When you visit temples, You must have noticed that the tortoise idol is generally placed near the Nandi idol. The tortoise is Lord Vishnu in his second incarnation, who appeared in the Satya Yuga as a giant turtle to save the earth from destruction. Sri Vishnu took the form of Turtle to help devas and asuras. Tortoise enormous back was said to have provided a foundation for the Mount Mandara, which was used by the gods and demons as a churning rod to stir the primordial milk, during Samudramanthana.

When you visit temples, You must have noticed that the tortoise idol is generally placed near the Nandi idol. The tortoise is Lord Vishnu in his second incarnation, who appeared in the Satya Yuga as a giant turtle to save the earth from destruction. Sri Vishnu took the form of Turtle to help devas and asuras. Tortoise enormous back was said to have provided a foundation for the Mount Mandara, which was used by the gods and demons as a churning rod to stir the primordial milk, during Samudramanthana. ‪Nandi is total devotion. That is Bhakti. A tortoise on the other hand represents detachment. That is Vairagya. Total Devotion and detachment together are pathway to God. Just like tortoise can totally cocoon itself in its shell, A yogi when meditates cocoons himself from the world too and gets inside his meditative shell. He renounces material possessions or even the thought of them. Once the mind is still, the senses which are forever craving for objects of pleasure in the external world and direct them inwards. The process of withdrawing senses from the temporal world is signified by tortoise. Just as a tortoise withdraws all its limbs within its shell, we should also withdraw our senses from objects of sensual pleasure. Also the tortoise hatches its eggs in a peculiar way. She does not sit on top of them to hatch them but focuses her attention by constantly looking at them. So once you are at the temple, look at the Shiva idol or Lingam and that generates a spiritual energy. That’s the importance of Darshan.! Jai Sri Vishnu ~ Jai Shiva Shankar!