What is the name of the rain goddess praised in a Tamil folk dance during Isha Gramotsavam?
c44f9bd5380df9c946bb1eef2063876a
Isha Gramotsavam Isha Gramotsavam is a cultural festival held in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The festival features several aspects of traditional Tamil culture, and is conducted every year by the Indian non-profit Isha Foundation. In past years, venues have featured rural food festivals with traditional food items, rural cultural shows featuring Tamil folk dances such as Karakattam, Oyilattam and Thapattam, and handicrafts from various regions of Tamil Nadu. Additionally, the festivals also feature games and sports. The multi-sport event is sometimes promoted under the title of the "Rural Olympics."
54097addd3c86b0a3f3d2e1966d74f15
Karakattam Karakattam (Tamil: கரகாட்டம் or ""karakam" (கரகம் 'water pot') dance") is an ancient folk dance of Tamil Nadu performed in praise of the rain goddess Mariamman. The performers balance a pot on their head . Traditionally, this dance is categorized into two types- "Aatta Karakam" is danced with decorated pots on the head and symbolizes joy and happiness. It is mainly performed to entertain the audience. The "Sakthi Karakam" is performed only in temples as a spiritual offering.
8a8aa6525e73ff199c3ba0b0b4d7d89e
Gayatri Gayatri (Sanskrit: "gāyatrī ") is the feminine form of "gāyatra ", a Sanskrit word for a song or a hymn, having a Vedic meter of three "pada"s, or lines, of eight syllables. In particular, it refers to the Gayatri Mantra and the Goddess Gāyatrī as that mantra personified.
3a208494e8dc2012b77395d909778a78
Kadampuzha Devi Temple Kadampuzha Devi Temple is a Hindu temple and pilgrimage center at Kadampuzha, near Kuttippuram in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. The temple is dedicated to goddess Durga(Form of Goddess Parvati), a Devi. There is no idol in the temple.
e17e5987e49287fe00054122672837ce
Deodhani dance Deodhani dance () is a folk dance from the Indian state of Assam. It is as a solo or group performance. In the group performance, it essentially comprises 3 or 4 women. This dance form is associated with the worship of the snake goddess Manasa or Maroi. A Deodhani dance is generally performed to the accompaniment of songs sung by an "oja", an Assamese traditional chorus leader, during the dance.
42f23edb9b2a4384f80a2c6178b5e6ad
Bipodtarini Devi Popularly known as Bipattarini (Bipottarini), also termed as Bipodtarini or Bipadtarini is a Hindu goddess (Devi), worshipped in West Bengal, Orissa and surrounding areas. Closely associated with goddess "Sankattarani" and considered as one of the 108 Avatars of the goddess Durga, Bidaptarini is especially prayed to for help in overcoming troubles. Her legends which are recounted during the annual festival associated with her, the "Bipadtarini Vrata", observed by women, on the Between Dwitiya ( Ratha Yatra) to Dashami {( Ulta Ratha Yatra ) or (Bahuda Jatra)} or Between 2nd day to 10th Day of the Shukla paksha (waxing moon) Tuseday or Sutarday in month of Ashada according to the Hindu Calendar. Her legends established her name, Bipada – Tarini, which literally means "deliverer from troubles".
f95e1303f9dbad6a5d218eb3c1087ea6
Chhinnamasta Chhinnamasta (Sanskrit: छिन्नमस्ता , Chinnamastā , "She whose head is severed"), often spelled Chinnamasta, and also called Chhinnamastika and Prachanda Chandika, is a Hindu goddess. She is one of the Mahavidyas, ten goddesses from the esoteric tradition of Tantra, and a ferocious aspect of Devi, the Hindu Mother goddess. The nude self-decapitated goddess, usually standing or seated on a divine copulating couple, holds her own severed head in one hand, a scimitar in another. Three jets of blood spurt out of her bleeding neck and are drunk by her severed head and two attendants.
9f5d2a1dfe9e29e7361983c0fe222311
Theppotsavam Theppotsavam, or float festival, is a Hindu religious festival carried out in Hindu temples in parts of South India, mainly Tamil Nadu during the month of "Chitthirai" or "Aries". As a part of this festival, the principal idol of the temples is decorated and taken in procession through the tank of the temple.
