Author: Dr. A Pranesh

Sri Vanadurga temple is situated about 5 kms from Sringeri temple. It is in the midst of forest hence the name Vanadurga. One has to take a left turn at Sringeri bus stand and drive for 4 kms to reach this temple. Local autos are also available for commuting. Sri Adi Shankaracharya himself consecrated the…

Sri Vajreshwari Devi temple is in Nagarkot town, Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh and is 20 kms from Dharamshala. This deity is also called Kangra devi by locals. This temple dating back to 11th century is an example for Shikara type of architecture. Vajreshwari is considered to be an incarnation of Goddess Parvati. Her name…

Navaratri is a festival of nine days, where in the three great mothers of the universe Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Durga are worshipped. Vijayadashami, the tenth day is to commemorate the blessings showered by these three goddesses. Durga is worshipped to invoke blessings for health, Lakshmi for wealth and prosperity and Saraswati to invoke Knowledge. All…

Umananda is another name for lord Shiva and the temple of Umananda is situated in the peacock island on river Brahmaputra. The temple on the island is on a small hillock called Bhasmachala. As per the Mythology, Shiva resided here as Bhayananda. After imparting knowledge to his consort Parvathi, Shiva sat for Tapas, but was…

Uma Maheshwarar Temple in Konerirajapuram is about 21 kms from Kumbakonam. It is on Kuttalam road via Thirunageshwaram where we have Rahu temple. Uma Maheshwarar Temple is very old and was built in 7th century A.D. initially by Cholas and later developed by Vijayanagar rulers and Nayakas. The Linga of Lord Uma Maheshwarar is believed…

Tripurantakam is situated about 93 kms from Srisailam, on Srisailam – Guntur road and about 150 kms from Vijayawada. Tripurantakam seems to have existed since Tretayug as it is mentioned in Skanda Purana. There lived two demons (Rakshas) named Tripura and Andhakasura, who were great devotees of Lord Shiva. They were harassing ever one in…

Thyagaraja swamy temple is located in Thiruvarur, about 50 kms from Tanjavore, Tamilnadu. The consort of Thyagaraja swamy is Niloptalambal. Behind Tyagaraja swamy temple is Kamalambal temple, where she is in deep meditation. The temple is ancient and very huge. It is one of the holiest Shiva temples of south India. Evening Aarati to Thyagaraja…

Lingaraj temple is the biggest and most popular temple of Bhubaneswar. It is a temple complex having Bhagavathi temple and other minor deities in it. The central shikar is 180 feet tall and represents Kalinga architecture. It was built in 11th century AD by Kings of Somavamshi dynasty and wasfollowed by Ganga rulers. Mukteshwar temple…

Tarapith is located near Rampur hat town of Birbhum district about 275 kms from Kolkata. It is a tantric temple, dedicated to Maa Tara, adjacent to cremation grounds. Legends narrate different stories. One says sage Vasishta, visualized Goddess Sati in the form of Tara here.  A second legend says that after drinking poison during churning…

Ugra Tara temple is located in Uzan bazaar of east Guwahati. The temple was built by Ahom king Siva Singha in 1725 AD.  There is no idol in the sanctum. A small pit with water is considered as goddess Tara. Sati devi’s navel is believed to have fallen here and hence this temple is considered…