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Showing posts from March 8, 2018


Yali – Animal with Lion’s Body and Elephant Trunk - The Vahana or Vehicle of Budh or Mercury

Yali is a mythical animal which has the body of a lion but with a trunk of an elephant.  In this form Yali is the vehicle or Vahana of Navagraha Budh or Mercury. As per Vaishnava tradition, Yali is a combination of elephant, lion and snake. It has the head and body of lion but with an elephant trunk and has the tail of a serpent. It must be noted that modern paintings show Budha riding on a lion. The trunk part is avoided. Yali sculptures are widely used on the walls and pillars of South Indian temples. When Yali is a combination of elephant, lion and snake it is mainly noted for its ferociousness and strength. Yali thus has the strength of an elephant, ferociousness and speed of a lion and the fear factor associated with a snake. This type of Yali is sculpted at the entrance of temples and homes to keep away evil. One of the popular story of Narasimha states that Yali was subdued by Narasimha Avatar of Vishnu. Therefore the utsava murti of Narasimha in some t

Ganda Bherunada Narasimha Incarnation of Hindu God Vishnu

Lord Narasimha as Ganda Bherunada (two-headed bird) is a rare incarnation of Lord Vishnu and is mainly worshipped in South India . Gandabherunda, or Gandha Bherunda Narasimha, is a combination of bird and animal with two heads and said to have manifested from Lord Narasimha as he was not able to control his anger. It is also believed that Ganda Bherunada incarnation was answer to Lord Shiva’s Sarabha form . This is also the emblem of Karnataka State in India. Ganda Bherunada is not mentioned in the Bhagavad Purana but is mentioned in the some regional scriptures and in some Puranas. Legend has it that Lord Vishnu took the form of Narasimha (half-man half-lion) to annihilate Demon Hiranyakashipu. But after completing His divine mission, Narasimha could not control his anger and turned to destroy the universe. Lord Shiva took the form of Sarabha to pacify Narasimha. But Lord Narasimha took a more terrible form of bird-animal with two heads – Ganda Bherunda. The most famou

Story of Gandaki River and Brahma

There are numerous stories in Hindu Puranas regarding the origin of the Gandaki River. On such story is associated with Brahma, the God of creation. Salagrama, or  Shaligrama , the black stones with stripes in the form of symbols associated with Lord Vishnu is found in the Gandaki River. Legend has it that Lord Brahma was saddened when he realized that so many people had strayed from the path of Dharma and had become sinners. Brahma sat in meditation thinking about the unfortunate situation. Sweat from his face fell on the earth and ran as a river. It was known by the name of Gandaki as it appeared from Ganda – cheek of Brahma. Gandaki River requested Brahma to accept her as his spouse. But Brahma declined. She then decided to perform intense penance to restore Dharma. Her action resulted in the appearance of Vishnu in the form of Salagrama.

Shani Temple Near Gwalior | Famous for Shani Amavasya | Hanuman Threw Shani From Lanka Here

Shani Temple near Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh is associated with the story of Hanuman rescuing Shani from the prison of Ravana in Lanka. It is said that during the Ramayana period, in order to rescue Hanuman threw Shani from Lanka and Shani Bhagavan landed at the spot where the temple is located. Shani Amavasya attracts more than a lakh devotees to the shrine. This famous Shani Temple is located at Aiti Village in Morena District in Madhya Pradesh. The temple is around 18 km from Gwalior and around 37 kilometers from Morena. The temple is located on a hilltop known as Shani Parvati. A 14-kilometer circumambulation of the mountain (parikrama) helps in nullifying the effect of Sade Sati and other Shani related problems in horoscope or janam kundli. The murti of Bhagavan Shani worshipped in the temple is very old and it was established during the Ramayana period. There is a unique murti of Hanuman outside the temple. Hanuman has a dagger tied to his waist and is stepping