Shankracharya

Shankaracharya was born approximately 600 A.D. at a place named Kalandi near river Purna in the state of Kerala. There is a lot of confusion over his date of birth. Because such was the effect of Shankracharya on the Sanatana Dharam that there was a no. of saints with name Shankara after him. His father was a very learned and religious Brahmin named Shri Shivaguru and his mother was Subhadra. He was born on Shuklapanchami (fifth day of the brighter phase of the Moon) in the month of Vaishaka.
At the time of Shankar's birth, his parents had grown old. His father and mother had worshipped Lord Shiva with great devotion. An adage says that, pleased with their devotion, Lord Shiva blessed them with a boon and Himself took an incarnation as their son. So, the couple rightly named the baby as Shankar.
Shankar began to express his feelings in his mother tongue when he was only one year old. In his second year, he had byhearted the Puranas merely by listening to his mother.
His father passed away after accomplishing Shankar's Churakarm when he was only three years old. When he had reached the age of five, his Yogyopavitsanskar was carried out and then he was sent to a Gurukula for formal education. Within two years, he came back mastering all the subjects like all the four Vedas, Vedanta and the Vedangas. His teachers were surprised at his exceptional talent.
After finishing his education and mastering all the knowledge, Shankar expressed his desire to become an ascetic. But due to a mother's affection and love for her only child, Shankar was refused permission. Shankar was a great devotee of his mother. He did not want to become an ascetic causing pains to her heart. One day, he went along with his mother for a bath in a river. A crocodile caught hold of him. Finding her son in trouble, his mother started shouting in panic. Then, Shankar said to his mother that the crocodile would set him free if she gives her permission to become an ascetic. To save her son's life, his mother instantly gave him the permission.
In this way, he abandoned his home at a young age of eight. But before leaving her, he promised her that he would be present at the time of her death.
Shankar became a disciple of Swami Bhagwatpad who lived in the hermitage at the banks of the river Narmada. His Guru gave him the name of Bhagwatpujyapadacharya. Under the guidance of his Guru, Shankar mastered Yoga in a very short time. Pleased by his accomplishments, his teacher permitted him to go to Kashi and write annotation on Vedantas.
He arrived at Kashi. In a very short time, he became very famous and people accepted him as a teacher. His first disciple was Sanaadan who later on became famous as Padmacharya. While teaching his students and disciples, Shankar authored many scriptures.
One day, disguised as a Chandal, Lord Vishwanath appeared before him. When Shankaracharya recognized Him, Lord Shiva ordered him to annotate on Brahmasutra and engage himself in propagation of the Sanatan Dharma.
Later on, he travelled across the length and breadth of India and defeated many scholars in spiritual debates. He also established four Mathas(shrines) in the four corners of India for the protection and propogation of the Sanaatan Dharma.
When he arrived at Prayag, he met Kumarilbhatt who was in his dying moments. Kumarilbhatt advised him to go to Mahishmati in the district of Saharsa in Bihar and to have a debate with Mandan Mishra, a renowned scholar. In the debate, the wife of Mandan Mishra, Bharati acted as the mediator. The debate between Shankar and Mandan Mishra continued for many days and Mandan Mishra was finally defeated.
Bharati the wife of Mandan Mishra then challenged Shankar for a debate saying that the victory was not complete as she, as the better half of Mandan Mishra, had not been defeated. Shankar accepted her challenge and the religious debate began. But when Bharati changed her topic to Kamashastra (sexual science), Shankar demanded some time to answer those questions which Bharati accepted.
Shankaracharya left that place. On the way he saw a dead body of a king being carried to the cremation ground for the performance of the last rites. By his yogic powers, Shankaracharya translocated his soul in the body of the king and preserved his own body keeping it safely somewhere.
Shankaracharya's soul which was in the body of the king learnt the secrets of Kamashastra from the queen and then returned back to Bharati and defeated her. Mandan Mishra accepted his disciplehood. He was later on known as Sureshwaracharya. Shankaracharya established many Mathas and started giving sermons on the principles of the Upanishads.
Once a Kapaalik (a shaiva sect carrying human skull) requested him to give his head so that he could accomplish his Sadhana (spiritual practice). Shankaracharya generously agreed to his demand. During the state of Samadhi as the Kapaalik was about behead him, one of his disciples, Padmapada came to know about this in the state of his meditation, being informed by his deity, Narsimha. He arrived at the scene and killed the Kapaalik.
Shankaracharya had contributed in the construction of many temples. Because of his teachings, countless number of people followed the virtuous path after quitting their evil ways.
Shankaracharya considered devotion as the best means to attain self-knowledge. He himself was a great devotee. Many Shlokas also bear testimony to the fact that he was also an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna. He had made quotations of many Shlokas connected with Lord Shiva. He wrote many sacred books like Brahmasutra Bhashya, Upanishad(Ish , Ken, Katha,Prashna, Mundaka, Mandukya) Bhashya, Gita Bhashya, Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashya, Sanatsujatiya bhashya, Hastamalak Bhashya, Lalitatrishati Bhashya, Viveka Chudamani, Prabodh Sudhakar, Updesh Sahashri, Aprokshanubhuti, Satashloki, Dasha shloki, Sabvedant Siddhantsaar Sangraha, Vakya Sudha, Panchikaran, Prapanchasara, Atma Bodh, Manishapanchak Anandlahiri, Vividh stotra etc.
Shankaracharya's philosophies were of the highest quality. The philosophers of the world give respect to his philosophy.
The advent of Shankaracharya was at the crucial time when the Sanaatan religion was facing the fear of extinction from all sides. The Sanaatan religion owes a lot to Shankaracharya for its survival

Pushkar Temple

Pushkar is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India. Pushkar means born due to a flower. In Hindu mythology it is said that the gods released a swan with a lotus in its beak and let it fall on earth where Brahma would perform a grand yagna. The place where the lotus fell was called Pushkar. It is situated 14 Km from Ajmer and is one of the five sacred dhams (pilgrimage sites for devout Hindus.) It is often called "Tirth Raj" - the king of pilgrimage sites - and has in recent years become a popular destination for foreign tourists.
Pushkar lies on the shore of Pushkar Lake. It has five principal temples, many smaller temples and 52 ghats where pilgrims descend to the lake to bathe in the sacred waters. One of the primary temples is the 14th century temple dedicated to Brahma, the Hindu god of creation. Very few temples to Lord Brahma exist anywhere in the world. Other temples of Brahma include those at Besakih in Bali, Bithoor in Uttar Pradesh, India, village asotra near balotra city of barmer district in rajasthan INDIA and Prambanan in Indonesia.
Pushkar is also famous for its annual Pushkar Camel Fair.
The natural environment of Pushkar and the sacred lake has become increasingly degraded in the last few decades. The problems stem mainly from overdevelopment of tourist facilities and the deforestation of the surrounding area[1]
Pushkar is one of the oldest cities of India. The date of its actual founding is not known, but legend associates Lord Brahma with its creation.
The Ramayan mentions Pushkar and says that Vishvamitra performed tapa here. It further says that the Apsara Menaka came to Pushkara to bathe in its sacred waters.
The Mahabharata says that while laying down a programme for Maharaja Yudhishthara’s travel, “Maharaja after entering the Jungles of Sind and crossing the small rivers on the way should bathe in Pushkara". And, per Vaman Purana, Prahlada on his pilgrimage to holy places visited Pushkarayana.
A Pratihara ruler of Mandore, Nahadarava, restored this tirtha in the seventh century. He got the place cleared and the lake restored by making an embankment on the side of the river Luni. He rebuilt old palaces and built twelve dharam shalas (resting places) and ghats on three sides of the lake.
The sage Parasara is said to have been born here. His descendants, called Parasara Brahamanas, are found in Pushkar and the surrounding area. The famous temple of Jeenmata has been cared for by Parasara Brahmans for the last 1000 years. Pushkarana Brahamanas may also have originated here.
Pushkar boasts temples, though few are as ancient as you might expect at such an important pilgrimage site, since many were destroyed by Aurangzeb, a Mogul ruler and subsequently rebuilt. The most famous is the Brahma Temple, said to be the only temple in the world dedicated to this deity. It stands on a high plinth with the Marble steps leading up to it. A silver turtle is set on the floor facing the Sanctum-Sanctorum or Girbha-griha. Around the turtle the Marble floor is inset with hundreds of silver coins. Coins engraved with donors names are also embedded in the walls. Peacocks adorn the temple walls as they are supposed to be the vehicle of lord Brahma's consort Saraswati. A small image of the milkmaid Gayatri, flanks the four-faced image of lord Brahma and is called Chaumurti The sanctuary has silver doors inside a carved marble gateway.
Places to view in Pushkar

