PARAKUNNATH SREE VETTAKKORUMAKAN PAYYAN KSHETHRAM (TEMPLE), AROLI, KANNUR, KERALA: The followers of the tantra path attach more significance to certain Hindu temples.

Friday 17 November 2017

The followers of the tantra path attach more significance to certain Hindu temples.

The followers of the tantra path attach more significance to certain Hindu temples. These are not only important for tantriks but also for people of the "bhakti" tradition. In some of these temples "bali" or ceremonial sacrifice of animals is carried out even today.

Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati, is at the centre of the widely practiced, powerful tantrik cult in India. It is situated in the north-eastern state of Assam, atop the Nilachal Hill. It is one of the 108 Shakti Peethas of Goddess Durga. Legend has it that Kamakhya came into existence when Lord Shiva was carrying the corpse of his wife Sati, and her "yoni" fell to the ground at the spot where the temple now stands. The temple is a natural cave with a spring. Down the cave, draped in a silk sari and covered with flowers, is kept the "matra yoni". At Kamakhya, tantrik Hinduism has been nurtured by generations of tantrik priests down the centuries.

Another famous temple dedicated to maa Kali is situated in Kalighat, Kolkatta. This is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. The right toe of Dakshayani is said to have fallen here. The Shakti here is known as Kalika, while the Bhairava is Nakulesh. It is a very famous place and a pilgrimage for Shakta followers within the Hindu religion.

Dakshineswar Kali Temple is located in Dakshineswar near Kolkata. Situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, the presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini, an aspect of Kali, meaning, 'She who liberates Her devotees from the ocean of existence i.e. Samsara'. The temple was built in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni, a philanthropist and a devotee of Kali. The temple is famous for its association with Ramakrishna, a mystic of 19th Century Bengal.

The temple compound, apart from the nine-spired main temple, contains a large courtyard surrounding the temple, with rooms along the boundary walls. There are twelve shrines dedicated to Shiva, along the riverfront, a temple to Radha-Krishna, a bathing ghat on the river, a shrine dedicated to Rani Rashmoni. 'Nahavat-Khana', the chamber in the northwestern corner just beyond the last of the Shiva temples, is where Ramakrishna spent a considerable part of his life.!