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Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Junagadh
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Junagadh (Devnagari: श्री स्वामिनारायण मन्दिर, जूनागढ), also called Shri Radha Ramana Temple, Junagadh is a Hindu temple in Junagadh, Gujarat, India. This temple was ordered to be built by Swaminarayan bhagwan himself, the founder of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. History of this temple The city of Junagadh is nestled in the lap of Mt. Girnar. The temple is located in the centre of the town. The land for the temple was donated by King Hemantsinh (Jinabhai, Darbar of Panchala), and memories of him have been maintained here. The foundation stone was laid by Gunatitanand Swami in the presence of Gopalanand Swami and other senior paramhansas on May 10, 1826, A.D. Construction was supervised by Brahmanand Swami. The prana pratishta, or the installation of the deities, lasted for two full days with the festivities of the auspicious events. On May 1, 1828, A.D., Swaminarayan himself installed Shri Ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since 2023; and, since its independence in 1947, the world's most populous democracy. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is near Sri Lanka and the Maldives; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand, Myanmar, and Indonesia. Modern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa no later than 55,000 years ago., "Y-Chromosome and Mt-DNA data support the colonization of South Asia by modern humans originating in Africa. ... Coalescence dates for most non-European populations averag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gunatitanand Swami
Gunatitanand Swami (28 September 1784 – 11 October 1867), born Mulji Jani, was a paramhansa of the Hindu Swaminarayan Sampradaya who was ordained by Swaminarayan and is accepted as the first spiritual successor of Swaminarayan by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). Born into a religious family in the small farming community of Bhadra in Gujarat, India, he first received religious education under his father's guru, Ramanand Swami, before encountering Swaminarayan and becoming a swami under him at the age of 25. For the BAPS, he embodies an essential element of the doctrine of Akshar and Purushottam. They believe, based on interpretation, from the Vachanamrut that "Akshar is an eternally-existing spiritual reality having two forms, the impersonal and the personal". Furthermore, BAPS claims that Gunatitanand Swami was believed to be the first personal manifestation of Akshar in the Guru Parampara: an unbroken line of "perfect devotees" who provi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahant
Mahant () is a religious superior, in particular the chief of a temple or the head of a monastery in Indian religions. James Mallinson, one of the few westerners to be named as a mahant, describes the position of a mahant as a combination of an abbot and a brigadier. Etymology The Hindi word comes from Prakrit , Sanskrit (accusative case: ) meaning "great". Hinduism Other titles for the word ''Mahant'', serving in the context of a well known religious place, include priest or pundit—generally always being a gyani or pastor. Brahmins with Mahant surname are also found in Himachal Pradesh region. They speak local dialects of Pahari and Hindi and read and write in Devanagari. They are vegetarians. The Mahant are monogamous and marriage is by discussion. They make their living from the temples. In other branches of Hinduism, the mahant is an ascetic who is the head and leader of the temple and has religious responsibilities as a preacher. Mahant is a title of Bairagis an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of present-day Assam and Bangladesh in the east, and the uplands of the Deccan Plateau in South India.. Quote: "The realm so defined and governed was a vast territory of some , ranging from the frontier with Central Asia in northern Afghanistan to the northern uplands of the Deccan plateau, and from the Indus basin on the west to the Assamese highlands in the east." The Mughal Empire is conventionally said to have been founded in 1526 by Babur, a Tribal chief, chieftain from what is today Uzbekistan, who employed aid from the neighboring Safavid Iran, Safavid and Ottoman Empires Quote: "Babur then adroitly gave the Ottomans his promise not to attack them in return for their military aid, which he received in the form of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nandi (bull)
Nandi (), also known as Nandikeshvara or Nandideva, is the bull ''vahana'' (mount) of the Hindu god Shiva. He is also the guardian deity of Kailash, the abode of Shiva. Almost all Shiva temples display stone images of a seated Nandi, generally facing the main shrine. Etymology The Sanskrit word ''nandi'' () means happy, joy, and satisfaction, the properties of divine guardian of Shiva-Nandi. The application of the name Nandi to the bull (Sanskrit: ''Vṛṣabha'') is a development of recent syncretism of different regional beliefs within Shaivism. The name Nandi was widely used instead for an anthropomorphic door-keeper of Kailash, rather than his mount in the oldest Shaivite texts in Sanskrit, Tamil, and other Indian languages. Siddhanta texts distinguish between Nandi and ''Vṛṣabha''. Legend Nandi is described as the son of the sage Shilada. Shilada underwent severe penance to have a boon– a child with immortality and blessings of Shiva, and received Nandi a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ganesha
Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions are found throughout India. Hindu denominations worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends Ganesha in world religions, to Jains and Buddhists and beyond India. Although Ganesha has many attributes, he is readily identified by his Asiatic Elephant, elephant head and four arms. He is widely revered, more specifically, as the remover of obstacles and bringer of good luck; the patron of The arts, arts and Science, sciences; and the Deva (Hinduism), deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rites and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked during writing sessions as a patron of letters and learning., Vigna means obstacles Nasha means destroy. These ideas ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parvati
Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. Along with Lakshmi and Saraswati, Sarasvati, she forms the trinity, known as the Tridevi. From her first appearance as a goddess during the Itihasa-Purana, epic period (400 BCE – 400 CE), Parvati is primarily depicted as the consort of the god Shiva. According to various Puranas, Parvati is the reincarnation of Sati (Hindu goddess), Sati, Shiva's first wife, who relinquished her body to sever familial ties with her father, Daksha, after he had insulted Shiva. Parvati is often equated with the other goddesses such as Sati, Uma, Kali and Durga and due to this close connection, they are often treated as one and the same, with their stories frequently ove ... [...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] |
Garbhagriha
A ''garbhagriha'' () is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu and Jain temples, often referred to as the "holy of holies" or " sanctum sanctorum". The term ''garbhagriha'' (literally, "womb chamber") comes from the Sanskrit words ''garbha'' for womb and ''griha'' for house. Although the term is often associated with Hindu temples, it is also found in Jain and Buddhist temples. The garbhagriha is the location of the ''murti'' (sacred image) of the temple's primary deity. This might be a murti of Shiva, as the lingam, his consort the Goddess in her consecrated image or yoni symbol, Vishnu or his spouse, or some other god in symbol or image. In the Rajarani temple in Bhubaneswar, near Puri, there is no symbol in that lightless garbhagriha. Architecture A garbhagriha started with a circular architecture like at Gudimellam temple (3rd century BCE). Later it evolved as a square (though there are exceptions), sits on a plinth, and is also at least approximately a cube. Compared ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prana Pratishta
''Prana pratishtha'' () is the rite or ceremony by which a ''murti'' (devotional image of a deity) is consecrated in a Hindu temple. The Sanskrit terms ''prana'' means "life" and ''pratishtha'' means "to be established." Following detailed steps outlined in the Vedic scriptures, verses (mantras) are recited to invite the deity to reside in the ''murti'' (image).Heather Elgood (2000), Hinduism and the Religious Arts, Bloomsbury Academic, , pages 14–15, 32–36 Practised in the temples of Hinduism and Jainism, the ritual is considered to infuse life into the Hindu temple, and bring to it the numinous presence of divinity and spirituality.V Bharne and K Krusche (2012), Rediscovering the Hindu Temple, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, , page 53 Etymology The word ''prāna pratishthā'' is a compound Sanskrit term combining ''prāna'' and ''pratishthā.'' ''Prana'', which comes from the root "''pra''", meaning "to breathe". This term refers to life or vital energy, the essence for l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brahmanand Swami
Brahmanand Swami (12 February 1772 – 1832) was revered as a saint of the Swaminarayan Sampraday and as one of Swaminarayan Bhagwan's Paramahamsa. He was also known as one of Swaminarayan's Ashta Kavi's (eight poets) within the Swaminarayan Sampraday In the scriptures of the Swaminarayan Sampraday it was noted that Brahmanand Swami as stated by Swaminarayan Bhagwan that as the name suggests and implies "Brahmanand" is an Avatar of Brahma. Biography Even as a young boy, he showed his talent in the royal court by composing and reciting poems. The Rana of Sirohi, impressed with him, directed that he be taught Dingal (the science of constructing poetry) at the cost of the state. Hence, Ladudanji was well educated and later became a part of King of Udaipur's court. Ladu Dan learnt Dingal and Sanskrit scriptures from Ladhaji Rajput of Dhamadka, becoming a scholar in Dingal, poetry and scriptures. Ladudanji earned fame and wealth by his knowledge and talent of poetry. He was hon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paramhansa
Paramahamsa (Sanskrit: परमहंस), also spelled paramahansa or paramhansa, is a Sanskrit religio-theological title of honour applied to Hindu spiritual teachers who have become enlightened. The title literally means "supreme swan". The swan is equally at home on land and on water; similarly, the true sage is equally at home in the realms of matter and of spirit. To be in divine ecstasy and simultaneously to be actively wakeful is the ''paramahamsa'' state; the 'royal swan' of the soul floats in the cosmic ocean, beholding both its body and the ocean as manifestations of the same Spirit. The word 'Paramahamsa' signifies one who is ''Awakened'' in all realms. Paramahamsa is the highest level of spiritual development in which a union with ultimate reality has been attained by a sannyasi. Etymology ''Paramahamsa'' is a Sanskrit word translated as 'supreme swan'. The word is compounded of Sanskrit परम ''parama'' meaning 'supreme', 'highest', or 'transcendent' (from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
