Roshen Dalal | |
---|---|
Born | 1952 |
Alma mater | University of Bombay (BA) Jawaharlal Nehru University (MA & PhD) |
Occupation(s) | Historian, Writer |
Known for | Ancient Indian History |
Roshen Dalal (born 1952) is an Indian historian and writer of books for adults and children on the history of India and its religions.
Roshen Dalal was born in 1952 in Mussoorie, India.
She studied in various schools across the country. After a BA (Hons) in history from the University of Bombay, she completed an MA and PhD in Ancient Indian History from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. [1] [2] [3]
She has taught at both school and university, and has been involved in research in the fields of Indian history, religion and philosophy, and education.
Hinduism is an umbrella term for a range of Indian religious and spiritual traditions (sampradayas) that are unified by adherence to the concept of dharma, a cosmic order maintained by its followers through rituals and righteous living, as first expounded in the Vedas. The word Hindu is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, it has also been described by the modern term Sanātana Dharma emphasizing its eternal nature. Another endonym for Hinduism is Vaidika Dharma.
Brihaspati, is a Hindu god. In the ancient Vedic scriptures of Hinduism, Brihaspati is a deity associated with fire, and the word also refers to a god who counsels the devas and devis. In some later texts, the word refers to the largest planet of the solar system, Jupiter, and the deity is associated with the planet as a Navagraha.
Svaha, also referred to as Manyanti, is the Hindu goddess of sacrifices featured in the Vedas. She is the consort of Agni, and the daughter of either Daksha or Brihaspati, depending on the literary tradition. According to the Brahmavaivarta Purana, she is an aspect of Prakriti (nature), an element without which Agni cannot sustain.
Aranyani is the goddess of forests and the wild animals that dwell within them in Hinduism.
The historical Vedic religion, also called Vedicism or Vedism, and sometimes ancient Hinduism or Vedic Hinduism, constituted the religious ideas and practices prevalent amongst some of the Indo-Aryan peoples of the northwest Indian subcontinent during the Vedic period. These ideas and practices are found in the Vedic texts, and some Vedic rituals are still practiced today. The Vedic religion is one of the major traditions which shaped modern Hinduism, though present-day Hinduism is significantly different from the historical Vedic religion.
In Hinduism, Itihasa-Purana, also called the fifth Veda, refers to the traditional accounts of cosmogeny, myths, royal genealogies of the lunar dynasty and solar dynasty, and legendary past events, as narrated in the Itihasa and the Puranas. They are highly influential in Indian culture, and many classical Indian poets derive the plots of their poetry and drama from the Itihasa. The Epic-Puranic chronology derived from the Itihasa-Puranais an influential frame of reference in traditional Indian thought.
The Kalika Purana, also called the Kali Purana, Sati Purana or Kalika Tantra, is one of the eighteen minor Puranas (Upapurana) in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. The text was likely composed in Assam or Cooch Behar region of India and is attributed to the sage Markandeya. It exists in many versions, variously organized in 90 to 93 chapters. The surviving versions of the text are unusual in that they start abruptly and follow a format not found in either the major or minor Purana-genre mythical texts of Hinduism. Various types of animal sacrifices for devi are detailed in the Purana.
Divya Desam or Vaishnava Divya Desams are the 108 Vishnu and Lakshmi temples that are mentioned in the works of the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnava tradition. By comparison, the Paadal Petra Sthalam are the 276 Shiva temples glorified in the works of the Shaiva Nayanars.
Padmavati, also known as Alamelu Manga, is a Hindu goddess and the consort of the deity Venkateshwara, a form of Vishnu. She is described as a daughter of a local king and an avatar of goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu.
Svayambhu is a Sanskrit word that means "self-born", "self-manifested", "self-existing", or "that that is created by its own accord". Various deities and entities featured in Hindu literature and tradition are regarded to be svayambhu, such as Brahman in the Upanishads, and the Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, and Manu in the Puranas.
In Hinduism, Rishabha is one of the twenty-four avatars of Vishnu in the Bhagavata Purana. Some scholars identify this avatar to be the same as the first tirthankara of Jainism, Rishabhanatha. Shaiva texts like the Linga Purana regard Rishabha to be among the 28 avatars of Shiva. Rishabha is also found in Vedic literature, where it means the "bull" and is an epithet for Rudra (Shiva).
Bhumi, also known as Bhudevi, Dharani, Vasundhara and Avani is a significant goddess in Hinduism, personifying the Earth. She is regarded to be a form of the Goddess Lakshmi. Her earliest form is reflected in the Vedic goddess Prithvi, though their roles and depictions are drastically different.
Iccha-shakti is a Sanskrit term translating to free will, desire, creative urge. It functions as the impulse towards manifestation within the principle of shakti, the concept of divine feminine energy. Along with kriya-shakti and jnana-shakti, iccha-shakti is described to constitute the three aspects of shakti in Hinduism, regarded to be responsible for the evolution of the universe in Tantra. In Shaivism, iccha-shakti represents one of the five shaktis of Shiva, alongside adi-shakti, parama-shakti, kriya-shakti, and jnana-shakti.
Debadutta Pattanaik is a mythologist and writer from Orissa, India whose parents had migrated to Mumbai before his birth. He writes on mythology, the study of cultural truths revealed through stories, symbols and rituals. He lectures on the relevance of both Indian and Western myths in modern life. His work focuses largely on the areas of religion, mythology, and management. He has authored and illustrated over 50 books, including ABC Of Hinduism, Bahubali : 63 insights into Jainism, and Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories.
The Dashavatara are the ten primary avatars of Vishnu, a principal Hindu god. Vishnu is said to descend in the form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. The word Dashavatara derives from daśa, meaning "ten", and avatāra, roughly equivalent to "incarnation".
Budha is the Sanskrit word for the planet Mercury, personified as a god.
The practice of Hindu animal sacrifice is in recent times mostly associated with Shaktism, and in currents of folk Hinduism strongly rooted in local popular or tribal traditions. Animal sacrifices were part of the ancient Vedic Era in India, and are mentioned in scriptures such as the Puranas. The Hindu scripture Brahma Vaivarta Purana forbids the Asvamedha Horse sacrifice in this Kali Yuga. However, the perception that animal sacrifice was only practiced in ancient Non-Vedic Era is opposed by instances like Ashvamedha and other rituals that are rooted in Vedas. Both the Itihasas and the Puranas like the Devi Bhagavata Purana and the Kalika Purana as well as the Saiva and Sakta Agamas prescribe animal sacrifices.
Niladevi, also rendered as Neela Devi or Nappinnai, is a Hindu goddess, and a consort of the preserver deity Vishnu, along with Sridevi and Bhudevi. Niladevi is primarily revered in South India, particularly in Tamil culture, as one of Vishnu's consorts. In Sri Vaishnava tradition, all three consorts of Vishnu are regarded as aspects of Mahalakshmi.
Dharmaraja Ratha is a monument in the Pancha Rathas complex at Mahabalipuram, on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, in the Kancheepuram district of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is an example of monolith Indian rock-cut architecture. Dating from the late 7th century, it is attributed to the reign of King Mahendravarman I and his son Narasimhavarman I of the Pallava Kingdom. The entire complex is under the auspices of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). It is one of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram that were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.
The East and the West or Prachya o Paschatya is a book written by Swami Vivekananda. In this book Swami Vivekananda made a comparative study of eastern and Western cultures.