Garuda Stambha is a stone pillar topped by a stone image of Garuda , the half man – half eagle Vahana or vehicle of Lord Vishnu . The same pillar is called a Garuda Dhvaja when it is an imperial sign. One of the earliest Garuda Stambha and Dhavaja belongs to the 2nd century BC and is found at Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh. Heliodorus of Taxila, who was sent by Indo-Greek ruler Antialkidas to the court of King Bhagabhadra, erected it in honor of Bhagavan Srihari Vishnu . Free standing pillars with garuda figure is an essential feature of temples dedicated to Vishnu or his avatars in India and Nepal . A Garuda Stambha in a Vishnu temple is of same importance as Nandi in a Shiva Temple.

Agastyamuni Mandir is located around 25 km from Guptkashi and around 7 km from Tilwara in Uttarakhand. The shrine is dedicated to Sage Agastya . The sanctum sanctorum of the temple has a murti of Agastya Muni, Shringi Rishi and Hanuman. The temple complex also has murtis of Sri Krishna and Vishnu. The mandap area of the temple has a Shivling with Lord Vishnu and Ganesha standing in front of the pillars. The outside wall of the main temple has sculptures of Bhima and Hanuman . The guardian deity of the shrine is Chetrapal Bhairav. There is also a havan kund in the temple which is opened only once in twelve years. The main temple structure is simple with its chhatra mounted with wooden cupola. A brass kalash is atop the shikar. The important festival observed here are Panchami and Chath. Important rituals include Ratri Puja and Char Prahar Puja. A shobha yatra, which passes through 217 villages, is held in Baishakh month . The main offering in the shrine are

The end and aim of the path of devotion consists in the devotee leading a life of absolute purity in thought, word and deed. He considers himself merely a servant of the Lord and ever acts with that faith and devotion that he has no desire to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Such a devotee finally comes to realize, not as a matter of intellectual ratiocination, but by direct and indubitable experience and by submergence in the Divine, the truth, namely that all his acts are really the acts of the Supreme Ordainer. He does not feel as having an individual will of his own or any initiative in the acts he does or even an independent being separate from that of the Lord. He is entirely free from the sense of “I” and “mine,” no matter what his body may appear to do or what he may appear to possess. He thus shines in the resplendent glory of the selfless Existence. This indeed, is what is called Parabhakti, or Supreme Devotion. Ramana Maharishi