Ganga Dusshera is a holy festival celebrated on the tenth day of the month of Jayeshta. The festival is devoted to the worship of holy river Ganga.
It is believed that the ‘Gangavataran’ (the descent of the Ganga) took place at this time. On this day, places such as Varanasi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Garhmukteswar, Prayag etc. hold special significance.
A huge number of devotees flock to numerous ghats located on the west bank of the river Ganga to bathe in water and carry the river clay home to venerate. A bath in the Ganga is believed to purify the soul and clean it of 10 sins. In Varanasi the special aarti sounds bounce across the city, and in Haridwar aartis and meditation are also performed by a large number of devotees on the river banks.
Ganga water is stored in sealed pots in homes and is used on sacred days.
Showing posts with label ritual. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ritual. Show all posts
Monday, June 13, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Easter cake - synonym of lingam?
Easter cakes - they look kind of Indian, don't you think?
Not only the shape, but the way of decoration looks very similar to Indian lingams, no?
Not only the shape, but the way of decoration looks very similar to Indian lingams, no?
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Dust storm and 1 000 baloons explosion hit Varanasi
Severe dust storm and 1 000 baloons explosion strike Varanasi as dropping temperatures by 3 degrees brings respite from scorching heat.
Times of India report, that the dust storm accompanied by light showers disrupted the power supply in many parts of city. The southern parts were worst affected as snapping of electric cables was reported in these areas. Reports of uprooting of trees and snapping of tree branches creating traffic congestion came in, even from the neighbouring districts.
Utter chaos prevailed at Azad Park in Lahurabir area when fire broke out after over 1,000 balloons exploded simultaneously on Monday afternoon.
Просмотреть увеличенную карту
To take part in the Bharatiya Janata Party's rally, one Sunita Singh along with her supporters carried out a procession from Nati Imali area. The participants were carrying 1,000 balloons. While passing through Lahurabir, they entered Azad Park to garland the statue of Chandrashekhar Azad.
In the meantime, the balloons exploded simultaneously, after which the hydrogen gas spread there. People clothes caught fire in the incident and many panicked, alleging that the bomb went off.
But when police reached the incident site, it became clear that the incident took place due to simultaneous explosion of balloons. The injured were rushed to the nearby hospital.
Times of India report, that the dust storm accompanied by light showers disrupted the power supply in many parts of city. The southern parts were worst affected as snapping of electric cables was reported in these areas. Reports of uprooting of trees and snapping of tree branches creating traffic congestion came in, even from the neighbouring districts.
Utter chaos prevailed at Azad Park in Lahurabir area when fire broke out after over 1,000 balloons exploded simultaneously on Monday afternoon.
Просмотреть увеличенную карту
To take part in the Bharatiya Janata Party's rally, one Sunita Singh along with her supporters carried out a procession from Nati Imali area. The participants were carrying 1,000 balloons. While passing through Lahurabir, they entered Azad Park to garland the statue of Chandrashekhar Azad.
In the meantime, the balloons exploded simultaneously, after which the hydrogen gas spread there. People clothes caught fire in the incident and many panicked, alleging that the bomb went off.
But when police reached the incident site, it became clear that the incident took place due to simultaneous explosion of balloons. The injured were rushed to the nearby hospital.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Cutting noise in Varanasi
Fighting the scourge of noise pollution for a long time, a local organisation - the Satya Foundation, asked the Varanasi authorities to fight the noise pollution in the city.
The website thenews24x7 says, that the Varanasi authorities assured of strict action against people making noise. Especially were mentioned 1) late night parties (are there any in Varanasi?), 2) wedding ceremonies and 3) religious programmes (are they going to cut down on the religious ceremonies?). The authorities have plans to form flying squads that would nab the noise offenders after 10 pm.
I wonder, if those flying squads would produce even more noise )
The demand from the Satya Foundation also included
- compulsory installation of noise pollution display boards at all the marriage lawns and public places through the respective police stations,
- immediate police intervention on the complaint of noise pollution,
- strict legal action under Amended Noise Pollution Rules-2010 against the offenders,
- availability of sound level decibel meters and drive against those using pressure horn and hooter.
The website thenews24x7 says, that the Varanasi authorities assured of strict action against people making noise. Especially were mentioned 1) late night parties (are there any in Varanasi?), 2) wedding ceremonies and 3) religious programmes (are they going to cut down on the religious ceremonies?). The authorities have plans to form flying squads that would nab the noise offenders after 10 pm.
I wonder, if those flying squads would produce even more noise )
The demand from the Satya Foundation also included
- compulsory installation of noise pollution display boards at all the marriage lawns and public places through the respective police stations,
- immediate police intervention on the complaint of noise pollution,
- strict legal action under Amended Noise Pollution Rules-2010 against the offenders,
- availability of sound level decibel meters and drive against those using pressure horn and hooter.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Pinda death ritual
Maybe you have heard about one very interesting ritual with rice balls - pindas, performed after death in India. Since this ceremony is easy to spot on Varanasi ghats, we have decided to take a close look on it.
