Global Hindu Footprint - Spread Beyond India

[Bharatvarsh]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Krishnaswamy Associates (P) Ltd.,"


Kindly refer the attachment.


Krishnaswamy Associates P Ltd.



Krishnaswamy Associates P Ltd.
# 18 Mahatma Gandhi Road
Shastrinagar
CHENNAI 600 041
INDIA
Tel : +91-044-24521027 / 24522618 / 42018174
Fax: +91-044-24524274
Website: www.kaplindia.net


AWAIT THE MOST SIGNIFICANT TV SERIAL ON BHARATA VARSHA
Indian Imprints
18-PART TV DOCUMENTARY SERIAL



Ancient India had a profound impact on the rest of Asia. Hinduism and Buddhism as well as concepts of architecture, aesthetics, dance, music and much mythology spread from India to several Asian countries. Except for the pioneering work of a few Indian historians, India has not paid adequate attention to exploring this glorious trans-national Indian impact.



To focus attention on the thrust of ancient cultural and religions connections between India and South East Asia, the internationally acclaimed creative team of Dr S Krishnaswamy and Dr Mohana Krishnaswamy, of Krishnaswamy Associates, Chennai, have brought out a TV Documentary Serial titled "INDIAN IMPRINTS", covering five chosen countries – Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. After years of intensive study, they traveled extensively in the region, initially for research, and then for filming in three schedules, in 2006, filming more than a hundred ancient monuments and temples, reflecting the profound living Indian impact on that region. The serial, conceived on a massive scale, in 18 episodes of 25 minutes each, combines a gripping style with authenticity, interspersed with dance forms of the region, brief interviews with statesmen, artistes, Hindu Priests and scholars of those nations. It also takes you to remote Hindu temples, with live pooja of unbroken tradition of a thousand years in those far off lands! The serial is ready and is awaiting telecast at Prime Time on the National network of Doordarshan (watch for the date yet to be announced).



Having received the prestigious LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD for Documentary Films, from the US International Film & Video Festival, in 2005 – the first Afro-Asian to be so honored in the four decades of that festival in Los Angeles – Dr. S. Krishnaswamy, Writer-Director, considers INDIAN IMPRINTS as the most ambitious, satisfying and monumental work of his career. The producer of the serial, Dr. Mohana Krishnaswamy, has collaborated with him in the meticulous research. Since its inception in 1964, Krishnaswamy Associates has produced several national and international award winning documentaries and TV serials devoted to Indian history and culture.



The Subject Consultant for INDIAN IMPRINTS is Prof Lokesh Chandra, a renowned authority, and Director of the International Academy of Indian Culture. The other members of the team include international award winning cinematographer, Madhu Ambat.

http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2008/01/doc...e-on-other.html

[Bodhi]

ISKCON Inaugurates Motel Bhagavad-Gita Project

By Akruranatha das

<img src='http://www.dandavats.com/wp-content/uploads/DaysInn.thumbnail.JPG' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

On April 22-25, 2009, at a convention center just outside Washington, D.C., members of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) met for their annual national convention and trade show. Amid the booths of vendors of furniture, ice machines, accounting software, and just about everything else related to the hospitality industry, stood a booth of a different kind, in which a group of earnest volunteers passed out copies of Bhagavad-Gita and made a humble request to the assembled hotel and motel owners: “Please let us provide copies of Bhagavad-Gita to place in your rooms alongside the Gideons Bibles.”

The volunteers were members of Pancajanya Project (www.MotelGita.org), a branch of ISKCON dedicated to placing at least 1 million Bhagavad-Gitas in guest rooms across the U.S. and Canada. By making these sacred books available to millions of travelers who might not otherwise buy or examine them, not only the readers but everyone involved will be immensely benefitted.

“Wherever there is Krishna and Arjuna there is opulence, victory, power and morality”, says Vaisesika Dasa, president of ISKCON”s Silicon Valley temple in San Jose, California, and visionary of the Pancajanya Project. “Whoever reads one verse, one line, or even touches one of these books will have an opportunity to achieve perfection in life and meet Lord Krishna face to face.”

The Project started when Dilip Patel, owner of Sea Breeze Motel in Pacifica, California, began placing Gitas in his own rooms. A faithful devotee of Bhagavad-Gita and its universal message, even he was surprised at the favorable reaction and comments he received from many of his non-Hindu guests.

In April of 2008, Patel teamed up with Milan Doshi and began approaching other motel owners in the San Francisco area. By 2009 they had placed Gitas in over 10,000 rooms in California, and the response was they got was tremendous. Meanwhile, on the other coast, Rohini Nandana of ISKCON”s Boston temple had been independently inspired to distribute Gitas to motel owners in his area.

“Something like 60% of the economy lodgings in the United States are now owned by Indian Americans, primarily Gujarati Patels,” Rohini Nandana explains. “This gives the owners a unique opportunity to spread the wisdom and glorious message of Krishna throughout the country. We are finding that many of the owners we contact have been waiting for an organized effort such as this one and are showering their blessings on this Project.”

Gitas have been supplied to motels of numerous chains including Days Inn, Econolodge, Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Motel 6, Super 8 and many more. Guests at these motels frequently express their gratitude and interest in the Bhagavad-Gitas provided in the rooms. Nilesh Patel, manager of a Super 8 in Sacramento, California, writes: “I often see guests coming in for breakfast with Bhagavad-Gita in hand and reading it while they are in the lobby or in the reception room. It is satisfying to know that I have contributed in spreading this knowledge.”

Taking a booth at the national AAHOA convention in April marked a concentrated effort by ISKCON’s Pancajanya Project to expand operations throughout the U.S. and Canada. The experience was very encouraging. Convention organizers offered to support the Project in the future. Many motel owners expressed their happiness to see this Project developing. Over 12,000 confirmed orders were taken at the convention, and contacts were made with owners who could potentially order twice that many in the near future. Pancajanya Project plans to attend future national AAHOA conventions and also regional conventions throughout the year, as well as meetings of other organizations.

