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Archive for June, 2009
Sunday, June 21st, 2009
Goddess Lakshmi means Good Luck to Hindus. The word ‘Lakshmi’ is derived from the Sanskrit word “Laksya”, meaning ‘aim’ or ‘goal’, and she is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, both material and spiritual.
Lakshmi is the household goddess of most Hindu families, and a favorite of women. Although she is worshipped daily, the festive month of October is Lakshmi’s special month. Lakshmi Puja is celebrated on the full moon night of Kojagari Purnima.
The Lakshmi Form:
Lakshmi is depicted as a beautiful woman of golden complexion, with four hands, sitting or standing on a full-bloomed lotus and holding a lotus bud, which stands for beauty, purity and fertility. Her four hands represent the four ends of human life: dharma or righteousness, “kama” or desires, “artha” or wealth, and “moksha” or liberation from the cycle of birth and death.Cascades of gold coins are seen flowing from her hands, suggesting that those who worship her gain wealth. She always wears gold embroidered red clothes. Red symbolizes activity and the golden lining indicates prosperity. Lakshmi is the active energy of Vishnu, and also appears as Lakshmi-Narayan - Lakshmi accompanying Vishnu.
Two elephants are often shown standing next to the goddess and spraying water. This denotes that ceaseless effort, in accordance with one’s dharma and governed by wisdom and purity, leads to both material and spiritual prosperity.
A Mother Goddess:
Worship of a mother goddess has been a part of Indian tradition since its earliest times. Lakshmi is one of the mother goddesses and is addressed as “mata” (mother) instead of just “devi” (goddess).
As a female counterpart of Lord Vishnu, Mata Lakshmi is also called ‘Shri’, the female energy of the Supreme Being. She is the goddess of prosperity, wealth, purity, generosity, and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm.
A Domestic Deity:
The importance attached to the presence of Lakshmi in every household makes her an essentially domestic deity. Householders worship Lakshmi for the well being and prosperity of the family. Businessmen and women also regard her equally and offer her daily prayers.On the full moon night following Dusshera or Durga Puja, Hindus worship Lakshmi ceremonially at home, pray for her blessings, and invite neighbors to attend the puja. It is believed that on this full moon night the goddess herself visits the homes and replenishes the inhabitants with wealth. A special worship is also offered to Lakshmi on the auspicious Diwali night.
Please check out our website www.shopnamaste.com for Goddess Laxmi statues or call us at 1-877-435-0007.
By: Subhamoy Das
Posted in Hinduism | 1 Comment »
Sunday, June 21st, 2009
Sankheda furniture has a very typical beauty of its own. It is made in very distinctive colors of golden, orange and brown with ornate designs in silver. Of late, the new generation of artisans has successfully experimented with ivory, green and purple.
Making of the Sankheda: Furniture
Over the years, the process of making the furniture has undergone few changes. Teakwood pieces are cut to specific sizes and shaped on a lathe by rotary action of a bow and string. The pieces are then shaved and smoothened to give them their characteristic round shape. After this process, a coat primer is applied to the pieces, which are left to dry. Ornamental designs are then painted on the pieces. The designs vary from a sort of lattice of geometrical shapes to floral motifs. The brush used is made of hair from a squirrel’s tail.
To highlight the designs, the pieces go back to the lathe where they are polished with the pressure of the akik stone. This treatment is followed by the application of lacquer after which the pieces are again mounted on lathes over burning coal. The friction of the lathe’s rotary action and the heat of the coals leave behind a coat of lacquer that is finally smoothened with a leaf of kewda tree.
Finally, the pieces are drilled for fitting torque and groove joints. They are then assembled into a variety of world-famed Sankheda furniture pieces. Normally each piece is adorned with little wooden bells, which enhance the ethnic appeal of this craft. It is possible to make everything from modern Chinese cabinets and sofa sets to traditional swings and patlis for low seating.
Great care has to be taken to maintain this furniture. It should not be exposed to direct sunlight or heat as it loses its glow and the colors fade. It should not be cleaned with oil or water. It should just be wiped clean with a dry cloth.
If you are interested in Sankheda furniture please give us a call at 1-877-435-0007 and we can send you pictures via e-mail.
Please visit us at www.shopnamaste.com for our wide collection of products from India.
By: India Crafts
Posted in Home decorating | No Comments »
Sunday, June 21st, 2009
The tika is a composite ornament composed of a chain with a hook at one end and a pendant at the other. It too like the sindoor is worn in the parting of the hair.
