Hindu Holy Places Across India

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The uniqueness of Hinduism and Hindu practices has its root in the ethno-cultural diversity of the people of India and a myriad of customs practiced by them for centuries. Prolonged interaction among the diverse groups led to the advent of “Vedism” which introduced the worship of gods of rain, fire and the sun. In course of time, a wide variety of religious beliefs and customs, ranging from the simple animistic worship of nature spirits in the rock, tree and river to highly codified rituals, carved their niches in the liberal platform of Hinduism.

Hindu pilgrimages are sacred destinations where one can enjoy the beauty of both the aspects of Hindu philosophy. Presence of nature’s best gifts like astounding caves, lush green forests, flowing rivers etc at the site of Hindu pilgrimages reflects its association with the philosophy of animism. Importance of rituals, the second important approach of Hinduism practitioners can be observed by travelling to Hindu pilgrimages.

The modern Hindu philosophy focuses on a trinity of Gods namely, Shiva, Vishnu and Shakti. Hindu sacred places are often linked with the blessings of this trinity worshipped by the majority of devotees. Lord Vishnu and his various incarnations are worshipped in the holy temples of Tirupati and Rameshwarm in southern India, Jagannath Puri temples in eastern coast and their presence is welcomed in the temples of Badrinath , Haridwar and Vridanban in North. Similarly, Lord Shiva is believed to dwell and bless the devotees visiting the sacred shrines of Kedarnath and Amarnath. The Cave of Vaishno Devi derived sacredness from Maa Vaishno Devi who was the embodiment of “Shakti”.

Gangotri and Yamunotri are also among the most sought after Hindu religious destinations frequented by pilgrims where they can enjoy bathing in the holy waters of river Ganga and Yamuna. The other major places of Hindu Pilgrimage include Varanasi, Nava Graha Sthala temples of nine planets, Maths started by Sri Shankracharya , the shakti peeth temples, Panch Bhutha linga temple and yes visit to 7 religious rivers of India namely Ganga , Yamuna , Godavari, Saraswati, Sarayu, Kaveri and Narmada.

Hanuman – The Respected Hindu God

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Hindu devotees around the world worship Hanuman, who is one of the most respected gods in the Hindu religion. Hanuman has 108 different names, with Maruti, Bajrang Bali and Anjaneya being three of them.

Important temples like Jahkhu temple in Shimla, Sri Anjaneyar Temple in Ambur in Tamil Nadu and Sankat Mochan Temple in Varanasi are built to worship Hanuman. Another temple dedicated to him has been built in Trinidad with an 85-feet tall statue of the lord.

Maruti was born as a monkey-like human belonging to the ‘vanara’ race. He became Lord Rama’s follower when Rama was out of his kingdom and helped him to release Goddess Sita from evil King Ravana. He single handedly helped Lakshman get back his life, bringing ‘Sanjeevani’ by transporting the ‘Gandhamadan’ mountain.

That is why he is revered by devotees for his courage and might. His sincerity to Lord Rama is also well-known. A lot of Hindu shrines have his idol next to Lord Rama’s suggesting lifelong loyalty and friendship.

Devotees celebrate Hanuman Jayanti in the month of ‘chaitra’ that falls between March and April as per the Gregorian calendar. Fasts are observed and devotees throng to temples to offer their prayers to Hanuman. ‘Chalisa’, a special prayer which consists of 40 verses in it, is chanted by devotees of Anjaneya.

Devotees put on red or saffron colored clothes and bands on wrists. Legend says, Hanuman asked Sita the purpose of wearing sindhur on the forehead; she replied that it signifies Lord Rama’s long life. He is believed to have coated sindhur throughout his body for the long life of Lord Rama.

Hindu devotees believe that Anjaneya is the ‘immortal one’ and still lives today in caves, reciting the name of Lord Ram.

Read about Lakshmi on Prabhubhakti.

Religious Hindu Poems

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All devout Hindus give a lot of significance to religious Hindu hymns and poems in their everyday lives. Most of these chants are chanted on particular events or as a daily routine while there are others that can be recited or heard according to the wishes of the followers. The first poem that strikes your mind when talking about the religious Hindu music is Tulsidas’ ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ that is a religious poem devoted to the god Hanuman.

