Chidambaram

This is the foremost Siva Nataraja

Temple of the Linga of Akasha, located in Tamil Nadu. It was here that Lord Siva danced the Tandava dance of creation, overcoming the arrogance of the rishis, and where sage Patanjali later lived and wrote the Yoga Sutras. Here also lived Rishi Tirumular, author of the Tirumantiram. The glistening solid gold roof of the main sanctum contains 17,500 tiles, one for each breath a human takes in a day. Kedarnath High North in Uttar Pradesh is Kedarnath, one of the 12 Jyotir Linga temples of Lord Siva. It was established at the foot of the Himalayas by the five Pandavas after the Mahabharata war to atone for their sins. Recent improvements have made the previously arduous ascent to this 12,000-foot sanctuary easier, but pilgrims are still cautioned against the cold and the 5,000-foot hike from Gaurikund, the last motorable outpost. Mount Kailas One of the greatest and most austere pilgrimages of all, Mount Kailas, Himalayan abode of Lord Siva, is sacred to five religions. Pilgrims perform a three-day, 33-mile circumambulation of the sacred peak. At the foot of Kailas lies Lake Manasarovara, symbolizing a quieted mind, free from all thought. Kailas is the Mount Meru of Hindu cosmology, center of the universe. Within 50 miles are the sources of four of Indias most sacred rivers. Ramesvaram The Ramanathaswamy Siva Linga Temple near Indias southern tip was built by Lord Rama in penance for killing Ravana. Two Lingas are worshiped there, established by Sita and Hanuman. Each day the abhisheka is performed with Ganges water. The temple is enormous in extent, with a mile of stone corridors. Pilgrims bathe in the sea and at the temples 22 wells, each of which purifies the bather of a particular kind of sin. Varanasi Pilgrims to Sivas City of Light bathe at the ghats along the River Ganges to cleanse the sins of a lifetime. Most pilgrims attend Siva Linga puja at Kashi Vishwanatha, one of 1,500 temples here. A profound observance is the six-day circumambulation of the city along the Panchakoshi Road. Varanasialso called Kashi and Banarasis one of the oldest living cities in the world. The devout journey here at lifes end (photo below). Temples of the Goddess Kanyakumari At the very tip of India, where the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea meet, is the ancient temple of Kanyakumari enshrining Goddess Parvati as the eternal virgin. It was here She defeated the asura Bana. This temples tirtha is the sea itself, most auspicious for bathing. Boats take pilgrims offshore to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, where the young swami cognized his mission to begin the Hindu renaissance. Madurai Madurai, the Athens of India, proudly holds the labyrinthine Meenakshi Sundaram temple. Here Siva came as Somasundarar to wed the Pandyan Princess Meenakshi, a manifestation of Parvati. Thus, this edifice encases two temples, one to Siva and one to Shakti. The tall gopurams, 1,000-pillared hall, sacred tanks and shrines vibrate with thousands of years of worship at this seven-walled citadel on the Vagai River (photo below). Vaishno Devi Those who walk the mountain trail to the Vaishno Devi temple in the Trikuta mountains north of Jammu are rarely disappointed in their imploration for the Goddesss boons. It was here in the Himalayan foothills that Vaishno Devi, a devotee of Lord Vishnu, defeated the asura Bhaironatha. Though hidden deep within a cave, the shrine receives more than 20,000 pilgrims a day, even when wintery snows are piled deep outside. Kalighat Only a few centuries ago this temple to Kali, the fierce aspect of the Goddess, was established in what was then a remote jungle near the river Ganges. The now highly congested Calcutta expanded to envelope the shrine, which is filled daily with devotees cries of Kali Ma, Kali Ma, beseeching blessings from the incomparable protectress and mother of liberation. Unlike many Hindu temples, non-Hindus are allowed entry here. Kamaksha Kamaksha is the Goddess of Love. Her holiest sanctuary is a small temple built on the rock of Nila Hill near Gauhati in Assam. The town and its legends are described in the Mahabharata and the Kalika Purana. This temple of magic for the sincere devotee contains no image of the Goddess, but in the depths of the shrine is a cleft in the stone, adored as the yoni of Shakti. As at Kalighat, here