India Travel » Lord Krishna

Kurukshetra – The Battle Ground of Mahabharata – A Very Less Traveled Destination in India

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:01:04 +0000

Kurukshetra is a well known district in Haryana, which is named after the King Kuru of Bharata Dynasty, ancestor of Pandavas and Kauravas. This place is famous as it is believed that this was the battle ground where Kauravas & Pandavas fought for the kingdom of Hastinapur.

There is a Brahma Sarovar here which is huge and very famous. It is believed that Lord Brahma (the Creator as per Hindu mythology) created the universe from the land of Kurukshetra after a huge yagna. The Brahma Sarovar here is believed to be the cradle of civilization. Every year this pond sees lakhs of pilgrims coming from all corners of India to take a holy dip. A sacred shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva also stands within the sarovar and is accessible by a small bridge.

The most famous site in kurukshetra is the “Jyotisar” – ‘Jyoti’ means light and ‘Sar’ means the core meaning. Hence the name of place literally means the ‘core meaning of light’ or ultimately of God. A Vat (Banyan tree) stands on a raised platform. Local traditions say that this tree is an offshoot of the holy Banyan tree under which Lord Krishna delivered the sermon of Bhagavad Gita, the doctrine of Karma and Dharma to his wavering friend Arjuna. It is here that he showed his Virat rupa (Universal form), the terrifying image of Himself as the Destroyer God. A marble chariot depicting Lord Krishna delivering the sermon to Arjuna marks the site of the Srimad Bhagwad Gita. In one secluded section of this center, an old Shiva temple can also be seen.

Another famous tourist attraction of Kurukshetra is the quiet, peaceful and beautiful “Sheikh Chehli ka Makbara” which is a tomb built during Mughal period in remembrance of Sufi Saint Sheikh Chehli, believed to be the spiritual teacher of Mughal Prince, Dara Shikoh.

This place can be visited any time of the year and doesn’t take more than a day to see all the famous spots in the city. And this place boasts of a lot many temples which have their own mythological importance but are much smaller and do not attract many tourists.

When I went there, we drove down in our car from Karnal in the morning and had reached Brahma Sarovar in a couple of hours. It was a beautiful site with cool waters to dip your feet or take a full body dip in. After spending some time at Brahma Sarovar, we went to see the place where Geeta sermon was delivered at the Jyotisar… It was an amazing experience to be at a holy spot like this one. Very calm and quiet! The best part about this place is not many tourists are found every day, so it is well maintained, clean and quiet. After taking a round around the holy Banyan tree, we visited all the temples adjacent to this place. Then we proceeded to see the Sheikh Chilli ka makbara, wow that was another very calm and quiet place. A place where you get the feeling that really someone has been put to rest! After spending a couple of hours visiting all these places and a few more temples, of which I don’t even remember the names we headed back home in late afternoon.

By: Ruchi Chandra

Vibrant Colors of India – Festivals

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:55:30 +0000

Incredible India, a very huge country celebrates every day of a year as a festival. People of India celebrate all the festivals with great joy and happiness. Festivals which India celebrates are Diwali, Holi, Rakhi, Eid, New Year, Christmas, Vijaya Dashmi and Onam etc. India is a unique country with national, local, religious and seasonal celebrations which fill various colors in one’s life.

Major Festivals

Guru Purnima: Celebrated in the month of Ashadh – July or August according to Hindu, Guru Purnima is celebrated in honor of the birth of Maharishi Veda Vyasa. On this day Gurus are worshipped by their disciples. Especially, this fest is celebrated in the ashram of Sivananda, Rishikesh.

Raksha Bandhan: The festival of love, compassion, sacrifices and protection, Rakhi is a holy thread of protection decorated with the love of a sister for her brother. In the month of Shravan – July or Sugust, Rakhi is celebrated mostly in north and western region of India. It is also renowned in other parts of India.

Ganesh Chaturthi: This festival is devoted to Ganesh. Devotional songs, dances, drum beats are the main parts of procession and hence this fest becomes more energetic. It is celebrated on Bhadarva Sud 4th mostly in the states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Janamashtami: Known as Krishnastami or Gokulastami, Janamashtami is a festival dedicated to Lord Sri Krishna. On this day, devotees do fast, bhajans and puja. An idol of lord is offered bhog full of Fruits, kheer, pedha, milk, and milk products. The main attraction of Janamashtami is chappan bhog- 56 dishes which are offered to Bal Gopal. This is celebrated in months of August-September.

Radhasthami: Radhasthami is closely linked with the divine mystery of Sri Radha-Krishna. The idea and spiritual importance is associated with legends. On this day, Radha Krishna is attractively embellished with flowers. Devotees worship Radha along with Lord Krishna in August- September.

