Belur Math, Kolkata

The Belur Math positioned on the banks of the Hooghly River in the Indian state of West Bengal cherishes the memories of Swami Vivekananda, the ultimate disciple of the nation's Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and the great religious saint of the country.

Swami Vivekananda met his Guru Ramakrishna Paramahamsa at Dakshineswar. It's the 5th largest Hindu shrine on the earth. Mata Adyakali is worshiped right here. Belur Math just isn't only one of many important institutions of Calcutta, but is also a very sacred site for all these with a keen interest on the planet.

Interesting facts about Belur Math

• In front of this monastery built on the banks of river Hooghly in Howrah, Kali temple of Dakshineswar is located.
• Getting into from the main gate of this monastery situated on 40 acres of land, on the right and left there are also academic institutions run by the ashram, which has now been converted into a university.
• This monastery is famous for its structure, which has a mixture of Hindu, Islamic and Christian parts, which symbolizes the unity of all religions. Swami Vivekananda's residence is the main attraction of this monastery.
• Near the main campus of the Math, there are also campuses of a few of the academic institutions of the Ramakrishna Mission, together with Vidyamandir, Shilpamandir, Ved Vidyalaya and Swami Vivekananda University.
• In the principle courtyard of this monastery, the shrines and temples of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sharda Devi and Swami Brahmanand are located on the place of death. Apart from this, the stays of 16 of his 16 disciples are present inside the monastery along with Swami Vivekananda.
• No girls were allowed to visit his monastery. Once Vivekananda became very ill, his disciples called his mother. On seeing them, Vivekananda shouted, 'How did you allow a lady to come in? I'm the one who made this rule and for me this rule is being broken. '
• A museum has also been built here, which provides detailed information about the Ramakrishna Mission.
There may be also a library in the Math campus, the place more than 20 thousand books related to spirituality are available. Together with this, a charitable hospital can also be run in the ashram complex.
• Many kinds of food products are also manufactured on this monastery, in which mustard sauce, pickles, juices and different meals items can be seen. The prices of those items produced by the Ramakrishna Mission Service Association are much decrease than the market.
• Tourists visiting this monastery must see the aarti that occurs here within the evening.
There may be also an enormous green garden inside the monastery, which captivates the tourists visiting right here. Large variety of people attain to go to Belur Math on Sundays and holidays.
• Various religious ceremonies are organized yearly on the birth anniversary and death anniversary of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda on this monastery. Along with this, a large number of individuals go to right here yearly during Durga Puja, especially to see Mahashtami Kumari Pujan.
• Belur railway station is the nearest station to this monastery, the distance from right here to the ashram is simply two kilometers. From the railway station, you'll be able to reach here by paying solely 10 rupees fare by battery rickshaw or auto.

Belur Math Complex:

What is not included in the monastery complex is the lack of a greater phrase or else it may be called a temple, the monastery advanced includes a temple and a monastery with a museum.

The next are the details:
• Sri Ramakrishna Temple - Containing the stays of Sri Ramakrishna, it's the main temple of Belur Math.
• Swami Brahmanand Temple - This temple is built instead of the funeral of Swami Brahmanand (one of the sixteen disciples of Shri Rama Krishna).
• Swami Vivekananda Temple - This temple has been constructed on the site of the final rites of the mortal remains of Swami Vivekananda.
• Samadhi Enclosure - Here are the remains of sixteen disciples with Swami Vivekananda.
• Holy Mata Temple or Shree Sharada Devi Temple
• Old Temple - Daily prayers have been held right here till the new temple (Ram Krishna Temple) was consecrated.
• Swami Vivekananda's room - This was the residence of Swami Vivekananda, where his Mahasamadhi remains.

Old Math

Ram Krishna Museum - In this museum, articles utilized by Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda and Holy Mother Shri Sharda Devi have been saved safe for display.

This place is different from other places of worship because no meditation and so on. can be done whereas sitting right here, there is no ritual of offering fruits, flowers, sweets or any choices with your provide. The peaceable atmosphere of the monastery advanced is the largest feature here.

Visit time at Belur Math:

April to September: 6 AM-11:30 AM, 4:00 PM-7:00 PM
October to March: 6:30 am to 11:30 am, 3:30 pm to 6 pm

Every evening a special bell starts ringing after which the viewers should sit inside the main Sri Ramakrishna temple, the audience is not allowed to swing.