Hanuman chalisa text is a well known sacred poem that is frequently sung by the Hindus across the globe. Every Tuesday and sometimes on other days of the week, many Hindus sing it in praise of Hanuman.

Mirabai’s bhajans also have a great reverence in holy Hindu poetry. Dedication and devotion are evident in these bhajans which are similar to poems. These bhajans in the bhakti tradition are sung in praise of Lord Krishna.

Mirabai’s poetry puts love for Krishna above everything else in life. In her bhajans, she talks about Krishna as her husband and a romantic partner. They are depiction of Mirabai’s intense longing for union with her Lord. Thus, Mirabai’s music has a religious as well as a loving quality and tone.

The popular songs of Surdas, ‘Sur Sagar’ or Ocean of Melody can not be forgone mention here. Surdas is renowned for this great piece of work, which is a compendium of 100,000 poetic song compositions. However only around eight thousand of them can be found these days.

These poems mainly deal with the life and adventures of Lord Krishna, and reflect the poet’s adherence to the Bhakti movement. They often depict the sacred union of the lovers Radha and Krishna and the heavenly dances they indulged in called Lilas. Any discussion of Hindu spiritual poetry would be incomplete without including Kabir’s composition Bijak or Seedling that contains many songs that deal with a secular approach towards god and philosophy.

The poems are full of ideas of atman, brahman and karma, and have a strong bhakti undertone. They suggest that each of us must look beyond their religious texts and scriptures so as to achieve the unity or ekatwa with the God. Om Jai Jagdish Aarti is also popular Hindu hymn.

The Celebration Of Dussehra

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The Hindu goddess Durga is considered to be the mother of all beings and is also believed to be the energy behind creation, protection and destruction. Her name comes from the Sanskrit term for ‘the inaccessible’ or the Bengali word for ‘the invincible’ and she is often referred to with the prefix of ‘Maa’ or mother. She holds both destructive and creative power in her. She has multiple aspects of her being each of which represents an unique quality. The integral attributes of goddess Durga are courage and patience. At times she is shown as mother of Kartik, Lakshmi, Ganesha and Saraswati.

Durga devi, being the embodiment of courage formed from Shakti, was created to kill the demon king Mahishasura. The Earth, the heaven and the Paatala were being controlled by Mahishasura, the cruel king. He had been blessed by Brahma and thus could not be defeated by any man. Vishnu and Shiva were sought by the beings of these worlds and its then that a female fighter was created by uniting the energy of Shiva and Lord Vishnu.

After she had manifested herself she went down to meet Mahishasura on the battleground. Upon encountering her for the first time Mahishasura underestimated her thinking that it was impossible for a woman to defeat him. The demon king made use of all his strength to defeat the goddess, but finally he was killed in the battleground. Thus victory over evil forces and darkness was achieved. It is believed that the dexterous goddess built an army to help in her fight against the forces of the demon. Durga gave them the knowledge to make ornaments in gold for the help offered by the army in the battle.

She is usually depicted as having ten arms, each holding a different weapon. She holds a lotus in one hand, which indicates the power of creation. Usually she is pictured to be riding on a tiger or a lion, the symbol of fearlessness. She is believed to take various avtars with her power. The goddess of violence and the wife of Lord Shiva, Kali, is one of her forms.

Durga puja forms one of the biggest festivals of the eastern states of the country and is mainly celebrated in Bengal, Orissa, Assam and Bihar. Durga puja is called Dashain by people of Nepal. It is a 10 day long festival in which five days are celebrated with unbridled festivity. The last day when Durga defeated Mahishasura in the battle is called as Vijayadashami and Dussehra.

The Architect of the Universe – Lord Brahma

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Of the trinity of Hindu gods, Brahma is the first member followed by Vishnu and Lord Shiva. He is responsible for the creation of the world and all beings within it. He is considered as the origin of time, space, names and form. He is known by many names such as Lokesha (the divine creator), Pitamaha (the supreme father) and Vishwakarma (the supreme architect). The cycle of day and night is attributed to him.

