What is Buddhism
The founder of Buddhism was Buddha Shakyamuni who lived and taught in India some two and a half thousand years ago. Since then millions of people around the world have followed the pure spiritual path he revealed. The Buddhist way of life of peace, loving kindness and wisdom is just as relevant today as it was in ancient India. Buddha explained that all our problems and suffering arise from confused and negative states of mind, and that all our happiness and good fortune arise from peaceful and positive states of mind. He taught methods for gradually overcoming our negative minds such as anger, jealousy and ignorance, and developing our positive minds such as love, compassion and wisdom. Through this we will come to experience lasting peace and happiness. These methods work for anyone, in any country, in any age. Once we have gained experience of them for ourselves we can pass them on to others so they too can enjoy the same benefits.

Meditation
Meditation is at the heart of the Buddhist way of life. It is basically a method for understanding and working on our own mind. We first learn to identify our different negative mental states known as ‘delusions’, and learn how to develop peaceful and positive mental states or ‘virtuous minds’.

Then in meditation we overcome our delusions by becoming familiar with virtuous minds. Out of meditation we try to maintain the virtuous minds we have developed and use our wisdom to solve the problems of daily life. As our mind becomes more positive our actions become more constructive, and our experience of life becomes more satisfying and beneficial to others.

Anyone can learn basic meditation techniques and experience great benefits, but to progress beyond basic meditation requires faith in the Three Jewels – Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Usually people find this develops naturally as they experience the benefits of their meditation practice.

The spiritual path
The teachings of Buddha reveal a step by step path to lasting happiness. By following this path anyone can gradually transform his or her mind from its present confused and self-centered state into the blissful mind of a Buddha.

As Geshe Kelsang says in his popular book Eight Steps to Happiness:

Every living being has the potential to become a Buddha, someone who has completely purified his or her mind of all faults and limitations and has brought all good qualities to perfection. Our mind is like a cloudy sky, in essence clear and pure but overcast by the clouds of delusions.

Just as the thickest clouds eventually disperse, so too even the heaviest delusions can be removed from our mind. Delusions such as hatred, greed, and ignorance are not an intrinsic part of the mind. If we apply the appropriate methods they can be completely eliminated, and we shall experience the supreme happiness of full enlightenment.

Having attained enlightenment we shall have all the necessary qualities – universal love and compassion, omniscient wisdom and boundless spiritual power – to lead all living beings to the same exalted state. This is the ultimate aim of Mahayana Buddhism.
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Origins and History of Hinduism
Origins and History of Hinduism, the religion native to Indian subcontinent, is a highly complex subject because Hinduism does not have one single founder and it predates Indian recorded history. Owing to the complexity of the subject, the study of Hinduism's history is often oversimplified with bland statements which look as follows:

"Hinduism has no Origins"

"Hinduism is not a religion, it is a way of life"

"Hinduism has no founder - Hinduism was founded by God"

Even scholars tend to oversimplify the study of Hinduism by simply stating it to be a religion formed by the amalgamation of the cultures of two ethnic groups - namely IndoEuropeans and Dravidians. However, the vast scriptural and cultural base of the religion does not allow for such oversimplications, often resulting in statements such as "Hinduism has no Origins."

This is the first ever book that unravels the origins of Hinduism to a great level of detail, by showing that Hinduism has founders as much as any other religion. The history of Hinduism has become so mysterious only because the context in which the religion has developed has never been understood. Hinduism has developed in the context of excessive immigration that Indian subcontinent faced once upon a time - the religion developed as a response to this excessive immigration. Once the context is understood properly, once the theology of the religion and its cultural practices are placed in this correct context, it is then and then alone that the story of Hinduism unravels.

The following are a few excerpts from the book. A chapter on introduction to Hinduism is also presented below.

Introduction to Hinduism - A brief on the history and beliefs of Hinduism

The Question of the Origins of Hinduism - Explores the questions faced by scholars regarding the Origins of Hinduism

Origins of Hinduism - Hinduism was born because of heavy immigration into Indus Valley

Hinduism Founder: Saptarshis are the Founders of Hinduism - Hinduism was founded by an institution of Seven Sages called Saptarshis

The Real Definition of Hinduism - Here is the first ever correct definition of Hinduism, being written down after 4200 years.

Hinduism Timeline for 16,000 Years - Timeline of Hinduism, done to a great level of detail for 16,000 years; includes Yugas

Places of Origin of Hinduism - Hinduism was formed by integrating cults from a large number of places over thousands of years

Three Phases in the History of Hinduism - Three phases characterized by worship of Brahman, worship of Trinity, and the lack of control of Vedas

The Mystical Connection between Christianity and Hinduism - Christian Gods in Large Number of Hindu Temples

Ancient Rivalry of Zoroastrianism and Hinduism - What is the source of hatred between these two religions

What are the Four Yugas in Hinduism - What are Satya, Treta, Dwapar and Kali Yugas?

Incarnations of Vishnu - an Important Question of Indian History - A very important question regarding Indian religion and history.

Why does Vaishnavism excessively talk about worldwide catastrophes? - A look at the catastrophic literature that documents the turmoils of our forefathers
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The Hindu Young World quiz tomorrow

The Twelfth edition of ‘The Hindu Young World Quiz 2011' will be held at Hari Hara Kala Bhavan in Secunderabad on Saturday, October 29, at 2 p.m.

The multi-city quiz which has completed 21 years will be held in Madurai, Trichi, Coimbatore, Salem, Chennai, Puducherry, Tirupati, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mangalore, Hubli, Kozhikode, Kochi and finally at Thiruvananthapuram. The All India Final will also be held in Tiruvananthapuram on November 14. There will be a preliminary round of written test at each centre to select six teams for the regional finals. Winning team from each region will be eligible to participate in the national final at Thiruvananthapuram.

A maximum of four teams from each school may participate in the quiz, with two students per team drawn from Classes VII to IX. Over 600 teams are expected to participate in the regional event from the city and outstation centres such as Adilabad, Kurnool, Karimnagar, Warangal, Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, Mancherial, Nandyal, Nizamabad, Nanded, Bidar and Gulbarga. Playback singer Sunitha will be the chief guest for the event.

Sponsors
Velammal Educational Trust is the title sponsor, Extramarks Education Pvt. Ltd. and the Indian Overseas Bank the associate sponsors, Black Thunder, Gold Winner, Amway, Maggi Noodles, Wilco Picture Library, Firefox Bikes, Reynolds, Funfills, Success Note Books, Cricket Caricatures.com, and Penguin Books the national sponsors, Bisleri the water sponsor, Tata Nano the car sponsor, Real Fruit Juice the beverage sponsor, and LIC of India, Jumani Ice-cream, Spencer's Bread - Nanda Foods, Chanakya's, East Coast Distributors, and Pump Game Lounge the regional sponsors for the event.
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Mind Power- Affirmations

Affirmations

The Prosperity Secret of the Ages

Tithing

___________________

Affirmations

Affirmations are one of the simplest and most powerful things we can do to change the quality of our lives, and to create the things we want.

The power of affirmations

Affirmations are the force of creation.

“Every thought has a counterpart in a word or sound; the word and the thought are inseparable. The external part of a thing is what we may call the thought. The same thought may be expressed by different words or sounds. Though the sounds vary, yet the relation between the sound and the thoughts is a natural one”.
(Swami Nikhilananda Sri Ramakrishna Math:)

The power of affirmations can be stated very simply: Affirmations are the force of creation. For AUM being the sound symbol of Parmatman (Supreme Reality), it is considered to be the first vibration as sound emanating at the beginning of creation.

“In the beginning was the word….”(John 1:10)

To affirm means to make firm. There is very little mystery about how and why affirmations work, once the principle is understood. An affirmation is simply a spoken declaration, in the present tense, which creates a desired reality.

Affirm what you know to be true in your heart, and you will create that reality. Affirm that you are free, and strong, and attractive, and prosperous, and loving – and you will find, often in a remarkably short time, that your outer world will begin to change as a reflection of your changing inner consciousness.

The act of creation
To understand how an affirmation has the power to create something, we must first understand how creation works. A great many different mythologies, mystical traditions, scientific studies, and religions have investigated the mysteries of creation. Many of these have come up with similar findings.

How is it possible for another person to know what idea or thought I have in my mind? Is it possible for me to make that idea come out of my mind and make it enter the mind of another person? To do that, I will have to summon the help of Mother Saraswati (Vak Devi) the goddess of speech (also known as the goddess of learning), or use the written word to communicate. This power or shakti when combined with the static thought, makes it possible for the thought or idea to travel.

This is a miraculous power or shakti. If I am speaking to an audience of fifty people, this power becomes manifold or multiplies and with my each thought enters the minds of all fifty people. If my talk is broadcast via satellite and if there are a million listeners, this shakti becomes a million fold. Its capacity is unlimited.

This combination of the product of human consciousness (thought) with Shakti makes manifestation of things possible. The clothes we wear, the chair on which we seat, the books we read, the computers we use; all these were first conceived as ideas in the human mind. The chairman of a big corporation conceives of an idea that a fifty-story sky-scraper building should be built. He conveys this idea, using his power (shakti) of speech, to the board of directors who approve it.

The idea is then conveyed with the aid of Mother Saraswati (speech or written words) to the financiers, to the architect, to the contractors, to the labourers on site. The result is the manifestation of a fifty-story building. The thought became a thing. Thoughts are things. Examine everything that surrounds one in the house.

Everything before being made existed as thought or idea before becoming a stove, table, clock, calendar, screwdriver, soap powder.

This is at the human level of microcosm.

At the cosmic level of macrocosm, the combination of Shiva and Shakti (Spirit and Matter) makes possible the manifestation of the universe. The dynamic shakti functions on the static Shiva. The substratum is Shiva and the vibrant manifestation is shakti. Like the screen (the substratum) and the projected image upon the screen (in a movie theatre).

Shiva and shakti are inseparable aspects of the one Reality, like the whiteness in milk; like the brilliance in diamond and like the word and its meaning. Just as heat is inherent in fire, the power inherent in God (Shiva) is maya (shakti). The manifest universe is the display of shakti or maya.

Man is constituted of both Shiva and Shakti. The persisting personality in him is Shiva and the perishing form is shakti. The being in him is Shiva and the becoming in him is shakti. The awareness or consciousness is Shiva and the physique is shakti. The sentient Shiva manifests Himself through the insentient matter viewed as shakti. The insentient physique enshrines and nurtures the sentient in man. In other words, Mother Nature nurtures what is sentient in man. Shakti rears the Shiva in man. Therefore, worshipful attitude towards Shakti is incumbent upon man evolving in Shivahood.

Theology abounds in terms such as Uma-Maheshwar, Lakshmi-Narayana, Radha-Krishna, Sita-Ram, Shiva-Shakti, Purusha-Prakriti, Ardhanarishwar, spirit and matter. These are all indicative of the fact that existence is a mixture of the sentient and the insentient.

(The following explanation is by Marc Allen)

I feel that the Kabbala- so-called ‘esoteric’ Judaism – expresses it very clearly and simply. Those who have studied other traditions will see many similarities.

