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Nagaraja Temple, Nagercoil
Nagaraja Temple is an early large temple found in the city of Nagercoil (''Nagarkōyil'') near the southern tip of Tamil Nadu, India. Its dating is uncertain but likely pre-12th-century. The main sanctum is dedicated to the Nagaraja – the king of serpents. Padmanabham (1985), Heritage Of The Tamils Temple Arts, Editors: SV Subramanian and G Rajendran, International Institute of Tamil Studies, Since the 17th-century, new Hindu shrines have been added to the temple complex attracting devotees of Krishna (Vishnu), as well as Shaiva and Shakti Hindus. The original iconography of the Tirthankaras and Padmavati Devi have and continue to remain a part of the sacred pantheon close to the temple's main sanctum. The temple has three shrines. The oldest and the main shrine's deity remains the original Nagaraja. The second shrine is dedicated to Ananthakrishna (baby Krishna dancing on a coiled snake) with Rukmini and Satyabhama. The third shrine is dedicated to Shiva.P.K. Nambiar and K. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand, Myanmar, and Indonesia. Modern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa no later than 55,000 years ago., "Y-Chromosome and Mt-DNA data support the colonization of South Asia by modern humans originating in Africa. ... Coalescence dates for most non-European populations average to between 73–55 ka.", "Modern human beings—''Homo sapiens''—originated in Africa. Then, int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manasara
The ''Mānasāra'', also known as ''Manasa'' or ''Manasara Shilpa Shastra'', is an ancient Sanskrit treatise on Indian architecture and design. Organized into 70 ''adhyayas'' (chapters) and 10,000 ''shlokas'' (verses), it is one of many Hindu texts on ''Shilpa Shastra'' – science of arts and crafts – that once existed in 1st-millennium CE. The ''Manasara'' is among the few on Hindu architecture whose complete manuscripts have survived into the modern age. It is a treatise that provides detailed guidelines on the building of Hindu temples, sculptures, houses, gardens, water tanks, laying out of towns and other structures. Title The word ''Manasara'' is a compound of Sanskrit ''māna'' (measurement) and ''sara'' (essence), meaning "essence of measurement" states P.K. Acharya – the scholar who discovered the complete manuscript (70 chapters) and was first to translate it into English in early 20th-century. While the text is now commonly referred as simply ''Manasara'', the San ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
The Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple located in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the state of Kerala, India. The name of the city of 'Thiruvananthapuram' in Tamil and Malayalam translates to "The City of Lord Ananta" (The City Of the infinite Shesh Naag). The temple is built in an intricate fusion of the Chera style and the Dravidian style of architecture, featuring high walls, and a 16th-century gopura. While as per some traditions the Ananthapura temple in Kumbla in Kasaragod district in Kerala is considered as the original spiritual seat of the deity ("Moolasthanam"), architecturally to some extent, the temple is a replica of the Adikesava Perumal temple in Thiruvattar in Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu. The principal deity Padmanabhaswamy (Vishnu) is enshrined in the "Anantha Shayana" posture, the eternal yogic sleep on the infinite serpent Adi Shesha. Padmanabhaswamy is the tutelary deity of the royal family of Travancore. The titular Maharaja o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mannarasala Temple
Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple ( ml, മണ്ണാറശാല ശ്രീ നാഗരാജാക്ഷേത്രം) in ''Haripad'' is a very ancient and internationally known centre of pilgrimage for the devotees of serpent gods (Nagaraja). The famous Nagaraja temple "Mannarasala" in Haripad is nestled in a forest glade, like most snake temples. The Mannarasala Temple has over 100,000 images of snakes along the paths and among the trees, and is the largest such temple in Kerala, India. Couples seeking fertility come to worship here, and upon the birth of their child come to hold thanksgiving ceremonies here, often bringing new snake images as offerings. A special turmeric paste which is available at the temple is credited with curative powers. Location The temple is located about 3 kilometers to the north-east of the bus station along NH66 at Haripad, in Alappuzha district of Kerala. History Though the legends related to the origin of a place cannot be deemed as it ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kurma
Kurma ( sa, कूर्म; , 'Turtle', 'Tortoise'), is the second avatar of the Hindu preserver deity, Vishnu. Originating in Vedic literature such as the Yajurveda as being synonymous with the Saptarishi called Kashyapa, Kurma is most commonly associated in post-Vedic literature such as the Puranas. He prominently appears in the legend of the churning of the Ocean of Milk, referred to as the Samudra Manthana. Along with being synonymous with Akupara, the World-Turtle supporting the Earth, Kurma is listed as the second of the Dashavatara, which are the ten principal incarnations of Vishnu. Nomenclature and etymology The Sanskrit word 'Kurma' (Devanagari: कूर्म) means 'Tortoise' and 'Turtle'. The tortoise incarnation of Vishnu is also referred to in post-Vedic literature such as the Bhagavata Purana as 'Kacchapam' (कच्छप), 'Kamaṭha' (कमठ), 'Akupara' (अकूपार), and 'Ambucara-Atmana' (अम्बुचर-आत्मना), all of w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mala, Kerala
