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Aryankavu Sastha Temple
The Aryankavu Sastha Temple is a Hindu temple located in Aryankavu in the Kollam district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the five major temples dedicated to Shasta in Kerala, the others being Kulathupuzha, Achankovil, Sabarimala and Kanthamala. The temple's idol is believed to have been consecrated by Parashurama. The temple is governed by the Travancore Devaswom Board. Etymology The name "Aryankavu" is believed to be derived from the words "Aryan" which indicates Shasta and "Kavu" which means sacred grove. The temple It is located in Aryankavu in the tehsil of Punalur in Kollam district. The temple lies near the border of Tamil Nadu on National Highway 744, about from Kollam, from Punalur and from Tenkasi. The temple is built in the traditional architectural styles of both Kerala and Tamil Nadu and preserves several murals of Hindu deities. As in Sabarimala, the temple also have 18 steps. Another feature of the temple is that it is built below the ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Kingdom of Cochin, Cochin, Malabar District, Malabar, South Canara, and Travancore. Spread over , Kerala is the 14th List of states and union territories of India by area, smallest Indian state by area. It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Laccadive Sea, Lakshadweep Sea to the west. With 33 million inhabitants as per the 2011 Census of India, 2011 census, Kerala is the List of states of India by population, 13th-largest Indian state by population. It is divided into 14 List of districts of Kerala, districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state. The Chera dynasty was the f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Punalur
Punalur is a municipality in the Kollam district of Kerala, India. It is the headquarters of the Punalur Taluk and Punalur Revenue Division. It is in the eastern part of the Kollam district of Kerala, on the banks of the Kallada River and foothills of the Western Ghats. It is about northeast of Kollam and north of Thiruvananthapuram. Geography Punalur has an average elevation of . Many tourists have visited scenic spots along the Kallada River. The Palaruvi Falls is from Punalur. The first planned ecotourism project in Kerala is only from Punalur on NH 744 towards Sengottai. Politics Punalur Assembly constituency is part of the Kollam (Lok Sabha constituency) and Punalur Assembly constituency. K. Pushpaletha is the sitting Chairperson of Punalur Municipality. P. S. Supal of Communist Party of India is the MLA of Punalur assembly constituency and N. K. Premachandran is MP of Kollam (Lok Sabha constituency). The assembly constituency is continuously won ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Engagement
An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fiancés'' (from the French), "betrothed", "intended", "affianced", "engaged to be married", or simply "engaged". Future brides and grooms may be called ''fiancée'' (feminine) or ''fiancé'' (masculine), "the betrothed", "wife-to-be" or "husband-to-be", respectively. The duration of the courtship varies vastly, and is largely dependent on cultural norms or upon the agreement of the parties involved. Long engagements were once common in formal arranged marriages, and it was not uncommon for parents betrothing children to arrange marriages many years before the engaged couple were old enough. This is still done in some countries. Many traditional Christian denominations have optional rites for Christian betrothal (also known as "blessing a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mandapa
A ''mandapa'' or ''mantapa'' () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture and Jain temple architecture. ''Mandapas'' are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples, one or more ''mandapas'' very often lie between the sanctuary and the temple entrance, on the same axis. In a large temple other ''mandapas'' may be placed to the sides, or detached within the temple compound. Temple architecture In the Hindu temple the ''mandapa'' is a porch-like structure through the (''gopuram'') (ornate gateway) and leading to the temple. It is used for religious dancing and music and is part of the basic temple compound. The prayer hall was generally built in front of the temple's '' sanctum sanctorum'' (''garbhagriha''). A large temple would have many ''mandapa''. If a temple has more than one ''mandapa'', each one is allocated for a different function and given a name ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saurashtra People
The Saurashtra people, or Saurashtrians, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic Hindu Brahmin community of South India who speak the Saurashtra language, an Indo-Aryan Gujarati language, and predominantly reside in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Saurashtrians trace their ancestry to the historical region of Saurashtra in Western India. Their migration to Southern India owes to the forays and desecration of the Somnath temple triggered by the frequent Muslim invasions, most notably by Mahmud Ghazni. They are known for their expertise in traditional vedic practices and rituals. Apart from being priests and scholars, they are also been involved in various professions such as agriculture, trade, and business and were a prominent industrious and prosperous mercantile community of merchants and weavers in southern India until the 20th century. They have contributed to the cultural and social fabric of Tamil Nadu in many ways and have con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karuppu Sami
Karuppusamy, also known as Karuppu or Karuppannaswamy(Tamil: கருப்பண்ணசுவாமி Malayalam: കറുപ്പണ്ണസാമി ),() is a folk God in Tamil Nadu, popular among the social groups of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and also Sri Lanka. He is one of 21 guardian deities of Ayyanar Aiyanar (, ) is a Village deities of South India, Tamil folk deity venerated in South India and Sri Lanka. His worship is prevalent amongst rural Tamils, Tamil people. Some studies suggest that Ayyanar may have also been worshipped in Southeast ..., and is one of 21 guardian deities in Dravidian folk religion. Temples of Karuppaswamy Karuppu Samy temples are found in outside of villages. Whole villages contribute to maintenance of Hindu temple, temples. These temples do not have gopurams and have large statues of Hindu deities, deities with large eyes, holding weapons like Bow and arrow, bows and arrows, swords, sickles and other weapons. There are statues of eig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panchaloha