To study the Kabbala is to study the ‘Tree of Life’. All things are contained within the Tree of Life. The creation of the Tree of Life reflects the mysteries of all creation. And the study of the Tree of Life explains the mysteries of ourselves, for we are a microcosm, mirroring the vast macrocosm: ‘As above, so below’.

The Tree of Life begins with emptiness, within the vast, shining void of space. Then it begins as a very subtle ‘spiritual impulse’ – the impulse to create. Then this very subtle spiritual impulse becomes something more tangible: a thought, a clearer, more definite impulse to create something. Once the impulse has become a thought, it gains momentum and becomes a feeling, an emotional impulse. This feeling, supported by a sustained thought, soon becomes manifested in physical form, as an object we can experience with our senses.

The way in which the Tree of Life is formed reflects the way in which everything in our lives is created. Everything has gone through this cycle: it is first a spiritual impulse, then a thought, then a feeling, then it becomes a physical manifestation. Everything we have created in our lives was first a thought, and then a feeling. Anything we consistently hold in our minds to be true or real will become true or real in our physical universe.

This explains why affirmations are so powerful – and why they are not so mysterious. Affirmations are our very thoughts themselves, supported by our emotions. We are saying affirmations all the time – whether consciously or unconsciously. The universe always says ‘yes’ to our affirmations, always supports them, because we are the universe, we are the Tree of Life, and we are creating our own reality, through our thoughts and feelings and spiritual impulses.”

(Continued below)

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Index Alphabetical [Index to Pages]

(Continued)

The power of your words
Through our words and the thoughts behind them, we are continually giving our bodies operating instructions. By being observant, we can become aware of this process.

As we have seen, everything, before it is created on the physical plane, is at first a spiritual impulse, then a thought, then a feeling. Before we can build a house, there must be a blueprint for it, a design, an idea. Words are creative ideas spoken, made manifest into the world.

Vedanta (Hinduism) explains this process as VASANAS

VASANAS are subtle impressions which the individual soul will carry with when the soul separates itself from the physical body upon the death of a person. To understand this term VASANA, first think of ice, which is gross. It is solid and it can be touched or felt and can be cut into different shapes. Water is subtler than ice. Water cannot be cut into shape, although it will assume the shape of its container. Water is liquid and not solid like ice. Steam is subtler than water. We cannot hold steam in our hand as we can hold water. Steam is visible for a while and then it becomes invisible. Humidity in the air is subtler than steam. The presence of humidity in the air cannot be seen .The vasanas are like the humidity in the air, subtlest of all. The vasanas undergo transformation at the level of the intellect into thoughts. The thoughts in turn undergo transformation at the level of the mind into desires; and the desires undergo transformation at the level of the physical body into actions.

How to Do Affirmations

Every thought and every word – positive or negative – is an affirmation, and is creating the reality of the affirmation. The simplest way to do affirmation consciously is just to say them to yourself, either out loud or silently, whenever you feel like it. Especially say them to counteract any negative thoughts or words you find yourself thinking or saying. This is not a tool for repression – allow yourself to have any thoughts and feelings you have – don’t reject them – and yet, give yourself the time and energy to affirm a more desirable reality after you have experienced and explored your so-called ‘negative’ feelings.

For example, if you find yourself thinking, ‘This job is making me sick,’ look at what you are thinking, and see if that’s something you really want to create for yourself. If it isn’t, affirm to yourself, out loud or silently, and with emotion, ‘I am strong and healthy, when I do my work,’ or ‘I am eternally strong, healthy, and young,’ or something which feels good to you. Say it repeatedly, if necessary, and say it with emotion, until it feels like it has sunk in. By just becoming more aware of what you are saying and what you are thinking, you will find that you have plenty of material to deal with. Notice the things that aren’t working in your life, and find affirmations to correct the situations.

Of course, your feelings about your job may be a very valid reason for you to find another, healthier job. But if you choose for the present to remain in the same situation, create the most positive thoughts you can about it.

Make the affirmations in the present tense – even if it seems unrealistic. Don’t affirm, ‘I am going to create abundance in my life,’ because the results will always be waiting to happen in the future. Instead, suspend your current beliefs for a moment, and affirm, ‘I now have abundance in my life!’ – and you’ll soon find that it is true. How soon your abundance will come depends on how strongly your affirmation is repeated, and whether or not you are affirming the opposite on deeper levels of your consciousness (your subconscious negative beliefs).

Many people are unconscious of this – and they are so often saying things like, ‘This is really making me sick,’ or ‘This job is killing me,’ or ‘He is a pain in the neck,’ or ‘This is driving me crazy,’ or ‘I can’t do it.’ These words are affirmations, just like any other words. No wonder these people are getting sick, dying too young at jobs they hate, getting headaches, going crazy, and failing in life.

Look at your life – clearly and honestly. You will see what you have been affirming to yourself. Most of us have created a lot of things that we would prefer to do without. It is time to affirm, to create something better for yourself.

We have been giving ourselves affirmations all our lives. And others have been giving us affirmations all our lives. The only problem has been that we have not been consciously aware of the process and power of affirmations, and so we have affirmed a lot of things, which we could do better without.

Anything you say or think to yourself is an affirmation. Anything anyone else says to you is an affirmation, if you accept it. Our subconscious minds accept it all – whether for better or worse. Many of us grew up in environments, which may not have been totally supportive. Most of us had parents, families, friends, and other peers who may have given us a lot of terrible affirmations, which were destructive to out self-image. Children often tell each other that they are stupid or ugly or unable to do something. Brothers or sisters often say unflattering things to each other. These are unfortunate, negative affirmations.

Most people are still carrying with them, in their basic core beliefs, the non-supportive things, which their parents, teachers, friends, and families told them when they were so young that they didn’t have the awareness to question or ignore. And these affirmations have an especially powerful effect when there is a strong emotion behind them- those moments when Mommy is deeply upset, and yells: “You never do anything for me!” give the child a deep affirmation of his or her own selfishness and worthlessness.

It’s no wonder that people have affirmed themselves into neurosis, poverty, selfishness, unattractiveness, sickness, weak and limited self-images, etc. Fortunately, affirmations are so powerful that a few minutes of conscious, deep, positive ones repeated daily for a few weeks could do years of unconscious, deep, negative ones. This is especially true because the positive affirmations have the greatest power in the universe behind them: the power of truth. Because the truth is that you are a free being. You are not limited or restricted. And your life is worthwhile. And you are good person –not a bad one. And you are really loving – even though that love may be buried under years of unexpressed anger and guilt and frustration.

