Shravan Maas ki Hardik Subhkamnaye !!!!

Shree Kunkeshwar Mahadev , Devgarh (Maharashtra )

      Temple build by a Muslim devotee

How To Reach Kunkeshwar ??

FROM AIR :  

Nearest airports to Kunkeshwar  Goa (Panaji).

International Airport Chatrapati Shivaji  at Mumbai is the nearest Major airport to Kunkeshwar.
Mumbai is nearly 510 km away.
Bus, Taxi facilities are available form Mumbai to Kunkeshwar.

FROM RAIL : 

Nearest Railway station is : Nandgaon(45 Km), Kankvali (52 Km)

From Railway station bus, auto are available.

FROM BUS : 

Many Maharashtra state public transport buses are available connecting Kunkeshwar to nearby cities like Belgaon, Panaji, Pune and Mumbai. Luxury buses are also available from Mumbai to Kunkeshwar.

                                                   STATE TRANSPORT BUS TIMETABLE

Devgad To Kunkeshwar                                          Kunkeshwar To Devgad

05.30 (Devgad-Kunkeshwar) 07.00 (Devgad-Mithbav) 08.00 (Devgad-Morve) 08.40 (Devgad-Katvan) 09.10 (Devgad-Kunkeshwar) 11.00 (Devgad-Mithbav) 12.30(Devgad-Mithbav) 14.00(Devgad-Katvan) 15.30(Devgad-Kunkeshwar) 16.05(Devgad-Morve) 17.30(Devgad-Katvan) 19.30(Devgad-Katvan)

06.00 (Katvan-Devgad) 06.30(Kunkeshwar-Devgad) 08.30(Mithbav-Devgad) 09.40(Katvan-Devgad) 10.00(Morve-Devgad) 10.05(Kunkeshwar-Devgad) 12.40(Mithbav-Devgad) 14.00(Mithbav-Devgad) 15.20(Katvan-Devgad) 16.20(Kunkeshwar-Devgad) 18.00(Morve-Devgad) 18.40(Katvan-Devgad)

Sawantwadi  To  Kunkeshwar                                Kunkeshwar To Sawantwadi
15.45(S’wadi- Kunkeshwar)                                                    19.00(Kunkeshwar-S’wadi)

KEDARNATH(Utterkhand Himalayas, UTTARANCHAL)

Kedarnath, at the head of the Mandakini River, is amongst the holiest pilgrimages for the devout Hindu. The temple, believed to be very ancient, has been continually renovated over the centuries. According to legend.

The story:

Lord Shiva wished to elude the Pandavas, and took refuge in Kedar - nath in the form of a bull. On being followed, He dived into the ground, leaving behind His hump of the surface. The hump is worshipped in the temple of Kedarnath in the conical Shiva pinda form.

The remaining parts of the body are worshipped at four other places

the arms (Bahu) at Tungnath,

face (mukh) at Rudranath,

navel (nabhi) at Madmaheshwar

and hair (jata) at Kalpeshwar.

Together with Kedarnath, these places are known as the Panch Kedar.

The lingam at Kedarnath, unlike its usual form, is pyramidal and is regarded as one of the 12 Jyotirlings. * Kedarnath is situated in the Himalayan slopes in the Gharwal district of Uttar Pradesh. The uniqueness and greatness of this temple sees mention in the vedas, ithihaasaas, epics.

The term Kedara for the Lord denotes The Lord who holds the holy Ganges in his matted locks & allows it to flow evenly to the world. It could also mean the mark that is left on the Lord's head from the time when Arjuna got the Paasupathastram.

This shrine is located at an elevation of 11,735 feet above sea level. The region of the Himlayas, where the shrine is located is known by several names such as Gandhamadana parvatham, Sumera parvatham, Pancha parvatham, etc. (Pancha parvatham, for this is the spot of five sacred peaks namely Rudra Himalayas, Vishnupuri, Brahmapuri, Udayagiri & Swargarohini.

The exterior of the temple is rather simple, but the interior is adorned with marvellous sculptures. In the garba griha is an irregular shaped conical rock which is about five feet by four feet. Lord Siva in the form of jyotirlingam is worshipped here as Lord Kedareshwar. It is believed that the jotirlingam is actually the rump of the bull, which was the form that Lord Shiva assumed, when the Pandavas tried to reach him to atone the sins of the Kurukshetra war. Since it was not time designated for humans to worship the Lord here, Lord Shiva tried to go away in the form of a bull. It is believed that temple structure that exists till date was actually the one constructed by the Pandavas.

The sannadhi of the Lord is facing South. There are the idols of Kedaragowri, Krishna, Pandavas, Draupadi, Vinayagar, Veerabadrar, Kaarthikeyan, Nandi. The shrine is covered by snow for 6 months in a year (closed from Oct-Nov upto Apr-May). It is believed that this is the time when the Devas are worshipping the Lord.