Nagapanchami: A festival dedicated to snake-god, Nagpanchami comes on the fifth day (panchami) of the fortnight. On the fifth day of Shravan, people worship Nāga Devata. Devotees visit temples worship the snakes. Snakes are offered milk and silver jewelry to protect from all evils. People fast on this day. This festival is celebrated from July to August. Mostly, Punjab and Bengal celebrated this fest to the fullest.
Sri Ramanavami: Dedicated to lord Rama, this festival comes on the ninth day of the month Chaitra – April. The festival is associated with the birth of Rama. The chief attraction in this procession is decorated chariot especially in states such as Bihar and U.P.

Diwali – the Festival of Lights: Festival of Lights is one of the major festivals of India. People celebrate this fest with great joy and excitement in the month of October or November. During Diwali people visit the places of their relatives and greet for New Year. Lakshmi goddess of wealth is welcomed in the decorated houses with lamps and diyas. People wear new clothes, fire crackers offer sweets to their friends and relatives. People of all the regions celebrate this fest.

Basant Panchami: An advent of spring, Basant Panchami is feted as Saraswati Puja. Devotees gain blessings from this goddess. This festival occurs in the month of January-February. During this festival, yellow color is given major importance. Worshippers visit temples and do prayers to several gods. Women prepare kesar halwa. On this festival, Sarswati is adorned especially in Bengal.

Holi – Festival of Colour: Holi is celebrated with great joy and wild abandon. It is also known as a spring harvesting festival. On this day people lit bonfire. They sing songs and dance around bonfire. This festival is not only for children but elders also celebrate this fest with spraying colorful colors. This festival needs big time planning. Baskets and barrels are filled colorful balloons in which water is filled. This festival is celebrated in March in the states especially in Rajasthan, Gujarat Maharashtra.

Mahashivaratri: The history of this fest is linked with lord of Mount Kailas-Lord. During this festival, only cold water and leaves of bael are offered. According to history, other traditional offerings are also served. Worshippers use milk and Panchamruta – a blend of curd, milk, ghee, honey and sugar. Lord Shiva is worshipped as the god of adjournment. Mahashivaratri is celebrated in the month of February or March. Major states like Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh celebrate this festival.

A realm of various traditions and cultures, India appears as light with its splendid festivals. It is rich in its diversity of festivals. Indians take part with harmony in each and every festival; they enjoy freedom to practice any religion in India. With lot of excitement and prosper, Indian festivals are celebrated.

By: Prashant Jainengg

Deepavali Festival in South India

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:19:14 +0000

Deepavali, also known as Diwali, is an important festival celebrated all over India. It usually falls around late October or early November on the new moon day. This year, (2008) it is celebrated on 27th October in South India and on 28th of October in North India, according to the calendars. This difference in day is due to the variation in regional calendars. Though there are different myths about this festival the central theme of all remains as one – Good wins over Evil.

It is a 3-day festival in South India, and in some parts it is celebrated for 5 days. Generally, Deepavali celebration in Tamil Nadu is to commemorate the killing of Narakasura, the demon king, by Lord Krishna. In Karnataka it is called as Bali Paadyami to mark the annual visit of King Bali to see his subjects. They also consider this occasion as Festival of Wealth and Prosperity. In Kerala, though celebrated, it is not a major festival like the other parts of South India. In Andhra Pradesh also this festival is celebrated.

Preparations for the celebration of this festival start weeks before with the spring cleaning of the home, and by purchasing new clothes and ornaments. Shopping for crackers and sparklers is a special occasion especially for the kids.

On the main festival day the houses are decorated with artistically laid kolams. The doorways are adorned with garlands of mango leaves and marigolds, known as “torans”. New clothes are bought and the womenfolk make various sweets, the favorite being murukku in Tamil Nadu.

Deepavali celebration starts in the very early morning. Waking up during the ‘Brahmamuhurta’ (at 4 a.m.) is a great blessing from the standpoint of health, ethical discipline, efficiency in work and spiritual advancement. One by one all family members take oil bath with seasame oil. It is a customary belief that having an oil bath in the morning on the day of diwali, before sunrise, is equivalent to taking bath in the Ganges.

After the bath they wear the new clothes and put on their new ornaments. Then the children start bursting crackers, symbolising the killing of the demon king Narakasur. Then puja is performed to the family deities before breakfast and offer the neivedyam. Many visit the temples to seek God’s blessings. Special sweets are made during Deepavali to rejoice the occasion. The other items prepared during this festival are ukkarai, velli appam, idly, chutney, sambhar, omapudi and boondhi. For lunch, jangri, pathir peni, or one variety of the poli are made.

