Anti-corruption Shani Bhagavan temple - Kanpur, UP

Location:- Indira Nagar, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

Many people believe that corruption today has taken over most parts of our day to day activities. From school donations to police bribery, it is hard to escape this parasitic behavior.

However, a few people in Kanpur believe that a temple can ward off the ill effects of corruption and restore justice. The foundation for this temple was laid in 2010. It was a part of the anti-corruption drive led by Mr. Robbie Sharma. This temple was open to public in 2012.

Main Deity :- The main deity here is Shani Dev (Saturn). He is the son of Surya Dev (Sun) and Chhaya (Shadow) and the brother of the God of death Yama. It is believed that Shani Dev has a powerful eye and can cast a shadow of misfortune towards any one who displeases him.

At this temple in Kanpur, Shani Dev is called Bhrashta Tantra Vinashak Shani Dev or the destroyer of corruption. Apart from Shani Dev, the temple has idols for Shree Hanuman and Brahma Dev too.

Specialities:- At the entrance of the temple, there is a board explaining that politicians, government officials, IAS officers and bureaucrats are barred from entering the temple.

The temple foundation believes that the common man holds all the power and that they should stop treating high ranking officials as Gods.

If a devotee believes that he has been treated badly by any government official, he should place his name in a drop box kept inside the inner sanctum.

Unlike any other temple, Puja is not done with flowers or sweets. Devotees are encouraged not to sound any gongs or loudspeakers and also keep the temple clean. Simple small lamps are lit and a prasadam of cardamom and cloves is distributed.

An intoxicated person or a person addicted to tobacco is not allowed inside the temple.

The most interesting aspect of this temple is that, they have pictures of all corrupt officials hung in front of Shani Dev's eyes so that his powerful stare would cause them to perish if they harm the common people by their unjust laws.

Address:-Plot No.20, Sumangal Housing Society
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India - 208026

Phone:- 9415438326;9235844258

How to Reach:-
By Rail - The nearest station is Kanpur central train junction
By Air:- The nearest airport is Kanpur
By Road - This temple is located in a small plot behind Kanpur University. It is about 1 Kilometer from Patrakarpuram reach Indira Nagar.

Nearby places to visit:-
Shri Radhakrishna Temple
Phool Bagh
Bithur

Image Courtesy: Google Images

Holy Ghats of Benaras (Varanasi) on river Ganga

The city of Benaras or Varanasi or Kashi has always had religious and spiritual significance in ancient India. The city is on the banks of the Holy River Ganga (Ganges). The banks of river Ganga has steps leading to the river. These river front steps are called as "Ghats". The city has a total of 87 Ghats which are used for bathing in the river, religious ceremonies and even cremation rituals. People often use these Ghats to ride a boat over the river Ganga. This boat ride takes you from Dasaswamedh Ghat to Harishchandra Ghat. One can also walk across different Ghats since the water levels are constantly low.

Benaras Ghat
Piligrims taking holy bath

Below is a list of all the Ghats in benaras - 

• Mata Anandamai Ghat
• Assi Ghat
• Ahilya Ghat
• Adi Keshava Ghat
• Ahilyabai Ghat
• Badri Nayarana Ghat
• Bajirao Ghat
• Bauli /Umaraogiri / Amroha Ghat
• Bhadaini Ghat
• Bhonsale Ghat
• Brahma Ghat
• Bundi Parakota Ghat
• Chaowki Ghat
• Chausatthi Ghat
• Cheta Singh Ghat
• Dandi Ghat
• Darabhanga Ghat
• Dashashwamedh Ghat
• Digpatia Ghat
• Durga Ghat
• Ganga Mahal Ghat (I)
• Ganga Mahal Ghat (II)
• Gaay Ghat
• Gauri Shankar Ghat
• Genesha Ghat
• Gola Ghat
• Gularia Ghat
• Hanuman Ghat
• Hanumanagardhi Ghat
• Harish Chandra Ghat
• Jain Ghat
• Jalasayi Ghat
• Janaki Ghat
• Jatara Ghat
• Karnataka State Ghat
• Kedar Ghat
• Khirkia Ghat
• Shri Guru Ravidass Ghat
• Khori Ghat
• Lala Ghat
• Lali Ghat
• Lalita Ghat
• Mahanirvani Ghat
• Mana Mandira Ghat
• Manasarovar Ghat
• Mangala Gauri Ghat
• Manikarnika Ghat
• Mehta Ghat
• Meer Ghat
• Munshi Ghat
• Nandesavara Ghat
• Narada Ghat
• Naya Ghat
• Nepali Ghat
• Niranjani Ghat
• Nishad Ghat
• Old Hanumanana Ghat
• Pancaganga Ghat
• Panchkota
• Pandey Ghat
• Phuta Ghat
• Prabhu Ghat
• Prahalada Ghat
• Prayaga Ghat
• Raj Ghat built by Peshwa Amrutrao
• Raja Ghat / Lord Duffrin bridge / Malaviya Bridge
• Raja Gwalior Ghat
• Rajendra Prasad Ghat
• Ram Ghat
• Rana Mahala Ghat
• Rewan Ghat
• Sakka Ghat
• Sankatha Ghat
• Sarvesvara Ghat
• Scindia Ghat
• Shivala Ghat
• Shitala Ghat
• Sitala Ghat
• Samne Ghat
• Somesvara Ghat
• Telianala Ghat
• Trilochana Ghat
• Tripura Bhairavi Ghat
• Tulsi Ghat
• Vaccharaja Ghat
• Venimadhava Ghat
• Vijayanagaram Ghat

