Ayyappan is a Hindu deity, particularly popular in the South Indian state of Kerala. Ayyapa is considered to be the union of Mohini (Vishnu) and Shiva. Although the worship of Ayyappa was more widespread earlier, his worship is now mainly confined to South India. Ayyappa is considered to be the ruler of the universe, and thus meditates alongside Vishnu and Shiva. He is considered to be the epitome of dharma, truth and righteousness and is often called upon to obliterate evil. The worship of Ayyappa has become very popular in the state of Kerala by members of all communities, in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The deity is mentioned in various scriptures and is a revered in south Indian Hindu traditions.
Guruvayur Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Lord Guruvayurappan, located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala, India. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus in Kerala and is often referred to as Bhuloka Vaikunta.
Mammiyur Mahadeva Temple is a popular Shiva temple situated in Guruvayoor, Thrissur district of Kerala, India. Every devotee who goes to Guruvayur Temple is supposed to go to Mammiyoor also, as the ritual goes. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple premises. The temple is a part of the 108 famous Shiva temples in Kerala and one among the five Shiva temples around Guruvayoor. The main deity is Lord Shiva, who is installed in the concept of 'Uma Maheshwara' - His form with Goddess Parvathi on his left. There is a shrine for Lord Vishnu also here. The sub-deities are Lord Ganapathi, Lord Subrahmanya, Lord Ayyappan, Goddess Kali and Serpent deities. This temple is managed by Malabar Devaswom Board. Daily three poojas are conducted. Puzhakkara Chennas Mana is the hereditary Thanthri of this temple too. Shivaratri and Ashtami Rohini are the major festivals.
Parikrama or Pradakshina refers to circumambulation of sacred places to imbibe their energy in Sikh, Hindu, Jain or Buddhist context, and the path along which this is performed. Parikrama means "the path surrounding something" in Sanskrit, and is also known as Pradakshina, representing circumambulation. Both words are mostly used in the context of religious deities in a temple, sacred rivers, sacred hills and a close cluster of temples, and "doing a parikrama" as a symbol of prayer is an integral part of Hindu worship. In Hinduism and other Indian religions, the Parikrama inside temples or sacred sites is traditionally clockwise.
The ancient Sthaneshwar Mahadev Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva is situated in old Kurukshetra city Kurukshetra district of Haryana, India. It was here that the Pandavas along with Krishna prayed to Shiva and received his blessings for victory in the battle of Mahabharata. The ninth Guru, Shri Tegh Bahadur stayed at a spot near the Sthaneshwar Tirtha that is marked by a gurdwara just besides this temple.
Thiruvilwamala is a hilly village in the northern terrain of Thrissur district of Kerala state in southern India. It is located 47 kilometres towards north-east of the District Headquarters Thrissur.
The Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple is one of the "Divya Desams", the 108 temples of Vishnu revered by the 12 poet saints, or Alwars located near Aranmula, a village in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, South India. Constructed in the Kerala style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, who is worshipped as Parthasarathy. The nearest railway station to the temple is located in Chengannur, while the nearest airport is Trivandrum International Airport.
Kedarnath Temple, is a Hindu temple (shrine) dedicated to Shiva. Located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river, Kedarnath is located in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open to the general public only between the months of April and November. During the winters, the vigraha (deity) from Kedarnath temple is carried down to Ukhimath and where the deity is worshiped for the next six months. Kedarnath is seen as a homogenous form of Shiva, the 'Lord of Kedarkhand', the historical name of the region.
Vilwadrinatha Temple is a Hindu temple located in Thiruvilwamala, Thrissur district of Kerala. Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu, and his brother Lord Lakshmana are the main deities of this temple. This is one of the four major temples in Kerala dedicated to Lord Rama, the other three being Thriprayar, Kadavallur and Thiruvangad temples, and also one of the rarest temples in India itself which houses Lord Lakshmana. The temple is situated on the middle of Thiruvilwamala village, on the top of a hill 100 ft above the sea level. Bharathappuzha, the second largest river in Kerala, flows through the northern side around 3 km away from the temple, and as the temple is situated on the top of a hill, the river can be clearly seen from the temple.
Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple is a Hindu temple in the city of Thrissur in Kerala, India. The main deities of this temple are Lord Krishna in the form of a child, and Goddess Bhadrakali, both having equal importance. There are sub-shrines for Lord Ganesha, Lord Sastha and Brahmarakshas, and there is a sub-temple for Lord Ganesha behind the temple. The temple is one of the two rival groups participating in the Thrissur Pooram, which is the biggest local festival in Kerala. Bhagavad Gita chanting makes the temple alive. Every day the Devaswom gives free lunch to people.
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.
Sreevallabha Temple is a highly orthodox Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Sreevallabhan. It is one of the oldest and biggest Temples of Kerala, and has been a major destination for devotees all over India for centuries. Located in Thiruvalla city, this ocean of orthodoxy is well known for its architectural grandeur and unique customs that can be found in no other temples. There are stone-wooden carvings and mural paintings inside the temple. Being one among 108 Divya Desams, Sreevallabha temple has been glorified by Alvars and many other ancient works. It is considered to be the vallabha kshethram mentioned in Garuda Purana and Matsya Purana. Kathakali is played daily in the temple as an offering, pushing it to the top in India in terms of places where Kathakali is staged in largest number of days per year. Lord Vishnu appeared here as Sreevallabhan for sage Durvasa and Khandakarnan. Pleased by prayers of an old Brahmin lady Sreevallabhan incarnated as a brahmachari and killed the demon Thokalaasuran. Later the deity of Sreevallabhan worshipped by Lakshmi and Krishna has been installed in the temple in 59 BC. From then till date, the temple follows its own worship protocol that is known to be followed nowhere else yet. Sage Durvasa and Saptarishi are said to reach the temple every midnight for worshipping the Lord. The temple had governed one of the biggest educational institutions in ancient time and heavily contributed to the cultural and educational developments of Kerala
Thumpamon Vadakkumnatha Temple is an ancient temple near Pandalam in Kerala, India. This temple has two Sreekovils. Both Sreekovils are round (vatta). It is an age old temple whispering several fascinating legendary fables of the bygone eras.
Taamaraiyaal Kelvan Perumal Temple or Thiruppaarththanpalli is located close to Thirunangur, a small village, 8 km east of Sirkali en route to Thiruvenkadu and is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Taamariyaal Kelvan and his consort Lakshmi as Shegamalavalli.
The Thrichittatt Mahavishnu Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Supreme God Vishnu and located in Chengannur, Alappuzha District, Kerala, South India. Constructed in the Kerala style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, by Nammalwar, one of the saint poets of the 8th century. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, who is worshipped as Imayavarappan. The nearest railway station to the temple is located in Chengannur, while the nearest airports are Trivandrum International Airport and Nedupumpassery Airport Ernakulam.
Uttarakhand is an Indian state in the Himalayas. The state is popularly known as Devbhumi due to the presence of numerous Hindu pilgrimage sites. As a result, religious tourism forms a major portion of the tourism in the state. The tourism business in Uttarakhand generated ₹23,000 crores during 2013-14.
Thirunakkara Mahadevar Temple situated in the heart of Kottayam city is one of the 108 revered Shivalayas in central Kerala. The temple is about 500 years old and was built by the Thekkumkoor raja. It also preserves a number of unique sculptures and murals of various Hindu deities. A common belief is that the idol of Shiva here is installed by sage Parashurama himself. The Thekkukkoor royal family considered the idol as their paradevatha in the form of "Thirunakkara thevar"
The Sasthamangalam Mahadevar Temple is an ancient Hindu temple situated near Paipinmood Junction in the Sasthamangalam ward of Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation, Kerala State, India. It is located on top of a hill away from the city centre, thus preserving the spiritual tranquility of the shrine. The temple is more than 700 years old according to the available records, and was regularly visited by the Kings of Travancore. It is administered by the Travancore Devaswom Board.
Pandavam is a village in Aymanam panchayath in Kottayam District in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located near Kudayampady on Kottayam - Olassa - Parippu route.
RadhaKrishn is an Indian Hindi-language mythological television drama series that started on 1 October 2018 on Star Bharat and in UK/Europe the series airs on Utsav Bharat, based on the life of Hindu deities Radha Krishna. It is produced by Siddharth Kumar Tewary, Rahul Kumar Tiwary and Gayatri Gill Tiwary for Swastik Productions and is directed by Rahul Kumar Tiwari. It stars Sumedh Mudgalkar and Mallika Singh.