Several motel owners not only ordered books for their rooms, but offered to personally take Project members to other friendly motels to encourage them to order as well. With orders for nearly 30,000 books and counting, the goal of placing 1 million Bhagavad-Gitas seems quite realistic.
Giving the opportunity to so many ordinary Americans to contact Lord Krishna in their motel rooms will have profound positive effects, promoting cross-cultural understanding and spiritual awareness. Many will respond like one California guest named Terrance, who wrote: “I got my first Gita in a hotel room and ever since I read the first verse my life has been ever-increasingly in Krishna consciousness. Life is a journey back to Krishna. Peace.”
Pancajanya Project organizers anticipate the need to accommodate exponential growth, as this appears to truly be “an idea whose time has come.” “We request all motel owners to not only place the Gitas but to also encourage friends and relatives to do so,” says founding member Milan Doshi. “We expect to organize regional chapters to contact and meet the needs of motels in their local areas. Many volunteers are welcome.”

In addition, funds are needed to print and ship the books, and to supply advertising and promotional materials. Many, but not all motel owners are contributing the cost of the Gitas for their own rooms. Many more are waiting to receive books when funds become available to pay the cost of publication and shipping.

Pancajanya Project organizers request everyone to visit www.MotelGita.org and to contact Milan Doshi, (510) 962-2203 (milan.doshi@gmail.com), Rohini Nandana, (617) 233-9567 (rohini.nrs@gmail.com), or Dilip Patel (650) 369-3903, to find out more about the Project and how they can assist this historical effort.

Akruranatha das

http://www.dandavats.com/?p=7231

===

In a hotel of Austria I also saw dhammapada
Hilton now keeps the Book of Mormons

[Guest]

^^^^^
Nicely done :-)

http://www.himalayanacademy.com/ is an organization to watch. They bring out some of the best multi-media presenations.

[Guest]

<b>Vishnu idol found in Russian town</b>

Moscow, January 4: An ancient Vishnu idol has been found during excavation in an old village in Russia's Volga region, raising questions about the prevalent view on the origin of ancient Russia.


The idol found in Staraya (old) Maina village dates back to VII-X century AD. Staraya Maina village in Ulyanovsk region was a highly populated city 1700 years ago, much older than Kiev, so far believed to be the mother of all Russian cities.
"We may consider it incredible, but we have ground to assert that Middle-Volga region was the original land of Ancient Rus. This is a hypothesis, but a hypothesis, which requires thorough research," Reader of Ulyanovsk State University's archaeology department Dr Alexander Kozhevin told state-run 24-hour news channel Vesti.

Dr Kozhevin, who has been conducting excavation in Staraya Maina for last seven years, said that every single square metre of the surroundings of the ancient town situated on the banks of Samara, a tributary of Volga, is studded with antiques.


Prior to unearthing of the Vishnu idol, Dr Kozhevin has already found ancient coins, pendants, rings and fragments of weapons.
He believes that today's Staraya Maina, a town of eight thousand in the ancient times had ten times more population and from here people started migrating to the Don and Dneiper rivers around the time ancient Russy built the city of Kiev, now capital of Ukraine.

An international conference is being organised later this year to study the legacy of the ancient village, which can radically change the history of ancient Russia.

http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullsto...wsid=79102

[Guest]

http://georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=...12020&Itemid=65

From the article: ‘Why are Ethnic Russians Converting to Islam?’

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Second, he continues, there are Russians are attracted by the mysticism of Sufism, a pattern found around the world where such “god-seeking” often leads people to “convert” to various forms of Hinduism or Buddhism. But generally, Ignatyev says, such people “show no interest in communion with ethnic Muslims or strive to be part of a Muslim milieu.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mrulle/2...-michael-rulle/

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The fact that Lee has completely misunderstood “Bagger Vance” is beside the point. (”Bagger Vance” author, Steven Pressfield, wrote a forward to Hinduism scholar Steven Rosen’s book on Bagger Vance, “Gita on the Green,” which discusses the parallels  between the Will Smith character and the Hindu god Lord Krishna.)
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[Guest]

<b>Secret Hinduism in middle-east still surviving from ancient times</b>

Secret Hinduism in middle-east still surviving from ancient times. This is the Yazidi or Yezidi religion among few Kurds the descendents of ancient Indian Immigrant settlers called also the Hurrians (Mittani and Hittites). Unfortunately sometimes mistaken as devil-worship due to their secret nature for survival. Their holy places the exact lookalike of hindu temples tells the tale. However many other influences have distorted it to such an extent that it could be best called a syncretism of Islam and Christianity with Hindu/Vedic roots.

The Yazidi or Yezidi (Kurdish: Êzidîtî or Êzidî) are adherents of a small Middle Eastern religious sect with ancient origins. Yazidi belong to the minor of the three branches of Yazdânism. The other branches of Yazdânism, Alevism and Yarsanism, differ from Yazidism by recognizing Islamic taqiyya (dissimulation). The three branches are geographically split and mutual contacts are rare.
Yazidis are primarily ethnic Kurds, and most live near Mosul, Iraq with smaller communities in Syria, Turkey, Iran, Georgia and Armenia, and number around 500,000 individuals in total, but estimates vary on their population size, partially due to the Yazidi tradition of secretiveness when asked about one's confession. Yazidi refugees also live in Europe.

