Venkateswara- Swamy

INTRODUCTION
The Lord of Tirumala is the all-pervading Lord of the Universe. A large number of devotees-daily 30,000 on an average, visit the sacred shrine of Lord Venkateswara to pay their homage to Him.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams are in turn dedicated themselves to these devotees by providing facilities for darshan, accommodation as well as for sevas.The aim of the Devasthanams has always been to improve these facilities for making the pilgrimage a spiritual experience. This site is a revised edition containing more detailed information about the accommodation, the sevas and festivals in Tirumala in which they can participate and general information about what to do and what not to do on the Holy Hills.
The host hopes this site will serve as a valuable guide to the pilgrims.

Venkateswara Swamy

The Pallavas of Kanchipuram (9th century AD) ,Cholas of Tanjore (10 century) , Pandyas of mathura and Vijayanagara pradhans (14th & 15th centuries) were committed devotees of Lord Venkateswara. The statues of Sri Krishna Devaraya and his spouse stand in the premises of the temple. After the decline of Vijayanagara Empire, kings from various states like the king of Mysore and Gadwal, worshiped the lord as pilgrims and gifted various ornaments and valuables to the temple. Raghoji Bhonsle, the Maharastrian commander visited the temple and made a permanent arrangement regarding the regular pujas to be done to the Lord. In 1843 the temple gave up administrative authority of Venkateswara Temple along with the temples in the village to the head of Hatthimji monastery in Tirumala. Till 1933 the administration of the temple had been wielded by the head of that monastery, Hathiram Mahantha.In 1933 the Madras government appointed a Commission to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam through a special statutory authority to run the administration of the temple. In 1951 another Hindu Religious and endowment Act was made which felicitated the appointment of an executive officer and Board of trustees and they run the administration. The executive officers of this institution in the South have been maintaining administration.

Veera Raghavendra Swamy

Tiruvallur is well known for the Sri Vaidya Veera Raghava Swami Temple, which is located in the center of the town. This temple one of the sacred 108 temples for Vaishnavites. It is also nowadays famous for Sri Viswaroopa Panchamukha Hanuman Ashram. A five-faced idol of Lord Hanuman is worshipped here. The Vadivudai amman temple situated at Tiruvottiyur is also a very famous temple located in the Tiruvallur district. Location : Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar Temple - Narasingapuram This great temple of Sri Narasimhar is located about 55 km from Chennai in a place named "Perambakkam" while traveling from Chennai to Sri Perumbhudhur on the National Highway. Bhaktas has to take a right turn near Empee distillers and traveling through the road, we can reach this temple.

Custom Search

Subscribe in a reader

Sri - Lakshmi - Devi

Golden Temple - when uttered this word, immediately people thinks of Amritsar and the Highest Body of the Sikh's pride Golden Temple. But now it has got a good competition! Yes, an estimated over 600 Crores of Indian Rupees spent, to construct a true Golden Temple for Goddess Mahalakshmi, the presiding deity, (installed and maintained by Sri Narayani Peedam) in this Temple at Sripuram, which is situated 6 km away from the District Headquarters - Vellore, North Arcot District in Tamilnadu. Now, the temple is complete, open to the general public; this town Sripuram has all the facilities one can visit to enjoy his/her spiritual experience.
A Mahalakshmi temple called 'Sripuram' and made of more than a ton of pure gold will glitter and gleam under the sun on August 24 when it is unveiled for consecration by the Sri Narayani Peetam headed by a 31-year-old godman who calls himself Narayani Amma. Devotees hail the temple as 'one of the wonders of the world' and say that it is the only temple covered fully with gold.
More than 400 gold and coppersmiths from the Tirupathi Thirumala Devasthanam are said to have worked for six years to craft the Rs. 600-crore golden temple located on 55,000 sq ft of land on a 100-acre salubrious stretch in Malaikodi, about 6 km from Vellore in north Tamil Nadu. According to official sources, the gold bars were purchased through RBI in "a transparent manner "
First the coppersmiths set to work creating a copper base on the temple structure with engravings and etchings before the gold, beaten into nine layers of foils, was draped around it. The sanctum sanctorum will hold the deity of Mahalakshmi made of stone granite, but covered with gold protection layers. (Kavacham - adornments).
" The Sripuram or Spiritual Park is Amma's dedication to the world and mankind," said P Murali, a trustee of the Peetam, adding that the temple has more gold than the Golden Temple of Amritsar.
Messages by 'Amma' have been laid out along the path to the temple with messages from the Gita, Bible and Quran. "When one enters the Sripuram, their focus is just on the magnificent temple. But when they leave, they cannot do so without taking some messages and gaining some wisdom," according to a booklet detailing the 'services' rendered by the Peetam. "In this quagmire of materialism, Sripuram rises as an inspiration to man to find the divinity within him," adds a Narayani Peedam brochure.
The arrangements were being made to hire personnel to throw a security cover around the temple. "But the gold sheets have been laid out in such a manner that it would cost more to rip it off than purchase the gold," said a top Vellore district official.