Prasad Distribution:

April to September: 8:30 PM
October to March: 8:00 PM

Darshan Time (Rama Krishna Museum):

Morning: 8:30 am to 11:30 pm
4 pm-6pm (April to September)
3:30 to 5:30 (October to March)
(Closed on monday)

Address: Belur, Howrah, West Bengal 711202
Entry fee: free

History of Belur Math

Located in Belur in Howrah district, this monastery was founded in 1897 by Swami Vivekananda, the Indian consultant of the World Religion Council. Belur Math is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission whose branches are now unfold all over the world.

Swami Vivekananda based the Ramakrishna Mission on 1 May 1897 AD. Swami Vivekananda made Belur Math a permanent place of residence since 1898. They lived in a room on the upper floor of the chamber. Swami Vivekananda, who showed the new path of spirituality to the world and performed India's sting on the world stage, took samadhi here on July 04, 1902, on the age of less than 40 years.

Prem Mandir, Vrindavan

The name Banke Bihari is known worldwide in Vrindavan near Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh. Devotees, leaders and actors from far and wide visit Banke Bihari to seek blessings.

But if you returned to Vrindavan just after seeing Banke Bihari and you didn't see the Prem Mandir here then you have missed a lot.

The Prem Mandir, positioned about two kilometers from the Banke Bihari temple, was constructed by Kripalu Ji Maharaj. As you enter the temple premises, you will see a glimpse of Rajasthani craftsmanship in the partitions of the temple.

Beautiful tableaux and carved walls

The pastimes of Lord Shri Krishna are beautifully depicted by tableaux in the temple premises. The conquest of Kalia Nag, Raas Leela with the gopis and Kanha raising the Govardhan mountain on the finger and the statues of all Brajwasis seem to be in these tableaux, as if one thing will come alive in a short time.

On the same time, the carving of white marble on the walls of the shining temple adds to the grandeur of the temple. It's stated that about 100 crore rupees had been spent in the construction of this temple.

There's a temple of Shri Krishna Radha Rani on the bottom floor of the temple and on the first floor there's a temple of Sita Ram. On the identical time, there's a statue of Kripalu Ji Maharaj, which seems to be alive.

Prem Mandir Architecture

Its construction started in January 2001 and its inauguration ceremony was held in 2012 from 15 February to 17 February. The grand couple Viralaya-Prem Mandir was completed after 11 years. It's carved with white Italian marble.

This unique duo of Srivrindavan Dham situated on the Chatikara road also provides a glimpse of ancient Indian sculpture. This unique Shriradha-Krishna love temple was inaugurated on 17 February with Vedic chanting and love kirtan.

The Prem Mandir is 125 feet excessive, 122 feet long and 115 feet wide. It consists of fountains amidst beautiful gardens, pleasant shrubs of Shriradha Krishna, Srigovardhan Dharana Leela, Kalia Nag Daman Leela, Jhulan Leela.

A 73,000 sq ft pillar has been constructed next to the Prem Mandir itself, the place 25,000 people can gather on the same time. The walls of the temple have also been constructed from the rigid Italian marble, which is 3.25 toes thick.

Also, the thickness of the wall of Garbha-Griha is 8 feet, which has handled the weight of the entire shikhara, golden urn and flag. The panel installed in the temple is taken from the Srimad Bhagavad Gita.

Interesting facts about Prem Mandir

• This magnificent temple in Mathura is built on about 54 acres and is 125 feet in height, 122 feet in length and 115 feet in width.
Italian Carrara marble has been used in the construction of this temple. The nice carvings on the white marble partitions add to the beauty of the temple.
• It took 11 years to construct this temple and its whole construction price is around 100 crores.
• This grand temple has been jointly ready by about 1000 artisans from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• There's a temple of Radha-Krishna on the lower floor of the temple, then there's a temple of Sita Ram on the first flooring.
• Its important entrance has eight peacocks carved archways and the outer partitions of the temple have engravings of Bhagwan Krishna and Radha's leelas.
• The thickness of the wall of its sanctum is eight toes, on which a huge peak, a golden urn and a flag are placed.
• There are a total of 94 pillars within the temple that are decorated with numerous pastimes of Radha-Krishna. This temple realizes divine love by architecture.
• The outside and inside of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple have the best mosaic and carvings of historic Indian architecture and Radha Govind songs are written in simple language on the marble rocks.
• There's also a tableau of Mount Govardhan in the temple building, which appears to be quite alive.
• The fountains within the temple, the beautiful tableaux of Radha-Krishna, Shri Govardhan Leela, Kalia Nag Daman Leela, Jhulan Leela are decorated among the gardens.
• The opening hours of this temple are from 5.30 am to 8.30 pm.
• People of all religions are allowed to enter the temple and entry is completely free for all people.
• The great thing about the love temple is seen on the night, the whole temple complex shines bright at night time. A fountain show of about half an hour can be organized within the evening every day.

