Do people really see the pigeons in Amarnath Yatra?

(Jai Baba Sri Amarnath Mahadev)

Many devotees have witnessed a couple of pigeons inside the cave.

Legend : Seers claim that these pigeons were witnesses to the secret of life and death narrated by Lord Shiva to Goddess Uma.

These mating pigeons were proverbially resting on the edge of the cave

Eternal : Devotees believe after listening to this divine secret, the pigeons became immortal.

These are considered auspicious and a mark of divine blessing.

Fact : Biologists don’t agree to this claim. But, many devotees ardently believe in this saga.

To each his / her own.

Prayer: Sri Ganeshaya Namah Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram Namo Parvatipataye Har Har Mahadev Jai Jai Jai Hanuman Gosai Kripa Karo Gurudev Ki Nai Sita Ram Pawan Kumar Anjaninandan Sri Kesari Nandan

Pic Credits : Google Images /Web

Is the Shiva Lingam at Somnath Temple the original Lingam?

Yes, the Shiva lingam at Somnath temple is the original one.

According to locals of Somath, when the invaders came to destroy the Shivlinga, the linga was believed to be safely hid within its hollowness, the famous Syamanthaka_mani. The stone associated with Lord Krishna. The stone created a magnetic field around itself, that kept the Somnath Shivlinga floating above ground. So no one was able to touch the Linga, as it was hanging in the air and was thus untouched by anyone.

• The Somnath Jyothirlinga is the first of the 12 Jyothirlinga Shrines of Shiva. It is located on the western coast of Gujarat.
• There is a mention of the Somanath temple in Sreemad Bhagavadgita, Skanda Purana, Shiva Purana and even in Rig Veda.
• The meaning of ‘Soma “ is Moon, and Nath means Lord, so Somanath is the protector of the Moon and is Shiva.
• Prajapathi Daksha, married his 27 daughters to Moon, but Moon loved only Rohini and neglected his other 26 wives (sisters of Rohini). The neglected sisters complain to their father Daksha about Moon. Daksha fumes and curses Moon to fade or wane away. To overcome the curse and its effects, Moon installed a Shivling at the Prabhas Teerth (holy place) and prays to Shiva for forgiveness, and Shiva partially removes the curse by giving him a permanent place on His forehead. Thus Shiva became Chandrashekhara / Chandramouli.

• Architecture of Somanath temple :: It was constructed in the Chalukya style of architecture. An arrow pillar mentions that, the temple is located at such a position, that it is the first point of land in the north to the South pole, at that particular longitude.
• The invasion on the Somanath temple :: The temple has withstood several destructions in the past and still has not lost its beauty. The temple was looted and destroyed as many as 17 times by Emperors like Mohammed Ghazni, Alauddin Khilji and Aurangazeb. But the linga remain undestroyed.
• They looted all the idols of gold and silver and countless vessels set with jewels, but couldn't touch the Linga

• Sardar Vallabhai Patel was the force behind the revival and reconstruction of the present day Somanath temple (Though it was inaugurated in 1951, after his death), which still serves as a notable edifice of the original Somanath Temple

OM Somanathaya Namaha, Om Soma_priyaya Namaha

.** Source : Wikipedia **

How can doors (except the mysterious door) of Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple open automatically by the chanting of mantras?

 Big yes, the doors of the Anantha Padmanabha_swamy temple automatically open by the chanting of mantras. Since the mysterious doors are protected by mighty serpents.

I feel, these mantras can be compared to the present day audio_Passwords which we use to open Vaults or any folders.

• The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is located in Thiruvananthapuram, India.
• The principal diety, Padmanabha_swamy is enshrined in the “Anantha-sayanam” posture (in the eternal sleep of Yoga-nidra on the serpent Anantha).
• The serpent Anantha or Adi Seshu has five hoods facing inwards, and the Lord's right hand is placed over a Shiva lingam. The Deity is made from 12000 Saligrams.

