|
Veerabaahu
Veerabahu is a Hindu deity and the commander-in-chief of Murugan's army. Lord Muruga was born from the third eye of God Shiva. To assist him from the ornaments of Goddess Shakthi, nine commanders (''Navaveerargal'') were born. Among the nine commanders, Veerabahu is ranked the highest. The Sengunthar Kaikolar community, a community of weavers and warriors in Tamil Nadu, claim descent from Veerabahu and other eight Navaveerargal. He is worshipped mostly in Tamil Nadu. Legend According to the Skanda Purana, after the birth of Murugan, Shakti took her s''ilambu'' (anklet) nine shaktis were produced, and these were then transformed into the brothers of Murugan, called the ''Navaveeragal'' (lit. "nine warriors") in Tamil. When Murugan was sent to destroy Surapadman, Virabahu and the other ''Navaveeragal'' followed him south, at the head of a huge army. At the Vindhyas, the army saw two of Surapadman's brothers - Krauncha, in the form of a mountain, and Tarakasura. Virabahu and h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sengunthar
Sengunthar (), also known as the Kaikolar and Senguntha Mudaliyar is a Tamil caste commonly found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and also in some other parts of South India and the neighboring country Sri Lanka. They were traditional weavers by occupation and warriors by ancient heritage. They were part of the Chola army. Majority of Sengunthars are sub-divided into numerous clans based on a patrilineal lineage known as Koottam or Gotra. Etymology The ancient occupational name of ''Kaikkolar'' comes from the words ''kai'' (hand) and ''kol'' (a shuttle used in looms). The appended ''-ar'' means ''people''. ''Kaikkolar'' also means men with stronger arms. ''Sengunthar'' means ''red spear people'', which has the community’s connection to the Lord Murugan, who is known as a red god. Legend has it that there were nine commanders called ''Navaveerargal'' in Murugan’s army and Sengunthar descended from them. In ancient times they were also called as ''Kaarugar'' (weaver), Than ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaikolar
Sengunthar (), also known as the Kaikolar and Senguntha Mudaliyar is a Tamil caste commonly found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and also in some other parts of South India and the neighboring country Sri Lanka. They were traditional weavers by occupation and warriors by ancient heritage. They were part of the Chola army. Majority of Sengunthars are sub-divided into numerous clans based on a patrilineal lineage known as Koottam or Gotra. Etymology The ancient occupational name of ''Kaikkolar'' comes from the words ''kai'' (hand) and ''kol'' (a shuttle used in looms). The appended ''-ar'' means ''people''. ''Kaikkolar'' also means men with stronger arms. ''Sengunthar'' means ''red spear people'', which has the community’s connection to the Lord Murugan, who is known as a red god. Legend has it that there were nine commanders called ''Navaveerargal'' in Murugan’s army and Sengunthar descended from them. In ancient times they were also called as ''Kaarugar'' (weaver), Than ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Śūrapadmā
Surapadma or Surapadman ( ta, சூரபத்மன்) was an asura who was the son of the rishi Kashyapa and the asuri sorceress Maya. He was defeated by Murugan but asking for pardon prior to his defeat, was granted the honour of becoming his vahana, the peacock. He is the brother of Singamuka and Tarakasura. His eldest son is Banukopan. Legends Surapadman was the son of Maya, a sorceress and rishi Kashyapa. The couple had three sons and one daughter, and then the rishi went to meditate again for centuries. Hence, the siblings grew up to be Asuras. Surapadma did a very long penance to Shiva. As a result, he was granted a boon that no one except Shiva's offspring, born without Shiva's union with a female, in any nature, could either kill or defeat him. This boon resulted in a highly negative effect, as Surapadma took it to his head, and he conquered the mortal world, either by direct war, or by subjugation as inferior rulers. According to scriptures, Surapadman once tried t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kartikeya
Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha and a god whose legends have many versions in Hinduism. Kartikeya has been an important deity in the Indian subcontinent since ancient times, worshipped as Mahasena and Kumara in North India and is predominantly worshipped in the state of Tamil Nadu and other parts of South India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaysia as Murugan. Murugan is widely regarded as the "God of the Tamil people". It has been postulated that the Tamil deity of Murugan was syncretised with the Vedic deity of Subrahmanya following the Sangam era. Both Muruga and Subrahmanya refer to Kartikeya. The iconography of Kartikeya varies significantly; he is typically represented as an ever-youthful man, riding or near an Indian peafowl, called Paravani, bearing a vel and so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism. Shiva is known as "The Destroyer" within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity which also includes Brahma and Vishnu. In the Shaivite tradition, Shiva is the Supreme Lord who creates, protects and transforms the universe. In the goddess-oriented Shakta tradition, the Supreme Goddess ( Devi) is regarded as the energy and creative power (Shakti) and the equal complementary partner of Shiva. Shiva is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism. Shiva has many aspects, benevolent as well as fearsome. In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient Yogi who lives an ascetic life on Mount Kailash as well as a householder with his wife Parvati and his three children, Ganesha, Kartikeya and A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parvati
Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi in her complete form. She is also revered in her appearances as Durga and Kali.Suresh Chandra (1998), Encyclopedia of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, , pp 245–246 She is one of the central deities of the goddess-oriented sect called Shaktism, and the chief goddess in Shaivism. Along with Lakshmi and Saraswati, she forms the Tridevi. Parvati is the wife of the Hindu god Shiva. She is the reincarnation of Sati, the first wife of Shiva who immolated herself during a yajna (fire-sacrifice).Edward Balfour, , The Encyclopaedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia, pp 153 Parvati is the daughter of the mountain-king Himavan and queen Mena.H.V. Dehejia, Parvati: Goddess of Love, Mapin, , pp 11 Parvati is the mother of the Hindu deities Ganesha and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skanda Purana
The ''Skanda Purana'' (IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest ''Puranas#Mahapuranas, Mukyapurana'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Kaumaram, Kaumara literature, titled after Kartikeya, Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parvati, who is also known as Murugan. While the text is named after Skanda, he does not feature either more or less prominently in this text than in other Shiva-related Puranas. The text has been an important historical record and influence on the Hindu traditions related to the war-god Skanda. The earliest text titled ''Skanda Purana'' likely existed by the 8th century CE, but the ''Skanda Purana'' that has survived into the modern era exists in many versions. It is considered as a living text, which has been widely edited, over many centuries, creating numerous variants. The common elements in the variant editions encyclopedically cover cosmogony, mythology, genealogy, dharma, festivals, gemology, temples, g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tārakāsura
Tarakasura ( sa, तारकासुर:) also rendered as Tharakasuran (Tamil: தாரக்காசுரன்) and Tarakasura ( te, తారకసుర) is a powerful asura in Hindu mythology. He is the son of the asura Vajranga and his wife Vajrangi. Taraka had three sons: Tarakaksha, Vidyunmali, and Kamalaksha, who were known as the Tripurasura. He is known to be slain by Kartikeya. Birth Diti, ever jealous of her sister Aditi, asked for her consort Kashyapa to provide her a son who would be capable of defeating the devas, who were the sons of Aditi. Consenting, Kashyapa granted his wife Vajranga, possessing adamantine limbs, who performed her bidding by capturing Indra and the devas and punishing them. When Aditi protested, Brahma urged Vajranga to release his captives, who acquiesced, stating that he had only done what his mother had instructed. Pleased, Brahma created a wife for him known as Vajrangi, who was both alluring and loving. When he offered her a bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thirumal
Perumal ( ta, பெருமாள் , translit=Perumāl) or Tirumal ( ta, திருமால், translit=Tirumāl) is a Hindu deity. Perumal is worshipped mainly among Tamil Hindus in South India, Sri Lanka, and the Tamil diaspora, who consider Perumal to be a form of Vishnu. Some of the earliest known mentions of Perumal, and the Tamil devotional poems ascribed to him, are found in ''Paripāṭal'' – the Sangam era poetic anthology. He is a popular Hindu deity particularly among Tamils in Tamil Nadu and the Tamil diaspora, and in Vaishnava temples. One of the richest and largest Hindu temples complexes dedicated to Perumal is the Venkateshvara temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Other significant institutions include Srirangam's Ranganathaswamy temple, Kanchipuram's Varadaraja Perumal temple, and Thiruvananthapurum's Padmanabhaswamy Perumal temple. Etymology Scholars believe that both Perumal and Tirumal ultimately trace their origin to a tribal confederacy know ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astra (weapon)
In Hinduism, an (Sanskrit: अस्त्र) was a supernatural weapon, presided over by a specific deity and imbued with spiritual and occult powers that caused its effect or impact. Later the word came to denote any weapon which was used by releasing it from one's hand (e.g. an arrow), compared to keeping it one's hand (e.g. a sword) (Shastra). In Ramayana and Mahabharata, Rama had more astras than any other warrior. It is believed that Rama possessed all astras. Various texts have stated that Arjuna possessed almost all astras except Brahmandastra & Narayanastra. Astradhari The bearer of the weapon is called an ''Astradhari'' (Sanskrit: अस्त्रधारी). Summoning of Astra To summon or use an ''astra'' required use of a specific incantation or invocation. The deity invoked would then endow the weapon with supernatural powers, making it impossible to counter through regular means. Specific conditions existed involving the usage of ''astras'', the violation o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hindu Gods
Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān and Bhagavati. The deities of Hinduism have evolved from the Vedic era (2nd millennium BCE) through the medieval era (1st millennium CE), regionally within Nepal, Pakistan, India and in Southeast Asia, and across Hinduism's diverse traditions.Nicholas Gier (2000), Spiritual Titanism: Indian, Chinese, and Western Perspectives, State University of New York Press, , pp. 59-76Jeaneane D. Fowler (2012), The Bhagavad Gita, Sussex Academic Press, , pp. 253-262 The Hindu deity concept varies from a personal god as in Yoga school of Hindu philosophy, to thirty-three major deities in the Vedas, to hundreds of deities mentioned in the Puranas of Hinduism. Illustrations of major deities include Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva, Parvati, Brahma and Saraswati. These deities have distinct and complex personalities, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
