Bhimeshwar Temple ( Nainital, Uttarakhand )

Bhimtal is a town and a nagar panchayat in Nainital district in the state of Uttarakhand, India situated at an altitude of 1370 meters above sea level and is about 22 kilometers from Nainital. The major attraction in Bhimtal is the Bhimtal Lake which has an island at its centre. Besides tourism, Bhimtal has also now become a mini district headquarters since most of the district administration offices have been shifted to the newly constructed Vikas Bhawan, the building complex for district administrative offices.

Bhimtal is an ancient place named after Bhima of Mahabharata. Bhimeshwara Mahadev Temple, an old Shiva temple in the bank of Bhimtal lake, is believed to have been built when Bhima visited the place during the banishment (vanvas) period of Pandavas. The present temple was built in 17th century, by Baz Bahadur (1638-78 AD), a King of the Chand dynasty, and the Raja of Kumaon

Bhimtal came under British rule after the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16), when Naintal became the summer capital of the province.

Bhimtal is older than nearby Nainital as the city of Nainital is just 150–160 years old. But Bhimtal has been a stoppage for the travellers of the region from hills to plains or vise versa for a long time. The old pedesterial road is still in use here and this road connects nearby Kathgodam to all Kumaun region and even to Nepal and Tibet. It might have been the part of the famous ancient silk route.

Pavagarh Temple ( Gujarat )

Pavagadh is a historical and religious destination at the base town of Champaner. The hill of Pavagadh rises from Champaner in three stages and this plateau lies at an altitude of 1,471 feet.

image credit : Vaibs

Gateway to Panchmahal, 46 kms away from Vadodara (Baroda), it is a tribal area populated predominantly by the Bhils. The government has granted many concessions and offers subsidies to the new industries coming up in this area.

A pilgrimage spot, called the Shakti Peeth, the Pavagadh hill leads to the hill top temple of the Goddess Kali, who is the incarnation of the Goddesses Parvati, Durga, and Sati as Shakti or power. The mythological belief makes the Pavagadh hill popular is the symbolic toe of the Goddess Sati, who happened to have fallen on earth as the grief-stricken Lord Shiva, Sati’s husband, carried her dead body on his shoulders. The myths and religious fervor attracts around 2.5 million pilgrims and tourists to Pavagadh each year.

image cerdit : srinivasan

Champaner-Pavagadh is promoted as World Heritage site with developments on move as modern tourism destination. GoG promotes tourism to Champaner-Pavagadh site along with other tour packages such as travel spots at Nimetabag, the Azwa lake, Jambughoda Sanctuary and Dhaboi.
Pavagadh along with Champaner and Machi is a UNESCO world heritage site. This site reflects grand historical confluence, displaying 1,200 years of history and culture. It is believed to bear testimony to the Indian Puranic ages, the Rajput saga, the glory of the reign of the Marathas, the Islamic influences and finally lays proof to the British occupation within its remain.

The 15th Century Muslim influence as muslim period began with Muhammad Begada defeating the Patai Raval clan that was ruling the area, and strategically moving his capital from Ahmedabad to the Champaner site.

Pavagadh is also known as the birthplace of Gujarat’s famous musician, Baiju Bawra.

RockFort Temple ( Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu )

The Rock Fort temple complex in Tiruchirappalli is an important and famous monument in Tamilnadu. The Rock fort temple complex comprises of three temples – the Manikka Vinayaka temple, the Uchhi Pillayar Koyil and the Taayumaanava Koyil (Shivastalam) on the hill. The Rock Fort Temple at Tiruchirapalli is the most famous landmark of this town. Outcropped out of a massive stone rock, which rises abruptly from the plain to tower over the old city, the rock fort temple is an amazing monument. The Rock Fort temple rises to a height of 83 m and is older than the rocks of Greenland and the Himalayas.

image credit : photoram

This temple has a 100-pillared hall and a Vimana covered with gold. The southern side of the rock has several beautifully carved, rock-cut cave temples, belonging to the Pallava period. The Nayaks, who established the city of Tiruchirapalli, built this temple. It is interesting to note that during the British-French struggle for supremacy in South India, the Rock Fort Temple was one of the main centers around which the Carnatic wars were fought in the 18th century.

The shrine of the temple houses Kangaala Moorthy, one of the 64 manifestations of Lord Shiva. A flight of covered stairs leads the way to the temple. As you finish climbing the stairs, you come across the Tayumanavar temple towards the west and the Uchipillayar temple towards the east. Every day six worship services are offered at the temple and the annual Brahmotsavam takes place in Chithirai. Some other festivals of significance are the Aadi Pooram and the float festival in Panguni.