Here are the Kudroli Temple Darshan Timings
6 AM to 9 PM. Open on all days of the week. It usually takes 30 minutes for darshan. The temple is located in Mangalore.
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9 Navratri Rituals you must follow in 2019
Navratri (“nava” i.e. 9 + “ratri” i.e. nights) means “nine nights”. This ritual is observed twice a year, in spring and in autumn. During Navratri, Hindus undertake nine days of fasting and worshipping. The Divine Mother or Devi is worshipped by her own command for nine days and in different forms. This festival is celebrated with various rites and rituals as believed by the devotees and hence, the commencement of all the rituals makes it more auspicious. Here is a list of some popular rituals undertaken for Navratri.
Ritual 1 – Worshipping the 9 forms of Goddess Durga
It is believed that Goddess Durga has 9 forms. All these nine manifestations of the goddess are worshipped during the Navratri and each manifestation has its own significance. Each day of Navratri is dedicated to one goddess each and the devotees worship accordingly. These 9 forms of the goddess are as follows-
- Shailputri Mata
- Brahmacharini Mata
- Chandraghanta Mata
- Kushmanda Mata
- Skanda Mata
- Katyayani Mata
- Kalratri Mata
- Mahagauri Mata
- Siddhatri Mata
Ritual 2 – Ghatsthapana
During this religious festival, instalment of a pot in one’s pooja room is meant to be auspicious. This installation of a pot is termed as “Ghatsthapana”. This pot symbolises the universe and is filled with a mixture of seven kinds of grains and covered with coconut.
Ritual 3 – Lightening of Akhand Jyoti
As the name suggests “Akhand” means uninterrupted and “Jyoti” means light. During this festival, a lamp is lit for nine days continuously and taken care so that it doesn’t go off. Burning of it for all nine days non-stop is said to put an end to negative energies and make the devotees aware of their consciousness. It is also believed that this Akhand Jyoti is the medium through which one worships “Adi Shakti” i.e. Goddess Durga.
Ritual 4 – Sowing of Barley
In a pot of sand or copper, barley seeds are sown. Barley is the symbol of first fruit and signifies growth, affluence and abundance. Hence, it is worshipped as well as taken care of all nine days. It is believed that the length of the barley shoots determines the quantum of income and prosperity that a family will have.
Ritual 5 – Offerings to Goddess Durga
Different kinds of offerings are made to Goddess during 9 days of Navratri as a token of thanksgiving from the devotees for listening to their prayers and keeping them away from ill happenings. The offerings are in the form of fruits, food, clothes, jewellery, etc.
Ritual 6 – Enchanting of Durga Sapshatti Paath
Reciting of the Durga Sapshatti Paath during Navratri is considered to be extremely auspicious. If not completely one can choose to recite particular Adhyayas as each adhyaya has its own significance. Enchanting the same sanctions the devotee with peace, tranquillity, wealth and prosperity in life.
Ritual 7 – 9 Colours for 9 Days
All the nine days of Navratri have a colour in their name. All these colours hold certain significance and devotees prefer wearing those nine colours accordingly or as per the day. Those nine colours are as follows – Green, Blue, Red, Orange, Yellow, Indigo, Violet, Pink and clothes with hues of golden.
Ritual 8 – Singing and Dancing
Singing and dancing during Navratri is now a part of festivity and fun and also a reason to dress up and catch up with your friends. But generations back it was believed and is still believed that singing and dancing in front of the idols of Goddess is auspicious and brings good luck. When goddess observes you to be happy and praising her in this form bestows you with more joy and happiness in life.
Ritual 9 – Kanya Bhoj
In Hindu Religion girls from the age group of 1-12 are termed to be as the little goddesses. Hence, on the ninth day, small girls are called over to various people’s houses and then first worshipped and later served with food. Further, they are offered with sweet beetle leaves, chunari, gifts, etc as we offer the goddesses.
Follow all these rituals and your Navratri will be all the more fun, perfect and filled with happiness and prosperity.
