Incredible India: 6 Temples where “The Evil” is worshiped.
We all have grown up in a staunch society which has a clear definition good and evil. And hence, we are tutored to follow the good and resist the evil. The idea of building temples is basically to dedicate a place to someone who you appreciate and take inspiration from. But have you ever challenged your firm ideologies and tried taking inspiration from the evil ones? Obviously not! But there are some communities in India who dedicated temples to the evil ones, sensing some goodness in them.
So here is the list of temples which are not dedicated to gods and goddesses, rather to the evil characters of Hindu mythology.
Gandhari Temple, Mysore
This unusual Gandhari Temple is a temple in Hebbya village, Mysore, India. The temple is been constructed after Gandhari, mother of hundred Kaurava brothers, in the great epic of all times, Mahabharatha. Gandhari’s flaw was her blind love for her a hundred sons, especially her first born, Duryodhana. Even he blinded her to his flaws and greed. Otherwise in the entire epic, she is seen as an incarnation of Mati, the Goddess of Intelligence.
The society appreciated her devotion not only as a mother but as a wife as well. Therefore, a temple has been dedicated after her. The foundation stone of the temple was laid on June 19, 2008 with a budget of over 2.5 crores.
Kakinada Ravana Temple, Andhra Pradesh
While most Hindus celebrate the festival of Dussehra by putting fire to the dummy of Ravana. It symbolizes the victory of good over evil. But the ten headed devil king from Hindu mythology is worshipped at this unique temple in Andhra Pradesh. Apart from being the kidnapper of Sita and marching against the Devas, he was a great scholar and devotee of Lord Shiva.
One of the most unusual temples India
Kakinada is one of the rarest cities in India which has a temple of Ravana. The temple gate in itself is a huge construction of idol of Ravana. This is one unique site which should not be missed while paying visit to the place. Idol of the great Lord Shiva, is also placed inside the temple. The view of the beautiful water stretch and tranquil environment of the temple attracts tourists to a great extend.
Temple of Karna, Uttarakhand
This temple dedicated to Karna, the eldest son of Kunti in the great epic even composed, Mahabharata. He is known through the ages to be very kind and merciful among the people that existed during his time. His acts of unconditional kindness earned him the title of Dana Veera Karna. To celebrate and worship this brave hero and kind hearted warrior, there are a lot of temples dedicated to him in India. One of them is located in Devara, Uttarakhand.
The temple has strikingly beautiful carving of animals and birds. Besides, you’ll also find incarnations of scenes from another great epic, Ramayana. The villagers and tourists practice a ritual of pinning coins on the temple walls as a thanksgiving of their fulfilled wishes.
Duryodhan’s Temple, Kerala
Yes, you heard it right! Poruvazhy Peruviruthy Malanada, is the only Temple dedicated to Duryodhan in India. It is one of the most unusual temple, because Duryodhan has always been seen as an evil character in Hindu mythology.
Legend of the temple- As a part of his rigorous efforts to trace out the ‘Pandavas’ in exile, Duryodhanan travelled to the forests in the south and reached Malanada hill. By that time he was very tired and asked a nearby house towards the north of Malanada for drinking water. An old woman came out and gave him toddy as a mark of respect. As the king enjoyed the drink, he saw the ‘Kurathali’ worn by the old woman that only belonged to an untouchable lower caste. The king calmed himself and looked at the divinity of the place and its people who possessed some kind of positive powers. Thereafter, the great Kauvravan king sat on a hill and worshipped Lord Siva day and night, praying for the welfare of his people. In the act of charity he gave away hundred of acres of agricultural land and paddy fields to the ‘Devasthanam’
Temple of Sakuni, Kerala
You got it right! We are talking about the man who with his sharp mind pushed the Pandavas into exile. His temple at Pavithreswaram, Kerala is perhaps the only one of its kind in the country. An artistic granite throne inside this ancient temple, is considered as the sacred seat of Sakuni.
Legend around the temple- During the battle of Mahabharatha, Sakuni roamed around the country along with his nephews, the Kauravas. Sakuni returned to this place after the great battle and attained ‘moksha’ with the blessings of Lord Siva and then became Lord Sakuni.
Bheeshma’s Temple, Allahabad
It is the sole temple dedicated to Bhishma Pitamah in the Indian subcontinent. This rare temple was constructed by J R Bhatt, a high court lawyer. This temple has an idol of the son of Ganga, Bhishma Pitamah, who is sleeping on the bed of arrows. The temple was completed in 1961. The temple has a twelve feet long idol made of sandstone. “People come to this sole temple, especially during Pitra Paksha, to offer offerings and seek prayers to their ancestors, represent by none other than son of river Ganga Bhishma,” the priest said, whose family has been performing the duty of priest here since generations.
Instead of going to cliche temples where people are recklessly worshiping the ‘good’, why not try worshiping the ‘evil’? Anyway, all that seems evil is not always evil. Happy travelling!
This unusual Gandhari Temple is a temple in Hebbya village, Mysore, India. The temple is been constructed after Gandhari, mother of hundred Kaurava brothers, in the great epic of all times, Mahabharatha. Gandhari’s flaw was her blind love for her a hundred sons, especially her first born, Duryodhana. Even he blinded her to his flaws and greed. Otherwise in the entire epic, she is seen as an incarnation of Mati, the Goddess of Intelligence.
The temple has strikingly beautiful carving of animals and birds. Besides, you’ll also find incarnations of scenes from another great epic, Ramayana. The villagers and tourists practice a ritual of pinning coins on the temple walls as a thanksgiving of their fulfilled wishes.
Legend of the temple- As a part of his rigorous efforts to trace out the ‘Pandavas’ in exile, Duryodhanan travelled to the forests in the south and reached Malanada hill. By that time he was very tired and asked a nearby house towards the north of Malanada for drinking water. An old woman came out and gave him toddy as a mark of respect. As the king enjoyed the drink, he saw the ‘Kurathali’ worn by the old woman that only belonged to an untouchable lower caste. The king calmed himself and looked at the divinity of the place and its people who possessed some kind of positive powers. Thereafter, the great Kauvravan king sat on a hill and worshipped Lord Siva day and night, praying for the welfare of his people. In the act of charity he gave away hundred of acres of agricultural land and paddy fields to the ‘Devasthanam’
Legend around the temple- During the battle of Mahabharatha, Sakuni roamed around the country along with his nephews, the Kauravas. Sakuni returned to this place after the great battle and attained ‘moksha’ with the blessings of Lord Siva and then became Lord Sakuni.
It is the sole temple dedicated to Bhishma Pitamah in the Indian subcontinent. This rare temple was constructed by J R Bhatt, a high court lawyer. This temple has an idol of the son of Ganga, Bhishma Pitamah, who is sleeping on the bed of arrows. The temple was completed in 1961. The temple has a twelve feet long idol made of sandstone. “People come to this sole temple, especially during Pitra Paksha, to offer offerings and seek prayers to their ancestors, represent by none other than son of river Ganga Bhishma,” the priest said, whose family has been performing the duty of priest here since generations.
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