Monday, March 28, 2011

The Konkan, the Konkan Coast or Karavali, the Konkanis, the Tuluvas, the Sahyadri Mountain range, the Gangavali River, the Mayura River, the towns of Gokarn, Guhagar, Honavar, and Karwar fall

The Konkan, also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali, is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore. The sapta-Konkan is a slightly larger region described in the Skanda-purana.

Konkan Division is also one of six administrative sub-divisions of the state of Maharashtra, comprising its coastal districts.
Residents of Konkan and their descendants are called Konkanis. The name may also refer specifically to the Konkani people, ethnic group of the region; most of whom speak the Konkani language. Besides the Konkanis the other major ethnic group are the Tuluvas, mostly living the districts of South Canara and Udupi of Karnataka state.In North Canara district Kannada is also widely spoken. The Sanskrit term Konkanastha, means "Resident of Konkan".
The precise definition of Konkan varies, but most include Maharashtra's districts of Raigad, Mumbai, Thane, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, the state of Goa, and the Uttar Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka.


The sapta-Konkan as depicted in Skanda-purana stretches from Maharashtra to Karnataka . This is actually logical since there are a lot of similarities in the food-habits (rice and fish), crops cultivated (rice, mangoes, cashews and jackfruit) and the physique (tall and well-built) of people dwelling in this area.


The Sahyadri Mountain range ("Western Ghats") forms the eastern boundary of the Konkan, and the Arabian Sea marks the western boundary. The southern boundary is the Gangavali River. The Mayura River forms the northern boundary.
The Gangavali flows in the district of North Canara ("Uttara Kannada") in present-day "Karnataka State"; the cis-Gangavali portion (seen from Bombay) of this district is the southern-most part of the Konkan. The towns of Gokarn, Guhagar, Honavar, and Karwar fall within the Konkan.
The exact identity of the Mayura River, the northern limits of the historic Konkan, is indeterminate.

src:wikipedia/mumbaihangout
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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Shitala Mata; a Hindu goddess widely worshipped in North India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan as the pox-goddess, The most important festival dedicated to Shitala Mata, Sheetala Ashtami, Video of Shitla Mata Aarti - Amarnath Pujari


 Shitala Mata (Sheetala Devi), also called Sitala Mata, is a Hindu goddess widely worshipped in North India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan as the pox-goddess. Shitala Mata literally means the cool Goddess.

In Hinduism, Goddess Shitala, or Sheetala Mata, is considered an aspect of Shakti. Popularly she is the Hindu goddess of small pox in North India and is known to spread the dreaded disease and cure it. In rural India, she is also considered as an incarnation of Goddess Parvati and Durga, which are two forms of Shakti. Goddess Shitala is popular as Mariamman in Tamil Nadu. She is undoubtedly one of the most popular rural deities and her origin can be traced to the days of Nature Worship.


Shitala Mata is worshipped under different names all through the subcontinent. Śītalā Mata is more often called mā or āmmā (‘mother’) and is worshipped by Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and tribal communities. The goddess is mentioned in early Tantric and Purāṇic literature and her later appearance in vernacular texts (such as the Bengali 17th century Śītalā-maṅgal-kāvyas, ‘auspicious poetry’) has contributed to strengthen her role in village Hinduism. Śītalā is worshipped as a protector.

Shitala Mata is primarily popular among the people of North India and the Indian diaspora. In some traditions she is identified with an aspect of Parvati, the consort of Shiva. Ferrari (2009: 146-147) reports that Shitala Mata is addressed with the following titles:

The names implying a maternal condition: Mā, Ammā, Āi, Padmāvatī Mā (Mother [born from] a lotus], Choṭi Mā (Small Mother), Baṛī Mā (Great Mother) and Moṭi Mā (Pearl Mother);
The names implying a relation with a particular season: Vasanta Rāy (Queen of Vasanta), Vasanta Buṛī (the Beldam of Vasanta) and – among Munda speaking tribes – Māgh-boṅga (Spirit of Māgh);
Honorific titles: Ṭhākurāṇī (Notrê Dame), Jāgrānī (Queen of the World), Karuṇamāyī ([She who is] Full of Mercy), Maṅgalā (the Auspicious One), Bhagavatī (the Blessed One), Dayāmāyī ([She who is] Full of Grace).

According to Puranas, Shitala Mata, the cooling one, was created by Lord Brahma. She was promised by Brahma that she will be worshipped as a Goddess on earth but she should carry the seeds of lentils. In folktales in North India, the lentil is ‘Urad dal.’ She then asked for a companion and she was directed to Lord Shiva, who blessed her and created Jvara Asura (the fever demon). It is said that he was created from the sweat of Lord Shiva.

