Rameshwaram- The Southern India Pilgrimage Site

Rameshwaram

Rameshwaram is situated at the tip of the Indian peninsula. It is considered a sacred place for the Hindus. Legends have it that Lord Rama built a bridge across the sea from Rameshwaram to rescue his wife Sita from the clutches of the demon king Ravana. This is also the place where Rama worshipped Lord Shiva to wash away the sin of killing Ravana. It is also known as the Varanasi of South India. It is believed that Lord Rama performed thanks giving rituals to Lord Shiva after his triumph over the demon king Ravana. It happens to be one of the most visited pilgrimage sites of India. 

Attractions of Rameshwaram

Ramanathaswamy Temple

Ramanathaswamy Temple: The famous Ramnathswamy temple was built in the 17th century and is situated close to the sea on the eastern side of the Rameshwaram. It is famous for its 1200 massive granite columns. The temple has 54 meter tall gate-tower and 1220 meters of magnificent corridors.

Dhanushkodi

Dhanushkodi: It is located at the eastern end. It is named after Lord Ram's bow and is at a distance of 8 km from Rameshwaram. The boulders in the sea between Sri Lanka and Dhanushkodi are known as Adam's bridge. It is said that Lord Hanuman used them to reach across Sri Lanka. 

Erwadi

Erwadi: At a distance of 24 km from Rameshwaram, it is an important place of Muslim pilgrimage as the tomb of Ibrahim Sahid Auliya is present here. Muslims from across the globe visit Erwadi, especially during the month of December to participate in the annual festival held to pay tribute to the saint.

This video is a short film consisting of major Rameshwaram pilgrimage destinations!!

The Ancient Pilgrimage "Puri"

Puri 

Puri is one of the ancient pilgrimage centers of India. It is located on the Orissa coast and is 60 km from Bhubaneswar. Puri is among the four sacred "Dhams" other than Dwarka, Rameswaram and Badrinath of the Hindus. The Sand art and Applique art are some of the important crafts of the city. It is one of the 12 heritage cities chosen by the Government of India for holistic development. The biggest attraction of Puri is the Jagannath Temple where devotees come to worship regularly. The famous Rath Yatra Festival is held in Puri every year.

Huge Crowd during Rath Yatra

The Rath Yatra begins on the second day of the bright fortnight in the month of Asad (June-July). This festival is held to commemorate the journey of Lord Krishna from Gokul to Mathura. It is celebrated at Puri with great pomp and gaiety. In the Rath Yatra Lord Jagannath, his sister Subhadra and brother Balbhadra are taken out in procession in three Rathas (chariots). Millions of devotees pull the ropes of the Rath.

Other than this festival the Hindus make it a point to bathe in the sacred Pancha Tirtha or the Indradyumana Tank, the Rohini Kunda, the Markandeya Tank and the Swetaganga Tank to complete their pilgrimage to Puri. These tanks have perennial sources of supply in the form of rain water and ground water. Moreover they go to the Balighai Beach of Puri to watch the sunrise and sunset as it is one of the scenic attractions of the beach. The beach is located 8 km away at the mouth of Nunai River from the town.

Pilgrimage Attractions of Puri are as follows: 

Puri Jagannath Temple

Puri Jagannath Temple: The temple of Lord Jagannath is one of the most sacred pilgrimage spots in India and one of the four Dhams of the divine that lie on the four directions of the compass. The temple commands great influence over every aspect of life in Puri. The huge temple compound is surmounted with a 20 foot wall. It is truly an institution unique in the India. 

Gundicha Mandir

Gundicha Mandir: It is located some 3-km northeast of the Jagannath temple. During the 'Ratha-Yatra' festival, Lord Jagannatha goes to the Gundicha temple and stays there for a week. After one week Lord Jagannath returns to his original temple.

Cultural activities: Apart from religiuos festivals the cultural fuctions held annually are The Puri Beach Festival held between 5 and 9 November and the Shreeksherta Utsav held from 20 December to 2 January where cultural programmes include unique sand art, display of traditional handicrafts and food festival. The Odissi dance, Odiya music and folk dance are major part of this event. 

