Popular Temples in Hindustan

Popular Temples in Hindustan
Hindu Temples are spread over entire Indian sub-continent. Many temples date back to thousands of years. A large number of ancient temples are found in southern and Far East countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

It is interesting to know that Hindu temples are spread over now in over 43 countries viz.     Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil,     Botswana, Myanmar,  Cambodia,         Canada,     Fiji Islands,       Ghana,      Germany, Guyana,     Hong Kong,         Indonesia,         Kenya,       Kingdom of Bahrain,   Japan,      Laos, Republic of Macedonia,        Madagascar,      Malawi,     Malaysia, Mauritius,   Nepal,       Nigeria,         Netherlands,     New Zealand,    Pakistan,   Poland,      Singapore,         South Africa,      South Korea,     Sri Lanka,         Sultanate of Oman,   Suriname, Switzerland,      Tanzania, Thailand,   Trinidad and Tobago,         Uganda,    United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom,        United States, Vietnam etc.

A Hindu temple is meant to encourage reflection, facilitate purification of one’s mind, and trigger the process of inner realization within the devotee.
There is large number of temples all over India, only a few temples, state-wise are mentioned below:
 

1. Andhra Pradesh –
   1. Tirupati Balaji Temple is located in Chittoor district. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Sri Venkateswara, an incarnation of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared here to save mankind in Kali Yuga.
   2. Lakshmi Narasimha, Panakala Narasimha and Gandala Narasimha Temples - These vaishnavite temples are  located in Mangalagiri of Guntur district.
   3. Sri Jagan Mohini (Sri Maha Vishnu) temple – It is located in Ryali, East Godavari district. The idol looks like Sri Vishnu from front side and as Mohini (female) from rear side. Raja Vikrama Deva originally constructed a small temple during 11th century and later renovated.
   4. Sri Varaha Narasimhaswamy Temple – It is located on Simhachalam (the lion hill), stands just north of Visakhapatnam.
   5. Srikurmam Kurmanathaswamy Temple - It is located in the Gara mandal of the Srikakulam district. It is only temple in the Kurma avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu.
   6. Kanaka Durga Temple – It is located Vijayawada. It has been described the deity as Swayambhu, (self-manifested) in Triteeya kalpa.
2. Bihar - Vishnupada Mandir is located in Gaya. It is a Hindu temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is marked by a footprint of Lord Vishnu known as Dharmasila, incised into a block of basalt.
3. Chandigarh – Chandigarh city is named after goddess Chandi. Temple of goddess Chandi is located about 15 km from the city of Chandigarh.
4. Chhattisgarh –
   1. Bambleshwari Devi Temple is located at Dongargarh in Rajnandgaon district on the hilltop of 1600 feet.
   2. Bhoramdeo Temple is located in Kawardha district. It is dedicated to the god Shiva. The architectural structures are depicted by erotic sculptures like the Khajuraho temple in MP and the Konarak Sun Temple in Odisha.
5. Delhi –
   1. Hanuman Temple in Connaught Place, New Delhi, is an ancient    Hindu temple and is claimed to be one of the five temples of Mahabharata days in Delhi.
   2. Shri Aadya Katyayani Shakti Peetham, established in 1974 by Sant Nagpalji, is located in Chhatarpur. This temple is one of the biggest temples in world, dedicated to Goddess, Katyayani. The entire complex of the temple is spread over a wide area of 70 acres.
6. Gujarat –
   1. Ambaji Mata temple is located 65 km from Palanpur, in Banaskatha district. It is believed that the Heart of Sati Devi has fallen here.
   2. Shri Hanuman Mandir, Sarangpur is located in Bhavnagar district. The temple comes under the Vadtal Gadi of the Swaminarayan Sampraday. It is dedicated to Hanuman in the form of Kastbhanjan (Crusher of sorrows).
   3. Shamlaji temple is located off national highway from Ahmedabad. It is dedicated to Vishnu or Krishna.
   4. The Sun Temple is located at Modhera village of Mehsana district, dedicated Surya. No worship is offered now.
   5. Umiya Mata Temple is located in Unjha, Mehsana district, Gujarat, India, where thousands of visitors visit every day. It is about 1200 years old but it was rebuilt around a century ago.
   6. Dakor Ranchhodraiji (a form of Shri Krishna) temple is located Kheda district. The present temple was constructed by Shri Gopalrao Jagannath Tambwekar in 1772 A.D. at the cost of rupees one lakh. It is prominent for its grand temple of Shree Ranchhodraiji.
7. Haryana –
   1. Brahma Sarovar – It is sacred water pool located in Kurukshetra. According to Hindu scriptures, Lord Brahma created the universe from the land of Kurukshetra after a huge yajna. The Brahma Sarovar here is believed to be the cradle of civilization.
   2. Agroha Dham – Agroha is located in Hissar district. Acording to "Bhavishya Puran; Ke Agravansh" "Vanishanukirtnam" and "Uru Charitam" Maharaja Agrasen ruled some 5000 years back over Agroha  around the time of Mahabharat.  Maharaj Agrasen, the king of Agroha, born to king Vallabh of Pratapnagar some 5182 years back. Equality, Nationalism, Socialism and Non-Violence were the principles which formed the backbone of his kingship. Maharaj Agrasen established the republican state of Agroha. Agroha consisted of 18 state units. The head of each state unit was given a Gotra. All the residents of that particular state unit were identified by that Gotra. During the excavation by the Archaeological Department of Haryana Govt. in 1978-79, Coins of silver & bronze, Seals, Artifacts etc. were found.  
8. Himachal Pradesh
   1. Baijnath Temple – Baijnath temple is located in Kangra District which was construction in 1204 A.D. by two local merchants. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva as Vaidyanath (God of Physician).
   2. Chintpurni, Jwalamukhi and Naina Devi Shakti Peeth – Chintpurni, Jwalamukhi and Naina Devi temples are located Una district, in Kangra district and in Bilaspur district respectively.
9. Jammu and Kashmir - Kheer Bhawani Mata temple is located in village Tul Mul near Srinagar.
10. Karnataka –
    1. Sri Krishna Matha is located in Udupi. Surrounding the Sri Krishna Matha are several temples namely the Udupi Anantheshwara Temple which is over a 1,000 years old. It was founded by the Vaishnavite saint Jagadguru Shri Madhwacharya in the 13th century.
    2. Shiva temple in Dharmsthala - Dharmasthala Temple houses the shrine of Shiva, Manjunatha, Ammanavaru, Chandranath and the Dharma Daivas (guardian spirits of Dharma) — Kalarahu, Kalarkayi, Kumaraswamy and Kanyakumari. The temple is run by a Jain administration and poojas are conducted by Hindu priests of the Madhva order.