The hook holds the tika at the hair end, while the pendant falls on the exact center of the forehead. This place is believed to house the ‘ajna’ chakra. This chakra stands for preservation. Thus by adorning herself with this mark, a woman reiterates her status as the preservator of the order of the human race. Significantly this chakra is visualized as having two petals, and its presiding deity is Ardhanarishvara, the half-male, half-female androgyne. This represents the ultimate union where no dualities exist. In Tantric terms this signifies the union of the male and female elements in nature, at all levels, including the physical. Hence this ornament is specifically associated with women about to undertake the vows of matrimony, uniting with her mate, and holding within herself the potential to perpetuate the genealogy of the new clan she is thus becoming a part of.
Take a look at our website www.shopnamaste.com,for some exclusive jewelry sets with tikas.
By: Exotic India Art
Posted in Indian Jewelry | 1 Comment »
Sunday, June 14th, 2009
Rajasthani Furniture is varied, exquisite and intricate. Wood furniture, Silver Furniture, Marble Furniture and Meenakari Furniture are few of the types of furniture made in Rajasthan. Rajasthan furniture is equally popular all over India and abroad as well. You can very well expect a foreign visitor in Rajasthan to pick up some furniture and get it shipped it to his residence abroad.
Wood Furniture of Rajasthan is incomparable. Intricate latticework and ornamental design precedes in the design of wood furniture here. Wood in Rajasthan is also known to be used in making windows, doors, temple arches and pillars. These pieces of furniture are further adorned with ornamental or floral design. The wooden windows and doors of many royal palaces and havelis show the in depth carving and lattice work in wood. Even today you can get a glimpse of this art at Mehergarh Fort, Hawa Mahal etc in Rajasthan. The cities of Kishangarh, Shekhawati, Barmer and Jodhpur excel in wood furniture manufacture even today. You could even find exquisitely made wooden furniture such as tables, chairs, chowkis, almirahs, stools, cabinets, mirrors, doors and screens too.
The wood used in furniture is the locally made furniture such as Sheesham, Mango and Babool. Carved wooden furniture from Barmer is distinct and easily identifiable. On the other hand Jodhpur wood furniture sports and antique and a contemporary look.
Silver Furniture of Rajasthan is also widely acclaimed. You can come across silver furniture when you visit the palaces and royal houses in Rajasthan. Most popularly available pieces of furniture include silver coffee tables, silver chairs, silver temples, silver sofa sets, silver day beds, silver love seat chairs, silver swings etc. The silver work is inlaid first, followed by chasing, embossing and engraving all done with a steel hammer while the floral designs and other motifs require special punch tools to give the final product a well finished look.
Meenakari Furniture is another variety of contemporary furniture available in Rajasthan. Furniture pieces such as wall brackets, temples, chests,drawers, cupboards, chairs etc are available with meenakari work too. Jaipur is the main hub of meenakari furniture in India. The meenakari work requires great expertise and skill as the metal on which the work has to be engraved has to be attached on to a lac stick. Following by drawing of the designs on it which makes grooves and hold to hold the attractive colors such as blue, green, red and gold.
Marble Furniture of Rajasthan is acknowledged by many and has been shipped to far reaching places across the globe. Makrana marble is one of the best marbles of the world. Apart from that marble found in Rajasthan such as in Banswara, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Nagaur, Pali, Sirohi are equally famous and used in prepared in inlay work, jhali work, tables, marble arches etc. One can also opt for marble pedestals, marble figurines, marble fireplaces, marble temples, marble table tops, marble inlay work etc.
Pidha Furniture of Rajasthan is unique and truly traditional in taste. One can wonder how a beautiful piece of furniture can be made using simple cotton yard or goat hair, which is weaved in to prepare a seat between a wooden frames. This type of furniture is mainly used at wedding ceremonies and is made at Lunkaransar Rajasthan.
By: India Handicraft Store
Posted in Home decorating | No Comments »
Sunday, June 14th, 2009
The Powerful God:
Shiva is ’shakti’ or power, Shiva is the destroyer, the most powerful god of the Hindu pantheon and one of the godheads in the Hindu Trinity. Known by many names - Mahadeva, Mahayogi, Pashupati, Nataraja, Bhairava, Vishwanath, Bhava, Bhole Nath - Lord Shiva is perhaps the most complex of Hindu deities. Hindus recognize this by putting his shrine in the temple separate from those of other deities.
Shiva As Phallic Symbol:
Shiva, in temples is usually found as a phallic symbol of the ‘linga’, which represents the energies necessary for life on both the microcosmic and the macrocosmic levels, that is, the world in which we live and the world which constitutes the whole of the universe. In a Shaivite temple, the ‘linga’ is placed in the center underneath the spire, where it symbolizes the naval of the earth.
