Articles related to "Shiva"



Kankhal
According to mythology, Sati the incarnation of Shakti and Shiva's wife immolated her self at Kankhal because her father Daksha insulted Shiva by not inviting him to an imprtant ceremony. At Kankhal one can see the temple built at the site where the ceremony was held.
kankhal haridwar kumbh daksha brahma

Tulasi - II
Tulasi and Sankhachuda got married. Soon Sankhachuda became the undisputed king of te Demons. He defeated the demi-Gods and secure in the chastity of his wife he took on the might of Shiva.
tulasi sankhachuda gandharva brahma shiva

Mahashivratri
Mahashivratri is a festival dedicated to Lord Shiva. There are several interesting legends that describe the origin of this festival. The most interesting is a fight between Vishnu and Brahma.
mahashivratri shiva shivratri phalgun parvati

Meenakshi Temple
The Meenakshi temple in Madurai is dedicated to Meenakshi and Sundereshwara who are incarnations of Parvati and Shiva. The legend begins with the birth of Meenakshi as a three-breasted girl to the Pandyan king Malaydhwaj. The Meenakshi temple is renowned for its statues of Shiva in various dance postures..
malaydhwaj pandya madurai kanchanmala parvati

Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga
Parvati was preparing sindur to ornament her hair. From the vermilion paste emerged a Jyotirlinga.
grishneshwar dwadasa jyotirlingas verul daulatabad aurangabad

The Vamana Purana
Vishnu narrates the Vamana Purana to Bali after vanquishing him. He tells the story of Bali's ancestor Andhak, who was consumed by power but later repented.
vamana purana incarnation vishnu bali

Dakshayini of the Fire
Here is another legend of India that serves to highlight the marital traditions and attitudes prevalent in the country.
dakshayini shakti shiva fire nepal

Glossary M to P
Writing on Hinduism necessitates the use of non-English words that occur often need to be explained. This glossary explains words beginning with M to P.
madhu meru pushkar mahabharata pandavas

Shiva - Nataraja .
Hinduism's richest and most elegant symbol
shiva nataraja dance

Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga
The Asura Tripura was terrorizing the earth. Shiva appeared as Bhimashankar and killed the demon. The Jyotirlinga stands at the site of their battle.
bhimashankar dwadasa jyotirlingas sahyadri maharashtra

Glossary Q to S
Writing on Hinduism necessitates the use of non-English words that occur often need to be explained. This glossary explains words beginning with Q to S.
radha riga veda vedas sama veda samhitas

The Dwadasa Jyotirlingas
Twelve temples dedicated to Shiva, the Jyotirlingas, are specially revered because it is believed that the spiritually enlightened can see the lingas as columns of fire.
dwadasa jyotirlingas shiva shiva purana shatarudra samhita

The Descent of Ganga - III
Three kings of the Solar dynasty tried to get Ganga to come to earth, but to no avail. It was then Bhagirath's turn. After many problems he finally succeeded in attaining salvation for his ancestors.
ganga valmiki ramayana visvamitra rama

GANESH - The Elephant God
Ganesha - The Elephant God is the most worshipped god in Hinduism. He is a pet,friend,refuge in almost every household.
ganesh shiva parvati elephant

JOHINI - In the Service of the Lord.
Dedicated at a tender age to serve Lord Shiva, these young girls grow up in a world of deprivation and know only men with perverted minds and scared women. Learn more about the Johinis of India who sacrifice childhood dreams to enter an exploited adulthood
johini ap andhra pradesh shiva siva

Kali
Kali is an incarnation of Parvati.She took this form to kill the demon Raktabija. The Kalighat temple in Calcutta is the most popular shrine dedicated to Kali. In the past the worship of Kali has been associated with the cult of thuggees.
kali parvati shiva raktabija brahma

Mahasati Anasuya
Mhasati Anasuya was renowned for her fidelity and devotion to her husband. The consorts of the Supreme Gods were jealous of her reputation and sent their husbands to defame Anasuya. But Anasuya came through with flying colours.
atri brahma anasuya kardam devahuti

