Culture | India | Online Blog
History of Luv-Kush; Sita’s Three Sons
On the many stories about Sita’s sons. Two Articles.
Culture | India | Online Blog
Diwali for Ram, Krishna, Lakshmi, Yama, Asuras and Ancestors
In north India, Diwali commemorates the return of Ram, while south India celebrates the defeat of Narakasura. Western Diwali involves a business-related renewal and in eastern India, the focus shifts to ancestor worship. These varying traditions underscore the diversity of Hinduism across different regions.
Ravana’s Women: How Warrior Women are Forgotten in Hindutva’s Version of Ramayan
The Ramayana is projected as a battle between men—Ram and Ravana. Women here play a subordinate role; the victim is Sita. In doing so, we forget the other warrior-women we encounter in the epic, of whom at least four are on Ravana’s side, defending him.
Culture | India | Online Blog
How Shiva First Appeared in Mumbai
The earliest images depicting stories of Shiva’s marriage and conflicts with demons such as Andhaka and Ravana were carved about 1,500 years ago at the Jogeshwari caves in North Mumbai and on the Elephanta island off South Mumbai.
Caste Tales; Dalit Mythology – Two Articles
“Caste Tales They Don’t Tell Us”; Also: “Dalit Mythology”
What Ganesha Has to Say About Ambition
Ganesh projects an image of affluence and abundance indicated by the elephant-head and the potbelly. But we also have the image of contentment: the snake is not eating the rat and the rat is not eating the sweet.
Ravana in Malaysia and Indonesia
The Ramayana has been retold by several communities and several people over a period of 2,000 years and over a region that spreads over 5,000 miles. Scholars have found the Ramayana retellings even in faraway places such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
When Does Krishna Justify War?
Gandhi famously argued that Bhagavad Gita needs to be seen as a metaphor of internal war, and has nothing to do with violence. Western scholars argue that the book promotes violence. To understand this contradictory view, we need to examine what is the problem to which Krishna offers a solution.
Fluid Marriage Rites
When people refer to Indian “tradition” they assume it was fixed for thousands of years. But that is not true. Hindu wedding rituals contain ideas from Harappan and Vedic times, to practices that came with the Greeks, Sakas, Kushan, Huns, Turks, Afghans, Persians, Arabs, even Europeans. Over time, the concept of marriage changed as did the rituals.
Are Hindus Vegetarian?
Hindus can be vegetarian and non-vegetarian. The obsession with reducing Hinduism to a single behaviour is common amongst two groups of people: loud Hindutva radicals and their sworn enemies, the Hinduphobes.