This is the temple of the Hindu god Lord Shiva. The temple is significant because of the two Shiva Lingas that are found on a single pedestal. These Lingas are named Lord Shiva and Lord Yama. Collectively, they are known as Kaleshwara Mukteswara Swamy. Kaleshwaram is one of three Shiva temples mentioned in Trilinga Desham, or "Land of Three Lingas."
The holy place draws tourists during the Karthika Month of the Indian Calendar, 16 November – 15 December. Holy baths are held during 6-17 of December. People who bathe here and first visit Lord Ganesha, then pray to Lord Yama and then to Lord Shiva. The temple is open from 4:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and 3:30-9:00 p.m. Access to Laksha Bilwapatri Pooja is given by request to Devasthanam officials at least one month in advance.
Two types of prasadam are inside the temple: Pulihora (Tamarind rice) and Laddu (sweet). This place is very popular for after funeral events like kashi. People believe that this is second kashi in India.
Legend claims that a long time ago, a Vaishya had performed an Abhisheka to Lord Kaleshwara Mukteswara with hundreds of milk pots, and the milk evolved at the sangamam of Godavari and Pranahita.Kaleshwaram is at the juncture of the rivers Godavari and its Pranahita tributary.
An abode of God of good fortunes-Ganesha; the destroyer of obstacles, Lord of good beginnings, the patron of arts and sciences and the deva of intellect and wisdom is one such temple famous worldwide. Situated at Prabhadevi area of Mumbai, this temple was venerated on Nov, 19 1801 .Indeed it is a tribute and standing testament of beauty and architecture. It is one of the affluent temples in Mumbai. At the outset, it was built by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil .The idol of Lord Ganesh is made from a single black stone. Siddhivinayak temple is well known as “Navasacha Ganapati” or “Navasala Pavanara Ganapati” which means Ganapati bestows his blessings to the devotee.Tuesday is deemed to be the most felicitous days to visit Siddhivinayak temple when devotees converge in great numbers to pray. In the Hindu religion and mythology Lord Ganesha holds the most revered position and all new tasks begin with His prayer.
Ganesha also known as Pillaiyar, Ganapati, Vighnaharta and Vinayaka, is one of the best-known and most widely worshipped deities. The name Ganesha is a Sanskrit compound, joining the words gana meaning a group and isha meaning lord or master. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India.
Mekkikattu' - place with many wooden Bhuta Icons, is situated near Shiriyara village 6 km from Barkur town, of Udupi District (Karnataka State, India). According to a legend jambukeshvara a sage was engaged in a strong penance at this place, installed 'nandi' (Having human body and the oxe head of a spirit or pantheon diety or bhuta) the vehicle of Lord Ishvara as the guardian spirit in order to protect himself from disturbances of evil power. To safeguard the place of sanctity he established a number of bhutas in this shrine.
In a spacious hall near the sanctum there are a number of wooden icons representing vanquished soldiers, horses, elephants of Keladi kingdom. Once Keladi ruler marched in order to loot the wealth of Barkur. (Circa 16th century A.D.) Barkur was the wealthy capital of a chieftain of Tulu kingdom. When Keladi army encamped near Mekkikattu before the final assault, the Barkur chief apprehending defeat invoked Nandikeshvara to protect the country by his supernatural powers, Immediately dumbness and immobility overpowered the Keladi soldiers. The army leaders consulted astrologers and were promptly told to compensate whatever loss was caused to their soldiers. Finally every one became normal, In commemoration of the event their king presented the wooden images to the shrine. These wooden images are called 'uru' and the wooden icons hall is called urusaale. This shrine has more than 150 wooden icons, and more than 200 aniconic (idol less) supernatural spirits associated in the area, some of them believed on the seat of wooden bench which is placed in "T"- shape. Few spirits are under a tree. On every 'sanmkramana' (an auspicious day for Hindus) or eventually on 5th and 20th (day) of every month there will be a trance rites or possession as a grand festival.
In the month of February or March the yearly festival take place on the day of 'sankramana' i.e, 14th onwards. Out side three major iron poles are fixed, on this pole another horizontal pole fixed at its axis. At the one end a cradle will be tied, to the other end remains a fixed long rope. The devotees who have taken the oath of offering the service of sedi or sitting in a ritual cradle. During the festival 'sedi' performance considered an important ritual. The main spirit or Bhuta of this temple is called nandikeshvara' or 'aakasha nandi'. This place is also famous for mother deity, and an interesting wooden icons, sanctity places also could be seen at'Mekkikattu'.
