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Girivalam (religious Practice)
''Girivalam'' is a Hindu religious practice held in Tiruvannamalai, India, that involves devotees embarking on a sacred pilgrimage around the foothills of Arunachala, also known as Arunachala Hill, mainly on full moon nights and also on all weekdays i. e 365 days. Background The town of Tiruvannamalai holds spiritual importance, due to the presence of the ancient Arunachalesvara Temple, Arunachaleswarar Temple, dedicated to the god Shiva. Situated at the base of Arunachala Hill, the temple serves as a starting point for the circumambulation. The practice of Girivalam involves walking a distance of approximately around the hill, following the designated Girivalam Path. The circumambulation of Arunachala is known as ''Giri Pradakshina'' in Sanskrit and ''Girivalam'' or ''Malai Suttru'' in Tamil. Performing Parikrama, ''pradakshina'' of Arunachala is considered to be beneficial in all ways. Typically, ''pradakshina'' is done in bare feet, with the Hill on the right. Ramana Mah ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tiruvannamalai
Tiruvannamalai (Tamil: ''Tiruvaṇṇāmalai'' IPA: , otherwise spelt ''Thiruvannamalai''; ''Trinomali'' or ''Trinomalee'' on British records) is a city and the administrative headquarters of Tiruvannamalai District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is also a Hindu cultural hub and prominent pilgrimage destination, home to the renowned Annamalaiyar temple, Annamalai hill, Girivalam and the Karthigai Deepam festival. Tiruvannamalai has a thriving service sector industry, including retail, resorts and recreation activities. Apart from the service sector, the city is also the hub for many industrial setups including '' SIDCO'', spinning mills and premier educational institutions. The city is administered by the Tiruvanamalai City Municipal Corporation, originally constituted in the year 1886 as Tiruvannamalai Municipality. The city swconnected to the Cstate capital hennai (150 km) and Bthe nearby engaluru (145 km). via highways and railways The Union Ministry of Ci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agni
Agni ( ) is the Deva (Hinduism), Hindu god of fire. As the Guardians of the directions#Aṣṭa-Dikpāla ("Guardians of Eight Directions"), guardian deity of the southeast direction, he is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu temples. In the Hindu cosmology, classical cosmology of Hinduism, fire (''Agni'') is one of the five inert impermanent elements (''Pancha Bhuta, Pañcabhūtá'') along with sky (''Ākāśa''), water (''Apas''), air (''Vāyu'') and earth (''Pṛthvī''), the five combining to form the empirically perceived material existence (''Prakṛti''). In the Vedas, Agni is a major and most invoked god along with Indra and Soma (deity), Soma. Agni is considered the mouth of the gods and goddesses and the medium that conveys offerings to them in a ''homa (ritual), homa'' (votive ritual). He is conceptualized in ancient Hindu texts to exist at three levels, on earth as fire, in the atmosphere as lightning, and in the sky as the sun. This triple presence accords ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pisces (astrology)
Pisces (; ; ''Ikhthyes'', Latin for "fishes") is the twelfth and final astrological sign in the zodiac. It is a mutable sign. It spans 330° to 360° of celestial longitude. Under the tropical zodiac, the Sun (astrology), sun transits this area between about February 19 and March 20. In classical interpretations, the symbol of the fish is derived from the ichthyocentaurs, who aided Aphrodite when she was born from the sea. According to some tropical astrologers, the current astrological age is the Age of Pisces,Nicholas Campion, (1988) ''The Book of World Horoscopes'' Aquarian Press, Wellingborough while others maintain that currently it is the Age of Aquarius. Background While the astrological sign Pisces per definition runs from ecliptic longitude 330° to 0°, this position is now mostly covered by the constellation of Aquarius due to the precession from when the constellation and the sign coincided. Today, the First Point of Aries, or the March equinox, vernal equinox, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sagittarius (astrology)
Sagittarius (; , Latin for "archer") is the ninth astrological sign, which is associated with the constellation Sagittarius (constellation), Sagittarius and spans 240–270th degrees of the zodiac. Under the tropical zodiac, the sun transits this sign between approximately November 22 and December 21. Greek mythology associates Sagittarius with the centaur Chiron, who mentored Achilles, a Ancient Greece Mythology, Greek hero of the Trojan War, in archery. Sagittarius, the half human and half horse, is the centaur of mythology, the learned healer whose higher intelligence forms a bridge between Earth and Heaven. Also known as the Archer, Sagittarius is represented by the symbol of a bow and arrow. Astrology Along with Aries and Leo, Sagittarius is a part of the Fire Trigon as well as the last of the reproductive trinity. It also follows Gemini and Virgo as third of the mutable signs, which are the signs that feature changeable quality. When Sagittarius is depicted as an archer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kubera
Kubera (, ) also known as Kuvera, Kuber and Kuberan, is the god of wealth, and the god-king of the semi-divine yakshas in Hinduism. He is regarded as Guardians of the directions, the regent of the north (''Dikpala''), and a protector of the world (''Lokapala''). His many epithets extol him as the overlord of numerous semi-divine species, and the owner of the treasures of the world. Kubera is often depicted with a plump body, adorned with jewels, and carrying a money-pot and a club. Originally described as the chief of evil spirits in Veda, Vedic-era texts, Kubera acquired the status of a ''Deva (Hinduism), deva'' (god) only in the Puranas, ''Purana''s and the Hindu epics. The scriptures describe that Kubera once ruled Lanka, but was overthrown by his half-brother Ravana, later settling in the city of Alaka in the Himalayas. Descriptions of the "glory" and "splendour" of Kubera's city are found in many scriptures. Kubera has also been assimilated into the Buddhist and Jain pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cancer (astrology)
