temples – Itisaras

Religious Tourism and Paid Darshan In Hindu Temples:

September 27, 2020September 27, 2020 Tanya Mittal 0 Comments black market, bumper offers, commercial exploitation, customs, Darshan essentials, deluxe darshans, discriminatory, donations, family darshans, fast track, festive seasons, flowers, Friday, God, Haldirams, Hindu belief, Hindu deities, holy prasadam, holy sites, hotspots, Idols, Incense sticks, Indian culture, Lokniti, Mandhardevi Kalubai, mismanagement, multi-stakeholder, nepotism, pilgrimages, prasad, pujas, queues, sanctum, Spirituality, stampede, temples, Vacation, VIP darshan, visitors, VVIP, waiting, wealthy passengers, Worship

All devotees are equal but some devotees are more equal than others? The peculiar practice of ‘VIP Darshan Pass’ that allows you to bypass long queues is one example of the extensive commercialisation that has permeated places of worship today.

Society

Online Darshan during COVID-19 Pandemic

July 2, 2020July 2, 2020 Tanya Mittal 7 Comments aarti, artificial intelligence, astrologers, Augmented reality, Bhajans, Bhakt, bitcoin, Church, corona, Corona Virus, COVID-19, cyber crime, daan, dakshina, darsgan, deity, devotee, digital, digitalization, e-Puja, fraud, God, gurudwara, kirtan, langar, Lockdown, mosque, online payment, Pandit, Pilgrimage, Religion, scam, shraadh, shraddhanjali, skype, social distancing, temple, temples, video calling, Virtual Darshan, Virtual reality, virus, Worship, zoom

Never had we ever imagined that we would one day face a situation wherein visiting temples virtually would actually become a reality. Sometimes, things do take a drastic turn and for all of us this year in 2020, the Corona Virus Pandemic has been that change giving us many new “Normals”. Only time will tell how this will shape our lives in the future.

Culture

Story through Sculptures

April 18, 2020April 18, 2020 Editor 2 Comments architecture, Bhakti Movements, Buddhism, carve, caves, cultural, Culture, icons, Indo-Aryan, Jainism, kings, Mahabalipuram, monuments, origins, Pallava kingdom, political, sacrificial rites, sculptors, sculpture, Shiva, shrines, social, South India, temples, Vedic corpus, Vishnu, yajna

A sight almost unforgettable, wherein the streets of Mahabalipuram are seen flanked on both sides by sculptors immersed in the art of carving deities out of raw black granite pieces brings to light the entire evolution of temples in South India which now a large part of our rich cultural heritage.