HISTORY OF HINDUISM

Murdeshwar Temple is a town in Bhatkal Taluk , Murudeshwar, North Canara, Karnataka India.

Murudeshwar temple is one of such temples which look quite contemporary though it belongs to the ancient era. The temple is dedicated to worshiping Lord Murudeshwara considered to be one of the forms of Lord Shiva.It is believed that, Lord Shiva had given the Atma Linga to Ravan as a gift for his penance, which sits originally in the heart of Shiva. The temple features the cloth which covered the Atma Linga. It is also said that all the Gods, according to the Hindu scriptures attained invincibility and mortality after worshipping Lord Shiva.

According to the legend, Ravana brought the Atma Lingam from Mount Kailash. Ravana, the asura king of Lanka, wanted to have the powerful Atma linga of Shiva, so that he can become invincible and immortal by worshipping it. Pleased by his severe atonement, Lord Shiva gave him the Atmalinga but warned him not to place it on the ground till he reached his destination.

Upset by the thought that Ravana would become more powerful by worshipping the Atmalinga, the Gods devised a plan to take it away from Ravana. The Gods knew that Ravana being a pious devotee of Lord Shiva was punctual in performing the periodical rites every day. As Ravana approached Gokarna, Lord Vishnu blotted the sun with his Sudharshana Chakra.Thinking that it was evening, Ravana was in two minds whether to put down the Atmalinga or skip his evening rites. Just then, Lord Ganesh came to that place as a brahmin boy. Ravana called the boy and asked him to hold the linga until he completed his evening rites. a deal with him saying that he would call Ravana three times , and if Ravana did not return within that time, he would place the Atma-Linga on the ground. after ravana left for evening rites ,god ganesh called three times but ravana did not show up .This made him furious and he understood about the plan and out of anger he tried destroying the Lingam. In the process he threw the case which was covering the Lingam to Sajjeshwara at a distance of 23 miles while the lid of the case he threw to Guneshwara and Dhareshwara situated at a distance of about 10-12 km. And the piece of cloth covering the Atma Lingam he threw to Mrideshwara which was later named as Murudeshwara,where the temple is now .

Pathivara Devi is the powerful goddess worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists with a great reverence. This temple is located in Taplejung district of Nepal. It is 19.4km east of Phungling Municipality of Taplejung district at the altitude of 3,794m. The goddess is known as Mukkumlung. It is considered one of the holy places of Kirants. Many people from different parts of the country as well as from India visit the temple during special occasions seeking spiritual fulfillment and blessings from the powerful Pathibhara Devi. This is the famous Shakti Peeth where people sacrifice animals and offer the gold, silver to please the goddess. The goddess is named with many other names like Maha Maya, AadiKali, Maha Rudri and taken her as a tantric goddess.

Legend

IT is believed that Goddess Pathibhara fulfils all the wishes of her devotees by her supernatural power. Because of that many devotees visit Pathibhara Devi Temple on different occasions. Devotees offer Animals sacrifice, gold and silvers to goddess Pathibhara who can easily be pleased. According to the legends, the temple was built after the goddess ordered the shepherd to offer the ritualistic sacrifice in his dreams. But before that shepherd had already lost his numerous amount of sheep while grazing in the same place where the temple is built. But something unbelievable happened as all the lost sheep of the shepherd returned back at the same place after the offering was made to Goddess Pathibhara

Kedarnath is located in the Himalayas, about 3,583 m (11,755 ft) above sea level. In Hindu legends, the temple was initially built by Pandavas and one among the 12 jyotirlingas in India and Nepal .The majestic Kedarnath peak (6,940 metres) stands behind the temple along with other peaks and adds to the scenery of the area. Built from large, heavy and evenly cut grey slabs of stones, the structure is a masterpiece. The conical Shiva lingam is worshipped as the Lord in his Sadashiva form. It adds a unique feature to the temple among all Shiva shrines.

The legend behind Kedarnath

It is said that the Pandavas sought Lord Shiva to relieve themselves from the guilt of killing their blood relatives. However, Shiva didn’t want to release them from their sins, so he disguised himself as a bull to roam the Garhwal Himalayas. On being found by the Pandavas, Shiva dove underground. Bhim could only manage to get hold of his hump. Other body parts of Shiva in the form of a bull showed up at different places.The hump of the bull was found in Kedarnath, the navel emerged in Madhya-Maheshwar, two forelegs appeared in Tunganath, the face in Rudranath, and the hair in Kalpeshwar. These are collectively called the Panch Kedar – the five sacred places.

Legend has it that the original Pandavas built the temple of Kedarnath and the present temple was established by Adi Shankaracharya, who restored the glory of the shrine in the 8th century A.D.

Lord Shiva Monday fasting rituals, Shubh Muhurat and Vrat story: Sawan, the month dedicated to Lord Shiva has kickstarted and been the first Monday of this month, today is one of the most auspicious days. Men and women offer prayers to Lord Shiva by observing fast today. This month there will be four Mondays of Sawan. Observing fast holds great religious importance in Hindu beliefs. There is a story dedicated to every God and Goddess, without reading the same, the importance of fasting nullifies. Monday is dedicated to Lord Shiva and thus, observing fast on Monday during Sawan is importance. It is believed that reading and listening to Monday Lord Shiva Katha is really important to make your fasting fruitful.