Hindu
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Hindus are the largest population group in Mauritius. The island has several Hindu temples. The largest is located at the sacred lake “Ganga Talao”, representing the Ganges River of India. This ancient volcano crater is tucked away in the mountains of the southwest and is surrounded by colourful Hindu temples and deities.
This four-armed beauty is Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity in all forms, both material and spiritual.
The front two arms represent material pursuits, the back two arms spiritual realm.
a special holy day for women at the lake who come to bathe and have some time away from the men folk .. :)
Ganesha or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bali (Indonesia) and Bangladesh and in countries with large ethnic Indian populations including Fiji, Mauritius and Trinidad and Tobago. Hindu denominations worship him regardless of affiliations.Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists.
Although he is known by many attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify.Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rites and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as patron of letters and learning during writing sessions. Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits.
Ganesha likely emerged as a deity as early as the 1st century CE,but most certainly by the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. Hindu mythology identifies him as the restored son of Parvati and Shiva of the Shaivism tradition, but he is a pan-Hindu god found in its various traditions. In the Ganapatya tradition of Hinduism, Ganesha is the supreme deity. The principal texts on Ganesha include the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Brahma Purana and Brahmanda Purana are other two Puranic genre encyclopaedic texts that deal with Ganesha.
वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ।
निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा॥
The temple at Neasden, North West London, UK. No cameras inside at all so I took this over an eight foot gate in live view with the screen turned to face down. Shame about the scaffolding.
As the auspicious night of Amavasya (new moon) in the Hindu month of Kartik approaches, the air fills with an intense spiritual fervor, especially in Eastern India. This is the night of Kali Puja, a profound festival dedicated to Goddess Kali, the fierce and compassionate destroyer of evil. It is a night of tantric rituals, deep devotion, and the celebration of victory over darkness. Worshippers invoke Maa Kali's blessings for strength, protection, and ultimate liberation. Let us delve into the rituals, significance, and precise timings for Kali Puja 2025.
Bawaria Hindu Tribe is an ancient nomadic hunter tribe of Cholistan. They are son of the soil whose forefathers were primarily cultivators residing on the banks of the lost river Sarsvati. With the dried up of the river this area was deserted through desertification process and left only grazing land. Cholistan is a cradle of great Indus civilization and the Bawaria of Cholistan are representative of this civilization. Though nationalization has affected their culture. However, they are still staunch follower of their centuries old cultural traditions.
Katasraj temple is a Hindu temple situated in the Chakwal district of Punjab in Pakistan. Dedicated to Shiva, the temple has existed since the days of Mahābhārata and the Pandava brothers spent a substantial part of their exile at the site. The Pakistan Government is considering nominating the temple complex for World Heritage Site status. It also proposes to spend about Rs 20 million in three phases for the restoration of the complex.
Most of the temples, located some 40 km from the modern city of Chakwal in the Potohar region of northern Punjab in Pakistan, were built during the reign of Hindu kings. These several temples were built around 900 years ago or more, although the earliest of the Katasraj temples dates back to the latter half of the 6th century A.D. Scholars believe that most of the temples were actually constructed when the Shahi kingdom, driven from Afghanistan when their ethnic cousin Mahmud of Ghanavi came to power, fled to the region and set up base there.
The temple was abandoned by local Hindus when they migrated to East Punjab in 1947. It has always been the site of holy pilgrimage for people of various faiths. Even nowadays, worshippers from all faiths perform pilgrimages to the temple every year and bathe in the sacred pool around which Katasraj is built.
The Katas site houses the Satgraha, a group of seven ancient temples, remains of a Buddhist stupa, a few medieval temples, havelis and some recently constructed temples, scattered around a pond considered holy by Hindus. The temples at Katas are mostly constructed on square platforms. The elevation of the sub shrines seems to form a series of cornices with small rows of pillars, crowned by a ribbed dome.
The Ramachandra temple is situated to the east of the Hari Singh Haveli and is closed from all sides except for an entrance on the east. The double-storied structure has eight rooms of various dimensions on the ground floor and a staircase at the south leading to the first floor. The temple has two jharokas (balconies) that have been severely damaged.
The Hanuman temple is on the western extreme of a high rectangular enclosure with entrances on the south and the north. The temple's ceiling is undecorated, and lime-plastered. The Shiva temple is also built on a square platform. Its entrance is a recessed round arch with faint cusps and a rectangular opening to the north.
Katasraj temple complex is believed to date back to the Mahabharata era. There are stories about the Pandavas spending time there during their long exile. The lake in the complex is believed to have magical powers and supposed to be where Yudhisthira defeated the Yaksha with his wisdom to bring his brothers back to life.
(From wikipedia)