Lord Murugan is the deity of the Tamil Land. Palani (Tiru Avinankudi) is the third Padai Veedu. The temple at Palani is an ancient one, situated at an elevation of 1500 feet above sea level. The deity of Palani is known as Dandayudhapani Swami, the Lord having the Staff in his Hand. The deity at the sanctum sanctorum is made out of an amalgam of nine poisons popularly called Navapashanam.

One of the many legends associated with the origin of Lord Muruga states that Lord Shiva emitted sparks from his third eye and these fell into the Saravana Poikai (lake) to become six infants. The wives of six rishis nurtured the babies and were subsequently rewarded to appear as the constellation Pleiades. When the divine consort Parvati beheld the beauty of these children, she embraced them all forcibly together to become one form with six heads and twelve arms. In this form Lord Muruga is known as Shanmukha or Arumuga Swami.

On the evening of Raksha Bandhan, 18th Aug 2005, after visiting the Devidura Mela, where there is a heroic stone-fight in time-honoured tradition, I stopped at Paharpani where I spent a few days in solitude and sadhana, or spiritual practice.

Jajpur is situated on the right bank of the Baitarani River at longitude 20051 N and latitude 86020 E. The origin of the name of Jajpur is shrouded in mystery. Some scholars think that it is derived from the word Yajnapura, while other scholars opine that the name originated from Jajatipura. King Yajati of Somavansa was known to have made a great Yajna called Dasaswamedha at this place.

The temple of Lokanatha is situated at a distance of about 2½ kms to the west of Jagannatha temple of Puri. The western boundary of the Puri town is guarded by the temple of Lokanatha, which is traditionally said to have been established by Sri Ramacandra, the Hero of Ramayan. There are no artifacts in the temple to indicate that remote antiquity, however.

The famous Ganga monarch Chodaganga, after constructing the present Sri Jagannath Temple in the 12th century A.D., confirmed the old endowments of Jagannath, made new endowments and laid the foundation of a sound administration of the temple. Madala Panji eulogistically records the extensive endowments in land and fabulous gifts of gold made by king Anangabhima Deva, who was credited with organising the Chatisanijoga and instituting numerous Bhogas and Yatras.

"Agni said: I will now describe the fruits of making temples for the residence of Vasudeva and other deities. He who attempts to erect temples for gods is freed from the sins of a thousand births. Those who think of building a temple in their minds are freed from the sins of a hundred births. Those who approve of a man's building a temple for Krishna go to the region of Acyuta [Vishnu] freed from sins.

The district of Dakshin Dinajpur is home to many archeological and temple art sites of great interest to the Vaisnavas. For example, Dakshin Dinajpur is the place where Lord Krsna's son Aniruddha fled with Usha, resulting in the battle between Krsna and Bana.

Srikshetra, popularly known as Puri, is one of the famous Sakta pithas of Orissa. The temple of Goddess Bhubanesvari is an important Sakta shrine of Srikshetra. It is situated to the north of the western gateway within the inner enclosure of the Jagannatha temple. [1] This temple is exactly located next to the Khirachora Gopinatha temple.

Like earliest civilizations - the Aryan, Egyptian, Babylonian, Assyrian which were established on the banks of rivers, Prachi Valley Civilization, one of the glorious civilizations of Orissa, flourished on the banks of Prachi. No one can be able to imagine about the greatness of such a splendid civilization without thorough investigation.

The River Ganga has a long history of reverence in India and is worshipped by Hindus as an embodiment of the transcendental personality, Ganga Ma. The total length of the river is about 2,510 km (1,557 miles). Along with the Yamuna River, it forms a large and fertile basin known as the Gangetic plains, stretching across north India and Bangladesh, supporting one of the highest densities of human population in the world.

Thirthraj is famous in the history of Prayag and also has a relationship with the citizens of Prayag. Prayagwal is a Brahmin of high society, which includes citizens of both Saryupari and Kanyakubj. The descendents of Tirth Purohit of Prayag, who were chosen by Lord Ram as Tirth Purohit of his Raghukul after his victory over Lanka in Treta yuga, are still living in Kavirapur, Battupur of District Ayodhya.

The area of Prayag is known as the land of Prajapati. From Prayag to Pratishthanpur till the limits of Jhusi, this is said to be the land of serpents, from Vasuki, Kambal and Ashwatar, linked to Nag-bhumi or Sheshnag. This region is said to be spread over 20 kos that encompasses Parna Muni ashram, Panasa across the Yamuna, Shringverpur across the Ganga and the Durvasa ashram. Lord Vishnu, Brahma and Mahesh are the presiding Deities of this region.

Kalpvaas has a special significance in Prayag. It holds special significance in the month of Magh, and it lasts from the 11th day of the month of Paush till the 12th day of the month of Magh. Kalpavas is marked by patience, non-violence and devotion, and meals are to be partaken only once a day. It is believed that Kalpavasis who fulfill all the vows get reborn as a king.

Composition of the Maha-bharata was begun in the early years of the Mauryan Empire (321-185 BC) founded by Candragupta, and it describes a war between the Kauravas (descendants of Dhritarashtra) and the Pandavas (descendants of Pandu), who were both sons of Kuru, himself a descendant of King Bharata, the ancient father of the race.

Dakor, in its earlier phases as pilgrimage center in Gujarat, was famous for the Danknath temple, a place of Shiva worship. In the later phases it developed into a Vaishnavite center with the growing fame of Ranchhodraiji temple, which was built in 1772 A.D.

The Mahavir temple of Siruli is an important Hanuman shrine of Orissa. It is situated about 27 kms on the north east of Puri town. The shrine is also located exactly at a distance of 12 kms from the Chandanpur Chhak of the main road, which lies between Puri and Bhubaneswar. It is a small temple, which is dedicated to Lord Mahavir Hanumana.

The mere thought of going on pilgrimage to Dwarka liberates the devotee and his ancestors from their sinful activities. Each step taken on the path of devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna gives one virtues similar to that of ashwamedha yagya, as performed by Bali Maharaja at Kurukshetra.

About five hundred years ago, Sri Chaitanya on his pilgrimage to Puri from Nadia Navadweep visited Gopinath Temple at Remuna, situated in the Balasore district of Orissa. During the aforesaid pilgrimage, the Lord stayed for some time in the tiny Gadjat kingdom of Mangalpur, about 30 km away from Remuna. The king of the said tiny kingdom was initiated by Sri Mahaprabhu into the Vaishnava cult. The successors of the king later on took the pioneership in spreading the Vaisnava cult in the region by constructing several temples.

Bishnupur, formerly known as MallaBhum, is famously known as the temple town of West Bengal for its architecturally exclusive temples, built by the Malla Rulers from AD 695 onwards. The town remained as the capital of MallaBhum, ranging as a territory containing the entire of the Bankura District and extending up to a quantitative part of today’s districts of Bardhamman and Midnapore. Any and every visitor to Bishnupur is sure to be stunned by the exquisite workmanship and architectural elegance of these historic creations.