Why do Shiva temples seem to have more visitors, but Vishnu temples generate more revenue? What's driving these differences?

 

While delivering a discourse, the revered Garikapati Narasimha Rao garu shared an interesting observation:

A devotee once asked him, "Among the many types of temples, why are Siva's temples always so crowded?"

He replied, " Close your eyes for a moment and visualize a picture of the Siva family—whether one you have at home or one you have seen elsewhere. Lord Siva sits there with a gentle smile. Goddess Parvati sits close to Him, her head resting almost upon His shoulder. Vinayaka and Kumaraswamy sit nearby; often, one of them is even seated in the Mother's lap.

Looking at them feels just like looking at a family photograph of one's own eldest maternal uncle or paternal uncle.

Visiting a Siva temple feels like visiting the home of such an uncle; it brings peace of mind. That is why people frequent Siva temples," he said.

It struck me as a truly wonderful explanation.

It occurred to me that Siva is easily accessible to His devotees (Bhakta-sulabha). When someone approaches Him, He does not dwell on how corrupt they might have been or how many people they might have hurt—those matters are for others to address later. Instead, Siva simply asks, "My dear one, what brings you here?" and listens to their troubles with compassion, offering solace.

Just a short distance away sits the Mother—the embodiment of boundless compassion (Avyaja-karuna-murti)—wearing a gentle smile. Her face radiates a serene, beaming smile. She embodies the quality of Sattva (purity and goodness); anger never touches Her. One is comforted and sent on their way with the assurance to leave all troubles behind; the mind finds peace.

As one moves forward, one beholds Lord Vinayaka—who ensures that all tasks proceed smoothly and without obstacles—Lord Subrahmanya Swamy, who constantly protects us from danger, and Nandi, the embodiment of Dharma.
What does a living being need more than mental peace? This is found in a Siva temple. There is no doubt about it.
The general feeling is mostly poor and middle class people visit Siva temples frequently.

May all this be offered to Lord Siva.

Subhamastu

What are the lesser known facts about Hindu temples (or any other religious place)?

 Duryodhana and the 101 Kauravas temples of kerela, India

Despised in most of India, The eldest Kaurava Duryodhana has a temple in kollam which witness millions of devotees every year. Around 20 lakh devotees visit Poruvazhy Peruviruthy Malanda temple and offer prayers to Duryodhana and his 100 siblings including Yuyutsu who opted to join the Pandavas to fight Kauravas.

And it's not only the 101 Kauravas, Dushala(their sister), Shakuni and Karna also have temples around 50 km of radius. The Kauravas community in Kerela worship them and consider them as their ancestors.

The belief:

During the exile of Pandavas, the tired and thirsty Duryodhana, along with other Kauravas including Karna and Shakuni, approached their community to take some rest and food. They were served with palm wine and offered the village to take rest for a couple of days.

Duryodhana promised to return to their village to celebrate more days with the community, but he never returned. Assuming they all died, the villagers performed their last rites. However, they believe that his spirit still resides here as he gifted vast swathes of agricultural land to the villagers

Although, it is still to be cleared authentically that did Duryodhana ever stepped there? Faith brings love for many

What are some must-visit temples in Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamilnadu?

 I will confine my list to Karnataka since I am not a frequent traveller to Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Whenever names of must-visit temples in Karnataka are listed, it’s often limited to Dharmasthala, Kukke Subramanya, Sringeri, Horanadu, Kollur, MM Hills, and so on. I will list a few temples, which are not so well-known but are worth a visit for an intrepid traveller or a devotee.

Pajaka Kshetra, Udupi

Pajaka is the birthplace of Sri Madhvacharya, the founder of Dvaita philosophy. It is located on a hillock and offers a panoramic view of the Western Ghats. The temple doesn’t often get frequent visitors, but those who have visited it will appreciate the serenity of the place.

Sri Durgaparameshwari temple, Mandarthi, Udupi

While the Kollur Mookambika temple attracts tourists from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Mandarthi temple is famous in its own right. Plus, the temple has its own Yakshagana troupe to boot!

Sri Vinayaka temple, Anegudde, Udupi

This temple is on the highway towards Kundapura. Legend has it that the vigraha of Vinayaka keeps growing every year. If you’re ever visiting the temple, be careful about the monkeys here. Any sniff or sight of food, they will lunge at you rather aggressively!

Sri Veerabhadra temple, Hiriyadka, Udupi

Veerabhadra temple is unique in the sense that it’s hard to find a temple dedicated to one of Bhagwan Shiva’s gaNa Veerabhadra.

Sri Durgaparameshwari temple, Kateel, Mangalore

The unique aspect of this temple is that it’s surrounded by the Nandini river. Location wise, the temple is close to the Mangalore International Airport, and just like Mandarthi temple, this too has a full-fledged Yakshagana troupe!

