In every Sri Vishnu temple, we see Garuda, also known as Vainatheya folding his hand facing the main deity and waiting for the orders by Lord Srimannarayana.

Who is Vainatheya or Garuda or Garudazhwar (alvar)?

Kashyapa Brahmarishi had many wives (he was married to thirteen daughters of Dhaksha Prajapati. Among them, two daughters Kadru and Vinathe who are very important are mentioned here.

Kashyapa Brahmarishi decided to perform a yaga (offering or sacrifice) to have children. He wanted to give this opportunity to Kadru and Vinathe and granted them a wish. So, Kadru wished to have 1000 serpents as her sons who would be the most poisonous and powerful serpents. Whereas Vinathe took a step ahead and asked for just two sons who would be more powerful than Kadru’s children. Like it is said that ‘The act of jealousy’ is always wrong and eliminates mental peace. “Mana khlesho Buddhi nashaha”, this did not spare Vinathe either. Kashyapa Brahmarishi granted their wishes and started to perform yaga. Many people took part in the yaga voluntarily, helping and supporting Brahmarishi. Indra and Valakilyas were also among them.

Yaga was successfully fulfilled and as per the wish granted by Kashyapa Brahmarishi to his wives, Kadru had thousand eggs and Vinathe had two eggs. After years passed by, Kadru’s eggs started hatching and she became the mother of thousand snakes. On the other side there was no changes to
Vinathe’s eggs and she was very upset. Kadru’s children started growing and their family also extended year on year.
However, there were no changes to Vinathe’s situation. Vinathe, who was very frustrated and was getting impatient, she decided to break the eggs to see what was really happening.

As soon as she broke one of the eggs, she could see a very bright red light emerging out and filled the whole room. Then, she saw a glorious baby, whose eyes were bright red and was staring his mother, his eyes were filled with anger. The baby was developed only on the upper part of the body, just above the hip. This was due to the impatient mother. He questioned his mother’s hasty action and asked her to protect the other egg carefully and patiently, so his brother could be developed completely. He said that his brother would be more powerful than Indra. Vinathe felt very bad for Unuru (uru – means thigh, unuru

means without thighs). She was very apologetic and promised to take care of the other eggs. Then Brahma and devas decided to appoint Unuru as Surya’s charioteer. After this, Unuru was given a new name called “Aruna” who would be seen before the sun rises or also referred as “Arunodaya” i.e., Dawn. Aruna is the personification of the rising sun. Vinathe was waiting for her other egg to hatch after the tragic incident.
Meanwhile, Kadru plotted a conspiracy to trap Vinathe and make her dasi (servant). Kadru used the Samudra manthana situation to fool Vinathe.
Samudra manthana (briefly mentioned here as this is related to our main story) Indra and associates lost their power, vigor and fortune, due to Durvasa Muni/Rishi’s curse to Indra. To regain their power back, they decided to churn Kshira Sagara to get Amrith (nectar) as suggested by lord Vishnu. But, to do that, they needed enormous resource, power and strength which they could only get from Asuras (demons). Devas made a deal with asuras to share Amrith and all other things that would come along with that from the ocean (Kshira Sagara).

They decided to use Mandaara Parvatha (mountain) as spindle and Vasuki as churning rope. But Mandaara parvatha did not have any support that would keep it in a required position without slipping. This was when Lord Vishnu took his Aadi Kurmavathara (tortoise) and held the Mandara Parvatha in a required position.

The churning started, and many things came out along with Amritha. Just to name a few, Shree MahaLakshmi (The Goddess of Fortune/Wealth) – hence the name, “Kshira Sagara Thanaye”, Uchhaishravas – the divine seven headed pure white horse, Halahala – lethal poison which was produced during the churning and Lord Shiva drank it to save the universe, hence the name, Neelakanta (Neela is blue and Kanta is throat in Sanskrit), Airavata – divine white elephant,

Kamadhenu – divine cow and finally Amritha came out of the ocean and it was collected in a pot for distribution between suras and asuras along with the other things came out.

