venerated as one of the twelve jyotirling |
| 4 | Badrinath Dham | 3,300 m (10,800 ft) | the seat of the Hindu god Vishnu in his aspect of Badrinarayan |
Char Dham
Char Dham are the names of four pilgrimage sites in India that are widely revered by Hindus. It comprises Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram. It is considered highly sacred by Hindus to visit Char Dham during one’s lifetime. The Char Dham defined by Adi Shankaracharya consists of three Vaishnavite and one Shaivite pilgrimages
| Sl No | Place | Altitude | State | Diety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Puri | East | Odhisha | Lord Jagannatha |
| 2 | Rameswaram | South | Tamil nadu | Lord Ramanatha Swamy |
| 3 | Dwarka | West | Gujrath | Lord Krishna |
| 4 | Badrinath | North | Uttarakhand | Lord Badrinarayan |
Pancha Kedar
| Temple | altitude |
|---|---|
| Kedarnath | 3,583 m or 11,755 ft |
| Tungnath | 3,680 m or 12,070 ft |
| Rudranath | 2,286 m or 7,500 ft |
| Madhyamaheshwar | 3,490 m or 11,450 ft |
| Kalpeshwar | 2,200 m or 7,200 ft |
Sabha Temple
Among the many Shiva temples, five temples – Chidhambaram, Madurai, Thiruvilankadu, Tirunelveli and Kutralam, are very revered and is known as the five sabhas. It is said Lord Shiva has danced at these five places as Nataraj– the dancing form of Shiva, to benefit different devotees.In Madurai temple unlike in other temples, Lord Natarajar stands on His left leg with the right foot raised.
| Sabha | Temple | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Pon (Gold) Sabha | Natarajar Temple | Chidambaram |
| Velli (Silver) Sabha | Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple | Madurai |
| Thamira (Copper) Sabha | Nellaiappar Temple | Tirunelveli |
| Rathna (Gem) Sabha | Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple | Thiruvalangadu near Arakkonam |
| Chitira (Picture) Sabha | Kutraleeswar Temple | Kutralam |
Trilinga Kshetras
The etymology of Telugu is thought to have been derived from trilinga, as in Trilinga Desa, “the country of the three lingas”. According to a Hindu legend, Shiva descended as linga on three mountains namely, Kaleswaram in Telangana, Srisailam in Rayalaseema and Bhimeswaram, also known as Draksharamam in Coastal Andhra.
| Kshetram | Deity | District | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaleswaram | Kaleswara Mukteswara Swamy | Karimnagar | Telangana |
| Draksharamam | Bhimeswara Swamy | East Godavari | Andhra Pradesh |
| Srisailam | Mallikarjuna Swamy | Kurnool | Andhra Pradesh |
Pancha Bhoota Lingas
| Lingam | Swamy Name | Place | Represents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vayu Lingam | Kalahastheeswara Swamy | Sri Kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh | Air |
| Prithivi Lingam | Ekambareswara Swamy | Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu | Earth |
| Agni Lingam | Arunachaleswara Swamy | Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu | Fire |
| Appu Lingam | Thiruvanaikaval | Trichy, Tamil Nadu | Water |
| Akasa Lingam | Natarajar Swamy | Chidamabaram | Sky |
Navagraha Temples in Tamilnadu
| Sl No | Planet | Name of the Temple | How to reach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surya | Suriyanar Koil | 3 Kms. from Aduthurai which is on the Kumbakonam- Mayiladuthurai Road |
| 2 | Chandra | Thingaloo | 1.5 Kms. from Thirupayhanam which is on the Kumbakonam-Thiruvayyaru Road |
| 3 | Angaarakan | Vaitheeswarankoil | 4 Kms. from Mayiladuthurai on the Chidambaram Road |
| 4 | Budha | Trivenkadu | 10 Kms. SouthEast of Sirkali |
| 5 | Guru | Alangudi | About 15 Kms. from Kumbakonam on the way to NeedaMangalam |
| 6 | Sukra | Kanjanoor | An interior village on the Mayiladuthurai – Kathiramangalam Road |
| 7 | Shani | Thirunallar | On the way to Peralam- Karaikkal. 5 Kms from karaikkal |
| 8 | Raahu | Thirunageswaram | About 7 Kms from Kumbakonam-Karaikkal Road |
| 9 | Ketu | Keezhaperumpallam | Near PoomPuhar Mayiladuthurai- Poompuhar road |
Pancharama Kshetralu
| Arama | Siva’s Name | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Amararama | Amaralingeswara Swamy | Amaravathi, Guntur District |
| Draksharama | Bhimeswara Swamy | Draksharamam, East Godavari Dsit |
| Bhimarama | Kumara Bhimeshwara Swamy | Samarlakota, East Godavari Dist |
| Somarama | Someswara Swamy | Bhimavaram, West Godavari Dist |
| Ksheerarama | Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy | Palkollu, West Godavari Dist. |
Astavinayaka Darshan
| Sl No | Ganesh Name | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ballareshwar | Pali, Raigad district |
| 2 | Chintamani | Theur, Pune district |
| 3 | Girijatmaj | Lenyadri, Pune district |
| 4 | Mahaganapati | Ranjangaon, Pune district |
| 5 | Mayureshwar | Morgaon, Pune district |
| 6 | Siddhivinayak | Siddhtek, Ahmednagar district |
| 7 | Shrivighnahar | Ozhar, Pune district |
| 8 | Varad Vinayak | Mahad, Raigad district |
12 Jyotirlinga Temples
| State | Place | Jyothirlinga Temple |
