Hazratbal Mosque - Its Perfect White Marble Style Of Mosque Is Looked As A Significance Of Srinagar

HAZRATBAL MOSQUE

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SRINAGAR

Hazratbal Mosque is the most important Muslim Religious place, situated on the western shore of Dal Lake.  Its perfect white marble elegance is reflected in the waters of the lake.

Hazratbal's special significance is derived from the fact that it houses a hair of the prophet Muhammad. This is displayed to the public on religious occasions, usually accompanied by fairs. Apart from these occasions, Friday prayers are offered at Hazratbal and attended by throngs of people.

Hazratbal is remarkable for being the only domed mosque in Srinagar; the others having distinct pagoda like roofs. The shrine – mosque complex is situated on the western shore of the Dal Lake opposite Nishat Bagh and commands a grand view of the lake and the mountain beyond.

The history of the shrine goes back to the early seventeenth century when the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan's Subedar, Sadiq Khan, laid out a garden here & constructed a palatial building, Ishrat Mahal or Pleasure House in 1623. However, the Emperor, during his visit in 1634, ordered the building to be converted into a prayer House with some additions & alterations.

During the time of Aurangzeb, when Moi-e-Muqqadus (The Holy Relic) arrived in Kashmir in 1699, it was first kept in the shrine of Naqashbad Sahib in the heart of the city. Since the place was found to be insufficient in view of the unprecedented rush of people who thronged the place to have a glimpse of the Moi-e-Muqqades, it was decided to shift the it to Hazratbal, then known as Sadiqabad.

The construction of the present marble structure was started by the Muslim Auqaf Trust headed by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1968 and completed in 1979. The "Moi-e-Muqqadas" (Holy Relic of Prophet Mohammad S.A.W) is displayed on Various occasions related with the life of Prophet & his four holy companions.

The Moi-e-Muqqadus (Holy Relic of Prophet p.b.u.h) is usually on public display inside a glass casket on certain sacred and holy days. Tours and travel to the Hazratbal shrine gives you an opportunity to participate in the colorful and vibrant fairs that are held at Hazratbal every year, the most important among these is the Shab-e-Meraj.

Hazratbal lies in Srinagar and the nearest Airport is approx. 25 Km away. This Airport is connected with major cities of India. The nearest Rail Head is at Jammu which is 300 Kms away and from there National Highway NH1A connects the Kashmir valley with India. Every sort of transport to suit every budget from Buses to Taxis ply on this Highway. It Takes around 10 to 12 hours to cross this mountainous road which crosses some beautiful spots and the famous Jawahar Tunnel linking Kashmir Valley with India. Regular transport is available from various points in the Srinagar city with nominal charges. Route from Dal Lake can also be undertaken.

Vadapalani Andavar Temple – It Is 125 Years Oldest Shrine In Chennai City

VADAPALANI ANDAVAR TEMPLE

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CHENNAI

Vadapalani Andavar Temple is located in Vadapalani, Chennai. The temple is dedicated to Lord Muruga. The temple was renovated in 1920 and a Rajagopuram was built during that time. The temple has grown in popularity believed in part due to the patronage of cinema stars.

Built about 125 years back, this much hallowed and regularly frequented Lord Muruga Sannidhi has emerged from a thatched shed, an unostentatious one enshrining a Murugan picture only, and established for itself a name on par with ancient places of worship. Around 7000 couples are married here each year.

According to the sthalapurana, one Muruga devotee by name Annaswami Nayakar with his limited means built a small thatched hut and kept a Murugan painting for his personal worship primarily. During his meditation and worship, he used to experience some divine power entering his body and inspiring him to utter some mysterious things, whatever he said in his trance was found true.

His utterance went by the name of ‘arulvakku’ (God blessed statements) and relieved people in several ways, like curing diseases and getting jobs, solemnizing marriages, etc.

There are very many sannidhis in the vast courtyards of the temple, like Varasiddhi Vinayaka, Chokkanathar, Meenakshi Amman, Kali, Bhairava, Shanmuga with Valli and Devasena.

