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Showing posts from July 26, 2016


Story - Origin Cure For Snake Bite In Hindu Religion

Story of origin of cure for snake bite in Hindu tradition is found in the Adi Parva (Chapter 20) of Mahabharata. Lord Brahma taught Sage Kashyapa the cure of snake poison. Nagas or snakes were born to Kadru, one of the wives of Sage Kashyapa. Once, Kadru asked her naga children to hand down like hair from the tail of Uchaishravas, the horse of Indra. So that she could win the bet, she had with Vinita, another wife of Sage Kashyapa. Some of the nagas refused to do so. Kadru became angry and cursed them that they would be burnt alive at snake sacrifice of Janamejaya. After the curse, the snakes became dangerously venomous. Other living beings faced innumerable problems due to this imbalance in nature. To overcome the problem, Brahma taught Sage Kashyapa the art of curing snake bite to protect other creatures that might be bitten by the snakes.

Rajarani Temple at Bhubaneswar in Odisha

Rajarani Temple is a unique 11 th century shrine at Bhubaneswar in Orissa. There is no murti (idol) in the temple. It is situated midway between the famous Lingaraj Temple and the Brahmeshwar Temple. The temple is famous for its sculpted figures and the successive tiers of projections rising to form its 18 meter tower. The term Rajarani is derived from the very fine grained yellowish sandstone, called ‘Rajarania’ in common parlance. The temple shows strong Shaiva association. The temple contains scenes of linga worship and Shiva’s marriage with goddess Parvati. There are Shaiva doorkeepers too in the shrine. A major attraction of this temple is the carvings of the eight dikpalas (temple guards). The structure of the temple comprises of porch, side-niches, dikpalas, navgraha slabs and plenty of miniature spires. There are also erotic sculptures. Some scholars are of the view that the shrine is built on a Sri Chakra of a Manjusri architectural style and the very temp