That Buddhism is a school that rose rebelling against Vedic Karma Kanda is a known fact.
Vishnu As Upplavana, Buddhism.
Kataragama Deviyo Murugan .Lanka.
What is not known is that though Buddhism denies Idol worship and engages in NireswaraVada, denial of personal God, Buddhism has declared Buddha and has Idols of Buddha being worshiped.
Not only that.
Buddhism has Hindu Gods being worshiped as Buddhist Gods.
I had already posted an article that Skanda is considered as the protector of Chinese Buddhism!
Now it seems that some more Hindu Gods, Ganesha Muruga and Vishnu are also included in this list of Hindu Gods being worshiped as Buddhist Gods in Sri Lanka.
Ganesha. The elephant-shaped god Ganesha, regarded as the god of wisdom and the remover of obstacles, is also very popular among the Buddhists under the names Ganapati or Gana-deviyo. He is worshipped as the chief of obstacles (Vighnesvara) because it is believed that he is responsible for creating and removing obstracles. He does this through troops of inferior deities or demi-gods considered as attendants of Siva, present almost everywhere, who are under his command. It is in this sense that he is called Gana-pati (chief of hosts), which is the epithet popular among the Buddhists. The devalayas dedicated to him are mostly run by the Hindus. The Buddhists worship him either through his statues, found in many Buddhists temples, or by visiting the Hindu kovils dedicated to him. As the god of wisdom and of learning, he is propitiated at the time a child first reads the alphabet. As the chief of obstacles, as their creator as well as remover, the Hindus begin their devala-ritual by making the first offering to him…
Vishnu. The important Hindu god Vishnu has also assumed a special Buddhist significance in the island. He is identified with the god Uppalavanna of the Mahavamsa, to whom Sakka, the king of the gods, is said to have entrusted the guardianship of Sri Lanka at the request of the Buddha before his passing away. This god is said to have arrived in the island to fulfill this mission. The name Uppalavanna means “the color of the blue water-lily.” As Vishnu is of the same color, Uppalavanna became identified with Vishnu, and in the wake of the Mahavamsa tradition, he became, as Vishnu, the protector of the Buddha-sasana in Sri Lanka. The calculated omission of the name Vishnu in the Mahavamsa in this connection may be viewed as an attempt at total localization of the divinity with a view to harmonize him with the cultural fabric of the island. His main shrine is at Devinuwara (Dondra), at the southern tip of the island, where an annual Esala (July-August) festival is held in his honor. If the identification is correct his cult can be traced to the earliest phase of the history of the island and has been popular up to the present day.
Pattini. Goddess Pattini, referred to above (see p.59), is prominent as the most popular female Buddhist divinity; she has her devalayas scattered throughout the country. Her cult goes back at least to the second century A.C. The then ruler, King Gajabahu, is said to have introduced the worship of this divinity into the island from South India.The legend about her life is told in the Tamil poem Silappadikaram. According to the myths current in the island about her, she had seven incarnations, being born seven times from water, the tusk of an elephant, a flower, a rock, a fire (or peak), cloth, and a mango. Hence she is designated as sat-pattini,sat meaning seven.
Kataragama.Devalayas dedicated to the different deities are scattered all over the island. God Kataragama (Skanda) in southern Sri Lanka is by far the most popular, as he is considered to be the most powerful deity capable of granting the requests of the worshipper. It is for this reason that he has acquired territorial rights throughout the island. Devalayas dedicated to him are found in many places in the island, some of which are maintained by the Hindus.
It is customary for many Sri Lankan Buddhists to visit a devalaya of one of the deities and make a vow that if the problem at hand (i.e., illness, enemies, etc.) is solved, they will make an offering to the deity concerned. Offerings are made even without such a special request. Whatever the case may be, this practice has become a ritual of propitiation through the kapuralas.
