You’ll never appreciate what you have if you spend all your time looking for something better..
Have a great day!
Small Stories #21
The 8 Monkeys
Put eight monkeys in a room. In the middle of the room is a ladder, leading to a bunch of bananas hanging from a hook on the ceiling.
Each time a monkey tries to climb the ladder, all the monkeys are sprayed with ice water, which makes them miserable. Soon enough, whenever a monkey attempts to climb the ladder, all of the other monkeys, not wanting to be sprayed, set upon him and beat him up. Soon, none of the eight monkeys ever attempts to climb the ladder.
One of the original monkeys is then removed, and a new monkey is put in the room. Seeing the bananas and the ladder, he wonders why none of the other monkeys are doing the obvious. But undaunted, he immediately begins to climb the ladder.
All the other monkeys fall upon him and beat him silly. He has no idea why.
However, he no longer attempts to climb the ladder.
A second original monkey is removed and replaced. The newcomer again attempts to climb the ladder, but all the other monkeys hammer the crap out of him.
This includes the previous new monkey, who, grateful that he’s not on the receiving end this time, participates in the beating because all the other monkeys are doing it. However, he has no idea why he’s attacking the new monkey.
One by one, all the original monkeys are replaced. Eight new monkeys are now in the room. None of them have ever been sprayed by ice water. None of them attempt to climb the ladder. All of them will enthusiastically beat up any new monkey who tries, without having any idea why.
And that is how traditions, religions and systems get established and followed.
Think twice before following a tradition,religion or system blindly .. it wud make more sense if u get ur own understanding to it….
Sri Panagala Narasimhar Mangalagiri
Mangalagiri is a town in Guntur district situated between the twin cities of Vijayawada and Guntur of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Mangalagiri is a temple of Lord Vishnu in Narasimhar form. Mangalagiri (mangala means auspicious , giri means hill ) , as Lord Narasimha near Vijayawada .
As legend says after killing Demon King Hiranya Kasipu , Lord Narasimha killed Demon Namuchi ( he was blessed by Lord Brahma with boon that he should not be killed by either humans or animals or any other forms ) and settled on this hill . Lord here declared that he would be satisfied with ghee in Trete yuga , with milk in Dwapara yuga , with jaggery water (panakam in telugu) in Kali yuga . Hence Lord is Called Panakala Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy .
The speciality of the temple is , only mouth is visible as no idol existed (God is self existent here). God is offered jaggery water (prasadam ) only and when this is poured into mouth the gargling sound is audible and half the vessel (small or big ) is finished , sound is stopped , remaining water is thrown out . Being the less or large amount of jaggery water the phenomena is the same . This peculiar phenomina occurs recurringly during the course of the day .This is the amazing significance of this temple .
Behind the temple there is the temple of Goddess Rajalakshmi, to the west of which there is a natural cave. It is believed that it will lead to Undavalli caves on the banks of the Krishna river and the sages used to go to take bath in Krishna River.
There is a seperate shrine for Lord Anjineyar and Lord Ragnathar in this temple which we have to climb a few steps .
A small (kalasam) pot full of panagam is sold inside the temple complex itself for Rs.70 after offering to the Lord the rest is given as prasadham to us we can carry it in a bottle and use within a day . Near the split panagam near the Lord’s idol not a single ant or flies could be seen where as the remaining we fetched in the bottle were full of red ants , so we used it and threw the bottle .
At the foot hill there is a Lakshmi Narasimhar temple with a magnificent tomb . It is one of the highest gopurams in South India and only one of its type in this part of India. It is 153ft. in height and 49 feet wide with 11 storeys, and gates facing east and west . This temple is said to be built by Yudhistra the eldest among the Pandavas .
The Image of the Lord in the form of Narasimha (man-lion) and that of Lakshmi Devi to his left are of stone. The garland of the Lord with 108 saligramams is of special significance here.
Vajranagaya vidmahe deeshna thamastraya theemahi thank
Narasimha prashothayath
Is the Gayathri mantra of Lord Narasimhar.
Motivational Quotes
Life is best for those who are enjoying it.
Difficult for those who are analyzing it & worse for those who are criticizing it.
Our attitude defines our life.
Have a great day!
Brahmaputra Pushkar
After a day in Shillong we reached Guwahati saw Purva Thirupathi Balaji temple and Bhimashankar jyothirlingam and stayed at Hotel Prag Continental.
The next day early morning we took auto and went to near by Jaganath temple and took a holy dip in the Brahmaputra flowing at the backside of this temple there are steps to get down in to the river . Then we changed our dresses at adjacent cloak room and left back to the Hotel .
After having breakfast we again came as a group in the mini van bought flowers diyas and offered our tributes to river Brahmaputra and then went to Jagnath temple and opposite to it a few steps to climb is a Sukleshwar temple of Lord Shiva .
Having the divine dharshan of both Jaganath and Sukleshwar we went to Umananda temple .
As our tour group was of 32 members our organizer arranged a boat and we travelled to Umanand temple.
This temple is a must visit as it is located on an island called “Peacock Island” in the middle of the Brahmaputra river in the northern part of Guwahati. One has to go in a ferry or boat to reach this temple which is seen on a hillock called Bhasmachala or Bhasmakuta.
