Top 10 Unusual Temple

Hadimba Temple in Manali is rather an unusual Temple. Erected in 1553 AD this four-story wooden temple is dedicated to a Rakshashi named Hadimba. Hadimba, of course, is the wife of Bhima the second of the 5 Pandava brothers. The temple in the pagoda style is located in the middle of Dhungiri Van Vihar. It is believed that it was here that Hadimba had meditated and she became Devi Hadimba.

There is a unique Temple in Uttar Pradesh`s Muzaffarnagar district which is dedicated to cattle. The temple is known as Kali Singh Temple is perhaps unequaled in India. Here devotees coming from far off places offer prayers as well as milk for the animals. Women prepare Kheer from their milking cattle inside the temple premises and offer it to the deity.

Bhatra lying on the outskirts of Sambalpur town in Orissa may be an otherwise sleepy village but for a temple that has nationwide attention focused on it. In 1974 it had a temple with the bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi installed as an idol here. Gandhiji`s teachings and writings are discussed here as part of daily ritual along with conducting morning and evening Arti of Gandhiji.

Varanasi is the land of innumerable Temples dedicated to Gods and Goddesses of Hindu pantheon, but a temple here has a shrine dedicated to Mother India. Bharat Mata Temple located at Kashi Vidyapeeth Campus near the Sigra crossing was a temple built in 1936 and inaugurated by none other than Mahatma Gandhi. The temple in the shape of a pentagonal cone has five pillars to support the structure. Inside it lies a marble structure of the map of India with right contours showing hills, ocean and lands.

In the Ramayana, Ravana the demon is abhorred as a villain who kidnapped Sita and in the process met his end at the hands of Lord Rama. This may be true for all but not in the small temple in Vidisha district’s Ravangram village where there is an ancient 10 feet idol of Ravana in a reclining position which is worshipped. The idol is said to belong to the period between the 9th and 14th centuries. During Dusshera as the whole world burn the effigies of Ravana, but the Ravana Temple reverberates with the chant of "Ravana Baba Namah".

Tangra in Kolkata heartland is a small Chinatown for it is home to a large number of the Chinese population living here for generations. Though they are predominantly Buddhist and Christians but here stands a unique symbol of cultural syntheses- a Chinese Kali Temple. Revered by the Chinese community, this Temple during Kali puja offers a bhog of Chinese favorites- noodles, chop suey.

An unusual Ganesha Temple lies in the labyrinth of narrow lanes in the ever-busy Somvar Peth area of Pune. The Ganesha idol here has three trunks. Known as Trishund Ganpati temple, a plaque placed above the sanctum refers that the temple was constructed by Bhimjigiri Gosavi in between 1754 to 1770 AD. This is also supposed to be the only temple in Pune that is built in stone masonry.

Gavi Narasimha Temple located on the outskirts of Denkanikota in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu is a unique temple. Located just 70 km from Bangalore the temple is atop a hill but the sanctum sanctorum is underground, in a subterranean cave below the level of the temple complex. Devotees have to take dozen-odd steps below to have a glimpse of the Narasimha with his consort Lakshmi seated in his lap carved as a bas relief on the walls.

Mannarshala Temple located at Harippad just 32 km south of Alappuzha is an exceptional temple dedicated to Snake worshipping. The Temple is said to contain 30,000 images of Snake-Gods. Covering 16 acres of dense green forest grove the Temple of Mannarshala is also exceptional as here the holy rituals are performed by a priestess and not a priest.

Parabrahma temple is located at Ochira, on the border of Alleppey and Kollam district on the west side of National Highway 47. The Temple well spread out in 36 acres of the huge campus is a unique place of worship as there is nothing inside the premises in the conventional form of a temple. Mostly the Temple consists of open land with a few "Aal thara" (banyan trees having a base foundation). Devotees come in droves here to essentially worship these foundations.