    3. Kollur Mookambika Temple – It is located at Kollur, Udupi District. It is believed to be created by sage Parashurama.
11. Kerala –
    1. Guruvayur Temple, Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple (Pathanamthitta District), Trichambaram Temple, Tiruvarppu and Ambalappuzha Temple (Alapuzha district) are Sri Krishna Temples. Parthasarathy is the other name of Krishna on account of his role as Arjuna's Charioteer in the Mahabharata war.
    2. Chakkulathu Kavu Durga Temple - It is located in Alappuzha District.
    3. Thiruvanchikulam Siva Temple – It is located in Kodungallur in Thrissur district. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanmars. One of the four great saints in Tamil Shivism ascented to heaven from this place.
    4. Ananthapadmanabhaswamy Lake Temple – It is located in Kasaragod District. This is the only lake temple in Kerala and is believed to be the original seat of Ananthapadmanabha Swami (Padmanabhaswamy temple Thiruvananthapuram).
    5. The Rajarajeswara Shiva temple – It is located at Taliparamba in the Kannur district. The temple is regarded as one of the existing 108 ancient Shiva Temples of ancient Kerala.
    6. Mannarasala Sri Nagaraja Temple - It is located at Haripad, in Alappuzha district. It is famous for serpent god (Nagaraja). Women seeking fertility come to worship here. A special turmeric paste which is available at the temple is credited with curative powers.
    7. Thriprayar Shri Ramaswami Temple - It is located in Triprayar in Thrissur district. The deity is Lord Rama. It is believed that the idol here was worshipped by Lord Krishna.
    8. Thirumoozhikulam Sri Lakshmanaperumal Temple – It is located in Ernakulam district. The temple finds mention in some of verses of ancient Tamil Dravida Vedam (Naalaayira Divyaprabhandham) sung by ShriVaishnava Alwars, particularly Nammalvar and Thirumangai Azhwar.
    9. Koodalmanikyam Temple –It is located Trissur district. Koodalmanikyam Temple is the only ancient temple in India dedicated to the worship of Bharata, the third brother of Sri Rama.
    10. Payammal Sri Shathruknha Temple – It is located close to village Aripalam, Thrissur district.
    11. Kadampuzha Devi Temple – It is at Kadampuzha in Malappuram district. There is no idol of Goddess in this temple, and she is worshipped in a pit.
    12. Tirunavaya Navamukunda (Vishnu) Temple – It is located at Tirunavaya, Mallapuram district. The temple is glorified in Divya Prabandha, an early medieval Tamil collection of hymns by the Vaishnava Alvars. It is one of the 108 temples dedicated to god Vishnu.
    13. Sree Poornathrayesa (Vishnu) temple – It is located in Tripunithura, Kochi. The deity was also considered as National deity of Cochin and protector guardian of Tripunithura. The temple is famous for its yearly Utsavams or festivals. It is well believed that childless couples will be blessed with children on praying Poornathrayesan.
12. Madhya Pradesh –
    1. Ram Raja Temple - It is located in Orchha. Armed salutation is provided to Lord Ram every day. The specialty of this temple is that Lord Ram has a sword in his right hand and a shield in the other. Shri Ram is sitting in Padmasan, with the left leg crossed over the right thigh.
    2. Maihar Maa Sharda Temple – It is located in Satna district. As per the story, Shiva was carrying the dead body of the Sati, her necklace (har in Hindi) fell at this place and hence the name "Maihar".
    3. Kal Bhairav temple – It is located in the Ujjain. Liquor is one of the offerings made to the temple deity.
    4. Kankali Devi Temple – It is located in Tigawa about 4 km north of Bahuriband between Katni and Jabalpur. It is one of the oldest surviving north Indian style temples dates back of 400-425 CE.
    5. Khajuraho Group of Temples – It is located in Chhatarpur, about 175 km from Jhansi. They are one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India. Most Khajuraho temples were built between 950 and 1050 by the Chandela dynasty. Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, Chausath Yogini Temple, Matangeshwar Temple, Devi Jagadambi Temple, etc. are among a few surviving temples.
13. Maharashtra
    1. Babulnath Shiva temple – It is located on a small hillock near Girgaum Chowpatty.
    2. Bhuleshwar Shiva Temple – It is located around 45 km from Pune. According to mythology, the temple was built by Pandavas. It is said that Parvati danced for Shiva and from here they went to Kailash and got married.
    3. Shri Vitthal-Rukmini Temple, Pandharpur It is located in Pandharpur. It is the main centre of worship for Vithoba, a form of the god Vishnu or Krishna, and his consort Rakhumai. It is the most visited temple in Maharashtra.
    4. Shirdi Temple – It is located in Rahata Taluka in Ahmednagar District. It is famous as the home of the late 19th century saint Sri Sai Baba. The Sri Saibaba Sansthan Trust is one of the richest temple organizations.
    5. Shani Shingnapur- It is located in Nevasa taluka in Ahmednagar district. It is famous temple of Shani, Saturn.
    6. Shree Siddhivinayak Ganesh Temple – It is located in Prabhadevi, Mumbai. It was originally built by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil on 19 November 1801. It is one of the richest temples in Mumbai.
    7. Tuljabhavani Temple - It is located in Tuljapur in Osmanabad district. It is considered as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas.
14. Odisha –
    1. Konark Sun Temple – It located at Konark about 35 km northeast from Puri. It was built from stone in the form of a giant ornamented chariot drawn by seven horses.
    2. Lingaraja Shiva Temple - It is located in Bhubaneswar.
    3. Taratarini Adi Shakti Temple – It is located near Brahmapur city in Ganjam District. It is worshiped as the Breast Shrine as of 51 Shakti Peethas.
15. Rajasthan –
    1. Karni Mata Temple – It is located 30 km from Bikaner. The temple is famous for black rats that live, and are revered, in the temple. These holy rats are called kabbas.
    2. Salasar Balaji Temple - It is located in the town of Salasar, in Churu district. Hanuman ji is the deity at Salasar Balaji who is unique because it has a round face with moustache and beard. Rani Sati Temple, Jeen Mata and Khatushyamji Temples are located close to it.
    3. Shrinathji Temple – It is located in Nathdwara, 48 km from Udaipur. Shrinathji is the central presiding deity of the Vaishnava sect known as the Vallabh Sampradaya. 
    4. Pushkar – It is located near Ajmer. Pushkar is famous for the only temple of Brahma ji. 
16. Tamil Nadu –

