Hanuman the monkey god

Hanuman,

The monkey god

Hanuman was born as a vanara, a monkey like species in the northwest of India. He is considered a reincarnation of Shiva, but this is speculated theology. Hanuman grew up in the forests he lived around and learned how to battle in trees and climb very well. He came to be known in the Indian epic the Ramayana where he is chosen to aid Rama in his fight against the evil demon king Ravana.

post war

after the war with Rama is over, Hanuman journeys to the Himalayas where he wished to continue his worship to the gods. He instead writes Hanuman Ramayana with his nails on the mountains. When Maharishi Valmiki, the author of Ramayana comes to visit Hanuman he grows dissatisfied of his own version, Hanuman sees this and destroys his version. for the majority of the final version of the book favors Hanuman and what he stands for. He is favored for his humble ways even though being a powerful god.

He is worshiped almost everywhere and the biggest statue is located in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. Temples dot the Indian forests majorly in the Maharashtra, the state in western india where he was born. (14 temples are considered his holiest places a list for these temples can be found here) http://tinyurl.com/297b65j

Modern sightings

Due to his immortality as a god many have said they have seen him in every forest around the world. the "monkey man" factor has made him something like an urban icon for the thrill seeker and a devoted Hindu worshipper.

People like the Delhi monkey man have been called reincarnations of Hanuman. Here is a video of him climbing ruins.

note: this man has been called Hanuman not only, because of his impressive climbing skills but also his ability to connect with monkeys.

Check out Devotees throng Golden Temple on occasion of Baisakhi

Check out Devotees throng Golden Temple on occasion of Baisakhi

Hindu Marrige- By Amalia

This video clip shows a traditional, present day Hindu Wedding. Hindu weddings are usually extravagant, planned on a day with a good zodiac sign, and require a lot of preparation. According to the Hindu Marriage act passed in 1955, men must be 21 or older and girls must be 18 or older in order to marry. This law was created to protect children's rights and prevent polygamy.

Hindu wedding cerimonies are very similar and different to the ceremonies in the western world. Both include special grooming (hair, dress, cosmetics, massages), feasting, giving away of the bride, exchanging vows, and playing fun games. Hindus have a lot of unique rituals that are vital in the wedding ceremony. The fire ceremony, which sanctifies the marriage, star gazing, where the couple is reminded to become steadfast, like stars.

In Hindu culture, marriages are arranged by the parents of the bachelor and bachelorette, even if the couple isn't in love. Sometimes, you can even be arranged to marry your cousin. This is very different from Western culture, where marriage depends on true love, and the person you are in love with is almost always not an immediate relative. In India, having a boyfriend or girlfriend as a teen is uncommon, unlike the average American teen. Also, many times in Western culture, the parents may not even know or approve of the person that their son or daughter is marrying. Despite the fact that they can't choose their life partner, the divorce rate in India is a low 1.1% in comparison to the United States' 50%.

In Hindu culture, it is custom for the girl's family to take financial responsibility for the wedding. That means paying for entertainment and the rituals and purchasing new appliances for the girl's family. But along with all of that, the girl's family must pay a large sum of money to the boy's family. This is called a dowry. Although dowries are outlawed in India, 99% of all marriages include them. Because of the financial burden weddings cause for the parents of girls, many families are aborting their daughters during pregnancy. But besides the economical unfairness of the dowry, dowries are increasing a death risk for girls. Here is a video showing the dangers of a dowry:

Overall, Hindu weddings are a joyous occasion for everyone taking part in the ceremony. It is considered dharma (a duty), and one of the four main aspects of life.

A Sikh Festival in the Golden Temple in Amritsar

This video shows a Sikh Festival called Baisakhi at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India. Every year on April 13, thousands of devotees come to this holy place to celebrate the harvest and the beginning of the Sikh New Year. This is a special festival for farmers. This has been going on since 1699. There is a lot of feasting, dancing, music, and fairs-almost like a carnival. They dress up in there finest clothes. Some rituals they perform on Baisakhi are bathing and cleansing in the waters by the temple. Also, they attend special prayers in the Golden Temple. There the Granth Sahib (the holy Sikh scriptures) is bathed with milk and water, placed on a throne, and read. A sacred pudding called Karah prasad is distributed. In the afternoon is when they start their celebration. Then they do daily chores for the gurudwaras (Golden Temple). This is a sign of goodwill for man for the Sikhs. The Baisakhi last two day.

