Travelogue: Worship at Annapurna Mandir, Varanasi While in Varanasi, very early in the morning and prior to the temples being open to the public, we visited the Annapurna Mandir. On this special day, Shree Maa and Swamiji were given the rare honor of performing puja to the Divine Mother Annapurna, the Goddess who is full […]

Travelogue: Durga and Tulsi Manas Mandir in Varanasi Along with Shree Maa and Swamiji, we arrived in the sacred city of Varanasi. Varanasi, which is also known as Benares, Banaras or Kashi is one of the holiest cities in India and is located on the banks of Mother Ganga in Uttar Pradesh. On our first […]

Travelogue: Swami Veda Bharati’s Ashram One of our fascinating journeys while in Rishikesh was to an ashram of a very special Indian saint, Swamiji Veda Bharati. Shree Maa and Swamiji, who had met Swami Veda Bharati previously, received a special invite to perform kirtan one evening. The group was fortunate to be included in this […]

Travelogue: Sundar Kand and Sharing With All After we performed the Chandi Yajna on the banks of the Ganga, Shree Maa and Swamiji were invited to sing the Sundar Kanda at the Ramananda Ashram. At the entrance, there is a small temple for Lord Shiva in the form of Daridya Dukha Hara, meaning “He Who […]

Travelogue: The Sadhu Community At an ashram in Rishikesh, nearby to Swami Ramkripaluji’s ashram, a special puja for Lord Ram was performed. This puja is called Ram Abishek or Rama Archana. Archana is a special, personal, puja done by temple priests in which the name, birth star and family lineage of devotees are recited to […]

Travelogue: The Cave Temple of Tapkeshwar Nearby to Rishikesh, in Dehradun, there is an ancient Shiva cave temple known as Tapkeshwar Mahadev Temple. This temple is in a cave and, to get to the location, one has to transcend down several stair steps, to which you enter into what looks to be a village of […]

Shree Maa, Swamiji, and Swami Ramkripaluji took the group to very special temple for Lord Shiva called the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple (also commonly referred to as Neelkantha, Nilkanth and Nilakanth) located just outside of Rishikesh. Shree Maa explained that this temple is the location where Lord Shiva went to cool his throat after He had […]

Travelogue: Shree Maa’s Puja to Mother Ganga In India, the river Ganges is not considered to be just a river, but rather a living Goddess. Her waters play such an important role in the lives of everyone. From watering crops to providing drinking water, She takes care of Her children. After the sun rose in […]

Travelogue:The Temple of Daksha’s Yajna Where Sati Left Her Body Shree Maa and Swamiji took the group to a very special temple, the Daksha Prajapati Temple, in the town of Kankhal, adjacent to Haridwar. This temple is also referred to as the Daksha Mahadev Temple and the Shri Daksheshwar Temple. This temple, which sits right […]