Uchhaishravas is a pure white horse which was topic of discussion picked by Kadru to trap Vinathe. Kadru told Vinathe that Uchhaishravas has a black tail. Then both started arguing and that argument turned into challenge or bet. The loser would become dasi to their other opponent and would serve them. So, both decided to go and see the reality the next morning. Kadru called her 1000 naga sons for an urgent meeting and ordered them to coil around the horse’s tail to make it look black. They did not agree to their mother’s plans and were cursed by her for not obeying, she ordered them to fall into a yaga kunda (hence many of them died in the sarpa yaga performed by Janmejaya, which is a different story). However, few of the serpents decided to make their mother happy as they knew that they would soon be dead. They went and coiled to the horse’s tail, which made the tail look black. The same was witnessed by Vinathe the next morning and she became dasi for Kadru.

Vinathe started serving Kadru as dasi and could not pay any attention to her egg which finally hatched. A half-bird and half-man emerged out of the shell, He had the body and legs of a human, but the head and wings of a bird. This creature was the one the Valakhilyas had prayed for (will be mentioned in the following paragraph). Vinata was delighted with the long-awaited birth of her son. He was vibrant and radiant like the sun and Agni. His lustre was like a fire that would consume all creations when this world would end. His eyes were big and burning red in colour, body was the colour of emerald and his wings were golden-yellow and very wide, and he was born with enormous power. Mother Vinathe was very happy and named him Vainatheya.

Vainatheya understood the complete situation and how his mother got cheated. He also started serving Kadru’s family along with his mother. He asked his mother how to put an end to this slavery. Vinathe said, if Kadru agreed and accepted your request we would be free. Vainatheya went to his aunt and her 1000 children (nagas) and made a request. He told them, that he could kill all ofthem just by flapping his wings. However, he also wanted to be within the boundaries of Dharma, hence requested them to tell him how to end this slavery – dasya vimochana. Kadru and her family got the message and they started discussion amongst themselves and told Vainatheya to bring ‘Amuritha’ (nectar which was collected during the Samudra manthana) from Indralokha to release them from the dasi vrithi.

Vainatheya agreed to this demand and went to his father Kashyapa Brahmarishi. He recounted all that had happened, and his aunt’s and her children’s demand were. He requested his father to advise him for a right diet, so that he could gain more power to complete the task and win war over Indra and his subordinates. Kashyapa Brahmarishi told Vainatheya to eat the tortoise and elephant who lived in the near- by lake. They were brothers in their previous birth who had a property dispute and had become enemies and were now reborn as animals but still they hated each other.

Vainatheya within no time flew to the lake and grabbed the huge tortoise and elephant and flew up in the sky looking for a place to eat his food. An old banyan tree welcomed him to sit and eat his meal. Before he sat, a huge branch of that banyan tree was knocked off just by a slight touch of the huge tortoise. As soon as the branch fell, Vainatheya spotted Valakhilyas sages who were meditating upside-down hanging on the branch. Valakhilyas consumed rays from Sun as their food and they were very tiny (thumb size).

Vainatheya immediately caught the falling branch with his beak and continued flying back to his father kashyapa Brahmarishi. Valakhilyas were not disturbed by this at all, but the other rishis who witnessed this situation were astonished by Vainatheya’s strength and called him “Garuda” – Garudasthu kagah shresta thasmath pannaga bojanha.

Kashyapa Brahmarishi understood Vainatheya’s situation and requested Valakhilyas to stop their meditation. Valakhilyas opened their eyes and understood the situation and got off the branch. They knew who Garuda was and blessed Garuda. Valakhilyas travelled towards Himalayas to continue their thapas (meditation).

Soon after, Garuda flew to Swargaloka. The speed at which he travelled shook the entire swargaloka. Indra and Davas could not understand what was happening. Indra approached their preceptor Brihaspati for help. Brihaspati cautioned and reminded him about valakhilyas shapa (curse)to Indra. Garuda, the son of Vinathe and Kashyapa Brahmarishi planned to steal Amritha (nectar) and that “he is more powerful than Indra and unbeatable”.