SAVITRI TEMPLE:
The one-hour trek up to the hilltop Savitri Temple overlooking the lake is best made early in the morning; the view is magical.

VARAH TEMPLE:
Originally built in the 12th century, Varah Temple was, like many others, destroyed by the bigoted Emperor Aurangzeb (who, it is said , was particularly upset by the huge idol here of Varah, the god with the body of a man and the head of the boar.) Reconstructed BY Raja Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur in 1727, the temple has an interesting and richly ornamented image house.

MAHADEVA TEMPLE:
A Beautiful temple built in the 19th century, it was described by a British traveler of the time as "by far the most remarkable, for the elegance of its structure and the nature of its ornaments, of all the temples Pushkar boasts of." It is also noteworthy for its white marble Mahadeva image, with its five faces (and its traditional tufts of hair).

RAMAVAIKUNTH TEMPLE:
One of Pushkar's largest and most intricate temples, the Ramavaikunth Temple was built in the 1920's and has beautifully sculpted images of no less than 361 different deities. The ornate outer gopuram over the entrance is said to have been built by a team of masons specially brought here from south India.

Lake and its many Ghats:
Many Ghats run down to the Holy Lake where pilgrims are constantly bathing in the holy waters. Joining people at the ghats has to be with some respect for their culture and privacy. And for this reason, removing shoes before approaching the ghats, no smoking and restraining from photographing bathing people is well avoided. The Pilgrims here are sensitive about comments by non-Hindus. The famed waters of the Pushkar lake wash away the sins of a lifetime.
The mystical water is also believed to cure skin diseases, making Pushkar the Lords of the East.

Gayatri Mantra

Gayatri mantra


ओ३म् भूर्भुव: स्व: |
तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं भर्गोदेवस्य धीमहि |
धियो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ||

MEANING:-
तूने हमें उत्पन्न किया, पालन कर रहा है तू |
तुझ से ही पाते प्राण हम, दुखियों के कष्ट हरता तू ||
तेरा महान तेज है, छाया हुआ सभी स्थान |
सृष्टि की वस्तु वस्तु में, तु हो रहा है विद्यमान ||
तेरा ही धरते ध्यान हम, मांगते तेरी दया |
ईश्वर हमारी बुद्धि को, श्रेष्ठ मार्ग पर चला ||

Om: The primeval sound that represents Brahma,
Bhur: The physical world that embodies the vital spiritual energy or 'Pran',
Bhuvah: The mental world and destroyer of all sufferings,
Swaha: The celestial and spiritual world that embodies happiness,
Tat: That or God, referring to transcendental Paramatma (Ultimate Spirit),
Savithur: The Bright Sun or the Creator and Preserver of World,
Varenyam: Best or most adorable,
Bhargo: Destroyer of all sins,
Devasya: Divine Deity or Supreme Lord,
Dheemahi: We meditate upon and take in,
Dhiyo: The Intellect,
Yo: The Light,
Nah: Our,
Prachodayath: Inspire or Enlighten

Hindu Trinity

LORD BRAHMA
Lord Brahma, the creator God of the Trinity appears seated on a lotus (a symbol of glorious existence), He has four heads and hands. Each hand is holding a sacrificial tool (sruva), the vedas (knowledge), a water pot (kamandalu) and a rosary respectively.
His vehicle is a swan (hans) which is known for its judgment between good and bad. Lord Brahma's consort is goddess saraswati, the Goddess of Learning.

LORD VISHNU
The preserver god of the Trinity has four hands. The first holds a conch shell (sankha) indicating spread of the divine sound "Om"; one holds a discus (chakra), a reminder of the wheel of time, and to lead a good life; one holds a lotus (Padma) which is an example of glorious existence and the fourth hands holds a mace (gada) indicating the power and the punishing capacity of the Lord if discipline in life is ignored.
His vehicle is the swift-flying bird Garuda which can spread the Vedic knowledge with great courage. The dark color of the Lord represents the passive and formless ether, a great quality for a pervading god. He rests on the bed of the powerful, coiled serpent, Seshanag who represents the sleeping universe. Lord Vishnu is also known as Hari, the remover. Lord Vishnu's consort is Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth .

LORD SHIVA
Lord Shiva appears in a meditating but ever-happy posture. He has matted hair which holds the flowing Ganges river and a crescent moon, a serpent coiled around his neck, a trident (trishul) in his one hand and ashes all over his body.
The Lord's attributes represent his victory over the demonic activity, and calmness of human nature. He is known as the "giver" god. His vehicle is a bull (symbol of happiness and strength) named Nandi. Shiva-Linga, a sign of the Lord, is adored instead of him. Shiva temples have Shiva-Linga as the main deity.

Meaning of Om

The goal which all the Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and which men desire when they lead the life of continence … is Om. This syllable Om is indeed Brahman. Whosoever knows this syllable obtains all that he desires. This is the best support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahma."
Om or Aum is of paramount importance in Hinduism. This symbol (as seen in the image on the right) is a sacred syllable representing Brahman, the impersonal Absolute of Hinduism — omnipotent, omnipresent, and the source of all manifest existence. Brahman, in itself, is incomprehensible; so a symbol becomes mandatory to help us realize the Unknowable.
Om, therefore, represents both the unmanifest (nirguna) and manifest (saguna) aspects of God. That is why it is called pranava, to mean that it pervades life and runs through our prana or breath.

The Power of Chanting Om
1. The chanting of Om drives away all worldly thoughts and removes distraction and infuses new vigour in the body.
2. When you feel depressed, chant Om fifty times and you will be filled with new vigour and strength. The chanting of Om is a powerful tonic. When you chant Om, you feel you are the pure, all pervading light and consciousness.
3. Those who chant Om will have a powerful, sweet voice. Whenever you take a stroll, you can chant Om. You can also sing Om in a beautiful way. The rythmic pronunciation of Om makes the mind serene and pointed, and infuses the spiritual qualifications which ensure self-realization.
4. Those who do meditation of Om daily will get tremendous power. They will have lustre in their eyes and faces.