Temple of - Srisailam

Its a great memory - Saileshwaram temple is located in Nallamala forest, 77 kms away from Srisailam in deep forest. The temple is opened yearly once. But its dangerous also because of the tiger reserve in the forest as well for bears. Food, sight-seeing and shopping It is thrilling reaching the temple after walking 6-8 kms in the deep forest in the hills. Frankly, its not a sight seeing area, being more a holy place. No scope for shopping. Activities & things to do Please carry water bottles while visiting the temple. You would need water after reaching there. Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc. Its exactly 77kms away from Srisailam. Reaching there is a problem because the temple is open only once yearly. Also, in the deep forest, we have to walk at least 6-8 kms. That is a dangerous thing as we could attacked by tigers or bears at any time during the walk.

GoldenTemple

Whatsoever may the cause, the Temple location, its surroundings and the peaceful atmosphere are the added attractions for the visitors and it is sure worth to visit this place once. The Maha Laksmi Temple is now an attraction even for the tourists and pilgrimage. This temple is located at Thirumalaikodi; Katpadi is the nearest Railway station in the Chennai-Bangalore route of Southern Railway. How to reach Sripuram? It takes about 3 and half hours drive from Chennai, in the Chennai - Bangalore road. It is in the National Highways NH46 that connects Chennai - Bangalore (Bangaluru) and in NH4 from Ranipet to Bangalore. From Katpadi, one can reach by state owned bus to Sripuram which takes about 15 minutes drive or less. Or, one can reach Thirumalaikodi by bus from Vellore to Anicut / Odugathur route. The State run buses ply via Thirumalaikodi in this route. From Tirupati (Tirupathi) to Katpadi, there are shuttle train services available upto Katpadi or Jolarpettai (Jolarpet Passenger) or one can travel by train from Tirupathi (Tirupati) by Kanyakumari Express from Tirupati to Katpadi which takes less than 3 hours journey. Direct bus services available from all major points to Vellore from Chennai, Chittoor, Bangalore, Kanchipuram, Kanyakumari, Tirupathi & Thiruvannamalai - all being major Temple towns and picnic spots. Vellore is well connected by road with all the southern states viz. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala & Pondicherry. The approximate distance from each major station to Vellore is listed below for the convenience of the visitors:

