historical temples

Raghunath Temple Raghunath Temple  consists of a complex of seven  Hindu  shrines, each with its own Shikhara. It is one of the largest temple complexes of north India. It is located in Jammu in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The temple was built during the period 1822–1860 by order of Maharaja Ranjit Singh while Jammu was under his administration by Maharaja Gulab Singh. The temple has many gods in its complex of shrines, but the presiding deity is Rama, an Avatar of Vishnu. The Mughal architecturalinfluence is seen in all the spiral shaped towers which have gold plated spires, except the tower over the main shrine which is said to be in Sikh architectural style. The niches in the walls of the shrines are decorated with 300 well crafted images of deities. The paintings in the 15 panels of the main shrine are based on themes from Ramayana,abharata, and Bhagavad Gita. The t...

Kheer Bhawani Kheer Bhawani  is a temple dedicated to the Goddess Kheer  Bhawani  (originally just Bhawani) constructed over a sacred spring. The worship of Kheer Bhawani is universal among the  Hindus  of  Kashmir . The temple is situated at a distance of 14 miles east of Srinagar  near the village of Tul Mul. The term  kheer  refers to rice pudding that is offered in the spring to propitiate the Goddess, which became part of the name of the temple. As is the custom with Hindu deities, she has many names: Maharagya Devi, Ragnya Devi, Rajni, Ragnya Bhagwati, and so on. It is the most important temple for the followers of  Historical Vedic Religion  in Kashmir, known as the  Kashmiri Pandits . Around the temple is an area covered with smooth and beautiful stones. In it are large, old-growth  chinar  trees beneath which the pilgrims sit or sleep on mats of grass. While most of the colours do not have any p...

Chamunda Chamunda  ( Sanskrit :  चामुण्डा ,  Cāmuṇḍā  ;  Kannada: ಚಾಮುಂಡ  ), also known as  Sachchi Mata,   Chamundi ,  Chamundeshwari, (ಚಾಮುಂಡೇಶ್ವರಿ) and  Charchika , is a fearsome aspect of  Devi , the  Hindu   Divine Mother  and one of the seven  Matrikas  (mother goddesses). She is also one of the chief  Yoginis , a group of sixty-four or eighty-one  Tantric  goddesses, who are attendants of the warrior goddess  Durga . The name is a combination of  Chanda  and  Munda , two monsters whom Chamunda killed. She is closely associated with  Kali , another fierce aspect of Devi. She is sometimes identified with goddesses  Parvati ,  Chandi  or  Durga  as well. The goddess is often portrayed as haunting cremation grounds or fig trees. The goddess is worshipped by ritual animal sacrifices along with offerings of wine and in the ancient times...

Hidimba Devi Temple Hidimbi Devi Temple , also known variously as the  Hadimba Temple , is located in  Manāli , a hill station in the State of  Himāchal Pradesh  in north  India . It is an ancient cave temple dedicated to  Hidimbi  Devi, wife of  Bhima , a figure in the Indian epic  Mahābhārata . The temple is surrounded by a cedar forest at the foot of the  Himālayas . The sanctuary is built over a huge rock jutting out of the ground which was worshiped as an image of the deity. The structure was built in 1553. The Hidimba Devi Temple has intricately carved wooden doors and a 24 meters tall wooden "shikhar" or tower above the sanctuary.The tower consists of three square roofs covered with timber tiles and a fourth brass cone-shaped roof at the top. The earth goddess Durga forms the theme of the main door carvings. The temple base is made out of whitewashed, mud-covered stonework. An enormous rock occupies the i...

Chintpurni Chintpurni  ( Hindi :  चिंतपूर्णी   Punjabi :  ਚਿੰਤਪੂਰਨੀ ) is a major pilgrimage center and one of the  Shakti Peethas  in  India . The Chintpurni shakti peeth (Chhinnamastika shakti peeth) is located in  Una district   Himachal Pradesh  state, surrounded by the western Himalaya in the north and east in the smaller Shiwalik (or Shivalik) range bordering the state of  Punjab. The Chintpurni Shakti Peeth houses the temple of Chinnamastika Devi or  Chinnamasta  Devi.  Chhinnamasta  or Chinnamastika temple is one of the 7 major and 51 total Shakti Peethas . Here,  Chhinnamasta  is interpreted as the severed-headed one as well as the foreheaded-one. The temple dedicated to Mata Chintpurni Devi is located in District Una of Himachal Pradesh. Mata Chintpurni Devi is also known as Mata Shri Chhinnamastika Devi. Devotees have been visiting this Shaktipeeth for centuries to pray at the...

Baijnath Temple Vaidyanath (‘the Lord of physicians’.)Siva Temple, Baijnath Baijnath (32° 3’ North lat. And 76° 41’ East long.), a small township in the Dhauladhar range of western Himalayas, 16 km from Palampur in the Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh is famous for its 13th century temple dedicated to Siva as Vaidyanath, ‘the Lord of physicians’. Originally known as Kiragrama, the town lies on Pathankot-Chakki-Manali highway (National Highway No. 20) almost midway between Kangra and Mandi. The present name Baijnath became popular after the name of the temple. The town is located on the left bank of the river Binwa, a corrupt form of ancient Binduka, a tributary of river Beas. The Baijnath temple has been continuously under worship ever since its construction in 1204 A.D. by two local merchants named Ahuka and Manyuka. The two long inscriptions in the porch of the temple indicate that a temple of Siva existed on the spot even before the present one was constructed...