Icons of this place is having large collection, similarly in 'Soodigadde' (of Belake region) near Bhatkal one can find similar wood icons in thousands. These are all offered by the devotee to overcome his or her disease. The size of the wooden icons varies, more icons belong to the deity called 'maastiyamma'. Wooden icons are worshiped in the 'Garodi' (shrine dedicated to twin hero's of Tulu culture) and as part of influenced culture one can see wooden image i.e, muslim sufi icon, 'joogi' or of Baaranathpanth of North India etc.
The following temple is a testimony that the "Hinduism" is not a religion, but a way of life. This temple is UNIQUE and one of its kinds. The temple that I’m referring to is Sri Ajaatha Nagalinga Swamy Mata in Navalagunda town in Darward Dist., Karnataka, India. Sri Ajaatha Nagalinga Swamy is a 19th-century Yogi. He was born in Javalagi Village in Sindhanur town of Raichur Dist., Karnataka. He became a yogi at a very young age. He spent his initial life in wondering around, doing miracles, and helping people in distress. He finally settled down at the Mouneshwara cave temple in Dharwad. His teachings were very simple and anyone could easily understand and put it in to practice. He preached; Ones heart is the temple while ones soul is the god. So, one has to have a clean and pure heart. He believed in Advaitha philosophy. In his times he was very popular among villagers, still he is. He has many devotees and many followers.
Ajaatha Nagalinga Swamy He is a yogi who has uncanny resemblance to Jesus Christ. The Picture of Sri Ajaatha Nagalinga Swamy’s hung on the temple walls will concur with my comparison. When there is a mention of Jesus Christ then there should some reference to Bible. Yes, you read me right. There is indeed a very sacred book here and that is the BIBLE. Bible is the sacred book in this Hindu temple. Everyday, the temple priest offers prayers as per Hindu tradition and is kept for display. Every devotee who comes to this temple pays his/her prayers to the bible as well. Bible written in Kannada-the official language of Karnataka state is not read in this temple. Although, bible is very sacred here it is not a ‘CHURCH’ but a ‘HINDU’ Temple.
Bible @ the sacred sanctum The miracle of this temple is the bible, which is growing on its own. There is a very interesting story as how this Bible reached this temple. This Bible is one book and has both Old and New Testaments. Once lived a great Devi devotee by the name Kalappa in Mushteegeri village of Badami town in Bagalkote dist, Karnataka. Kalappa also showed interest in Bible reading; he had a first edition of bible (published in 1865 by Watson machine prints). Sri Ajaatha Nagalinga Swamy met Kalappa and prophesied his next birth. He took the bible from Kalappa, drilled a hole on it with the help of a hook (used to peel coconut from its shell). The yogi then dropped a 1 Re Victorian silver coin in to the perforation. It came out from the other end smoothly. He informed Kalappa that the hole will completely close on its own and when it does, he will be born again in a different avatar. From that day on, the hole started closing.. subsequently the missing words on the bible reappeared magically. As of today, the hole is a size of a needle. Yogi passed away in 1881. The yogi’s followers have erected the place where he is buried, a Shiva lingam. Late Kalappa gave away the Bible to the temple. To this date, the Bible and the Silver coin are preserved in this temple with great care and devotion. And Temple officials have recorded the radius of this hole regularly. Anyone can access it, of course with temple authorities permission. Bible and the coin Thole that is closing on its own The coin that was dropped inside the hole initial measurement were recorded on the bible itself Official records of the measurement Besides bible, there are also some interesting items in this temple like the ‘Panja’ (The sword used during Muslim festival ‘Moharam’) and a “Cart” (sidagi in Kannada) used to carry the dead to the burial ground in this very same temple. No where else you will see bible, panja or the cart together in a Hindu temple. This Sidagi was used as yogi’s chariot. Yogi used to sit on it and his followers carried him around. Yogi first found this abandoned cart at a graveyard, and requested his students to carry it while he sat on it. He requested to go around the village. Many villagers objected to this procession, as it is very uncommon for a living person to use a sidagi. Those who objected were mysteriously died, and some faced weird difficulties. They understood that yogi was not an ordinary person and then on they too became a staunch follower of the yogi. Thereby, yogi attracted many devotees from all walks of life. Today, female devotees tie green bangles in memory of yogi’s greatest devotee Beemavva to this cart for either for a prosperous marriage or for children. All their wishes have come true. Sometimes bangles are tied for various reasons too. Moharam too is celebrated in this Hindu temple. This temple resonates communal harmony from every nook and corner.