Secret Chamber ::

• Among the six kalavaras or chambers in the Temple, Bharatakkon chamber is associated with Padmanabha_swamy, it is not a part of the temple treasury.
• In 2011, the Supreme Court of India sent a seven member committe to the temple. In the presence of the Head trustee of Travancore Trust of Sri Anantha Padmanabha_swamy, the temple's six secret Vaults were opened.
• The second chamber, referred as the secret chamber is fixed with the ‘naga bandham’ or ‘Naga paasam’.
• Naaga bandham means, the sacred mantras created by the great siddha Purushas (great sages) who lived during the reign of King Marthanda_varma in the 16th century.
• The door of such a secret vault can be opened by only a highly erudite and pious ‘Sadhu’ or ‘mantrikas’ who are familiar with the knowledge of extricating the ‘Naga bandham ‘ by chanting a ‘Garuda mantra’, since it is believed that Naagas or Snakes are enemies to Garuda (Eagles). So, a Eagle is needed to overcome the Snakes and thus gain entry into the door.
• If any human attempts are made to open the mysterious Chamber, then it will have a Catastrophic effect around the temple premises or through out in India.

• The door opens by chanting the Garuda mantra, by a powerful Sadhu.
• It is believed that if the mantra is not pronounced properly, then the mighty serpents guarding the doors will create havoc on those who try to open the door.

This all conveys only one thing, that the temple is guarded with divine intervention.

Which is the biggest Shiva temple in the world?

 The biggest Shiva temple in the World is Brihadeeswarar temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.

The temple was built by Raja Raja Chola I. The temple is more than 1000 years old.

• The temple structure is an example of Dravidian architecture and it portrays the ideology of Tamil Civilization and Chola Empire.
• The temple has the world's largest Vimanam ( temple tower ) and it's Kumbam (the structure on the top ) weighs approximately 80 tons.
• The temple has a huge statue of Nandi at the entrance. The statue is carved out of a single rock and weighs around 20 tons.

• The main Shiva Linga inside the temple is 8.7 meters tall.
• Brihadeeswarar temple is one of the few temples, that has Ashta-dikpaalakas ( Guardians of the Eight directions) idols.
• It's the first complete granite temple in the World, around 60000 tons of granite is said to be used to build the temple.
• It was constructed by interlocking technology without using binding materials.
• It has a tunnel from the temple to the pasupatheeswharar temple in the district of Karur. It is believed that the Saint karuvurar (his grave is in this Karur temple) came all the way through this tunnel to open the brihadheswarar temple.
• This temple's vimans shadow never fall on the ground.
• The temple's replica was built by Raja Raja Cholas son, Rajendra chola in a place called Gangai konda chollapuram, as a memory in defeating the ganges plains.

What are some lesser known facts about Amarnath Temple?

 The journey to the Amarnath cave temple is considered as the most difficult one.

The lesser known facts about Amarnath temple are ::

• The Amarnath shrine is located in the Himalayan region of South Kashmir which is about 141 km from Srinagar and is situated at an altitude of 3,888 meters (12,756 feet).

The story behind the Amarnath Jyothirlinga,

• One day on mount Kailash, Goddess Parvathi asked Shiva “ Hey Lord ! Why do you always wear the Munda_mala, Garland of skulls around your neck, Whose skulls are these Mahadev “?

Then the Mahadev says “ my dear, whenever you take avatar ( birth in the form of a human), then one kapala gets added to this Garland”.

Parvathi further says “ Swamy ( Lord), why is it that I'm being born again and again, but you are never born again “?

Shiva says “ That is the secret of the immorality, the secret of life and death dear. I can't tell you in this place, let's go to a spot where there are no living beings, and there I would reveal the secret to you. Saying this God Shiva, Parvathi and His family started their journey to the Amarnath cave.

On the way to the cave, God Shiva left all his family members in the middle and reached with only Parvathi to the cave.

• The Place where Shiva left His mount Nandi, came to be known as Pahalgam or Bailgam ( bail means bull in Hindi). This place is 100 kms away from Srinagar.
• From a distance of 16 kms from Bailgav, Shiva renounced Moon at a place called Chandravad.
• After few miles, Shiva left His ornament Vasuki, the cobra king at a place called Sheshnaag ( this place is a combination of seven Hills present there) .
• Later Shiva gave up Lord Ganesh at a place called Mahaguna and later gave up the Holy River Ganga from His hair, at a place called Panchatarini.
• Shiva kept His trishul outside, at the entrance of the cave.
• After leaving them all, Shiva and Parvathi entered into the Amarnath cave.
• After entering into the cave, Shiva made a huge sound with His damru, hearing to that sound, all the birds present in the cave flew away.

