DIVINEINFORMATION PART 35 There are 1346 words in this posting counted by the computer.Approximately 134 sentences counting 10 words/line
While going through one of my external memorydevice, I came across some good information stored from websites. I thought ofsharing interesting ones from them as a series. In part 35, I am starting with 124TH item in this posting. Sincerely, GopalaKrishnan 16-6-21 124 Sun Worship in India The Vedicscriptures of the Hindu religion refer to the sun as the store house ofinexhaustible power and radiance. Ths sun god is referred to as Surya or Aditya. The Vedas are full of hymns describing thecelestial body as the source and sustainer of all life on earth. The origin ofthe worship of the Sun in India is thus several centuries old. References to sun worship are found in the puranas. The Ramayanaspeaks of Sage Agastyainitiating Rama into sunworship through the Aditya Hridaya Mantra. The astronomer and astrologer Varahamirhira makes references to the intricacies ofceremonies connected with the installation of the icon of the Sun. Mayura, who lived in the court of Harshavardhana(1st millennium CE) composed the Surya Satakam inpraise of Surya and is believed to have been cured of blindness. It is also said that Iran was once a center of Solar worship and that some of the Magha priests of Iran had been brought toIndia to officiate in ceremonies. Sun temples in ancient days were known as Aditya Grihas. The traveller Ktesiasmentions a site of sun worship in western India (400BC). Sun temples across the subcontinentabsorb the flavor of the region that they belong to. Dakshinaarka Temple in theGangetic Plains (considered to be a site for making offerings to ancestors), Suryanaar Koyil in South India , Arasavilli and Konark on the East Coast of India, Modhera in Gujarat (Western India), Surya Pahar in North Eastern India and Unao in Central India are some of thewell known sun temples of India. It should be mentioned here thatremains of an ancient Sun temple are found at Martandanear Srinagar in Kashmir. It is said to date back to the first century CE. Ruins of a sun templewhich attracted thousands of visitors in the 7th century CE arefound in Multan inPakistan. Several temples dedicated toShiva, feature a small shrine for Surya the SunGod. Inaddition, it is believed that Surya, the SunGod has offered worship at several of the shrines in Tamilnadu; many of theseshrines have been designed in such a way that the sun’s rays illuminate thesanctum (of Shiva) on certain days of the year. Several of the South Indian Temple Tanks also bear thename Surya Theertham or Surya Pushkarini. 124 a Beliefs related to Surya Surya is portrayed with two lotuses held in both his hand, and isoccasionally shown with the hood of the mythical serpent Adi Sesha spread over his head. At thebase of his image are shown his gatekeepers Pingala(Agni) and Danda (Skanda).Surya is portrayed riding aseven horse chariot driven by Aruna or Anoora. Aruna(a charioteer devoid of legs) is said to be the son of Kasyapa muni and Vinata and brother of Garuda. The Indian system of beliefsregards sunlight as the greatest of disinfectants,hence the sun is associated with healing power. Legend has it that Samba the son ofKrishna was cured of leprosy by his worship of the sun god . It is still believed by many thatsun worship offered at several of the sun temples allover India, is a cure for leprosy and other skin ailments,blindness and infertility. The Vedas refer tosun worship. Vishnu is alsodescribed as being seated in the midst of the disk of the sun; over time Vishnu worship merged withsun worship (in some instances), and Surya is also referred to as Suryanarayana. Interestingly, Buddhism refersto Marichias an incarnation of Dhyan-Buddha-Vairochana, and is depicted with three facessymbolic of morning, noon and evening, on a chariot drawn by seven boars,driven by a Goddess without legs. 125 Suryanaar Koyil Suryanaar Koyil is located in the hamlet of Tirumangalakkudi near Kumbhakonam and Mayiladuturai near Thanjavur in Tamilnadu. This is a oneof a kind temple dedicated to the Sun God and it also houses shrines to each ofthe other eight celestial bodies - the Nava Grahams.Very closeby, are the Shivastalams Tirumangalakkudi and Kanjanur (Sukrastalam) Shrines for Surya are seenin many temples in Tamilnadu such as Tirukkodikka, Alagadriputtur,Ennayiram, (Rajendra Chola), Tirumanikkuzhi (Kulottunga), Tirupparaitturai, Tiruppattur, Kovilur etc. ; however a standalone temple for Surya is more of an exception than a rule. Suryanaar Koyil was built by the Chola kings. Inscriptions from the periodof Kulottunga Chola I (1075-1120)refer to this temple as the Kulottunga Chola Martanda Alayam. Kulottunga Chola is said to have had a good relationship with theGahadwal dynasty of Kanauj (1090 -1194), whose rulers were Sun worshippers,and hence Suryanar Koyil, isconsidered to be an expression of their influence in South India. Inscriptionsfrom the period of Krishna Deva Raya,speaking of endowments made to this temple are also seen here. The Suryanar temple faces west. The presiding deity here is Suryanarayana in a chariot like vimaanam,representing the sun’s chariot. There are also shrines to Kasi Viswanathar,Visalakshi and Brihaspati (Guru) in the sanctum. Shrinesto the other celestial bodies are located outside of the sanctum. The sanctum and the ardhamandapam are built of stone, while the rest ofthe shrines are brick structures. The Kol Theertha Vinayakarshrine is considered to be of importance here. An elaborate worshipprotocol involving circumambulating the entire temple nine times, is prescribedfor devotees visiting the temple. Protocol requires that one visits the Tirumangalakkudi Shivastalam beforevisiting Suryanaar Koyil. Ratha Saptami in the Tamil month of Thai, and the first Sundays in the monthsof Aavani (Leo) and Kartikai (Scorpio) and Vijaya Dasami are celebrated in thistemple. 126 Abodes of Surya The Indian system of beliefs venerates the sun as an in exhaustablesource of energy. Sunworship in India dates back to ancient times. on the east coast of India andthe remains of the Modhera sun temple in the western state of Gujarat. Perhapsthe best known of the sun temples in India are the remains of the Konark temple Sunworship in India: The Indian system of beliefs reveres the Sun as aninexhaustable source of energy. The Sun God portrayed in ancient temples bearssymbols and ornaments resembling those from Asia Minor. Legends related to Surya:This article traces the various legends associated with Surya, his consorts Usha, Chhaaya andPadma. Surya - Iconography - Beliefs:The Sun is portrayed seated on a chariot drawn by seven horses. A common threadof beliefs surrounds sun worship all over the Indian subcontinent. Suryanaar Koyilnear Kumbhakonam in Tamilnadu: was constructed by Kulottunga Chola in the1100s, to aid visiting dignitaries from Kanauj in sun worship. Suryanaar Koyil near Kumbhakonam inTamilnadu: was constructed by Kulottunga Chola in the 1100s, to aid visitingdignitaries from Kanauj in sun worship. The Konark Sun temple is probably the bestand most majestic specimen of temple art in Orissa, despite its ruined state. The Modhera suntemple, even in its ruined state is a majestic one, bearing testimony to theart of the ancient Chalukyas of Gujarat The Suryanarayana temple at Arasavalli in Andhra Pradesh is anancient one built by the Kalinga rulers in the 1st millennium CE. The Dakshinaarka Sun temple at Gaya isassociated with the rites for making offerings to ancestors. The Sun Temple at Ranakpur: is amagnificientstructure in white soapstone. It is located in the vicinityof the grand Jain temple complex in Ranakpur in Rajasthan. The sun temple at Unao in Madhya Pradesh is an ancient one, believedto be associated with cures for skin ailments. I will continue innext posting. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1591260130.639883.1623855311199%40mail.yahoo.com.