Panja Sidagi Although, yogi is not physically present, some devotees claim they have seen the yogi, while some others say they have heard the yogi speaking, either ways people in this region have great respect for the yogi, who has taught that making peace is more important than making war. This indeed will be one of my favorite Temple stories to this date.
There are many numerology systems which assign numerical value to the letters of an alphabet. Examples include the Abjad numerals in Arabic, the Hebrew numerals, Armenian numerals, and Greek numerals. The practice within Jewish tradition of assigning mystical meaning to words based on their numerical values, and on connections between words of equal value, is known as gematria. For example:
1 = a, j, s,
2 = b, t,
3 = c, l, u,
4 = d, m,
5 = e, n, w,
6 = f, o, x,
7 = g, p, y,
8 = h, q, z,
9 = i, r,
based on Pythagorean Numerology, which is the original numerology and was created by the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras
k = 11
v = 22
...and are then summed.
Examples:
3,489 → 3 + 4 + 8 + 9 = 24 → 2 + 4 = 6
Hello → 8 + 5 + 3 + 3 + 6 = 25 → 2 + 5 = 7
In South India, mostly Tamil nadu, the numbers assigned to English alphabets is different. The list is shown below:
1 = A, I, J, Q, Y
2 = B, K, R
3 = C, G, L, S
4 = D, M, T
5 = E, H, N, X
6 = U, V, W
7 = O, Z
8 = F, P
There is no assignment for the number 9. Numerologists analyze double-digit numbers from 10 to 99.
Some Chinese assign a different set of meanings to the numbers and certain number combinations are considered luckier than others. In general, even numbers are considered lucky, since it is believed that good luck comes in pairs.
This world has been created by lord Brahma and the entire world is controlled by TRIMURTHI (Bramha,Vishnu & Mahesh). It is worshipped by people in various forms across the globe or universe. There is no physical form for it.
There is no birth or death to the soul that exists in all of our bodies as we all believe.Changes are only to the physical bodies.They are birth, childhood, teenage, adulthood, oldage, and death. Only athma enters into different body and takes form at time as per the good deeds and bad things it has done. There is no birth or death to athma. It can neither be created nor destroyed. Athma takes birth as per the karmas which it has done. It is like a person who is working in an organization gets promoted when he does his duty sincerely, honestly and efficiently or degraded if he does not perform his duties. The same way, an athma gets good and bad birth as per the good and bad things it does. Naadi Astrology is like a mirror of your karmas in past birth. And there are two options associated with your past sin. Either you can get the bad fate for your sins or you can overcome them by doing the right things with the world ( including all living things).
The texts are mainly written in Vatteluttu, which is an ancient Tamil script. There are different schools of thought as to the author of these leaves. They were written by a Tamil sage called Agathiyar who is said to have had divine revelations. This doctrine of astrology was made famous by astrologers around the Vaitheeswaran Temple in the state of Tamil Nadu. Based on the thumb impression, Nadi leaves are found. These Nadi leaves were initially stored in the premises of Tanjore Saraswati Mahal Library of Tamil Nadu. The British rulers later showed interest in the Nadi leaves concerned with herbs and medicine, future prediction etc.; but ironically left most of the Nadi prediction leaves to their loyal people. Some leaves got destroyed and the remaining were auctioned during the British rule. These Nadi leaves were obtained and possessed by the families of astrologers in Vaitheeswaran Temple. This was passed down the years from one generation to the other. BASICS
All the human beings irrespective of country, religion, caste, status, rich, poor, language are controlled by Navagrahas (nine planets). Navagrahas are very sincere in their duties and never go out of their path in performing their duties. They never work for any favour. They act on individuals as per the Karma (bad and good things done by human beings in this world) of each individual. The life of each individual is determined by their past karmas. For example, if a person is blessed with huge wealth in this birth then it means he has done so many punyas (good things) in his previous births and he is enjoying the benefits of it in this birth. It is like a person who has saved lot of punyas in his account as we save in bank accounts, then cash it when the need comes.
