In Hindu and Buddhist religions it is a common practice to offer sound to god along with other offerings like flowers, fruits, water, incense and fire by way of lamp. Hindus offer sound by blowing conch or ring a bell. Buddhist, particularly Tibetan Buddhists offer sound by blowing a trumpet. This trumpet is called Tibetan […]
The trumpet shown in the picture is known as Narsingha or Ransingha trumpet and is mostly used in Nepal, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Kullu Manali in the Himalayan ranges. This curved “S” shaped trumpet is hand made out of copper and brass combination. The main trumpet is made with copper and the trims and embellishments […]
Kamandalam is a water pot with a handle used by Hindu religious sadhus, sanyasis, munis, yogis, ascetics, Buddhist monks and Hindu mendicants to carry water. Kamandalam represents a self-contained and simple life. Kamandalam is also called as Kamandal or Kamandalu. It is traditionally made out of ripe bottle gourd, or pumpkin, or coconut shell, or […]
Do you know how ladies used to dry their hair after a head bath in those good old days when electric hair driers were not available? Yes! They had a traditional style of drying the hair with perfumed hot air. Sounds romantic and feels cosy doesn’t it? In the old days, when modern gadgets had […]
One of the wonders of creation is water. 90% of the human body is water. Without water, there is no life on earth. The entire species on earth have learnt to drink water in their own way. The primitive man started drinking water from his cupped hands and with progress in civilisation the man started […]
The dimensions of the pot: 15” diameter at the belly, 4” diameter at the mouth, Height – 12” This antique copper water storage pot is from the state of Rajasthan, India. Most part of Rajasthan is a desert or arid land and water is a scarce commodity. It is a common sight in rural Rajasthan […]
During my younger days, the monthly ritual in our family was that all children were required to take an oil bath. To begin with, my mother used to apply a fistful of coconut oil on the top of my head and keep on patting at the same spot chanting a variety of blessings. One […]
Ancient Indian wisdom of storing water in brass vessels for healthy living is now proved to be a scientific fact. Extending the same habit, ancient Indians drank their water from brass pots. This culture was prevalent till the beginning of 20th century and that was when the stainless steel and plastic culture pushed out the […]
Flowers are one of the most beautiful and colourful creations in nature. Everybody loves flowers and we use them for various purposes. Flowers are an essential part of the Hindu way of doing ritual prayers known as “Pooja”. Hindu scriptures say that essentially any of the three things namely “Pushpam”, “Phalam”, and “Toyam” meaning flower, […]
It is a dream come true for me. At last, I managed to take the pilgrimage to Maha Kumbh Mela, 2013. Though I had the intense desire to see the magnificent spectacle that is Kumbh Mela, all my attempts failed due to non-availability of tickets and lack of the right company. I was warned […]
