Found 51 Articles for Culture

According to Hindu Mythology, Ravana was born to sage Vishravan and Kaikesi, the asura mother of demon family. He was the king of all the demons called Raakshasas or Asuras. All the demons were the devotees of Lord Shiva who is their family deity. Similarly, Ravana was also a true and intense devotee of Lord Shiva. He used to worship him a lot and had seen, conversed and received great boons from him many times.Greatest AchieverRavana was a great musician and an excellent veena player. He is a great scholar in all the six Shashtras (Shadshashtras) and four Vedas (Chaturvedi). ... Read More

Buddhism is one of the popular religions in the world today. Siddhartha Gautama, the royal prince of Kapilavastu, of India, was the founder of Buddhism. Siddhartha left all the comforts to seek the answers for the cause of human sufferings. He wandered the country, and meditated for six years and became the enlightened one, called as Buddha.He lived during 500 BCE. The place where he was enlightened is called Bodh Gaya, situated in Bihar. Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon at Sarnath near Varanasi. The Indian Originated Buddhism has spread throughout the Asian countries and gradually even to other corners ... Read More

When I had recently checked-in a hotel room for a two-day stay in a new city, I was surprised to find a Bible on the table. Though initially, I thought that the previous customer or the cleaning staff might have forgotten, later on, I came to know that it was made a custom around the world by a group called Gideon group to leave a Bible in the hotel rooms.Why Did they Leave It?The Gideons International is an association of Christian business and professional men who are dedicated to distributing Lord Jesus’s word around the world. They trust that Jesus’s ... Read More

According to Brahmandapurana, it was said that Lalithaparabhattaarika or Adiparasakti is the supreme goddess and she has power over all this creation. It was stated that she has created the numerous galaxies and all. She has created a Brahma, a Vishnu and a Shiva for all the other galaxies just like ours.Brahma is the creator (looks after the creation and births of all the living species), Vishnu is the preserver (takes care of everything and maintains the order and balance in the world) and Shiva is the destroyer (handles the death and rebirth of living species and looks after the ... Read More

Marriage is a solemn affair which not only unites two people but also two families. A Sindhi wedding is a wedding packed with numerous rituals.Rituals In Sindhi Wedding1. Pakki Mishri: Ring ceremony used to take place a few months before the wedding. But due to the busy schedule these days, it sometimes takes place on the wedding day itself. It is called Pakki Mishri.2. Dev Bithana: This is not only probably related to Sindhi wedding, but also to other castes. Lord Ganesha and other sacred idols are placed on a wooden stool called 'Chakki'. It is believed that God will take care ... Read More

Kumbha Mela which is a mass Hindu Pilgrimage was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. It was done during an ongoing session in South Korea. This is the third inscription after the Yoga festival and Parsi festival in December 2016.The expert body recommended inscribing the Kumbha Mela when they observed that it is the largest congregation of pilgrims where the religious rituals and cleansing in holy rivers are performed peacefully. They have also observed the transmission of knowledge and skills through “Guru-Sishya Parampara” which passes on to the next generation without losing its verve.Soon after the official ... Read More

The day before Diwali is known as Kali Chaudas or Naraka Chaturdasi in Hindu tradition. Diwali is celebrated as a festival of happiness which gets after prolonged suffering. As every festival has a story in Hindu Mythology for celebration, Diwali also has many stories attached.Main ReasonDuring Dwaparyug, there was a demon called Narakasura who tortured people for his pleasure. When all the people prayed to Lord Krishna to protect them, Krishna along with Satyabhama his consort, came to kill Naraka.As Satyabhama was actually another form of the goddess Earth and Krishna is none but Lord Vishnu, Naraka should not be ... Read More

Tirupathi is the highest visited temple on this earth till date, having Lord Venkateswara or Balaji as the main deity. Tirupathi is the city which is below the hill whereas Tirumala is the set of seven hills on top of which is situated the temple of Lord Venkateswara Swamy.This temple was constructed centuries ago and attracts a huge number of visitors all over the world. Lord Venkateswara Swamy is addressed with a lot of names such as Balaji, Govinda, Perumaal, Srinivasa etc. The names of these seven hills are Vrushabhadri, Anjanadri, Neelaadri, Garudadri, Seshaadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri, where Adri means ... Read More

Rahukalam is mentioned by the ancient sages as an inauspicious period of time of the day during which any activity/project/venture started during this time would not yield good results. It was said that this particular time period will be under the supervision of Rahu, who will show his evil effects and hence warn not to start any good deeds. Some of them hesitate even to go out during this period and would like to stay indoors.According to astrologers the mighty Rahu and Ketu have the strength to even obscure the sun and moon, thus causing solar and lunar eclipses. It ... Read More

As per Hindu Mythology, Lord Rama is the reincarnation of Lord Vishnu while Lakshman is the reincarnation of Seshnag, Adiseshu or Ananth. Seshnag is the enormously huge serpent with his several heads, who remained when the whole universe got destroyed. As per a mythological saying, Lord Vishnu used to recline on its coils during the intervals of creation. Adisesh or Seshnag is the reclining couch as well as roofing canopy of Lord Vishnu.A Request When MadeSeshnag is the staunch and ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu who requested to accompany him in his incarnation as Rama. Hence he was born as ... Read More