There are many fables which tell of the birth of Lord Brahma. Lord Vishnu fell into a deep sleep after the destruction of the previous world and in his sleep the idea of development happened. This thought made way for the birth of a Golden Embryo. This is how Lord Brahma was created, which also gave him the name Hiranya Garbha or the Golden Embryo. Another fable connected with the birth of Brahma is that he came from the Lotus, which grew from Lord Vishnu’s navel. That is how He got the names Kanja Ja (Lotus born) and Nabhi Ja (born from navel).

Manusmriti says Brahma created himself by designing the waters and depositing a seed and he is self-manifested. The seed took the shape of a Golden Egg from which Brahma was reborn. Birth of Brahma is also narrated in Ramayana. It says that Brahma was born out of the ether in which the universe is suspended.

The stories of creation attributed to Lord Brahma have the creation of his manas putras or the sons born of his own thought. His mind gave birth to Marici, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratuj, Pracetas, Vashishta, Bhrgu and Narada. From his body came 9 sons Daksa, Dharma, Kama, Anger, Greed, Maya, Lust, Joy, Death, Bharata and a daughter called Angaja.

While developing the universe and the living and non-living beings, he created goddess Gayatri to help him. She is also referred to as Saraswati. Together they form the subject for many pieces of Hindu literature and mythology. They also symbolize understanding, meaning, science and the arts.

He is mostly pictured as an old man (with a white beard). He has four arms in which he carries a scepter, a lotus, a spoon, Vedas, a string of Rudraksha beads and sacred water. Even though he had five heads, he is shown in images with four heads. This is because of the fact that he had offended Lord Shiva and Shiva is his anger had then opened the third eye which burned off the 5th head.

No temples have been built to revere Lord Brahma although he is the creator of the world. Pushkar in Ajmer is a pilgrimage site for the worshippers of Brahma. Temples of Shiva and Lord Vishnu usually have the northern wall dedicated to him. He is called Parivara Devata.

Tirupati, Where Lord Venkateswara Resides

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Among the holy places where Lord Vishnu’s shrine is situated, Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) is very famous. The shrine in Tirupati where Lord Vishnu is Lord Venkateswara is known as Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. Devotees believe, Tirupati means the husband of Devi Lakshmi. Venkatadri, one of the seven important hills in Tirupati, is home to the shrine. Lord Vishnu has other names like Srinivasa, Govinda and Balaji.

According to the reports, Tirupati is visited by numerous devotees (almost 1 lakh) everyday and the number increases on special days like Brahmotsavam festival. It is estimated that the temple sees around 3 to 4 Crore devotees per year. According to Lord Vishnu’s worshippers, the shrine is among the 108 holy places.

Mythology

A huge amount of money was donated to the temple, when Lord Kubera and Padmavati got married. Lord Vishnu’s debt is repaid by his worshippers by depositing money in the Hundi at the Tirupati temple.

How it Became Prosperous?

It was under Vijayanagara emperors’ rule that the place and the temple grew popular. It’s a popular belief that they donated gold and valuable stones to the sacred shrine. It was by the order of King Krishnadevaraya, that the shrine was gold-plated. After some time, it was Raghoji Bhonsle who founded an administrative system for the shrine.

The Seven Hills

There are seven hills in Tirupati, which are called Saptarishi or Saptagiri. Vishnu was given the name of Saptagirinivasa because of these hills.

It is believed that several gods and goddesses reside on each hill. The hills are Vrushabadri – the abode of Nandi (vehicle of Shiva), Neeladri – hill of Neela Devi, Anjanadri – abode of Hanuman , Garudadri – hill of Garuda who is Vishnu’s vehicle, Seshadri – abode of Sesha (the servant of Vishnu), Narayanadri – the abode of Lord Vishnu and Venkatadri – hill of Venkateswara.

Why Offering Hair at Tirupati is Famous?

People believe that a small portion of Lord Vishnu’s head became hairless when a shepherd hit him. Neela Devi offered her hair when she observed that Lord Vishnu lost his hair. Vishnu promised devi Neela that his followers will give their hair to her in response to her good deed. The practice of cutting hair started from then and even today devotees from across the world come there and offer their hair. People think that devi Neela accepts the offering from them.

