Culture

… The skillful maid continued to sip venom into the younger queen’s heart. Pampered by the king of Kajkeji, she wasn’t a bad woman, but even good women tend to love their only children more than their stepchildren. She couldn’t bear the thought that her son would only be “an ordinary prince” and not heir to the throne. So Manthara…

The Indian epic poem Ramayana was written about two and a half thousand years ago. According to the accounts, the author of the epic is a poet called Valmiki. The work includes 24,000 verses written in Sanskrit. Everyone knows this story and on every occasion of the most trivial of events it is staged in various forms, both traditional and…

Blue is the color of all-inclusiveness. You will see in the existence, anything that is vast and beyond your perception generally tends to be blue, whether it is the ocean or the sky. Anything which is larger than your perception tends to be blue because blue is the basis of all-inclusiveness. It is based on this that so many gods…

The Mahabharat is one of the two major epics in Sanskrit of ancient India. It contains over one lakh couplets and is thrice as long as the Bible. However, only a fraction of the narration deals with the main story with the rest containing additional myths and teachings. It clearly states: “what is found here may be found elsewhere but what…

The Mahabharat is one of the two major epics in Sanskrit of ancient India. It contains over one lakh couplets and is thrice as long as the Bible. However, only a fraction of the narration deals with the main story with the rest containing additional myths and teachings. It clearly states: “what is found here may be found elsewhere but what…

The Mahabharat is one of the two major epics in Sanskrit of ancient India. It contains over one lakh couplets and is thrice as long as the Bible. However, only a fraction of the narration deals with the main story with the rest containing additional myths and teachings. It clearly states: “what is found here may be found elsewhere but what…

The Mahabharat is one of the two major epics in Sanskrit of ancient India. It contains over one lakh couplets and is thrice as long as the Bible. However, only a fraction of the narration actually deals with the main story with the rest containing additional myths and teachings. It clearly states: “what is found here may be found elsewhere…

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. Here is one of the stories telling about the true view of the human body. ‘There was once an extremely beautiful young woman, everybody fell in love with her, as soon they saw her. One king, in particular, wanted her very badly and he was hypnotized by…

Hijra is one of the castes in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, which includes representatives of the “third sex”: a community of transgender people, bisexuals, homosexuals, and eunuchs. They dress and behave like women, call themselves a female name. The number of Hijra varies according to different estimates from 50 thousand to 5 million. But traveling in India and meeting men…

Continuing the theme of video from India, I bring to your attention a selection of material collected in the city of Puri, Orissa. Indians are simple and normal people with no pretensions to life. Western domestic culture has not yet spoiled consciousness with standards of well-being. And besides, it’s very hot in India. Therefore, life is unhurried and calm. It…

The city of Puri in the Indian state of Orissa (in the old transcription as Odisha) is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is an Indian Mecca, where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually flock. Imagine a marathon in 60-100-200km when you have on your shoulder a ritual stick with pots filled with some substance weighing 4-8kg. And…

An architecture marvel of Eastern India and a symbol of India’s heritage, Konark Sun Temple, commonly known as Konark is situated in the eastern state of Orissa, India and is one of the eminent tourist attractions. Konark houses a massive temple dedicated to the Sun God. The word ‘Konark’ is a combination of two words ‘Kona’ and ‘Arka’. ‘Kona’ means ‘Corner’…

Children’s portraits – little ones, middle schoolers and schoolboys, in play, with their parents or on the way to school … On the main picture: our own blond-giirls at the Bouddhanath stupa Location: Kathmandu, Nepal Kushi, the daughter of a neighbor of the Tamang caste Residents of Ramhiti Residents of Ramhiti A girl from a tailor’s shop Little Tibetans busy…

Mahatma Gandhi is the greatest known person in India. He is saved in the pages of history as the one who showed the path to the freedom, the one who fought to the end. His history is long and has many different sides. His childhood, education in Great Britain, war in Africa, racist discrimination, and fight for freedom in India….

