Matsya is the fish avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. Often described as the first of Vishnu's ten primary avatars, Matsya is described to have rescued the first man, Manu, from a great deluge. Matsya may be depicted as a giant fish, often golden in color, or anthropomorphically with the torso of Vishnu connected to the rear half of a fish.
Kurma, is the second avatar of the Hindu preserver deity, Vishnu. Originating in Vedic literature such as the Yajurveda as being synonymous with the Saptarishi called Kashyapa, Kurma is most commonly associated in post-Vedic literature such as the Puranas. He prominently appears in the legend of the churning of the Ocean of Milk, referred to as the Samudra Manthana. Along with being synonymous with Akupara, the World-Turtle supporting the Earth, Kurma is listed as the second of the Dashavatara, which are the ten principal incarnations of Vishnu.
Rukmini is a Hindu goddess and the first queen of Krishna in Dvaraka. In Vaishnava tradition, she is described as Krishna's principal queen in Dvaraka, as well as the chief of his wives. Along with other members of Ashtabharya and Radha‚ she is an incarnation of the goddess of fortune, Lakshmi. The goddess is regarded to be the chief or principal consort of Krishna in various pieces of literature and is venerated primarily in Warkari and Haridasa tradition, and additionally in Sri Vaishnavism where Lakshmi-Narayana are revered and worshipped.
The Vishnu Sahasranama, is a Sanskrit hymn containing a list of the 1,000 names of Vishnu, one of the main deities in Hinduism and the Supreme God in Vaishnavism. It is one of the most sacred and popular stotras in Hinduism. The most popular version of the Vishnu Sahasranama is featured in the Anushasana Parva of the epic Mahabharata. Other versions exist in the Padma Purana, the Skanda Purana, and the Garuda Purana. There is also a Sikh version of the Vishnu Sahasranama found in the work Sundar Gutka.
The Shri Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple is an ancient Hindu temple in the town of Trimbak, in the Trimbakeshwar tehsil in the Nashik District of Maharashtra, India, 28 km from the city of Nashik and 40 km from Nashik road. It is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and is one of the twelve jyotirlingas where the Hindu genealogy registers at Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra are kept. The origin of the sacred Godavari River is near Trimbak.
Krishna Janmashtami, also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. In certain Hindu texts, such as the Gita Govinda, Krishna has been identified as supreme God and the source of all avatars. Krishna's birth is celebrated and observed on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the dark fortnight in Shravana Masa or Bhadrapada Masa. This overlaps with August or September of the Gregorian calendar.
Sharad Purnima is a religious festival celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashvin, marking the end of the monsoon season. The full moon night is celebrated in different ways in various cultural regions across Indian subcontinent.
Lakshmi Narayana or Lakshmi Narayan is the dual representation of the Hindu deities Vishnu, also known as Narayana, and his consort, Lakshmi, traditionally featured in their abode, Vaikuntha. The goddess of prosperity and beauty, Lakshmi, is depicted as standing next to Vishnu, who holds the Panchajanya, Kaumodaki, Padma, and the Sudarshana Chakra. Another depiction of Lakshmi-Narayana portrays Lakshmi in the service of Narayana, who reclines on the cosmic serpent Shesha, floating in the Kshira Sagara, the Ocean of Milk.
Ekadashi is the eleventh lunar day (tithi) of the waxing and waning lunar cycles in a Vedic calendar month. Ekadashi is popularly observed within Vaishnavism one of the major paths within Sanatan Dharma. Followers offer their worship to the god Vishnu by fasting or just symbolically; the idea was always to receive self-discipline and the benefits of fasting and it was connected to the way of life via Sanatam Dharma practices.
Satya Pir is a belief system found in Bengal created by the fusion of Islam and local religions. Experts maintain that the Muslim Satya Pir and the Hindu Satyanarayan essentially represent the same beliefs and rituals. A century ago in Bengal, the ritual called, pujah was mainly performed by Hindu women and was interchangeably called Satya pir Pujah or Satya Narayan pujah.
A shaligram, or shaligrama shila, is a fossilized stone or ammonite collected from the riverbed or banks of the Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River in Nepal. It is also considered a form of Vishnu within Hinduism.The Kali Gandaki river flows through sacred places such as Muktinath and Damodar Kunda, enhancing the spiritual significance of these shaligrams.
Shiva Puja in Hinduism is the way by which one worships Shiva through traditional and ancient rites with the use of mantra, tantra, yantra, kriyas, mudras, and abhishekam.
Badarinath or Badarinarayana Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. It is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand, India. The temple is also one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu—holy shrines for Vaishnavas—who is worshipped as Badrinath. It is open for six months every year, because of extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region. The temple is located in Garhwal hill tracks in Chamoli district along the banks of Alaknanda River. It is one of the most visited pilgrimage centers of India, having recorded 2.8 million visits in just 2 months in 2022. It is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites.
Satyanarayana or Satyanarayan or Satya Narayan is another name of the Hindu god Vishnu.
A dvaravati shila is a type of coral stone (shaligrama) obtained from the Gomti river in Dwarka in Gujarat, India. In ancient Sanskrit literature, Dvaraka was called Dvaravati and was listed as one of the seven prehistoric cities in the country.
Panjiri is a Ayurvedic sweet dish from the Indian subcontinent which is specially prepared for Krishna Janmashtami festival. The sweet panjiri evolved from an Ayurvedic preparation called Panchajīraka.
Tulasi Vivaha, also called Tulasi Kalyanam, is a Hindu festival, in which a symbolic ceremonial wedding takes place between a tulasi plant or holy basil and a shaligrama or an amla branch. Tulasi Vivaha signifies the end of the monsoon, and the beginning of the wedding season in Hinduism.
Laapsi or lapsi is an Indian sweet dish made using grain flour or broken wheat and ghee, along with milk, nuts, raisins and other dried fruits. Lapsi is commonly prepared during Hindu ceremonies and is served as a religious offering to Devtas. Lapsi forms an integral part of North Indian cuisine and has many variants.
A Tulasi Vrindavana is a small podium-like stone or cement altar present in front of traditional Hindu houses, housing the sacred tulasi plant. Tulasi is an aromatic plant in the family Lamiaceae, native throughout the tropics, and widespread as a cultivated plant and an escaped weed.
Tulasi, or Vrinda is a sacred plant in Hindu tradition. Hindus regard it as an earthly manifestation of the goddess Tulasi; she is regarded as the avatar of Lakshmi, and thus the consort of the god Vishnu. In another iteration, as Vrinda, she is married to Jalandhara. The offering of its leaves is recommended in ritualistic worship of Vishnu and his avatars, like Krishna and Vithoba.