There is mountain path called Sorga Vaasal, through which the Pandavas, Sankaracharyar are supposed to have gone through. The river Mandakini flows down from near this area

Triyambakeshwarar, Nasik

TRYAMBAKESHWAR(On the banks of river Gautami/Godavari, MAHARASHTRA)

The Triyambakeshwarar temple is located in the Triyambak town near Nasik. The temple is in the Indo Aryan style. The temple structure with excellent adornments of idols and sculptures, is surrounded by a massive stone wall. There is a huge bull in front of the temple & another marble Nandi is seen on the inside. The sculptural adornments continues even to the garbagriha with human, animals and yakshas carved. From the Jyotir Lingam at the centre of the garbagriha, trickles the Ganges continuously throughout the year. Sometimes, it is said flames issue forth as also a rumbling sound.

How to Reach :AMARNATH

Air: The nearest aerodrome is Srinagar. Srinagar is a beautiful valley having world famous sights to see, such as Dal Lake, Nagina Lake, Shankaracharya Temple, Mughal Gardens and what not. It is the most sought after tourist place. It is also known as "Paradise on earth". Srinagar is summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir. There are daily flights to Srinagar from Delhi and Jammu. On some week days flights also pickup passengers from Chandigarh and Amritsar .

Rail: Jammu is the nearest Railway Station . Jammu is winter Capital of Jammu & Kashmir. Jammu is a beautiful city and is also known as "CITY OF TEMPLES". One may visit old temples such as Raghunath Temple , Mahadev Mandir and other temples . It is well connected with all stations of India.The various trains coming to Jammu are listed here below.

Road: Jammu and Srinagar are also connected through road. Buses and Taxies are also available for this part of the journey .These can be hired on daily as well as full tour basis.

General Information :-AMARNATH YATRA

Best Time to Visit: 
The Amarnath Yatra is organised every year by the Jammu & Kashmir government during the month of Shravan ( July and August); the dates however , vary every year looking at the weather conditions and according to Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) in the month of Shravan (Vikrama Samwat).

Yatra to Baba Amarnath Holy Cave for which one has to trek a height of about 14,500 ft is full of thrill and joy. The feeling of divine which is always beneath ones' heart , burst out and one realises 'Moksha' as one attends the Cave and perform the prayer before the Shivlinga. Surrounded by beautiful valleys, mountains, one will always feel His presence on the paradise of the earth, the memory of which hardly vanishes with time. A journey which will rediscover the nature and its love which is always inside but one has never felt.

Climate: The climatic conditions are very uncertain . Rain or snowfall may take place at any time or place during the Yatra. It is to be particularly noted that abrupt changes in temperature might occur. Sunny weather may turn into rain / snow fall in a short time. The temperature may fall up to -5 ° C.
Main Languages: Punjabi, Hindi and English
Population: 25,03,165
Temperature: Summer - Max: 34 Min: 15 :: Winter - Max: 18 Min: 0

Significance of Amarnath CaveAmarnath Cave

The Legend about the importance of Amarnath Cave is as follows :

This is the cave which was chosen by Bhole Shankar for narrating the secrets of immortality and creation of Universe to Maa Parvati ji. The story goes like this. Centuries ago Maa Parvati asked Shiv ji to let her know why and when He started wearing the beads of heads ( Mund Mala). Bhole Shankar replied when ever you are born I add one more head in my beads. Maa Parvati said ," My Lord, my body is destroyed every time and I die again and again, but you are Immortal. Please let me know the secret of this." Bhole Shankar replied that it is due to Amar Katha."

Maa Parvati insisted that she may be told that secret. For long Shiva ji continued postponing . Finally on consistent demand from Maa Parvati He made up his mind to tell the immortal secret. He started for lonely place where no living being could listen it. He choose Amarnath Cave. In preparation to that He left His Nandi ( The Bull which He used to ride ) at Pahalgam (Bail gaon). At Chandanwari He released Moon from his hairs (Jataon). At the banks of Lake Sheshnag He released the snakes . He decided to leave his Son Ganesha at Mahagunas Parvat (Mahaganesh Hill ). At Panjtarni, Shivji left the Five Elements behind (Earth , Water, Air , Fire and Sky) which make living being. He is the Lord of these elements. It is believed that as a symbol of sacrificing the earthly world , Shivaji and Maa Parvati had Tandav Dance. After leaving behind all these, Bhole Shankar enters the Holy Amarnath Cave along with Parvati Maa.

