Archive for 'Uncategorized'
Gopuram Posted by kunthra on Jul 16, 2010
A prominent feature of Hindu temple architecture is the Gopuram. A gopuram is a tower-like structure at the entrance of a temple. The Kamakshi Amman Temple in Kanchipuram, India is one example of displaying a gopuram. The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple In Tirumala, India is another such example of having a gopuram. My personal favorite…
Culfests Posted by kunthra on Jul 13, 2010
One of the highlights of attending university in India is the culfest. A culfest is short for culture festival. Culfests last a couple of days and usually include an intellectual event, like a quiz show and something artsy, like a singing contest. For instance, Girijananda Chowdhury Institute of Management and Technology is a college that…
Mahābhārata Posted by kunthra on Jul 10, 2010
The Mahābhārata (महाभारत) is a major epic story written in Sanskrit. Mahābhārata means “the great tale of the Bhārata dynasty”. The story starts when King Shantanu (शंतनु) asks for the hand of Satyavati (सत्यवती), from her father. Her father agrees, on condition that his previous sons from a former wife will not be king…
Van Mahotsav Posted by kunthra on Jul 7, 2010
Van Mahotsav is a tree planting event that occurs every year in July : The event starts with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Then a tree is planted in the ground to commemorate the event. The first event was held in 1950 by activist K.M. Munshi. Van Mahotsav aims to : 1) Foster an appreciation…
Indian Mango Festival Posted by kunthra on Jul 1, 2010
The International Mango Festival is held every year in June, in Delhi (दिल्ली), India. Mangos from different parts of India are brought to Delhi, and visitors get the opportunity to taste all kinds of mangos. Some five hundred kinds of mangos are presented at the festival. Normally mangos in India are consumed unprocessed, but the…
The Champakulam Moolam Boat Race Posted by kunthra on Jun 28, 2010
The Champakulam Moolam Boat Race commemorates Raja, and his journey by boat. Raja wanted to obtain an idol of Krishna for his new temple. He went to a village of Christians and was surprised by their devotion to help him. From then on Raja declared that there be a boat race festival, or so the…
The Ambubachi Mela Festival Posted by kunthra on Jun 25, 2010
The AmbubachiMela is a fertility festival celebrating the menstrual cycle of the goddess Kāmākhyā. The goddess Kāmākhyā is depicted as a young woman, with twelve arms and six heads (pictured below). Around this time of the year, devotees flock to the Kāmākhyā temple in Guwahati city, India. Devotees place a red cloth on a yoni…