Hari kshetre Kama rupi, Prayage Madhaveshwari / Jwalayam Vishnavi devi, Gaya Mangalya gourika // Ashtdasa Stotr, Adi Shankaracharya.
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How to reach.
Nearest Bus stand. Gaya, 3 to 5 km
Nearest Railway station. Gaya . 4 to 5 km
Nearest Airport is Bodhgaya Airport which is in 8 to 10 km distance.
Mangala Gauri temple is very nearer to Vishnupada temple .
Autos,Ttaxis available.
Mangalagauri is worshiped as the Goddess of Benevolence.
This temple constitutes an Upa-Shakti Pitha – where it is believed that a part of the body of Shakti fell – according to mythology.
Here Shakti is worshiped in the form of a breast symbol, a symbol of nourishment.The temple is facing east, and is built on top of the Mangalagauri hill.
A flight of steps and a motorable road lead to the temple.
The sanctum houses the symbol of the Goddess and it also has some finely carved ancient relief sculptures.
A small hall or mandap stands in front of the temple.
Legend.
“The city derived its name from the demon, Gayasur who is said to have resided in this area.
It is said that Lord Vishnu killed the demon by crushing him under his feet. On his being crushed, the demon got transformed into numerous rocky hills that form the topography of the city today.
Then the deities decided to sit over the dead demon and that is the reason why one can find numerous temples over these surrounding rocky hills.
It is said that any one who touched him or looked at him were fred of all sins.
Mangla Gauri, Rama Shila, Brahmayoni and Shringa Sthan are the places where one can find temples on the hill tops and which comprise of the pilgrimage circuit of the city.
The Mangla Gauri shrine in Gaya, one of the most holy sites has two rounded stones which symbolizes the breasts of the Goddess Sati, who is regarded as the first wife of Lord Shiva.
Vishnu pad Temple is marked by a footprint of Vishnu.
This footprint is the significance of the act of Lord Vishnu crushing Gayasur under his foot.
The Fires continue to burn without any Fuel being added.
Mughal Emperor Akbar visited this Temple to verify this.
How To Reach.
By Air: Gaggal airport, also known as Dharamsala airport, in Kangra valley is about 40 km away from Jwalamukhi. This airport connects domestic flights to Delhi. International travelers have to connect through Delhi Airport, which is about 450 km away from Dharamsala. Delhi Airport is connected to all major cities in India and abroad.
By Road: Regular bus services ply regularly from several cities to Jwalamukhi and Kangra. Private luxury buses are also available from Delhi and other north Indian cities.
By Rail: Nearest railway station is Kangra Mandir but all trains do not stop here. The nearest railhead is Pathankot, about 85 km away from Dharamsala. Pathankot is well connected to all major cities in India.
Temple Timings.
Timings – Opening & Closing:
Monday – Friday: 6.00 AM – 7.00 PM ,
Saturday: 6.00 AM – 7.00 PM ,
Sunday: 6.00 AM – 7.00 PM ,
Public Holidays: 6.00 AM – 7.00 PM
The Legends:
One is known to all, that of Daksha Yaga and Sati immolating herself.
According to another legend, the Goddess appeared in a dream to a Brahmin in faraway South India, and directed him to proceed to the hills of Kangra in the shadow of the Dhauladhars and search for small tongues of flame leaping from the ground. The Brahmin, it is said responded discovered the sacred spot and in due course of time, erected a temple. Some people believe that Jwalamukhi represents the flaming mouth of Jalandhara, the demon whom Lord Shiva crushed to death by placing on him a huge mass of mountains.
Dhyanu Bhagat is well known devotee of Maa Durga. It is him who spread Devi Mata’s name. He lived at the time of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Dhyanu Bhagat was going to Jwalaji with a group of pilgrims. Akbar summoned him to his court to inquire into the nature of their Goddess. Dhyanu Bhagat told him She is all powerful and answers the prayers of Her devotees.
