OM GAM GANAPATAYE NAMAH! JAI KARUNAMAYI

MOTHER EARTH temple and warangal ruins Situated in the city of Warangal, we will visit one of the

most breathtaking and historical landmarks of India, the Warangal Fort Ruins and Temples. The ruins consist of three concentric layers, whose towering 50-ft granite gateways hint at the glory of the original edifice. Here we will also find the shrine known as Syambhuva, a temple dedicated to Mother Earth displaying beautiful craftsmanship and ornate carvings reminiscent of those found in Belur & Halibedu. Amma will also take us for the Darshan (sight) of a Shiva Temple located at the center of the ancient city.

The Ramappa Temple is located outside of Hyderabad,

near the legendary city of Warangal. This powerful and unique shrine is dedicated to Ramalingeshwara, a form of Lord Shiva, and it sits on a very auspicious, star-shaped foundation (in fact, the ancient sanctuary has earned the description of being the “Brightest Star in the Galaxy of medieval temples…”). The sculptor’s devotion to the Lord can seen in the intricately carved pillars, walls and ceilings of the temple. And Lord Shiva’s blessings for this holy place have been reciprocated in temple’s ability to withstand wars, invasions and natural disasters, despite being constructed of bricks so light that they float on water. Ramappa is the only temple in India known by the name of the sculptor (Ramappa) rather than the Deity or Location.

RAMAPPA TEMPLE

Thousand pillars temple This hill-top temple was constructed in the 1100’s by the Kakatiya dynasty and is nearly completely

intact. The enduring vibrations of hundreds of years of worship can be felt in each of the ancient structure’s three shrines, which are dedicated to Surya (the Sun God), Maha Vishnu, and Lord Shiva (as such the temple is also known as Thrikutalayam).

The Kakatiyan’s were devout Shaivites (worshippers of Lord Shiva), and as such this temple is also home to a monolithic, 6-foot Nandi (Shiva’s bull), carved from a single piece of Black Basalt stone (right). The sanctuary was also designed and built so that the sun’s rays bathe the statue of the Lord in the early mornings.

With intricately carved pillars, detailed idols, and ornate screens, the thousand pillars temple took 72 years to complete. Since then it has earned distinction and import as a place of pilgrimage. Amma will share more about the mysticism of this very holy place.

BHADRAKALI TEMPLE Dating back to 625 AD, this extremely

powerful temple dedicated to the Goddess Kali, pulsates with Shakti, Divine Energy. The statue of Mother Kali here measures almost 9 feet in height and is seen holding a variety of items in Her eight hands. That said, Bhadra means pleasant, and as the name suggests, this form of the Divine Mother welcomes visitors of the shrine with a warm face and compassionate eyes.

In addition to the Deity, the inner sanctum contains a number of other highly auspicious and potent sacred items, including a Chandi Yantra and a very large Sri Chakra Meru.

To merely gaze upon the form of the Divine Mother in this temple is enough to destroy mountains of karma and infuse visitors with Divine Shakti. The trip to Bhadrakali Temple with Amma promises to be an uplifting and powerful spiritual experience.

YadagiriGutta temple

Yadagirigutta is a popular and

extremely powerful Vishnu temple situated on a small hill about 35 miles outside of Hyderabad. The site itself is mentioned in the Puranas, ancient holy scriptures, and legend holds that a great rishi, or sage, meditated for years in a cave on the hill. Because of his deep devotion to the Lord, Vishnu appeared to the sage in the form of Narasimha (right).

Today we find the Yadagirigutta Temple constructed in such a way that the inner sanctum of the sanctuary is that very cave, enshrining an extremely powerful self-born statue of Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy (shown above).

Many visitors of this shrine experience miraculous healings of all kind, including relief from chronic illness and negative planetary influences.

It is also said that this hill is a place where other great sages and rishis come to perform their worship of Lakshmi Narasimh Swamy.

GOLCONDA RUINS

The ruins of this historic city are not only

breathtakingly beautiful but also touch the heart and soul, as here we find the prison cell (bottom left) that held the original Bhakta Ramdas captive for 12 years in the mid 1600’s. Bhakta Ramdas (a former tax-collector imprisoned for his misappropriation of government funds that he used to construct the famous Rama Temple at Bhadrachalam) was set free when Lord Rama Himself appeared to then ruler of Golconda, and paid the dept in Gold Mohurs.