Picture
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.topnews.in/files/Golden-Temple.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.topnews.in/golden-temple-symbol-communal-harmony-2235919&h=370&w=570&sz=61&tbnid=YK-hsuu5uwuQrM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3DGolden%2BTemple&zoom=1&q=Golden+Temple&usg=__5w3a3viaW-gVgGzvjYBZCrQjDwE=&sa=X&ei=BVIGTc6hEIHWnAelpqDpCQ&ved=0CCwQ9QEwAA

Viedo

http://videos.sify.com/throng-Golden-Temple-on-occasion-of-Baisakhi-ANI-watch-Devotees-watch-kenqObgcijg.html

Yoga

Yoga

Yoga is a sport that originated 3000 years ago in India. The basic Yoga pose, which is cross legged on the ground, holding your hands up in the hair and saying “OM” over and over again was found engraved on Indus Valley seals thousands of years ago. However Yoga isn’t anything like any other sports such as lacrosse, soccer or football, it doesn’t only require the ability to move fast using your lower body strength and legs. Instead Yoga links one to their spirit and trains the body, breath and mind. It allows one to focus on themselves and concentrate and develop new strengths, flexibility, stamina and most importantly the awareness of your body and breath. Even though Yoga may not be considered a sport to everyone, it is, but in completely different ways, in a lot of ways its better than other sports because your using different techniques and trying something new with a different part of your body each day, but in soccer or lacrosse its consistent running and use of lower body strength when in yoga its everything. The name “Yoga” fits its purpose perfectly, the term actually means to “unite” and that’s exactly what people are doing when taking part in Yoga. It allows you to unite your body, mind and spirit all into one.

Here is an Indus Valley Seal that the basic yoga pose was originally discovered carved into the stone.

Here are the basic poses that are still used today in Yoga. However, the lotus position is the one that was found among a lot of the Indus Valley Seals unlike the tree,triangle and cobra which were used later on. The full lotus position is the same but your hands are raised not resting on your knees.

Thread of Yoga DVD trailer best documentary on sacred India
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Vesākha

Vesākha, also known as Wesak or Vesak, is a Buddhist holiday celebrated in Sri Lanka and the South East Asian countries of Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Indonesia.

Many people think of this event as Buddha's birthday, but it actually celebrates the birth, enlightenment, and death of Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha.

This holiday is probably the biggest and most important on the Buddhist calender

This image symbolizes the candles on the street lit for a

ritual march that happens at night.

Vesākha is a holiday that seems to be a lot about giving. Along with prayers, the special day includes releasing caged and captured animals back to nature, giving money and gifts to the poor, marching in candlelight, and attending ceremonies at Buddhist temples.

A golden statue of Buddha on the holiday

People marching

Vesākha is based on a lunar calendar. In Theravada countries it falls on the full moon Uposatha day (typically the 5th or 6th lunar month). In China it falls on the 8th day of the 4th on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. In the western world the date changes year to year but is always in April or May. This year it falls on May 27th for us.

Vesākha is a truly fascinating and important holiday for Buddhists in every country.

by: Julia Mandel

The Jain Temples of Palitana

The city of Palitana (above) contains the most sacred temples in the Jain religion. The city is

located in the Shatrunjaya hills, in the state of Gujarat, India. Some people consider Palitana the

Jain equivalent of what Mecca is to Muslims. Every jain, at least once in his or her lifetime, must

travel there if the wish to attain Bhavya status. Bhavya is the jain equivalent of moksha or nirvana. This

important city has had 16 renovations done to it's temples. All of these 1250 temples in Palitana and the

surrounding hills are made of marble, and in them there are over 27,000 idols of their gods.

Some pictures of "Derasars"(jain temples)

An Educational Video

Hindu Funeral Ceremony

The Hindu funeral ceremony, also known as Antyesti or Antim Sanskara, was a very important Sanskara, a sacrament in the Hindu society. This is the last sacrament in the Hindu life. There is not only one way to do this, but there are many different ways it can go depending on the life of the departed person such as the caste the person was in, the place they lived in, their social class, and their status. Although rites can differ, mostly all Hindus believe in the ritual of cremation, with the exception of infants that get buried.