The main duties of the kapuralas are to look after the devalayas in their charge, to perform the prescribed rituals, and to offer in the inner shrine the offerings brought by devotees. The kapuralais given a fee for his services. Once the ritual is over, a part of the offerings is given back to the devotee for him to take home and partake of as having a sacramental value. The offerings normally consist of milk-rice, coconuts, betel, camphor, joss-sticks, fruits, along with flowers, garlands, flags, etc. All these are arranged in an orderly manner in a basket or tray and handed over respectfully to the kapurala, who takes it inside and offers it at the statue of the main deity inside the inner room. The devotees wait outside with clasped hands while the kapurala makes his pleadings on their behalf.
The statement he recites, called yatikava in Sinhala, is a panegyric of the deity concerned and it constitutes a humble and respectful request to bring succour to the devotee in his particular predicament. After this the kapurala emerges from the inner shrine room and blesses the devotees by using his thumb to place on their forehead a mark of a paste made from saffron, sandalwood, and other ingredients. This mark, the symbol of sanctification, is known as the tilaka.
This form of ritualistic propitiation of deities is a clear adaptation of the Hindu system where the very same method is followed, though more elaborately.
As I have been going through the Original Texts of Indian Epics, especially the Ramayana, I have across some facts which I am unable to reconcile with geographical locations.
Valmiki states clearly that Hanuman jumped from Mahenra Parvatha.
( I found an answer relating to the place from where Hanuman jumped for Lanka, here the answer was Hanuman did not jump but walked over!
This information is incorrect.
Valmiki states in Sundara Kanda,
”
niilalohitamaaJNjishhThapatravarNaiH sitaasitaiH |
svabhaavavihitaishchitrairdhaatubhiH samalaMkR^itam ||5-1-5
kaamaruupibhiraavishhTamabhiikshNaM saparichchhidaiH |
yakshakinnaragandharvairdevaklpaishcha pannagaiH ||5-1-6
sa tasya girivaryasya tale naagavaraayute |
tishhThan kapivarastatra hrade naaga ivaababhau ||5-1-7
5,6,7. saH= that, kapivaraH= great monkey, babhau= shone, naagaH iva= like an elephant, hrade= in a lake, tishhThan= being located, tasya girivarasya= on that great mountain’s, tale= foot, naagavaraayute= which had best of elephants, tatra= there, samalaMkR^itam= was decorated by, svabhaavavihitaiH= naturally formed, dhaatubhiH= mineral rocks, chitraiH= of varied hues, sitaasitaiH= (like) black and white, niilalohitamaaJNjishhThapatravarNaiH= blue, red, yellow, leaf color (green), abhiikshNam aavishhTam= surrounded to a great extent by, yakshakinnaragandharvaiH= Yakshas- Kinnaras-Gandharvas, kaamaruupibhiH= who could assume desired form, saparichchhadaiH= together with their families, cha deva kalpaiH pannagaiH= and godly serpents.
That great monkey Hanuma shone like an elephant in a lake, standing on the foot of that great mountain by the name of Mahendra, where many elephants of good breed resided, which was beautifully decorated with many naturally formed mineral rocks of varied hue like black, white, red, blue, yellow and green and which was surrounded by godly serpents and Yakshas, Kinnaras, Gandharvas who were capable of assuming desired form, together with their families.(Verse 8,Sundara Kanda, Sarga 1)
The problem is that Iam unable to find the Mountain in India, save for a refernce to Tirukurungudi in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, South India. The taluk of Thirukurungudi isNanguneri and it belongs to Nanguneri Assembly. At the foothills of the Western Ghats and 40 km to the North of Cape Comerin.
This is reported to be the place from Hanuman jumped for Lanka.
Another one is near Rameswaram, where Rama’feet, Ramar Padam, are found with Sugreeva’s Temple.
Both these refernces do not seem to meet with the description of Valmiki.
There is yet another mahendragiri found in Odisha.
There is also the theory that there was an island off the Narmada River.
This could be the Lankaof Ramayana!