Valakhuilyas – as mentioned previously, Kashyapa Brahmarishi was engaged in performing a yaga with a desire to get a valorous child. The Valakhuilyas, whose height was not more than a human thumb, were making herculean efforts to carry a twig and they fell into a small puddle. Indra came back carrying a large log. He saw what happened to Valakhilyas and made fun of them. The Valakhilyas were furious on Indra and they decided to bring his ego down by creating more powerful person who could replace Indra. Then Indra was apologetic and requested Valakhuilays to tweak the curse so that Indra would not lose his position based on the request made by Kashyapa Brahmarishi, but was aware that this person would still be more powerful than Indra. Indra remembered all these; He alerted his team to secure amritha and asked them to create chakravyuha loaded with weapons and poisonous snakes to arrest Garuda. The nectar was secure in a strong room which had mechanical rotating wheels with very sharp edges so that no one could cross that.

Garuda flapped his wings and the entire devalokha was filled with dust and no one could see anything. Within no time Garuda decreased in size, crossed all hurdles and carried the Amritha pot and stared his flight towards his home. Indra and his team only realised after Vainatheya flew away with the nectar pot.

Lord Sri Vishnu who witnessed Vainatheya’s braveness and his honesty from a distance, appeared in front of Vainatheya and praised him about his strength and determination to curb any temptation to consume this nectar, although even the devas would be tempted by the Amrita. Then Maha Vishnu wanted to grant him two boons.

Garuda bowed down to Lord Vishnu and requested him to make him immortal and free from all diseases. Next, he asked to be above lord Vishnu too.

Maha Vishnu granted Vainatheya both requests and said he would always stay on his flagstaff (Dhwaja)so that Vainatheya will always be above Sri Vishnu in a way. Vainatheya was very happy and hence the name “Garuda Dhwaja” which we witness in every Vishnu temple, above the main deity.

Garuda was very happy about his grants and said, “I wish to grant you a boon as well, My Lord”. Maha Vishnu told Garuda to be his mount and to carry him around everywhere as his Vahanam. Vainatheya agreed and was very pleased. Vainatheya took permission from Maha Vishnu to finish his current task of freeing his mother from slavery.

Meanwhile, Indra appeared again to take back the nectar pot from Garuda. Garuda refused to return the pot and challenged that Indra could not cause any harm to him. Indra, who was not happy with this challenge, threw his Vajrayoudha at Garuda. Indra’s Vajrayudha is made from the backbone of Dadhichi Maharishi. Vainatheya told Indra that the Vajrayudha would not cause any harm to him, however, with lots of respect to Dadhichi Maharishi, he would shed one of his feathers.

Garuda dropped a feather which gleamed like a gold and hence he was also named as “Suparna” Indra understood the reality and agreed not to fight Garuda. He offered his friendship and asked to return the nectar pot. Garuda refused to hand over the nectar pot as he needed this to release his mother and himself from slavery.

However, he mentioned that he could take it back once he has handed over to Kadru and the serpents. Then Garuda requested Indra to allow him to eat Snakes (Pannaga Bhojana) as his natural food as Garuda was still angry at Kadru
and family and to teach them a lesson. Indra granted that wish to Vainatheya.

Garuda went to Kadru and her children and he asked them to prepare a place to keep Amritha using Kusha grass (hence Dharba is considered as pavithram) The Amrita had to be consumed after bathing. So, Garuda placed it on this Kusha grass while they went for ablutions and sought permission to take his mother from there. Kadru and family were happy to release Vinathe.

The Nagas declared Vinata’s freedom and then went to cleanse themselves. Indra was waiting for this opportunity to steal the nectar pot, like it was agreed between Vainatheya and Indra, Before Nagas could approach the nectar, Indra
held the pot and made his way to swarga lokha. The Nagas were very upset when they saw Indra stole the nectar pot but were helpless. However, they saw few drops of Amritha fallen on the dharba grass. So, the Nagas decided to lick
those drops of Amrita. However, the sharp grass/dharba slit their tongues. Hence, the snakes have forked tongue always (it’s a belief).