One has to climb more than 150 steps to reach the temple. One can book ferry ride from Uzan Ferry Ghat (Kachari Ghat) managed by Inland Water transport. The fee is 20/- per person. This official boat service is available from 7.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. One can go to Umananda from Shukleswar Ghat and Fancy Bazar Ghat also. The ferry ride gives you a beautiful view of the flowing Brahmaputra River with distant view of hills and greenery. The journey takes just 15 to 20 minutes to reach the foot of the Bhasmakuta hill.
While climbing steps one can see an abundant number of trees and different kinds of birds also. According to bird-watchers there are nearly twenty species of birds in this area. The golden langurs one of the rarest type of monkeys are seen on this island only.
As per legend this island was created by Lord Shiva to make His spouse, Uma happy. So this place is called Umananda. The British people named this island as peacock island as the shape of the island looks like splayed feathers of a peacock. This island is regarded as the smallest river island in the world. Lord Shiva while doing penance here was disturbed by Kama’s arrows. So Shiva became angry and burnt him to ashes with his blazing third eye. So this hill is named as Bhasmachal or Bhasmakut.
The temple of Umanada was built in Kamarupa style with a red colored dome. One has to descend a few steps to see the Lord as the sanctum is at a deeper level. Only diya were lit with that lamps the priest showed us the lingam form .The passage to the sanctum is very narrow and every time five to six devotees are allowed to climb down the steps. Inside the sanctum a tiny Shiva Ling is seen with a pedestal on the ground level. The priest there told us the Lingam is Swayambu and its Arthanari (both lord Shiva and Goddess Shakthi form) .The sculptures of Ganesha, Shiva and Devi (with a scorpion as an emblem) are carved on the rocky walls of the temple showing the architectural skills of the local sculptors . The temple is crowded during Mondays and Mahashiva ratri. During Shiva Chaturdasi a colorful festival is held here. People believe that pooja offered to Lord Shiva on Monday with Amavasya Thithi brings highest merit and bliss to the devotees. The temple timings are from 6.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.
Near the entrance of the temple premises there is Ganesha’s shrine with a big sculpture of a rat in sitting position facing the idol of Ganesha in the shrine. There is a Hanuman temple beside the temple. Another Shiva shrine called Chandrasekhara shrine is seen beside the main shrine. The dasavataras of Vishnu are seen on the outer walls of newly constructed temple walls. The calm surroundings with beautiful scenes of trees and birds makes one feel very happy and relaxed.
After the dharshan we relaxed in the temple complex and again travelled back on the river Brahmaputra by boat .
After having lunch started to Guwahati airport to reach Chennai .
Motivational Quotes
The winners in life are not those who have never tasted failure, but those who have failed again and again but never give up.
Have a great day!
Our Shillong trip
During our Brahmaputra Pushkar trip to Guwahati after visiting Maa Kamakya Shakthi Peedam and Dasa Maha Vidya temples we travelled to Shillong .
By 4 pm we reached Umiam lake .
It is a lake surrounded with small mountains, calm and serene place , there is a boat ride facilities as it was drizzling we dint go for boating . Had hot masala tea and did window shopping on the roadside shops mostly was art work hand made of bamboos were sold here .
This lake serves as a major tourist attraction for the state of Meghalaya.
By the time we reached it was 8.30 pm we had night dinner at Madras cafe in the near by hotel before reaching Polo Towers as most of us were senior citizens and diabetic . Our tour organizers arranged idly dosai payasam chutney sambar in Shillong .
Hotel Polo Towers welcomed us with a complimentary buttermilk and along with it a muffin as that was 20th year anniversary of their Hotel .
Morning got freshen up and had complimentary breakfast and started our travel .
Meghalaya is a place of falls and lakes . Our first visit was to Elephant falls
Located 12 km away from the capital city of Shillong, Britishers named it so as the stone looked like a elephant it’s a 3 layered waterfalls admist the dense forest there are steps to get down and see all the 3 layers , must be carefull if it’s raining . We almost spent an hour admiring the beauty of the falls .
Our next destination was Wakaba falls , the falls was invisible fully covered with mist and climate was too chill , we waited half an hour for the mist to clear could only hear the sound of the falls as it started raining we got into the mini van we were travelling .
Next falls we saw was Daienthlan falls as the rain stopped we enjoyed walking in the water flowing and took as much ever videos and photos we wanted .Then we went to Noklihai falls . Though we could see the falls couldn’t get down from mini van as it was raining heavily .
We reached Cheerapunzee, which is said to be the highest rainfall receiving region of India . The climate was awesome no rain . We had afternoon lunch in a hotel there and bought cinnamon sticks sold there .
After lunch we went to Mawsmai cave they charge Rs.20 as entrance ticket we could succeed only to a certain distance as due to rains there was a feet of water and we returned back . We got exhausted and that days final destination was to Seven sisters water falls was a visual treat opposite to it another falls we took as many videos and photos and returned back having night dinner in the same Madras cafe and returned to room .
Next day morning we packed up our luggage and after the breakfast the first place we saw was a Cathedral Church in Shillong . It was big with colourfull stain glass paintings and then to Shillong view point .