Therefore, we emphasize again:
Affirm what you know to be true in your heart, and you will create that reality. Affirm that you are free, and strong, and attractive, and prosperous, and loving – and you will find, often in a remarkably short time, that your outer world will begin to change as a reflection of your changing inner consciousness.
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Top < To top of this page Index Alphabetical [Index to Pages] (Continued) Affirmations in Meditation Another powerful way to do affirmations is in the relaxed state of mind and body, which is often called ‘meditation’. By all means, find some time to meditate – even just five minutes in the morning will bring results within a week or two. The following exercise is relaxing, energizing, and healthful, as well as being the most powerful way to deeply absorb affirmations. It is the most effective way to create anything you wish. Just sit or lie comfortably. Take a few deep cleansing breaths – even take a few minutes to breathe deeply, if you get into it. Deep breathing is one of the best possible things we can do for our minds, bodies, and spirits. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and affirm, silently to yourself as you exhale, ‘My body is now relaxing’. Take another breath and affirm, as you exhale, ‘My mind is now relaxing.’ Take one last deep breath and affirm, as you exhale, ‘I am now letting everything go.’ Then choose any affirmation – any instruction you want to give your body and mind, anything you wish to create. See it happening here and now as you say your affirmations. If excitement and enthusiasm arises to support the affirmation, all the better – the stronger the feeling, the sooner the reality you wish to create manifests. Say each one repeatedly, until it feels good to you. Try these, and see how they feel ‘I am deeply relaxed….. ‘I am strong and healthy…. ‘I am open, I am free….’ Feel yourself being relaxed. See yourself strong and healthy. Feel yourself open and free. Choose any other affirmations you wish to work on, and repeat them, many times, until you feel sure that your subconscious has unquestionably gotten the message. Picture yourself as having completely fulfilled the affirmation. Enjoy yourself – don’t work too hard at this. Have fun with your creative imagination. Take a final, deep breath at the end of your meditative affirmations, and affirm: ‘This, or something better, is now manifesting, for the highest good of all! So be it! So it is!’ Now return to your waking day, fully relaxed and refreshed, able to effortlessly accomplish whatever you want. The more energy you put into your affirmations, the sooner you will experience results. Imagine yourself easily and effortlessly becoming what you are affirming. Don’t worry if you can’t ‘visualize’ it in your mind’s eye – just feel it, imagine it. By doing so, you are creating that reality in your thoughts, and in your emotions. Soon a vast, deep reservoir of power in you- the power of your subconscious mind, your connection with the infinite – will bring about in physical reality what you are affirming. Writing Affirmations The measure of an affirmation’s success is whether or not it soon manifests in your world. You should be able to manifest almost anything you are affirming within 21 days. There are some exceptions to this, if the project is vast or complicated, or the goal is distant. But the results should become clearly evident to you in a short time. You should be able to feel the change. If the results aren’t happening, it is only because you are affirming something else on deeper, perhaps less conscious levels which is creating something contradictory to what you are affirming consciously. If you are repeating to yourself for example: ‘My connection with infinite intelligence is yielding me a vast personal fortune.’ Every day, with emotion, and after three weeks you are still broke, then you have to find out what else you have been telling yourself that is creating a contradictory reality. Writing affirmations and their responses is the best way to do this. Take a notebook. On one page, write: ‘Affirmations’ across the top. On the next page, write ‘Thank you!’ across the top. Then begin writing your affirmation on the page headed ‘Affirmations.’ Put your attention to it; pour your feeling into it. You want to be self-sufficient, or beautiful, or whatever – and the truth of the matter is that you deserve it, so you might as well create it for yourself. Keep on writing the same affirmation, and keep putting your full attention on it. Soon you will probably notice some kind of inner resistance popping up – some words you are telling yourself (affirming to yourself) on deep levels. Whatever they are, write them down on your ‘Thank you’ page. On this page, you are encourages to voice all your reactions to your affirmations. Say you are writing, for example, ‘My connection with infinite intelligence….’ And you find yourself thinking, ‘What connection? I am a blundering idiot!’ Immediately turn to your ‘Thank you’ page and write those words. It is called your ‘Thank you’ page because, as you write those words, you want to mentally thank yourself for sharing them with you (this may sound artificial or strange, perhaps, but it works). Then go back to writing affirmation. ‘…is yielding me a vast personal fortune.’ Then you may find yourself thinking, ‘A vast personal fortune? I could never handle it’ – so write that down too on your ‘Thank you’ page. Then go back and write your affirmation again. And so on. After writing your affirmation 10 or 20 times, you may have 10 or 20 or 30 comments on your ‘Thank you’ page. Look at them carefully – these are the things you are affirming to yourself on deeper levels, which are creating your present reality. Sometimes it is enough just to look at them and see how foolish they are, and how they are not really true for you. Sometimes these negative affirmations dissolve as soon as you look at them. At other times, you may have to create new affirmations for yourself that are especially designed to counteract what you have been telling yourself. In the example above, where you found that you were thinking you could never handle a vast personal fortune, you may want to affirm something like, ‘I am capable of handling a vast personal fortune easily and skilfully’ – or, if that is too confronting, lower your gradient for yourself and affirm, ‘I am capable of skilfully handling my financing.’ Do this daily, if necessary. Breakdown your resistance with more affirmations. That is all that is necessary to do. When you finally get to the core of your resistance – to the ‘biggie’ which you are holding onto, the one terrible thing about yourself that you haven’t dared to admit even to yourself – when you finally find yourself writing it out on your ‘Thank you’ sheet, you will feel something releasing in you. Then find the affirmation, which deals with it directly, and release it for all time from your consciousness. You’ll find yourself feeling wonderful (literally – wonder full). Now you are coming into your own power. Now you are not limiting yourself any more. You are free to be who you want, and to create the life you want. It is your birthright. Following are some sample affirmations, ones that I have worked with personally. Let these serve as examples for you to create your own. I have inner peace and contentment – true success! I have total freedom to do whatever I wish I now create world peace and transformation. I am an open channel for exquisite, endlessly abundant creativity, in many many forms. I have real personal confidence, and a very positive self-image. I am connected deeply, intimately, with my higher self, and my enlightenment. I have beautiful, harmonious, satisfying relationships. I am in perfect health, for as long as I wish, in this body. I have physical strength and attractiveness, for as long as I wish, in this body. My income exceeds my expenses. My connection with infinite intelligence is now easily yielding me a vast personal fortune. Work and play with one, two, or three at a time – as many as you feel you can handle – until you achieve results. A Common Error I must point out a common error many people make when they begin doing affirmations; it is the error of assuming the affirmations themselves will do all the work, and that there is nothing else that needs to be done. In many cases, it is true that nothing else other than the affirmation needs to be done to accomplish what is intended. In these cases, all that is necessary is for us to suggest the affirmation to our subconscious, and the forces are set in motion, which automatically create what we desire. This is the power of our human energy – our conscious and subconscious states of mind. When you see this happen – as I have many times – it is an exciting and fulfilling experience. But there are many types of affirmations, which need to be supported by and completed through a very mechanical series of actions in the world. Affirmations for abundance, or creative expression or finding the perfect job, for example, need to be done along with very logical steps in the world. These steps are simple to discover – you either know them already, or they may take some research. In creating abundance, for example, you have to find the service or product, you can offer the world, which you will be paid abundantly for. Then you have to list the steps necessary to make that service or product available: you may need to make a brochure, make samples, do an ad, etc. I have known people who have affirmed abundance, and then found an unexpected cheque in the mail, or inherited money they hadn’t known about. But most people who are successful affirming abundance find that they have to do the necessary groundwork to offer their talents and abilities to the world. Keep doing your affirmation, and it will become clear to you what you need to do. Have Patience The other necessary element for you to create your own personal freedom in whatever ways you wish is patience and persistence. The world wasn’t created in a day. Occasionally you will find an affirmation, which manifests almost as soon as you say it. But most created things take some time to manifest. Give a seed a week or so to sprout. Then give the plant a few weeks or even months to develop. Give an affirmation at least three weeks to create some results. In the case of an affirmation as broad as ‘My connection with infinite intelligence is now easily yielding me a vast personal fortune,’ it may take years to fully manifest. But you should be able to feel changes and see results within three weeks after affirming it every day. In this example, you will find yourself discovering creative ways to make money. You won’t be nearly so broke, and you will be feeling a lot more abundant – even if your bank account hasn’t changed much in three weeks. It will grow, if you have patience and are persistent. One affirmation which worked for me almost instantly was ‘I am organized.’ For years I had been telling myself, just a few times in a single session, ‘I am organized,’ I felt the truth of that statement fill my being. I got up from my chair and immediately started listing all the things I was planning to do, hoping to do, and dreaming of doing. Then I organized it all, putting it into a list with the first priorities at the top. In one moment, I ceased looking at myself as a limited, unorganised person, and saw myself as being very capable of clear organization. It was simple. Within a few weeks, I had created a filing system for both personal and business affairs, I had cleaned up my desk and personal work area, and had gotten into a daily habit of listing everything I intended to do, numbering it in priorities, and handling it. If you are ready for it, some of your affirmations may manifest that quickly for you. But usually, it will take longer. But keep it up, every day (or at least three or four times a week). If one particular affirmation seems to lose its energy for you, if it feels lifeless, if you are not connecting with it, find another way to say it that feels good and strong to you. If you find no noticeable results in three weeks, try writing your affirmations and your resistances. Discover which of these resistances are blocking you from creating your good. Then find affirmations, which are the opposite. It is a startling thing for many people to realize that we create what we want. We may not be creating what we think we want, but in fact we are creating that which we want on some deep, perhaps subconscious levels. If you are broke, it is because you want to be, or because you feel you deserve to be, or because you feel you can’t handle money. Find some affirmations, which change your thinking about these things. If you are alone, it’s because you want to be. There is no other excuse. If you really feel you don’t want to be alone, and are ready for an ideal relationship, affirm it to yourself, and you will create it for yourself. All it takes is a strong, focused affirmation with feeling behind it, and patience, and persistence. The Law of Karma Affirmations work only for the good – that is, the highest good of all concerned. If anyone wishes to use these tools for their own ‘good’ at the expense of another, they will create problems for themselves. This is because they are neglecting the law of Karma. Briefly stated, the law of Karma says that the Universe is set up so that whatever you do comes back to you. Think loving thoughts and you live in a loving world. Think hateful thoughts and you live in a hate-filled world. Try to injure someone else, and you will be injured. This is why there is never any reason to fear misuse of these powerful tools – or to fear black magic or witches (in the negative sense of the word) or even the effects of chemicals or atomic energy – because any people who try to harm others, through affirmations or ignorance, or any other means, only end up hurting themselves. The law of Karma is infallible. If you have even the slightest feeling that what you are affirming may not be the best thing for you, or for someone else, finish your affirming with these words, ‘This, or something better, is now manifesting for the highest good of all concerned.’ Then just sit back and relax and enjoy the fruits of your creation. Let it come to you, easily and effortlessly, without struggling, striving, or suffering. Easily and Effortlessly I will close this chapter with mention of a particularly powerful affirmation for people in the world today: “--------comes to me, easily and effortlessly.” Fill in the blank with whatever you desire. Often, one of the largest stumbling blocks in the way of attaining or accomplishing something, especially your most cherished dreams and goals, is that we are trying too hard. Life does not have to be a struggle. Look at the trees and plants and birds and other animals. Are they struggling for survival? “Consider the lilies of the field….” Simply affirm to yourself: ‘Freedom comes to me, easily and effortlessly.’ ‘Love…. ‘Money…. ‘Abundance…. ‘Happiness…. And also specific things, such as: ‘My perfect artistic expression comes to me, easily and effortlessly.’ ‘My book…. ‘My creative expression…. Even very specific projects and commitments can be finished and fulfilled, easily and effortlessly, with this affirmation. When you ask the Universe for something, you will receive it – unless you are denying it on deeper levels of your being. Let it all come to you, easily and effortlessly. You deserve it. You deserve to have it all. And now you are holding in your own hands the tools to create whatever you want; whatever your heart desires. Positive affirmations have the greatest Power in the universe behind them: the power of truth. ___________________________________ The Prosperity Secret of the Ages Gifts From the Mahabharata Anusasana Parva, Section LVII Translated by sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli By making gifts one acquires all kinds of enjoyable articles. By making gifts one simply increases one’s wealth. By making gifts one acquires great fame in consequence of one’s high achievements. ___________________ From the Mahabharata Anusasana Parva, Section CXXII Translated by sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli Those who make gifts obtain happiness hereafter and much prosperity here. ___________________ From the Mahabharata Anusasana Parva, Section CXLI Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli Maheswara said(to Uma): The householder should always make gifts according to the measure of his power. He should also perform sacrifices frequently after the same manner. Indeed, he who wishes to achieve his own good should always achieve meritorious acts. The householder should acquire wealth by righteous means. The wealth thus acquired should be carefully divided into three portions, keeping the requirements of righteousness in view. With one of those portions he should accomplish all acts of righteousness. With another he should seek to gratify his cravings for pleasure. The third portion he should lay out for increasing. ___________________ (The following are extracts from the writings of Catherine Ponder) The prosperity secret of the ages is that giving can make you rich! The Hebrews, one of the wealthiest groups the world has ever known, credit their wealth over the centuries to their use of this prosperity idea: you will be made rich by giving. Many of our modern millionaires have used this prosperity secret and have often pointed it out as the formula that brought them riches. Giving can make you rich for when you systematically give, you open the way to systematically receive. But when you do not give, you stagnate, dam up, and close many channels to your prosperity. Perhaps you are thinking, “But I do give every cent I can find to pay the bills and to keep going financially.” Yet there is another kind of giving you must know about and practise in order to prosper. When you practise this other type of giving, putting it first in your financial affairs, then divine order will come into your finances. You will find yourself prospered in both expected and unexpected ways. Your money will begin to go further, and other financial surprises will come forth so that it becomes easier and easier for you to pay the bills and ‘get ahead financially’. The ancients, who knew the wisdom of the ages, understood the nature of universal substance out of which all wealth is created. They knew that by consistently giving, you move on universal substance, forming a vacuum which substance then rushes to fill with new supply. That is the nature of substance: it abhors a vacuum and always rushes to fill it. Giving in order to make room to receive is a scientific method that always works to prosper those who use it consistently. It can work for you too! (The air we breathe fills the lungs. If we do not give out stale air, if we do not make room to receive fresh air, if we do not create the vacuum by expelling the stale air, then the supply of new fresh air cannot rush in.) This is a giving universe. You have to constantly give in order to constantly receive, because the universe is constantly giving to you. If you do not balance the act of receiving by giving voluntarily in some good and happy way, the universe will force you to give in some unhappy way. But give you must! The universal law: “By making gifts one simply increases one’s wealth.” (Mahabharata, Anusasana Parva, Section LVII); “Give and it shall be given unto you” (Luke, 6:38); works whether you want it to or not. Where there is no voluntary giving, something is taken from you. People who think they cannot afford to give constructively and freely have to give anyway, destructively and involuntarily – to doctors and hospitals for their ill health; to lawyers fir their accidents, legal and business problems; to accountants and to the Internal Revenue Service for their income tax problems; and in other undesirable ways. If you do not give voluntarily of your financial resources, you can expect that body ailments, financial entanglements, human relations problems, and general confusion in your affairs will follow. When you see a person who has constant problems of ill health, financial difficulties, family inharmony, general confusion and dissatisfaction in his life, not only is he not thinking right, but neither is he giving right. Where there is no voluntary giving, something is taken from them! You cannot cheat the basic law of the universe, which is giving and receiving. It works regardless of your attitude towards it. You can only cheat yourself out of much health, wealth and happiness by trying to foolishly bypass it. Tithing The magic number of increase How can you practise the other kind of giving constructively, so as to avoid giving destructively? The ancients believed that the number ‘ten’ was the magic number of increase, and they invoked this magic number by regularly giving one-tenth of all channels of income to their religious leaders. Later, the Hebrews were commanded by Jehovah to give a tithe (or one-tenth) of all channels of income to their priests and temples. This included giving a tenth of their gold, silver, jewels, land, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and other flocks; a tenth of all fruit, wine, grain, oil and other crops; a tenth of all financial income and all financial assets. Ten is still the magic number of increase! Regular, consistent tithing of a tenth of all channels of your gross income (before taxes and other deductions) to the religious leader or spiritual organization which inspires and uplifts you, is still one of the surest ways to permanent, satisfying prosperity. My experience with this prosperity law Although I had often heard tithing mentioned in church for many years, I had not realized it was a prosperity law for my personal benefit. I assumed it was the church minister’s way of trying to raise money to support the church. As a $25 a week secretary, desperately struggling to find any prosperity law that would work, I read L.E.Meyer’s fascinating booklet, ‘As You Tithe So You Prosper’. This booklet contains many thrilling stories of people in every walk of life who have prospered through consistent tithing, and I began to think seriously about the subject. I also remembered that my own parents had been much more prosperous after they began to tithe. One of the stories in Dr.Meyer’s booklet that especially interested me was this one: ‘He who said that he found it necessary to tithe in order to get out of debt voiced a truth that has become evident to thousands. A man who was $10,000 in debt, with his credit gone and a wife and four children for whom to provide, took a job as a day laborer in a mill and with his family was compelled to live in a tent. He met two Divinity students who convinced him that if he wanted to again prosper, he should tithe. The same week that he began tithing the company offered him one of its houses in which to live. Within a year, he was promoted to foreman. Ten years later, he was free from debt, the owner of a large lumber company, owner of his own home, which was large and beautifully furnished, and owner of a large car, an airplane and other things on a similar scale. He attributes his success to first recognizing his debt to God and faithfully tithing of his income.’ At the time I was considering the tithing law of prosperity, I was also debating whether I should start a savings account. From a business standpoint, I felt that it was more important to begin saving than to begin tithing. “Tithing can come anytime,” I thought. Instead, the savings account was opened. Everything went along fine for a time as I proudly watched my savings account grow, week by week. Then one day my son became violently ill. Only after he had had the finest doctors and medical care in a local hospital did the turning point come and he recover. His hospital bill was more than the amount I had painstakingly managed to place in my savings account! Valuable lesson came from that experience. I learnt that if I did not put God first financially and give to His work voluntarily, I would have to give anyway – involuntarily to pay for the unhappy experiences in life, which I did not want. I immediately began to tithe from my gross weekly income of $25, giving $2.50 to the spiritual organization of my choice. Upon receiving my paycheck and depositing it, the first check I always wrote was the tithe check. This act gave me a feeling of protection and security. By putting God first financially, I assumed my own needs would be met; and always they have been, sometimes in the most amazing ways. The week I began to tithe was truly the turning point for me financially! Soon I began receiving pay raises, so that my income doubled and later tripled its original amount. It has continued to steadily rise over the years as I have continued to tithe faithfully. My husband and I tithe two-tenths or 20% of our gross incomes, and we look forward to bigger giving as our prosperity consciousness continues to expand. The wonderful thing about my son’s health has been that, although more than 15 years have passed since he was so ill, he has never had another major health problem. He has not been in a hospital since that time, and did not have the usual childhood diseases. I, too, have been much healthier since I began tithing. Having had an underweight, nervous, anaemic childhood, it was great blessing to finally be freed of ill health. I have found that I am able to produce much more work in a much shorter length of time than previously. Whenever I hear of loss, theft, accident, illness and high emotional and financial costs that usually accompany these experiences, I cannot help thinking: ‘It’s too bad those persons do not tithe. They would be protected from such negative and unhappy experiences if they did!’ By giving voluntarily a tenth of my gross income to spiritual work, I have been saved from being forced to give many times that amount to the negative experiences of life such as illness, accidents, thefts, etc. I am grateful that I learned this lesson early. It is one of the most valuable success secrets that I can point out to you. To be sure, there is nothing wrong with the prosperity practice of consistent savings, which I had in mind during that experience many years ago. The Babylonians’ great success secret for their riches was that they tithed one-tenth and saved one-tenth of their income. It is still a fine prosperity practice. The Rockefeller family has often mentioned their use of this idea. However, if you have a choice between tithing and saving, be sure to put first thing first, by beginning to tithe first. That act will insure your growing prosperity, so that consistent savings will then naturally follow. The practice of tithing, both ancient and modern, proves it to be the best financial investment you can make. Those people who find excuses for not tithing, or who tithe for a time and then stop, are robbing themselves as well as robbing God. They are inviting problems and losses for themselves where there need be none. Where you give is important A merchant once questioned tithing as a prosperity law because he had long been tithing, but his business was no longer prosperous. He was asked, ‘Where do you tithe?’ This man replied: ‘I tithe to my wife’s church. I no longer attend that church because I find greater inspiration in another church, which I now attend. However, my wife insists that I still tithe to her church.’ It was pointed out that one should tithe where one is receiving spiritual help and inspiration. To tithe to an organization which does not directly help or inspire you holds little blessing either for you or for the organization, because no spiritual contact has been made between the giver and the receiver. It was suggested that this man tithe to the church from which he was receiving guidance and inspiration; that he do this on a six months’ trial basis. As he did, he discovered that many things began clearing up in his financial affairs, as well as in other phases of his life. Furthermore, his wife seemed to respect him in his tithing decision. You may be thinking, ‘Yes, but I am already tithing to the church where I receive inspiration and still I am not prosperous.’ Then check your attitudes to determine why you are tithing and whether you completely release your tithe after giving it. Make no mental demands upon those who receive your tithe. A gift with reservations is not a gift. It is really a bribe. There is another subtle attitude to check when tithing: Do you tithe simply because you think it is expected of you, but not freely and joyously? The tithe should be considered a rich financial investment for all involved. By tithing in the right attitude, you substitute faith in God’s power to supply your needs for the old fear that you must hold tight to every penny or live in lack. Charity giving is not tithing Many people have the mistaken idea that giving to a needy person is tithing, but it is not. Giving to the needy is often the worst thing you can do for them, since it keeps them from developing their own prosperity consciousness. Until they do develop a prosperous state of mind, they will continue to be in need, no matter how much you do for them. The greatest thing you can offer the poor is to introduce them to prosperous thinking. Your tithe is not properly used for yourself, relatives, friends, or charitable purposes. If one wishes to give to those channels, it should be a gift over and above the tenth which one gives directly to spiritual work. The prosperity law of tithing as practised by all the ancient civilizations, was that the tithe went always to the religious leaders and temples, to those in the Lord’s work. Some people give only to civic, cultural, educational, or charity causes instead of to religious organizations. It is fine to give for these purposes if you feel so led, but your first tenth should go to religious causes which uplift and inspire you, or to people in religious work who are an inspiration to you. All other giving is to be commended, but is secondary to direct tithing to the Lord’s work. Rich results of consistent giving People sometimes say, ‘I do not tithe regularly but I give large amounts occasionally to god’s work.’ It does more good to tithe regularly smaller amounts than giving large amounts spasmodically. Just as it is necessary to breathe out regularly in order to receive fresh air into the lungs, so it is necessary to give regularly if you wish to receive regularly. A millionaire consciousness The general rule in tithing in these modern times is this: You tithe on the gross amount of your personal income; and usually you tithe on the net profits from a business or corporation. Of course, you can always go on to gross tithing from your business or corporation, if you wish. In many instances, the tax laws may make it worthwhile to do so. Remember this exciting truth as you tithe: You are joining ranks with millionaires of all times. You are becoming attuned to that same rich consciousness which can lead to rich results! It has been said that the person who begins tithing will have at least six surprises: He will be surprised at the amount of money he has to give for the Lord’s work. He will be surprised at the deepening of his own prosperity consciousness as well as his spiritual life. He will be surprised at the ease with which he can meet his financial obligations. He will be surprised at how easily he can go from one tenth to larger giving. He will be surprised at the wisdom and good judgment this gives him in using the remaining nine-tenths of his income. He will be surprised at himself for not adopting the tithing plan sooner! I would like to add one thing the tither should not be surprised about: He may find himself a millionaire. www.ShopaMagic.com
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History of Diwali