Sri Mahaganapathi temple, Southadka, Mangalore

Unlike other temples where the deity is placed in the grabha gruha, in Southadka, the deity is a udbhava murthy and is located outside the temple. The votive offering is made in the form of tying a bell outside the temple premises.

Shishileshwara temple, Shishila, Mangalore

Whenever you’re driving to Dharmasthala from Bangalore, take a detour a few kilometers before Dharmasthala towards a village called Shishila, where a temple’s dedicated to Shiva. Like Sringeri temple, you will find a lot of masheer fishes in the Kapila river on whose banks the temple is located.

Jain Basadi, Varanga, Karkala

The last temple on my list is strictly not a Hindu temple, but a Jain basadi. However, the place is worth a visit for its scenic beauty and location. It is located in the middle of the Varanga lake and is a photographer’s delight. The basadi was also featured prominently in the Kannada movie Mugulu Nage.

Where is the lying Hanuman temple?

 There are four temples in the whole world where the position of Hanuman Ji is Lying down that means “ Lete Hue Hanuman Ji ”

• Lete Hanuman Ji or Bade Hanuman Ji temple is situated in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India.

• Madrail Hanuman Ji Mandir in Village Kannlkinara, Parganas District, West Bengal

• Bhadra Hanuman Mandir in Aurangabad, Maharashtra

• Jam Sawali Hanuman Temple located at Chindwara district of Madhya Pradesh

।। ॐ नमो हनुमते रुद्रावताराय सर्वशत्रुसंहारणाय सर्वरोग हराय सर्ववशीकरणय रामदूताय स्वाहा ।।

Jai Bajrang Bali 🙏🙏😊😊

What is the best mystery of Indian temples until now?

 There are post(s) about the Hanging pillar in Lepakshi Temple. There are more intriguing things in the same temple. Here, they are.

1. The footprint - Believed to be of Maa Sita Devi - Sita Padam

Whatever the season, what ever the time, there is always some wetness inside the footprint.

2. The Naga Lingam - The associated story goes this way. The Main Sculptor of the Temple came to his Mother for lunch. He was asked by his mother to wait for some time, while she prepares. This guy went on to sculpt an entire stone into this Naga lingam. His mother came out of the kitchen, only to see that the entire stone has turned into a beautiful Idol. She was so excited to see it and she went on praising it so much that, her "drishti" fell on the idol. Immediately, the idol broke vertically. People who visit this temple can see the crack running all through, vertically.

3. Eyes of the Sculptor - Sri Virupanna. The story goes like, when the information was being circulated around that there was misappropriation of funds by him while constructing the temple, Sri Virupanna happened to pluck his eyes out by himself and threw them towards the wall. The stains are proven to be of blood, sampled by ASI.

4. Nandi - Monilithic Statue of Nandi - The story is that this statue was made by multiple sculptors simultaneously, while they were awaiting the cook to finish cooking lunch, and also was inspired by a decorated bull that was sitting around. Multiple sculptors who randomly make this kind of statue without prior planning and with no other cause or requirement. This statue happens to represent one of the state symbols of AP. AP Government gives "Nandi Awards" for top performances in various categories for films and related fields every year. The award comes with a model of this Nandi. This is not a part of the Temple, though.

What are the most mysterious things about Indian temple?

 Shree Ram Raja Sarkar.

Only temple in the world where Shri Ram is worshipped as a King Ram.

A King's Palace was turned overnight into a Temple in the 15th century.

The Creator of Universe Shri Ram is also considered as a King of Orchha State in M.P. No one including Prime Minister/Chief Minister is being given a salute by the Police here. Only Shri Ram is considered as a unified government in Orchha.

All the daily rituals and puja of Shri Ram is done like a King in his full glory!

It is a true tale of 15th century.

Ruler of Orchha Madhukar Shah Ji was an ardent devotee of Shri Banke Bihari (Krishna) whereas his wife Ganesh Kunwari was devoted to Shri Ram. Once upon a time, they both went to a temple of Lord Krishna. The temple was closed so they waited outside for the opening. They were joined by a group of devotees there who were dancing and singing in the praise of Shri Krishna. It is believed that Shri Krishna and Radha themselves came and took part in that devotional ceremony. After this, King asked Queen to go to Mathura-Vrindavan with her for the darshan of Shri Banke Bihari but the Queen wanted to go to Ayodhya for darshan of Shri Ram.

The King became angry on Queen and said her that you always keep praying to the child form of Shri Ram but he never gave darshan to us like Shri Krishna did today. So if you want to go Ayodhya, Go! But return only with the child form of Shri Ram.

Queen Ganesh Kunwari went to Ayodhya and started doing very hard Tapasya with a firm decision in her mind that either I will have a darshan of Shri Ram or I will submit my life in the Saryu river. Many days passed but Shri Ram didn't appeared in front of her eyes. So one fine day, in the midnight she jumped in the Saryu river. But a strange thing happened!

