This is a small temple situated about two miles to the north of Tirupati town on the eastern bank of the Kapila-tirtham tank which is also known as Alvar-tirtham. There is a pillared verandah on the eastern, southern and western banks of the tank. The Kapilesvara temple is situated above…
This is the earliest of the temples now found atTirupati. The Govindaraja shrine was built adjacent to this shrine with a wall inside separating them. The innermost gopura was built in the 13th century before this shrine and two more gopuras were added in line with this in subsequent times….
As stated before, the two shrines of Krishna or Parthasarathi and Govindaraja are enclosed by four walls and appear like a single shrine. This enclosure contains, in the case of each shrine, a pillared varandah running on the south, west and north and a Mukhamantapa in the east. Within this…
This is a rectangular structure facing the east and consisting of a pillared hall, a pavilion of black granite stone and a shrine. It has a low Adhishtana consisting of upana, kampa, kampa, adhahpadma, kantha, tripatta, kampa, gala, kapota, alingapattika and antarita. The mantapa above contains three kinds of pillars-…
This Temple is the main attraction for the pilgrims at Tirupati and the biggest temple in the town. Foundation of the shrine- None of the numerous inscriptions found in the temple mention the date of its construction or the name of its founder. The earliest of the records belongs to…
The Puranas state unequivocally that the image of Sri Venka- tesvara is self-manifest and not prepared by any mortal. It is said to have lain in an anthill under a tamarind tree on the bank of the Svamipushkarini on Tirumala. We are also told that the image is of Vishnu…
It is very difficult to determine the date of this temple. There is no direct evidence to help us in this con- nection and any attempt must therefore be based upon inference. Inscriptions found in the temple only refer to its renovation and rebuilding and the addition of later structures…
The shrine of Natasha is in the north east corner of the courtyard built-in a pillared verandah touching the eastern wall of the prakara. There are five pillars on each side and two in the front of this shrine. The pillars on the sides are plain but those in the…
Bhagavati (feminine form of “lord”) is another name for Devi, or Shakti; when it elevated the goddess to the role of the Supreme, it became a term used by her sect, the Saktas. In the Devi Bhagavata Purana the mother of the universe, Devi, taught Vishnu about the eternal reality…
The Bhagavad Gita (Song of the Lord) is one of the most loved scriptures of India. It is pan-Indian, even though its central character, Arjuna, discovered that the driver of his war chariot, Krishna, was the supreme lord of the universe, Lord Vishnu. If this claim were taken literally and…
Bali was present at so many times and places that the mythmakers had to employ one of their greatest discoveries, the various periods of the Manus (manvantaras), a repeating of the cosmic ages each with its own “first man” (Manu). Thus the stories of Bali and his deva (god) opponents…
This myth is nested within the great myth cycles of Lord Vishnu and Shri Krishna. Bala-Rama was involved in many episodes as an adoring, supportive older brother of Krishna. It was a role deserving of a divine lineage, demonstrating the kind of person who deserved to be near so great…
Baa lived in Atala (one of the seven hells), teaching ninety-six kinds of magic to trouble the devas (divinities). Out of one of his own yawns, he created three women with the power to entice whomever they wanted. These three women had an aphrodisiac called hataka. They gave hataka…
The Puranas associate the names of several kings with the worship of Vishnu on Seshachala and the building of an abode for him
There are two stories which explain the reason for Srinivasa’s presence on this hill. Once, Vishnu wanted to have a change from his usual abode in Vaikuntha . He asked Narada to suggest a place on this earth which would be suitable for diversion and sport. Narada suggested the neighbourhood o f the place where…
The term avatara is usually associated with divine incarnations, especially the ten incarnations of Vishnu. But there were lists with as many as twenty-six incarnations. The ten avatars, dashavatara (dasha, “ten,” and avatara, “incarnations”), were Matsya the fish, Kurma the turtle, Varaha the boar, Narasimha the lion-man, Vamana the brahmacari…
The almighty Shiva manifested in the form of Sthanu (Pillar) from his imperceptible form and looked at Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma then commenced his creation and established the norms of Varna ashrama. He also created ‘Soma’ which is required for the performance of ‘Yagya’. This world, including all the deities…