In the evenings, deepas, also called as diyas, are lighted and kept in the corridors of each house, welcoming Goddess Lakshmi for wealth and prosperity. It is followed by bursting crackers and lighting colorful sparklers, by the young and old alike.

Hindus also believe that departed souls return during this time. As a mark of respect to them, their favorite foods are prepared and placed on banana leaves before the photographs of the departed, and offer prayers to them.

Many companies offer great discounts during this festival. They open new account books on Deepavali, and also give sweets and bonus to their staff.

It is also a day for all to forget the enmity and forgive those who have hurt them, thus glorifying their inner soul with love, removing the darkness of ignorance and ill-feeling.

Another great achievement of celebrating festivals in India is that it strengthens the family unity and social relationships.

By: Lakshmi Menon

Pilgrimage – India Travel

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:25:13 +0000

Temples in India are doorway to heaven. Since time immemorial the pilgrimages of South India has been attracting devotees from different corners of the world. The centuries old temples are known for their uniqueness in design, rituals, traditions, festivals and believes.

Lets know about some most popular temples in South India

Meenakshi Temple, Madurai – Tamil Nadu

Built sometime between 16th and 18th century AD, Meenakshi temple is popular in the religious circuit all over the world. The shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva and His consort Parvati, also called as Sundareshwara and Meenakshi. Its 12 gopuras and the tall towers are the major attraction. Each corner of the tower is furnished with stucco figures of mythological deities and animals

Tirupati Temple – Andhra Pradesh

Tirupati temple is draws countless attention of devotees all the year round. The world’s richest temple sits on the Tirumala hill(cluster of seven hills) in Chittoor district. It is devoted to Shri Venkateswara and pilgrims in order to pay special homage before the Lord, organizes an 11 days Brahmotsavam festival in the month of February.

Guruvayoor Temple – Kerala

Located 80 kms from Kochi, Guruvayoor temple is among the popular temples in Kerala. Pilgrims from different parts of the world visit the the holy abode and find pleasure to chant the holy name of Lord Krishna. It is also called as Healing Temple or Bhoolokavaikunta(heaven on Earth). The 23-ft high ‘deepastambham’(pillar of lamps) and koothambalam are the major attractions of the temple.

Lakshmi Narasimha deva Temple – Andhra Pradesh

This divine temple is located upon a 300 foot hill and is called as gateway to Vaikuntha(Vaikuntha-dwara). Pilgrims here will receive chance to offer prayer before the three forms of Lord Narasimha, namely- Jwala Narasimha, Gandabheranda Narasimha and Yogananda Narasimha. A cave inside the temple is believed to the place where the Lord manifested Himself in the form of Gandabheranda Narasimha. One can also find the sculptures of Him in the other two form.

By: Mithi Dey

Akshaya Tritiya Festival In South India

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:10:17 +0000

Akshaya Tritiya is a widely celebrated Hindu festival in India. In South India, this auspicious festival is celebrated with great faith.

On Akshaya Tritiya day, the Sun and the Moon are most radiant and best placed, and hence every moment on this day is considered as auspicious. It falls on the third day (Tritiya) of the bright half moon of the Vaisakha month of Hindu Calendar which happens in April-May. This year (2008) this auspicious day comes on 7th of May, as per the Calendar (Mathrubhumi).

Akshaya means one that never diminishes, and the day is believed to bring good luck and success on whatever you initiate. Hence it has been in practice of buying valuables, especially long term assets like gold, silver etc on this day, hoping to bring good luck and prosperity.

According to Puranas, this day marks the beginning of Treta Yug. It is also the Birthday of Sage Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Parshurama is considered to be the personification of valour and devotion.

Another story goes like this. It is on Akshaya Tritiya day the Pandavas of Hindu epic Mahabharata, received a bowl called ‘Akshaya Pathram’ from Lord Krishna during their exile life. This bowl was meant to provide unlimited food to them, and it is said to have given infinite food. Due to this, people believe that anything acquired on this day will be replenished.

Another belief is that it is on Akshaya Tritiya day, Veda Vyasa, along with Lord Ganesha, began to write the great Hindu epic Mahabharata.

On this sacred day, people bathe in holy rivers, conduct special pujas, make donations, and visit temples. Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu are worshipped on this day.

It is also believed that doing good deeds on this day, such as giving donations generously, forgiving and forgetting the past to renew relationships, leaving bad habits and starting good habits etc will be rewarded abundantly.

By: Lakshmi Menon