Langurs play around on the rocky terrain in Bera, Rajasthan. The gray langur is sometimes referred to as the Hanuman langur, named after the monkey-god Hanuman. As such, gray langurs are considered sacred in the Hindu religion
Langurs on the Rocks
Tag Archives: Hindu
Ganesh as Art
With his elephant head and human body, Ganesha (or Ganesh) is one of the most beloved and popular of all the Hindu gods. This is because he brings good fortune while destroying all obstacles.
Ganesh is depicted as an art form in colorful statues and stone carvings.
Somnath Temple, Gujarat
The Somnath temple is a Hindu temple located in Gujarat, India. It is one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Hindus and is believed to be first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. We visited the temple at sunset and the golden glow of the sun’s rays is evidenced in all images.
Photography is not allowed on the temple site so we had to access a walkway along the ocean to capture the images.
Archaeological Museum Kayavarohan
Numerous Hindu icons, number of copper coins and a stone quern have been found from Kayavarohan, Gujarat, India. A grand head of Tapasvi, the image of Kartikeya and an idol of Uma Maheshwara are some of the rare and unmatched archaeological specimen discovered from Kayavarohan.
Shiva Lingams in Kayavarohan
Lingam is typically the primary murti or devotional image in Hindu temples dedicated to Shiva. Pancheshwar Mahadev, Kayavarohan houses several lingam replicas from other significant Shiva temple sites in India.
Flowers – Yellow Plumeria
A plumeria’s deep-green, long, leathery leaves grow in dense clumps at the tips of its branches. From early summer through fall, clusters of five-petaled flowers bloom amid the leaves. Large and aromatic, flowers can be white, cream, yellow, pink, lilac, or red. In Asia, plumeria flowers adorn Buddhist and Hindu temples. Captured these in Cerritos, California.
Temples in India – Colorful Twin Temples
A Hindu temple is a symbolic house, seat and body of divinity. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together, using symbolism to express the ideas and beliefs of Hinduism.
While there are numerous large, famous temples in India, I am presenting some images of small temples in Gujarat. Here is a twin temple in Bharuch.
Twin Temples With Color
Nataraja
Nataraja is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the divine dancer. The sculpture is symbolic of Shiva as the lord of dance and dramatic arts, with its style and proportions made according to Hindu texts on arts.
The dwarf (not a baby) under Nataraja’s feet is Apasmāra, which represents ‘tamas’; ignorance and nonsensical speech. Since then Lord Shiva is also known as ‘Hara’, which means destroyer of ‘Tamas’.
A statue of Nataraja at Shilparamam, Hyderabad …..
Nataraja
A Multi-faced Ganesha
Heramba Ganapati at Shilparamam, Hyderabad. The elephant-headed Ganesha, remover of obstacles and god of good fortune, is one of the most beloved of Hindu gods. Also known as Ganapati, he is invoked before the start of any action or endeavor.
In Tantric tradition there are as many as thirty-two manifestations of Ganesha, each with its own name and iconography. One of the most popular of these is Heramba Ganapati, who has five heads and ten arms. A beautiful wood piece, intricately carved, of this form is shown below.
A Multi-faced Ganesha
Heramba Ganesh
Bench View – BAPS Temple Atlanta
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta, Georgia is a traditional Hindu mandir, or place of worship. The mandir was constructed in accordance with ancient Hindu architectural scriptures, and is the largest mandir of its kind outside of India. The mandir is made of 34,450 pieces of hand-carved Italian marble, Turkish limestone and Indian pink sandstone, situated on landscaped grounds spread over 30 acres. The mandir complex also includes a large assembly hall, family activity center, classrooms, and an exhibition on the key tenets of Hinduism. The mandir is open daily for worship and to visitors of any faith.
Two bench views of the mandir form different perspectives.
BAPS Mandir Atlanta
BAPS Temple Atlanta
A Temple Under the Clouds
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta, Georgia is a traditional Hindu mandir, or place of worship, inaugurated on 26 August 2007 by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, a denomination of the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism. The mandir located in the Atlanta suburb of Lilburn, was constructed in accordance with ancient Hindu architectural scriptures, and is one of the largest mandir of its kind outside of India.
A Temple Under the Clouds
Temple Carvings
Traditional architecture and intricate carvings grace this Shiva temple in Kayavarohan.
Temple Carvings
A close-up of the carving of Nataraja – a depiction of the Hindu God Shiva as the cosmic dancer who performs his divine dance (called Tandavam) to destroy a weary universe and prepare for its renewal,
Dancing Shiva
Texas – A Temple with Intricate Designs
The Swaminarayan Temple in Houston is the first traditional Hindu temple of its kind in North America. It is a masterpiece of intricate design and workmanship, replete with its 5 towering white pinnacles, 12 smooth domes and glittering 136 marble pillars. Over 33,000 pieces of Italian marble and Turkish limestone were hand-carved by skilled craftsmen and assembled by volunteers in just 16 months. Ancient Indian arts, traditions and philosophy have been encompassed in this house of devotion and worship that is a testimony to human commitment.
Texas – A Temple with Intricate Designs
Photos by Ravi 