Jyotirlinga

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

Dwadash Jyotirlingani (Dvadash Jyotirlinga)

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Allahabad
Allahabad ([ɪlɑhɑbɑd̪]; Hindi: इलाहाबाद; Urdu: الہ آباد), or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughal emperor Akbar from the original (still unofficially used) native name of Prayaga, and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, lying some 205 kilometres (127 mi) south of the state capital, Lucknow. It is the administrative headquarters of the Allahabad District. Allahabad has been ranked the world's 130th fastest growing city (growth rate: 2.09 per cent (2011)).^{[citation needed]} The ancient name of the city is Prayaga (Sanskrit for "place of sacrifice"), as it is believed to be the spot where Brahma offered his first sacrifice after creating the world. It is one of four sites of the mass Hindu pilgrimage Kumbh Mela, the others being Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. It has a position of importance in Hindu scriptures for it is situated at Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the holy rivers Ganges and Yamuna, and the ancient Sarasvati River.

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Almora
Almora (Hindi: अल्मोड़ा) is a municipal board, a cantonment town in the Almora district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Almora was founded in 1568.
It is a town bustling with activity and a rich cultural heritage and history. It is considered the cultural heart of the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.
Almora is located at 29°37′N 79°40′E / 29.62°N 79.67°E / 29.62; 79.67. It has an average elevation of 1,651 metres (5,417 feet). It is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of the Himalaya range. In the shape of a horse saddle shaped hillock, it is surrounded by thick forests of pine and fir trees. Flowing alongside the city are rivers of Koshi, (Kaushiki), and Suyal (Salmale). The snow capped Himalayas can be seen in the background.Almora got its name from "Kilmora" a short plant found nearby region. during olden days people living near Almora plug Kilmora plant for washing the utensils of "Katarmal Temple". Soon the people bringing Kilmora were called Kilmori and later "Almori". So the place from where Almori comes came to be known as "Almora".

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Ambaji
Ambaji ( Gujarati: અંબાજી, Hindi: अम्बाजी, Ambājī) is a census town in Banaskantha district in the state of Gujarat, India. Ambaji is an important temple town with millions of devotees visiting the Ambaji temple every year. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas.
Ambaji mata temple is a major Shakti Peeth of India. It is situated at a distance of approximately 65 kilometres from Palanpur, 45 kilometres from Mount Abu and 20 kilometres from Abu Road,42 Kilometer from Shri Amirgadh, 50 kilometer from Kadiyadra near the Gujarat and Rajasthan border.
In the holy temple of "Arasuri Ambaji", there is no image or statue of goddess the holy "Shree Visa Yantra" is worshiped as the main deity. No one can see the Yantra with naked eye. the photography of the Yantra is prohibited.
The original seat of Ambaji mata is on gabbar hilltop in the town. A large number of devotees visit the temple every year specially on Purnima days. A large mela on Bhadarvi poornima (full moon day) is held. Every Year from all over the country people come here walking all over from their native place just to worship MAA AMBE in July. The whole Ambaji is lighted up as the whole nation lights up at the festive time of Diwali.

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Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh /ˌɑːndrə prəˈdɛʃ/ is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the country's southeastern coast. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Hyderabad. Andhra Pradesh lies between 12°41' and 22°N latitude and 77° and 84°40'E longitude, and is bordered by Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Orissa in the north, the Bay of Bengal in the east, Tamil Nadu to the south and Karnataka to the west.
Andhra Pradesh has the second-longest coastline of 972 km (604 mi) among the states of India. Two major rivers, the Godavari and the Krishna, run across the state. The small enclave (30 square kilometres (12 sq mi)) of Yanam, a district of Pondicherry, lies in the Godavari delta in the northeast of the state. The state is separated into three regions: Telangana, Andhra, and Rayalaseema.
The primary official language of Andhra Pradesh is Telugu and the co-official language is Urdu. Other languages often spoken in the state include Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, and Oriya.

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Assam
Assam /əˈsæm/ (Assamese: অসম) also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province (British India), is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country^{[citation needed]}. Assam was one of the original provinces of the British ruled Indian sub-continent and among the original provinces of present day India, having a legislature that dates back to 1937. However, present day Assam has undergone numerous territory alignment changes, with its state map being altered more than any other province's. Known for exquisite natural resources, geography and its important role in India's freedom struggle; Assam has its capital as Dispur, an especialized city circuit region located on the outskirts of its largest metropolis, Guwahati.
Assam is particularly famous for its natural beauty. The landscape includes tea gardens, the river Brahmaputra, and many historical monuments and temples. Swami Vivekananda once said that, "next only to Kashmir, Assam is the most beautiful place in India" A state with an abundance of forest, Assam also has five national parks, around half a dozen other wildlife sanctuaries, and is home to two-thirds of the population of the unique one-horned rhino. When it comes to wildlife, Assam too has successfully conserved the one-horned Indian rhinoceros from near extinction, along with the tiger and numerous species of birds, and it provides one of the last wild habitats for the Asian elephant. It is becoming an increasingly popular destination for wildlife tourism, and Kaziranga and Manas are both World Heritage Sites.

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Aundha Nagnath
Aundha Naganath is a town and a tehsil in Basmat Subdivision of Hingoli district in Marathwada region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. There is famous Temple of Lord Shiva.
The Shiva Temple claims to be one of the Twelve Jyotirlingas in India. It is called as "NAGNATH TEMPLE" This claim is disputed by Nageshwar Temple at Dwarka, Gujarat.
It has been stated that this temple building was of seven-storyed before sacking it by Aurangzeb.
There is one famous story told about Sant Namdev and aundha nagnath, that when he was chanting Bhajan in front of Aundha Nagnath temple with Sant Dnyaneshwar, Visoba Khechara and few more Varkari, the temple pujari told them it is obstruting their temple prayer and asked them to go away from temple. Then all varkaris went back side of the temple and started chanting bhajan there. That time Lord Shiva turned the whole temple to listen bhajan that's why Nandi is located on back side of temple.
A pilgrim centre of great significance, since it is considered to be the first (aadya) of the 12 Jyotirlingas in the country. A part from this honour, the temple of Nagnath has exquisite carvings. Nanded, 64 km. by road from Aundha, is famous for the Such Khand Huzur Sahib Gurudwara where Guru Gobind Singh's ashes are buried. Aundha is a Holy place of eight jyotirlinga in the India. Getting there :

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Ayodhya
Ayodhya pronunciation (help·info) (Sanskrit: अयोध्या, Urdu: ایودھیا, IAST Ayodhyā), also known as Saket (Sanskrit: साकेत, Urdu: ساکیت ) is an ancient city of India adjacent to Faizabad city in Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh. As a result of rapid settlement and development Ayodhya has been merged to Faizabad city. Ayodhya is the birth place of the Hindu deities Rama and Swaminarayan. It used to be the capital of the ancient Kosala Kingdom. This Hindu holy city is described as early as in the Hindu Epics. Ayodhya has an average elevation of 93 metres (305 feet).
Ayodhya is located on the right bank of the river Saryu, as it is called within sacred precincts. Just 6 km from Faizabad, Ayodhya is a popular pilgrim centre. This town is closely associated with Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The ancient city of Ayodhya, according to the Ramayana, was founded by Manu, the law-giver of the Hindus. For centuries, it was the capital of the descendants of the Surya dynasty of which Lord Rama was the most celebrated king. Ayodhya during ancient times was the capital of the Rama Empire and known as Kaushaldesa.

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Badrinath
Badrinath is a Hindu/Jain holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the most important of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage. The town gets its name from the Holy temple of Badrinath. The deity of Badrinath worshiped as an avatar of Vishnu by Hindus is regarded as "Adinath / Rishabdev" [1st Trithankar] by Jains. This indicates best unity between Jains and Hindus.
Badrinath is located at 30°44′N 79°29′E / 30.73°N 79.48°E / 30.73; 79.48. It has an average elevation of 3,415 metres (11,204 feet). It is in the Garhwal hills, on the banks of the Alaknanda River. The town lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges and in the shadow of Nilkantha peak (6,560m). Badrinath is located 301 km north of Rishikesh. From Gaurikund (near Kedarnath) to Badrinath by road is 233 km.
Badrinath was re-established as a major pilgrimage site by Adi Shankara in the ninth century. In recent years its popularity has increased significantly, with an estimated 600,000 pilgrims visiting during the 2006 season, compared to 90,676 in 1961. The temple in Badrinath is also a sacred pilgrimage site for Vaishnavites.

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Badrinath Temple
Badrinath temple (Hindi/Garhwali: बद्रीनाथ मंदिर, Tamil:பத்ரிநாத், Malayalam: ബദരിനാഥ്), sometimes called Badrinarayan temple, is situated along the Alaknanda river, in the hill town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand state in India. It is widely considered to be one of the holiest Hindu temples, and is dedicated to god Vishnu. The temple and town are one of the four Char Dham and Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites. It is also one of the 108 Divya Desams, holy shrines for Vaishnavites. The temple is open only six months every year (between the end of April and the beginning of November), due to extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region.
Several murtis are worshipped in the temple. The most important is a one meter tall statue of Vishnu as Lord Badrinarayan, made of black Saligram stone. The statue is considered by many Hindus to be one of eight swayam vyakta kshetras, or self-manifested statues of Vishnu. The murti depicts Vishnu sitting in meditative posture, rather than His far more typical reclining pose. In November each year, when the town of Badrinath is closed, the image is moved to nearby Jyotirmath.

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Ballaleshwar Pali
Ballaleshwar (lit.: "Ballal's Lord") temple is one of the eight temples of Lord Ganesha. Among Ganesha temples, Ballaleshwar is the only incarnation of Ganesha that is known by his devotee's name. It is located in the village of Pali which is at a distance of 30 km from Karjat in the Raigad district. It is situated between fort Sarasgad and the river Amba.
The original wooden temple was renovated in 1760 to make way for a new stone temple designed by Shri Fadnis. Built in the shape of the letter Shri, it was made by mixing lead with the cement during construction. The east-facing temple was carefully positioned so that, as the sun rises, sun rays fall directly on the murti during worship. The temple contains a bell that was brought back by Chimaji Appa after his defeat of the Portuguese in Vasai and Sasti.
The temple complex encircles two lakes and is tiled throughout. There are two sanctums in the temple, an inner and an outer sanctum. The inner canctum is 15 feet (4.6 m) high, while the outer sanctum is only 12 feet (3.7 m) high. The outer sanctum contains a murti in the shape of a rat, holding modak in its hands while facing Ganesha. The main hall of the temple is 40 feet (12 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) wide and contains eight pillars resembling cyprus trees.

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Bhadrachalam
Bhadrachalam (Telugu: భద్రాచలము), a town known for the Sri Rama Temple constructed in the year 1674 A.D., is a Municipality in Khammam district, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located 312 kilometres (194 mi) east of state capital, Hyderabad. The Bhadrachalam Temple, where the presiding deity is Lord Rama, is an important site of pilgrimage for Hindus. It is situated on the banks of the river Godavari. The town has a documented history of more than 450 years.
In 1959 Bhadrachalam Revenue Division consisting of Bhadrachalam and Nuguru Venkatapuram Taluks of East Godavari district, which were on the other side of the river Godavari were merged into Khammam on grounds of geographical contiguity and administrative viability.
The town is connected to other major towns by rail and by road. Bhadrachalam is about 130 kilometres (approx. 82miles) from district headquarters Khammam and 320 kilometres from Hyderabad. The nearest railway station to Bhadrachalam is at a distance of 40 kilometres, in a town called Kothagudem. The railway station at Kothagudem was named as Bhadrachalam road due to its proximity to the important pilgrimage center. However, the Kothagudem railway station does not provide access to many important destinations, and hence to travel to other cities such as Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai, etc., the district headquarters, Khammam is the nearest Railway station. Bhadrachalam, as known is famous as temple town. Bhadrachalam town is the gateway of agency area (dhandakaranya). Bhadrachalam's name has been derived from "Bhadragiri" (Mountain of Bhadra - a boon child of Meru and Menaka).

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Bhimashankar Temple
Bhimashankar Temple is in the village of Shiradhon 50 km northwest of Khed, near Pune, in India. It is located 127 km from Shivaji Nagar (Pune) in the Ghat region of the Sahyadri hills. Bhimashankar is also the source of the river Bhima, which flows southeast and merges with the Krishna river near Raichur. The other Jyotirlinga shrines in Maharashtra are Trimbakeshwara near Nashik and Grishneshwar near Ellora around Aurangabad.

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Chidambaram
Chidambaram (Tamil: சிதம்பரம்) is a fast growing industrial city in eastern part of Tamil Nadu and the taluk (tehsil) headquarters of the Cuddalore district. It is located in 58 km from Pondicherry, 60 km from Karaikal, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail. It has an average elevation of 3 metres (9 ft). The city is home to Annamalai University, Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram Temple, port Parangipettai, and many industries. The city is a major pilgrimage site for Shaivites and Vaishnavites.
As of 2011 India census, Chidambaram had a population of 82,458. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Chidambaram has an average literacy rate of 80%, significantly higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 84% and female literacy of 76%. 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.
The ancient Chidambaram Temple (Tamil: சிதம்பரம் கோயில் ) is dedicated to Lord Shiva in his form of the cosmic Dancer (Nataraja நடராசர்). It is one of the five dancing halls (Sabha) of Nataraja and the most famous one. Chidambaram is the Kanaka Sabha (Golden Hall). It is also one of the Panchabhoota Sthalams - representing five basic elements. This is the Akasa Sthalam representing 'Space' among the Pancha Bootha Sthalams. For Saivites all over the world this is the most important Siva Temple. The stand alone word "Kovil" would automatically mean Chidambaram Temple to Saivites. The others are - Tiruvannamalai (Thejo sthalam - Fire) Kanchipuram (Prithvi sthalam - Earth) Srikalahasti (Vayu sthalam - Air) Tiruvanaikaval (Trichy) (Appu sthalam - Water).

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Dakor

Dakor (Gujarati: ડાકોર) is a city and a Nagarpalika in Kheda district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is prominent for its grand temple of Shree Krishna-Shree Ranchhodraiji.
This story is as told by the people there in 1957. BODANA, a Krishna devotee used to walk all the way from Dakor to distant Dwaraka, on every full moon night. As BODANA aged, it became harder for him to go to Dwaraka. Lord Krishna then told him that he need not walk all the way to Dwaraka as he had decided to accompany him and stay with him in Dakor.^{[citation needed]}
So, some devotees started moving the idol of Lord Krishna. The local people objected to this and fought with the devotees. God told the devotees to throw his idol into the water. The local people searched for the idol by poking sticks into the water, but they were not able to find it. When the devotees removed the idol of Lord Krishna, wounds were seen all over the idol. These wounds were attributed as due to the sticks.
The local people then asked the devotees for gold equal to the weight of the idol. The only gold that the devotee had was his wife's nose ring. However, when the nose ring and the idol were weighed, they were found to be equal in weight. It is believed that Lord Krishna tilted the scales in favour of the nose ring, so that the local people could get only a very small quantity of gold. This idol of Lord Krishna was then installed at Dakor. This shows how Lord Krishna changed his residence for the convenience of his devotees.

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Debagarh district
Debagarh District, also known as Deogarh District, is a district of Orissa state, India. It is located in the northern part of the state. Debagarh is the district headquarters. The district covers an area of 2781.66 km². The district has a population of 274,095 (2001 Census). As of 2011 it is the least populous district of Orissa (out of 30).
The district was created on 1 January 1994 by bifurcating the erstwhile Sambalpur district. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Debagarh one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 19 districts in Orissa currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
There are a number of educational institutes are present out of which Raja Basu Dev High School(Oriya: ରାଜା ଵାସୁ ଦେବ ଉଚ୍ଚ ବିଦ୍ୟାଳୟ) and Govt. collage at Debagarh town are some of them.
According to the 2011 census Debagarh district has a population of 312,164, roughly equal to the nation of Iceland. This gives it a ranking of 571st in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 106 inhabitants per square kilometre (270 /sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 13.88 %. Debagarh has a sex ratio of 976 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 73.07 %.

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Deoghar
Deoghar is the headquarters city of Deoghar District in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkhand, India. It is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre, having in Baidyanath Temple one of the twelve Shiva Jyothirlingams in India and also one of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India.
Deoghar is a Hindi word and the literal meaning of 'Deoghar' is abode ('ghar') of the Gods and Goddesses ('dev'). Deoghar is also known as "Baidyanath Dham", "Baba Dham", "B. Deoghar". The origin of Baidyanathdham is lost in antiquity. It has been referred as Haritakivan, Ketakivan, etc., in Sanskrit Texts. The name Deoghar seems to be of recent origin and probably dates from erection of the great temple of Lord Baidyanath. Although, the name of the builder of the temple is not traceable, certain parts of the front portion of the temple are said to have been built by Puran Mal, an ancestor of the Maharaja of Giddhour, in 1596.
Deoghar is located at 24°29′N 86°42′E / 24.48°N 86.7°E / 24.48; 86.7. It has an average elevation of 254 metres (833 feet).

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Deoghar district
Deoghar district (Hindi: देवघर जिला) is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state in eastern India, and Deoghar town is the administrative headquarters of this district. This district is known for the Baidyanath Jyotirlinga shrine. This district is part of Santhal Pargana division.
The district was formed on 1 June 1986 by separating Deoghar sub-division of the erstwhile Santhal Parganas district.
Deogarh district is located in the western portion of Santhal paraganas. It is bounded by Bhagalpur district in north, Dumka in south and east and Giridhi in west. The district extends from 24 0 03’ and 23 0 38’ N latitude and 86 0 28’ and 87 0 04’ E longitude and comprises 2481 km² area. It has population 11,65,390 persons (Census of India, 2001).
The district contains several clusters of rocky hills covered with forest, but series of long ridges with intervening depressions. Most of the rolling uplands are cultivated by highland crops. The average elevation of the district is 247 m above msl, However hill ranges like Phuljari (750 m), Teror (670 m) and Degaria (575 m) break the monotony of the landscape. The general slope of the district is from north west to south east. Geologically the district is mainly covered by chhotanagpur granite gneiss of Archean age with paches of alluvium, sandstone and shale of Gondawana formations. Important rivers flowing in the district are the Ajay, the Paltro etc. These rivers gather a large number of tributaries which form the land scape full of Tanrs and Dons.

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Dharmasthala
Dharmasthala(Tulu/Kannada:ಧರ್ಮಸ್ಥಳ) is a Indian temple village on the banks of the Nethravathi River in the Belthangadi taluk of the Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka.
The village is known for its Dharmasthala Temple which houses the shrine of Shiva,Manjunatha, Ammanavaru, Chandranath and the Dharma Daivas (Guardian Spirits of Dharma) namely Kalarahu, Kalarkayi, Kumaraswamy and Kanyakumari.The temple is unusual in that it is run by a Jain administration and poojas are conducted by Hindu priests of Madhva order. Lakshadeepa- the festival of lights is the annual festival of Dharmasthala comes off in November–December. On an average the flow of pilgrims is about 10,000 people a day. A mechanised kitchen provides free food for all pilgrims and there are guest houses with modern amenities.
Dharmastala represents religious tolerance. A Jain Tirthankara is worshipped beside Daivas and Lord Manjunatha (Shiva). The priests are Vaishnavite Brahmins and the guardian of the temple a Heggade (Jain).

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Dwarakadheesh Temple
The Dwarakadheesh temple (Gujarati: દ્વારકાધીશ મંદિર) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, who is worshipped here by the name Dwarkadhish, or 'King of Dwarka'. It is situated at Dwarka, Gujarat, which is believed to have been built after the historic Dvarka city, the Kingdom of Krishna himself which submerged in to the ocean after the Mahabharata war. The main shrine of the 5-storied building, supported by 72 pillars, is known as Jagat Mandir or Nija Mandir, and is believed to be 2500 years old. The Dwarkadhish Temple is Pushti Marg Temple hence it follows the guidelines and rituals created by Shree Vallabacharya and Shree Vitheleshnathji.
The present temple was built in 16th century CE, while the original temple was believed to have been built by Krishna's grandson, Vajranabha, over the hari-griha (Lord Krishna's residential place) and became part of the Char Dham pilgrimages considered most sacred by Hindus in India, after Adi Shankaracharya, the 8th century reformer and philosopher, visited the shrine and even today a memorial within the temple is dedicated to his visit. Dwarakadheesh is the 108th Divya Desam of Lord Vishnu on the subcontinent, glorified in the Divya Prabandha sacred texts.

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Dwarka
Dwarka () also spelled Dvarka, Dwaraka, and Dvaraka, is a city and a municipality of Jamnagar district in the Gujarat state in India. Dwarka (Dvaraka in Sanskrit - used in this article when referring to the city in a historical context), also known as Dwarawati in Sanskrit literature is rated as one of the seven most ancient cities in the country. The legendary city of Dvaraka was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. It is believed that due to damage and destruction by the sea, Dvaraka has submerged six times and modern day Dwarka is therefore the seventh such city to be built in the area.^{[citation needed]}
The modern city of Dwarka is located in the Jamnagar District of Gujarat. The city lies in the westernmost part of India.
Dwarka is located at the geographical coordinates of 22°14′N 68°58′E / 22.23°N 68.97°E / 22.23; 68.97. It is a relatively flat region at sea-level, having an average elevation of 0 metres (0 feet).
Moreover, Dwarka is one of seven most holy places for Hindus in India where Varanasi is considered as the holiest of the seven holy cities.