India is a land of festivals. Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is celebrated with fervor and gaiety. The festival is celebrated by young and old, rich and poor, throughout the country to dispel darkness and light up their lives. The festival symbolizes unity in diversity as every state celebrates it in its own special way.

The celebration of the four-day festival commences on Aswayuja Bahula Chaturdasi and concludes on Kartika Shudda Vijiya. The first day of the festival Naraka Chaturdasi marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama.

'Puranas' have it that Naraka, son of Bhudevi, acquired immense power from a blessing given by Lord Brahma after a severe penance. He soon unleashed a reign of terror in the kingdom of Kamarupa, harassing celestial beings with his invincible might. Unable to bear the tyranny of the demon, the celestial beings pleaded with Lord Krishna to save them from his torture.

But Naraka could not be easily killed as he had a boon that he would face death only at the hands of his mother Bhudevi. So, Krishna asks his wife Satyabhama, the reincarnation of Bhudevi, to be his charioteer in the battle with Naraka.

When Krishna feigns unconsciousness after being hit by an arrow of Naraka, Satyabhama takes the bow and aims the arrow at Naraka, killing him instantly. Later Lord Krishna reminds her of the boon she had sought as Bhudevi. The slaying of Naraka by Sathyabhama could also be taken to interpret that parents should not hesitate to punish their children when they stray on to the wrong path. The message of Naraka Chaturdasi is that the good of the society should always prevail over one's own personal bonds.

The second day is Amavasya when Lakshmi puja is performed. It is believed that on this day Goddess Lakshmi would be in her benevolent mood and fulfill the wishes of her devotees. One version says that it was on this day that Goddess Lakshmi emerged from Kshira Sagara (Ocean of Milk) when the Gods and demons were churning the sagara (ocean) for nectar (Amrit)

The other version is that when Lord Vishnu in the guise of Vamana, sought three feet of land from the generous demon king Bali, the latter had to surrender his head as Vamana had conquered the earth and the sky in two strides. Lord Vishnu banishes Bali into the Pathala Loka (netherland) by keeping his third stride on Bali's head. Later, pleased by his generosity, Lord Vishnu grants him a boon and he in turn requests the Lord to guard his palace at Pathala Loka.

Meanwhile, the Goddess is unable to bear the separation and her grief affects the functioning of the entire universe. Brahma and Lord Shiva offer themselves as guards and plead with Bali to relieve Vishnu. So, on the Amavasya day, Lord Vishnu returns to his abode and Goddess Lakshmi is delighted. It is believed that those who worship Goddess Lakshmi on this day would be bestowed with all the riches.

The third day is "Kartika Shudda Padyami." On this day Bali would come out of Pathala Loka and rule Bhuloka as per the boon given by Lord Vishnu. Hence, it is also known as "Bali Padyami".

The fourth day is referred to as "Yama Dvitiya." On this day, sisters invite their brothers to their homes.

However, in the northern part of India it is celebrated as the return of Ram along with Sita and Lakshman from his 14 years of exile after killing Ravana. To commemorate his return to Ayodhya, his subjects illuminated the kingdom and burst crackers. For the Gujaratis, Marwaris and other business community Diwali marks the worship of Goddess Lakshmi and also the beginning of the new financial year.

