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Laxmi
Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvati and Sarasvati, form the trinity of goddesses called the Tridevi. Lakshmi has been a central figure in Hindu tradition since pre-Buddhist times (1500 to 500 BCE) and remains one of the most widely worshipped goddesses in the Hindu pantheon. Although she does not appear in the earliest Vedic literature, the personification of the term ''shri''—auspiciousness, glory, and high rank, often associated with kingship—eventually led to the development of Sri-Lakshmi as a goddess in later Vedic texts, particularly the ''Shri Suktam''. Her importance grew significantly during the late epic period (around 400 CE), when she became particularly associated with the preserver god Vishnu as his consort. In this role, Lakshmi is seen as the ideal H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma () (29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian painter and artist. His works are one of the best examples of the fusion of European academic art with a purely Indian sensibility and iconography. Especially, he was notable for making affordable Lithography, lithographs of his paintings available to the public, which greatly enhanced his reach and influence as a painter and public figure. His lithographs increased the involvement of common people with fine arts and defined artistic tastes among the common people. Furthermore, his religious depictions of Hindu deities and works from Indian epic poetry and Puranas have received profound acclaim. He was part of the royal family of erstwhile Parappanad, Malappuram district. Raja Ravi Varma was closely related to the royal family of Travancore of present-day Kerala state in India. Later in his life, two of his granddaughters were adopted into the royal family. Personal life Raja Ravi Varma was born M. R. Ry. Rav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lakshmi Narayana
Lakshmi Narayana (, IAST: ) or Lakshmi Narayan is the dual representation of the Hindu deities Vishnu, also known as Narayana, and his consort, Lakshmi, traditionally featured in their abode, Vaikuntha. The goddess of wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi, is depicted as standing next to Vishnu, who holds the Panchajanya, Kaumodaki, Padma, and the Sudarshana Chakra. Another depiction of Lakshmi Narayana portrays Lakshmi in the service of Narayana, who reclines on the cosmic serpent Shesha, floating in the Kshira Sagara, the Ocean of Milk. Legends The most significant Lakshmi Narayana myth that appears in various Puranas is the Samudra Manthana, where Vishnu assumes his Kurma avatar to assist the devas and the asuras in the churning the Ocean of Milk. Lakshmi emerges as one of the many treasures that are the product of the churning. The devas request Vishnu to marry her, and hence her auspiciousness is wed to his divinity, restoring the cosmic order. The ''Vishnu Purana'' descri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deepavali
Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual victory of ''Dharma'' over '' Adharma'', light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.Jean Mead, ''How and why Do Hindus Celebrate Divali?'', Diwali is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar months of Ashvin (according to the amanta tradition) and Kārtikabetween around mid-September and mid-November.''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (1998) – p. 540 "Diwali /dɪwɑːli/ (also Diwali) noun a Hindu festival with lights...". The celebrations generally last five or six days. Diwali is connected to various religious events, deities and personalities, such as being the day Rama returned to his kingdom in Ayodhya with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana after defeating the demon king Ravana. It is also wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lakshmi Puja
Lakshmi Puja or Lokkhi Pujo ( Devnagari: लक्ष्मी पूजा, Bengali/Assamese: লক্ষ্মী পূজা, Odia: ଲକ୍ଷ୍ମୀ ପୂଜା, Romanised: Lakṣmī Pūjā/ Loķhī Pūjō) is a Hindu occasion for the veneration of Lakshmi, the Goddess of Prosperity and the Supreme Goddess of Vaishnavism. The occasion is celebrated on the amavasya (new moon day) in the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar month of Ashwayuja (according to the amanta tradition) or Kartika (according to the purnimanta tradition), on the third day of Deepavali ( Tihar) in Nepal and most parts of India. In Odisha, Assam, Bengal this puja is celebrated five days after Vijaya Dashami. Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity, visits her devotees and bestows good fortune and her blessings upon them. To welcome the Goddess, devotees clean their houses, decorate them with finery and lights, and prepare sweet treats and delicacies as offerings. Devotees believe that the hap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. Its followers are called Vaishnavites or ''Vaishnava''s (), and it includes sub-sects like Krishnaism and Ramanandi Sampradaya, Ramaism, which consider Krishna and Rama as the supreme beings respectively. According to a 2020 estimate by The World Religion Database (WRD), hosted at Boston University’s Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs (CURA), Vaishnavism is the largest Hindu sect, constituting about 399 million Hindus. The ancient emergence of Vaishnavism is unclear, and broadly hypothesized as a History of Hinduism, fusion of various regional non-Vedic religions with worship of Vishnu. It is considered a merger of several popular non-Vedic theistic traditio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tridevi