• Brihadishvara Shiva Temple- It is located in Thanjavur. It was built by Raja Raja Chola (1003 and 1010 AD). The temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage.
• Kapaleeshwarar Shiva Temple – It is located in Mylapore, Chennai. The form of Shiva's consort Parvati worshipped at this temple is called Karpagambal is from Tamil ("Goddess of the Wish-Yielding Tree").
• Vriddhagiriswarar Temple is a Hindu temple in the town of Vriddhachalam, Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, India. The presiding deity Vriddhagiriswarar is revered in Tevaram. Number five has significance in this temple viz. five idols (Vinayaka, Muruga, Shiva, Shakthi and Chandikeswara), prayer by five names, five Vinayakas, five Rishis had the darshan of God, five towers, five prakaras, five flag post with five Nandhis and five inner Mandaps.
• Nageswaraswamy Shiva Temple – It is located in Kumbakonam. Shiva in the guise of Nagaraja, the serpent king, is located here.
• Shri Mariamman Hanuman Temple - It is situated in Periyakulam Village, Theni District. Shri Bhaktha Anjaneyar is installed with a big Gada on his left hand.
• Meenakshi (Parvati) Temple – It is located in Madurai. The temple finds mention in the Tamil Sangam literature (6th century CE texts).
• Sri Ranganathaswamy Vishnu Temple – It is located in Thiruvarangam, an island and a part of the city of Tiruchirappalli It is the largest temple complex in India.