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Gangotri
Gangotri (Hindi: गंगोत्री) is a town and a Nagar Panchayat (municipality) in Uttarkashi district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is a Hindu pilgrim town on the banks of the river Bhagirathi. It is on the Greater Himalayan Range, at a height of 3,100m.
Gangotri is located at 30°59′N 78°56′E / 30.98°N 78.93°E / 30.98; 78.93.
Gangotri, the origin of the River Ganges and seat of the goddess Ganga, is one of the four sites in the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. The river is called Bhagirathi at the source and acquires the name Ganga (the Ganges) from Devprayag onwards where it meets the Alaknanda. The origin of the holy river is at Gaumukh, set in the Gangotri Glacier, and is a 19 km trek from Gangotri.
According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Ganga took the form of a river to absolve the sins of King Bhagiratha's predecessors, following his severe penance of several centuries.
According to this legend, King Sagar, after slaying the demons on earth decided to stage an Ashwamedha Yajna as a proclamation of his supremacy. The horse which was to be taken on an uninterrupted journey around the earth was to be accompanied by the King's 60,000 sons born to Queen Sumati and one son Asamanja born of the second queen Kesani. Indra, supreme ruler of the gods feared that he might be deprived of his celestial throne if the 'Yagya' (worship with fire) succeeded and then took away the horse and tied it to the ashram of Sage Kapil, who was then in deep meditation. The sons of the King Sagara searched for the horse and finally found it tied near the meditating sage. Sixty thousand angry sons of King Sagara stormed the ashram of sage Kapil. When he opened his eyes, the 60,000 sons had all perished, by the curse of sage Kapil. Bhagiratha, the grandson of King Sagar, is believed to have meditated to please the Goddess Ganga enough to cleanse the ashes of his ancestors, and liberate their souls, granting them salvation or Moksha.

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Gokul
Gokul is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located 15 km south-east of Mathura. It was the site of Krishnas childhood past-times.
Gokul is located at 27°27′N 77°43′E / 27.45°N 77.72°E / 27.45; 77.72. It has an average elevation of 163 metres (534 feet).
As of 2001^[update] India census, Gokul had a population of 4041. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Gokul has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 68%, and female literacy is 49%. In Gokul, 18% of the population is under 6 years of age.

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Grishneshwar
Grishneshwar, also known as Ghushmeshwar, is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the sacred abodes of Shiva. The temple is located eleven km from Daulatabad, near Aurangabad in Maharashtra India. The temple is located near the famous Ellora Caves.
As per Shiv Mahapuran, once Brahma (the Hindu God of creation) and Vishnu (the Hindu God of saving) had an argument in terms of supremacy of creation. To test them, Shiva pierced the three worlds as a huge endless pillar of light, the jyotirlinga. Vishnu and Brahma split their ways to downwards and upwards respectively to find the end of the light in either directions. Brahma lied that he found out the end, while Vishnu conceded his defeat. Shiva appeared as a second pillar of light and cursed Brahma that he would have no place in ceremonies while Vishnu would be worshipped till the end of eternity. The jyotirlinga is the supreme partless reality, out of which Shiva partly appears. The jyothirlinga shrines, thus are places where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. Originally there were believed to be 64 jyothirlingas while 12 of them are considered to be very auspicious and holy. Each of the twelve jyothirlinga sites take the name of the presiding deity - each considered different manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the primary image is lingam representing the beginningless and endless Stambha pillar, symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva. The twelve jyothirlinga are Somnath in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andra Pradesh, Mahakaleswar at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in Himalayas, Bhimashankar in Maharastra, Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Triambakeshwar in Maharastra, Vaidyanath at Deogarh in Jharkand, Nageswar at Dwarka in Gujarat, Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Grishneshwar at Aurangabad in Maharastra.

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Gujarat
Gujarat /ˌɡʊdʒəˈrɑːt/ (Gujarati: ગુજરાત Gujǎrāt [ɡudʒ(ə)ɾat] ( listen)) is a state in western India. It has an area of 75,686 sq mi (196,030 km²) with a coastline of 1,600 km, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula, and a population in excess of 60 million. The state is bordered by Rajasthan to the north, Maharashtra to the south, Madhya Pradesh to the east and the Arabian Sea as well as the Pakistani province of Sindh on the west. Its capital is Gandhinagar, while its largest city is Ahmedabad. Gujarat is home to the Gujarati-speaking people of India.
The state encompasses major sites of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, such as Lothal and Dholavira. Lothal is believed to be one of the world's first ports. Gujarat's coastal cities, chiefly Bharuch and Khambhat, served as ports and trading centers in the Maurya and Gupta empires. Mahatma Gandhi, India's "father of the nation", who led the Indian Independence Movement against the British colonial rule was a Gujarati.Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister was also from Gujarat.

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Gunupur
GUNUPUR (Oriya: ଗୁଣପୁର) is a town and a notified area committee in Rayagada district in the Indian state of Orissa.
Gunupur is located at 19°05′N 83°49′E / 19.08°N 83.82°E / 19.08; 83.82. It has an average elevation of 83 metres (272 ft). It is located in the lap of the Eastern Ghat and on the banks of river Vamshadhara. It has a mixed climate of mountains & Coastal Plain. Its outer region is completely covered by forest.
The nearest Airport is the Visakhapatnam_Airport at a distance of 200 km towards the south.
Gunupur is connected to other parts of Orissa by the State Highway 17 which connects Berhampur via Paralakhemundi and Taptapani at one end and Rayagada on the other. The nearest major town is Paralakhemundi (in Gajapati district) 55 km away and Rayagada which is 75 km away. The nearest National Highway 5 junction is at about 95 km from Gunupur.
Orissa State Road Transport Corporation, Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, and private buses connect the town to other parts of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. The town is well connected to Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Rayagada, Jeypore Paralakhemundi, Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Palasa, Battili, Kotturu Junction, Parvathipuram, Gummada Junction, Bhawanipatna, Nabrangpur, Cuttack, Vijayanagaram, and a lot more towns and cities with frequent buses and other cabs by road.

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Guruvayur
Guruvayur (Malayalam: ഗുരുവായൂർ) (also written as Guruvayoor or Gurupavanapuri) is a municipal town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It houses the famous Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, the fourth biggest temple in India in terms of the number of devotees per day.
Guruvayur, according to the legends may be 5,000 years old as the Guruvayur temple idol is. There are no historical records to establish it. In the 14th century, Tamil literature 'Kokasandesam', references about a place called Kuruvayur is made. As early as 16th century, many references are seen about Kuruvayur. In ancient Dravidic, Kuruvai means sea, hence the village on the coast may be called Kuruvayur. According to eminent historian Professor K. V. Krishna Iyer, the Brahmins had begun to come and settle at Kodungallur during the period of Chandra Gupta Maurya (321-297 BC).
Guruvayur was a subordinate shrine of Trikkunavay Shiva temple before the latter was destroyed by the Dutch in 1755. Trikkunavay in the Guruvayur documents is the same as Thrikkanamathilakam or Mathilakam mentioned in the Dutch and British records. And this place was in between Guruvayur and Kodungallur. The story of Pandyan King building a shrine here may be a reference to the Azhavars, but they are all silent in their writing about Guruvayur. It was Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri's Narayaniyam through which the Guruvayur temple got famous all over India.

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Guwahati
Guwahati (Assamese: গুৱাহাটী Guwāhāti (help·info)), and formerly known as Pragjyotishpura (Sanskrit:प्राग्ज्योतिषपुर) and Durjoya (Sanskrit:दुर्जय) in ancient Assam, and Gauhati in the modern era, is an ancient urban area, the largest city of Assam, the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India and one of the fastest developing cities in India. It is said to be the "Gateway" of the North East Region. Dispur, the capital of the Indian state of Assam is located within the city and is the seat of the Government of Assam. Guwahati, formerly Prāgjyotishpura meaning City of Eastern Light, other view is Prāg meaning eastern and jyotish meaning astrology and Durjaya meaning impregnable were the capital's of ancient state of Kamarupa under Varman's and Pala's respectively. Many ancient Hindu temples are located within the city, Kamakhya Temple, Umananda Temple, Navagraha Temple, Sukreswar Temple, Basistha Temple, Lankeshwar Temple, Doul Govinda Temple, Dirgheshwari temple, Ugro Tara Temple, Rudreswar Temple, etc., are but a few; thus, the city is also known as the "The City of Temples."

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Haridwar
Haridwar pronunciation (help·info) (also spelled Hardwar, Hindi: हरिद्वार) is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. The River Ganges, after flowing for 253 kilometres (157 mi) from its source at Gaumukh at the edge of the Gangotri Glacier, enters the Indo-Gangetic Plains of North India for the first time at Haridwar, which gave the city its ancient name, Gangadwára.
Haridwar is regarded as one of the seven holiest places to Hindus. According to the Samudra manthan, Haridwar along with Ujjain, Nasik and Allahabad is one of four sites where drops of Amrit, the elixir of immortality, accidentally spilled over from the pitcher while being carried by the celestial bird Garuda. This is manifested in the Kumbha Mela being celebrated every 3 years in one of the 4 places, and thus every 12 years in Haridwar. Amidst the Kumbha Mela, millions of pilgrims, devotees, and tourists congregate in Haridwar to perform ritualistic bathing on the banks of the river Ganges to wash away their sins to attain Moksha. Brahma Kund, the spot where the Amrit fell, is located at Har ki Pauri (literally, "footsteps of the Lord") and is considered to be the most sacred ghat of Haridwar.

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Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh /hɨˈmɑːtʃəl prəˈdɛʃ/ (Hindi: हिमाचल प्रदेश [ɦɪmaːtʃəl prəd̪eːʃ] ( listen)) is a state in Northern India. It is spread over 21,495 sq mi (55,670 km²), and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east.
Himachal Pradesh is known to be abundant in natural beauty After the Anglo Gorkha War, the British colonial government came into power. In 1950 Himachal was declared as a union territory but after the State of Himachal Pradesh Act 1971, Himachal emerged as the 18th state of the Republic of India. Himachal has many prestigious boarding schools. Hima means snow in Sanskrit, and the literal meaning of the state's name is In the lap of Himalayas. It was named by one of the great Sanskrit scholars of Himachal Pradesh, Acharya Diwakar Datt Sharma. Its name means "Abode of Snow".^{[citation needed]}
The Economy of the Himachal Pradesh is currently the third fastest growing economy in India. Himachal Pradesh has been ranked fourth in the list of the highest per capita incomes of Indian states. Due to the abundance of perennial rivers, Himachal also sells hydro electricity to other states such as Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan. The economy of the state is highly dependent on three sources: hydroelectric power, tourism and agriculture.

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Hingoli district
Hingoli district (Marathi: हिंगोली जिल्हा) is an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in India. The district headquarters are located at Hingoli. The district occupies an area of 4,526 km² and has a population of 987,160 of which 15.60% were urban (as of 2001). This district is part of Aurangabad division. One of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines, the Aundha Nagnath is located in Hingoli district.
As of 2011 it is the third least populous district of Maharashtra (out of 39), after Sindhudurg and Gadchiroli.
The territory of the present district became part of Bombay state in 1956 and Maharashtra state in 1960 as part of Parbhani district. This district was carved out from Parbhani district on 1 May 1999.
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Hingoli one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the twelve districts in Maharashtra currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
This district is divided into two sub-divisions, which are further divided into five talukas. Hingoli sub-division is divided into three talukas: Hingoli, Kalamnuri and Sengaon. Basmath sub-division is divided into two talukas: Aundha and Basmath.

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India
India (ⁱ/ˈɪndiə/), officially the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west;China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four of the world's major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.

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Indore
Indore /ɪnˈdɔər/ ( Hindi (help·info)) is the largest city and the headquarters of Indore District in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital of Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631 and is fourteenth most populous city in India, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 2.3 million. It is the 147th largest city in the world. Indore is the richest city in central India and also known as "Mini Mumbai" due to it's lifestyle similarities with Mumbai. It also reflects Mumbai's potpourri of cultures, with significant Marathi, Gujarati, Marwari and Sindhi populations.
Indore is the only city of India with both an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
During the days of the Maratha Empire Indore was an important hub between the Deccan and Delhi. However after the death of Madhavrao Peshwa, the Maratha Empire disintegrated and Indore was declared the capital of the Holkar state, until Rani Ahilyabai Holkar moved the capital to Maheshwar.

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Jageshwar

Jageshwar (Sanskrit: जागॆश्वर) is a Hindu pilgrimage town in Almora district, Uttarakhand, dedicated to Lord Shiva, located 36 km northeast of Almora, in Kumaun region. The temple city comprises a cluster of 124 large and small stone temples, dating 9th to 13th century AD, with many preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which include Dandeshwar Temple, Chandi-ka-Temple, Jageshwar Temple, Kuber Temple, Mritunjaya Temple, Nanda Devi or Nau Durga, Nava-grah temple, a Pyramidal shrine, and Surya Temple amongst which the oldest shrine is the 'Mrityunjaya Temple' and the biggest shrine is the ' Dandeshwar Temple'. Once the centre of Lakulish Shaivism, Jageshwar is located at an altitude of 1870 mts, in the Jataganga river valley near a Deodar forest (Cedrus deodara) starting from Artola village on Almora–Pithoragarh highway, where two streams Nandini and Surabhi flow down the hills in the narrow valley and meet near the sacred spot.
Jageshwar is believed to be the site of first of the twelve Jyotirlingas, Nageshvara Jyotirlinga. The 'Jageshwar Monsoon Festival', held between 15 July to 15 August takes place at Jageshwar during the Hindu calendar month of Shravan, and the annual 'Maha Shivratri Mela' (Shivratri festival), which takes place during spring has an important place in the calendar of the entire Kumaon region.

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Janakpurdham
Janakpur, (Nepali: जनकपुर IPA: [dʒəŋɑkpʊr] ) also known as Janakpurdham, is one of the historical and religious cities of Nepal. Janakpur is the administrative headquarters of Dhanusa District of the Janakpur Zone and has a population of approximately 80,000. The city is located about 123 km south-east of Kathmandu, 20 km from the Indian border at 26° 42' 44" N, 085° 55' 18" E Janakpur has a substantial tourism industry due to its significance in the Hindu religion and is home to the only operational railway in Nepal, the Janakpur Railway.
Janakpur, historically called Mithilanchal, is the centre of the ancient Maithil culture, which has its own language and script.
The first millennium BC text Shatapatha Brahmana tells that the king Māthava Videgha, led by his priest Gotama Rahugana, first crossed the Sadānirā (Gandaka) river and founded the kingdom of Videha, whose capital city was Mithila. As Gotama Rahugana composed many hymns in the Rgveda, these events must date to the Rgvedic period.

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Jharkhand
Jharkhand /dʒɑrˈkɑːnd/^{[citation needed]} (Hindi: झारखण्ड; Bengali: ঝাড়খন্ড; Urdu: جھاڑکھنڈ; Jhārkhaṇḍ, pronounced [ˈdʒʱaːrkʰəɳɖ] ( listen)) is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east. It has an area of 79,714 km² 49,821 sq mi (129,040 km²). The industrial city of Ranchi is its capital and Dumka is sub capital while Jamshedpur is the largest and the biggest industrial city of the state. Some of the other major cities and industrial centres are Dhanbad, Bokaro and Hazaribagh.
The name "Jharkhand" means "The Land of Forests".
According to some writers like Gautam Kumar Bera, there was already a distinct geo-political, cultural entity called Jharkhand even before the period of Magadha Empire. Bera's book (page 33) also refers to the Hindu Mythological book Bhavishya Purana. The tribal rulers, some of whom continue to thrive till today were known as the Munda Rajas, who basically had ownership rights to large farmlands. During the Mughal period, the Jharkhand area was known as Kukara.

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Kalighat
Kalighat (Bengali: কালীঘাট) is a locality of Kolkata, India. One of the oldest neighbourhoods in South Kolkata, Kalighat is also densely populated and vibrant—with a rich history of cultural intermingling with the various foreign incursions into the area over time.
A famous temple Kalighat Kali Temple dedicated to the goddess Kali is situated in Kalighat. This is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. The right toe of Dakshayani is said to have fallen here. The Shakti here is known as Kalika, while the Bhairava is Nakulesh. It is a very famous place and a pilgrimage for Shakta (Shiva and Durga/Kali/Shakti worshippers) followers within the Hindu religion.
One Raja Basanta Roy, uncle of Pratapaditya and the King of Jessore, Bangladesh perhaps built what is now known as Old Temple. This temple was situated on the banks of river Adi Ganga. The natmandir, a hall attached to the sanctum sanctorum is in the southern side while Shiva's temple is situated in the north-east. There is also a temple dedicated to Radha Krishna built in 1843 by a zamindar of Baowali. The speciality of Kali of this temple is the long protruded tongue made of gold. This is a different appearance from the other visualisations of Kali.

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Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram or Kanchi, is a famous temple city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It served as the Capital city of the Pallava Kingdom. It is also known by its former names Kanchiampathi, Conjeevaram, and the nickname "The City of Thousand Temples". It is now the Administrative headquarters of Kanchipuram district. Kanchipuram is located 72 kilometers from Chennai, the capital city of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India.
Kanchipuram is considered one of the seven holiest cities to the Hindus of India. In Hinduism, a kṣetra is a sacred ground, a field of active power, a place where moksha, final release can be obtained. The Garuda Purana enumerates seven cities as providers of moksha, namely Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Varanasi, Avantikā, Dvārakā and Kanchipuram.
Among the major Hindu temples in Kanchipuram are some of the most prominent Vishnu Temples and Shiva Temples of Tamil Nadu like the Varadharaja Perumal Temple for Vishnu and the Ekambaranatha Temple which is the "earth abode" of Shiva. Kamakshi Amman Temple, Kumara Kottam, Kachapeshwarar Temple, and the Kailasanathar Temple are some of the other prominent temples.

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Kataragama
Kathirgamam Tamil: கதிர்காமம், Sinhala: කතරගම(Katirkāmam)) (also Katharagama, Katirkamam and Kathirgamam, is a pilgrimage town popular with Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and indigenous Vedda communities of Sri Lanka and South India. The town has Ruhunu Maha Kataragama devalaya, a shrine dedicated to Skanda-Murukan also known as Kataragamadevio. Kataragama is situated in the Monaragala District of Uva province, Sri Lanka. It is situated 228 km ESE of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. Although Kataragama was a small village in medieval times, today it is a fast developing township surrounded by jungle in the South Eastern region of Sri Lanka. It also houses the ancient Kiri Vehera Buddhist stupa. The town has a venerable history dating back to the last centuries of BCE. It also was the seat of government of many Sinhalese kings during the days of Rohana kingdom. Since the 1950s the city has undergone many improvements with successive governments investing in public transportation, medical facilities, and business development and hotel services. It adjoins the popular Yala national park.

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Kathmandu
Kathmandu (Nepali: काठमांडौ [kɑːʈʰmɑːɳɖuː]; Nepal Bhasa: येँ देय्‌) is the capital and, with more than one million inhabitants, the largest metropolitan city of Nepal. The city is the urban core of the Kathmandu Valley in the Himalayas, which contains two sister cities: Lalitpur (Patan), 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to its south and Bhaktapur or Bhadgaon, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) to its east, and a number of smaller towns. It is also acronymed as 'KTM' and named 'tri-city'. In the last census (2001), the city of Kathmandu had 671,846 inhabitants. Population estimates for 2005 were 790,612 and for 2010 they stood at 989,273. The municipal area is (50.67 square kilometres (19.56 sq mi)) and the population density is 19,500 per km².
The city stands at an elevation of approximately 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) in the bowl-shaped valley in central Nepal surrounded by four major hills: Shivapuri, Phulchowki, Nagarjun and Chandragiri. Kathmandu valley is part of three districts, Kathmandu District, Lalitpur District and Bhaktapur District, with the highest population density in the country and accounting for about 1/15 of its population. These three disticts contain 2.5 million people, as of the 2011 census.

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Kedarnath
Kedarnath (Hindi: केदारनाथ) is a Hindu holy town located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is a nagar panchayat in Rudraprayag district. The most remote of the four Char Dham sites, Kedarnath is located in the Himalayas, about 3584m above sea level near the head of river Mandakini, and is flanked by breathtaking snow-capped peaks. Kedarnath hosts one of the holiest Hindu temples, the Kedarnath Temple, and is a popular destination for Hindu pilgrims from all over the world, being one of the four major sites in India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage.
Kedarnath is named in honor of King Kedar who ruled in the Satya Yuga. He had a daughter named Vrinda who was a partial incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi. She performed austerities for 60000 years. In honour of her, the land is named Vrindavan. However, Kedarnath and its temple exist from the Mahabharata Era when the Pandavas are supposed to have pleased Lord Shiva by doing penance there.
There are 2 ways to reach Kedarnath: 1) By foot for a steep 14 km trek through a paved path (horses or palanquins are available for rent) from Gaurikund, which is connected by road from Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun and other known hill stations of Garhwal and Kumaon regions in Uttarakhand 2) Through helicopter service.

