Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to the deity lord Siva, located at the base of Annamalai Hills in the town of Thiruvannamalai, South India, there has been a massive surge in devotees workshipping at sri Arunachaleswarar Temple and walking the Giripradakshina path around the Theyu (Fire) Jyothir Lingam Mountain of Arunachaleswarar, especially at the time of Full Moon Day. As we walk of Giripradakshina path around the Theyu (Fire) jyothir Lingam Mountain of Arunchalaswarar Siva, we will encounter many Lingams, Temples, Ashrams and shrines on the way. Some of these are extremely ancient and some even invisible to the morden era. Girivalam is not the path for the faint hearted, the raucous or for the mere tourist. Rather, it is the Divine circle of silence. One must tread the path with …show more content…
The panchamuka darshan is an ope shine on Arunagirivalam. Five Lingam are seen on a stone plinth. These Sivalingas are the embodiment of the five faces of Lord Siva in this world of matter. The top is dedicated to Ishana. This is the all seeing, three eyed face of the Lord which looks upwards. The other four faces of the Lord point to the four directions of space. The east is dedicated to Tatpurusha; the south is dedicated to Agoram; the north to Vamadeva and the west to Sadiyojatha. The five Lingas are also consided to symbolize the five elements and five syllables of the Siva mantra, Na – ma – si – va – ya as well as the syllables of A – ru – na – cha – la. The position of the head is placed between the pillars on the top of which, on the entablature, are legs crossed in padmasana posture, surmounted by a Linga. If one perceives the hill, he can see the five peaks of the hill. This is called seeing the five facets of the Arunai hill9. 5.
...e Amida Buddha’s name is recited over and over again in a chant, whether silently or aloud, so that the individual may focus on the Amida Buddha and nothing else (Cleary). This sculpture is meant to portray the Amida Buddha that presides over the Pure Land, and it is a reaction to the Pure Land Buddhism’s popularity (“Amida”).
In 1785, a Christ Child was said to have appeared. A shepherd boy from the village of Tayankani played with the child, but the child disappeared. The child was believed to have disappeared into a rock that was left with his imprint. This is the story behind the pilgrimage to the rock, but those of our community don’t pay much attention to it. Their purpose in the event is to ‘honor’ their supernatural beings. They pay homage to Rit’i (the snow), Taytakuna (Fathers), and the great Apus (Lord Mountains).
The piece itself displays two Buddhas, seated next to each other, two bodhisattvas on either side of the Buddhas, apsaras across the top of the stele, along with four monks and two lions adorning the bottom. In this stele, the...
It is speculated that this anti-iconic symbolism was done in order to comply with Gautama’s wish that his physical form not be depicted after his passing, but there are no found scriptures known to prove this statement. On the east gate is a continuous narrative scene called “The Great Departure,” where Gautama departs on his journey for enlightenment (Chien). He is represented as an umbrella, a royal symbol, when seated on his horse and as footprints, which shows his physical impact on the world, when he dis-mounts his horse. The Buddha is represented as an umbrella on a shrine on the Western gate. Buddha sculptures have evolved over time in order to fit the changing views of Buddhism. The earliest styles for Buddhist sculpture are from the ancient civilizations of Mathura and Gandhara started the iconic phase of depicting Buddha. A seated Buddha statue from Mathura resembles traditional Indian images of male nature deities, has fearless hand gestures, and is characterized by a cranial protuberance, which shows his greater understanding of all things. These seated statues constitute of broad shoulders, a swelled chest, firmly planted legs, a shaven head, a smiling round face, and drapery that clings to the form of the body while leaving the right shoulder bare (Britannica). Other characteristics include “the right arm raised in
Pradesh, Madhya. "World Heritage Sites- Sanchi." Archeological Survey of India. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. .
The temple’s main chamber contains a massive statue of the Buddha. Along the walls of the chamber are numerous paintings related to the history of the Buddha’s ascension. Underneath each painting is a historical excerpt of the Buddha’s ascension, and each painting is numbered and ordered chronologically along the walls. The tone these paintings set makes it clear that the Ying family, and indeed all those involved with temple, greatly value the Mahayana traditions and philosophies.
Man has always found pleasure in expressing himself by creating art. Through the centuries, man’s art has left behind clues and insight that enables the generations of today to understand their ancestors. In particular, historians and artist alike can see what certain Asian sculptures reflect of the culture and religious beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism. Hinduism is the parent religion to Buddhism; much like Judaism is to Christianity. Despite Buddhism and Hinduism sharing similar philosophies and various idealisms, their respective sculptures also show their differences. There are two important characteristic of the sculptures of these religions. The first is motion versus rest, and second the subject matter. It is these two types of characteristics historians and artist can help use to decipher Hindu and Buddhist sculptures.