Mala is a small town in Thrissur district of Kerala state, India. There is a Jewish synagogue in Mala town. At the moment, it is in ruins. The famous Pambu Mekkattu Mana (temple) is located here and attracts thousands of devotees every year. History Mala is a multicultural society. Migrants from different parts of the world settled in Mala; especially noteworthy are the Jews from Palestine (Eretz Israel), Brahmins from the Konkan and Kudumbis and Konkanis from Goa. It had a major inland port, and people from Ambazhakad, Kuzhur, Kadukutty, and other people used to bring their goods to Mala to transport it to Kottapuram or Kochi. The major items of trade were betel leaves, cut stone (Vettu Kall), toddy, coconut, spices, and wood. Today it does not have such importance because of the high network of roads. In olden times, Mala used to be affected by floods in monsoons. The business was not very much concerned because a major mode of transport was through the water itself. Tip ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru or acharya). The other three varnas are the Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. The traditional occupation of Brahmins is that of priesthood at the Hindu temples or at socio-religious ceremonies, and rite of passage rituals such as solemnising a wedding with hymns and prayers.James Lochtefeld (2002), Brahmin, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A–M, Rosen Publishing, , page 125 Traditionally, the Brahmins are accorded the highest ritual status of the four social classes. Their livelihood is prescribed to be one of strict austerity and voluntary poverty ("A Brahmin should acquire what just suffices for the time, what he earns he should spend all that the same day"). In practice, Indian texts suggest that some Brahmins historicall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nambudiri
The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Nampoothiri, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of the traditional feudal elite, owning a large portion of the land in the region of Malabar until the Kerala Land Reforms starting in 1957, and intermarrying with the Nair monarchs and aristocracy through sambandham. They have historically been distinguished by rare practices such as the adherence to Śrauta ritualism, the Pūrva-Mīmāṁsā school of Hindu philosophy, and orthodox tradition, as well as many idiosyncratic customs unique among Brahmins, including primogeniture. Cyriac Pullapilly mentions that the dominating influence of the Nambudiris was to be found in all matters: religion, politics, society, economics and culture of Kerala. History Origin Nambudiri mythology associates their immigration to Kerala from the banks of Narmada, Krishna, Kaveri r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aithihyamala
Aithihyamala or Ithihyamala ( ml, ഐതിഹ്യമാല) (''Garland of Legends'') is a collection of century-old stories from Kerala that cover a vast spectrum of life, famous persons and events. It is a collection of legends numbering over a hundred, about magicians and ''yakshis'', feudal rulers and conceited poets, ''kalari'' or ''Kalaripayattu'' experts, practitioners of Ayurveda and courtiers; elephants and their mahouts, tantric experts. Kottarathil Sankunni (23 March 1855 – 22 July 1937), a Sanskrit-Malayalam scholar who was born in Kottayam in present-day Kerala, started documenting these stories in 1909. They were published in the Malayalam literary magazine, the '' Bhashaposhini'', and were collected in eight volumes and published in the early 20th century. It includes popular tales such as about the twelve children of Vararuchi and Parayi (a woman of ''Paraiyar'' caste), ''Kayamkulam Kochunni'', ''Kadamattathu Kathanar'' among many others. The story of 12 chil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neminatha
Neminatha, also known as Nemi and Arishtanemi, is the twenty-second ''tirthankara'' (ford-maker) in Jainism. Along with Mahavira, Parshvanatha and Rishabhanatha, Neminatha is one of the twenty four ''tirthankaras'' who attract the most devotional worship among the Jains. Neminatha lived 81,000 years before the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. He was the youngest son of king Samudravijaya and queen Shivadevi. Krishna, who was the 9th and last Jain Vasudev, was his first cousin. He was born at Sauripura in the Yadu lineage, like Krishna. His birth date was the fifth day of ''Shravana Shukla'' of the Jain calendar. On his wedding day Neminatha heard the cries of animals being killed for the marriage feast, he left marriage and freed animals and he renounced the world to become a monk – a scene found in many Jain artwork. He had attained ''moksha'' on Girnar Hills near Junagadh, a pilgrimage center for Jains. Nomenclature The name Neminatha consists of two Sanskrit words, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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