Hanuman Chalisa

जय हनुमान ज्ञान गुन सागर । जय कपीस तिहुँ लोक उजागर ॥१॥
राम दूत अतुलित बल धामा । अंजनिपुत्र पवनसुत नामा ॥२॥
महाबीर बिक्रम बजरंगी । कुमति निवार सुमति के संगी ॥३॥
कञ्चन वरण विराज सुबेसा । कानन कुण्डल कुँचित केसा ॥४॥
हाँथ वज्र और ध्वजा विराजै । काँधे मूँज जनेऊ साजै ॥५॥
संकर सुवन केसरीनंदन । तेज प्रताप महा जग बंदन ॥६॥
विद्यावान गुनी अति चातुर । राम काज करिबे को आतुर ॥७॥
प्रभु चरित्र सुनिबे को रसिया । राम लखन सीता मन बसिया ॥८॥

सूक्ष्म रूप धरि सियहिं दिखावा । बिकट रूप धरि लंक जरावा ॥९॥
भीम रूप धरि असुर सँहारे । रामचंद्र के काज सँवारे ॥१॰॥
लाय सजीवन लखन जियाये । श्रीरघुबीर हरषि उर लाये ॥११॥
रघुपति कीन्ही बहुत बड़ाई । तुम मम प्रिय भरतहि सम भाई ॥१२॥
सहस बदन तुम्हरो जस गावैं । अस कहि श्रीपति कंठ लगावैं ॥१३॥
सनकादिक ब्रह्मादि मुनीसा । नारद सारद सहित अहीसा ॥१४॥
जम कुबेर दिगपाल जहाँ ते । कबि कोबिद कहि सके कहाँ ते ॥१५॥
तुम उपकार सुग्रीवहिं कीन्हा । राम मिलाय राज पद दीन्हा ॥१६॥

तुम्हरो मंत्र बिभीषन माना । लंकेस्वर भए सब जग जाना ॥१७॥
जुग सहस्त्र जोजन पर भानू । लील्यो ताहि मधुर फल जानू ॥१८॥
प्रभु मुद्रिका मेलि मुख माहीं । जलधि लाँघि गये अचरज नाहीं ॥१९॥
दुर्गम काज जगत के जेते । सुगम अनुग्रह तुम्हरे तेते ॥२॰॥
राम दुआरे तुम रखवारे । होत न आज्ञा बिनु पैसारे ॥२१॥
सब सुख लहै तुम्हारी सरना । तुम रच्छक काहू को डर ना ॥२२॥
आपन तेज सम्हारो आपै । तीनों लोक हाँक तें काँपै ॥२३॥
भूत पिसाच निकट नहिं आवै । महाबीर जब नाम सुनावै ॥२४॥

नासै रोग हरै सब पीरा । जपत निरंतर हनुमत बीरा ॥२५॥
संकट तें हनुमान छुड़ावै । मन क्रम बचन ध्यान जो लावै ॥२६॥
सब पर राम तपस्वी राजा । तिन के काज सकल तुम साजा ॥२७॥
और मनोरथ जो कोई लावै । सोई अमित जीवन फल पावै ॥२८॥
चारों जुग परताप तुम्हारा । है परसिद्ध जगत उजियारा ॥२९॥
साधु संत के तुम रखवारे । असुर निकंदन राम दुलारे ॥३॰॥
अष्ट सिद्धि नौ निधि के दाता । अस बर दीन जानकी माता ॥३१॥
राम रसायन तुम्हरे पासा । सदा रहो रघुपति के दासा ॥३२॥

तुम्हरे भजन राम को पावै । जनम जनम के दुख बिसरावै ॥३३॥
अंत काल रघुबर पुर जाई । जहाँ जन्म हरिभक्त कहाई ॥३४॥
और देवता चित्त न धरई । हनुमत सेई सर्ब सुख करई ॥३५॥
संकट कटै मिटै सब पीरा । जो सुमिरै हनुमत बलबीरा ॥३६॥
जै जै जै हनुमान गोसाईं । कृपा करहु गुरु देव की नाईं ॥३७॥
जो सत बार पाठ कर कोई । छूटहि बंदि महा सुख होई ॥३८॥
जो यह पढ़ै हनुमान चलीसा । होय सिद्धि साखी गौरीसा ॥३९॥
तुलसीदास सदा हरि चेरा । कीजै नाथ हृदय मँह डेरा ॥४॰॥

Hindutva

Hindutva

Hindutva or Hindutva literally means Hinduness - a way of life or a state of mind that is based on the cultural and spiritual ethos based on the spiritual systems that evolved from India.
Hindutva is a Philosophy like Communism or Socialism. The difference is that whereas communism and socialism are materialistic philosophies intended to secure economic welfare of individuals, Hindutva is a spiritual plus economic philosophy founded and developed from ancient times in India for securing the all round happiness of all individuals irrespective of religion of individuals.
The stress in this philosophy both on the ruler and the ruled is the performance of duty and to conform to a code of conduct. The vast body of proper code of conduct in every sphere of human activity such as personal, social, political was called "Dharma".

Shree Ramjanmabhoomi Temple

On the site of the birth of Lord Rama, one of the most important avatars of Lord Vishnu, stood a magnificent temple devoted to Him. However, Babur, a fifteenth Mogul invader, who brutalized India and destroyed temples in his zeal to spread Islam destroyed the temple and in its place - a structure he called Babri Masjid.
For centuries Hindus tried to recover this auspicious site. Legal challenges were filed and were unresolved for decades. Hindus presented volumes of historical and archeological data to prove the existence of Shree Ramjanmabhoomi Temple. In fact, for at least 70 years no Moslem had prayed in that mosque, whereas Hindus continued circumambulating around this site, despite it being a mosque.
Finally, in what is now widely accepted as India's second freedom struggle, on December 6, 1992 the Babri Masjid was brought down and icon representing Lord Rama, was installed and worshipped.

Human Rights

Hindus are a minority in several countries. In some of the countries, the Hindu minority is persecuted severely. For example, in Pakistan, the Hindu population has been drastically reduced through genocide, forced conversions and forced migration. The condition of Hindus in Bangladesh is no different. In the 1970s, Edi Amin expelled all the Hindu Ugandans from the country, whereas in Fiji, attempts have been made to exclude the Hindu minority from the political process. This section will serve to catalog the Human rights violations, committed against Hindus around the world.

Danda nagraja and Jwalpa Devi photos

These are the few photos which i have clicked when i have visited these temples. Hope u will like them.

Yamunotri

The Yamunotri temple is located in Uttarakhand, India, a full day's journey from Uttaranchal's main towns — Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun.
The actual temple is only accessible by a six kilometer walk from the town of Hanuman Chatti and a four kilometer walk from Janki Chatti (horses or palanquins are available for rent). The hike from Hanuman Chetty to Yamunotri is very picturesque with beautiful views of a number of water falls. The original temple was built by Maharani Gularia of Jaipur in the 19th century. The current temple is of recent origin, as past iterations have been destroyed by the weather and elements. Lodging at the temple itself is limited to a few small ashrams and guesthouses. Ritual duties such as the making and distribution of prasad (sanctified offerings) and the supervision of pujas (ritual venerations) are performed by the Uniyal family of pujaris (priests). Unique aspects of ritual practice at the site include hot springs where raw rice is cooked and made into prasad.
There seems to be a confusion about the who built the temple of Yamunotri. According to the website [uttarkashi.nic.in/Yamunotri.htm], the temple was originally constructed by Maharaj Pratap Shah of Tehri Garhwal.
The first stopover for the Char Dham Yatra is the westernmost shrine of Yamunotri in the Garhwal Himalayas. Dedicated to Goddess yamuna, it is perched atop a flank of the Bandar Poonchh peak (3.165 mts. Above sea level) and is situated opposite to Gangotri. The shrine attracts devotees in large numbers from May to October.Yamunotri is the source of the revered river yamuna which originates from the Champasar Glacier lying 1 km ahead of the shrine, at an altitude of 4,321 mts. Pilgrims do not frequently visit the source of the river as it is not easily accessible.