To test Her power Akbar cut off the head of Dhyanu’s horse ordering him to have the Goddess put it back. Dhyanu went to Maa Jwalaji and prayed day and night to no avail. Out of desperation he cut of his own head and offered it to Devi Maa. She then appeared to him riding a lion. She reconnected both his head and that of the horse. Devi Maa also offered Dhyanu Bhagat a boon. He requested that it should not be so difficult for pigrams to show their devotion. Mata said that in the future if someone offered a coconut she would accept it as if they had offered their own head. To this day people continue to offer coconuts to the Goddess in Her temples all over the world. After the knowing that the head of horse is reconnected, Akbar the great Mughal Emperor visited the temple. The water course which today drips into a tank in the temple premises is said to have been constructed by Akbar in an attempt to douse the jets of flames in the temple.
The story goes that when the flames refused to be vanquished by the water channel specially constructed for the purpose, Akbar with utmost humility, became a devotee of the Goddess, and overcome by emotion, presented a chattra (umbrella) of gold to the Goddess. But when leaving, the Emperor looked back with immense pride at the valuable gift that he had made to the Goddess, and was mortified to find that the gold had turned into copper! Later Akbar’s son Jahangir invaded the Kangra valley and after seeing Jwalamukhi, wrote in his Tuzk (memories) near the temple and on the slope of the hill there is a sulphur mine and its heat causes flames to continually burst forth. They call it Jwalamukhi(flaming face or fiery mouth), and regard it as one of the idol’s miracles. Jahangir goes on to relate the legend of Shiva and Parvati and other stories connected with Jwalamukhi.
The place where the Devi‘s Vulva fell is at Kamakya, Assam.
Devi’s Vulva, Kamakhya DeviKamkhya Devi Main BuildingKamakhya Devi
‘Hari kshetre Kama rupi, Prayage Madhaveshwari / Jwalayam Vishnavi devi, Gaya Mangalya gourika //-Ashtadasa Stotra Adi Shankaracharya.
Kamarup is a very important Shakti Peeta and this palce is one of the primary temples of worship for the Tantrics.
As I have stated in my earlier posts on the Forms of Shakti Worship and Introduction to Lalitha Sahasranama, the system of Tantric Worship is esoteric and needs a very strong mind divested of Sexual desire.
Entering into this field of Shakti worship without controlling of transcending Sexual urges might, would leave one mentally imbalanced.
Caution is to be exercised here.
Female Genital Organs are indicative of the primordial force and the Sound waves are also a part of this form of worship.
The Ultimate Reality is the conjunction of Male Semen ,Female Genital and they express themselves in Sound waves.
‘Nada Bindu Kalaadhi Namo Nama’ Tiruppugazh of Arunagirinathar,’You are the embodiment of Male Energy and sound waves’
I shall be posting, DV, a series of articles on the Tantric worship, as there are only a few articles available in a difficult form, where I Intend explaining from the Rathna traya of Bhaskararaya-Sowbhagaya Bhaskaram,Sethu Bandham and Varivasya Rahasyam.
Kamakhya devi shrine hosts the yoni of Sati that fell here following the destruction of Daksha’s sacrifice. This Shakti Peetha symbolizes the union of Shiva with Shakti, as described in the Kali Purana. They are depicted in constant union where Kamakhya is the Goddess of desire, who grants salvation. She is the young bride of Lord Shiva and together they symbolize the sublime reality of the miracle of life, the everlasting bliss of male/female union. This temple is situated atop a hill that overlooks the Brahmaputra river. The inner sanctum is a deep dark underground rocky chamber into which one descends by a flight of steep steps. The “Matra Yoni” which is inscribed on a rock is covered with silk sarees and is constantly moist by underground spring water.
There are 64 Yogini temples in Assam,Odisha.
I had posted on the temple where the 64 Yoginis Dance around Lord Shiva’.
On the Yoni or Vulva in Hinduism.
he Shakti, represented here as Kamakhya Devi has close associations with the 64 Yoginis found elsewhere in Orissa. The yantra associated with Kamakhya devi empowers the 64 yoginis(Hirapur Chaunsat Yogini Temple, Khajuraho) as part of Shakti. The Tripura mantra “Aim Klim Sauh” represents the triple Kundalini. It is also believed that female sadhvikas who are well versed in Yoga dwell at Kamakhya peetha. If one joins them, they obtain yogini siddhi.