Next day morning we packed up our luggage and after the breakfast the first place we saw was a Cathedral Church in Shillong . It was big Church with colourfull stain glass paintings and then to Shillong view point .
We had to climb a winding steps to see the entire view from top . The best part of the trip was wearing their tribal dress and a photo shoot of it . We all dressed up they hire it for Rs.100 per head and for photos they charge Rs.50 per photo.
Then we travelled to Guwahati on the way had afternoon lunch by 4 pm we went Purva Thirupathi Balaji temple in Guwahati.
Purva Tirupati Sri Balaji Mandir is a beautiful Hindu Temple situated at Ahom Gaon area of Guwahati in Assam. It is one of the popular temples in Guwahati.
Dedicated Lord Venkateswara, Purva Tirupati Sri Balaji Mandir was built in the year 1998. Sprawling over 2 acres, the temple is considered as the replica of the original Tirupati Balaji Temple. This white colored temple is built in the similar architectural style of the South Indian temples. The temple has a Rajagopuram (70 feet in height), a Maha Mandapam, an Ardha Mandapam, and the Sanctorum.
There is a Ganesha Temple at the entrance of the complex. The main temple is the home of Lord Balaji. The deity inside the sanctum sanctorum is carved out of a single stone that weighs more than 4 tonnes. Besides, there are also the temples of Goddess Padmavati and Garuda- the vahana of Lord Balaji inside the premises. A recent addition to the temple complex is the Yagasala that has been built in traditional style to enable devotees to perform Yagnas.
Then we went to Bhimashankar jyothirlingam at Pamoghi . It was a pradhosam day .We were happy of getting the dharshan and blessings of Lord Shiva . Though there us a Bhimashankar jyothirlingam in Maharashtra here they consider this as a jyothirlingam. From the main entrance we had to walk about a half km to reach Lord Ganesha temple .The Ganesha idol is rock cut on a huge stone we did pooja to Lord Ganesha and walked the slope a small bridge about a km admist the dense forest with streaming water we saw and did pooja to the Jyothirlingam by the time we were back to our van it has become dark . The priest told us dont waste time here as these are elephants pathway they requested us to move away soon . With the divine blessings of the Lord Shiva we reached our room in Hotel Prag Continental Guwahati .
Daienthlan fallsSeven Sisters fallsMawsmai caveDaienthlan fallsShillong view point
Motivational Quotes
Be flexible, learn new things & choose whatever makes u happy.
Don’t mind the people watching, just be responsible of what you are doing!
Have a great day!
Six Word Quotes
Motivation
Motivation is the secret of success.
This post was written in response to Shwetas Saturday Six Word Story Prompt (6WSP) #55: Motivation.
Hope you all like it .
Happy Blogging !
Kamakya temple Guwahati
This temple is in Guwahati is one of the Shakthi Peedams. This temple is about 20 kms from Guwahati airport. Kamakya is also known as the bleeding Goddess of Assam .This temple is on a hillock named Nilachal of 562 feet high .
Kamakhya Devi Mantra
Kamakhy Varade Devi Nilparvatvasini,
Twam Devi Jagatam Mataryonimudre Namostute |
The temple of Kamakhya has a very interesting story of its origin. It is one among the Shakti peedams. The story of the Shakti peedam goes like this; once Sati fought with her husband Lord Shiva to attend her father’s great yagna. Despite her husband Lord Shiva’s disapproval, Sati had gone to attend the universal ‘yajna’ organised by her father Daksha. Shiva was not invited, and was also abused by Daksha. Unable to bear the insult, Sati committed suicide. When Shiva came to know that his beloved wife had committed suicide, he went insane with rage. He placed Sati’s dead body on his shoulders and did the tandav or dance of destruction.
To calm him down, Vishnu cut the dead body with his chakra. The 51 places where Sati’s body parts fell are called Shakti peedams. Kamakhya temple is special because Sati’s womb and vagina fell here.
One has to climb about 120 steps to reach the temple .
We reached by 10 am straight from Guwahati airport to this temple and our tour organizer had arranged a special dharshan . We were taken inside the main sanctum sanctorum .There was no idol of the Goddess only a Peedam along with 3 heads covered with silks and flowers tha main deity here is in the form of Yoni , which we had to get down a few steps and is damp with fluid they were collected and given us as prasad to us .We were garlanded with the flowers on the Sakthi peedam .
There were 4 tombs and the entire walls were of carvings of different deities.
There is a mantapa were we can lit diyas and agarpathis and pray to Maa Kamakya.
Kamakhya Devi Temple is a unique temple that celebrates the fertility and womanhood with a grand fervor -“Ambubachi Mela”.
The Ambubachi Mela is the most important festival of the Kamakhya Temple of Guwahati. It is believed that the presiding goddess of the temple, Devi Kamakhya, the Mother Shakti, goes through her annual cycle of menstruation during this time stretch.