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Kedarnath Temple
Kedarnath Mandir (Tamil: திருக்கேதாரம், Thiruk Kedaram,Hindi: केदारनाथ मंदिर, Kēdārnāth Maṃdir ) is one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located atop the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand in India. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of April to Kartik Purnima (the autumn full moon). During the winters, the murtis (idols) from Kedarnath temple are brought to Ukhimath and worshipped there for six months. In this region Lord Shiva is worshipped as Kedarnath, the 'Lord of Kedar Khand', the historical name of the region. This temple is a Paadal Petra Sthalam (the 275 Holy Abodes of Shiva on the continent), praised by the Tamil Nayanars saints in the 6th-9th century CE.
The temple is not directly accessible by road and has to be reached by a 14 km uphill trek from Gaurikund . The temple is believed to have been built by Adi Sankaracharya and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest Hindu shrines of Shiva. The older temple existed from the times of Mahabharata, when the Pandavas are supposed to have pleased Shiva by doing penance in Kedarnath. The temple is also one of the four major sites in India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage of Northern Himalayas.

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Kollur
Kolluru is a tiny hamlet situated about 37 kilometres (23 mi) from Kundapur Town, about 133 kilometres (83 mi) away from Mangalore City in Karnataka state in the southern part of India. This village lies at the foot of the Western Ghats and is famous for the Mookambika temple, a Hindu pilgrim center.
Kollur also called Kollapura, about 42 km north-east of Kundapur town and one of the important places of pilgrimage in Karnataka State has a temple dedicated to Mookambika.
The goddess is called Mookambika as she is said to have slain the demon Mookasura. The goddess is described as in the form of a jyotirlinga incorporating both Shiva and Shakti. The panchaloha image of the goddess on Shri Chakra is stated to have been consecrated by Shri Adi Shankaracharya. The Divine Mother is said to be a manifestation of trigunas or triple forms. The shikhara of the temple which is well gilded with gold is said to have been donated by Sankanna Savantha. Around the chief shrine of Mookambika, there are many other shrines.

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Kurnool District
Kurnool District (Telugu: కర్నూల్ జిల్లా, Urdu: کُرنول ضلع) is a district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, located in the west-central part of the state on the southern banks of the Tungabhadra and Handri rivers. The town of Kurnool is currently the headquarters of the district. It had a population of 3,529,494 of which 23.16% were urban as of 2001.
Telugu, Urdu and Kannada are the most widely spoken languages.
In 12th century AD, the Odders, who carted stones for the construction of the temple at Alampur, Mahaboobnagar District, on the left bank of the River Thungabhadra, used the site where the town now stands as a stopping place before crossing the Tungabhadra. They greased their cart wheels with oil supplied by local oil merchants and called the place 'Kandanavolu' which in course of time came to be known as Kurnool.
Of historical interest are the ruins of a royal fort dating back to the medieval kingdom of Vijayanagar, which flourished from the 14th to the 16th century. Several Persian and Arabic inscriptions which throw light on various aspects of historical interests are found here.

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Lenyadri
Lenyadri (Marathi: लेण्याद्री, Leṇyādri) represents a series of about 30 rock-cut Buddhist caves, located near Junnar in Pune district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Cave 7 is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to the god Ganesha. It is one of the Ashtavinayak shrines, a set of the eight prominent Ganesha shrines in Maharashtra.
Twenty-six of the caves are individually numbered. The caves face to the south and are numbered serially from east to west. Caves 6 and 14 are chaitya-grihas (chapels), while the rest are viharas (dwellings for monks). The latter are in the form of dwellings and cells. There are also several rock-cut water cisterns; two of them have inscriptions. The layout of the caves, in general, are similar in pattern and shape. They generally have one or two sides with two long benches for occupants' use.
The caves date from between the 1st and 3rd century AD; the Ganesha shrine situated in Cave 7 is dated to the 1st century AD, though the date of conversion to a Hindu shrine is unknown. All of the caves arise from Hinayana Buddhism.

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Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh /ˈmɑːdjə prəˈdɛʃ/, abbreviated MP, often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city.
Madhya Pradesh is the second largest state by area and with over 75 million inhabitants the sixth largest state in India by population. It borders the states of Uttar Pradesh to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the southeast, Maharashtra to the south, Gujarat to the west, and Rajasthan to the northwest.
The city of Ujjain (also known as Avanti) arose as a major center in the second wave of Indian urbanization in the sixth century BC, and served as the chief city of the kingdom of Malwa or Avanti. Further east, the kingdom of Chedi lie in Bundelkhand. Chandragupta Maurya united northern India c. 320 BC, establishing the Maurya empire (321 to 185 BC), which included all of modern-day Madhya Pradesh. King Ashoka's wife was said to come from Vidisha- a town north of today's Bhopal. The Maurya empire went into decline after the death of Asoka the Great, and Central India was contested among the Sakas, Kushanas, and local dynasties during the 3rd to 1st centuries BCE. Ujjain emerged as the predominant commercial center of western India from the first century BCE, located on the trade routes between the Ganges plain and India's Arabian Sea ports. It was also an important Hindu and Buddhist center.

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Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu with a population of over 1 million (according to the 2001 census). Located on the banks of River Vaigai, Madurai has been a major settlement for two millennia. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The city is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. The capital of the Pandyan kingdom was initially Korkai, around 600 BCE, and was later moved to Koodal (now Madurai) during the reign of Nedunj Cheliyan I. Madurai is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and Madurai Nayak kings in the Dravidian style of architecture. It is also one of India's most prominent Hindu pilgrimage centres.
Madurai is also called as City of Junction (Koodal nagaram), City of Jasmine (Malligai maanagar), Temple city (Koil maanagar), City that never sleeps (Thoonga nagaram) and City of four junctions (Naanmada koodal).
Madurai's recorded history goes back to the 3rd century BC and the city is mentioned by Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador to India and Kautilya, the minister of the Mauryan Emperor Chandragupta Maurya. The city was the principal administrative and cultural centre of the Pandyan dynasty which ruled over the southern parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala till the first half of the 14th century AD. In about 1311, the Pandyan dynasty was overthrown by the Delhi Sultanate which established the province of Ma'bar which later became independent as the Ma'bar Sultanate. When the Ma'bar Sultanate began to decline in the latter years of the 14th century, Madurai was absorbed into the Vijayanagar Empire. The viceroys of the Vijayanagar Empire established the Madurai Nayak kingdom and ruled as independent kings from 1559 to 1736. After a brief period of occupation by Chanda Sahib and the Carnatic kingdom, Madurai was annexed by the British East India Company in 1801.

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Mahad
Mahad pronunciation (help·info)(Marathi: महाड) is a city and a municipal council in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It has total population over 50,000. It is situated about 175 km to the south of Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay). It has become the center of attraction because of its beautiful surroundings and pleasant climate. Mahad has a personality of its own due to its mythological, historical, social and cultural importance. The city, vibrant and active on the industrial, political, social and cultural fronts, has influenced the lives of some great personalities.
Mahad is considered as Land of Freedom Fighters and many revolutionary freedom moments of India are occurred here. It is famous for the Drinking Water Satyagraha of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar for Dalits at Chavdar Tale,which played as turning point in indian sociopolitical history.
Apart from this, it had a glorious history during the rule of the great Maratha King Shivaji.The capital of hindavi Swarajya & samadhi of Shivaji Maharaj is at Raigad fort which is around 30Kms from city. It was part of Birwadi Subha (Tehsil) and was ruled by Birwadi Subhedar's Kadams (Mahamunkars). The samadhi of Shivaji's mother Jijabai is at Pachad situated at foothills of raigad fort.The famous Hirkani was from Raigadwadi village. Shivaji's guru Samarth Ramdas lived at Shivthar Ghal near Varandha Ghat about 30kms from city. The village Umarath of Tanaji Malusare & Kinjaloli of Murarbaji are also in vicinity of Mahad.

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Maharashtra
Maharashtra /mɑːhəˈrɑːʃtrə/ (Marathi: महाराष्ट् mahārāṣṭra [məharaːʂʈrə] ( listen)) is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India. Maharashtra is the richest state in India, contributing 15% of the country's industrial output and 13.3% of its GDP (2006–2007 figures).
Maharashtra is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Gujarat and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the northwest, Madhya Pradesh to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the east, Karnataka to the south, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast, and Goa to the southwest. The state covers an area of 307,731 km² (118,816 sq mi) or 9.84% of the total geographical area of India. Mumbai, the capital city of the state, is India's largest city and the financial capital of the nation. Nagpur is the second capital of the state. Marathi is the official language.
Maharashtra is the world's second most populous first-level administrative country sub-division. Were it a nation in its own right, Maharashtra would be the world's tenth most populous country ahead of Mexico.

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Mallikarjuna Swamy
Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy is one of the twelve Jyothirlingas of Lord Shiva situated at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh state, India. It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams.
As per Shiv Mahapuran, once Brahma (the Hindu God of creation) and Vishnu (the Hindu God of saving) had an argument in terms of supremacy of creation. To test them, Shiva pierced the three worlds as a huge endless pillar of light, the jyotirlinga. Vishnu and Brahma split their ways to downwards and upwards respectively to find the end of the light in either directions. Brahma lied that he found out the end, while Vishnu conceded his defeat. Shiva appeared as a second pillar of light and cursed Brahma that he would have no place in ceremonies while Vishnu would be worshipped till the end of eternity. The jyotirlinga is the supreme partless reality, out of which Shiva partly appears. The jyothirlinga shrines, thus are places where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. Originally there were believed to be 64 jyothirlingas while 12 of them are considered to be very auspicious and holy. Each of the twelve jyothirlinga sites take the name of the presiding deity - each considered different manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the primary image is lingam representing the beginningless and endless Stambha pillar, symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva. The twelve jyothirlinga are Somnath in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andra Pradesh, Mahakaleswar at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in Himalayas, Bhimashankar in Maharastra, Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Triambakeshwar in Maharastra, Vaidyanath at Deogarh in Jharkand, Nageswar at Dwarka in Gujarat, Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Grishneshwar at Aurangabad in Maharastra.

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Mathura
Mathura ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a city in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately 50 km north of Agra, and 145 km south-east of Delhi; about 11 kilometers from the town of Vrindavan and 22 kilometers from Govardhan. It is the administrative centre of Mathura District of Uttar Pradesh. During the ancient period, Mathura was an economic hub, located at the junction of important caravan routes. Today, it is a fast expanding city with over 2.5 million residents.
Mathura is the birthplace of Lord Krishna at the centre of Braj or Brij-bhoomi, called Shri Krishna Janma-Bhoomi, literally: 'Lord Krishna's birth place'. The Keshav Dev Temple was built in ancient times on the site of Krishna's legendary birthplace (an underground prison). According to the Mahabharata and Bhagavata Purana epics, Mathura was the capital of the Surasena Kingdom, ruled by Kansa the maternal uncle of Shri Krishna.
Mathura has an ancient history. According to the Archeological Survey of India plaque at the Mathura Museum, the city is mentioned in the oldest Indian epic, the Ramayana. In the epic, the Ikshwaku prince Shatrughna slays a demon called Lavanasura and claims the land. Afterwards, the place came to be known as Madhuvan as it was thickly wooded, then Madhupura and later Mathura. The demon that Shatrughan killed in Ramayana, Lavanasura was the progeny of a devout king Madhu who gets Lord Shiva's Trident in a boon in the Puranas. The Puranas ascribe the founding of the city to Ayu, the son of Pururavas and the celestial nymph Urvashi. The city might also have got its name from a famous Yadav king Madhu who reigned around 1,600 BCE.^{[citation needed]}

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Moteshwar Mahadev
Kashipur (Govishn) is a historic place in Nainital Distt (Now U.S. Nagar) and around 1 km from this place is a place known as ujjanak. This is the place where Lord Shiva is situated in his full face as a Jyotirlingam known as Bheem Shankar. This is the Bheem Shankar Jyotirlingam.
Shree Moteshwar Mahadev also known as Shree Bheem Shankar Mahadev is an abobe of Lord Shiva in Kashipur, this place was known as the Dakini State in ancient days
Timings: 6:00 AM to 12:00 Noon & 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Primary Deity : Shiva
Other Deity : Parvati, Kartikeya, Ganesha Hanuman, Kali, Bhairo
Maha Shivratri Fair
Chaiti Mela
Shrawan Mela
Shree Moteshwar (Bheema Shankar) Mahadev is located in Ujjanak area of Kashipur which is around 3 km from the Kashipur Bus Station, Kashipur is well conncted via the Road with all major cities of North India, and is also linked to Delhi, Lucknow, Moradabad, Ramnagar & Varanasi via Train.
Nearest airport is at Pantnagar which is about 72 km from Kashipur.
Kashipur was known as Govishan or Govisana, during the time of Harsha (606–647 AD), when Xuanzang (631–641 AD) visited this region. The ruins of the large settlement of those days are still to be seen near the city. Kashipur is named after Kashinath Adhikari, the founder of the township and Governor of the pargana, one of the officers of the Chand Kings of Kumaon in the 16-17 century.

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Nashik
Nashik or Nasik (Marathi: नाशिक ) ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a city in Maharashtra, India. Nashik is located in the northwest of Maharashtra, 180 km from Mumbai and 202 km from Pune. Nashik is the administrative headquarters of Nashik district and Nashik Division. Nashik, which has been referred to as the "Wine Capital of India", or as India’s Napa Valley, is located in the Western Ghats, on the western edge of the Deccan peninsula on the banks of the Godavari. In addition to supplying the name to the famed Nassak Diamond, the city is known for its picturesque surroundings and pleasant climate. The Godavari River flows through Nashik from its source, which lies to the southwest of the city, in Trimbakeshwar . Nashik Urban Agglomeration (Nashik UA) has a (projected year 2008) population of 1,620,000 and a total area of 264.23 km² which makes it the fourth largest urban area in Maharashtra in terms of population. Nashik is the third most industrialized city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune .

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Nathdwara

Nathdwara is a town in Rajasthan state of western India. It is located in the Aravalli hills, on the banks of the Banas River in Rajsamand District, 48 kilometers north-east of Udaipur. This town is famous for its temple of Krishna which houses the idol of Shrinathji, a 14th century, 7-year old "infant" incarnation of Krishna. The idol was originally worshipped at Mathura and was shifted in the 1672 from Govardhan hill, near Mathura along holy river Yamuna after being retained at Agra for almost six months, in order to protect it from anti-Hindu fanatic iconoclastic Islamic policies of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb’s. Literally, Nathdwara means ‘Gateway to Shrinathji’. Nathdwara is a significant Vaishnavite shrine pertaining to the Pushti Marg or the Vallabh Sampradaya or the Shuddha Advaita founded by Vallabha Acharya, revered mainly by people of Gujarat and Rajasthan, among others. Vitthal Nathji, son of Vallabhacharya institutionalised the worship of Shrinathji at Nathdwara. Nathdwara town itself is popularly referred to as ‘Shrinathji’, after the presiding deity.

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Nepal
Nepal (नेपाल) (ⁱ/nɛˈpɔːl/ ne-PAWLNepali: नेपाल [neˈpal] ( listen)), officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. Specifically, the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Sikkim border Nepal, while across the Himalayas lies the Tibetan Autonomous Region. With an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi) and a population of approximately 27 million (and 2 million absentee workers living abroad), Nepal is the world's 93rd largest country by land mass and the 41st most populous country. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and the country's largest metropolis. Kathmandu Valley itself has estimated population of 5 million.
Nepal has a rich geography. The mountainous north has eight of the world's ten tallest mountains, including the highest point on Earth, Mount Everest, called Sagarmatha in Nepali. It contains more than 240 peaks over 20,000 ft (6,096 m) above sea level. The fertile and humid south is heavily urbanized.

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Omkareshwar
See Omkareshwar, East Nimar for town of the same name
Omkareshwar (Hindi: ओंकारेश्वर) is a Hindu temple dedicated to God Shiva. It is one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is on an island called Mandhata or Shivapuri in the Narmada river; the shape of the island is said to be like the Hindu ॐ symbol. There are two temples here, one to Omkareshwar (whose name means "Lord of Omkaara or the Lord of the Om Sound") and one to Amareshwar (whose name means "Immortal lord" or "lord of the Immortals or Devas"). But as per the sloka on dwadash jyotirligam, Mamleshwar is the jyotirling, which is on other side of Narmada river.

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Orissa

Orissa /ɔːˈrɪsə/ (Oriya: ଓଡ଼ିଶା [oˑɽisaˑ], Hindi: ओड़िशा – Oṛiśā), officially spelled Odisha, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BCE. The modern state of Orissa was established on April 1, 1936, as a province in India, and consists predominantly of Oriya speakers. April 1^st is therefore celebrated as Utkala Dibasa (formation day of Orissa). Cuttack remained the capital of the state for over eight centuries until April 13, 1948 when Bhubaneswar was officially declared as the new capital of Orissa, and is the present capital of this state.
Orissa is the ninth largest state by area in India, and the eleventh largest by population. Oriya (officially spelled Odia) is the official and most widely spoken language, spoken by three quarters of the population. Orissa has a relatively unindented coastline (about 480 km long) and lacked good ports, except for the deepwater facility at Paradip, until the recent launch of the Dhamara Port (The Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL) is a 50:50 joint venture of L&T and Tata Steel. DPCL has been awarded a concession by Government of Orissa to build and operate a port north of the mouth of river Dhamra in Bhadrak district). The narrow, level coastal strip, including the Mahanadi River delta supports the bulk of the population. The interior of the state is mountainous and sparsely populated.Deomali at 1672 m is the highest point of the state. Orissa is subject to intense cyclones. The most intense one, in October 1999, Tropical Cyclone 05B caused severe damage and nearly 15,000 deaths.

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Pune
Pune, formerly Poona (pronounced [puɳeː] ( listen)), is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula and Mutha rivers. Pune city is the administrative capital of Pune district.
Pune is known to have existed as a town since 937 AD. Pune was originally called Punawadi. In 1730, Pune became an important political center as the seat of the Peshwa, the prime minister of the Chhatrapati of Satara; it was during this era that Pune became the centre of Indian politics. After the town was annexed to British India in 1817, it served as a cantonment town and as the "monsoon capital" of the Bombay Presidency until the independence of India.
Today, Pune is known for its educational facilities and relative prosperity. Pune is the cultural capital of Maharashtra. Pune has well-established manufacturing, glass, sugar, and forging industries since the 1950-60s. It has a growing industrial hinterland, with many information technology and automotive companies setting up factories in Pune district. The city is known for various cultural activities like classical music, spirituality, theatre, sports, and literature. These activities and job opportunities attract migrants and students from all over India and abroad, which makes for a city of many communities and cultures.

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Puri
Puri pronunciation (help·info) (Oriya: ପୁରୀ ) is a city and the district headquarters of puri district, situated on the Bay of Bengal 60 kilometres (37 mi) south of the state capital Bhubaneswar in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the 11th century Jagannath Temple located in the city. Puri is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages. According to Hindu teachings, a pilgrimage of the temples of India is not considered complete without a journey to Puri.
Puri is endowed with one of the best beaches for swimming in India and is therefore also a popular beach resort, especially as it is positioned geographically so that both sunset and sunrise can be viewed from the beach.
Puri, the holy land of Lord Jagannath, has many names. It is mentioned in Puranas as Srikshetra, Shankhakshetra, Neelāchala, Neelādri, Purusottama Dhāma, Purusottama Kshetra, Purusottama Puri and Jagannath Puri. The word "Puri" in Sanskrit means 'town', or 'city' and is cognate with polis in Greek. It is possible that Puri is a shortened name for Jagannath Puri or Purusottama Puri. In some records pertaining to the British rule, the word 'Jagannath' was used for Puri. It is the only shrine in India, where Radha, along with Lakshmi, Durga, Sati, Parvati, and Shakti abodes with Krishna, also known as Jagannath.^{[citation needed]}

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Pushkar
Pushkar (Hindi: पुष्कर) is a town in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated 14 km (8.7 mi) northwest of Ajmer at an average elevation of 510 m (1,670 ft) and is one of the five sacred dhams (pilgrimage site) for devout Hindus. According to Hindu mythology, the pond at the Katas Raj temple in Chakwal has a mythical association with Lord Shiva; it was formed by the tears of Lord Shiva which he is believed to have shed after the death of his wife, Satti. The story goes that when Satti died, Lord Shiva cried so much and for so long, that his tears created two holy ponds -- one at Pushkara in Ajmer in India and the other at Ketaksha, which literally means raining eyes, in Sanskrit. It is from this name that the word Katas is derived. It is often called "Tirth Raj" - the king of pilgrimage sites - and has in recent years become a popular destination for foreign tourists.
Pushkar is one of the oldest existing cities of India. It lies on the shore of Pushkar Lake. The date of its actual origin is not known, but legend associates Lord Brahma with its creation.

