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LOHARGAL
REligious site in Shekhawati region this
place is a hidden treasure in royal Rajasthan
surrounded by hills
A beautiful place of great tourist interest,
Lohargal is situated in the Jhunjhunu District,
Rajasthan. It is famous for its natural scenic
beauty. Lohargal is 68 km from Jhunjhunu via
Nawalgarh and Udaipurwati.
Lohargal has great historical importance – regarded
as the place of Bhim, one of the heroes of the great
epic of India – the Mahabharata. The holy shrine of
Lohargal is situated at the foot hills of the
Aravalli Ranges.
Other tourist attractions worth visiting include
Malket, Barkhandi, Gyan Bawari, Bhim Kund and Chetan
das Bawari. A large fair, held here every year from
Krishna Janmashtami to Amawashya, is a major draw.
The nearest bus station is at Golyana. Regular buses
are available to Nawalgarh, Udaipurwati and Sikar.
KHATU SHYAM JI
The legend of this immensely popular Krishna temple
can be traced back to the medieval Mahabharat where,
Barbareek the son of great Pandav brother Bhim and
Nag Kanya (snake princess) displayed his great
warrior skills that pleased Lord Shiva who endowed
his blessings in the form of Teen Ban (three arrows)
and Agni Dev (fire god ) gave him a bow, so that he
could conquer all the three worlds. In order to
watch the famous war of Mahabharat he sat towards
the battle field and in between his tryst with a
Lord Krishna in disguise become a vital part of the
history and thus the incarnation of KHATU SHAMJI.
The lord asked the young Barbareek to sacrifice his
head for charity, because otherwise the victory of
pandavas would not be possible since he possessed
the Teen Bans. The boy maintained his promise of
Sheesh Dan as a true Kshatriya but at the same time
wished to watch the war and his wish was granted.
Later on, his head was buried in Khatu where the
king had a dream and was inspired to construct a
temple and place the head in a religious manner.
Till this date his devotees are blessed by just
pronouncing his name from the bottom of their heart
with true Samarpan. The devotees from all around the
world visit this pilgrimage temple at the time of
the mela in the Kartik month. Their devotion and
belief simply pours from their conscious belief. The
temple today is run by trust and the offerings of
the devotees is for the Kripa which the god bestows
on his devotees.
Khatu Shyam Ji Temple is situated in district of
Sikar in state of Rajasthan, at a distance of 17 km
from Ringus.
-300 km (approx.) away from Delhi
-80 km (approx.) away from Jaipur
-60 km (approx.) away from Sikar
SALASAR BALAJI
In the Churu district and 2hrs drive from
Fatehpur, the great famous temple of SANKATMOCHAN
HANUMAN is situated. Salasar Balaji is situated in
the small town called Salasar. The holy temple
requires no introduction to Hindus all over the
world. It has a trail of devotees that cannot be
numbered. The history of this temple dates back to
1811 in a village called Asota, where a farmer while
ploughing his field, got stuck by some rock under
the earth and when cleared by his wife, emerged an
idol of Lord Hanuman. The Thakur of that village
dreamt being asked to shift the idol of Salasar for
proper religious incarnation. At the same time a
devotee worshiper of Lord Hanuman called Mean Das
also dreamt about the Lord and was asked to do the
same. The idol was thus sent to Salasar with all
care and devotion. Transforming the village into the
Salasar Dham, initially a hut, the place was later
developed gradually into a concrete temple, which
now has a large complex. All that the devotees
desire is fulfilled by Lord BALAJI, millions of
followers from all over the world visit this holy
place every year.
DESHNOK
Deshnok is a village 30km south of Bikaner along the
Jodhpur road. A visit to Deshnok's fascinating
temple of Karni Mata, an incarnation of Durga, is
not far for squeamish. Here the holy rodents are
considered to be incarnations of the storytellers,
and run riot over the temple complex.
Karni Mata lived in the 14th century and performed
many miracles during her life-time. When her
youngest son, Lakhan, drowned, Karni Mata ordered
Yama, the god of Death, to bring him back to life.
Yama replied that he was unable to do this, but that
Karni Mata, is an incarnation of Durga, could
restore Lakhan's life. This she did, and decreed
that members of her family would no longer die, but
would be incarnated as kabas (rats), and these kabas
would returns as members of her family. There are
around 600 families in Deshnok who claim both decent
from Karni Mata and that they will be reincarnated
as kabas.
The temple is an important place of pilgrimage, with
pilgrims being disgorged every few minutes from
buses. Before the temple, is a beautiful marble
facade with solid silver doors donated by Maharaja
Gaj Singh. Across the doorway to the inner sanctum
are the repousse (raised relief) silver doors - one
panel shows the goddess with her holy charges at her
feet. An image of goddess is enshrined in the
sanctum. There are special holes around the temple
courtyard to fascinate the rats' movements, and a
wire grille has been placed over the courtyard to
prevent the birds of prey and other predators
consuming the holy rodents.
It is considered quite auspicious to have a kaba run
across your feet. White kabas are quite rare, albeit
there are one or two at the temple and sightseeing
one augurs well for your spiritual progress.
JAIN TEMPLE RANAKPUR
Ranakpur in the state of Rajasthan is one of the
five most important pilgrimage sites of Jainism. It
is home to an exceptionally beautiful temple complex
in the Aravali ranges and a must visit for the
tourists coming to this region.
Location
Ranakpur is tucked away in a remote valley in the
Aravali range. It is situated around 60 km north of
Udaipur in Pali district and boasts of one of the
largest and most important Jain Temples in the
country. The place is well connected through a road
network to other places in the region.
History
Ranakpur is named after Rana Kumbha whom Dharna Sah,
a Jain businessman, approached when he had the
vision of his great temple to ask for the land for
its construction. Renowned for some marvelously
carved Jain temples in amber stone, Ranakpur is one
of the five holiest places of the Jain community and
exceptional in beauty. Situated at a distance of
around 60 km from Udaipur, these temples were
constructed in the AD 1439.
Pilgrimages Attractions of Ranakpur
The Ranakpur Jain Temple was built during the reign
of the liberal and gifted Rajput monarch Rana Kumbha
in the 15th century. The basement is of 48,000 sq.
feet area that covers the whole complex. There are
four subsidiary shrines, twenty-four pillared halls
and domes supported by over four hundred columns.
The total number of columns is 1,444 all of which
are intricately carved with no two being alike. The
artistically carved nymphs playing the flute in
various dance postures at a height of 45 feet are an
interesting sight. In the assembly hall, there are
two big bells weighing 108 kg whose sound echoes in
the entire complex. The main temple is a Chaumukh or
a four-faced temple dedicated to Adinath.
BRAHMA TEMPLE
PUSHKAR
Pushkar is a sacred town for the Hindus,
situated 11 kms. to the north-west of Ajmer. About
400 temples and shrines are located at Pushkar
around its holy lake, which finds a mention in the
Padma Purana. Legend has it that Lord Brahma in
search for a spot to hold his 'yagna' (religious
ritual), dropped the lotus from his hand, the three
spots touched by this flower were turned into lakes.
These are today known as the 'Jyeshtha Pushkar'
(main Pushkar), the 'Madhyam Pushkar' (medium
Pushkar) and the 'Kanishtha Pushkar' (little
Pushkar). A temple dedicated to Lord Brahma is
located at Pushkar; the other important temples are
those of Gayatri, Savitri, Shiv and Badri Narayan.
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