Thanks for your observation K. Rajaram On Sat, Sep 28, 2024, 9:11 PM APS Mani <[email protected]> wrote:
> Interesting exposure of facts. Thanks, Mani > > On Sat, Sep 28, 2024 at 9:03 PM Rajaram Krishnamurthy < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Mr Gopala krishnan writes as written in Quora without checking facts and >> when I write gets wild. Aug 2024 stat shows average per day as under and >> where many temples written by Mr G goes out of board as usual. >> >> THE HIGHEST FOOT FALL Indian temples per day: >> >> 1 Ayodhya >> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/1+Ayodhya?entry=gmail&source=g> Ram >> Janmabhoomi. Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir, Ayodhya Dham. >> >> 100000 to 1 50 000 PD (as on aug 2024 stat) >> >> 2. Tirupati Tirumala Venkateswara Temple >> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/2.+Tirupati%0D%0ATirumala+Venkateswara+Temple?entry=gmail&source=g>, >> Tirumala, India 60-70000 perday >> >> 3. Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai, India 75000 to 90000 p d >> >> 4. Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Shirdi, India 30000 to 100000 P D >> >> 5. Golden Temple, Amritsar, India 75000 to 90000 PD >> >> 6. Somnath >> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/6.+Somnath?entry=gmail&source=g> >> Temple, Gujarat, India 30000 to 90000 (aug 2024 stat) PD >> >> 7. Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, Kerala, India 30000to 90000 PD in season >> >> 8. Jagannath Temple, Puri, India 50000 to 100000 PD >> >> 9. Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi, India 1,50,000 average P D >> >> 10 Vaishno Devi Temple, Jammu, India 37000 to 44000 P D >> >> 11 AKSHARDHAM TEMPLE New delhi 25000 to 40000 p D >> >> 12 Vaishno Devi Temple (Jammu) Mata Vaishno Devi Temple, Jammu.25000 >> >> 13 Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, India 789 to 15000 P D >> >> 14 Meenakshi Temple, Madurai, India 15000 to 25000 P D >> >> 15 Ramanatha swamy temple 10000 to 20000 P D >> >> xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx K RAJARAM IRS 28924 >> >> ---------- Forwarded message --------- >> From: 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 <[email protected]> >> Date: Sat, 28 Sept 2024 at 18:49 >> Subject: [iyer123] CULTURAL QA 09-2024-28 >> To: Iyer <[email protected]> >> >> >> CULTURAL QA 09-2024-28 >> >> TEMPLES –Base Quora QA- Compiled >> >> Q Which 10 Indian temples get the most visitors each year?Can you >> provide legend about the temples in nutshell? >> >> A Srivathsan, Best place in the world are TEMPLES Jan 4 >> >> MADURAI MEENAKSHI TEMPLE >> >> The story of the figure of Meenakshi is also legendary. It describes a >> Pandya king, Malayadhvaja, who hoped for a son and heir. He carefully >> performed a fire ceremony requesting that the gods fulfil this wish. >> >> Instead, he was granted a daughter, Meenakshi, who was born with three >> breasts. The gods told the king not to worry, but to raise Meenakshi as a >> brave warrior, just as he would a son, and that when she grew up and met >> her true lover, her third breast would disappear. Meenakshi proved herself >> gifted in battle, conquering armies in all directions. When she sought to >> attack the north, however, she was confronted by the god Shiva, who dwells >> on Mount Kailasha, deep in the Himalayas. Upon seeing him, one of her >> breasts fell off and the prophecy was realized. >> >> Kumaraguruparar, a great seventeenth-century Tamil poet and devotee of >> Shiva, described this moment: >> >> When you saw Shiva on the battlefield, your third curving breast >> disappeared. You bowed to him shyly and were amazed to see that suddenly >> you had only two breasts. >> >> Your heart was filled only with him. You looked at him sweetly with a >> nectar-like side glance, and felt shy. >> >> Another principal god in the Hindu pantheon, Vishnu (in the guise of >> Meenakshi’s brother), presided over the wedding of Shiva and Meenakshi, and >> the divine couple made their home in Madurai, where they ruled (and >> continue to symbolically rule) as queen and king. >> >> SABARI MALA >> >> The Pandya dynasty, expelled by Thirumala Naicker, found refuge in places >> like Valliyur, Tenkasi, and Sivagiri, later gaining influence in parts of >> Travancore. King Rajashekara, foster father of Lord Ayyappa, belonged to >> this lineage. >> >> Desperate for an heir, Rajashekara and his queen prayed to Lord Shiva. >> Simultaneously, demons caused havoc, leading to battles where deities >> sought Durga's help. >> >> Mahishi, seeking revenge, obtained a boon allowing only Vishnu and >> Shiva's offspring to defeat her. Vishnu, as Mohini, orchestrated the birth >> of a child, Manikandan, raised by Rajashekara. >> >> Manikandan, growing