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Dakshineswar Kāli Temple
Dakshineswar Kali Temple or Dakshineswar Kalibari is a Hindu navaratna style temple in Dakshineswar, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River. The presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini (Kali), a form of Mahadevi or Parashakti Adya Kali, otherwise known as Adishakti Kalika. p.11. The temple was built in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni, a zamindar (feudal lord), and a devotee of Kali. The temple is associated with avatar Sri Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi, his wife and devotee mystic, both of 19th century Bengal. The main temple was inspired by Radhakanta temple in Tollygunge, built by Babu Ramnath Mondal of the Bawali Raj family. The temple compound, apart from the nine-spired main temple, contains a large courtyard surrounding the temple, with rooms along the boundary walls. Along the riverfront, there are twelve shrines dedicated to Shiva, Kali's consort, a temple to Radha–Krishna, a bathing ghat at the river, and a shrine dedicated to Rani Rashmo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of as of 2011. The population estimate as of 2023 is 99,723,000. West Bengal is the List of states and union territories of India by population, fourth-most populous and List of states and union territories of India by area, thirteenth-largest state by area in India, as well as the List of first-level administrative divisions by population, eighth-most populous country subdivision of the world. As a part of the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, it borders Bangladesh in the east, and Nepal and Bhutan in the north. It also borders the Indian states of Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Sikkim and Assam. The state capital is Kolkata, the List of metropolitan areas in India, third-largest metropolis, and List of cities in I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hooghly River
The Hooghly River (, also spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') is the westernmost distributary of the Ganges, situated in West Bengal, India. It is known in its upper reaches as the Bhagirathi. The Bhagirathi splits off from the main branch of the Ganges at Giria, India, Giria. A short distance west, it meets the man-made Farakka Feeder Canal, which massively increases its flow. The river then flows south to join the Jalangi River, Jalangi at Nabadwip, where it becomes the Hooghly proper. The Hooghly continues southwards, passing through the metropolis of Kolkata. Thereafter, it empties into the Bay of Bengal. Its tributaries include the Ajay River, Ajay, Damodar River, Damodar, Rupnarayan River, Rupnarayan, and Haldi River, Haldi. The Hooghly has religious significance as Hinduism, Hindus consider the river sacred. It also plays a major role in the agriculture, industry, and climate of the state. Course The vast majority of the water that flows into the Hooghly River is provided ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vision (spirituality)
A vision is something seen in a dream, trance, or religious ecstasy, especially a supernatural appearance that usually conveys a revelation. Visions generally have more clarity than dreams, but traditionally fewer psychological connotations. Visions are known to emerge from spiritual traditions and could provide a lens into human nature and reality. Prophecy is often associated with visions. Categories Evelyn Underhill distinguishes and categorizes three types of visions: # Intellectual Visions – The Catholic dictionary defines these as supernatural knowledge in which the mind receives an extraordinary grasp of some revealed truth without the aid of sensible impressions, and mystics describe them as intuitions that leave a deep impression. # Imaginary – In Teresa of Ávila, Teresa of Avila's ''The Interior Castle'', an imaginary vision is defined as one where nothing is seen or heard by the senses of seeing or hearing, but where the same impression is received that would ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adi Parashakti
Mahadevi (, , IPA: / mɐɦɑd̪eʋiː/), also referred to as Adi Parashakti, and Mahamaya, is the supreme goddess in Hinduism. According to the goddess-centric sect Shaktism, all Hindu gods and goddesses are considered to be manifestations of this great goddess, who is considered as the '' Para Brahman'' or the ultimate reality. Shaktas often worship her as Durga, also believing her to have many other forms. Mahadevi is mentioned as the ''Mulaprakriti'' (Primordial Goddess) in Shakta texts, having five primary forms—Parvati, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Gayatri and Radha—collectively referred to as ''Panchaprakriti''. Besides these, Goddess Tripura Sundari, a form of Devi, is often identified with the supreme goddess Mahadevi in Shaktism. Author Helen T. Boursier says: "In Hindu philosophy, both Lakshmi (primary goddess in Vaishnavism) and Parvati (primary goddess of Shaivism) are identified as manifestations of this great goddess—Mahadevi—and the Shakti or divine power". Ep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Varanasi
Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of Islamic artisanship that underpins its religious tourism.* * * * * Located in the middle-Ganges valley in the southeastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi lies on the left bank of the river. It is to the southeast of India's capital New Delhi and to the southeast of the state capital, Lucknow. It lies downstream of Prayagraj, where the confluence with the Yamuna river is another major Hindu pilgrimage site. Varanasi is one of the world's oldest continually inhabited cities. Kashi, its ancient name, was associated with a kingdom of the same name of 2,500 years ago. The Lion capital of Ashoka at nearby Sarnath has been interpreted to be a commemoration of the Buddha's first sermon there in the fifth century BCE. In the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system. Background Pilgrimages frequently involve a journey or search of morality, moral or spirituality, spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith, although sometimes it can be a metaphorical journey into someone's own beliefs. Many religions attach spiritual importance to particular places: the place of birth or death of founders or saints, or to the place of their "calling" or spiritual awakening, or of their connection (visual or verbal) with the divine, to locations where ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahishya
Mahishya (IAST: Māhiṣya) is a Bengali Hindu traditionally agrarian caste, and formed the largest caste in undivided Bengal. Mahisyas were, and still are, an extremely diverse caste consisting of all possible classes in terms of material conditions and ranks. Origin, epigraphy and texts The Kalaikuri-Sultanpur copperplate inscription of 440 CE brings to light the presence of Kaivartaśarman, a Brahmin Kuṭumbin (peasant landholder), in the local assembly (adhikaraṇa) in Varendra of Gupta period. Smritis, Puranas and medieval texts According to 13th century text Brihaddharma Purana, children of Shudra fathers and Kshatriya mothers are dāsa, an ''Uttam Sankar'' (literally, good mixed) and their occupation is agriculture. According to the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, whose chapter describing mixed castes was likely inserted after 16th century, Kaivarta was one born of a Kshatriya father and a Vaishya mother. Some ancient or mediaeval texts like Yājñavalkya Smṛti and Gauta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bawali Raj
The Bawali Mondal family, also known as the Bawali Raj family, was a prominent zamindar (landlord) family of Bengal, with a lineage that dates back to the Mughal era, they were Mahishyas by caste. Their seat of power was located in Bawali, a village in South 24 Parganas near Kolkata, and in the early half of the 19th century in Chetla area of Calcutta in present-day West Bengal, India. They played a significant role in developing the region's cultural and architectural heritage. The family was awarded as much as 3 lakh bighas of land in the South 24 Parganas and numerous villages as a token of gratitude by the Mughal Commander Raja Man Singh for the crucial aid they rendered during the Mughal conquest of Bengal. Subsequent generations built and developed the area and were largely responsible for its cultural and architectural growth. The prominent members of the family are as follows: * Basudev Roy (Earliest known ancestor, the patriarch of the family) * Raja Sovaram Roy (wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tollygunge
Tollygunge (; nicknamed 'Mini Mumbai' or 'Mini Bombay') is a locality of South Kolkata, in West Bengal, India. It is known for being the center of Indian Bengali-language cinema, with filming locations used for other regional Indian films. Geography Location It is flanked by the Eastern Railway south suburban line to the north, Lake Gardens and Golf Green in the east, the Pashchim Putiari and Purba Putiari in the south and Behala in the west. The neighbourhood is served by Mahanayak Uttam Kumar metro station and Netaji metro station of Kolkata Metro. Neighbourhoods Other prominent neighbourhoods in the area include Kudghat, Ranikuthi, Regent Park, Netaji Nagar and Bansdroni. Places of interest *Other places of Interest in Tollygunge, include- * Tollygunge Agragami * Tollygunge Club * Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) *ITC Sangeet Research Academy * Indrapuri Film Studio(now known as Star Studios) Notable residents * Ali Muhammad Shibli, anti-colonial revoluti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarada Devi
Sri Sarada Devi ( Bengali: সারদা দেবী; ; 22 December 1853 – 20 July 1920), born Kshemankari / Thakurmani / Saradamani Mukhopadhyay, was the wife and spiritual consort of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a nineteenth-century Hindu mystic. Sarada Devi is also reverentially addressed as the Holy Mother (''Sri Sri Maa'') by the followers of the Sri Ramakrishna monastic order. The Sri Sarada Math and Ramakrishna Sarada Mission situated at Dakshineshwar is based on the ideals and life of Sarada Devi. She played an important role in the growth of the Ramakrishna Movement. Sri Sarada Devi was born in Jayrambati, a village in present-day Bankura District in the state of West Bengal, India. She was married to Ramakrishna in 1859 when she was only six years old and Ramakrishna was 23 years old, but remained with her family until she was 18, when she joined Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar Kali temple. According to her biographers, both lived "lives of unbroken continence, sho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna (18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886——— —), also called Ramakrishna Paramahansa (; ; ), born Ramakrishna Chattopadhay,M's original Bengali diary page 661, Saturday, 13 February 1886''More About Ramakrishna'' by Swami Prabhananda, 1993, Advaita Ashrama, page 23 was an Indian Hindu mystic. He was a devotee of the goddess Kali, but adhered to various religious practices from the Hindu traditions of Vaishnavism, Tantric Shaktism, and Advaita Vedanta, as well as Christianity and Islam. His parable-based teachings advocated the essential unity of religions and proclaimed that world religions are "so many paths to reach one and the same goal". He is regarded by his followers as an avatar (divine incarnation). Ramakrishna was born in Kamarpukur, Bengal Presidency, India. He described going through religious experiences in childhood. At age twenty, he became a temple priest at the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple in Calcutta. While at the temple, his devotional te ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes used to refer to any guru or revered human being. The word ''avatar'' does not appear in the Vedic literature; however, it appears in developed forms in post-Vedic literature, and as a noun particularly in the Puranic literature after the 6th century CE. Despite that, the concept of an avatar is compatible with the content of the Vedic literature like the Upanishads as it is symbolic imagery of the Saguna Brahman concept in the philosophy of Hinduism. The ''Rigveda'' describes Indra as endowed with a mysterious power of assuming any form at will. The ''Bhagavad Gita'' expounds the doctrine of Avatara but with terms other than ''avatar''. Theologically, the term is most often associated with the Hindu god Vishnu, though the idea has been ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
