Keesara Gutta Temple , Hyderabad

Keesaragutta Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Siva and his consorts Bhavani and Sivadurga at Keesaragutta in Rangareddy district. It is about 20 km from Hyderabad. It is located on a small hillock. The temple draws thousands of devotees on Shivaratri.

Legend

Legend has it that Sri Rama installed the Siva lingam here to atone for the sin of killing Ravana, a Brahman. He selected this beautiful valley surrounded by hills and verdant greenery for the purpose and ordered Hanuman to bring a Sivlingam from Varanasi. Hanuman was late in arriving with the Siva lingam and as the auspicious hour was nearing, Lord Siva himself appeared before Sri Rama and presented a Sivilingam for installation. Hence the lingam in the temple is called Swayambhu Linga. It is also called Ramalingeswara as lord Sri Rama had installed the lingam.

Hanuman returned with 101 lingams for selection from Varanasi and felt aggrieved at not having his lingam installed. Hence he threw them all over the area. Even to this day several lingams are found scattered all over the place outside the temple.

To mollify Hanuman, Sri Rama ordained that precedence would be given to him for worship at the temple. He also said that the hillock where the lingam was installed would bear his name kesarigiri i.e, Hanuman, the son of Kesari. Over a period of time, it has become corrupted and is now known as Keesara and the hill as Keesaragutta. Ever since, the rituals follow the command of Sri Rama

Jagannath Temple, Hyderabad

The Jagannath Temple in Hyderabad, India is a modern temple built by the Oriya community of hyderabad dedicated to the Hindu God Jagannath. The temple located near Banjara hills Road no.12 (twelve) in Hyderabad is famous for its annual Rathyatra festival. Jagannath means Lord of the Universe. The temple which was constructed during 2009 recently lies in Chandrayangutta.

It is said that this is a replica of original Jagannath Temple of Puri (Orissa) in context of design. The most attracting portion of this temple is its "Shikhara" (the peak/top) measuring around 70 feet in height. The red color of the temple is due to the usage of sand stone (around 600 tonnes were brought from Orissa which is being used to build this whole architecture) and around 60 stone carvers got the blessing to carve this temple. There are shrines dedicated to Lakshmi, along with Shiva, Ganesh, Hanuman and Navagrahas. The amorous sculptures are also found to represent the innermost feelings of human being and this explains to keep them outside the temple always while entering. The sanctum sanctorum houses Jagannath along with his siblings.

Birla Mandir, Hyderabad

Location:
Atop a hillock called Kala Pahad, Hyderabad.

How to Reach:
The Temple is about 1 Km from Hyderabad railway station, 6 Km from Hyderabad Bus Terminal and 7 Km from Airport. Private transport facilities are available from all parts of the twin-cities.

Main Attraction:
Beautiful architecture, replica of Lord Venkateswara of Tirupati.

An enchanting temple dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, the Birla Mandir of Hyderabad, India stands in its entire splendor on the hilltop of Kala Pahad. Made of pure white marble from Rajasthan, the Birla Mandir overlooks the serene and placid waters of the Hussain Sagar Lake. The famous Birla industrialist who had built a large number of temples all over India built the Birla temple of Hyderabad. They finished building the Birla Mandir of Hyderabad within a time span of ten years. The magnificent shrine offers a wonderfully breath-taking view of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

The intricate carvings of the temple, the ceiling and the mythological figures are a standing testimony to the dexterity and sculptural excellence of the craftsmen. Beautiful scenes from the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata are finely sculpted in pure white marble. The temple is devoted to Lord Venkateswara who is also known as Balaji, though the temple is known as Birla Mandir. It is a wonderful blend of the architectural style of northern and southern temples.

As you enter the temple you can see the 'Gopuram' or the pyramid shaped temple top, which is a characteristic feature of South Indian temples. The tower situated at the top of the principal deity called the Jagadananda vimanam is again built in the Orissan style. The flagstaff of the temple is made up of brass, and reaches to a staggering height of 42 feet.

The granite stone, out of which the idol of Lord Venkateswara has been carved, is about 11 feet tall. A Lotus shaped canopy at the top of the idol is again done in marble and looks stunning. Along the winding path that leads to the main worship place, are many marble statues of Gods and Goddesses of Hindu mythology that look almost real. In case you visit the temple in the early hours of the day, you can hear some very melodious South Indian music in the praise of the Lord. The Birla Mandir of Hyderabad becomes a spectacular sight in the evening when it is illuminated with hundreds of bright lights.

Ashtalakshmi Temple, Hyderabad

The Ashtalakshmi Temple of Hyderabad which is consecrated to the Goddess of prosperity and redemption 'Lakshmi', came into existence in the year of 1996 under the skillful supervision of a master-minded architect, Ganapati Sthapathi. This coruscating architectural gem is sited in the state of Andra Pradesh and is one of the two Ashta Lakshmi Temples in whole of India.

The construction of the Ashtalakshmi Temple at Hyderabad would not have been feasible if it had not been for the conjoint enterprise shown by the ever-willing devotees who came forward from various parts of the country. Approximately 10 million rupees and 5 long years went behind the construction of this colossal monument.

Special features of the Ashtalakshmi Temple in Hyderabad are :-

The replicas of Ashtalakshmi, Sri Ganapathi, Sri Garuda and Sriman Narayana were the inspirations of the artistic genius Subbaiah Sthapathi.

Besides bearing the images of Adilakshmi, Aishwaryalakshmi, Santanalakshmi, Dhanalakshmi, Dhanyalakshmi, Gajalakshmi, Vijayalakshmi and Varalakshmi that are established inside the chief gopuram, this marvelous temple also possesses clay reflections of approximately 134 'vigrahams' of lesser known deities which augment the brilliance of the 'Mahagopuram'.

Intricately contrived necklaces constructed primarily from gold, kasula pearl and other materials further heightens the divine aura that cascades from eyes of these divinities.

The ideal time to drop in and witness the spectacular Ashtalakshmi Temple is on the auspicious occasion of either 'Lakshmi Puja' or 'Diwali'.

Admission for the devotees is absolutely free.

Although the Ashtalakshmi Temple is constructed from a balanced blend of two principal ingredients sand and cement it appears as if it is made out of marble when viewed from a distance.

Visitants can pay a visit to the Ashtalakshmi Temple in Hyderabad and pay their homage to the resident deity on any day of the week between 6:00 am to 1:00 pm and again from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm.