All in this places Lord Vishnu betting worship by lot of pilgrims in different incarnations.
Four places are-
Badrinath
Rameshwaram
Dwarika
Puri
This four places are situated in the four direction of India Badrinath is on north,Rameshwaram is on south,Dwarika is on west,Puri is on east and it believed that Lord Vishnu takes his bath at Rameshwaram,meditates at Badrinath,dines at Puri and retires at Dwarika.
Badrinath
Badrinath is a holy town of Hindu.Badrinath is situated in a nagar panchayat of Chamoli district in the state Uttarakhand,India.This town is gets its name in the name of holy Badrinath temple.
Location
Badrinath was established by Adi Shankara in ninth century.Badrinath is situated in the Garhwal hills,on the bank of Alkananda river.
The town is in between the Nar and Narayan mountain ranges and in shadow of Nilakantha peak.
Badrinath is located on 301 km north of Rishikesh.From Gourikund to Badrinath by road is 233 km.
History of Badrinath
Many history behind Badrinath temple:-Badrinath is the sacred place of Lord Vishnu.In Badrinath Lord Vishnu have dual incarnation of Nara-Narayan.Other name of Badrinath are Badri Vishal and Badrinarayan.
In Mahabharata Krishna addressing Arjuna :-"Nar in the former body and with Narayan for the companion ,did perform dreadful austerity at Badari for many myriads of years".
one more story behind this place is when goddess Ganga was to descend to Earth to help suffering humanity,the Earth is unable to withstand the force of her descent.Therefore the Ganga was split into twelve holy rivers with Alkananda one of them.
The mountain behind Badrinath are maintained in Mahabharata,when the pandavas was decided to ended their life by ascending the slope of peak in western Garhwal called swargarohan .Local legend has it that pandavas passed by Badrinath and the town of Mana.4 km north of Badrinath.
other story is that to save Vishnu from the harmful rays of the sun, his divine consort Lakshmi took the form of a Badri plant and provided shade to him. Pleased by her fervor and devotion, the Lord told her that this place would be famous by her name. Hence, it came to be known as Badrinath.
Badrinath was celebrated in Padma Purana as full of spiritual treasure.
Significant of Badrinath temple
Badrinath temple is the main attraction in the town.According to Lord Shankara discovered a black stone image of Lord Badrinath made of saligram stone in the Alkananda river.He is originally enshrined bear tapt kund(hot springs). In sixteenth century ,the king of Garhwal move the murti(statue) to the present temple.
The temple is approximately 50 ft tall with small cupola at the top,covered with a gold glit roof .
Rameshwaram
Rameshwaram is a town and third grade municipality in the Ramnathpuram district in the South Indian state of Tamilnadu.Location
Rameshwaram is located on pamban island separated from mainland India by the pamban channel and 50 km from Mannar Island,SriLanka.It is situated in the Golf of Mannar,at the very tip of Indian peninsula.
Pamban Island is also known as Rameshwaram Island,is connected mainland India by the Pamban bridge.
It is consider as one of the holiest place in India and in Char Dham.
History of Rameshwaram
Rameshwaram temple is both dedicated to Lord Ram and Shiva.Rameswara means Rama and Ishwara,both Lord Ram(seventh Incarnation of lord Vishnu) and Ishawara (Lord Shiva). In Rameshwaram temple presiding deity is of lord Ramanathswamy.
According to Hindu epic Ramayana,prayed to Lord Shiva to absolve any sins that he might have committed during his war against demon king Ravana in SriLanka.
According to puranas upon the advice of sages,Lord Rama along with his brother Laxman and wife Sita installed and worship the lingam(an iconic symbol of Shiva) here to expiate the sin of Brahmahatya incurred while killing brahmin Ravana.
Sethu Karai is a place 22 km before the Island of Rameshwaram from where Rama is believed to have floating stone bridge.This bridge is continued to Dhanushkodi in Rameshwaram till Talaimannar in SriLanka.
According to the other stories Rama installed the lingam before the construction of the bridge to Lanka.
Significant of Rameshwaram
Ramanathswamy temple is one of the historic landmark of the town,located at the center of the town,temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.This Linga is one of the twelve jyotirlinga.
This temple have longest corridor among all Hindu temples in India.
There are sixty fourth Tirthas or Tirtham in Rameshwaram ,According to Scanda Purana twenty four of them are important.Of the twenty four fourteen are in the forms of tanks and wells within the precincts of the temple.
Twenty two of them are within Ramanathswamy temple.
others teertham are Agnee,Jatayu,Villoondi,Hanuman,Sugreeva,Laxman teertham.
