Vishnupad Temple, Gaya - Bihar

The Vishnupada Mandir is the 220 year old temple in Gaya, India. It is a Hindu temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

Another charm of the city is Vishnupad temple located along the Phalgu River, marked by a footprint of Lord Vishnu known as Dharmashila, incised into a block of basalt.  The Brahmajuni Hill loacted 1km southwest of the temple makes an interesting spot, one has to climb thousand stone steps to reach the hill and from the top you can behold the beauty of the temple.

The foot print is 40cm long and surrounded by a silver plated basin. The temple possesses eight ravishing carved pillars supported by pavilion. The temple is built of granite blocks and has octagonal shrine facing towards east. It has the presence of immortal banyan tree Akshayabhat where the final rituals of the dead are carried out.

History and location

The construction date of temple is unknown and it is believed that Rama along with Sita had visited this place. The present day structure was rebuilt by Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, the ruler of Indore, in 1787, on the banks of the Falgu river. A flight of 1000 stone steps leads to the top of the Brahmajuni hill, 1 km southwest of the Vishnupad mandir. Visitors prefer to go to the top of Brahmajuni hill see magnificent view of temple from top. There are many small temples near this temple.

Once a demon known as Gayasura, did a heavy penance and sought a boon that whoever see him should attain salvation (Moksham). Since salvation is achieved through being righteous in one's lifetime, people started obtaining it easily. To prevent immoral people from attaining salvation Lord Vishnu asked Gayasura to go beneath the earth and did so by placing his right foot on asura's head. After pushing Gayasura below the surface of earth, Lord Vishnu's foot print

remained on the surface that we see even today. The footprint consists of nine different symbols including Shankam, Chakram and Gadham. These are believed to be weapons of the lord. Gayasura now pushed into earth pleaded for food. Lord Vishnu gave him a boon that every day, someone will offer him food. Whoever does so, their souls will reach heaven. The day Gayasura doesn't get food, it is believed that he will come out. Every day, one or the other from different parts of India will pray for welfare of his departed and offer food, feeding Gayasura.

Architecture

This is believed that the temple was built with the footprints of Lord Vishnu in the centre. In Hinduism, this footprint marks the act of Lord Vishnu subduing Gayasur by placing his foot on his chest. Inside the Vishnupad Mandir, the 40 cm long footprint of Lord Vishnu is imprinted in solid rock and surrounded by a silver plated basin. The height of this temple is 30 meter and it a has 8 rows of beautifully carved pillars which support the pavilion. The temple is built of large gray granite blocks jointed with iron clamps. The octagonal shrine faces east. Its pyramidal tower rises up a 100 feet. The tower has sloping sides with alternately indented and plain sections. The sections are set at an angle to create a series of peaks joined at the top. Within the temple stands the immortal banyan tree Akshayabat where the final rituals for the dead takes place.

Anshi National Park - Karnataka

Anshi National Park is located in Uttara Kannada district, in the Indian state of Karnataka, bordering the state of Goa. The park is a habitat of Bengal tigers, Black panthers and Indian elephants, amongst other distinctive fauna.

It is notable that Anshi National Park and Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary were together granted the status of Project Tiger tiger reserve, being declared as 'Anshi Dandeli Tiger Reserve' in January, 2007. The 340 km2 (130 sq mi) Anshi park adjoins the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, and together with six adjacent protected areas in the states of Goa and Maharashtra, forms an almost uninterrupted protected forest area of over 2,200 km2 (850 sq mi).

Anshi National Park is rich in flora and fauna. Trees and plants that can be found here are Bamboo, Teak, Eucalyptus, Lantana, Silver Oak, Bauhinia and Xylia xylocarpa.

Anshi National Park is home to more than 200 species of birds. These include the Adjutant Stork, Ashy Black-crested Crested Serpent Eagle, Great Hornbill, Golden-backed Woodpecker, Bulbul, Blue-headed Pitta, Woodswallow, Brahminy Kite, Broad-billed Roller, Malabar Pied Hornbill and Yellow-footed Green Pigeon.

It has the rare distinction of being the only park in Asia where Black Panther is found naturally. Anshi National Park has a variety of species of mammals and reptiles. The forest comprises both rain forests and deciduous forests. A huge array of flora and fauna is found in the Anshi National Park, and it is an ideal home ground for species such as elephants, tigers, deer, black panthers, and wild boars. Not only this, there are variety of reptiles in the forest.

History
The forest in the area was declared the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary on 10 May 1956. The state proposed carving out a section of the sanctuary to form the Anshi national park, and the proposal was implemented on 2 September 1987. The initial proposal covered 250 square kilometres. When the final notification of the park area was issued in 2002, it was extended by another 90 square kilometres.

How to Reach Anshi National Park

Anshi National Park can be reached by rail, road, and air. Karwar railway station, which is 55 kilometers away, is the nearest one. The nearest airport is Dharwad, which is 106 km from the park. Regular buses from Dandeli to Bangalore, Pune, Panaji, Dharwad, Belgaum, Karwar, and Mumbai are available. Bangalore is roughly around 590 kilometers from Anshi National Park.

If you can tolerate the abundant rain and leeches, then you can treat yourself with a variety of flowers that bloom in August and September in Anshi National Park.

Distance from Anshi National Park:
Bangalore: 585 km
Karwar: 60 km
Dharwad: 105 km
Londa: 100 km
Belgaum: 110 km