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Rameswaram
Rameswaram (Tamil: இராமேஸ்வரம், is a town in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on Pamban Island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is about 50 kilometres from Mannar Island, Sri Lanka. Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, is connected to mainland India by the Pamban Bridge. Rameswaram is the terminus of the railway line from Chennai and Madurai. Together with Kashi, it is considered to be one of the holiest places in India to Hindus, and part of the Char Dham pilgrimages. Hence, it is a bustling pilgrim centre.
It is situated in the Gulf of Mannar at the very tip of the Indian peninsula. According to legend, this is the place from where Lord Rama built a bridge [[Ram Setu] across the sea to Lanka to rescue his consort Sita from her abductor Ravana. Both the Vaishnavites and Shaivites visit this pilgrimage centre which is known as the Varanasi of the south.
Ex-president of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, hails from a fishing hamlet called Dhanushkodi situated on this island.

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Ranjangaon
Ranjangaon is a village located at a distance of about 50 km from Pune, en route to Shirur in Maharashtra, and it houses a Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) Industrial area and a shrine to Mahaganapati.
The MIDC in Ranjangoan is an industrial area, in which several manufacturing companies including LG, Whirlpool, Carraro, etc are based.
The Mahaganapati is considered to be one of the Ashtavinayaka shrines of Maharashtra, celebrating eight instances of legends related to Ganesha.
Mahaganapati at Ranjangaon is believed to have come to the aid of Shiva in destroying the citadels of the demon Tripurasura. According to history, the temple was built between 9th & 10th century. Madhavrao Peshwa made a room in the basement of the temple to keep the idol of the lord Ganesh.
Coordinates: 18°45′N 74°14′E / 18.75°N 74.233°E / 18.75; 74.233

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Ranjangaon Ganpati
Ranjangaon Ganpati is one among the Ashtavinayak, celebrating eight instances of legends related to Ganesha.
According to the history the temple was built in between 9th and 10th century. Madhavrao Peshwa made a room in the basement of the temple to keep the idol of the lord Ganesh. Later on Sardar Kibe of Indore renovated it. Nagarkhana is situated above the entrance gate. Main temple looks like temple from Peshwa's period. Temple facing east has huge & beautiful entrance gate.
You will be surprised to know that the idol of these lord Ganesh is also named as 'Mahotkat', and it is said that the idol has 10 trunks and 20 hands.
While going from the Pune - Nagar high way the route is Pune - Koregaon - then via Shikrapur Rajangaon is 21 km before Shirur. From Pune it is 50 km.
Coordinates: 18°45′N 74°14′E / 18.75°N 74.233°E / 18.75; 74.233

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Rayagada district
Rayagada is a mineral-rich district in the southern part of the state of Orissa, in India. The city Rayagada is its headquarter. The population of this district consists mainly of tribals. The primitive Kondhas or Kondhs form the majority of population followed by Souras.
The District occupies a total area of 7,584.7 km². Rayagada is divided into eleven blocks.
The district generates income mainly through agriculture based activities. Paddy, wheat, ragi, mung, biri, ground nut, potato and maize are the major crops grown in the area.
In the third century B.C, during the reign of Ashoka the Great, it was under Kalinga empire (ancient Orissa). The hilly track between Bansadhara and Nagabali was famous for spices. The Rastriks were defeated by Kharvela, the only Aryan Emperor of Kalinga (ancient Orissa), during the Chawpagada battle.
During the rule of Gangavansi and Suryavanshi Kings in Orissa, it was under feudatory chief of Kalinga-Utkala empire Dadarnab Dev of Gudari Kataka This region went to the Bahamanis when the last Hindu Gajapati emperor of Orissa, Mukund Dev was defeated at Gohera Tikiri in 1519. It came under the Nandapur Kingdom for 47 years. Biswambar Dev was defeated and killed by Hasin Khan of Mughal Chicacole Sarkar rulers of Orissa,was perhaps the third king installed at Rayagada.

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Rishikesh
Rishikesh (Hindi: ऋषिकेश), also spelled Hrishikesh, Rushikesh or Hrushikesh, is a city and a municipal board in Dehradun district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India, it is known as The Gateway to the Himalayas. Rishikesh is surrounded by three other districts namely Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal and Haridwar. It is located around 25 km north of holy city, Haridwar. Rishikesh has a permanent population of around 75,000.
"Hṛṣīkeśa" (Sanskrit: हृषीकेश) is a name of Vishnu that means 'lord of the senses'. The root words Hrishik and ish join together to make Hrishikesh. Hrishik means Senses and ish means master or Lord. Hence the word means Lord of Senses or Lord Vishnu. The place gets its name after Lord Vishnu who appeared to 'Raibhya Rishi', as a result of his tapasya (austerities), as Lord Hrishikesh. In Skanda Purana, this area is known as 'Kubjamrak' as Lord Vishnu appeared, under a mango tree.
The name Rishikesh is loosely applied to an association of five distinct sections encompassing not only the town but also hamlets and settlements on both sides of the river Ganges. These include Rishikesh itself, the commercial and communication hub; the sprawling suburb Muni-ki-Reti or the "sands of the sages"; Shivananda Nagar the home of Sivananda Ashram and the Divine Life Society founded by Swami Sivananda, north of Rishikesh; the temple section of Lakshman Jhula, a little further north; and the assorted Ashrams around Swarg Ashram on the east bank. One can reach the famous Neelakanta Maha Deva Temple from here. The Ganga Aarti performed at dusk at the Triveni Ghat is popular with visitors. 'Neelkanth Mahadev Temple', situated 28 km from Rishikesh, amidst forest is also a popular local pilgrimage, along with 'Vasishtha Guha', (Cave of sage Vasishtha), 21 km up from the town by the Ganges.

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Sabarimala
Sabarimala is a Hindu pilgrimage center located in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta District in Kerala. It is the largest annual pilgrimage in world with an estimated 45–50 million devotees visiting every year. Sabarimala is believed to be the place where the Hindu God Ayyappan meditated after killing the powerful demoness, Mahishi. Ayyappan's temple is situated here amidst 18 hills. The temple is situated on a hilltop at an altitude of 468 m (1535 ft) above mean sea level, and is surrounded by mountains and dense forests. Temples exist in each of the hills surrounding Sabarimala. While functional and intact temples exist at many places in the surrounding areas like Nilackal, Kalaketi, and Karimala, remnants of old temples survive to this day on remaining hills.
Sabarimala is linked to Hindu pilgrimage, predominantly for men of all ages. Women between the ages of 10 and 50 are not allowed to enter the temple, since the story attributed to Ayyappa prohibits the entry of the women in the menstrual age group. This is because Ayyappan is a Bramachari (Celibate). The temple is open for worship only during the days of Mandalapooja (approximately November 15 to December 26), Makaravilakku (January 14- "Makara Sankranti") and Vishu (April 14), and the first six days of each Malayalam month.

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Shringeri
Sringeri (Kannada: ಶೃಂಗೇರಿ), also written as Sringeri, Śŗngeri and Śŗngagiri is a hill town and taluk headquarters located in Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka, is the site of the first maţha established by Adi Shankaracharya, Hindu theologian and exponent of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy, in the 8th century C.E. It is located on the banks of the river Tungā.
The name Sringeri is derived from Rishyashringa-giri, a nearby hill that is believed to have contained the hermitage of Rishi Vibhandaka and his son Rishyashringa. Rishyashringa appears in an episode in the Bala-Kanda of the Ramayana where a story, narrated by Vasishtha, relates how he brought rains to the drought-stricken kingdom of Romapada.
According to legend, Adi Shankaracharya is said to have selected the site as the place to stay and teach his disciples, because when he was walking by the Tunga river, he saw a cobra with a raised hood, providing shelter from the hot sun, to a frog about to spawn. Impressed with the place where natural enemies had gone beyond their instincts, he stayed here for twelve years. Adi Shankaracharya also established mathas in the northern (at Jyotirmath, near Badrinath), eastern (at Puri) and western (at Dwaraka) quarters of India.

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Somnath
The Somnath Temple (Gujarati: સોમનાથ મંદિર Sanskrit: सोमनाथ मन्दिर) located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of the God Shiva. Somnath means "The Protector of (the) Moon God". The Somnath Temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal", having been destroyed six times and rebuilt six times. Most recently it was rebuilt in November 1947, when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel visited the area for the integration of Junagadh and mooted a plan for restoration. After Patel's death, the rebuilding continued under K. M. Munshi, another minister of the Government of India.

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Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (ⁱ/ʃriː ˈlɑːŋkə/, /sriːˈlɑːŋkə/, or /sriːˈlæŋkə/;Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකාව, Tamil: இலங்கை), is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. Known until 1972 as Ceylon ( /sɨˈlɒn/, /seɪˈlɒn/, or /siːˈlɒn/), Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the Maldives.
As a result of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia. It was an important stop on the ancient Silk Road. Sri Lanka has also been a center of the Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times, being the nation where the Buddhist teachings were first written down as well as the oldest continually Buddhist country. Sri Lanka boasts a diverse range of cultures, languages and religions. The Sinhalese people form the majority of the population; Tamils, who are concentrated in the north and east of the island, form the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include Moors, Burghers, Kaffirs, Malays and the aboriginal Vedda people.

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Srirangam
Srirangam (Tamil: ஸ்ரீரங்கம்), Old name is Vellithirumutha gramam and Tamil name is Thiruvarangam (Tamil: திருவரங்கம்), is an island and a part of the city of Tiruchirapalli (also known as Trichy or Tiruchi), in South India.
Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River (also known as Cauvery river) on one side, and the Kaveri distributary Kollidam (Coleroon) on the other side. Srirangam is home to a significant population of Srivaishnavites (followers of Lord Vishnu, one of the triumvirate of Hindu Gods the other two being Lord Siva, the Destroyer and Lord Brahma, the Creator).
Srirangam is a native of a notable personality of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha Jayaram, where she had contested and won in State Assembly elections, 2011.

Srirangam is famous for its Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, a major pilgrimage destination for Hindus (especially Srivaishnavites) and the largest temple complex in India.
According to the temple's website, Srirangam can be considered the biggest functioning Hindu temple in the world as it covers an area of about 631,000 square metres (6,790,000 sq ft) with a perimeter of 4 km (10,710 ft). Srirangam claims to be the biggest functioning temple, because Angkor Wat is the biggest but non-functioning Hindu temple in the world.

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Srisailam
Srisailam (Telugu: శ్రీశైలం) is a holy town and mandal, situated in Nallamala Hills of Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is on the banks of River Krishna, about 232 km south of Hyderabad.
Bhramaramba Mallikarjunaswamy Temple dedicated to Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy (a form of Shiva) and Devi Bhramaramba (a form of Parvathi) is located here and it is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. Srisailam Dam, located about 245 km from Hyderabad and 132 km from Nandyal, is a multipurpose dam built across River Krishna and caters to the irrigation and power needs of the state.
Srisailam is located at 16°04′26″N 78°52′05″E / 16.074°N 78.868°E / 16.074; 78.868. It has an average elevation of 409 meters (1345 ft).
The Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple located in Srisailam is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples dedicated to Lord Shiva.
The origins of this temple have been lost in antiquity. The Skanda Purana has a chapter called Srisaila Kandam dedicated to it, which points to the ancient origin. This is confirmed by the fact that saints of the past millennia have sung its praises. It is said that Adi Sankara visited this temple and at that time he composed his Sivananda Lahiri.

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Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu /ˈtæmɨl ˈnɑːduː/ (Tamiḻ Nāṭu [t̪amɨɭ naːɖɯ] ( listen)) is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital is Chennai, the largest city. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. It is bound by the Eastern Ghats in the north, the Nilgiri, the Anamalai Hills, and Palakkad on the west, by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait in the south east, and by the Indian Ocean in the south.
Tamil Nadu is the eleventh largest state in India by area and the seventh most populous state. It is the fourth largest contributor (as of 2010) to India's GDP and ranks tenth in Human Development Index as of 2006. Tamil Nadu is also the most urbanised state in India. The state has the highest number (10.56%) of business enterprises and stands second in total employment (9.97%) in India, compared to the population share of about 6%.
The region has been the home of the Tamil people since at least 500 BCE. Its official language Tamil has been in use in inscriptions and literature for over 2000 years. Tamil Nadu is home to many natural resources, Hindu temples of Dravidian architecture, hill stations, beach resorts, multi-religious pilgrimage sites and eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

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Thrippunithura
Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (Malayalam: തൃപ്പൂണിത്തുറ) is a region in the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India and an integral part of the Kochi metropolitan area. In local administration it is a municipality. In the state administrative structure, Thrippunithura is part of the Ernakulam District in the state of Kerala.
Thrippunithura was the capital of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin. The descendants of the Cochin royal family still live here. The Hill Palace situated near Thripunithura was the palace of Maharaja of Cochin, the ruler of Kingdom of Cochin.
There are many stories that describe the origin of the word Thripunithura. Some latter day Sanskrit enthusiasts ascribe the origin of the name to "Poorna Veda Puri" - the town of Vedas in its entirety. Another possible origin to name comes from the meaning "the land on the shores of Poorna river".
Other stories play on the pun of "Pooni" or "Pooneeram" which means quiver. One of them relates that Arjuna - one of Pandavas - who once visited Lord Vishnu was given an idol and Arjuna carried it in his "pooni" (quiver). While searching for a place to install it, he met Lord Ganapati and sought help. Ganapati found this place and the idol was installed. Another story of the same variety is as follows. At the end of Dwaparayuga, the period of Lord Krishna, the Lord himself presented an idol to Arjuna, one of the Pandavas, and asked him to install it in a proper place. He kept the idol in a bag used to keep arrows, which was called Pooneeram in local language. When he reached the place, he shouted Pooneeram Thura means 'open the bag' in local language. Thus the name Poonithura has come, according to this story.

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Udupi
Udupi (Tulu:ಉಡುಪಿ, Konkani:उडुपी and Kannada:ಉಡುಪಿ) is a town in the south-west Indian State of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Udupi District. Udupi is notable for the Krishna Temple, and lends its name to the popular Udupi cuisine. Udupi, also known as Rajata Peetha and Shivalli (Shivabelli), a centre of pilgrimage, is situated about 58 km north of Mangalore and about 422 km north-west of Bangalore.
It is widely believed that the name of Udupi was derived from its Tulu name Odipu. The Tulu name in turn is associated with a temple at Malpe, devoted to Vadabhandeshwara. Another story is that the name Udupi came from the combination of the Sanskrit words Udu and Pa, which mean "stars" and "lord." According to legend, the moon's light was once reduced due to a curse by King Daksha, whose 27 daughters (the 27 stars, according to Hindu astrology) were married to the moon. The moon prayed to Lord Shiva to get back its original shine. Lord Shiva was pleased with the moon's prayer and restored its shine. Legend says that the moon and his wives made their prayer at the Chandramouleeshwara temple at Udupi, creating a linga that can be seen even today. According to this story, therefore, Udupi means the land of the "lord of the stars," the moon.

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Ujjain
Ujjain pronunciation (help·info) (also known as Ujain, Ujjayini, Avanti, Avantikapuri), is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River (Hindi: क्षिप्रा), today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.
In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini. As mentioned in the Mahabharata epic, Ujjayini was the capital of the Avanti Kingdom, and has been the Prime Meridian for Hindu geographers since the 4th century BCE. Ujjain is one of the seven sacred cities (Sapta Puri) of the Hindus, and the Kumbh Mela religious festival is held there every 12 years. It is also home to Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines to the god Shiva and is also the place where Lord Krishna got education with Balarama and Sudama from Maharshi Sandipani.

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Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh /ˌʌtər prəˈdɛʃ/, abbreviation U.P. ("Northern Province"; formerly: United Provinces), is a state located in the north western part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity. Were it a nation in its own right, Uttar Pradesh would be the world's fifth most populous country, ahead of Brazil (a country thirty-five times larger in territorial area than Uttar Pradesh). On 9 November 2000, the Himalayan portion of the state, comprising the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions and Haridwar district, was formed into a new state 'Uttaranchal', now called Uttarakhand, meaning the 'Northern Segment' state.
Uttar Pradesh is the second largest state-economy in India, with a GDP of $103.5 billion in 2009. The annual per capita GDP of the state was $1586 in 2009, on purchasing power parity basis. It contributed 8.34% to India's total GDP in the financial year 2010. Agriculture is a significant part of UP's economy. The state was India's sixth largest producer of fruits, and became the largest producer of vegetables in 2010. With an area of 93,933 sq mi (243,290 km²), Uttar Pradesh covers a large part of the highly fertile and densely populated upper Gangetic plain. It shares an international border with Nepal to the north. Other states along Uttar Pradesh's border include Uttarakhand, Haryana and Delhi to the north and northwest; Rajasthan on the west; Madhya Pradesh on the south; Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand on the south east; and Bihar on the east.

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Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand^{[needs IPA]} (Sanskrit: उत्तराखण्डम्, Uttarākhanḍam ^?, Hindi: उत्तराखण्ड, Uttarākhanḍ ^?), formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods (Hindi: देव भूमि, Dēv bhūmi ^?) due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship. Known for its natural beauty and wealth of the Himalayas, the Bhabhar and the Terai, the state was carved out of the Himalayan and adjoining north-western districts of Uttar Pradesh on 9 November 2000, becoming the 27th state of the Republic of India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region on the north, the Mahakali Zone of Far-Western Region, Nepal on the east and the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh to the south and Himachal Pradesh to the north west.
The region is traditionally referred to as Uttarakhand in Hindu scriptures and old literature, a term which derives from Sanskrit uttara (उत्तर) meaning north, and khaṇḍ (खण्ड्) meaning country or part of a country. It has an area of 20,682 sq mi (53,566 km²).

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Varanasi
Varanasi Hindustani pronunciation: [ʋaːˈraːɳəsi] ( listen)), also commonly known as Banaras or Benaras (Banāras [bəˈnaːrəs] ( listen)) and Kashi, Kāśī [ˈkaːʃi] ( listen)), is a city situated on the banks of the River Ganges in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, 320 kilometres (199 mi) southeast of state capital Lucknow. It is regarded as a holy city by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the oldest in India.
The Kashi Naresh (Maharaja of Kashi) is the chief cultural patron of Varanasi and an essential part of all religious celebrations. The culture of Varanasi is closely associated with the River Ganges and the river's religious importance. The city has been a cultural and religious centre in North India for several thousand years. The Benares Gharana form of the Indian classical music developed in Varanasi, and many prominent Indian philosophers, poets, writers, and musicians resided or reside in Varanasi. Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath located near Varanasi (Kashi).

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Veraval
Veraval (Gujarati:વેરાવળ, Hindi:वेरावल) is a city and a municipality in Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is located 6 km from Somnath.
Veraval was founded in 13th or 14th by Rao Veravalji Vadher, a Rajput .Veraval was once a fortified port town of the royal family of Junagadh. It used to be a part of the Kingdom of Junagadh till 1953 when Junagadh was merged with India. The city still bears some remains of the old Nawabi heritage, the beautiful Nawabi summer palace being one of them. There are ruins of the old Nawabi fort and Nawabi Gates in and around the place. The old walls of the port are now ruined, but the impressive Junagadh gate and the Patan gate are still seen, but are in a very bad state.
The Nawabi Palace with gothic features which is one of the main attractions. It is popularly known as Somnath College (the palace was converted into a college after it was abandoned by the nawab).At present it is the building of a Sanskrit university. The town is often known as the gateway to the magnificent temple of Somnath and the pilgrimage centres of Prabhas Patan and Bhalkha. Veraval is also the nearest town to the Gir National Park (42 km away).

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Vrindavan
Vrindavan (Hindi: वृन्दावन)( pronunciation (help·info)) (alternatively spelled Vrindaban, Brindavan, Brindavana, or Brundavan) also known as Vraj (as it lies in the Braj region) is a town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the site of an ancient forest which is the region where according to the Mahabharata, a grand Epic of Sanskrit literature dating back to the 3000BC, the deity Krishna spent his childhood days.
The town is about 10 km away from Mathura, the city of Lord Krishna's birthplace, near the Agra-Delhi highway. The town hosts hundreds of temples dedicated to the worship of Radha and Krishna and is considered sacred by a number of religious traditions such as Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Vaishnavism, and Hinduism in general.
The ancient name of the city, Brindavana, comes from its groves of 'Brinda' Ocimum tenuiflorum (Holy Basil or tulsi) with vana (Sanskrit: वन) meaning a grove or a forest. Two small groves still exist at Nidhivan and Seva Kunj
Vrindavan has an ancient past, associated with Hindu history, and is an important Hindu pilgrimage site. One of its oldest surviving temples is the Govinda Deo temple, built in 1590, with the town founded earlier in the same century.

