Practices and Rituals | Sahapedia

Uchikala (midday) ritual, Jambukeshwara temple, Tiruvannaikaval: The priest is dressed as Akhilandeshwari (a form of Parvati), whom the sthalapurana describes as having performed penance at the site, following an argument with Siva which led to her banishment to earth. As explained by Oduvar Srinivasan Ramani, the ritual enacts the ever-renewed grace of the gods abiding in our midst. Siva banished Parvati in order to fulfil his promise to Sage Jambu to abide eternally before him. Parvati chose the site for her penance because of the abundance of the water from the Kaveri. As she meditated on Siva, the water in her hand became a Siva linga, and 'bowing down to the love of Parvati, Lord Siva in Kailasha appears here in the form of water' (interview with Sahapedia, May 3, 2019).

Sriram Sabhapathy (photographs), Niharika Gupta (curation and captions, with contributions and research assistance from Piyush Kukrety)

Approaching the Divine: Temple Rituals in Tamil Nadu

Practices and Rituals

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Kartikay Khetarpal

The Practice of Pilgrimage: The Pandharpur Wari and Mara…

Practices and Rituals

Mitali Trivedi

Maach Folk Theatre of Madhya Pradesh

Performing Arts Practices and Rituals

Silpisikha Baruah

Diwali: The Various Shades of the Festival of Lights

Knowledge Traditions Practices and Rituals

Videos

Embedded thumbnail for Journeys of the Mind and Body

Journeys of the Mind and Body

Practices and Rituals

Embedded thumbnail for Oral Histories: Baba Arphalkar on the Origins of the Wari

Oral Histories: Baba Arphalkar on the Origins of the Wari

Practices and Rituals Histories People

Embedded thumbnail for The Pandharpur Wari

The Pandharpur Wari

Performing Arts Practices and Rituals

Pandit Om Prakash Sharma is considered to be the face of maach folk theatre form in India (Courtesy: Mitali Trivedi)

In Conversation with Pandit Om Prakash Sharma: Tracing Maach, Malwa’s Musical Folk Theatre

Performing Arts Practices and Rituals

Image Galleries

Sriram Sabhapathy, curated and captioned by Kartikay Khetarpal

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Sriram Sabhapathy (photographs), Niharika Gupta (curation and captions, with contributions and research assistance from Piyush Kukrety)

Approaching the Divine: Temple Rituals in Tamil Nadu

Kamesh Bharadwaj (photographs), Kartikay Khetarpal (curation and captions)

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Kamesh Bharadwaj (photographs), Kartikay Khetarpal (curation and captions)

Celebration of Faith: Play, Performance and Pleasure on the Wari

Articles

Shruti Chakraborty

A Celebration of Womanhood and Periods: Raja Parba & Ambubachi Mela

Practices and Rituals

Kartikay Khetarpal

Pandharpur Wari Pilgrimage: Of Saints, Sandals and Salvation

Practices and Rituals

Nishita Banerjee

Gavari: A 40-day Mystical Theatre Celebration of the Goddess among Rajasthan’s Bhil Tribe

Performing Arts Practices and Rituals

Sahapedia Frames

Goan culture is a product of centuries of intermixing of Europe and India, built upon a foundation of older Konkani society. Over time, these diverse influences blended seamlessly to give rise to a culture that is uniquely ‘Goan’.

Arnab Bhaumik

Glimpses of Goa: Fusion of Indo-Portuguese Culture

During Durga Puja, Adi Shakti is worshipped in the form of a prepubescent young girl who is assigned temporary sacredness as the earthly manifestation of Devi Durga. This special ritual—Kumari Puja—is practised by several bonedi baris in Kolkata.

Sandipa Malakar

Kumari Puja: Worshipping the Divine Mother

Jasmine is cultivated in the village of Shankarapura by a farming community who are mostly Christians. Everyday the flowers are plucked early morning before they bloom and sent to all parts of Karnataka within the same day through an intricate network of collection and distribution.

Kaveer Rai

Before they Bloom: Udupi Mallige of Shankarapura

Red chilli is cultivated at Mathania, close to Jodhpur, in Rajasthan, and marketed either whole or in powder form to markets all over India.

Tania Chatterjee

Red Hot Chilli Peppers: Mathania Lal Mirch

Library Artifacts

गोरखनाथ के समसामयिक सिद्ध/Gorakhnath ke Samasamyika Siddha

गोरख सिद्धान्त/Gorakh Siddhant

गोरखनाथ का अपदिष्ठ योग मार्ग/ Gorakhnath ka Upadishta Yoga Marga

गोरखनाथ/Gorakhnath

Chaumasa

सुवागीत/Suva Geet

Chaumasa

छत्तीसगढ़ी सुआ गीत/ Chhattisgarhi Sua Geet