There was an ancient festival that, as said, was to warship ‘the god of death’, Yamaraj. During the time the festival has changed. Now it is a time for fun, jokes, costumes and more. The modern form of celebration was born during XVII century in Malla Dynasty. The legend Long ago a King of Kathmandu, Pratat Malla lost his youngest son….

Rabindranath Tagore was born in Calcutta, India into a wealthy Brahmin family. After a brief stay in England (1878) to attempt to study law, he returned to India, and instead pursued a career as a writer, playwright, songwriter, poet, philosopher and educator. During the first 51 years of his life he achieved some success in the Calcuttaarea of India where…

Today, on the main Konark Highway, next to us, were going an unlimited amounts of orange pilgrims. Whenever I looked out the window on the stretch of road visible from our home, we could see singing Indians dressed in orange colors. Each of them carried on a shoulder a two-meter-long stick with plastic-covered symbols of Hindu culture. The stick was completed…

Wandering trough the streets of  Puri, I came across this object covered with green. It is an old temple of Krishna facing a newly built one. Inspired by this subject, I dug other old photos …        Below are photos from the Portuguese Fort in Canacona, the state of Goa.    Here is an old abandoned house built in the…

Today I’m writing about an Indian actress. Meena Kumari was born with the birth name Mahajabeen into the family of Ali Bux and Iqbal Begum (known as Prabhawati Devi before her marriage and conversion to Islam). At home, Mahajabeen’s family fondly called her by the name “Munna”. Vijay Bhatt, Director, Producer and Proprietor of Prakash Studio was approached by Ali…

Rath Yatra Festival, an annual “chariot journey”. Traditionally located in Puri – in the state of Orissa – is associated with the figure of Sri Jagannatha. When the festival falls Rath Yatra takes place on Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya, which is the second day after the new month of Ashadha’s Hindu calendar. According to the Gregorian calendar, this time falls on…

A few scenes from the coast area in Puri. The seaside region separates from the rest of the city Chakra Tirtha Road known for bhang shops there. Between this alley and the shores of the Bay of Bengal are settlements of fishing families. At dawn, the bay is full of boats. In the morning, families unravel the nets on the…

Hindu castes are an important element of the Nepalese community, although there are some gaps in this system. Bahuns differently Brahmins, are sitting on top of this mountain. They can be government employees, landowners or farmers. As the next, there are Chhetri who usually serve as soldiers. The homeland of both ethnic groups are the hills of western Nepal, but…

According to Gurung records Economics in the nineteenth century was based mainly on sheep herding and trade of products from Tibet over long distances, where they acted asa intermediaries in the exchange of Tibetan salt for rice from the Nepalese lowlands and on the cultivation of some plants preferring high heights, such as buckwheat. They were also avid hunters, made…

Wandering at the Annapurna massif, you can see the villages placed on high-lying borders, which`12qw fields are descending down the valley. Who are the people living in these villages, whose cheerfully bright, slightly Mongoloid faces can be found on the paths? It is a Gurung caste inhabiting the foothills of the Himalayas, meaning “Tamu-mae” – as they call themselves in their…

From which we escaped … Deciding on the offspring, we would usually want it to grow into happy people. What does it mean to someone – a different matter … a happy life depends on the relationship with the desired person, the popularity on social networks, the number of people haunting the house, most – more or less – wants…

The highest peak of the Annapurna massif is 8091 m.n.p.m. and is the tenth eight-thousander in number. For climbers, climbing this mountain is one of the most dangerous approaches in the world. “Annapurna” in Sanskrit means “filled with food.” The name also translates as “harvest keeper” – Shiva worshipers worship her as a guarantee of prosperity presenting with a gold…

Samsara is to see the mistakes of others. Tilopa …….. Judge not, and you will not be judged. For a judgment you judge will judge you; and they will measure you with a measure that you measure. Why do you see the splinter in the eye of your brother, and the beams in your own eyes do you not see? Or how…