For Bengalis, it is the time to worship Goddess Kali or Durga. The Goddess Durga continued her "Vilaya Tandava" even after killing demon Mahishasura.

The festival of Diwali is celebrated by Indians throughout the world in a joyous mood, with zeal and enthusiasm. The festival is predominated by colorful display of lights, bursting of crackers, cleanliness, sweets, lots of shopping, happiness. The festive spirit brings people of different communities closer, to celebrate the vibrant festival in the most blissful and lively way. Like most of the festivals in India, Diwali too has its base in mythology and there is a very interesting history about this festival. Go through the following lines to get information on the history of Diwali.

History of Diwali

Five Days of Diwali Celebrations
The first day of this festival begins with 'Dhan Trayodashi' or 'Dhanteras'. After the Dhanvantari Trayodashi, the second day of Diwali is called 'Narak Chaturdashi', which is popular as 'Chhoti Diwali'. The third day of Diwali, which is also called 'Badi Diwali' is the main day of celebrations of the festival of diwali. The fourth day of the festival is devoted to Govardhan Pooja (worship of Lord Govardhan Parvat). The fifth day of the festival is Bhai Dooj, the time to honor the brother-sister relationship.

Dhanteras History
The first day of Diwali celebration is marked by Dhanteras. According to the legends, during the churning of ocean by the Gods and the demons, Dhanvantari - the physician of the Gods came out of the ocean on the day of Dhanteras, with a pot of amrita that was meant for the welfare of the humankind. This day also marks the arrival of Goddess Lakshmi, which is celebrated by drawing small footprints of the deity, with rice flour and vermilion powder.

Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) History
One famous story behind the celebrations of Diwali is about the demon king Narakasur, who was ruler of Pragjyotishpur, a province to the South of Nepal. During a war, he defeated Lord Indra and snatched away the magnificent earrings of Mother Goddess Aditi, who was not only the ruler of Suraloka, but also a relative of Lord Krishna's wife - Satyabhama. Narakasur also imprisoned sixteen thousand daughters of Gods and saints in his harem. A day before Diwali, Lord Krishna killed Narakasur, released the jailed daughters and restored the precious earrings of Mother Goddess Aditi.

Diwali And Shri Ram of Ayodhyaa
The most famous legend behind the celebrations of Diwali is about the prince of Ayodhya Nagri - Lord Shri Ram. According to the legend, the king of Lanka, Ravan, kidnapped Lord Ram's wife (Sita) from the jungle, where they were staying as per the instructions of King Dashratha, father of Lord Ram. Then Ram attacked Lanka, killed Ravan and released Sita from the custody. He returned to Ayodhya with his wife Sita and younger brother Lakshamana after fourteen years.

Therefore, the people of Ayodhyaa decorated their homes as well as Ayodhyaa, by lighting tiny diyas, in order to welcome their beloved prince Shri Ram and Devi Sita. It was the day of 'Kartik Amavasyaa' when they also celebrated the victory of Shri Ram over the King of Lanka, Ravan. Ram is considered the symbol of good and the positive things and Ravan represents the evils. Therefore, Diwali is considered the festival, which establishes the victory of good over the evil. On the night of Diwali, people light diyas, which is again an icon of positive energy to conquer darkness, the is symbol of negative energy.

Govardhan Puja History
'Govardhan' is a small hillock situated at 'Braj', near Mathura. The legends in 'Vishnu Puraan' have it that the people of Gokul used to worship and offer prayers to Lord Indra for the rains, because they believed that it were He, who was responsible for rainfall for their welfare. However, Lord Krishna told them that it was Mount Govardhan (Govardhan Paevat) and not Lord Indra, who caused rains. Therefore, they should worship the former and not the latter.

People did the same, which made Lord Indra so furious that the people of Gokul had to face heavy rainfall because of his anger. Lord Krishna came forward to ensure their security and after performing worship and offering prayers to Mount Govardhan, he lifted it as an umbrella, on the little finger of his right hand, so that everyone could take shelter under it. After this event, Lord Krishna was also known as Giridhari or Govardhandhari.

Bhai Dooj History
According to the legends, Lord Yamraj, the God of Death, visited his sister Yamuna on the 'Shukla Paksha Dwitiya' day in the Hindi month of 'Kartik'. When Yamraj reached Yamuna's home, she welcomed him by performing his aarti, applying 'Tilak' on his forehead and by putting a garland around his neck. Yamuna also cooked varieties of dishes, prepared many sweets for her brother and offered all those to Him.

Lord Yamraj ate all those delicious dishes and when he was finished, he showered blessings on Yamuna and gave her a boon that if a brother visits his sister on this day, he would be blessed with health and wealth. This is why this day of Bhayya Duj is also known by the name of 'Yam-Dwitiya'. Thus, it has become a tradition that on the day of Bhai-Dooj for the brothers to visit their sisters' home and offer them gifts. Sisters also make various dishes for their brothers and give gifts to them.

History Of Sikh Community's Diwali
In the Sikh community, Diwali celebrations have special importance as for them it, is popular as the day when their sixth Guru, Guru Har Govind ji came back from the captivity of the fort of Gwalior city. The people illuminated lamps in the way to Shri Harmandhir Sahib, which is known by the name of 'the Golden Temple', to honor and welcome their beloved Guru.

History of Jain Community's Diwali
For the Jain community, the festival of Diwali has special significance. It is the day when the famous Jain prophet Bhagvaan Mahaveer, the founder of Jainism, attained 'Nirvana'. Therefore, the people of Jain community celebrate the festival of Diwali in remembrance of Lord Mahavira.

History & Origin of Diwali
The history of Diwali is related to the Hindu Purana(s). Hindus believes that whenever the power of evil increases in the world, Vishnu comes down to earth in a different form to defeat evil. These forms are called Avataras. Krishna and Rama are the popular Avataras of Vishnu. Goddesses accompany gods. Diwali celebrations are especially a time for telling stories about Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi, and about Krishna, Rama and his wife Sita.

The Story of Rama and Sita
Lord Rama was the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was a great warrior King who was exiled by his father Dashratha, the King of Ayodhya, along with his wife Sita. Lord Rama returned to his Kingdom Ayodhya after 14 years of exile, in which he put an end to the demon Ravana. After this victory of Good over Evil, Rama returned to Ayodhya.The people welcomed them by lighting rows of clay lamps. Great celebrations were held and everyone was happy for Rama to be the King of Ayodhya. So, it is an occasion in honour of Rama's victory over Ravana.

Krishna and The Mountain
According to Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna persuaded the people of Gokula to worship the mountain Govardhan instead of God Indra . Indra sought revenge. He sent thunder and torrential rain down on the village. Lord Krishna saved the villagers by lifting the top of the mountain with his finger .The people gathered under it until the storm passed away. The offering of food to God on this day of Diwali is a reminder to Hindus of the importance of food and it is a time for being thankful to God for the bounty of nature.

Lord Krisna and Narakasur
When people got the news of destruction of Narakasur by Lord Krisna on the day before Diwali , they celebrated Diwai .

The Story of King Bali and the Dwarf
The Diwali origin also lies in the story of Lord Vishnu and King Bali. Vishnu came to earth in the form of a dwarf. King Bali was send to the underworld.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati
Diwali history says Swami Dayananda Saraswati, that leonine sanyasin who was one of the first to light the torch of Hindu Renaissance during the last century, passed into Eternity on this day. The lights kindled on this day also mark the attempt of their followers to immortalize his sacred memories. The passage of these great men have indeed brought the national-cum-spiritual tradition of Diwali right up to modern times.

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51 Shakti peethas - Exact locations & Travel information

1. Hinglaj/ Charchika: Hingula (Kottari):
Pakistan>Baluchistan>Near (Las)bela>On the banks of Hingol river>In the mountain cave Hinglaj.
The famous Hinglaj yatra (260 K.m) starts from Karachi city. We should go by road for about 120 K.m, on main "Karachi - Quetta" Highway, upto Zero point, then, towards West through Lyari town, then, to signal Fauji camp stop. Last stop is "Asha Pura" Sarai. Hinglaj yatra is a hard pilgrimage, we have to cross two rivers (Aghore and Goongi), and enroute a mud volcano (Chandra Goof, which is worshipped as Lord Shiva’s Jata), in the journey.

2. Kolhapur: Amba bai/ Maha lakshmi/ Karavira vasini: Mahisha mardini (Sharkara/ Sharkarara):

India>Maharashtra>Kolhapur.
a) All types of travel facilities are available to Kolhapur. "Shree Karveer Nivasini Mahalakshmi Temple" is situated in the heart of the city, 5 K.m from both Central Bus Station and Railway Station.
b) Some believe it as Shivaharkaray (Karavipur), near Karachi in Pakistan. Nearest train station is Parkai. Here, Lord Shiva is worshipped in Ragi form.
c) Some consider it as an ancient temple located in Sukkur city of Pakistan, on the banks of Sindh river.

3. Sunanda (Sugandha):
Bangla desh>Barisal district>Gournadi thana>Uttar shikar pur village.
Though buses are available, the boat journey from Dhaka is recommended to reach Barisal. Uttar shikarpur is at a distance of 20 K.m from Barisal town, on the banks of Sunanda (Sonda/ Soundha/ Shandha) river. Goddess is locally known as Ugratara.
Bhairava of Sunanda devi, Trayambak, is present in the nearby Jhalakati Railway Station. Shivratri festival is famous here.

4. Amarnath: Mahamaya (Kashmira):

India>Jammu&Kashmir>Anantnag district>Near Pahalgam>Temple of Amarnath.
a) Amarnath yatra is very famous, done in July/ August, only when Amar Shivling is available to humans. We can join the yatra either from Delhi or from Srinagar. Helicopter service is also available.
b) According to some people, it is the Maha Maya temple located at about 5 K.m from Jammu on the by-pass road, behind Bahu Fort, near river Tawi.

5. Jwalaji/ Jwalamukhi: Siddhida (Jwalamukhi):
India>Himachal pradesh>Kangra district>Jwalamukhi.
Jwala is one of the famous pilgrimage spots, 30 K.m south of Kangra valley in the lap of Shivalik range, 60 K.m from Dharamshala. Many private buses are available to Dharmashala from Manali, Dehradun and Delhi etc.

6. Jalandhar: Tripura malini (Jalandhara):

India>Punjab>Jalandhar.
a) Devi talab mandir is the Sidh Shaktipeeth of Jalandhar city. It's about 1 K.m from Railway station and located in the heart of city. The goddess is called as Durga/ Sherain wali. There is a very old temple of Ma Kali in the same campus, but, that is not the Shakti peeth.
b) According to some devotees, it is the famous Ambaji temple in Banaskantha district of Gujarat. It is situated at a distance of 45 K.m from Mount Abu and 20 K.m from Abu Road near the Gujarat and Rajasthan border.

7. Vaidyanath/ Baidyanath: Jaya durga (Vaidyanatha):
India>Jarkhand>Deogarh district>Deogarh>Temple of Vaidyanath (Baba mandir).
The nearest railway station is Deoghar, which is a terminal station of a 7 K.m branch line, originating at Jasidih junction on the Howrah-Delhi main line.
Jaidurga Shaktipeeth is present exactly opposite to the main temple of Vaidyanath, in the same campus.