Kanipakam Vinayaka

Many visitors to this temple say that the this 11th century temple is truly a classical hindu temple as well as a tourist location that any tourist visit this part of the country can miss visiting. The Kanipakam Vinayak Temple has the swayam-bhu idol of Lord Vinayaka (Ganesh). Some of the daily prayers offered at this temple are Suprabatham, Binduteerthaab ishekham (4:30 AM to 5.45 AM), Paalabhishekam(7:30 AM to 8:00 AM), SankataHaraGanapati Vratham(9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon), Special Abhishekam(9:00 AM to 10:00 AM & 11:00 AM to 12:00 Noon) The Pavalimpu Seva (Ekantha Seva) is conducted between 9:00 PM to 9:30 PM Kanipakam BrahmotsavamsThe Annual Brahmotsavams Festival will be conducted for 21-days starting on the Hindu festival of Vinayaka Chavithi (or Ganesh Chaturthi) that generally falls in the months of August/September of every year. People from all parts of the state will be taking the darshan of Lord Ganesh during this festive season. Lord Ganesh will appear in a different avatar each day to his devotees. These include Gramotsavam, Hamsa Vahanam, Peacock Vahanam, Mooshika Vahanam, Shasha Vahanam, Vrishabha Vahanam, Gaja Vahanam, Rathotsavam(in which the Lord ascends a traditional Chariot), Thiru Kalyanam and Vadayathu Utsavam. Temple Location he Temple is located in the village town of Kanipakam which is 12 km from Chittoor and 70 km from Tirupati. Reaching the Temple This temple-town is well connected with Road and Railroad. Accommodation There are 6 rooms run by the Kanipakam Devasthanam and 14 rooms run by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Choultries. Contacting the Temple authorities Swayambu Varasidhi VinayakaswamyVari Devasthanam,Kanipakam, Irala MandalChittoorAndhra Pradesh India

Sri Kalahasti Swamy Varu

Srikalahasti Temple is situated in Chittoor district of the state of Andhra Pradesh. In South India, it occupies a place of eminence among the holy Siva kshetras. The temple is called as Dakshina Kailasam located on the banks of the river Swarnamukhi. The architecture of Srikalahasti Temple-Chitoor is extraordinary, it has three massive Gopurams which are breathtaking. Another striking feature of the temple is its huge Mantapam with hundred pillars.
The deities worshiped in Srikalahasti Temple-Chitoor are Srikalahastiswara and his spouse Gnanaprasunambika. The Chola rulers constructed the main temple. In 11th century A.D., the Chola king Kuluthungal built the Caligopuram. While in the 12th century AD Veeranarashimha Yadavaraya contributed to the construction of the temple by constructing the compound wall or Prakara and the four Gopurams. In 1516 A. D., the great Chola king Krishnadevaraya built the hige 100 pillared Mandapa. The inscriptions on the temple inform that it was built by the great Pallava kings and folowed by the Tondaman Chakravarthi (Pandyam Kings).
One of the major festivals celebrated in Srikalahasti Temple-Chitoor is Mahashivratri, celebrated in the month of February and March for 10 days. The Shiva Linga of Srikalahasti Temple is considered to be one of the five important Lingas. According to Hindu mythology the five lingas represent the five great elements namely - Water, Fire, Ether, Air and Earth , established in the five great 'Kshetras'. At Srikalahasti Temple Lord Shiva is worshiped as Vayu Linga of the wind God. A flame present in the Garbhagraha of the temple flickers even though no wind can enter the shrine.

Srikalahasti Temple is situated in Chittoor District of the state of Andhra Pradesh. In South India, it occupies a place of eminence among the holy Siva kshetras. The temple is called as Dakshina Kailasam located on the banks of the river Swarnamukhi. The architecture of Srikalahasti Temple-Chitoor is extraordinary, it has three massive Gopurams which are breathtaking. Another striking feature of the temple is its huge Mantapam with hundred pillars.
The deities worshiped in Srikalahasti Temple-Chitoor are Srikalahastiswara and his spouse Gnanaprasunambika. The Chola rulers constructed the main temple. In 11th century A.D., the Chola king Kuluthungal built the Caligopuram. While in the 12th century AD Veeranarashimha Yadavaraya contributed to the construction of the temple by constructing the compound wall or Prakara and the four Gopurams. In 1516 A. D., the great Chola king Krishnadevaraya built the hige 100 pillared Mandapa. The inscriptions on the temple inform that it was built by the great Pallava kings and folowed by the Tondaman Chakravarthi (Pandyam Kings).
One of the major festivals celebrated in Srikalahasti Temple-Chitoor is Mahashivratri, celebrated in the month of February and March for 10 days. The Shiva Linga of Srikalahasti Temple is considered to be one of the five important Lingas. According to Hindu mythology the five lingas represent the five great elements namely - Water, Fire, Ether, Air and Earth , established in the five great 'Kshetras'. At Srikalahasti Temple Lord Shiva is worshiped as Vayu Linga of the wind God. A flame present in the Garbhagraha of the temple flickers even though no wind can enter the shrine.