Festivals

As there are more believers of Vaishnavism, the people of Tirupati celebrate all types of special days related to Vishnu. Rama Navami, Vaikunta Ekadasi and Janmashtami are celebrated with great zest by the people. Rathasapthami as well as Vasantholsavam (the festival of spring) are celebrated also. In Rathasapthami, the idol of Venkateswara is taken in processions.

Bhagavad Gita and Prince Arjuna

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The Kurukshetra war is considered to be a very important combat in Hindu mythology. At the time of this combat, Krishna, as the charioteer of Arjuna came to Pandava’s side and asked Kaurava to take his whole force. He had given the choice of choosing either him or his huge army, to both Kauravas and Pandavas. Krishna was chosen by Arjuna and his force was taken by Duryodhana. It was in this important war that Krishna disclosed truths on life to prince Arjuna. Those insights about life are collectively called as Gita.

Bhagvad Gita

Gita contains advises, which Krishna gives Arjuna after seeing his plight and perplexity on fighting the combat with his cousins, gurus, elders and companions. Krishna speaks about the responsibilities he has to perform in the role of a warrior and a prince. He also describes on karma and dharma. There are a lot of analogies, examples and doctrines in Bhagavat Gita. Krishna also disclosed his true identity as the absolute power through his Vishwarupa, in this war. Lord Krishna speaks about Kurukshetra war being a Dharma Yudha in order to let Dharma prevail in the world.

The five important truths of life, as described in Gita, are Ishwara, Kaala, Prakriti, Jiva and Dharma. Ishwara is the greatest power in this world. The basic nature of intelligence is Prakriti, by which the world functions. It is the base on which the works of creation is carried out. Kaala is the time or the age. Dharma binds together different forces together.

The basic teaching that Gita gives is that one has to cross the weaknesses of body and unite himself with the absolute power. Gita is contained Mahabharata, which is one of the Hindu epics, and contains 700 verses.

Important Verses

‘Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya …. Srijamyaham’ is regarded as a very important verse in Gita. Krishna informs Arjuna that he will come back in order to safeguard Dharma and to avoid Adharma from spreading in the world. It is his duty to take care of the world and safeguard it from evil spirits. Another verse ‘Paritranaya Sadhunamâ…. Yuge Yuge’, is also very important. According to this verse, Lord Krishna is believed to take birth again in all ages so as to protect the world and save its beings. He will destroy evil forces and protect the saints.

Sanjaya, apart from prince Arjuna, also heard the truths of life, which was contained in Gita. He was bestowed with Divya Drishti from sage Veda Vyasa to recount combat to his blind master Dhritarashtra. Hanuman and Barbarika, Ghatotkacha’s son were also receivers of these messages.

Because Gita is holy, it is also called Gitopanishad. But as it contains summary of all the teachings, it is also known as Upanishad of Upanishads.

The Meaning and the Concept of Bhakti

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Bhakti is the pure form of devotion as there are no intermediaries between the god and his devotee. The word Bhakti comes from Sanskrit language with Bhaj as the root word, meaning belong to or surrender to.

Bhakti as a form of religious surrender was referred in Bhagavat Gita, the holy religious text, which contains the teachings, philosophies of life as told by Lord Krishna to his devotee and friend Prince Arjuna. He asks Arjuna to leave behind all doubts and beliefs and to devote himself to the Lord without any scepticism.

The concept of Bhakti is also attributed to Shaivisam and Vaishnavism, two religious sects in Southern part of India, that believe in Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu respectively. Bhakti movement grew in its importance in medieval history. The central and northern part of India started believing in Bhakti movement from 14th century onwards and many saints like Kabir Das, Meerabai, Sur Das became the embodiment of Bhakti. These movements grew in strength as it nullified the importance of rituals and possession of materials. Bhakti was merely about giving oneself to the supreme power and believing in that power.

Read Hanuman chalisa and Durga chalisa on Prabhubhakti.

Lord Rama and His Values

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Lord Vishnu, the protector, is believed to have taken birth as Rama. Ramayana is a Hindu Epic, in which Rama is the main character. This is why he is known widely among Hindu believers. He is the incarnation of righteousness, kindness and courage. He is the prince of Ayodhya and son of Kausalya and Dasaratha. Hindus thought that Lord Rama took birth in Suryavansha in Treta Yuga, the 2nd epoch.