Origins

The origins of Yazidism are ultimately shrouded in Middle Eastern prehistory. Although the Yazidis speak Kurdish, their religion shows strong influence from archaic Levantine and Islamic religions. Their principal holy site is in Mosul, Iraq. The Yazidis own name for themselves is Êzidî or Êzîdî or, in some areas, Dasinî (the last, strictly speaking, a tribal name). Some scholars have derived the name Yazidi from Old Iranic yazata (divine being), while others say it is a derivation from Umayyad Caliph Yazid I (Yazid bin Muawiyah), revered by the Yazidis as an incarnation of the divine figure Sultan Ezi (this is no longer widely accepted). Yazidis, themselves, believe that their name is derived from the word Yezdan or Êzid meaning God; however in ancient vernaculars of Kurdistan such as Urartian the term 'izid-u' (vb.) means 'command' or 'admonish'. The Yazidis' cultural practices are observably Kurdish, and almost all speak Kurmanjî (Northern Kurdish), with the exception of the villages of Baiqa and Bahazane in Northern Iraq, where Arabic is spoken. Kurmanjî is the language of almost all the orally transmitted religious traditions of the Yazidis. Thus, religious origins are somewhat complex.
The religion of the Yazidis is a highly syncretistic one: Sufi influence and imagery can be seen in their religious vocabulary, especially in the terminology of their esoteric literature, but much of the mythology is non-Islamic, and their cosmogonies apparently have many points in common with those of ancient Iranic religions. Early writers attempted to describe Yazidi origins, broadly speaking, in terms of Islam, or Iranic, or sometimes even pagan religions; however, publications since the 1990s have shown such an approach to be over-simplistic.
The origin of the Yazidi religion is now usually seen by scholars as a complex process of syncretism, whereby the belief-system and practices of a local faith had a profound influence on the religiosity of adherents of the Adawiyya sufi order living in the Kurdish mountains, and caused it to deviate from Islamic norms relatively soon after the death of its founder, Sheikh Adî ibn Mustafa who is said to be of Umayyad descent. He settled in the valley of Laliş (some thirty-six miles north-east of Mosul) in the early 12th century CE. Shaeikh Adî himself, a figure of undoubted orthodoxy, enjoyed widespread influence. He died in 1162, and his tomb at Lalish is a focal point of Yazidi pilgrimage. During the fourteenth century, important Kurdish tribes whose sphere of influence stretched well into what is now Turkey (including, for a period, the rulers of the principality of Jazira) are cited in historical sources as Yazidi.

Religious beliefs

In the Yazidi worldview, God created the world, which is now in the care of a Heptad of seven Holy Beings, often known as Angels or heft sirr (the Seven Mysteries). Pre-eminent among these is Melek Taus (Tawûsê Melek in Kurdish), the Peacock Angel, who is equated with Satan or Devil by some Muslims and Christians. "The reason for the Yazidis reputation of being devil worshipers, is connected to the other name of Melek Taus, Shaytan, the same name as the Koran's for Satan." However, according to the Kurdish linguist Jamal Nebez, the word Taus is most probably derived from the Greek and is related to the words Zeus and Theos, alluding to the meaning of God. Accordingly, Malak Ta'us is God's Angel, and this is how Yezidis themselves see Melek Taus or Taus-e-Malak.
Yazidis believe that Melek Ta’us is not a source of evil or wickedness. They consider him as the leader of the archangels, not a fallen angel. Also they say that the source of evil is in the heart and spirit of humans themselves, not in Melek Ta’us. The active forces in their religion are Melek Ta’us and Sheik Adii. The Kitêba Cilwe (Book of Illumination) which claims to be the words of Melek Ta’us, and which presumably represents Yazidi belief, states that he allocates responsibilities, blessings and misfortunes as he sees fit and that it is not for the race of Adam to question him. Sheikh Adii believed that the spirit of Melek Ta’us is the same as his own, perhaps as a re-incarnation. He is believed to have said : "I was present when Adam was living in Paradise, and also when Nemrud threw Abraham in fire. I was present when God said to me: (You are the ruler and Lord on the Earth). God, the compassionate, gave me seven earths and throne of the heaven."
Yazidi accounts of creation differ from that of Christianity and Islam. They believe that God first created Melek Ta’us from his own illumination (Ronahî in the Kurdish) and the other seven archangels were created later on. God ordered Melek Ta’us not to bow to other beings. Then God created the other archangels and ordered them to bring him dust (Ax) from the Earth (Erd) and build the body of Adam. Then God gave life to Adam from his own breath and instructed all archangels to bow to Adam. All archangels obeyed except Melek Ta’us. As God inquired, Malak Ta’us replied, "How can I submit to another being! I am from your illumination while Adam is made of dust." Then God praised him and made him the leader of all angels and his deputy on the Earth. Hence the Yazidis believe that Melek Ta’us is the representative of God on the face of the Earth, and comes down to the Earth on the first Wednesday of Nisan (March/April). Yezidis celebrate this day as the New Year's day. God created Melek Ta’us from his illumination (Ronahî ) on this day. Yazidis argue that the order to bow to Adam was only a test for Melek Ta’us, since if God says something then it happens (Bibe, dibe). In other words, God could have made him submit to Adam, but gave Ta’us the choice as a test. They believe that their respect and praise for Melek Ta’us is a way to acknowledge his majestic and sublime nature. This idea is called "Knowledge of the Sublime" (Zanista Ciwaniyê ). Sheikh Adii has observed the story of Melek Ta’us and believed in him.

Yazidis believe that good and evil both exist in the mind and spirit of human beings. It depends on the humans, themselves, which one they choose. In this process, their devotion to Melek Ta’us is essential, since it was he who was given the same choice between good and evil by God, and chose the good.
Yazidis, which have much in common with those of the Ahl-e Haqq (in western Iran), state that the world created by God was at first a pearl. It remained in this very small and enclosed state for some time (often a magic number such as forty or forty thousand years) before being remade in its current state. During this period the Heptad were called into existence, God made a covenant with them and entrusted the world to them. Besides Melek Ta’us, members of the Heptad (the Seven), who were called into existence by God at the beginning of all things, include Sheikh Adii Ibn Mustafa, his companion Shaikh Hasan, and a group known as the four Mysteries, Shamsadin, Fakhradin, Sajadin and Naserdin. The Yazidi holy books are the Kitêba Cilwe (Book of Revelation) and the Mishefa Reş (Black Book).
Two key and interrelated features of Yazidism are: a) a preoccupation with religious purity and b) a belief in metempsychosis. The first of these is expressed in the system of caste, the food laws, the traditional preferences for living in Yazidi communities, and the variety of taboos governing many aspects of life. The second is crucial; Yazidis traditionally believe that the Seven Holy Beings are periodically reincarnated in human form, called a koasasa.
A belief in the reincarnation of lesser Yazidi souls also exists. Like the Ahl-e Haqq, the Yazidis use the metaphor of a change of garment to describe the process, which they call kiras guhorîn in Kurdish (changing the garment). Alongside this, Yazidi mythology also includes descriptions of heaven and hell, and other traditions incorporating these ideas into a belief-system that includes reincarnation.

