9 Most Mysterious Temples in India!
India is a beautiful land. So are the temple which are present here. In India, you can see almost every type of temple. Different types of temples with different styles.
There are abandoned temples as well as most crowded temples. There are big as well as small temples.
These temples are the real heritage of this country. In whichever state you visit, there might be a temple telling about that state’s folklore and heritage or singing it’s glories.
Whether be it Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, Kashi Vishwanath in UP or the famous Jagannath Temple in Orissa.
But do you know that India is also full of mysterious and strange temples? Such temples whose secrets are yet not very well known.
In today’s blog post, I will tell you about 9 most mysterious temples of India. I will tell you some strange and amazing facts about these temples.
JAGANNATH TEMPLE
Jagannath temple is one of the most famous temples of India and I’m sure you would have surely heard about it.
It is a Vaishnav temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath, a local form of Lord Vishnu. This temple is a very marvelous one and it is mentioned in many scriptures.
But there are also some shocking and mind-blowing facts about this temple which still many people don’t know.
Here below, I have some facts about this temple.
1) We all know that a sail or a flag will always flow in the direction of wind only. It is a normal science. But in this temple, the flag flows in the opposite direction of the wind! Even scientists don’t know about the secret behind this mystery.
2) There’s a strange fact about this temple regarding its Prasad. It is said that no matter how many pilgrims or visitors are coming, the food here never becomes less. The food never remains less to feed the pilgrims.
3) There is a Sudarshana Chakra which is placed atop the pinnacle of the temple. Now there are 2 facts about it. First, from whichever angle you see the Chakra, it remains the same. It remains the same from every angle, Front, Side, Back etc.
4) Second is that this Chakra is made up of heavy metal. It weighs up to a tonne. And that’s also an estimate. So the question is that in such an ancient era, how were the people able to place this heavy Chakra at such a height?
5) The Idol of Jagannath has a mysterious blue-colored object under it. No one knows exactly what that object is. Some say that it is a relic of the Buddha. While there are stories that it is the heart of Krishna which has turned into a blue diamond.
6) The city of Puri still hosts a king which is called as Gajapati Maharaj. It is said that the king is the first servant of Lord Jagannath. He is involved in many rituals associated with the Rath Yatra’s festival.
KAMAKHYA TEMPLE
Being one of the 51 Shaktipeethas, this beautiful temple is located in Guwahati, Assam. When Lord Vishnu cut the corpse of Sati with his Chakra, the body divided in 51 parts, and they all fell on earth. It is believed that the womb and vagina of the Mother Goddess, fell here.
This temple is known as Kamakhya Devi Mandir and is one of the oldest Shaktipeethas. Some amazing facts about this temple are here:
1) According to the scriptures, every Shaktipeetha has a Bhairava who is the Guardian of that temple and guards it. The Bhairava of this Shaktipeeth is said to be Kamakhya Bhairava.
2) This temple has no idol or Vigraha placed here. Instead, the womb which fell here is worshiped as a symbol of the Goddess.
3) During the Half-year, the color of the river Brahmaputra which flows here turns in to the red color. It is said that the Devi menstruates when the color turns to red.
4) This temple signifies the Woman and the feminist power. The Devi is the symbol of a Woman’s dignity. This temple is considered to be a symbol of the ability of a Woman to give birth to a new life.
5) Unlike the whole world, here in this temple, Menstruation is considered as divine and it is celebrated. It is seen as an ability of a Woman to give birth to a new life.
6) The present-day temple was built by the King NaraNarayana who was from the Cooch-behar dynasty. Further, it was modified by the Ahoms and Assami Tribes.
MALANADA DURYODHANA TEMPLE
Normally, you would see only Good people being worshiped in a temple. But who says only good people are worshiped in a temple?
In this temple, Bad and evil people are worshiped!!! Yes you read it right! This temple is dedicated to Duryodhana, the Biggest Villain of Mahabharata.
The temple is located in the Malanada town of Karnataka. Here are some facts about it.
1) According to the epic, when Duryodhana was chasing Pandavas, in search of them he came to this place. When he came to this place, he was very hungry and tired.
2) Then one man from the Kurava tribe, which lives here, gave him shelter, food and water. Affected by that man’s kindness, Duryodhana promised him that he would come to meet him after the war.
3) But in the war, he was killed by the Pandavas. Then also, to keep his promise; he came to meet that man in his dream. The man was so impressed by him that he thought Duryodhana to be a God.
4) Then He instantly made a temple for him. From then, Duryodhana is being worshiped in this temple.
PADMANABHASWAMY TEMPLE
The Padmanabhaswamy temple is the richest temple in the world. It is one of the most beautiful and marvelous temples in the world.
This temple is a Vaishnava temple and dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is located in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.