Cancer (; , Latin for the " Crab") is the fourth astrological sign in the zodiac, originating from the constellation of Cancer. It spans from 90° to 120° celestial longitude. Under the tropical zodiac, the Sun transits this area between approximately June 22 and July 22. In astrology, Cancer is the cardinal sign of the Water trigon, which is made up of Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio. It is one of the six negative signs, and its ruling planet is the Moon. Though some depictions of Cancer feature a lobster or crayfish, the sign is most often represented by the crab, based on the Karkinos. Cancer's opposite sign is Capricorn. Background Cancer is the fourth sign of the zodiac, which the sun enters at the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere Those who are born from approximately June 22 to July 22 (depending upon the year) are born under Cancer. Individuals born during these dates, depending on which system of astrology they subscribe to, may be called "Ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vayu
Vayu (; ), also known as Vata () and Pavana (), is the Hindu deities, Hindu god of the winds as well as the divine messenger of the gods. In the ''Vedic scriptures'', Vayu is an important deity and is closely associated with Indra, the king of gods. He is mentioned to be born from the breath of Supreme Being Vishvarupa, Vishvapurusha and also the first one to drink Soma (drink), Soma. The ''Upanishads'' praise him as ''Prana'' or 'life breath of the world'. In the later Hindu scriptures, he is described as a dikpala (one of the guardians of the direction), who looks over the north-west direction. The Hindu epics describe him as the father of the god Hanuman and Bhima. The followers of the 13th-century saint Madhva believe their guru as an avatar, incarnation of Vāyu. They worship the wind deity as Mukhyaprana () and consider him as the son of the god Vishnu. Connotations The word for air (classical element), air (''vāyu'') or wind (''pavana'') is one of the Classical eleme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aquarius (astrology)
Aquarius (; , Latin for "water-bearer") is the eleventh astrological sign in the zodiac, originating from the constellation Aquarius. Under the tropical zodiac, the Sun is in the Aquarius sign between about January 20 and February 18. Aquarius is one of the three air signs, alongside Gemini and Libra. The ruling planets of Aquarius are Saturn (in traditional astrology alongside Capricorn), and Uranus (in modern astrology). It is a fixed air sign. The opposite sign of Aquarius is Leo. Myth The water carrier represented by the constellation Aquarius was originally Enki (or Ea) to the ancient Sumerians and Babylonia. In Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ..., this figure was interpreted as Ganymede, a beautiful Phrygian youth. Ganymede ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Capricorn (astrology)
Capricorn (; , Latin for "horned goat") is the tenth astrological sign in the zodiac out of twelve total zodiac signs, originating from the constellation of Capricornus, the goat. It spans the 270–300th degree of the zodiac, corresponding to celestial longitude. Under the tropical zodiac, the sun transits this area from around December 22 to January 19. Capricorn is one of the three earth signs, alongside Virgo and Taurus, a negative sign, and one of the four cardinal signs. Capricorn is ruled by the planet Saturn and its opposite sign is Cancer. Cultural significance In India, the zodiac sign of Capricorn is celebrated as the Makara Sankranti festival, also known in Nepal as Maghe Sankranti. The Indian astronomical calendar is not based on the western Gregorian or Julian date keeping system. The Gregorian calendar has fixed days in a year and does not accommodate difference in the actual solar year. Therefore, the festival is celebrated on either of January 13, 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Varuna
Varuna (; , ) is a Hindu god. He is one of the earliest deities in pantheon, whose role underwent a significant transformation from the Vedic to the Puranic periods. In the early Vedic era, Varuna is seen as the god-sovereign, ruling the sky and embodying divine authority. He is also mentioned as the king of asuras, who gained the status of a deva, serving as the chief of the Adityas, a group of celestial deities. He maintains truth and ''ṛta'', the cosmic and moral order, and was invoked as an omniscient ethical judge, with the stars symbolizing his watchful eyes or spies. Frequently paired with Mitra, Varuna represents the magical and speculative aspects of sovereignty, overseeing the relationship between gods and humans. The transition from the Vedic to later periods saw Varuna's domain begin to shift from the firmament to waters. He became associated with celestial waters, marking the initial phase of his transformation. By the time of the '' Itihasa-Purana'', Varuna ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aries (astrology)
Aries (; , ) is the first astrological sign in the zodiac, spanning the first 30 degrees of celestial longitude (0°≤ <30°), and originates from the Aries constellation. Under the tropical zodiac, the Sun transits this sign from approximately March 21 to April 19 each year. This time-duration is exactly the first month of the (Arabic Hamal/Persian Farvardin/Pashto Wray). According to the tropical system of astrology< ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nirṛti
Nirṛti () sometimes spelled Nirruti or Nirriti, is a Hindu deity, personifying death, decay, and sorrow. In early Hindu scriptures, Nirṛti is a goddess who lives in the kingdom of the dead. In later Hinduism, Nirṛti and Nirṛta is also a male god, who is regarded as a dikapala ("guardian of the directions") of the southwest. Etymology The Sanskrit word ''Nirṛti'' means 'decay' and is derived from ''nirṛ'' (lit. 'to separate'). It can be interpreted as meaning "devoid of '' ṛta/i''", a state of disorder or chaos.Witzel, Michael. “Macrocosm, Mesocosm, and Microcosm: The Persistent Nature of 'Hindu' Beliefs and Symbolic Forms.” International Journal of Hindu Studies, vol. 1, no. 3, 1997, pp. 501–539. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20106493. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020. The name ' has the meaning of "absence of ṛta", meaning 'disorder', or 'lawlessness', specifically the guardian to the absence of divine or cosmic disorder. This term was used in Vedic texts to indicat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
