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Showing posts from November 20, 2015


Kottangal Devi Temple Padayani Festival

The Padayani festival organized in Makara Masam at Kottangal Devi Temple attracts thousands of Padayani enthusiasts. The shrine is dedicated to Goddess Bhadrakali. Padayani, also called Padeni, is a traditional folk dance and a ritual art performed in temples in central Kerala.  The main rituals are performed on Revathi and Aswathy Nakshatra in Makaram Month. Valiya Padayani is observed on these two days. The padayani related rituals in the temple is observed for 28 days starting from Bharani Nakshatra in Dhanu month to Bharani Nakshatra in Makaram Month. On the first 20 days, padayani is performed in the houses on both karas in the village. The last eight days are observed on the temple premises. Eduppu Kalakal and Thozhuvangal are part of the eight day ritual. Legend has Bhootaganas performed padayani to pacify the ferociousness and anger of Goddess Bhadrakali who had just annihilated Darika. People perform this today in memory of this divine event. Padayani is dedicated to Go

How Drona Became the Acharya or Teacher of Pandavas and Kauravas?

Drona became the Acharya, or Teacher, of Pandavas and Kauravas after he showed his expertise with bow and arrow. Legend has it that Bhishma, the grandsire of Hastinapura, was in search of an efficient Guru to teach Pandavas and Kauravas the art of weaponry. When the incident took place, Pandavas and Kauravas were children and were living in Hastinapura. One day Pandavas and Kauravas were playing with a ball. Suddenly the ball fell into a deep well. Children did not know how to retrieve the ball and they crowded near the well. Dronacharya was passing by and the commotion created by children caught his attention. When he found out the reason for children crowding near a well, he promised to help them. He then took his bow and arrows and shot an arrow on the ball. He then shot another arrow on the end of the previous arrow. Thus a line of arrows was created by Dronacharya. Soon the ball was retrieved from the deep well. The children who witnessed this amazing feat r

Diksha In Hinduism – Importance Of Deeksha In Hindu Religion

Diksha, or Deeksha, in Hinduism means initiation and is generally associated with the initiation of learning – a Guru or a holy saint agrees to share his knowledge with the disciple. The Guru helps the disciple to cross over the ocean of darkness and guides him to stay rooted in the world of self realization. Sculpture At Shamlaji Temple In Gujarat The path which the Guru chooses to take a disciple to Truth varies. Like some Gurus remain silent to the queries of a disciple. This is an important aspect in self realization, where a disciple is taught that language is not that powerful enough to explain some important phenomenon and truth is beyond words. In some cases a Guru provides a disciple with a Guru Mantra.

Ayyappa Temple at Kulathupuzha - Story - Festival

The Lord Ayyappa Temple at Kulathupuzha near Thenmala in Kollam District of Kerala is an important shrine visited by Ayyappa devotees especially during the Mandala-Makaravilakku season. This Shasta shrine is located on the banks of Kulathu Puzha, a tributary of Kallada River , and is in the reserve forest. The deity here is Manikantan or the child form of Lord Ayyappa. Vishu Kani Darshan is an important festival in the temple. The deity is popularly referred as Dharma Shasta. There are two main deities in this small temple – Lord Shiva and Shasta. Shiva is in the form of Shiva Linga and that of Shasta or Ayyappa is a stone image. The shrine also houses an elaborately carved idol of Lord Vishnu. There are also shrines of Ganesha and Devi in the compound. The annual Ezhunnallathu Goshta yatra is held in Malayalam Meena Masam. Story of Kulathupuzha Ayyappa Temple There is an interesting legend regarding the origin of the Ayyappa Temple at Kulathupuzha. On

On the concept of Stepwells in Ancient India

The first rock-cut stepwells in India are dated from 200 AD to 400 AD. They are a repository of knowledge about water collection, storage and distribution in water starved areas in ancient India . As per Hindus scriptures, donating building a water body or donating money to have one constructed has been considered to be an act of punya, a good deed. You can read an extensive article on the stepwells in India can befound here at Tribune The rock edict of Rudradaman at Junagadh in western India , inscribed in 150 AD, speaks about the Sudarshan lake of Junagadh , built originally by the great Mauryan emperors. This edict, written in Sanskrit, is the oldest such edict extant in India . The edict notes the reparations done by Mahakshtrap Rudradaman on the Sudarshan Lake . Three hundred years after Rudradaman’s inscription, the edict of Skand Gupta also speaks about the reparations conducted by the Gupta king in 455-456 AD, showing how important was the matter of water, both for