Hindu Mythological Demons List – Asuras in Hinduism
According to Hindu mythology, the demons have the same status as humans and Gods. Gods, demons, and humans are considered as the children of Brahma who is the creator of the Universe. The only difference between them is the way of thinking and understanding the teachings of the scholars in a different way. Some of the demons were considered as strong and intelligent while others were weak and stupid.
List of Top 10 Hindu Demons
1. Ravana
Ravana was a powerful king of demons with twenty hands and ten heads. He was considered as the most dreadful creature of the universe who can even change the planetary alignments. Ravana was one of the very intellectual demons who mastered all the holy scripts of Hindu mythology. He was killed by Rama as Ravana abducted Rama’s wife Sita to marry her. When Lord Rama killed Ravana, he was more than 12,00,000 years old.
Ravana was also the first astrologer of the whole world with immense knowledge of Spirituality, Warfare, Arts, Science, and Music. It is also believed that once he made Veena (classical music instrument) and tied his own intestine as strings to praise the Lord. He has the power to clone anyone and had 1 lakh sons out of which 99998 songs were cloned by him. Ravana was also never a teenager, when he was 8 years old his mother convinced his father to grow Ravana as an adult through a technique in which his father had expertise.
2. Putana
Lord Krishna appeared as a Supreme personality on earth to kill all the demons and protect all his devotees. Putna was the demoness who knew the art of killing infants through black magic. Putna dressed herself as a beautiful girl and entered the infant Krishna’s house to kill him.
All the women in the village thought that the beautiful girl had come to meet baby Krishna. When Putna entered the room, she saw Krishna lying on the small bed and took him to her lap. The wicked demoness has smeared poison on her breasts and pushed her nipple within his mouth. While she breastfed him, infant Krishna sucked the life out of her. She died of screaming and her body extended up to 12 miles which smashed all the trees and houses.
3. Mahabali
Mahabali was one of the very generous demon kings and everybody was very happy in his kingdom. He was a great worshipper of the Lord and wanted people to be happy in his kingdom.
Once Vamana came to his kingdom and asked for a piece of land that could be covered by his footsteps. Lord Vishnu has disguised himself as Vamana and when Mahabali promised to do so, Vamana increased his size. His footsteps covered the entire world and hence Mahabali asked Vamana to put his third step on his forehead and Mahabali eventually died. This day is celebrated as Onam in many parts of the world.
4. Shurpanakha
Shurpanakha was a wicked demoness and was the sister of the demon king Ravana. She was very ugly and married to Dushtabudhi. Dushtabudhi was a very greedy person and wanted Ravana’s kingdom. Finally, he was killed by Ravana and windowed Surpanakha stayed with her brother Ravana.
Some years later she saw Rama and Lakshman in the forest and wanted to marry them. But both denied the proposal and she really got very angry. She even tried to attack Sita who was the sister in law of Lakshman, Lakshman got very angry and chopped her nose. There was an epic battle fought between them and Ram eventually won the battle. After few years Surpanakha died but the cause of her death is still unknown.
5. Tarakasura
Tarakasura was an evil king who was a very powerful demon who defeated all his challengers and employed them as his servants. He praised the creator and obtained my boons. Tarakasura killed all the kings and innocent people.
According to his boon, he can only be defeated by Shiva’s son and Shiva had no child. Eventually, Shiva married Parvati and was blessed with a son Kartikeya. Kartikeya fought with Tarakasura and killed him and also killed both his brothers. Kartikeya is also known as Murugan and is worshipped in many parts of the world.
6. Kumbhakarna
Kumbhakarna was a sleeping giant who could sleep constantly for six months. He had an enormous body size who could even eat the whole world. He was also a great philosopher and was never interested in committing any sin. Waking Kumbhakarna was considered as a tremendous task and no one dared to go near him.
His brother Ravana who was a powerful demon had kidnapped Ram’s wife to marry her. To woke him up for the war, one thousand elephants walked over him and finally Kumbhakarna was awake for the battle. He knew that his brother was wrong but fought for his brother. He even tried to convince Ravana that what he was doing was wrong. He destroyed the army in the battle but was finally killed by Ram.
