Rishikesh Temple

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Rishikesh is situated in the Tehri Gharwal region of Uttaranchal, along the banks of the sacred river Ganges. It is an important pilgrim centre and gateway to the Himalayan, It is small town, renowned as an important pilgrimage center of the country, shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The Pilgrimage season starts in end April/ Early may and lasts til the Day of Deepawali (Festival of light) end of October/early November. It is from here that the river Ganges leaves behind her mountain home and enters the vast north Indian plains. The town abounds in natural splendour and the sight of the Ganga rushing through the Himalayan foothills is awesome. There are several temples on the banks of the Ganga at Rishikesh.

It is believed that Rishikesh represents the site where Vishnu vanquished the demon Madhu. In Tapovan, on the other side of the Ganges, is a temple to Lakshmana. The Lakshman Jhula at Rishikesh is a 450 feet long suspension bridge was built in 1939. There is a newer bridge which has been added recently – the Ram Jhula. Rishikesh is not only popular for its religious significance but also considered to be a base for devotees on their journey to the Char Dham Yatra.

Lakshman Jhula (bridge) – Image credit : Amy

Situated 24 km upstream from Haridwar, Rishikesh has long been a spiritual centre at the confluence of the Chandrabhaga and Ganga. It is believed that the sage Raibhya Rishi did penance here and satisfied with him God appeared to him in the form of Rishikesh. The name originates from that only.

The yoga centres of Rishikesh have enhanced the significance of the place. Rishikesh has numerous ashrams, few of which are internationally recognized as centres for meditation, yoga and philosophical studies. International Yoga Week which attracts participation form across the world, is held here, every year, in February on the banks of the Ganga. Rishikesh also best Spa and many other Ayurvedic treatment centers for every one’s requirement.

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The places to visit in Rishikesh include – Bharat Temple, Rishi Kund & Raghunath Temple, Laxman Jhoola, Pushkar Temple, Shatrughan Temple, Muni-Ki-Reti, Swarg Ashram, Gita Bhawan, Parmath Niketan, Lakshman Temple, Sadanand Jhoola, Triveni Ghat, Shivanand Ashram, Kailash Ashram and Academy of Meditation. The nearby excursions include beautiful places like: Dehradun, Mussoorie, Hardwar, Chilla, Devprayag, Auli, and NarendraNagar.

such places which are attract the people must to see that all.

Ashram – The ashrams of rishikesh are world famous for yoga, and these are abun dant in number n and around Rishikesh. Some of these are very well known and is regarded as tourist spots while some are still been regarded as proper ashrams where rishis (saints) stay. Ashrams situated on the eastern bank of the river Ganges are collectively known as Swargashram. The credit for World famous Maharishi goes to the beauty of natural rock band Beatles. Yoga, in most of the Ashrams, is another important aspect for drawing tourists from around the world.

Lakshman Jhula – the hanging bridge, Lakshman Jhula is on the river Ganges that flows through Rishikesh. According to legends, Lakshman the brother of Lord Ram crossed this river with the help of a hanging bridge made of jute. The present bridge was built in the year AD 1939, on the same spot where the original jute suspended bridge used to be. The current of water, when increases gives an incomparable scene when viewed from the bridge. There’s another bridge calle dthe Ram Jhula or the Shivanand Jhula.

Gita Bhavan – Situated by the side of the Lakshman, the Gita Bhavan is a beautifully constructed building housing some attractive statues of various gods and goddesses.

Triveni Ghat – Triveni is a bathing spot at a distance about 1.5 km from Rishikesh. It is considered sacred for being the confluence of three mountain streams. Pilgrims from all over the worls come here to take a dip into the holy waters.

Neelkanth Madhav – Neelkanth Madhav, at a distance of 12 km from the Rishikesh town and surrounded by lush green, it is a place of interest especially for the religious minded tourists. According to mythological data Lord Shiva drank the venom that came out of the cosmic churning of the ocean by the gods and demons.

Temples - Rishikesh is full of innumerable small and big temples. In the banks of the Chandrabhaga River there is a team of temples. Char Dham, the famous four temples club starts off this place. The Rishikund tank and Raghunath temple near the tank also present quite beautiful scenic views. Lord Ram used the tank for bathing while he was in exile. The Bharat temple named after Bharat, one of the brothers of Lord Ram. Rishikesh is known to be a place of importance from very ancient periods and is bounded by a massive wall supposed to be of thousand years old.

