Indian God Temples

Sunday, 2 December 2012

Babulnath, Mumbai

Babulnath (Hindi: बाबुलनाथ) is an ancient Shiva temple in Mumbai, India. Shiva in the form of the Lord of the Babul tree is the main deity in this temple. The faithful climb up to the temple and obtain Darshan of the shivling and obtain blessings of the Lord. It is also possible to take an elevator up to the temple.

Since Raja Bhimdev's Time:

Babulnath Temple Shiva Linga and Idols were originally consecrated in the 12th century by the then Hindu king Raja Bhimdev of the region. Over a period of time the temple was buried and lost over a period of time. The idols were re discovered (unearthed) in 1700 to 1780 time frame. The first temple was built in the 1780 year.

When rediscovered, 5 original idols were dug out. That of the main Shiva Linga, Ganesh, Hanuman, Parvati and one more. Out of this the first four are in the temple. The fifth one was immersed in the sea because it was broken when it was dug out in 18th century. Hindus do not worship idols which are broken and it is a common practice to immerse them in rivers, ponds or sea.

History :
When the first temple was built the land belonged to the Parsi community. There were 5 Dakhma's (Parsi final resting place) existing in the vicinity. There was a lot of resistance for the Parsi community at that time for building of the temple. This resistance continued till the late 1800 when the issue was settled by the courts in favour of the temple.

Old Temple :
The Babulnath Temple was patronised when built for the first time by Hindu merchant of that time and mainly the Gujarati community. A bigger temple was built in 1890 by contributions from the Gujarati merchants and the likes of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaikwad of Baroda state. The current temple structure can be dated back to 1890. The temple height was considerable when built in 1890 but a lightning strike in the 1960s and damage to the spire lowered the height of the present temple considerably. Till the 1980s Babulnath Temple was one of the Tallest structure & location in the city of Mumbai.
There is limited reference to Babulnath Temple in the historical texts, because in the initial days the temple was frequented by yogis who used to stay there for Bhang and Ganja. However the temple famed in the 20th century. Currently the temple is thronged by people on Mondays and during Mahashivratri & Shravan months.

Kulapathi Munshiji was a Trustee :

The Great men associated with the Temple include Baba Sundarnathji, a great yogi who stayed at the temple in the beginning of the 20th century. The late Shri Kanniyalal Maneklal Munshi was a trustee in the Temple for many years and did meritorious service to the temple. The temple was also frequented by celebrities, some of them on a consistent basis. Notable amongst them were Raj Kapoor, & Aruna Irani. A number of Bollywood movies were shot at the temple including award winning 1989 film Parinda.
Amongst all the temples in the city of Mumbai, Babulnath is one of the most beautiful temple structures.
Amazing as it may seem to see 1000 years of history in front of you at the temple in a mega city like Mumbai.

Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai

The Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir (Marathi:श्री सिद्धिविनायक गणपती मंदिर) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shri Ganesh. It is located in Prabhadevi, Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was originally built by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil on November 19, 1801. Though it is one of the richest temples in Mumbai, the current generation of Patil is staying in state of despair near the temple^.
The temple has a small mandap (hall) with the shrine for Siddhi Vinayak ("Ganesh who grants your wish"). The wooden doors to the sanctum are carved with images of the Ashtavinayak (the eight manifestations of Ganesh in Maharashtra). The inner roof of the sanctum is plated with gold, and the central statue is of Ganesh. In the periphery, there is a Hanuman temple as well.

History :

Consecrated on 19 November 1801, the original structure of the Siddhivinayak Temple was a small 3.6 m x 3.6 m square brick structure with a dome-shaped brick sikhara. The temple was built by the contractor Laxman Vithu Patil. The building was funded by a rich Agri woman named Deubai Patil. Childless, Deaubai built the temple so that the Lord should grant children to other barren women. Ramakrishna Jambhekar Maharaj, a disciple of the Hindu saint Akkalkot Swami Samarth, buried two divine idols in the front of the presiding deity of the temple on the orders on his guru. As prophesied by Swami Samarth, after 21 years after the burial of the icons, a mandar tree grew at that spot with a svayambhu Ganesha in its branches.
The 2550 sq m temple complex had two 3.6 m Deepamalas, a rest house and living quarters for the caretaker. It had an adjoining lake 30 x 40 sq. m. in size on the eastern and southern side of the temple. The lake, dug by Nardulla in the early 19th century to counter the scarcity of water, was filled up in the later years and the land is now not part of the temple complex. Around 1952, a small Hanuman shrine was built in the temple complex for the Hanuman icon that was found during the road extension project of Sayani Road near Elphinstone Road. In the 1950s and 60s, the fame of the temple spread and a significant number of devotees began visiting. However, in the same period, the owner of the plot sold some of the temple land, reducing the complex area. After 1975, the number of devotees increased dramatically.

Importance & Status :
The Siddhivinayak Mandir evolved from a small, tiny place of worship to the Grand Temple that stands today in the later half of the twentieth century. Temple glory was bought not only by the politicians who frequented the temple but also Bollywood film stars who continuously visit to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha.
Siddhivinayak is well known as “Navasacha Ganapati” or “Navasala Pavanara Ganapati” ('Ganapati bestows whenever humbly genuinely prayed a wish' in Marathi) among devotees.

Sunday, 18 November 2012

Dwarakadheesh Temple

The Dwarakadheesh temple (Gujarati: દ્વારકાધીશ મંદિર) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, who is worshipped here by the name Dwarkadhish, or 'King of Dwarka'. It is situated at Dwarka, Gujarat, which is believed to have been built after the historic Dvarka city, the Kingdom of Krishna himself which submerged in to the ocean after the Mahabharata war. The main shrine of the 5-storied building, supported by 72 pillars, is known as Jagat Mandir or Nija Mandir, and is believed to be 2500 years old. The Dwarkadhish Temple is Pushti Marg Temple hence it follows the guidelines and rituals created by Shree Vallabacharya and Shree Vitheleshnathji.

