TOP 8 SACRED AND HOLY PLACES OF HINDUS

For the Hindus, to visit the holy places is an act of great religious merit. Throughout India there are centres of pilgrimage, some of them very holy, others less so. Great emphasis is laid on visiting the holy places (yatra) once in a life-time for the attainment of salvation. Four of the holy places have been established by Adi Shankaracharya (a saint) and it signifies a farsightedness of vision towards national integration as they are situated at the four corners of India, making the devotees criss-cross the country.

Benares:- is the most sacred among the holy places. Also known as Varanasi and Kashi, it is the city of Shiva, having over two thousand temples and over half a million idols, most of them dedicated to Shiva and his family. It is situated on the banks of the holy river Ganga.

Mathura:- on the banks of Jamuna, near Agra, is the birth place of Krishna. The atmosphere of Mathura is in direct contrast to that of Benares. Mathura represents the religion of the living, while Benaras emphasizes the permanence of death.

India’s one of the oldest cities Mathura is renowned for many old history and religious views. This sacred city is the birth place of lord Krishna and located in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is also known as the city of temple for having a large collection of Hindu temples such as Govinda Dev Temple, Shahji Temple, Rang Ji Temple, Madan Mohan Temple, Iskcon Vrindavan and many more. Tourists from different places love to travel this historical city to visit many places like Krishna Janma Bhoomi, Akhand Jyoti Sansthan, Basantar Park, Birla Temple, Gayatri TapoBhumi, Jama Masjid, Government Museum, Gita Mandir, Govardhan Giriraj Hill and so on. Different types of transport facilities made tourists more comfortable to travel Mathura. There are many restaurants and hotels in Mathura to eat and stay. They are named as Agrawal Dhaba, Bhagvan Das ka Bhalla, Café Coffee Day, Hotel Brijwasi Royal, Hotel Goverdhan Palace and Hotel Goverdhan Palace.

Dwaraka:- in Gujarat is another important shrine. It was the capital of Krishna’s kingdom and has some very important temples devoted to hit. The city is located on the Western coast of India.

Puri:- in Orissa has the Jagannath temple which attracts pilgrims from all over India. It has an idol considered to be a manifestation of Krishna. The temple, containing idols of Balarama and Subhadra (sister of Krishna), is on the Eastern corner of India.

Rameswaram:- from where Rama is said to have launched his attack on Lanka is in the extreme south of India. Rama is said to have installed a Shiva lingam here; hence the place is sacred to both Shaivas (Shiva worshippers) and Vaishnavas (Vishnu worshippers).

Gaya:- on the Ganges, once a stronghold of the Buddhists, is for the Hindus connected with the death ceremonies of ancestors for which they visit the place. After the rituals are performed at Gaya the soul of the dead is supposed to attain salvation.

Ujjain:- It is called the navel of earth. It has the famous temples of Ganesha and Kal-Bhairav. During the time of Vikramaditya it used to be the capital of India. Two parts of the Skanda-Purana were said to have been written here.

Haridwar:- It is another very important holy city of India. It is at the foothills of the Himalayas and is the place where the Ganga enters the plains. It is also called the ‘gateway of the Ganga’.

Other important holy places are; Ayodhya (Rama’s capital), Kanchi (Conjeevaram), Kedarnath, Somnath, Amarnath and Kamakhya.

Don't Miss to Visit   Admins Youtube Video Page

The Essence of Bhagavadgeetha- Lord Krishna teachings

Bhagavad Gita "The Song of God" is also known as Gitopanisad. It is the essence of Vedic knowledge and one of the most important Upanisads in Vedic literature. Bhagavad Gita was spoken by Lord Krishna himself to Arjuna, one of the Pandavas, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. This 700-verse scripture, teaches one how to practice Bhakti Yoga. - 

Krishna appears in this material world in His original eternal form, with two hands, holding a flute. He appears exactly in His eternal body, uncontaminated by this material world.

Remembrance of Krishna is not possible for the impure soul who has not practiced Krishna consciousness in devotional service.  Therefore, one should practice Krishna consciousness from the very beginning of life. If one wants to achieve success at the end of his life, the process of remembering Krishna is essential. Therefore, one should constantly and incessantly chant the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra.

If you become conscious of Me (Lord Krishna), you will pass over all the obstacles of conditioned life by My (Krishna’s) grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness, but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be lost.

Don't Miss to Visit   Admins Youtube Video Page

Sri Lord Vishnu Manifestation Slokam

Vishnu Slokam

Shanta Karam Bhujaga Shayanam Padmanabham Suresham
Vishvadharam Gagana Sadrsham Megha Varnam Shubhangam
Lakshmi Kantam Kamala Nayanam Yogibhir Dhyana Gamyam
Vande Vishnum Bhava Bhaya Haram Sarva Lokaiaka Natham


Meaning
I adore Lord Vishnu, the incarnation of Peace, who sleeps on the serpent (Snake), Whose naval is the lotus of the world Who is the Lord of the Gods..

