famous temples in india

 Famous   Temples In India

Meenakshi Temple Madurai Tamil Nadu:-   The historic Meenakshi Amman Temple is located on the southern bank of the Madurai River in Tamil Nadu.  Built between the years 1623 and 1655, the amazing architecture of this place is globally famous.  

Meenakshi Temple is mainly dedicated to Parvati, known as Meenakshi and her husband, Shiva.  - What makes this temple different from others is the fact that both God and Goddess are worshiped together.  

According to mythology, Lord Shiva went to Madurai to marry Parvati and it has been a holy place since the birth of Goddess Parvati.  The Meenakshi Temple was constructed to pay homage to the Goddess.  The Meenakshi Amman temple complex is built according to the shilpa shastra .

Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand  :- Kedarnath Temple is one of the most revered and sacred Hindu temples situated on the Garhwal Himalayan ranges in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India.  

Located at an altitude of 03,583 meters, this temple is the tallest of the 12 Jyotirlingas and is 0 dedicated to Lord Shiva.  .  

The present Kedarnath temple has been constructed by Adi Shankaracharya, which was originally built by the Pandavas a thousand years ago. 

Vaishno Devi , Jammu:- Located at a height of 15 km above sea level in the Trikuta hills, is the sacred cave temple of 

Mata Vaishnodevi, a spiritually revered goddess for the people of Hinduism.  Vaishno Devi is a religious trekking destination where pilgrims walk for about 13 km to reach small caves, one of the 108 Shaktipeeths.  - 

Vaishno Devi, also known as Mata Rani, is an expression of Goddess Durga according to Hindu mythology.  Overall, if you are inclined towards both Hinduism and nature, this is the best temple to visit.

Dilwara Temple, Mount Abu - Amidst lush green Aravalli hills, Dilwara Temple is the most beautiful pilgrimage site for Jains.  Built by Vastupala Tejpal between 011th and 13th century, this temple is famous for its splendid use of marble and intricate carvings.  

The Dilwara temple has five identical temples, such as Vimal Vasahi, Luna Vasahi, Pittalahar, Parshwanath and Mahavir Swamy temples which are dedicated to Lord Adinath, Lord Rishabhbho, Lord Neminath, Lord Mahavir Swami and Lord Parshvanath respectively.  This temple rests on 48 pillars.

Golden Temple , Amritsar:- One of the most spiritual places in India, the Golden Temple, also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib, is the most sacred temple of Sikhism.  

 After undergoing demolition, it was rebuilt in 1830 by Maharaja Ranjit Singh with pure marble and gold.  People come here for spiritual solution and religious fulfillment.  

 There is a lot of recognition of the Amrit Sarovar present within the temple.  It is said that bathing here cures all the illness of a person.

 Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain:- Sri Mahakaleshwar Temple located in the ancient city of Ujjain on the banks of the Rudra Sagar Lake in the state of Madhya Pradesh is one of the most sacred and excellent pilgrimage places for Hindus today.  

"The temple of Lord Shiva is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Mahakaleshwar Temple Mahakaleshwar Temple is influenced by Maratha, Bhumij and Chalukya styles. 

Many religious festivals and Utsab are also celebrated here every year. - Apart from this, the Bhasma - Aarti of the temple is a ritual ceremony.

 Badrinath Temple, Uttarakhand :- Located on the Garhwal Hill, near the Alaknanda River, the holiest Badrinath Temple or Badrinarayan Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.  The temple is one of the Char Dham and Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites.  

 It is mentioned in 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Lord Vishnu in India HETA Located at an altitude of 010,279 feet, this temple is surrounded by the elevated Himalayas.  Originally the temple is believed to have been established by the saint, Adi Shankara.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi :-  Located on the western bank of the holy river Ganges, Kashi Vishwanath Temple is considered one of the most popular Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. Kashi Vishwanath Temple is the main deity of Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Lord Shiva,  Those also known as Vishwanath or Vishweshwar which means' ruler of the universe.  Interesting Facts - The Jyotirlinga present in the temple is considered to be the 12th of all Jyotirlingas in the country.  

