Lucknow, Nov. 13 -- Untold stories of the temples of Awadh find mention in a book authored by architect and author Vipul Varshney that was launched at Universal Booksellers' Gomti Nagar branch on Wednesday. The author of 'Temples of Awadh', in a conversation with Chandraprakash of Universal Booksellers, said there were several stories associated with the temples of the region that continued to remain hidden even now. The Chandrika Devi Temple is not only ancient but is also believed to have a connection with Lord Ram's son, Kush. The book explores this connection. "Emperor Skandagupta shifted his capital from Pataliputra to Ayodhya. During that period, many wars were fought over Ayodhya. Later, Kannauj was made the capital, and it is said that Kannauj once had nearly a thousand temples, which no longer exist today. This is mentioned in some works by Muslim scholars as well. When Alexander conducted excavations in this region, he discovered pillars belonging to those ancient temples. After this period, North India faced numerous invasions - first by Ghaznavi, then by Ghori, followed by the Sayyids, Lodis, and finally by the Mughals. These invasions weakened the Hindu society; temple construction stopped, and most temples were destroyed. Today, we are once again striving to rediscover the glory and cultural heritage of our cities," said Varshney. At the event, the vice-president of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Deendayal Prabhudas, said that when King Vikramaditya visited Ayodhya, Lord Nandi appeared before him at Nandigram and granted him a divine vision of Ayodhya, where Vikramaditya built a temple, which was later destroyed.htc...