India's sacred waters and temples: Undertaking a spiritual journey

India has been known to celebrate the rituals and practices at home and outside.

- P.V. LAXMIPRASAD

In particular, people worship the deities in temples which are considered the most sacred places.

Temples in India had their first roots found near the rivers due to various factors. They are age-old temples in the country.

The sanctity of places, the sacredness of river waters and the association with purification hold the basis to spiritual history and legacy.

If archeological excavations date back to those temples as old as 10,000 years ago, the temples located on the banks of the river symbolize a predominantly dominant Hindu culture. The rivers in India are perennially divine manifestations and play a significant role in religious rituals with river waters becoming the spiritual source of life. The history of temples in India has been as old as an unknown age of 10,000 years.

The divine significance of water is rooted in the Vedas and the Upanishads.

We have many famous temples located near rivers, for example, the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi on the Ganges and in a similar way temples are located on the banks of the river Godavari and Krishna, assimilating the concept of spiritual oneness within the country.

The countless devotees take a holy dip in the river waters and go for Darshan of the Lord in the temples. The ancient Rishis established these temples on the river banks centuries ago.

They found these places to be spiritually enlightened and devotionally oriented. Needless to say, each history of the temple has a story to tell from spiritual elements attributed to their origin.