Varanasi, Monday, 25/06/2018 My name is Deliv, I will tell about the cremation ritual in Hindu tradition, just as we keep it here in Benares. We are currently at Harish Chandra Ghat. Here, all bodies are cremated, with no distinction between castes and religions. Cremation here also includes electrical combustion. Besides, there is another ghat in Varanasi, where only Hindu…

“Namaste” is not all that you can hear in the morning from a Nepali. In this country rich in history, it is usual to express concern for the neighbor more bluntly. So when we came to Nepal for the first time, we lived with the Boguns – a Brahmin caste – for a long time we could not get used…

The Tamangs who live in Kathmandu enjoy their own tradition and a well-developed system of rituals. They have their lamas, or Buddhist priests taught – usually from the youngest childhood years – according to the tradition of the Nyingma school of Mahayana Buddhism. In addition, it is known that the man bearing the name Lama belongs to the Tamang caste….

Name of Kalachakra: Circle of Time. Kala – means time is an aspect of unchanging bliss. Chakra – this is a circle, aspect of elusiveness, emptiness of everything. Thus, the term Kalachakra may mean the unity of eternal bliss and the emptiness of everything that manifests. It is Kalachakra Outer, Inner and Secret. Outer Kalachakra is the world around us:…

Muktinath is situated at an altitude of 3,710 meters (12,172 feet) at the base of the Thorong La mountain pass in the Mustang district, Muktinath is a highly venerated sacred place for both Hindus and Buddhists. Hindus call the site Mukti Kshetra, which literally means the “place of salvation” and it is one of the most ancient temples of the…

June 10 or the 26th day of the month of Jesth, 2075 of calendar Bikram Sambat Ekadashi is a special day in Nepal. It always falls on the eleventh day after the new moon and on the eleventh day after the full moon – twice each month in the Nepalese calendar. Many try to uphold the precepts of Ayurvedic teachings…

This time the sound of the instruments indicated that there was some procession in the Buddhist tradition. A long white ribbon supported by those walking in the procession indicated the nature of the event: the funeral procession. Funeral procession The procession was led by two Tibetan lamas from the Nyingma tradition of the Tamang caste with shimmering copper trumpets. Behind…

The Dawa Saga Festival is a special day for Buddhists. Buddhist festival It is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the fourth month according to the Tibetan calendar. Such a special day is actually every Purnima, or the full moon. This, however, is especially special. It is said that on Dawa’s day, our merits resulting from the right – or…

Castes Rai and Limbu are known to be called Kiranti. But once, it is possible those two castes were one tribe. As their physical characteristics is quiet Mongolian it is clearly seen that they are from north. North Tibetans call Limbus Monpa meaning those who live in South of the Himalayas. Rullers Sources reveal that the Kathmandu Valley was under…

Limbu, are the second most numerous tribe of the people called Kiranti. Their caste makes 1.6% of population in Nepal. The Limbu tribe was about 380,000 big in the early 21st century. The Limbu are of Mongolian roots and speak a language belonging to the Himalayan group of Tibeto-Burman languages. It has its own alphabet (the Kirat-Sirijonga script), believed to have been invented in the…

A great opportunity to meet the breeders of yaks and their products is the Nepalese Chauri Festival. This year it took place on April 15-16 in Chartare,Eastern Nepal. The main goal of the festival is to preserve the traditional way of breeding chauri – yak. In addition, the organizers hope that the festival will also contribute to the promotion of cross-border tourism. Organization…

A snack that cools and gives strenght on a cool summer day. Origin Laphing is originally from Sichuan cuisine which is one of China’s most popular ones. It was  called ‘liang fen’. Tibetans, as followed, have enjoyed the dish and have brought it straight to Nepal where it, too, starts to gain popularity. Serving The consistency of laphing is jelly-like, made of mung-bean or…

A few days after the Nepalese New Year, the Hindu festival Parshuram Jayanti was on… celebrated by the Bikram Sambat traditions as Parshurama’s birthday. This year – 2018 – the holiday fell on April 18 according to the Gregorian calendar. According to the ancient book of Ramayana, Parashurama arrives at the engagement ceremony of Sita and Rama on that day….