“n an article “The Antiquity of Rama’s Era”, in the journal Prachya Pratibha
(published by Prachya Niketan, a Birla sponsored institution in Bhopal),
Vol. 11-1, 1982[?], the author, R.L. Gupta, a retired engineer and
government secretary, says, that for India’s geography to match that
described in the Ramayana, particularly the existence of the ‘hundred yojana
sea’, the Ramayana era must have been at that time in the geological past
when a lake, large enough to be described by that phrase and abutting the
Vindhyan mountain range where it is described in the Ramayana and is
accepted by geologists as having existed… in the Narmada valley. He
identifies Lanka as an Island in that Narmada lake, now Bagra hill. He also
re-identifies several other places in the the Ramayana by correlating
geographical features and present place names; Chitrakuta, Panchvati (where
Sita was abducted), the Pampawati river, Kishkindha, Mahendra Parvata,
Trikuta Parvata, Rameshwaram, Pampa lake, Kishyamuka, Pravarsan, Mynaka and
Suvela Parvatas, Dhawalgiri and the Setu (bridge) built by Rama… all in
locations in present Madhya Pradesh.
According to the author of the article, Reva Khanda of Skandha Purana speaks
of a big lake or sea in the Narmada valley and that modern fossil finds in
the area substantiate this. He refers to the Madhya Pradesh Chronicle of May
23, 1982 and to an article in the Times of India, June 20, 1982. Geologists
believe in the existence of an ancient lake existing till the middle or late
Pleistocene extending from about the town of Harda, District Hoshangabad in
the west to about the town of Jabalpur M.P. in the east, a distance of over
320 km. At places it was over 300 meters deep and 65 km wide — enough to
appear as a ‘sagar’.
He refers to a book ‘Lanka ki khoj’ which lists many past attempts by
various authors to identifiy the ‘true’ location of Lanka (including,
outside India: Sumatra, the Maldives, Lakshadwip, Liggadwip, 800 miles into
the Indian ocean, Lanka (the present Sri Lanka) and Australia (!), and
within the boundaries of India: Assam, Rekanpalli, between the Godavari and
Krishna rivers, near Maheshwar, near Jabalpur, Amarkantak and near Pendra in
Bilaspur district, M.P. The book’s author (Hiralal Shukla), himself suggests
the Godavari delta as the location of Lanka.
According to Ramayana, Lanka was located on Trikuti Parvata close to
Dhawlagiri surrounded by the hundred yojana sea and in a area where Sal
trees grew (the trees used both by both Hanuman and his followers and Ravana
and company in the Ramaa-Ravana battle). The article describes Bagra hill as
close to and a little west of Pachmarhi Hill, district Hoshangabad, Madhya
Pradesh. Pachmarhi hill is identified in the respected reference book
‘Castes and Tribes of the Central Provinces’ as Dhawlagiri. The article’s
author refers to Survey of India (SOI) topographical map 55 F/14 showing
three hill tops on Bagra Hill at longitude 78° E. It marks the beginning of
a region extending east to Chota Nagpur and south almost to Bhadrachalam on
the Godavari. It also is in a Sal area.
The author says (plausibly), that the phrase “hundred yojana sea” has more
than one interpretation: that it was only a general expression to create the
impression of ‘large size’. In at least one Bhagavatam verse (5.16.23)
‘hundred yojanas’ appears to be used in this way.
It is long ago that I read the complete Ramayan (and would not have
remembered such details in any case) but according to the article, the
Ramayan indicates the sagar as lying along the Vindhya mountain range,
citing that Swanyaprabha, while escorting Hanuman and other Vanaras out of
the tunnel in those mountains, pointed out that they were on Mahendragiri
and that the expanse of water below was the Sagara. Jatayu’s brother Sampati
also indicated the Sagara as the location of the island of Trikuta parvata
with Lanka on it.