In olden times, on special festivals like Shivaratri, the king of Kashi (Kashi Naresh) used to go to the temple for worship during which no one else was allowed to enter the temple premises.  

The temple also has many other small temples like Kalabhairava, Vishnu, Virupaksha Gauri, Vinayak and Avimukteshwar.

Sri Jagannath Puri Temple, Puri -  Located in the holy city of Puri, the Jagannath Temple was built in the 11th century by King Indradyumna.  This magnificent temple is the abode of Lord Jagannath, a form of Lord Vishnu. 

 It is the most revered pilgrimage site for Hindus and is included in the holy Char Dham Yatra along with Badrinath, Dwarka and Rameswaram.  

The city's vibrant religious festivals attract large number of tourists.  Among them, the most awaited Rath Yatra is celebrated with great pomp and show.  

The colorful atmosphere of the pilgrims, interesting rituals and fervor are worth seeing during this time.

Prem Mandir, Vrindavan :- Prem Mandir is a huge temple dedicated to this grand religious site Radha Krishna and Sita Rama and known as the "Temple of the Love of God".  Goes 0566. Vrindavan is located in the holy city of Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh. 

The temple depicts various scenes of Krishna's life, such as the raising of Govardhan Parvat, on the periphery of the Prem Mandir. - 

The lighting of the temple is magnificent.  Further enhances the look, especially during the night. The temple was built at a cost of Rs 150 crore and took eleven years to complete. 

This newly constructed temple is the most beautiful in the entire Brij region.

Brihadishvara Temple :-  Also called Rajarajesvaram or Peruvudaiyār Kōvil, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in South bank of Kaveri river in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu India.

It is one of the largest South Indian temples and an exemplary example of a fully realized Dravidian architecture.

 It is called as Dhakshina Meru (Meru of south).

Built by Tamil king Raja Raja Chola I between 1003 and 1010 AD, the temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Great Living Chola Temples , along with 

The Chola dynasty era Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple and Airavatesvara temple that are about 70 kilometres (43 mi) and 40 kilometres (25 mi) to its northeast respectively.

The original monuments of this 11th century temple were built around a moat. It included gopura, the main temple, its massive tower, inscriptions, frescoes and sculptures predominantly related to Shaivism, but also of Vaishnavism and Shaktism traditions of Hinduism. 

The temple was damaged in its history and some artwork is now missing. Additional mandapam and monuments were added in centuries that followed. The temple now stands amidst fortified walls that were added after the 16th century.

Somnath temple:-  Located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, India is believed to be the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is an important pilgrimage and tourist spot of Gujarat. 

Reconstructed several times in the past after repeated destruction by several invaders and rulers, the present temple was reconstructed in the Chaulukya style of Hindu temple architecture and completed in May 1951. 

The reconstruction was started under the orders of the Home Minister of India Vallabhbhai Patel and completed after his death.

Venkateswara Temple :-  A Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. 

The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared here to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. 

Hence the place has also got the name Kaliyuga Vaikuntham and the Lord here is referred to as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam. The temple is also known by other names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple, Tirupati Balaji Temple. 

Venkateswara is known by many other names: Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa.

Khamakhya Temple :- Also known as Kamrup-Kamakhya temple, is a Sakta temple dedicated to the mother goddess Kamakhya. It is one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Pithas.

Situated on the Nilachal Hill in western part of Guwahati city in Assam, India, it is the main temple in a complex of individual temples dedicated to the ten Mahavidyas of Saktism : Kali, Tara, Sodashi, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika. 

Among these, Tripurasundari, Matangi and Kamala reside inside the main temple whereas the other seven reside in individual temples.

 It is an important pilgrimage destination for Hindus and especially for Tantric worshipers.