Madavoorpara Cave Temple.

A couple of kilometers from Sreekariyam in the suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram is Madavoorpara cave temple, one of the various ancient rock cut cave temples that dot the small state. The drive from Sreekariyam to the temple is delightful as it is a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the city. Paddy fields, plantain groves, and rubber plantations greets you on either side of the road.

More than two hundred and thirty stone-cut steps may seem like a little daunting, but is truly fascinating also. Hewn, chipped an carved on the steep side of the rock, and facing westward, the cave's sanctum sanctorum has this "Sivalinga" which is "guarded" by the two sculptures of dwarapalakas one each on either side of the entrance.Idols of Murugan and Ganapathy are there on two sides, done in relief style. The ornamental door at the opening is apparently a recent addition.

Devotees can have a fairly close darshan from behind the iron bars.The antiquity of the temple and the probable period of its construction are rather enshrouded in a haze of myths and hearsay.There are scores of legends about the origin of the cave shrine. As per one, it was built by a Buddhist monk centuries ago, while another holds the builder to be a Jaina muni. Situated more or less within a stone's throw from the cave, the sastha temple is much older than the former.And significantly, the place is known as Sasthavanam.

A sprawling hilltop is reached through the smooth eastern route, which is a cynosure to the eyes.
A pair of rock formations that resemble human figures, one standing and the other sitting, is perched precariously on the edge above a steep decline. Beyond the two is "Kindikkulam", a little pond that seldom dries up.

Sarkara Devi Temple Chirayinkil.

Sarkaradevi Temple is one of the most important temples in south india. It is situated South of the Chirayinkil Taluk (It is situated in the North-West of Trivandrum District.) Tradition accords a remote antiquity to this temple. Its main deity is Bhadrakali. The sarkaradevi Temple assumed a significant status many reasons and rose to historical importance mainly with the introduction of the famous Kaliyoot festival by Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the travancore sovereign, in 1748.

Chirayinkil Taluk being directly under the immediate administration of the attingal Swarupam, the Attingal Ranis where entrusted by the Travancore Raja with the conduct of the elaborate festival of Kaliyoot. The Attingal Rani being related to the Travandcore royal family through adoption from the Kolathunad royal family. From the time of Venad Kings, had enjoyed independent rights in several respects over the neighbouring regions and temples and at times even over the entire Venad. 

Even the King Marthanda Varma annexed Attingal to Travancore,soon after ascending the throne Marthanda Varma decided to assume direct control over Attingal 'estate'. The Ranis seem to have been allowed to continue in their independent status in meny respects. Hence it was no wonder that when the former decided to introduce Kaliyoot festival in the Sarkaradevi Temple of Chirayinkil Division, he entrusted the responsibility to the Attingal Ranis, eventhough the finances came directly from the Travancore royal treasury.

The Attingal Ranis in the turn bestowed the members of the military family of Ponnora Panickers (When two princesses were adopted from Kolathunad, some senior members of the ponnara family are said to have accompanied them as bodyguards to attingal where the former were settled by the Venad Kings. The descendents of the family are still residing there.) with the responsibility of supervising the grand festival. 

Even now the responsibility is continuing with the descendents of the ponnara family. One of the most important peculiarities of this temple is that it is the only temple in South Kerala where such elaborate Kaliyoot festival is conducted. Another festival which makes the temple the center of attraction is the Meenabharani mahotswavam which is conducted for ten days in the month of March-April every year.

Varkala Janardhana Swamy Temple.

The old-age Sree Janardana Temple at Varkala which attract a great number of devotees from all over the country. It is located about two kilometer west of Varkala railway station atop a hill on the coast. This temple is situated on the seashore in Varkala at Trivandrum district and is a Mahakshetra. The presiding deity is Vishnu, and the idol including the lotus shaped platform is six feet in height. As per epic the idol was found from the southern sea coast. The sanctum sanctorum is round in shape and is facing east. Four poojas are conducted in a day abiding by Cherumukku thanthric. 

