Lord Indra – Indian god of rain

Lord Indra, the Indian god of rain, is believed to be the leader of all the Devas. He is the son of Aditi and sage Kashayapa. His capital city is Amravati, in the heavens. He possesses an elephant known as Iyravata and a divine cow named Kamadhenu. This cow is capable of yielding anything desired by the seekers and hence Indra is very rich.

Indra is the principal deity of the Rig Veda. Most of the hymns in this primary text of Hinduism are addressed to him. Indra, is all powerful and supreme among gods. He is the lord of the skies, of thunder and rain.
Story goes that his mother Aditi knew he would never perish and so when she sensed some danger to herself, she decided to abandon the child, knowing full well that he would survive wherever he went. But Indra refused to go and followed his mother. He chanced to drink some the juice of the soma plant (intoxicant) and so gained even greater strength. Then when the demon Vrtra advanced towards his house, Aditi tried to hide Indra, but Indra plunged into a full fledge battle. Vrtra blocked rivers and so caused great sorrow to the followers of Indra. This battle is recorded as one of the most famous ones in Hindu mythology. Though Indra is said to have sought the blessings and support of Lord Vishnu, his victory over Vrtra made him a legend even in his times.

A mermaid – JalPari

JalPari is a Hindi word formed by two Hindi words ‘jal’ means water and ‘pari’ means fairy. Jalpari is also known as Mermaid in English. A mermaid (Jalpari) is a legendary aquatic creature with the upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. The word mermaid-Jalpari is a compound of the Old English sea, and a girl or young woman.

Sanjeevani Booti – The only magical Plant (Booti) curing any woe

Sanjeevi is the name of the mountain with auspicious and medicinal plants on it. In Hinduism this mountain is said to be very sacred. Lord Hanuman brought this mountain with the medicinal plants from Dronagiri to cure Lakshman who had fainted in the war. It is mentioned in Ramayana that during the war between Rama and Ravana, Inderjit sent a powerful weapon towards Lakshmana. He was badly wounded and fell unconscious. Ayurvedic Physicians found that the wound had done deep enough to kill him. Hanuman was called to fetch Sanjeevani Booti from the Mount Sumeru in the Himalayas. Upon reaching the mountain, Hanuman failed to identify the magical herb and carried the entire mountain to the battlefield. Within a few minutes of smelling this life saving medicinal herb , Lakshmana gained consciousness and vigor to fight in the war. According to Hindu mythology, the herb called Sanjeevani Booti is capable of curing any woe irrespective of its type and origin.

Makar Sankranti – A harvest festival

On January 14 every year, we celebrate Makar Sankranti. It is the only Indian festival celebrated on a fixed calendric day of the solar calendar. All other Indian festivals are celebrated as per the lunar calendar, which make their days of celebration on the solar calendar vary every year. Makara Sankrantiis a Hindu festival celebrated in almost all parts of India and Nepal in a myriad of cultural forms. It is a harvest festival.

Makar Sankranti has an astrological significance, as the sun enters the Capricorn (Sanskrit: Makara) zodiac constellation on that day. This date remains almost constant with respect to the Gregorian calendar. However, precession of the Earth’s axis causes Makara Sankranti to move over the ages. A thousand years ago, Makara Sankranti was on 31 December and is now on 14 January. According to calculations, from 2050 Makar Sankranti will fall on 15 January.

Jai Shri Ram

The Ramayana is one the world’s most loved tales in India, according to Indian Mythology. Rama wasthe son of Dasharatha, who is the King of Ayodhya and has three wives and four sons, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughana. Rama is the ideal and perfect son, and grows up with his brothers. When he comes of age, he marries Sita, the princess of a nearby kingdom. However, Bharata’s mother is Kaikeyi, who resents Rama being the crown prince. She calls up a debt that Dasharatha owes her and asks for Rama to be exiled for fourteen years and her son Bharata be made crown prince instead.

The Viswanath Temple

The Viswanath Temple is the most important and ancient holy shrine in this region. Of the many temples in Uttarakhand, the temple of Lord Vishwanath is dedicated to Lors Shiva, the presiding deity of this temple, is worshipped all day here. Every evening, visitors are greeted by the sound of bells, and the chanting of mantras by pundits at the puja.Within the courtyard of the Vishwanath temple, and to the front of it, is the Shakti Temple, dedicated to the goddess of strength.