Sunday, 27 October 2013

WE LOVE HINDUISM -2

A Hindu place of worship is called a mandir or temple. A temple is dedicated to a particular god or goddess (deity). The temple is the god's home on earth.

The most holy part of the temple is an inner shrine called a garbhargriha with a statue to the god or goddess. This inner shrine is under a towering roof called a sikhara. The four corners of the temple then have smaller shrines. The temple is entered through the ardhamandapa or entrance porch. Hindu temples are often decorated with the figures of gods and goddesses. Outside Hindu temples you can often buy gifts or prasad to give the diety honored in the temple.
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Tiruvanamalai

Tiruvanamalai, Tamil Nadu, India

In India there are three major categories of pilgrimage temples dedicated to the god Shiva: Jyotir Lingams; Svayambhu Lingams, and Bhuta Lingams. Located in five south Indian temples, the Bhuta Lingams are said to be places where Shiva manifested himself as the natural elements. The temples and their respective elements are Chidambaram: ether, Sri Kalahasti: wind, Tiruvanaikka/Jambunath: water, Kanchipuram: earth, and Tiruvanamalai: fire. Chidambaram is also associated with the heart, Tiruvanaikka with the stomach, and Tiruvanamalai with the chest.

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Tanah Lot

flickr/Peregrino Will Reign

Situated on a large rock, Tanah Lot is one of the most famous Hindu temples in Bali, and probably the most photographed. The Tanah Lot temple has been a part of Balinese mythology for centuries. The temple is one of 7 sea temples, each within eyesight of the next, to form a chain along the south-western coast of Bali
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Virupaksha Temple

flickr/Marina & Enrique

The Virupaksha Temple in the city of Hampi in India started out as a small shrine and grew into a large complex under the Vijayanagara rulers. It is believed that this temple has been functioning uninterruptedly ever since the small shrine was built in the 7th century AD which makes it one of the oldest functioning Hindu temples in India. The largest entrance tower of the temple is 50 meters high
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Golden Temple of Amritsar

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View of the Golden Temple in India
Photo by: appaji, Creative Commons

The Golden Temple in India, which is often called the “Darbar Sahib” or “Harmandar Sahib,” is one of the oldest places of worship for the Sikhs and is located in Amritsar, Punjab in India. It is considered one of the holiest, blessed and sacrosanct places in India. It is a symbol of both beauty and peace. The temple is surrounded by a small man-made lake which has a lot of fish in it. This lake is said to consist of holy waters. The temple can be entered from four different sides and thus symbolizes openness and acceptance. This concept is based on the tents which would open from all four sides, welcoming travelers from all directions.

Thursday, 17 October 2013

HINDUISM THE WAY OF LIFE - 3

Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple (Tebrau, Malaysia)

The temple was originally started as a small shelter in 1992 on the land presented by Sultan of Johor. The temple was later rebuilt and officially reopened in 1996. Inspired by a glass temple during his trip to Bangkok, Guru Bhagawan Sittar, the chairman and priest of Sri Rajakaliamman temple decided to renovate his temple and use intricate glass work to attract more devotees to the temple. Therefore transformation of the temple completed in 2009 and it became the country’s only glass temple. Light from crystal chandeliers is reflected in every direction in a bright blaze that’s quite blinding initially. The centerpiece in the Athma Lingam sanctuary is a lotus for Lord Shiva.
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AMAZING GAUTAMA BUDDHA


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Angkor wat Temple Cambodia

Posted by: admin Posted date: April 19, 2013 In: Destinations, Temples & Monuments | comment : 1

Angkor Wat temple Located in Cambodia also this temple called as Place of worship in Cambodia.Khmer King Suryavarman Was constructed this temple on 1125. Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu temple in world.

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Swaminarayan Mandir : New Hindu Temple in Toronto @ Canada

A Hindu temple, Swaminarayan Mandir, located near Highway 427 and Finch Avenue West, Toronto, Canada is opened officially on July 22, 2007.
$40-million project involving more than 2,000 Indian craftsmen and about 400 volunteers from Toronto’s Hindu community worked on its construction for more than a year. It was constructed by 24,000 hand-carved pieces of Turkish limestone and Italian Carrara marble that were shipped across the ocean and assembled in Toronto
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Monday, 7 October 2013

piece + love + HINDUISM

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meaning of name: Hinduism, from the Persian hindu (Sanskrit sindhu), literally "river." Means "of the Indus Valley" or simply "Indian." Hindus call their religion sanatama dharma,"eternal religion" or "eternal truth."
date founded: Earliest forms date to 1500 BC or earlier
place founded: India
founder: none
adherents: 900 million
size rank: third largest in the world
main location: India, also United Kingdom and United States
major sects: Saivism, Vaisnavism, Saktism
sacred texts: Vedas, Upanishads, Sutras, Bhagavad Gita
original language: Sanskrit
spiritual leader: guru or sage
place of worship: temple or home shrine
theism: pantheism with polytheistic elements (see Is Hinduism Polytheistic?)
ultimate reality: Brahman
human nature: in bondage to ignorance and illusion, but able to escape
purpose of life: to attain liberation (moksa) from the cycle of reincarnation
how to live: order life according to the dharma
afterlife: if karma unresolved, soul is born into a new body; if karma resolved, attain moksa (liberation)
major holidays: Mahashivarati (mid-February)
Holi (Spring)
Ramnavami (late March)
Dusserah (early November)
Diwali (mid-November

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Why are there so many Hindu Gods?

Hindus actually only believe in one God, Brahman, the eternal origin who is the cause and foundation of all existence. The gods of the Hindu faith represent different forms of Brahman. These gods are sent to help people find the universal God (Brahman).

Most Hindus have a personal god or godess such as Shiva, Krishna or Lakshmi to whom they pray regularly.

The three most important Hindu gods (forms of Brahman) are:


Brahma - known as the Creator. (Description)	Vishnu - Known as the Preserver (Description)	Shiva (Siva)- known as the Destroyer. (Description)

Other Hindu gods include:

Saraswathi - Goddess of Wisdom - Wife of Lord Brahma. (Description)
Saraswathi is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music and all the creative arts.
Lakshmi - Goddess of Wealth - Wife of Lord Vishnu. (Description)
Lakshmi is the goddess of light, beauty, good fortune and wealth.
Parvati - regarded as a representation of Shakti. Parvati is the wife of Lord Shiva and the Godess of household and motherhood.
(Shakti is by literal definition sacred force, power, or energy. Shakti is the personnification of Brahman as feminine)

Ganesha - Son of Shiva and Parvati. (Description)
The Hindu god in a human form but with the head of an elephant.(pictured right)

Pictures and descriptions of Hindu Gods

Images of Hindu Gods (updated link)

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The River Ganga

In Hindu culture, there are many famous rivers that we hold dear because of their spiritual significance. Ganga is one of them. Let's take a closer look at where this great river starts from.

It all begins at the Gangotri Glacier, a huge area of ice (five by fifteen miles), at the foothills of the Himalayas (13,000 ft) in northern Uttar Pradesh. This glacier is the source of the river Bhagirathi, which joins with the river Alaknanda to form the might river Ganga at the rocky canyon-carved town of Devprayag.

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Sacred Jewels of Yoga

Hindu Wisdom

Read wisdom from India's beloved Scriptures, teachers, masters, and monks.

Taming the Mind and Senses: The Yoga

The Bhagavad Gita: A Walk Through for Westerners

Inspired by The Bhagavad Gita, author Jack Hawley lends his interpretation to the ancient texts. Read the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna and learn how how to control your thoughts.

Based on the book The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners © 2011 by Jack Hawley. Printed with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA.
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