 The chief priest should compulsorily be from another place, and should not be a native of the place where the temple exists. Sub-deities are Ganapathi, Shastha, Ananthakrishanan (Nagam) Shiv a, Chandikeshan, Hanuman and Nagam. Ten days festival is observed with an arrattu on the Uthram star day of the Malayalam month of Meena. Offering of Bali here for the repose of souls is a very important ritual. As per Mahabharatha, Balabhadran has come here for a pilgrimage. There is an interesting legend behind it. Once Brahma was relaxing in his Vyjayanti assembly, the stage Narada entered singing in the praises of Sree Narayana. Brahma was so enraptured that he fell at the feet of Narada seeing him not as a son but as Hari himself. 

The other Devas saw this burst into laughter and Brahma, greatly embarrassed , infuriated, cursed then banishing them to earth where they could purify their minds and acquire knowledge and wisdom. Narada consoled the devas and advised them to do penance at the place where his valkalam fell. And the place where it lended is now called ‘varkala’ a colloquial from of valkalm. The devas built a temple there dedicated to Lord Krishna. This was however destroyed by sea erosion. Lord Brahma , the legend goes, came to earth one day to conduct a yega. Lord Mahavishnu as Sree Janardana Swamy appeared before him to bless the devas and redeem them. The presiding deity of Varkala temple is thus Sree Janardana Swamy. The image has four handed one holding divine water, another, the conch, the third, the discus and the fourth, the mace.

Sree Janardana said to have brought the holy Ganga here with the help of the Sudarsanachakra. The holy water collected is now known as Chakra Tirtha. The water used for the temple is from this souurcs. It is widely believed that worship at his shrine cures many ills which explain why devotee come here from all over the country and even abroad including non-Hindus. The chief offering made is mukkacharthu and muzhukappu ie decorating the face and whole body respectively with sandal paste.

The annual festival –arattu- is a 10 days event commencing with the kodiyettam or flag-hoisting ceremony on Kartika dayand ending with arattu on Uttram say in Meenam. Varkala is also famousfor the Papanasam holy spring, which is a health resort in addition to being a place which elevates the pilgrim spiritually. Sree Narayana Guru the great social former, chose the nearby Sivagiri gere for meditation. He built the Sarada Mutt temple at Sivagiri which attracts innumerable devotees.

Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swamy Temple.

 

Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swamy Temple is a famous Lord Krishna temple situated at Neyyattinkara, on the way to Kanyakumari, 20 km south of Thiruvananthapuram city, in Kerala. One of the important temples of Lord Krishna, the temple is also of great historic importance as well. The temple enshrines Unnikannan (baby Krishna) as the presiding deity. Thrikayilvenna or Thrikayil Venna (butter) is a unique offering to Neyyattinkara Unnikannan – the deity of the temple.

Neyyattinkara Sreekrishna Swamy Temple, situated in a vast land with lots of greenery, is regarded as the Guruvayur of Trivandrum district. The temple is built in traditional Kerala architecture and is decorated with beautiful artistic sculptures. The main gopuram (gateway) of the temple displays a beautiful scene from Bhagavad Gita - Lord Krishna offering teaching to Arjuna. Lord Ganesh and Lord Nagaraja are other gods worshipped here. 

 Neyyattinkara Shri Krishnaswamy Temple was built in 1755, by Marthanda Varma, the Maharajah of the Indian princely state of Travancore. One of the major attractions of the temple is the Ammachi Plavu (an old jackfruit tree) – history has it that Marthandavarma Maharaja once used the huge hole of “Ammachiplavu” as a hideout to escape from his enemies. 

Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swamy Temple is located in the heart of Neyyattinkara town, and within walking distance from Neyyattinkara Bus Station. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) operates regular bus services from Trivandrum Central Bus Station to Neyyattinkara. All the buses from Thiruvananthapuram to Parassala, Nagercoil and Kanyakumari passes through Neyyattinkara. National Highway 47 (NH 47) passes through Neyyattinkara town. 