Shitala Mata and Jvara Asura remained in Devaloka along with other gods and goddess. They used a donkey to transport the lentils to wherever they went. But the lentil seeds one day turned into smallpox germs and start to spread the disease among gods and goddesses. Finally, fed up with Goddess Shitala Mata, gods asked her to go and settle in heaven where she will be worshipped. Shitala Mata and Jvara Asura came down to earth and started hunting for a place to stay.

They went to the court of King Birat, an ardent devotee of Shiva. He agreed to worship her and give a place in his kingdom but she will not get the respect given to Shiva. An angry Shitala Mata demanded supremacy over all other gods and when King Birat did not budge. She spread different kinds of pox on the land and finally, the King had to agree to her wishes. Soon the disease and all its after effects were miraculously cured.

The most important festival dedicated to her takes place in Chaitra month, the Ashtami day after Purnima (full moon) in the month is observed as Sheetala Ashtami. There are famous temples dedicated to Shitala Devi in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The role of Shitala Mata in South India is taken by the goddess Mariamman, whom is worshipped by the Dravidian-speaking people in the Subcontinent and abroad (i.e. in the West but particularly in Malaysia, Indonesia, Bali)

The worship of Shitala Mata is conducted by both Brahmins and low caste pujaris. She is primarily worshipped in the dry seasons of winter and spring.

Shitala Mata is accompanied by Jvarāsura, the fever demon, Olāi Caṇḍi/ Olāi Bibi, the goddess of cholera, the Cauṣaṭṭī Rogas, the sixty-four epidemics, Gheṇṭukarṇa, the god of skin diseases, and Raktāvatī, the goddess of blood infections. Śītalā Mata is represented as a young maiden crowned with a winnowing-fan, riding an ass, holding a short broom (either to spread or dust off germs) and a pot full of pulses (the viruses) or cold water (a healing tool). Among low-caste Hindus and tribal communities, she is eugenically represented with slab-stones or carved heads. Sometimes, she is said to be carrying a bunch of neem (Azadirachta indica) leaves, an ancient Ayurveda's medicinal herb that is very much an effective remedy to most skin diseases even today.
src:wikipedia/Hindu Blog

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Friday, March 18, 2011

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu; A Hindu saint and social reformer in eastern India, the Vaishnava school of Bhakti yoga, philosophy of the Bhagavata Purana and Bhagavad Gita, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's life, Identity, Teachings, tradition, influences on Hinduism, cultural legacy in Bengal and Odisha







Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) was a Hindu saint and social reformer in eastern India (specifically present-day Bangladesh and states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa of India) in the 16th century, believed by followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism to be the full incarnation of Lord Krishna. Sri Krishna Chaitanya was a notable proponent for the Vaishnava school of Bhakti yoga (meaning loving devotion to Krishna/God) based on the philosophy of the Bhagavata Purana and Bhagavad Gita. Specifically he worshipped the forms of Radha and Krishna and popularised the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha mantra and has composed Siksastakam in Sanskrit. His line of followers, known as Gaudiya Vaishnavas, revere him as an avatar of Krishna in the mood of Radharani who was prophesised to appear in the later verses of the Bhagavata Purana.

He was also sometimes referred to by the names Gaura (Sanskrit for golden one) due to his light skin complexion, and Nimai due to his being born underneath a Neem tree. There are numerous biographies available from the time giving details of Chaitanya's life, the most prominent ones being the Chaitanya Charitamrita of Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami and the earlier Chaitanya Bhagavata of Vrindavana Dasa[8] (both originally written in the Bengali language but now widely available in English and other languages) and the Chaitanya Mangala, written by Lochana Dasa.

Sri Chaitanya and Nityananda, is shown performing a 'kirtan' in the streets of Nabadwip, Bengal.

According to the biography, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Nimäi appeared on the full moon night of February 18, 1486, at the time of a lunar eclipse. His parents named him 'Vishvambhar' - He was born in a Odia Brahmin family settled in Bengal, He was the second son of Jagannath Mishra and his wife Sachi Devi who lived in the town of Nabadwip in Nadia, West Bengal. Chaitanya's ancestry is a contentious issue between the people of Odisha and West Bengal with Shree Chaitanya having family roots in Jajpur, Odisha, from where his grandfather, Madhukar Mishra had emigrated to nearby Bengal.

In his youth, Chaitanya Mahäprabhu was primarily known as an erudite scholar, whose learning and skills in argumentation in his locality were second to none. A number of stories also exist telling of Chaitanya's apparent attraction to the chanting and singing of Krishna's names from a very young age, but largely this was perceived as being secondary to his interest in acquiring knowledge and studying Sanskrit. When traveling to Gaya to perform the shraddha ceremony for his departed father Chaitanya met his guru, the ascetic Ishvara Puri, from whom he received initiation with the Gopala Krishna mantra. This meeting was to mark a significant change in Mahäprabhu's outlook and upon his return to Bengal the local Vaishnavas, headed by Advaita Ächärya, were stunned at his external sudden 'change of heart' (from 'scholar' to 'devotee') and soon Chaitanya became the eminent leader of their Vaishnava group within Nadia.