Nashik- A major pilgrimage site

Nashik is one of the famous pilgrimage centers of India. According to Indian mythology, Lord Rama, the king of Ayodhya, made Nashik his temporary residence during the 14 years of his exile. Besides its religious importance, it also has been a center of trade and commerce for centuries. There are several forts and temples in Nashik. The Holy place Ramkund is the place where Lord Rama and Sita used to bathe during their exile. It is believed that by emerging a dead person's ashes into the kund the soul of the dead person will get moksha or liberation. It is also the home to many industries. The Security Printing Press of the government, which prints the nation's currency, is located in Nashik.

Nasik

There are a number of notable places in or near Nashik. There is the Coin Museum, founded in 1980, which has a collection about the Indian currency system including coins, moulds, dyes, replicas and photographs. About 30 km from Nashik is the Dugarwadi waterfall. It is also one of the places where Kumbh Mela is held. There are holy temples like Shree Kalaram Mandir, Sunder Narayan Temple, Muktidham Temple, Shree Kapaleshwar Mahadev, Shree Someshwar Temple. The other major tourist attraction includes Dhammagiri, Chamber Caves, Sita Gumpha, Pandavleni Caves and Anjeneri Hills. Nashik is known as the wine capital of India as it has many liquor manufacturing factories such as United Spirits Ltd, Pernod-Ricard, and Sula Vineyards.

It is a home of various temples such as:

Muktidham Temple: The Muktidham temple at Nashik is built with pure marble signifying holiness and peace. The most amusing thing about this temple is that 18 chapters of the Gita are written on its walls.

Kalaram Temple

Kalaram Temple: This famous temple was built in 1794. It was built with black stone which was brought from the mines of Ramsej Hill. There is a beautiful gold-plated copper peak on the temple. Inside the temple,there are statues of Rama, Sita and Laxman as well.

Someshwar Temple: This is one of the oldest temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Hanuman. This place is located six km away from Nashik on the road to Gangapur.

Sundernarayan Temple

Sundarnarayan Temple: This temple was built in 1756 by Chandrachud. It has the idol of Lord Vishnu. Its speciality is that it is built in such a way that the very first rays of the sun falls on the deity of Lord Vishnu.

It is also a place where severals forts can be found. Some forts are given below:

Ramshej Fort: It is located 10 km from Nashik near Pindori village. The fort is flat and on open ground. According to Indian mythology Lord Rama used to rest on this fort. .

Trigalwadi Fort: It is 3000 ft above sea level. A temple of Lord Hanuman and Trigalwadi Lake  is near to it.

Harihar Fort: The fort is derived from the name "Harshgad". Its highest point is 1120 meters above sea level. It is famous for its Cliff for chimney style climbing and its named as Scottish Fall.

Visit to Ujjain

Ujjain

Ujjain is one of the oldest sacred cities of India. It is located in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh state and is situated on the eastern bank of River Shipra. It is one of the four sacred places where the Kumbh Mela is held. The Kumbh Mela festival is held at Ujjain after every twelve years.

Mahakal Temple

Ujjain Mahakal Temple is the most famous and respected Shiva temple. Other important temples of Ujjain are Harsidhhi Temple, Kaal Bhairav and Magalnath. Since Ujjain is an ancient city, there are many monuments that have survived from the ancient period. The most spectacular monument is the Kalideh Palace of the Ujjain city. It is a fine example of ancient Indian architecture. The Bhartuhari Gufa is an ancient cave which has some interesting legends associated with it.

Simhasta Mela

Religious Events: The most important religious event at Ujjain is the Simhasta Mela (also called the Kumbh Mela). The Simhasta Mela is held every twelve years in Ujjain. During this Mela millions of devotees assemble at Ujjain to have a dip in the Holy River Shipra. Another yearly event at Ujjain is the Kartik Mela. The Kartik Mela is a fair organized every year in the Hindu month of Kartik (around December) and attracts thousands of people from the nearby areas.

Holy Dwarka

The Holy Dwarka is located in the state of Gujarat on the West of India. It is an important pilgrimage for all Hindus and is considered to be the ancient kingdom of Lord Krishna. It is a home to several temples and ghats.

Dwarkadhish Temple

The holy Dwarkadhish Temple is built on the north of the Gomti River. It is estimated that the temple is almost 2500 years old. The temple is built lavishly and is five stories high. The delicately carved roof is built like a conical pyramid and reaches to a height of 157 feet. The main idol is black in color having four hands and measures around one meter tall. 