Neyyattinkara Railway Station, on the Thiruvananthapuram - Kanyakumari railway line, is just a kilometre from the temple. Mumbai - Kanyakumari Express, Guruvayoor - Chennai Egmore Express, Kanyakumari - Bangalore Express, Ananthapuri Express, and Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil Passenger pass through Neyyattinkara Railway Station. The nearest airport is Trivandrum International Airport, around 24 km away. 

Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in TDM.

Godess Attukal Bhagavathy

 The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is one of the ancient temples dedicated to the divine mother in Kerala. It is very close to the famous Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple in Trivandrum. It is popularly described as the Sabarimala of women, since women form the major portion of the Devi’s devotees. The Goddess in the temple of Attukal is worshipped as the Supreme Mother, creator of all living beings as well as their destroyer. All pilgrims who visit the Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple make it a point to visit the shrine of the supreme Mother known as Attukalamma. When the world was riddled with demonic forces, the gods prayed to Vishnu to send some power to protect them and his maya took the incarnation of the Devi to annihilate evil and protect the good in the world in the present era of Kali. Attukal Bhgavathy is one such incarnation.

 According to mythology, Attukal Bhagavathy is supposed to be the divinised form of "Kannaki", the famous heroine of Chilappatikaram, the sangham work of Tamil Literature written by Ilamkovadikal. Kovalan and Kannaki are the heroic characters of this famous work of literature. Kovalan was unjustly accused of stealing the queen’s anklets and executed. Kannaki in her wrath destroyed the ancient city of Madurai. It is said that on her way to Kodungalloor (another famous Devi shrine of Kerala) she went first to Kannyakumari and then stopped at Attukal. The songs of the "Thottampattu” sung during the annual temple festival, are based on the story of Kannaki. Moreover, architectural depictions of Goddess Kannaki seen on the gopuram of the temple substantiate this story.

 Kannaki is supposed to be the incarnation of Parvathy, the consort of Siva. The all powerful and benign Attukal Bhagavathy reigns eternally supreme at Attukal and looks after her devotees as lovingly as a mother does her children. There are many stories connected with this temple. It is said that the goddess revealed herself to a fervent devotee of a notable family called the Mulluveettil family. One evening a young girl appeared before the head of the family while he was bathing in the Killi River and requested him to help her across the river. He was so impressed by the charm of her personality that he prostrated before her with awe and reverence and helped her to cross the river and invited her to his house nearby. The whole household was charmed by her sudden appearance in their midst and started preparing some food and other offerings for her for they felt sure she was of divine origin. However by the time they finished their preparations the girl had vanished.

 That night the old man had a dream in which she showed herself as an idol and demanded that he should establish an abode for her in the nearby grove. She promised to mark the exact spot with three lines. The next morning the old man went to the spot revealed to him in the dream and to his great surprise he did find three marks indented on the ground. He lost no time in erecting a temple on this consecrated spot for the goddess who had blessed him with her beatific vision both physically and in his dream. This temple remained unnoticed for many years. But due to her increasing power more and more people were drawn to her. Fairly recently, the temple was renovated by the local devotees. They also installed a beautiful and majestic icon of the Devi with four arms, bearing weapons of destruction, like the spear, sword, skull, shield etc. The consecration ceremony of this temple was performed by no less a person than the high priest of the Badrinath Temple in the Himalayas. 

Pongal Festival

There are two idols of the goddess in the sanctum sanctorum. At the centre of the Sanctum the original idol of the goddess Attukal Bhagavathy has been installed. It is enclosed within a gold covering  embedded with jewels. The second idol of the goddess is installed besides the original one. The present temple is a harmonious conglomeration of both Kerala and Tamil styles of architecture. It is fairly new and lacks the charm of the ancient temple architecture of this region. However there are some beautifully carved figures of Mahishasuramarddini, Goddess Kali, Rajarajeswari, Parvathi with Lord Siva and various other depictions of the goddess in her various forms in and around the temple. Around the corridors surrounding the temple, various other gods are depicted as well as the epic stories of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu . On either side of the elegant front gopura or gate - are the icons based on the story of Goddess Kannaki.