7. Narakasura
Narakasura was a powerful demon who ruled Pradyoshapuram and even tortured the people of his kingdom. He kidnapped 16000 women and took pleasure in torturing them. He mercilessly killed sages and innocent people, unable to bear this torture, people approached Krishna.
Krishna wowed to fight for the people. Narakasura was cursed that only a woman can kill him. Hence Krishna along with his wife fought the battle and Krishna’s wife killed him in the battle. Naraka Chaturdashi is celebrated amongst the people from different parts of the world even today.
8. Raktabija
Raktabija was a demon with great strength and also had a very strange boon. According to his boon, whenever a drop of his blood fell on the ground then a duplicate Raktabija would be born. So it was very difficult to defeat him, no one ever dared to challenge him. Also, his power was increased to a thousand times whenever a drop of his blood fell on the ground. But Raktabija was challenged by Durga.
During the battle, his blood spilled everywhere and thousands of Raktabija were born. Finally, Kali Mata pierced the demon Raktabija and drank the flowing blood with her tongue. She drank every drop of blood before the army of Raktabija emerged.
9. Hiranyakashipu
Hiranyakashipu was the demon king who was very egoistic and wanted all the people to praise and worship him like the almighty God. The demon king thought that he was the creator of the universe and there was no supreme power to control him. The whole kingdom worships him but his own son refused to worship his father.
Hiranyakashipu even tried to kill his son but all his efforts failed. So he asked his sister Holika to set his own son on fire. But again his son came out of the fire unharmed. Hiranyakashipu was killed by Lord Narsingh and thus the evil got defeated. Hiranyakashipu who symbolized immortality and hatred came to an end and his son was the symbol of strong assurance and believer of God.
10. Mahishasura
Mahishasura was a king who inherited the genes of both a demon and a buffalo. His father was the king of demons who were attracted to the beauty of a buffalo and eventually married her. They were blessed with a boy and named him Mahishasura (Mahisha means buffalo and Asura means a demon in Hindi). He was given a boon by Lord Brahma that no man on this planet could kill him, he can only be killed by a woman.
Mahishasura was very powerful and was confident that he is immortal. He thought that it is impossible for a woman to kill a man with so much strength. Due to this he started a war with the people and defeated them. Durga led a battle against him in order to stop Mahishasura. He met his death at the hands of a woman that fulfilled the prophecy.
Navagraha Temples in Tamil Nadu
Navagraha Temples in Tamilnadu. Most temples across the country and certainly almost every temple in South India have a black square stone pedestal with nine idols arranged on it. One of the enduring memories of childhood, apart from the pilgrimage vacations, is that absolutely pleasurable dizziness that comes with the nine circumambulations of this set of Navagraha idols! Another enduring memory is the navagraha homa conducted before every auspicious occasion at home and the mandatory trip to the Navagraha Temples.
The belief that there is some power beyond man that affects his life is an old one. Our ancient sages identified constellations and aligned their movements to man’s fortunes and marked nine celestial bodies, the sun, the moon, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, Neptune, Rahu and Ketu, as the nine grahas that impact man’s life, based on their position and arrangement at the time of his birth. Ever since these nine planets have been worshipped by the man in his pursuit of happiness or in times of misery.
The popular understanding of “Navagraha Temples” is the cluster of nine Shaivaite shrines, around Kumbakonam, in Tamil Nadu where each of the nine grahas, Surya (sun), Chandra (Moon), Mangal (Mars), Buddh (Mercury), Brihaspati (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), Rahu and Ketu have a temple assigned to them. The Navagraha Temples in Tamilnadu owe their origin to Sage Kalava, who was not only a seer but also an excellent astrologer.
On examining his horoscope, Sage Kalava found that the planetary arrangements predicted that he will be afflicted with leprosy. He prayed to each of the nine grahas and his fervent devotion caused them to reverse this eventuality. When Lord Brahma came to know of this he was enraged, since grahas are not meant to offer boons. He cursed them to have the dreaded disease instead and banished them to earth to a place called “vellurrukku vanam” or the ‘forest of the white flower’.
