Chitrakut: Lord Rama’s Forest Home This site is especially sacred to the devotees of Rama. After Lord Ramachandra was exiled from his kingdom, he lived in the Chitrakut Forest for twelve years with his wife Sita and his brother Laksman. The story of how they came here and what they did is recounted in the […]
Dwarka: The Capital of Lord Krishna 5000 Years Ago Dwarka is connected to Lord Krishna and is mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavat Purana. It is one of the four holy dhamas (See Teachers’ Book, page 72). Over 5000 years ago, after He left Mathura, Lord Krishna spent one hundred years in his capital, […]
Gaya: The Place to Liberate the Ancestors Gaya is connected primarily to Lord Vishnu, and is especially important in connection with the Shraddha ceremony. Gaya was included in the ancient kingdom of Magadha. Gaya is named after a demon named Gayasura, son of Tripurasura. Gayasura acquired divine power so that anyone who saw or touched […]
Kanniyakumari: The Southern Most Tip of India This spot is connected to Shiva and Parvati and also Lord Rama. It is relevant to the festival of Mahashivratri, the day when Lord Siva and Parvati were married. Kanniyakumari is located at the southern-most point of India, where the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the […]
Kurukshetra: Where the Bhagavad Gita Was Spoken This holy spot is especially related to the Bhagavad Gita. Verses from this book, as well as the One Thousand Names of Vishnu, are featured on the Audio page, Tracks 4-10 and 15 respectively. Kurukshetra is called “Dharma-kshetra” in the Bhagavad Gita. This is where the great battle […]
Mathura: The Birth Place of Lord Krishna Mathura is closely linked to Krishna. According to Vaishnava philosophy, Lord Krishna is the source of all things, both spiritual and material. However, in order to engage in loving relationships with his pure devotees, he accepts a mother and a father. Around 5000 years ago, Lord Krishna accepted […]
Mayapura: The Birthplace of Lord Chaitanya Mayapura is closely associated to Bengali Vaishanvism started by Chaitanya and ISKCON. Mayapura is one the most holy and peaceful places in India and is the birth place of Lord Chaitanya. He was born just after sunset on the evening of February 18th in 1486. The moon was eclipsed […]
Prayag (Allahabad): The Most Sacred of Bathing Places Prayag is the most important site for the great Kumbha Mela festival Allahabad was previously called Prayag, after a Prakrista Yajna (sacrifice) performed by Lord Brahma. Allahabad is also called Tirtha Raja, “the king of all holy places”. This is the confluence (sangam) of the holy rivers, […]
Jagannatha Puri: The City of Jagannatha – The Lord of the Universe Puri is one of the four holy dhamas and is important mainly to Vaishnavas and Smartas. Jagannatha Puri is one of the four holy dhamas of India. The others are Dwarka, Rameswaram and Badrinatha. Jagannatha Puri is called Shri Purusottama Dhama or Martya […]
Pushkar: The Place of Lord Brahma Pushkar is the only prominent site connected to Brahma, the creator. According to Vedic tradition, the empowered creator of the universe, Lord Brahma, chose Pushkar as a site for his temple and it has attracted sages and ascetics for thousands of years. Once Lord Brahma desired to have a […]
Tirupati/Tirumala: A Glimpse of the Opulence of God Tirumala is where the Venkateshwara (Shri Balaji) Temple is located. Tirumala is located twelve miles from Tirupati on Vyenkata Hill at an altitude of 2,800 feet. The Venkateshwara temple is 414 feet long, 263 feet wide and covers an area of 2.2 acres. “Venkateshwara” means “The Lord […]
Vaishno Devi: The Holy Cave Shrine This site is one of the most important for Shaktas, worshippers of the Goddess. This is a cave temple where three major goddesses are worshipped. It is dedicated to the goddesses Lakshmi, Kali and Saraswati. This is the only temple in India where all three goddesses are worshipped together. […]
Varanasi: The City of Lord Shiva Varanasi is perhaps the most important place of pilgrimage and is closely connected so Shiva. It also relates to the funeral ceremony . Varanasi is situated on the bank of the River Ganges. The name “Varanasi” comes from the two rivers, Varna and Assi, which join the Ganges on […]
Vrindavana: The Land of Krishna Vrindavana, along with the nearby city of Mathura is most intimately connected with Krishna. Vrindavana is one of the most important holy places in India because this is where Lord Krishna performed his childhood lila (pastimes). Krishna’s father Vasudeva brought him here from Mathura out of fear of King Kamsa. […]
Sewa International Sewa International is a global Hindu based charity. Its UK headquarters are in Leicester. Their work includes: Disaster relief (e.g. drought. Earthquakes and cyclones) Health Education Work with forest and hill dwellers (to bring them into mainstream society) They raise funs in three main ways: General donations (many people donate on a regular […]
Friends of Vrindavana – Environmental Charity Download article ‘Friends of Vrindavan’ as word document Friends of Vrindavan is a community project which has arisen from the existing World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Vrindavan Forest Revival Project. This project focusses on environmental regeneration and care based on the spiritual values of Hinduism, which are deeply […]
Food for Life Vegetarian Food-Relief Download article ‘Food for Life’ as word document Food for Life is a unique project for bringing food and life to the needy of the world through the liberal distribution of karma-free vegetarian meals. The project started in 1974 when an elderly Indian swami, Srila Prabhupada, asked his followers to […]
THE RAMAKRISHNA ORDER (An overview and history) Kindly supplied by the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre whose details appear at the end of this material. Download ‘THE RAMAKRISHNA ORDER’ as word document here The foundations of the Ramakrishna Order (Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission) associated with the hallowed name of Sri Ramakrishna, were laid in India by […]
About the Swami Narayan Mission Kindly supplied by the Swaminarayan Mandir whose details appear at the end of this material. Download ‘About the Swami Narayan Mission’ as word document here OVERVIEW Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) also known as The Swaminarayan Hindu Mission (SHM) in the UK & Europe, is a socio-spiritual Hindu […]
Download article ‘ART-1211. Pushti Marg’ as word document About the Pushti Marg Sampradaya “Pushtimarg” translates as ‘the path of nourishment, and refers to a five hundred year old tradition founded by Vallabha (or Vallabhacharya). This tradition is well represented in the UK, although it is somewhat inconspicuous as there are few (if any) temples solely […]