Skip to main content

Featured Post

Book Review: On Philosophising, Philosophers, Philosophy and New Vistas in Applied Philosophy, by Dr. Sharmila Jayant Virkar

A little bit of context before you begin reading this book review. I have recently enrolled for an MA in Philosophy at the University of Mumbai. Philosophy is something I have been getting interested in, over the past few years, as those of you who have been reading my blogs and Instagram posts would know. During the pandemic, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do next, and this is what I eventually came up with. It has been a challenge, getting back into academics as a student at this age, especially in a subject I have no academic background in. However, it has also been very exciting, especially thanks to my wonderful classmates (who, surprisingly, are of all age-groups, including some quite near my own) and my teachers, who have been very supportive and understanding. How well I will do is something that remains to be seen, but so far, I am enjoying this new journey and look forward to where it leads. Now that you know the background , you probably get an idea of how

A Date with the Goddess - Navaratri begins!

Navaratri begins today - nine days and nights dedicated to the Goddess. I cannot celebrate the festival at home this year, (once again) for various personal reasons, but here, on the blog, the celebration is on, and I shall try and bring you interesting aspects of the festival as well as temples and shrines to the Goddess...in short, whatever I come across! 

I begin with a small shrine to the goddess at the Khaba Fort that I visited during my tour to Jaisalmer with Suryagarh




She is popularly called Durga, but she is, really,  'Mahishasura Mardini' - the one who killed the demon Mahishasura. She fought the demon for nine days and nights, and it is her victory we celebrate during this festival, and thus, I thought it rather apt to begin this series with her. 


Her image is carved on the local yellow stone Jaisalmer is so famous for. It is a rather simple image, comparing it to the more elaborate ones I have seen before, such as at Aihole, or the amazingly detailed one at Shimoga. However, the representation is almost exactly the same, like her pose - one leg over the demon, her weapons, and the lion behind her, also attacking Mahishasura, who is in the form of a Bull. 

It is interesting to see how often we come across her at forts. At the Mirjan Fort, the shrine dedicated to her was no more, but she stood under a tree. She is present in another form at all of Shivaji's forts. There, she is Bhavani, the one who gave her sword to Shivaji so he could gain victory over his enemies. At the Daulatabad fort, she takes a newer form, of Bharat Mata. The name might be new, but a shrine to her existed here, long before the country took shape. Almost every fort we go to, has a shrine to her, in some name or the other. Isnt it interesting, how, when it comes to war, protection or defense, all aspects we associate with men and masculinity, it is the female form we worship? 


Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw

The Havelis of Bikaner - A Photo Post

The lanes are narrow , twisting and turning amidst buildings old and new. Crumbling old structures with intricate workmanship stand side by side with art deco buildings, and more modern constructions, which follow no particular style. Autos, bicycles, motorcycles and vans rush past, blowing their horns as loudly as possible, while cows saunter past peacefully, completely unaffected by the noise. In the midst of all this chaos, children play by the side, and women go about their chores, as we explore these by-lanes of Bikaner, and its beautiful Havelis. Facade of one of the Rampuria Havelis

The Elephanta Caves

The Elephanta Caves , located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri, about 11 Km off the coast of the Gateway of India, Mumbai, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit to these caves, excavated probably in the 6 th century CE, is awe-inspiring, and also thought-provoking. Over the years, I have visited the caves a number of times, and also attended a number of talks by experts in the fields of art, history and archaeology on the caves. Together, they help me understand these caves, their art, and the people they were created for, just a little bit better. Every new visit, every new talk, every new article I read about the caves, fleshes out the image of what the island and the caves would have been like, at their peak. I last wrote about the caves on this blog, in 2011, almost exactly 11 years ago. Since then, my understanding of the caves has, I would like to think, marginally improved. Hence this attempt to write a new and updated post, trying to bring to life, the caves of Elephan