Here is the story of a Nepali family… “Namaste. My name is Durga Devi Dulal. I was born in 1977 March 20, Sunday. In the village called Madhumalla of Morang district (East Nepal). My family had 7 members. Father, Mother and 5 children, among them 4 were daughters and one son. I am the 2nd daughter of my family. I was very discipline…

Quick Introduction Emperor Aurangzeb was considered as the last great Mughal Emperor who extended the Empire over nearly all the Indian subcontinent. He was born in 1618 and ruled for 49 years. He brought to his rule a strict Islamic law called Fatawa-e-Alamgiri. It was said that he imposed a ban on music but it seems that not completely. The story Long ago…

The traditions Traditions of funerals are different all around the world. We buried dead people, in Tibet they give them to vultures, in India they mostly burn them, sometimes they bury, and sometimes they just let them into the Ganges. By the way mummified are always the rich and famous ones. In Tibet only high lamas and in Egypt pharaohs. Everywhere in different ways,…

Kirati, Kiranti is an ethnic group with roots going back several millennia distinguished by separate beliefs, traditions and language between Nepalese. Region Traditionally, they live in the  region of Arun river flowing through Eastern Nepal. A distinction is made between two groups: Wallo – living west of the river Pallo – occupying the eastern territories of Arun Their tribes are also found…

On Saturday morning I heard a great noise on the street informing about another party. I caught my camera, ran and saw crowds of women dressed in red, fast-paced with jugs on their heads. What’s going on Nepalese asked what this party is about, are saying that this is not a special occasion and not a festival at all. Pressed…

Buddha Purnima is the most important festival of all Buddhist groups. This day celebrates not only as the birthday of the great Shakyamuni, but also the anniversary of his enlightenment and the anniversary of entering the parinirvana, meaning the leaving of body. Before the Happening Anniversary of the death Buddha’s birthday festival in Kathmandu lasted two days from 29 to…

Wandering around Bauddha on the day of Buddha Purnima – 30 may – we came across partying Tibetans. Organization The wedding party took place in a regional clinic of Tibetan medicine. The area of ​​the wedding celebration consisted of a small square with a tent, where tables and chairs were set up, and the waitresses were carrying dishes and drinks….

Lumbini is a city situated in south Nepal. It is a place of buddhist cult believed to be a birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama. Lumbini was made a World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 1997. Gautama was a son of Queen Mayadevi, born in 563 BCE. When he achieved Enlightenment some time around 528 BCE, became the Buddha and founded Buddhism. In Lumbini there are many temples, monasteries and monuments….

Gurung Dharma, or the Gurung shamanic traditions … … are now considered – also by its supporters – as an ancient system of shamanic beliefs, which is only a remnant of the former powerful cult. Gurung beliefs The Gurungs – in their language – Tamu-mae – combine practical everyday life with rich cosmology, inhabited by innumerable good and evil spirits….

The Nepali calendar includes the Hindu calendar Bikram Sambat (Vikram Samvat) and the days of the week, days of the month and anniversaries of the Gregorian calendar. The Nepalese calendar, Nepali Patro – also called Nepali Bikram Sambat, in short BS – means all national holidays, cultural and religious festivals of all ethnic groups of Nepal. It includes mainly Dashain,…

Tamangs believe that the tradition of celebrating Temal Jatra was initiated 300 years ago by King Rhinjen Dorje Bal. According to historical data, it is believed that in the late Middle Ages, when Nepal was divided into many small states like Baisi (a group of 22 states) and Chaubisi (a group of 24 states) in the present province 3 –…