2. The Matrikas who dominated both Buddhist sculpture as well as Brahmanical, are the depiction of the importance of alphabet or sound in the worship of Shiva and Shakti. There are seven representations called the Sapta Matrikas, describing the importance of the alphabet in the Beeja mantra and associated hymns sung in the praise of Shiva and shakti.’
With reference to Yoni tattva, Kaula tantras deal with the subject of menstrual blood as given in the following translation.
Matrikabheda Tantra (English translation Ideological Book House 1990) describes the different types:
“Shri Shankara said: The first menses appearing in a woman who has lost her virginity is Svayambhu blood. In a maiden born of a married woman and begotten by another man, that which arises is Kunda menses, the substance causing the granting of any desire.
Deveshi, a maiden begotten by a widow gives rise to Gola menses, which subdues gods. The menses arising in the first period after a virgin becomes a married woman is the all bewildering Svapushpa.”
Last but not the least is the dialog between the supreme creative power Brahma and Shakti. Brahma can create but only through the yoni which shall be the sole creative principle, and will bless the soul with life. After severe penance Brahma brought down a luminous body of light to earth and placed it within the yoni circle of Goddess Kamakhya at Kamarupa.”
The temple is near Gwahati and one can visit this temple from here.
The temple was built in the first Millennium in Kamarupa,Assam and Samudra Gupta’s rock carvings mention this.
The Moola Vigraha is in a subterranean Cave with a spring, where the Devi is draped in a Saree ;She is in the Form of Matrika Rupa.
Matrikas are a process of worshiping through Sound waves of the Alphabets.
Ambubachi Mela, also known as Ambubasi festival, is held annually during monsoon in the Kamakhya Devi Temple at Guwahati, Assam. In 2013, the beginning date of Ambubachi Mela is June 22nd and the festival ends on June 26. The Ambubachi festival is closely related to the Tantric cult and is also known as Kamkhya Devi Puja. It is believed that Goddess Kamakhya goes through her menstrual cycle during these days and therefore the temple remains closed for three days. Ambubachi Mela is also known as Ameti or Tantric fertility festival and is a four-day mela (fair).
It is widely believed that Goddess Kamakhya goes through her yearly menstrual cycle during the Ambubachi days. The temple remains closed for three days of the menstruation period.
Daily Events
5:30 AM
Snana of the Pithasthana.
6:00 AM
Nitya puja.
8:00 AM
Temple door open for devotees.
1:00 PM
Temple door closed for cooked offerings to the goddess followed by distribution among the devotees.
2:30 PM
Temple door reopens for the devotees.
5:30 PM
Aarati of Goddess followed by closing of the temple door for the night.
Legend:
Once Naraka, motivated by his carnal desire, wanted to marry Devi Kamakhya. When proposed, the goddess playfully put a condition before him. If Naraka would be able to build a staircase from the bottom of the Nilachal hill to the temple within one night, then she would surely marry him.
Naraka took it as a challenge and tried all with his might to do this marathon task. He was almost about to accomplish the job when the Devi, panic-stricken as she was to see this, played a trick on him. She strangled a cock and made it crow untimely to give the impression of dawn to Naraka. Duped by the trick even Naraka thought that it was a futile job and left it half way through. Later he chased the cock and killed it in a place which is now known as Kukurakata, situated in the district of Darrang. The incomplete staircase is known as Mekhelauja path.
These 51 sylllables are represented in the 51 Shakti Peetas.
The temple has four entrances in the outer prakara each marked with a gopuram, facing the four cardinal directions. On the south is the entrance to the inner prakara, which is lined by a pillared two-storeyed verandah. The main temple is twin storeyed. Two flights of stairs lead us into the upper level of the sanctum. This has a pillared pradakshina on three sides and a Garbhagriha. Bhimeswara is enshrined in the form of a ten feet high Shivalingam in this Garbhagriha. Another feature of the temple is the narrow mantapam that is seen in the premises. Shiva’s consort here is Manikyamba. The temple walls and pillars are decoratively carved with mythological figures.
