Temple Tales:Hidden Mysteries Uncovered

Hindu urge to start anything and everything with Om
Om Namah Shivay

 OUR HINDU TEMPLE

Hindu temple, also Devasthanam, Mandir, Pura, Kovil, Kshethram, the sanctuaries of divine presence, are not merely architectural marvels but embodiment of spiritual devotion and cultural heritage. Temples are not just physical structures; they are living embodiment of faith, tradition, culture and the eternal quest for spiritual enlightenment. There are innumerable temple in and outside India that represent the cultural heritage of Hindu. People visit temple for spiritual worship, cultural and Traditional practices, seeking peace and solace, fulfillment of vows and prayers, community and social gathering, pilgrimage, and overall, people visit temple to nurture their spiritual beliefs, uphold cultural traditions and connect with the divine presence believed to reside within these sacred spaces.    

Hindus do not necessarily have to visit temple every day since all Hindu home usually has a small shrine or what we call it as "Pooja Room" for daily prayers. All Hindu temple- no matter where they are : from India's North (Orissa, and Khajuraho), South ( Kanchipuram, Madurai, Tanjore), South West (Hampi, Somnathpur, Pattadakal) to all over India- share a core set of design features, employed to facilitate to believer's interaction with the divine. 

There are uncountable and numerous temples all the world, however, there are few mysterious and amazing facts about some temples which you had no idea about and this would blow your mind! 

(A) Konark Sun Temple

Konark is a small town in Puri district of Odisha, India. "Konark" comes from the culmination of two words named- Kona+Arka. Kona refers to direction of vision and the word Arka means the Sun God or Surya Bhagwan. The Konark Temple was built by the King Narasimhadeva I of the Ganga Empire on the occasion of winning over the battle with the Muslims. 

But there are many stories related to the establishment of Konark Sun Temple. Some believe that this is one of the places where Lord Vishnu placed one of his belongings after successfully defeating the demon Gyasur. He chose the Konark Sun Temple to place his Lotus . Another sect of belief narrates the story of SAMBA, the son of LORD KRISHNA, who suffered with leprosy due to the curse given by his father. To get rid of this curse, Lord Krishna did penance for 12 years at Mitravana near the Chandrabhaga river with the sea at Konark. This pleased the sun God and the as an expression of gratitude, Samba got a temple built which was dedicated to the Sun God.

Coming to the architecture of this living marvel, the whole temple actually symbolizes the chariot of the Surya Dev. However, no ancient scripture accurately mentions about the number of wheels of the chariot of Him, this temple chariot is bound with 24 wheels that represent 24 hours of the day. There are 7 horses pulling the chariot which represent the seven days of the week. Some believe that these 7 horses also represent the 7 colors of the sunlight i.e., VIBGYOR. Others believe that these represent the 7 chakras of the human (Muladhara, Swadhisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddha, Agna and Sahasrara). Also, the 7 horses of Surya Bhagwan are Gayathri, Bruhathi, Ushnik, Jagathi, Dhrushtup, Anushtup and Bhakthi.

There was also a belief that there was a idol of Surya Dev that was hanging in the air without any support, probably due to Magnetic force and during the war, the idol to shifted to some safe place. Where the idol is and what happened to Him is a part of all the other mysteries associated with this temple. The history is still unclear about the complete details of the Sun Konark Temple.

(B) KAMAKHYA TEMPLE

"The bleeding Goddess: Maa Kamakhya Devi"

The Kamakhya Temple,Assam, is dedicated to the mother goddess Kamakhya and is one of the oldest Shakti Peeths. Kamakhya Devi is popularly known as the bleeding goddess. The mythical womb and vagina of Shakti are supposedly installed in the Garvagriha of sanctum of the temple. In the month of June, the Goddess bleeds or menstruates. At this time, the Brahmaputra river near Kamakhya turns red. The temple then remains closed for 3 days and the holy water is distributed among the devotees.

There is no scientific proof that the blood actually turns the river red. Some people say that the priests add vermilion (sindhur) into the water. But symbolically, menstruation is the symbol of a woman's creativity and power to give birth. So, the deity and the temple of Kamakhya celebrate the power within every woman.

(C) VEERABHADRA TEMPLE

The beautiful 16th Century Veerabhadra Swamy Temple, also known as Lepakshi Temple, is located in the small historical village in Ananthapur District, Andhra Pradesh. It is built in a typical style of Vijayanagara Architecture with many sculptures of God, Goddess, Musicians, Dancers and hundreds of painting all over the walls from the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The mysterious fact is, among the 70 stone pillars, there is one that hangs from the ceiling. The base of the pillar barely touches the ground and it is possible to pass thin sheet of papers and piece of cloth from one side to another. It is also said that a British engineer during the British Era, tried to find out about its support but failed. 

No one can explain the mystery of how the hanging pillar at the Lepakshi Temple was crafted.

(D) BRIHADEESWARAR TEMPLE

Hailed for its architectural beauty, the Brihadeeswara Temple is located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu also called as Periya Kovil. 

The most frequently asked questions which has baffled the common people, archaeologists and scientists alike. "WHY DOES THE SHADOW OF THE TEMPLE NEVER FALL ON EARTH?"

The shadow mystery of Brihadeeswara Temple is perhaps the biggest mystery of the Grand Temple.

According to some theory, people believe that the shadow of the Tanjore temple does not fall on ground in noon because of the way in which its basement has been constructed. It is believed that the basement itself absorbs the shadow of the Big Thanjavur Temple because of its mammoth size.

It is no less than a miracle that Sri Brihadeeswara Temple survived natural calamities such as storms, wind, rain,etc., over centuries. 1000 Elephants and 5000 horses were used to built structures by Rajaraja Chola. 

Also, there is an another unsolved mystery of the temple "HOW DID THE HUGE CAP, WHICH WEIGHS 80 TONS, REACHED THE TOP OF THE 216 FEET TALL TEMPLE?" There is no other example of a man-made hollow structure which  has such a huge stone cap sitting at the top.

There are many such unsolved, untold, unheard mysteries in this temple.

(E) NELLAIAPPAR TEMPLE

Built by Pandians, Nellaiappar Temple is dedicated to Bhagwan Shiv in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu.

There is an unsolved mystery of the musical pillars in Nellaiappar Temple since 1300+ years. A cluster of 48 pillars was carved from a single rock, and these pillars surround a central pillar. They produce the 7 musical notes or swaras of classical music when tapped! 

Similarly, the Vittala Temple in Karnataka has many musical pillars and the Dasasuram Airavateshwarar temple in Tanjavur has musical steps.

Coming to the conclusion, there is an enormous examples of Temples which is mysterious and unclear. 

To arouse your curiosity, do you know that Lord Hanuman was married to Suvarchala Devi, then why is Hanuman always been remembered as Brahmachari?