This bronze sculpture shows one of three God’s in Hindu triumvirate, Shiva Nataraja, the destroyer and regenerator, as a dancing figure within the ring of fire. The ring of fire is the eternal cyclical nature of existence, the cosmos and consciousness. Other elements shown in this dance are Shrishti (creation), Anugraha (release), Sthiti (preservation), Samahara (destruction), and Tirobhava (illusion). In the form of Shiva Nataraja, he has four arms that represent different aspects of the universe., this signifies world creation through music. In his left hand is destruction depicted as fire. Both the hands are equal in height and level, this signifies the equality in destruction and creation. Abhaya mudra which symbolizes fearlessness., pointing to left foot signifying salvation and upliftment. Shiva’s right foot is pressed on the back of a demon dwarf at the center, this depicts victory over ignorance. In this sculpture Shiva’s flowing hair stands out with a small personified image of the Ganges river. Stories tell of Shiva and how he broke the fall of great Ganges’
Gandhara had absorbed Indian and Mediterranean influence in its art as well as its culture. This fusion of civilizations had taken place during the 6th and 5th century B.C, it was during this time period that the rhythm of civilizations was maintained. It was noted for the distinctive Gandhara style of Buddhist art, which developed out of a merger of Greek, Syrian, Persian, and Indian artistic influence. As mentioned earlier the Gandhara artists were said to have hand of a Greek but the head and heart of an Indian . During this period the devotees had dedicated themselves to the novel task of carving stone images of Buddha and Bodhisattvas. In their version of the Buddhist legends, the Gandhara artists, heavily favored the use of classical Roman art with bounteous of Greek mythology such as the angels that had garlands, Centaurs with human heads, arms and the body, spiral and flowing lines, Tritons with the fish tails and horse’s forefoot, scrolls and stuccos. The carving of the drapery showed the Hellenic influence on Gandhara art, for example the bright disc around the head of the Buddha or the half human being with the head of trunk of a women and tail of a fish. Similarly the wavy treatment of the hair, balance and distribution of weight considering the frame of human parts certain motifs and patterns all indicated a full close knowledge of
Inc, E. T. (2003). A monument of Imeasurable beauty & love. Retrieved Feb 11, 2012, from Taj Mahal: http://www.tajmahal.travel/
I decided to visit a Hindu temple because the Hindu religion was the religion that I knew the least about and was interested in. This assignment gave me an opportunity to learn more about this religion and what their worship services and rituals were like. The temple that I went to was called BAPS Shri Swaminaryan Mandir and it was located in Lilburn. As soon as I walked in, I was amazed by the beautiful architectural design of this Temple. It seemed like it took a lot of hard work and dedication to make the place what it is now. While I was at the temple, I watched the Hindus perform an ancient Vedic ritual called the Abhishek, a ritual bathing to honor the murti of their God.
Thus, it is understandable, based on the various gods worshipped in Hinduism that one must look at th...
While observing the worship going on, I saw one specific goddess, Durga, who was actually a North Indian goddess and brought to this South Indian temple because a wealthy North Indian benefactor had contributed a considerable amount of money to the temple and had requested that his goddess is worshipped there. She was made of white marble and dressed in rich fabric and colors and had flowers surrounding her. She was riding her vahana, her animal-vehicle associated with her, but this could not be seen because she was so lavishly dressed – her clothing was actually covering the animal that she was
Classical Hindu Mythology. Cornelia Dimmitt and J. A. B. van Buitenen. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1978. 38-40. Print.
Shiva is known as the destroyer of the world, but he also has many other roles. According to The Hindu Traditions Shiva is the; creator and destroyer, movement and tranquility, light and dark, and man and woman. These roles tend to be contradicting but Shiva has these roles in order to show that these things are more closely related than they appear to be. There are four main images of Shiva and they include: Mahayogi, Nataraja, Ardhaharishvara, and lingam. The four images of Shiva represent his different roles. The image of Shiva as the Mahayogi presents him in meditation and in a serene state. In this state Shiva is wearing animal skins and his eyes are only half open. The animal skin is a representation of being in touch with nature and his eyes are symbolizing that he is only partially in the world according to The Hindu Tradition’s. In the Mahayogi image he also tends to have a three prong trident that represents dominance over intelligence, mind and body. The cobra wrapped around his neck is his power over ego and in his hair is where the goddess Ganga lives. The image of Nataraja is one of the more famous images of Shiva and it displays him dancing. He is famous for his dancing and is often referred to a...