Hindu temples of North and Central India

Maa- Vaishnodevi temple.

We have been discussing and gathering information about temples in South India and the thread has become really popular among us. Here lets try and provide some information about some of the major temples in rest of India. Let me start with Maa- Vaishnodevi Temple situated in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This shrine attracts lakhs of pilgrims every year. I am sure many of us would have visited this temple many a time. Still if this post provides information to those who have not got a chance to visit this temple, I would be much satisfied.

Maa Vaishnodevi temple is a cave shrine lies in the Trikuta mountains, 61 kilometers north of Jammu. Situated at a height of 5,200 feet above sea level, this mountain forms the lower ranges of the Himalayas in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The cave is 30 m long and 1.7 m in height. Jammu is well connected by Air and by Rail. . Recently a special train has been introduced which goes up to Katra a small town, and the base camp for the pilgrimage. . One can also go by road from Delhi, enjoying mouth watering Punjabi delicacies from road side Punjabi Dhabas en-route. Trekking starts at Katra for a distance of around 13 kilometers which needs to be covered by foot or by horse if prefer so. One should go by foot so as to enjoy the natural beauty and also to see so many important spots like Charan Paduka, Ban Ganga and Adh kunwari. Charan paduka is the foot print of Devi Maa from where she began to fight Mahishasur. Ban ganga is a natural spring where the devi has cleaned up her Trishul after the Vadh of Mahishasur, Adh Kuwari is a beautiful cave where Lodess has done tapasya to gain powers to destroy the evil powers. It is also known as Garbha jnoon, and is believed that one goes through this Garbha jnoon, is relieved from all his Papakarma. You can obtain the services of coolies called Pittu, for lifting your belongings en-route. Helicopter services are also available from Katra to the hill tip at "Sanchi Chat" at abut Rs.1170/- per person one way (return trip would cost just the double) Sanchi Chat is roughly 2 km away from the Bhawan. The Darshan can be done 24x7. There are bathing ghats provided for the benefits of the pilgrims just near to Bhawan.

Maa's Darshan: The divine Darshan is in shape of three pindis each one representing Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati. The supreme powers of Creation, maintenance, and destruction have been placed at one place here and one needs to be really blessed to have reached here.

The Maa Vaishnodevi Shrine-board is maintaining the temple premises which offers a whole lot of facilities to the Pilgrims. You can plan your Pilgrimage well in advance and book Accommodation, Pujas, Helicopter services etc trough the well maintained web site of the shrine board. They also give you all the information you need to conduct this Yatra. It is always better to book your trip well in advance to avoid any possible inconvenience during the trip.

In return you can also visit, Shiv-Khori, another cave shrine which accommodates numerous natural Shiv lingams. Most people combine their trip to Vaioshno Devi with Shiv-khori. In case you return via Delhi, you can also plan to visit Golden Temple at Amritsar, Jalianvala bagh. Indo-pak Boarder etc.