up exceptionally gifted, faced opposition, >> particularly from the ambitious Diwan. Amid plots and attempts on his life, >> Manikandan sustained an unhealable injury, cured by Lord Shiva. >> >> The Diwan, aspiring for his own candidate, manipulated the queen into >> feigning illness, claiming only tigress' milk could cure her. Manikandan >> fetched it, defeating Mahishi along the way. >> >> Returning, Manikandan revealed his divine nature to Rajashekara. >> Realizing the truth, the king sought forgiveness. Manikandan granted the >> boon of a temple, leading to the establishment of Sabarimala, a revered >> pilgrimage site for Lord Ayyappa devotees of all backgrounds. >> >> KEDARNATH TEMPLE >> >> Legend of Pandavas: It is said that the Pandavas, the heroes of the >> Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, built the Kedarnath temple as a way to atone >> for their sins. According to the legend, Lord Shiva tried to evade the >> Pandavas by taking the form of a bull, but was finally cornered by the >> Pandavas at Kedarnath. Lord Shiva then disappeared into the ground, leaving >> only his hump on the surface. The temple is believed to be built on the >> spot where Lord Shiva disappeared into the ground. >> >> Legend of Nara and Narayana: It is believed that the sages Nara and >> Narayana meditated at Kedarnath for many years, and Lord Shiva was so >> pleased with their devotion that he granted them a permanent dwelling place >> at the temple. >> >> Legend of the Lingam: The lingam, a symbol of Lord Shiva, at the >> Kedarnath temple is said to have been formed naturally by the elements of >> earth, air, water, and fire.Also the great ADI SHANKARACHARYA attained >> moksha here. >> >> VENKATESHWARA TEMPLE, TIRUMALA >> >> Srimad-Bhagavatam describes the history of Tirumala that during Satya >> yuga, Hiranyaksha, due to his exploitative activities created a situation >> where the earth was drowned to the bottom of the Garbhodaka ocean. At >> that time, the demigods approached Lord Brahma who prayed to Lord Vishnu. >> Lord >> Vishnu then appeared from the nose of Brahma in the form of Sri Varahadev. >> He killed Hiryanaksha and lifted the earth, ‘Bhudevi’ with His tusks, and >> brought her to a safe position on top of the Garbhodaka ocean. >> >> Bhudevi, the goddess of the earth, being an expansion of Goddess Laxmi >> was very much pleased to be reunited with Her Lord, Her eternal consort in >> the form of Sri Varahadev. In Vaikuntha ‘BhuVaraha’ resides eternally, so >> Bhudevi, who is the goddess of this earth, pleaded Lord Varahadev to remain >> with Her on this earth planet. Sri Varahadev decided to satisfy her desire >> and called for Garuda to fly to Vaikuntha and bring one of His favourite >> mountains down to the earth, so that He and Bhudevi could reside here >> together on that mountain. That mountain was brought down, and it is today >> called ‘Tirumala’. It is the mountain that was carried from Vaikuntha by >> Garuda himself. >> >> There is also a story of Sesa, the divine expansion of the Lord who >> sometimes appears as His couch, sometimes as His bed, and sometimes as His >> slippers, the same Adisesha incarnated on this earth as the seven hills in >> which Tirumala is situated. Therefore the seven hills are called >> Seshadari. Knowing that the Supreme Lord would come to live on these >> hills, Sesha wanted to be there to support His divine pastimes. >> >> As the narration continues, Narada Muni once approached great sages who >> performed yagna. Narada Muni enquired from them, “To whom are you offering >> the fruits of yagna? Of all the devathas or demigods, who is the greatest?” >> Some rishis considered Brahma to be the greatest of the gods, some >> considered Vishnu, and some considered Siva to be the greatest. In an >> intriguing dialogue that followed among them, to decide who is the >> greatest, they all concluded that the greatest of the persons must be one, >> who is completely transcendental to the modes of material nature. Thus they >> all unanimously elected Bhruga Muni to test these guna avatars, to see the >> greatest of the three. >> >> Bhruga rishi first went to the abode of Brahma. Brahma, the father was >> very happy to see his son, Bhruga Muni. But Bhruga Muni did not say >> anything to honour his father. In fact he outright ignored him. When >> Brahma understood that his son was completely breaching all etiquette and >> basic human manners, he became very angry. Still, somehow or other he >> contained his anger and didn’t say anything. But Bhruga Muni noticed that >> his father was very angry, and he left the place. Lord Brahma had failed >> the test, being come under the influence of anger. >> >> Then Bhruga Muni went to mount Kailash where Lord Siva