BharatiyaStories

                                                      Jyothirlingas #Baidyanath The Jyothirlingas have a significant religious, spiritual, historical and religious importance in Bharat. In addition to being a must do in the pilgrim circuit, the Jyothirlingas have a story to tell. Let us understand and appreciate the puranic stories behind these places, the history and the societal significance in the present context. Somnath is the oldest Jyothirlinga. The temple is located in Veraval in Gujarat. ( https://bharatiyastories.blogspot.com/2024/06/Jyothirlingas-somnath.html ). The second Jyothirlinga is Mallikarjuna in Srisailam in present day AndhraPradesh   ( https://bharatiyastories.blogspot.com/2024/06/Jyothirlinga-mallikarjunaswamy-and.html ). We had covered the story of Mahakaaleshwar in Ujjain in MadhyaPradesh. ( https://bharatiyastories....

  #Story of our Sacred Rivers -  Surya Putri Tapti Birth and Origin Tapti, often considered a sister river to the Narmada, flows through the state so Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. The river originates from Nadar Kund at Multai, Madhya Pradesh and flows through the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat for a distance of 700 odd kilometres and empties into the Arabian Sea at the Gulf of Khambhat. How and why did the river Tapti come into being As always, Sanatana Dharma has an interesting episode for many things. The origin and reason behind river Tapti are no different. Surya had married Vishwakarma’s daughter Sanjana. They had two children Yama and Yami. At some point, Sanjana, unable to bear the heat emanating from Surya, had created another woman Chhaya in her resemblance and went off to a distant kingdom. We have already covered this story in detail. Please click on link to read the earlier story / refresh your memory. https://bharatiyastories.blogspot.com/20...

Jyothirlingas # Omkareshwar The Jyothirlingas have a significant religious, spiritual, historical and religious importance in Bharat. In addition to being a must do in the pilgrim circuit, the Jyothirlingas have a story to tell. Let us understand and appreciate the puranic stories behind these places, the history and the societal significance in the present context. Somnath is the oldest Jyothirlinga. The temple is located in Veraval in Gujarat. ( https://bharatiyastories.blogspot.com/2024/06/Jyothirlingas-somnath.html ). The second Jyothirlinga is Mallikarjuna in Srisailam in present day AndhraPradesh   ( https://bharatiyastories.blogspot.com/2024/06/Jyothirlinga-mallikarjunaswamy-and.html ). We had covered the story of Mahakaaleshwar in Ujjain in MadhyaPradesh. ( https://bharatiyastories.blogspot.com/2024/06/Jyothirlinga-mahakaaleshwar.html ). The fourth Jyothirlinga is at Omkareshwar. Omkareshwar is also in Madhyapradesh. Omkareshwar, means Lord of Omkaara. There are a...

  # Story of our Sacred Rivers   Jeevadayini Narmada Origin Narmada is the 5 th longest in India. It flows mainly through the states of MadhyaPradesh and Gujarat and flows from east to west. It is called Jeevadayini as it provides the nourishment to the huge population living along its banks. It is believed that the river Narmada originated from the perspiration of Shiva when he was in deep meditation. That is why she is also called as the daughter of Shiva. Narmada is also known by the name of Reva. The Narmada is described in the Reva khand of the Skandapuran. The name Reva comes from a peculiar sound of the flow of the Narmada that can be heard ten kilometres away. Source: While Amarkantak is generally believed to be the place of origin of Narmada, the actual origin is supposed to be Mai ki bhagiya 4 kms from Amarkantak. The river traverses 1312 kms from there mostly through two big states of India – Madhya...

  # Mahakaleshwar and Gadkalika The Jyotirlingas have a significant religious, spiritual, historical and religious importance in Bharat. In addition to being a must do in the pilgrim circuit, the Jyotirlingas have a story to tell. Let us understand and appreciate the puranic stories behind these places, the history and the societal significance in the present context. Somnath is the oldest Jyotirlinga. The temple is located in Veraval in Gujarat. ( https://bharatiyastories.blogspot.com/2024/06/jyotirlingas-somnath.html ). The second Jyotirlinga is Mallikarjuna in Srisailam in present day AndhraPradesh   ( https://bharatiyastories.blogspot.com/2024/06/jyotirlinga-mallikarjunaswamy-and.html ). Let us see the story of the third Jyotirlinga at Mahakaleshwar temple. Mahakaleshwar is situated in Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Ujjain as a city is well endowed with many places of interest and worship. Although, the entire city revolves around the Mahakaal mandir, Ujjai...

#Know your hero(ine) Ahilyabai Holkar (31/5/1725 -13/8/1795) (Content courtesy - Radesh Rangarajan) You must have built sand castles on the beach. Isn't it terribly sad when someone comes and demolishes it purposely? Not once or twice, but many times, even when you rebuild it? And in many places? Wouldn't you give up? Well, there are those who don’t give up despite repetitive setbacks. This is about one such person - Ahilyabai Holkar - who fought against all odds to preserve what she considered important. In our long history, Bharat faced invaders - Turks, Mughals and their local chiefs. Over several centuries, from 1026 CE, the magnificent Hindu Temples that were not only rich, but a treasure trove of architecture, bore the brunt. They were torn down, looted and destroyed repeatedly. Mahmud of Ghazni, Khilji, Tughlaqs, Malik Kafur, Babar, Jehangir, Shajahan, Aurangazeb – the list of people who destroyed these temples and monuments was long and was over an extended period o...