The article claims that the geography described in the Ramayana establishes
the antiquity of Rama’s era. The Mynaka Parvata which Hanuman used in his
leap — in geological terms the ‘Vindhyan geosyncline’ (‘uplifted trough’),
came up from the sea. In Rama’s ancestor Bhagtratha’s time, Bhagiratha had
to work hard to bring the Ganga river to the plains. In his father Dilip’s
time, it was confined to the mountains. The Ramayana, also shows that in
Bhagiratha’s ancestor Sagar’s time the river Saryu, which at present flows
southwards, flowed northwards. These changes and events had their causes in
the rise of land masses and the last such land rise of any magnitude in
India is reported by the geologists to have been associated with the
uplifting of the Himalayas in late pleistocene to early recent times. The
drying up of the Saraswati River is another instance… attributed to the
rising up of the Sivalik Himalaya foothills.
Regarding the Setu, causeway, the “bridge”, the topography map of the once
Narmada lake bed shows a formation compatible with its having once been a
setu from near the present town of Hosangabad to about the town of Itarsi
and to the Bagra hill, just where the lake is narrowest. The level of this
formation is fifty metres higher than those of the neighbouring areas.
Furthermore, based on bore hole drillings, the rock in this formation is
different from surrounding rock: It is black basalt, as compared to anything
but black basalt for many kilometres on either side. The floating stone,
presumably pumice, used by Hanuman and the monkeys has the same origin as
black basalt, namely lava flows and is formed by the solidifying froth on
the surface of glassy lava. There is the significant description in Ramayan
that the sea started boiling as soon as Rama but an arrow to his bow. This
could be due to submarine volcanic activity. Furthermore, there is a place
presently known as Bandrabhan which the author points out sounds very much
like “Vänara Bandh”, or the “Bandh (Setu) built by the Vanaras”. The author
says that there is no basalt south of Bombay (Panaji region) except an
isolated flow at Rajamundry, A.P.
According to the Ramayana Hanuman crossed the Sagara by jumping from
Mahendra Parvata north of Lanka. Lord Caitanya visited a Mahendra Parvata
after visiting Madurai and before visiting Setubandha, Dhanus-tirtha,
Ramesvara, the Tamraparni River, Sri Vaikuntham and Kanya-kumari — all in
South India. But Lord Balaram, “after finishing His bathing and ritualistic
ceremonies at Gangasagara, proceeded toward the mountain known as Mahendra
Parvata. After this He turned toward southern India and visited the banks of
the river Godavari” indicating this Mahendra Parvat to be in North India.
The author of the article refers to a hill Mahendra shown on governemt maps
today in the Vindhyan range in the Ken river basin at latitude 23° N, 79° E
and suggests, based on the time Lord Rama took to travel between the places
He visited, that it is the Mahendra parvat of the Ramayana — north of the
Bagra hill and almost at the edge of the Narmada lake.
Ramayana describes the rising of Mynaka parvata from the sagar to assist
Hanuman in his jump over it. The Vindhyas arose from the ocean over 500
million years ago. The author suggests the likelihood that the rise of the
Vindhyan trough coincided with Hanuman’s jump. The uplifted trough has a
break where Hanuman crossed it.
There is anotherview.
The Mahedra Pavatha city is found in, of all places, Cambodia.
And to add to this confusion, the Trikuta Parvatha from where Hanuman is reported to have jumped from Lanka to India is found in Kashmir.
Please read my post Hanuman to Lanka, distance controversy.
”
A lost city that thrived on a mist-shrouded Cambodian mountain 1,200 years ago has been discovered by archaeologists using airborne laser technology, Sydney Morning Herald reported on Saturday in a world exclusive.
Over two dozen temple sites have been discovered on the site, which is thought to have been built around 802 AD when the Angor Empire was founded.
It is believed to be the lost city of Mahendraparvata, located on a misty mountain called Phnom Kulen deep in the hinterland of Cambodia. It was thought to be built 350 years before the famed Angor Wat. A journalist and photographer from the newspaper accompanied the expedition, led by a French-born archaeologist, through the landmine-strewn jungle in the Siem Reap region where Angkor Wat is located.
Some people who are interested, definitely no politicians,in the resolution of the Sri Lanka Tamils issue have been in touch with me.
Tamils Raped Killed Lanka.
Killing Of Tamils Lanka.