Gangotri

Location
Couched in the magnificent Garhwal hills, Gangotri is at an altitude of 3048 meters above sea level. It is on the northernmost part of the state of Uttrakhand and is very near the Indo-Tibetan border. It is approximately 300 km from Dehradun, 250 km from Rishikesh and 105 km from Uttarkashi. The summers are relatively cool and winters are freezing cold, with rains in the months of May and June. For the devotees and tourists, the gates of the temple are open only in the months of May to November.

Mythological Legend
According to an old legend, Lord Shiva rewarded King Bhagirath after his penance and Ganga came down to earth. However, due to her pride, and the fact that the earth would be devastated if Ganga came down in her full force, Lord Shiva caught her in his locks. It was then proclaimed that Goddess Uma or Parvati, Shiva's consort, would bathe in the Ganges daily and only then would she descend on the earth. The sacred stone near the temple denotes the place where Ganga first came down to earth. This is why Ganga is also called by the name of Bhagirathi.
According to this legend, King Sagar, after slaying the demons on earth decided to stage in Ashwamegh Yagya as a proclamation of his supremacy. The horse which was to be taken on an uninterrupted journey around the earth was to be accompanied by the King's 60,000 sons born to Queen Sumati and one son Asmanjas born of the second queen Kesani. Indra, supreme ruler of the gods feared that he might be deprived of his celestial throne if the 'Yagya' (worship with fire) succeeded and then took away the horse and tied it to the ashram of Sage Kapil, who was then in deep meditation. The sons of the King Sagar searched for the horse and finally found it tied near the meditating sage. Sixty thousand angry sons of King Sagar stormed the ashram of sage Kapil. When he opened his eyes, 60,000 sons had perished by the curse of sage Kapil. Bhagirath, grand son of King Sagar, is believed to have meditated to bring down the Ganga to cleanse the ashes of his ancestors and liberate their souls, granting them salvation or Moksha. The Bhagirathi 'Shila' is located near the temple of Ganga where the holy Ganga first descended on earth from heaven.
Unique Pilgrimage Attraction
• Submerged Shivling
The natural rock Shivling, submerged in the river, is an amazing sight reinforcing the power of the divine. According to mythology, Lord Shiva sat at this spot to receive the Ganaga in his matted locks. The shivling is visible in the early winters when the water level goes down. The picturesque pilgrimage in the hinterlands of the Himalayas is the most sacred spot where Ganga, the stream of life, touched earth for the first time.
• Mythological Mystery
According to mythology, Goddess Ganga- the daughter of heaven, manigested herself in the form of a river to absolve the sins of King Bhagirath's predecessors, following his severe penance of several centuries. Lord Shiva received into his matted locks to minimise the immense impact of her fall. She came to be called Bhagirathi at her legendary source.

A long the right bank of Bhagirathi stands the shrine of Gangotri dedicated to the Goddess. Perched at a height of 3042 mts., it was constructed in the early 18th century by a Gorkha Commander, Amar Singh Thapa. Every year, lakhs of pilgrims throng the sacred temple between May and October. By November, Gangotri is covered by snow. It is believed that the Goddess retreats to Mukhba, her winter abode.
Prime Pilgrimage Attraction
• Gangotri Temple
The 18th century's temple dedicated to Goddess Ganga is located near a sacred stone where King Bhagirath worshipped Lord Shiva. Ganga is believed to have touched earth at this spot. According to another legend, Pandavas performed the great 'Deva Yagna' here to atone the deaths of their kinsmen in the epic battle of Mahabharata. The temple is an exquisite 20 ft. High structure made of white granite.

People behind the blog

Kedarnath Temple

Kedarnath (Hindi: केदारनाथ)is a Hindu holy town located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is a nagar panchayat in Rudraprayag district. The most remote of the four Char Dham sites, Kedarnath is located in the Himalayas, about 3584m above sea level near the head of river Mandakini, and is flanked by breathtaking snow-capped peaks. Kedarnath hosts one of the holiest Hindu temples and is a popular destination for Hindu pilgrims from all over the world. Kedarnath is accessible only after a steep 14 km trek through a paved path (horses or palanquins are available for rent) from Gaurikund, which is connected by road from Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun and other important hill stations of the Garhwal and Kumaon regions in Uttarakhand. The temple is open only during the months of April/May(on Akshaya Trithiya) to October/November (closes on Diwali - festival of light), due to heavy snowfall and extreme cold weather during winter.
Kedar is another name of Lord Shiva, the protector and the destroyer. Shiva is considered the embodiment of all passions – love, hatred, fear death and mysticism which are expressed through his various forms.
There are more than 200 shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva in Chamoli district itself, the most important one is Kedarnath. According to legend, the Pandavas after having won over the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war, felt guilty of having killed their own brothers and sought the blessings of Lord Shiva for redemption. He eluded them repeatedly and while fleeing took refuge at Kedarnath in the form of a bull.
On being followed he dived into the ground, leaving his hump on the surface. The remaining portions of Lord Shiva appeared at four other places and are worshipped there as his manifestations.
The arms appeared at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, the belly at Madmaheshwar and his locks (hair) and the four above mentioned shrines are treated as Panch Kedar.

Lord Badrinath

The Badrinath area is referred to as Badari or Badarikasram in Hindu scriptures. It is a place sacred to Vishnu, particularly in Vishnu's dual form of Nara-Narayana. Thus, in the Mahabharata, Siva, addressing Arjuna, says, "Thou wast Nara in a former body, and, with Narayana for thy companion, didst perform dreadful austerity at Badari for many myriads of years." One legend has it that when the goddess Ganga was requested to descend to earth to help suffering humanity, the earth was unable to withstand the force of her descent. Therefore the mighty Ganga was split into twelve holy channels, with Alaknanda one of them. It later became the abode of Lord Vishnu or Badrinath.
The mountains around Badrinath are mentioned in the Mahabharata, when the Pandavas are said to have ended their life by ascending the slopes of a peak in western Garhwal called Swargarohini - literally, the 'Ascent to Heaven'. Local legend has it that the Pandavas passed through Badrinath and the town of Mana, 4 km north of Badrinath, on their way to Swargarohini. There is also a cave in Mana where Vyas, according to legend, wrote the Mahabharata.[2]
According to the Skanda Purana: "There are several sacred shrines in heaven, on earth, and in hell; but there is no shrine like Badrinath." The area around Badrinath was celebrated in Padma Purana as abounding in spiritual treasures.[
Badri refers to a berry that was said to grow abundantly in the area, and nath refers to Vishnu. Badri is the Sanskrit name for the Indian Jujube tree[3], which has an edible berry. Some scriptural references refer to Jujube trees being abundant in Badrinath. Legend has it that the Goddess Lakshmi took the form of the berries to provide sustenance to Lord Vishnu during his long penance in the harsh Himalayan climate.
It is the most important of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage. Badrinath is in the Garhwal hills, on the banks of the Alaknanda River, at an elevation of 3133 m. The town lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges and in the shadow of Nilkantha peak (6,560m). Badrinath is located 301km north of Rishikesh. From Gaurikund (near Kedarnath) to Badrinath by road is 233km.