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga
A devotee of Shiva named Supriya was tormented by an asura Daruka. When the demon was about to kill Supriya, Shiva emerged from the Jyotirlinga and killed Daruka.
nageshwar dwadasa jyotirlingas dwarka gujarat krishna

Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga
The Vindhya Mountains sought a boon from Shiva so that it might challenge Mount Meru. Shiva appeared as Omkareshwar to bless Vindhya.
omkareshwar dwadasa jyotirlingas narmada vindhya satpura

Ram Gopal Varma: On His Own
Ram Gopal Varma is one of the leading directors in the Indian film industry. His landmark films such as Satya, Shiva, and Company have set standards for other filmmakers.
ram gopal varma bollywood indian cinema shiva telegu

The Humbling of Indra
Indra in his arrogance wants to build the greatest city ever. He is humbled when he learns that he is just one in a long line of Indras.
indra vritta viswakarma brahma vishnu

Tulasi - III
The boons given to Sankhachuda are protecting him. Vishnu appears as a mendicant and asks for the amulet. Having neutralised one boon he appraches Tulasi.
shiva sankhachuda brahma vishnu tulasi

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga
Shiva appears to defeat the enemies of the pious king Vrishabhsen and then agrees to permanently reside in the ancient city of Avantika (now Ujjain).
mahakaleshwar dwadasa jyotirlingas shiva lord of time and death ujjain

Shri Sailam Jyotirlinga
Chandravati discovers a Jyotirlinga at Shri Sailam and erects a temple to Shiva. Over the centuries rulers expand the temple town to make it a living monument.
shri sailam dwadasa jyotirlingas india mallikarjuna mallika

Somnath Jyotirlinga
Soma appeases Shiva in order to have a curse put on him removed and then builds a temple to his benefactor in gratitude.
somnath dwadasa jyotirlingas india antarctica sanskrit

Holi
Holi - is a major festival in the northern part of India. It is a festival filled with fun and frolic
holi holika kamadahana rangapanchami

Glossary C to H
Writing on Hinduism necessitates the use of non-English words that occur often need to be explained. This glossary explains words beginning with C to H.
demi-gods demons dravidians devas ganga

The Hindu Pantheon
In Hindu mythology Gods are classified according to their importance and divine powers. At the top of the heirarchy are the trinity of Supreme Gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Then come the demi-Gods who represent the forces of nature. The demi-Gods are always battling with their half-brothers, the Demons over control of Heaven.
gods demi-gods demons brahma vishnu

The Puranas
The main scriptures in Hinduism are the Vedas and Puranas. The Vedas contain the phlosophy, whereas the Puranas contain the mythology. In paricular the Puranas have a wealth of information on creation, cosmology, time cycles, incarnations of Gods and the genealogy of legendary kings. The Puranas complement the Vedas by describing the concepts in a simple manner with the help of tales and parables. The two epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, are also popular sources of mythological information.
bhagavad gita mahabharata vedas upanishads vid

Kedarnath Jyotirlinga
Set in the scenic Himalayas, Kedarnath is the northernmost of the Dwadasa Jyotirlingas. It was established by the Pandavas after the Mahabharata War.
kedarnath dwadasa jyotirlingas garhwal himalayas mandakini

Navaratri
This is a major festival in India , occuring after the new moon day in the month of october. This is a festival in the worship of Devi or Shakthi which means energy.
navaratri vijayadashami dassara

Exploring the Yungang Caves
Carved out of sandstone, the 53 man-made Yungang Caves house 51,000 stone sculptures.
yungang caves buddha ganesha nirvana vasuki

The Descendants of Prithu
The descendants of Prithu were all very pious kings. They performed many sacrifices. Righteousness flourished during their reign.
vijitashwa prithu haryaksha dhumrakesh vrika