After leaving Vinathe safe and in a secured place, Vainatheya went to vaikunta to serve Lord Vishnu as his vahanam.

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The temple follows the traditional style of Kalinga architecture. The temple complex which is partially in ruins has the appearance of a 100-foot high chariot with horses and wheels all carved of Khondalite rocks. The entire temple is shaped like a giant chariot with seven horses and twenty-four wheels, carrying the Sun God across the heavens. The seven horses depict the seven days of the week and the wheels at the Konark temple have an important significance. There are twenty-four wheels in pairs of two on either side and back of the chariot. Each wheel has 8 spokes, each representing the 3hour period or the Prahara in a 24hour day. Each wheel has unique stone carvings and acts as sun dials to calculate time accurately to a minute.

The temple is comprised of a sanctum with a lofty Shikara, a Jagamohana (audience hall) and a detached Natya mandir (hall of dance). The original temple had a main sanctum sanctorum (vimana), which was supposedly 229 feet tall. But because of the huge weight of the super structure and weak soil of the area, the main vimana fell in 1837. The audience hall (Jagamohana), which is about 128 feet still stands and is the principal structure in the surviving ruins.The main temple faces the east so that the first rays of the sun hit the main entrance through the Natya mandir. Though much of the temple is in ruins, the structures and elements that still remain are famous for their intricate carvings, artwork and story panels. The Konark temple is also known for its erotic sculptures of maithunas.

The uniqueness of the Sun Temple of Konark lies in the fact that it was built with an architectural setup of various magnets. During the construction of the main tower of the temple, an iron plate was placed between every two stone pieces. The lodestone or the naturally occurring magnetite at the top of the temple was said to be a huge 52ton magnet. According to legend, the statue of the Sun God inside the temple was built of a material with high iron content and was said to be floating in air due to the unique arrangements of the magnets at the top and bottom and the placement of reinforced magnets along the temple walls.

Every single aspect of the Sun temple at Konark is unique and the architectural marvel is awe inspiring. Centuries ago, the temple was very close to the sea and was used as a navigational point by European sailors. They referred to the temple as “The Black Pagoda” because of its color and the magnetic force that drew ships to its shores and caused ship wrecks.

The Sun temple at Konark is definitely a place to visit to see the astounding brilliance in architecture on such a mammoth scale. It remains a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, who gather there every year for the Chandrabhaga Mela around the month of February.

Bibliography

www.en.wikipedia.com

www.india.com

www.jagranjosh.com

www.ancient.eu/Konark_Sun_Temple

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The main deity is Meenakshi who is an avatar of Lord Parvathi. The other main shrine is for Lord Sundareshwarar. It is believed that Lord Shiva came to earth as Sundareshwarar and married Meenakshi (Parvati) at this specific place where the temple now stands. One of the highlights at the temple is the night ceremony. Every night, Lord Shiva (in the form of Sundareshwarar) is taken in a palanquin by temple priests performing a puja, amidst chanting to the shrine of Meenakshi Amman and he is brought back to his shrine every morning.

Apart from these main shrines, there are shrines for others deities like Ganesha, & Murugan.  Smaller shrines for deities Lakshmi, Rukmini and Saraswati are also present withing the temple campus. This magnificent temple is a pilgrimage destination for Shaivites or followers of Shiva. The temple also includes Vishnu in many sculptures, architectural carvings & rituals. He is believed to be Meenakshi’s brother according to some Vaishnava texts. Both, devotees of Shaivism and Vaishnavism visit the temple embracing both the traditions of Hinduism.

It is a huge temple which occupies an area of 14 acres. The entire structure represents a “madala” when viewed from the above. A mandala is a structure built according to laws of symmetry and loci. The bottom part of the temple is made from granite while the gopurams are made of limestone. There are four huge gopurams which act as gateways to the Meenakshi Amman temple. The gopurams have intricate, beautifully colored sculptures from Dravidian architecture.