Attributes of Lord Shiva

Attributes Of Siva
1. Advaita, Akhanda, Akarta, Abhokta,
Asanga, Asakta, Nirguna, Nirlipta,
Chidanandarupah Sivoham Sivoham.
Non-dual, indivisible, non-doer, non-enjoyer,
Unattached, without qualities,
I am Siva (auspiciousness), I am Siva of the form of knowledge and bliss.

2. Avyakta, Ananta, Amrita, Ananda,
Achala, Amala, Akshara, Avyaya,
Chidanandarupah Sivoham Sivoham.
Unmanifested, endless, immortal, bliss,
Immovable, without impurities, imperishable, inexhaustible,
I am Siva, I am Siva of the form of knowledge and bliss.

3. Asabda, Asparsa, Arupa, Agandha,
Aprana, Amana, Atindriya, Adrisya,
Chidanandarupah Sivoham Sivoham.
Soundless, touchless, smell-less, formless,
Without Prana, without mind, without senses, unseen,
I am Siva, I am Siva of the form of knowledge and bliss.

4. Satyam, Sivam, Subham, Sundaram, Kantam,
Sat-chit-ananda, Sampurna, Sukha, Santam,
Chidanandarupah Sivoham Sivoham.
Truth, auspiciousness, good, beautiful, resplendent,
Existence-knowledge-bliss, all-full, pure happiness, peaceful.
I am Siva, I am Siva of the form of knowledge and bliss.

5. Chetana, Chaitanya, Chidghana, Chinmaya,
Chidakasa, Chinmatra, Sanmantra, Tanmaya,
Chidanandarupah Sivoham Sivoham.
Consciousness, mass of knowledge, full of knowledge,
All-pervading like ether, consciousness alone, full of That,
I am Siva, I am Siva of the form of knowledge and bliss.

6. Amala, Vimala, Nirmala, Achala,
Avangmanogochara, Akshara, Nischala,
Chidanandarupah Sivoham Sivoham.
Pure, stainless, immovable,
Beyond the reach of mind and speech, imperishable, steady,
I am Siva, I am Siva of the form of knowledge and bliss.

7. Nitya, Nirupadhika, Niratisaya Ananda,
Nirakara, Hrimkara, Omkara, Kutastha,
Chidanandarupah Sivoham Sivoham.
Eternal, without attributes, supreme bliss,
Without form, Hrim and Om (Pranava), rock-seated Self,
I am Siva, I am Siva of the form of knowledge and bliss.

8. Purna, Para Brahma, Prajnana Ananda,
Sakshi, Drashta, Turiya, Vijnana Ananda,
Chidanandarupah Sivoham Sivoham.
All-full, Paramatman, knowledge and bliss,
Witness, Seer, the fourth state, self-knowledge, bliss.
I am Siva, I am Siva of the form of knowledge and bliss.

9. Satyam, Jnanam, Anantam, Anandam,
Sat-chit-ananda, Svayam Jyoti Prakasam,
Chidanandarupah Sivoham Sivoham.
Truth, knowledge, endless, bliss,
Existence-knowledge-bliss, self-luminous,
I am Siva I am Siva of the form of knowledge and bliss.

10. Kaivalya, Kevala, Kutastha, Brahma,
Suddha, Siddha, Buddha, Sat-chit-ananda,
Chidanandarupah Sivoham Sivoham.
Immortality, alone, changeless, Self
Pure, perfect, illumined, existence-knowledge-bliss,
I am Siva, I am Siva of the form of knowledge and bliss.

11. Nirdosha, Nirmala, Vimala, Niranjana,
Nitya, Nirakara, Nirguna, Nirvikalpa,
Chidanandarupah Sivoham Sivoham.
Without defects, pure, spotless,
Eternal, formless, without qualities, superconsciousness,
I am Siva, I am Siva of the form of knowledge and bliss.

12. Atman, Brahma Svarupa, Chaitanya-Purusha,
Tejomaya, Ananda, ‘Tat-Tvam-Asi’ Lakshya,
Chidanandarupah Sivoham Sivoham.
Self, Supreme Self, consciousness,
Full of light, bliss, that which is indicated by ‘Tat-Tvam-Asi—Thou art That’.
I am Siva, I am Siva of the form of knowledge and bliss.

13. ‘Soham’, ‘Sivoham’, ‘Aham-Brahma-Asmi’ Mahavakya,
Suddha, Sat-chit-ananda, Purna Para Brahma,
Chidanandarupah Sivoham Sivoham.
‘I am He’, ‘I am Siva’, ‘I am Brahman’,
Pure, existence-knowledge-bliss, all-full Self,
I am Siva, I am Siva of the form of knowledge and bliss.

Are u secular

Are you secular? Think again. Are you Secular? Then please answer these questions,> 1. There are nearly 52 Muslim countries. Show one Muslim country which provides Haj subsidy.> 2. Show one Muslim country where Hindus are extended the special rights that Muslims are accorded in India?> 3. Show one Muslim country which has a Non-Muslim as its President or Prime Minister.> 4. Show one country where the 85% majority craves for the indulgence of the 15% minority.> 5. Hindu-majority Maharashtra, Bihar, Kerala, Pondicherry, etc. have in the past elected Muslims as CMs; Can you ever imagine a Hindu becoming the CM of Muslim - majority J&K?> 6. Today Hindus are 85%. If Hindus are intolerant, how come Masjids and Madrassas are thriving? How come Muslims are offering Namaz on the road? How come Muslims are proclaiming 5 times a day on loudspeakers that there is no God except Allah?> 7. When Hindus gave Muslims 30% of Bharat for a song, why should Hindus now beg for their sacred places at Ayodhya, Mathura and Kashi?> 8. Why are temple funds spent for the welfare of Muslims and Christians, when they are free to spend their money in any way they like?> 9. Why is there no Uniform Civil Code for citizens?> 10. In what way, is J&K different from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu or Uttar Pradesh, to have article 370?> 11. Why did Gandhiji support the Khilafat Movement (nothing to do with our freedom movement) and what did our country get in return?> 12. Why did Gandhiji object to the decision of the cabinet and insist that Somnath Temple be reconstructed out of public fund, not government funds, when in January 1948 he pressurized Nehru and Patel to carry out renovation of the mosques of Delhi at government expense?> 13. If Muslims are minorities in Maharashtra, UP, Bihar etc., are Hindus not minorities in J&K, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya etc? Why are Hindus denied minority right

Bury or Burn

Bury or Burn
Hinduism is not like christians or islam which preaches a concept of the day of doom when the god will ask all of us to arise from the tomb and then decide who will go to hell and who will go to heaven. It will take god million years.We are more of a scientific religion, which understands that the body is just a part of our journey and it has to get decomposed. So instead of burying it here and there we burn it.Also it is believed that a kid before the age of upnayan is not reborn [as per vedic concept] so he doesn’t have to be burnt with all the kriyas and karmas [rituals] like a grown up person who has had the upnayan sanskara.Also a kid is not believed to develop a personality so after death no bhut or ghost of it can exist and it gets moksha immediately. But for a grownup a separate personality is considered and all the kriyas and karmaas are important or else he doesn’t get moksha from this yoni.Few people think that death in childhood is nothing but the remain small part of his previous life and so nothing is required to do with his body except burying it.