Salasar Balaji

Salasar Balaji or Salasar Dham in India is a place of religious importance for the devotees of Hanuman. It is located in the town of Salasar, on National Highway 65 near Sujangarh inChuru district, Rajasthan. The temple of Balaji, another name of Hanuman, is situated in the middle of Salasar and attracts innumerable worshippers throughout the year. On ChaitraPurnima and Ashvin Purnima large fairs are organized which millions of devotees visit as they pay homage to the deity.
Salasar Balaji is in the religious circuit that includes the pilgrim centers of Rani Sati Temple and Khatushyamji, which are both located close to it. Initially a small construction, the temple of Salasar Balaji is now considered to be a Shakti Sthal (a place of power) and Swayambhu (self creation) by faith, belief, miracles and wish fulfillments of the devotees.
There are several theories concerning the origins of Salasar Balaji.
One claims the discovery of the site by Ginthala Jat of Asota village in Nagaur district of Rajasthan. On one Saturday of Shraavana shukla Navami samvat 1811 (1754 AD), a miracle happened. A Ginthala Jat farmer of Asota village was ploughing his field when all of sudden the plough was hit by a stony thing and a resonating sound was created. He dug up the soil of that place and found an idol covered with sand. His wife reached there with his lunch. The farmer showed the idol to his wife. She cleaned up the idol with her saree. The idol was that of Balaji i.e. Hanuman. They bowed their heads with devotion and worshipped Balaji. The news of appearance of Balaji soon spread in the Asota village and reached the Thakur of Asota. That night Balaji appeared in Thakur's dream and ordered him to send the idol to Salasar in the Churu district. Same night a devotee of Hanuman, Mohandas Maharaj of Salasar saw Hanuman or Balaji in his dream too. Balaji told him about the idol of Asota. He immediately sent a message to the Thakur of Asota. The thakur was surprised to discover that Mohandas knew even minor details without coming to Asota. Certainly it was due to the divine powers of Balaji. The idol was sent to Salasar and was consecrated at the place presently known as Salasar Dham.
A slightly modified version to the same story indicates that upon seeing the dream of appearance of the Hanuman, the Thakur of that village ordered the idol to be shifted to Salasar and placed at the temple for the religious rituals to be performed. He brought two bulls, placed the idol on its cart and left them in the open courts believing to build the temple at the place where the bulls would stop. The place where the bulls stopped was given the present name of Salasar. Many of the villagers, shopkeepers and traders shifted their living to Salasar and thus a new village was formed.
The principal deity of the temple is Shree Hanuman Ji who receives veneration of millions of devotees here along with other deities. The idol of Shree Balaji here is different from all other idols of Shrew Hanuman Ji. Unlike other projections and idols of Shree Hanuman Ji, Shree Balaji possess round face with moustache and beard making it the most unusual idol among the other idols of Shree Hanuman Ji all over the world. It is believed that drinking water of the wells of the Salasar is due to the blessings of the Balaji.
The Temple was constructed on the 9th day the bright half of Shraavana in the samvat 1811 (1754 AD). Inspired by the strange dream and the unusual appearance of Balaji in the dream, the founder of the temple Mohandas Maharaj, got constructed a mud-stone temple initially with the help of Muslim craftsmen Noora and Dau of Fatehpur Shekhawati. The place was later developed into a concrete temple with the help of the successor of SikarJagirdar Rao Devi Singh who contributed in the construction of the temple as he was once saved from the loot by Dungji-Jawaharji by the blessings of Balaji. Later, inspired by Mohandas' devotion towards Balaji, his descendants Kaniram and Ishwardas developed and renovated the temple which took the present form of a large temple complex. A patta of the land was made in the name of Balaji in the presence of Shobhasar Thakur Dhiraj Singh, Salasar Thakur Salim Singh and elders of Tetarwal Jats.
The temple is open to devotees from early morning 4:00 am till 10:00 pm in the night. However, the temple is not closed at all on some special occasions such as Hanuman Jayanti, as the number of pilgrims visiting the place reaches millions on one single day.
Of many rituals and traditions performed at the temple, the most widely followed is the tying of coconuts with moli (sacred red threads) in the temple premises by a large number of devotees. It is widely believed that such practice helps them to fulfill their wishes, if done with sincere faith. The practice was originated by the Jagirdar of Sikar, Rao Raja Devi Singh. Devi Singh did not have a son. He heard about Balaji and came to this place and tied a coconut on a tree to fulfill his wish of having a son. He was later blessed with a handicapped son Rao Raja Laxman Singh after ten months. Thus the custom of tying coconuts to fulfill wishes continues at the temple from that time onwards.
Savamani
The other widely followed practice is the offering of food (weighing up to 50 kg) by the devotees to their deity, referred to as Savamani. The term "Savamani" is derived from the word "Sava" meaning one and a quarter in Hindiand the word "Mun" or "Maund", a mass unit weighing about 40 kg; thus adding the total up to 50 kg. Though the food is mostly prepared by the cooks of the temple kitchens, the process is now being outsourced to several independent shopkeepers & food-caterers due to the increasing number of offerings every day. Several delicacies like Dal, Baati, Churma, Boondi, Peda & Laddu is chosen for Savamani. The food after first being offered to the deity, is later used as part of family celebrations, distributed over to family and relatives or donated to the needy.