sat with Mother >> Paravati. When Siva, Bhruga Muni’s elder brother, saw his younger brother, >> he came up saying, “Oh, Bhruga , I am so happy to see you. Welcome to >> Kailash.” He came to embrace Bhruga Muni but Bhruga Muni stopped him >> saying, “Get away from me. Don’t touch me. You smell terrible. You have >> ashes from dead bodies smeared all over your body. You wear skulls as >> garlands. You associate with ghosts and untouchables. If you were to touch >> me, I would have to immediately take bath in the Ganges, just to purify >> myself from the intense contamination. >> >> Lord Siva, upon hearing Bhrgu’s insulting words became very angry. He >> picked up his trident and was about to punish Bhrgu when Paravati >> intervened and said, “No, my Lord, he is your brother.” Lord Siva then >> cooled himself down and Bhrgu Muni left the place. Even Lord Siva had >> failed the test. >> >> Vishnu began to very gently massage the lotus feet of Bhrgu Muni, who >> being so treated began to weep, and tears flowed from his eyes as he spoke >> “You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You are completely >> transcendental to the modes of material nature. You are all merciful,all >> compassionate even to an offender like me, please forgive me.” According to >> Sri Caitanya Bhagvat, after begging forgiveness, Bhrgu Muni seeing the >> qualities of Lord Vishnu, began to dance in ecstasy. He danced and wept and >> cried as his hairs stood on end and he went on loudly chanting theholy >> names Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare >> Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Bhruga Muni then blissfully returned to all the >> sages and narrated his report. Everyone from that day on wards consistently >> worshiped Lord Vishnu by constantly hearing His glories and chanting His >> Holy Names. Everything was blissful, but Laxmi devi felt very depressed >> and angry. Although Lord Vishnu had tolerated the offence committed by >> Bhruga Muni with a very gracious heart, Laxmi devi being a chaste and >> faithful wife, could not tolerate the offence that was done to her husband. >> She said to Lord Narayana,“You may forgive this person for that is your >> nature. >> >> But I have seen this Brahmana whimsically kicking You right in the chest. >> And because I have seen this abominable act, I have incurred a very heavy >> unforgivable sin and the sin of witnessing You accepting this offence is so >> great that I cannot live here any longer. I must go away from here. I must >> perform severe penances in order to wash away the sin that was incurred by >> my seeing this offence to You. >> >> KASHI VISHWANTH TEMPLE >> >> It is believed that Varanasi is the first jyothirlinga to manifest >> itself. According to the legend, it was at this place that shiva (the Hindu >> god of destruction) manifested as an infinite column of light (Jyotirlinga) >> in front of Brahma (the Hindu god of creation) and Vishnu (the Hindu god of >> preservation) when they had an argument about their supremacy. >> >> In order to discover the origin of the luminous column, Vishnu took the >> form of a boar (Varaha) and tracked the column beneath the ground, while >> Brahma, who assumed the shape of a swan, scoured the heavens in an attempt >> to locate the apex of the column. However, both of them were unsuccessful >> in identifying the source of the luminous column. Yet, Brahma deceitfully >> asserted that he had discovered the summit of the column, while Vishnu >> humbly admitted his inability to find the starting point of the radiant >> column. Due to Brahma's deceit over the discovery of the origin of the >> luminous column, Shiva penalised him by cutting his fifth head and placing >> a curse upon him. This curse entailed that Brahma would no longer >> receive reverence, whereas Vishnu, being truthful, would be equally >> venerated alongside Shiva and have dedicated temples for eternity. >> >> Hindu scriptures describe Vishweshara as the sacred deity of Varanasi, >> holding the position of king over all the other deities as well as over all >> the inhabitants of the city and the extended circuit of the Panchkosi, an >> area (the sacred boundary of Varanasi) spreading over 50 miles. >> >> RANGANATHSWAMY TEMPLE, SRIRANGAM (TIRUCHIRAPALLI) >> >> According to the REGIONAL LEGEND, the deity Rama is regarded to have >> performed pooja to Vishnu's idol. He is regarded to have granted the idol >> to Vibhishana to take back with him to Lanka. Rama informed him that he >> could not set the idol upon the earth; if he did so, the idol would >> become bound upon the site. While travelling towards Lanka, he came upon >> the banks of the river Kaveri. He placed the idol on the banks while an >> utsavam was in progress. When the