Myth of Aryan invasion

THE MYTH OF THE ARYAN INVASION OF INDIA By David Frawley. One of the main ideas used to interpret - and generally devalue - the ancient history of India is the theory of the Aryan invasion. According to this account, India was invaded and conquered by nomadic light-skinned Indo-European tribes from Central Asia around 1500-100 BC, who overthrew an earlier and more advanced dark-skinned Dravidian civilization from which they took most of what later became Hindu culture. This so-called pre-Aryan civilization is said to be evidenced by the large urban ruins of what has been called the "Indus valley culture" (as most of its initial sites were on the Indus river). The war between the powers of light and darkness, a prevalent idea in ancient Aryan Vedic scriptures, was thus interpreted to refer to this war between light and dark- skinned peoples. The Aryan invasion theory thus turned the "Vedas", the original scriptures of ancient India and the Indo-Aryans, into little more than primitive poems of uncivilized plunderers. This idea - totally foreign to the history of India, whether north or south - has become almost an unquestioned truth in the interpretation of ancient history Today, after nearly all the reasons for its supposed validity have been refuted, even major Western scholars are at last beginning to call it in question. In this article we will summarize the main points that have arisen. This is a complex subject that I have dealt with in depth in my book "Gods, Sages and Kings: Vedic Secrets of Ancient Civilization", for those interested in further examination of the subject. The Indus valley culture was pronounced pre-Aryans for several reasons that were largely part of the cultural milieu of nineteenth century European thinking As scholars following Max Mullar had decided that the Aryans came into India around 1500 BC, since the Indus valley culture was earlier than this, they concluded that it had to be pre-Aryan. Yet the rationale behind the late date for the Vedic culture given by Muller was totally speculative. Max Muller, like many of the Christian scholars of his era, believed in Biblical chronology. This placed the beginning of the world at 400 BC and the flood around 2500 BC. Assuming to those two dates, it became difficult to get the Aryans in India before 1500 BC. Muller therefore assumed that the five layers of the four 'Vedas' & 'Upanishads' were each composed in 200 year periods before the Buddha at 500 BC. However, there are more changes of language in Vedic Sanskrit itself than there are in classical Sanskrit since Panini, also regarded as a figure of around 500 BC, or a period of 2500 years. Hence it is clear that each of these periods could have existed for any number of centuries and that the 200 year figure is totally arbitrary and is likely too short a figure. It was assumed by these scholars - many of whom were also Christian missionaries unsympathetic to the 'Vedas' - that the Vedic culture was that of primitive nomads from Central Asia. Hence they could not have founded any urban culture like that of the Indus valley. The only basis for this was a rather questionable interpretation of the 'Rig Veda' that they made, ignoring the sophisticated nature of the culture presented within it. Meanwhile, it was also pointed out that in the middle of the second millennium BC, a number of Indo-European invasions apparently occured in the Middle East, wherein Indo-European peoples - the Hittites, Mittani and Kassites - conquered and ruled Mesopotamia for some centuries. An Aryan invasion of India would have been another version of this same movement of Indo-European peoples. On top of this, excavators of the Indus valley culture, like Wheeler, thought they found evidence of destruction of the culture by an outside invasion confirming this. The Vedic culture was thus said to be that of primitive nomads who came out of Central Asia with their horse-drawn chariots and iron weapons and overthrew the cities of the more advanced Indus valley culture, with their superior battle tactics. It was pointed out that no horses, chariots or iron was discovered in Indus valley sites. This was how the Aryan invasion theory formed and has remained since then. Though little has been discovered that confirms this theory, there has been much hesitancy to question it, much less to give it up. Further excavations discovered horses not only in Indus Valley sites but also in pre-Indus sites. The use of the horse has thus been proven for the whole range of ancient Indian history. Evidence of the wheel, and an Indus seal showing a spoked wheel as used in chariots, has also been found, suggesting the usage of chariots. Moreover, the whole idea of nomads with chariots has been challenged. Chariots are not the vehicles of nomads. Their usage occured only in ancient urban cultures with much flat land, of which the river plain of north India was the most suitable. Chariots are totally unsuitable for crossing mountains and deserts, as the so-called Aryan invasion required. That the Vedic culture used iron - & must hence date later than the introduction of iron around 1500 BC - revolves around the meaning of the Vedic term "ayas", interpreted as iron. 'Ayas' in other Indo - European languages like Latin or German usually means copper, bronze or ore generally, not specially iron. There is no reason to insist that in such earlier Vedic times, 'ayas' meant iron, particularly since other metals are not mentioned in the 'Rig Veda' (except gold that is much more commonly referred to than ayas). Moreover, the 'Atharva Veda' and 'Yajur Veda' speak of different colors of 'ayas'(such as red & black), showing that it was a generic term. Hence it is clear that 'ayas' generally meant metal and not specifically iron. Moreover, the enemies of the Vedic people in the 'Rig Veda' also use ayas, even for making their cities, as do the Vedic people themselves. Hence there is nothing in Vedic literture to show that either the Vedic culture was an iron- based culture or that there enemies were not. The 'Rig Veda' describes its Gods as 'destroyers of cities'. This was used also to regard the Vedic as a primitive non-urban culture that destroys cities and urban civilization. However, there are also many verses in the 'Rig Veda' that speak of the Aryans as having having cities of their own and being protected by cities upto a hundred in number. Aryan Gods like Indra, Agni, Saraswati and the Adityas are praised as being like a city. Many ancient kings, including those of Egypt and Mesopotamia, had titles like destroyer or conquerer of cities. This does not turn them into nomads. Destruction of cities also happens in modern wars; this does not make those who do this nomads. Hence the idea of Vedic culture as destroying but not building the cities is based upon ignoring what the Vedas actually say about their own cities. Further excavation revealed that the Indus Valley culture was not destroyed by outside invasion, but according to internal causes and, most likely, floods. Most recently a new set of cities has been found in India (like the Dwaraka and Bet Dwaraka sites by S.R. Rao and the National Institute of Oceanography in India) which are intermidiate between those of the Indus culture and later ancient India as visited by the Greeks. This may eliminate the so-called dark age following the presumed Aryan invasion and shows a continuous urban occupation in India back to the beginning of the Indus culture. The interpretation of the religion of the Indus Valley culture -made incidentlly by scholars such as Wheeler who were not religious scholars much less students of Hinduism - was that its religion was different than the Vedic and more likely the later Shaivite religion. However, further excavations - both in Indus Valley site in Gujarat, like Lothal, and those in Rajsthan, like Kalibangan - show large number of fire altars like those used in the Vedic religion, along with bones of oxen, potsherds, shell jewelry and other items used in the rituals described in the 'Vedic Brahmanas'. Hence the Indus Valley culture evidences many Vedic practices that can not be merely coincidental. That some of its practices appeared non-Vedic to its excavators may also be attributed to their misunderstanding or lack of knowledge of Vedic and Hindu culture generally, wherein Vedism and Shaivism are the same basic tradition. We must remember that ruins do not necessarily have one interpretation. Nor does the ability to discover ruins necessarily gives the ability to interpret them correctly. The Vedic people were thought to have been a fair-skinned race like the Europeans owing to the Vedic idea of a war between light and