Rath Yatras are a very common sight in several Indian Hindu pilgrim spots. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I found a set up similar in Sri Lanka. Just before our visit, the locals told us that we missed the local deity’s annual ride around the city. These ornately decked up vehicles, or rathas are…
Tag: Hindu Temple
Pyaar Hua, Ikraar Hua
Like I mentioned before, there are no guides at Avani, so everything I write is either from connecting the dots or Google. I went with a lovely friend so it was a fun day-long picnic. There are loads of ruins in Karnataka, and the sculptures are full of mystical and mythical creatures. When I saw…
Follow the Light
“May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.” ~J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Koti Koti Pranam
Kotilingeshwara Temple in the quaint village of Kammasandra, Karnataka boasts of one of the largest lingams in the world at 108 feet (33 meters). Manjunathasharma (CE 788-827) or Bhakta Manjunatha, an atheist brahmin is said to have insulted Shiva ten million times in his lifetime, and to acquit himself of his past sins, Bhakta Manjunatha…
Light the Lamp
There is a tradition of lighting a lamp twice a day in our temple at home. Light is considered to dispel ignorance and bring knowledge. God, who is all knowing, opens our eyes, and gives us the solutions we need. Hope and faith are essential for us to believe. In this lovely temple in Avani,…
Navagraha Puja
The Navagrahas are the “nine celestial bodies”, which include the nine astronomical bodies and the mythical Hindu deities. These are the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn, and the ascending (Rahu) and descending (Ketu) lunar nodes (which appear as Shadow Planets during the solar and lunar esclipse respectively).
In Peace
The Ramalingeshwara temple in Avani, Kolar (Karnataka) is a dravida style set of shrines of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. Built in the 10th-century by the Nolamba dynasty, the temple was partially renovated and restored in the Chola dynasty. It is also known as the “Gaya of the south”. Legend has it that Avani was…
Peak of Glory
The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance. ~Benjamin Franklin
Tirupati Balaji
The Venkateswara Temple is a vishnu temple in Tirumala, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Sri Venkateswara, an incarnation of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared here to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga.
Domed
The sound of laughter is like the vaulted dome of a temple of happiness. ~Milan Kundera
Snapshots of my World 