During the Ambubachi Mela in Guwahati, the doors of the Kamakhya Temple remain closed for three days. It is believed that the Mother Earth becomes unclean for three days. During this time any kind of farming work is not taken on. Daily worships and other religious performances are also stopped during the Ambubachi Mela of Guwahati in Assam. After the completion of three days, the doors of the Kamakhya Temple are reopened. But the doors of the temple are reopened only after Devi Kamakhya is bathed and the other rituals are executed. It is then believed that the Mother Earth has retrieved her purity. This is purely a ritual of the Tantrik cult.
On the fourth day, the devotees of the Goddess are allowed to enter the temple for worshipping Devi Kamakhya. Thousands of pilgrims are found to visit the Ambubachi Mela in Guwahati, who comes all over India.
In addition to this temple there are Dasa Maha Vidya temples . They are 10 forms of Shakthi named as Kamala Matangi and Tripurasundari which are found within the temple complex and Tara Kali and Chinnamastha few steps down to Kamakya temple and Bhuvaneswari Bagalamukhi Bhairavi and Dumavathy within a km distance from Goddess Kamakya temple.
Small Stories #20
*REMAIN HUMBLE AND GRATEFUL*
A rich man looked through his window and saw a man picking something from his dustbin. He said, Thank God I’m not poor.
The poor man looked around and saw a naked man misbehaving on the street. He said, Thank God I’m not mad.
The mad man looked ahead and saw an ambulance carrying a patient. He said, Thank God am not sick.
Then a sick person in hospital saw a trolley taking a dead body to the mortuary. He said, Thank God I’m not dead.
Only a dead person cannot thank God. Why don’t you thank God today for giving you the opportunity to live another day?
Would you share with someone else, and let them know that God loves them too?
*LIFE:*
To understand it better, you have to go to 3 locations:
1. Hospital,
2. Prison &
3. Cemetery.
*At the Hospital*, you will understand that nothing is more beautiful than HEALTH.
*In the Prison*, you’ll see that FREEDOM is the most precious thing.
*At the Cemetery*, you will realize that life is worth nothing. The ground that we walk today will be our roof tomorrow.
*Let us, therefore, remain humble and be grateful for everything.*
Motivational Quotes
When you focus on problems, you will have more problems.
When you focus on possibilities, you will have more opportunities.
Dream. Wish. Make it happen.
Have a great day!
Mangaladevi temple
From Udipi Krishna temple we reached Mangalore Mangaladevi temple it was almost closing time of the temple .
Mangalore was named as Mangalapuram after the local Hindu deity Mangaladevi, the presiding deity of the Mangaladevi Temple. It was modified to Mangalore by the British. But somehow the keralites have retained the old name.
Puram means ‘area of land’ or having the same meaning of ‘uru’ or ‘ooru’ in Tamil or Kannada.
As the history says that the land got it’s name from the deity Mangaladevi, the literal translation would be ‘the land of Mangaladevi’ which can be called ‘Mangaluru’ in Kannada and Tamil and in Malayalam, it would be Mangalapuram.
Mangaladevi Temple is built in Kerala style of architecture. In fact, most temples in Tulu Nadu (Mangalore side) are constructed in this design. The shrine consists of a sanctum and many other small shrines housing other gods and goddesses.
The main sanctum houses the idol of Mangaladevi who is in a sitting posture. The whole shrine is mainly a wooden architecture which is similar to other temples in the region. There is also a flag-post (Dwajastambha) and the shrine of Lord Shiva.
Mangaladevi Temple is a form of Shakti and is a much revered deity in Mangalore. Hence, Mangaladevi Temple is one of the top temples in Mangalore.
According to this legend, two sages Gorakhnath and Machindranath come in search of a holy land where Sage Parashurama is said to have lived. They enter the kingdom of Kundavaraman who ruled the Tulu Nadu.
The sages explain the importance of one such place which holds the temple of Mangaladevi which was established by Lord Parashurama. Surprised by the version of the history, King Kundavaraman agrees to support the sages in finding this shrine. Finally, an ancient shrine totally surrounded by forest was found. Thus, king Kundavaraman re-builds the temple of Mangaladevi.
With this our Mangalore spiritual tour ended after having night dinner we started to Mangalore railway station .
Motivational Quotes
“It doesn’t matter how long it takes to fulfill your Dream,.all that matters is that you have one.”
Have a great day!
Udipi Krishna temple
From Anegudde Vinayagar temple Kumbakshi we reached this temple by 5pm .
Udipi Sri Krishna temple is one of the must visit temples to Lord Krishnas devotees.
I had the divine dharshan of Lord Krishna during my Mangalore spiritual tour. Udipi is 60 kms from Mangalore.
In this temple Lord Krishna is seen with a churner in one hand and rope on the other hand.
Udupi Sri Krishna appears to his devotees as Muddu Krishna in child form. The temple has a large collection of gold Jewelry including contributions from the emperors of Vijayanagara rulers, Mysore Maharajah .
The Lord idol is said to be installed by Madwacharya as he got it as a huge lump of clay ( Gopi chandan ) from a sailor from Dwaraka to Mangalore coast . It is said that Idol of Lord Krishna was worshipped by Rukmani in her garden earlier .It is believed the lamp lit by Madvacharya is maintained till now by the temple priests .
Unlike other temples in India, a fascinating aspect of this holy shrine is , devotees can have darshan of Sri Krishna only through a window with nine holes called the “Navagraha Kindi” (Nava means nine; Kindi means window) and the window is elegantly carved and is silver plated.