Bhimashankar Temple, Bhimashankar

Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is a very sacred pilgrimage place located at a distance of about 100 km from Pune in Maharashtra and about 223 km from Mumbai. Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is an attractive tourist vacation spot located in the village of Bhorgiri in the valley area of Sahyadri Range.

Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is one of the 12 visible Jyotirlingas of Lord Shankar. Surrounded by Bhimashankar Hill, this scenic Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is a place adorned with lush green valleys.

Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is known as a very good place for trekking. Bhimashankar Shankar Jyotirlinga remains a center of attraction for tourists due to the wildlife sanctuary and tourists are drawn in the direction of this enchanting scenic spot. The height of Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is about 3250 feet above sea level.

Significance

Beautiful Nagada style architecture might be seen in Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga, this style is a co-mixture of each new and old. The structure of Bhimashankar reflects the high quality artwork finished by the traditional Vishwakarma sculptors.

There's a stunning unique bell in front of the temple. The statue of Mother Mary together with Jesus is also presented in this bell. Tourists travel from far to see the structure of Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga temple.

Based on the legend which came within the scriptures behind Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga, the dignity of Kumbhakaran's father was Bhima. Kumbhakaran is said to have found a woman named Karkati on the mountain. It's stated that when Shriram killed Kumbhakaran, Karkati decided to maintain his son away from the walk of the gods. When he grew up, Bhima decided to take revenge from the gods when he came to know the reason for his father's loss of life.

Bhima wanted to avenge his father's slaughter

The Hindu scripture of Hinduism, Shivpuran, has a story about the atrocities and the extermination of the son of Kumbhakarna, brother of King Ravana of Lanka. Kumbakarna's son Bhima was born after his father's loss of life. As a baby, he had no idea that Lord Ram killed his father.

As Bhima grew up, he came to learn about this. He started burning in revenge and vowed to avenge his father's murder. He knew that it was not easy to win the battle with Rama. Due to this fact he did harsh penance and pleased Brahma. Brahma ji granted him the boon of victory.

After this, Bhima used his demonic power to hurt the people. Not only people but additionally gods were affected by his atrocities. There was chaos and distress. The gods finally requested help from Lord Shiva.

Mahadev got the gods liberated here

• Lord Shiva promised to free the gods from their tyranny and decided to kill him himself.
• The place where Mahadev killed Bhima became revered for the gods. Everybody prayed to Lord Shiva to appear in the same place as Shivalinga.
• Lord Shankar also accepted this application of the gods and appeared in the same place as Shivalinga. Since then this place is called Bhimashankar.

A total of 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva are said.

1. Somnath (Gujarat, Saurashtra, sea shore)
2. Mallikarjuna (Andhra Pradesh, near Kurnool)
3. Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra, near Trimbakeshwar Nashik)
4. Kedarnath (Uttarakhand, in Kedarnath Rudprayag district)
5. Ghritneshwar (near Aurangabad, Maharashtra)
 6. Mahakaleshwar (Madhya Pradesh, Ujjain)
 7. Omkareshwar (Madhya Pradesh, on the banks of the Narmada River)
8. Vaidyanath (in Deoghar of Jharkhand)
9. Bhimashankar (Maharashtra, Bhimashankar)
10. Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu, Rameswaram)
11. Nageshwar (Gujarat, Darukavan, Dwarka)
12. Kashi Vishwanath (Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi)

This temple comes on the sixth place within the 12 Jyotirlingas. This Bhimashankar temple falls under Sahyadri mountain in Pune district of Maharashtra state. The same temple has also been told in Udham Singh Nagar in Utrachal state.

One such temple has also been informed in Assam, which is the real one? In this case, Apun does not wish to enter, so it's higher for us to see all. Two rivers named Bhima and Krishna also emerge from this. We had seen only Bhima river.