The moolavar in standing posture resembles the Palani Muruga in every respect. In the inner prakara, there are many niches housing Dakshina Murti, Chandikeswar, Mahalakshmi, et al. it has a spacious hall used for conduting marriages and religious discourses. It is one of the most frequented Murugan shrines in the city of Chennai.

By Air

Chennai International airport is just 7 kilometres away from the city. There are pre-paid taxi booths outside the airport from where you can hire a taxi and reach your destination. Charges may vary as per the cab vendor. However if you are looking for a cheaper alternative, auto-rickshaws can take you to the city at a relatively low fare.

By Train

Chennai has three major railway stations namely Chennai Central (code MAS), Chennai Egmore which is just 2 kilometres from the city (code MS) and Tambaram which serves the suburban areas of Chennai. Many super-fast and express trains run on a daily basis and are well-connected to cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Cochin, Hyderabad, Kolkata and other Indian cities. 

By Bus

Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminal (CMBT) is one of Asia's largest bus stations. Around seven state owned companies run buses to and from various destinations within South India. they connect cities like Tirupati, Pondicherry, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and others. You can choose from deluxe, semi-deluxe, hi-tech, rajahamsa executive and sleeper buses while taking a route to any of the neighbouring cities. Also, there are various buses that connect major cities Bangalore and Calicut to Chennai.

Kurukshetra - Lord Krishna Moralized His speech Of 'Karma' In This Place

KURUKSHETRA

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HARIYANA

Kurukshetra located on North Eastern part of Haryana State and it is a place of great historical and religious importance, revered all over the country for its sacred association with the Vedas and the Vedic Culture.

It was here that the battle of Mahabharat was fought and Lord Krishna preached His Philosophy of 'KARMA' as enshrined in the Holy Bhagwad-Gita, to Arjuna at Jyotisar.

According to Hindu mythology, Kurukshetra is spread over, a circuit of about 48 KOS, which includes a large number of holy places, temples and sacred tanks connected with the religious events/rituals, Mahabharat War and Kurus, the ancestor of Kauravas and Pandavs. Kurukshetra is intimately related to the Aryan civilization and its growth all along the sacred river Saraswati.

It is believed that the holy waters of all sacred rivers flow/converge into Kurukshetra's Sannehit Sarovar, at the time of Somavati 'Amavasya' and solar eclipse. It is believed that those who bath in the tanks in Kurukshetra go to heaven after death. Mahabharata states that one who dies at Kurukshetra attains salvation after death.

It is the land where the sage Manu penned his 'Manusmriti' and where learned 'rishis' compiled the Rig Veda and Sama Veda.

Kurukshetra is named after King Kuru, who also performed a supreme sacrifice to bring prosperity to the land and his people.

"Come one and come all to have a glimpse of the sacred land of eternal bliss and to personally feel its religious and celestial fervour, heritage and ambience."

Kurukshetra is located on the linking road from National Highway No. 1 through Pipli, a famous town. Kurukshetra is also connected from Pehowa on the Ambala-Hisar National Highway No. 65

By Air

Nearest airport is situated at Chandigarh. For more information contact the airport & airlines.

By Rail

An important railway junction, the town's railway station is located between Sector 13 and New Colony. Some of the trains that pass through this station are Shatabadi Express, Amritsar Express, Jhelum Express, Kalka Mail and Himalayan Queen.

 

By Bus

Haryana Roadways and other State Corporation buses connect Kurukshetra with Delhi, Chandigarh and other important places in Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

Haryana Roadways Volvo passes through Kurukshetra.

For Haryana bus enquiry : Dial 01744-220468.

Jharkhand Government Wants To Develop The Ranchi Lake As A Major Tourist Destination Of The City.

RANCHI LAKE

The Ranchi Lake, commonly known as Bada Talab, is set for a face-lift with the city civic body drafting a multi-crore plan to conserve and beautify the British-era water body.

The Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has drafted a plan to conserve the lake with an estimated cost of Rs 14.42 crore. The lake over the years has become polluted due discharge of untreated sewer water and waste dumped by residents.

Located at the base of the landmark Ranchi Hill, the 53-acre man-made lake–2,100ft above sea level–was dug up by Colonel Onsely, a British agent and his men in 1842.

The RMC plans to develop the historic lake as tourist spot that will have a food court, a jogging track, lightning and landscaping of the lake.

“The lake will be developed in three phases. The first phase, which is likely to being in a month or two, will see construction of basic infrastructure like a boundary wall, a pathway, lighting and sitting arrangements and beautification work,” said Bijay Kumar Bhagat, superintendent engineer at RMC.

Local residents said the years back, water from the lake was used for drinking. “The water has become polluted due to the inflow of untreated sewer water,” said Rajeev Kumar, a local resident.

“The polluted water is affecting the health of residents as it has turned into breeding ground for number of water-borne diseases due to the pollution,” he said.

RMC officials said conservation plan for Bada Talab was being drafted since 1980 but the plan has not been executed so far.

In 2013, the RMC drafted Rs 53.47 lakh renovation and beautification plan.

The corporation has decided to stop the draining of sewage water into the lake, said RMC executive engineer Uma Shankar Ram.

“A by-pass drain has been constructed so that sewage water is not drained into the lake,” he said.

The RMC planned to set up a sewage treatment plant for treat untreated sewer water with the help of Neeri (national environmental engineering research institute) technology. “The plan was dropped as we did not want to depend on a single technology,” Bhagat said, adding that an expression of interest has been floated for maintaining the cleanliness and water quality in the lake for five years.

“We are expecting agencies to come up with different technologies out of which the best will be picked,” he said.

The Jharkhand government wants to develop the Ranchi Lake as a major tourist destination of the city.

In January this year, chief minister Raghubar Das, laying the foundation of a statue of Swami Vivekananda at the lake, said a 30ft statue will be installed in the middle of the sprawling lake and the government will develop Bada Talab as a tourist spot in the next two years.

Pazhamudhir Solai Temple – It Is Positioned In The Midst Of Alzagar Hill With Dense Forest

PAZHAMUDHIR SOLAI TEMPLE

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MADURAI

Palamuthir Solai is located near Madurai city. Palamuthir Solai is the last army camp of Lord Muruga where he graces with his both consorts Valli and Deivanai. This temple is stashed between the wild greens of the Alagar hill. There is a small spring above this temple and the water from this spring contains lots of spiritual powers. This temple is at a distance of 19 km from Madurai.

Pazhamudhir Solai is a beautiful temple created in the memory of Lord Subramaniya who is worshipped by several people in southern India. It has great sculptures of Lord Subramaniya carved in wood and marble and is a wonderful temple with giant steps in the front of it.

People worship the temple by moving across the periphery of the temple a several number of times, with the hope that their wish would come true. It is the giant temple of Lord subhramaniya in southern India and one of the most beautiful too. Its located on the hills of Azharar koil and falls in Madurai in Tamil nadu.

The legend has it that this is the place where Lord Muruga disguised himself as a small boy and tested the knowledge of his pious devotee and the poetess Avvaiyar, by asking the question whether she wants sutta palam or sudatha palam (Black berry). Even now there stands the naval tree (blackberry) besides the temple and is worshipped by all.

Out of usual the black berry tree here blossoms in the month of October-November (the month when Sashti festival is commemorated) rather than July-September it is considered to be a world miracle.

People come to this temple to free themselves from the sins, obstacles in marriage or child birth and to have a prosperous life. There are no steps to this temple and so the temple administration started a van service to and fro in this temple. Trekking lovers can use the trekking path in the hill.

By Air

The nearest airport to this temple is at Madurai.

By Train

Madurai junction is very handy to this temple.

By Bus

There are surplus buses to this temple from Madurai Periyar, Pudoor, and Thirumangalam bus stand.