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Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara (Sanskrit: आदिशङ्करः Ādi Śaṅkara, pronounced [aːd̪i ɕəŋkəɾə]) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as Śaṅkara Bhagavatpādācārya and Ādi Śaṅkarācārya was an Indian sage from Kalady in present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta. His teachings are based on the unity of the ātman and brahman— non-dual brahman, in which brahman is viewed as nirguna brahman, brahman without attributes.
Shankara travelled across the Indian subcontinent to propagate his philosophy through discourses and debates with other thinkers. He is reputed to have founded four mathas ("monasteries"), which helped in the historical development, revival and spread of Advaita Vedanta of which he is known as the greatest revivalist. Adi Shankara is believed to be the organizer of the Dashanami monastic order and the founder of the Shanmata tradition of worship.
His works in Sanskrit concern themselves with establishing the doctrine of advaita (nondualism). He also established the importance of monastic life as sanctioned in the Upanishads and Brahma Sutra, in a time when the Mimamsa school established strict ritualism and ridiculed monasticism. Shankara represented his works as elaborating on ideas found in the Upanishads, and he wrote copious commentaries on the Vedic canon (Brahma Sutra, principal upanishads and Bhagavad Gita) in support of his thesis. The main opponent in his work is the Mimamsa school of thought, though he also offers arguments against the views of some other schools like Samkhya and certain schools of Buddhism.

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Ananda Coomaraswamy
Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy (Tamil: ஆனந்த குமாரசுவாமி, Ānanda Kentiś Kūmaraswāmī) (22 August 1877, Colombo, Ceylon − 9 September 1947, Needham, Massachusetts) was a Ceylonese philosopher and metaphysician, as well as a pioneering historian and philosopher of Indian art, particularly art history and symbolism, and an early interpreter of Indian culture to the West. In particular, he is described as "the groundbreaking theorist who was largely responsible for introducing ancient Indian art to the West."
Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy was born in Colombo, Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, to the Ceylonese Tamil legislator and philosopher Sir Muthu Coomaraswamy and his English wife Elizabeth Beeby. His father died when Ananda was 2 years old, and Ananda spent much of his childhood and education abroad.
Coomaraswamy moved to England in 1879 and attended Wycliffe College, a preparatory school in Stroud, Gloucestershire, at the age of 12. In 1900, he graduated from University College, London, with a degree in geology and botany. On June 19, 1902, Coomaraswamy married Ethel Mary Partridge, an English photographer, who then traveled with him to Ceylon. Their marriage lasted until 1913. Coomaraswamy's field work between 1902 and 1906 earned him a doctor of science for his study of Ceylonese mineralogy, and prompted the formation of the Geological Survey of Ceylon which he initially directed. While in Ceylon, the couple collaborated on Mediaeval Sinhalese Art; Coomaraswamy wrote the text and Ethel provided the photographs. His work in Ceylon fueled Coomaraswamy's anti-Westernization sentiments. After their divorce, Partridge returned to England, where she later married the writer Philip Mairet.

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Ashtavakra
Ashtavakra (Sanskrit: अष्टावक्रः, IAST Aṣṭāvakra) is a sage mentioned in Hindu scriptures. He is described as one born with deformities in eight limbs of the body (two feet, two knees, two hands, the chest and the head). In Sanskrit, Ashtavakra means "one having eight bends". Ashta (IAST Aṣṭa) means eight, while Vakra means bend or deformity. Ashtavakra is the author of the work Ashtavakra Gita, also known as Ashtavakra Samhita, a treatise on the instruction by Ashtavakra to Janaka about the Self. Ashtavakra is the Guru of the king Janaka and the sage Yajnavalkya.
Ashtavakra is first referenced in a single verse (6.119.17) of Yuddha Kanda in Valmiki's Ramayana. When Dasaratha comes to see Rama from heaven after the war of the Ramayana, he tells Rama -
In the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata, the legend of Ashtavakra is described in greater detail. On losing the game of dice with the Kauravas, the five Pandava princes and Draupadi are exiled for twelve years. On their pilgrimage, they meet the sage Lomasha, who shows the river Samanga to Yudhishthira. Lomasha says that this is the same river, on bathing in which the deformed Ashtavakra was cured of his eight deformities. On being asked by Yudhishthira, Lomasha narrates to the Pandava princes the legend of Ashtavakra, which forms three chapters of the Mahabharata.

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Brahmin
Brahmin (also called Brahman; from Sanskrit brāhmaṇa ब्राह्मण) is a name used to designate a member of one of the four varnas (castes) in the traditional Hindu societys of Nepal and India.
Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self. Brahmin or Brahmana refers to an individual, while the word Brahma refers to the creative aspect of the universal consciousness. The English word brahmin is an anglicised form of the Sanskrit word Brāhmana. In the Smriti view there are four "varnas", or classes: the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, and Shudras. The Atreya smriti 141-142 enjoins that
One is a Shudra by birth
samskarad dvija ucyate
By observing Sanskara one becomes a Dvija
vedapathi bhaved viprah
By studying the Vedas one becomes a Vipra
brahma janati brahmanah

Traditionally Brahmin was the name given to persons who had attained the highest spiritual knowledge (brahmavidya) and who adhered to different branches (shakhas) of Vedas. This was described to be a difficult path of discipline of body, mind, and intellect. Irrespective of their birth or class,^{[citation needed]} people who were dedicated to such an austere life were recognized as Brahmins.^{[citation needed]} An example of this definition of Brahmin, that a person becomes a Brahmin, rather than being born as one, is the story of the sage Vishwamitra, who was a warrior, who became a Brahmin after attaining brahmavidya, and composed the Gayatri mantra. ^{[defunct example from period before dharmashastras So,}^{[citation needed]} The belief that people born into the Brahmin caste, automatically become Brahmins, is a concept that emerged later in ancient India.^{[citation needed]}

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Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (also transliterated Caitanya, IAST caitanya mahāprabhu) (1486–1534) was a Vaishnava saint and social reformer in eastern India (specifically present-day Bangladesh and states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Assam, and Orissa of India) in the 16th century, believed by followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism to be the full incarnation of Lord Krishna. Sri Krishna Chaitanya was a notable proponent for the Vaishnava school of Bhakti yoga (meaning loving devotion to Krishna/God) based on the philosophy of the Bhagavata Purana and Bhagavad Gita. Specifically, he worshipped the forms of Krishna, popularised the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha mantra and composed the Siksastakam in Sanskrit. His line of followers, known as Gaudiya Vaishnavas, revere him as an Avatar of Krishna in the mood of Radharani who was prophesised to appear in the later verses of the Bhagavata Purana.
He was also sometimes referred to by the names Gaura (Sanskrit for golden one) due to his light skin complexion, and Nimai due to his being born underneath a Neem tree. There are numerous biographies available from the time giving details of Chaitanya's life, the most prominent ones being the Chaitanya Charitamrita of Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami and the earlier Chaitanya Bhagavata of Vrindavana Dasa (both originally written in Bengali but now widely available in English and other languages) and the Chaitanya Mangala, written by Lochana Dasa.

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Dayananda Saraswati
Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati (Hindi:स्वामी दयानन्द सरस्वती, Gujarati: મહષિૅ દયાનંદ સરસ્વતી) (Born:12 February 1824 – Died:30 October 1883. ) was an important Hindu religious scholar, reformer, and founder of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement. He was the first to give the call for Swarajya – "India for Indians" – in 1876, later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak. Denouncing the idolatry and ritualistic worship prevalent in Hinduism at the time, he worked towards reviving Vedic ideologies. Subsequently the philosopher and President of India, S. Radhakrishnan, called him one of "makers of Modern India," as did Sri Aurobindo.
One of his notable disciples was Shyamji Krishna Varma, who founded India House in London and guided other revolutionaries. Others who were influenced by and followed him included Madam Cama, Pran Sukh Yadav, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Lala Hardayal, Madan Lal Dhingra, Ram Prasad Bismil, Bhagat Singh, Swami Shraddhanand Swami Shradhanad gave Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi the title of Mahatma Gandhi when Gandhi visited Gurukul Kangri along with Madan Mohan Malviya, Mahatma Hansraj and Lala Lajpat Rai. One of his most influential works is the book Satyarth Prakash, which contributed to the Indian independence movement. He was a sanyasi (ascetic) from boyhood, and a scholar, who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas.

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Dnyaneshwar
Sant Dnyāneshwar (or Sant Jñāneshwar) (Marathi: संत ज्ञानेश्वर) (1275–1296) is also known as Jñanadeva (Marathi: ज्ञानदेव).
He was a 13th century Maharashtrian Hindu saint (Sant - a title by which he is often referred), poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath tradition whose works Bhavartha Deepika (a commentary on Bhagavad Gita, popularly known as "Dnyaneshwari"), and Amrutanubhav are considered to be milestones in Marathi literature.
According to Nath tradition Sant Dnyaneshwar [1] was the second of the four children of Vitthal Govind Kulkarni and Rukmini, a pious couple from Apegaon near Paithan on the banks of the river Godavari. Vitthal had studied Vedas and set out on pilgrimages at a young age. In Alandi, about 30 km from Pune, Sidhopant, a local Yajurveda brahmin, was very much impressed with him and Vitthal married his daughter Rukmini.
After some time, getting permission from Rukmini, Vitthal went to Kashi(Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, India), where he met Ramananda Swami and requested to be initiated into sannyas, lying about his marriage. But Ramananda Swami later went to Alandi and, convinced that his student Vitthal was the husband of Rukmini, he returned to Kashi and ordered Vitthal to return home to his family. The couple was excommunicated from the brahmin caste as Vitthal had broken with sannyas, the last of the four ashrams. Four children were born to them; Nivrutti in 1273, Dnyandev (Dnyaneshwar) in 1275, Sopan in 1277 and daughter Mukta in 1279. According to some scholars their birth years are 1268, 1271, 1274, 1277 respectively. It is believed that later Vitthal and Rukmini ended their lives by jumping into the waters at Prayag where the river Ganges meets Yamuna hoping that their children would be accepted into the society after their death.

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Gangesha Upadhyaya
Gangesha Upadhyaya (Sanskrit: गंगेश उपाध्याय, Gaṅgeśa Upādhyāya) (late 12th century) was an Indian mathematician and philosopher from the kingdom of Mithila. He established the Navya-Nyāya ("New Logic") school. His Tattvacintāmaṇi (The Jewel of Thought on the Nature of Things) also known as Pramāṇacintāmaṇi (The Jewel of Thought on the Means of Valid Knowledge) is the basic text for all later developments. The logicians of this school were primarily interested in defining their terms and concepts related to non-binary logical categories.
Gengesha was born at Karion village on the banks of the river Kamala, 19 km south-east of Darbhanga in a Brahman family. According to tradition, he was illiterate in his early years but later he acquired the knowledge of logic as a boon from the goddess Kali. His son Vardhamana Upadhyaya was also a noted philosopher of the Nyaya school.
The text is divided into four khaṇḍas (books): Pratyakṣakhaṇḍa (book on perception), Anumānakhaṇḍa (book on inference), Upamānakhaṇḍa (book on comparison) and Śabdakhaṇḍa (book on verbal testimony). The first book opens with a salutation to Shiva.

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Gaudapada
Gaudapada (c. 8th century CE) (also referred as Shri Gaudapadacharya) was a very early guru in the tradition of Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. He is traditionally said to have been the grand-guru of the great teacher Adi Shankara, one of the most important figures in Hindu philosophy and also believed to be the founder of Shri Gaudapadacharya Math.
There is some dispute about the date of Shankara, but the most probable date is in the 8th century CE, as per the evidence cited by scholars such as Bhandarkar, K. B. Pathak and Deussen. Gaudapada is said to have been the teacher of Govinda, who was the teacher of Shankara. Shankara himself affirms this and quotes and refers to Gaudapada as the teacher's teacher who knows the tradition of the Vedānta (sampradāya-vit). Therefore, Gaudapada must have lived and taught during the 7th century CE.
The following well known Sanskrit Verse among Smarthas provides the list of the early teachers of the Vedanta in their order.
From this verse we can understand that, first teacher being Lord Narayana himself and line of descent from father to son up-to Sri Shuka Acharya. From Lord Narayana to Sri Shuka Acharya the line of succession is known as Vamsarsi-Parampara and from Sri Gaudapadcharya starts the descent of Sanyasins and known as Manava-Guru-Sampradaya.

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Jaimini
Jaimini was an ancient Indian rishi (sage), who was a great philosopher of the Mimansa school of Indian philosophy. He was the disciple of the great Rishi Veda Vyasa, the son of Rishi Parashara.
Jaimini is most known for his great treatise Purva Mimamsa Sutras (“First Reflection”), or Karma-mimamsa (“Study of Ritual Action”), a system that investigates the nature of Vedic injunctions. The text founded the Purva-Mimamsa school of Ancient Indian philosophy, one of the six Darsanas or schools of Ancient Indian philosophy.
Dated to ca. the 3rd century BC, the text contains about 3,000 sutras and is the foundational text of the Mimamsa school. The text aims at an exegesis of the Vedas with regard to ritual practice (karma) and religious duty (dharma), commenting on the early Upanishads. Jaimini's Mimamsa is a ritualist counter-movement to the mysticist Vedanta currents of his day. He was commented upon by Śābara in the early centuries CE.
He is also considered the author of epic work, Jaimini Bharata, which presents a version of Mahabharata, which most known for its Aswamedha parva.

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Jayanta Bhatta
Jayanta Bhatta (c. 9th Century CE) was a Kashmiri poet and philosopher of Nyaya school of Indian philosophy. In his philosophical treatise Nyayamanjari and drama Agamadambara, Jayanta mentioned about the king Shankaravarman (883 – 902 CE) as his contemporary. Also, his son Abhinanda in his Kadambari-kathasara, mentioned that the great grandfather of Jayanta was a minister of king Lalitaditya of 8th Century CE. So most probably Jayanta belonged to the last quarter of 9th Century CE.
From Abhinanda’s Kadambari-kathasara (5-12), we came to know about the genealogy of Jayanta. His ancestor Shakti was a Brahman of Bharadvaja gotra from Gauda, who settled at Darvabhisara, a place at the border of Kashmir. His son was Mitra and grandson was Shaktisvamin. Shaktisvamin, great grandfather of Jayanta was a minister of Karkota dynasty king of Kashmir Lalitaditya Muktapida (c. 724 – 761 CE). Jayanta in Nyayamanjari mentioned that his grandfather obtained a village named Gauramulaka (probably located north of Rajouri) from the king. The name of Jayanta’s father was Chandra.

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Kabir
Kabīr (also Kabīra) (Hindi: कबीर, Punjabi: ਕਬੀਰ, Urdu: کبير‎) (1440–1518) was a mystic poet and saint of India, whose writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement. The name Kabir comes from Arabic al-Kabīr which means 'The Great' - the 37th name of God in Islam.
Apart from having an important influence on Sikhism, Kabir's legacy is today carried forward by the Kabir Panth ("Path of Kabir"), a religious community that recognizes him as its founder and is one of the Sant Mat sects. Its members, known as Kabir panthis, are estimated to be around 9,600,000. They are spread over north and central India, as well as dispersed with the Indian diaspora across the world, up from 843,171 in the 1901 census. His writings include Bijak, Sakhi Granth, Kabir Granthawali and Anurag Sagar.
Not much is known of Kabir's birth parents, but it is known that he was brought up in a family of Muslim weavers. He was found by a Muslim weaver named Niru and his wife, Nima, in Lehartara, situated in Varanasi. They adopted the boy and taught him the weaver's trade.

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Kanada
It has been claimed that Kashyapa, later known as Kanada (Sanskrit: कणाद; also transliterated as Canada as well as other forms) was a Hindu sage and philosopher who founded the philosophical school of Vaisheshika and authored the text Vaisheshika Sutra. He talked of Dvyanuka (biatomic molecule) and tryanuka (triatomic molecule).^{[citation needed]} He probably lived around the 2nd century BCE, while other sources claim he lived in the 6th Century BCE. It is believed that he was born in Prabhas Kshetra (near Dwaraka) in Gujarat, India.
His primary area of study was Rasavādam, considered to be a type of alchemy. He is said to have believed that all living beings are composed of five elements: water, fire, earth, air, ether. Vegetables have only water, insects have water and fire, birds have water, fire, earth and air, and Humans, the top of the creation, have ether—the sense of discrimination (time, space, mind) are one. He theorized that Gurutva(Hindi/Sanskrit for Gravity) was responsible for the falling of objects on the Earth.

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Kapila
Kapila (Hindi: कपिल ऋषि) was a Vedic sage credited as one of the founders of the Samkhya school of philosophy. He is prominent in the Bhagavata Purana, which features a theistic version of his Samkhya philosophy. Traditional Hindu sources describe him as a descendant of Manu, a grandson of Brahma. The Bhagavad Gita depicts Kapila as a yogi hermit with highly developed siddhis, or spiritual powers.
Many of the details about sage Kapila's life are described in Book 3 of the Bhagavata Purana, where it is mentioned that his parents were Kardama Muni and Devahuti. Kapila is considered an incarnation of the supreme-being (Narayana) and listed as such in the list of incarnations in Bhagavata Purana .After his father left home, Kapila instructed his mother, Devahuti in the philosophy of yoga and devotional worship of Lord Vishnu, enabling her to achieve liberation (moksha). Kapila's Sankhya is also given by Krishna to Uddhava in Book 11 of the Bhagavata Purana, a passage also known as the "Uddhava Gita".

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Krishna
Krishna (Sanskrit: कृष्ण) (kṛṣṇa in IAST, pronounced [ˈkr̩ʂɳə] literally "dark, black") is a central figure of Hinduism. He is known as the eighth and "complete" avatar of Lord Vishnu, come to restore Dharma to the earth in a time of great dharmic imbalance. Krishna is identified as a historical individual who participated in the events of the Mahabharata.
Krishna is often described as an infant or young boy playing a flute as in the Bhagavata Purana, or as a youthful prince giving direction and guidance as in the Bhagavad Gita. The stories of Krishna appear across a broad spectrum of Hindu philosophical and theological traditions. They portray him in various perspectives: a god-child, a prankster, a model lover, a divine hero and the Supreme Being. The principal scriptures discussing Krishna's story are the Mahabharata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana.
Worship of a deity of Krishna, in the form of Vasudeva, Bala Krishna or Gopala, can be traced to as early as 4th century BC. Worship of Krishna as svayam bhagavan, or the Supreme Being, known as Krishnaism, arose in the Middle Ages in the context of the bhakti movement. From the 10th century AD, Krishna became a favorite subject in performing arts and regional traditions of devotion developed for forms of Krishna such as Jagannatha in Orissa, Vithoba in Maharashtra and Shrinathji in Rajasthan. Since the 1960s the worship of Krishna has also spread in the West, largely due to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

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Kumārila Bhaṭṭa
Kumārila Bhaṭṭa (Devanagari: कुमारिल भट्ट, fl. roughly AD 700) was a Hindu philosopher and Mimamsa scholar from Assam. He is famous for many of his seminal theses on Mimamsa, such as Mimamsaslokavarttika. Bhaṭṭa was a staunch believer in the supreme validity of Vedic injunction, a great champion of Purva-Mimamsa and a confirmed ritualist. The varttika is mainly written as a subcommentary of Sabara's commentary on Jaimini's Purva Mimamsa Sutra. His philosophy is classified by some scholars as existential realism.
Scholars differ as regards Kumārila's views on a personal God. For example, Manikka Vachakar believed that Kumārila promoted a personal God (Parabrahman), which conflicts with the Mimamsa school. In his varttika Kumārila Bhaṭṭa goes to great lengths to argue against the theory of a creator God and held that the actions enjoined in the Veda had definite results without an external interference.
Bhaṭṭa is also credited with the logical formulation of the Mimamsic belief that the Vedas are unauthored (apaurusheya). In particular his defence against medieval Buddhist position on Vedic rituals, is noteworthy. Some believe that this contributed, to the decline of Buddhism in India because his lifetime coincides with the period in which Buddhism began to decline. Indeed, his dialectical success against buddhists is confirmed by Buddhist historian Tathagatha, who reports that Kumārila defeated disciples of Buddhapalkita, Bhavya, Dharmadasa, Dignaga and others. Though, records from Yi Jing's travelogue show Buddhism continued to proliferate in most of southern and northern India until the late 8th century CE.^{[citation needed]} His work strongly influenced other schools of Indian philosophy, most notably Advaita Vedanta, especially since Vedanta adopts purva Mimamsa's epistemological arguments almost verbatim, with the exception that while Mimamsa considers the Upanishads to be subservient to the Vedas, the Vedanta school does not think so.

