Tag: Religion
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Miss World & Mister Universe
Miss World is what she was, Aishwarya Rai, way back in 1994, after which she became one of Bollywood’s superstars. And yes, the person next to her is Mister Universe, Shiva the cosmic dancer, already for quite a while by now. Nice seeing them so innocently side by side, these two emblems of popular Indian…
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Shiva taking a break
They have put him aside under the tree, till further notice, till they need him again for some procession or festival. He looks nice, tall as he is, with all his usual attributes. If he had not been standing there I surely wouldn’t have noticed the really fine and varied foliage of the different trees,…
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R.C. Ex-votos
Here then votive offerings that accompany the requests made to the catholic Saint Francis Xavier whose preserved body is kept in the Bom Jesus church in Old Goa, India. He attracts believers from all over India and the world, and many make use of the opportunity to ask him for relieving their distress. Stalls in…
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Tamata
τάματα is the Greek word for vows and votive offerings, referring to a popular practice among the faithful of most if not all religions. I have shown and written about this fascinating phenomenon earlier on this blog in a series of posts dedicated to the local Hindu god Golu Devta in Kumaon, India, and the vows…
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Ossuarium
In one of the orthodox churches of Paleochora I saw to my surprise a big open stone reservoir filled with human bones: an ossuary inside the church in full view! I have understood that ossuaries came into use in places where graveyard space is scarce. After a few years in the ground the remains of…
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Aegina – Paleochora
The old town of Aegina had always been at the coast of the island, next to the harbour where it is situated now again. But in the 9th century the town was shifted inland where it could be defended better against the attacks of the Saracens. In the 18th century there were still 400 houses…
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3-D Devotion
Going through the Herkyna gorge south of Livadia, a town in Boeotia, Greece, one passes the Fountain of Memory and the Fountain of Forgetfulness, the ancient Mnemosyne and Lethe of which Pausanias speaks. For me the water of Mnemosyne has done its work because I remember well first having seen from down the façade of…
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One to see, one to touch
Two Infants Jesus, one inside the stable, the other in front. That’s how this church meets the strongly felt need among believers to touch the new-born Infant in his manger. Maybe they think some of his infinite love will thus pour from the plaster figure into their own veins. Touching! Photo of the week: Christmas,…
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Holy tiles
Compared to the ISKCON temple of last week’s post, this nearby little roadside shrine looks rather cheap and shabby. Still, it probably represents Indian popular aesthetics better than its majestic neighbour. It has taken me awhile but I have come to appreciate this kind of simple religious display. The daring colour combination (like so often…
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AESCON
When I walked into the compound of the ISKCON temple at Chowpatty in Mumbai, I must confess I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. I don’t think much of ISKCON’s aescon but this temple is worth looking at. Beautiful materials, good craftsmanship, no trouble or expense spared. It activated my own aesthetic consciousness which…
καιρός remembered 