Omkareshwar Temple, Indore- Madhya Pradesh
Omkershawar mandir, one of the 12 jyotirlinga
Is located right where river Narmada and Kaveri come
together
On a scared island in the shape of Om (ॐ)
Vindhya, the deity of the Vindhya Mountains
Created a geometrical pattern and a lingam
Made of sand and clay
To atone for the sins he committed
Prabhu Shiva pleased by his dedication
Gave him darshan in two forms- Onkareshwar and Amaleswara
Another piece of history talks about
King Mandhata of the Ikshvaku clan
The same clan from which Bhagwan Rama descended
The king’s sons Ambarish and Muchukunda
Served severe penance to please Prabhu Shiva
There is one more story that comes
Straight from the Hindu scriptures
And talks about the great war between the devas and
danavas*
Which was won by the demons and caused worry in the
devas
They prayed to Prabhu Shiva, and he appeared
To defeat the demons and restore the world
Note:
Danava- demon
Sachiya Mata Temple, Osian, Jodhpur- Rajasthan
Osian is the Khajuraho of Rajasthan
With the mesmerizing Hindu and Jain mandirs
Dotting the desert land
The Sachiya mandir from the 8th century
Was built by the Parmar king Upmendre
To please his kuladevi, Maa Chamunda Devi
Renovate again in the 12th century
To include two smaller mandirs for Maa Amba and Maa
Chandi
The structure is intact, retaining its glory through the centuries
The bhakts today visit the mandir
During the Nvatri season to pray to Mata Sachiya
Who they claim is none other than Maa Durga
Back then, centuries ago
Buffaloes were sacrificed to please the Devi
Sri Ratna Prabh Suri, a Jain Acharya,
Put an end to the custom and caused anger to Maa Chamunda
Yet, he refused to relent and change his decision
Which pleased Mata, who began to accept lapsi* as offerings
The Acharya then renamed her Mata Sachiya
To mark the change in her
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Source:
https://www.tourmyindia.com/states/madhyapradesh/omkareshwar.html
http://www.ajitbhawan.com/blog/attractions-in-jodhpur-sachiya-mata-temple-in-osian/
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#FreeHinduTemples
What beautiful architecture! I have always wanted to visit these two places. May be one day I will. fingers crossed. Great post as usual, Srivalli
ReplyDeleteThank you, Meena. :) Hope you can visit the places soon.
DeleteWhat fascinating architecture. Thank you for sharing Srivalli.
ReplyDeleteSo many stories- I love this about the temples in India. As usual you have piqued my interest.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Arti. :)That's the beauty of our heritage. The more we dig, the more we find.
DeleteA very interesting writeup on temples. So many stories associated with our heritage structures.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pradeep. :) Yes, there are so many of them, it's quite a long list. Mine is just a fraction of it.
DeleteNarmada and Kaveri meeting and creating Om! Wow! This, I'd love to see.
ReplyDeleteThank you for adding so many places to my 'to visit' list.
Me too! Most welcome. <3
DeleteAmazing photos, temples and architecture!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Frederique. :D
DeleteIn shape of OM is cool. There is also a beach in Gokarna with OM shape and called with same name.
ReplyDeleteA devi temple locally also used to sacrifice Buffaloes as ritual. Its been more than a decade the tradition has stopped now.
This was a great read. :-D
Oh, wow and wow. Got to know two new things today.
DeleteThank you so much, P. :D
I haven't ever been to Madhya Pradesh. Even though I was in Rajasthan for four years I misses visiting Jodhpur...what beautiful architecture the Jodhpur temple has! The buffalo sacrifice sounded quite horrifying!
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to visit someday. :)
DeleteYeah, animal sacrifice are a part of the tradition, especially for fierce Gods. It's a way to calm them down, they say.