Tripura Sundari Temple

This temple is one of the 51 pithasthans in India as per Hindu mythology. As per mythology, Lord Vishnu had cut off the body of Mata Sati into 51 pieces by Sudarshana Chakra and all these pieces fell at different places throughout the country and these places are known as pithasthans. It is said that 'right foot' of Mata Sati fell at Matabari.

This pithasthan is also known as Kurma Pith because the shape of the temple premises resembles to that of "Kurma" namely tortoise. Inside the temple, the idol of Maa Kali is kept which is made of 'reddish black Kastic pathar.' Maa Kali is worshipped in her 'Soroshi' form in this temple. There is an idol of smaller size of Maa Kali called 'Chotto Maa 'and this image used to be carried by Maharajas of Tripura during "Mrigaya" namely hunting and also during war.

The temple consists of square type sanctum of the typical Bengali hut type structure with a conical dome. The temple was constructed in 1501 A.D. by the then Maharaja Dhanya Manikya.

In the eastern side of the temple there is a famous Kalyan Sagar where fishes and tortoises of huge size are found and devotees feed them with "muri" and biscuits. No fishing is permitted in the Kalyan Sagar.

Every year on Dewali, a famous Mela takes place near the temple which is visited by more than two lakhs pilgrims

Kamakhya Temple

The Kamakhya Temple, which is situated high aloft a hill called Neelachal Parbat or Kamagiri in the city of Guwahati is one of its several religious landmarks, which speaks volumes about the rich historical treasure over which the state of Assam is seated. This sacred temple in the heart of the capital city of Assam holds more than it meets the eye of the onlooker. The Kamakhya Temple had been built in reverence to Goddess Kamakhya or Sati, who was one of the numerous incarnations of Goddess Durga or Goddess Shakti.

The temple is situated a few kilometers away from the Guwahati Railway Station, and is open for visitors throughout the year. There is a legend attached to the history of the temple, which goes way back to the mythological age. According to the legend, Sati the wife of Lord Shiva (one of the holy Trinities in Hindu mythology) took her life at a 'Yagna' ceremony that had been organized by her father Daksha, because she could not bear the insults hurled at her husband by her father. On hearing the news of his wife's death, Shiva, the destroyer of all that was evil flew into a rage and punished Daksha by replacing his head with that of a goat. Torn between misery and blind fury, Shiva picked up the corpse of his beloved wife Sati and performed a dance of destruction called the 'Tandava'. The intensity of the destroyer's fury was so overwhelming that it took several Gods to pacify his anger. In the midst of this struggle, Sati's corpse accidentally got cut into 51 parts by the disc in the hands of Lord Vishnu (also one of the Trinities in Hindu mythology), and her female genitalia or 'Yoni' fell on the spot where the Kamakhya temple stands today, forming one of the many Shakti 'Peethas' embellishing the rest of her body parts.

King Nara Narayana of Cooch Behar rebuilt the temple in 1665 after it had suffered destruction at the hands of foreign invaders. The temple consists of seven oval spires, each topped by three golden pitchers, and the entrance spirals down to a curvy path of some distance, which specially links the main road to the temple. Some of the sculptured panels of the temple carry depictions of Gods and Goddesses of Hindu pantheon carved in a delightful pattern. Tortoises, monkeys, and large number of pigeons have made the temple their home, and loiter around the premise, being fed by the temple authorities and the visitors. The cryptic, as well as the peaceful ambience of the temple combine together to soothe the nerves of visitors, and take their minds to flights of inner salvation, and this is the very reason that people come here for.

With all its enigmatic splendour and picturesque locale, the Kamakhya Temple is one of the most astounding structures, not only in Assam, but also in the whole of India

Yogini Shrine

On the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, 15 km south-east of the city, is a small, circular temple, the Yogini Temple, dating to the early ninth century. It is hypaethral (open to the sky), and belongs to a genre of architecture completely apart from the major Orissan school. Although it seems that temples of this type existed throughout India at one time, today only four remain. Two of them are in Orissa; the shrine at Hirapur, and one in the far western reaches of the state, at Ranipur-Jharial.

The temple's circular wall, which is barely 2 meter high, contains 64 niches within its inner circumference. All except one of these contain an image of a Yogini Goddess. Some of the Goddesses are portrayed with sensual bodies and jewelled bodices, others with horrific shrunken features, still others with animal heads. Even today, standing in the deserted temple with bright sunshine pouring in, one senses a strange emanation from the temple, and this feeling is in keeping with its original purpose. Active between the ninth and thirteenth centuries, the cults responsible for these temples worshipped Yogini Goddesses in expectation of the direct acquisition of supernatural powers. TheYoginis were thought to be able to confer on their devotees the power to become microscopic or gigantic in size, to control the body and mind of oneself and of others, to fly, become invisible, and myriad other useful abilities. Worship seems to have centered on the repetition of the names of the Goddesses, and in later centuries, when active use of the shrines ceased, worshippers transferred their devotions to mystical paper diagrams.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Varanasi, also known as Benaras and Kashi, is a major city in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Situated on the banks of the holy river Ganga, the city has great religious significance for the Hindus. Varanasi is home to Kashi Vishwanath Temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It enshrines one of the twelve Jyotirlingams of Shiva. It is said that this temple was rebuilt several times. The latest structure standing here dates back to the 18th century. Thousands of Pilgrims converge here to perform an abhishekam to the sacred Jyotirlingam, with water from the Ganga

Beside its religious significance, the temple is also an architectural marvel. The magnificent edifice offers a breathtaking view to the onlooker. It is said that once Lord Shiva came in the dream of Rani Ahalya Bai Holkar of Indore. She, being a devotee of Lord Shiva, got the current temple built in 1777.