The Tridevi are a Triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity in Hinduism, joining a Triad (religious), triad of eminent goddesses either as a feminine version of the Trimurti, or as consorts of a masculine Trimurti, depending on the denomination. This triad is typically Anthropomorphism, personified by the Hindu goddesses Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati. In Shaktism, these triune goddesses are the manifestations of Mula-Prakriti or ''Mahadevi''. Feminine Trimurti In the traditional androcentric (masculine-centered) denominations of Hinduism, the feminine Tridevi goddesses are relegated as consorts and auxiliary deities to the masculine Trimurti gods. In Shaktism, the feminine Tridevi goddesses are given the eminent roles of Mahasaraswati, creator (Mahasaraswati), Mahalaxmi, preserver (Mahalakshmi), and Mahakali, destroyer (Mahakali), with the masculine Trimurti gods being relegated as the auxiliary deities as agents of the feminine Tridevi. Consorts of the Trim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vishnu
Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation (sattva). Vishnu is known as ''The Preserver'' within the Trimurti, the triple deity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Brahma and Shiva.Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism' () (1996), p. 17. In Vaishnavism, Vishnu is the supreme Lord who creates, protects, and transforms the Hindu cosmology, universe. Tridevi is stated to be the energy and creative power (Shakti) of each, with Lakshmi being the equal complementary partner of Vishnu. He is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism. According to Vaishnavism, the supreme being is with qualities (Saguna Brahman, Saguna), and has definite form, but is limitless, transcendent and unchanging absolute Brahman, and the primal Atma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ashta Lakshmi
Ashta Lakshmi (Sanskrit: अष्टलक्ष्मी, IAST: Aṣṭalakṣmī; lit. "Octet of Lakshmi") or Ashtalakshmi, is a group of the eight manifestations of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity. She presides over eight sources of wealth: spirituality, material wealth, agriculture, royalty, knowledge, courage, progeny, and victory.Vasudha Narayanan in: John Stratton Hawley, Donna Marie Wulff p.104 The Ashta Lakshmi are always depicted and worshipped as an octet in temples.Flipside of Hindu Symbolism (Sociological and Scientific Linkages in Hinduism) by M. K. V. Narayan; published 2007 by Fultus Corporation; 200 pages; ; p.93 Iconography Adi Lakshmi Adi Lakshmi (Primeval Lakshmi) is portrayed to be the earliest forms of Lakshmi. Adi Lakshmi is the manifestation who supports a seeker to reach their source, or Atman. She is believed to proffer dhyana, a state of absolute silence, bliss, and peace. This aspect of the goddess is responsible for the furtherance in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sita
Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is the chief goddess of the Ramanandi Sampradaya and is the goddess of beauty and devotion. Sita's birthday is celebrated every year on the occasion of Sita Navami. Described as the daughter of Bhūmi (the earth), Sita is brought up as the adopted daughter of King Janaka of Videha. Sita, in her youth, chooses Rama, the prince of Ayodhya (Ramayana), Ayodhya as her husband in a swayamvara. After the Sita Swayamvara, swayamvara, she accompanies her husband to his kingdom but later chooses to accompany him along with her brother-in-law Lakshmana, in his exile. While in exile, the trio settles in the Dandaka forest from where she is abducted by Ravana, the Rakshasa king of Lanka. She is imprisoned in the garden of Ashoka Vatika, in Lanka, until she ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sacred Lotus In Religious Art
The lotus (), ''Nelumbo nucifera'', is an aquatic plant that plays a central role in the art of Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In Asian art, a lotus throne is a stylized lotus flower used as the seat or base for a figure. It is the normal pedestal for divine figures in Buddhist art and Hindu art and is often seen in Jain art. Originating in Indian art, it followed Indian religions to East Asia in particular. Hinduism Examples of Hindu deities (from top): Vishnu, Ganesha, Shiva, Durga, Kali and Saraswati. Hindus revere it with the divinities Vishnu and Lakshmi often portrayed on a pink lotus in iconography; historically, many deities, namely Brahma, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Kubera, usually sit on a stylized lotus throne. In the representation of Vishnu as Padmanabha (Lotus navel), a lotus issues from his navel with Brahma on it. The goddess Saraswati is portrayed on a white lotus. The lotus is the symbol of what is divine or immortal in humanity, and als ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alakshmi
Alakshmi ( Devanāgari: अलक्ष्मी; from the roots ''अ'' (''a''): "not" and ''लक्ष्मी'' (''Lakshmi''): "goddess of fortune", figurative meaning "goddess of misfortune") meaning "not Lakshmi" or "anti-Lakshmi". She is described as being "cow-repelling, antelope-footed, and bull-toothed."Pattanaik, Devdutt. ''Lakshmi: The Goddess of Wealth and Fortune-An Introduction''. Vakils Feffer & Simons Ltd, 2003 () Or she "has dry shriveled up body, sunken cheeks, thick lips, and beady eyes and that she rides a donkey." Alakshmi is also known as Kalahapriya and Daridara, Jyestha and the shadow opposite of Lakshmi. She is not mentioned by name in the Vedic, Upanishadic or early Puranic literature, but all aspects of Alakshmi match those of the Rig Vedic goddess Nirṛti. She is also said to be the shadow of Lakshmi. In ''Padma Purana'', the cosmology includes her where the Samudra Manthana creates both good and bad of everything that emerges. That which is inaus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephant
Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus''). They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea; extinct relatives include mammoths and mastodons. Distinctive features of elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive grey skin. The trunk is prehensile, bringing food and water to the mouth and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs. Elephants are scatter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
