Ashtavinayaka is a Sanskrit term which means "eight Ganeshas". The Ashtavinayaka Yatra refers to a pilgrimage to the eight Hindu temples in the state of Maharashtra, India, centered around the city of Pune. The eight temples house eight distinct idols of Ganesha, the Hindu deity of unity, prosperity, learning, and removing obstacles. Each of these temples has its own individual legend and history, as distinct from each other as the murtis in each temple. The form of each murti of Ganesha and his trunk are distinct from one another. There are other temples of eight Ganesha in various other parts of Maharashtra; however, the ones around Pune are more well known and visited. To complete the Ashtavinayaka Yatra, one must revisit the first temple after visiting all the eight temples.
Sringeri also called Shringeri is a hill town and Taluk headquarters located in Chikkamagaluru district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the site of the first maṭha established by Adi Shankara, Hindu theologian and exponent of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. Located on the banks of the river Tungā, the town draws a large number of pilgrims to its temples of Sri Sharadamba, Sri Vidyashankara, Sri Malahanikareshvara and other deities.
Kalady or Kaladi is a town located between Angamaly and Perumbavoor, east of the Periyar river, near to Malayattoor in Ernakulam district of Kerala, India, not far from Cochin International Airport. It is notable as the birthplace of 9th century Indian philosopher Adi Shankara.
The Vadakkumnathan Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva in Thrissur, in the Thrissur district of Kerala, India. The temple is a classical example of the architectural style of Kerala and has one monumental tower on each of the four sides in addition to a koothambalam. Mural paintings depicting various scenes from the Mahabharata can be seen inside the temple. The shrines and the Kuttambalam display vignettes carved in wood. The temple, along with the mural paintings, has been declared as a National Monument by India under the AMASR Act. According to popular local lore, this is the first temple built by Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu. Thekkinkadu Maidan, encircling the Vadakkumnathan Temple, is the main venue of the renowned Thrissur Pooram festival.
Prabhas Patan, historically named Dev Patan, is a locality in Veraval, Gujarat. As the site of the Somnath temple and its associated Jyotirlinga, it is an important place of Hindu pilgrimage.
Alathiyur Hanuman Temple, also known as Alathiyur Perumthrikkovil or Hanuman Kavu is a famous Hindu temple located between the Ponnani River and the Bharathappuzha at Alathiyur near Tirur, Malappuram district, Kerala state, India. Although the main deity is Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, Hanuman, believed to be an incarnation of Shiva and a devotee of Rama and a Chiranjivi, is as famous as the main deity in the temple. Also reside in the temple as sub-deities of equal importance: Lakshmana, Ganesha, Maha Vishnu, Durga, Bhadrakali, Ayyappan, and Naga deities. According to legend, the idol of Hanuman was consecrated 3000 years ago by Sage Vasishtha, one of the Saptarishis. Over the years, the custodians of the temple were the Alathiyur village Nambudiri Clan, the King of Vettathunad, and the Samuthiri of Kozhikode. Aval is the main offering in this temple. The main annual event here is the festival held on the days corresponding with the Stars of Pooradam, Uthradam and Thiruvonam in the month of Thulam corresponding to mid-October to mid-November. The month of Karkidakam, corresponding to mid-July and mid-August, popularly called the Ramayana month, is usually crowded. The weekdays of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are also important as they are considered auspicious for Hanuman. The temple is administered by a Trust under the Malabar Devaswom Board, with the Samuthiri royalty as the Chief Trustee. This is believed to be the most important temple among the temples under the administration of the Malabar Devaswom Board.
The Gokarnanatheshwara Temple, otherwise known as Kudroli Sri Gokarnanatha Kshetra, is in the Kudroli area of Mangalore in Karnataka, India. It was consecrated by Narayana Guru. It is dedicated to Gokarnanatha, a form of Lord Shiva. This temple was built in 1912 by Adhyaksha HoigeBazar Koragappa.
The Kamakshi Amman Temple, also known as Kamakoti Nayaki Kovil, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Kamakshi, one of the highest aspects of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess in Shaktism. The temple is located in the historic city of Kanchipuram, near Chennai, India.
Gavi GangadhareshwaraTemple, or Sri Gangaadhareshwara, also Gavipura Cave Temple, an example of Indian rock-cut architecture, is located in Bengaluru in the state of Karnataka in India. The temple is famous for its mysterious stone discs in the forecourt and the exact planning allowing the sun to shine on the shrine during certain time of the year. It was built in the 16th century by Kempe Gowda I, the founder of the city.
The Vilwadrinatha Temple is a Hindu temple in Thiruvilwamala, a town in the city of Thrissur, Kerala, India. The principal deities are Rama, the seventh incarnation of the god Vishnu, and his brother, Lakshmana. It figures among the Abhimana Kshetrams in Vaishnavite traditions. This is one of the four major Rama temples in Kerala — the other three are in Thriprayar, Kadavallur, and Thiruvangad. The temple houses an idol of Lakshmana, which is rare in India. Vilwadrinatha Temple is located in the centre of the community of Thiruvilwamala, atop a 100-foot-high hillock. Visible from the temple is Bharathappuzha, the second-largest river in Kerala, which flows past the temple's northern side from around 3 kilometres away.
