A tradition stretching back millenia, Parsi funeral rite involves exposing the dead body to decomposition via the elements and carrion birds that feed on the flesh of the dead. This is also called “sky burial” practiced some other cultures also, like Tibetans. The dakhma or the tower of silence where the sky burial happens is normally a circular structure with three concentric rings on the roof and a central ossuary pit in the middle. The dakhma is normally made among verdant surroundings and there are precise instructions on how to construct it.

The Tower of Silence in Mumbai is situated in a 54 acre forest in Malabar Hills called Doongerwadi. It was made 300 years ago. The decreasing vulture population in Mumbai is causing trouble in maintaining this tradition. The only other place where it was practiced, Iran banned the tradition in the last century.

Source: “Tower of Silence: The Vanishing Practice of Zoroastrian Sky Burial”, parsikhabar.net.

The image shows Mumbai’s Tower of Silence sourced from https://zoroastrians.net/category/doongerwadi-process/

Guru Nanak travelled all over India and outside India covering Assam, Sri Lanka, Tibet and Mecca.

During his second Udasi or Missionary tour of South India, he travelled to Nanded, Hyderabad, Golconda and Bidar. In Bidar he met Pir Jalaluddin and Yakoob Ali. The Guru accompanied by his disciple Mardana stayed in the outskirts of Bidar where the Nanak Jhira Gurudwara is now located.

The people in the region came to visit him in large numbers. The region suffered from acute water scarcity and Guru Nanak is believed to have touched the hillside with his toe and had removed some rubble which revealed the source of a spring water. The place is now called Nanak Jhira.

Eventually Bidar would also find an important place in Sikh history. One of the Panj Piaras anointed by Guru Gobind Singh would hail from Bidar.

Source: Sikh Shrines in India, G.S.Randhir

Picture Credit: Baljinder Kang Wikimedia Commons

Parvati was amused by Shivji worshipping Rama. She taunted him saying that Rama is just a mortal and he himself is running around the forest trying to find his wife. She quizzed why Shivji should be worshipping the nomad. Shivji replied stating that Rama is not a mere mortal and that he is Vishnu himself in human form. Parvati wanted to prove Shiva wrong and appeared before Rama in the form of Sita to taunt him. Rama understood that it was Parvati and asked her beseechingly why she is tormenting him. This is why she is called Yedai, which means mad mother.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.

Picture Credit
www.facebook.comShreeYedeshwariDeviYermala

Elephanta is among the top attractions for Mumbai tourists. It is a Pashupata Shaivite cave temple. Pashupata Shaivism is considered as one of the earliest sects of Shaivism. It is believed to have been founded by Lakulisha who was born near Baroda in 1st Century CE. Inscriptions near Kandivili indicate the spread of Pashupata Shaivism in the present Mumbai region by 2nd Century CE.

The Kalachuri dynasty that came to power in the 6th century CE were followers of Pashupata Shaivism. They sponsored the construction of several temples and monasteries during their period. Elephanta is the grandest among them.

The Sadashiva (popularly and incorrectly called as Trimurti) is the most well known deity of Elephanta. The caves of Elephanta also contain several sculptures of the manifestations of Shiva. Gajasamhara, Ardhanariswara and Gangadhara are among them. The sculpltures capture all five principles of the Pashupata Shaivism, i.e Guru, Initiation, Illusion, Shivashakti and Sadashiva.

Source: Mumbai Beyond Bombay, Suraj Pandit.

Picture Credit: ASI

Raghuji Bhonsle of Nagpur raided Bengal. The Nawab of Bengal sought the help of Mughal emperors who had in turn been promised support by Marathas. Nanasaheb Peshwa obtained an indemnity from the Nawab and attacked Raghuji. As a settlement Bengal and Orissa were placed under Raghuji’s influence. Though Marathas are blamed for their excesses in Bengal, the stand in no comparison to the massacres of civilians by Abdali or by British at Jhansi.

The Maratha ditch was dug as a protection against Maratha raids. It is covered up now and forms the outer circular road.

Picture Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Ratha Yatra of Puri is the Yatra of the deities themselves. It is celebrated in June-July. During the festival, the three deities (Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra) are pulled in three massive, wooden chariots to Gundicha Temple whereby they reside there for a week and then return to the Jagnannath temple. The grandeur of the festival impressed the British so much that they coined the term juggernaut, an anglicized form of Jagannath. It refers to an overwhelmingly powerful and unstoppable force. Rev Claudius Buchanan was the first to popularize the word in the early 1800s, though as a missionary he described the yatra as a violent and bloody cult.

Source: Word Origins and their Romantic Stories. Wilfred Funk.

blog.oup.com

Picture Credit: Srijat Mishra, Rath Yatra 2023

Vishu, the new year, is an important festival for Malayalis and is second only to Onam in importance. It falls on either April 14th or 15th of each year. “Vishukani,” means the “first thing seen” on the morning of Vishu.

For this ritual, people arrange articles such as clean white cloth, jackfruit, raw rice, fresh vegetables and fruits, coconut with betel leaves, arecanut, the sacred Konna Poo (the bright yellow Cassia fistula variety of flowers), sacred texts, mirror, gold, silver, coins and money. These are kept in front of an image of Krishna and alongside a nilavilakku (lighted lamp). This Vishukani is prepared the previous night, just before going to bed. Kanikanal is the seeing of Vishukani first thing in the morning. The elder women lead children blindfolded to the Vishukani.

