New addition to India’s UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List
On March 7, Six new properties, including 5 archaeologically important places, have been added to India’s tentative list by UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre. This is a step towards their future nomination for the World Heritage List. India’s tentative list now comprises 62 sites, with 43 properties already listed as World Heritage Sites. What is UNESCO […]
The secret behind Jyotirlinga names
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dr Dinesh Soni (@indian.temples) In Shaivism in India, the term Jyotirlinga holds a very specific religious value. The Word Jyotirlinga is a Sanskrit compound of jyotis (‘radiance’) and linga (‘symbol’). Thus, a Jyotirlinga is Shiva’s symbol that contains Shiva’s radiance; or the presence of Shiva in […]
Mahakumbh : Story, History and Mystery
As per the data made public by Maha Kumbh organisers, over 65 crore people took sacred bath in the holy confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati river. That is more thanclose to the entire population of United Kingdom or South Africa, and almost double the population of Canada. To put it in perspective, the number […]
The Jyotirlingas : An introduction to the legends and history of the 12 sacred Shaivite Temples
Introduction In Shaivism in India, the term Jyotirlinga holds a very specific religious value. The Word Jyotirlinga is a Sanskrit compound of jyotis (‘radiance’) and linga (‘symbol’). Thus, a Jyotirlinga is Shiva’s symbol that contains Shiva’s radiance; or the presence of Shiva in form of a Jyoti. The Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Smaranam is a devotional hymn […]
Balrama : The unsung hero of Hinduism
Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna, does not find a lot of significance in worship today. However, he existed as a very significant figure in Bhagavata Purana. The elder brother of Krishna, he is described as the highest form of divinity that expanded into Vishnu. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one […]
Krishna, Bhakti movement and regional worship
Introduction Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, is one of the most revered deities in Hinduism. Krishna is widely known to be god of love, compassion, tenderness and protection. The anecdotes and narratives of Krishna’s life are generally titled as Krishna Lila. He is a central figure in the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana, the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, and the Bhagavad Gita, […]
Roots of Faith: The Symbolism of Trees in Hinduism
Introduction Once upon a time, inside the Hiranyagarbha, Brahma awakened from deep sleep. He looked around and he saw nothing. He felt lonely. And he decided to create life forms around him. He created many mind-born children including Angiras, Atri, Bhrigu, Chitragupta, Daksha, Himavan, Jambavan, Kama, Kratu, Kumaras, Marichi, Narada, Pulaha, Pulastya, Shatarupa, Sindura, Svayambhuva […]
Spiritual Secrets from Hinduism : A Book Review
In recent times, we are seeing a lot of misconceptions being spread about Hinduism. Politicians are bringing posters of Shiva in Parliament. And they are saying different kind of analogies about the deity. Some politicians are talking of eradication of Sanatan Dharma. Some agenda driven intellectuals are also misquoting the concepts of Hinduism for personal […]
Walking the Sacred Path: The Tradition of Pilgrimage on Foot
As Shravan month starts; and the earth becomes covered by the carpet of green grass; we see thousands of Shiva devotees carrying water pots on their shoulder. The water pots are tied to two ends of a stick, and the pilgrims carry this stick on their shoulder. These Pilgrims; called as Kanwariya; are carrying holy […]
Unveiling the Vedic Gods: The Divine Beings of Ancient Indian Scriptures
Temples and deities are an integral part of our society today. We see temples dedicated to deities like Vishnu (in forms like Krishna, Rama, Narismha etc), Shiva, Lakshmi, Shakti (in different forms), Hanuman etc. All these deities are from the Puranic references. We see mentions of these Gods and their stories in various Purans and […]