On the southern gopura, the puranic story of "Dakshayaga", where the goddess Sathi immolates herself in her father’s Yaga or fire sacrifice is vividly depicted. The decorated gate at the entrance of the temple is another example of modern sculpture.The Pongala Mahotsavam is the most important festival at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. It is actually an offering of rice to the goddess cooked by women in the grounds adjoining the temple. Though this practice is prevalent in some parts of South Kerala and Tamil Nadu, nowhere has it gained the popularity that it has at Attukal. In fact it has gained world fame. Women bring rice and milk and sugar or just plain rice as well as fire wood and make little ovens in the grounds of the temple and cook the rice and offer it to the goddess. They undertake it in fulfillment of their vow. They vow that they will offer Pongala to the goddess if their desire is fulfilled. Many, many miracles are reported as to how the goddess has fulfilled all types of wishes from the desire for a bridegroom or a baby to the recovery from a serious illness. In ancient times this was a small affair conducted within the precincts of the temple grounds. Hardly ten or fifteen women took part in it.

 
But due to the increasing popularity of the goddess and her ability to fulfill all the varied desires of her devotees, more and more women are taking part in it.Slowly the place for making the little ovens spread beyond the grounds of the temple to the neighboring regions and now it has spread right up to the big temple of Sri Padmanabha Swami which is about five kilometers away. From a small one day affair it has become a ten-day program commencing on the Karthika star of the Malayalam month of Makaram-Kumbham (February-March) and closing with the sacrificial offering known as Kuruthitharpanam on the tenth night. It is on the ninth day of the festival that the world famous Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam takes place. The entire area of about five kilometer radius around the temple including the grounds of the houses of people of all castes, creeds and religions, open fields, roads, commercial institutions, premises of Government offices etc. are all used as the consecrated ground for conducting the Pongala ritual. Thousands of women devotees come from different parts of Kerala and India. Drawn by the magic of her wish fulfilling ability you find that in the last few years some foreign women have also taken part in the ceremony. 

The festival is exclusively for women and the enormous crowd, which comes to Trivandrum on this auspicious day is reminiscent of the Kumbha Mela Festival in North India except that it consists entirely of women while in the Kumbha Mela, the sadhus (yogis) predominate. It is a sight to be seen indeed where thousands of little fires are lit and women start to blow desperately at their flames. The temple priest blows the conch and this is the signal for all the women to place their little pots, preferably of mud, containing rice and water on the fire and blow and blow at the fire to cook the rice. Many of the devotees come from very rich families and have never lit an oven with firewood and have absolutely no idea how to handle it but the locals are very helpful and assist them to get a roaring fire going. When the rice is cooked the conch is blown again and all the offerings are taken to the temple. 

Srikanreswaram Shiva Temple in TDM.

Surrounded by trees in a serene environment, Sreekanteswaram Temple is a famous Shiva temple. Located south-west from the Old Sreekanteswaram temple, this temple is a major point of convergence for Hindu devotees during the festivals of Maha Shivratri (March) and the annual Thiruvathira Mahotsavam (March-April) which stretches for a period of 10 days. Pilgrims visit the temple to worship Lord Shiva in the form of Shiva lingam that faces the east and offer milk and pure water by pouring it on the idol. One could also hear a constant buzz created by people chanting the mantras of Lord Shiva. Apart from Shiva, there are shrines of other deities such as Lord Krishna, Ganesha, Swamy Ayyappa, Lord Hanuman and Lord Subramanya, all of which face east. The temple pond on the east is used by devotees for holy bath and also for performing poojas (religious rituals).

Pazhavangadi Maha Ganapathi Temple.

Pazhavangadi Maha Ganapathi Temple is one of the most famous Lord Ganesh temples in Kerala, situated at East Fort, Thiruvananthapuram. Located in the heart of Trivandrum city, the original idol of the Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple is a small idol of Lord Ganesh, with the right leg in the folded posture. 