8. Khatmandu: Gureswari/ Guhjeswari/ Guhyeswari/ Maha maya (Nepala):
Nepal>Khatmandu>Near Temple of Pashupati nath.
Pashupatinath temple is s very big temple of Lord Shiva located on the banks of the Bagmati River in the eastern part of Kathmandu. Guhyeshwari temple is also present in the same campus.

9. Mansarovar: Dakshaini (Manasa):
Tibet>Manas sarovar
Kailash Mansarovar yatra is organized by Ministry of External affairs, India. It requires both robust health and good amount of money. Some tourist agencies are offering Helicopter yatra, for those interested.

10. Puri: Vimala (Utkala):

India>Orissa>Puri>Near the temple of Jagannatha.
a) Vimala Shaktipeeth is located in the South-Western corner of the Jagannath temple facing the east.
A Sapta matrika temple is also present in Puri, near Markanda pond. Some people call it as Shaktipeeth, but, Vimala temple is the original one.
b) Some call it as Viraja Shakti peeth, which is located at Jajpur of Orissa.

11. Muktinath/ Saligrama: Gandaki chandi (Gandaki):
Nepal>Dhawalagiri>Muktinath.
Basically the trip to Muktinath can be divided in two parts: from Kathmandu to Jomsom, and, from Jomsom to Muktinath. Up to Josom flights are available, after that, one has to chose either jeep or horse. Josom-Muktinath Helicopter service is also available.

12. Ketugram: Bahula:
India>West bengal>Bardhaman district>Near katwa>Ketu gram>On the banks of Ajay river.
Katwa is 190 K.m from Kolkata and 56 K.m from Barddhaman [Kolkata - Krishnanagar - Debagram - Katwa].
Ketugram is 30 K.m from Katwa. Devi Bahula, presiding divinity of Ketugram, is seen as accompanied by Kartik and Ganesa.

13. Harsiddhi/ Mangala chandi(Ujjain):

India>Madhya pradesh>Ujjain>Near Rudra sagar.
a) Ujjain is well connected by Rail and Bus routs. Nearest airport to Ujjain is Indore.
Harasiddhi temple is very close to Mahakaleshwar temple.
b) Some call it as Ujaani, 16 K.m from Guskara station, under Burdwan district of West Bengal.

14. Sitakundu: Sita/ Bhavani (Chattala):
Bangladesh>Chittagong district>Near Sitakunda station>Chottogram>On Chandra nath hill.
Trains and Buses are available to Chittagong, from Dhaka (6 hours), Sylhet (6 hours) and other cities. It has an international airport too, flights available from Dhaka, Kolkata etc.
Sati's right arm fell near a now-extinct hot spring at the Chandranth peak in Sitakunda. The site is marked by the temple of Sambhunath just below the Chandranath temple on top of the peak.

15. Tripura sundari:
India>Tripura>Near Udaipur>Radha kishore pur village.
Udaipur is about 55 K.m from Agartala. Tripura Shaktipeeth is situated at a distance of 3 K.m going towards south from Udaipur town. The temple is called Matabari, and the goddess Tripura sundari (Ma Kali/ Soroshi). Inside the temple there are two identical idols. The idol of Tripura Sundari is 5 feet high, and idol of Chhotima is 2 feet high. Back to the temple there is a big lake called Kalyan sagar. Diwali is important festival here.

16 Bhramari (Trisrota):

India>West bengal>Jalpaiguri district>Salbari village>On the banks of river Tista.
a) Shalbari is an Indian enclave in Boda upazila of Panchagarh district, Rajshahi division, Bangladesh, and, considered as a part of Jalpaiguri district of West bengal, India.
We can't reach Panchagarh by air or Rail. The road distance between Dhaka and Panchagarh is 344 K.m. Non-stop & Hino-chair coach services (Private sector) are available to Panchagarh town, from Gabtoli, Shemoly & Mirpur Road bus terminals of Dhaka. They take 8 hrs to reach Panchagarh.
It's not clear whether the Bhramari temple now exists or not.
b) Some believe the Bhramari Devi near Jalpesh Temple in Jalpaiguri as this Shakti peeth.

17. Guwahati: Maha Kali/ Kamarupini/ Kamakhya (Kamagiri):
India>Assam>Near Gauhati>Kamakhya>On Neelachal hills.
Guwahati is the state capital of Assam, and has all types of travel facilities and luxury hotels. If we go by train and wish to approach directly the temple, we should get-down at Nilachal station. From there, two routes to climb the hill. A steps route (about 600 steps) and a bus route (through Kamakhya gate, about 3 K.m). Night stay at Nilachal, in the premises of temple, gives enormous spiritual joy. But, to refresh and relax, we have to adjust with small rooms having very poor facilities. Temple opens in the morning after 7.30 A.M, and closes by 7.30 P.M. The goddess is in the form of water spring, in a dark sanctum, we must drink the water of that spring.

18. Yugadya/ Bhutadhatri:
India>West bengal>Bardhaman district>Mangalkot block>Near Nigam>Khir gram.
We should take Burdwan-Katoa rail to Nigam station. Khirgram is only 4 K.m from Nigam. A Mela is held here every year, during Baisakha Sankranti.

19. Kolkata: Kali (Kali peetha):
India>West bengal>Kolkata>Kali ghat.
This Pithasthan is located on the eastern banks of the Hooghly river. Nearest Railway station is Howrah and the nearest Metro station is Kalighat. Best time to visit the temple is either early morning or late afternoon. The idol of Kali is very big and we have to go down to have full view. For new-comers it's difficult to understand the temple, avoiding Hurry-burry is very important.

20. Allahabad: Lalita/ Alopi (Prayaga):
India>Uttar pradesh>Allahabad>Near Akshay vat.
Alopi Devi Mandir is situated at Allahabad fort, in Alopi bagh (5 K.m from city center). It is very near to the holy Sangam (Confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Sarasvati). There is no statue of goddess in the temple, and Puja is offered to a small wooden Jhula (swing) placed above marble platform.
Another temple of Lalita devi is present in Allahabad city center. Some call that as Shakti peeth.

21. Jayanti:

Bangladesh>Sylhet district>Near Jaintia pur>Kalajore Bourbhag village.
There are three places, which are believed as Jayantia Shakti peeth.
a) Jaintiapur is about 43 K.m to the north of Sylhet town (Sylhet Division, Bangladesh), on the Sylhet - Shillong road. It was the capital of an ancient kingdom which included the Khasi hills, Jaintia hills, and plains of Jainta. Interesting ruins of this forgotten period lie scattered throughout this town. Shakti peeth is locally known as Baurbhag Kali temple or Falizur Kali bari.
b) 65 K.m to the east of Shilong hills on NH 44 is Jowai, the district HQ of Jayantiya. 24 K.m to the north of Jowai is Nartiang, Jayanteswari temple. Recently, the dilapidated four centuries-old temple was demolished, and in its place new one was built with minimal change. Interestingly, here Durga and Jayanteswari (also called Matchyodari) are kept in the same place and worshipped together. Both are astadhatu idols and about 6-8 inch tall.
c) Jayanti is a small forest village within Buxa Tiger Reserve in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India. It is located along the Jayanti River. The 13 K.m trek from BuxaDuar to Jayanti is very popular. Shakti peeth features a stalactite cave there, popularly known as the Mahakal cave. The nearest railway station is Rajabhatkhawa, which is situated on the New Jalpaiguri-New Alipurduar route. All permits for the entry to the Tiger Reserve should be taken from here.

22. Berhampur: Vimala (Kirita):
India>West bengal>Mushirabad district>Near Lalbagh court road.
Berhampur is 200 K.m from Kolkata towards North [Kolkata - Krishnanagar - Plassey - Berhampore]. Kireetkona village (Vata nagara) is on banks of Ganga, 3 K.m from Lalbag Court Road station, near Berhampur.

23. Varanasi: Visalakshi (Manikarnika):
India>Uttar pradesh>Varanasi>Near Annapurna temple.
Varanasi has two major railway stations: Varanasi Junction (IR station code : BSB) in the heart of the city, and Mughal Sarai Junction (IR station code : MGS) about 15 K.m east of the city. Varanasi Airport (IATA: VNS) is about 25 K.m from the city center.
Vishwanath temple, Annapurna temple, Dundhi Ganesh temple and Dandapani temple, all are present in the same vicinity. Visalakshi temple is very small and we see an idol of Gowri in-front of Visalakshi.

24. Sharvani (Kanyashrama):

Bangladesh>Chittagong district>Kumarikund.
There are two views for this Shaktipeeth.
a) Kumari kund/ Kumari kundu is located near Kumira railway station, 22 K.m from Chittagong, Bangladesh.
b) Bhadrakali temple, present within the precincts of Kanya kumari temple, is believed as this Shakti peeth.

25. Thanesar: Bhadra kali/ Savitri (Kurukshetra):
India>Haryana>Near Kurukshetra>Thanesar>Near Dvipayan sarovar.
Thanesar (Sthaneshwar/ Kurikshetra) is 160 K.m from Delhi and 90 K.m from Chandigarh. It is at 6 K.m distance from Pipli an important road junction on the National highway No. 1.
Bhadrakali temple is the Shaktipeeth in Tanesar. It's 3 K.m from Kurukshetra Railway Station, and 7 K.m from Pipli Bus Stand. Consort of Bhadrakali is Sthanu Shiva, he is the main deity of Thanesar city.

26. Pushkar: Gayatri (Manivedika):
India>Rajasthan>Near Ajmeer>Pushkar>On the Gayatri hill.
Trains and buses are available up to Ajmer, and, from there, we should take taxi or rickshaw to reach Pushkar. Nearest airport to Pushkar is in Jaipur. Best route to reach Gayatri mandir is from behind the bus stand, and walk up Gayatri hill. The temple remains closed after noon, so it's better to go in morning hours.

27. Bhramaramba/ Mahamaya/ Mahalakshmi (Srisailam):
India>Andhra pradesh>Srisailam.
Srisailam is located deep in the Nallamala forest and there is no train route. But, AP State Road Transport Corporation Super luxury buses are available directly from Hyderabad and Vijayawada.
Bhramaramba Shaktipeeth is situated in the campus of Mallikarjuna swami temple (Jyotirling).

28. Kamakshi/ Deva garbha (Kanchi):

India>Tamilnadu>Near Chenni>Kanchipuram.
a) Chennai is one of the metropolitan cities of India, it has all travel facilities. We can reach Kanchi from there, either by train or bus. Kanchipuram a spectacular city of thousand temples reflecting the glorious traditions of South India, and, Kamakshi Shaktipeeth is the center for all those temples.
The modern Kamakshi temple is very big and famous, but, the Shaktipeeth is Adi Peeteswari or Adi Peeta Parameswari. This temple is just adjacent to the Kumarakottam, and also near to the presently famous temple. Devi in this original temple is called Kirtimati/ Devagarbha in Tantrachudamani. She has four hands containing in each of them respectively, Pasa, Ankusa, Abhaya and a Kapala. Kamakshi Kali, Kamakshi lalita, Kameswari are other names of her.
b) Some consider it as Kankalitala Pithasthan, on the banks of Kopai River 10 K.m north-east of Bolpur station in Birbhum district, West bengal. Devi locally known as Kankaleshwari.