Birth, death, rebirth and moksha are all controlled by our old karmas. Sins are like big mountains which will take very long time to dilute whereas punyas earned will get emptied very soon so it is very important that we always think of good and do not do any harm to any other living things. Sin is considered as committed even if we think of any bad things in your mind.
What is to be given to you, when, how and where everything is decided by Brahma through Navagarahas and Siddars. As the Brahma cannot come and do all the things in the world directly it has created 84,000 Siddars to perform duties on its behalf. Siddars are only next to god, and they have all supreme and divine powers and energy to act like god. Of the total siddars, 84000 are identified as very powerful and these informations are told by siddars itself by way of Nadi. Agastiyar is the leader of all Siddars. Few other Siddars like Vashistar, Kakapujandar, Bokar. Agastiyar always thrive for Jeeva Karunyam (not to do harm to any living things), i.e., taking care of all living things in this world and guide them to the path of Gnana to reach the divine feet.
Karni Mata (Hindi: करणी माता) (2 October 1387 – 23 March 1538), or Karniji, was
a female Hindu sage born in the Charan caste. She is worshiped as the incarnation of the goddess Durga by her followers. She is an official deity of the royal family of Jodhpur and Bikaner. She lived an ascetic life and was widely revered during her own lifetime. At the request of the Maharaja of Bikaner, she laid the foundation stones for two important forts in the region.
The most famous of her temples is the temple in the small town of Deshnoke, near Bikaner, which was created following her mysterious disappearance from her home. The temple is famous for its black rats, which are treated as sacred and given protection in the temple. Contrary to some reports, the temple is not affiliated with Jainism. Another temple dedicated to her during her lifetime differs from others in that it does not contain an image or idol of her, but rather contains a foot-print to symbolize her visit to that place. Karni mata is also referred to as Nari Bai.
The Kaal Sarp Yoga is formed when all the planets are situated between Rahu and Ketu. According to Hindu mythology, Rahu is known as a snake and Ketu is its tail. Whenever there is the placement of all 7 planets between Rahu and Ketu then Kaal Sarp Yoga is formed. There are 12 types of Kaal Sarp Yogas depending on the placement of Rahu and Ketu in the 12 houses. The Kaal Sarp Yoga is again of two types, both ascending and descending. If all the 7 planets are eaten away by Rahu's mouth then it is ascending Kaal Sarp Yoga. If all planets are positioned in rear of Rahu then descending Kaal SarpYoga is formed.
Kaal Sarp Yoga is complete when all planets are situated between Rahu and Ketu. Moreover in line with the horoscope every time the mahadasha or antardasha of Rahu or Ketu comes then Kaal Sarp Yoga becomes more effective. Nevertheless, if in a horoscope few planets are between Rahu and Ketu but few planets are outside the axis of Rahu and Ketu then partial Kaal Sarp Yoga is created.
How can Kaal Sarp Yoga affect you?
The effect of Kaal Sarp Yoga caused by the position of Rahu and Ketu in the Lagan Chart. Like validated earlier there is 12 patterns of Kaal Sarp Yoga whose effect will depend upon which houses they bother in the birth chart. By and large people with Kaal Sarp Yoga experience mental unrest, financial losses, progeny troubles, marital discords, problems in career and domestic unhappiness.
When Rahu is placed in the first house and Ketu in the seventh house and the rest of the planets are to the left of this axis the yoga arises is the Anant Kala Sarp Yoga. This is also called as Vipareeta Kaal Sarp Yoga (Opposite Kaal Sarp Yoga). This yoga has the power to give extra expansion to the native. It is bad for married life especially. Natives with this particular yoga get married late in life.
When Rahu occupies the second house and Ketu the eighth house, then Kulik Kaal Sarp yoga arises. This arrangement is awful for health. The probability of losses and accidents is high with natives with this combination. This is bad for economic prosperity too. The subject is bothered on account of an insecure financial standing.
When Rahu occupies the third house and Ketu is in the ninth house and the rest of the planets are located to the left of the Rahu-Ketu axis, this yoga is born. The native is weighed down with evils related to job and trading.
When Rahu occupies the second house and Ketu the eighth house, then Kulik Kaal Sarp yoga arises. This arrangement is awful for health. The probability of losses and accidents is high with natives with this combination. This is bad for economic prosperity too. The subject is bothered on account of an insecure financial standing.
