|
Dhrung
Dhrang or Dhrung is a small village located in Kutch District of Gujarat State of India. The village is on border to Pakistan. The other known village nearby is Lodai. The village is known and famous for Samadhi of Sant Mekan Dada and his five disciples and his animal friends ''Laliyo'', the donkey and ''Motiyo'', the dog. A fair is held in memory of Mekan Dada every year in Hindu calendar month of '' Magh'' (February–March), which ends on day of Mahashivratri. The fair being traditionally held over the centuries, is now promoted by Government of Gujarat. The temple and Samadhi of Mekan Dada is visited by people from all over Gujarat as well Rajasthan at time of this fair. Among the major follower of Mekan Dada are Ahir, who consider him as their God. The Kapadi community, to whom the Sant Mekan Dada belonged are major disciples and also manage the temple premises and Akhara, also known as ''Mekan Dada no Akharo''. Mistri and Rabari also are his followers. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sant Mekan Dada
Sant Mekan Dada or Mekan baba (1667–1730 AD) was a Sufi saint from Kutch, Gujarat, India. Biography Mekan Dada it is said was born in 1667 ( Vikram Samvant 1723). He spent his life traveling across the Rann of Kutch, doing this humanitarian services. In his late life he established himself in Dhrang, in V.S. 1786. He spent his whole life in Rann of Kutch, looking after survivors and people lost in desert and serving them food, water and shelter. His two partners were "Laliyo", the Donkey and "Motiyo", the dog. He would load "Laliyo"-donkey with water and food and the "Motiyo" was trained by him to direct the "Laliyo" to travelers lost in great desert of Kutch. Thus they would provide water, food and direction to the hungry, thirsty and lost travelers and nomads passing through the Rann of Kutch. He was also a good poet and composed several hymns based on the Hindu philosophy. Today he is worshipped as the re-incarnation of Lakshman by the Ahir community. He also had fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mekan Dada
Sant Mekan Dada or Mekan baba (1667–1730 AD) was a Sufi saint from Kutch, Gujarat, India. Biography Mekan Dada it is said was born in 1667 (Vikram Samvant 1723). He spent his life traveling across the Rann of Kutch, doing this humanitarian services. In his late life he established himself in Dhrang, in V.S. 1786. He spent his whole life in Rann of Kutch, looking after survivors and people lost in desert and serving them food, water and shelter. His two partners were "Laliyo", the Donkey and "Motiyo", the dog. He would load "Laliyo"-donkey with water and food and the "Motiyo" was trained by him to direct the "Laliyo" to travelers lost in great desert of Kutch. Thus they would provide water, food and direction to the hungry, thirsty and lost travelers and nomads passing through the Rann of Kutch. He was also a good poet and composed several hymns based on the Hindu philosophy. Today he is worshipped as the re-incarnation of Lakshman by the Ahir community. He also had five di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern side, where it comprises most of the wide and inhospitable Thar Desert (also known as the Great Indian Desert) and shares a border with the Pakistani provinces of Punjab to the northwest and Sindh to the west, along the Sutlej- Indus River valley. It is bordered by five other Indian states: Punjab to the north; Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to the northeast; Madhya Pradesh to the southeast; and Gujarat to the southwest. Its geographical location is 23.3 to 30.12 North latitude and 69.30 to 78.17 East longitude, with the Tropic of Cancer passing through its southernmost tip. Its major features include the ruins of the Indus Valley civilisation at Kalibangan and Balathal, the Dilwara Temples, a Jain pilgrimage site at Rajasthan's only hill stat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jadeja
The Jadeja (also spelled Jarejo) (Gujarati: ) is a Rajput clan that inhabits the Indian state of Gujarat. They claim to be descended from the legendary Jamshed of Iran. They also claim descent from Krishna. They originated from pastoral communities and laid a claim on the Rajput identity after marriages with Sodha Rajput women by adopting a process called Rajputisation. History Oral sources place the emergence of the Jadejas as being in the late 9th century when kingdoms were established in parts of Kutch and Saurashtra by Lakho Ghuraro and Lakho Phulani who in turn were descendents of Jam Jada, the progenitor of the clan. However, available written sources place the emergence of the Jadejas in the 14th century. After the Arab conquest of Sindh, various migrant communities from Sindh (Pakistan), as well as Arab merchants settled in Kutch (India). Historian Anisha Saxena suggests that the Jadejas were Hindu branches of the Samma dynasty of Sindh whose leaders, like other Samma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rabari
The Rabari people (also known as Desai, Rabari, Raika, and Dewasi people) are an ethnic group from the Rajasthan also found in Gujarat Kutch region. Origin Myth The Rabari myth of origin is kshatriya that Shiva put them on earth to tend to the camels owned by Parvati. Rabaris claim to be originally from Iran, travelling via Afghanistan to Balochistan, (Pakistan), where there still is a temple of the Charani Goddess Hinglaj who they worship. According to Sigrid Westphal-Helbusch, the significant migrations of Rabaris took place between 12th to 14th century, when they moved from Marwar to Sindh (Pakistan) and Kutch. The migrations of Rabaris in fact follow similar paths as that of Rajputs and Charans, two other migrant group in this region, indicating intertwined histories. Westphal-Helbusch ascribes the goddess worship traditions of Rabaris to the Charan Charan ( IAST: Cāraṇ; Sanskrit: चारण; Gujarati: ચારણ; Urdu: ارڈ; IPA: cɑːrəɳə) is a caste in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mistri