The tradition of the Losar festival dates back to prehistoric pre-Buddhist times in Tibet. When Tibetans traditionally practiced the Bon shamanic tradition, a festival was organized every winter in which people offered innumerable incense to local spirits and deities. This tradition has remained until today as the annual New Year’s Buddhist festival. Tibetan calendar – according to which the Buddhist…

Perhaps you are in shock seeing,  for the first time, a small child with intensely painted eyes. However, it has been very common in Hindu culture for a long time. Also today, many mothers, in India, Nepal, and in the Middle East, paint their childrens eyes with kayalem – an Indian equivalent fof eye-liner – obtained from oil, herbs and…

Ghode Jatra, or the Horse Racing Day According to the tradition, on this day is celebrated the defeat of Tundi, a demon who once lived in a meadow known today as Tundikhel. After his death he was trampled under the hooves of dancing horses. It is said that the Ghode Jatra festival was initiated to make sure that his spirit is…

In the picture above – the Temple in Kaladi, the birthplace of Saint Adi Shankaracharya  „Jagat mithya, brahma satyam” जगत मिथ्या, ब्रह्मा सत्यम Means that the world we experience, including tangible scientific conclusions, are essentially illusory. The only original truth that is independent of the mind is brahma – translated as soul, consciousness, language or infinite, eternal, unconditioned mind. Those…

The highest caste was always Brahmins, holding positions of priests and teachers in the Hindu community. It is believed that in the twelfth century, during the Islamic invasion in India, Brahmins – Brahmans – emigrated to the western hills of Nepal. There they encountered a Khas caste, people of a Brahmin-like culture, who in the caste order never found themselves…

The Newaries are originall residents of the Kathmandu Valley and the surrounding districts. It can not be said, however, that the population of the Newar is a tribal population of a particular race with simple ethnic roots, such as Magar, Gurung or Kiranti. Basically, it can be stated that the Newari people are the cross between Indians (Arya) and Tibetans…

Here is the story of the wedding ceremony of the parents of our friend, interspersed with comments and additions regarding the Hindu wedding tradition. My dads name is Padurag Shankar Gookar. He has three brothers and four sisters, they lived in a large house in Kolam. Both our families – dads and moms – come from the Chhetree caste, in…

In the ancient system of Hindu Varna System caste – हिन्दू वर्ण व्यवस्था … … people were qualified to one of the castes according to their personal qualities, behavior, employment and degree of spiritual development. Kshatriya were warriors, soldiers and also held positions in the management group. All kings, ministers and soldiers were given the title ‘Kshatriya’. When Varna System…

From an air view, the Bauddhanath stupa looks like a giant mandala … means – diagram of Buddhist cosmology. Four Buddhas set the main directions of the world, the fifth – Vairochana – sits in the middle. These five Buddhas also embody the five elements – earth, water, fire, air and ether – represented in the elements of the stupa….

The Boudhanath stupa is located about 7 km northeast of Thamel – Kathmandu city center, near the ancient trade route leading from Tibet. The stupa is 44 meters high, the stupa dome is about 7 meters in diameter. The area of the stupa is approximately 6,756 square meters. Bauddhanath is one of the largest and most significant Buddhist objects in…

Fagu Purnima or Holi is a Hindu festival celebrated during the full moon … … at the end of the Nepalese Falgun month according to the Bikram Sambat calendar. In the southern region of Nepal, Terai, people are celebrating Holi a day later in relation to Holi celebrated in the Kathmandu Valley and in the mountainous regions of Nepal. Holi…

Tulsi contains strong antioxidants, has antibacterial, antiviral, antidiabetic, antimalarial, antiallergic, adaptogenic and immune properties, and also gives the beverage a refreshing but delicate taste. The plant shows great variation depending on the type of soil, rainfall and the place where it grows. The growing environment affects the size of the herb, its strength, and medical efficiency. Tulasi has a sweet-sharp…

