Strange Temples in India
India is a land of temples! You’d find one practically in every nook and corner of the country and this doesn’t come as a surpise what with the millions of gods we Indians pray to. We Indians take our religion and beliefs very seriously. However, these religious beliefs have some strange manifestions as well and these have resulted in the strangest temples in India... Let us take a look...The Chinese Kali Temple in Tangra, KolkataThe Chinese Kali Temple in Tangra Kolkata is not famous for its idol of Kali Maa. But it is the prasad that brings scores of devotees to her doorstep. Like her name, the temple offers noodles, Chinese fried rice and vegetables as prasad. The town of Tangra has a lot of Chinese population who follow either Buddhism or Christianity. But they all come together in a cultural synthesis at this Kali Temple.The Airplane Temple, JalandharThe Airplane temple or the Aeroplane Gurudwara in the Daoba District is famous in North India. Home to Shahid baba Nihal Singh, devotees who wish to fulfil their desires of travelling abroad, offer aeroplane models here. Shop owners around the Gurudwara offer plastic planes of various sizes for devotees who wish to offer something.The Trishund Ganapati Temple in Somvar Peth, PuneIf you happen to be in Somvar Peth area, you must visit the unique ‘Trishund’ Ganapati Temple in the area. It is unique majorily due to the one and only Ganesh idol in the country that has threetrunks as it is aptly called ‘Trishund’. Also, interestingly, this is the only temple in Pune to be built completely in stone by Bhimjigiri Gosavi between 1754 – 1770 AD.The Ravana Temple in Ravangram, Vidisha District, Madhya PradeshWe revere Lord Rama, the purshottam while Ravana is looked down upon. However, even though Ravana is the ultimate villain according Hindu mythology, many Indian Hindus pray to Lord Ravan as well.
This holds true for people in living the Ravanagram village in the Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh. Here one will find the ancient relic, i.e. the 10 feet tall idol of Ravana in an ‘araam’ or reclining position.The Kali Singh Temple in Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar PradeshWe worship our cattle, especially cows; ‘Gai humari mata hai’ and the Kali Singh temple is a place where cattle is worshipped. This temple was built in honour of the local vetenerian Kali Singh. Devotees flock to the temple from far and wide, offering milk and prayers to cattle animals. Many women prepare kheer from milk obtained these offerings to the deity.The Hadimba or Hidimba Temple in ManaliHidimba, Bhima’s wife and Ghatotkacha’s mother from Hindu mythology has been honoured with a temple in Manali. This temple is unlike any other Hindu temple in architecture as itis a wooden, three-storey temple built in the pagoda style. The temple was built here as it is believed that here is where Hidimba meditated and became Devi Hidimba.The Visa Baba Temple of the Chilkur Balaji Temple in HyderabadThe Visa granting Balaji or lord Venkateshwara who is the residing deity of this Temple in Hyderabad is very popular especially amongst students or individuals who are facing Visa issues. It is said that in the 1980s a bunch of students from Chennai who were facing problemswith their USA visa, offered their prayers here and they were answered! The rest is history! Also, another unique fact about this temple is that it doesn’t have a donation box.
The Amitabh Bachchan Temple in KolkataStrange are the ways of Indian beliefs! We love our gods but we love some human beings even more! And the legendary Indian actor, amitabh Bachchan is definitely on top of this list. Here Bachchan Sr. Is seen as God and devotees flock from all across the state to offer their prayers to him. They even sing hymns in his name.The Bharat Mata Temple in VaranasiThe fervour of patriotism is forever alive in us Indians and what a better way to honour this feeling than building a temple entirely dedicated to our Bharat Mata or Mother India.
Located in Varanasi, built by Babu Shiv Prasad Gupt, it was inaugurated by the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi himself in 1936. The deity here is of course Mother India, built in the form of the entire Indian map in marble. This temple honours everyone who participated in the formation of India as a nation.The Dog Temple in KarnatakaDogs are wonderful creatures. They are loyal, faithful, selflessly loving and of course very protective of their loved ones. And to honour these qualities in dogs, a community in Karnataka has built a temple where the dog is a deity. They believe that these wonderful qualities of a dog can surely help mankind become a betterspecies. Also, a dog’s qualities of fighting for wrong doings is also taken in consideration.Bullet Baba ShrineThe bullet baba shrine is worth a visit definitely! Located on the Pali-Rajasthan highway, if you are driving by, you must visit the shrine as it will help you stay away from accidents! What is unusal about the temple is that the deity here is a 350 cc Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle belonging to the now late Om Singh or Om banna as he was known.According to legend, in the year 1991, an individual – Om Singh, son of Jog Singh, resident of the Chottila Village, bought a bullet bike right after he was married. He loved his bullet very much and some even say, such love for a vehicle is very unusual. However, while riding to Pali, he met with an accident as his bike hit a fell and he fell into a 20ft deep pit. He died onthe spot.As police retreived the body, they took the bike to the police station.
However, the next morning it found at the accident site. Not paying much heed as someone may have done it, they took the bike back to the station and emptied the fuel tank. However, the bike went away again. Now the fear and the possibility of a ghost unnerved the policemen and they handed the bike over to the family. The bike was then sold to a businessman in Gujarat but the bike mysteriously kept disappearing and reaching the accident spot 400 kms away.The bike was now abandoned and a temple was built at the spot. People offer prayers here as well as liquor and cigarettes.Sachin Tendulkar Temple, Attarwalia, Kaimur District, PatnaConstructed in the heart of Attarwalia, a village in the Kaimur district of south-western Patna or popularly known as the home town of Bhojpuri actor Manjo Tiwari, it is home to the Indian God ofCricket aka Sachin Tendulkar.Yes, the temple is constructed on 15,000 sqft area, it houses a life-size statue of Sachin Tendulkar in pure white marble which weighs 850 kgs and took 8.5 lakh rupees to build. The temple also houses statues of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. Popularly known as the Sachin Temple, the temple compound will play host to a 17-acre cricket academy as well.Mahatma Gandhi Temple, Sambalpur, OrissaPerhaps, the most apt institution to pay a tribute to the father of our Nation, is the temple built in Bhatra Village off Sambalpur in Orissa. People from far and wide, come to honour Mahatma Gandhi daily. Caste or creed has no place here as it is open to all.
Followers read out the teachings of Gandhi here.Rajinikanth Temple in Kolar, KarnatakaRajinikanth is no stranger to crazy fan following and having a temple in his name comes as no surprise! His devoted fans have created a special ‘Sahasra Lingam’ temple at the Kotilingeswara Temple in Kolar in Karnataka.Sonia Gandhi Temple, Karimnagar, Andhra PradeshSonia Gandhi, doesn’t need an introduction. Over the years she has garnered accolades as well as flak from people of India. However, folks in Andhra Pradesh have a new-found respect for her, so much that they have built her a temple where they worship her regularly. The reason – her granting them the state of Telangana!Kaal Bhairav Temple, UjjainKaal Bhairav is a force to reckon with! And the temple dedicated to Lord Kaal Bhairav in Ujjain has an unique offering as prasad. People offer alcohol... yes, you heard that right. Outside the temple complex, you would find prasad vendors handing out baskets costing from INR 40. It contains coconuts, flowers and yes, a 140 ml bottle of liquor.Brahma Baba Temple, JaunpurBrahma Baba temple located in Jaunpur is very famous. It is also known as the temple of Ghadiwale baba, i.e. people come here to fulfil their unfulfilled desires by offering a wall-clock.
Yes, within the temple complex one can see scores and scores of hanging wall clocks. Also, so strong is the belief among the people about Brahma Baba that no one dares to rob any clocks.