Instead of drowning, she found herself in the shore of river and on her lap she found Bal Swaroop Ram (child Ram) sitting and smiling at her. Queen, with tears of joy in her eyes prayed to Shri Ram and asked a boon to come with her to Orchha and live there.

Shri Ram agreed on three conditions. First is they will travel from Ayodhya to Orchha only in Pushya Nakshatra. Second is once he reached Orchha, he will be the King from that moment onwards of Orchha. Third is, wherever the Queen seat me first after her lap will be my final seat and I will remain seated there always.

The Queen readily agreed and it took 8 months and 27 days to reach from Ayodhya to Orchha as they travelled only in Pushya Nakshatra. Before leaving Orchha, Queen ordered to strat building a Chaturbhuj Temple without letting the King know. Meanwhile, Shri Krishna came in the dream of King Madhukar and scolded him for differentiating between Krishna and Ram. King realised his mistake and went with all the horses, elephants and glories to receive the Queen with Shri Ram.

King apologised to the Queen and they happily entered the Orchha. Queen Ganesh Kunwari rested Shri Ram in her palace and thought that next day Shri Ram will be seated in his Chaturbhuj Temple.

But as Shri Ram stated the condition, he remained seated and transformed into an idol in the bedroom of Queen in her palace and nobody was able to move him from there to Chaturbhuj Temple.

On that day, the palace was converted into a temple and Shri Ram became the King of Orchha state. This was the same day when Tulsidas Ji completed writing the story of Ram Ramcharitmanas.

It is also said that this idol was actually of Ram Janma Mandir in Ayodhya. Because of continuous attacks on Temples and rituals of Sanatan Dharm, Shri Ram decided to move from Ayodhya to Orchha. People believe that Shri Ram stays in Orchha at day time and went to sleep to Ayodhya everyday.

All sorts of photography and videography is prohibited inside the temple. Also it is believed that if anyone takes the darshan of the lotus feet of Shri Ram here, all his/her wishes gets fulfilled. But as Shri Ram is seated in Padmasana (Lotus Shape) it is very difficult to see his feet.

Shri Ram is present here alongisde Maa Sita, Lakshman, Hanuman, Sugreev, Jamvant, Narasimha and Ma Durga in Ram Darbar.

A Guard of Honor is given to Shri Ram daily 5 times by the Police as he is the King of the State!

Also nobody dares to do any sinful deeds and take any sort of bribes or do corruption as they fear their King Shri Ram.

There is nothing mysterious about the temple as Shri Ram is the the creator of uncountable universes so it's very obvious that he is the King of Kings as well!

Jai Shri Ram

For more info please go through these links;

श्री राम राजा ओरछाधीश ओरछा जिला टीकमगढ़ (म.प्र)

ओरछा-राजा राम का मंदिर - राम राम राजा राम राम...

Which are some of the most important temples dedicated to Shri Rama in India?

 

Kamtanath is among the most popular shrines in India.

Naturally, saints and devotees visit in large numbers.

It has significant connection with Sri Ram Katha.

Kamadgiri : Kamtanath shrine is personification of Kamadgiri.

It means, wish fulfilling (kamad) hill (giri).

Chitrakoot : It is in Chitrakoot on the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Ecologists admire it for its pristine natural greenery.

Rama : Lord Rama, Lord Lakshmana and Goddess Sita stayed here during 14 years of their stay.

Well, seers consider it among the most sacred shrines dedicated to Lord Ram Narayan.

Parikrama : Many devotees ritualistically circumambulate around Kamadgiri hill.

They chant Rama Nama; Ram Mantra and Chaupayis during five km circumambulation.

Prayer : Sri Ganeshaya Namah Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram Namo Parvatipataye Har Har Mahadev

Sankat katey matey sab peera ; Jo sumire Hanumath balbira.

Pic Credits : Google Images/ Web

What are some 'Jyotirlinga temples' across India that every Hindu must visit once in a lifetime?

 12 Jyotirlinga Temples across India that Every Hindu must visit once in a lifetime...

1. Shree Kedarnath Mahadev Mandir, Uttarakhand.

2. Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, Uttar Pradesh.

3. Shree Somnath Jyotirling Temple, Gujarat.

4. Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain Madhya Pradesh.

5. Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple at Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh.

6. Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Mandir in Nasik, Maharashtra.

7. Shri Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga in Khandwa, of Madhya Pradesh.

8. Ramanathaswamy Jyotirlinga in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu.

9. Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra.

10. Baidyanath Jyotirlinga in Deoghar, Jharkhand.

11. Nageshwar Jyotirlinga in Dwarka, Gujarat.

12. Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga in Ellora, Maharashtra.

Har Har Mahadev (Great Lord Shiva)