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: Hinduism
Dhal Gaya Din
There is so much segregation around us. Gender, age, color, caste, race, religion, language, income, salary… there are so many silos, slots and diversification. There is no reason to embrace diversity, if you didn’t slot people into categories. When people feel the need to adorn a building or a compound with an “Arbeit Macht Frei,”…
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…
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…
Bappa Moriya!
Lalbagcha Raja (The King of Lalbaug) is one of the most famous Sarvajanik Ganapatis from Lalbaug, Mumbai, which is set up during Ganesh Chaturthi. Known as a Navsacha Ganpati (the one who has the ability to fulfill all wishes”), the idol is open to visitors for 10 days; and it is then immersed in water…
Dahi Handi
At Vrindavan, Krishna was a very naughty child, and his love for makhan (white butter), curds and milk was well known. Vrindavan’s women would tie freshly-churned butter at a height out of Krishna’s reach. But Krishna and his friends would form human pyramid and steal their goodies anyway. This dahi handi ritual has come to…
Marriages Made in Heaven
I enjoy the Durga Navratri, probably my second favorite festival after Diwali (that’s when I was born :-)). For nine nights, which culminates with Vijayadashami, we worship nine forms of shakti (Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati), who brings to us wisdom, fertility and strength. I have a smallish traditional golu setting this year. The lowest step celebrates…
Snapshots of my World 