Marundeeswarar Temple is a temple dedicated to Hindu deity Shiva, located in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai adjacent to the beach of Bay of Bengal. It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams where two of the most revered Nayanars, Appar and Tirugnana Sambandar, have glorified the temple with their verses during the 7th century CE. The temple has been widely expanded by Chola kings during the 11th century CE. The temple has two seven-tiered gateway towers, a huge tank, with the overall temple area covering 1 acre. The Marundeeswarar temple has been a place of curative worship for people with diseases.
Anandavalleeswaram Sri Mahadevar Temple in Kollam city is one of the ancient Hindu temples in Kerala, India. Lord Siva and Goddess Anandavally are the main deities of the temple. According to folklore, sage Parashurama has installed the idol of Lord Shiva. The temple is a part of the 108 famous Shiva temples in Kerala. It is located at Anandavalleeswaram, a major neighborhood of Kollam city, that comes to the west side of Kollam Collectorate.
Kaviyoor Mahadevar Temple is one of the important Siva temples in Kerala, located in Kaviyoor, Tiruvalla Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, India. It is commonly called Thrikkaviyoor Mahadeva Temple. The main deity is Lord Mahadeva (Shiva) with Parvathi.The temple is well known for the Hanuman temple situated inside the temple complex. Kaviyoor Temple is one of the important Special Grade temples under the Travancore Devaswom Board.
Trikkur Mahadeva Temple is a rock-cut cave temple in Trikkur village in Thrissur District in Kerala believed to have been built in the 7th or 8th century. Being a cave temple, Buddhist and Jain monks used the site to meditate alongside the Hindu monks. It is a protected monument under the Department of Archaeology, Govt of Kerala since 1966. The temple and its premises are now owned by Paliyam Trust which is managed by Kshetra Samrakshana Samiti.
Bangalore (Bengaluru), the capital of Karnataka state, India, reflects its multireligious and cosmopolitan character by its more than 1000 temples, 400 mosques, 100 churches, 40 Jain derasars, three Sikh gurdwaras, two Buddhist viharas and one Parsi fire temple located in an area of 741 km2 of the metropolis. The religious places are further represented to include the few members of the Jewish community who are making their presence known through the Chabad that they propose to establish in Bangalore and the fairly large number of the Baháʼí Faith whose presence is registered with a society called the Baháʼí Centre. In the demographically diverse, major economic hub and India's fastest-growing major metropolis of Bangalore, the number of religious places of each religion reported reflects growth in proportion to the population growth. According to the 2001 census of India, 79.37% of Bangalore's population is Hindu, roughly the same as the national average. Muslims comprise 13.37% of the population, which again is roughly the same as the national average, while Christians and Jains account for 5.79% and 1.05% of the population, respectively, double that of their national averages. Anglo-Indians also form a substantial group within the city.
The Ekambareswarar–Kamakshi Temple, commonly known as the Thiruvalluvar Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the poet-saint Valluvar in the neighborhood of Mylapore in Chennai, India. The shrine is located within the Ekambareswarar temple complex. Believed to have been constructed in the early 16th century, the temple was extensively renovated in the 1970s. Traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Saint Valluvar, the temple is the oldest ever built to Valluvar. The temple also serves as the venue for meetings of Tamil language enthusiasts and conducting Kural classes. While many consider the temple as the birthplace of Valluvar, some additionally consider it as his samadhi.
The Mithrananthapuram Trimurti Temple is a Hindu temple complex in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. It is a temple in where devotees get to offer worship to all the three Trimurti deities, namely,. The Temple is located on the western side of Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram.
Chennai Om Sri Skandashramam is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Murugan in Chennai, India. It is located at Selaiyur, Tambaram, a southern neighbourhood of Chennai. The temple is known of its huge idols of several deities, including Kamala Siddhi Vinayakar, Panchamukha Heramba Ganapathy, Dattatreya, Panchamukha Hanuman, Shaniswara, Ayyapan, goddess Ashtadashabhuja Durga Parameswari, Sarabeswara, goddess Prathiyankira, goddess Bhuvaneshwari, Swaminathaswamy, Sudarshanachakathalwar, Lakshmi Narasimhar, Maha Sahasralingamurthy, Nandikeswarar, goddess Annapurani and Chakra Poorna Maha Meru. There is also an idol of Saint Sathguru Santhananda Swamigal, who built the temple.
The Yogananda Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, also known as Mattapalli Narasimha Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Narasimha, the half-man half-lion avatar of Vishnu, and his consort Lakshmi. It is located in Mattampally, a village in the Mattampally mandal of Suryapet district in the Indian state of Telangana. One of the Pancha Narasimha Kshetras, the temple is located on the banks of the Krishna River, and was built in the 11th century by Anumala Machi Reddy, the king of Thangedu region after the deity appeared in his dream and instructed him to do so. The main shrine houses a swayambhu (self-manifested) idol of Narasimha as Yogananda Lakshmi Narasimha, and was worshipped by sage Bharadvaja and other seers for hundreds of years before the temple was constructed. Lakshmi is worshipped here as Rajalakshmi Thayar and Chenchu Lakshmi Thayar.