                                          

Some of the ghats are known from the time of Puranas. Some of these ghats have been dated to the 17th century. Most of these ghats have been created during the reign of the Marathas, Scindias, Holkars and Peshwas. The families are still patrons of some of the Ghats. A few Ghats are also privately owned.

Ganga Aarti

Not only are these Ghats used for spiritual and religious enlightenment, they are extremely popular tourist attractions. Throngs of photographers visit this place from all over the world.

Pilgrims and Yogis come here during early morning to perform their morning Pujas during sunrise. At sunset a maha aarti (river worship) takes place. This grand ceremony is held at the Dhashashwamedh Ghat.

Let us look into details some of the well known Ghats of Benaras:-

                      

Clockwise from top

Manikarnika Ghat

Dashashwamedha Ghat

Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport

Tibetan Temple in Sarnath

Banaras Hindu University

Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Dasaswamedh Ghat - It would not be wrong to say that this is the most famous Ghat in the city. It is considered the oldest Ghat and the Ganga Aarti takes place here. 

Manikarnika Ghat - This Ghat is also known as the burning Ghat since cremation rituals are held here. It is believed that the fire at this Ghat has been constantly burning since 2500 years.

                   

Harish Chandra Ghat - This Ghat is named after the king Harish Chandra who resolved to always speak the truth. Devotees believe that if one is cremated here, he/she attaines Moksha (salvation). This Ghat is also known as "Adi Manikarnika"

Assi Ghat - This Ghat is at the furthest south corner where the river Assi meets river ganga. There is a peepal (Ficus religiosa) tree underneath which is a shiva lingam. This is a highly visited place and people are seen worshiping Lord Shiva.

Tulsi Ghat - This Ghat is named after the famous poet and saint Tulsidaas. In the hindu month of Kartik (Oct-nov), a krishna worship ceremony is held here.

Chet Singh Ghat - This is the place where Maharaja Chet Singh fought the Britishers in the 18th century.

Darbhanga Ghat - A perfect example of great architecture is the Darbhanga Ghatwhich has a palace that was built in 1990s by the royal family of Bihar. Next to it is Munshi Ghat that was built in 1912 by the then finance minister of Bihar Narayan Munshi.

Man Mandir Ghat - Maharaja Maan Singh of Jaipur built this Ghat in 1600s. This Ghat has a palace that shows full blown Rajput architecture. Sawai Jaisingh II added an astronomy observatory in 1730.

Scindia Ghat - Although this Ghat is near the burning Manikarnika Ghat, it is a calm and peaceful place. It is under the patronage of the Scindia's (Shinde). The biggest attraction here is a Shiva temple which is partially submereged in water.

Bhosale Ghat - This Ghat houses a imposing looking stone building that is distinctive of the Maratha style.

Dattatreya Ghat - This Ghat is well known for housing the footprint of a Brahmin saint whose name was Dattatreya. There is a small temple for the saint nearby.

Panchganga Ghat - This is the place where five rivers Ganges, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Kirana, and Dhutapapa meet. This place is well known for the Alamgir mosque that was built by Aurangzeb.

Raj Ghat - This place is also known as Adi Keshava Ghat because it is home to the Adi Keshav Vishnu mandir.  It is said that Shree Vishnu first landed here in Benaras.

Besides these, there are other famous Ghats like Kedar Ghat, Mansarovar Ghat, Mir Ghat , Lalita Ghat etc. It is impossible to explain about each Ghat and its significance in any article. Visitors and devotees are encouraged to visit these Ghats and experience their beauty,wonderful ambience, lights and the colorful crowd. For people interested in Soul searching or Spirituality or even hobby photographers; the Benaras Ghats have something to offer for everyone.

