Lord Shiva is one of the most peculiar Gods of Indian Philosophy. He is a Destroyer and a transformer, a Passionate lover, a Ferocious warrior, the Lord of the Cosmic Dance and the very personification of the dynamism of our universe!
At the same time, Shiva is also regarded as formless, limitless and unchanging absolute Brahman (Ultimate Reality) and the primal Atman (soul, self) of the universe. Shiva is the name given to consciousness that dwells in us all, our true identity, our soul!
The World Heritage Week that commenced from yesterday aims at spreading awareness about one’s culture and past. India, being one of the oldest civilisations in the world, has no shortage of history and heritage. Protecting and caring about monuments is relatively easy, but the protection and preservation of intangible heritage is hard. Our abstract ideas, ways of life, religion and traditions form a part of this intangible heritage. One such inseparable part of our “Indian-ness” is the ability to tell stories! We are the most dramatic and animated storytellers of the world. And this oral tradition of bringing alive a story is deeply embedded in our identity as an Indian.
World Heritage Week, as declared by UNESCO, is celebrated around the world from 19th to 25th of November every year. In a way, we all celebrate our cultural heritage every day, simply by living our lives in a way that represents who we are and where we came from. But one day (18th of April: World Heritage Day) and one week (19th to 25Th November) is set aside each year to celebrate the history and heritage of the entire world. Continue reading Celebrating World Heritage Week #1
India these last few days is alive with auspicious pujas and its the nights are vibrant with lights, music, and life! Navratri, the festival which is celebrated with such pomp and zest in India, is the festival that venerates various forms or avatars of the divine feminism which is the representation of positive celestial energy.
Sharada Navratri, a nine-day long festival (Nav = Nine and Ratri = Nights), of which each day is dedicated to the worship of different forms of Shakti (the primordial feminine principle), is celebrated in the bright half of the Hindu calendar month Ashvin, which typically falls in the Gregorian months of September and October. Continue reading Navratri: Veneration of the Primordial Feminine Principle
Have you ever looked up at the moon and seen a rabbit or a hare? For some reason I see something that resembles a Mickey-Mouse walking! Or perhaps Bugs Bunny – which is a rabbit per say but not the conventional one that the rest see…well, did you know there are many legends around the world about this rabbit that lives on the moon?
Continue reading Deer? Rabbit? What do you see on the Moon?
महाशिवरात्रि की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं || Continue reading Shivaya Namaha!
“I call architecture Frozen Music!”
Tucked in the quaint village of Doddagaddavalli, district Hassan of Karnataka lies a yet-undiscovered Hoysala Dynasty jewel, the “Lakshmi Devi temple”.
Built by King Vishnuvardhan of the mighty Hoysala Empire in c. 1114 C.E., this temple has its uniqueness in housing four deities in four separate shrines with a common prayer hall or mantapa. Such temple structures are known as “chatuskuta”, where “chatuh” means four and “kuta” means shrines.
Continue reading Frozen Music
via Daily Prompt: Farce
India, a spiritual hub of the world since ancient times, is loosing touch with its deeply rooted philosophical and religious traditions. A country whose religion and philosophy evolved as an enquiry into the mysteries that lay beyond life and death, is quickly descending into the abyss of materialistic superstitions.
Continue reading Religion or Farce?