A Different Deity:
The actual image of Shiva is also distinct from other deities: his hair piled high on the top of his head, with a crescent tucked into it and the river Ganges tumbling from his hairs. Around his neck is a coiled serpent representing Kundalini or the spiritual energy within life. He holds a trident in his left hand in which is bound the ‘damroo’ (small leather drum). He sits on a tiger skin and on his right is a water pot. He wears the ‘Rudraksha’ beads and his whole body is smeared with ash.
The Destructive Force:
Shiva is believed to be at the core of the centrifugal force of the universe, because of his responsibility for death and destruction. Unlike the godhead Brahma, the Creator, or Vishnu, the Preserver, Shiva is the dissolving force in life. But Shiva dissolves in order to create, since death is the medium for rebirth into a new life. So the opposites of life and death and creation and destruction both reside in his character.
The Most Fascinating of Gods:
He is also often portrayed as the supreme ascetic with a passive and composed disposition. Sometimes he is depicted riding a bull called Nandi decked in garlands. Although a very complicated deity, Shiva is one of the most fascinating of Hindu gods.
The God Who’s Always High!:
Since Shiva is regarded as a mighty destructive power, to numb his negative potentials he is fed with opium and is also termed as ‘Bhole Shankar’, one who is oblivious of the world. Therefore, on Maha Shivratri, the night of Shiva worship, devotees, especially the menfolk, prepare an intoxicating drink called ‘Thandai’ (made from cannabis, almonds, and milk) sing songs in praise of the Lord and dance to the rhythm of the drums.
By: Subhamoy Das
Posted in Hinduism | No Comments »
Sunday, June 14th, 2009
One of the oldest art objects in India, the bronze statuette of a dancing girl excavated at Mohenjo Daro epitomizes the antiquity and the universality of wrist ornaments in India. She stands in the nude with one arm at her hip, the other arm completely weighed down with a collection of bangles. From then on the variety and shape of wrist ornaments spanned the gamut of nature’ s materials and human creativity.
Indeed more than any other single jewelry form in India, the bangle has been crafted from the widest variety of materials. Ancient fragments testify that bangles were made from terracotta, stone, shell, copper, bronze, gold, silver and almost any material that lent itself to craftsmanship. Lac and glass bangles in a plethora of colors are a common sight in India even today. From simple plain circlets of metal, to ones decorated with etched and repousse designs, to fabulous examples with bird and animal-head terminals and studded with gems, these circlets symbolize the potent energy of the sun.
The sheer variety of wristlets of India is matchless anywhere in the world. Besides being a mark of a married woman, these have enormous romantic and amorous connotations. Often the Indian poet would indicate a woman pining for union with her husband or lover by bracelets slipping from her wrist due to her becoming thin in the agony of separation from him. The tinkling sound of women’s bangles is full of significant messages expressing her presence, her wish for attention, her anger or desire to exchange glances.
An important concept associated with this feminine ornament has been responsible for its continuing popularity. It is a universally accepted idea that bangles identify the wearer as a married woman, reiterating her status as the beloved of her husband and the honored mother of a family. To the Indian woman, ornaments for the wrist have always been significant emblems of marriage. Even when changing bangles, a woman never allows her arm to be completely bare. A simple string or even the end of her sari is wrapped around the arm, until the new set is worn. Undoubtedly, the most popular bangles are those made of glass, worn by women of all classes of society, rich and poor. Girls may also wear them, but, for a married woman, their symbolism makes them a necessity. Generally between eight and twelve glass bangles are worn on each wrist, twenty-four in two matching sets.
By: Exotic India Art
Posted in Indian Jewelry | No Comments »
Sunday, June 7th, 2009
Indian home décor is not only popular in India, but becoming equally popular in foreign countries as well. It is a well-known fact that India is a country of variety, yet there is a flavor of among all its diversity. That is why the cultures of India are widely varied and the most important thing is that people of this country enjoy the fact that they sometimes even exchange their culture easily.
It is very common among any culture to use thing that belong to some other culture of the country. That is why it is really an exciting fact to find Punjabi things in a Bengali home. The home décor in India is likewise. It tells the story of a mixed culture. But there are a lot of people who are traditional as far as their choice is concerned. The wall décor is a main part in the houses. There are lots of wall hanging accessories available in the market. There are paintings of tribal arts, or of any famous artists. Some use fabric wall hangings, which are productions of Indian small-scale industries.
Rajasthani and Gujarati wall hangings are widely popular in this country. Wall sculptures are lately been popular in India. Indians are pious people. So it is very like for them to keep idols in their rooms. But the wall sculptures of Ganesha have become so popular nowadays that they can be seen in all the houses.