darkness, and the Vedic people being presented as children of light or children of the sun. Yet this idea of a war between light and darkness exists in most ancient cultures, including the Persian and the Egyptian. Why don't we interpret their scriptures as a war between light and dark-skinned people? It is purely a poetic metaphor, not a cultural statement. Moreover, no real traces of such a race are found in India. The Vedic people were thought to have been a fair-skinned race like the Europeans owing to the Vedic idea of a war between light and darkness, and the Vedic people being presented as children of light or children of the sun. Yet this idea of a war between light and darkness exists in most ancient cultures, including the Persian and the Egyptian. Why don't we interpret their scriptures as a war between light and dark-skinned people? It is purely a poetic metaphor, not a cultural statement. Moreover, no real traces of such a race are found in India. Anthropologists have observed that the present population of Gujarat is composed of more or less the same ethnic groups as are noticed at Lothal in 2000 BC. Similarly, the present population of the Punjab is said to be ethnically the same as the population of Harappa and Rupar 4000 years ago. Linguistically the present day population of Gujrat and Punjab belongs to the Indo-Aryan language speaking group. The only inference that can be drawn from the anthropological and linguistic evidences adduced above is that the Harappan population in the Indus Valley and Gujrat in 2000 BC was composed of two or more groups, the more dominent among them having very close ethnic affinities with the present day Indo-Aryan speaking population of India. In other words there is no racial evidence of any such Indo-Aryan invasion of India but only of a continuity of the same group of people who traditionally considered themselves to be Aryans. There are many points in fact that prove the Vedic nature of the Indus Valley culture. Further excavation has shown that the great majority of the sites of the Indus Valley culture were east, not west of Indus. In fact, the largest concentration of sites appears in an area of Punjab and Rajsthan near the dry banks of ancient Saraswati and Drishadvati rivers. The Vedic culture was said to have been founded by the sage Manu between the banks of Saraswati and Drishadvati rivers. The Saraswati is lauded as the main river (naditama) in the 'Rig Veda' & is the most frequently mentioned in the text. It is said to be a great flood and to be wide, even endless in size. Saraswati is said to be "pure in course from the mountains to the sea". Hence the Vedic people were well acquainted with this river and regarded it as their immemorial homeland. The Saraswati, as modern land studies now reveal, was indeed one of the largest, if not the largest river in India. In early ancient and pre-historic times, it once drained the Sutlej, Yamuna and the Ganges, whose courses were much different than they are today. However, the Saraswati river went dry at the end of the Indus Valley culture and before the so-called Aryan invasion or before 1500 BC. In fact this may have caused the ending of the Indus culture. How could the Vedic Aryans know of this river and establish their culture on its banks if it dried up before they arrived? Indeed the Saraswati as described in the 'Rig Veda' appears to more accurately show it as it was prior to the Indus Valley culture as in the Indus era it was already in decline. Vedic and late Vedic texts also contain interesting astronomical lore. The Vedic calender was based upon astronomical sightings of the equinoxes and solstices. Such texts as 'Vedanga Jyotish' speak of a time when the vernal equinox was in the middle of the Nakshtra Aslesha (or about 23 degrees 20 minutes Cancer). This gives a date of 1300 BC. The 'Yajur Veda' and 'Atharva Veda' speak of the vernal equinox in the Krittikas (Pleiades; early Taurus) and the summer solstice (ayana) in Magha (early Leo). This gives a date about 2400 BC. Yet earlier eras are mentioned but these two have numerous references to substantiate them. They prove that the Vedic culture existed at these periods and already had a sophisticated system of astronomy. Such references were merely ignored or pronounced unintelligible by Western scholars because they yielded too early a date for the 'Vedas' than what they presumed, not because such references did not exist. Vedic texts like 'Shatapatha Brahmana' and 'Aitereya Brahmana' that mention these astronomical references list a group of 11 Vedic Kings, including a number of figures of the 'Rig Veda', said to have conquered the region of India from 'sea to sea'. Lands of the Aryans are mentioned in them from Gandhara (Afganistan) in the west to Videha (Nepal) in the east, and south to Vidarbha (Maharashtra). Hence the Vedic people were in these regions by the Krittika equinox or before 2400 BC. These passages were also ignored by Western scholars and it was said by them that the 'Vedas' had no evidence of large empires in India in Vedic times. Hence a pattern of ignoring literary evidence or misinterpreting them to suit the Aryan invasion idea became prevalent, even to the point of changing the meaning of Vedic words to suit this theory. According to this theory, the Vedic people were nomads in the Punjab, comming down from Central Asia. However, the 'Rig Veda' itself has nearly 100 references to ocean (samudra), as well as dozens of references to ships, and to rivers flowing in to the sea. Vedic ancestors like Manu, Turvasha, Yadu and Bhujyu are flood figures, saved from across the sea. The Vedic God of the sea, Varuna, is the father of many Vedic seers and seer families like Vasishta, Agastya and the Bhrigu seers. To preserve the Aryan invasion idea it was assumed that the Vedic (and later sanskrit) term for ocean, samudra, originally did not mean the ocean but any large body of water, especially the Indus river in Punjab. Here the clear meaning of a term in 'Rig Veda' and later times - verified by rivers like Saraswati mentioned by name as flowing into the sea - was altered to make the Aryan invasion theory fit. Yet if we look at the index to translation of the 'Rig Veda' by Griffith for example, who held to this idea that samudra didn't really mean the ocean, we find over 70 references to ocean or sea. If samudra does noe mean ocean why was it traslated as such? It is therefore without basis to locate Vedic kings in Central Asia far from any ocean or from the massive Saraswati river, which form the background of their land and the symbolism of their hymns. One of the latest archeological ideas is that the Vedic culture is evidenced by Painted Grey Ware pottery in north India, which apears to date around 1000 BC and comes from the same region between the Ganges and Yamuna as later Vedic culture is related to. It is thought to be an inferior grade of pottery and to be associated with the use of iron that the 'Vedas' are thought to mention. However it is associated with a pig and rice culture, not the cow and barley culture of the 'Vedas'. Moreover it is now found to be an organic development of indegenous pottery, not an introduction of invaders. Painted Grey Ware culture represents an indigenous cultural development and does not reflect any cultural intrusion from the West i.e. an Indo-Aryan invasion. Therefore, there is no archeological evidence corroborating the fact of an Indo-Aryan invasion. In addition, the Aryans in the Middle East, most notably the Hittites, have now been found to have been in that region atleast as early as 2200 BC, wherein they are already mentioned. Hence the idea of an Aryan invasion into the Middle East has been pushed back some centuries, though the evidence so far is that the people of the moun- tain regions of the Middle East were Indo-Europeans as far as recorded history can prove. The Aryan Kassites of the ancient Middle East worshipped Vedic Gods like Surya and the Maruts, as well as one named Himalaya. The Aryan Hittites and Mittani signed a treaty with the name of the Vedic Gods Indra, Mitra, Varuna and Nasatyas around 1400 BC. The Hittites have a treatise on chariot racing written in almost pure Sanskrit. The Indo - Europeans of the ancient Middle East thus spoke Indo-Aryan, not Indo-Iranian languages and thereby show a Vedic culture in that region of the world as well. The Indus Valley culture had a form of writing, as evidenced by numerous seals found in the ruins. It was also assumed to be non-Vedic and probably Dravidian, though this was never proved. Now it has been shown that the majority of the late Indus signs are identical with those of later Hindu Brahmi and that