Shivaratri -

Shivaratri kada kastha devudini talchukundam ani ee chinna prayatnam...famous shiva kshetras kosam search chesi ikkada post chestunna...hope you will like it..

Manasarovar Lake lies at 4,556 m (14947.5 ft) above mean sea level. It is one of the highest fresh-water lakes in the world. Lake Manasarovar is relatively round in shape. The circumference of Manasarovar is 88 kilometres (55 mi), depth is 90 m (300 ft) and it occupies a total area of 320 square kilometres (120 sq mi). The lake freezes in winter and melts only in the spring. It is connected to Lake Rakshastal by the natural Ganga Chhu channel. The Sutlej River, the Brahmaputra River, the Indus River, and the Karnali River (Ghaghara River) all trace their sources to its close vicinity.
As per Hindu mythology Lake Manasarovar is the abode of purity and one who touches the earth of Mansarovara will go to the paradise of Brahma. One who drinks the water from the lake will go to the heaven of Lord Shiva. He will be cleansed of his sins committed over a hundred lifetimes.

Kashi Vishwanath temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and is in the holy city of Varanasi, India. The temple stands on the western bank of Hinduism's holiest river Ganges, and the deity is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas the holiest of Shiva deities. The main deity is known by the name Vishwanatha or Vishweshwara meaning the Ruler of the universe. The temple town that claims to be the oldest living city in the world, with 3500 years of documented history is also called Kashi and hence the temple is popularly called as
Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Due to this 15.5m high golden spire, the temple is sometimes called as the Golden Temple, similar to the Sikh Gurudwara at Amritsar. The temple has been in Hindu mythology for a very long time and a central part of worship in the Shaiva philosophy. The original temple has not yet been found and due to invasions, the temple has been destroyed and rebuit a number of times.

Kedarnath temple is one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located atop the Garhwal Himalayan range near the river Mandakini in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand in India. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of April to start of November. The temple is not directly accessible by road and has to be reached by a 14 km uphill trek from Gaurikund. The temple is believed to have been built by Adi Sankaracharya and is one of the twelve Jyothirlingas, the holiest Hindu shrines of Lord Shiva. The older temple existed from the times of Mahabharat, when the Pandavas are supposed to have pleased Shiva by doing penance in Kedarnath. The temple is also one of the four major sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage of Northern Himalayas. The actual temple is an impressive stone edifice of unknown date. According to the Puranas, the Pandava brothers did a major penance in Kedarnath to please Lord Shiva. As a matter of fact, as one enters the main temple, the first hall contains statues of the five Pandava brothers, Lord Krishna, Nandi, the vehicle of Shiva and Virabhadra, one of the greatest guards of Shiva. An unusual feature of the temple is the the head of a man carved in the triangular stone fascia of the temple. Such a head is seen carved in another temple nearby, namely the temple constructed on the site of the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. No specific family of pujaris supervises rituals at Kedarnath, which focus around veneration of the stone lingam that rests in the inner sanctum of the temple.

Amarnath caves are one of the most famous shrines in Hinduism, dedicated to the god Shiva, located in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The shrine is claimed to be over 5,000 years old and forms an important part of ancient Hindu mythology. Inside the main Amarnath cave lies an ice stalagmite resembling the Shiva Linga, which waxes during May to August and gradually wanes thereafter. This lingam is said to grow and shrink with the phases of the moon, reaching its height during the summer festival. According to Hindu mythology, this is the cave where Shiva explained the secret of life and eternity to his divine consort Parvati. There are two other ice formations representing Parvati and Shiva's son, Ganesha. The cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,760 ft), about 141 km (88 mi) from Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The Central Reserve Police Force, Indian Army and Indian Paramilitary Forces maintain a strong presence in the region due to concerns of security and hence prior permission is needed from the Government of India before making a pilgrimage. It is a popular pilgrimage destination for Hindus - about 400,000 people visit during the 45-day season around the festival of Shravani Mela in July-August, coinciding with the Hindu holy month of Shravan. Devotees generally take the 42 km (26 mi) pilgrimage on foot from the town of Pahalgam, about 96 km (60 mi) from Srinagar, and cover the journey in four to five days. There are two alternate routes to the temple: the longer and more traditional path from Srinagar, and the shorter route from the town of Baltal. Some devotees, particularly the elderly, also ride on horse-back to make the journey.

Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple' is a historic Hindu temple located in the holy city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva (in the form of Sundareswarar or Beautiful Lord) and his consort, Goddess Parvati (in the form of Minakshi). The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2500 year old city of Madurai. This temple has a stunning architecture and a significant testimony for Vishwakarma Brahmins for their master architecture in sculpting this temple.This was a frontrunner in the election for the architectural importance.The complex houses 12 magnificent gopurams or towers that are elaborately sculptured and painted. (As of December 2008, the temple gopurams are covered in scaffolding which completely obscures them from view.) The temple is a significant symbol for the Tamil people, and has been mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature, though the present structure is believed to have been built only recently in the early 17th century.

Ramanathaswamy Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to god Shiva located in the island of Rameswaram in the state of Tamilnadu, India. According to Shaiva mythology, god Rama is believed to have prayed to Shiva here to absolve any sins that he might have committed during his war against the demon king Ravana. The temple along with Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the holiest Hindu shrines that has to be visited in one's lifetime and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas the holy abodes of Shiva.

Ekambareswarar Temple is one of the famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in Kanchipuram in the state of Tamilnadu, India.
It is one of the five major Shiva temples or Pancha Bootha Sthalams (each representing a natural element) representing the element - Earth. The other four temples in this category are Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswara (water), Chidambaram Natarajar (ether), Thiruvannamalai Arunachaleswara (fire) and Kalahasti Nathar (wind). It is also one of the 108 Divya desam for Vaishnavites. All of the four revered Saivite Saints have sung the glory of this temple.