Organization

Yazidi society is hierarchical. The secular leader is a hereditary emir or prince, whereas a chief sheikh heads the religious hierarchy. The Yazidi are strictly endogamous. In addition, members of the three Yazidi castes, the murids, sheikhs and pirs, marry only within their group.

Religious practices

Prayers

Yazidis have five daily prayers: Nivêja berîspêdê (Dawn Prayer), Nivêja rojhilatinê (Sunrise Prayer), Nivêja nîvro (Noon Prayer), Nivêja êvarî (Afternoon Prayer), Nivêja rojavabûnê (Sunset Prayer). The worshipers should turn their face toward the sun, and for the noon prayer, they should face toward Laliş. Such prayer should be accompanied by certain gestures, including kissing the rounded neck (gerîvan) of the sacred shirt (kiras). The daily prayer services must not be performed in the presence of outsiders, and are always performed in the direction of the sun. Wednesday is the holy day but Saturday is the day of rest. There is also a three-day feast in December.

Pilgrimage

The most important ritual is the annual six-day pilgrimage to the tomb of Sheikh Adi in Lalish, north of Mosul, Iraq. A sacred microcosm of the world, as it were, it contains not only many shrines dedicated to the koasasa, but a number of other landmarks corresponding to other sites or symbols of significance in other faiths, including Pirra selat (Serat Bridge) and a mountain called Mt. Arafat. The two sacred springs are called Zamzam and Kaniya sipî (The White Spring). If possible, Yazidis make at least one pilgrimage to Lalish during their lifetime, and those living in the region try to attend at least once a year for the autumn Feast of the Assembly which is celebrated from 23rd of Elul to 1st of Tishrei (September). During the celebration, Yazidi bathe in the river, wash figures of Malak Ta’us and light hundreds of lamps in the tombs of Sheikh Adii and other saints. They also sacrifice an ox, which is one reason they have been connected to Mithraism, in addition to the presence of the dog and serpent in their iconography. The sacrifice of the ox is meant to declare the arrival of Fall and to ask for precipitation during winter in order to bring back life to the Earth in the next Spring. Moreover, in astrology, the ox is the symbol of Tishrei.

Festivals

The Yazidi New Year falls in Spring (somewhat later than Equinox). There is some lamentation by women in the cemeteries, to the accompaniment of the music of the Qewals, but the festival is generally characterized by joyous events: the music of dehol (drum) and zorna (shawm), communal dancing and meals, the decorating of eggs. Similarly the village Tawaf, a festival held in the spring in honor of the patron of the local shrine, has secular music, dance and meals in addition to the performance of sacred music. Another important festival is the Tawusgeran (circulation of the peacock) where Qewals and other religious dignitaries visit Yazidi villages, bringing the senjaq, sacred images representing the peacock and associated with Malak Ta’us. These are venerated, taxes are collected from the pious, sermons are preached, and holy water distributed. The greatest festival of the year for ordinary Yazidis is the Cejna Cemaiya (Feast of the Assembly) at Lalish, a seven-day occasion. A focus of widespread pilgrimage, this is an important time for social contact and affirmation of identity. The religious center of the event is the belief in an annual gathering of the Heptad in the holy place at this time. Rituals practiced include the sacrifice of a bull at the shrine of Shaikh Shams and the practice of sema.

Purity and taboos

The Yazidis' concern with religious purity, and their reluctance to mix elements perceived to be incompatible, is shown not only in their caste system, but also in various taboos affecting everyday life. Some of these, such as those on exogamy or on insulting or offending men of religion, are widely respected. Others, such as the prohibition of eating lettuce or wearing the color blue, are often ignored when men of religion are not present. Others still are less widely known and may be localized. The purity of the four elements, Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, is protected by a number of taboos–against spitting on earth, water, or fire, for instance. These may reflect ancient Iranian preoccupations, as apparently do the taboos concerning bodily refuse, hair, and menstrual blood. Too much contact with non-Yazidis is also polluting. In the past Yazidis avoided military service which would have led them to live among Muslims, and were forbidden to share such items as cups or razors with outsiders. Auditory resemblance may lie behind the taboo against eating lettuce, whose name koas resembles Kurdish pronunciations of koasasa.

Customs

Yazidi are dominantly monogamous but chiefs may have more than one wife. Children are baptized at birth and circumcision is common but not required. Dead are buried in conical tombs immediately after death and buried with hands crossed.
Yazidi are exclusive; clans do not intermarry even with other Kurds and accept no converts. They claim that they are descended only from Adam. The strongest punishment is expulsion, which is also effectively excommunication because the soul of the exiled is forfeit.
As a demiurge figure, Malak Ta’us is often identified by orthodox Muslims as a Shaitan, a Muslim term denoting a devil or demon who deceives true believers. In Islam, a common deception by shaytan is to assign partners to Allah. Thus, the Yazidi have been accused of devil worship. Because of this and due to their pre-Islamic beliefs, they have been oppressed by their Muslim neighbors. Such oppression of Yezidis was exceptionally harsh during the rule of the Ottoman Empire.

Myths

The tale of the Yazidis' origin found in the Black Book gives them a distinctive ancestry and expresses their feeling of difference from other races. Before the roles of the sexes were determined, Adam and Eve quarreled about which of them provided the creative element in the begetting of children. Each stored their seed in a jar which was then sealed. When Eve's was opened it was full of insects and other unpleasant creatures, but inside Adam's jar was a beautiful boy-child. This lovely child, known as son of Jar grew up to marry a houri and became the ancestor of the Yazidis. Therefore, the Yazidi are regarded as decending from Adam alone, while other humans are descendants of both Adam and Eve.

