Relijournal » Hinduism

Extraordinarily Beautiful and Erotic Artwork of the Hindu Religion

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:18:47 +0000

The Hindu religion is rich in art and some of the paintings and statues that outsiders see conjure up something mysterious and exotic. This is not an easy religion for the outsider to understand, but my own view of the gods of Hindu is based on a comparative study of religion gleaned from books, videos, and conversations with followers of that religion.

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In devout Hindu homes there is always a small shrine with images of the household’s chosen gods. There seem to be thousands to choose from, but each family has its own favourites. The two main gods are Shiva and Vishnu and the big Hindu temples tend to belong to the cult of Shaiva which worships Shiva, or Vaishnava which worships Vishnu.

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Shiva represents violence and his wild dancing within a ring of fire, represents the eternal cycle of creation and destruction. Shiva has a blue neck because his throat holds poison which legend says, was thrown up when the oceans rose up and threatened to destroy mankind. His consort, Kali, a fierce, blood-drinking goddess, is a leading deity and is worshipped by most Hindus.

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Vishnu, the preserver, protects those who worship him, brings back good health and keeps away bad luck. Hindu’s believe that Vishnu comes down to earth as an avatar, an incarnation which helps mankind in difficult times. His consort is called Lakshmi and she is the goddess of good luck and fortune.

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Other major gods include Brahma who is the creator of all things and his consort, Sarasvati who is goddess of the arts and all learning. Shiva’s sons, Ganesh and Karttikeya, are the elephant god and the bringer of good luck. Karttikeya is shown in Hindu art as having six heads and twelve arms which is a sign of great strength and power.

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Mothers pray to Sitala for protection from disease for their children. Rama is the god of reason, virtue and bravery, while Hanuman, the monkey god is a guardian spirit.

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These are just a few of the thousands of gods the Hindu faith worships. This is a very rich religion steeped in beautiful art and artefacts and enriched by legend and lore. Hinduism is the European name for the ‘Sanatana Dharma’, which is the ‘Eternal Law’. The name Hindu comes originally from Sanskrit text and was written as ‘sindhu’ which means ‘river’. Around 1500 BC Persian settlers moved into the main river valley in Pakistan (as it is called today) and they used the word ‘Hind’ from Sanskrit, to describe the area. The land beyond the river became known as ‘Hind’ and this is where India got its name from. The people who lived there became known as Hindus.

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The earliest Hindu text called the ‘Rig Veda’ dates from before 1000BC but the best known texts are the Upanishads, Brahmanas and Puranas, which form the ‘Veda’ or ‘Knowledge’. The ‘Bhagavad-Gita’ is perhaps the best know text in the western world. There are about 700 million Hindus in India and in Indian communities all over the world who practise this religion.

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Seven Unusual Temples in India

Fri, 15 May 2009 06:29:28 +0000

Temple of Duryodhana

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Duryodhana was the eldest of Kauravas and represented the evil in the epic Mahabharata. He died in the hands of Bhima, the second eldest of Pandavas. The temple of Duryodhana is situated at Malanada, Kollam in Kerala.

Temple of Snakes

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Majority of Indians believe that snake is god and offer milk and eggs on auspicious days like Nagapanchami and Nagulachavithi in the termite mounds of snakes. In many temples idols of snakes are worshipped by people. But there are two famous temples exclusively for snakes that are situated at Pampummaikatu and Mannarsala in Kerala.

Temple of Ravana

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The temple of Ravana is in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. According to the epic Ramayana, he was a villain and kidnapped Sita (wife of Rama) to be with him. But Rama killed him. Though he was a villain he was the most revered devotee of Lord Shiva. Hence the Dave Brahmins, who claimed to be the descendants of Ravana, constructed a temple for him. Here daily puja is performed as well as the death anniversary of Ravana is performed on Dussehra..

Temple of Rats

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The temple of rats is in the small village of Deshnoke near Bikaner, Rajasthan. Here the main deity is Karni Devi or Karni Mata. But thousands of rats crown the white marble floor and temple. They are believed as the incarnations of their ancestors and are fed by the devotees. Devotees should not hurt them. If anybody kills them accidentally, they have to make a golden rat and offer it to the temple.

Temple of Kal Bhairava

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The temple of Kal Bhairava is in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. Kal Bhairava is mainly worshipped by the Kapalika and the Aghoras. They offer liquor to this deity. As Kal Bhairava himself is considered as the guardian of the temple, keys of this temple are kept at the temple premises at night. The devotees believe that this deity could save them from any dangers while travelling especially at night if they offer garland of cashew nuts along with lighting a lamp. Dogs should be fed and treated with respect as dog is the vehicle of Kal Bhairava.

Temple of Gandhiji

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The temple of Mahatma Gandhi is the one and only temple where the father of India is worshipped as deity in Sambalpur, Orissa. People worship the idol of Gandhiji that is sitting under the Tricolor. Daily puja is performed and special days like Gandhi Jayanthi, Independence Day and Republic day are celebrated. The specialty of this temple is here the pujas are performed by dalits who are treated as untouchables by other people.

Temple of Hidimbi

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Hidimbi was a cannibal in Mahabharata and fell in love with Bhima, the second eldest of Pandavas. Hidimbi asked him to marry her, but he didn’t agree. After the repeated insistence of Hidimbi he agreed to spend the time with her from dawn to dusk until they had a son. In certain parts of Himachal Pradesh Hidimbi is worshipped as a goddess and a temple is built for her in Manali. Near her temple another temple is built for her son Ghatotkacha too.

Rama

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:54:21 +0000

The great figures of Hindu thought and belief reflect a variety of different identities and meanings. Some may have been historical characters who subsequently became deified as a result of their significant acts on earth – a similar process occurred in Chinese culture. The historical characters became identified with manifestations of the greater deities and with the embodiment of specific characteristics or achievements. Hence, the hero Rama, is one of three Rama heroes – Parasurama, Ramacandra and Balarama – as well as being the seventh incarnation or avatar of Vishnu. According to his actions in the epic poems Mahabharata and Ramayana, Rama also became associated with his bravery and valour in war and then the dubious attitude he expressed towards his wife after she had been abducted by the King of the Demons and quite blamelessly retained her honour despite many incentives not to do so. However, Rama is most commonly considered to be an embodiment of right thinking and rationality, which contrasts with his fellow hero Krishna, who takes the role of trickster and entertainer. Rama is more serious and, for example, is most likely to be invoked when death arrives.

In common with Krishna, Rama-worship developed as a result of the Bhakti-personality cults that raised individual semi-deities (of whom they were many) to manifestations of the ultimate god or gods. Rama ultimately became considered as a representation of Ramananda, who is the ultimate god. This Bhakti cult was founded by the ascetic monk of the same name (c.1400-70 CE) who ignored caste limitations (scandalizing many of the religious) and established a band of mixed supporters who have kept active the belief in Rama as the God ever since. The cult or sect is very active in the north of India and maintains teaching in vulgate Hindi rather than Sanskrit, thereby reaching out to the common people and not just the religious Brahmin elite.

Rama worship also benefited from the telling and retelling of his acts in various epic poems, which were also expressed in the vulgate language and which represented very popular (and educational) forms of entertainment. Presumably some of the tellers favoured entertainment rather than education while others tended in the other direction. In any case, knowledge of the hero spread and generations of people dreamed of emulating the heroic acts. His most famous pose is with bow and arrow and, indeed, he was considered the greatest of archers. In temples and artistic representations, he is commonly accompanied by his wife Sita, his brother or cousin Laksmana and the monkey god Hanuman, who is another greatly-loved figure.