When Rahu occupies the fifth house and Ketu the eleventh house this yoga is formed. The native is worried on account of children. There is delay in progeny. If the moon is also afflicted then there is the possibility of being troubled by spirits. In this case if a native falls ill the recovery time is slow. There are also chances of being betrayed by friends in life.
This yoga is formed when Rahu is in the sixth house and Ketu is in the twelfth house. The native has many enemies and has problems on account of diseases. However, if this yoga acts beneficially, it has the power to confer power, prestige and political success.
When Rahu is placed in the seventh house and Ketu is in the first house this yoga is formed. Any person afflicted with this yoga has speculative tendencies and can lose wealth by way of wine, women and gambling. There may be marital discord in the life of the native.
What is Rudraksh? Rudraksh is the divine power blessed with auspicious energies of Lord Shiva. We get the details about Rudraksha in number of “Granthas” and “Shastras” (the holy books of Indian Mythology). There are various stories about the origin of Rudraksha. One can find the greatness and detailed literature about the properties of Rudraksha in ancient Vedic scriptures like, Maha Shiva Purana, AkshaMaalikaoapnashida, Srimad Bhagwata, Mantra Maharnava, Padam Purana and Jabbalaoapanishada etc. Rudraksha is believed to have the direct blessings of Lord Shiva, which contains the properties to remove the affects of sins of the wearer. It is even said that if one wears the Rudraksha (in any form) on his body, even without worshiping or energizing it, does not get near any sinful act or thought.
Rudraksh is procured from the trees called ELAEOCARPUS GRANITRUS (it is the botanical name of the tree). The sacred and holy people of India (“Sadhus”, “Munis” and “Yogies”) are using the Rudraksh from ancient time. They use to wear it on their head, around their arms or neck in the form of rosary or pendant. In the society of religion, Rudraksha is not a new or surprising matter. The Vedic people know and understand the importance of Rudraksha. As per their belief, Rudraksha gets them closer to their God and plays an important role to provide them “MOKSHA”.
The word Rudraksh is formed with the combination of two different Sanskrit words, “Rudra” and “Aksha”. The word “Rudra” stands for Great Lord Shiva and the word “Aksha” stands for the tears of Rudra (Lord Shiva).
One ancient story explains the origin of Rudraksha. Once upon a time, Lord Shiva was very upset and depressed due to the death of “Gauri”, his wife. He started crying and roaming here and there in search of “Gauri”. And while searching too he was crying and his tears were falling on the earth. This is said that his tears were converted in Rudraksha. Rudrakshas are found in round in India, Nepal and Indonesia. Rudraksha is said to contain the secrets of entire evolution of the Cosmos within it.
Most of the Rudrakshas are found in round shape with different number of faces (“mukhi”) on it. But few Rudrakshas are also found with the shape of cashew nuts. Sometime they are found as a pair of two Rudrakshas, naturally joined with each other, known as “Gauri Shankar Rudraksha”. It is believed to have the blessings of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. And sometime, though very rare, a pair of three Rudrakshas is also found, again naturally joined with each other, known as “TRIJUTI Rudraksha”. It is believed to have the blessings of Great Lord Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva all together. Rudrakshas are found with different faces (mukhi), 1 to 21 faced. 2 to 8 faced Rudrakshas are normally found Rudrakshas, 1 faced, 9 to 21 faced Rudrakshas are rare found Rudrakshas. Each Rudraksha has its own benefits and properties. Each Rudraksha is blessed with auspicious energies of Lord Shiva, but still is believed to under the Lordship different Gods and Goddesses, thus having the blessings of those Gods and Goddesses too.
In astrology, Rudraksha is used as remedy of malefic planets. Unlike gems and stones, Rudrakshas are said to be always beneficial for the wearer. As the direct blessings of Lord Shiva is involved, no question of illness or negative results arises.
The Rudraksha is used for their benefic nature. The Rudraksha is very powerful and they help to achieve wonders, of energized (Praanpratishthit) properly and empowered by adopting the right Vedic procedure, It is important to purify the Rudraksha by milk, ghee etc and also to energized it (Praanpratishthit) before wearing it. AstroMuni.Com provides its users with the Rudrakshas energized with proper Vedic procedure.
