Tag Archives: worship

India is wildly colourful. This is true everywhere, but the Dravidian people of South India take it to new whole new levels. The ethnolinguistic family of people known as the Dravidians are considered native to the Indian subcontinent, although their pre-Neolithic roots are probably in Western Asia, around the Iranian plateau. The language family is […]

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When I spend time in the crush of Indian streets, rubbing shoulders with holy men and drinking masala chai with the locals, I always come away with some new realisation about myself, or the world. My first visit to Varanasi was not my first trip to India, but it was revelatory. Most of my time […]

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The historical inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley in Central Nepal are the Newar (Newari) people. The region sits at the crossroads of Indian and Tibetan culture, and while the people speak a Tibeto-Burman language, their culture has been strongly influenced by Indian religious and social institutions. Most Newari people – over 80% – identify as […]

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Sunrise is the beginning of something …  The pilgrims on the Varanasi ghats along the Ganges are absolutely absorbed in their preparations of offerings to the Mother Ganga, in their ritual ablutions in the sacred waters, or in their pre-dawn meditations. Time loses all meaning. Pilgrims have been travelling here to bathe in the Ganges River […]

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(Click for: Ganga Aarti : Sacred Hindu Chants) It is said that Lord Shiva, one of the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity, created the city of Kashi (Varanasi) with his hands. That is why Varanasi, one of India’s seven holy cities, is said to be the country’s spiritual capital. The holiest parts of this sacred city […]

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