there is an organic development between the two scripts. Prevalent models now suggest an Indo-European base for that language. It was also assumed that the Indus Valley culture derived its civilization from the Middle East, probably Sumeria, as antecedents for it were not found in India. Recent French excavations at Mehrgarh have shown that all the antecedents of the Indus Valley culture can be found within the subcontinent and going back before 6000 BC. In short, some Western scholars are beginning to reject the Aryan invasion or any outside origin for Hindu civilization. Current archeological data do not support the existence of an Indo- Aryan or European invasion into South Asia at any time in the pre- or protohistoric periods. Instead, it is possible to document archeologically a series of cultural changes reflecting indigenous cultural development from prehistoric to historic periods. The early Vedic literature describes not a human invasion into the area, but a fundamental restructuring of indigenous society. The Indo-Aryan invasion as an academic concept in 18th and 19th century Europe reflected the cultural milieu of the period. Linguistic data were used to validate the concept that in turn was used to interpret archeological and anthropological data. In other words, Vedic literature was interpreted on the assumption that there was an Aryan invasion. Then archeological evidence was interpreted by the same assumption. And both interpretations were then used to justify each other. It is nothing but a tautology, an exercise in circular thinking that only proves that if assuming something is true, it is found to be true! Another modern Western scholar, Colin Renfrew, places the Indo- Europeans in Greece as early as 6000 BC. He also suggests such a possible early date for their entry into India. As far as I can see there is nothing in the Hymns of the 'Rig Veda' which demonstrates that the Vedic-speaking population was intrusive to the area: this comes rather from a historical assumption of the 'comming of the Indo-Europeans. When Wheeler speaks of 'the Aryan invasion of the land of the 7 rivers, the Punjab', he has no warrenty at all, so far as I can see. If one checks the dozen references in the 'Rig Veda' to the 7 rivers, there is nothing in them that to me implies invasion: the land of the 7 rivers is the land of the 'Rig Veda', the scene of action. Nor is it implied that the inhabitants of the walled cities (including the Dasyus) were any more aboriginal than the Aryans themselves. Despite Wheeler's comments, it is difficult to see what is particularly non-Aryan about the Indus Valley civilization. Hence Renfrew suggests that the Indus Valley civilization was in fact Indo-Aryan even prior to the Indus Valley era: This hypothesis that early Indo-European languages were spoken in North India with Pakistan and on the Iranian plateau at the 6th millennium BC has the merit of harmonizing symmetrically with the theory for the origin of the Indo- European languages in Europe. It also emphasizes the continuity in the Indus Valley and adjacent areas from the early neolithic through to the floruit of the Indus Valley civilization. This is not to say that such scholars appreciate or understand the 'Vedas' - their work leaves much to be desired in this respect - but that it is clear that the whole edifice built around the Aryan invasion is beginning to tumble on all sides. In addition, it does not mean that the 'Rig Veda' dates from the Indus Valley era. The Indus Valley culture resembles that of the 'Yajur Veda' and the reflect the pre-Indus period in India, when the Saraswati river was more prominent. The acceptance of such views would create a revolution in our view of history as shattering as that in science caused by Einstein's theory of relativity. It would make ancient India perhaps the oldest, largest and most central of ancient cultures. It would mean that the Vedic literary record - already the largest and oldest of the ancient world even at a 1500 BC date - would be the record of teachings some centuries or thousands of years before that. It would mean that the 'Vedas' are our most authentic record of the ancient world. It would also tend to validate the Vedic view that the Indo-Europeans and other Aryan peoples were migrants from India, not that the Indo-Aryans were invaders into India. Moreover, it would affirm the Hindu tradition that the Dravidians were early offshoots of the Vedic people through the seer Agastya, and not unaryan peoples. In closing, it is important to examine the social and political implications of the Aryan invasion idea: First, it served to divide India into a northern Aryan and southern Dravidian culture which were made hostile to each other. This kept the Hindus divided and is still a source of social tension. Second, it gave the British an excuse in their conquest of India. They could claim to be doing only what the Aryan ancestors of the Hindus had previously done millennia ago. Third, it served to make Vedic culture later than and possibly derived from Middle Eastern cultures. With the proximity and relationship of the latter with the Bible and Christianity, this kept the Hindu religion as a sidelight to the development of religion and civilization to the West. Fourth, it allowed the sciences of India to be given a Greek basis, as any Vedic basis was largely disqualified by the primitive nature of the Vedic culture. This discredited not only the 'Vedas' but the genealogies of the 'Puranas' and their long list of the kings before the Buddha or Krishna were left without any historical basis. The 'Mahabharata', instead of a civil war in which all the main kings of India participated as it is described, became a local skirmish among petty princes that was later exaggerated by poets. In short, it discredited the most of the Hindu tradition and almost all its ancient literature. It turned its scriptures and sages into fantacies and exaggerations. This served a social, political and economical purpose of domination, proving the superiority of Western culture and religion. It made the Hindus feel that their culture was not the great thing that their sages and ancestors had said it was. It made Hindus feel ashamed of their culture - that its basis was neither historical nor scientific. It made them feel that the main line of civilization was developed first in the Middle East and then in Europe and that the culture of India was peripheral and secondary to the real development of world culture. Such a view is not good scholarship or archeology but merely cultural imperialism. The Western Vedic scholars did in the intellectual spehere what the British army did in the political realm - discredit, divide and conquer the Hindus. In short, the compelling reasons for the Aryan invasion theory were neither literary nor archeological but political and religious - that is to say, not scholarship but prejudice. Such prejudice may not have been intentional but deep-seated political and religious views easily cloud and blur our thinking. It is unfortunate that this this approach has not been questioned more, particularly by Hindus. Even though Indian Vedic scholars like Dayananda saraswati, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Arobindo rejected it, most Hindus today passively accept it. They allow Western, generally Christian, scholars to interpret their history for them and quite naturally Hinduism is kept in a reduced role. Many Hindus still accept, read or even honor the translations of the 'Vedas' done by such Christian missionary scholars as Max Muller, Griffith, Monier- Williams and H. H. Wilson. Would modern Christians accept an interpretation of the Bible or Biblical history done by Hindus aimed at converting them to Hinduism? Universities in India also use the Western history books and Western Vedic translations that propound such views that denigrate their own culture and country. The modern Western academic world is sensitive to critisms of cultural and social biases. For scholars to take a stand against this biased interpretation of the 'Vedas' would indeed cause a reexamination of many of these historical ideas that can not stand objective scrutiny. But if Hindu scholars are silent or passively accept the misinterpretation of their own culture, it will undoubtly continue, but they will have no one to blame but themselves. It is not an issue to be taken lightly, because how a culture is defined historically creates the perspective from which it is viewed in the modern social and intellectual context. Tolerance is not in allowing a false view of one's own culture and religion to be propagated without question. That is merely self-betrayal.