There are many unanswered questions surrounding the Kailash rock-cut temple in Ellora. This post addresses one of those questions. I analyse the mysteries surrounding the waterspout or praṇāla of the main sanctum or garbhagriha.I don’t offer any answers this time. … Continued
Mahabalipuram and its iconic Shore Temple has been the subject of research and scholarship and countless publications for hundreds of years. One might ask, could there be anything left to discover? Sometimes the greatest mysteries are too obvious to … Continued
Ujjain is literally the crossroad of Space and Time in India. This renowned and ancient city is famous for spiritual as well as scientific reasons. It has stood, quite literally, at the very centre of the development of astronomy as … Continued
With the sun residing in the constellation Aquarius, or Kumbha, the full moon falls on the sign exactly opposite, in Leo or Simha. This year it is on the 11th and the 12th of March. In the Tamil Festival calendar … Continued
In a previous blog post I talked about how Ganga is received by Shiva as Gangadhara in his tresses before falling on earth. This purana is beautifully illustrated on the Kailashanatha temple in Kanchipuram. The relief makes clear Ganga is … Continued
A few weeks ago I posted about the concept of what constitutes a sacred sthala/temple, and the astronomical connections and related meaning. In a reaction Saurabh Saxena formulated several relevant questions which deserve a detailed answer. Thank you Saurabh for … Continued
I don’t quite remember when Raja Deekshithar told me about the Tree, the Pond and the Stone. It was one of those things said in passing, casually. But with a certain emphasis. He told a sthala, sacred place, has to … Continued
A little while ago I wrote a blog sharing with you something about the treasure map of the ancients. This treasure map is the whole of all humanity’s traditions, mythologies, spiritual heritage. We can spend all our lives connecting the … Continued
On the occasion of Vinayaka Chaturthi 2016, the birthday of Lord Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles. It means the fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Avani (Tamil), when the sun is in Simha/Leo. Mushika vahana, modaka hasta, … Continued
The Kailasha temple at Ellora is perhaps the most enigmatic of Hindu temples in the land of India. Although it has the general form of a structural temple it has not been build, but cut in its entirety from the … Continued