• Then Shiva told the secret of life and death and immortality to goddess Parvathi. Shiva did not observe that, in the corner of the cave, two pigeon eggs were present and they hatched and two baby pigeons were born, so this two pigeons heard the entire story.
• Shiva says “ Since these two pigeons have heard the secret, they will be immortal and whoever sees this birds gets the highest virtue, from today on wards, we two will be in this pigeon form “.

• Few people who went to the Amarnath cave, reported to have seen the pigeons.
• Shiva manifested himself into the Ice linga in the cave to bless His devotees.
• It's a popular belief that, Sage Kashyapa created many water streams ( rivers) in the mountains surrounding this cave.

• And it was sage Bhrigu, who visited this cave first and made it popular to others.
• This temple is open only in the summers, that too for a period of 45 days ( July and August month).
• When summer starts, the ice starts to melt and the iced water forms into a Linga.

• It is said that, during many foreign invasions, people stopped visiting this temple from 12 th to 15th century.
• In 15 th Century, one day a person named Bhuta malik went to graze his goats and yaks in the mountain. Then a Sadhu came and handed him a bag of coal pieces. But when Bhuta malik went home and opened the bag, he saw full gold coins in place of coal. He was very happy and he went in search of that Sadhu to thank him, in the process he finds this cave and again people started to worship the Iced Linga.

Source :: Amarnath story in Hindu dharmam channel, Shiva purana and devon ke dev mahadev hindi series.

Why Has the Eighth Door of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple Never Been Opened?

 

This door is said to be sealed by the mystical "Naga Bandhan." Here's how it is believed it can be opened.

The Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is regarded as the resting place of Vishnu. Its name means "the One whose navel bears the lotus," referring to the sacred lotus from which, according to Hindu tradition, creation itself began.

The Mystery

The temple is administered by the former Travancore Royal Family through a trust. Following an order from the Supreme Court of India>, a seven-member committee opened several of the temple's sealed vaults, where an enormous treasure was discovered.

Illnesses and Deaths

According to the story, everything went smoothly until the sixth vault. However, when attention turned to the next sealed chamber, a series of unfortunate events allegedly began.

One committee member reportedly fell seriously ill and refused to continue. Another person who attempted to proceed is said to have lost his mother shortly afterward. It is also claimed that T. P. Sundararajan, the man who had filed the court petition related to the temple, later passed away.

Traditional Beliefs

One popular belief says that the King of Travancore invited accomplished saints, tantric practitioners, and ascetics from different traditions to perform a powerful ritual known as Naga Bandhan, spiritually sealing the mysterious door.

Another belief claims that the sealed chamber is directly connected to Patala. According to this legend, anyone who forces the door open would be swept through an underground passage beneath the sea and into the underworld itself.

Yet another tradition says that a hidden tunnel behind the door leads to Naga Loka, the mythical realm of the serpent beings. It is believed to contain immeasurable treasures—precious gems, pearls, diamonds, and countless priceless jewels—guarded by powerful divine serpents.

How Is the Door Supposed to Be Opened?

According to legend, only an enlightened sage or yogi who has mastered the sacred Garuda Mantra can safely open the mysterious door.

It is believed that when the mantra is chanted with perfect spiritual mastery and the exact vibrational frequency strikes the sealed entrance, the door will unlock on its own. Otherwise, the legend warns that anyone attempting to force it open may invite calamity, misfortune, and disaster upon themselves.

Why do thousands of devotees visit Thirunallar Saniswaran Temple during Sani Peyarchi to seek relief from the effects of Sani Bhagavan?

 Actually out of my personal experience…No need to fear Lord Shani Bhagawan and visit thirunallaaru every Sani Peyarchi ..

Ashok Nagar Anjaneya Swamy Temple, Hanumanthavanam, Chennai.

Instead as a very simple remedy for the problem caused by Shani Bhagawan…Surrender yourself to Lord Hanuman ji and start worshipping Lord Hanuman every Saturday and Tuesdays and see the miracles happen in your life by the divine grace of Sri Anjaneya Swamy…

If possibly recite Hanuman Chalisa daily…it is available even in Tamil and Telugu!

Lord Anjaneya Swamy can help you from the ill effects caused by Shani dev and it is the responsibility of Shri Anjaneya Swamy to protect his devotees from the bad effects of all the nine planets…(because he can control all the nava grahas.)