Recent history

It is alleged by some that during the regime of Saddam Hussein, Yazidis were considered to be Arabs and maneuvered to oppose the Kurds, in order to tilt the ethnic balance in northern Iraq, but this cannot be entirely substantiated. It is known, however, that the Yazidi's unique identity, despite being ethnically Kurdish, was in fact used by the Baathist regime to isolate one from the other. However, both groups fought against Baathist troops, often in joint Peshmerga units. Since the 2003 occupation of Iraq, the Kurds want the Yazidi to be recognized as ethnic Kurds to increase their numbers and influence.

The Chermera temple (meaning “40 Men” in the Yezidi dialect) on the highest peak on the Sinjar mountains in northern Iraq. The temple is so old that no one remembers how it came to have that name but it is believed to derive from the burial of 40 men on the mountain-top site. Picture taken by an American Soldier from the 334th Signal Company, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, April 2004.
Historically, the Yazidis are a religious minority of the Kurds. Purportedly, they have existed since 2000 BCE. Estimates of the number of Yazidis vary between 100,000 and 800,000, the latter being the claim of their website. According to the same site, Yazidi refugees in Germany number 30,000.
Feleknas Uca, a Kurdish Member of the European Parliament for Germany's Party of Democratic Socialism was the world's only Yazidi parliamentarian until the Iraqi legislature was elected in 2005.
In her memoir of her service in an intelligence unit of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division in Iraq during 2003 and 2004, Kayla Williams (2005) records being stationed in northern Iraq near the Syrian border in an area inhabited by "Yezidis". The Yezidis were Kurdish-speaking, but did not consider themselves Kurds, and expressed to Williams a fondness for America and Israel. She was able to learn only a little about the nature of their religion: she thought it very ancient, and concerned with angels. She describes a mountain-top Yezidi shrine as "a small rock building with objects dangling from the ceiling", and alcoves for the placement of offerings. She reports that local Muslims considered the Yezidis to be devil worshippers.
It has been claimed the Chermera temple shrine is tied to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They believe God sent Azaziel or Al-Malek Al-Tawwus, known as the Peacock angel as well as chief of all angels, to move the stone that blocked Christ’s grave and that the angel stayed at the site of the temple.

Views of outsiders, fiction and stereotypes

As the Yazidi hold religious beliefs that are mostly unfamiliar to outsiders, many non-Yazidi people have written about them and ascribed facts to their beliefs that have dubious historical validity. For example, horror writer H. P. Lovecraft made a reference to "... the Yezidi clan of devil-worshippers" in his short story "The Horror at Red Hook".
A fictional Yazidi character of note is the super-powered police officer "King Peacock", of the Top 10 series (and related comics). He is portrayed as a kind, peaceful, character with a broad knowledge of religion and mythology. He is depicted as conservative, ethical and highly principled in family life. An incredibly powerful martial artist, he is able to destroy matter, a power that he claims is derived from communicating with Malak Ta’us.
The Yazidis, perhaps because of their secrecy, also have a place in modern occultism. G. I. Gurdjieff mentions Yazidis several times in his books Meetings with Remarkable Men and Beelzebub's Tales to his Grandson.

This is a view from Secret Doctrine-II by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky:
Yezidis (Arabic) [possibly from Persian yazdan god; or the 2nd Omayyad Caliph, Yezid (720-4); or Persian city Yezd] A sect dwelling principally in Kurdistan, Armenia, and the Caucasus, who call themselves Dasni. Their religious beliefs take on the characteristics of their surrounding peoples, inasmuch as, openly or publicly, they regard Mohammed as a prophet, and Jesus Christ as an angel in human form. Points of resemblance are found with ancient Zoroastrian and Assyrian religion. The principal feature of their worship, however, is Satan under the name of Muluk-Taus. However, it is not the Christian Satan, nor the devil in any form; their Muluk-Taus is the hundred- or thousand-eyed cosmic wisdom, pictured as a bird." (the peacock)
Yazidism has also been claimed as an influence on Aleister Crowley's Thelema. In addition, The Order of the Peacock Angel, an obscure secret society based in the London suburb of Putney loosely based its rites on Yazidi beliefs as well.

http://secretmiddleeasthinduism.blogspot.com/

http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/ind...article=97

[Guest]

<b>The Swami of Accra</b>


<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->AS AN Indian in Ghana, I soon became aware of the country’s Indian community. It was while working on a photo-essay about crosscultural interactions, especially interracial marriages, that I learnt of the African Hindu Monastery. Now, Ghana is by no means homogenous when it comes to religion. Though predominantly Christian, with Islam being prominent in the north, most Ghanaians still maintain their connections to older traditions of ancestor worship and belief in the spirit world. Hinduism, though, is a foreign and recent entrant, associated with the Sindhi business families who dominate the immigrant Indian population. The presence of an African Hindu community, therefore, came as a surprise. I decided to go and see the place for myself.

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[Bharatvarsh2]

Variations in Indonesian Mahabharata

by Indrajit Bandyopadhyay



http://sobokartti.wordpress.com/2009/11/...habharata/

[Guest]

http://religionnewsblog.blogspot.com/200...sm_11.html

I have previously commented on the similarities of Hinduism and Mormonism (here). In light of their many unexpected similarities, it is especially interesting to note that Mormons are actually helping spread Hinduism, in UTAH!!!



The story is almost too weird to believe. Individual Mormons not only cooperated and assisted the planning and building phase, their church actually donated money to help construct a Hindu Krishna temple. This is so perverse, it almost defies description.



The Mormon desire to be acceptible and politically correct is legendary, I can only chaulk it up to that. This seems to be a great example of people whose primary religion is Multiculturalism.





