Enjoy Delhi » Temple

Vegetarian restaurant – Govindas at Iskcon temple in Delhi

ashish — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:09:47 +0000

If you desire some great vegetarian food, then probably one of the best (and not very expensive place) is a place called Govindas. The food here is great, with the focus on serving vegetarian, healthy food (the food is cooked as per principles, with no garlic or onion in it). How does food taste without any onion or garlic ? Well, my experience was that at a minimum, portions of the food were palatable, and some of the food items were great. How would I rate the overall food experience ? Well, rate it as above average. The gentry was good, with families sitting there carefully in a well decorated interior (the eating tables are at a slight depression to the buffet tables). We had actually booked a party at the same restaurant (and they had given us a small ante-room that was good enough to seat around 40 people). The food at the party level was good enough that the guests liked the good (even the people fond of non-vegetarian food enjoyed the vegetarian food laid out).
A plus point was that the restaurant is located within the premises of the ISKCON temple in East of Kailash.
Address: ISKCOM Temple Complex, Sant Nagar Main Road, East of Kailash, New Delhi – 110065.
Timings: Noon-3.30 p.m. & 7.00 p.m. to 10.00 p.m

Chattarpur Temple, South Delhi

ashish — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 09:44:55 +0000

The Chattarpur Temple is dedicated to goddess Durga, along with temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, Vishnu, Lakshmi and Ganesh in the temple compound. A large number of devotees visit this temple and is very famous; earlier, the area around it was not populated, but as Delhi is expanding, the temple is seeing many more devotees. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Durga (who is worshipped in fierce (Kali, Durga) and tender (Lakshmi) forms), and who is the consort of Lord Vishnu. Another shrine is dedicated to Goddess Katyayani, whose ‘darshan’ can be availed only on ‘ashtami’ falling in every month. Otherwise, the ‘darshan’ of Goddess Katyayani can be made throughout the days of ‘Navratri’.

Map to Temple:

The temples exhibit a beautiful architecture, made up of marble (and gleaming in their whiteness), and made in the South Indian style. The center is the Vimana (a tall tower consisting of several smaller storeys). During Durga Pooja, the temple is thronged by devotees, there to offer prayers. The compound has beautifully manicured lawns, and gardens. The temple also has a tree where devotees tie a thread so that their requests are met by the deity. Chhatarpur Temple was built by Swami Nagpal Maharaj, who was a great devotee of Goddess Durga.
Places nearby: Alai-Darwaza, Quwwatul-Islam Mosque, Iron Pillar, Alai Minar, Tomb of Iltutmish, Imam Zamin’s Tomb and Ala-ud-Din Madarsa.
Located at: 4km Beyond Qutub Minar in Mehrauli, Delhi

Photos (link1, link2, link3, link4)

Bhairon temple near Purana Qila

ashish — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 09:28:52 +0000

Located on one of the busiest traffic routes in Delhi, not too many people know about the Bhairon Mandir, a temple that actually takes liquor as an offering. Even when you know that you are traveling on a road known as Bhairon Road, not too many people associate that with the temple. That is not to say that these are unknown temples, a lot of people in Delhi know about these temples and many go to these temples (when I say temples, there are actually 2 temples over there, in one you offer liquor, and in the other, you offer milk (called Dhudhiya Bhairon)).
The Purana Qila has a heritage around it, known as having been associated with the time of the Mahabharata (even though there is not much of archaeological proof as yet of this). Similarly, the Bhairon Mandir outside the complex is supposed to be of that age, a place where Bheema worshipped the fierce form of Lord Shiva called Bhairavji. The structure is assuredly not so old, but the story goes that the core section of the temple is very old.
In the temple, you can give alcohol as an offering; another interesting part is that the devotees are forbidden from giving prasad (the offering) to beggars (in theory – in practise there are a number of beggars outside).

Kalkaji Temple: An ancient place of worship

ashish — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:00:36 +0000

The Kalkaji Mandir is a part of the ancient history of Delhi, with a common belief that there has been a structure here for the past 3,000 years, and a connection with the Mahabharta, in terms of worship of the Kalka Devi (an incarnation of Goddess Durga). The temple in its current position is located on a hill, and it is really quite ancient, with the oldest parts being from the 1760′s; and there were many additions in the 19th century.
The Delhi locality of Kalkaji takes its name from the temple. To reach it is very simple, you ask for the temple and you will get directions. It is located next to Nehru Place and close to the Ba’hai temple.
The modern temple is a 12-sided structure completely made out of marble and black pumice stones. This structure houses the black stone that denotes goddess kali. The temple building is very simple and has no ornamentation as such. There is an inn in the backyards of the main structure known as Kali Dharamshala.
The main shrine has twelve sides, made in white marble and granite tiles. This structure houses the black stone that denotes goddess kali. The temple building is very simple and has no ornamentation as such. In the vicinity of the temple are the Mandir’s dharamshalas, the rest houses for pilgrims, which were built by the donations of many devotees in the early 20th century. During the time of ‘Navratris’ (Mar-Apr / Sep-Oct), thousands of devotees come for the ‘darshan’ of the deity. For the period of nine days, a huge fair is organized in the vicinity of the temple.