Lord Shiva takes his Samadhi on the Deer Skin and concentrate. To ensure that no living being is able to hear the immortal tale, He created rudra named Kalagni and ordered him to spread fire to eliminate every living thing in and around the Holy Cave . After this He started narrating the secret of immortality to Maa Parvati. But as a matter of chance one egg which was lying beneath the Deer skin remained protected. It is believed to be non living and more over it was protected by Shiva -Parvati Asan (Bed). The pair of pigeons which were born out of this egg became immortal having listened the secret of immortality (Amar Katha). Many pilgrims report seeing the pair of pigeons when they trek the arduous route to pay their obeisance before the Ice-Lingam (the phallic symbol of Shiva)

Amarnath Yatra

Amarnath Yatra is one of the most important holy pilgrimage held during July/ August. This is an annual event when thousands of Hindus from different corners of the Globe visit Amarnath caves. The pilgrims trek from Pahalgam to these caves and worship the great ice Lingam. Legend has it that Shiva recounted to Parvati the secret of creation in a cave in Amarnath. Unknown to them, a pair of mating doves eavesdropped on this conversation and having learned the secret, are reborn again and again, and have made the cave their eternal abode. Many pilgrims report seeing the doves-pair when they trek the arduous route to pay obeisance before the ice-lingam (the phallic symbol of Shiva). This is an event you certainly will talk about for the rest of your life.

The Legend of Amarnath

There is famous Rigvedic Verse that says "Ekam Sat " that is "There is one Being, the sages call Him by many names." The God (Parmeshwar) has three deities who carry on the world .This is Known as Holy Trinity. Brahma- the creator, Vishnu - the perpetuator of life and Shiva (Mahesh ) -the purifier and perpetuator of good and destroyer of evil. Rig Veda refer Shiva as Rudra as in its following verse .

"We Worship Tryambaka (Rudra) , Who spread Fragrance and Increases Nourishment, May He release me, like the cucumber from its stem, From Mortal Life, But not From Immorality."

(Rig Veda Mandal VII Sukta 59 and Mantra 12)

The Yajurveda describes Shiva as ascetic warrior Whose robe is of Deer Skin and He carries Trishul. According to the verse Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram, the life is described as having three facets Truth (Satyam), Good (Shivam) and the Beautiful (Sundaram). Shiva is a living God. The most Sacred and ancient books of India, the Rig Veda narrates His presence in the hymns. Vedic myths, rituals and even astronomy testifies to His existence from the dawn of time. The Mohenjodaro and Harappa findings confirm Shiva worship in the ancient India. According to the older scriptures, He has three places of His residence. One is Kailash Parvat another is Lohit Giri under which Brahamaputra flows and third is Muzwan Parvat.

Shiv Rudrabhisekh Pooja

Things to do during Shravan month

Things to do during Shravan month

• Wear Rudraksh, and also use a Rudraksh mala for Japa.
• Offer Lord Shiva Bhibhuti and place some on your forehead.
• Make offerings of Bel leaves, Panchamrut (milk, yoghurt, clarified butter, honey and jaggery) on Shiva Ling.
• Recite Shiv Chalisa and Aarti.
• Chant Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra.
• Fasting on Mondays. Girls who fast on all Mondays of Shravan get a good husband.

Importance of Shravan Month

Legend believe that when the churning of oceans - Samudra Manthan - took place in the month of Shravan, fourteen different types of rubies came out. Thirteen of these were distributed amongst the demons, except Halahal (poison). Lord Shiva drank the Halahal and stored it in his throat. Hence the name Neelkantha (meaning blue throat) is attributed to Shiva.To reduce the strong effect of poison, Lord Shiva wore the crescent moon on his head. All the Gods, thereafter started offering the Ganges water to Lord Shiva to make lessen the effect of poison.


Since, this happened in the month of Shravana, since then the Shiva devotees offer the Ganges water in this month. It is considered highly auspicious to wear a rudraksha in Shravan month. As, Mondays or Somvars of Shravan month are specially observed with austerity. All Mondays are devoted to the worship of Shiva as this day is sacred to Lord Shiva. No other Mondays of other months are so greatly honoured.The belief is that in Shravan month, offering milk to Lord Shiva earns a lot of punya.

What is Shravan Month ?

Shravan month is the fifth month of the Hindu calender beginning from Chaitra, and is the most auspicious month of the Chaturmas. On Purnima or fullmoon day, or during the course of the month the star 'Shravan' rules the sky, hence the month is called Shravan. This month is spread out with innumerably religious festivals and ceremonies and almost all the days of this month are auspicious.
Shravan is considered the holiest month of the year. Each monday of this month, known as Shravana Somvar, is a special day in Shiva temples where the dharanatra hangs over the linga or the idol to bathe it with holy water, day and night. Devotees pile the linga high with Bel leaves and flowers and fast till sunset. The nandadeep (24 hour lamp) burns steadily in the temples.

SHIVA

GOU MATA