More Photographs # 11

A view over the town of Hampi, the center of the ancient Vijayanagar kingdom, and the Veerabadra temple and the area of the old bazaar from the top of Mantanga Hill.

 

Another view from the top of Matanga Hill looking over the Tangabadra River. The white building on top of the hill and winding white path is the Anjenaya temple, which mark the birthplace of Hanuman, the great devotee of Lord Rama.

 

After climbing up the long and winding path, we finally reach the hilltop and see the temple of Hanuman, where this temple marks his birthplace, in Anegundi Village across the river from Hampi.

 

Hampi is known for its many old temples and monolithic images of Ganesh and this one of Lord Narasimhadeva.

 

Here is an overall view of the Ram Ghat area along the Shipra River in Ujjain, an important place where there is the Kumbha Mela festival every twelve years.

 

Near Ram Ghat is the Siddha Ashrama where they have installed the largest Mercury Shiva Lingam in the world. By worshipping this lingam and simply by seeing it, we attain a rare opportunity of human existence and are relieved of so much karma and are able to enter the higher regions of heaven, if not higher.

 

Another pilgrimage place in Ujjain of great importance is the Sandipani Muni Ashrama, where Lord Krishna is known to have attended school under the great sage Sandipani Muni. This is a view of the kund or water pond where Krishna used to wash and also called all the holy rivers together so that his teacher could easily bathe in all the holiest of sacred rivers.

 

This is the interior of the famous Mahakalishvara temple which houses one of the swayambhu (self-manifested) Shiva-lingams, Mahakalishvara. The audience gets darshan while the priest performs puja, which the audience can see over the closed circuit television screen (next to the clock) directly above the door to the hallway where the lingam is located.

 

Around the corner and down the street a short ways from the Mahakalishvara temple is that of the Bede Ganesh, a large image where many people come to gain blessings.

 

At the end of our trip we see an evening view of the beautiful Amber Palace, just north of Jaipur.

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