|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | Srisailam | Mallikarjunaswamy Temple with Bhramaramba Temple (Shakti Peeth) |
| Gujarat | Somnath | Someshwar |
| Madhya Pradesh | Mahakaleswar | Mahakaleswar |
| Omakareswar | Omakareswar | |
| Maharastra | Trimbakeshwar | Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple |
| Bhimashanker | ||
| Grishneshwar | ||
| Aundha Nagnath | ||
| Jarkhand | Baidyanath | |
| Uttar Pradesh | Kashi | Kashi Vishwanath Temple |
| Uttaranchal | Kedarinath | |
| Tamilnadu | Rameshwaram |
18 SHAKTI PEETAS
Lord Brahma performed a yaga to please Shaktiand Shiva. Goddess Shakti emerged, separating from Shiva and helped Brahma in the creation of the universe. Brahma decided to give Shakti back to Shiva. Therefore, his son Daksha performed several yagnas to obtain Shakti as his daughter in the form of Sati. It was then decided that Sati was brought into this world with the motive of getting married to Shiva. However, due to Lord Shiva’s curse to Brahma that his fifth head was cut off due to his lie in front of Shiva, Daksha started hating Lord Shiva and decided not to let Lord Shiva and Sati get married. However, Sati got attracted to Shiva and finally one day Shiva and Sati got married. This marriage only increased Daksha’s hatred towards Lord Shiva. Daksha performed a yagna with a desire to take revenge on Lord Shiva near munimandala present Muramalla andhra pradesh. Daksha invited all the deities to the yajna except Lord Shiva and Sati. The fact that she was not invited did not deter Sati from attending the yagna. She expressed her desire to attend the yagna to Shiva, who tried his best to dissuade her from going. Shiva eventually relented and Sati went to the yagna. Sati, being an uninvited guest, was not given any respect at the yagna. Furthermore, Daksha insulted Shiva. Sati was unable to bear her father’s insults toward her husband, so she immolated herself. Enraged at the insult and the injury, Shiva in Virabhadra avatar destroyed Daksha’s yagna, cut off Daksha’s head, and later replaced it with that of a male goat as he restored him to life.Virabhadra didn’t stop fighting he kept raging with anger .gods prayed lord vishnu.he came there and started fighting him. Still immersed in grief, Shiva picked up the remains of Sati’s body, and performed the Tandava, the celestial dance of destruction, across all creation. The other Gods requested Vishnuto intervene to stop this destruction, towards which Vishnu used the Sudarshana Chakra, which cut through the Sati’s corpse. The various parts of the body fell at several spots all through the Indian subcontinent and formed sites which are known as Shakti Peethas today
| State | Place | Body part fallen | Shakthi matha name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alampur, Andhra Pradesh | Upper Teeth | Jogulamba Ammavaru |
| 2 | Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh | Neck Part | Bramarambika Devi |
| 3 | Pithapuram, Andhra Pradesh | Left Hand | Puruhutika devi |
| 4 | Draksharamam, Andhra Pradesh | Left Cheek | Manikyamba devi |
| 5 | Kanchi, Tamilnadu | Back Part | Kamakshi Devi |
| 6 | Pandua, West Bengal | Stomach | Heart |
| 7 | Mysore, Karnataka | Hair | Chamundeshwari devi |
| 8 | Kolhapur, Maharastra | Eyes | Mahalakshi Devi |
| 9 | Mahur, Maharastra | Right Hand | Ekaveerika Devi |
| 10 | Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh | Upper Lip | Mahankali Devi |
| 11 | Jajpur, Odissa | Navel | Biraja Devi |
| 12 | Guwahati, Assam | Vulva | Kamarupa Devi |
| 13 | Prayaga, Uttar Pradesh | Fingers | Madhaveswari Devi |
| 14 | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh | Wrist | Vishalakshi devi |
| 15 | Gaya, Bihar | Breast Part | Sarvamangala devi |
| 16 | Sharada Peet,Kashmir | Right Hand | Saraswathi Devi |
| 17 | Jwalamukhi, Himachal Pradesh | Tongue | Vaishnavi devi |
| 18 | Trincomalee, Srilanka | Groin | Shankari devi |
Some of the Nithya Annadanam places at Various Temples in India
| Temple | State |
|---|---|
| Sri Raja Rajeswara Swamy Devasthanam | Vemulawada |
| Sree Seetha Ramachandra Swamy Devasthanam | Bhadrachalam |
| Varasiddi Vinayaka Swami Nithya Annadanam Trust | Khanipakam |
| Sri Venkateswara Anna Prasadam Trust | Tirupati |
| Sri Satyadeva Annaprasada Distribution trust | Annavaram |
| Bhramarambica Mallikarjuna Swamy Devasthanam | Srisailam |
| Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple | Komuravelli |
| Gnana Saraswati Temple | Basar |
| Laxmi Narasimha Swamy Devasthanam | Yadagiri Gutta |
| Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Devasthanam | Vijayawada |
| Sri Kalahastheeswara Swamy Devasthanam | Sri Kalahasti |
| Sri Sharada Temple | Sringeri |
| Annapoorneshwari Temple | Horanadu |
| Sri Krishna Matha Temple | Udupi |
| Murudeshwara Temple | Murudeshwar |
| Mahabaleshwar Temple | Gokarna |
| Kukke Subramanya Temple | Kukke |
| Sri Manjunatha Swamy Temple | Dharmasthala |