130f66929b8e93c3d1f04a0e7340a410
Saranyu Saranyu ("Saraṇyū "), Saranya, or Saraniya (also known as Sanjana, Sangya, Randal, Ravi Randal) is the wife of Surya, and the goddess of clouds in Hindu mythology, the mother of Revant and the twin Asvins (the Indian Dioscuri). She is also the mother of Manu, and of the twins Yama and Yami. According to Farnell, the meaning of the epithet is to be sought in the original conception of Erinys, which was akin to Ge.
404fc3e8091f6e3cd47858cd9ac0a554
Singri There are at least 2 places in India called Singri. One in South India, in the state of Tamil Nadu, close to the city of Vellore. This place is also referred to as Singiri or "Singri". There is a 1000-year-old temple built in the honor of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha (Nara=Human, Simha=Lion). There is a pratiti (nearest equivalent is a historic fact) that Lord took the form of a half lion and half human to defeat an asura (Demon) who had a boon that no man or beast can kill him. Since he got the boon, however, he had become too proud and condescending toward everyone and troubled them in every possible way. So people prayed to the lord for help when Lord took the form of Narasimha. The statue is amazingly beautiful and witness to the skills of the artists of that day. The place is situated far from all the commotions of a city, reflecting the need for peace sought by every human being.
36d3f9b27d7f398feffd79164450b99b
Chuzhali Chuzhali village got its name from goddess Chuzhali, as this village is the abode of Goddess Chuzhali (Durga). The primary place of worship in this village is the Chuzhali Bhagavathy temple. Actually this village was under the dynasty of "Chuzhali Nambiars" . In ancient times it was under "Chuzhali Swaroopam" and the boundary was till "Koorgu" in Karnataka. Karakkattedam was heading the Chuzhali Swaroopam having control over all other edams and vast ares of land. Temples spread over Payyavur, Eruvassi, Ellaringi, Chengalai, Irukkur and Kalyadu villages come under Chuzhali Swaroopam. As the kaleidoscope of history spread over a century tilted, set patterns of social set up gave way to new order.
bb6840576d8cb272c0c099841dab541c
Varahi Varahi (Sanskrit: वाराही , Vārāhī ) is one of the Matrikas, a group of seven or eight mother goddesses in the Hindu religion. With the head of a sow, Varahi is the shakti (feminine energy, or sometimes, consort) of Varaha, the boar Avatar of the god Vishnu. In Nepal, she is called Barahi.
e8f177ab5ccf0990e9c0a62dfbba2f4a
Iṣṭa-devatā (Hinduism) Ishta-Deva or Ishta Devata (Sanskrit: ईष्ट देवता, "iṣṭa-deva(tā) ", literally "cherished divinity" from "iṣṭa"
583337934c23c00d4744ced500870b11
Dewi Sri Dewi Sri, or Shridevi (Dewi literally means goddess) (Javanese: ꦢꦺꦮꦶꦱꦿꦶ), Nyai Pohaci Sanghyang Asri (Sundanese) is the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese pre-Hindu and pre-Islam era goddess of rice and fertility, still widely worshipped on the islands of Bali and Java. Despite her mythology being native to the island of Java, after the adoption of Hinduism in Java as early as first century, the goddess is associated with the Hindu goddess Lakshmi as both are attributed to wealth and family prosperity.
33bb48f2943aa5afc608d7306fc0ad3e
Attukal Temple The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is a Hindu religious shrine at Attukal, Trivandrum in Kerala, India. Goddess Bhadrakali (Kannaki), mounted over 'vethala', is the main deity in this temple. Bhadrakali, a form of Mahakali, who killed the demon king Daruka, believed to be born from the third eye of lord Shiva. 'Bhadra' means good and 'Kali' means goddess of time. So Bhadrakali is considered as the goddess of prosperity and salvation. Goddess 'Attukal devi', itself is the supreme mother 'Bhaadrkali devi',)(in soumya aspect) the goddess of power and courage. She is often referred as Kannaki, the heroin of Ilanko Adikal's 'Silapathikaaram'. The temple is renowned for the annual "Attukal Pongala" festival, in which over three million women participate. A festival that has figured in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the single largest gathering of women for a religious activity, the Attukal Pongala continues to draw millions of women with each passing year. According to the Attukal Temple Trust, around 4.5 million devotees are expected to attend the pongala in 2016. Attukal Temple is situated near the heart of the city, 2 kilometres away from Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, East Fort in Thiruvananthapuram. Devotees believe that all of their wishes will be fulfilled by the goddess, provide prosperity and can attain salvation. Attukal devi is often worshipped in 3 forms such as Maha Saraswati (goddess of knowledge), Maha Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) and Mahakali/ Durga/ Parvathy (goddess of power).
