I did not plan my visit to Thrikkakara Vamana Moorthy Temple in Kochi. I was there to witness the famous snake boat race, and what an experience it was to see those narrow boats cut through the water to the beat of drums playing on and around them. I learnt that boat races used to […]

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For years I have dodged the question – which is my favorite temple?. How does one pick when one has visited and studied so many? Is one temple more important than the rest of temples? Do temples not have different roles at different points in time? All these questions bothered me, till I figured out […]

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Kamakhya is the primary Shakti Peetha of Bharatvarsha, the Yonipeetha where Devi Sati’s Yoni had fallen, making it the seat of creation. I have already written in detail about the Kamakhya temple and its festivals. This time in Guwahati, I wanted to visit all the Dash Mahavidya temples located on Nilanchal Hill. It took me […]

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Kashmir is the land of Rishi Kashyap, a land that has given us Kashmir Shaivism. This is where Acharya Abhinavagupta once lived. It was once full of Kashmir temples and more than temples, the devotees who prayed and lived close to the divine. It has been through turbulent times and that have impacted the temples. […]

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As part of my research on Devi temples of India and sacred spaces associated with Shakti, I came across the mention of Mundeshwari Devi and her temple. Images from the internet showed a single stone temple with an absent Shikhara. After spending some time on Google Maps, I marked it as to be visited from […]

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Kashi has many yatras like Nava Durga Yatra, Nava Gauri Yatra that are mentioned in the Kashi Khanda of Skanda Purana. This time when I was staying for a longer duration in Kashi, I joined the Kashi Pradakshina darshan yatra samiti for couple of Yatras. First of these was the Ashta Bhairava Yatra that goes […]

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Sun Temples in India are not easy to visit. They were the most magnificent temples once upon a time, but today they lie in absolute ruins. I have seen Konark Sun Temple in the East with missing Garbhagriha. Then, there is Modhera Sun Temple in the west located on the tropic of cancer in Gujarat, […]

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Planning a visit to the popular Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam – Get insights and understand the darshan process. The Varaha Kavacham (a prayer invoking Vishnu as Varaha swamy-the boar avatar for becoming an armor around us) from the Skanda Puranam says: आद्यं रङ्गमिति प्रोक्तं विमानं रङ्गसंज्ञितम् । श्रीमुष्णं वेङ्कटाद्रिं च साळग्रामं च नैमिशम् ॥ तोयाद्रिं पुष्करं […]

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Temples in Ayodhya Ayodhya is the Adipuri or the first city of Vishnu. It is believed to be sitting on the chakra of Vishnu. Rulers of Suryavansha or solar dynasty ruled from here for eons. Even today, many royal dynasties across India trace their lineage to this dynasty.  Of course, the most famous king is […]

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I was studying Lalita Sahasranama and writing my own notes on it. That is when I came across Srinagar as the city of Rajarajeshwari Lalit Tripurasundari. I wondered if Srinagar in Kashmir is indeed that city. In my list of Cities Named After Devi, I remember mentioning Sharika Devi as the presiding deity of Srinagar. […]

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