The city’s name itself means the Abode of Vishnu’s serpent Anant Sheshnaga. Also, it is one of the divine 108 temples of Lord Vishnu which are called as Divya Deshams.
Here are some amazing facts about this temple:
1) This temple is the richest one in the whole world. It’s whole asset value including the temple, the idols, the treasure is together worth more than 1 Trillion US Dollars!!!!
2) This amount of wealth is more than the combined wealth of the Mughals, Nizams, Britishers!! However, this is just an estimate, the real value could be more than this.
3) Here Lord Vishnu resides in a sleeping posture on his bed, the Divine Sheshnaga. Along with him, idols of Lakshmi, Garuda, Parvati and Shivlinga are also there.
4) There are 6 chambers in this temple, named as Vault A, B, C, D, E and F. The Chambers C-F are opened. But the Vault A and B are the biggest but still kept closed.
5) It is believed that both of the chambers are cursed. Also, it is said that these chambers are home to many divine spirits such as Devtas, Rishis, Yakshas etc.
RAIN TEMPLE
Lord Jagannath is a very famous and popular deity in India. He is considered to be a very miraculous and mysterious God. And so are his temples.
In Kanpur, there is a temple dedicated to him. The temple is known as the Rain temple. A very interesting fact about this temple is that it tells about the arrival of monsoons in advance!!!
It is said that when water droplets start falling and accumulating in the temple’s roof, it means that the monsoons are coming.
It is very helpful for the villagers as it works as a meteorological indicator for the farmers. Here are some facts about it:
1) When the monsoons start coming, water drops start dripping from the roof of the temple. It is believed as a sign of the monsoons.
2) The amount of water droplets fallen from the roof, decides the amount of precipitation which will come in monsoons.
3) If the water is less, then the rains will also be less. If a large amount of water has fallen, the amount of precipitation will also be high.
4) The temple is said to be of the Ashokan era. It’s shape very much resembles a Buddhist Stupa.
5) The temple has a Sudarshana Chakra on it’s peak. The temple symbolizes the chariot of Krishna and Arjuna.
KOOTHANDAVAR TEMPLE
In the Koovagam district of Tamil Nadu, there lies a beautiful temple dedicated to Iravan, the son of Arjuna. He is referred to as the God of Transgenders.
According to legends, the son of Arjuna, Iravan sacrificed his head to Goddess Kali, so that they can win the war.
But before his death, he asked krishna for some boons. First he asked him that he should be married before his death. Seeing this boon, Krishna asked many people for his marriage proposal, but no one was ready to marry his daughter.
Seeing nobody, Krishna himself took the form of Mohini and married Iravan to fulfill his wish.
His second wish was that after death, his head should be placed at such a point from which he could see the whole war. To fulfill this wish, Krishna placed his head on a mountain from which he saw the whole war.
At this place, the head of Iravan was placed. It is said that he is the God of Transgenders and a Kul Devta of many gay communities all over the India.
A festival is celebrated here in which, transgenders marry Iravan and then next day they mourn on the death of him, just recreating the Mahabharata scene.
KEDARNATH TEMPLE
I’m pretty sure that you would have surely heard about this temple. The Kedarnath temple is one of the 12 primary Jyotirlingas. It is situated in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Kedarnath temple is one of the 4 Dhams of India. Here the Shivlinga is in the form of an ice rock.
But there are many secrets of this temple which still many people don't know. Here are some facts about the temple.
1) This temple is one of the 4 Dhams of North India. Also, it is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas.
2) This temple is only opened for 6 months. The remaining 6 months, the temple is kept closed.
3) When the temple is closed, an earthen lamp is lit and left there besides the Lingam. After 6 months also, it is seen that the lamp keeps burning!!
4) The Bhaironath temple, which is situated besides Kedarnath, is said to be the guardian of the Kedarnath temple. That's why Bhaironath Ji is worshiped before Kedarnath during the opening and closing ceremonies.
HASANAMBA TEMPLE
This temple is located in the beautiful town of Hassan in the state of Karnataka. The temple is dedicated to the Mother goddess Durga. It is as much mysterious as much it is beautiful. A shocking fact about this temple is that the temple remains close for the whole year.
It is only opened for a week at the time of Diwali. When the temple is closed, the goddess is left with food, water, flowers, two sacks of rice and an earthen lamp.
After a year also it is seen that the food remains warm, flowers and water fresh and the lamp keeps burning. Also, there is an idol of Ravan with only 9 heads and with a Veena. No one knows what is the reason behind it.
KAILASH TEMPLE
One of the famous rock cut temples of Maharashtra, this temple is a marvelous one dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is situated in the famous Ellora Caves.
It is regarded as the best marvels of architecture. According to some historians, this whole temple was carved out by a single huge rock!!
The only material used in building this temple was rocks. The temple has beautiful sculptures carved on its walls, roofs and it's surface.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Kailashnatha, a local form of Shiva.