Kanakana Kindi or Kanaka’s Window is a small peephole in the Udipi Sri Krishna temple through which the great Indian saint Kanaka dasa was given darshan by lord Krishna. This is present in the outer wall of the temple and the gopuram is known as Kanagagopura.
There is a legend behind the presence of ” Kanakana kindi”.
Shri Kanakadasa was a great devotee of Lord Shri Krishna. He lived at around the same time as Shri Vadiraja Swamiji at Udupi and was carrying out his Bhajans in front of the temple regularly . Kanakadasa, an ardent believer of God, came to Udupi to worship Lord Krishna. He was not allowed inside the temple as he was of lower caste .
Undeterred, Kanakadasa lived just behind the temple to serve Sri Krishna from outside the temple .One night the temple wall collapsed and this enabled Kanakadasa to get a darshan of his Lord.
Further, it is believed that Sri Krishna himself turned his face in such a way, that Kanakadasa could get his darshan. As for this ardent devotee, a long-cherished ambition had been fulfilled by the lord himself, a privilege that people of higher caste could not get. This incident implies that to the almighty, He treats all this devotees equally, regardless of caste, color and creed.
Adjacent to the temple is a pond named madvasarovar .
Motivational Quotes
“Choose your thoughts carefully.
Keep what brings you peace, release what brings you suffering.
And know that happiness is just a thought away!”
Have a great day !
Vinayagar temple Anegudde
Anegudde Sri Vinayaka Temple, Kumbashi is in Kundapur taluk, Udupi District, Karnataka.
From Gokarna Mahabaleshwar temple we reached this temple by 3 pm as there was a special pooja being performed the temple was opened.
Kumbashi is a small village situated in kundapur (32 km from Udupi). As per the legend when there was a drought in this place Sage Gowthama (some references say Agasthya) was doing varuna yagna to appease the rain Gods at that time a demon named Kumbasura used to trouble him. In the same time Pandavas were passing by this place. Sage asks for help from Pandavas. Yudhistira asks Bheema to kill the demon.
Bheema fights with demon but fails as the demon was very powerful. At that time a heavenly voice informs Bheema that Kumbasura can be killed only by asi (sword) obtained from Ganesha. Bheema worships lord Ganesha and Ganesha appears in the form of an Elephant and gives him the sword with which Bheema kills Kumbasura . Hence this place was called Kumbashi.
The temple is situated on a hill which was previously called as Nagachala. It is believed that lord Ganesha in the form of Elephant gave darshan to Bheema in this place. Hence it was later became popular as Anegudde (In kannada Aane means Elephant and Gudde means hill).
There is Mahalingeshwara temple at the base of Anegudde. Vinayaka temple shares a close connection with this temple. The water of Mahalingeshwara temple (believed to be Ganga) is used for the Abhisheka of Vinayka of Anegudde.
According to legend Ganesha was given a task by Parvathi to find a place for the flow of Ganga in south. He comes to this place in the form of a Novice with a cow. Sage Gowthamas ashram was here. The cow dies in front ashram.
Pained by the incidence Gowthama prays to lord Shiva to send holy Ganga from his matted hair. Shiva sends holy Ganga and Gowthama collects the Ganga in his Kamandal (A type of vessel carried by sages) Gowthama sprinkles holy water on the cow and gives life to it. Ganesha’s purpose is also served . A small kumba shaped well is found in Mahalingeshwara temple.
As per devotees the idol of Ganesha is the same one which was worshipped by Bheema. But the present temple is only around 150 years old. And there is a very interesting legend about the same.
A Brahmin named Vishweshwara Upadhyaya lived in Korgi village five miles away from Kumbashi. He used to visit Mahalingeshwara temple (Anegudde) every day and take holy dip in the temple pushkarni. One day a young boy appeared in his dream and told him that he is hungry. He led him to Anegudde (his regular path) and disappeared near a stone.
Next day when Vishweshwara Upadhyaya visited the temple he saw the same stone and saw that the flowers were falling on the stone and cows were emptying their udder on the stone. He started worshipping the stone by doing Abhisheka from the water of Mahalingeshwara temple pushkarni (which is still followed).
Seeing his devotion people of Kumbashi gave him a place to live and he constructed a small shrine made up of muli (hay) and installed the stone deity and continued his worship. The temple took the present form after the death of Vishweshwara Upadyaya. His decedents are the main Archakas (hereditary priests) of the temple.
The idol of the deity is Swayambu (appeared on its own) and neerakara (without any definite shape). According to some devotees the stone has the features of Ganesh’s trunk.
You can see this form only at dawn before Abhisheka and in noon around 11.30 before Mahapooja (I was lucky today to have seen this form of lord) .Usually we see Vinayaka in this temple with golden face and silver body parts .
There is one more interesting observation is that till 11 o clock in the morning the Gods idol is decorated and you see him in standing posture and after that throughout the day the deity is decorated and seen in a sitting posture
Vinayaka of Anegudde is considered as Sarva Siddhi Pradhayaka (provider of all boons). Devotees flock this temple. Ganahoma and Rangapooja are offered by the devotees to the God.
