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Showing posts from July 31, 2018


Gajasura Shiva – Story of Shiva and Elephant Demon

The story of Gajasura Shiva was narrated by Sage Dadhichi to Daksha – who was conducting a yajna without paying respects to Shiva. The story was meant to quell the ego and pride of Daksha Prajapati. The story of Shiva and elephant demon Gajasura (Nila) begins with the demon performing rigorous penance. The name of Gajasura was Nila. Pleased with the rigorous penance of Gajasura, Brahma gave him several boons. He got the most important boon indestructibility except by Shiva. With boons like longevity, untold wealth and unfathomable strength, Gajasura became arrogant and attacked the three worlds. He subjugated the demigods, saints and other divine beings. His rampage was unstoppable. When he attacked earth, people ran and took refuge at the Manikarnika Temple in Kashi (Varanasi). Gajasura soon attacked the temple and people ran into the sanctum sanctorum and clung to the Shivling. When Gajasura attempted to storm into the sanctum sanctorum, a blazing light eman

Shivling Worshipped in Female Form at Lingai Mata Mandir

Lingai Mata Mandir is located in the dense forest on Jharkhand – Chhattisgarh border and here Bhagavan Shiva is worshipped in female form. Lingai Mata Mandir Location  The temple is located at Alor (Allur) Village in Farasgaon Tehsil of Bastar district in Chhattisgarh, India. The Alor village is located around 8 km west of Farasgaon – one has to climb a mountain to reach the village. The temple is around 2 km from Alor Village on a small hilltop. Lingai Mata Mandir The temple is located on a cave in the mountain. The entrance to the cave is very small and one has to sit or crawl to enter the cave. Inside the cave nearly 25 to 30 persons can sit and meditate. The natural Shivling worshipped in the temple is found among the stone in the cave. People living in the area states that Shivling is growing slowly. Now the Shivling is around 2 feet in height. Lingai Mata Mandir Opens Only For One Day in a Year Lingai Mata Mandir opens on a Wednesday after Bhadrapad

Hindu Festivals of Tripura

Hindus of Tripura worship god in various forms including fire, water, forest and earth. The most important festivals have a perfect amalgamation of Hindu and Tribal cultures. Here are some of the importance festivals of Tripura in northeastern India. Garia Puja Garia Puja is the biggest tribal festival of Tripura and it is observed in April. It is held in honor of Garia Baba, a saint revered amongst the tribes of Tripura and nearby states. In the Garia festival, two big statues, each seven feet high are made of bamboo. One of them has no hands while the hands of the other are tied with strips of cloth. Garia Baba worship goes on continuously for seven days. The followers of Garia Baba lead a life of celibacy during the festival. At the end of seven days, the cloth strips tied to the hands of one of the statues are taken off and distributed amongst the people. The statues are immersed in a river at the end of the festival. Sweetmeats are prepared after imm

Folk Music and Dances of Tripura

Tripura has a rich cultural heritage of different tribal communities, besides Bengali and Manipuri communities. Folk music and dances of Tripura are based on the different dance forms of the tribal communities. Music is mainly an accompaniment to dances and the musical instruments are made from bamboo and metal scraps. The musical instruments include flute, sarinda, drums, simple stringed instrument made of bamboo known as lebang and bamboo cymbals. Songs are mostly drones or chants, the livelier ones are for livelier occasions; they tell of the simple lives of the tribes, their hobbies, activities and hopes. Music and Dances of Tripuris Tripuris, the largest of the tribal community, entertain Garia deity for seven days with songs and dance. This is performed in April month for a good harvest. During the monsoon season, hordes of colorful insects called lebang visit the hill slopes in search of seeds sown over the hills. This is an occasion for merriment for the youth. While