Chidambaram Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in the heart of the temple town of Chidambaram, 78 km south of Pondicherry in Cuddalore District, the east-central part of the Tamil Nadu state of southeastern India. Chidambram temple surpasses the limits of architectural wonders and the architects should be eulogized for sculpting this architectural masterpiece. The sangam classics refer to certain viduvelvidugu perumtaccan as being the chief architect of the temple renovation at that point of time. There have been several renovations down the line particularly during the days of Pallava/Chola emperors in ancient and pre-medieval periods.In Hindu literature, Chidambaram is one of the five holiest Shiva temples, each representing one of the five natural elements - space.

Annamalaiyar Temple (Arunachaleswara in Sanskrit) is a noted Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located at the bottom of the Annamalai hill in Thiruvannamalai town in Tamilnadu, India. It is the home of Annamalaiyar or Arunachaleswarar (Lord Shiva worshipped as a Shiva Lingam) and Unnamalaiyaal (Apitakuchambaal - Parvati), and is one of the largest temples in India. It occupies a special place in the Saivite realm and is regarded as one of the Pancha Bhoota Sthalams (one of the five grand temples associated with the five basic elements) – associated with the element Fire;

Sri Kalahasthi is a temple town in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Located here is one of the famous Shiva temples in South India, and is said to be the site where Kannappa, one of the 63 Saivite Nayanars, was ready to offer both his eyes to cover blood flowing from the Siva linga before the Lord Siva stopped him and granted mukti. Sri Kalahasti temple, situated 36 km away from Tirupati is famous for its Vayu deva temple, which is the only shrine for the God of Wind in India. Constructed in the 12th century by the Chola king, Rajendra Chola, Vayu is incarnated as Lord Shiva and worshipped as Kalahasteeswara.

Thiruvanaikaval (also Thiruvanaikal) is a famous Shiva temple in Tiruchirapalli (Trichy), located in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple was built by Kocengannan (Kochenga Chola), one of the Early Cholas, around 1,800 years ago. It is adjacent to the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam.Thiruvanaikal is one of the five major Shiva temples (Panchabhoota Sthalams) representing the Mahābhūta or five great elements; this temple represents the element of water, or neer in Tamil. The main deity of the temple is Jambukeswara, representing the element water. Jambukeswara is depicted sitting under a jambu tree, which grows over a small stream that engulfs the deity during the rainy season. The temple is also considered the abode of goddess Akilandeswari, one of the forms of the goddess Parvati.

The Brihadishwara Temple also known as Rajarajeswaram, at Thanjavur is a brilliant example of the major heights achieved by Cholas in temple architecture. It is a tribute and a reflection of the power of its patron RajaRaja Chola I. It remains as one of the greatest glories of Indian architecture. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola Temples".This temple is one of India's most prized architectural sites. The temple stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century. The 'Vimana' or the temple tower is 216 ft (66 m) high (about 70 meters) and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. The Kalash or 'Shikhara' (bulbous structure on the top) of the temple is itself very large and heavy (81.25 tons). There is a big statue of Nandi (sacred bull), carved out of a single rock, at the entrance measuring about 16 feet long and 13 feet high. The entire temple structure is made out of hard granite stones - hardly available in Thanjavur area where the temple is located.

Aragalur :Sri Kamanada Eswar and Solesvara (Ashlar walls)- dedicated to Lord Shiva and Karivarada Raja Perumal dedicated to Lord Vishnu. There is also a 6 foot tall Buddha idol in the village of Thiaganoor on the outskirts of the Aragalur. There will be a pooja conducted in Kamanada Eswar Temple for Lord Bhairavar on Astami star day which is coming after full moon day at 12.00AM midnight which will give many blessings to the pilgrim.

Nellaiappar Temple (also spelled Nellaiyappar) is located in the heart of the city of Tirunelveli in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the famous Tamil Nadu temples, deep in tradition and history and also known for its musical pillars and brilliant sculptural splendours. The temple dates back to 700 AD and in the temple are inscriptions going back to 950 A.D. It is believed there were two distinct temples. They were built for Shiva and for Parvati, the consort to Lord Shiva, by the Pandyan kings.It is the largest Shiva Temple in TamilNadu

The Somnath Temple located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India is the most sacred of the twelve Jyotirlings (lingas of light) symbols of the God Shiva. It is mentioned in the Rig Veda. Somnath means "The Protector of Moon God". The Somnath Temple is known as 'the Shrine Eternal', as although the temple has been destroyed six times it has been rebuilt every single time. Hindu mythology states that years ago, the Moon God Chandra, being arrogant about his beauty, was cursed by his father-in-law Daksha to wane. The Moon then prayed to Lord Shiva at the Prabhas tirth who then removed the curse partially, thus causing the periodic waning of moon.It's been said that Somnath Temple was first built with gold by Moon God, with silver by Ravana, with sandalwood by Lord Krishna, and with stone by Bhimdeva (Solanki Ruler of Gujarat)

Vadakkkunnathan Temple, also known as Thenkailasam and Vrishabhachalam, is one of the largest and ancient Shiva temples in Kerala. It is located in the heart of Thrissur town. This temple is a classic example of the Kerala style of architecture with beautiful murals delineating graphically, various episodes from the Mahabharata. The shrines and the Koothambalam display exquisite vignettes carved in wood. According to popular lore, the temple was built by Parasurama. Adi Sankaracharya was born, it is believed, after his parents who had remained childless for many years prayed at the temple. The sprawling Thekkinkadu maidan, en circling the Vadakumnathan temple, is the main venue of the Thrissur Pooram.