It is believed that wherever a Rudraksha (of any form, in any shape) is kept and worshiped, that place is free of sins. That place cannot be affected with devil effect (Bhoot-Pret Badha). That place is believed to be protected from theft, robbery and fire. The people living in that place are safe and protected from diseases, untimely accidents and death. They are protected from Super-Natural powers. The residents are blessed with never-ending wealth. The love, faith, brotherhood, affection and sympathy is always there among the relationships. It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi takes the permanent residence in that place. Lord Shiva himself along with Goddess Parvati and Lord Ganesha are present there to protect the family.
Who can wear a Rudraksha?
Any human being in the world, related to any religion, society or community could wear Rudraksha. But as some precautions are to be taken while wearing a Rudraksha, it is suggested to wear Rudraksha only by the people over 14 years of age, as children are careless and may cause disrespect to the Rudraksha.
What are the precautions to wear a Rudraksha?
As told earlier, Rudraksha is the direct blessings of Lord Shiva; one should not act (in his belief and knowledge) that gives disrespect to the Rudraksha. One should not wear a Rudraksha while attending a funeral. One should remove Rudraksha before going to sleep (especially in case of new married couples). They can wear it next morning. One should not wear a Rudraksha while eating non-vegetarian food or while having alcoholic products. One should always wear an energized (Praanpratishthit) Rudraksha.
Is Rudraksha useful for Meditation or Chanting Mantras only?
By wearing a Rudraksha one gets the peace of mind, good feelings and activeness. Also his thoughts are centralized to the mission. And in today’s modern and fast moving life, the centralization of the thoughts is necessary. It helps you to overcome the state of depression and tension, which is increasing day by day due to competition. Rudraksha is believed to be self-energized tool to get success in every field of the life.
What are the astrological purposes of Rudraksha?
In a horoscope of a native, there are 9 main planets. Each planet has its own nature and character. There are 12 houses in the horoscope. The snapshot of the situation of these 9 planets in 12 houses (at the time of birth of the native) is called a Horoscope. 12 houses of the horoscope represent different aspects of the life of the native. These houses contain different numbers from 1 to 12. These numbers represents different Signs (e.g. 1 represent Aries, 5 represents Leo and 12 represent Pisces). Each sign has the lordship of particular planet (e.g. Aries, Leo and Pisces are under the Lordship of planet Mars, Sun and Jupiter respectively). Now, in astrology some planets are friends to each other, some planets are enemies to each other and some planets are average to each other. When a planet is situated in the sign of his friend planet, he use to give good results related to that house and if a planet is situated in the sign of his enemy planet, he use to cause tribulations related to that house.
Shri Trimbakeshwar Temple is located at a distance of about 30-km from Nasik in Maharashtra near the mountain named Brahmagiri from which the river Godavari flows. Trimbakeshwar Temple is revered as one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva and as the source of the river Godavari.
The Story
Brahmadev worshipped God Trivikram when he came to Satya Loka (on earth) with the same holy water of the Ganges, to get the river Ganges held up by God Shankar on his head, to flow. River Ganges in the form of a woman was enjoying with Lord Shiva, which was noticed by Lord Shiva's wife Parvati. She planned to drive Ganges away from her husband. Parvati and her son Ganesh came to live in Gautama's Ashram with Parvati's friend Jaya. There was a famine of 24 years and people were affected by the pangs of hunger. However, Varun - the God of Rains, pleased with Sage Gautama arranged rains every day in Gautama's Ashram (dwelling place) which was in Trimbakeshwar. Gautama used to sow rice in the surrounding fields of his Ashram in the morning, reap the crop in the afternoon and with it fed a large group of rishis, who took shelter in his Ashram on account of the famine. The blessings of the group of rishis increased the merit (Punya) of Gautama. Lord Indra's position became shaky because of his increased merit. So Indra ordered clouds to rain all over Trimbakeshwar, so that the famine will be over and Rishis will go back and the increasing merits of Gautama will be weakened. Although the famine was over, Gautama urged the Rishis to stay back and kept on feeding them and gaining merit. Once he saw a cow grazing in the paddy field and he drove her away by throwing Darbha (sharp, pointed grass). The slender cow died by this. It was Jaya - Parvati's friend, who had taken the form of a cow. This news upset the Rishis and they refused to luncheon at his Ashram. Gautama requested Rishis to show a way out of this sin. He was advised to approach Lord Shiva and request him to release Ganges and a bath in the Ganges would set him free of his sins. Gautama then practiced penance by going to the peak of Brahmagiri. Lord Shankara was pleased by his worships and gave him the Ganges.