 Pazhavangadi Ganapati Temple is one of the main temples in Thiruvananthapuram. The temple is situated within walking distance from Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple of Lord Vishnu. Other deities worshiped at Pazhavangadi Maha Ganapati Kovil are Lord Ayyappa, Goddess Durga, Nagaraja, and Brahmarakshas. Devotees can see beautiful paintings of the 32 forms of Lord Ganesh inside the temple complex.

The original Ganesha idol installed in the temple was worshiped by a soldier of Travancore Army stationed at Padmanabhapuram. In 1795 A.D, when the capital of Travancore was changed to Thiruvananthapuram, the garrison was also shifted and the idol was installed at its present place at Pazhavangati.

To enter inside the main complex male devotees need to wear Mundu (Veshti or Dothi or Laacha). Any traditional dress code like Saree, Churidar, Salwar Kameez, or Pavadai Chattai is allowed for ladies.Sree Pazhavangadi Mahaganapathy Temple is just 1.5 kms from Trivandrum Central Railway Station and Thiruvananthapuram Central Bus Station. The nearest City Bus Stand is East Fort (Kizhakke Kotta). Trivandrum International Airport is about 8 km from the temple.

Jokhang Temple.

 Potala Palace

Potala Palace ,built on top of the Red Mountain in Lhasa, Tibet, China was built by the first emperor of Tibet in 637 CE. The current palace was re-constructed in the mid-1600s by the fifth Dalai Lama.

 The White Palace.

The Palace consists of two main buildings, the Potrang Karpo (White Palace) and Portrang Marpo (Red Palace). It was the chief home of the fourteenth and current Dalai Lama until he was forced to flee to India when China invaded Tibet in 1959. It is now a state museum.

 Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple

 The courtyard of the Jokhang Temple

Two golden deers flanking a Dharma Wheel and a golden bell at the roof of Jokhang Temple

Amritsar Golden Temple.

 The Harmandir Sahib (meaning The Abode of God) or simply the Golden Temple in Punjab, India is the most sacred shrine of Sikhism. For the Sikhs, the Golden Temple symbolizes infinite freedom and spiritual independence.

The site of the Temple began with a small lake that was so peaceful that even Buddha came there to meditate. Thousands of years later, Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism also lived and meditate by the lake.

Construction of the Golden Temple began in the 1500s, when the fourth Guru of Sikhism enlarged the lake that became Amritsar or Pool of the Nectar of Immortality, around which the temple and the city grew. The Temple itself is decorated with marble sculptures, gilded in gold, and covered in precious stones.

Borobudur.

 Aerial view of Borobudur

In the 19th century, Dutch occupiers of Indonesia found a massive ancient ruin deep in the jungles of Java. What they discovered was the complex of Borobudur, a gigantic structure built with nearly 2 million cubic feet (55,000 m³) of stones. 

The temple has nearly 2,700 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.Until today, no one knows for sure when and why it was built, nor the reason for its complete abandonment hundreds of years ago.

Some scholars believe that Borobudur is actually a giant textbook of Buddhism, as its bas reliefs tell the story of the life of Buddha and the principles of his teachings. 

To "read," a pilgrim must make his way through nine platforms and walk a distance of over 2 miles. 

   

Inside each of the lattice stupa is a Buddha statue

Chion-in Temple.

 Chion-in Temple’s Main Gate

Chion-in Temple [wiki] was built in 1234 CE to honor the founder of Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism, a priest named Honen, who fasted to death in the very spot. At one point in time, the complex had 21 buildings but due to earthquakes and fire, the oldest surviving building is from the 17th century.

 A building in the Chion-in Temple complex in winter time

Visitors to the Chion-in Temple must first pass through the largest gate in Japan: the two-story San-mon Gate. The temple bell is also a record setter: it weighs 74 tons and needs 17 monks to ring it during the New Year celebrations.

 Chion-in’s Temple Bell.

Another interesting feature of the Chion-in Temple is the "singing" floor of the Assembly Hall. Called a uguisu-bari or nightingale floor, the wooden planks were designed to creak at every footstep to alert the monks of intruders!

Details of the Chion-in Temple roof. Notice a feudal family’s crest stamped on the roof tiles, as a symbol of their patronage