Hindu God Brahma - The Creator

Hindu God Brahmaji Image

About Lord Brahma - The Generator

Hindu God Brahma is the Generator or creator of the whole universe and first member of Hindu Trinity or Brahmanical triad, he includes second Lord Vishnu-the preserver and third Lord Shiva-the destroyer.

Lord Brahma is said to be the son of Brahman-the supreme energy of male and Prakrti (Maya)-energy of female.

Creation or Birth of Lord Brahmaji

God Brahma is the God of creation and referred to in many texts as self born- Swayambhu or unborn- aja. He is not created by anyone as he is self existent and the first cause of all and existing by his own intrinsically powers.

God Brahmaji is considered as the infinite and the source of all space, causation, time, forms and names, has many instructive and interesting designations. Lord Brahma is the first person who self born and is referred as uncreated creator- Swayambhu and is the single letter- eka aksharam "AUM", theologically.

Philosophically, Lord Brahma is also considered as the first demonstration of one’s cosmos or creation “ahankara” and cosmologically he is the golden embryo-hiranya garbha, the ball of fire from which the whole universe expands. All beings are his progeny as Lord Brahma is the Prajapati.

The forms of God Brahma

Hindu God Brahmaji is,
Pitamaha --  Patriarch
Vidhi -- Coordinator
Lokesha -- Master of the universe
Dhatru -- Sustainer
Viswakarma -- Architect of the world

The names of Lord Brahma

According to Mythology, Bhagwan Brahma is described as springing from the lotus (Kamala) flower that is grown from the navel (nabhi) of Lord Vishnu. That’s the reason that God Brahma is also well-known as Nabhija - navel born.

Hindu God Brahma has got the other name as Kanja - water born and the legend according to Purana is there behind this name. It is said that he was born in water. That seed was turned into the golden egg and later into the entire Universe of Lord Brahma.

The vishnu Cosmic Egg Image --
The lotus flower from which the God emerged himself

Goddess Saraswati-the goddess of learning, is his consort who manifested out of him and all beings of the world resulted from their union.

Secrets of Lord Hanuman and Shani Dev that no one knows

All those people who keep faith in Sanatan Dharma, believe Lord Hanuman to be the troubleshooter, and Shani Dev as the God who punishes the wrong. Both these Gods have a close connection with Lord Shiva. While Lord Hanuman is the avatar of Lord Shiva, Shani Dev received Lord Shiva’s powers after intense meditation.  Moreover, those who worship Lord Shiva are automatically blessed by Shani Dev.


Apart from these things about both these Gods, there are certain things highlighted in the Shastras, which reveal the powers, characters as well as similarities and differences between these two Gods.

Similarities between Lord Hanuman and Shani Dev as per Shastras:As per Surya Sanhita, Lord Hanuman was born on a Saturday
Lord Hanuman is the Rudra avatar and Rudra is another name of Lord Shiva
In Hanumanshastranaam, one name is of Shani Dev


Many times in Shastras, the colour of Lord Hanuman is said to be similar to Shani Dev. It is believed that this colour of Lord Hanuman is because of cruel eyes of Shani Dev on him.

Father of Shani Dev, Suryadev, is the teacher of Lord Hanuman. Shani Dev has a fight with his own father, but Suryadev has given a lot of his powers to Lord Hanuman and made him Mahavir.

Shani Dev is considered to be of cruel and unforgiving nature, while Lord Hanuman like Lord Shiva is extremely forgiving.

Shani Dev is born from fire, while Lord Hanuman from air (Pavan putra).

It is believed that one should not sell oil on Saturdays; however, offering oil to Lord Hanuman on the same day is considered auspicious.
 

Gsv Pics |Gsv Vids | Techno zip| Divine Thought | For The Sake of Us | Gsv Films

Vivekanandas Great Speech in Chicago

 Swami Vivekananda's Speech in Chicago

If you are searching for Swami Vivekananda's speech at Chicago (USA), then you have arrived at the right
place.

Here is the complete speech delivered by Swami Vivekananda in Chicago.
Swami Vivekananda Chicago Speech
WELCOME ADDRESS - Chicago, Sept 11, 1893
Sisters and Brothers of America,

It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have
given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of
the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and
sects.

My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient,
have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to different lands the
idea of toleration.

