Indian Temples & Iconography

Kamakhya - Reliving the Kalikapurana, Questioning the Essence of Human Love

2025-05-04T06:06:00.001+05:30

I have been careful about the Goddess kamakhya, not regarding the kind of worship that is offered to her (Kaulachara/Vamamarga) but the circumstances under which I was granted her audience. I tried twice before, and didn't make it (let's just say life came in the way), and finally it was on the eve of the pandemic that the Goddess granted me my wish. The first visit to Kamakhya was that of

Maha Kumbh - Where the Ocean of Humanity meets the Waves of Divinity

2025-02-27T21:41:00.003+05:30

There have been several reasons why I wanted to go for the Maha Kumbh, from wanting to see the Naga Babas upfront and experiencing their display of spiritual evolution to being a part of this grandeur that comes once in 144 years. I suppose it had caught everyone’s imagination. This was not marketing or the desperation to be seen on a social media post that says “I did it” … no, this was just a

A Sweet Smile of Sublime Beauty

2020-03-26T16:20:00.000+05:30

It was the first glimpse I caught of her, she appeared settled on the sacred seat within the sanctum of the Kanchi temple. Kamakshi Amman smiled back at me in quiet demeanor. My thoughts flew off my mind as my eyes rolled over every aspect of the sanctum, taking her form in. Her face smeared with sandal wood housed the most beautiful smile and her eyes gazed straight back at me. My heart welled

Kamakshi or Kamakhya - It is the power of the Goddess that matters

2019-10-28T08:14:00.000+05:30

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; min-height: 14.0px} In the dark environs of Tantrik supremacy, every step into a physical temple is a leap into once own divine self. Kamakshi, as she is called, gives a deep flavour of the nature of Sati, that of Parvati, that of the consort of the

The Art of Information Architecture in Temple Architecture.

2019-08-26T20:56:00.000+05:30

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'} We have been told that Information Architecture tries to map the mental model of the end users. What is this mental model and are they really users? First let’s define whether they are “users” or “be-ers”. The idea of information architecture is to dive into the universe of what makes these

The Art of Wow Factors in Ancient India

2019-08-06T10:11:00.000+05:30

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'} While going through sacred texts I can’t but help draw a parallel between the works of Adi Shankaracharya in the Soundarya Lahari and the poetry of Bharavi in the Kiratarjuniya Mahakavya, both poets were contemporaries of each other ranging between the 6th century and 8th century. There was a flurry of activity in the

Time - A Concept apparently Understood but not Realised

2019-07-21T09:26:00.000+05:30

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'} They say the only constant is change. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; min-height: 14.0px} Spiritually speaking there is a big flaw in this statement. On the face of it, it is as true as it can get

Conversations with the Dead

2019-03-16T09:51:00.000+05:30

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545; min-height: 14.0px} With every passing day of life and despite the integral presence of the mundane, (which is nice but I don’t always appreciate it) the thought that I am here for a limited period of time has not failed

The Dilution in the Institution of Marriage

2019-02-09T13:27:00.001+05:30

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545; min-height: 14.0px} Originally, when this ideology was formulated there were 4 stages to living that were tuned towards the overall development of a person from Birth to Death. These 4 stages were conditioned to

Faith - A Subtle Lesson in the Spiritual World.

2019-01-28T09:02:00.000+05:30

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545; min-height: 14.0px} I wonder sometimes why spiritualism has not active takers, true seekers I mean. I realise one has to be as close as sage like, confronting every thought or concept around oneself. It takes a

Relevance of Akharas in the Mahakumbh

2019-01-19T22:45:00.000+05:30

Nagas at the Kumbh images.herzindagi.info p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545; min-height: 14.0px} Flamboyant pictures of Naga Babas and ascetics in various expressions of Sanatana Dharma have descended

The Inherent Bliss in Worship

2018-10-16T10:02:00.000+05:30

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The Curious Case of the 5M Ritual

2018-08-03T10:11:00.000+05:30

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545; min-height: 14.0px} My current destination is to explore the abode of the netherworld, the 7 great Patalas. While its interesting to go into the depths of darkness to understand nature of life here in the celestial space

Discovering the Panchagni Ritual

2018-07-17T09:11:00.000+05:30

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545; min-height: 14.0px} As I dive deeper into the scriptures I have come to realize that almost every subtle logic of existence has a gross counterpart in karmic terms. The basic premise of Hindu texts emphasises on the fact

A Journey with Jagannath, Relived

2018-05-02T09:35:00.000+05:30

The thrill on my son's face, the enjoyment of a new world... Nothing could beat this smile that brought back past memories. While we spend most of our lives robotically leading it, there are some things that don't die.... They stay dormant in the crevices of the mind only to surprise us when a connect with the past is made. Jagannathpur Ranchi, Jagannath Mandir The innocence of

The Unexplored world of Surasundaris, their Personality, their Potential

2018-04-22T08:39:00.001+05:30

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545} She twirls around the branch of a tree As she pull a thorn off her delicate feet Her graceful curves entwine a branch As she holds onto it like a fragile creeper She calls the green parrot, plays with its red beak The sign of sensuality, the pleasures of love She gently smells the

An Ode to Bhasavanna

2018-03-26T08:38:00.000+05:30

At these troubled times, when politics decides to divide a society and rule them, where selfishness takes over principles of good governance, I am wondering how Bhasavanna would have reacted to this madness. Is this what he had envisioned when he founded the sacred extension of Shaivism in Veera Shaivism bringing about the Lingayat community? Today, these two brothers stand split up, when their

The Strange Joy within Sakhya Bhava

2018-01-03T09:56:00.001+05:30