29. Kali (Kala madhava):

India>Assam>Gauhati>Basistha temple.
No authoritative text is specifying the location of Kalamadhav. However, we find three views.
a) JnanarNava tantra, while describing Ashta matrika peethas, mentions Kamarupa (modern Guwahati) as the seat of Brahmi and Asitanga bhairava. By the presence of Asitanga bhairava, we can understand it as Kala madhavam. It is the Tara peeth at Vasishta ashram (Basistha) near Kamakhya. Kalika purana also describes it as a Shaktipeeth and praises the holy streams (Sandhya, Lalita, Kanta) passing behind the temple. Arundhati temple is about 1 K.m from here.
b) Kasi khanda of Skanda Purana, mentions nine madhavas of Varanasi: Sesha madhava, Sangha madhva, Indu madhava, Ghana madhava, Shweta madhava, Prayaga madhava, Vaikunta madhava, Veera madhava and Kala madhava.
c) Some people consider the "Narmada Udgam temple" present near Narmada kund of Amarkantak, as this Shakti peeth.

30. Amarkantak: Shaila/ Shona (Narmada):
India>Madhya pradesh>Shahdol district>Amarkantak.
Nearest rail head for Amarkantak is Pendra Road (42 K.m) on the Katni - Bilaspur section of the South-Eastern Railway. Amarkantak is connected by regular bus service with Shahdol, Umaria, Jabalpur, Rewa, Bilaspur, Anuppur and Pendra Road. Nearest airports are Jabalpur (228 k.m) and Raipur (230 k.m).
"Shonmuda/ Shonakshi temple", near the origin of Shon river, is the Shakti peeth here.

31. Chitrakut: Shivani (Rama giri):

India>Uttar pradesh>Chitrakut district>Sita pur.
a) Nearest rail head for Chitrakoot is Chitrakoot Dham (11 K.m ) on the Jhansi-Manikpur main line. Chitrakoot is connected by Road with Banda, Jhansi, Mahoba, Chitrakoot Dham, Harpalpur, Satna and Chhatarpur. Nearest airport is at Khajuraho (175 K.m).
A holy pond, by name Janaki sarovar/ Janaki kund, situated 2 K.m south of Chitrakoot, on the banks of river Mandakini, is believed as Shaktipeeth. Some people say the local Lalita devi temple as Shaktipeeth.
b) Some people call it as Rajagiri (modern Rajgir), a famous Buddhist pilgrimage). The Vulture's Peak (Gridhakuta/ Grdhrakuta) of Rajgir is believed as Shakti peeth. Rajgir has many hot water springs (Kunds), and devotees feel sacred to bath in those Kunds. They are present near Lakshmi Narayan Temple (Once, the site of Tapodarama Monastery).

32. Vrindavan: Uma (Brindavana):
India>Uttar pradesh>Near Agra>Vrindavan.
Vrindavan is 50 K.m from Agra and 150 K.m from Delhi. Nearest train station is Mathura, 12 K.m away. Shaktipeeth is near new Bus stand on Bhuteshwar road, within Bhuteshwar Mahadev Temple.

33. Kanyakumari: Narayani (Suchi):
India>Tamil nadu>Near Kanyakumari>Suchindram.
Kanyakumari, though traditionally a part of Parusara kshetra (Kerala), now is under Tamilnadu state. Nearest airport is Trivandrum (87 K.m), we can have trains and buses from Madurai too (242 K.m).
The goddess is popularly known as Kanya kumari/ Bhagavathy Amman, and looks extremely beautiful after early morning Puja. Samhara bhairava is present in a nearby village, Suchindram, he is locally called Sthanu Shiva.

34. Varahi (Pancha sagara):

India>Maharashtra>Near Sangli>Narasimha wadi>Shakti teertha.
Three places are believed as this Shaktipeeth.
a) Narasimha wadi (Narsobachi Wadi/ Narsobawadi) is a famous Datta kshetra. Nearest Railway Stations to Narasimha wadi are at Sangli (23 K.m) and Kolhapur (55 K.m). From Sangli, City buses and Jeeps are available. Awrwad (Amareshwar/ Amarpur) is located on the banks of river Krishna, exactly opposite to Narsinhwadi. There is a bridge, roughly of 1 K.m length, connecting two villages. "Shakti tirth" near Amareshwar temple of Awrwad is the Shaktipeeth.
b) Some people identify this Shaktipeeth with the Chandrapur of Janjgir-Champa district, Chhattisgarh. Chandarpur is situated between Raigarh and Saranggarh, It is about 100 K.m from Jnjgir and about 220 K.m from Raipur (Capital city of Chhattisgarh). It is a place of confluence of five rivers: Maha nadi, Mand nadi, Katang nala, Lath nala and Kelo nadi. Goddess in Chandrapur is Chandrahasini (Varaharupi), and Shiva is Maharudra.
c) According to some people Pancha sagara is at Haridwar. But, no temple or location is specified.

35. Aparna (Karatoya tata):
Bangladesh>Bogra district>Sher pur thana>Bhavani pur village.
Bhawanipur village is on the banks of river Karatoya, 28 K.m from Sherpur (Serapur). We can go to Bhabanipur from Dhaka via Jamuna Bridge. After passing Chandaikona in Sirajganj District, we reach Ghoga Bot-tola bus stop, from where Bhabanipur mandir is nearby (By availing ourselves of van or scooter). Pilgrims from the districts located to the North of Bogra reach Bhabanipur by passing through Sherpur, Mirzapur and Ghoga Bot-tola of Bogra district.
“Shakha-Pukur”, a holy pond of Bhabanipur, is believed as Shaktipeeth. Combined Armed forces of Bangladesh demolished the Bhabani temple in the name of unauthorized structure. Now, “Bhabanipur Temple Renovation, Development and Management Committee” was established for the purpose of bringing the temple into limelight. As there is no idol for the goddess (Aparna/ Arpana), a Kali murti was consecrated.

36. Sundari /Bala tripura sundari (Sri parvata):

India>Andhara pradesh>Near Srisailam>Tripurantakam.
Two places are believed as this Shakti peeth.
a) Tripurantakam is a small village in Prakasam district of Andhra pradesh, about 150 K.m from Vijayawada, 90 K.m from Ongole and 100 K.m from Srisailam. Nearest Railway station is at Markapur (43 K.m).
The goddess is believed as Tripura sundari/ Tripurantaki. Temple lies in a holy pond, 3 K.m distant from Tripurantakam village. Tripurantakeswara temple is located on a small hill, nearby.
b) Some people believe this Shakti peeth as the Kali Mandir of Jainpur, about 3 K.m from Sylhet, Bangladesh.
c) Some believe it as Ladakh. It may be the historically famous Sarada temple, which is located near mountains of Bolor (Bolair), between Ladakh and Gilgit. It's now in Pak occupied Kashmir.

37. Tamluk: Kapali (Vibhasa):
India>West bengal>Medini pur district>Tamluk.
Tamluk/ Tamoluk is the district headquarters of Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. It's about 90 K.m from Kolkata, and located on the banks of the Rupnarayan river close to the Bay of Bengal. Nearest train station is Tamluk itself. The goddess in this Shaktipeeth is known as Shri Barghobhima Devi.

38. Somnath: Chandrabhaga (Prabhasa):
India>Gujarat>Somnath.
Somnath, a famous Jyotirling, is located near Veraval on the west coast of India, in Junagadh district, Gujarat. Nearest Railway station is Veraval (13 K.m) and nearest Airports are Junagadh (95 K.m) and Diu (90 K.m).
There is no temple for Chandrabhaga, it is identified with the holy confluence of rivers Hiran, Kapila and Saraswati and their sangam with the Ocean.

39. Ujjain: /Maha kali /Avanti (Bhairava parvata):

India>Madhya pradesh>Ujjain>Garh Kali.
Ujjain is famous for Mahakaleshwar Jyotirling. Bherugarh in Ujjain is Bhairava parvata, and Garh kali temple is the Shakti peeth. It's about 4 K.m, towards north, from Mahakal mandir.
b) Some consider the Girnar mountains of Sourashtra, Gujarat, as this Shakti peeth. Ambaji temple (on the top of Girnar hills), and Mahakali caves (in the interior of Girnar hills) both are believed as Shakti peeth.

40. Nashik: Bhramari (Janasthana):

India>Maharashtra>Nashik>Godavari river valley.
a) It is believed as the Bhadrakali Mandir of old Nasik.
b) Some believe it as seeta Gufaa (Sita Gumpha Temple Complex), located at the western side door of Kalaram Temple, near Panchavati. The cave is accessible only through a narrow passage. It has a Shivlinga which is worshipped by Lord SriRama, Sita and Lakshmna, when they were in exile. This is the place, where Rama hid Sita, when he single handedly fought and destroyed Khara Dushanas with their 14,000 Rakshasas.
c) Some believe it to be the Saptashringi Shaktipeeth, near Vani, about 50 K.m away from Nasik.

41. Manikyamba /Vishwa matrika (Godavari teera):

India>Andhra pradesh>Near Rajahmundry>Draksharamam.
a) Draksharamam is about 200 K.m from Vijayawada, 50 K.m from Rajahmundry and 30 K.m from Kakinada. Nearest Railway station is at Samalkot (about 50 K.m). Draksharama is famous for Bhimeswara Swamy temple and Manikyamba Shakti peeth.
b) Some consider the historically famous "Kotilingala revu" of Rajahmundry as this Shakti peeth. Kotilingeshwara Swamy temple is present here, on the banks of Godavari river.

42. Kumari (Ratnavali):

India>West bengal>Hugli district>Khanakul-Krishna nagar>On the banks of river Ratnakar.
It is thought to be at three places.
a) Krishnanagar village near Khanakul (Hoogly district) is about 90 K.m from Kolkata. Locally the Shakti peeth is known as Anandamayee Temple.
b) Ratnapur (Ratnawali nagar of Madhyadesh - Ancient name) is situated along the Bilaspur-Ambikapur state highway of Chhattisgarh. Nearest railway station is at Bilaspur (25 K.m). Nearest airport is at Raipur (140 K.m). Mahamaya devi mandir is the Shakti peeth.
c) Ratnavali is believed to be near Chennai too. But, no temple is identified as this Shakti peeth

43. Janakpur: Uma devi (Mithila):

Nepal>On the boarder of India and Nepal>Janak pur.
a) Janakpur is the birth place of Sita mata. Many people believe the famous Janki mandir as this Shakti peeth, which is just 1 K.m away from Railway station. Sona mai mandir is also an ancient Shakti temple.
b) Some consider the Durgasthan (Devi Bhagavati) at Mithilanchal, Uchait (also spelled - Uchchaith/ Ucchaitha). Ucchaith is a village under Benipatti Subdivion in the district of Madhubani, Bihar (also, just 30 K.m from Janakpur, Nepal). Nearest Railway Station is at Kamtaul (24 K.m). It is well connected by bus root from Darbhanga.

44. Kali (Nalahati):
India>West bengal>Birbhum district>Nalhati.
It is situated near Nalhati Railway Station on the Howrah-Sahebganj loop line, and is connected by the Panagarh-Moregram Road. Nalateswari Temple is located on a small & beautiful hill.