The navagrahas prayed to Shiva and begged him to free them from the curse. Convinced of their repentance, Shiva freed them from the curse and assigned the territory to them with the caveat that they should bless the devotees who pray to them there. Each graha was assigned a village which then became its sthala or abode. Subsequently, temples were built in their honour, with most of them dating to the 7th and 9th century except the Surya Temple which was built in the 11th century.
List of Navagraha Temples in Tamil Nadu
The Navagraha Temples in Tamil Nadu pilgrimage consists of a visit to all these nine temples and can be done in one, two or seven days with the visit being aligned to the day special to the graha. Each temple has its own legend and lore and its own method of worship.
1. Suryanar Kovil dedeicated to Sun
The temple dedicated to the sun is at Suryanar Kovil, which is supposed to be Vellurukku Vanam of yore. The interesting feature at the Suryanar Kovil is that this is the only Navagraha Temples in Tamilnadu where the main deity is the graha itself. In the other eight temples, the main deity is Shiva while the graha is placed in an auxiliary shrine.
However, the first prayer, even here, is offered to Vinayaka to whom the navagrahas prayed as part of their penance, then to Shiva and Parvathi and lastly to Surya who stands on a one-wheeled chariot driven by seven horses symbolizing the seven days of the week. Facing him is Guru (Jupiter) who is positioned so that he may absorb some of the intensity of the sun’s rays before they reach the devotee – a fact that ancient India knew from ages before. Today, research in astronomy has discovered that Jupiter protects the earth from many comets and other bodies that may strike the earth and possibly eradicate a significant portion of it. The shrine of Surya is surrounded by shrines of the other eight grahas.
2. Navagraha Temple – Moon
Chandran or the moon is worshipped at Thingaloor. Legend has it that during Amrithmanthan, an Asura assumed the form of a deva and consumed some nectar. This was spotted by Surya and Chandra who informed Vishnu about it. An angry Vishnu cut the asura into two with his Sudarshana Chakram. Since the asura had consumed a significant bit of nectar by then, he did not die. His head merged with the body of a snake while his body joined the head of another snake and thus were born Rahu and Ketu. Obviously, they went behind Surya and Chandra. Rahu caught up with Chandra and started swallowing him. It is believed that Chandra prayed to Shiva at Thingalur and secured his complete form, fifteen days after Rahu had swallowed him. This explains the waning and waxing face of the moon. The main shrine at Thingalur is that of Shiva as Kailasanathar, while the shrine for Chandra, standing on a chariot drawn by ten horses, is an adjunct shrine. A very peaceful, almost somnolent temple, Thingalur attracts very few visitors except those on the Navgraha beat.
3. Navagraha Temple – Mars
Vaitheeswaran Temple is where Lord Shiva is worshipped as Vaitheeswaran or the “God of healing” and it is believed that prayers to Vaitheeswaran can cure diseases. It is one of the nine Navagraha temples in Tamilnadu associated with the planet Mars (Angaraka).
4. Navagraha Temple – Mercury
Budhan (Mercury), riding on a lion, is worshipped at the Shwetharanyeshwara Temple in Thiruvenkadu. Again, this is a very significant Shiva temple and one forgets that one is at a navagraha temple. As Lord of the White (Shwetha) Forest (Aranya), Shiva is said to have danced the tandava, seven times here. He stands here with five faces and as Aghora (Furious) Murthy who destroyed the demon Marutwasura by opening his third eye. Legend has it that Shiva sent Nandi first to slay this demon not once but twice. However, Nandi was vanquished and injured badly, the marks of which are seen on the Nandi idol which, incidentally, stands outside Parvathi’s and not Shiva’s shrine as he does always. Thiruvenkadu is a small village. One ticks the box as having prayed to Budhan here and moves on to worship Guru at Alangudi.