After leaving Bengal and receiving entrance into the sannyasa order by Keshava Bharati, Chaitanya journeyed throughout the length and breadth of India for several years, chanting the divine Names of Krishna constantly. He spent the last 24 years of his life in Puri, Odisha, the great temple city of Jagannäth. The Suryavanshi Hindu emperor of Odisha, Gajapati Maharaja Prataparudra Dev, regarded the Lord as Krishna's incarnation and was an enthusiastic patron and devotee of Chaitanya's sankeertan party. It was during these years that Lord Chaitanya is believed by His followers to have sank deep into various Divine-Love samādhi) and performed pastimes of divine ecstasy (bhakti).

According to beliefs of orthodox followers Caitanya Mahaprabhu united in himself three aspects: ecstatic devotee of Krishna, incarnation of chandrawali sakhi not Krishna himself in inseparable union with Radha. In fact, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was joint incarnation of chandrawali sakhi and kaliyuga because According to the hagiographies of 16th c. authors he has exhibited his Universal Form identical to that of Krishna on a number of occasions, notably to Advaita Ācārya and Nityānanda Prabhu.

Deities of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (right) and Nityananda (left) at Radha-Krishna temple in Radhadesh, Belgium

Chaitanya has left one written record in Sanskrit called Siksastaka.

Chaitanya's epistemological, theological and ontological teachings are summarized as ten roots or maxims dasa mula:

1. The statements of amnaya (scripture) are the chief proof. By these statements the following nine topics are taught.

2. Krishna is the Supreme Absolute Truth.

3. Krishna is endowed with all energies.

4. Krishna is the ocean of rasa (theology).

5. The jivas (individual souls) are all separated parts of the Lord.

6. In bound state the jivas are under the influence of matter, due to their tatastha nature.

7. In the liberated state the jivas are free from the influence of matter, due to their tatastha nature.

8. The jivas and the material world are both different from and identical to the Lord.

9. Pure devotion is the practice of the jivas.

10. Pure love of Krishna is the goal.

11. Krishna is the only lovable blessing to be received.

Despite having been initiated in the Madhvacharya tradition and taking sannyasa from Shankara's tradition, Chaitanya's philosophy is sometimes regarded as a tradition of his own within the Vaishnava framework - having some marked differences with the practices and the theology of other followers of Madhvacharya.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is not known to have written anything himself except for a series of verses known as the Siksastaka, or "eight verses of instruction", which he had spoken, and were recorded by one of his close colleagues. The eight verses created by Mahaprabhu are considered to contain the complete philosophy of Gaudiya Vaishnavism in condensed form. Chaitanya requested a select few among his followers (who later came to be known as the Six Gosvamis of Vrindavan) to systematically present the theology of bhakti he had taught to them in their own writings. The six saints and theologians were Rupa Goswami, Sanatana Goswami, Gopala Bhatta Goswami, Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami, Raghunatha dasa Goswami and Jiva Goswami, a nephew of brothers Rupa and Sanatana. These individuals were responsible for systematizing Gaudiya Vaishnava theology.

Narottama Dasa Thakur, Srinivasa Acarya and Syamananda Pandit were among the stalwarts of the second generation of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Having studied under Jiva Goswami, they were instrumental in propagating the teachings of the Goswamis throughout Bengal, Odisha and other regions of Eastern India. Many among their associates, such as Ramacandra Kaviraja and Ganga Narayan Chakravarti, were also eminent teachers in their own right.

The festival of Kheturi, presided over by Jahnava Thakurani, the wife of Nityananda Prabhu, was the first time the leaders of the various branches of Chaitanya's followers assembled together. Through such festivals, members of the loosely organized tradition became acquainted with other branches along with their respective theological and practical nuances. Around these times, the disciples and descendants of Nityananda and Advaita Acharya, headed by Virabhadra and Krishna Mishra respectively, started their family lineages (vamsa) to maintain the tradition. The vamsa descending from Nityananda through his son Virabhadra forms the most prominent branch of the modern Gaudiya tradition, though descendants of Advaita, along with the descendants of many other associates of Chaitanya, maintain their following especially in the rural areas of Bengal. Gopala Guru Goswami, a young associate of Chaitanya and a follower of Vakresvara Pandit, founded another branch based in Odisha. The writings of Gopala, along with those of his disciple Dhyanacandra Goswami, have had a substantial influence on the methods of internal worship in the tradition.