SURENDRAPURI Surendrapuri Temple Complex is a well-known,

mythological museum and truly a must-see place for anyone new to Hinduism or curious about the Hindu religion. The facilities feature nearly life-size replicas of the most prominent Hindu temples in India, as well as a broad collection of paintings, sculptures and art work depicting scenes from all of the major epics of Hinduism—the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita are all portrayed at Surendrapuri in beautiful detail.

Sri Raja rajeshwara

temple

Commonly referred to as Dakshina Kashi, or the

Banaras of the South, this potent temple of Lord Shiva is well over 1000 years old and alive with His Presence. On certain days in Feb/March, the temple hosts over 500,000 devotees, making it one of the most popular destinations of India’s religious pilgrims. The temple’s bathing tank, where visitors typically have a dip before proceeding to the inner sanctuary, is believed to contain water with healing properties. In addition, this mystical place of worship also houses shrines dedicated to Ganesha, Sri Rama, Lakshmana, Maha Lakshmi and the tomb of a Muslim Saint.

KeesarAGutta Temple

The towering form of Hanuman-ji, the ardent devotee of

Lord Rama, can be seen (below) by visitors to Keesaragutta Temple, displaying His reverence to this holy shrine that dates back to the 3rd century. The hill-top sanctuary is a known Shivalayam, dwelling place of Shiva, where Hanuman Himself has installed the main deity, a Shiva Lingam.

In Addition, countless other Shiva Lingams are also found outside of the temple, gracing the surrounding countryside of this sacred hill—a fact which has earned Keesaragutta the nickname Koti Linga Temple, which literally means the Temple of 10,000,000 Shiva Lingams.

Sanghi Temple

Sanghi Temple is located amidst lush greenery on the scenic peak of Paramond Giri . The temple’s main

sanctum is dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara and houses a statue of the Lord measuring 9 ½ feet in height. Additionally, shrines for a number of other Deity’s have been installed at Sanghi, including Lord Venkateshwara’s consort, Padmavathi Devi–a form of Sri Maha Lakshmi Devi born in a Golden Lotus.

Here we will also find Vijayganapati, the Great Lord Ganesha who removes all obstacles.

Sanghi Temple also features the Pavitra Vanam, or Holy Garden—a vast and colorful collection of the flowers used in the temple’s worship ceremonies.

Sri VIDYA Saraswati Temple

Jnana Saraswati Temple

Wargal Saraswati Temple (right), as the Sri Vidya Saraswati

Temple is also known, is one of one of the few temples in India dedicated to Sri Saraswati Devi, the Goddess of Wisdom, and an important place to have the Darshan of the Divine Mother.

The temple also has a powerful shrine to Shani, or Satrun, and features a Veda Patashala, school for Vedic Pundits, with over 300 students.

Located on the banks of the Holy Godavari River is one of the

two famous temples in India dedicated to Sri Saraswati Devi, Jnana Saraswati Temple (left) in Basar, Andhra Pradesh.

It was here that the great sage Vyasa sat on the banks of the Godavari River, performing years of worship and mediation on

Goddess Saraswati. Daily, Vyasa would take sand from the sacred river for his morning worship and set it down in the same place. Eventually, through the power of Divine Grace, the mound of sand was transformed into a perfect idol of Sri Saraswati Devi. That same idol is enshrined here at Basara, along with Sri Lakshmi Devi and Sri Kali Devi.

Karmanghat

Hanuman temple

One of the oldest temples in Hyderabad, this

sanctuary is dedicated to Dhyana Anjaneya Swamy, a form of Lord Hanuman seated in meditation. The temple dates back to the 1100’s and has withstood invasion and attempts at demolition. Legend has it that a powerful Mulsim ruler endeavored to personally destroy idols himself, upon his entrance he was halted at the threshold by thundering voice of Hanuman, stating that no damage would be done to this temple.

Reputed as being the 3rd largest museum in

India and having the world’s largest single-person collection of antiques, a tour of Salarjung Museum (right) is an educational and rich experience. The museum features a

Salarjung museum

collection of about 1 million pieces, including ancient manuscripts, idols, artifacts, sculptures, paintings, carvings, ceramics, textiles, furniture and much more from variety of ancient civilizations dating back to the 1st century. A portion of the collection is on display in 38 large galleries spreading across the museum’s 3 floors.

For more information about

the 2012 Temple Tour with Her Holiness

Amma Sri Karunamayi, including details on how to apply,

please click here or email

Communications@karunamayi.org

Jai Karunamayi!