"Perched on a hill just south of downtown Spanish Fork [a few minutes south of Provo] stands the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple. Completed in 2001, the Krishna Indian Hindu Temple certainly stands out among the surrounding rural fields... The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has supported the temple since its inception. In fact, the church gave $25,000 to help build it... The temple has seen around 5,000 volunteers in the last 10 years to help construct and maintain the building. Many of these volunteer opportunities have LDS ties, whether it be through a ward, Boy Scouts, BYU or another LDS-affiliated group."

[dhu]

India Is First Lady Kim's Ancestral Home

Korea's first lady Kim Yoon-ok is a descendant of one of India's royal families dating back two thousand years, according to the presidential office Monday.



The presidential couple arrived Sunday in New Delhi for a four-day state visit. It is the first visit to India by a Korean president since 2004.



The office said Kim is a descendant of Heo Hwang-ok, a princess who travelled from an ancient kingdom in Ayodhya, India, to Korea.



Heo arrived on a boat and married King Suro of Korea's Gaya Kingdom in A.D. 48, according to Samguk Yusa, an 11th-century collection of legends and stories.



The chronicle says Princess Heo had a dream about a handsome king from a far away land.



After the dream, Heo asked her royal parents for permission to set out on an adventure to find the man of her fate.



The ancient book indicates that she sailed to the Korean Peninsula, carrying a stone, with which she claimed to have calmed the waters.



Archeologists discovered a stone with two fish kissing each other in Korea, which is a unique cultural heritage linked to a royal family in Ayodhya.



The stone is evidence that there were active commercial exchanges between the two sides after the princess's arrival here.



The princess is said to have given birth to 10 children, which marked the beginning of the powerful dynasty of Gimhae Kims.



Members of both the Heo and Gimhae Kim lineages consider themselves descendants of Heo Hwang-ok and King Suro. Two of the couple's 10 sons chose the mother's name. The Heo clans trace their origins to them, and regard Heo as the founder of their lines. The Gimhae Kims trace their origin to the eight other sons.



An analysis of DNA samples taken from the site of two royal Gaya tombs in 2004 in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, confirms that there is a genetic link between the Korean ethnic group and certain ethnic groups in India.



Over the past decades, there have been efforts to shed new light on the historical links between Korea and India. In 2000, a Gaya clan raised money to send a large memorial tablet to India and establish a park in Ayodhya.

[Husky]

[quote name='dhu' date='31 January 2010 - 09:20 PM' timestamp='1264952549' post='103829']

India Is First Lady Kim's Ancestral Home

[/quote]Bad news Dhu.



Not Global Hindu or Dharmic footprint though. She's of a terrorist persuasion (IIRC some protestant cult), like her christoterrorist husband who has been making law after law against Korea's Buddhism and traditional religion.



Yupp, see here:

http://www.korea.net/News/Issues/issueDe...d_no=18965

First Lady Kim Yoon-ok

Personal Data



Date of Birth March 26, 1947

Permanent Address Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do (province)

Religion Protestant

Hobbies Tennis, swimming

Date of Marriage December 19, 1970

Children 1 son and 3 daughters

[...]

The Korean Buddhists and traditionalists with Heo and Gimhae Kim lineages may well consider themselves as being connected to India, but christoterrorists forfeit all rights. DNA means absolutely nothing in such a case as she's infected with a memetic disease that alters the entire situation: there can be no recognition of affinity.



Plus we don't need overtures by Korea's christoterrorists in the form of "We're a bit Indian too, so you can also be like us and accept jeebus and terrorise India's Dharmics the way we are doing to the Natural Traditionalists of Korea".

South Korea reminded me:

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

the koreans are coming, armed with bibles. lock up your daughters!

jan 26th, 2010



RajeevSrinivasa

economist: hallyu or hallelujah? south korean 'soft power' quite likely to be followed by church evangelism.

http://bit.ly/cQnlMh



Posted by nizhal yoddha at 1/26/2010 10:18:00 AM 5 comments Links to this post

[Bharatvarsh2]

Siwaratri (Purgatory a la Balinese)



Today, Wraspati Paing Perangbakat , Balinese celebrates Siwaratri, here is the interesting article on last year edition:



Tonight, on the seventh month’s fourteenth day of waxing moon, Balinese will celebrate the Siwaratri or the Night of Siwa. This holy day is devoted to God Siwa, the destroyer. Balinese believes that on this day, God Siwa, the destroyer meditate for the welfare of the world, and the God Siwa will bestow a pardon for all sin to someone if he accompany the God Siwa in his meditation by observing some self restriction and meditate on the night of Siwaratri.



The Brata (self-restriction) of Siwaratri includes Jagra (staying awake all night long), Upawasa (fasting), and Monabrata (silence). There are three major level of self- restriction, Balinese can choose a level of self-restriction according to his capability. The Kakawin (old poetry prayer) of Siwaratrikalpa explains the three major level of self- restriction that should take place on the Siwaratri night as follow Utama (top self-restriction) includes Brata (self-restriction) like Monabrata (silence), Upawasa (fasting) and Jagra (staying awake all night long). Madya (middle self-restriction) includes Upawasa (fasting) and Jagra (staying awake all night long). Nista (lowest self-restriction) includes only Jagra (staying awake all night long). The Brata (self-restriction) is held over a period of 36 hours, starting with the sunrise on January 24 until the sunset of ‘Tilem Kepitu’ on January 25, 2009.



The celebration of Siwaratri, night of Siwa will light up the night all over Bali. On this night, temples will be full of the congregations. They stay awake all night long, recite prayer or old religious story, chat with friend (for those who takes a lesser self- restriction) and fight the sleepy eyes as hard as possible. The students will celebrate the Siwaratri, night of Siwa in their respective school, they gather in the school temple under the supervision of their teacher, recites prayer, read the holy book, or simply chat with other student.



After succeeding in fighting the sleepy eyes all night long, Balinese will flock to the beach to take a purification ceremony simply by praying on the beach and taking a quick bath in the chill seawater. After completing the ceremony Balinese must not sleep, he has to go to work as usual. Taking a sleep in the morning or a nap will destroy all the Brata (self-restriction) that have been observe on the day before.



http://blog.baliwww.com/miscellaneous/540

[Husky]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/world/...8indo.html

Yogyakarta Journal: Under Indonesia’s Surface, an Intricate Quilt of Faiths

Image caption: Buddhist monks inspected a ninth-century Hindu temple recently unearthed at the Islamic University of Indonesia in Yogyakarta.



