Temples of India

 In the narrow by lanes of Daraganj is an ancient temple dedicated to an avatar of Vishnu. The familiar UP Tourism signboard in yellow and black reads that Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to perform his dance and kirtan in the courtyard of this temple around 500 years ago.  Why is Veni Madhav called the Nagar Devata of Prayagraj? The story of Veni Madhav is given in Matsya Purana, Agni Purana and Padma Purana.  After the great flood Lord Brahma recreated the Universe and to commemorate that event, he organised a yajna which is a vedic ritual for an auspicious beginning. All the Gods and Goddesses came to Prayagraj to participate in this ritual. Even Lord Vishnu is invited who is in between his yog nidra. All the people who are present there request Vishnu to take up permanent residence and presence in Prayagraj as the protector which he agrees to.  Actually Brahma conducted a series of 10 yajnas at Daraganj. The place where a Shiv Ling was made by Brahma is now the Sh...

 At the age of 30, Guru Nanak left his village to travel around the world. People believe that he wanted to spread the word of God. But it is also possible that he went to seek enlightenment by meeting religious scholars around the world. Each of his journey was is called Udasis and over the next 24 years he undertook five journeys and covered around 28,000 kms on foot. Guru Nanak was born in 1469 which means he started his journey in 1499 and would have finished in 1523.  His third journey or Teesri Udasi began in 1514 and culminated in 1518 during which he covered places like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kashmir, Ladakh, Tibet, Nepal and Sikkim. During his stay at places in Sikkim, Ladakh and Tibet he must have come across a large number of Buddhist monks who call him by the name Rinpoche Nanak Lama or Guru Gompa Maharaj or simply Nanak Lama. All along his route of travel are evidences of his stay preserved in the form of folklore and ancient relics.  Buddhist Monks f...

 During the 15th century, there lived a local Brahmin priest by the name Prannath Dubey. He was fondly called Paranu Baba. He resided in the village Garwha near Mau in District Chitrakoot. During that time this area was ruled by the Baghel Kings. village Garwha was part of a large and prosperous city by the name Dari Garh.  Prannath was in possession of a divine sword which he worshipped along with his Kuladevi, Mari Mata.  The local king however wanted this sword to vanquish his enemies and use it as an instrument of power. Prannath however wanted to continue to worship the sword due to its divinity. Thus arose a difference of opinion between the two which led to lot of acrimony which ended up causing lots of hardships to the local people. There are many variation of stories about what happened next. Some say that the King obtained the sword by lies and deceit which Prannath took back after challenging the king. One version of the story says that the local king was actua...

 The real name of Loknath is Loknath Brahmachari who was born on 8th August 1730 and died at his ashram in Bardi Bangladesh on 1st June 1890 which makes him exactly 160 years old. He could be the last documented person who lived for so long. Today Baba Loknath Brahmachari Ashram is an important pilgrimage place.  At an early age, Baba Loknath along with his Guru went to stay at Kalighat where he made up his mind to become a sadhu. He along with other disciples of his guru went into the jungles to perform fasting and meditation to attain Siddhi. His fasts began slowly for a day or two but went on for a month at advance stages.  After that they decided to travel at different spiritual places around the world. First they went to Kabul and onwards to Mecca and Medina. Later they went as far as Siberia and beyond. Later after visiting all the places in Himalayas, they finally came to Assam and then to Bardi which was the home of one of his devotees.  It is believed that d...

Talking about temples, these two places are home to one of the most divine and spectacular temples of India. But since the author of this blog has visited neither, so this article will be picture-less. Prabodhini Ekadashi The ekadashi which falls on the Shukla Paksha of Kartik month is Prabodhini Ekadashi. It marks the end of Chaturmas, the time when Vishnu wakes up from yog nidra or his four months long sleep.  There are many reason why he goes to sleep, but suffice to say that when he wakes up, he is the most happiest and most benevolent. Right time to ask for something or do something important.  For examples, this ekadashi also marks the beginning of marriage season commencing with tulsi vivah. All across India in one form or the other, Prabodhini Ekadashi is celebrated by some mega event. Bramha Mandir, Pushkar Among the over 500 temples in Pushkar, the most significant one is of the creator of the universe, Lord Bramha. Situated next to the lake, this temple was built by...

Garhwa Fort at Shankargarh is an 18th Century fort like construction which was probably created to enclose a group of ancient temples. Protection could have been the most possible motive for building the fort. Other reasons could be to keep a garrison of troops to protect as well as dominate the surrounding areas. How to reach Garhwa Fort, Shankargarh Highway Number 35 runs from Varanasi along the south of Ganga river till Prayagraj. From there is goes south to Jasra and Shankargarh.  Prayagraj to Shankargarh is approximately 50 kms but will take two hours by car due to the traffic conditions during various times of the day.  Highway No 35 further goes to Mau where there is a bridge to cross Yamuna River and then it goes to Chitrakoot and then further to Banda.  The point where you reach Shankargarh there is a left turn going to the city and a right to the fort.  The road going to the fort further goes towards the Yamuna River where there is a floating bridge. Howeve...