Rameshwaram
Rameshwaram is one of the four holiest places of pilgrimage and is the scene of some crucial events in the Ramayana. It was from here that Rama launched his attack against the evil Ravana who had abducted his wife, Sita. This article looks at some of the interesting folklore associated with Rameshwaram.
rameshwaram rama ayodhya ramayana ravana

Glossary A to B
Writing on Hinduism necessitates the use of non-English words that often need to be explained. This glossary explains words beginning with A to B.
adhisima krishnaagni aranyakas angiras arjun aryans

Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga
Rameshwaram is the southern most Jyotirlinga established from where Rama's bridge to Lanka commences. It has two lingams.
rameshwaram dwadasa jyotirlingas tamil nadu rama’s bridge lanka

TULASI
All plants and trees hold a special significance in the Hindu pantheon. Especially, plants like the holy basil and the wood apple. Tulasi is associated with the divine protector, Lord Vishnu and the wood apple with the fearsome God, Lord Shiva.
basil holy basil tulsi tulasi brindavan

Agni Nakshatram
Perhaps the only Hindu festival to be celebrated in May is Agni Nakshatram. This is dedicated to Lord Murugan and is celebrated with pomp at the sacred town of Palani.
agni nakshatram lord murugan shiva parvati subramaniam

Apsaras - II
Ghritachi was responsible for the birth of several personalities, many of them in unusual ways. She along with other apsaras entertained special guests on spesial occasions. Tilottama was created as the most beautiful female in order to bring about the end of the Demon brothers Sunda and Upasunda, who were endowed with a peculiar boon.
ghritachi drona pandava kaurava mahabharata

Barbareek's Education
Barbareek wanted to become unconquerable. He became a student of Vijay Sindusen and achieved his ambitions. But his teacher put an unusual condition. Barbareek could fight only with a weaker side against a stronger side in battle.
hidimba barbareek dwarka krishna vijay sindhsen

Crafting with Oil Paint Sticks
Oil paint sticks are the perfect art supplies for adding color in new ways. From papercraft to mixed media to stenciling, this versatile medium creates dazzling effect.
oil paint sticks crafts color mixed media papercraft

FAQs: many gods and idol worship
God manifests Himself in many forms and the images of these many forms are worshipped, with the belief that these different forms are essentially the same.
hindus hinduism anthropomorphic trinity brahma

Hindu Temple Architecture
From ancient time the construction of Hindu temples has followed a set pattern. What differs is the complexity and the detailing.
hindu temple garbhagriha sanctum sanctorum deity

Jarasandh
Jarasandh was born from two mothers. Each queen gave birth to half a child and the two pieces were put together by a demoness. Jarasandh became a powerful and cruel king and ultimately it was Krishna who exploited the weakness of his birth and had him killed.
jarasandh magadha brihadratha kasi chandakaushika

Sacred Mountains - Mount Meru
Climb the mystical, mythical, Mount Meru, centre of the universe and sacred to the Hindus and Buddhists...
mountains meru hindu hindus buddhist

The Atharva Veda
The Atharva Veda is an amalgamation of the primitive religion that predated Vedic thought and the philosophy of the earlier Riga, Yajur and Sama Vedas.
atharva veda riga yajur sama

The Descent of Ganga - II
Sagara’s sons turned out to be a wicked lot. Drinking, looting and raping were second nature to them. However once they took on a powerful sage and met a fiery end. Sagara was then forced to put the responsibility of salvaging their souls on his grandson.
sagara keshini vidarbh sumati ourva

The Prachetas
Seeking spiritual guidance at every step, the Prachetas marry Marisha, sire Daksha and finally attain salvation.
prithu prachetas shiva vishnu garuda

The Supreme Being in Hinduism
The perception of the Supreme Being in Hinduism has changed according to the nature of the enquiry and the needs of the society.
supreme being hinduism vedas upanishads epic

The Yajur and Sama Vedas
The Riga Veda is sublime and spiritual, whereas the Yajur and Sama Vedas and the Brahmanas of all four Vedas are ritualistic and mundane.
yajur sama riga vedas brahmanas


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