[color="#0000FF"]By NORIMITSU ONISHI[/color]

Published: February 17, 2010



YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia — As if on cue, the two Buddhist monks in saffron robes appeared one late afternoon recently, seemingly out of nowhere, to complete the picture of Indonesia’s religious past and present.





Image caption: Archaeologists found a statue of Ganesha, a Hindu deity, during their excavations on the campus of the Islamic University.

[color="#800080"](Traditional Hindu Vigraham of Ganapathi: includes his "sacred thread" around the torso.)[/color]



Three major religions intermixed in Yogyakarta and Java.



The visitors stood at the edge of a large fenced-off pit where a ninth-century Hindu temple had recently been unearthed here on the campus of the Islamic University of Indonesia. On the other side of the pit, where a mosque’s large dome rose in the backdrop, the muezzin would soon call the faithful to the sunset prayer.



The discovery of the nearly intact Hindu temple was a reminder of the long religious trajectory of the country that now has the world’s largest Muslim population. In few places on earth have three major religions intermixed with such intensity and proximity as in Indonesia’s island of Java. If the sultan of Yogyakarta’s palace lies at the heart of this city, Java’s spiritual center, the world’s largest Buddhist monument, Borobudur, and one of its largest Hindu temples, Prambanan, stand in its outskirts.



About 90 percent of Indonesians are now Muslim, with only pockets of Buddhists and Hindus left. But Hinduism and Buddhism, Java’s dominant religions for a much longer period, permeate the society and contribute to Indonesia’s traditionally moderate form of Islam.



For more than a decade, proponents of a more orthodox version of Islam have gained ground in Indonesia. More women are wearing head scarves and more Indonesians are adopting Arabic-style religious rituals as fundamentalists press for a purge of pre-Islamic values and ceremonies. But Indonesia’s traditional Islam provides a counterpoint.



“This is Indonesia,” said Suwarsono Muhammad, an official at the Islamic University. “In the long history of Indonesia, we have proven that different religions can live peacefully.”



In that spirit, Mr. Muhammad said, the university planned to showcase the Hindu temple prominently in front of a library to be built around it, in the shape of a half-circle.

[color="#800080"](Sounds like there's not going to be any breathing room for the Temple, but rather that it gets eclipsed by the Library crescent.)[/color]



It all began last August when the private university decided to build the library, “the symbol of knowledge of our religion,” <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> next to the mosque, Mr. Muhammad said. [color="#0000FF"]In the two decades the university had occupied its 79-acre campus outside Yogyakarta, no temple had ever been found. But chances were high that they were around. Most of the nearby villages had the same prefix in their names: candi, meaning temple.[/color]



By Dec. 11, a construction crew had already removed nearly seven feet of earth. But the soil proved unstable, and the crew decided to dig 20 inches deeper. A backhoe then struck something unusually hard.



The crack the backhoe left on the temple wall would become the main sign of damage on what experts say could be the best-preserved ancient monument found in Java.



Researchers from the government’s Archaeological Office in Yogyakarta headed to the campus the next day, excavated for 35 days and eventually unearthed [size="6"]two 1,100-year-old small temples.[/size] In the main temple, 20 feet by 20 feet, a perfectly preserved statue of [color="#FF0000"]Ganesha[/color], the elephant-headed deity, sat next to a [color="#FF0000"]linga[/color], the symbol of worship for the god [color="#FF0000"]Shiva[/color], and a [color="#FF0000"]yoni[/color], the symbol of worship for the goddess [color="#FF0000"]Shakti[/color].



In the adjacent secondary temple, about 20 feet by 13 feet, researchers exhumed [color="#FF0000"]another linga and yoni[/color], as well as two altars and [color="#FF0000"]a statue of Nandi[/color], the sacred bull that carried Shiva.



“The temples are not so big, but they have features that we haven’t found in Indonesia before,” Herni Pramastuti, who runs the Archaeological Office, said, pointing to the rectangle-shaped temple, the existence of two sets of linga and yoni, and the presence of two altars.



Researchers surmised that the temples were preserved in pristine condition because they were buried in a volcanic eruption a century after they were built. The lava from Mount Merapi, about 7.5 miles to the north, is believed to have filled a nearby river before flowing over the temples, minimizing damage.



Indung Panca Putra, a researcher at the Archaeological Office, said the temples’ walls and statues contained refined details not found in the dozen small Hindu and Buddhist temples discovered in this area.



Officials moved the most valuable artifact, the statue of Ganesha, to the Archaeological Office. For further protection against thieves, workers erected a fence on the campus, and guards limited access inside.



The two Buddhist monks, though, had had no trouble getting inside. They had traveled from their monastery, about an hour away by car, to visit.



“These are our ancestors, so we have a sense of belonging,” said one monk, Dhammiko.



Historians believe that Hinduism spread in Java in the fifth century, followed three centuries later by Buddhism. Kingdoms hewing to both Hindu and Buddhist beliefs flourished in Java before they were eclipsed by Islam in the 15th century.



But Islam itself incorporated beliefs and ceremonies from the other two religions. Just as some unearthed temples in east Java have a Hindu upper half and a Buddhist lower half, some early mosques had roofs in the shape of Hindu temples, said Timbul Haryono, a professor of archaeology at Gadjah Mada University here and an expert on Hinduism in Southeast Asia. Early mosques faced not in Mecca’s direction, but west or east in the manner of Hindu temples.

[color="#800080"](Always the case in SE Asia, e.g. Cambodia: the older strata were Hindu Temples. C.f. Shinto and Tao temples in E Asia.)[/color]



“Things didn’t change all of a sudden,” Mr. Haryono said. “Islam was adopted through a process of acculturation.”



