Geography
-
Song and Dance For a Thai God
When you go to Bangkok, in the Sukhumvit area, you find a temple dedicated to a god called Erawan. The deity has four heads, eight hands, and he is associated with Brahma.
-
Kashi Brahmins and the Maratha King
There are many complex stories of why and how Brahmins challenged the caste status of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
-
Cheraman Juma Masjid, the Temple-like Mosque of Kerala
Mosques were built by sailors during the lifetime of the Prophet, since the 7th century, along the coasts of India. The most famous of these is the Cheraman Juma Masjid in Kerala’s Thrissur district, widely believed to be the oldest…
-
Maritime Culture of Jambu-Dvipa
India’s long coastline experiences monsoon winds that create a highway over the seas, connecting the Middle East (Shveta-dvipa, white island) to Southeast Asia (Suvarna-dvipa, golden island) via India (Jambu-dvipa, land of Indian black plum).
-
The Mysterious Temple Texts Called Agama
Agamas are essentially manuals that were produced to manage temples. It is mainly, though not exclusively, a South Indian phenomenon, where there were vast temple complexes controlled by the Brahmins.
-
Land of the Gods in Uttarakhand
When we speak of the northernmost point of sacred India, we refer not to Kashmir but to Uttarakhand, source of the major sacred rivers of India: Ganga and Yamuna.
-
Three Aryan Invasions
When people speak of the Aryan invasion, it is important to clarify which Aryan invasion they are talking about. Believe it or not, there are actually THREE.
-
Magnificent Epics of Regional Guardian Gods
India is replete with regional epics that are often overlooked as they are composed in a local language and deal with local issues.
-
The Greek Hero
Greek stories are full of defiance, and achievement, not about obligation, obedience, and charity.
-
The Lion Goddess and the River God
Nourished by the river Nile, Egyptian culture began with many settlements on its banks and in the delta, each its own god and chieftain.
-
The Politics of Ghosts
The spirits of the dead people were considered to be powerful, and these spirits are channelized during special ceremonies by special groups of people who are associated with singing, dancing, playing drums and going into trance.
-
The Cattle Army of Kotrabaina
You have probably never heard this saga as you do not belong to the Gaur community of cattle-herders in Western Odisha.
-
Hinduism Across Telugu Lands
Telugu emerged from the larger Proto-Dravidian language over 2000 years ago, but was formalised only during the reign of the Kakatiyas about 1000 years ago, who carved out a Telugu speaking kingdom from the erstwhile Chalukyan empire.