Before the advent of Abraham religion, the concept of GOD – as such, in the Abrahamist understanding – did not exist. Although we are used to the fact that various Eastern Asian figures in polytheistic cultures presented by gold or copper figures, statues, and monuments or wall drawings in Hindu temples are called deities or gods. But this is a…

It happened to be Lhosar, Tibetan New Year and while coming back from our walk to Kopan Monastery we took pictures of women.  Maybe Nepalese look similar but different casts have their own looks. Each woman has her own kind of beauty. Here I’m going to show it. And here are more pictures. New Year in Kopan Monastery in Nepal Tibetan New Year…

A week ago we moved to another region. We live now in a rented flat in the Baudha region of Kathmandu – near the Boudhanath stupa – where is located the region of native residents of Kathmandu – Tamang. Traditionally, the people of Tamang adhere to Mahayana Buddhism. The sounds of the daily morning puja – mainly, to this day, bells…

Sonam Losar falls yearly on various dates – usually falls on the second, sometimes the third full moon after the winter solstice – in the Bikram Sambat calendar. This calendar is an ancient Tibetan-Chinese lunar calendar. So Sonam Lhosar falls the next day after the new moon of the month, Magh – on the day called Magh Sukla Pratipada. Sonam…

17th February we went on a walk to Kopan Monastery. From our house, it looks like on the other side of a city. We asked the owner of our flat, how many kilometers were between us and the Monastery. He told us that only 2 kilometers, we were quite surprised, as you can imagine. It so happened that the day we…

According to the Hindu cult, the puja for Shiva is made every morning and evening. The offerings are made of what brings a good impression in the cold region of the Himalayan foothills – light, clean water, the smell of incense, flowers, fire, and delicacies. The lingam – Shiva’s symbol – is commonly worshiped as a source of power and…

The culture of Western Bengal in its natural meaning is first of all the creation of Bauls, mystics so old that one can find their connection with not only religions but also the sciences that are commonly called esoteric. It seems that the whole ancient Asiatic culture originates or is interconnected with this culture of ancient travelers. And the most interesting…

Many of us have a very idealistic idea of monasteries, thinking of some high things. In fact, everything is much simpler. The monastery is principally a school. But what they study and who teaches in this school is already a question of the quality of education and the matter of every educational institution. What do the monks learn in the…

 Kolam is most known in south India, Nepal, and few other Asian countries. While walking through the village streets of Tamil Nadu, it is hard not to see the drawings on the ground. They are made of rice flour, chalk powder, rock powder or colored powders. The making of such a kolams is widely practiced by women of South India. In…

Pongal is celebrated in south India mostly in Tamil Nadu. The word Pongal itself means “boiling over” or “spilling over” (of milk and rice) in Tamil, signifying abundance and prosperity. Pongal is usually held from January 13–16 in the Gregorian calendar i.e. from the last day of the Tamil month Maargazhi to the third day of Thai. It is festival that brings respite to the…

This year it started September 21 and will end on September 29 Navratri–or the nine sacred days–mark the most auspicious days of the lunar calendar according to Hinduism. Celebrated with fervour and festivity all over India, and every Hindu community the world over, these nine days are dedicated solely to Maa Durga (goddess Durga) and her nine avatars. The prominent story…

The birthday of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni Gautama falls in full moon in the month of May. Every year in early May, sometimes at the end of April is held in Nepal Buddha Purnima, otherwise Buddha Jayanti, commonly known in other Buddhist countries Wessaka. This year it fell on 13th May. So we went from our mountain homestay in Methlang…

Celebrated 12th and 13th March, 2017 Holi is a Hindu spring festival celebrated in India and Nepal, also known as the “festival of colours” or the “festival of love”. The festival signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, end of winter, and for many people it means to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair…

Hi!!! My name is Maya. Welcome to our site. This Blog is about our travel. Mostly India. I am traveling with my family, parents and 3 small sisters. We travel a lot to visit new places and learn about different cultures and religions. I want to share my experience and my knowledge about places, food, transport and many more. Thanks for your…