People in the Hindu religion want to die in Varanasi, the holy city, but the trip there may not be affordable to the poorer families. However, if a family is able to do this, they will take this wonderful opportunity and have the funeral ceremony done there.

For the ceremony, the dead body is placed on a pyre made of wooden logs. The feet are placed facing southwards in order for it to be able to walk in the direction of the dead. The preist recites some funeral prayers and walks around the body three times. Once this is done, the pyre is set on fire and the body is left to burn.

As said in this video the Ganges river is how to make sure the soul of the dead person can reincarnate. However, if the body's remains are placed in the river in Varanasi, that is the way to moksha.

Varanasi

Varanasi

Mark Twain: "Varanasi is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.

-

-Basic Info

o On the banks of the Ganges river

o Holy city to Buddhists and Jains

o Holy place of Hinduism

- Basic Economy

o Several small cottage industries

o Banarasi Silk sari making, the production of textiles such as hand-woven carpets, and handicrafts.

- Basic Culture

o Houses are far from the Ghats

o Spacious; no pollution

- Holy City

o More than 1,000,000 pilgrims visit each year

- Importance of Varanasi

o Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges remits sins and that dying in Kashi ensures release of a person's soul from the cycle of its transmigrations

o Varanasi is one of the holiest places in Buddhism too, being one of the four pilgrimage sites said to have been designated by Gautama Buddha himself

o It is believed to be the birthplace of Parshvanatha, the twenty-third Tirthankar

o There has been continuous tension between different religious communities in the city

- Varanasi Ghats

o Nearly 100 Ghats

o Many of the Ghats were built when the city was under Maratha control

o Most of the ghats are bathing ghats, while others are used as cremation sites

o Many ghats are associated with legends or mythologies while many ghats are privately owned

- Temples

o Every road crossing has a nearby temples

o Small temples form the base of daily local prayers and other rituals

o But there are many large temples too, stood up at different times through out the history of Varanasi

Khumb Mela

Khumb Mela is a huge pilgrimage celebrated every four years, in which Hindus gather at the Ganges River. This festival is celebrated at different places, depending on the position of the planet Jupiter, andthe sun.

The major even of the festival is bathing at the banks of the river in whichever town it is being held. It is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in India.

When Jupiter and the sun are in the zodiac sign (Simha Rashi) it is held in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik; when the sun is in Aries it is celebrated at Haradwar; when Jupiter is in Taurus and the sun is in Capricorn Kumbha Mela is celebrated at Prayag; and Jupiter and the sun are in Scorpio the Mela is celebrated at Ujjain

The other activities include religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy men, women, and the poor. Khumb Mela is the most sacred of all pilgrimages.

The Sadhus are seen in saffron sheets with ash on them and powder on their skin, for the requirements of ancient traditions.

About 7 to 10 million people attend Khumb Mela

The history of Khumb Mela is that there were gods who lost their strength and had to regain it. They needed Amritha ( Water of immortality). To get to the water they needed to make an agreement with their arch rivals the demons. However, the Khumb or urn containing the special water appeared and a fight broke out. It is believed that during the battle Lord Vishnu flew away with the Khumb and 4 drops landed in the places when Khumb Mela is celebrated, Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Noshik.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Qawwali Music

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was famous for Qawwali music, Islamic devotional music, in Pakistan. He was born in Faisalabad, Pakistan on October 13, 1948 and dies on August 16, 1997. Qawwali music has been in the family business for generations. His family has been preforming Qawwali music for over 600 years. In 1971, he became the leader of his Qawwali party after the death of his father. Forty days after the death of his father, he preformed his first performance called, "Chehlum." When he was leader of the party he preformed his first public performance called, "jashn-e-baharan." This was organized by the Radio Pakistan. Nusrat's first major hit was the song, "Haq Ali Ali."

This video is Nusrat singing "Haq Ali Ali:"


This video is one of the songs from Nusrat's album called Mustt Mustt:



Nusrat was awarded the "Legends" award at the UK Asian Music Awards. TIME Magazine lists him as the top 12 Artist and Thinkers in the last 60 years. A news magazine focusing on Asia wrote about Nusrat and said:
"He preformed Qawwali as nobody else of his generation did."