5. Navagraha Temple – Jupiter
Guru (Jupiter) is worshipped at the Apathasahayeshwara Temple at Alangudi. As Apatha (crisis) Sahayeshwara (one who helps), Shiva is said to have drunk (kudi) the poison (Ala) that rose from the celestial churn, here. It is also believed to be the place where he taught divine wisdom to the errant Devas as Lord Dakshinamurthy. Guru is held by devotees in great esteem as he is believed to influence marriage prospects as well as wisdom and intellect. He rides on a chariot driven by eight horses representing eight branches of knowledge. Consequently, this temple at Alangudi attracts many devotees, especially on Thursday.
6. Navagraha Temple – Venus
Sukran (Venus) is worshipped at the Agneeswarar Temple at Kanjanur. This temple is easy to miss as it is in a small nondescript village and has no visibility other than being a Sukran temple. In fact, we had to call for the priest from his house, when we reached there. Believed to be the place assigned to Sukran, Shiva stands here as Agneeshwara who granted Agni an audience. It is also believed to be the place where Brahma had a vision of the marriage of Shiva and Parvathi. Although we were not privy to this, there is a firm assertion that the oil poured on the idol for Abhishekha is fully absorbed by the idol and nothing falls off. And yet, this is a very peaceful temple where prayer comes easily.
7. Navagraha Temple – Saturn
This is not something one can say about the Shaneeswara Temple at Thirunallar. If devotees throng to Vaitheeswaran Kovil for Shiva, hordes of them congregate at the Dharbaranyeshwara Temple at Thirunallar, not for Shiva but for Shani (Saturn), especially on Saturdays. Here one forgets that one is at a Shiva temple! From Amitabh Bachchan to the man-next-door, there are not many who can resist a prayer at this temple to propitiate Shani who is feared for his malevolence! Shani (Saturn) is the only planet to have the term of Easwara or Lord suffixed to his name. The most popular of the Navagraha temples in Tamilnadu, it is the richest of them all. It is believed that King Nala was rid of the malevolence of Shani when Lord Shiva as Darbharanyeshwara stopped Shani from following Nala into the temple. The Shaneeswara shrine is thus located in the inner courtyard of the temple. All those wishing to rid themselves of the evil influence of Saade Saati and the two and a half year influence of Shani, ensure that they visit this temple.
8. Navagraha Temple – Rahu
Rahu, familiar with many because of Rahu Kala, is worshipped at the Naganathaswamy temple at Thirunageshwaran. The distinctive feature of this navagraha temple is that Rahu is depicted with a human face with his consorts while in most other temples he is depicted in his supine form. It is also believed that the milk poured on Rahu during the Rahu Kalam Abhisheka turns blue as it falls on the idol before turning white when it touches the ground. We missed seeing this as the navagraha tour is quite time bound and one is not always lucky to be here at Rahu kalam. One possible explanation could be that the idol is made of blackish blue sapphire so that milk poured over that appears bluish. But then, when has faith needed an explanation?
9. Navagraha Temple – Ketu
And finally, Ketu is worshipped at a small village called Keezhperumpallum in the Naganathar Swami Temple. As the second half of the Asura who ate the nectar by deceit, Kethu is believed to have prayed to Lord Shiva for forgiveness here and received a pardon.
Conclusion
The Navagraha Temples in Tamilnadu tour, unless specified, does not follow the chronology from Suryanar Kovil to Keezhperumpallam. The route is based on the location of the temples and the time at one’s disposal. Most devotees, like us, use Kumbakonam as a base, as all but one of the temples are within twenty to thirty kilometres of Kumbakonam. Most hotels in Kumbakonam arrange Navagraha tours but it is advisable to equip yourself with some basic information that can be had from reliable websites of the temples.
A visit to the Navagraha Temples in Tamilnadu threw up many revelations and realizations. It was a revelation that the Shaivaite cluster of Navagraha temples is different from the Vaishnavaite cluster that is followed by Iyengars of the South. It was a revelation that despite the ubiquitous presence of technology, there is still one facet of man that has been untouched by it all and is governed by faith, myth, lore and legend. It was a revelation that despite the myth, lore and legend, the mobile phone has penetrated into the tiniest of villages and thank God for that. Finally, it was a profound realisation that the Navagrahas are the bureaucrats who administer the retribution for our karma, good or bad, for, in every temple, the prime deity is still the Lord who is the force within us.