Kusavarta, a place where river Godavari takes course. However, Ganges was not prepared to part with Lord Shiva, which irritated him. He made TandavNrutya (dance) on the peak of Brahmagiri and dashed his jata there. Frightened by this action, Ganges appeared on Brahmagiri. Later on Ganges appeared in the Trimbak Tirtha. Gautama praised her but she off and on appeared on the mountain at various places and disappeared in anger. Gautama could not bathe in her waters. Ganges then appeared in Gangadwar, Varaha-tirtha, Rama-Laxman tirtha, Ganga Sagar tirtha. Still Gautama could not bathe in her waters. The Gautama surrounded the river with enchanted grass and put a vow to her. The flow stopped there and the tirtha thus came to be called Kushavarta. It is from this Kushavarta that the river Godavari flows up to the sea. The sin of killing a cow by Gautama was wiped off here. This place is famous for lots of religious rituals (vidhis). Narayan Nagbali, Kalsarpa Shanti, Tripindi vidhi are done here. Narayan Nagbali puja is performed at Trimbakeshwar only. This puja is performed in three days. This puja is performed on special dates. Some days are not suitable to perform this puja. This puja is performed for many reasons like to cure an illness, going through bad times, killing a Cobra (Nag), childless couples, financial crisis or you want to perform some religious puja to have everything. Trimbakeshwar town has a large number of Brahmin households and is also a centre for Vedic Gurukuls (kind of boarding school). It also has ashrams and Muths devoted to Ashtanga Yoga, the Hindu art of living. The existing temple was built out of basalt after it was commissioned by Peshwa Nanasaheb. It so happens that the Peshwa made a bet on whether the stone surrounding the Jyotirlinga, is hollow from the inside or not. The stone was proved to be hollow, and on losing the bet, the Peshwa built a marvelous temple out of it. The Shiva idol of the temple consisted of the world famous Nassak Diamond. It was appropriated by the British in The Third Anglo-Maratha War and lies with one owner or the other ever since. The diamond presently lies with Edward J. Hand, a trucking firm executive from Greenwich, Connecticut, USA The place is known for its scenic beauty in rainy/monsoon season and is surrounded by lush green hills untouched by pollution. Anjaneri mountain, the birth place of Lord Hanuman, is 7 km from Trimbakeshwar
The temple is quite popular and is busy throughout the year with different events of the God. The annual brahmotsavam is held in the month of March, it includes Yedurkolu, The Celestial Wedding and Divya Vimana Rathotsavam.
In Tretayugam, there lived a sage by the name of Yadarishi, son of the great sage Rishyasrunga and Santa Devi who did penance inside a cave with the blessings of Anjaneya (Hanuman) on this hill between Bhongir (Bhuvanagiri) and Raigiri (Now in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh, India). Pleased with his deep devotion, Lord Narasimha, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu appeared before him in five different forms as Jwala, Yogananda, Gandabherunda, Ugra and Lakshminarasimha. They later manifested themselves into finely sculpted forms that later came to be worshiped as Pancha Narasimha Kshetram.
Lord Narasimha is also known as Yadagiri, hence the name.
Another Legend also has it that Sriman Narayana, pleased with YadaRushi penance, sent Sri Anjaneya to direct the rishi to a holy spot, where the Lord appeared to him in the form of Sri LakshmiNarasimha. This spot is marked by a temple located at the foot of the Yadagiri hillock, and is located about 500 meters from the present temple. There the sage worshiped the Lord for many years.
After Yadarishi attained moksha, a number of tribals, Knowing of the Lord's presence, came to worship Him at this temple. But, not being very learned, these devotees began to engage in improper worship. Because of this, Sri LakshmiNarasimha moved into to the hills. The tribals searched for many years to find their Lord, to no avail.
After many years had passed, the Lord appeared in the dream of a devout lady among the tribe, directing her to a large cavern wherein He revealed Himself to all as five majestic Avatars.The Aradhanam and Puja in this temple are performed according to Pancharatra Agamam. The puja vidhanam (Worship procedure) was set by Late Sri Vangeepuram Narasimhacharyulu who composed Yadagiri Suprabhatam, Prapatti, Stotram, Mangalashasanam and served as Sthanacharya of this temple.