Ellora Caves Temple ( Maharashtra )

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Ellora Caves Temple is the one of the most famous temple in India. It is considerd as the one the top 10 famous temple in our country. Ellora Caves are situated in the state of Maharashtra, India. Located about 200 km northeast of Bombay in the Deccan plateau which separates north from south India. They lie at a distance of approximately 25 km from the Aurangabad district. The beautiful caves of Ellora symbolize three of the major religions of the world, namely Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism.

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They also hold the distinction of being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Ellora Caves, cut out of the vertical face of a cliff, comprise of splendid chaityas (halls of worship), viharas (monasteries) and Hindu and Jain temples. There are a total of 34 monasteries and temples inside these caves. Out of total 34 caves, 12 caves to the south are Buddhist, the 17 in the centre dedicated to Hinduism, and the 5 caves to the north are dedicated to Jainism. All of them date back to somewhere between 5th century AD and 11th century AD and have been built in a linear pattern. All the caves have different religious inclinations. Twelve of the caves (cave number 1 to 12) belong to the Mahayana sect of Buddhism and were built between 550 AD and 750 AD. Seventeen caves (cave number 13 to 29) comprise of Hindu temples and were constructed between 600 AD and 875 AD.

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From south to north there are about 34 caves here, which corresponds more or less (Cave 21 with some significant exceptions) to the order in which they were constructed. The caves 1 to 12 in southernmost direction, are dedicated to Buddhism and were built in & around 7th & 8th centuries AD. The middle caves 13 to 29 are dedicated to Hindu deities, which dates back from 7th century to 9th century AD. The upper caves are related to Jainism (9th century). Some of the caves have exquisite carvings and sculptures and have been based on the classical Indian art. Then, you have the Kailash Temple in cave number 16, deemed to be the largest monolith structure in the entire world. Five caves (cave number 30 to 34) belong to the Jains and were built between 800 AD and 1000 AD.

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Tourists come from far and wide to visit this amazing cave temple. Out of the numerous Buddhist Caves at Ellora, cave number 10, cave number 11 and cave number 12 are considered to be the most significant ones. Cave number 10 is a splendid example of Chaitya architecture in India. It is named after Vishwakarma, the presiding deity of all architects. Cave number 11 is known as Do Tal. It is a three-story structure dating back to the 8th century AD. Cave number 12, known by the name of Teen Tal, is also a wonderful three-story cave.

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Golden Temple Amritsar (Punjab)

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Sri Harmandir Sahib, also know as the Golden Temple in Amritsar is the holiest shrine of the Sikh religion. Also known as the Shri Darbar Shaib, it is in the center of the old part of Amritsar. Believed to have been built in 1588 by Guru Arjan Dev with a view to create a central site of worship for the Sikhs, the Golden Temple or Harmandir as it is called, symbolizes the philosophy of the religion through every detail of its architecture.

The history of Golden Temple says that the land for the site was acquired free of charge from the zamindars (landlords) of local villages. Exhibiting influences of both Hindu and Muslim styles of design, the Golden Temple architecture significantly flaunts a large dome of gold.

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Guru Amar Das Ji, third Guru of the Sikhs, discovered a herb to cure the ailment of Guru Angad Dev Ji, the second Guru of the Sikhs. The story of Rajni, daughter of Rai Duni Chand has associations with Sarovar Sahib (tank). The story goes like this: Rajni was a devout Sikh disciple of the Guru. One day her father brought some gifts for all three daughters. Other two daughters praised their father. Rajni said that the gifts were from God and their father was only a medium to deliver the gifts to them. Unfortunately, her father overheard the statement and in a fit of anger, he ordered her to marry a leper. She accepted her father’s wish. She had to struggle hard to sustain herself and her crippled husband. One day she placed the basket containing her husband near the pool of nectar and went for some work. In the meantime, her husband saw a black crow plunging in the water and coming out transformed into white color. Stunningly he watched all this and crawled towards the pool to take a plunge. He became perfectly fine and handsome. The couple thanked God and went to their Guru to narrate the miraculous incident and seek his blessing.

