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Mulavar
Mulavar () or Mula-murti is a Sanskrit-Tamil term referring to the main deity, or a murti (cult image) in a Hindu temple. Location The central deity, ''mulavar'', is located near the centre of temples, than the images that surround them, and are precisely located at the points corresponding to the energies they represent on the temple plan's power diagram. During the ''Kumbabhishekam'' or the coronation event, the temple is renovated, while the mulavar image is moved to a temporary location. The practice is called ''Balalayam'', during which a temporary image is housed in the sanctum. Sanctum Garbhagriha (lit. womb chamber) is a Sanskrit word referring to the interior of the sanctum sanctorum, the innermost sanctum of a Hindu temple, where resides the murti (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. The sanctum is located at the centre of the temple, and its only opening mostly faces east. Only the ''pujari'' (priests) are allowed to enter the sanctum. The mulavar is usu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sanskrit Words And Phrases
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion, diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age#South Asia, Bronze Age. Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism. It was a lingua franca, link language in ancient and medieval South Asia, and upon transmission of Hindu and Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia, East Asia and Central Asia in the early medieval era, it became a language of religion and high culture, and of the political elites in some of these regions. As a result, Sanskrit had a lasting effect on the languages of South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, especially in their formal and learned vocabularies. Sanskrit generally connotes several Indo-Aryan languages# ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hindu Temple Architecture
Hindu temple architecture as the main form of Hindu architecture has many different styles, though the basic nature of the Hindu temple remains the same, with the essential feature an inner sanctum, the ''Garbhagriha, garbha griha'' or womb-chamber, where the primary ''Murti'' or the image of a deity is housed in a simple bare cell. For rituals and prayers, this chamber frequently has an open space that can be moved in a clockwise direction. There are frequently additional buildings and structures in the vicinity of this chamber, with the largest ones covering several acres. On the exterior, the garbhagriha is crowned by a tower-like ''shikhara'', also called the ''Vimana (architectural feature), vimana'' in the south. ''Gopuram'' gateways are elaborate in the south. The shrine building often includes an circumambulatory passage for circumambulation, parikrama, a mandapa congregation hall, and sometimes an antarala antechamber and porch between garbhagriha and mandapa. In additi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pournami (festival)
Pūrṇimā () is the word for full moon in Sanskrit. The day of Purnima is the day (''Tithi'') in each month when the full moon occurs, and marks the division in each month between the two lunar fortnights (paksha), and the Moon is aligned exactly in a straight line, called a syzygy (astronomy), syzygy, with the Sun and Earth. Full moon is considered the third of the four primary phases of the Moon; the other three phases are new moon, first quarter moon, and third quarter moon. The full moon shows 100% illumination, causes high tides, and can concur with lunar eclipses. Festivals The following festivals occur on the purnima. The Manava Purana (one of the Upapurana, Upapuranas) contains a list of the festivals that fall on the full moon. * Kartik Poornima, Kartik Purnima, significant to both Vaishnavism, Vaishnava and Shaivism, Shaiva traditions, is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Kartika (month), Kartika. It is also called Tripura (mythology), Tripura Purnima. * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amavasya
Amāvásyā () is the lunar phase of the new moon in Sanskrit. Indian calendars use 30 lunar phases, called tithi in India. The dark moon tithi is when the Moon is within 12 degrees of the angular distance between the Sun and Moon before conjunction ( syzygy). The New Moon tithi (called Pratipada or Prathama) is the 12 angular degrees after syzygy. Amāvásyā is often translated as new moon since there is no standard term for the Moon before conjunction in English. Meaning of Amāvásyā In Sanskrit, "amā" means "together" and "vásya" means "to dwell" or "cohabit". It also means "na" +"ma"+"asya" meaning to "na" = "No, "ma"=Moon, "Asya"="There" in turn meaning to There is no Moon i.e., Moon is not visible. In the ''pūrṇimānta māna'' Hindu lunar calendar used in most parts of the Indian subcontinent, the lunar month starts on the day following the full moon or '' purnima'' and therefore Amāvásyā always falls in the middle of the month. However, in the '' am ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pradosha