Story of Jyotirlinga

According to the Shiva Purana, in the past, the son of Ravana's brother Mahabali Kumbhakarna was a great and mighty demon named Bhima. He used to destroy tyrannical faith and persecuted people. Listening to about his mother's father, Bhima thought of teaching a lesson to the gods.

Then Bhima did extreme penance to increase his power more and acquired incomparable force from Brahmaji. After that, boasting of his incomparable force, Bhima started fighting with the gods. After defeating many gods, he campaigned to beat the whole earth.

Throughout this time, he attacked Sudakshin, the king of Kamrup country and a great devotee of Lord Shiva. After defeating Sudakshin in battle, Bhima put him in jail. Even in prison, Sudakshin used to worship Lord Shiva daily.

Impressed by this, the other prisoners within the jail also became devotees of Bholenath and started worshiping him. Somebody told the demon that Sudakshin is worshiping the earth and performing rituals for you. At the same time the demon decided to kill Sudakshin. Lord Shiva appeared as soon as the demon fired a sword at the king upon reaching the jail. Lord Shiva killed the demon in battle.

On the same time, the sage sages praised Lord Shiva and told him that the ghost Shiva! This area is considered very blasphemous, so you can keep here forever with the feeling of public welfare. Bholenath accepted his request and as the Jyotirlinga, he became enthroned.

Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai

Siddhivinayak is the most popular form of Lord Ganesha. In which the trunk of Lord Ganesha is turned to the right. According to the information, temples with such a statue of Ganesha are called Siddhapeeth. Because of which these temples are called Siddhivinayak. Vinayak is the name of Lord Ganesha.

Temple design

This temple is located in Prabhavadevi area of Mumbai. This 5-storey temple has a Ganesh Museum, Ganesh Vidyapeeth and a second floor hospital for the free treatment of the poor. There is also a kitchen on this floor.

Whence the lift comes directly into the womb. Prasad for Ganpit is brought by this route. The temple has a small pavilion for Siddhivinayak. Here the idol of Ganesh ji is two and a half feet high and two feet wide, carved with the same black stone.

Ganesha has Kamal in one arm, Farsa in the other, Japamala in the third and Modak in the fourth. The snake is wrapped on the abdomen through the left shoulder. There is a third eye on the forehead and Riddhi on one side of the Ganesha idol and Siddhi on the other side.

The wooden doors in the temple reflect Ashtavinayak. The ceilings inside the temple are adorned with gold plaster. There is also a Hanuman temple at its periphery.

How the temple was built?

According to the information, the temple was originally built on 19 November 1801. Which is believed to have been built by a local contractor named Laxman Vithu Patil. The amount of money for the construction was given by an agricultural woman, it is said that the woman had no children. The woman wanted that no woman would be infertile with the blessings of God by coming to the temple, so that everyone could get child happiness.

Gates are open for everyone

The special thing is that the doors of this temple are open to people of every religion. The Aarti on Tuesday is quite famous here, in which devotees from far away reach here to participate.

Siddhivinayak is also known as Navasacha Ganapati or Navsala Pavanara Ganapati. Actually, in Marathi language, Bappa is called by this name. There are also two statues of silver mice inside the temple. It is believed that these mice made of silver convey their wishes in the ears and reach Lord Ganesha soon.

Special things related to Siddhivinayak temple

Many interesting things are attached to the Siddhivinayak temple. Siddhivinayak Temple is considered to be a rich temple, the reason behind this is that every year, the whole Mumbai can be fed with food as much as it offers. This temple has also become very famous due to Bollywood films.

The second feature of Siddhivinayak, the quadrilateral Deity, is that it is the Quadrilateral Deity. Not only Hindus but people of all religions come to this temple for philosophy and worship.

Story of Siddhivinayak Temple

According to the legend, when Lord Vishnu was creating the universe, he fell asleep. At that time two demons Madhu and Catabh were born to Lord Vishnu. They started persecuting both gods and sages. Distressed by the atrocities of Madhu and Kaitabh, the gods worshiped Shri Vishnu and asked him to be killed. After this, Lord Vishnu woke up from his sleep and tried to kill him but he failed.

Lord Vishnu sought help from Lord Shiva, then Lord Shiva told him that without Ganesha this task could not be successful. After this, Lord Vishnu called Lord Ganesha. Ganesha appeared on Lord Vishnu's prayer and killed both the demons.

After the slaying of demons, Lord Vishnu built a temple on a mountain and established Lord Ganesha. After that the place came to be known as Siddhitek and the temple as Siddhivinayak.