In all, there are fourteen towering gopurams in the temple complex. The tall gopurams have intricate sculptures with mythological stories and exquisite carvings of the gods and goddesses. The temple complex also has numerous halls or mandapams. These halls were built by the reigning kings as a resting place for the devotees. The largest mandapam is called the hall of a thousand pillars. The hall has 985 pillars and was built in 1569. Beautiful sculptures and carvings adorn the walls and pillars. The five musical pillars outside this mandapam are a sight to behold and experience.

Millions of devotees attend the ”thirukalyanam” festival which is a celebration of the wedding of Meenakshi Amman with Sundareshwarar highlighted with grandeur and festivities that takes place over a period of 10 days during the month of April every year.

The grandeur of the architecture and sculptures at the Meenakshi temple had made it one of the wonders in India. Since Meenakshi is the main deity of the temple, the importance of women in a tamil Hindu family is signified and highlighted.

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The goddess Vaishnavi Devi was formed from the combined energies of Goddess Mahakali, mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati to rid the earth of doom. The collective energies of the three Goddesses, emerged as eight-armed Goddess, riding on a lion. She destroyed the demons that were on earth. Mata Vaishno Devi was born to Ratnakar Sagar in South of India. Her parents were childless for several years. As a child she was named Trikuta. She was immersed in devotional service of Lord Vishnu and when she was marriageable age, she left home to perform intense austerities to win Lord Vishnu as her husband.

Years passed, and as an answer to her prayers, Lord Vishnu appeared to her in the form of Lord Rama, during his search of Sita (During Ramayana). Trikuta was distraught, so Lord Rama promised her that he would return to her one day. The legend, goes on to say Lord Rama returned to her as an old man and asked her to marry her, however, not recognizing that it was Lord Vishnu, she refused. Due to her penance, Lord Rama granted her the boon, in his incarnation as Kalki during Kaliguya, he would marry her and asked her to wait on the Trikuta mountain. She continued her meditation and moved from place to place which threatened the local Tantrik. He sent his disciple Bhairon Nath to find out about her, but he fell in love with her and stalked her. To escape his unwanted attention, she entered a cave and continued her meditation.  Bhairon Nath discovered her, she severed off Bhairon Nath’s head with her sword. After this episode she reentered the cave and assumed the form of three rocks in order to continue uninterrupted meditation until She becomes one with the Lord. Millions of devotees go every year to get her blessings. Ganga flows through this cave so that the devotees can clean their feet before entering the cave.

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As one walks into this temple, you can see the grandeur of the temple. The temple complex has seven “prakaras” or enclosures around the sanctum sanctorum.  It has 21 magnificent towers, each standing majestically towards the sky. These towers are carved with unique images depicting ancient stories related to the religion. The architecture is ornate and developed over centuries with contributions from various dynasties. This temple is situated on an island formed by the twin rivers Cauvery and Kolirdon (a tributary). This is the only temple with seven enclosures, a sacred symbolic number which represents the seven elements making up the human body.

The inner five enclosures of the complex constitute the temple, the outer two enclosures function as the settlement.  These homes have been passed on from one generation to the next, thus keeping the homes within the family. The temple is the nucleus and the life of the people is centered around it! These people wake up as early as 4:00 am, clean the stoop and create rangoli while chanting Vedic hymns. After their morning routines, they walk towards the temple and get Lord Ranganatha’s blessings. Oh! How melodies the chanting sounds!

There are many mandapams and one of the finest is a Hall with 900 pillars which are equally spaced pillars. Each pillar is carved with various figures and animals. There are many small shrines around the parameters of the temple.  Food is prepared at the temple and distributed to almost the entire town.

The wall of the Temple complex is painted with paintings using herbal and vegetable dyes. Imagine the technology used in these paintings ensuring a long life for generations/century to come.

This temple has been renovated to its original status, which took 16 months and completed in 2017. UNESCO has awarded this temple the Asian Pacific Award of Merit for cultural heritage conservation.

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The presiding deity of the Guruvayur temple is Vishnu, worshipped in the form of his avatar, Krishna. The main deity is a four-armed standing Vishnu carrying a conch, the discus, the mace and a lotus and adorned with a holy basil or Tulsi garland. Legend states that Krishna asked two sages to bring the idol from his temple in Dwarka to this holy place in Kerala. The idol was brought by Vayudeva and Guru Bruhaspathi and hence the place was called Guruvayur. The idol is said to be made of a powerful stone called “Patala Anjanama” that is known to have several healing and miraculous properties.