45. Mysore: Chamundeswari /Jaya durga (Karnata):

India>Karnataka>Mysore>On Chamundi hills.
a) Mysore is internationally famous for the Dasara festivals dedicated to the goddess Chamundeswari, situated on Chamundi hills. Temples of Lord Shiva (Mahabaleswara) and Lord Vishnu (Narayana) are also located nearby the Chamundi temple.
b) Some believe it as the Mookambika temple of Kollur, Kanara region of Karnataka.
b) According to some people, it is at Kangra in Himachalpradesh. But no temple is specified.

46. Mahisha mardini (Vakreswara):
India>West bengal>Birbhum district>Near Dubrajpur>Near Pamphara river>The temple of Bakreshwar.
Bakreswar is situated 24 K.m South West of Suri (the district headquarter of Birbhum) and 7 K.m from Dubrajpur train station. Bakranath temple is renowned for hot water springs and cold water springs. They all discharge in to a rivulet, which joins Pamphra river.

47. Yashoreshwari (Yashora):
Bangladesh>Near Daulat pur>Maheswaripur.
It is situated at Ishwaripur, Shyamnagar upazila, Satkhira district, Bangladesh (about 125 K.m from Jessore and Khulna). The present temple of Jossoreshwari Kali a splendid two-story building, built at the ruins of old temple.

48. Pullara (Attahasa):
India>West bengal>Birbhum district>Near Ahmedpur>Labpur.
It is located in Attahas village, near Labhpur station, on Ahmadpur - Katwa railway line, Bardhaman district, West Bengal (about 220 K.m from Kolkata). Goddess is so large, that the lower lip is about 15 to 18 feet wide. The temple of Vairab is beside the temple of Fullora.

49. Nandini (Nandi pura):
India>West bengal>Birbhum district>Sainthia>Nandikeshwari temple.
It is located in earlier Nandipur village, which is now a part of Sainthia town, Birbhum district, West Bengal (220 K.m from Kolkata). Nandikeshwari temple (Shaktipeeth) is only 1.5 K.m from Railway Station, under a banyan tree within a boundary wall.

50. Sankari /Indrakshi(Lanka):

Sri lanka>Trincomalee>Thirukkoneswaram temple.
It is believed to be located at two places.
a) Tri koneswaram temple at Trincomalai, a a port city on the east coast of Sri Lanka. Trincomalee has an airport too.
b) Nagapooshani amman kovil of Nainativu.
From Jaffna, we should take the bus to Kurikadduvan (approximately one hour journey). Kurikadduvan is located on the island of Punkudutivu which is connected to Jaffna by causeways. From there, buses are available to Nainativu.

51. Ambika (Virata):

India>Rajasthan>Near Jaipur>Bairat.
Three places, remembering in two Puranic desas, are considered with reference to this Pithasthan. But, none of them has a temple or place which is known as Shaktipeeth.
Ancient Matsya desa/ Virata desa (in the region of "Alwar, Bharatpur and Jaipur"):
a) Bairat village (Virat nagar), about 90 K.m from Jaipur.
Nivriti desa/ Virata desa (comprising of "Bardhankot, Coch behar and Rangpur"):
b) Bairatta in Dakshin Dinajpur district of West bengal.
c) Birat rajar garh in Rangpur district of Bangladesh.

52. Patna: Sarvanandakari (Magadha):
India>Bihar>Patna>Maharaj ganj locality>Bari Patan devi temple.
It is situated at Maharajganj, about 10 K.m East from the Patna Junction railway station. Bari patan devi (also called, Patali putreswari) faces towards North. Idols of Maha kali, Maha lakshmi, Maha saraswati and Bhairav are also present in the temple. Another temple, dedicated to Choti Patan Devi, is located at Patna City Chowk.

The above details, frankly speaking, cause a lot of confusion. Many doubts still remaining. Many Shakti peetams are not perfectly identified. This is because of three reasons.
1. Devotion of local people towards their local Shakti shrines.
2. Extinction of ancient Shakti temples because of various Socio-cultural changes.
3. Inability to match the Puranic and Tantric names of places and goddesses with the present ones.
O.k, as far as my knowledge goes ...
I tried to arrange the places, so that the most authoritative one appears as option "a)".
Another important point is,
There are different lists of Shaktipeethas. All of them overlap. It is possible for the same Pitha to appear in one or more lists. Again, the places are variously called: Shakti peethas, Yogini pithas, Matrika pithas, Durga pithas, Pitha sthans etc.

51 Shakti pithas list according to Tantra Chudamani:
Godavari teera (Andhra pradesh)
Prabhasa (Gujarat)
Nepala (Nepal)
Prayaga (Uttar pradesh)
Sri parvata (Andhra pradesh)
Kurukshetra (Haryana)
Utkala (Orissa)
Rama giri (Uttar pradesh)
Srisaila (Andhra pradesh)
Jwalamukhi (Himachal pradrsh)
Hingula (Pakistan)
Attahasa (West bengal)
Kala madhava (Assam)
Kashmira (Jammu&Kashmir)
Jalandhara (Punjab)
Bahula (West bengal)
Kama giri (Assam)
Karnata (Karnataka)
Mani vedika (Rajasthan)
Kali peetha (West bengal)
Magadha (Bihar)
Bhirava parvata (Madhya pradesh)
Virata (Rajasthan)
Kireeta (West bengal)
Vidyanatha (Bihar)
Ujjaini (Madhya pradesh)
Lanka (Sri lanka)
Nalahati (West bengal)
Chattala (Bangladesh)
Shona (Madhya pradesh)
Kanchi (Tamil nadu)
Nandi pura (West bengal)
Jayanti (Bangladesh)
Jana sthana (Maharashtra)
Shuchi (Tamil nadu)
Ratnavali (West bengal)
Kanyashrama (Bangladesh)
Pancha sagara (Maharashtra)
Manasa (Tibet)
Trisrota (West bengal)
Karatoya tata (Bangladesh)
Sharkarara (Maharashtra)
Tripura (Tripura)
Vakreshwara (West bengal)
Sugandha (Bangladesh)
Gandaki (Nepal)
Brindavana (Uttar pradesh)
Vibhasa (West bengal)
Yashora (Bangladesh)
Mithila (Nepal)
Mani karnika (Uttar pradesh)
Yugadya (West bengal)

51 Shakti pithas details according to Tantra Chudamani:

No: Place: Part of the body: Bhirava: Shakti:


1. Hingula (Pakistan) Brahma randhra Bhima lochana Kottari
2. Sharkarara(Maha rashtra) Trinetra Krodheesha Mahisha mardini
3. Sugandha (Bangla desh) Nasika Triambaka Sunanda
4. Kashmira (Jammu&Kashmir) Kantha desha Tri sandhyeshwara Maha maya
5. Jwala mukhi (Himachal pradesh) Jihwa Unmatta/VatukeshwaraSiddhida/Ambica
6. Jalandhara (Punjab) Vama stana Bhishana Tripura malini/Tripuranashini
7. Vidya natha (Bihar) Hridaya Vidya natha Jaya durga
8. Nepala (Nepal) Janu dwaya Kapali Maha maya
9. Manasa (Tibet) Dakshina hasta Amara/Hara Dakshaini
10. Utkala/Viraja (Orissa) Nabhi Jagannatha Vimala/Vijaya
11. Gandaki (Nepal) Dakshina ganda Chakra pani Gandaki chandi
12. Bahula (West bebgal) Vama bahu Bhiruka/Tivraka Bahula
13. Ujjaini (Madhya pradesh) Kurpara Kapilambara Mangala chandi
14. Chattala (Bangla desh) Dakshina bahu Chandra sekhara Bhavani
15. Tripura (Tripura) Dakshina pada Tripuresha Tripura
16. Trisrota (West bengal) Vama pada Ambara/ Eshwara Bhramari
17. Kama giri/Kama rupa desha(Assam)Maha mudra/Yoni Umananda Kamakhya/Dasha maha vidya
18. Yugadya/Ksheera grama(West bengal) Dakshina padangushta Ksheera kantaka Bhoota dhatri
19. Kali peetha (West bengal) Dakshina padanguli Nakuleesha Kali

20. Prayaga(Uttar pradesh) Hastanguli Bhava Lalitha
21. Jayanti (Bangladesh) Vama jangha Kramadeeshwara Jayanti
22. Kireeta/ Kireeta kona (West bengal) Kireeta Samvarta/ Siddha rupa Vimala/ Bhuvaneshi
23. Manikarnika/ Varanasi (Uttar pradesh) Karna kundala Kala bhirava Vishalakshi
24. Kanyashrama (Bangladesh) Prishta Nimisha Sharvani
25. Kurukshetra (Haryana) Dakshina gulpha Sthanu Savitri
26. Manivedika (Rajasthan) Mani bandha Sarvananda/ Sharvananda Gayatri
27. Srisaila/ Sri hatta (Andhra pradesh) Greeva Samvarananda/ Shambarananda Maha lakshmi
28. Kanchi (Tamil nadu) Kankala Ruru Deva garbha/ Veda garbha
29. Kala madhava (Assam) Vama nitamba Asitanga Kali
30. Shona (Madhya pradesh) Dakshina nitamba Bhadra sena Narmada
31. Rama giri/Raja giri (Uttar pradesh) Dakshina stana Chanda Shivani
32. Brindavana (Uttar pradesh) Kesha jala Bhootesha/ Krishna natha Uma/ Katyaini
33. Shuchi/ Anala (Tamil nadu) Oordhwa danta pankti Samhara/ Samkrura Narayani
34. Pancha sagara (Maharashtra) Adho danta pankti Maha rudra Varahi
35. Kara toya tata (Bangladesh) Vama talpa Vamana Aparna
36. Sri parvata (Andhra pradesh) Dakshina talpa Sundarananda Sundari
37. Vibhasa (West bengal) Vama gulpha Sarvananda Kapali/ Bhima rupa
38. Prabhasa (Gujarat) Udara Vakra tunda Chandra bhaga
39. Bhirava parvata (Madhya pradesh) Oordhvoshta Lamba karna Avanti
40. Jana sthana (Maharashtra) Chibuka Vikritaksha Bhramari
41. Godavari teetra (Andhra pradesh) Vama ganda Danda pani/ Vatsa nabha Vishwa matrika/ Rakini
42. Ratnavali (West bengal) Dakshina skandha Shiva Kumari
43. Mithila (Nepal) Vama skandha Mahodara Uma devi/ Maha devi
44. Nalahati (West bengal) Nala Yogeeshwara Kali
45. Karnata (Karnataka) Karna Abhiru Jaya durga
46. Vakreshwara (West bengal) Manas Vakra natha Mahisha mardini
47. Yashora (Bangla desh) Vama hasta Chanda Yashoreshwari
48. Attahasa (West bengal) Adharoshta Vishweshwara Pullara
49. Nandi pura (West bengal) Kantha hara Nandikeshwara Nandini
50. Lanka (Sri lanka) Nupura Rakshaseshwara Indrakshi
51. . Virata (Rajasthan) Vama padanguli Amrita Ambika
52. Magadha (Bihar) Dakshina jangha Vyoma kesha Sarvanandakari

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