Jai shree Ram

Jai Bajrangbali 🙏

Why is the Omkareshwar Temple famous in India?

 

(Sri Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga)

Omkareshwar Mahadev is among the twelve sacred Jyotirlingas.

It is well known for its unique qualities.

Meaning : Omkareshwar means Lord ; who represents sacred Naad Brahm (Pranav).

It is in Mandhata island at Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh.

Mandhata : Mandhata is named after King Mandhata , a pious king and forefather of Lord Sri Ram.

It is a river Island near river Narmada.

Omkar shaped : Well, it is naturally shaped like Omkar , the most sacred symbol in Hinduism.

Twin : Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga has a twin shrine known as Sri Mamleshwar Jyotirlinga.

Traditions demand devotees visit Sri Omkareshwar along with Sri Mamleshwar Jyotirlinga.

Boat : Devotees generally visit Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga through a boat ride.

(Chausar, an Indian dice game)

Dice : Devotees believe , Lord Shiva and Goddess Uma play a game of dice daily in Omkareshwar.

After last aarti, priests ceremonially place a board of dice inside the inner sanctum.

Surprisingly , when the temple doors are opened the next morning , the dice board is found scattered.

Note : (If you found this breakdown of Omkareshwar’s unique spiritual and geographical qualities helpful, please upvote this answer so others can discover it too!)

Prayer : Sri Ganeshaya Namah Sri Guruve Namah Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram Namo Parvatipataye Har Har Mahadev Jai Jai Jai Hanuman Gosai Kripa Karo Gurudev Ki Nai

Pic Credits : Google Images / Web

What ancient temple was built in a way that still puzzles modern engineers?

 India's Kailasa Temple wasn't built from the ground up. 8th-century workers carved the massive complex top-down into a solid mountain, where a single slipped chisel meant permanent ruin.

The structure is the largest monolithic piece of art in the world. Instead of cutting blocks of stone and transporting them to a building site, engineers of the Rashtrakuta dynasty selected a cliff of volcanic basalt and began digging. They trenched downward, carving out the roof, the intricate pillars, and the life-sized elephants that appear to carry the temple on their backs.

This top-down excavation is what makes the project an engineering anomaly. In traditional masonry, a flawed stone can be discarded and replaced. Here, there was zero margin for error, since the rock could never be reattached. Yet the temple complex is vast, featuring multiple stories, stone bridges, complex drainage systems, and cavernous halls, all carved with precise symmetry.

The sheer volume of material removed also puzzles experts. Archaeologists estimate that workers excavated between 200,000 and 400,000 tons of rock to isolate the central temple and its surrounding courtyard. Historical records suggest the project was completed during the 18-year reign of King Krishna I. To meet that timeline, laborers had to remove tens of thousands of tons of basalt every year using only iron hammers, chisels, and picks, while simultaneously carving detailed sculptures into the walls.

Even today, clearing that much solid rock in a comparable timeframe would require heavy machinery and explosives. The ancient builders left no records of their planning methods, scaffolding systems, or how they managed the logistics of debris removal.

The Kailasa Temple features life-size stone elephants carved directly out of the mountain's basalt rock. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

How and when the Kedarnath Temple was made?

 

With the noble aspiration that the land should always remain prosperous, Adi Sankara journeyed to Kailasa to worship and offer prayers to Parvati and Parameshwara.

Pleased, Shiva bestowed five *Spatika Lingas* (crystal Lingas) upon him.

Shankara consecrated these Lingas at five different locations. Since streams of *Amruta* (nectar) flow from the crescent moon adorning these Lingas, they are all worshipped under the name 'Chandramaulishwara'.

Among them, the Linga at the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham is worshipped as *Yoga Linga*, the one at the Sringeri Peetham as *Bhoga Linga*, the one at the Pashupatinath temple in Nepal as *Vara Linga*, the one at Kedarnath as *Mukti Linga*, and the one at Chidambaram as *Moksha Linga*.

This is one version of Kedarnath temple history.

Subhamastu

Which temple has miracles reported by devotees?

 According to my personal experience and real life experience of numerous devotees Sri Triplicane Parthasarathi Perumal temple Chennai , Tamil Nadu has reported exemplary miracles by infinite devotees…

Om Namo Narayanaya

Hare Krishna

The image is the picture of Shri Ventaka Krishnan of Thiruallikeni , Chennai

Why do people write their wish on a stone inside the Tirupati Temple?

