Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Kumbh Mela, Allahabad, India

Saraswati 
(Being one of the chief Rigvedic Rivers, as per the Hindu scripts and texts, Saraswati River is also famously known as Ghaggar-Hakra River. The Saraswati River is mentioned between the east of Yamuna and west of Sutlej in the early Rigvedic 'Nadistuti' hymn. But later in the other Vedic scriptures it is said that the Saraswati River dried up in a desert.)
lived in the memories, legends and stories of people
from their far back behind..the Vedic perod,
(For 2000 years, between 6000 and 4000 B.C., the Saraswati flowed as a great river.)
by crossing the long corridors of time unknown..
through the ancestors of  
Aryan and Mohanjodaro-Harappan civilizations,
to the Gangetic plains;


and then 
Saraswati came to exist as myth..
not so far 
but near to the Yamuna and Ganges Sangam 
in Prayag, Allahabad,
and so the place to be recalled as  
Triveni Sangam !! 
An element of 'Dream Realism'
with
people at large
as the 
"memory-carriers"

http://throughpicture.blogspot.com/2013/01/vedic-rituals-flow-of-civilization.html
 http://sciencedoing.blogspot.com/2013/01/saraswati-lost-river-of-india.html


Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage in which Hindus gather at the Sangam, meeting place, of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Sarasvati, at Prayag where bathing for purification from sin is considered especially auspicious.
Kumbh Mela is to be observed from 14th January 2013 to 10th March 2013, for 54 days.
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,
Photograph: Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,Photograph: Kevin Frayer/AP
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,Photograph: Anindito Mukherjee/EPA
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,Photograph: Kevin Frayer/AP
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,
Photograph: Kevin Frayer/AP
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,Photograph: Kevin Frayer/AP
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,Photograph: Kevin Frayer/AP
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,Photograph: Kevin Frayer/AP
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,Photograph: Kevin Frayer/AP
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,Photograph: Manish Swarup/AP
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,Photograph: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP
thankfully shared from:guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 January 2013,
Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images

  (This Magh Mela is called so, as it falls in the Magh period (Jan-Feb) of the Hindu calendar. It is believed that taking a dip at the sangam will free the devotees from sin or guilt. During this period a township will be arranged to accommodate several pilgrims on the banks of River Ganga. Millions of devotees from various parts of India participate in this auspicious mela.
  When Allahabad was annexed in 1193 by Muhammad of Ghor, the city became a part of the Delhi Sultanate. In 1526, the Mughal invasion of India began, after which the city became a part of their empire. Emperor Akbar founded Allahabad by the name of 'Illhabas' in 1575 AD, meaning the City of Allah, which has now become Allahabad.)
Allahabad is one of the most famous and old pilgrim centers in Uttar Pradesh, India. 
The name Allahabad is previously called as Prayaga. 
The mughal emperor Akbar visited Prayag in the year 1575. 
After that he renamed the place as Allahabad.
The place is famous for 'triveni sangam'. 
Triveni Sangam is the "confluence" of three rivers. 
Sangama is the Sanskrit word for confluence. 
Allahabad has two physical rivers Ganges, 
Yamuna, and the invisible or mythic Saraswati River. 
A bath here is said to wash away all of one's sins and free one from the cycle of rebirth.
Famous festival Kumbh mela and Ardhkumbh Mela is held here every twelve and six years. 
This is celebrated on the banks of the triveni sangam. 
The poorna kumbh is always celebrated in Allahabad.
 

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Indian Republic Day: What does it mean to

Google Doodle of the day
Republic Day of India, 2013
 Away from the glitters of big cities, chose a village Saraitikra (which means village of the 'Sal' trees, i.e. Shorea robusta) to see how this day 26th January passes in their lives in terms of human impressions, images in the deep down psyche, irrespective of the age, sex, caste, color, profession  and economic strata.
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur
It varies so much as if it says something about 'Today', which is just passing away to the unfathomable memories pf the 'Past'.



