History Of Katasraj Temple

Katasraj Temple is a Hindu temple complex situated in Katas village near Choa Saidanshah in the Chakwal district of Punjab in Pakistan. Dedicated to Shiva, the temple has, according to Hindu legend, existed since the days of Mahābhārata and the Pandava brothers spent a substantial part of their exile at the site and later Krishna himself laid the foundation of this temple and established his hand made Shivling in it.

The Katas Raj temple is one of the Hindu community’s most well-known places of worship. The name ‘Katas’ is derived from Kataksha, a Sanskrit word meaning ‘tearful eyes’.

The Katasraj temple complex is believed to date back to the Mahabharata era. Many legends are associated with the temples. The five Pandava brothers, heroes of the Sanskrit epic the Mahabharata, are said to have stayed here for four of the thirteen years they spent in exile. The lake in the complex is believed to be filled with Shiva's tears and are thus said to have magical powers. The complex is also believed to be the site where one of the Pandava brothers, Yudhishthira, defeated the Yaksha with his wisdom, bringing his brothers back to life.

Another legend involves the death of Shiva's wife Sati; the story goes that when she died he cried so much and for so long that his tears created two holy ponds - one at Pushkara in Ajmer, in modern India, and the other at Ketaksha in modern day Pakistan, which literally means "raining eyes" in Sanskrit. It is from this name that the word Ketas is derived. Another version of the legend mentions the two pools at Katasraj and Nainital.

Beautiful Images Of Karasraj Temple

Famouse Lord Shankaracharya Temple, Jammu Kashmir

The Shankaracharya temple, also known as the Jyesteshwara temple or Pas-Pahar is situated on the top of the Shankaracharyahill, also called Gopadari hill in Srinagar district of Jammu and Kashmir. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Shankaracharya temple has a high octagonal platform and it can be reached by a flight of approximately 243 steps. The sidewalls of these steps once had some valuable inscriptions. In 1961, a statue of AdiShankaracharya was erected in the temple.

Originally, the temple was constructed at this site in the 2nd century BC by the son of the Mauryan King Asoka, the great. The temple has become a landmark for Srinagar city. The approximate height of the temple from the end of the road to the hill, before the temple platform is 550 ft. The main shrine consists of a circular cell. The sanctum is covered by a ply board ceiling, concealing the sandstone slabs which are supported by lintels. A huge oval shaped Shiva Lingam encircled by a snake. is placed in the sanctum. It is believed that Raja Gopadatya renovated the temple in 371 BC and renamed it as Gopadri. The great philosopher and sage Shankaracharya has resided here when he visited Kashmir. Hence, the temple was named Shankaracharya temple.

Anand Lingeshwara Temple Karnataka

A Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, situated in a small hill called Aananda Giri Hill near Hebbal, Bangalore capital city of Karnataka state, India, was originated in 13th century Chola dynasty era. The temple was renovated in 2000 2009 (surrounding places of the temple), and 2012 (Ganesha Temple on the west side of the hill). In 2013 a Kala Bairaveshwara idol was installed in a cave towards east of the hill. Maha Shivratri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year in reverence of Lord Shiva. It is the day Shiva was married to Parvati.

Shore Temple, Tamil Nadu Beautiful Images

Mahabalipuram also known as Mamallapuram is a town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Shore Temple comprises three shrines, where the prominent ones are dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. In the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum), an image of Shivalinga embraces the site. At the rear end, one can find two shrines facing each other. Here, one shrine is dedicated to Ksatriyasimnesvara and other to Lord Vishnu. In the shrine, Lord Vishnu is imaged reclining on the 'Seshanag', which is a symbol of consciousness in Hinduism. A structural temple along the Bay of Bengal with the entrance from the western side away from the sea. Recent excavations have revealed new structures here. The temple was reconstructed stone by stone from the sea after being washed away in a cyclone.

Pancha Rathas (Five Chariots) – five monolithic pyramidal structures named after the Pandavas (Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishtra, Nakula and Sahadeva) and Draupadi. An interesting aspect of the rathas is that, despite their sizes they are not assembled — each of these is carved from one single large piece of stone.

Koteshwar Mahadev Temple, Uttarakhand

Koteshwar Mahadev Temple is situated in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. While the temple itself is inside a cave, the surroundings offer mind-blowing visuals of nature. The cave is on the banks of the River Alaknanda. Koteshwar is believed to be one of the many avatars of Lord Shiva.

According to legend, when the Kauravas were vanquished by the Pandavas during the epic war of Kurukshetra war, a heavenly voice recommended that the Pandavas pray to the Lord Shiva for salvation and penance for the killings. Shiva was not ready to forgive them easily and hence, moved from the cave towards Kedarnath.

At that time, the demons residing close to the cave requested Lord not to leave but Lord Shiva was not willing to stay to grant salvation to Pandavas Finally He granted the demons a boon that the wishes of anyone who visits the cave will be fulfilled. The most unique aspect of this cave temple is that it has many idols and it is believed that they are all formed naturally. The idols here, apart from that of Lord Shiva, also include that of Parvati, Hanuman, Ganesha and Durga.

Lord Bhojeshwara Jyotirlinga MP

Lord Shiva is considered as one of the most liberal god and fulfill people’s desire easily. Lord shiva is worshipped in the form of Shiv ling. Lord Bhojeshwar Shiv linga is the popular Shiv linga in Madhya Pradesh.

The Bhojeshwar Temple is an incomplete Hindu temple in Bhojpur village of Madhya Pradesh, India. Dedicated to Lord Shiva.

History Of Temple

The temple stands magnificently on the right bank of the river Betwa, ancient Betrawati, over the rock outcrop. It is about 29 km south-east of Bhopal.This unique temple but incomplete for some unknown reason is ascribed to the illustrious King Bhojadeva (1010-1055 A.D.) of Paramara dynasty of Central India, who was a great patron of art, architecture and learning. The king Bhojadeva was a renowned author who wrote more than eleven books of which Samarnngana Sutradhara a treaty on architecture is the most important.

Locally, there are several folklores prevailing in this area. According to one folklore, this temple was built by the Pandavas during their exile.

Special feature of these temple is Siva Linga with its Yoni Patta rising to height of 22 ft is the tallest and grandest in the world. The huge Yoni Patta made of a single block of stone broke into two pieces when a large size stone of the ceiling fell down on it, and thus the temple remained with a broken Yoni Patta and the ceiling open to the sky for centuries. But now the Yoni Patta has been meticulously joined together and the opening of the ceiling has been covered with fiber glass sheet decorated with, the inverted lotus flower which is exactly alike the original architectural remains of the roof.