For more details do visit this link
The temple serves delicious Annaprasadam to the devotees every day. The doors of the temple are open from 6.00am to 9:00 pm.
Those who buy new vehicles perform pooja in this temple and we witnessed 2 to 3 poojas for vehicles done in front of the temple .
Feeling Happy
Felt happy and excited to see this notification . Thanking you all my fellow bloggers once again .
Motivational Quotes
Don’t compare your life with others’.You have no idea what their journey is all about .
Have a great day!
Thank you
Thanking you all for making this happen . Happy to share this WordPress notification .
Small Stories #19
Many hundreds of years ago in a small Italian town, a merchant had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to the moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the merchant’s beautiful daughter so he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the merchant’s debt if he could marry the daughter. Both the merchant and his daughter were horrified by the proposal.
The moneylender told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty bag. The girl would then have to pick one pebble from the bag.If she picked the black pebble, she would become the moneylender’s wife and her father’s debt would be forgiven. If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father’s debt would still be forgiven. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.
They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the merchant’s garden. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick her pebble from the bag.
What would you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told her? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:
- The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
- The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the moneylender as a cheat.
- The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking.
The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.
“Oh, how clumsy of me,” she said. “But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.” Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an advantageous one.
MORAL OF THE STORY:
Most complex problems do have a solution, sometimes we have to think about them in a different way.
You might spark a thought, inspire and possibly change a life forever!
Thinking “Out of Box”…
Sri Mahabaleshwar temple Gokarna
On the third day of our Mangalore trip being in RNS residency near by Murudeeswara temple , we once again had the dharshan of the Lord Shiva and after breakfast we started to Gokarna
Brahma Muraari Surarchita Lingam
Nirmala Bhaashita Sobhitha Lingam
Janmaja Dhukha Vinaasaha Lingam
Tatpranamaami Sadaashiva LingamA verse from linghastakam.
Meaning: I bow before that Sada Shiva Lingam, which is worshiped by Brahma, Vishnu and other Gods. It is pure and resplendent, and destroys sorrows arising out of birth and death.
Gokarna is a ancient temple town and center for Sanskrit studies. It is located in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka State. Gokarna means ” Cow’s Ear “- It is believed that Lord Shiva has emerged from the ear of a cow. This town lies between the rivers Gangavali and Agnashini and situated along the Karwar coast by the Arabian Sea.
The Mahabaleshwar temple at Gokarna is respected as a Shaiva pilgrimage centre than a tourist destination and as important as Kashi and Rameshwara pilgrimage centers for Hindus. Gokarna is also respected as “siddi kshetra” and “Mukti Stala” of Karnataka.
One can go for sparsh darshan of aatma Linga during the restricted timings. The priest helps us to feel the Atmalinga keeping our 3 fingers inside .
The rituals for ancestors are being done in this temple .
This is one of the major temples here. It houses the famous Atmalinga here. Before worshipping at the Mahabaleshwara temple, there is a custom that one has to bath in the sea and pay respect to a Shivalingam, made out of sand.
There is six feet tall Atmalinga here enshrined in a square called Saligrama Peetha. It is opened for viewing once in forty years. Now only the tip of the Linga can be seen through a opening in the Peetha. Another Mythlogical reference to Gokarna describes how Ravana went to Mount Kailasa to perform penance and get “Atmalinga” from lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva handed the Atmalinga and instructed him not to place it on the ground till he reached Lanka.If he placed it down then it would establish itself on the ground. On seeing this other Gods got threatened and went to seek Lord Shiva’s help, who devised a plan with Lord Ganesha.
On his way back to Lanka, Ravana stops for a prayer in Gokarana. Ganesha disguises himself as a Brahman boy and tells Ravana that he will hold the Atmalinga till he finishes his prayers on the condition that he would hold it till he can bear its weight and thereafter he would call Ravana three times. If Ravana failed to come back in time he would place the Atmalinga on the ground. Before Ravana could come he places the Atmalinga on the ground it firmly gets attached to the Earth.
Ravana furiously with all his effort tries to extricate it resulted in his throwing the coverings of the Linga to Dhareshwar, Gunavanteshwara, Murdeshwar and Shejjeshwar temples (the last places is very near Karwar).
Maha Ganapati TempleThere is Ganapathy temple near by this temple here the Lord Ganesha is in standing posture.
It’s a temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha due to the smart role he played in dismantling Ravana’s intention of carrying the Atma Linga to his kingdom in Lanka. The temple boasts of a 5 ft. tall structure of Ganesha folding his two hands.
Motivational Quotes
Don’t let the fear of uncertainty keep you from doing what your heart desires most.
Have a great day !
Small Stories #18
A young labourer came to a restaurant one evening to have a meal. The owner engaged him in a conversation and found out that he was saving to bring his family to the city so they could get a chance at a better life. He had an aged mother, a wife and two young sons who he hoped to give a good education so they could have a more decent life. He had just arrived the city and found some menial work at a scrap metal site down the road. It was going to be his only meal of the day and he could only spend a few cents.
The owner was impressed with his hardwork and diligence, and his family values. He encouraged the labourer and wrapped his meal for him. He took his order personally and told him that it would cost him 50 cents.
