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The Masjid-i-Jehan-Numa , commonly known as the Jama Masjid , in Old Delhi area of Delhi, is one of the largest mosques in India. [1] Its builder was the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, between 1644 and 1656, and it was inaugurated by its first Imam, Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari. Situated in the Mughal capital of Shahjahanabad (today Old Delhi), it served as the imperial mosque of the Mughal emperors until the demise of the empire in 1857. The Jama Masjid was regarded as a symbolic gesture of Mughal power across India. It was also a site of political significance during several key periods of…
The Golden Temple [1] is a gurdwara located in Amritsar, Punjab, India. [5] [6] It is the pre-eminent spiritual site of Sikhism and its holiest site. [5] [7] The gurdwara complex is a collection of buildings around the sanctum sanctorum and the sarovar (holy pool), [5] known as the Amrit Sarovar . [8] One of these is Akal Takht, part of the Panj Takht (five seats of authority in Sikhism) and the chief centre of religious authority of Sikhism. [7] Additional buildings include a clock tower, the offices of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, a museum and a langar—a free Sikh communit…
Kamakhya Temple (Assamese: kamakhya mondir ) is a Hindu temple at Nilachal hills in Guwahati, Assam is one of the oldest and most revered centres of Tantric practices, [3] dedicated to the goddess Kamakhya. The temple is the centre of the Kulachara Tantra Marga and the site of the Ambubachi Mela, an annual festival that celebrates the menstruation of the goddess. [4] Structurally, the temple is dated to the 8th-9th century with many subsequent rebuildings [5] —and the final hybrid architecture defines a local style called Nilachal. [6] It is also one among the oldest 4 of the 51 pithas in t…
Meenakshi Temple , also known as Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple , is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Meenakshi, [1] a form of Parvati, and her consort Sundareswarar [2] (Shiva). The temple is theologically significant as it represents a confluence of various denominations of Hinduism such as Shaivism, Shaktism, and Vaishnavism.
Ramanathaswamy Temple ( Rāmanātasvāmi Kōyil ) is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva located on Rameswaram island in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples. It is one of the 276 Paadal Petra Sthalams, the sacred sites glorified by the Nayanars (Shaivite poet-saints), Appar, Sundarar, and Sambandar, with their songs. According to tradition, the lingam (an aniconic form of Shiva) of the Ramanathaswamy Temple was established and worshipped by Rama before he crossed the bridge called Rama Setu to the island kingdom of Lanka, identified with Sri L…
Somanatha Temple ( Sanskrit: सोमनाथ, romanized: Somanātha, lit. Soma = moon nātha = lord/master ) is a Hindu temple, located in Prabhas Patan, Veraval, in Gujarat, India. It is one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites, or Tirtha Kshetra for Hindus and is the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. [7] The date of construction of the earliest Somnath temple remains uncertain, with estimates varying between the early centuries of the 1st millennium and about the 9th century CE. [8] [9] Various texts, including the Mahabharata and Bhagavata Purana , mention a tirtha (pilgrimage sit…
Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE Hindu Sun temple at Konark about 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast from Puri city on the coastline in Puri district, Odisha, India. [1] [2] The temple is attributed to king Narasingha Deva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty about 1250 CE. [3] [4] Dedicated to the Hindu Sun-god Surya, it reflects the pinnacle of Kalingan architecture and artistic excellence, what remains of the temple complex has the appearance of a 30-metre (100 ft) high chariot with immense wheels and horses, all carved from stone. Once over 61 metres (200 ft) high, [1] [5] much of the temp…
The Jagannath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu. It is located in Puri, Odisha, on the eastern coast of India. [4] As per temple records, King Indradyumna of Avanti built the main temple. [5] The present temple complex was rebuilt from the eleventh century onwards on the site of the earlier shrines, excluding the main Jagannath temple, and was begun by Anantavarman Chodaganga, the first ruler of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. [6] Many of the temple rituals are based on Shabari Tantras which are evolved from tribal beliefs respectively. [7] The local legends link …
Badarinath Temple, also known as Badarinarayana Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. It is located in the town of Badrinath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, India. The temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams, sacred to Vaishnavism, where Vishnu is worshipped as Badrinath. Due to extreme weather conditions in the Himalayas, the temple is open for six months each year, from late April to early November. It is one of the most visited pilgrimage centres of India, having recorded 2.8 million (28 lakh) visits in just 2 months in 2022. [1] It is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites.
Kēdāranātha Temple (Sanskrit: केदारनाथ मन्दिर, IAST: Kēdāranātha Mandira , lit. 'temple of the God of the field') is a Hindu temple, one of the twelve jyotirlinga of Śiva. The temple is located on the Garhwal Himalayan range [1] near the Mandākinī River, 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 (Akṣaya Tritiya) and November (Kārtika Pūrṇimā, the autumn full moon). During the winters, the vigraha (deity) of the temple is carried down to Ukhimath to be worshiped for the next six months. Kēd…
Vaishno Devi , also known as Vaishnavi , Trikuta , and Sherawali, is a Hindu deity considered to have the nature of Shakti and, at the Vaishno Devi Temple, is self-manifest as three Pindis described as the goddesses Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasaraswati. She is worshipped as an ascetic, vegetarian, and virgin goddess who is associated with Vishnu. Believed to be the Mahadevi, she is revered as a divine "Mother" who protects and grants boons to her devotees. [5] She is also described in some regional traditions as the eldest of the Seven Sisters goddesses of North India. [6] [7]
The Venkateswara Swami Temple —also known as Tirumala Temple , Tirupati Temple and Tirupati Balaji Temple —is a Hindu temple located in the hills of Tirumala, within Tirupati Urban Mandal, Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared on earth to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga . Hence the site is also called Kaliyuga Vaikuntha and the deity is known as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam. Venkateswara is additionally known as Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa. [4] The temple is administered by t…
The Ram Mandir (ISO: Rāma Maṁdira , lit. 'Rama Temple'), is a Hindu temple complex in Ayodhya, [1] Uttar Pradesh, India. [14] [15] It is one of the most visited Hindu temples in India, [16] as many Hindus believe that it is located at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, the mythical birthplace of Rama (a principal deity of Hinduism). [17] [18]