Telangana –

1. Gnana Saraswati Temple – It is located on the banks of Godavari River at Basar, 34.8 km from Nizamabad. It is one of the two famous Saraswati temples in India, the other being in Jammu & Kashmir. Children are brought to the temple for the learning ceremony called as Akshara abyasam.
2. Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Temple – It is located on a hillock in Yadagirigutta of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, 62 km from Hyderabad.
3. Rudreshwara Swamy Temple – It is located in Hanamakonda. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Surya. It has thousand Pillars.
   1. Shri Rama temple – It is located in Bhadrachalam. According to the legend, Vishnu appeared to Meru's son Bhadra as Rama to answer the latter's prayers. As per legend, Vishnu forgot that Rama was a mortal human and appeared as Vaikuntha Rama with four hands. The self-manifested moolavar was discovered in the 17th century by Pokala Dhammakka, a tribal woman living in Bhadrareddypalem, who she built a mandapam for the idols. Temple was built later by the tehsildar.

Uttarakhand –

1. Chandi Devi Temple – It is located in Haridwar. The Temple was built in 1929 by Suchat Singh in his reign as the King of Kashmir. However, the main murti of Chandi Devi at the temple is said to have been installed in the 8th century by Adi Shankaracharya. The temple also known as Neel Parvat Teerth is one of the Panch Tirth (Five Pilgrimages) located within Haridwar. The other four teeraths are Har ki Pauri, Kushaavart Ghat, Kankhal and Mansa Devi Temple.
2. Daksheswara Mahadev Temple – It is located in Kankhal, about 4 km from Haridwar. It is named after King Daksha Prajapati, the father of Sati.
3. Neelkanth Mahadev Temple – It is located about 32 km from Rishikesh in the Pauri Garhwal district. According to mythology, this is the place where Shiva consumed the poison that originated during Samundramanthan.

Uttar Pradesh –

1. Ram Janmabhoomi – It is located in Ayodhya near Faizabad. The Ramayana, a Hindu epic whose earliest portions date back to 1st millennium BC, states that the capital of Rama was Ayodhya.
2. Hanumangarhi Temple – It is a temple of Lord Hanuman, located in Ayodhya. More than 70 steps lead to the main Hanuman temple which is one of the most popular temples of Lord Hanuman.
3. The Gorakhnath Math – It is located in Gorakhpur. It is a temple of the Nath monastic group of the Nath tradition, founded by guru Matsyendranath.
4. Prem Mandir – It is located near Vrindavan. It is dedicated to Lord Radha Krishna and Sita Ram. The temple structure was established by the fifth Jagadguru, Kripalu Maharaj.
5. Shri Bankey Bihari Mandir, Shri Radha Vallabh Ji, Shri Govind Dev Ji, Shri Radha Raman Ji, Shri Radha Madhav Ji, Shri Madan Mohan Ji and Shri Gopinath Ji – These are Shri Krishna temples located in Vrindavan.
6. Sri Dwarkadheesh Mandir – It is located in Mathura. Its current structure was built up by Seth Gokul Das Parikh, the treasurer of then Gwalior State(Scindia) in 1814.
7. The Krishna Janmasthan Temple – It is located in Mallapura, Mathura. Shri Krishna is said to have been born here. The place holds religious significance since the 6th century BC.
8. Maa Vindhyachal Temple – It is located in Mirzapur District. Maa Vindhyavasini Devi is believed to be the instant bestower of benediction.
9. Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple - It is located in Varanasi. The temple was established by saint Sri Goswami Tulsidas in the early 1500s. Sankat Mochan means the "reliever from troubles".

West Bengal

1. Kalighat Kali Temple – It is located in Kolkata on the bank of a canal called Adi Ganga. It is believed to be one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. The name Calcutta is said to have been derived from the word Kalighat.
2. Dakshineswar Kali Temple - It is located in Dakshineswar near Kolkata on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River. The temple was built in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni, a philanthropist and a devotee of Kali. The temple is famous for its association with Ramakrishna, a mystic of 19th Century Bengal. There are twelve shrines dedicated to Shiva.
3. Belur Math – It is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.