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Madhvacharya
Madhvacharya (Tulu: ಶ್ರೀ ಮಧ್ವಾಚಾರ್ಯ, Sanskrit: श्री मध्वाचार्यः Śrī Madhvācāryaḥ) (1238–1317 CE), also known as Purna Prajna and Ananda Tirtha, was the chief proponent of Tattvavāda "Philosophy of Reality", popularly known as the Dvaita (dualism) school of Hindu philosophy. It is one of the three most influential Vedānta philosophies. Madhvācārya was one of the important philosophers during the Bhakti movement. He was a pioneer in many ways, going against standard conventions and norms. According to tradition, Madhvācārya is believed to be the third incarnation of Vāyu (Mukhyaprāṇa).
Madhvācārya was born on the auspicious day of Vijaya-daśami (Dussehra) in 1238 CE (AD) at Pājaka, a tiny hamlet near Uḍupi. Nārāyaṇa Paṇḍitācārya who later wrote Madhvācārya's biography has not recorded his parents' names. Traditionally it is believed that Nadillaya Nārāyaṇa Bhaṭṭa as name of the father and Vedavati as Madhvācārya's mother. They named him Vāsudeva at birth. Later he became famous by the names Pūrṇa-prajña, Ānanda-tīrtha and Madhvācārya.

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Namdev
Saint Namdeo (29 October, 1270 - 1350) (Marathi: संत नामदेव) or Bhagat Namdeo (Gurmukhi: ਭਗਤ ਨਾਮਦੇਵ) was born on October 29, 1270 in the state of Maharashtra village of Narasi-Bamani, in Hingoli district (presently called Narsi Namdev). His father, a calico printer/tailor, was named Damshet and his mother's name was Gonabai. Most of the spiritual message of Bhagat Namdeo emphasized the importance of living the life of a householder (गृहस्थ जीवन) and that through marriage and having a family one could attain enlightenment.
The first biographer and auto-biographer in Marathi and the foremost proponent of Bhagawad-Dharma who propagated the religion right up to Punjab
Saint Namdev, a contemporary saint-poet of Saint Dnyaneshwar, is considered a prominent religious poet of Maharashtra. He was one the earliest writers who wrote in the Marathi language. He is the foremost proponent of the Bhagwad-Dharma who reached beyond Maharashtra, right into Punjab. He also wrote some hymns in Hindi and Punjabi. His depth of devotion and talent in delivering Kirtan was of such a high standard that it is said even the Lord Pandurang swayed to his tune. Despite being a proponent of the Warkari sect, Saint Namdev established religious unity across the country.

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Narayana Guru
Sri Nārāyana Guru (Malayalam: ശ്രീ നാരായണ ഗുരു) (1856–1928), also known as Sree Nārāyana Guru Swami, was a Hindu saint, sadhu^{[Full citation needed]} and social reformer of India. The Guru was born into an Ezhava family, in an era when people from backward communities like the Ezhavas faced much social injustices in the caste-ridden Kerala society. Gurudevan, as he was fondly known to his followers, led Reform movement in Kerala, revolted against casteism and worked on propagating new values of freedom in spirituality and of social equality, thereby transforming the Kerala society and as such he is adored as a prophet.
Nārāyana Guru is revered for his Vedic knowledge^{[citation needed]}, poetic proficiency^{[citation needed]}, openness to the views of others^{[citation needed]}, non-violent philosophy^{[citation needed]} and his unrelenting resolve to set aright social wrongs. Nārāyana Guru was instrumental in setting the spiritual foundations for social reform in today's Kerala and was one of the most successful social reformers who tackled caste in India. He demonstrated a path to social emancipation without invoking the dualism of the oppressed and the oppressor.

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Nimbarka
Nimbarka (Sanskrit: श्री निम्बार्काचार्य, Telugu: నింబార్కాచార్య Śrī Nimbārkācārya), is known for propagating the Vaishnava Theology of Dvaitadvaita, duality in unity. According to scholars headed by Prof. Roma Bose, he lived in the 13th Century, on the assumption that Śrī Nimbārkācārya was the author of the work Madhvamukhamardana. According to Nimbārka Sampradāya however, Śrī Nimbārkācārya appeared over 5000 years ago, in the year 3096 BCE at the time when the grandson of Arjuna was on the throne. He hailed from the present-day Andhra Pradesh, in South India.
Nimbarka's date is subject to much controversy. Although current research and scholarly consensus centres on a date somewhere just before Sankaracarya, in general scholars have not been able to come to a unilateral conclusion.
Dr. Bhandarkar has placed him as a philosopher after Ramanuja and has maintained his demise date as 1162 AD. Some hold that he is dated around 13th Century. However, Dr. S.N.Dasgupta dated Nimbarka to around middle of 14th Century. On the other hand, Dr. S A A Rizvi assigns the date of Circa 1130-1200 AD But Jadunath Sinha, has counted him as a 13th century philosopher, and Dr. Tarachand has held him to be a younger contemporary of Ramanuja.

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Prabhākara
Prabhākara (ca. 7th c. AD) was an Indian philosopher grammarian in the Mimamsa tradition. His views and his debate with Kumārila Bhaṭṭa led to the Prābhākara school within Mimamsa.
Commentaries on Prabhakara have been written by Shalikanatha in the 8th c.^{[citation needed]}
One of the views of the prābhākaras is that words do not directly designate meaning; any meaning that arises is because it is connected with other words (anvitābhidhāna, anvita = connected; abhidhā = denotation). We know or learn the meaning of a word only by considering the sentential context which it appears; we learn such word meanings together with their possible semantic connections with other words. Sentence meanings are grasped directly, from perceptual and contextual cues, skipping the stage of grasping singly the individual word meanings (Matilal 1990:108).
This is very similar to the modern view of linguistic underspecification, and relates to the Dynamic Turn in Semantics, which opposes the purely compositional view of arriving at sentence meaning.

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Pāṇini
Pāṇini (Sanskrit: पाणिनि, IPA: [pɑːɳin̪i]; a patronymic meaning "descendant of Paṇi") was an Sanskrit grammarian from Pushkalavati, Gandhara - modern Charsadda, Pakistan (fl. 6th century BC).
Pāṇini is known for his Sanskrit grammar, particularly for his formulation of the 3,959 rules of Sanskrit morphology, syntax and semantics in the grammar known as Ashtadhyayi (अष्टाध्यायी Aṣṭādhyāyī, meaning "eight chapters"), the foundational text of the grammatical branch of the Vedanga, the auxiliary scholarly disciplines of Vedic religion.
The Ashtadhyayi is one of the earliest known grammars of Sanskrit, although Pāṇini refers to previous texts like the Unadisutra, Dhatupatha, and Ganapatha. It is the earliest known work on descriptive linguistics, and together with the work of his immediate predecessors (Nirukta, Nighantu, Pratishakyas) stands at the beginning of the history of linguistics itself. His theory of morphological analysis was more advanced than any equivalent Western theory before the mid 20th century, and his analysis of noun compounds still forms the basis of modern linguistic theories of compounding, which have borrowed Sanskrit terms such as bahuvrihi and dvandva.

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Raghunatha Siromani
Raghunatha Shiromani (Bengali: রঘুনাথ শিরোমণি, IAST: Raghunātha Śiromaṇi) (c. 1477–1547) was an Indian philosopher and logician. He was born at Nabadwip in present day Nadia district of West Bengal state. He was the grandson of Śulapāṇi (c. 14th century CE), a noted writer on Smṛti from his mother's side. He was a pupil of Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma. He brought the new school of Nyaya, Navya Nyāya, representing the final development of Indian formal logic, to its zenith of analytic power.
Raghunatha's analysis of relations revealed the true nature of number, inseparable from the abstraction of natural phenomena, and his studies of metaphysics dealt with the negation or nonexistence of a complex reality. His most famous work in logic was the Tattvacintāmaṇidīdhiti, a commentary on the Tattvacintāmaṇi of Gangeśa Upādhyāya, founder of the Navya Nyāya school.

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Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna (pronounced: IPA: [Ramkṛiṣṇo Pôromôhongśo] listen (help·info)) (18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886), born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay (IPA: [Gôdadhor Chôṭṭopaddhae]), was a famous mystic of 19th-century India. His religious school of thought led to the formation of the Ramakrishna Mission by his chief disciple Swami Vivekananda – both were influential figures in the Bengali Renaissance as well as the Hindu renaissance during the 19th and 20th centuries. Many of his disciples and devotees believe he was an Avatar or incarnation of God. He is also referred to as "Paramahamsa" by his devotees, as such he is popularly known as Ramkrishna Paramhamsa.
Ramakrishna was born in a poor Brahmin Vaishnava family in rural Bengal. He became a priest of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple, dedicated to the goddess Kali, which had the influence of the main strands of Bengali bhakti tradition. The most widely known amongst his first spiritual teachers was an ascetic woman skilled in Tantra and Vaishnava bhakti. Later an Advaita Vedantin ascetic taught him non-dual meditation, and according to Ramakrishna, he experienced nirvikalpa samadhi under his guidance. Ramakrishna also experimented with other religions, notably Islam and Christianity, and said that they all lead to the same God. Though he quit conventional education, he attracted the attention of the middle class, upper middle class and numerous Bengali intellectuals.^{[citation needed]}

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Ramana Maharshi
Sri Ramana Maharshi (Tamil: ரமண மஹரிஷி) (December 30, 1879 – April 14, 1950), born Venkataraman Iyer, was a Hindu spiritual master ("jnani"). He was born to a Tamil-speaking Brahmin family in Tiruchuzhi, Tamil Nadu. After experiencing at age 16 what he later described as liberation (moksha), he left home for Arunachala, a mountain considered sacred by Hindus. He lived at the mountain for the rest of his life. Although born a Brahmin, he declared himself an "Atiasrami", a Sastraic state of non-attachment to anything in life and beyond all caste restrictions. The ashram that grew around him, Sri Ramana Ashram, is situated at the foothill of Arunchala, to the west to the pilgrimage town of Tiruvannamalai.
Sri Ramana Maharshi maintained that the purest form of his teachings was the powerful silence which radiated from his presence and quieted the minds of those attuned to it. He gave verbal teachings only for the benefit of those who could not understand his silence (or, perhaps, could not understand how to attain the silent state). His verbal teachings were said to flow from his direct experience of Atman as the only existing reality. When asked for advice, he recommended self-enquiry as the fastest path to moksha. Though his primary teaching is associated with Non-dualism, Advaita Vedanta, and Jnana yoga, he recommended Bhakti to those he saw were fit for it, and gave his approval to a variety of paths and practices.

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Ramanuja
Śrī Ramanuja (Tamil: இராமானுஜர், Rāmānujar ^?, Telugu: రామానుజాచార్యుల వారు, Rāmānujācārya ^?, Kannada: ರಾಮಾನುಜಾಚಾರ್ಯ, Rāmānujācārya ^?, Devanagari: रामानुज); traditionally 1017–1137, also known as Śrī Ramanujacharya, Ethirajar (Yatiraja), Emberumannar, Lakshmana Muni, was a theologian, philosopher, and scriptural exegete. He is seen by Śrīvaiṣṇavas as the most important teacher (ācārya) of their tradition who followed Nathamuni and Yamunacharya, and by Hindus in general as the leading expounder of Viśiṣṭādvaita, one of the classical interpretations of the dominant Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy.
The traditional biographies of Ramanuja place his life in the period of 1017–1137, yielding a lifespan of 120 years. However, the unusual length and roundness of this lifetime has led scholars to propose that Ramanuja was born 20–60 years later, and died as many as 20 years earlier than the traditional dates^{[citation needed]}. Any chronology depends crucially on the major historical event mentioned in the traditional biographies: the persecution of Srivaishnavas under the Chola king Kulothunga and Ramanuja's subsequent 12-year exile in Melkote, in Karnataka^{[citation needed]}.

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Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo (Bengali: শ্রী অরবিন্দ Sri Ôrobindo) (15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950), born Aurobindo Ghosh or Ghose (Bengali: অরবিন্দ ঘোষ Ôrobindo Ghosh), was an Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, philosopher, yogi, guru, and poet. He joined the Indian movement for freedom from British rule and for a duration became one of its most important leaders, before developing his own vision of human progress and spiritual evolution.
The central theme of Aurobindo's vision was the evolution of human life into life divine. He wrote: "Man is a transitional being. He is not final. The step from man to superman is the next approaching achievement in the earth evolution. It is inevitable because it is at once the intention of the inner spirit and the logic of nature's process."
Aurobindo's writings synthesized Eastern and Western philosophy, religion, literature, and psychology. Aurobindo was the first Indian to create a major literary corpus in English.His works include philosophy; poetry; translations of and commentaries on the Vedas, Upanishads, and the Gita; plays; literary, social, political, and historical criticism; devotional works; spiritual journals and three volumes of letters. His principal philosophical writings are The Life Divine and The Synthesis of Yoga, while his principal poetic work is Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol.

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Srimanta Sankardeva
Srimanta Shankardeva (1449–1568) (Assamese: মহাপুৰুষ শ্ৰীমন্ত শঙ্কৰদেৱ Môhapurux Srimôntô Xônkôrdev), was a 15th-16th century Assamese saint-scholar, playwright, social-religious reformer and a colossal figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam, India. He is credited with providing a thread of unity to Assam straddling two major kingdoms (Ahom and Koch kingdoms), building on past literary activities to provide the bedrock of Assamese culture, and creating a religion that gave shape to a set of new values and social synthesis. The religion he started, Mahapuruxiya Dharma, was part of the Bhakti movement then raging in India, and he inspired bhakti in Assam just as Ramananda, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Basava and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu inspired it elsewhere.
His literary and artistic contributions are living traditions in Assam today. The religion he preached is practiced by a large population, and Sattras (monasteries) that he and his followers established continue to flourish and sustain his legacy.

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Tukaram
Sant Tukaram (1608–1650) was a prominent Varkari Sant (Saint) and spiritual poet during a Bhakti movement in India.
Sant Tukaram was born and lived most of his life in Dehu, a town close to Pune in Mahārāshtra, India. Kumar, Munshi, Kincaid and Parasanisa, consider him to be of the Vani or grocer caste. In accordance with an ancient Indian tradition, Tukaram's family name is rarely used in identifying him. His real name is Tukaram Vhilhoba Aambe. Rather, in accord with another tradition in India of assigning the epithet "sant" (संत) to persons regarded as thoroughly saintly, Tukaram is commonly known in Maharashtra as Sant Tukaram (संत तुकाराम). He is known as Bhakta Tukaram to southern Indian people.
Scholars assign various birth years to Sant Tukaram: 1577, 1598, 1608 and 1609 CE. The year of Sant Tukaram's death —1650 CE— is much more certain.
Sant Tukaram's first wife, Rakhumābāi, died in 1602 in her early youth. Sant Tukaram and his second wife, Jijābāi (also known as Āvali), had three sons: Santu or Mahādev, Vithobā, and Nārāyan.

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Tulsidas
Tulsidas (Devanagari: तुलसीदास, Hindi pronunciation: [t̪uls̪iːd̪ɑːs̪], also known as Goswami Tulsidas), (1497/1532–1623) was a Hindu poet-saint, reformer and philosopher renowned for his devotion for the god Rama. A composer of several popular works, he is best known for being the author of the epic Ramcharitmanas, a retelling of the Sanskrit Ramayana in the vernacular Awadhi. Tulsidas was acclaimed in his lifetime to be a reincarnation of Valmiki, the composer of the original Ramayana in Sanskrit. He is also considered to be the composer of the Hanuman Chalisa, a popular devotional hymn dedicated to Hanuman, the divine monkey helper and devotee of Rama. Tulsidas lived permanently and died in the city of Varanasi. The Tulsi Ghat in Varnasi is named after him. He founded the Sankatmochan Temple dedicated to Hanuman in Varanasi, believed to stand at the place where he had the sight of Hanuman. Tulsidas started the Ramlila plays, a folk-theatre adaption of the Ramayana. He has been acclaimed as one of the greatest poets in Hindi, Indian, and world literature. The impact of Tulsidas and his works on the art, culture and society in India is widespread and is seen to date in vernacular language, Ramlila plays, Hindustani classical music, popular music, and television series.

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Vallabha Acharya
Vallabhacharya (Telugu: వల్లబ్హాచార్య) (1479–1531 CE) was a devotional philosopher, who founded the Pushti sect in India, following the philosophy of Shuddha advaita (Pure Non-dualism).
Vallabhacharya accepted the 'Acharya' designation of Vishnuswami Sampraday (Rudra Sampraday) upon request of Bilvamangala Acharya, the last Vishnuswami Sampraday acharya before Vallabhacharya. This was after Vallabhacharya won the famous debate of Brahmavada over Shankaras in the courtyard of the Emperor Krishna Deva Raya of Vijayanagara Empire - the prosperous South Indian Empire. Apart from being the acharya of Vishnuswami Sampradaya, Vallabhacharya also propagated the Pushtimarga upon the god Krishna's order and thus became the acharya of not only Vishnuswami Sampradaya but also Pushti Sampradaya.
He is the Acharya and Guru within the Vaishnava traditions as promulgated and prescribed by the Vedanta philosophy. He is associated with Vishnuswami, a prominent Acharya of Rudra Sampradaya out of the four Vaishnava Sampradayas.

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Valmiki
Valmiki (Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, vālmīki) (during Lord Rama's time) is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself. He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e. first verse, which set the base and defined the form to Sanskrit poetry.
At least by the 1st century AD, Valmiki's reputation as the father of Sanskrit classical poetry seems to have been legendary. Ashvagosha writes in the Buddhacarita:
This particular verse has been speculated to indicate a familial relationship between Valmiki and Chyavana, as implied by the previous and subsequent verses.
Valmiki was the son of Sumali. Maharishi Valmiki was born in a shudra family. His birth name was Ratnakara. But the trust factor of the sources is questionable.When everyone left to travel south Sumali took his son and wife and moved near the bank of Vipasa River (Northern India). The Uttara Khanda tells the story of Valmiki's early life, as an unnamed highway robber who used to rob people before killing them. Other versions name him Valya Meet. Robbing people who passed by was the only source of money for him.

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Vedanta Desika
Vedanta Desika (Swami Desikan, Swami Vedanta Desikan, Thoopul Nigamaantha Desikan) (1269–1370) was a Sri Vaishnava Guru. He was a poet, devotee, philosopher and master-teacher. He was the disciple of Swamy Sri Kidambi Appullar alias Sri Aathreya Ramanujachariar who comes in the lineage starting from Sri Ramanuja with Sri Thirukurugai Piran Pillan alias Sri Kurugesar,Sri Kidambi Aachan, Sri Aathreya Ramanujar, Sri Aathreya Rangarajachariar and many in the order. He is considered as an Avatar (incarnation) of Lord Venkateswara of Tirumalai by Sri Vaishavites.
In the case Swami Vedanta Desika, certain oblique biographical references are available internally in his works, for example in the Prologue to his Sankalpa Suryodayam. Prathivadi Bhayankaram Annan (1300–1400), a junior contemporary of Swami Desika and a disciple of Kumara Varadhacharya (son of Swamy Vedanta Desika) gives some details about Vedanta Desika's parentage, education etc. in his " Saptati Ratna Maalika".
The birth of Vedanta Desika was in the Kali yuga year 4370, which corresponds to 1268 AD in the Tamil Year Vibhava, month Purattaasi, on the Dasami day of Sukla Paksha, a Wednesday, in the constellation of Sravanam (the same as that of Lord of Tirumalai).He was born in Thooppul, near Tiruttangaa (Himavanam) adjacent to the temple of Deepa Prakaasar in Kanchipuram, the birthplace of Poigai Alwar.

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Vidyaranya
Vidyāraṇya also known as Mādhava Vidyāranya is variously known as being a kingmaker, patron saint and high priest to Harihara Raya I and Bukka Raya I, the founders of the Vijayanagar Empire. He was the 12th Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham from 1380 to 1386 A.D. He was born to Māyaṇācārya and Śrīmatīdevī in Pampakṣetra (modern day Hampi) in 1268 CE. Another account has it that he was born in Ekasila nagari (modern Warangal). He helped the brothers establish the empire sometime in 1336 AD. He later served as a mentor and guide to three generations of kings who ruled over the Vijayanagar empire. Vijayanagara or Hampi, the capital of the empire, has a temple dedicated to Mādhavācārya. He is the author of the Sarvadarśanasaṅ̇graha (सर्वदर्शनसङ्रह), a compendium of different philosophical schools of Hindu thought and Pañcadaśī, an important text in the Advaita Vedanta tradition.
Vidyaranya was an exponent of the Advaita school of philosophy in Hinduism. He is said to be the brother of Sāyaṇācārya who wrote a commentary on the four Vedas. He was a Hindu statesman and philosopher who lived at the court of Vijayanagara, the Southern Hindu kingdom. He is believed to have served as a minister under King Bukka of the Vijayanagara empire. His younger brother, Shyapa, was associated with him in the administration and was a famous commentator on the Rigveda. Shyapa's commentaries were influenced by and dedicated to Mādhava.

