UjjainUjjain (u:ˈdʒeɪn, Hindustani pronunciation: [ʊd͡ːʒɛːn], old name Avantika) is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative centre of Ujjain district and Ujjain division. It is one of the Hindu pilgrimage centres of Sapta Puri famous for the Kumbh Mela held there every 12 years. The famous temple of Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is located in the center of the city.
PrayagrajPrayagraj (; ˈpreɪəˌɡrædʒ,_'praɪə-); formerly Allahabad or Ilahabad or Prayag, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Prayagraj district—the most populous district in the state and 13th most populous district in India—and the Prayagraj division. The city is the judicial capital of Uttar Pradesh with the Allahabad High Court being the highest judicial body in the state. Prayagraj is the seventh most populous city in the state, thirteenth in Northern India and thirty-sixth in India, with an estimated population of 1.
UttarakhandUttarakhand ( 'ʊtərɑːkʌnd, ˌʊtərəˈkʌnd or ˌʊtəˈrækənd; ˈʊtːərɑːkhəɳɖ, Northern Land), also known as Uttaranchal ( ˌʊtəˈræntʃʌl; the official name until 2007), is a state in northern India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (Land of the Gods) due to its religious significance and numerous Hindu temples and found throughout the state. Uttarakhand is known for the natural environment of the Himalayas, the Bhabar and the Terai regions.
SadhuSadhu (साधु, IAST: (male), sādhvī or sādhvīne (female)), also spelled saddhu, is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. They are sometimes alternatively referred to as yogi, sannyasi or vairagi. Sādhu means one who practises a 'sadhana' or keenly follows a path of spiritual discipline. Although the vast majority of sādhus are yogīs, not all yogīs are sādhus.
NashikNashik (ˈnɑːʃɪk), Marathi: [naːʃik], formerly Nasik ), is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of the river Godavari, Nashik is the fourth largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. The population of Nashik city is around 22 lakhs and is emerging as one of the fastest-growing cities in India. Nashik is located about 165 km northeast of the state capital Mumbai, and about 210 km north from Pune. The Mumbai-Pune-Nashik region is called the "Golden Triangle of Maharashtra".
HaridwarHaridwar (hʌrɪˈdwɑr; ; Old name Mayapuri) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is situated on the right bank of the Ganges river, at the foothills of the Shivalik ranges. Haridwar is regarded as a holy place for Hindus, hosting important religious events and serving as a gateway to several prominent places of worship.
UdasiUdasis (Gurmukhi: ਉਦਾਸੀ ਸੰਪਰਦਾ; udāsī saparadā), also spelt as Udasins, also known as Nanak Putras (meaning "sons of Nanak"), are a religious sect of ascetic sadhus centred in northern India who follow a tradition known as Udasipanth. Becoming custodians of Sikh shrines in the 18th century, they were notable interpreters and spreaders of the Sikh philosophy during that time. However, their religious practices border on a syncretism of Sikhism and Hinduism, including idolatry, and they did not conform to the Khalsa standards as ordained by Guru Gobind Singh.
MathaA matha (/mʌt/; मठ, ), also written as math, muth, mutth, mutt, or mut, is a Sanskrit word that means 'institute or college', and it also refers to a monastery in Hinduism. An alternative term for such a monastery is adheenam. The earliest epigraphical evidence for mathas related to Hindu-temples comes from the 7th to 10th century CE. The most famous Advaita Vedanta mathas or peethams, which came to be affiliated with the Advaita tradition in the 14th century, are Govardhanmaṭha Pīṭhaṃ at Puri, Odisha; Śārada Pīṭhaṃ at Sringeri, Karnataka; Kalika Pīṭhaṃ at Dvāraka, Gujarat; Jyotirmaṭha Pīṭhaṃ at Badari, Uttarakhand; and Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham at Kanchi, Tamil Nadu.
Samudra ManthanaThe Samudra Manthana (समुद्रमन्थन; churning of the ocean) is a major episode in Hinduism that is elaborated in the Vishnu Purana, a major text of Hinduism. The Samudra Manthana explains the origin of the elixir of eternal life, amrita. Sāgara manthana (सागरमन्थन) – Sāgara is another word for Samudra, both meaning a sea or large water body. Kshirasāgara manthana (क्षीरसागरमन्थन) – Kshirasāgara means the ocean of milk or milky ocean. Kshirasāgara = Kshira (milk) + Sāgara (ocean or sea).
AkharaAkhara or Akhada (Sanskrit: अखाड़ा, shortened to Khara Hindi: खाड़ा) is an Indian word for a place of practice with facilities for boarding, lodging and training, both in the context of Indian martial artists or a sampradaya monastery for religious renunciates in Guru–shishya tradition. For example, in the context of the Dashanami Sampradaya sect, the word denotes both martial arts and religious monastic aspects of the trident wielding martial regiment of the renunciating sadhus.
