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Showing posts from April 6, 2015


Bileshwar Shiva – Billeshwar Mahadeva

Bileshwar is one among the numerous forms of Shiva. As Billeshwar Mahadeva, he is the lord of the Bilva leaves. One of the most important offering to Shiva is the Bilva leaves and Bilva fruit. Billeshwar Mahadeva is one of the eighty four Mahadevas in Ujjain . He is worshipped in this form at Amodiya Village near Ujjain . One of the most important temples dedicated to Bileshwar is located in Gujarat . The shrine is located near Porbandar in Gujarat . Legend has it that w hen Mughal ruler Aurangzeb’s army came to raze the temple then poisonous “Bhamra” were produced and the soldiers were bitten and killed and the temple remained untouched. Information about Billeshwar Mahadeva is found in Skanda Purana.

Parankundram Cave near Madurai – Classical Nataraja Thandava Form Cut in Relief in a Cave

Parankundram Cave is located about 7 km from Madurai in Tamil Nadu and is a famous cave temple. Classical Nataraja Thandava form cut in relief in a cave makes the Parankundram cave unique. The Hindu reports  The classical Nataraja has been sculpted with a circular flaming areole complete with two makara forms at the base, the wavy tresses of the Lord, the Damaru and flame held in his stretched hands, Muyalagan, the dwarf demon underneath, four-headed Brahma on the tabla below and saint Karaikkal Ammaiyar on the side. The Lord’s Consort Sivakami looks on as specified in the canons. The sculptor’s mastery over the medium is evident in the way he has removed the material to position the left foot almost entirely out of the wall, giving the entire body the classic three bends – the Tribanga. Sadly, both the sculptures have been badly mutilated. It is interesting to note that on both sides of the dancing form are the reliefs of Ganesha, as the five-headed Heramba Ganapathy se