My posts are going hither and thither, not in sequence!!!
To get used to the changing altitudes, the trip to Amarnath was arranged in such a way that each night we are at a higher altitude. July 5th Srinagar, 6th to Sonamarg and 7th at Amarnath. We did not use any medicines to get adjusted to.
We arrived Srinagar on July 5th night. We stayed that night in the boathouse. The next morning, after breakfast, we decided to go to the Kheer Bhavani Temple. It was the second time for Rao, myself and Nirmala. For Bhuvana and Uma M the first time. We all enjoyed the darsan. Please go back to my post dated to see the details and picture of the temple. I just copied and pasted that post below, but no pictures.
We sponsored Aarathi this time, the water was white like milk this time in the sacred spring attached to the Temple. We had kheer as prasad, washed the container with soap and water and returned it to them.
The rest rooms are extrmely clean here, no money is charged. The medical volunteers come, set up a booth and the service is free, irrespective of who you are. Of course, it is only minimal check up and minimal medicine that is provided.
When I was coming out of the Temple, I met a gleaming Andhra lady who told me that they have just returned from Amarnath darsan and the Lingam was huge and beautiful. I told myself that we just have to wait another day to gleam about our darsan.
The following is a copy and paste from my post of 2010.
The Kheer Bhavani temple is situated at Tullamula in the Srinagar district. The Kheer Bhavani temple is devoted to Ragnya Devi, a Hindu Goddess. Representing the goddess is a sacred hexagonal spring at Tullamula village, which houses a small marble temple. The legend goes that Lord Rama worshipped Ragnya Devi during his exile. After the exile period got over, Rama asked Lord Hanuman to shift the seat of the goddess.
It was the wish of Mother Ragnya that her seat be place at Kheer Bhavani Mandir in Kashmir. And this wish was conveyed in a dream to a pandit, Raghunath Gadroo. The temple of Ragnya Devi is called "Kheer Bhawani" because numerous devotees offer milk and kheer to the sacred spring. It is believed that milk and kheer turn to black color to warn of any impending disaster. We were told that the spring water changes color frequently. Maharaja Pratap Singh got the temple constructed in 1912. Later, Maharaja Hari Singh undertook restoration work on the temple.
The eighth day of the full moon in May( Jeshta ashtami - wow, my birthday) holds great significance for the devotees of Ragnya Devi. They fast on this day and gather at the temple in huge numbers. It is believed that on this day, the goddess changes the color of the spring's waters. The Kheer Bhavani temple serves as the venue for an annual festival held in May-June, on the occasion of Jeshta Ashtami. During this festival, a large number of Hindus visit the temple to seek blessings of the goddess. Another occasion on which the Kheer Bhavani temple gains special importance is Shukla Paksha Ashtami. On this day, havans/yagnas are performed to please the goddess.
We did not go to Shankara Temple which is a long drive locally and on top of a hill. Last year we three climbed all the steps and made to the blissful darsan. Again, please go back to that post to read it.
To get used to the changing altitudes, the trip to Amarnath was arranged in such a way that each night we are at a higher altitude. July 5th Srinagar, 6th to Sonamarg and 7th at Amarnath. We did not use any medicines to get adjusted to.
We arrived Srinagar on July 5th night. We stayed that night in the boathouse. The next morning, after breakfast, we decided to go to the Kheer Bhavani Temple. It was the second time for Rao, myself and Nirmala. For Bhuvana and Uma M the first time. We all enjoyed the darsan. Please go back to my post dated to see the details and picture of the temple. I just copied and pasted that post below, but no pictures.
We sponsored Aarathi this time, the water was white like milk this time in the sacred spring attached to the Temple. We had kheer as prasad, washed the container with soap and water and returned it to them.
The rest rooms are extrmely clean here, no money is charged. The medical volunteers come, set up a booth and the service is free, irrespective of who you are. Of course, it is only minimal check up and minimal medicine that is provided.
When I was coming out of the Temple, I met a gleaming Andhra lady who told me that they have just returned from Amarnath darsan and the Lingam was huge and beautiful. I told myself that we just have to wait another day to gleam about our darsan.
The following is a copy and paste from my post of 2010.
The Kheer Bhavani temple is situated at Tullamula in the Srinagar district. The Kheer Bhavani temple is devoted to Ragnya Devi, a Hindu Goddess. Representing the goddess is a sacred hexagonal spring at Tullamula village, which houses a small marble temple. The legend goes that Lord Rama worshipped Ragnya Devi during his exile. After the exile period got over, Rama asked Lord Hanuman to shift the seat of the goddess.
It was the wish of Mother Ragnya that her seat be place at Kheer Bhavani Mandir in Kashmir. And this wish was conveyed in a dream to a pandit, Raghunath Gadroo. The temple of Ragnya Devi is called "Kheer Bhawani" because numerous devotees offer milk and kheer to the sacred spring. It is believed that milk and kheer turn to black color to warn of any impending disaster. We were told that the spring water changes color frequently. Maharaja Pratap Singh got the temple constructed in 1912. Later, Maharaja Hari Singh undertook restoration work on the temple.
The eighth day of the full moon in May( Jeshta ashtami - wow, my birthday) holds great significance for the devotees of Ragnya Devi. They fast on this day and gather at the temple in huge numbers. It is believed that on this day, the goddess changes the color of the spring's waters. The Kheer Bhavani temple serves as the venue for an annual festival held in May-June, on the occasion of Jeshta Ashtami. During this festival, a large number of Hindus visit the temple to seek blessings of the goddess. Another occasion on which the Kheer Bhavani temple gains special importance is Shukla Paksha Ashtami. On this day, havans/yagnas are performed to please the goddess.
We did not go to Shankara Temple which is a long drive locally and on top of a hill. Last year we three climbed all the steps and made to the blissful darsan. Again, please go back to that post to read it.
No comments:
Post a Comment