Vishwanath Khanda, also referred to as the Old City is located at the heart of Varanasi, between Dashashwamedha Ghat and Godaulia to the south and west and Manikarnika Ghat on the river to the north. The whole area rewards exploration, with numerous shrines and lingams tucked into every corner, and is buzzing with the activity of pilgrims, pandas and stalls selling offerings to the devotees.

Approached through a maze of narrow alleys and the Vishwanath Gali (or Lane), the temple complex of Vishwanath or Visheshwara, the "Lord of All", is popularly known as the Golden Temple, due to the massive gold plating on its shikhara (spire). Inside the compound, which is hidden behind a wall, and entered through an unassuming doorway, is one of India's most important shivalingams, made of smooth black stone and seated in a solid silver plinth. The shrines of the wrathful protectors Mahakala and Dandapani, and the lingam of Avimukteshvara are also situated within the temple complex.

Pilgrims offer their sankalpa or statement of intent here, before commencing the Panchatirthi Yatra. Slightly north, across the main road, the thirteenth-century Razia's Mosque stands atop the ruins of a still earlier Vishwanatha temple.

Varanasi is said to be the point at which the first jyotirlinga, the fiery pillar of light by which Shiva manifested his supremacy over other gods, broke through the earth's crust and flared towards the heavens. More than the Ghats and even the Ganga, the Shivalinga installed in the temple remain the devotional focus of Varanasi

Saraswati Temple

Saraswati is the daughter of Brahma. Literally her name means 'the flowing one' .In the Rig Veda she represents a river deity and is connected with fertility and purification. She is considered the personification of all knowledge - arts, sciences, crafts and skills. She is the goddess of the creative impulse, the source of music, beauty and eloquence. Artists, writers and other individuals involved in creative endeavours have for millennia come on pilgrimage to Pushkar to invoke the inspiration of Brahma and Saraswati. According to a theory,the shrine myths are often metaphorical expressions of the particular power of a pilgrimage place, The lake, hill and area of Pushkar have a pervading spirit the presence of which awakens and stimulates the human capacity for creativity.

Lu ju Wu fu Temple

Nan-kan Shieh of the Pinbu indigenous tribe used to reside in the area near Fu-tou Mountain, Wu-fu Village, Lu-ju Shiang. This area was the earliest settled area in Taoyuan County. According to legend, when Koxinga led his army to fight in northern Taiwan in the 16th year of Emperor Yung-li's reign (1661), his army was stationed here. His soldiers brought holy relics of Marshall Shien-tan with them, but forgot them in the camp. Then people discovered light emanating from this place. They believed it indicated the presence of a god, so they built a simple structure on the spot and worshiped there. Over time, more and more pilgrims came to pay their respects.
This temple wasn't built until the 10th year of Emperor Chien-lung. The temple was first named Shien-tan Temple or Marshall Temple. Marshall Shien-tan refers to Gon-ming Chao, a loyal vassal during the Shang Dynasty. People respected him and called him Marshall Shien-tan Marshall. This area was prosperous owing to the god's blessing, so people called him Marshall Kai-tai (literally translated as Development of Taiwan).

This temple underwent renovations several times and became larger and larger each time. After reconstruction in the 6th year of Emperor Tung-chi Emperor (1867), this temple was named Wu-fu (literally translated as Five Fortunes) Temple. Sen-ji Pavilion was erected at the same time to promote literacy. This temple was last renovated in 1924. Now the temple is 3-rooms wide at the front and has three main buildings and two patios. Its wooden construction, woodcarvings, stone carvings, and Indochina pottery are marvelous. You may like to study it thoroughly. This temple has a long history and is classified as a grade three ancient site. It is now being repaired. It will be opened again in the near future.

Lu-ju Wu-fu TempleThe Sen-ji Pavilion in front of the temple is a 2-story building made of bricks. The opening of the furnace is on the bottom level. On both sides of the building are the stone tablets bearing the donors' names. There is a "Messenger's Cave" in the back hall. There are a lot of big snakes in the cave known as "heavenly snakes". People feed the snakes with eggs. The temple sponsors a parade on March 15 and birthday celebration for the master god on the 16th. These celebrations are fabulous activities for the temple. The temple also sponsors evidence ghost-month celebration on July 15, and floating lantern on the 14th, to be hosted by five major villages of Lu-ju Shiang. The activities are fabulous. Visitors are welcome to join the celebrations.