I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We
believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation
which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to
tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India
and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny.
I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand
Zoroastrian nation. I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated
from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: "As the different streams
having their sources in different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they
appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee."
Page 1/2

The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a
declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: "Whosoever comes to Me, through
whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me."
Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They
have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and
sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more
advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in
honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the
pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.
Swami Vivekananda's Chicago Speech Video
You can also view the audio trasncript of Swami Vivekananda's chicago speech as a video below.
Please feel free to share your views about the chicago speech of Swami Vivekananda in the form of
comments below.

 Download Vivekanandas Chicago speech


Gsv Pics |Gsv Vids | Techno zip| Divine Thought | For The Sake of Us | Gsv Films

Latest Collection Of Lord Shiva Wallpapers

Beautiful Pictures Gallery Of Sharda Devi Temple

Maa Sharda Devi Temple situated on the top of the Trikuta Hill around 5 km from the heart of the town. This temple is known for the 1063 steps to the top. Millions of devotees throng the temple all round the year. The introduction of Ropeway system from September 2009 has been a great boon to the pilgrims (particularly the old and the handicapped) to fulfill their wish to have the audience of Mother Goddess Sharda.

Beautiful Photos Collection Of God Kalbairaveshwara Temple, Karnataka

Beautiful Hoysaleshvara Temple Photo Gallery

The Kedareshwara temple is Trikutachala built by Ballala II and his consort Abhinava Ketala Devi in 1219. Hoysaleshwara and Shanthaleswara temples were built by Ketamala to attributed Vishnuvardhana, the Hoysala ruler. It enshrines Hoysaleswara and Shantaleswara, named after the temple builder Vishnuvardhana Hoysala and his wife, Queen Shantala. Halebidu temple complex with Hoysaleshwara and Shanthaleswara temples has four entrances which are elegantly wrought with beautiful sculptured lintels, and the temples are cross shaped joined at their inner arms. The outer walls of Hoysaleshwara temple have a marvelous display of art, superb bracket figures and typical Hoysala features. This is the largest existing structure of Hoysala times built by Kedaraja, the master builder of Hoysala period. The walls of the temple are covered with an endless variety of depictions from Hindu mythology, animals, birds and Shilabalikas or dancing figures. Yet no two sculptures of the temple are the same. Soap stone or Chloritic Schist was used for the construction of these temples. This magnificent temple guarded by a monolithic Nandi Bull was never completed, despite 86 years of labor going into it. Number of sculptures in the temple has been destructed by invaders. In front of these temples there is a big lake. The town had got its name from the lake, Dhwara samudhra which means entrance from the ocean.

Beautiful Tara Devi Temple Wallpapers

This temple was built around 250 years ago. Legend has it that from the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, Goddess Tara Devi was brought to Himachal Pradesh. The then king of the Sen dynasty visited Himachal Pradesh. He had a habit of carrying his family idol in his arm. One fine day, Raja Bhupendra Sen while hunting, fell asleep and in his dream he saw his family deity requesting him to unveil her before the common population. Because of this dream, the Raja donated 50 bighas of land and sponsored the construction of a temple in that land.

Beautiful Wallpapers Of Kanak Durga Temple Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh

Kanaka Durga Temple is a famous Hindu Temple of Goddess Kanaka Durga located in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The temple is located on the Indrakeeladri hill, on the banks of Krishna River.

Beautiful Bableshwari Devi Temple Pictures Gallery Dongargarh

2200 years ago the place of Dongargarh was a fairly renounced territory named Kamavati which was ruled by Maharaja Kamsen also called Kamakhya Nagri. When the Raja’s Queen gave birth to a son they named him Madansen. Since Raja Veersen considered it a blessing of Lord Shiva and Parvati he constructed the temple of Maa Bamleshwari at Dongargarh. The Raja Madansen had a son named Kamsen because of whom this area here became famous and came to be known as Kamakhaya Nagari. Then later a big battle had taken place between Raja Kamsen and Raja Vikramaditya, the reason being the love between Maadhavnal and Kaamkandla, which had led to the complete destruction of KamavatiI. Legend conveys that after the death of Maadhavnal and Kaamkandala, Raja Vikramaditya had felt guilty as he thought that he was responsible for Kaamkandala committing suicide. Then the Raja underwent deep anguish and started constant worship, resulting in Maa Bagulamukhi Devi appearing before him. Raja Vikramaditya then requested the goddess to make both Maadhavnal and Kaamkandala alive again and also asked Maa Bagulamukhi Devi to reside at the temple. Since then it has been believed that Maa Bagulamukhi Devi is present here. As time passed by the years the name got transformed from Maa Bagulamukhi to Maa Bamlai to Maa Bamleshwari as it has been known today.