Carpets and other kinds of floor mats are also available in stylish patterns and textures. Other than these things various kinds of accessories are available in the market like framed paintings of famous Indian painters or the tribal paintings. There are small-scale industries that produce flower vases following their own traditional style, as for example the flower vase that you have bought from Rajasthan will be different than what you will buy from Maharashtra. So you have a complete freedom to choose the materials of your own choice following your own taste. And this is why interior decoration is emerging as a very popular subject in India.
By: The Deserve It
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Sunday, June 7th, 2009
Ganesha — the elephant-deity riding a mouse — has become one of the commonest mnemonics for anything associated with Hinduism. This not only suggests the importance of Ganesha, but also shows how popular and pervasive this deity is in the minds of the masses.
The Lord of Success
The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. In fact, Ganesha is one of the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga being the other four) whose idolatry is glorified as the panchayatana puja.
Significance of the Ganesha Form
Ganesha’s head symbolizes the Atman or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence, and his human body signifies Maya or the earthly existence of human beings. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesha’s left hand is a gentle implement to capture all difficulties.
The broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice, which he broke for writing the Mahabharata. The rosary in his other hand suggests that the pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. The laddoo (sweet) he holds in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman. His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears to our petition. The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms. And he is humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse.
How Ganesha Got His Head
The story of the birth of this zoomorphic deity, as depicted in the Shiva Purana, goes like this: Once goddess Parvati, while bathing, created a boy out of the dirt of her body and assigned him the task of guarding the entrance to her bathroom. When Shiva, her husband returned, he was surprised to find a stranger denying him access, and struck off the boy’s head in rage. Parvati broke down in utter grief and to soothe her, Shiva sent out his squad (gana) to fetch the head of any sleeping being who was facing the north. The company found a sleeping elephant and brought back its severed head, which was then attached to the body of the boy. Shiva restored its life and made him the leader (pati) of his troops. Hence his name ‘Ganapati’. Shiva also bestowed a boon that people would worship him and invoke his name before undertaking any venture.
However, there’s another less popular story of his origin, found in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana: Shiva asked Parvati to observe the punyaka vrata for a year to appease Vishnu in order to have a son. When a son was born to her, all the gods and goddesses assembled to rejoice on its birth. Lord Shani, the son of Surya (Sun-God), was also present but he refused to look at the infant. Perturbed at this behaviour, Parvati asked him the reason, and Shani replied that his looking at baby would harm the newborn. However, on Parvati’s insistence when Shani eyed the baby, the child’s head was severed instantly. All the gods started to bemoan, whereupon Vishnu hurried to the bank of river Pushpabhadra and brought back the head of a young elephant, and joined it to the baby’s body, thus reviving it.
Ganesha, the Destroyer of Pride
Ganesha is also the destroyer of vanity, selfishness and pride. He is the personification of material universe in all its various magnificent manifestations. “All Hindus worship Ganesha regardless of their sectarian belief,” says D N Singh in A Study of Hinduism. “He is both the beginning of the religion and the meeting ground for all Hindus.”
By: Subhamoy Das
Posted in Hinduism | No Comments »
Sunday, June 7th, 2009
The neck is an important occult center. Because necklaces are often worn near the heart, they can be used to work on emotions, or to attract or strengthen love. By wearing a necklace of stones for example, it is believed that we are binding ourselves with their powers. From earliest times protective pendants, necklaces and strings of beads, as well as elaborate ornamental collars, were worn around the neck to bring good luck and avert the evil eye.
Indeed among all the kinds of jewelry, necklaces have had the maximum number of magical properties assigned to them. In some cases, they were designed as amulets or charms to insure good health or wealth to the wearer. Such necklaces could be very simple, with a gem or carving carrying the burden of the charm, or they could be very elaborate, glittering with gold and gems.
In all probability the form of the necklace was visualized with the explicit purpose of distracting the eyes of the viewer from the wearer’s face and eyes - and thus protecting the wearer from the dangers of the mysterious Wicked Eye. The necklace hence also served as a protection against any attempt at hypnotizing, since such an effort would have had to start with a concentrated gaze at the wearer’s face, an attempt which the necklace effectively undermined. A necklace in this manner acted as a powerful restraint against undesirable gentlemen trying out their charms on virtuous maidens.
Most likely, the predecessor of the necklace in India was a fresh flower garland, to which there are a number of references in literature. One of the more important designs of the necklace is known as champakali, i.e. ‘buds of the champa (Michelia champaca) flower’. Many others derive inspiration from the jasmine flower, the fragrance of which has strong erotic connotations.
Even today, despite the emergence of paper and plastic flower garlands, the custom of offering fresh flower garlands has retained its charm.
By: Exotic India Art
Posted in Indian Jewelry | No Comments »
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