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Showing posts from December 3, 2012


Story Of Sage Kandu - How Passion Undid Years Of Penance In A Day?

Sage Kandu performed intense austerities to attain the ultimate goal – self realization. He built an ashram at secluded spot on the banks of Gomati River . He did Tapas by standing between five fires in summer and in winter he performed Tapas by staying in cold water. The story of Sage Kandu is found in the Brahma Purana. Indra, the King of Devas, was afraid of Sage Kandu’s asceticism as he worried that the sage would unseat him in the heaven. Indra deputed Pramolcha, an Apsara (damsel), to disturb the austerities of Sage Kandu. With the help of Kama (god of love), Vayu (wind god) and spring, Pramolcha created a perfect setting in the Ashram. Her songs disturbed the meditation of the Sage. Passion aroused in him and He took her inside the ashram. Sage Kandu used his powers to turn into a 16-year-old youth and made love to Pramolcha. Hundreds of years passed. In between Pramlocha asked permission to leave but the sage asked her stay. This continued for several

About Cherial Paintings – Nakashi Patam in Telengana and its lone practitioner

Cherial Paintings – Nakashi Patam were used by story tellers in Telengana region of India to narrate stories from the Mahabharata, Shiva Purana and Adi Purana. The stories from local legends and myths were also narrated by the storytellers with the help of Cherial paintings. The Hindu writes about this painting and its lone practitioner  Vaikuntam Nakash is today the lone practitioner of the 500-year-old Cherial painting tradition, just like his father was. His father chose to train his sons Vaikuntam and his brother. The genesis of the art form lay in wall paintings in temples and on ‘vahanas’ and gradually became part of the region’s oral narrative theatre. “We make our paintings on the instruction of the story teller and the narrative sequence. Then the story teller leaves to return after a year during which time the ‘chitrakars’ would have completed the scroll. In the olden days, the chitrakar or nakash would receive articles such as rice and dried coconut, as a fee on the