They are trying their best in their own way to bring in awareness among the people of world about the injustice meted out to the Tamil People in Lanka and the massacre of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
These people, in their personal capacity are bringing this matter to the attention of the US Government , the Congress members of the US,Members of the
The Lankan issue , in my opinion, has not brought forth to the Public forcefully.
Mere publishing of shocking videos/images and news items of sufferings of the individuals.
The issue has not gone home to people it ought to.
You cross Nayudupet or Kuppam in Andhra, no body talks about this at all.
I am settled in Bangalore.
When I ask my friends in Karnataka about the Tamils issue, their answer is..
‘This is not new.Tamils a create problems wherever they go and they get the punishment.
Moreover, Sri Lankan Tamils are anti Hindus and anti Indians.
They killed our Prime Minister.
Let us talk about some thing else”
This is not the view of Kannadigas alone.
Wherever I go in the North, I get similar feedback.
Why?
1.Too much emphasis has been given to the word Tamils and not on the human right issue.
2.Why the Tamils have been treated this way and what their problems are, have not been clearly brought forth.
People talk about LLC and no body talks about Sirimavo agreement with India.
Nor the fact that the Tamils have been denied basic Rights in Lanka.
That they are treated as menials and second -rate citizens in their own country.
That their lands are grabbed.
Sinhalese are brought in to show that Sinhalese are in majority.
Their language Tamil is being slowly erased from the Island.
That Hinduism is systematically wiped out by destroying Temples, Cultural Centers.
Employment opportunities and schooling are denied to the Tamils.
For the Conduct of a minor Hindu Religious function Governmental permission is required in Tamil areas of Jaffna.
Children and women are raped and killed.
Torture , Repression and killing of people is not restricted to Tamils.
Now Tamils are exterminated , nearly, it is the turn of Muslims and Christians.
Not to leave political dissenters like JVP, or the Media.
The Matale Mass grave speak of the killing of JVP, it might have included Tamils as well.
These facts are not known to public in a manner that they can understand.
Pouring out emotions will be of no help.
This is a practical issue that needs practical approach and the first step is presentation facts and presenting them to the suitable audience who matter,
The issue of Lankan Tamils being anti Hindu is ill founded.
These are the people who propagated Shavisam and Kaumaram in Lanka and Far East.
Major donors of famous temples are Lankan Tamils.
Then why this perception.
In Diplomacy it is not organised facts alone that guarantee people’s ears but how and through whom it is presented.
The Tamil issue is being presented by Karunanidhi and DK , who are known to be anti Hindus.
People perceive the people and the issue they promote are also anti Hindus.
Lord Shiva never takes Avatars, He is called Ayonija, who never stays in he womb.
However there are a number of instances when He appeared and vanished.
I had assumed, such being the case there could be no footprints of Lord Shiva as such.
How wrong could I be?
There are a number of places where it is believed that Lord Shiva had left His foot prints, mostly on Rocks.
One is in Sri Lanka, which, as usual named as Adam’s feet by the Westerners!
Another one is in Thiruvannamalai,Tamil Nadu.
Some locations where Lord Shiva’s footprints are found are here in Photos.
Lord Shiva’s Footprints.Adam’s Peak, Lanka. The giant footprint (5 feet 7 inches by 2 feet 6 inches)Shiva’s Footprints,Thiruvannamalai,Tamil Nadu,India.Rudrapada, Shiva’s feet. Rudrapada Temple The Rudrapada Temple is situated on the bank of the River Brahmaputra, to the east of Tezpur, Assam. Lord Shiva (Rudra) is said to have left the print of his left food (thus the name, ‘Rudra-pada) in a stone in the temple. It is said that Mahadeva revealed himself to King Bana here. Rudrapada Temple was later built on the spot by Siva Singha, in 1730 A.D. The main temple was destroyed due to erosion of the Brahmaputra.Footprints of Lord Shiva. Just in the nose room of the Shiva temple there situated the Naag Mandir. In the month of Shravana monks draws attention of the devotees by keeping snake with themselves. Here lies the footprint of Lord Shiva which is the main place of attraction for the pilgrims and visitors.Pahari Mandir,Ranchi.