Bhisma enquired Sage Pulastya about the mighty King Prithu upon whom the earth was named as Prithvi. Sage Pulastya replied—Anga-Prajapati was the descendant of Swayambhuva Manu and Sunitha was his wife. In course of time, Sunitha gave birth to a son, who was named Vena. After growing up, Vena turned…
Arjuna’s story was one of the best known in Hindu mythology, yet it is fully intelligible only if one is familiar with the many other stories related to it. It is nested in or overlaps with the story of the great Bharata war, the story of Krishna, the…
The creator of the world, Brahma had a son named Atri. Chandrama was the son of Atri. Once Chandrama organised a Rajsuya Yagya and received great powers. Afterwards blinded by his powers, Chandrama kidnapped Tara, the wife of Brihaspati. Even his grandfather Brahma tried to dissuade him from committing such…
Sage Vishwamitra arrived at the spot where the child had manifested. On the repeated insistence of the child, Vishwamitra performed his purification rites and named him ‘Guha’. The divine child blessed Vishwamitra and bestowed divine knowledge to him. He also blessed him to become famous as ‘Brahmarshi’. Agnideva arrived there…
Tondamandalam became part of the Chola empire after its conquest by Aditya I and remained so till about the middle of the thirteenth century. The earliest record available here is that of Parantaka I (I-12) (907-955) dated in the 29the year of this reign. His son, Parthivendravarman alias Aditya n,…
“I asked him as to who he was. Vishnu replied that he was the fulfiller of all of his desires. But I replied to him that I only was the creator, nurturer and the supreme soul of this world. Vishnu became angry and said that undoubtedly I (Brahma) was the…
Anasuya was the wife of the sage Atri. As with all major figures in later mythology, her lineage was completely spelled out: granddaughter of Svayambhuva- Manu (Manu of his Yuga) and his wife Satarupa; daughter of Kardama-prajapati (progenitor of his age) and Devahuti. Anasuya (charity) was famous for the…
In the Vedas, amrita was a characteristic or quality of a suitable offering in the fire sacrifices to the gods. Soma (the divine plant) had more amrita than other offerings. Later amrita (or amritam) was a substance produced by the Churning of the Milky Ocean (kshirabdhi-mathanam). There were different versions…
An elephant; the vehicle of Indra Airavata was the celestial elephant-king and the vehicle of Indra. Airavata was popularly known as the white elephant with wings. He was a descendant of the lineage of the sage KasHyapa. Airavata came from a maternal line (Kashyap’s wife Krodhavasa, their daughter Bhadramata, her…
The prince Dhruva greeted the sages and continued on his journey. At last, he reached a beautiful forest Madhuvan on the bank of the river Yamuna. It was the same forest, which was later occupied by a demon Madhu. Shatrughana, the youngest brother of Lord Rama had killed the demon…
At his earliest appearance in the Rigveda, Agni was a complex deity. He was the fire of the sacred sacrifices that were the heart of Vedic religion as well as the central rituals of a semi nomadic warrior culture. Agni was addressed as the deva who ruled earth, a…
This mountain is in the western that, and it is above 4000 height. It is towards the east of the temple To reach the mountains. Peak, one has to cross 18k.m. distance. This is a worth seeing place, one will enjoy the real beauty. This is possible, who are having…
A rishi (sage) who conquered the Vindhya mountains Agasti was mentioned in a hymn in the Rigveda dedicated to Mitra, a solar deity. That hymn said that two of the adityas, Mitra (comradeship) and Varuna (binder, “all-seeing”), placed their semen in a pot and set it before Urvasi, an unusually…
The sons born to Kasyapa-prajapati (a grandfather or procreator) and Aditi (mother of the gods) are called the adityas. In the hymns of the Rigveda, Aditi only had seven or eight children. But by the time of the Brahmanas there are twelve adityas: Dhata, Mitra, Aryaman, Rudra, Varuna, Surya, Bhaga,…
There are few interesting myths to tell about Aditi, but her status and roles change so remarkably that she illustrates the fluidity of Hindu myths. Her name literally means eternity (free, boundless, infinity), so philosophically she is a personification of time. Aditi slowly evolved as the prototype of…
The original (adi) turtle, or tortoise (Kurma), was involved in a creation, or recreation, myth, the Churning of the Milky Ocean
Bhairav who was created by lord Shiva from his third eye, had severed one of the five heads of Lord Brahma on the instruction of lord Shiva. Now Brahma was left with only four heads. Carrying the skull of Brahma in his hand, Bhairava started wandering in all the three…
Once sage Narada decided to make a dana’ as the same was discussed in Brahmasabha. So he searched for a suitable land for the purpose but no where he got the land. As a result, he was in great grief and disappointed a lot. Somehow he learnt through sage Braghu….