Beautiful Adhar Devi Temple Pictures

Situated in a cave, The Adhar Devi Temple is one of the popular religious themed tourist destinations in the Mount Abu region. It is situated three kilometers north of the main town of Mount Abu. The Adhar Devi Temple is reached by climbing up 365 stairs carved into the mountain. The temple itself is located inside a rocky cleave and is reached by crawling through a small opening into the cave. The Adhar Devi Temple is dedicated to the Goddess Durga. It got its name because the legend has it that "Adhar" of the Mataji (Goddess deity) fell here also it was believed that the image of the goddess could be found there hanging in mid air. As well as being a popular tourist destination, the Adhar Devi Temple is also a common destination for many religion pilgrimages The Adhar Devi temple receives most pilgrims during the 9 days of the holy Navratri season. The Adhar Devi temple contains many beautiful statues, and those that make the effort to climb the stairs are rewarded with many picturesque views of the surrounding mountains and forests. The climb up to the Adhar Devi temple can be a difficult one so it is recommended that you wear appropriate clothing and footwear. You should not be turned off by this walk as the scenic views surrounding the temple and the wondrous beauty inside make this climb worth the effort.

Sri Manjunatheshwara Temple Pictures Gallery

One of Karnataka's most renowned landmark of piety and devotion, Sri Manjunatheshwara Temple of Dharmasthala is thronged by thousands of pilgrims every day. This famed centre of charity and divine justice, where every devotee partakes of generous hospitality irrespective of caste or creed distinctions, has grown into legendary proportions because of its multifarious socio-economic programs. The temple town nestles amidst picturesque Western Ghats, beside River Nethravathi in Belthangady Taluk and is within easy accesibilty of Mangalore and Udupi. Sri Manjunatheshwara Temple is devoted to Shiva and houses a lingam of gold.

Sri Krishna Mutt Temple, Udupi Beautiful Pictures Gallery

Udupi 60 Kms north of Mangalore is the seat of Lord Krishna, considered to be one of the holiest places for pilgrimage in southern India. Here there is a holy temple of Sri Krishna and this is the birthplace of Sri Madhwacharya, founder of Dwaita Philosophy and one of the three great Acharyas, he is reputed to have discovered the idol of Shri Krishna from a ship, which he saved miraculously from the clutches of fatal storm breeding on the sea at Malpe. One day when he was performing his morning prayers on the Malpe shore, he found that a ship sailing in the sea, was in danger owing to rough weather, Sri Madhwacharya with his divine power was able to control the rough weather. Miraculously and to the utter astonishment of the captain and the crew of the ship, the weather became calm, and the ship, that was a few minutes before, found to be on the verge of destruction, unknowingly reached the Malpe shore on its own accord. The captain of the ship saw Sri Madhwacharya standing and holding his loincloth in the direction of the wind, in deep meditations. The captain, considering his greatness offered all the cargo, in return for the help rendered. Sri Madhwacharya refused to accept anything, except two big pieces of Gopichandan, which he knew, contained the images of Lord Krishna and Sri Balarama. The images of Lord Krishna is the same that can be seen in the Sri Krishna Temple at Udupi and the image of Sri Balarama can be seen at Vadabhandeshwara Malpe. Sri Madhwacharya, who is considered as an incarnation of Vayu Devata, organized eight mutts at Udupi for the worship of Lord. Once in two years the Pariyaya festival will be held in the middle of January when the worship of Krishna passes from one mutt to another when disciples of the Madhwa seat congregate from all parts of India.

Shri Chamundeshwari Temple , Mysore, Karnataka Beautiful Pictures

Shri Chamundeshwari Temple at Mysore in Karnataka state is very elegant at its architectural structure situated about 13 km from Mysore city on the top of Chamundi Hills. The temple of Chamundeshwari constitutes about one thousand steps to the hill. Chamundeshwari Temple belongs to 12th century date built by Hoysalas while the temple tower built by Vijayanagar kings which has 300 years old history. The Chamundeshwari Temple enshrines goddess Durga as Chamundi form of her. Earlier the hill was called as Mahabala Parvata but due to the deity Chamundi the hill named as Chamundi hill. The Chamundeshwari Temple has fine quadrangular structure of Dravidian style of architecture. The temple of Chamundeshwari has seven storeys of about 40 mt high gopuras at the entrance with exquisite carvings. Chamundeshwari Temple as it belongs to 12thcentury was a small temple then later it was built as a huge temple by Hoysalas. In ancient days human and animal sacrifices were made regularly at this temple, but was stopped in the 18th century. When Mysore Maharajas ruled the state they made expansions to the Chamundeshwari Temple and it has become a big temple in Karnataka. The history behind the Chamundeshwari Temple is that goddess Chamundeshwari killed demon Mahishasura at the top of Chamundi hill and saved Mysore. And so goddess Chamundeshwari is referred as the goddess of Mysore along with the name of the city of Mysore.