After performing the Putrakameshti Yaga only, Dasaratha got his four sons- Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. Devi Sita is Rama’s consort, who is the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and an example of a complete woman.

The Birth of Rama

According to Hindu mythology, Bhumidevi visits Brahma asking to help her, so that the demon king’s rule on earth can be stopped. These cruel kings were ruining all her resources. The cruel and powerful king Raavana, who had already captured Earth and Paatala, gained control over Heaven and gods were troubled by him. Raavana had many boons from the sages, which protected him and gave him 10 heads. Brahma with Bhumidevi and devas approached Vishnu, in order to find a solution to their problem.

Lord Vishnu takes the decision of releasing the world from all the evil forces and decides to kill Raavana. He was born as the 1st son of Dasaratha in the kingdom of Ayodhya. Vishnu’s wife, Lakshmi takes the form of Sita in Mithila as the daughter of Janaka. It is only when the combat between Raavana and Rama come to an end, that the real identity of Lord Rama is revealed.

Rama and Dharma

Rama is known as Maryada Purushottama. Worshippers mean that he is unbiased, kind and righteous. Rama always walked through the path of dharma in the entire life. Irrespective of all the problems he has faced in his life, he holds on to righteousness. Rama personifies dharma. Upholding Dasaratha’s order, he leaves Kosala kingdom and lives in the jungle for fourteen years with his wife and younger brother, Lakshmana.

His ideal behaviour is seen when he asks Sita, his devoted consort, to take the test of Agni Pariksha, by which she will be suitable to become the Queen of Ayodhya. It was only after proving that Sita is pure, that Rama welcomes her. People became happy when Rama ruled and only happiness prevailed in Ayodhya.

The Importance of Mahashivaratri

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Lord Shiva completes the trinity of gods with Vishnu and Brahma. He is the authority of purification and destruction of the world lies with him. Lord Brahma resumes the process of creation of the world after it is being destroyed by Lord Shiva. Worshippers of Shiva regard him as the ultimate power. Shiva’s anger and pleasing nature are very popular among the worshippers. Shiva means amiable, kind and good. People regard him as a loyal husband to his wives Sati and Parvati.

Shiva and Sati


Goddess Sati was daughter to King Daksha and spouse of Shiva. Sati and Lord Shiva were not called at a yagna performed by King Daksha. But Sati wanted to attend the yagna and reached her father’s kingdom. Sad and insulted by the neglect, her father showed, she sacrificed by jumping into the yagnakunda. Finding this out Lord Shiva became furious and performed Rudra Tandava, holding the body of Sati. Lord Shiva opened his third eye and Daksha’s kingdom was wiped out. In order to make him calm down, Vishnu severed the body of Sati and threw it on earth. The twelve places on Earth where her body parts fell were later called as the Shakti Peethas.

Parvati and Shiva

Following the immolation of devi Sati, Shiva led an ascetical life. But devi Sati took birth was again born as Parvati, daughter to Himavan. When Parvati reached adulthood, she knew about her earlier birth as devi Sati and performed tapas to please Lord Shiva and live with him. The continuous tapas of Parvati was dismissed by Lord Shiva.

Parvati, in the end, took the help of Kamadeva, the Lord of Love. He tried striking Lord Shiva with his arrow. Shiva became furious and reduced the Lord of Love to ashes with his 3rd eye. Afterwards, on the request of Rati, Kamadeva’s wife, Shiva revived Kamadeva. Parvati continued her severe tapas so that Lord Shiva gets pleased. Within some time, because of Parvati’s devotion and loyalty and compulsion by saints, Shiva married her on the month of Phalguna, one day before Amavasya. This night is dedicated to Shiva and called as Mahashivaratri.

Celebration at Mahashivaratri

Across the world, Mahashivaratri is being celebrated even today by worshippers of Lord Shiva. Fasting and staying wake the whole night, in addition to visiting temples, are a part of this festival, which is being observed by worshippers.

There is one more story connected with this festival. In order to save Shiva from all harms, Parvati performed tapas on Mahashivaratri.. According to the legend, Parvati had prayed on the night of Amavasya in Phalguna for long life of Shiva. Following this custom started by Parvati, women even today, offer prayers and conduct poojas to please Lord Shiva and wish for the long life of their spouses.

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