Source: The Encyclopedia of New Year’s Holidays Worldwide, William Crump.
The Hindu New Year – Flavors of Celebration, www.dollsofindia.com

Picture Credit: Aroon Kalandy, Flickr.

The word “Ayutham”  literally means weapons, refers here to “tools of trade.” It has a great significance for factory workers, mechanics and for anyone who works with tools. People clean up the tools and machines and apply turmeric and kumkum. It is common to see all cars and motorcycles also cleaned and garlanded. All mechanical, electrical and hand tools are worshipped as they are a source of living.

People in South India also worship books, musical instruments & stationery  observing the day as Saraswati Puja.

In Karnataka this is also associated with the day in which Pandavas reclaimed their weapons which they had hidden in a tree before proceeding for their exile. This is another example of integration of Shakti tradition with a great epic, Mahabaratha.

The picture is of a hospital operation theatre being worshipped during Ayudha Pooja.

Source: Various Sources

Picture Credit: Dr Anil Bhat Twitter

Daksha was the Son of Brahma. His daughter Sati was married to Shiva, Rudra. Daksha was performing a great yagna lasting many many years. Daksha felt offended as Rudra did not pay respects to him during the yagna. Since then Rudra and Daksha were not in good terms. Daksha continued the Yagna. As the Yagna was nearing culmination, several Devas were headed there. Sati heard about this and wished to go to her father’s house. She told Rudra that the rightful place for a daughter then is to be at her father’s place. Rudra advised her against going citing that Daksha would not respect her. Sati did not pay heed and went to the Yagna without Rudra.

As predicted by Rudra, she was humiliated at the Yagna. Unable to bear this, she gave up her life in the Yagna. Rudra became ferocious on hearing this news. He took the form of Veerabhadra. His head touched the skies. His three eyes resembled three suns. He wore a garland of skulls. He reduced the place of Yagna to ashes. He then beheaded Daksha.

He picked up the body of Sati and started Tandava, the dance of destruction. Frightened by the Tandava the Devas pleaded to Vishnu to stop the destruction. Vishnu cut off the body of Sati into several parts with his Sudarshana Chakra so that Rudra would eventually stop the Tandava. The body parts of Sati fell into 51 sacred tirthas all over India which are called Shakti Peeths.

The site of Yagna is in Kankhal close to Haridwar in Uttarakhand. The picture is of the Daksheshwara temple in Kankhal.

Picture Credit: SR Ramanujam

Arthur C Clarke, while diving off the coast of Trinconamalee found artefacts from the original Shiva temple of the Chola period. He also found remnants of an underwater temple. The Shiva Lingam is now consecrated and worshipped in the Koneswarama temple.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.

Picture Credit

The Khandoba temple in Jejuri near Pune celebrates the Bhandara festival. Officially it is the Somavati Amavasya festival, the new moon that coincides with a Monday. It doesn’t have a fixed date in any calendar and can happen twice or thrice in a year. Khandoba, a manifestation of Shiva, is the deity in Jejuri. On the day of the Bhandara celebration, Khandoba and his consort Mhalsa are taken to the river for a bath and then brought back in a procession. Immense quantities of turmeric mixed with coconut powder are thrown all around, turning everything yellow. The festival is a daylong affair.

Jejuri is also believed to be the location where Shivaji met his father, Shahaji, after a decade during which his father was busy with southern exploits.

Turmeric is also the medium of celebration of Holi in Kerala by Konkani migrants. The festival, which is otherwise not celebrated by natives of Kerala, is called ManjalKuli.

Source: Temples and Legends of Maharastra, M.S Mate

Picture Credit: Zee News

Chakia Purva is a village where Rama camped on his first night outside Ayodhya in exile. The villagers of Ayodhya were determined to follow him. Before Sunrise Rama left quietly leaving false tracks in a different direction. That is why the place is called Chakia, referring to chakia diya, i.e he misguided them. The village is to the east (Purva) of the campsite.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.

Picture Credit

Hemkund is a special Gurudwara. This is the place where Guru Gobind Singh is supposed to have medidated in his earlier life. In his own words he says “I was busy performing penance on the hills of Hemkunt where seven peaks are prominent. The place is called Sapt Shring where King Pandu had performed Yoga.” The location was identified only in 1930s.

Hemkund is in the Garhwal Himalayas and adjoins the Valley of Flowers which is a very popular hiking and nature destination. Hemkund is accessible only by a steep hiking trail. The roadhead from Haridwar to Badrinath branches off towards the Hemkund hiking trail after Joshimath.

Source: Sikh Shrines in India, G.S.Randhir

Picture Credit: Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara Facebook

Zia-ul-Haq was an army general and martial law president of Pakistan. He died in a plane crash in 1988, at the height of his power. Several of his senior colleagues and the US Ambassador to Pakistan also died with him. A box of mangoes had been gifted to him just before the flight. Popular belief is that a bomb was hidden among the mangoes. There is no official admission that he was assassinated, leave alone the role of mangoes.

Picture Credit: AI generated image of an exploding mango, GenCraft

Ardhanariswara represents the blending of force and grace that contributes to the creation of life. They are complementary and not contradictory.

Once the sage Bhringi was very devoted to worshipping Shiva. He was so devoted that he refused to worship Shakti. Shiva wanted to correct his views and show that both him and Shakti are one only. Shiva shared his body with Shakti. The sage now realized that Shiva and Shakti are one only.

This beautiful bronze deity is in Chennai Egmore museum.

Source: “Manifestations of Shiva,” K. Venkatachari

Picture Credit: K Venkatachari
SR Ramanujam