The Guruvayur temple was built according to the traditional Kerala temple architecture. The “chuttambalam” or courtyard is paved with roughly hewn granite slabs and has ornate pillars adorned with statues at its periphery. The “sreekovil” or the sanctum sanctorum is at the center of the temple. The main entrance (Nada) of the temple is on the eastern side. There is another entrance from the west as well. From the main doorway or entrance, the idol of Guruvayur Krishna is visible to the eye. Along the doorway to the inner sanctum are ten beautifully carved pillars on either side where the golden writings of “Narayaneeyam” were inscribed in the praise of Lord Guruvayur.  The temple is graced by a large pond to its northern side, which is known as the “Rudratheertham”. Apart from Lord Guruvayurappan, the temple also houses idols of Bhagavathy, Ganapathy and Sastha.

It is believed that Vishwakarma, the divine architect built the first temple here. A special feature of the construction is that the Sun God pays obeisance to Lord Vishnu on Vishu day (Lunar New year). On the auspicious day of Vishu, the Sun’s rays fall directly at the feet of Lord Vishnu.

One of the interesting features in the temple is the “Dipastambham” or a pillar of lamps. The best time to visit the temple is during celebrations and festivals where this pillar is completely lit with lamps and the glow in the temple is a sight to behold. One of the major festivals celebrated in Guruvayur is the festival during the month of March according to the Malayalam calendar. It is a ten-day long Aaratt festival that starts with an elephant race and ends with the ritual immersion of the idol.

The legend of Guruvayur temple is inseparable from its temple elephants, the most famous of them being Guruvayur Kesavan who was honored with the title of “Gajarajan” (Elephant King).

Guruvayur temple is governed by some of the most stringent dress codes of any temple in India. Men can only wear Dhotis with no clothing on their upper body. Ladies may wear Saris or Salwar kameez.

Guruvayur Krishna temple is known to be “Bhuloka Vaikunta” or abode of Lord Vishnu on earth. Compared to many temples in South India, the Guruvayur temple is quite small – however what it lacks in size it more than makes up in terms of fame and the unshakable faith of its devotees that visit the temple every year.

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Of the nearly hundred caves, thirty-four are open to the public. The twelve Buddhist temples, seventeen Hindu temples and the five Jain temples were built close to one another and illustrate the religious harmony that existed in ancient India.

The Hindu caves are very ornate with beautiful sculptures and the Buddhist and Jain temples are more simplistic in construction. The Jain caves are located at the northern side and mainly belong to the Digambara sect. These cave temples are smaller than the Hindu and Buddhist cave temples and abound in intricate and detailed carvings. The Buddhist cave temples are located on the southern side and have exquisite wood like sculpting made on stone. The Buddhist caves had a semblance to monasteries with a Buddha shrine, huge halls, living quarters, sleeping quarters and other rooms.

The most notable among the cave temples is Kailasha, Cave 16 which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Unlike other temples at that site, the Kailash complex was built by cutting vertical basaltic rocks that allowed extensive natural light into the temple. This beautiful temple is 32metres high and is the largest rock-cut monument in the world

The cave temple is massive, covering twice the area of the Parthenon in Athens. In the main courtyard of the temple is the sculpture of Nandi, the sacred cow of Shiva that faces the Shiva lingam. The temple also has several intricately carved panels depicting scenes from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the adventures of Krishna. Beautifully carved monolithic pillars stand on either side of the courtyard and the ten large, exquisitely carved ornate panels depicting the different avatars of Lord Vishnu adorns the south eastern gallery. At the base of the temple are huge elephant sculptures that by their design and architecture, seem to support the whole structure on their backs.

The Ellora Caves are a must-see tourist attraction near the city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra. It is a wonderful monument that illustrates the spirit of tolerance and harmony that existed among all religions in ancient India.

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