Friday, 30 December 2016
Wednesday, 16 November 2016
Saturday, 8 October 2016
Tuesday, 23 August 2016
Krishna Janmashtami
Krishna Janmashtami
Krishna Janmashtami also known as Krishnashtami, Saatam Aatham,Gokulashtami, Ashtami Rohini, Srikrishna Jayanti, Sree Jayanti or sometimes simply as Janmashtami, is an annual celebration of the birth of the Hindu deity Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.
The festival is celebrated on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) of the month of Bhadrapad (August–September) in the Hindu calendar.Rasa lila, dramatic enactments of the life of Krishna, are a special feature in regions of Mathuraand Vrindavan, and regions following Vaishnavism in Manipur.While the Rasa lila re-creates the flirtatious aspects of Krishna's youthful days, the Dahi Handi celebrate God's playful and mischievous side, where teams of young men form human towers to reach a high-hanging pot of curd and break it. This tradition, also known as uriadi, is a major event in Tamil Nadu on Gokulashtami. Krishna Janmashtami is followed by the festival Nandotsav, which celebrates the occasion when Nanda Baba distributed gifts to the community in honour of the birth
Krishna was the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva. Based on scriptural details and astrological calculations, the date of Krishna's birth, known as Janmashtami, is 18 July 3228 BCE and he lived until 18 February 3102 BCE. Krishna belonged to the Vrishniclan of Yadavas from Mathura, and was the eighth son born to the princess Devaki and her husband Vasudeva.
Mathura (in present-day Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh) was the capital of the Yadavas, to which Krishna's parents Vasudeva and Devaki belonged. King Kansa, Devaki's brother, had ascended the throne by imprisoning his father, King Ugrasena. Afraid of aprophecy that predicted his death at the hands of Devaki's eighth son, Kansa had the couple locked in a prison cell. After Kansa killed the first six children, and Devaki's apparent miscarriage of the seventh (which was actually a secret transfer of the infant to Rohini as Balarama), Krishna was born.
Following the birth, Vishnu ordered Vasudeva to take Krishna to Gokul to Nanda and Yashoda, where he could live safely, away from his Uncle Kansa. Vasudeva took Krishna with him and crossed the Yamuna to reach Gokul. There, everyone was asleep; so he quietly kept him there and returned with Yashoda's daughter. Kansa, thinking her to be Devki's eight child, threw her on a stone. But she rose into the air and transformed into Yogmaya (who is Vishnu's helper) and warned Kansa about his death. Then, she disappeared. Krishna grew up in Gokul with his brother, Balram. He then returned to Mathura and killed Kansa with the help of Balram.
Tuesday, 16 August 2016
Monday, 15 August 2016
Pooja Timings at Sabarimala
| Morning | |
| Opening of sanctum sanctorum | 4.00 a.m. |
| Nirmalya darshanam | 4.05 a.m. |
| Ganapati homam | 4.15 a.m. |
| Neyyabhishekam | 4.15 a.m. to 12.00 p.m |
| Usha pooja | 7.30 a.m. |
| Kalabhabhishekam | 12.30 p.m. |
| Ucha pooja | 1.00 p.m. |
| Closing of sanctum sanctorum | 1.30 p.m. |
| Evening | |
| Opening of sanctum sanctorum | 4.00 p.m. |
| Deeparadhana | 6.30 p.m. |
| Pushpabhishekam | 7.00 p.m. |
| Athazha pooja | 10.30 p.m. |
| Harivarasanam | 10.50 p.m. |
| Closing of sanctum sanctorum | 11.00 p.m. |
Saturday, 13 August 2016
Friday, 12 August 2016
Vellanad Sri Bhagavathy Temple
Vellanattamma is the embodiment of the Universe. She is blessing her devotees from vellanad,20 kms north east of the capital city of kerala. The ancient temple is more than 800 years old. Vellanad Sri Bhagavathy Temple is one of the rarest temple which follows the conventions of the Goddess Bhadrakali.
The idol in the temple has a legend. In 1040(Sakha era) Amma appeared before a land lord and gave her offering “ Now I am in a family at Thiruvallom, a seashore village being an orphan, without no adoration. If my idol is eructed and cousecrated in the temple at Vellanad the place will get more and more prosperity.” Accordingly, her idol was settled at vellanad. She showered peace and prosperity upon her devotees. Atheists had been received severe punishments.
People from abroad worship Vellanattamma and receive her blessings. Every year millions of her devotees offer adoration for restoring peace and order in their families. Vellanattamma was interested to kill Daruka,the king of Evil.
Thursday, 11 August 2016
Wednesday, 10 August 2016
Mangaladevi Temple Kumily,Thekkady.
| Mangaladevi Temple is a 1000-year-old temple inside the dense forests of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Made of huge pieces of granite, it stands at an altitude of 1337 m above the sea level. The temple is dedicated to the deity of Mangaladevi, who is also known as Kannaki. Even today, Kannaki remains as a symbol of the moral power that resides in an ordinary woman who is able to take on royalty because her cause is just. For centuries, Kannaki has remained a symbol of the great moral power that even an ordinary woman is capable of. Kannaki’s tale has been immortalized by the poet-prince Ilanko Adikal in the Tamil epic, Silapathikaram. Silapathikaram is one of the five epics of ancient Tamil Literature. The epic, which contains three chapters and a total of 5270 lines of poetry, revolves around Kannaki. Legend has it that Kannaki burnt the town of Madurai down with a curse when she came to know that the royal court had killed her husband Kovilan after wrongly accusing him of theft. It is also believed that Kannaki reached the Periyar forests after burning Madurai. Architecture The temple construction is in line with that of Pandyan architecture though there are no definite records of the time of its construction. The locals believe that it was the Chera king, Chenkuttuvan, who created the temple. The idol installation ceremony was believed to have been attended by many prominent personalities including the Lankan king, Gajabahu. Gajabahu also known as Gajabahuka Gamani (c.114 - 136 CE) was renowned for his religious benefactions and for his involvement in south Indian politics. Though now in a dilapidated condition, the boundary walls and the steps leading to the temple still have huge stones which stand in testimony to its earlier days of glory. When considering the location of the temple, one can imagine the enormity of the effort that would have been involved in bringing the huge stones and granite pieces up to the mountain. Four stone structures constitute the temple complex which houses other idols apart from that of Mangala Devi. There are sculptures carved on the stone walls. The first idol you see on entering the complex is that of KaruppaSwamy. On the left side, there is a dilapidated temple of Lord Shiva. There is also a sanctorum created for Lord Ganapathy. As the temple of Mangala Devi is in ruins, the idol that is worshipped during the temple festival on the day of Chithra Pournami is usually brought from Kambam. It is made of panchaloha (five metals). There had been an underground passage below the temple which, according to the local people, went all the way to the temple town of Mathura. Some believe that the secret pathway led to the famed Meenakshi temple while others say that it led to the palace of the Pandya king. Ambience Situated on the northern boundary of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, the temple can be reached only by jeep. There is a 12-kilometer stretch to be covered through dense forests and high altitude grasslands to reach the temple. The surroundings of the temple are known for their pristine beauty. A wide variety of flora and fauna can be found in the area including the highly endangered Nilgiri Tahr (Hemitragus hylocrius). The Tahr is the state animal of the State of Tamil Nadu. The place is also known for the endemic orchid species, Habenaria periyarensis. The temple, on a hillock on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, offers a panoramic view of the Western Ghats and the small hill villages of Tamil Nadu. The view, from a distance, of the small villages scattered amongst the thick greenery is beautiful. Restrictions In order to safeguard the ecosystem of the place, the Forest Department has taken various measures including constant vigil on the stretch leading to the temple. If you wish to visit this place, prior permission should be taken from the Wildlife Warden at Thekkady. Festival The temple is open to devotees only once a year during the month of April / May for the Chithrapournami celebrations. On this full moon day, priests of Tamil Nadu and Kerala conduct ritualistic prayers at the temple. The main deity, Goddess Managala, is decorated with flowers, silk etc and poojas are conducted through the day. Thali (the necklace worn by married Hindu women) and glass bangles of women devotees are blessed during the festival. The women also cook and offer pongala (the sweet dish made of rice) to the Goddess on this auspicious day. The preparations for the festival are supervised by the officials of Idukki district in Kerala and Theni district in Tamil Nadu. Forest officials also take part in the discussions prior to the festival. Various measures are taken to ensure that the flow of devotees to the temple at this time does not disturb the eco-system. |
Viswanatha Swamy Temple,Kalpathy, Palakkad
Sri Visalakshi Sametha Sri Viswanathaswamy temple, popularly known asKasi Viswanathaswamy Temple or locally as kundukovil is a famous Hindu temple located in the Kalpathy village of Palakkad in Kerala, India. It is the site of the annualKalpathi Ratholsavam which is one of the most famous temple festivals of Kerala. This ancient temple nestles by the banks of the serene Kalpathy river (Nila Nadhi). Dedicated to Lord Siva and his consort Visalakshi (another name for Parvati), it dates back to early fifteenth century. The similarity to the Varanasi Kashi Viswanatha temple on the banks of Ganges is responsible for the moniker kasiyil pakuthi kalpathy and the name Dakshina Kashi associated with this temple. The Temple is surrounded by the four Tamil Brahmin agraharams or traditional villages: New Kalpathy, Old Kalpathy, Chathapuram and Govindarajapuram.
Janardana Swami Temple.Varkala
Janardana Swami Temple is a 2000-year-old temple situated in Varkala, Thiruvananthapuram.[1] It is also known as Varkala Temple. Janardana Swami is a form of Lord Vishnu. It is a very well known temple in Kerala about 10.9 km west of Kallambalam on NH 66 near sea, 25 km north ofThiruvananthapuram city, 13 km south of famous backwater destinationParavur and 2 km from Varkala Sivagiri railway station,14 km north west of biggest town Attingal. It is situated near the Arabian sea shore.It is referred to as Dakshin Kashi (Benares of the south).[2] The temple is located close to the Papanasam beach, which is considered to have medicinal properties since the waters wash the nearby medicinal plants. It is also an important Ayurvedatreatment center. The temple has an ancient bell removed from a shipwreck, donated by the captain of the Dutch vessel which sank near Varkala without causing any casualties.
Varkala, a sea side town, also known as Janardanapuram, is a sacred pilgrim center situated in Thiruvananthapruam district(Kerala) and is famous for its ancient temple of Vishnu , who is popularly called as Janardana. In Sri Maha Bhavatham, mention is made that Balarama, the elder brother of Sri Krishna, visited this shrine during this pilgrimage to the Kanyakumari temple and a few other temples in the south. It is also known as ‘Gaya of the South'. Varkala has many attractions peculiar to the place and draws hundreds of pilgrims and visitors all the year round.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)