Applications are now invited for undergoing the 93rd Residential Yoga – Vedanta Course of two months' duration – conducted by Sivananda Ashram from August 19, 2019 to October 17, 2019. This Course will be held in the Academy premises at the Headquarters of the Divine Life Society, Shivananda Nagar, Rishikesh. The course is open to male Indian citizens (aged 20 to 65 years). The course includes both theory and practice. Training, food and accommodation is free. You can find more details and download application form hereat the official website of Sivananda Ashram. Application form duly filled in should reach the ashram by 10th of July, 2019.

Annually, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams sells human hair worth more than 700 million Indian Rupees. Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple  India dedicated to Lord Venkateswara (Vishnu). The human hair from Hindu temples like Tirupati is nicknamed ‘ Temple Hair ’ and is of great demand due to its spiritual value. Thousands of devotees daily shave their hair and offer it to the deity. Why Is Hair Offered In Tirupati Temple? Head tonsuring at the 1200-year-old Venkateshwara temple is a symbolic gesture –surrendering one's ego to God.  Hindu devotees also offer their hair to Lord Balaji for favors received, to show gratitude and respect. Many go on a pilgrimage to Tirupati to shave off their hair after desire fulfillment. Many people take oath to give off their hair at Tirupati for achieving their desires. Hair Of Rural Indian Women In High Demand It is not the men alone who partake in this ritual; children and women of all ages shave their head in Tirupati. And there i

Bali in Indonesia is noted for its unique Hindu ceremonies. In Balinese Hindu belief system, teeth are the symbol of lust, greed, anger, drunkenness, confusion and jealousy. The tooth filing ceremony is the symbolic removal of these six weaknesses known as Sad Ripu in Bali Hinduism. The ceremony involves the leveling of the teeth and is conducted by priests and is a sort of coming-of-age ritual. The ritual is usually performed on teenagers and after the ritual the teenager is considered an adult. The ceremony is held annually during the months of July and August. A small harmer, a file and a carver are the tools used in filing the teeth. These tools are dipped in holy water. The person undergoing the tooth filing ceremony should remain indoors the previous day. This is to avoid evil spirits taking possession of the person and thereby disturbing the ceremony. The ceremony is held early morning before sunrise.

Illam Nira ceremony held at the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple in Kerala is associated with agricultural harvest. This unique ceremony extols the fact that majority of the Hindu festivals and ceremonies are a tribute to nature which sustains all animate and inanimate. This ceremony is observed specifically for a prosperous harvest season and is observed in many other temples in the region including Sri Mahadeva Temple Mammiyoor, Perumthatta Shiva Temple , Parthasarathy Temple and Chowalloor Shiva Temple . For Illam Nira, newly reaped paddy spikes are brought into the temple and on the next day special pujas are performed on the paddy spikes. ‘Illam Nira’ symbolically represents a very good harvest season in which the house is filled with rice for the next season. Five days after the Illam Nira ritual is the Niraputhari ritual. In this ritual half of the paddy spikes are used to prepare ‘Puthari Nivedyam’ – the rice offering to Lord Krishna with newly reaped ri

Tarnetar Mela is held at the temple of Trinetreshwara Mahadeva, popularly called Tarnetar, which is also the name of a small village situated 8 km north of Thangadh Railway Station in Gujarat. Tarnetar fair 2023 date September 18, September 19 and September 20. The fair is centered on young tribal men and women seeking marriage partners. Romance and excitement are part of the annual mela. Trinetreshwara Mahadeva means the three-eyed god. The ancient temple dedicated to this form of Lord Shiva no longer exists. A new aesthetically beautiful temple built by the Gaekwads of Vadodara in the 19th century is now the focal point of the Tarnetar festival. Tarnetar fair is one of the most important fairs in the Saurashtra region. The three-day mela has gained universal popularity and is attended by people from around the world. The popular belief is that the fair was first organized as part of the wedding Draupadi (Panchali) in the Mahabharata. Communities like Koli, Bharwad, Rabar

Mehkar is a place of great historical antiquity in Maharashtra. It is located 63 km southwest of Buladana on the banks of Penganga River. Story of Mehkar Thousands of years ago there live a demon named Meghankar, who savaged the country. Therefore Vishnu, appearing as the incarnation of Sarangdhara killed him. Mehkar is the corrupted version of the name. Hemadpanthi style of temples is located in the vicinity of Mehkar. But majority of them are dilapidated beyond recognition. The area was frequently ravaged by Islamic forces especially by Aurangzeb. The place finds mention in the Matsya Purana, Padma Purana and Skanda Purana. Madhavrao Peshwa camped at Mehkar in 1769 AD. The temple of Balaji known as Shri Sharangdhar Mandir is located in the center of Mehkar town. During the reign of Aurangzeb’s time, many murtis of Hindu gods and goddesses were deliberately buried to save them from sacrilege. One such murti is currently installed in the famous Shri Sharangdhar Te

Mekhela saree is a traditional silk saree costume worn by the women of Assam and is presented during religious and ceremonial occasions like Bihu festival. The mekhala cador, a two-piece sari in woven silk, worn by Assamese women, has a history steeped in tradition and is a tribute to the age-old practice of silk-weaving. History of Mekhela Saree can be traced back to the wearing of the rika mekhela by the women in ancient times. The mekhala was worn in an intricate manner around the waist and pleated into three folds, while the riha was worn essentially as a scarf. It evolved to become the upper part of the sari and is known as cador. Custom dictates the adornment of the mekhela cador during religious and ceremonial occasions and is usually presented to young women during the spring festival of Bihu. The fabric of the mekhala is hand-woven out of muga silk, also known as the golden silk fiber, indigenous to the state of Assam. The silk is derived from the worm kn

A small collection of quotes and teachings of Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji. If both are qualitatively the same, then what is the difference between God and a soul? Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji: The difference is that the soul attached to nature, forgets its real identity and quality! That’s how karma starts getting accumulated. Just like soot covers light, the athma jnana (soul’s knowledge) gets covered by karma because of which the soul considers itself to be a man, woman, animal, tree, etc.  The soul is actually above all these. As long as the soul is in a body, the eight-fold knowledge remains covered. Once it regains its original form, the soul displays its natural qualities again. God, on the other hand, is not attached to nature and He knows how to control it. He comes to us and wants us too to realize our true nature. This is how He helps us. Just like parents and teachers always wish to help their pupil, God, out of unlimited kindness always wants to help us in many ways. Chinna Je