He preformed to Western audiences around the world including the US and Europe. Jeff Buckley, an American rock singer, said before he preformed a song:

"Nusrat, he's my Elvis."

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan died on August 16, 1997 in a hospital in London, England of heart failure. Nusrat had a total of 125 albums throughout his career.

In 2005, People formed a group in NYC that preformed Nusrat's qawwali music.

Sitar Music

Sitar Music

By Jack L

The Sitar is an old Indian stringed instrument. It is very important to the Hindu religion, and unlike so many old instruments, it has made an appearance in modern music. It was developed in the 17th century, but it has been around in less complex states for a very long time. It is constructed using teak wood as a neck and gourd for its resonator, and it varied amount of strings. The stringcount varies from one Sitar to another, some have 17 and others have over 23. There are exceptions to this. It is a member of the lute family, and one plucks it to play it. To play it, one balances the Sitar between their left foot and right knee, while sitting cross legged. People think it evolved from a vina.

Some notable Sitar players:

Ravi Shankar - One of the most famous Sitar Players

George Harrison - One of the Beatles, popularized Sitar music in the western world

Pandit Nikhil Banerjee -- Sitar Prodigy

Annapurna Devi - Renowned Sitar player and teacher, Ravi Shankar's wife

Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKsZo-em7Es If you watch it, skip straight to 4:47 (Linked because it can't be embedded due to a request made by the person who posted the video.

Thanks for reading!

Data Ganj Baksh

Data Ganj Baksh is Pakistan's most important Sufi shrine. Sufism is a type of mystical dimension of Islamic beliefs and practices. Some of these Sufi shrines have been a target for aggression between Sufis and Islamic fundamentalists. Many Sufis come from far away to go to Data Ganj Baksh in Pakistan to give offerings to Allah at the shrine. One difference between Muslims and Sufis are that Muslims are on a path that will bring them close to God after a final judgment when they die.

Sufism beliefs the same but also believes that one can achieve divine presence on earth. Abul Hassan Ali Hujwiri or Data Ganj Baksh was a Sufi Muslim who spread Islam/Sufism through lots of parts of South Asia. He also was considered a saint and a scholar during the 11th Century. He spent almost all of his time visiting shrines and meditating before he finally became enlightened.

Holi

Holi is the festivals of colors and takes place during the spring. This festival was meant to welcome the spring, forget the colorless and cold winter, and bring blessings to the Gods for good harest and fertile lands. This festival takes place over a period of sixteen days. Before Holi there is always a bonfire to represent the escape of Parhlad when, Demoness Holika, carried him into a fire. Holika burnt, but Parnlad escaped the fire without any injuries. During Holi, people will squirt colorful powders and water at you covering you everywhere. They would say "Don't mind, it's Holi." People could get away with anything by saying that. They throw the colored powders and water at each other to represent the colors of spring.

This is the powder thrown on everyone during Holi

These are what the powders look like before being thrown

Water color instead of powder

DIWALI

DIWALI

by john Leasure

• Diwali is also spelled Dewali or deepavali, which translates as: row of lamps
• also known as "festival of lights"
• SHOWN AS: दीपावली in Sanskrit
• 
  

Festival:

• five day festival
• represents light(all the lights of the festival) battling and winning against the dark in the world
• Light = good Dark = evil
• celebrates the return of "lord Rama"

days:

1st day is called Dhanteras, starts the buissness year

2nd day is called Naraka Chaturdasi, when the demon Naraka was beaten by Krishna and his wife

3rd day is called Amavasya, it for the worship of Lakshmi

4th day is called Kartika Shudda Padyami, remembers when the Bali went to Patala

5th day is called Yama Dvitiya, on this day sisters will invite their brothers to their homes.

other:

• holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka,, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore, and Fiji
• done in hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism
• their christmas

this is a picture shows lord Rama, who is celebrated in Diwali

as shown here, this is a lotus that people usually put outside their houses on Diwali. it means welcome into our homes, and is usually made out of colored sand.

these lights show how festive Diwali is

buildings are sometimes strung with slights