Pradosha or Pradosham (IAST: Pradoṣa) is a bimonthly occasion on the thirteenth day ('' Trayodashi'') of every fortnight in the Hindu calendar. Aiya V. 1906, p. 103 It is closely connected with the worship of the Hindu god Shiva. The auspicious three-hour period 1.5 hours before and after sunset is considered as the most suited and optimal time for worship of Shiva on this day. The fasting vow performed during the period is called "Pradosha vrata". A devotee should wear rudraksha, Vibhuti and worship Shiva by abhisheka, Sandalwood paste, bael leaves, fragrance, deepa and naivedya (food offerings). Etymology Pradosha is indicative of day names in the calendar. Pradosha was the son of Kalpa and Dosha. He had two brothers, namely Nishita and Vyustha. The three names mean beginning, middle and end of night. The days from every new moon day to every full moon day is called "Shukla Paksha" and the days from every full moon day to new moon day is called " Krishna Paksha". Duri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vedas
FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest Hindu texts, scriptures of Hinduism. There are four Vedas: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda. Each Veda has four subdivisions – the Samhitas (mantras and benedictions), the Brahmanas (commentaries on and explanation of rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices – Yajñas), the Aranyakas (text on rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices and symbolic-sacrifices), and the Upanishads (texts discussing meditation, philosophy and spiritual knowledge).Gavin Flood (1996), ''An Introduction to Hinduism'', Cambridge University Press, , pp. 35–39A Bhattacharya (2006), ''Hindu Dharma: Introduc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tavil
A ''thavil'' (Tamil:தவில்) or ''tavil'' is a barrel-shaped percussion instrument from Tamil Nadu. It is also widely used in other South Indian states (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana) as well as in the North and East of Sri Lanka (in the Tamil majority area called Tamil Eelam). It is used in temple, folk and Carnatic music, often accompanying the ''nadaswaram''. The ''thavil'' and the ''nadaswaram'' are essential components of traditional festivals and ceremonies in South India. In folk music contexts, a pair of wider, slimmer sticks are sometimes used. In Tamil Filmi songs, thavils are mostly used. Notable movies: " Thillaanaa Mohanambal", " Paruthiveeran", " Karagattakaran", "Sarvam Thaala Mayam". History Thavil is a traditional musical instrument of the ancient city of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. It is an integral part of the Carnatic music in Thanjavur. It is mostly made in Thanjavur and Valayapatti. Physical components The ''thavil'' consists ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nadaswaram
The ''nadaswaram'' is a double reed wind instrument from South India. It is used as a traditional classical instrument in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala and in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka. This instrument is "among the world's loudest non-brass acoustic instruments". It is a wind instrument partially similar to the North Indian '' shehnai,'' but much longer, with a hardwood body, and a large flaring bell made of wood or metal. In South Indian culture, the nadasvaram is considered to be very auspicious, and it is a key musical instrument played in almost all Hindu weddings and temples of the South Indian tradition. It is part of the family of instruments known as ''mangala vadyam'' (lit. ''mangala'' "auspicious", ''vadya'' "instrument"). The instrument is usually played in pairs, and accompanied by a pair of drums called '' thavil''; it can also be accompanied with a drone from a similar oboe, called the ottu. History The nada ... [...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] |
Shakti Peethas
The Shakta pithas, also called Shakti pithas or Sati pithas (, , ''seats of Shakti''), are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the mother goddess denomination in Hinduism. The shrines are dedicated to various forms of Adi Shakti. Various Puranas such as Srimad Devi Bhagavatam state the existence of a varying number of 51, 52, 64 and 108 Shakta pithas of which 18 are named as Astadasha ''Maha'' (major) in medieval Hindu texts. Legends abound about how the Shakta pithas came into existence. The most popular is based on the story of the death of Sati (goddess), Sati, a deity according to Hinduism. Shiva carried Sati's body, reminiscing about their moments as a couple, and roamed around the universe with it. Vishnu cut her body into 51 body parts, using his Sudarshana Chakra, which fell on earth to become sacred sites where all the people can pay homage to the goddess. To complete this task, Shiva took the form of Bhairava. Most of these historic places ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pancha Bhoota Stalam
The Pancha Bhuta Sthalam (, , ) refers to five temples dedicated to Shiva,Ramaswamy 2007, pp. 301-302 each representing a manifestation of the five prime elements of nature: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. ''Pancha'' indicates "five," ''Bhuta'' means "elements," and ''Sthala'' means "place." The temples are located in South India, four in Tamil Nadu and one in Andhra Pradesh. The five elements are believed to be enshrined in the five '' lingams'' of the temples, with each lingam named on the element represented. All five temples are located around the 78°E and 79°E longitudes and between 10°N and 14°N latitudes. The presiding deities are revered in the 7th century Tamil Shaiva canonical work, the ''Tevaram'', written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanars and classified as '' Paadal Petra Sthalam''. The four temples in Tamil Nadu are maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Pancha Bhuta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