Several years went by and the labourer stopped at the restaurant every evening to get his one meal of the day and chat with the restaurant owner who always encouraged him and asked about his aged mother, his wife and young sons, and how his plans were going.
Finally, the labourer came by one evening with a happy smile on his face. He had bought a modest house in a good neighborhood with a good school for his boys and he had just sent for his family to join him. The restaurant owner was very happy for him and congratulated him. The labourer then told him that he was in a mood to celebrate and he would be spending an entire 5 dollars on his meal that evening. The restaurant owner told him it was well-deserved, wrapped up his meal and he went on his way home.
When the labourer got home and opened up his meal pack, he was shocked to see that it was the same type of food he had been having every day for the last 6 years. He was very disappointed because he had been looking forward to a feast to celebrate his big achievement. He certainly deserved something better after scrimping on his meals all those years. He was mad at the restaurant owner and felt robbed of his money and his celebration. He felt he had been cheated by his very good friend.
He immediately went back to the restaurant to make his complaint. The restaurant owner had already left and he met one of the staff with whom he was quite familiar.
“Say, John, I think you guys gave me the wrong meal pack today. You see, I got this same type of meal every day for 50 cents but today I am celebrating and decided to spend 5 whole dollars at your restaurant. But I was cheated and got just the same meal as every other day!”
“Well, sir, this is our most expensive meal and it costs 5 dollars!”
It suddenly dawned on the labourer that he had not been cheated at all by his friend. In fact, the restaurant owner had been giving him their best meal which cost 5 dollar for 50 cents for 6 years! He felt very ashamed of himself for thinking that his good friend had cheated him.
“It’s all a misunderstanding then,” he said and turned to leave quickly to hide the tears in his eyes.
“One minute, sir,” said the staff. “My boss said you were going to come back and that I was to give you this bag.”
When the labourer opened the bag, he found all the 50 cents he had ever spent at this restaurant. Unable to hold back the tear now, he sat down on a bench and wept quite unashamedly.
√ He had judged too quickly
√ He’d felt entitled and a little prideful because of his sense of arrival
√ He had repaid kindness with suspicion and anger
√ He had failed to give proper thanks where it was due…
WHY?
Because he had been unable to see or recognise the hand that was behind the scene helping him all this time!
Friends, sometimes because we don’t yet have the car and the house and the fine things, we fail to recognise the simple things that God gives us daily. And so we are ungrateful and unappreciative and even a little entitled when we go to Him to complain about the things we don’t have. We are prideful of our little achievements when we have a few fine things or feel like we have arrived.
But does God condemn us? Is He mad at us? Does He take back everything because of our foolishness?
NO…
Like the restaurant owner, even though He gives us of His best and always looks out for us to encourage us, He is there to pick us up when we stumble or fall. Even when we don’t see or appreciate His goodness and kindness to us, He never stops being gracious and kind to us or tires of hearing our complaining and griping. In fact, He opens His storehouse and gives us even more than we deserve when we are at our lowest.
Today, this very moment, stop and consider God’s goodness and then you might want to say a prayer like this:
“GOD, I DON’T SEE YOUR HAND BEHIND THE SCENES BUT SINCE I’M STILL ALIVE I KNOW YOU ARE THERE HOLDING ME UP AND HELPING ME. AND I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU THANK YOU!”
Sri Murudeeswara temple
Located in Karnataka, this magnificent shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
The Murudeshwar temple is located in Kanduka hill which is surrounded by the Arabian Sea on 3 sides.
This temple boasts of the second highest statue of Lord Shiva in the world, and the sheer magnanimity of the statue will fill you with a sense of awe.
The main temple’s entrance, also called the ‘Gopura’ stands at 123 feet and you can witness the breathtaking view of the Shiva statue from the top of the Gopura.
It’s a 19 stories Gopura and lift facilities r there , they charge Rs. 20 per head . Lift facilities start from 9am till 6 pm only .
We reached this temple from Kollur Mookambiga temple by 5pm, first we opted for lift facility as it is said to be operated till only 6 pm, saw from the top view of the highest Lord Shiva statue sitting admist Arabian sea. Then had dharshan of the lord inside the temple .Spent some time in the beach and stayed in RNS residency very near by the temple . Morning once again we had the dharshan of the Lord Shiva .
The entire surface of this temple is covered in the most intricate and detailed carvings that you will ever see. The compound of the temple has been modernized except the sanctum sanctorum, which retains its original form. The main deity of the temple is the Sri Mridesa Linga, which is believed to be a part of the original Atma Linga.
The Shiva statue here is quite an impressive one and will surely leave you with a humble sense of tranquillity. This magnificent statue is a perfect tribute to a God who is held in high reverence in lands far and wide.
Inside the main shrine of the temple is a Deepam which is believed to be burning the way it burnt when the temple was built. In order to get blessing of the God for prosperity and good luck, people pour oil into the burning Deepam and see their image into the oil.
The gigantic Gopuram at the entrance is believed to be the second tallest of all the Gopurams in the world and has a height of 237.5 feet while the tallest Gopuram is located at Srirangam temple in Tamilnadu.
