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Vaishno Devi — The Goddess Who Waits

The famous temple of Vaishno Devi, located in a remote cave in Mount Trikoota, near Katra in Jammu & Kashmir, is visited by millions of tourists every year. Devotees embark on long pilgrimages from the farthest corners of India, to seek the Goddess’s blessings. It is believed, that the Goddess Vaishno Devi bestows true devotees with long, happy married lives, healthy childbirth, overall wellbeing, and prosperity in general.

In the Indian subcontinent, among devotees of various religions, there exists a belief that when a devotee really, desperately wants something, it is alright to make a deal with a deity of their choice, to receive the object of their desire; be it tangible or intangible. In return, the devotee pledges to give back something of value, either to the shrine of the deity as an offering, or to someone else in need. Many devotees who visit Vaishno Devi, also make deals of these kinds, known popularly as a ‘mannat’ or ‘maanyata’.

The story of Goddess Vaishno Devi is pretty interesting. Legend says that this Goddess was created and sent to Earth by the three Mother Goddesses — Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi, and Maha Saraswati — to take birth in the household of a devout South Indian man by the name of Ratnakar. Ratnakar named his beautiful daughter Vaishnavi. Before her human birth, the Mother Goddesses who created her out of their eternal light assigned to her an important mission. The mission involved spreading positivity and upholding righteousness on the planet. Her eventual goal was to merge into the great god, Vishnu, and find enlightenment upon becoming one with him.

In pursuit of this goal, Vaishnavi started meditating at a very young age. In that era, Vishnu walked the earth as Rama, the King of Ayodhya. During his 14 year exile, as he was passing by a forest, he found Vaishnavi meditating, and she immediately recognised him as Vishnu. However, since the time for her to merge within Vishnu hadn’t arrived just yet, Rama advised her to travel north and set up an ashram there, to assist others with their spiritual quests.

Vaishnavi undertook the arduous journey north to set up an ashram and meditate. Before long, she gathered devout followers, too, who started addressing her as Devi (goddess). For many years to come, Vaishno Devi sat waiting for a Vishnu Avatar to visit her. Unfortunately, when he did visit, he came disguised as an old man, and Vaishno Devi failed to recognise him. She was thus asked to wait for the next Vishnu Avatar to arrive at the turn of the Yuga. Eventually, Vaishno Devi took to a remote cave in the mountains, and turned herself into a distinctly shaped rock structure. She is believed to sit waiting for the next Avatar of Vishnu to arrive; and as she waits, she continues to bestow blessings on devotees who come to visit her from near and far.

Many Hindus tend to take a ‘maanyata’ to visit the Vaishno Devi shrine, each time they want a wish fulfilled. Devotees say, that Vaishno Devi always fulfils the wishes of those who seek her in complete devotion.

(Source: upreligious.com)

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the Brihadeeshwara Temple

Built over a period of seven years, between 1003 AD and 1010 AD, the Brihadeeshwara Temple is an architectural marvel that stands as a time capsule from the days of yore, when the Chola Dynasty was at its peak, ruling a large portion of the Deccan Plateau of southern India. Also known as the Rajarajeshwara Temple, this temple was commissioned by King Raja Raja Chola I, as an ostentatious display of his devotion to Shiva, the God of Dissolution, Yoga, and Dance, who finds much mention and reverence in Hindu puranic scriptures. Even though it’s been more than a thousand years since it was built, the Brihadeeshwara Temple still stands in all its glory in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. Having stood strong through the tests of time, today the Brihadeeshwara temple is a much-loved tourist spot. Year after year, religious Hindus and other Shiva devotees flock this temple our of curiosity, only to return awe-struck and touched. The Brihadeeshwara Temple appears to have been built around a 66 metre tall tower, known as the vimana of that temple. A vimana literally means ‘a vehicle that can fly’. Many Hindu temples in India have similar looking vimanas erected within their premises. Interestingly, over the years, some theories have sprouted, that suggest the possibility of a connection between ancient Indians and aliens from outer space. Alien enthusiasts are often left pondering the need for vimanas in ancient temples; they attribute the presence of such vimanas to some kind of connection with life-forms whose origins lie elsewhere in this vast universe. One of the most eye-catching, stand out features of this ancient Shiva temple is the circular wall, believed to have been carved out of a single stone, for lack of any visible joinery and seams. Like most Shiva temples across the Indian sub-continent, the Brihadeeshwara Temple in Thanjavur also has a large 16 feet long, 13 feet high Nandi statue, sitting at the entrance to the inner shrine. According Indian puranic scriptures and mythological tales, Nandi is the bull that accompanies Shiva. Nandi is believed to be a symbol of ‘eternal waiting’ and complete devotion as it waits. Mystics believe Nandi himself does not know what he is waiting for; he just sits and waits, patiently. Some commentators believe that Nandi is not a bull at all; in fact, they go so far as to say that Nandi is one of Shiva’s many other-worldly companions, known as ‘ganas’. Getting to this UNESCO World Heritage Sight nestled in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, is fairly easy. You could take a flight to the Thiruchirapalli Airport that’s 65km from the temple complex. Alternatively, you could take a train to Thanjavur itself. The Brihadeeshwara Temple is also easily accessible by road. So you could also travel by bus, or your own car.

Brihadeeshwara Temple 

upreligious

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