The present temple was built in 16th century CE, while the original temple was believed to have been built by Krishna's grandson, Vajranabha, over the hari-griha (Lord Krishna's residential place) and became part of the Char Dham pilgrimages considered most sacred by Hindus in India, after Adi Shankaracharya, the 8th century reformer and philosopher, visited the shrine and even today a memorial within the temple is dedicated to his visit. Dwarakadheesh is the 108th Divya Desam of Lord Vishnu on the subcontinent, glorified in the Divya Prabandha sacred texts.

History :

The town of Dwarka in Gujarat has a history that dates back centuries, and is mentioned in the Mahabharat as the Dwaraka Kingdom. Situated on the banks of river Gomti, the city's legend for being the capital of Lord Krishna. The ancient city was submerged by raging sea waters 8 times, but the remains do still exist.

Architecture :

A temple was built at the site around 400 BC by Vajranabhji, the great grandson of Lord Krishna, however the present structure was built during the 16th century in a typical Chalukyan style of architecture. The beautiful temple rises up to a height of 51.8 mts. Also known as the Jagat Mandir, the temple has two Sikhara. The Nij shikhar (The longer sikhar) is where the deity of Lord Dwarkadhish is placed. The huge temple consists of 60 exquisitely carved pillars and a number of sculptures that depict the influence of various dynasties such as the Guptas, Pallavas and Chavdas (referring to Chavda Kingdom) that ruled Dwarka over the years.

The entrance to the temple is from the north, also known as the Moksha Dwaar while towards the south is the Swarg Dwaar, from where a series of steps leads down to the banks of river Gomti. According to legend, the temple was constructed in a single day by Vishwakarma, the lord of construction. The deity of Lord Dwarkadhish is made of shiny black stone and is about 2.25 ft in height. The four hands of the Lord carries a conch, wheel, a mace and a lotus each and is popularly known as 'Shankh Chakra Gada Padma Chaturbhuj'. It is said that the deity was hidden for years to protect it from invaders while another deity brought from the Rukmini temple was installed in its absence. The original deity was reinstalled during the 16th century after the construction of the new temple.

Temple Specialties :

The flag atop the temple shows the sun and moon.
The flag is changed from 5 times a day, but the symbol remains the same.
The pristine condition of the temple and an important discovery in its surrounding has led to the nomination of UNESCO world cultural heritage site status to the temple.
There are two styles of building a temple, Dwarkadhish temple is built in Shaiv style whereas Bet-Dwarka temple is built in Vaishnav style.

Becharaji Temple

Becharaji or Bahucharaji (Gujarati: બેચરાજી કે બહુચરાજી) is a small town and taluka, a place in Mehsana district of Gujarat state, India. It is situated in northern part of Gujarat. It is a very popular religious place of Hindu religion. It is among the three Shakti Pith's worshipped in Gujarat as Bala at Bahucharaji, as Ambika at Ambaji and as Kalika at Pavagadh.

History :
The town's name is derived from Bahuchar Mata or Bahucharaji Mata, a popular deity or 'Devi' of Hindus. Earlier this town was a small village. Although, still it is a Gram Panchayat. Its development is mainly due to temple of Bahuchara Mata. Other reasons for its development are it being declared as Taluka Place or Taluka Panchayat and centre for shopping for peripheral villages. For the development of temple of Bahuchar Mata, Sayajirao Gaekwad extended the Gaekwar's Baroda State Railway (GBSR) that was under the control of his state up to Becharaji.

Becharaji Temple

Temple :

The Temple of Bahuchara Mata is located in mid Bechraji town. It is 110 km from Ahmedabad and 35 km west of Mahesana. The main temple fort and gate was built by Manajirao Gakewad in Samvat 1839 or 1783 AD when he was Suba of Kadi. He gave 3 villages for the maintenance of the temple. These villages were subsequently taken over and Rs. 10,500/- per year was paid towards maintenance, which is merged and is now under Government control. For the development of this temple Sayajirao Gaekwad extended the GBSR railway that was under the control of his state up to Becharaji. The centre temple was built by Maratha Fadanvesh. It has been renovated. Learned Saint Kapildev built the varakahdi temple and was then renovated by Kalari king Tejpal. That temple too has been again renovated.
On night of every Punam (15 th day of the month as per Vikram Samvat calendar) and on 8 th day of Aso sud and Chaitri sud police with arms pay Guard of Honour to Mataji's procession. It is also considered as important place for the 'Hijras (Eunuchs)'.

This taluka comprises population of around 1 lakh. A majority of the population follows Hindu religion, although there are some villages with Muslim population. Among Hindus, the main communities are Patel, Brahmins, Jain, Charan, Rabari, Bharwad, Thakore, Khant, etc.

Transportation Facility :
Bahucharaji is well connected by Railways and state transport (ST) buses. There are many private vehicle operators as well. It is connected with Mehsana, Chanasma and Viramgam by state highways.
Bahuchraji is located on Ahmedabad-Rantej-Patan metre gauge railroot.
State highways no. 7 connects NH-14 from Deesa, Patan, and Chanasma to Becharaji, from where it further goes to Viramgam, Dhrangadhra, Halvad and Maliya. From Maliya, one can connect to NH-8A and reach Kutch.
Whereas state highway no. 19 connects Mehsana, Kalri to Becharaji, from where it further goes to Dasada, Zainabad, Patdi, and Surendranagar.
Another state highway, precisely no. 134, connects Mehsana, Modhera and Kalri to Becharaji.