In Indonesia’s arts, like the wayang shadow puppetry that dramatizes Hindu epics, or in people’s private lives, traces of the earlier religions survive, he said. Food, flowers and incense still accompany many funerals for Muslims, in keeping with Hindu and Buddhist traditions.



“Hinduism was Indonesia’s main religion for 1,000 years,” he said, “so its influence is still strong.”



A version of this article appeared in print on February 18, 2010, on page A7 of the New York edition.

[Guest]

^^^^^

Sad to see Indonesia having slipped away from the Dharmic traditions.



But something that I read that made me smile too.........



http://www.record-eagle.com/columns/loca...70042.html

As we exclaimed over ultrasound images and Buddha-belly photos, we tried to guess what the baby would look like. With my stepson's fiery red hair and his wife's delicate Indonesian features, it was hard to imagine.

When I look at the baby, all I see is ... baby. Born two days before we got the DNA results and called Axel Aditya -- the first chosen from a book of baby names while his parents lounged on a Kauai beach, the second a Hindu name that means "of the sun" -- he's a beautiful blend of all his ancestors, East and West.

[Husky]

1. On post 134 - this is what I suspected (but had no proof for):

http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2010/03/i...hindu.html

(Indonesia) Discovery of ancient Hindu temple that was demolished, built over by mosque and Islamic University

mar 3rd, 2010



---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Ravi





[color="#0000FF"]NY Times tries to put a Dhimmi spin on this recent Indonesian archaelogical discovery in Yogyakarta, while trying to whitewash the fact that:



1) This was indeed an ancient Hindu temple that was hastily demolished by Muslims and built over by a mosque, that was eventually "expanded" into an Islamic University over time.



2) This NYT line is misleading ("Early mosques faced not in Mecca's direction, but west or east in the manner of Hindu temples") because these "mosques" were actually Hindu temples that were "commandeered" and turned into mosques quickly and conveniently by defacing the artistic carvings and throwing out any images and icons.



3) Another untruthful line by NYT: "Three major religions intermixed in Yogyakarta and Java" should actually read more like "Islam wiped out Hinduism and Buddhism in Yogyakarta and Java".[/color]

One of the comments - look how my mouth is closed and yet there are these words (so it's not me speaking!):

Incognito said...



[color="#0000FF"]Just as disease in any part of the body affects the whole person, cancers like islam, christianity, capitalism and communism in any part of Earth affects the whole Earth and all living beings in it.



This is the lesson of the past.



These adharmic elements must be removed entirely for Earth and humanity to return to health.[/color]



namaste



3/03/2010 5:07 PM

Exactly, I agree.

Finally. A Hindu in these modern times who says what all Dharmics - all Natural Traditionalists of the world - ought to be saying. (To be fair, the Hellenes have been saying it all along. And continue to say it at ysee.gr)





2. Post 135:

Aditya is a sacred name to Hindus (who aren't extinct yet). It obviously isn't to these flighty seculars who choose it either because it's pretty, exotic or has associative sentimental value (wife: "I'm Indonesian, my ancestors were - presumably - Hindu. Darling, let's give it a Hindu name, so I and the baby can feel/claim we still have something to do with my 'cultural' history, even though Hindu Dharma never was important to me before and even now it is obviously but an afterthought. And look, the baby even has some Indonesian features left! Praise Ceres! Indonesian/Indian/... features are a sure sign of... of..."

Of what? Adherence to Hindu religion?? No.)

We're supposed to cheer some Indonesian-western couple trivialising Hindu Gods in this way? The circumstance has truly reduced it to nothing more than a 'mere' name that survives of Hindu Dharma (a bit like the mockery that today's "Olympic Games" are, which keep the sacred name with none of its Hellenistic import): Other people running off with what still holds deep and full meaning to the living Hindus - like the name Aditya - is akin to being treated as if Hindus are already dead and others feel they can do what they please with what's ours.

(And the combination "Axel Aditya" is a meaningless name if ever there was one.)



Have Hindus been defeated already that we have to hold on to such cases of meaningless nothings that only further underscore how much and how many are lost to Hindu Dharma?



Well then, here's more like instances to feel sentimental about:

- Some years ago, one of my classmates was Balinese. His family was in recent times converted to christianism. In order to bring up some aspect we had "in common", he told me one of his grandparents was still Hindu (whom they tried to convert, but failed). Moving, nah?

- And I have another Indonesian classmate whose surname is part Samskritam. Her whole family is christian. She likes "Indian culture". Such a compliment.



- Look, a Catholic Goan and his islamic-turned-catholic Goan wife named their catholic daughter Ileana (who is some Indian actress). Ileana: named after Helen (of Troy)! Isn't it sweet. Proof of Hellenismos! Oh *wait*. It's not. Instead, they're part of the religion that destroyed Hellenismos, even though their *ancestors* were Hindus.

- And some Kerala christists named their daughter Diana (another actress), which is the very own name of Goddess Artemis (Roman variant). So touching. Hellenists? Again: no. Their religion - christianism - exterminated the Hellenes in concentration camps and destroyed Diana's temples. And now they have the gall to name their daughter after Diana. Hopefully she'll revert.

[HareKrishna]

thats a cool expresion: christo-borgs.

[Guest]

[url="http://www.zo-online.ch/article24077/Duernten-hat-einen-Hindu-Tempel.htm"]Dürnten hat einen Hindu-Tempel[/url]

DURNTEN, SWITZERLAND, February 24, 2010: The opening ceremony of the

new premises of the Sri Vishnu Thurkkai Amman Temple took place on

January 27th. The temple, formerly located in Adliswil, was moved 40

kilometers to a building located in pasture land at Edikerstrasse 24

in Durnten. More than 100 devotees attended the morning opening

ceremony.



Water from the creek nearby was used by the priests to bless the

shrines and the devotees. A neighboring farm brought a cow to

participate in the ritual. See the link above for a slide show of the

event.

[shamu]

Check out the ancient Hindu roots of Vietnam.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8572843.stm

[Bharatvarsh2]

http://mysticaltemplesofmalaysia.blogspot.com/