Somnath Temple Chawk

यत्र गंगा च यमुना । यत्र प्राची सरस्वती ।
यत्र सोमेश्वरो देव: तत्र माममृतं कृधी । इन्द्रायेन्दो परिस्त्रव ।।

Chandra Devan is considered to have built this temple & hence the name Somanathar to the Lord. Chandran fell in love with Rohini, one of the daughters of Dakshan. But Dakshan wanted to give all his daughters in marraige to one able & loving person, who would treat all his daughters equally. Chandran got married to all, but his love for Rohini was too great & the other daughters complained to their father. Dakshan cursed Chandran to dwindle in power & beauty. When Chandran begged forgiveness, Dakshan said that only prayers to Lord Siva, could free him of the curse. Chandran came to Somanath & prayed to Lord Siva, doing penance for about 4,000 years. Lord Siva appeared & said that he could not fully absolve him of the curse. Instead, he would wane in 15 days, but would grow again. This is the story said for the waxing & waning of the moon, producing new moon & full moon.

Gangotri – The Eternal Gift Of Bhagirath’s Penance
Be it man’s urge to placate the Gods above or to quench his desire for adventure, Gangotri is an ideal location. Gangotri, the origin of the sacred river Ganges, attracts tourists in large numbers every year. The confrontation with the daunting rivers and attempts to unravel the mysteries of the supernatural world are ubiquitous sights here. Along with the thrill of conquering nature, what one experiences here is the mystical aura that India is so famous for.

Location
Couched in the magnificent Garhwal hills, Gangotri is at an altitude of 3048 meters above sea level. It is on the northernmost part of the state of Uttar Pradesh and is very near the Indo-Tibetan border. It is approximately 300 km from Dehradun, 250 km from Rishikesh and 105 km from Uttarkashi. The summers are relatively cool and winters are freezing cold, with rains in the months of May and June. For the devotees and tourists, the gates of the temple are open only in the months of May to November.

This temple was of special significance to Sai Baba and he used to come here religiously on a regular basis. Several satsangs (religious sermons) were also conducted here with the assistance of Devidas, who happened to be a bal yogi (young devout). 

Make sure that you have sufficient time in hand for exploring all the attractions when you travel to Shirdi. 

Touristplacesinindia.com offers online information on the Shirdi Tourist Attractions and also offers useful inputs about Shirdi.

Shri Badrinath Dham

Badrinath, the seat of the god Vishnu in his aspect of Badrinarayan, is the most important of the four sites in India’s Char Dham pilgrimage.Situtaed in the hills of Himalaya, at the height of 10,248 feet above sea level. The route to Badrinath is one of the most arduous one due to the lofty hilly terrain, curves and cliffs amidst the most scenically beautiful place on the earth.

The Temple:

The temple’s was built by the Kings of Garhwal about two centuries ago.The temple has three sections – Garbhagriha (Sanctum), The Darshan Mandap, and Sabha Mandap. The Garbhagriha (Sanctum) houses Lord Badri Narayan, Kuber (God of wealth), Narad Rishi, Uthavar, Nar & Narayan.

Lord Badri Narayan (also called as Badri Vishal) is armed with Shankh (Conch) and Chakra in two arms in a lifted posture and two arms rested on the lap in Yogamudra.The principal image is of black stone and it represents Vishnu seated in meditative pose. The temple also houses Garuda (Vahana – vehicle of Lord Narayan) and Goddess Mahalaxmi. Also here are the idols of Adi Shankar, Swami Desikan and Shri Ramanujan Guru-Shisya parampara is supposed to have its roots here.The principal image is of black stone and it represents Vishnu seated in meditative pose. The temple also houses Garuda (Vahana – vehicle of Lord Narayan) and Goddess Mahalaxmi

The Gujarat government has decided to turn the rare total solar eclipse on July 22 into a tourism event. The celestial event will be visible first in India in the diamond city of Surat off the Bay of Cambay.

“We are expecting at least 5,000 tourists to witness the celestial drama that will unfold in Surat,’’ said Kishor Rao, secretary, tourism, Gujarat. He said the numbers might not be high but were impressive in light of the fact that it was a lean period for domestic tourism in the country. “For the first time, we will able to showcase something interesting to the Gujaratis in their own state,’’ he says.

The total solar eclipse, which happens when the moon overshadows the sun from the earth, will occur from 5.28am to 7.40am (Indian Standard Time). In India, it would be seen for the longest duration, 6.26am to 6.30am, in Surat. According to Narrottam Sahu, chief scientist of the state government, this rare spectacle would next occur on June 13, 2123.

Rishikesh is just 24 Kms from Haridwar. Located in the laps of lower Himalayas, this place is considered to be the access point of three other pilgrim places of Badrinath – Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri the four great places which combine to make Chardham . Rishikesh is surrounded by scenic beauty of the hills on three sides with Holy Ganga flowing through it.

The whole place is considered to be sacred as it is believed that meditation at this place leads to attainment of salvation. There are many temples-some ancient, some new along the river Ganges. The River side is dotted by the ashrams of Sadhus and sages. Rishikesh is also famous for ashrams teaching Yoga.

Location

The valley is located in Chamoli Garhwal in the state of Uttaranchal, close to Nanda Devi National Park. About 595 kilometres from Delhi, the altitude of the place varies from 3,200 m to 6,675 m.

Best Time To Visit

The best time to be here is in the months of July and August after the snow has melted. That’s when the weather is pleasant and the flowers are also in their full bloom.

Air India Executive Director Jitendra Bhargava accepted the over occupying of passengers as mentioned by DGCA and said that Air India will take action against the employees responsible.