''Panchaloha'' (), also called ''Pañcadhātu'' (), is a term for traditional five-metal alloys of sacred significance, used for making Hinduism, Hindu temple ''murti'' and jewellery. Composition The composition is laid down in the ''Shilpa shastras'', a collection of ancient texts that describe arts, crafts, and their design rules, principles and standards. Panchaloha is traditionally described as an alloy of Gold (element), gold, silver, copper, zinc, and iron. It is believed that wearing jewellery made of such an alloy brings balance in life, self-confidence, good health, fortune, prosperity, and peace of mind. In Tibetan culture, it was considered auspicious to use ''thokcha'' (iron meteorite, meteoric iron) either as a component of the alloy in general or for a specific object or purpose. The amount used could vary, depending upon the material's availability and suitability, among other considerations. A small, largely symbolic quantity of "sky-iron" might be added, or i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shiva
Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, [mɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh]) and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism. Shiva is known as ''The Destroyer'' within the Trimurti, the Hinduism, Hindu trinity which also includes Brahma and Vishnu. In the Shaivite tradition, Shiva is the Supreme Lord who creates, protects and transforms the universe. In the goddess-oriented Shaktism, Shakta tradition, the Supreme Goddess (Devi) is regarded as the energy and creative power (Shakti) and the equal complementary partner of Shiva. Shiva is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta Tradition, Smarta tradition of Hinduism. Shiva has many aspects, benevolent as well as fearsome. In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an Omniscience, omniscient yogi who lives an Asceticism#Hinduism, ascetic life on Kailasa as well as a house ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tamils
The Tamils ( ), also known by their endonym Tamilar, are a Dravidian peoples, Dravidian ethnic group who natively speak the Tamil language and trace their ancestry mainly to the southern part of the Indian subcontinent. The Tamil language is one of the longest-surviving classical languages, with over two thousand years of Tamil literature, written history, dating back to the Sangam period (between 300 BCE and 300 CE). Tamils constitute about 5.7% of the Indian population and form the majority in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. They also form significant proportions of the populations in Sri Lankan Tamils, Sri Lanka (15.3%), Tamil Malaysians, Malaysia (7%) and Indian Singaporeans, Singapore (5%). Tamils have migrated world-wide since the 19th century CE and a significant population exists in South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, as well as other regions such as the Southeast Asia, Middle East, Caribbean and parts ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Puja (Hinduism)
() is a worship ritual performed by Hindus to offer devotional homage and prayer to one or more deities, to host and honour a guest, or to spiritually celebrate an event. It may honour or celebrate the presence of special guests, or their memories after they die. The word ''puja'' is roughly translated into English as 'reverence, honour, homage, adoration, or worship'.पूजा ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', Germany (2009) ''Puja'' (পুজো / পুজা in Bengali language, Bangla), the loving offering of light, flowers, and water or food to the divine, is the essential ritual of Hinduism. For the worshipper, the divine is visible in the image, and the divinity sees the worshipper. The interaction between human and deity, between human and guru, is called a ''Darshan (Indian re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hindu Deities
Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. Deities in Hinduism are as diverse as its traditions, and a Hindu can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, even agnostic, atheistic, or humanist. Julius J. Lipner (2009), Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, 2nd edition, Routledge, , p. 8; Quote: "(...) one need not be religious in the minimal sense described to be accepted as a Hindu by Hindus, or describe oneself perfectly validly as Hindu. One may be polytheistic or monotheistic, monistic or pantheistic, even an agnostic, humanist or atheist, and still be considered a Hindu." The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān and Bhagavati. The deities of Hinduism have evolved from the Vedic era (2nd millennium BCE) through the medieval era (1st millennium CE), regionally within Nepal, Pakistan, India and in Southeast Asia, and across Hinduism ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tenkasi
Tenkasi () is a town and headquarters of the Tenkasi district in Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Tenkasi is the third largest city in tenkasi district after Kadayanallur and Sankarankovil. Being one of the most significant spiritual and cultural places in South Tamilnadu, Tenkasi houses The Kutraleeshwarar temple (Chitra Sabha), one of the five sabhas of Lord Nataraja, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Tamil poet Thirikooda Rasappa Kavirayar describes this temple in his poem as “Kutrala Kuravanji” which means 'beauty of Kutralam'. the city also houses the famous TenKasi Viswanathar temple, Sankarankoil temple and Ilangi Kumarar temple. Etymology Tenkasi in Tamil means south Kashi(''Thenk+Kashi''). As name goes, Tenkasi is situated in the Southern India and home to Tenkasi Viswanathar Temple. Demographics According to 2011 census, Tenkasi had a population of 70,545 with a sex-ratio of 1,020 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
