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The Neelkanth Mahadev Temple, near Rishikesh, is located in:
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Answer: Option B — Uttarakhand
Detailed Solution
The Neelkanth Mahadev Temple is located about 30 km from Rishikesh, in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, at a height of about 1,330 metres.
About the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple:
It is dedicated to Lord Shiva in the form of "Neelkanth" ("the blue-throated one").
According to Hindu mythology, during the "Samudra Manthan" (churning of the ocean) by the gods and demons, a deadly poison called "Halahala" came out. To save the world, Shiva drank the poison and held it in his throat, which turned blue. This temple is believed to be the place where this happened, or where Shiva meditated afterwards.
It is surrounded by forests and lies near the meeting point of the Pankaja and Madhumati rivers, between the Manikoot, Brahmakoot and Vishnukoot hills.
Its tower is decorated with colourful sculptures showing the Samudra Manthan.
It is visited by lakhs of devotees during the "Shravan" month (July-August), when "Kanwariyas" (pilgrims carrying holy Ganga water) offer water to the lingam. Maha Shivaratri is also celebrated with great devotion.
About Rishikesh:
- It is called the "Yoga Capital of the World".
- It lies on the banks of the Ganga, at the foothills of the Himalayas.
- The Beatles visited the "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram" (now called the "Beatles Ashram") here in 1968.
It has famous suspension bridges, "Lakshman Jhula" and "Ram Jhula", and the "Triveni Ghat" for the evening Ganga aarti. A new glass-floor bridge ("Bajrang Setu") is being built near Lakshman Jhula.
It hosts the "International Yoga Festival" every March.
It is a centre for adventure sports such as river rafting.
Other famous Shiva temples of Uttarakhand:
- Kedarnath (Rudraprayag district): one of the 12 Jyotirlingas.
- Tungnath (Rudraprayag): the highest Shiva temple in the world (about 3,680 m); one of the "Panch Kedar".
- Jageshwar (Almora): a group of more than 100 stone temples.
- Baijnath (Bageshwar).
- The "Panch Kedar": Kedarnath, Tungnath, Rudranath, Madhyamaheshwar and Kalpeshwar.
- Uttarakhand is called "Devbhoomi" ("Land of the Gods").
Why not the other options?
- ✗Himachal Pradesh has temples such as Baijnath (Kangra) and Jwalamukhi.
- ✗Uttar Pradesh has the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
- ✗Jammu and Kashmir has the Amarnath Cave.
Quick tip
Remember: Neelkanth Mahadev = near Rishikesh, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand (Shiva drank the Halahala poison; Kanwar Yatra in Shravan); Rishikesh = "Yoga Capital of the World"; Tungnath = highest Shiva temple; Panch Kedar.
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.