animal sacrifice is part of the worship. Lord Vishnus Holy Abodes Ayodhya At Ayodhya, birthplace of Lord Rama, jewel of the solar kings, devotees worship and seek the blessings and boons of this seventh incarnation of God Vishnu. This orthodox Vaishnava town in Uttar Pradesh is among Hinduisms seven most sacred cities. Temples and shrines in every quarter honor famous sites of Ramas celebrated life, including the Ram Janmabhhoomi shrine and a temple to His devout servant, Hanuman. Mathura This is the birthplace of Lord Krishna, eighth incarnation of God Vishnu. Mathura and nearby Vrindaban and Gokula are an outdoor paradise for devotees visiting places of the Lords youth. A ten-mile circumambulation of the city, or a 30-mile walk, takes enchanted pilgrims to dozens of shrines and bathing spots for this beloved Gods blessings . It is said Krishna mercifully condensed all holy places into this one blissful area. Puri Puri, in the state of Orissa, is the site of the famous Rathayatra, car festival, held around June each year at the immense, 900-year-old Jagannatha temple complex. A million pilgrims flock for darshan of God Vishnu as Lord of the Universe, and his brother and sister, Balabhadra and Subhadra, as a throng of devotees pull their 40-foot-tall wooden chariots by 500-meter ropes to the Gundicha temple two miles away (photo below). Badrinath Along with Yamunotri, Gangotri and Kedarnath, Badrinath lies in the area known as Uttarkhand, high in the Himalayas. During the half-year when not blocked by snow, hearty pilgrims climb 10,000 feet to the temple of Badrinarayana, where God Vishnu sits in meditation with a large diamond adorning His third eye and body bedecked with gems. Pilgrims take a purifying bath at the Tapt Kund, a sacred hot water pool. Tirupati Indias richest and most popular temple, Tirupati draws 25,000 pilgrims a day who joyfully wait hours for two seconds of darsana, sacred sight, of the two-meter tall, jet-black idol of the wish-fulfilling Sri Venkateshwara, or Balajji, whose diamond crown is the costliest ornament on earth. The temple is a Dravidian masterpiece of stonework, gold and jewels. Head-shaving here is a prized testimony of penance and devotion. Gathering at the Sacred Rivers Ayodhya At Ayodhya, birthplace of Lord Rama, jewel of the solar kings, devotees worship and seek the blessings and boons of this seventh incarnation of God Vishnu. This orthodox Vaishnava town in Uttar Pradesh is among Hinduisms seven most sacred cities. Temples and shrines in every quarter honor famous sites of Ramas celebrated life, including the Ram Janmabhhoomi shrine and a temple to His devout servant, Hanuman. Mathura This is the birthplace of Lord Krishna, eighth incarnation of God Vishnu. Mathura and nearby Vrindaban and Gokula are an outdoor paradise for devotees visiting places of the Lords youth. A ten-mile circumambulation of the city, or a 30-mile walk, takes enchanted pilgrims to dozens of shrines and bathing spots for this beloved Gods blessings . It is said Krishna mercifully condensed all holy places into this one blissful area. Puri Puri, in the state of Orissa, is the site of the famous Rathayatra, car festival, held around June each year at the immense, 900-year-old Jagannatha temple complex. A million pilgrims flock for darshan of God Vishnu as Lord of the Universe, and his brother and sister, Balabhadra and Subhadra, as a throng of devotees pull their 40-foot-tall wooden chariots by 500-meter ropes to the Gundicha temple two miles away (photo below). Badrinath Along with Yamunotri, Gangotri and Kedarnath, Badrinath lies in the area known as Uttarkhand, high in the Himalayas. During the half-year when not blocked by snow, hearty pilgrims climb 10,000 feet to the temple of Badrinarayana, where God Vishnu sits in meditation with a large diamond adorning His third eye and body bedecked with gems. Pilgrims take a purifying bath at the Tapt Kund, a sacred hot water pool. Tirupati Indias richest and most popular temple, Tirupati draws 25,000 pilgrims a day who joyfully wait hours for two seconds of darsana, sacred sight, of the two-meter tall, jet-black idol of the wish-fulfilling Sri Venkateshwara, or Balajji, whose diamond crown is the costliest ornament on earth. The temple is a Dravidian masterpiece of stonework, gold and jewels. Head-shaving here is a prized testimony of penance and devotion.