Tag: Religion
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Temple tree
Temple tree A banyan tree does not begin its life from a seed in the ground. Its seed needs another tree, a rock or some other structure on which to take root and develop. It is therefore not a parasite, but an epiphyte. If the tree grows on top of another tree, over time the…
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Sacred trees
Sacred trees Banyan trees are often regarded as sacred. I think this is because they are truly awe-inspiring, just like the gods themselves. When we find ourselves face to face with an extraordinary tree – a towering sequoia, an imposing baobab, a gnarled olive tree, a branching banyan tree – we soon fall silent. They…
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Ambrosia
Ambrosia According to one creation myth of ancient Mesopotamia, the gods created humankind because they were fed up of having to look after their own food. Yes, gods also need food to survive, and they want man to provide it. As we can see here, man, religious man, still acquits himself faithfully of his task.…
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The joy of sex …
The joy of sex … … is of all time. This lovely scene was immortalized in stone 1000 years ago. It is part of hundreds of erotic sculptures that adorn the ancient temples of Khajuraho (India), a Unesco World Heritage Site. Rightly so! Photo of the week: Lakshmana temple, c. 1000 AD, Khajuraho, India 2007
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A child is born
A child is born every quarter of a second. Happy Christmas. Photo of the week: Christmas, Mumbai, India 2014
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Convent of S. Marco, Cell 39
Convent of S. Marco, Cell 39 Around 1440 the artist and Dominican friar Fra Angelico, aided by his pupils and assistants, painted 45 frescoes in the cells and corridors of the Convent of S. Marco in Florence. In the Encyclopaedia of the Italian Renaissance (Thames and Hudson 1981) we read about him: “He is one…
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Lingam novelty
Lingam novelty Can an old dismantled water pump and the drainage space around it be regarded as a lingam and yoni? A certain resemblance cannot be denied. The person who has placed the tiny flower in the middle of the pump plate has nicely made his point. For the last 8 weeks I have taken you…
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In all shapes and sizes
In all shapes and sizes Shiva’s creative presence can be felt everywhere in nature, not just in the temples and shrines dedicated to him. A rock may inspire someone to carve a relief of a lingam and yoni into it, as we can see in the photograph above, complete with worshippers on either side. Any…
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Lingam cult
Lingam cult The lingam and the yoni are worshipped in thousands of temples and shrines dedicated to Shiva throughout India. Devotees come there, bring flowers and other offerings, perform a puja, pray and then leave again. Sometimes they bathe the lingam in milk, rub it with ash and other ingredients, pour water over it and…
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Showing off
Showing off This priest can boast of looking after the largest lingam and – its counterpart – yoni in Hampi, once the capital of the ancient Vijayanagar Empire. It seems as though he is weighed down by the heavy responsibility resting on his shoulders. At Kalinjar Fort in Uttar Pradesh (see previous post), I was…
καιρός remembered 