Madmaheshvar
Temple and sacred site (tirtha) in the
Garhwalregion of theHimalayas, about
twenty miles north of the village of
Ukhimath. The temple’s presiding deity
is the godShivain his manifestation as
Madmaheshvar. Madmaheshvar is one
of the Panchkedar, a network of five
sacred sites in the Garhwal region; the
other four sites are Kedarnath,
Rudranath, Tungnath, and Kalpeshvar.
This network of five sites is seen as
a symbolic representation of Shiva’s
body; Madmaheshvar is believed to
be Shiva’s navel.
Madri
In the Mahabharata, the later of the two
great Hindu epics, Madri is the junior
wife of King Panduand the mother of
Nakulaand Sahadeva. Neither of these
children are actually Pandu’s sons, since
he has been cursed to die the moment
he holds his wife in amorous embrace.
Rather, they have been magically con-
ceived through the effect of a mantra
given to Pandu’s other wife, Kunti, by
the sage Durvasas. The mantra gives the
woman who recites it the power to call
down any of the gods and to have a son
equal in power to that god himself. With
Pandu’s blessing, Kunti teaches the
mantra to Madri, who recites it to
the twin gods known as the Ashvins.
Thus she bears twins. They live happily
until springtime comes to the forest.
Under the intoxicating influence of
spring, Pandu embraces Madri; the
curse takes effect, and Pandu falls
down dead. Because of her role in
Pandu’s death, Madri consigns her
children to Kunti’s care, and ends her life
on Pandu’s funeral pyre.Madurai
Temple-town and sacred site (tirtha) on
the Vygai River, in the state of Tamil
Naduin southern India. Madurai is
most famous for the large temple
dedicated to Minakshi, the goddess,
and her consort Sundareshvara.
Minakshi is a local deity who has
become a major regional goddess,
whereas Sundareshvara is considered
a form of the god Shiva. After the fall
of the Vijayanagar empire late in theMaduraiThe Vishvanath Temple at Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, dates back to 1002 C.E.