Next to the temple is a cave museum which has the idol of Lord Shiva Lanka king Ravana along with Sthalapuranam .Located in Karnataka, this magnificent shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
The Murudeshwar temple is located in Kanduka hill which is surrounded by the Arabian Sea on 3 sides.
This was the last temple we visited on our second day of Mangalore spiritual tour .
Motivational Quotes
The best preparation for life or a career is not learning to be competitive, but learning to be cooperative.
Have a great day!
Kollur Mookambigai temple
After having dharshan at Hosanadu Annapurneswari went to Kollur Mookambika Temple – source of all powers .
Shri Mookambika is one of the most legendary shrines for Hindus in India. It is the only temple that is dedicated to Goddess Parvathi in the form of Mookambiga (as she slayed down demon Mookasura) and is believed to be created by Parashurama.
Goddess Mookambiga temple is located exactly on the banks of the perennial river Souparnika, that runs close to the foot hills of the Western Ghats. River Sauparnika has its attribute to the eagle called Suparna, that did penance in this bank and attained salvation.
The history of Kollur Mookambika temple states that, there lived a demon named Kaumasura who was unleashing a reign of terror upon all the gods with his special power given by Lord Shiva. When all the gods were trying their best to stay away from his vicinity, Guru Shukracharya brought good news to the gods, that this demon would face death by a woman, that is Goddess Parvathi Devi. Knowing this, Kaumasura undertook severe penance worshipping LordShiva , and Lord Shiva asked this demon for the boon, sensing grave danger that, if he offered the boon, this Goddess of speech (Saraswathi) would make Kaumasura dumb.
Hence this Kaumasura came to be known as Mookasura (mooka means to be dumb). Thereafter Devi mobilised all the powers of the gods and then this demon was killed by Kollur Devi Parvathi. She was hence called Mookambikai. This place where Devi killed Mookasura is known as Marana Katte.
The Kollur Devi thereafter became the deity of this place, offering her blessings to all who sought her. She poses with all her radiance along with the shank (conch)and chakra in both her hands sitting in the padmahasana posture.
Significance of Swayambhulinga
The Suyambulinga (self evolved Linga) at Shri Mookambika temple, is said to have come into existence when Parameshwara drew the chakra with his toe. This chakra is believed to be the Udhbava Linga, which has drawn its strength due to its proximity to all divine beings. It is also very sacred, since Kollur Devi is supposed to be merged with this Suyambulinga and that has made her acquire great power.
Here she is said to have formed, as a part of Linga along with Lakshmi and Saraswathi on one side and Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Parameshwara on the other side. Apart from this, there is also a carved image of Shiva believed to be injured, during the clash with Arjuna known as Kiratharjuna and this is on the right side of this Suyambulinga.
The history of idol installation at Kollur Mookambika temple is nearly 1200 years old. When Acharya Shri Sankara first came to this place, there was a Swaymabu Linga worshipped by Kola Maharshi. On close observation, Acharya Shri Sankara found that Ambica too was in the Linga invisibly. He mediated upon the Goddess sitting at a place close by. Mother Shri Mookambika appeared before Acharya and blessed. Mother Mookambika’s idol was made based on the picture that appeared in Shri Sankara’s mind. No abishek is performed to Mother but to Linga only. Other alankaras(decorations) are done to the Goddess. There is a golden line in the middle of the Linga, visible to the devotees only during abishek. With such divine features, the Shiva Linga grants huge benefits to the devotees, equivalent to worshipping millions of deities. The temple has also the Shri Chakra installed by Shri Adi Sankara. As Kola Maharshi worshipped here, the place came to be known as Kollur.
As a tradition, the doors of the temples are kept closed during the
eclipse period, but this temple is an exception. Poojas continue even during eclipse times. Brahmmacharis are not allowed to perform poojas in the temple. As Mookambika is but mother Saraswathi, prayers are submitted by devotees for gaining knowledge, wisdom and excellence in educational pursuits.
Many of the local Kings have given lots of donations to this Temple. Prominent among them are the Kings of the “Keladi Dynasty”. They have been offering a variety of worships to the Goddess. Prominent Kings of the Keladi Dynasty, Sankanna Nayaka and Shivappa Nayaka had renovated the Temple and gave donations for the maintenance of the Temple. The Kings of keladi Nayak
Dynasty had believed that the Goddess is the symbol of victory. As such whenever they would win a war or drive away their enemies they were devoting the victory and celebrating it before the Goddess.
Utsava Moorthi is placed at the Saraswathi Mantapa, and naivedya with Beaten rice, coconut. After that , Mangalarathi and Ashtavadana Seve Vedaghosha, Sangeetha, Shruthivadya, Sarvavadya. Once it is over Shree Devi will be taken inside the Temple .
Also, for nature lovers, the Aanejhari Butterfly camp 5 Km from the temple sounds to be an interesting place!
Many private lodges are also available
The temple offers free food to everyone who visits the temple. Free food is served both during lunch and at night. The food is very tasty and a must have for everyone. Apart from the temple food, you can also find some small budget hotels which offer decent food
The nearest city is Mangalore, which is 140 Km away. Udupi is 80 Km away.
further information this temple
Ranjus travel blog 
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