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Apatsahayesvarar Temple, Alangudi
Apatsahayesvarar Temple, Alangudi or Guru Sthalam or Tiru Irum Poolai is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in the village of Alangudi in the Valangaiman taluk of Tiruvarur district, Tamil Nadu, India. Shiva is worshipped as Apathsahyesvarar, and is represented by the ''lingam''. His consort Parvati is depicted as Elavarkuzhali. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the ''Tevaram'', written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanmars and classified as ''Paadal Petra Sthalam''. The temple complex covers two acres and it houses a five tier gateway tower known as ''gopurams'', one facing the Apathsaheswarar shrine and other towards North. The temple has a number of shrines, with those of Apathsaheswarar and his consort Elavarkuzhali being the most prominent. The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and four yearly festivals on its calendar. The Brahmotsavam festival celebrated during ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India by population, sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language—one of the longest surviving Classical languages of India, classical languages in the world—is widely spoken in the state and serves as its official language. The state lies in the southernmost part of the Indian peninsula, and is bordered by the Indian union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, as well as an international maritime border with Sri Lanka. It is bounded by the Western Ghats in the west, the Eastern Ghats in the north, the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait to the south-eas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cholas
The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE during the reign of Ashoka of the Maurya Empire. As one of the Three Crowned Kings of Tamilakam, along with the Chera and Pandya, the dynasty continued to govern over varying territories until the 13th century CE. The Chola Empire was at its peak under the Medieval Cholas in the mid-9th century CE. The heartland of the Cholas was the fertile valley of the Kaveri River. They ruled a significantly larger area at the height of their power from the later half of the 9th century till the beginning of the 13th century. They unified peninsular India south of the Tungabhadra River, and held the territory as one state for three centuries between 907 and 1215 CE. K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, ''A History of South India'', p 157 Under Rajaraja I and h ... [...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 Purnima. When the Manava Purana (one of Upa Purana) narrated The festivals of full moon days. * Kartik Poornima, is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Kartika (month), Kartik. It is also called Tripura (mythology), Tripura Purnima. * Raksha Bandhan, Shravan Poornima, is the full moon day in Shravan. This day has a Raksha Bandhan#Other festivals on this day, ... [...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 '' amānta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pradosha
Pradosha or Pradosham (IAST: Pradoṣa) is a bimonthly occasion on the thirteenth day 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, sandal 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". During every month and during ever ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naivedhya
200px, Prasad thaal offered to Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad ">Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad">Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad Prasada (, Sanskrit: प्रसाद, ), Prasadam or Prasad is a religious offering in Hinduism. Most often ''Prasada'' is vegetarian food especially cooked for devotees after praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. Mahaprasada (also called Bhandarā),Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech, 2014The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies/ref> is the consecrated food offered to the deity in a Hindu temple which is then distributed and partaken by all the devotees regardless of any orientation.Chitrita Banerji, 2010Eating India: Exploring the Food and Culture of the Land of SpicesSubhakanta Behera, 2002Construction of an identity discourse: Oriya literature and the Jagannath lovers (1866-1936) p140-177.Susan Pattinson, 2011The Final Journey: Complete Hospice Care for the Departing Vaishnavas pp.220. ''Prasada'' is closely linked to the term Naivedya ( sa, न ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abhisheka
Abhisheka () means "bathing of the divinity to whom worship is offered." It is a religious rite or method of prayer in which a devotee pours a liquid offering on an image or murti of a God or Goddess. Abhisheka is common to Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Hinduism An abhiṣeka is conducted by priests by bathing the image of the deity being worshipped, amidst the chanting of mantras. Usually, offerings such as milk, yogurt, ghee, honey, panchamrita, sesame oil, rose water, sandalwood paste may be poured among other offerings depending on the type of abhishekam being performed. This rite is routinely performed in Hindu temples. A '' Rudrābhiṣeka'' or abhiṣeka of Rudra is performed on lingams. A Kumbhabhishekam is a consecration ritual for a Hindu temple. Buddhism Vajrayana Buddhism In Vajrayana Buddhism or Mantrayana Buddhism, one enters into the path of Vajrayana Buddhism by receiving the four stages of tantric empowerments, or abhisheka: the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Puja (Hinduism)
''Puja'' ( sa, पूजा, pūjā, translit-std=IAST) is a worship ritual performed by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains to offer devotional homage and prayer to one or more deities, to host and honor a guest, or to spiritually celebrate an event. It may honor or celebrate the presence of special guests, or their memories after they die. The word ''pūjā'' is Sanskrit, and means reverence, honor, homage, adoration, and worship.पूजा ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', Germany (2009) Puja, 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 |
Thanjavur
Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Great Living Chola Temples, which are UNESCO World Heritage Monuments, are located in and around Thanjavur. The foremost among these, the Brihadeeswara Temple, is located in the centre of the city. Thanjavur is also home to Tanjore painting, a painting style unique to the region. Thanjavur is the headquarters of the Thanjavur District. The city is an important agricultural centre located in the Kaveri Delta and is known as the ''Rice bowl of Tamil Nadu''. Thanjavur is administered by a municipal corporation covering an area of and had a population of 290,720 in 2011. Roadways are the major means of transportation, while the city also has rail connectivity. The nearest airport is Tiruchirapalli International Airport, located away from th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum) or Kudanthai is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the headquarters of the Kumbakonam taluk of Thanjavur district. It is the second largest city in the district after Thanjavur. The city is bounded by two rivers, the Kaveri River to the north and Arasalar River to the south. Kumbakonam is known as a "Temple town" due to the prevalence of a number of Hindu temple, temples here and is noted for its Mahamaham festival, which happens once in 12 years, attracting people from all over the country. Kumbakonam dates back to the Sangam period and was ruled by the Early Cholas, Pallavas, Mutharaiyar dynasty, Medieval Cholas, Later Cholas, Pandyas, the Vijayanagara Empire, Madurai Nayaks, Thanjavur Nayaks and the Thanjavur Marathas. It rose to be a prominent town between the seventh and ninth centuries AD, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prakarams
A prakaram (प्राकारः in Sanskrit), also spelled pragaram or pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer part around the Hindu temple sanctum. They may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the innermost prakaram. As per Hindu religious practices, devotees start to come around the outer prakarams to the inner most before entering the sanctum. Most of the historic South Indian cities like Madurai, Srirangam, Sirkali, Thiruvarur and Chidambaram were built around large temples in the center of the city. The streets of the city act as extension of the prakarams of the temple. Ramanathaswamy Temple has outer set of corridors is reputed to be the longest prakaram in the world. Temple architecture In the Hindu temple, the prakaram is the temple compound around the sanctum. Typically a Hindu temple prayer hall is generally built in front of the temple's sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha). Usually large Hindu temples have one or more prakarams. The Prakaram ac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gopuram
A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South Indian architecture of the Southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana, and Sri Lanka. In other areas of India they are much more modest, while in Southern Indian temples they are very often by far the highest part of the temple. Ancient and early medieval temples feature smaller ''gopuram'', while in later temples they are a prominent feature of Hindu Dravidian style; in many cases the temple compound was expanded and new larger gopuram built along the new boundary. They are topped by the ''kalasam'', a bulbous stone finial. They function as gateways through the walls that surround the temple complex. Another towering structure located towards the center of the temple is the Vimanam. Both of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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