Major festivals - The Ganga festival is one of the most important festivals celebrated here. Chath Puja (Sun god worship) rituals include fasting and praying to the sun while standing in the water. During the hindu festival months (Sep-Nov), these Ghats draw in huge crowds. Raam Navami, Dassera, Diwali, Shivratri and Karthik Purnima are also big ceremonies here.

How to Reach

• By Train - Benaras is well connected on the railway line with all the major cities of the country. Major railways stations are Benaras Junction, Mughal Sarai and Manduadih.
• By Air - The nearby airport is Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport
• By Road - Travel operators and state transport buses run at scheduled times. Visitors can take a tuk-tuk from the bus station to the banks of Ganga.

Nearby Sights

• Temples like - Gauri Maata temple, Kaal Bhairav temple, Durga temple, Saarnath temple
• Benaras Hindu University
• Chunar fort
• Raamnagar Fort

Content By Ananya

Naimisaranya Vishnu Temple, UP

Naimisaranya is one of the 108 Divya Desams of Vaishnava worship. It is mentioned as a place of great importance in the several Hindu Puranas. The Ram Charit Manas makes a mention of Naimisaranya. Naimisaranya is also mentioned in Various Puranas like Matsya, Skanda, Vayu and Shiva Puranas.It is said to be the place where several Rishis have worshipped the Lord. It is also a Swayam Vyakta Kshetra .

Not only among Vaishnavas but among Shaivaites, this place is a famous pilgrimage locations. It is believed that the knowledge about divine powers and earliest form of prayers and rituals were first learnt at this location.

Main Deity:- The main deity worshipped at Naimisaranyam is Maha Vishnu. The Lord here is worshipped in his Forest incarnation as aranya=forest in sanskrit.

hanuman naimiaranya

Hanuman temple Naimisaranya 

Location/Architectural Details:-  Naimisaranya is located in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh.
The Purana mandir (temple) is dedicated to Suka muni (who has a parrots beak). On the hillock, there is a huge statue of hanuman with Ram and Lakshman on his shoulders. The two water bodies, Gomati and Chakra Teertha, flow through this town. The Chakra Teertha is one of the holy tanks in Naimisaranya. A dip in this Teertha is considered very sacred.

chakra teertha 

chakra teertha in naimisaranya 

Naimisaranya temple

History:- It is believed that Sage Vyasa taught the Vedas and Puranas to his disciples at this location. Romaharsha, a disciple of Vyasa also recited the Puranas here. Rishi Suka  was the son of Somaharsha.
According to history, the sages wanted to have an auspicious place to do penance. Shree Vishnu started rolling his chakra (wheel) and asked the sages to follow it. He asked the Sages to top where the wheel stops. After a while, the wheel broke down and that place came to be known as Naimisaranya where Nemi = outer circle of the wheel.

Another story is that in Kaliyuga, Lord Brahma the creator has foretold the sacred and holiness of this place Naimisaranya. It is also believed that the great sage Dadichi gave up his human form at this location so that his body can be used as a weapon to destroy evil. The Pandavas have also visited this temple and the sage Tulsidaas wrote the Raam Charit Manas at this location.

Specialty :- The main feature of Naimisaranya are its "tapovanams" or prayer forests. There are 9 different Tapovanams here and are named, Dandakaranyam, Saindhavaranyam,Jambukaranyam, Pushkaranyam,Utpalaranyam,Badrikaranyam,Gurujangalaranyam,Aruputharanyam and Naimisaranyam.

The great sages of India like Suka muni and Vyasa muni paid their respects to the lord at Naimisaranya.

Places of worship:-

Vyasa Gaddi

Vyasa Gaddi:- This place is located about a kilometer from Chakra Teertha among a dense forest. It is believed that anybody who recites/hears the Vishnu Shahasranaam or Bhagwad Puranam, can have all his wishes fulfilled.

Suta Gaddi:- The Gaddis are places that have been dedicated to the sages Suka and Vyasa. At Suka Gaddi there is an ancient Banyan Tree (Vata Vruksha).

Devi in Naimisaranya

Naimisaranya

Shiv  Naimisaranya

How to Reach:-

By Rail:- The nearest rail head is Sitapur. It is well connected from cities like Allahabad and Lucknow.
By Air:- The major airport is at Lucknow.
By Road:- This place is about 90 km from Lucknow, the state capital. Regular buses can take you to Naimisaranya.

Nearby Places to Visit:-
Ahobila Muth
Nepali Mandir
Srinivas Perumal Temple
Hanuman Gaddi
Panchvati