India is a holu place where there are follow-ers of different religions. Still there is unity amongthem. Our Culture is rich one. One can very wellunderstand the attitude of Indians through thesereligions. Even foreigners are also amazed to lookat this fantastic culture. Karnataka is 8th largest state in the nation….
Once Narada had a desire to listen to the tales of Ganesha. Brahma replied- “There were various Ganeshas in different Kalpas. During the period of ‘Shweta-Kalpa’, Ganesha was born to Shiva and Parvati, when they went to Kailash mountain shortly after their marriage. “Once while going to take her bath,…
The deities after being defeated by Veerdbharda went to Brahmaloka and narrated everything about the destruction of Daksha’s yagya and also how his head was severed by Veerbharda. Brahma became very sad. To bring Daksha back to life and to accomplish the still unfinished yagya, he went to lord Vishnu…
Narada, who was listening to the divine tales of Shiva with rapt attention, was very curious to know about the reasons why lord Vishnu attended a yagya where Shiva was not invited and why did he fight a battle against Veerbhadra despite knowing about his invincibility. Lord Brahma told him…
Lord Vishnu, continuing with his narration told Shiva that the age of a person could be predicted by the lines found on his palms– ‘If the life line reaches the base between index and middle fingers then the concerned person lives for a century. If the life line is long,…
After the death of Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada continued his lineage. Prahlada had a son, Virochan. Virochan in his turn had Bali as his son. The prowessive Bali was sent to the nether world by Vamana incarnation of Lord. Bali had one hundred sons among whom Banasur was the eldest. Kashyapa’s second…
Diti was filled with grief when she came to known about her son’s (Hiranyaksha) death, who was killed by lord Vishnu. Nirhaddaitya, who was the maternal uncle of Prahlada consoled her an promised to avenge the death of Hiranyaksha. He thought to destroy the vedic religion. According to him the…
After Lord Vishnu went away, Lord Brahma started meditating on the form of goddess Durga. She appeared before him. Lord Brahma said- “I need your help in binding Shiva with your maya.” Goddess Durga told Brahma that Lord Shiva in his incarnation of Rudra was beyond the reached of any…
Hiranyakashipu was filled with grief when he heard the news of his brothers’ death. To avenge Hiranyaksha’s death, he started to torment the deities. Becoming homeless, the deities started wandering here and there. Hiranyakashipu was still unsatisfied. He wanted to acquire more power and authority. He went to the Mandarachal…
While narrating the tale of Hiranyaksha’s killing, Sutli said- “Once, Shiva and Parvati were living at the Mandarachal mountain. Parvati, playfully covered both the eyes of Shiva with her palms. This made lord Shiva to perspire from his forehead. From this perspiration manifested a ferocious creature. Parvati asked Lord Shiva…
When Shankhachuda reached his capital after marrying Tulsi, he was crowned as the king of the demons by Shukracharya. After his coronation, Shankhachuda attacked Indrapuri supported by his huge army and defeated the deities. In a very short time all the three worlds were under his control. After being defeated…
Lord Vishnu was very much saddened by the death of Vrinda. He took the ashes from the pyre and after applying them on his body started wondering here and there. The deities became very worried to see the condition of lord Vishnu. They went to lord Shiva and requested him…
One day Sage Bhrigu came to meet Jalandhar. After receiving him with due respect Jalandhar asked him as to who severed the head of Rahu. Sage Bhrigu then told him about Hiranyakashipu who was the maternal uncle of Rahu. Sage Bhrigu also told him about Virochana – the son of…
When Shiva agreed to kill the demon – brothers Tripurasur the deities became extremely joyous. They gave their respective weapons to Shiva, so that he did not have any difficulty in killing the demons. Vishwakarma gave his beautiful chariot to him. Lord Shiva proceeded towards the forts of Tripurasur followed…
Shiva remained at his in-laws house for many days. One day he sought the permission of Himalaya to go back. Everybody became sad at the prospect of Shiva’s departure. Especially Maina who was very saddened by this news. At last it was time for Shiva to depart for Kailash, accompanied…