Sai Baba

The Shirdi saibaba Temple, located at Shirdi, Maharashrta, India attracts millions of devotees of all religions, castes and creed who come to pay homage to Shri Sai Baba. The temple is a beautiful shrine that was built over the Samadhi of Shri Dai Baba.

Shirdi si a small village in Kopargam taluk, in Ahmadanagar District of the Maharastra State.

Shani Shingnapuror Sonai is a village in the Indian state of Maharashrta. Situated in Nevasa taluka in Ahamadnagar district, the village is known for its popular temple of Shani, the Hindu god of the planet Saturn.

Shingnapur is also famous for the fact that no house in the village has doors, only door frames Despite this, no theft is reported in the village. Villagers never keep their valuables under lock and key, They believe that god Shani punishes anyone attempting theft.

Tryambakeshwar, a religious centre of all-India fame is significant in two ways. It is the abode and one of the twelve most select abodes at that, of Shiva. Secondly , it is the source of the Govavari river, one of the two holiest watercourses of Maharashtra, the other one being Bhima.

Triyambakeshwar is an ancient Hindu mandir dedicated to Bhagavaan Shiva, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. It is located in the town of Trimbak, in the Nasik district of Maharashtra, India. Tha source of the Maa Godavari's love, the longest river in peninsular India lies in the hills surrounding the temple.

Trimbakeshwar, which is 28 km (18 mi) from Nashik City, Maharashtra, India.

Subramanyam Temple

Nestled between Hills, this pilgrim center, 104 Kms. from Mangalore is famous for the Temple of Kukke Sri Subramanyam. The epics narrate how the divine serpent Vasuki and other snakes took refuge under God Subrahmanya, in the caves. Here God Subrahmanya is worshipped as a snake, which is the god's divine power. A ritual dance called Nagamandala is performed during the worship, where the dancer wears the attire of Ardhanarishwara(half man, half woman), symbolising the concept of female(prakruthi) and male(purusha) forces being one.

Maa-Tarna - Temple

Maa Tarna Temple

Situated high atop the Taama Hill is the famous Taama Temple. Situated among dense trees the temple is picturesque and breath catching. It seems as if maa Taarna keeps a vifil over whole of the Mandi town as almost all parts of the town beneath can be seen from this hill top. There are two ways to reach the temple - The staurs and the notorable road that leads to it. We preferred to take the road and what a road it was. Steep and with blind curves! I was feeling tured but a look downwards at the town would fill me up with vigouor to move still higher and higher. And fubally I saw it - a small temple amidst trees. It was late evening and the temple looked bewitching. My heart was filled with devotion and piety little knowing that once. I enter the temple, My heart would overspill with devotion and piety!

When we entered the temple, the priest was preparing for the evening Puja and the serene and tranquil surroundings made the chanting of the mantras before the idol of the Maa Taarna make our hearts bow and souls free of all ill thoughts. The image of Maa is made up of black stone and the kaali image with gold Tikka and nose ring and with the red tongue protruding out would fill the heart of the wrong doers with awe and fear. The Pujari was immersed in chanting mantras and we, too, stood bewitched. All the factors, combined together, made me mesmrized and i literally forgot all that i sought to be bestowed with. The Puja over and we went around the Parikrama and saw the paintings of all the ten Devis in their full glory. And the ferocious yes bewitching idol of Maa Kaali seemed to bestow all that i had come to seek for. I could not take any pictures of thetemple as there was a notice probhibiting for the same and taking pictures from outside was not possible as my camera had very low battery.

