CONTENTS

Teertha

Chaar Dhaam

Badrinath

Jagannath Puri

Dwarka

Rameshwaram

Himalayan Chaar Dhaam

Yamunotri

Gangotri

Kedarnath

Badrinath

Sapt Puri

Ayodhya

Mathura

Haridwar

Varanasi

Kanchipuram

Ujjain

Dwarka (Refer to page no. 20)

Dwadash Jyotirlingam

Somnath

Mallikarjuna

Mahakaleshwar

Omkareshwar

Kashi Vishwanath

Baidyanath

Kedareshwar

Nageshwar

Ghrishneshwar

Triambakeshwar

Rameshwar

Bhimashankar

Panch Sarovar

Mansarovar

Pushkar

Bindu Sarovar

Narayan Sarovar

Pampa

Sapt Sarita

Ganga

Yamuna

Saraswati

Narmada

Godavari

Kaveri

Sindhu

Divya Desams

Muktinath Temple

Venkateshwara Temple

Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Ranganathaswamy Temple

Varahalakshminarasimha Temple

Shakti Peetha

Mahalakshmi (Kolhapur)

Ambaji (Gujarat)

Mangala Gauri (Gaya)

Kumari (Kanniyakumari)

Kalighat (West Bengal)

Bhavani (Maharashtra)

Kamakhya (Assam)

Yatras

Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra

Amarnath Yatra

Panch Kedar Yatra

Vaishno Devi Yatra

Sabarimala Yatra

Alandi-Pandharpur Yatra

Some Other Famous Temples

Dakshinaarka Temple

Konark Temple

Modhera Temple

Surya Pahar Temple

Suryanaar Temple

Suryanarayanaswamy Temple

Brahmanya Dev Temple

Guruvayur Temple

Meenakshi Temple

Mahabalipuram Temple

Adi Kumbheshwar Temple

Kamakshi Amman Temple

A List of Other Important and Popular Temples in India

TEERTHA

A bass relief of holy river Ganga in Mahabalipuram

According to Padma Purana, our teachers (gurus) and parents are also teerthas, as they provide us with the light of knowledge to cleanse our ignorance and hence lead us on to the right path, towards the moksha.

As humans, we lead a life full of struggle and strife. During trying moments, we might knowingly or unknowingly indulge in actions that may be sinful. After a certain time, the wrong actions start weighing us down and our conscience prods us to atone for our sins. That is when we consider visiting a teertha, where we can ask for forgiveness. Such a spiritual journey is termed as a pilgrimage or a teertha yatra.

According to the Kashi Khanda of Skanda Purana, the teerthas may be divided into three categories — the Sthawar, Jangam and Manas teertha.

Sthawar teerthas are those places in the Indian subcontinent that have religious or spiritual importance, like the sources of the holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna, mountain peaks like Mount Kailash in the Himalayas, cities like Vrindavan, various forests, ashrams etc.

A sadhu in search of moksha

Jangam teerthas are the seers, sages and enlightened spiritual masters.

Manas teerthas are our own attributes like truth, forgiveness, kindness, charity, patience and knowledge. They are considered the best of all as they alone help us to purify our inner selves, our character and guide us in the right direction of self-realisation and moksha.

Most places of teerthas are located in calm and secluded places surrounded by the pristine beauty of nature. We develop spiritual inclination by going to a teertha, which purifies us of our material desires.

All desires, material and sensual, lead us away from moksha. They entangle us in a vicious web of misery and pain. Teerthas provide peace to our otherwise restless soul.

Teerthas have a unifying effect on people. The divisions of caste and creed vanish as we pray with the others. In fact when people of different religious faiths celebrate at a teertha, they treat each other as equals, which is the right thing to do. So if we go on a teertha yatra often, the chances of unrest in the society would lessen. Teerthas teach us tolerance towards other people.

Ancient lion sculpture of Mathura

The unity in diversity is evident in the major fairs and festivals held at the various teerthas across the Indian subcontinent. The Indian art, culture and traditions are best showcased in the Indian teerthas. People from all over the world visit India to witness the spiritual enthusiasm, at the time of the Kumbh Mela.

Mansarovar Lake

The places of birth of religious and spiritual masters and those where they attained nirvana are also considered as teerthas. Some such places in India include Ayodhya, Mathura, Kashi, Gaya etc. The places where one is supposed to conduct the rites of passage, the rituals for birth till death, also fall in the category of teerthas.

Kashi, Kailash, Mansarovar are considered Nitya teerthas as they are believed to be naturally endowed with spiritual powers since time immemorial. So are the rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada, Godavari and Kaveri, which are also considered as Nitya teerthas.

Places where the gods have descended as avatar (incarnation) or have in any way performed miracles are known as Bhagwadiya teerthas. Ayodhya, Mathura and Rameshwaram are Bhagwadiya teerthas.

The places of birth, enlightenment and penance of the seers and spiritual masters are known as Sant teerthas.

This book attempts to take you on a virtual journey to various teerthas spread over the length and breadth of India. The teerthas are discussed in the book under the categories discussed here.

A sardonyx seal representing Vishnu with a worshipper

Lord Shiva seated with his consort Uma in a 17th century sculpture

1. Chaar Dhaam: Chaar is four and dhaam means abode. So chaar dhaam are four abodes or dwelling places of God. According to our scriptures, Lord Vishnu descended in the east at Jagannath Puri, in the west at Dwarka, in the north at Badrinath and in the south at Rameshwaram. Hence these sacred places are together known as chaar dhaam.
2. Himalayan Chaar Dhaam: Apart from these, the Indian State of Uttarakhand also has Himalayan chaar dhaam, which are Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. It is believed that the pilgrimage to Himalayan chaar dhaam absolves you of all the sins of your past.
3. Sapt Puri: The seven holy cities (puri) are Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Varanasi, Kanchipuram, Ujjain and Dwarka.
4. Dwadash Jyotirlingam: There are twelve lingams of Lord Shiva in India. They are known as dwadash jyotirlingams. They are located at Somnath, Mallikarjuna, Mahakaleshwar, Baidyanath, Omkareshwar, Bhimshankar, Nageshwar, Kashi-Vishwanath, Triambakeshwar, Kedarnath, Rameshwar and Ghrishneshwar.
5. Panch Sarovar: These are the five holy lakes in India where taking a dip washes away your sins. They are Mansarovar, Pushkar, Bindu Sarovar, Narayan Sarovar and Pampa.
6. Sapt Sarita: Though the Vedas and Puranas mention more, but seven Indian rivers are considered the most sacred ones in the country. They are Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri. There are many temples on the banks of these rivers where people can go and pray to cleanse their sins.
7. Divya Desams: There are one hundred and eight Divya Desam temples of Lord Vishnu. It is said that Alwars (saint poets) sang their verses at these places.
8. Shakti Peetha: There are fifty-one Shakti Peethas of Devi (Goddess) throughout the country.
9. Yatras: These are the spiritual journeys which the pilgrims undertake to a special teertha. Some of the famous yatras include Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra, Amarnath Yatra, Panch Kedar Yatra, Vaishno Devi Yatra, Sabarimala Yatra and Alandi-Pandharpur Yatra.
10. Some Other Famous Temples: These include the seven Sun Temples and five other famous temples.

An ancient coin showing Lord Varaha, a Vishnu avatar