From the very beginning of Chaitanya's bhakti movement in Bengal, Haridasa Thakur and others Muslim or Hindu by birth were the participants. This openness received a boost from Bhaktivinoda Thakura's broad-minded vision in the late 19th century and was institutionalized by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati in his Gaudiya Matha in the 20th century. In the 20th century the teachings of Chaitanya were brought to the West by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a representative of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura branch of Chaitanya's tradition. Bhaktivedanta Swami founded his movement known as The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) to spread Chaitanya's teachings throughout the world. Saraswata gurus and acharyas, members of the Goswami lineages and several other Hindu sects which revere Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, including devotees from the major Vaishnava holy places in Mathura District, West Bengal and Odisha, also established temples dedicated to Krishna and Chaitanya outside India in the closing decades of the 20th century. In the 21st century Vaishnava bhakti is now also being studied through the academic medium of Krishnology in a number of academic institutions.

In addition to his deep influences on Hinduism, Chaitanya's cultural legacy in Bengal and Odisha remains deep, with many residents performing daily worship to him as an avatar of Krishna. Some attribute to him a Renaissance in Bengal, different from the more well known 19th century Bengal Renaissance. Salimullah Khan, a noted linguist, maintains, "Sixteenth century is the time of Chaitanya Dev, and it is the beginning of Modernism in Bengal. The concept of 'humanity' that came into fruition is contemporaneous with that of Europe".
src:wikipedia
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Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The Incredible Chand Baori, a famous stepwell situated in the village Abhaneri near Jaipur in Indian state of Rajasthan.

Chand Baori is a famous stepwell situated in the village of Abhaneri near Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan.


This step well is located opposite Harshat Mata Temple, constructed in 800 c. and is one of the deepest and largest step wells in India. It was built in the 9th century and has 3500 narrow steps in 13 stories and is 100 feet deep.



Built back in the 10th century, the incredible well of Chand Baori, India was a practical solution to the water problem in the area. The arid climate forced the locals to dig deep for a dependable water source, one that would last throughout an entire year. Chand Baori well is 30 meters deep, it has 13 floors and 3,500 steps. Legends say that ghosts build it in one night and that it has so many steps to make it impossible for someone tor etrieve a coin once it's been dropped in the well.


Chand Baori is a famous stepwell situated in the village Abhaneri near Jaipur in Indian state of Rajasthan. This step well is located opposite to Harshat Mata Temple which shows that there must have been a religious connection with the step-well.

The well is 35 m on each side with steps leading down from each side and water can be drawn from any level. This is one of the deepest and largest step wells in India. It was built in 9th century and has 3500 narrow steps and 13 stories and is 100 feet deep. The arid climate forced the locals to dig deep for a dependable water source, one that would last throughout an entire year. It is a fine example of the architectural excellence prevalent in the past.
 

 Abhaneri is a small town village, situated at a distance of 95 km from Jaipur, on Jaipur-Agra road. The place is popular for the amazing 'Baoris' (step wells) and Harshat Mata Temple. The village of Abhaneri is believed to be established by the King Raja Chand. Originally Abhaneri was named as Abha Nagri, which means the city of brightness, but due to mispronunciation of the term, it is changed to the present name.
 

 In the present day, this city of brightness is in ruins; still it attracts tourists from across the globe. Abhaneri is prominent for 'Baoris', which are the unique invention of the natives for harvesting rain water. Amongst the other step wells, Chand Baori is the most popular one. This colossal step well is located in front of the Harshat Mata Temple. Chand Baori is one of India's deepest and largest step wells. The huge tank with delicate carvings is certainly delightful to the eyes.
 

 Step wells are the unique concept of India. These big tanks were used as cool places of resort and water reservoir in parched days. It was a ritual to wash hands and feet before visiting the temple. Adjoining the Chand Baori, there is a temple, dedicated to Harshat Mata. This temple serves as the other tourist attraction of Abhaneri. Raised during the 10th century, the wrecks of the temple still boast of the architectural and sculptural styles of ancient India.

Harshat Mata is considered to be the goddess of joy and happiness. As per the beliefs, the goddess is always cheerful, who imparts her joy and happiness to the whole village. The temple is worth visiting for its amazing architecture and that too, which belongs to the medieval India. Abhaneri has a glorious past and this hoary magnetism of the place, attracts tourists to its threshold, from all over the world.
 

 Legends say that ghosts build it in one night and that it has so many steps to make it impossible for someone to retrieve a coin once it’s been dropped in the well.
src:indiamarks
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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

A beautiful poem by Rabindranath Tagore - A Nobel laureate Poet




cid:1.3551848817@web51404.mail.re2.yahoo.com
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Wise sayings from Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi
















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