The importance of this place:
Sri Maha Vishnu Came from out of the pillar as per the desire of Bhakta Prahladha and killed Hiranya Kashyapa,who is father of Prahladha ,who is beloved devotee of Maha Vishnu
In Ancient days Sri Yada Maharshi son of Sri Rushyashrunga Maharshi with the Blessings of Anjaneya Swamy had performed great penance for Lord Narasimha Swamy. After securing blessing for his penance Lord Narasimha had come into existence in Five Avatharas called as Sri Jwala Narasimha, Sri Yogananda Narasimha, Sri Ugra Narasimha, Sri Gandaberunda Narasimha, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. As such this is known as “Pancha Narasimha Kshetram”. The devotees who worship this deity with devotion, the problems faced by them in regarding their “Graha”, the difficulties through evil spirits and their all mental problems are being cured by the God & Godess. All the difficulties faced by the devotees are being cured through herbal medicines like fruits, flowers and Tulasi Teertham. The devotees who believe the Lord. He is appearing to them in their dreams and conducting operations also.
Beliefs:
Lord Narasimha is believed to have been worshiped by sages (rushis). The region of Yadagirigutta is reputed to be a "Rushi Aradhana Kshetram" or the place of worship for sages.
As the belief goes, Lord Narasimha has taken on the role of a "doctor" and is known as "Vaidya Narasimha" by his devotees at this shrine to cure many chronic diseases and the role of a 'do gooder' to those who are under the influence of bad planets, witch craft and black magic. Many instances are cited of the Lord appearing in the dreams of the devotees, and administering medicines and operated the patients and blessed them with good health. Many devotees tell of vivid dreams in which the Lord comes to heal them from chronic or terminal illnesses, and even mental or emotional problems. A mandala Deeksha (40 day) pradakshina is very popular made by many devotees to get cured of a long standing ailment or chronic disease. Often, the Lord Himself has imparted mantrOpadEsham to select devotees in their dreams.
We started from Hyderabad early in the morning to reach this temple situated some 140kms At Karnataka from Hyderabad.We were very happy with the atmosphere as the clouds just arrived and a cool air was giving a spiritual feeling.
This is the Entrance of the temple:
This was the entrance from where we go into the cave for having a darshan of the idol.
The temple authorities have fixed price sets abhishekam and darshan tickets.
According to the Sthala Purana (local legend), the story dates back to Sat yug. “Zharnaasur” was an eminent devotee of Lord Shiva. He created this scared cave and meditated here. (I recollected that, adjacent to the holy statue, in the cave, was a Shiva ling that was worshipped by the legendary Zharnaasur). But, as he was a demon by nature, he played nasty cramps with humans and was a cause of misery to many Vishanvas in the locality. To save the people from Zharnaasur, Ugra Narasimha Swamy (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu) took the charge and defeated Zharnaasur. Before killing him, Lord asked if he had any death wish. On this event, Zharnaasur requested Lord to settle at the cave forever and asked him to grant him a boon such that his name becomes immortal.
Accepting his solemn request Lord Narasimha proclaimed that Zharni would be suffixed before his name. He let a Zhaara (water fall) flow from the end of the cave and said that devotees would have his darshan only after crossing this Zhaara. From then on Zharni Narasimha came into being. Centuries passed, but water is continuously flowing out through the Zhaara.
This is how we feel inside the cave
There is another popular legend connected to the temple (more to do about the formation of zhaara). History had witnessed the destruction of many Hindu temples during the reign of Mughal Emperor, Aurangazeeb and it is said that he had planned to destroy this temple too. But when he, along with his army reached the entrance of the cave, the statue of Lord Narasimha moved backwards and turned around (showing it’s back) and water started gushing from beneath the feet of the holy statue. This obstructed the emperor’s militia from entering the cave. It is also believed that worship, here, is offered to Lord Narasimha’s “Back”. But the authenticity of these legends has either been buried under the sediments of time or is lost in the pages of history.
On coming out of the cave, we visited the holy “GowMukh” from where the fresh, crystal clear water flowing from inside the cave is sent out to a near by pond. Taking bath under the GowMukh is considered sacred.
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