Gandhamardan parvat,a hillock is situated 3 km north to the temple is the highest point in the Island.In this mountain Rama's feet is found as an imprint of chakra.Ramarpatham temple is located on this hillock.
Dhanushkodi is place where Vibishana surrendered before Rama.
Adams bridge is a chain of lime stone,between Rameshwaram and Mannar Island.Evidence suggest that this bridge is a former land connection between india and Srilanka.
The sea separating india and srilanka is known as sethusamudram.Other name of this bridge is Rama setu.
This bridge by Vanara(army of Rama),which he used too reach Lanka to rescue his Sita.
Dwaraka
Dwaraka is a city and municipality of jamnagar district in the Gujurat state in india.Dwaraka is also known as Dwarvati.
It is the dwelling place of lord Krishna.
Location
The city lies under westernmost point of india.It is one of the seven holy sites of india.
This city derives its name in the name of dvar(the door or gate) in Sanskrit.
History of Dwaraka
The city was built by Vishwarkarma(Lord of architecture) on the order of Lord Krishna.Land was reclaimed from the sea near the western shores of Saurashtra.A city was planned and built here.It was a planned city on the bank of Gomati river.The city is always known as Dvaramati,Dvaravati and Kushsthali.
The whole city is made of gold,silver and other precious stones.
Lord Krishna all wife's had her own palace.
After Krishna left the earth for Vaikuntha(place of lord Vishnu) the whole city was submerged into sea.
Significant of Dwaraka temple
The present Dwarakadhish temple was built in 16th century,while the original temple was built by Krishna great grandson Vajravahu.The whole temple is made by lime stone and sand.
Temple have two way swarga dwar is for entry and moksha dwar for exit.
There are also shrine for Vasudev,Debaki,Balaram,Revati,Rukmini,Jambavati,and Satyabama Debi.
Nageswara jyotirling,one of the 12 jyotirlinga is located near Dwaraka.
Puri
Puri is a city and the district headquarters of Puri district,Odisha,India.Puri is also known as Jagannathdham,Srikshetra,Shankhakshtra,Neelachal,Neeladri,Purushottam dham and Jagannath Puri.
Location
Puri is situated on the Bay of Bengal,60 km south of the state capital Bhubaneswar.History of Puri
According to the puranas in satyayuga Indradyumna was a king,and one day a travelling pilgrim came before the king and describe about lord Nilamadhab being worship at Nilachal.After telling story that pilgrim disappeared.
In the request of king his younger brother Vidyapati and his priest went in search of the Lord Nila madhaba.
Vidyapati reached near the bank of river Mahanadi.Savara king Viswavasu received Vidyapati and promised him to show Nila madhaba next morning.
Vidyapati didn't touch anything before seeing the lord.seeing the eagerness of Vidyapati savara king had him bath in Rohini kunda and seated him under the kalpa tree.Vidyapati seeing Nila madhaba being worshiped by devas.Then Vidyapati returned to the capital of king Indradyumna.
After listen all this from Vidyapati,Indradyuman set out for Nila Madhaba with Vidyapati,priest and his followers.But is turned out Nila madhaba has disappeared on the very day when Vidyapati returned to his place.
Upon reaching the spot they found the god missing and whole area covered with sand.The shocked king Indradyumna was apprised of the message of Brahma by Narada: that the King must worship the deity with one thousand Asvamedha yajnas.
The divination of Nila Madhava went on:
"In this world I will not give you darshan in the form of Nila Madhava, but I will manifest in four forms: Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Sudarshana chakra. Wait near Chakra tirtha, and a daru would come afloat. I will manifest in the form of a very large, fragrant, reddish log, and the signs of shankha, chakra, gada, and padma will be seen everywhere on that form. Go there. Take Me out and make four deities from that log. Then you will be able to worship Me."
Upon receiving the devotion of the King, the Purusottama himself took the form of Visvakarma and secretly made the idols of daru (wood).Vishwakarma agrees to carve four idols for Indradyumna, on the condition that the door of the temple should be shut and nobody should try to enter the temple or disturb the carpenter until the idols were ready. Indradyumna promised to follow these conditions and Vishwakarma began his work. However, out of curiosity, the King (or in some versions, Queen Gundicha) could not help stealing a glance at Vishwakarma's work. Vishwakarma, upset at the breach of promise, vanished without completing the idols. Thus, Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are still represented with incomplete limbs. Thereafter, Brahma himself established the holy idols on Vaishakha Sukla, on Pushya star.
Significant of Puri
Puri temple is dedicated to lord Jagarnnath,Balabhadra,and Subhadra.It is the only temple where there the idols are worshiped with brother and sister.The most famous festival of Puri is Ratha Yatra.
Puri is the site of Govardhan math,one of the four cardinal institution established by Adi Shanakaracharya.
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