Dhananjay Kumar,7 years, Saraitikra, Ambikapur.
मिठाई खाने के लिए 

'A day to get dessert and goody'.
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur


Sona Rajwade, 20 years, Saraitikra, Ambikapur.
कार्यक्रम  देखने के लिये

'To see various cultural programs'.
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur



Ratan Sai, 80 years, Saraitikra, Ambikapur.
नाँच, गाना, भाषण, खेलकूद करने के लिये आते हैं

'To participate in dance, song, lectures and games'.
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur


Kashee Ram, ex-chief of village, 60 years, Saraitikra, Ambikapur.
आज गणतंत्र दिवस है। आज के दिन भारत का अपना संविधान लागू हुवा था।

'Today is the Republic Day, India adopted it's own constitution, so came to share the day'.
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur


Sadharan Ram, member of Shaila dance troupe, 60 years, Saraitikra, Ambikapur.
हमारा देश आजाद है। इसलिए ख़ुशी मनानें  आये हैं।

'Ours is the free nation, came here to enjoy this day'.
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur



Somar Sai, member of Shaila dance troupe, 55 years, Saraitikra, Ambikapur.
गणतंत्र दिवस मनाने। भारत आजाद है।

'Celebrating Republic day, we are free nation....independent'.
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur


Dharm Sai, 70 years, Saraitikra, Ambikapur.
सरकार आजादी दिया है। किसान की आजादी को मनाने आये हैं। 

'Government has given us freedom, celebrating the freedom of  farmers'.
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur


Dhan Kuwar, 55years, Saraitikra, Ambikapur.
26 जनवरी मनाये बर।

'Celebrating 26th January'.
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur


Dhanpatiya, 90years, Saraitikra, Ambikapur.
 प्रोग्राम देखे बर आये हौ।

'Watching the programs of the day'.
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur


Dev Chand Rajwade, 35years, Saraitikra, Ambikapur.
उत्साह वर्धन के लिए, सांस्कृतिक कार्यक्रम और राष्ट्रीय त्यौहार मनाने के लिए।

'Encouraging, celebrating cultural and national festival'.
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur


Satish Kumar Sinha, High school teacher, 45years, Saraitikra, Ambikapur.
सरकारी संस्थाओं और ग्रामीणों, विद्यार्थियों, सभी के साथ मिलकर एक त्यौहार के रूप में सौहार्द्य पूर्वक मनाते हैं।

'Government institutions, villagers, students: all together celebrate this day as a national festival for amity'.
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur


Nitesh Pande, Middle school teacher, 35years, Rampur, Ambikapur.
 स्वतंत्रता एक शरीर है और गणतंत्र उसकी आत्मा है।

'Indepedence is a body and republic is the soul'.
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur

And children of the village school (Government High School, Saraitikra) have such luminous faces to tell the story of the day..
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur

The three colors of the National Flag was the writ of the day in the cultural programs presented by 9thers of the school.
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur

Such was the vibrant day, the 26th January 2013....
picture at: Government High School Saraitikra, Ambikapur




#Author extends thanks to Miss Padmawati Pandey and Mr. Dileep Kumar Gupta, the teaching staff members of the Government High School, Saraitikra for their kind assistance in above survey.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Vedic rituals: Flow of civilization

From the dawn of human civilization in Indian subcontinent, the Vedic Period, whose collected wisdom remained unwritten for three thousand years since 1500 BC: Vedic books containing poetry, history, geography, archaeology, anthropology, anthropomorphism, palaeontology, genesis of the deities, science, phonetics, science of language, ethnology, mythology, theogony, jurisprudence, religion, vedanta, philosophy of people and places therein..

Like many other known past, this too came to exist not and new civilization (Aryan) and religion (Buddhism) sprouted on it's ruins.

But..yes..it's interesting to see those long forgotten past with their words, deities, rituals being observed by masses, just as if 'something' inspired them to do so, despite their 'present' of 2013 (January 10th to 13th),which is so different and so far away from 1500 BC.
The simple and logical explanation could be made for this flow of human mass that this also follows the Haeckel's Biogenetic Law (Theory of Recapitulation), i.e. Ontogeny repeats Phylogeny. (With different formulations, such ideas have been applied and extended to several fields and areas, including the origin of language, biology, cognition and mental activities, anthropology, education theory and developmental psychology.) 

"You will find yourselves everywhere in India between an immense past and an immense future, with opportunities such as the old world could but seldom, if ever, offer you". (F. Max Muller) 

http://throughpicture.blogspot.com/2013/01/kumbh-mela-allahabad-india.html

#pictures showing people participating in 'Fire' worshiping rituals with Vedic mantras in Bhitthikala, Ambikapur, India; organized from 10th January 2013 to 13th January 2013.