Valley of Flowers
Valley of flowers is an Indian National Park in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It is rich in flora and fauna that includes endangered and rare species of plants as well as animals. This diversity is a representative of a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of Zanskar and Great Himalaya.
Valley of Flowers – Overview
| Opening Timings of the Valley | 8 am – 5 pm |
| Time required to see the valley | 4 – 5 hours |
| Best Time To Visit | Mid of July to August |
| Entry Fee | 20 rupees per person |
| Nearest Airport | Jolly Grant Airport |
| Location | Chamoli, Uttarakhand |
Furthermore, the valley lies 20 km northwest of Nanda Devi National Park. Moreover, the valley is open for visitors beginning of June till the start of October.
The Uttarakhand State Forestry Department, the national Ministry of Environment and Forests, India are responsible to administer the valley.
What is the significance of Valley of flowers?
This picturesque valley is significantly popular as an amalgamation of 600 different species of flora. Moreover, 62 species of Asteraceae dominate the valley. However, 45 species from the valley are used for medicinal purposes by the villagers. Also, it is home to endangered fauna such as red fox, snow leopard, musk deer, etc.
Moreover, it provides aesthetic pleasure to visitors because of a rich variance of flora growing here. Moreover, on the religious front, it is a popular destination where yogis visit for meditation since ages. Also, locals believe that Gods and fairies inhabited the valley.
Nanda Devi, the regional peak is worshipped throughout the valley as an epitome of the goddess who is believed to be one of the incarnations of Goddess Durga.
What are the timings of Valley of Flowers?
| Timings | From |
| Open | 8 am |
| Close | 5 pm |
What is the history of Valley of flowers?
The history of this valley traces back to 1931, prior to which it existed in seclusion. Hence, In 1931, three British mountaineers namely, Frank S. Smythe, Eric Shipton and R.L. Holdsworth lost their way while coming back from Mount Kamet. Fortunately, they came across the place which was full of flowers. Hence, they named it ‘Valley of flowers’.
In 1980, the Government of India declared Valley of Flowers as a national park under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, for the conservation of its flora and fauna.
The valley also is a part of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
How to reach Valley of flowers?
Here’s how to reach the place:
- Air: Jolly Grant Airport is the nearest airport. It is 284.6 km away from Govindghat.
- Train: The nearest railway station is Rishikesh. It is at a distance of 273 km from Govindghat.
- Road: Buses to Rishikesh are available from ISBT Kashmere Gate. From there, one can avail buses or taxis to Govindghat. One has to complete a trek of 16 km from there to this divine valley.
Where to stay near Valley of flowers?
Some of the places where one can stay near Valley of flowers are:
- Hotel Heaven: The hotel offers all the modern facilities to its guests. Moreover, backed by a team of skilled professionals, the property ensures that all needs of guests are fulfilled timely.
- Hotel Sudarshan Palace: This Hotel provides all luxurious to its guests. Moreover, both interiors, as well as the exteriors of the place, are a complete charm. Also, it is quite budget-friendly.
- Shri Krishna Palace Hotel: This accommodation in Chamoli features a total of 36 well-maintained and spacious rooms. Additionally, this hotel in Chamoli provides a hygienic and comfortable stay.
What are some places to visit near Valley of flowers?
Some of the places one can visit near Valley of flowers is:
- Hemkund Sahib: Hemkund Sahib (Formerly Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib Ji) is a Sikh place of worship in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The place is dedicated to the tenth Guru of Sikhism- Shri Guru Gobind Singh.
- Badrinath Temple: Badrinath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. Devotees believe that the statue of the Deity Lord Vishnu placed inside the temple is self-manifested. Also, it is a part of the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand.
- Narsingh Temple, Joshimath: It is an ancient temple for Lord Narsimha, the fourth incarnation of Vishnu. Since the temple is a part of ‘Sapt Badri’, it is also popular as Narsingh Badri Temple.