Rukmini Devi Temple

 The Rukmini Devi Temple, dedicated to Rukmini, Krishna's chief queen, is located in Bet Dwarka. It is a richly carved temple decorated with sculptures of gods and goddesses on the exterior with the sanctum housing the main image of Rukmini. Carved naratharas (human figures) and carved gajatharas (elephants) are depicted in panels at the base of the tower.

Gomti Ghat

Gomti Ghat consists of steps leading to the Gomti River, which is also a holy place for pilgrims to take a dip in the river, which they believe cleanses them of their sins. The ghat has a number of small shrines and has Gomati temple, which has an idol of the river goddess Gomati.

Nageshwar Mandir

Nageshwar Mandir is a temple dedicated to Shiva, and one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. A 25 m tall statue of a sitting Lord Shiva and a large garden with a pond are major attractions of the serene place.

Dwarka can be reached in these ways:

By road: Dwarka is on the state highway from Jamnagar to Dwarka. Direct buses are available from Jamnagar and Ahmedabad.

By rail: Dwarka is a station on the Ahmedabad-Okha broad gauge railway line, with trains connecting it to Jamnagar, Rajkot  and Ahmedabad. 

By air: The nearest airport is Jamnagar.

The Tirthraj town "Amarkantak"

Amarkantak is a pilgrimage town in Madhya Pradesh. It is a unique heritage area commonly known as Tirthraj or "King of Pilgrimages". It is the meeting of the Vindhya and Satpura Ranges and this where the Narmada River,Son River and Johila River emerged. The holy ponds,lofty hills,forested surroundings and an ever-pervading air of serenity make it a pleasant destination for religious minded as well as for the nature lovers.

Narmada Kund Temple

It receives large number of tourists throughout the year. Apart from being a pilgrimage destination,it is also a hill station. So for those who are interested in hill station pilgrim then it is the best option in Central India. While visiting Amarkantak we can see various temples such as Kapildhara Temple of Kalchuri era & Narmada Kund from where river Narmada originated. Other temples include Jain Temple, Shree Yantra Mandir, Udgam Temple, Jwaleshwar Mahadev, Sonakshi Shakti Peeth and so on. Saints see this place with great respect and visit here for meditation and feel the holiness. 

Shree Yantra Mandir

In addition to a holy place,forest area of Amarkantak generates the feeling of wilderness of surrounding. It is popular among Botanists for huge variety of medicinal plants.After visiting temples and other holy places,tourists have chance to visit nearby villages to experience the tribal culture and their rituals. Surrounding villages are of Central India Tribes where we can see their lifestyle, housing pattern, know about their livelihood, customs, rituals, social pattern etc. 

Visit to Lord Krishna City "Mathura"

Mathura is an essential place of Hindu pilgrimage which is located on the banks of River Yamuna. It is considered one of the seven holy cities by Hindus. It is known as the Brajbhoomi - the land where Lord Krishna was born and spent his youth. The land of braj starts from Kotban near Hodel which is about 95 km from Delhi and ends at Runakuta.

Mathura City

It became a place of great reverence after Lord Krishna was born. It is surrounded by picturesque ghats, arched gateways and temple spires extending along the right bank of the River Yamuna. During the Kushana period Mathura became famous for the Mathura School of sculpture. The famous Keshav Dev Temple was built in ancient times on the site of Lord Krishna birthplace ie in underground prison.

Mathura has innumerable shrines and holy sites within its vicinity. Shri Krishna Janmabhumi Temple is supposed to be the exact spot where Lord Krishna was born. The temple chambers comprise of a small prison where his parents lived. In the vicinity is also the Vishram Ghat which is the place where Lord Krishna rested after he killed Kansa. 

Keshav Dev Temple

Apart from Keshav Dev Temple,other important heritage places are as follows:

Gita Mandir: It is a beautiful place located on Mathura road and is frequently visited by pilgrims.

It's wall are inscribed with the verses of entire Bhagavadgita.

Sati Burj: It is a slender,four-storied structure of red stone built by son of Behari Mal in memory of his mother who performed sati sacrifice.

Vishram Ghat: Aarti is performed daily in this ghat. People take a ritual dip here before visiting other temples.

Sati Burj

Mathura can be reached in following ways:-

By Train: Mathura has around four railway stations but Mathura Junction is said to be the largest in the city. It is preferable as it connect cities from the North to the Southern part of India.

By Road: The national highway connecting the states is commutable. So, if you plan to reach the place by road then you can travel by the NH-11, NH-3 and NH-93, accessible from Ajmer, Mumbai and Agra.