6b8dd322cdea6d26691f64296b985d88
Ankalaparamecuvari Ankalaparamecuvari is a Hindu goddess popular in parts of Tamil Nadu. Her cult is notable for its association with rituals carried out in cemeteries and burning grounds, which incorporate a colorful ritual object called a kapparai. The kapparai, which is often decorated with the faces of deities, is typically carried in procession to a cemetery/burning ground, where a ceremony called the "mayana kollai" is carried out. During the mayana kollai, priests and sometimes other participants may eat ashes and bone fragments found at the burning ground, although the precise nature of this ritual varies widely from one temple to the next. Ankalaparamecuvari may also be associated with other cemetery deities like Irulappan.
306ec6b7a08ecaf3cad9a9a75edca2f7
Pompeii Lakshmi The Pompeii Lakshmi is an Indian ivory statuette dated to 20-50 CE, that was discovered in the ruins of Pompeii (79 CE) in the 1930s. Originally, it was thought that the statuette represented the goddess Lakshmi, a goddess of fertility, beauty and wealth, revered by Hindus and Jains. However, the iconography reveals that the figure is more likely to depict a "yakshi", a female tree spirit that represents fertility.
02cb4ded38bf2fc454080a10e7cb5f2f
Mahalakshmi (disambiguation) Mahalakshmi or Mahalaxmi is the Hindu Goddess of Wealth, Fortune and Prosperity.
e47738e75679907e26d3fb4e6b30767e
Madurai Veeran Madurai Veeran (also known as Muthu Kumaran; lit. warrior of Madurai) is a Tamil folk deity popular in southern Tamil Nadu, India. His name was derived as a result of his association with the City of Madurai as a Protector of the City. His worship is also popular amongst the Tamil diaspora.
f3852940ed4a3be8a7db3b9c6825f12f
Dhumavati Dhumavati (Sanskrit: धूमावती , Dhūmāvatī , literally "the smoky one") is one of the Mahavidyas, a group of ten Tantric goddesses. Dhumavati represents the fearsome aspect of Devi, the Hindu Divine Mother. She is often portrayed as an old, ugly widow, and is associated with things considered inauspicious and unattractive in Hinduism, such as the crow and the "Chaturmas" period. The goddess is often depicted on a horseless chariot or riding a crow, usually in a cremation ground.
43b6ad26edc55aab7ab31f7784dd6e5a
Divya Desam A Divya Desam is one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the works of the Alvars (saints). Of the 108 temples, 105 are in India, one is in Nepal, and last two are believed to be outside the Earthly realms. In India they are spread over states of Tamil Nadu(84), Kerala(11), Andhra Pradesh(2),Gujarat(1), Uttar Pradesh(4), Uttarakhand(3). The last two are Thirupalkadal and Paramapadam.Tirupalkaddal is the ocean of milk and paramapadam is the Vaikuntha where lord Vishnu presides. The Divya Desams are revered by the 12 Alvars in the "Divya Prabandha", a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses. Divya Desams follow Thenkalai or Vadakalai modes of worship.
a835f009f23071453e44813e90512f7a
Kanda Shasti Kavasam Skanda Sashti Kavacham or Kanda Sashti Kavasam (Tamil: கந்த சஷ்டி கவசம் ) is a Hindu devotional song composed in Tamil by Bala Devaraya Swamigal (a student of Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai) on Lord Muruga, the son of Lord Shiva, in Chennimalai near Erode. Tamil contains many ancient hymns in praise of deities. Skanda Sashti Kavasam was composed in the 16th century. In the song has been composed in praise of the Lord, seeking to shower His grace.