utsavam got over, the idol refused to >> move, according to some accounts because Vishnu grew fond of Srirangam. >> >> When Vibhishana requested the deity to come along with him, Vishnu >> refused, but promised to bless Vibhishana by always facing the south (the >> direction of Lanka, home to Vibhishana). It is due this reason the idol >> of the deity (in a reclining posture) is believed to face the south. >> >> The Chola kings Dharmavarcholan and Killivalavan developed the shrine >> into the present size of the temple, with the contributions of Thirumangai >> lawar. They built the basic foundations and main buildings. >> >> After the rise of the Vijayanagara empire, the emperor Krishnadevaraya >> offered his patronage to the city, treating it on par with Tirupati and >> bequeathing plenty of treasures, jewels and lands to the Srirangam temple. >> During his period the Srirangam temple was restructured, and many plans >> were executed for its growth and welfare of the people. >> >> KANCHI KAMAKSHI TEMPLE, KANCHIPURAM >> >> Counted among one of the Shakti Peetha’s, this is the place where the Navel >> or Nabhi of Goddess Sati fell when Lord Vishnu’s Sudarshana Chakra touched >> Goddess Sati’s body. >> >> The temple is also believed as the center of the earth or eastern >> hemisphere. >> >> There is a belief that after taking birth for killing Asur Bhandasur, >> Devi sat here taking “Kanya Swarup.” The idol is “Swayambhu,” which >> signifies it has appeared and not created. She is believed to have three >> Swarups in the temple. These include Sthula, Sukshama, and Shunya. >> >> Goddess Kamakshi created the mud idol of Lord Shiva in Kanchi to worship >> him. To test her worship, Lord Shiva incarnated himself as Kamba River that >> has high tides. But the Goddess did not let the mud idol erode away in >> tides. She grasped it closely with her hands. >> >> She also prayed on a needle tip that is surrounded by 5 fires >> (Panchakagni) to free her from the livelihood interest. Lord Shiva became >> happy with her worship and married her. >> >> There are various Shiva temples in Kanchi, but “Sri Kamakshi Amman >> Temple” is the only one with the Goddess Sanctorum. Eight Shakti Goddesses >> also surround the temple. >> >> There was a standing image of Kamakshi Devi in Gold. This is a pose in >> which she prayed and is called Bangaru Kamakshi. An attack was expected at >> the temple, so the image in Gold gets shifted to Thanjavur. >> >> Lord Shiva and Vishnu surround Kamakshi temple situated in the heart of >> Kanchipuram. On one side, there are various Shiva temples and few Vishnu >> temples and is referred as big or Shiva Kanchi. The other side of the >> Kamakshi temple has big Vishnu temples and some Shiva temples too. This >> side is known as small or Vishnu Kanchi. >> >> PADMANABHASWAMY TEMPLE, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM >> >> The origin of the Temple of Sree Padmanabhaswamy is lost in antiquity. It >> is not possible to determine with any exactitude, from any reliable >> historical documents or other sources as to when and by whom the original >> idol of Sree Padmanabhaswamy was consecrated. >> >> The Temple has references in Epics and Puranas. Srimad Bhagavatha says >> that Balarama visited this Temple, bathed in Padmatheertham and made >> several offerings. >> >> Nammalwar, 9th century poet and one among the 12 Vaishnavite saints of >> the Alvar tradition, has composed ten hymns in praise of Lord Padmanabha. >> >> Some well known scholars, writers and historians, like the late Dr. >> L.A.Ravi Varma of Travancore, have expressed the view that this Temple >> was established on the first day of Kali Yuga (which is over 5000 years >> ago). The legends of the Temple are handed down through the centuries. One >> such legend which finds a place in the old palm leaf records of the Temple, >> as also in the famous grantha entitled “Ananthasayana Mahatmya”, mentions >> that it was consecrated by a Tulu Brahmin hermit named Divakara Muni. >> >> On the 950th year of Kali Yuga a reinstallation of the idol was done. In >> the 960th Kali year King Kotha Marthandan built the Abhisravana Mandapam. >> >> My note- There is a legend associated with Vilwamangalam swamikal about >> the origin of the temple, known to most in Kerala. >> >> -- >> To go to your groups page on the web, login to your gmail account and >> then click on https://groups.google.com/ >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "iyer123" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/945825216.8573680.1727529578574%40mail.yahoo.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/945825216.8573680.1727529578574%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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