We called our friend brahmin in Varanasi, and here is what he said.
The pinda, though very small and seemingly unsophisticated, plays a significant role in death rituals, assisting the soul of the dead person to avoid some serious problems.
After the cremation, when the soul have left the body through the hole in the skull, the rice balls are offered to the soul during 12 days. A new ball each day. Why 12? Because it takes exactly this amount of time for the soul to reach the world of ancestors - the mysterious Pitriloka.
On the way to Pitrilka the soul may encounter some grave troubles. Like it can get stuck between Heaven and Earth, turning into a ghost or into an ever-hunger spirit. But the pinda rituals actually help the soul to proceed smoothly on its way.
The balls symbolize a transferring body and offer a temporary asylum for the soul. The thing is, after death, the soul gets quite confused - what to do and where to go. And since there is no body anymore, it needs some anchor. And this is what the pindas are made for.
There's also a theory, that the soul actually feeds on those balls, but that is not very clear. The balls are composed of rice flour, and sometimes sesame and barley flour. What exactly meaning is assigned to those ingredients, our friend brahmin couldn't tell us on the spot, but promised to ask his grandfather, a 90 year old ayurveda professor. We'll keep you updated on this. Probably, the soul somehow likes the sesame.
On with the ritual. On the 10th day there's a special ceremony for the balls. The pinda is left on the ground for the crows. Crows are considered as a symbol of Yama - the lord of death in Hinduism. The crows are very greedy, and yet very clever. A lot of things could be discovered watching their behaivour. So sometimes the crows would not come near the pinda, as if something or someone scares them away.
This means that the soul tries to get the attention of the relatives. It hovers above the rice ball and keeps the crows at a distance - this is the only way the soul can send a message to the relatives.
Apparently, the soul is in pain because of vasana - a fundamental desire, which it failed to fulfill during lifetime. And if the relatives are ready to help, they should approach the pinda and say "Should you have any unsatisfied desire, come to my dream or let me know about it in some other way". And then the deceased person will try to establish a contact.
On the 12th day the soul finds itself in Pitrlioka, and its future is defined by its karma. The soul can attain - reunite with the God, or get a new life on Earth.
Later on the pinda ritual is done after in a year. The name of the deceased is muttered over the rice balls and the family dips into Ganges rivers. If the first ritual was performed in some sacred city, like Varanasi, there is no need to perfom it for the second time.
We called our friend brahmin in Varanasi, and here is what he said.
The pinda, though very small and seemingly unsophisticated, plays a significant role in death rituals, assisting the soul of the dead person to avoid some serious problems.
After the cremation, when the soul have left the body through the hole in the skull, the rice balls are offered to the soul during 12 days. A new ball each day. Why 12? Because it takes exactly this amount of time for the soul to reach the world of ancestors - the mysterious Pitriloka.
On the way to Pitrilka the soul may encounter some grave troubles. Like it can get stuck between Heaven and Earth, turning into a ghost or into an ever-hunger spirit. But the pinda rituals actually help the soul to proceed smoothly on its way.
The balls symbolize a transferring body and offer a temporary asylum for the soul. The thing is, after death, the soul gets quite confused - what to do and where to go. And since there is no body anymore, it needs some anchor. And this is what the pindas are made for.
There's also a theory, that the soul actually feeds on those balls, but that is not very clear. The balls are composed of rice flour, and sometimes sesame and barley flour. What exactly meaning is assigned to those ingredients, our friend brahmin couldn't tell us on the spot, but promised to ask his grandfather, a 90 year old ayurveda professor. We'll keep you updated on this. Probably, the soul somehow likes the sesame.
On with the ritual. On the 10th day there's a special ceremony for the balls. The pinda is left on the ground for the crows. Crows are considered as a symbol of Yama - the lord of death in Hinduism. The crows are very greedy, and yet very clever. A lot of things could be discovered watching their behaivour. So sometimes the crows would not come near the pinda, as if something or someone scares them away.
This means that the soul tries to get the attention of the relatives. It hovers above the rice ball and keeps the crows at a distance - this is the only way the soul can send a message to the relatives.
Apparently, the soul is in pain because of vasana - a fundamental desire, which it failed to fulfill during lifetime. And if the relatives are ready to help, they should approach the pinda and say "Should you have any unsatisfied desire, come to my dream or let me know about it in some other way". And then the deceased person will try to establish a contact.
On the 12th day the soul finds itself in Pitrlioka, and its future is defined by its karma. The soul can attain - reunite with the God, or get a new life on Earth.
Later on the pinda ritual is done after in a year. The name of the deceased is muttered over the rice balls and the family dips into Ganges rivers. If the first ritual was performed in some sacred city, like Varanasi, there is no need to perfom it for the second time.
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