A Subrhamaya Swamy temple has been in existence since long and it has been renovated in Nadi, Fiji.
The present Siva Subramaniya Swami Temple, located at the Northern end of Nadi Town, is perhaps one of the oldest and well-known temples in Fiji. After years of unremitting devotion by the votaries of this temple and its sacred shrines who came from every part of this Country particularly during its annual weeklong TIRUNALS, the temple grounds still remain hollowed by sacred memories extending over a long avenue of years into the distant past.
When Indians came from India during Indenture, they brought along with them their own tradition and culture including their various modes of religious worship. Of all their cultural and traditional activities, religious worship proved to be the engaging of their attention.
It was the wish of the Hindus of Fiji and T.I.S.I. Sangam in particular to build a temple which should be one of its kind. This wish originated some 15 years ago. And so, many attempts were made since by the various committees especially appointed for this purpose by the Council of Management of the T.I.S.I. Sangam but the times somehow proved unfavourable until year 1991. On September 1991, the ground breaking ceremondy in the presence of Rev. Swami Adhibhavanandaji and Thiru Chainnaiya Gounder (sirdar) Thiru Rama Swamai Naickar and Thiru Krishna Moopnar. Thiru Paramasivan – quantity surveyor, Thiru Venkataiya and Thiru Gyan Waradaraju – building supervisors and Thiru Navin Morarji – engineer agreed to provide their services for free.
During that year, Chairman, Thiru Narayan R.Reddy. left for overseas, such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United States and India to raise funds and to meet various officials and people regarding the development of the temple.
In August 1992, the structural work on the main temple was completed. Silpis and painter arrived from India and the outcome of their work was very impressive.
In July 1994, all the idos and poojai requirement arrived from India. Also, the Sivacharya and Gurukkals arrived from India for the Maha Kumbahishegam. The new temple was embarked with a Mahakumbhabishegam held from 11th to 15th July 1994. This most special event took place in the gracious presence of Sri-la-Sri Gurudeva Sivaya Subramaniyaswamigal of Kawai Aadhenam, Hawaii, U.S.A.
Temple Timings
Temple Opening hours: 5.30am to 8.00pm
Pooja Times:
5.30am Suprabadha Dharshanam Sri Maha Ganapathy
5.45am Abhishekam & Alankaram
6.00am Shri Maha Lakshmi Abhishekam and Alankaram
6.15am Shri Meenakshi Devi Abhishekam & Alankaram
6.30am Shri Sundareswaran Abhishekam & Alankaram
6.45am Sri Subramanya Swamy Abhishekam & Alankaram
7.15am For All Pariwara Devatha offering Prasdam & Kapoor Arthi
7.30am Sri Subramanaya Swamy offering & Prasadam Special Deeparadhana
with Dhasopachara (10 items)
8.00am to 11.30am – Special Pooja Archanas for Devotees
11.30am Uchikala Pooja
11.45am to 7.00pm – Archanas for Devotees
7.00pm to 7.15pm – Sri Subramanya Swamy Evening offering Prasad &
Deeparadhana with Dhasoparas
8.00pm Temples Closes
Every Month Karthik Pooja is also celebrated here.
Pooja times during this time:
10.00am Shri Vigneswara Pooja
10.15am Maha Sankalpam
10.30am Shri Subramanya Swami Panchavarana pooja, for Kalasam & Hawan
11.30am Special Abhishekam for Kartik Swamy
12.30pm Special Prasadam & Aarthi
5.30pm Pariwara Devatha Archana
6.30pm Sri Subramanaya Swami Sahashranama Pooja
7.00pm Bhajans
7.30pm Utsav Moorthy Procession (only in Temple)
7.45pm Special Aarthi
8.00pm Maha Prasadam
Temple Address:
Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Temple
P O Box 1230 Nadi,
Fiji
Vishnu As Upplavana, Buddhism.
Kataragama Deviyo Murugan .Lanka.
You must be logged in to post a comment.