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Vyasa
Vyasa (Devanagari: व्यास, vyāsa) is a central and revered figure in most Hindu traditions. He is also sometimes called Veda Vyasa (वेद व्यास, veda vyāsa), (the one who classified the Vedas in to four parts) or Krishna Dvaipayana (referring to his complexion and birthplace). He is the author as well as a character in the Mahabharata and considered to be the scribe of both the Vedas, and the supplementary texts such as the Puranas. A number of Vaishnava traditions regard him as an Avatar of Vishnu. Vyasa is sometimes conflated by some Vaishnavas with Badarayana, the author of the Vedanta Sutras. Vyāsa is also considered to be one of the seven Chiranjivins (long lived, or immortals), who are still in existence according to general Hindu belief. He is also the fourth member of the Rishi Parampara of the Advaita Guru Paramparā of which Adi Shankara is the chief proponent.
The festival of Guru Purnima, is dedicated to him, and also known as Vyasa Purnima as it is the day, which is believed to be his birthday and also the day he divided the Vedas.

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Vācaspati Miśra
Vācaspati Miśra (900–980 CE) was an Indian philosopher who founded one of the main Advaita Vedanta schools, the Bhāmatī school (named after his commentary on Śankara's Brahma-sūtra-bhāṣya), and whose work was an important forerunner of the Navya-Nyāya system of thought.
Vācaspati was a Maithili Brahmin who lived near the frontier between India and Nepal (what is now Vachaspati Nagar (Andhra Thardhi), Madhubani). The details of his life have been lost, though he is said to have named one of his works after his wife, Bhāmatī. He wrote commentaries on the main works of all the major Hindu schools of thought at the time, as well as one non-commentary, Tattvabindu.
In Tattvabindu, Vācaspati examines four competing theories of linguistic meaning:
After examining each of these theories, Vācaspati presents his own theory, abhihitānvayavāda, according to which understanding of the meaning of a whole sentence is reached by inferring it, in a separate act of lakṣanā or implication, from the individual meanings of the constituent words.

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Yajnavalkya
Yājñavalkya (Devanagari: याज्ञवल्क्य) of Mithila was a legendary sage of Vedic India, credited with the authorship of the Shatapatha Brahmana (including the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad), besides the Yoga Yajnavalkya and the Yājñavalkya Smṛti. He is also a major figure in the Upanishads.
According to tradition, Yājñavalkya was the son of Devarāta and was the pupil of sage Vaiśampāyana. Once, Vaiśampāyana got angry with Yājñavalkya as the latter argued too much to separate some latter additions to Yajurveda in being abler than other students. The angry teacher asked his pupil Yājñavalkya to give back all the knowledge of Yajurveda that he had taught him.
As per the demands of his Guru, Yājñavalkya vomited all the knowledge that he acquired from his teacher in form of digested food. Other disciples of Vaiśampāyana took the form of partridge birds and consumed the digested knowledge (a metaphor for knowledge in its simplified form without the complexities of the whole but the simplicity of parts) because it was knowledge and they were very eager to receive the same.

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12 JYOTIRLINGA DARSHAN

12 JYOTIRLINGA DARSHAN ON SAGARIKA MUSIC, A BEAUTIFUL DESCRIPTION AND IMPORTANCE OF THE 12...

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This is a short stotram about the 12 Jyotirlingas in India. More information on this can b...

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the 12 jyotirlingas

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Dwadash Jyotirlingani (Dvadash Jyotirlinga)

This small video shows all 12 Jyotirling Across INDIA. Though there are controversy about ...

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Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Shiva Temple LiveIndia

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12 JYOTIRLINGA TEMPLES OF LORD SHIVA - A VIRTUAL TOUR

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12 Jyotirlingas

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Yatra - Sri Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga Kshetram @ Madhya Pradesh - 03

Yatra - Sri Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga Kshetram...

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photo: AP / Adj Nicolas-Nelson Richard, ECPAD

This Sunday Jan.13, 2013 photo provided by the French Army Monday Jan.14, 2013 shows a French Rafale jetfighter landing after a mission to Mali in N'Djamena, Chad.

France strikes Mali rebels

Independent online (SA)

14 Jan 2013

Bamako/Paris - French fighter jets pounded Islamist rebel strongholds deep in northern Mali on Sunday as Paris poured more troops into the capital, Bamako, awaiting a West African force to dislodge al-Qaeda-linked insurgents from the country’s north ... Defence Minister Jean-Yves le Drian said France’s intervention on Friday prevented the advancing rebels from seizing Bamako and vowed air strikes would continue ... – ... Doubt....(size: 6.6Kb)

photo: Creative Commons / INABA Tomoaki

Emergency landing grounds Boeing 787 jets in Japan

The Guardian

16 Jan 2013

YURI KAGEYAMA. AP Business Writers= TOKYO (AP) — Boeing Co.'s 787 planes were grounded for safety checks Wednesday by two major Japanese airlines after one was forced to make an emergency landing in the latest blow for the new jet ... The 787, known as the Dreamliner, is Boeing's newest and most technologically advanced jet, and the company is counting heavily on its success ... The grounding was done voluntarily by the airlines ... The U.S ... U.S....(size: 11.1Kb)

photo: WN / Jamal Penjweny

US military in side hummer on the Ramadia road and an the duty in Ramadia present

2012 military suicides hit a record high of 349

Ohio

15 Jan 2013

WASHINGTON. Suicides in the U.S. military surged to a record 349 last year, far exceeding American combat deaths in Afghanistan, and some private experts are predicting the dark trend will grow worse this year. The Pentagon has struggled to deal with the suicides, which Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and others have called an epidemic ... Last year’s total is the highest since the Pentagon began closely tracking suicides in 2001 ... ....(size: 5.0Kb)

photo: AP / BP

In this undated image released Wednesday Jan. 16, 2013, by BP petroleum company, showing the Amenas natural gas field in the eastern central region of Algeria, where Islamist militants raided and took hostages Wednesday Jan. 16, 2013.

Hostages taken at BP plant in Algeria

The Australian

16 Jan 2013

IN what could be the first spillover from France's intervention in Mali, Islamist militants attacked and occupied a natural gas complex partly operated by energy company BP in southern Algeria. Two foreigners were killed and dozens of others, including Americans, were taken hostage ... It said it was holding 41 foreigners, including seven Americans ... Recommended Coverage. Al-Qaeda seize hostages in Algeria. End of sidebar ...  . ....(size: 7.4Kb)

photo: AP / Carolyn Kaster

President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 14, 2013

Obama unveils $500 million gun violence package

The Guardian

16 Jan 2013

JULIE PACE. Associated Press= WASHINGTON (AP) — Braced for a fight, President Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled the most sweeping proposals for curbing gun violence in two decades, pressing a reluctant Congress to pass universal background checks and bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines like the ones used in the Newtown, Conn., school shooting ... "And Congress must act soon." ... World news....(size: 9.2Kb)

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5 famous temples of India

The Times of India

06 Jan 2013

Let's take a look at some of the exuberant temples of India. The Konark Sun Temple. The most notable marvel of Orissa art is the stately Sun Temple of Konark which was built in AD 1250. The temple was built with the intent to enshrine the image of Sun - the patron deity of the place ... Thanjavur Temple ... Somnath Temple ... This temple is considered to be one of the first of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva....(size: 2.1Kb)

Somnath temple gets Rs 11-cr gold platter

Indian Express

28 Dec 2012

Managing trustee of the Somnath Temple Trust P K Laheri said the Lakhis, during their last visit three months ago, noted that the jyotirlinga here had a silver ......(size: 0.8Kb)

Family donates Rs11 cr worth gold platter to Somnath temple

DNA India

27 Dec 2012

Managing trustee of the Somnath Temple Trust P K Laheri said that Lakhis, during their last visit three months ago, noted that the 'jyotirlinga' here had a silver platter, and vowed to donate a ......(size: 1.0Kb)

Mumbai's Dilip Lakhi family donates 30 kg gold platter to Somnath temple

Indian Express

27 Dec 2012

Managing trustee of the Somnath Temple Trust P K Laheri said that Lakhis, during their last visit three months ago, noted that the 'jyotirlinga' here had a silver platter, ......(size: 0.9Kb)

Gold Jyotirlinga arrives at Somnath Temple

The Times of India

26 Dec 2012

A glittering offering of 35 kg gold set in the form of the base of Jyotirlinga arrived at the Somnath Temple, the revered Shiva temple in Saurashtra, here on Tuesday ... The gold has been used to make the base of the Jyotirlinga, which has a circumference of 22.6 meters ... to fit the gold base around the Jyotirlinga in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple....(size: 1.9Kb)

Famed Kashi Vishwanath temple complex set for a makeover

Newstrack India

16 Dec 2012

Tweet ... While the complete gold plating of the sanctum sanctorum's dome has been approved by the board of trustees, the Uttar Pradesh government has undertaken a programme to clear the surroundings of the temple, which has one of the 12 Shiva Jyotirlingas (stone icon of Lord Shiva) ... This had been necessitated by the requirements of the devout as also to cater to any emergency situation that might arise, Sehgal said ... Post comments.. ) . ... ....(size: 3.7Kb)

Astrology channel launched on YouTube

The Times of India

13 Dec 2012

AGRA. AstroSageIndia, said to be the country's first multi-language astrological YouTube channel was launched, on the special date of the century - 12.12.12 at 12.12 p.m ... "The date comes once in a century. The number 12 has its own importance in astrology, because there are 12 zodiac signs, 12 houses and 12 Jyotirlingas," said Mishra, adding that people from every corner of the world will be able to gain knowledge through this channel ... ....(size: 2.5Kb)

Astrology channel launched on YouTube on 12.12.12

Headlines India

12 Dec 2012

Agra, Dec 12. AstroSageIndia, said to be the country's first multi-language astrological YouTube channel was launched today, on the special date of the century - 12.12.12 at 12.12 p.m ... The number 12 has its own importance in astrology, because there are 12 zodiac signs, 12 houses and 12 Jyotirlingas," said Mishra, adding that people from every corner of the world will be able to gain knowledge through this channel ... Tripathi said ... ....(size: 2.5Kb)

Sequel to diwali: Karthigai deepam celebrated

Chennai Online

27 Nov 2012

Tiruvannamaai, Tamil Nadu, Nov 27 . More than ten lakh people from various parts of India, including those from abroad, today witnessed the 'Karthigai Maha Deepam', lit atop the 2,668-foot Annamalai Hills in this temple town, this evening ... The 'Maha Deepam' represents Lord Shiva, who appeared in the form of a pillar of fire with no end and beginning (Jyotirlinga) before Brahma and Vishnu ... - Agencies Nov 27, 2012. Worth a Click. Advt. ....(size: 3.3Kb)

Lord Shiva devotees observe Katebaras ritual in Maharashtra town

Newstrack India

26 Nov 2012

Tweet. Golunche (Maharashtra), Nov.26 (ANI). Devotees of Lord Shiva performed the Katebaras ritual over the weekend by jumping on a bed of thorns on the occasion of Kartik Shudhdha Dwadashi in Golunche, Maharashtra ... Gonlunche, known for its Jyotirlinga temple, has been following the ritual of Katebaras since the last century. (ANI) ... ) .. ). ... . . . . . .. . . .. ....(size: 2.3Kb)

Need Rs 46 crore for Kumbh plans: Nashik police

The Times of India

20 Nov 2012

NASHIK. The district rural police have sought Rs 46 crore for the 2015 Kumbh mela preparations ... Padwal added that it will be important to remove encroachments in Trimbakeshwar town well before the mega religious event ... Trimbakeshwar town witnesses a continuous rush of pilgrims throughout the year, being that it is one among 12 Jyotirlingas in the country and religious rites take place here on a large scale, " Padwal said ... ....(size: 2.1Kb)

Kedarnath, Yamunotri shrines closed for winter

Deccan Herald

15 Nov 2012

The head priest of Kedarnath offered prayers to Lord Shiva's Jyotirlinga in the presence of religious heads ... Lord Shiva's jyotirlinga was later carried in a palanquin to the nearby Ukhimath area where it will be worshipped during winter months....(size: 1.2Kb)

Delhi businessman donates 25kg gold to Somnath temple

The Times of India

30 Oct 2012

The gold will be used for decorating the base of the jyotirlinga ... It is estimated that 25 kg gold will be used for making the base of the jyotirlinga golden, which has a circumference of 22.6 meter, a temple official ......(size: 1.1Kb)

timeline:
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Somnath

Mallikarjunaswamy

Mahakaleshwar

Omkareshwar

Vaidyanath

Bhimahankar

Rameshwaram

Nageshwar

Vishwanath

Triambkeshwar

Kedarnath

Grineshwar

Location of 12 Jyotirlinga Temples.

An article related to
Hinduism

Hindu • History

Practices

Legend [link]

As per Shiv Mahapuran, once Brahma (the Hindu God of creation) and Vishnu (the Hindu God of saving) had an argument in terms of supremacy of creation.^[1] To test them, Shiva pierced the three worlds as a huge endless pillar of light, the jyotirlinga. Vishnu and Brahma split their ways to downwards and upwards respectively to find the end of the light in either directions. Brahma lied that he found out the end, while Vishnu conceded his defeat. Shiva appeared as a second pillar of light and cursed Brahma that he would have no place in ceremonies while Vishnu would be worshipped till the end of eternity. The jyotirlinga is the supreme partless reality, out of which Shiva partly appears. The jyothirlinga shrines, thus are places where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light.^[2]^[3] Originally there were believed to be 64 jyothirlingas while 12 of them are considered to be very auspicious and holy.^[1] Each of the twelve jyothirlinga sites take the name of the presiding deity - each considered different manifestation of Shiva.^[4] At all these sites, the primary image is lingam representing the beginningless and endless Stambha pillar, symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva.^[4]^[5]^[6] The twelve jyothirlinga are Somnath in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andra Pradesh, Mahakaleswar at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in Himalayas, Bhimashankar in Maharastra, Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Triambakeshwar in Maharastra, Vaidyanath at Deogarh in Jharkand, Nageswar at Dwarka in Gujarat, Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Grishneshwar at Aurangabad in Maharastra.^[1]^[7]

Sanskrit Sloka [link]

The following sanskrit sloka describes about the 12 Jyotirlingas -

सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम्। उज्जयिन्यां महाकालमोङ्कारममलेश्वरम्॥परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमशङ्करम्। सेतुबन्धे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारुकावने॥

वाराणस्यां तु विश्वेशं त्र्यम्बकं गौतमीतटे। हिमालये तु केदारं घुश्मेशं च शिवालये॥एतानि ज्योतिर्लिङ्गानि सायं प्रातः पठेन्नरः। सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं स्मरणेन विनश्यति॥

एतेशां दर्शनादेव पातकं नैव तिष्ठति। कर्मक्षयो भवेत्तस्य यस्य तुष्टो महेश्वराः॥: द्वादश ज्योतिर्लिंग स्तोत्रम्

English Translation(Literal).

Somanath in Saurashtra and Mallikarjunam in Shri-Shail. (सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम्).

Mahakaal in Ujjain and Amleshwar in Omkareshwar. (उज्जयिन्यां महाकालमोङ्कारममलेश्वरम्).

Vaidyanath in Paralya and Bhimashankaram in Dakniya. (परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमशङ्करम्).

Rameshem (Rameshwaram) in Sethubandh and Nageshem (Nageshwar) in Darauka-Vana. (सेतुबन्धे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारुकावने).

Vishwa-Isham (Vishvanath) in Vanarasi and Triambakam at bank of Gautami River. (वाराणस्यां तु विश्वेशं त्र्यम्बकं गौतमीतटे)).

Kedar (Kedarnath) in Himalayas and Gushmesh (Gushmeshwar) in Shivalaya. (। हिमालये तु केदारं घुश्मेशं च शिवालये).

One who recites these Jyotirlingas every evening and morning. (एतानि ज्योतिर्लिङ्गानि सायं प्रातः पठेन्नरः।).

He is relieved of all sins committed in past seven lives.(सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं स्मरणेन विनश्यति)

One who visits these, gets all his wishes fulfilled (एतेशां दर्शनादेव पातकं नैव तिष्ठति)

(कर्मक्षयो भवेत्तस्य यस्य तुष्टो महेश्वराः)

Source: Twelve Jyotirlinga ( द्वादश ज्योतिर्लिंग स्तोत्रम्)

Twelve Jyotirlingas [link]

The names and the locations of the 12 Jyotirlingas are mentioned in the Shiva Purana (Śatarudra Saṁhitā,Ch.42/2-4). These shrines are:

#	Jyotirlinga	State	Location	Description
1	Somnath	Gujarat	Prabhas Patan, Saurashtra	Somnath is the first amongst the holy shrines and traditionally, the Dwadash Jyotirlinga pilgrimage begins with the Somnath Temple. It is the prime abode of Lord Shiva and is considered to be holiest of all the Jyotirlingas. The temple was destroyed and re-built sixteen times, is held in reverence throughout India and is rich in legend, tradition, and history. It is located at Prabhas Patan (Somnath - Veraval) in Saurashtra in Gujarat.
2	Mallikārjuna	Andhra Pradesh	Srisailam	Mallikārjuna, also called Śrīśaila, is located on a mountain on the river Krishna.^[8] Srisailam, in Kurnool District in Andhra Pradesh enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple that is architecturally and sculpturally rich.It is one place where Shakti peeta and Jyotirlingam are together. Adi Shankara composed his Sivananda Lahiri here.^{[citation needed]}
3	Mahakaleshwar	Madhya Pradesh	Ujjain	Mahakal, Ujjain (or Avanti) in Madhya Pradesh is home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple. The Lingam at Mahakal is believed to be Swayambhu, the only one of the 12 Jyotirlingams to be so. It is also the only one facing south and also the temple to have a Shree Yantra perched upside down at the ceiling of the Garbhagriha (where the Shiv Lingam sits).
4	Omkareshwar	Madhya Pradesh	Island in the Narmada River, Omkareshwar	Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh on an island in the Narmada River is home to a Jyotirlinga shrine and the Mamaleshwar temple.
5	Kedarnath	Uttarakhand	Kedarnath	Kedarnath in Uttarakhand is the northernmost of the Jyotirlingas. Kedarnath, nestled in the snow-clad Himalayas, is an ancient shrine, rich in legend and tradition. It is accessible only by foot, and only for six months a year.
6	Bhimashankar	Maharashtra	Bhimashankar	Bhimashankar is very much debated. There is a Bhimashankara temple near Pune (pictured) in Maharastra, which was referred to as Daakini country, but Kashipur in Uttarakhand was also referred to as Daakini country in ancient days and a Bhimashkar Temple known as Shree Moteshwar Mahadev is present there. Another Bhimashankar is in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra. The Bhimashankar temple^[9] near Guwahati, Assam is the jyotirlinga according to Sivapuran. According to "LINGA PURAN", Bhimasankar temple in Bhimpur near Gunupur of Rayagada district in South Orissa is also believed as Bhimasankar Jyotirlinga, which is situated at the western part of the holy Mahendragiri mountains and at the river bank of Mahendratanaya(which is also believed as the Daakini area by many historian), was excavated in the year 1974, having quadrangular Shakti around the Linga and decorated by a Upavita as per the puran.
7	Kashi Vishwanath	Uttar Pradesh	Varanasi	Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh is home to the Vishwanath Jyotirlinga shrine, which is perhaps the most sacred of Hindu shrines.
8	Trimbakeshwar	Maharashtra	Trimbakeshwar, Near Nashik	Trimbakeshwar Temple, near Nasik in Maharashtra, is a Jyotirlinga shrine associated with the origin of the Godavari river.
9	Vaidyanath	Jharkhand	Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga, Deogarh, Deoghar district	Deoghar Vaijyanath Dham also associated with Ravana.
10	Nageshvara Jyotirlinga	Gujarat	near Dwaraka
11	Rameshwar	Tamil Nadu	Rameswaram	Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu is home to the vast Ramalingeswarar Jyotirlinga temple and is revered as the southernmost of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of India. It enshrines the Rameśvara ("Lord of Rama") pillar.^[10]
12	Grishneshwar	Maharashtra	Near Ellora, Aurangabad district	Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga shrine, in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, is located near the rock-cut temples of Ellora. This shrine is also known as Ghushmeshwar.

12 Jyotirlingas Temples [link]

Note: This section is created from the table in section above to improvise the formatting.

Jyotirlinga	Location
Somnath	Prabhas Patan, near Veraval, Gujarat
Mahakaleshwar	Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
Omkareshwar	near Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Kedarnath	Kedarnath, Uttarakhand
Bhimashankar	Disputed: Bhimashankar Temple, near Pune, Maharashtra (pictured) Bheem Shankar (Moteshwar Mahadev), Kashipur, Uttarakhand Bhimshankar temple near Guwahati, Assam Bhimasankar temple near Gunupur, Orissa
Kashi Vishwanath	Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Trimbakeshwar	Trimbak, near Nasik, Maharashtra
Ramanathaswamy	Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu
Grishneshwar	near Ellora, Maharashtra
Vaidyanath	Disputed: Vaidyanath temple, Deoghar, Jharkhand (pictured) Vaijnath temple, Parli, Maharashtra Baijnath temple, Baijnath, Himachal Pradesh
Aundha-nagnath	Disputed: Aundha Nagnath, Maharashtra Jageshwar temple near Almora, Uttarakhand (pictured) Nageshwar Temple, Dwarka, Dwarka, Gujarat
Mallikarjuna Swamy	Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh

Somnath Temple [link]

Somnath is the first amongst the holy shrines and traditionally, the Dwadash Jyotirlinga pilgrimage begins with the Somnath Temple. It is the prime abode of Lord Shiva and is considered to be holiest of all the Jyotirlingas. The temple was destroyed and re-built sixteen times, is held in reverence throughout India and is rich in legend, tradition, and history.

