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Onam
Onam () is an annual harvest and Hindus, Hindu cultural festival celebrated mostly by the people of Kerala. A major annual event for Malayalis, Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events. Hindu mythology Onam commemorates the return of the generous daitya king Mahabali after he was banished to the netherworld by Vamana (the fifth avatar of Hindu deity Vishnu). According to the Hindu mythology, Hindu legends, after Indra (the king of the Deva (Hinduism), devas) is defeated by Mahabali (the king of the asuras), the devas ultimately seek refuge in Vishnu, who agrees to restore Indra to power. To do so, Vishnu incarnates as a dwarf priest called Vamana. Mahabali (himself a devotee of Vishnu) conducts Yajna, ritual prayers, one of which is attended by Vamana, who requests only three feet (steps) of land to build a Vedi (altar), fire-altar. Mahabali agrees, despite being told about Vamana's divine nature by the sage Shukra. Vamana ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sadya
Sadya (), also spelt as sadhya, is a meal of Kerala origin and of importance to all Malayalis, consisting of a variety of traditional vegetarian dishes usually served on a banana leaf as lunch. Sadya is typically served as a traditional feast for Onam and Vishu, along with other special occasions such as birthdays, weddings and temple festivals. Etymology The Malayalam word ''sadya'' () derives from Sanskrit ''ságdhi-'' (), referring to a communal feast. Overview A typical sadya can have about 24–28 dishes served as a single course.In some cases, where it is much larger, it can include over 64 items, such as the sadya for Aranmula Vallamkali ( Valla-sadya). During a traditional sadya meal, people are seated cross-legged on mats. Food is eaten with the right hand, without cutlery. The fingers are cupped to form a ladle. The main dish is plain boiled rice, served along with other curries/''koottaan'' () which include parippu, sambar, rasam, and others like , , , , , , ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Puli Kali
Puli kali (Meaning: Tiger Dance) is a recreational folk art from the state of Kerala, India. It is performed by trained artists to entertain people on the occasion of Onam, an annual harvest festival, celebrated mainly in the Indian state of Kerala. On the fourth day of Onam celebrations (Naalaam Onam or chathayam), performers painted like tigers and leopards in bright yellow, red, and black shake their bellies and dance to the beats of instruments like Chenda and Chengila. The literal meaning of Pulikkali is 'The tiger dance' hence the performance revolves around the theme of tiger hunting. Folk art is mainly practiced in the Thrissur district of Kerala. The best place to watch the show is at Thrissur on the fourth day of Onam, where Pulikkali troupes from all over the district assemble to display their skills. The festival attracts thousands of people to the Thrissur city. Pulikkali is also performed during various other festive seasons. History The origin of Pulikkali ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Kingdom of Cochin, Cochin, Malabar District, Malabar, South Canara, and Travancore. Spread over , Kerala is the 14th List of states and union territories of India by area, smallest Indian state by area. It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Laccadive Sea, Lakshadweep Sea to the west. With 33 million inhabitants as per the 2011 Census of India, 2011 census, Kerala is the List of states of India by population, 13th-largest Indian state by population. It is divided into 14 List of districts of Kerala, districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state. The Chera dynasty was the f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balipratipada
Balipratipada ('), also called as ''Bali-Padyami'', ''Padva'', ''Virapratipada'' or ''Dyutapratipada'', is the fourth day of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. It is celebrated in honour of the notional return of the daitya-king Bali (Mahabali) to earth. Balipratipada falls in the Gregorian calendar months of October or November. It is the first (or 16th) day of the Hindu month of Kartika and is the first day of its bright lunar fortnight. In many parts of India such as Gujarat and Rajasthan, it is the regional traditional New Year Day in Vikram Samvat and also called the Bestu Varas or ''Varsha Pratipada''. This is the half amongst the three and a half Muhūrtas in a year. Balipratipada is an ancient festival. The earliest mention of Bali's story being acted out in dramas and poetry of ancient India is found in the c. 2nd-century BCE ''Mahābhāṣya'' of Patanjali on Panini's ''Astadhyayi'' 3.1.26. The festival has links to the Vedic era sura-asura Samudra Manthana tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahabali
Mahabali (IAST: Mahābalī), also known as Bali, Indrasenan, or Māveli, is a daitya king featured in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Prahlada, and a descendant of the sage Kashyapa. There are many versions of his legend in ancient texts such as the '' Shatapatha Brahmana'', ''Ramayana'', ''Mahabharata'', and several ''Puranas''. According to Hindu literature, he was blessed to be one of the Chiranjivi, a group of seven immortals, by the Vamana avatar of Vishnu and reigns in the Sutaloka. It is believed that Mahabali will become the King of Svarga (heaven) in the next '' yuga''. In Kerala, Mahabali is considered to be the noblest and most prosperous ruler, who transformed his kingdom into a heavenly place. His legend is a major part of the annual festival Onam in the state of Kerala, and it is celebrated in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh as Balipratipada, Balipādyami, or Bali pādva (the third day of Deepavali and first day of Kartika ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vamana
Vamana (, ) also known as Trivikrama (), Urukrama (), Upendra (), Dadhivamana (, ), and Balibandhana (), is an Dashavatara, avatar of the Hinduism, Hindu deity Vishnu. He is the fifth avatar of Vishnu and the first Dashavatara in the Treta Yuga, after Narasimha. First mentioned in the Vedas, Vamana is most commonly associated in the Hindu epics and Puranas with the story of taking back the three worlds (collectively referred to as the Trailokya) from the daitya-king Mahabali by taking three steps to restore the cosmic order and push Mahabali into the netherworld. He is the youngest among the adityas, the sons of Aditi and the sage Kashyapa. Nomenclature and etymology 'Vāmana' (Sanskrit वामन) means 'dwarf', 'small' or 'small or short in stature'. It also means 'dwarfish bull', which is notable as Vishnu is directly associated with dwarfish animals (including bulls) in the Vedas (see below). Stated in Puranic literature to be born of the great sage Kashyapa and his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rangoli