But it is true that if you desire somethihng real hard, you get it. The next day while i was roaming on the roads of Mandi I meet an acquaintance who was on his way to Taarna Maa and he invited me to come along. What more oi could ask for and i went to the temple once again and came back more than rewarded. I felt that Maa was extra generous ttowards me that she provided me with an opportunity to pay obesiance at her temple twice in a short duration of some hours ! I took some picture, though from outside the temple and collected some information about the temple as well.

It is said that Shyam Sen, the King of Mandi who reigned from 1664 AD to 1679 AD got this temple constructed. This temple was known as Kaali Temple but gradually people started to call it Taarna Maa temple based on the name of the hill it is situated on. There is another folklore about the temple and according to this Kng Balbir Sen of Mandi was imprisoned by Raja Ranjit Singh when the former refused to levy more taxes on his people and the king was very distressed. He used to pray regularly to his Kul-devi Shyama Maa and one day the Devi appeared before him in the form of a small girl. The king took a vow to have a temple constructed when he would return to Mandi. And it is said that he came straight to the temple and started the work of re-decorating the temple.
The decoration of the inner sanctorum of the temple where the idol of the Kaali Maa is positioned, is unparalleled. It is said that nowhere in the country one can find such intricate ornamentation done in gold as one finds on the walls of this temple. The gold work seemed so shining that I could not believe it to be so old. It is because there were hanging cotton balls from the ceiling of th temple which absorb all the dust and smoke from the incenses lighted in the temple. These cotton balls are regularly changed to keep the gold ornamentation work fresh and shining. So much for ingenuity!
The idol of Maa Kaali is three-faced and there is another idol that depicts the Mahishsurmardini form of Maa Kaali. The demon killing Devi that helps to keep the mother earth a safe place for us to dwell in.
The park poutside the temple has a small canteen where we had a hot cup of tea and tehn planned to come down from the stairs. The stairs led us to the centre of the market and honestly speaking it was difficult to believe that a while ago we were so much away from the maddening crowds. The all patronizing Kaali Maa seemed to smile benevolently at all of us, especially me. As I had gone with a special prayer in my heart to bring back peace in my heart, mind and soul by destroying all the evil that surrounded me, and I had a feeling that Maa had listened to my prayer.

Chamandeswari Temple

Guys need to remove shirt before entering this temple. Also the camera's need to be deposited at the entry in exchange for a token. Every time I see this picture I remember the few tensed moments whence I almost lost the token and the guy at the counter refused to give me the camera without the token. I had to meet the higher officials of the temple who told me to wait till the end of the day. Only if nobody claimed my camera he would give it to me. Luckily, very lucikily I had the small paper token in my shirt pocket and had not find during the earlier search

Tirupathi - Tirumala Temple

Tirupati Amidst the thickly-wooded hills in Chittoor District lies the temple town of Tirumala with Tirupati at the foothills, the abode of Lord Venkateswara. The range of hills is said to resemble a snake with Tirumala forming the hood. Lord Venkateswara, the residing god, is known as ‘Lord of the Seven Hills’ and ‘Balaji’.Tirupati and Tirumala today are modern destinations of pilgrim tourists. Not only the bliss of a divine 'darshan' but added attractions provided by nature make them the ideal pilgrimage-cum-holiday destination.While Balaji remains the main draw, the beauties of nature and the serene surroundings have made Tirupati today a much visited town. A beautiful road leads up across the Seven Hills to Tirumala.

LARD-VENKU

Tirupati Venkateshwaswami Temple:The Puranic conception of the hill is that it represents the body of Adisesha (a seven hooded serpent) the seven hills being his seven heads, on top of which Lord Vishnu the protector of the world rests. One of the most important pilgrimage in India, the temple draws millions of pilgrims and is believed to be the busiest pilgrimage centre in the world.The temple of Tirupati Balaji in south India is one of the most revered and sacred shrines in the country. Millions of devotees visit the temple to seek to blessings of Lord Vishnu-the patron deity of the temple. The shrine is a unique example of the Dravidian architecture. The temple has an exquisitely carved Gopuram facing the east. The Vimana is completely covered with the gold plate, Ananda Nilayam.