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Temples of Kashi - The Kardameshwar temple

The absence of ancient Hindu structures in Kashi is something I have always lamented about. The shrines are certainly ancient, and that is something that has always attracted me to the city. However, I miss the beauty of the ancient structures that we see at other sites. This feeling is intensified when I see marble and concrete and tiles in temples that once would have been beautifully adorned with evocative sculptures, and worn by the passage of time, touched by the hands of seekers who came before. This time , this desire to see some remnants of an ancient Hindu structure in Kashi came true when I managed to visit the Kardameshwar Temple. The Kardameshwar temple is not one of the main temples in the city. It is part of the temples on the Pancha Kroshi yatra, a pilgrimage which takes one on a circumambulatory tour of the whole city. The temple is located on the outskirts of the city, on the western bank of a tank called the Kardama Kund. The Kardameshwar temple is one of the...
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Navaratri Experiences-4

The first three days of Navaratri are dedicated to the goddess Parvati, and yesterday was the last of this phase. When I told my son about this, he decided that since he could not dress up as Parvati obviously, he would dress up as Shiva, his main interest was in being allowed to hold a Trishul. Of course we refused, so he compromised by agreeing to wear a ‘Veshti’ and making a Trishul with his blocks. We hosted the Navaratri Bhajan at our place yesterday, and this gave him an added reason to dress up. “If you all can wear lovely sarees and dress up, why can’t I dress up too?” was his legitimate question. You can see the results in the photographs below.

From Miscellaneous

From Miscellaneous


At the temple, the decoration was dedicated to BHUVARAHA SWAMY – this is the form of Vishnu when he too the form of a wild boar – the Varaha Avatar. The lord took this form when the demon Hiranyaksha hid Bhoomi Devi (Mother Earth) in the ocean. In the form of a wild boar, the lord Carried Bhoomi Devi out of the water and placed her carefully in her place before going back to kill the demon. Here, He is depicted as carrying Bhoomi Devi in his arms. This form of Vishnu is seen at Tirupati, where He is believed to have given the land to Lord Venkateswara, allowing Him to reside there. It is customary to have darshan of Varaha swamy before having darshan of Lord Venkateswara.

From Miscellaneous

People who want to buy a house or land pray to BhuVaraha Swamy or participate in the Bhu Varaha Yagna. In Tamilnadu, there is a famous temple of Bhuvaraha swamy at Srimushnam near Chidambaram. In Karnataka, there is a gigantic 21 feet high image of Pralaya Varaha Moorthy with a 6 feet tall Lakshmi sitting on his lap, at Kalahalli in Krishnarajpet Taluk in Mandya District.

From Miscellaneous

That’s all for today folks. Hope to get back to all of you tomorrow with lots more photographs.
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