Rangoli is an art form that originates from the Indian subcontinent, in which patterns are created on the floor or a tabletop using materials such as powdered limestone, red ochre, dry rice flour, coloured sand, quartz powder, Petal, flower petals, and coloured rocks. It is an everyday practice in many Hindu households; however, making it is mostly reserved for festivals and other important celebrations as it is time-consuming. Rangolis are usually made during Diwali or Tihar (festival), Tihar, Onam, Pongal (festival), Pongal, Ugadi and other List of Hindu festivals, Hindu festivals in the Indian subcontinent, and are most often made during Diwali. Designs are passed from one generation to the next, keeping both the art form and the tradition alive. Rangoli have different names based on the state and culture. Rangoli hold a significant role in the everyday life of a Hindu household especially historically when the flooring of houses were untiled. They are usually made outside ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malayalis
The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian languages, Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. They form the majority of the population in Kerala and Lakshadweep. They are predominantly native speakers of the Malayalam language, one of the eleven classical languages of India. The state of Kerala was created in 1956 through the States Reorganisation Act. Prior to that, since the 1800s existed the Kingdom of Cochin, Kingdom of Travancore, the Travancore, Kingdom of Cochin, Malabar District, and South Canara of the British India. The Malabar District was annexed by the British through the Third Anglo-Mysore War, Third Mysore War (1790–92) from Tipu Sultan. Before that, the Malabar District was under various kingdoms including the Zamorin of Calicut, Zamorins of Calicut, Kingdom of Tanur, Arak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vallamkali
Vallam kali ('' vaḷḷaṃ kaḷi'', literally: boat game), also known as snake boat race, is a traditional boat race in Kerala, India. It is a form of canoe racing and uses paddled war canoes. It is mainly conducted in spring during the season of the harvest festival Onam. Vallam kali includes races of many kinds of paddled longboats and 'snake boats'. Each team spends about lakhs for the Nehru Trophy Boat Race. The race of chundan vallam ('snake boat', about long with 64 or 128 paddlers aboard) is the major event and a major tourist attraction. Other types of boats which do participate in various events in the race are ''Churulan Vallam'', ''Iruttukuthy Vallam'', ''Odi Vallam'', ''Veppu Vallam'', ''Vadakkanody Vallam,'' and ''Kochu Vallam''. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is a popular vallam kali event held in the Punnamada Lake near Alappuzha, Kerala, India. To aggrandise this sport and showcase Kerala's backwaters to the world, the Government of Kerala initiate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malayalam Calendar
The Malayalam Calendar, or the Kollam Era (), is a sidereal solar calendar used in Kerala. The origin of the calendar has been dated to 825 CE, commemorating the establishment of Kollam. There are many theories regarding the origin of the era, but according to recent scholarship, it commemorated the foundation of Kollam by Maruwan Sapir Iso, who was the leader of Persian Christian Settlers and trading guilds like Anjuvannam following the liberation of the Kingdom of Venad from the Chola rule by or with the assistance of the Chera emperor at Kodungallur. The Quilon Syrian copper plates were grants and privileges given to the trading guilds involved in the establishment of Kollam by Sthanu Ravi Varma. Kollam was the capital of Venadu and an important port town of the Chera Kingdom in that period. Kollam Aandu was adapted in the entire Chera Kingdom (the contemporary states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala), the majority of which is now in Kerala. In Malayalam-sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thiruvathira
Thiruvathira (also known as Thiruvathirai or Arudhra Darisanam) is a Hindu festival predominantly observed in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The term ''Thiruvathirai'' (Arudhra) in Tamil translates to "sacred grand wave," symbolizing the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva. In Tamil Nadu, the festival holds special significance at the Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram, where the annual Arudhra Darshanam is celebrated with grandeur. This event commemorates the celestial dance of Lord Nataraja, an embodiment of Shiva. In Kerala, the festival is observed during the Malayalam month of Makaram (January–February) under the Thiruvathira asterism (star). A notable celebration occurs at the Mathira Peedika Devi Temple in Kadakkal, Kollam district, administered by the Thiruvithamcore Devaswom Board. Devotees gather here to honour Lord Shiva through rituals, fasting, and traditional performances like '' Thiruvathira Kali'' (a circular dance). Arudra Darshan in Chidambaram (Thi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shravana
Shravana (Devanagari: श्रवण), also known as Thiruvonam in Tamil and Malayalam (Tamil: திருவோணம், Malayalam: തിരുവോണം), is the 22nd ''nakshatra'' or ''lunar mansion'' as used in Hindu astronomy, Hindu calendar and Hindu astrology. It belongs to the constellation Makara (Devanagari: मकर), a legendary sea creature resembling a crocodile] or Capricorn (astrology), Capricorn. The name alludes to Shravan, a mythological character who attained repute due to his utmost devotion to his aged and blind parents. Lord Venkateswara of Tirupati and Lord Oppiliappan near Kumbakonam, who married Markandeya Rishi's daughter Bhuvalli, are believed to be born in this Nakshatra in the Bhadrapada maasa. Onam, the biggest festival of Kerala, is celebrated on this Nakshathra in the Malayalam month of Chingam. Traditional Hindu given names are determined by which pada (quarter) of a nakshatra the Ascendant/ Lagna was in at the time of birth. In the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