(Lord Venkateswara's feet)

Devotees only put stones at Srivari Padalu (feet of Lord Sri Venkateswara) at Narayangiri hills.

They can’t write anything inside Tirupati temple.

Prayer : Many devotees put stones with a prayer at Srivari Padalu.

They believe , it is a way to reach Lord’s heart.

Devotion : Devotees climb nearly 300 steps with a silent prayer to reach Srivari Padalu.

They offer Tulsi Mala to Lord Srinivas and make a wish.

Facts : Devotees don’t scribble anything on walls of main Tirupati shrine.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams is strictly against any kind of vandalism.

Prayer : Sri Ganeshaya Namah Namo Narayanaya Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram Namo Parvatipataye Har Har Mahadev Jai Jai Jai Hanuman Gosai Kripa Karo Gurudev Ki Nai

Pic Credits : Google Images / Web

What is the specialty of the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple?

 Located on the South Bank of ‘River Vaigai', Meenakshi Temple is dedicated to 'Meenakshi’ (Eswari) and ‘Sundareswarar’ (Siva). The temple complex is of 14 Acres.

The temple is one of the major temples for Sivaism. Unlike many Sivaite temples, in Madurai Meenakshi is the ‘main deity' as it is believed in some Southern parts 'penultimate (spiritual) powers rest with the women'. Vaishnavites also come in large numbers as it has many narratives of 'Vishnu'. According to them it is called ‘Southern Mathura'. It is Vishnu giving away his sister bride Meenakshi to bridegroom Shiva in Madurai.

This temple is mentioned in 6 Century CE Texts. It is also mentioned in ‘Saiva Hymns' (Padaal Petra stalam) of ‘Nayanars’ (hounds of Siva) of 6–9th Century CE Texts.

The temple has 14 ‘gateway towers' and the tallest one is of 170 feet height. The towers of Sanctums of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are ‘gold gilded' ones.

The streets radiating from temple bear the names of Tamil months — Chitrak (1st month of Tamil year), Aadi (4th month), Aavani (5th month) and Masi (11th month). In each of these months the procession of dieties (bronze forms) happens through these streets.

Major portions of the today's temple was built by Pandya King ‘Sadayavarman Kulasekara Pandyan'. After him, many Pandya Kings undertook additional constructions, alterations and renovations in the temple. King Tirumala Nayaka also undertook restoration work in 17th Century CE.

The ‘golden lotus tank' inside the temple opposite to main deity's entrance has many significant relevance. The Rishis (Saints) used to take holy dip in the tank and pray the God by reciting hymns.

Normally a Siva Temple in Tamilnadu has many dieties, some temples have more than 100 deities. You can see deities of ‘Ganesha, various forms of Siva, Eswari, Shanmugha, Durga, Brahma, Saraswati, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Dakshinamoorthy, Bhairav, etc'.

‘Kadamba’ in Tamil (Bur-flower tree) is the tree of the temple.

The temple is considered for ‘Planet Mercury'. Those who have influence or dissuaded by Mercury offer prayers here. It is advisable to those who born in Gemini and Virgo to offer prayers here. The temple is considered one of the holy places for marriages. Dakshinamoorthy in this temple is the deity for Birthstar 'Moola’ (19th Star in order).

Madurai is one of the ‘5 dancing sabhas' of Shiva. This sabha is called 'Silver Sabha’. The dancing form of Shiva is called ‘Sandhya Dandavam'.

The temple houses a ‘1000 pillared hall'. (A very few temples in Tamilnadu has).

The statues of 63 Nayanars who recited 'Saiva Hymns’ are located at South corridor of the temple. The Nayanars who wrote hymns on this temple are:

🕉️ Manikka Vasagar

🕉️ Thirugnana Sambandhar

🕉️ Thirunavukkarasar

Their hymns narrate the holiness of the Deities, Holy Water and this Holy Place.

The temple is one of the treasures of sculptures. Numerous sculpted pillars can be seen.

A ‘10 day festival' of ‘Meenakshi Marriage' with Sundareswarar takes place during April — May every year.

During that time ‘Chariot Procession' takes place around the temple. The