It is located at Prabhas Patan (Somnath - Veraval) in Saurashtra in Gujarat.

Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple [link]

Mallikārjuna

Mallikārjuna, also called Śrīśaila, is located on a mountain on the river Krishna.^[11] Srisailam, in Kurnool District in Andhra Pradesh enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple that is architecturally and sculpturally rich.It is one place where Shakti peeta and Jyotirlingam are together. Adi Shankara composed his Sivananda Lahiri here.^{[citation needed]}

Temple is located in Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh

Mahakaleshwar Temple [link]

Mahakaleshwar

Mahakal, Ujjain (or Avanti) in Madhya Pradesh is home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple. The Lingam at Mahakal is believed to be Swayambhu, the only one of the 12 Jyotirlingams to be so. It is also the only one facing south and also the temple to have a Shree Yantra perched upside down at the ceiling of the Garbhagriha (where the Shiv Lingam sits).

Omkareshwar Temple [link]

Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh on an island in the Narmada River is home to a Jyotirlinga shrine and the Mamaleshwar temple. Island in the Narmada River, Omkareshwar.

Kedarnath Temple [link]

| Kedarnath in Uttarakhand is the northernmost of the Jyotirlingas. Kedarnath, nestled in the snow-clad Himalayas, is an ancient shrine, rich in legend and tradition. It is accessible only by foot, and only for six months a year.

Bhimashankar [link]

Bhimashankar is very much debated. There is a Bhimashankara temple near Pune (pictured) in Maharastra, which was referred to as Daakini country, but Kashipur in Uttarakhand was also referred to as Daakini country in ancient days and a Bhimashkar Temple known as Shree Moteshwar Mahadev is present there. Another Bhimashankar is in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra. Bhimshankar temple near Guwahati, Assam is the jyotirlinga according to Sivapuran. According to "LINGA PURAN", Bhimasankar temple in Bhimpur near Gunupur of Rayagada district in South Orissa is also believed as Bhimasankar Jyotirlinga, which is situated at the western part of the holy Mahendragiri mountains and at the river bank of Mahendratanaya(which is also believed as the Daakini area by many historian), was excavated in the year 1974, having quadrangular Shakti around the Linga and decorated by a Upavita as per the puran.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple [link]

Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh is home to the Vishwanath Jyotirlinga shrine, which is perhaps the most sacred of Hindu shrines.

Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple [link]

Trimbakeshwar Temple, near Nasik in Maharashtra, is a Jyotirlinga shrine associated with the origin of the Godavari river.

Baidyanath Dham [link]

Baijyanath Dham in the Deoghar district JHARKHAND

Nageshvara [link]

Aundha Nagnath in Hingoli district of Maharashtra, all claiming to be the correct location;

"Nagesham daarukaa vane" is the description of one of the jyotirlingas. This "daarukavane" means a "vana" of "daaruka" trees which supposedly means deodar trees(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedrus_deodara), a type of pine. The photo seems correct, indicating the shiva temple in Jageshwar, Uttarakhand with the surrounding deodar trees. But, it is not Dwaraka as listed and it is hard to fathom deodar trees in Dwaraka.

Rameswaram [link]

Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu is home to the vast Ramalingeswarar Jyotirlinga temple and is revered as the southernmost of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of India. It enshrines the Rameśvara ("Lord of Rama") pillar.^[12]

Grishneshwar [link]

Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga shrine, in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, is located near the rock-cut temples of Ellora. This shrine is also known as Ghushmeshwar.

Image Gallery [link]

Somanatha Temple, Prabhas Patan, Gujarat
Mallikarjuna Swamy (Mallikārjuna) Temple, Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh
Mahakaleshwar Temple, Mahakaleshwar, Madhya Pradesh
Omkareshwar Temple, Omkareshwar, East Nimar, Madhya Pradesh
Kedarnath Temple , Kedarnath, Vanarasi, Uttarakhand
Bhimashankar Temple, Bhimashankar, Maharashtra
Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple, Trimbak, Nashik, Maharashtra
Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga, Jharkhand
Nageshvara Jyotirlinga
Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram (Rameshwar), Tamil Nadu
Grishneshwar Temple Near Ellora, [[Aurangabad]] district, Maharashtra

References [link]

^ ^a ^b ^c R. 2003, pp. 92-95
^ Eck 1999, p. 107
^ See: Gwynne 2008, Section on Char Dham
^ ^a ^b Lochtefeld 2002, pp. 324-325
^ Harding 1998, pp. 158-158
^ Vivekananda Vol. 4
^ Chaturvedi 2006, pp. 58-72
^ For Mallikārjuna (Śrīśaila) as one of the twelve "Pillars of Light" see: Chakravarti 1994, p. 140.
^ Deb, Dr PS. "Bhimashankar Dham Guwahati Assam". ShivShankar.in. ShivShankar.in. http://www.shivshankar.in/bhimashankar-dham-guwahati-assam/.
^ For Rameshvara as one of the twelve "Pillars of Light", see: Chakravarti 1994, p. 140.
^ For Mallikārjuna (Śrīśaila) as one of the twelve "Pillars of Light" see: Chakravarti 1994, p. 140.
^ For Rameshvara as one of the twelve "Pillars of Light", see: Chakravarti 1994, p. 140.

Notes [link]

Chakravarti, Mahadev (1994), The Concept of Rudra-Śiva Through The Ages (Second Revised ed.), Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 81-208-0053-2
Chaturvedi, B. K. (2006), Shiv Purana (First ed.), New Delhi: Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd, ISBN 81-7182-721-7, http://books.google.com/books?id=bchgql0em9YC&pg=PA58&dq=jyotirlinga&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tatJT_lXtIayAvm-2OoI&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false
Eck, Diana L. (1999), Banaras, city of light (First ed.), New York: Columbia University Press, ISBN 0-231-11447-8, http://books.google.com/books?id=J57C4d8Bv6UC&pg=PA107&dq=jyotirlinga&hl=en&sa=X&ei=uCxKT_eNKczMsQLV9vj6BA&ved=0CGEQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=jyotirlinga&f=false
Gwynne, Paul (2009), World Religions in Practice: A Comparative Introduction, Oxford: Blackwell Publication, ISBN 978-1-4051-6702-4, http://books.google.com/books?id=tdsRKc_knZoC&pg=PT271&dq=jyotirlinga&hl=en&sa=X&ei=uCxKT_eNKczMsQLV9vj6BA&ved=0CGcQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=jyotirlinga&f=false .
Harding, Elizabeth U. (1998). "God, the Father". Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 156–157. ISBN 978-81-208-1450-9.
Lochtefeld, James G. (2002), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M, Rosen Publishing Group, p. 122, ISBN 0-8239-3179-X, http://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC
R., Venugopalam (2003), Meditation: Any Time Any Where (First ed.), Delhi: B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd., ISBN 81-8056-373-1, http://books.google.com/books?id=ZtnNw_hiA9oC&pg=PT113&dq=jyotirlinga&hl=en&sa=X&ei=p5FJT87jJsOHsgLpg_zqCA&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=jyotirlinga&f=false
Vivekananda, Swami. "The Paris Congress of the History of Religions". The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. Vol.4. http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_4/translation_prose/the_paris_congress.htm.

External links [link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jyotirlingas

v t e Jyotirlinga temples of Shiva

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Deepti Bhatnagar
Deepti Bhatnagar at Lavasa Women's Drive 2011
Born	(1967-09-30) September 30, 1967 (age 44) Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India
Occupation	Model, Actress, Television presenter

Deepti Bhatnagar (Hindi: दीप्ति भटनागर; born 30 September 1967) is an Indian model and actress.

1 Early life
2 Career
3 Personal life
4 Filmography
5 References
6 External links

Early life [link]

Deepti Bhatnagar was born in a Hindu Kayastha family from Meerut. She did her early education from Delhi and attended Meerut University. She moved to Mumbai in 1992 to identify a good ad agency to promote her handicrafts factory in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

Career [link]

Bhatnagar was in Mumbai in 1992 for promoting her handicrafts, when she got an opportunity to sign for an ad agency to model for the Roopmilan saris’ press ad and after that ad she signed 12 more campaigns.^[1] She had given up her interest in running the handicraft factory and entered into the professional modeling world. She won the Eves Weekly contest in 1990.^[1] Soon afterwards, she was modeling in Singapore for various international fashion shows.^[1]

Her first film role came in Sanjay Gupta's Ram Shastra, also starring Jackie Shroff and Manisha Koirala.^[2] Some of her better known films are Pelli Sandadi (in Telugu), Inferno and the Aamir Khan starrer Mann.

In 2001, she ventured into television production with the travel shows Yatra, a religious travel guide show and Musafir Hoon Yaaron, an around the world travel guide show, both aired on STAR Plus. She also hosted both the shows.^[3] She visited around 80 countries in 6 years for Musafir Hoon Yaaron.

She started her own production company, Deepti Bhatnagar Productions having facilities of dubbing, editing and post-production.

Personal life [link]

Bhatnagar married her longtime boyfriend Randeep Arya, director Of Musafir hoon Yaroon. They have a son, Shubh, born on July 25, 2003. Bhatnagar gave birth to a second boy, named Shiv, at Breach Candy Hospital on Thursday(8h Jan 2008).

Filmography [link]

Year	Film	Role	Other notes
1995	Ram Shastra	Ritu
1997	Pelli Sandadi	Swapna	Telugu film
1997	Dharma Chakram		Tamil film
1997	Kaalia	Kalicharan's wife
1997	Qahar	Sapna
1997	Inferno	Shalimar	also known as Operation Cobra
1998	Humse Badhkar Kaun	Deedee
1999	Dulhan Banoo Main Teri	Radha 'Rani' D. Rai
1999	Mann	Anita Singhania
2001	Chori Chori Chupke Chupke	Dancer at Ghod Bharai
2001	Uljhan	Anjali Mathur
2002	Kondaveeti Simhasanam
2002	Agni Varsha	Dancer ('Chal Re Sajan')
2004	Rok Sako To Rok Lo	Dev's Bhabhi

References [link]

^ ^a ^b ^c K. Devgan (17 November 2002). "One-way yatra to success". The Sunday Tribune. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20021117/spectrum/main2.htm. Retrieved 2011-09-08.
^ Ahuja, Asha. "A career reborn on small screen". The Tribune. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020916/ldh1.htm. Retrieved 2011-09-08.
^ "Interview with producer - anchor Deepti Bhatnagar". Indiantelevision.com. 13 December 2002. http://www.indiantelevision.com/interviews/y2k2/producer/dipti_bhatnagar.htm. Retrieved 2011-09-08.

External links [link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Deepti Bhatnagar

Deepti Bhatnagar at the Internet Movie Database

v t e Indian fashion industry

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Models	Kanishtha Dhankar · Sherlyn Chopra · shonal Rawat · Neha Dhupia · Deepti Bhatnagar · Lakshmi Menon · Ujjwala Raut

Fashion events	Delhi Fashion Week · India Fashion Week

Fashion schools	National Institute of Fashion Technology

Persondata
Name	Bhatnagar, Deepti
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	30 September 1967
Place of birth	Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India
Date of death
Place of death

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Anuradha Paudwal

Background information
Born	(1954-10-27) October 27, 1954 (age 57)
Genres	playback singing, bhajans
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocalist
Years active	1973–present

Anuradha Paudwal is a popular playback singer in Bollywood in India.^[1] She has sung songs in Hindi, Marathi, Oriya, and Nepali.

1 Biography
2 Controversies
3 Marathi
4 Bollywood Songs
5 Awards and recognition
6 References
7 External links

Biography [link]

She studied at Xavier's College in Mumbai. She was married to the late Arun Paudwal, who worked with music director S. D. Burman as his assistant. Her singing career started in 1973 with the movie, Abhimaan, (starring Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan) in which she sang a Shloka (a Sanskrit verse). In the same year she also made her Marathi film debut with "Yashoda" (music by Datta Davjekar). In 1974, she brought out a record of Non-film Marathi songs or "bhav geeten" which became very popular.

In 1976, she got her break as a playback singer in Hindi films with Kalicharan (starring Shatrughan Sinha and Reena Roy). Her first solo was in the movie, Aap Beati, (starring Hema Malini and Shashi Kapoor). Laxmikant-Pyarelal were the music-composer duo for that movie. She also occasionally sang songs for composers Rajesh Roshan (Des Pardes), Jaidev (Dooriyan, Laila Majnu), Kalyanji Anandji (Kalaakar, Vidhaata), and Usha Khanna (Souten, Sajan Bina Suhagan).

Anuradha apparently never received any formal training in classical music, stating in an interview, "I have not received any formal training in classical music. I have tried many times, but it has never worked out. I learnt a little here and a little there, but ultimately, I just practiced for many hours listening to Lataji".^[2]

Anuradha gained recognition with her popular numbers for the movie, Hero, for composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Her collaboration with Laxmikant-Pyarelal produced more success with songs for Meri Jung ("O Mere Kwabon Ke"), Batwara ("Thaare Vaaste Re Dola-Tu Maaro Kaun Lage"), Nagina and many more.Ram Lakhan saw Laxmikant-Pyarelal giving three major hit songs to Anuradha. Their association ended with Tezaab where she sang two good numbers for them - "Kehdo Ki Tum" and "Hum Tumko Dilbar Kyon Maane".

Following this she collaborated with movie producer, Gulshan Kumar, and began a success streak with the movies, Lal Dupatta Malmal Ka, Tezaab, Aashiqui and Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin. She along with Gulshan Kumar were instrumental in getting many unknown playback singers to the fore, including Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Abhijeet, Sonu Nigam. New Music directors, including her husband Arun Paudwal, were introduced to the music world. Nadeem-Shravan, Anu Malik, Anand-Milind, Nikhil Vinay and Amar Utpal all collaborated with T-Series (Gulshan Kumar's music label) and started a new era of melody in Bollywood. She has sung over 2000 songs til now from the start of her career. Most of her duets have been with Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu, Mohammed Aziz. She sang some songs with Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi and also with her female co-singers; Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy and Sadhana Sargam. Her other notable songs were also for the famous duo Shiv-Hari, for the movie "Sahebaan". She has also sung for R.D. Burman in her initial days and actually convinced him to make songs for Gulshan Kumar's label in his last days and the song "Aja Meri Jaan" set to one of the background score of R.D.Burman from Saagar is still popular. She also sang beautiful duets with her co-singers from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, notably S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and K. J. Yesudas.

Controversies [link]

Anuradha has had her share of controversies as well. She was one of the rare singers to bloom during the reign of the Mangeshkar sisters in the Bollywood music industry. She was also under much controversy when she dubbed the songs of Alka Yagnik in the film "Dil". This also caused rifts between Anand-Milind and Alka Yagnik, thereby causing them to not collaborate for 2 years. Later in 1998, Anuradha Paudwal dubbed the songs of Alka Yagnik once again for the film Itihaas, this time under the music direction of Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen. However, Alka Yagnik, protested, to which the music company, T-Series was forced to include both versions of the same song, one in the voice of Alka Yagnik and the other in the voice of Anuradha Paudwal. She further went to dub Lata Mangeshkar's song in "Radha Ka Sangam" citing that her voice suited the heroine better. Anu Malik, a smaller name then, who had composed the soundtrack of Radha Ka Sangam, protested against this move.

At her peak, Anuradha announced that henceforth she would sing exclusively for "T-Series", and concentrated on devotional songs and "cover-version" albums. T-Series used her attractive and pleasing looks to good effect in numerous Bhajan and promotional videos. She was the first playback singer whose face featured on music covers more than the film's actors. She sang for T-series for some time and then went into a sabbatical. After about five years, she restarted her playback career. She sang a few hit songs for her old music directors but the reception for her comeback was mild.

Although Anuradha has significantly cutback in singing for films, she has continued on with her popularity for singing devotional songs and creating devotional albums, which ultimately remains her forte. She has collaborated with Pandit Jasraj on his "Geet Govind , many devotional albums with Anup Jalota. Her voice is well suited on devotional numbers.

Marathi [link]

Anuradha sang in a number of Marathi movies including the memorable Disate Majalaa, Raja Lalakaari, and Kaalyaa Maatita Maatitaa. Most of these movies had music by the duo of Anil-Arun, Arun being her husband, who collaborated with Anil Mohile to form a pair.

Bollywood Songs [link]

Main article: List of songs by Anuradha Paudwal

Awards and recognition [link]

1986: Filmfare Award for "Mere Mann Bajaa Mridang" from Utsav.
1990: National Film Award for "He Ek Reshami" from Kalat Nakalat
1991: Filmfare Award for "Nazar Ke Saamne" from Aashiqui.
1992: Filmfare Award for "Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahi" from Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin.
1993: Filmfare Award form "Dhak Dhak Karne Laga" from Beta.
2011: Mother Teresa Award for Lifetime Achievement ^[3]

References [link]

^ "Anuradha Paudwal Biography". http://www.bollywoodwiki.info/page/Anuradha+Paudwal. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
^ kavitachhibber.com
^ "Mother Teresa Award for Anuradha". http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Mother-Teresa-Award-for-Anuradha/775729/.

External links [link]

v t e National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer

1968–1980	No Award (1968) P. Susheela (1969) K. B. Sundarambal (1970) Sandhya Mukherjee (1971) P. Susheela (1972) Lata Mangeshkar (1973) No Award (1974) Lata Mangeshkar (1975) Vani Jairam (1976) P. Susheela (1977) S. Janaki (1978) Chhaya Ganguly (1979) Vani Jairam (1980)

1981–2000	S. Janaki (1981) Asha Bhosle (1982) P. Susheela (1983) P. Susheela (1984) S. Janaki (1985) K. S. Chithra (1986) K. S. Chithra (1987) Asha Bhosle (1988) K. S. Chithra (1989) Anuradha Paudwal (1990) Lata Mangeshkar (1991) Vani Jairam (1992) S. Janaki (1993) Alka Yagnik (1994) Swarnalatha (1995) Anjali Marathe (1996) K. S. Chithra (1997) K. S. Chithra (1998) Alka Yagnik (1999) Jayshree Dasgupta (2000)

2001–present	Bhavatharini Ilaiyaraaja (2001) Sadhana Sargam (2002) Shreya Ghoshal (2003) Tarali Sarma (2004) K. S. Chithra (2005) Shreya Ghoshal (2006) Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar (2007) Shreya Ghoshal (2008) Shreya Ghoshal (2009) Nilanjana Sarkar (2010) Rekha Bhardwaj (2011) Rupa Ganguly (2012)

v t e Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer

1959–1960	Lata Mangeshkar (1959) No Award (1960)

1961–1980	No Award (1961) No Award (1962) Lata Mangeshkar (1963) No Award (1964) No Award (1965) Lata Mangeshkar (1966) No Award (1967) Asha Bhosle (1968) Asha Bhosle (1969) Lata Mangeshkar (1970) Sharda (1971) Asha Bhosle (1972) Asha Bhosle (1973) Asha Bhosle (1974) Asha Bhosle (1975) Sulakshana Pandit (1976) Hemlata (1977) Preeti Sagar (1978) Asha Bhosle (1979) Vani Jairam (1980)

1981–2000	Nazia Hassan (1981) Parveen Sultana (1982) Salma Agha (1983) Aarti Mukherji (1984) Anupama Deshpande (1985) Anuradha Paudwal (1986) No Award (1987) No Award (1988) Alka Yagnik (1989) Sapna Mukherjee (1990) Anuradha Paudwal (1991) Anuradha Paudwal (1992) Anuradha Paudwal (1993) Alka Yagnik and Ila Arun (1994) Kavita Krishnamurthy (1995) Kavita Krishnamurthy (1996) Kavita Krishnamurthy (1997) Alka Yagnik (1998) Jaspinder Narula (1999) Alka Yagnik (2000)

2001–present	Alka Yagnik (2001) Alka Yagnik (2002) Kavita Krishnamurthy and Shreya Ghoshal (2003) Shreya Ghoshal (2004) Alka Yagnik (2005) Alisha Chinai (2006) Sunidhi Chauhan (2007) Shreya Ghoshal (2008) Shreya Ghoshal (2009) Kavita Seth and Rekha Bhardwaj (2010) Mamta Sharma and Sunidhi Chauhan (2011) Rekha Bhardwaj and Usha Uthup (2012)

Persondata
Name	Paudwal, Anuradha
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1954-10-27
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anuradha_Paudwal

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