Nearest Railway stations are Kakinada, Samalkot,and Rajahmundry.
Airport:Kakinada,Rajamundry.
Temple Timings.
Morning: 6:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Evening: 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM
But in every month on the day of Masa Shivaratri and in a year on the day of MahaShivaratri temple is opened all the time starting from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
Draksharama is also one of the Five Powerful Temples of Lord Shiva.Pancharama Kshetras of Shiva.
According to local legend, the temple was built by angels in one night. The construction of the perimeter wall could not be completed before sunrise and still stands incomplete. Several attempts have been made to construct the uncompleted part of the wall but all those efforts have failed with the constructed wall collapsing within a few months.
The Siva deity is known as Bhimesvara Swamy. The temple is situated on the eastern bank of Godavari River. The consort of Lord Bhimesvara is Manikyamba. According to local belief the Siva linga at the temple was installed and established by the god Surya. Maha Shivaratri, Devi Navaratrulu, Karthika Masam, and Dhanurmasam are the main festivals celebrated at this temple.
108 Shivite temples were built after 800 around this temple in a radius of 40 kilometers. Some purohits have this list.
The village is called Dakshina Kasi. The Siva Linga in this temple is said to be one large crystal which is 2.6 meters high.
The Legend:
There are three stories related to Manikyamba devi. First one is, A Brahmin widow made a golden idol to remember her ďied daughter. But after some time, the idol got talking power. This idol was decorated with Manikyas(gems), hence the name Manikyamba or Manikyeswari. Bhimadeva, a new king came to this area taken that idol and worshiped her as his Kula devata. Some stories also tells us that Manikyamba name comes from a word Mainakamba, That means she was the daughter of Menaka devi, wife of Himavanta. Gradually the word Manikamba turned as Manikyamba in time period.
There is another important story regarding Manikyamaba devi. Manikyamba devi is a daughter of a prostitute. One day she saw Lord Bhimeswara in her dream, and decided that she will marry Lord Bhimeswara only. She showed great devotion towards Lord Shiva, and finally got Lord Bhimeswara swamy as her husband. A great Poet Srinatha, belonging to 14th century also mentioned this story in his great work, Bhimakhanadam. From there onwards Manikyamba devi was worshiped as Mother goddess. Manikyamba devi also considered as Kula devata of vesyas.
On every Ekadasi day Lord Bhimeswaraswamy and Manikyamba devi ekanta seva will be performed. Eight slokas will be sung by priests regarding Manikyamba devi and Bhimeswaraswamy and their romantic love story.Fridays also important days to worship Manikyamba devi. Kumkumarchana will be done in Fridays.
The Goddess in Puruthika Devi and the Lord is Kukkudeswara.
The idol of Puruhuthika devi has four hands. They contain bag of seeds (Beeja), axe (Parashu), lotus (Kamala) and a dish (Madhu patra) from lower-right to lower-left in order.
Puruthika Devi, Pithapuram.
Previously there were two sects of Upasakas in Pithapuram worshiping Puruhootika devi. The first one calling her as Puruhootha Lakshmi (Meditating on Kamala and Madhu patra) and worshiping in Samayachara and the second one calling her Puruhoothamba (Meditating on Parashu and Beeja) and worshiping in Vamachara. There is also a tale that the original statue of Puruhutika devi was buried under the temple which was worshiped by them.
Legend:
Once Indra has cheated Ahalya (wife of Gautama maharshi) in the form of Gautama and was cursed by the Maharshi. Indra lost his testes and got the symbols of Yoni all over his body. He felt very sad and prąyed Gautama a lot. Finally the Rishi accepted and told that the Yoni symbols will look like eyes, so that Indra will be called as Sahasraksha there after. But Indra lost his testes. He wanted to regain them. He left his kingdome, came to Piithika puri and did Tapasya for Jaganmata. After a long time Jaganmata appeared before him and blessed him with wealth and testes. Indra was very happy and prąyed her as Puruhutika devi (One who was worshiped by Indra).
This is also a Vishnu Kshetra where Kunthi worshiped Lord Vishnu.
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