The fourth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Ram Das, excavated a tank in 1577 which subsequently became known as Amritsar (meaning: Pool of the Nectar of Immortality), giving its name to the city that grew around it. In due course, a splendid Sikh edifice, the Harmandir Sahib (Temple of God), was constructed in the middle of this tank which became the supreme centre of Sikhism. Its sanctum came to house the Adi Granth comprising compositions, Sikh values, philosophies and teachings of the Sikh Gurus and other saints of Guru Nanak’s time, e.g. Ravidas a Hindu Guru, Baba Farid a Sufi Sant (Saint) and Kabir, all of whom the Sikhs refer to as the Bhagats.

Guru Ram Das Ji found the place during his travels in the Majha region. He chose this place for establishing a new Sikh centre. He was told by Guru Amar Das Ji to execute the plan for the construction of a Sikh Pilgrim Centre. Some experienced elders were told to assist Guru Ram Das. A large number of Sikh devotees came forward for voluntary service.

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The location of the temple amid a pool, which was conceptualized by Guru Amar Dev, denotes the synthesis of nirgun and sargun – the spiritual and temporal realms of human existence.Although Guru Arjan Dev was instrumental in laying the foundation of the Gurudwara, the Golden Temple history says that its construction has been the result of several years’ evolution.

Even before the main shrine of the Gurudwara was laid, the pool had already been bordered with bricks under the supervision of Baba Budha ji. Guru Arjan Dev, with the principle intention of propagating the ethos of Sikhism, built the structure in sheer burnt brick and lime. Much later, during Maharajah Ranjit Singh’s reign (1799-1839), the temple was renovated and made into an architectural masterpiece, displaying a major sense of affluence along with, of course, the deep spirituality of the Sikh religion.

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Construction :

The golden Temple Amritsar, Originally built during AD 1574, the site of the temple was surrounded by a small lake in a thin forest. The 3rd of the six grand Mughals, emperor Akbar, who visited the 3rd Sikh Guru, Guru Amar Das, at the neighbouring town of Goindval was so impressed by the way of life in the town that he gave a jagir to the Guru’s daughter Bhani as a gift on her marriage to Bhai Jetha, After completion of a part of the project, Bhai Jetha went to Goindwal to report regarding the progress of the work, he was told to dig another tank at the low level area near the site of the tank. Who later became the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das. Guru Ram Das enlarged the lake and built a small township around it. The town was named after Guru Ram Das as “Guru Ka Chak”, “Chak Ram Das” or “Ram Das Pura”.

Guru Ram Das Ji located the site for the second tank. It was amidst a large number of Ber (Jujube) trees. This tank came to be known as ‘Amrit Sarovar’. Along with the construction work, Guru Ji called a number of persons belonging to different tribes and occupations to settle near the tank. Like this a whole new village came up. There was a market to supply essential commodities to the settlers. For drinking water some wells were dug. Each and every care was taken to help the immigrants.

Soon after the completion of the project, the pool of nectar and the Temple were recognized as places of religious importance. The project was executed under supervision of Guru Arjan Dev assisted by Baba Budha, Bhai Gurdas and some other prominent Sikhs. Guru Arjan Dev Ji compiled Guru Granth Sahib (holy book of Sikhs) and the original book was installed in the premises of the Temple.

During the leadership of the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji (1581–1606), the full-fledged Temple was built. In December 1588 the great Muslim Sufi saint of Lahore, Hazrat Mian Mir, a close friend of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, was asked to lay the corner stone (December 1588). The story has been told that a mason then straightened the stone, to which Guru Arjan said, as you have just undone the work of such a holy man, who knows what disaster might come to the Harmandir Sahib.

This story has been used to offer a reason why the temple has been attacked so many times by the Afghans and Mughals and even Inspected by force by Indian Army in 1984, during Operation Bluestar, which laid the foundation stone of Khalistan, the proposed rebellious Sikh Homeland.

The temple was completed in 1604. Guru Arjan Dev Ji, installed the Adi Granth in it and appointed Baba Buddha Ji as the first Granthi (Reader) of the temple on August 1604. In the mid-18th century it was attacked by one of Ahmed Shah Abdali’s generals, Jahan Khan, and his Afghan military forces, and had to be substantially rebuilt in the 1760s. However, in response a Sikh Army was sent to hunt down the Afghan force. Both forces met each other 5 miles outside Amritsar where Jahan Khan’s army was defeated, and Jahan Khan himself is believed to have been killed by Sardar Dayal Singh.