Mistri, or Mistry, is a term for a master-craftsman, foreman or supervisor of manual workers in India. Mistri is being replaced with "supervisor" and other terms, as for example by the Indian Railway who replaced it with supervisor in 2005. The word ''Mistri'', or ''Mistry'', is adopted into the Gujarati language from the Portuguese word ''Mestre'' meaning ''Master'' or ''Teacher''. The Portuguese were present in Gujarat since 1500 in Diu. The Kadias and Kadia Kshatriyas worked on building Diu Fort and the Portuguese called them ''Mestre'' due to their skills at fort building. MistriBabu besides carpenter ( for Suthar community ) also meant Contractor American anthropology, 1971-1995: papers from the American anthrop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akhara
Akhara or Akhada (Sanskrit and Hindi: अखाड़ा, shortened to ''khara'' Hindi: खाड़ा) is an Indian word for a place of practice with facilities for boarding, lodging and training, both in the context of Indian martial artists or a ''sampradaya'' monastery for religious renunciates in Guru–shishya tradition. it is similar to the Greek-origin word ''academy'' and the English word ''school'', can be used to mean both a physical institution or a group of them which share a common lineage or are under a single leadership, such as the school of monastic thought or the school of martial arts. Unlike the gurukul in which students live and study at the home of a guru, members of an akhara although train under a guru but they do not live a domestic life. Some strictly practice Brahmacharya (celibacy) and others may require complete renunciation of worldly life. For example, wrestlers are expected to live a pure life while living at akhara with other fellow wrestlers, re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kapadi
Kapadi, also known as Kapdi is a small community in Gujarat. History The Kapadi Sampradaya claim to be descendants of Lalu Jasraj, the guide of the Hindu deity Rama, or either claim to be descendants of Rama's army as they marched through the desert to Hinglaj. This dress was given by Rama to one Laljusraj, who accompanied him on the trip. Laljusraj is said to be founder of Kapadi sect. It is believed that it is the same dress, that is preserved at Mekan Dada Temple at Dhrang. Kutch in festival and custom By K. S. Dilipsinh They worship Ashapura Mata and make visit the [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ahir
Ahir or Aheer are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a caste, a clan, a community, a race and a tribe. The traditional occupations of Ahirs are cattle-herding and agriculture. Since late 19th century to early 20th century, Ahirs have adopted ''Yadav'' word for their community and have claimed descent from the mythological king Yadu as a part of a movement of social and political resurgence Quote: "The movement, which had a wide interregional spread, attempted to submerge regional names such as Goala, Ahir, Ahar, Gopa, etc., in favour of the generic term Yadava (Rao 1979). Hence a number of pastoralist castes were subsumed under Yadava, in accordance with decisions taken by the regional and national level caste sabhas. The Yadavas became the first among the shudras to gain the right to wear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maagha
Maagha (Hindi: माघ ''maagh'') is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, it's the eleventh month of the year, corresponding to January/February in the Gregorian calendar.Henderson, Helene. (Ed.) (2005) ''Holidays, festivals, and celebrations of the world dictionary'' Third edition. Electronic edition. Detroit: Omnigraphics, p. xxix. In lunar calendars, Maagh may begin on either the new moon or the full moon around the same time of year, and is usually the tenth month of the year. It is named thus because, in this month, the full moon is usually found nearby or within the star cluster called "Magha". In solar calendars, Maagh begins with the Sun's entry into Capricorn, and is usually the eleventh month of the year. Festivals * Shukla Panchami: Vasant Panchami * Shukla Saptami: Ratha Saptami * Maagh Mela is an important festival celebrated most of North India. * The world-famous "Maha Maham" festival which is held every 12 years during full ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahashivratri
Maha Shivaratri ( IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu calendar, there is a ''Shivaratri'' – "night of Shiva" – on the day before new moon. But once a year, in late winter and before the arrival of Summer (February/March), this night is called "Maha Shivaratri" – "the Great Night of Shiva". This day falls in the month of Phalguna as per the North Indian Hindu calendar and in Magha as per the South Indian Hindu calendar (see Amanta and Purnimanta systems). It is a notable festival in Hinduism, and this festival is solemn and marks a remembrance of "overcoming darkness and ignorance" in life and the world. It is observed by remembering Shiva and chanting prayers, fasting, and meditating on ethics and virtues such as honesty, non-injury to others, charity, forgiveness, and the discovery ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> Mahashivratri")