The Priests of Tirumala

The Priests of Tirumala PDF Author: Sridhar V. Basavaraju
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781517021023
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 134

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Book Description
The Temple of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, India, is the world's wealthiest and most visited temple. People flock here from all parts of the world to catch a fleeting glimpse of the self-manifested icon of Lord Venkateswara and submit their woes at his lotus feet. As the pilgrims stand for hours waiting for their chance to draw near, groups of pious priests and temple servants move about unhindered. Who are these privileged people? Rather than discussing the Lord Venkateswara, the topic of most books on the Tirumala Temple, this unique book focuses on those who perform the worship, revealing the remarkably efficient ancient system of checks and balances regulating rituals performed by the families of priests and functionaries who have been dedicating their lives to the temple throughout generations stretching back a thousand years. The Priests of Tirumala is organized into three main sections that tell the fascinating stories of the Mirasi Archaka families, Jiyangar matham, and Acharya Purushas. The book offers a wealth of painstakingly collected details on the temple's history about the way rituals are conducted by different functionaries inside the sanctum-bringing to light the inner workings of this intriguing institution like never before.

The Priests of Tirumala

The Priests of Tirumala PDF Author: Sridhar V. Basavaraju
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781517021023
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 134

Get Book

Book Description
The Temple of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, India, is the world's wealthiest and most visited temple. People flock here from all parts of the world to catch a fleeting glimpse of the self-manifested icon of Lord Venkateswara and submit their woes at his lotus feet. As the pilgrims stand for hours waiting for their chance to draw near, groups of pious priests and temple servants move about unhindered. Who are these privileged people? Rather than discussing the Lord Venkateswara, the topic of most books on the Tirumala Temple, this unique book focuses on those who perform the worship, revealing the remarkably efficient ancient system of checks and balances regulating rituals performed by the families of priests and functionaries who have been dedicating their lives to the temple throughout generations stretching back a thousand years. The Priests of Tirumala is organized into three main sections that tell the fascinating stories of the Mirasi Archaka families, Jiyangar matham, and Acharya Purushas. The book offers a wealth of painstakingly collected details on the temple's history about the way rituals are conducted by different functionaries inside the sanctum-bringing to light the inner workings of this intriguing institution like never before.

Hindu Gods in an American Landscape

Hindu Gods in an American Landscape PDF Author: E. Allen Richardson
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786499443
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 235

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Book Description
In India, Hindu images have been cast for millennia through the lost wax process and brought to life by priests--becoming not merely venerated icons but actual embodiments of gods. Second and third generation Hindu Americans have increasingly adopted a more worldly perspective toward religious objects, viewing them as symbolic rather than actual presences of the deity. The author traces the origins of this important shift, and examines Western attitudes regarding sacred objects, as well as the complex layering of traditional and modern Hindu attitudes in a globalized world.

Architecture of Sovereignty

Architecture of Sovereignty PDF Author: Gita V. Pai
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1009150154
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 379

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Book Description
Demonstrates how religious spaces are sites of contestation over sovereignty and broader debates about governance as they have been reconceived repeatedly.

The Matter of the Mind

The Matter of the Mind PDF Author: Ravi Valluri
Publisher: The Write Place
ISBN: 9352017900
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description


The Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India

The Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Anthropology
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description


THE LORD OF VENGADAM

THE LORD OF VENGADAM PDF Author: S R RAMANUJAN
Publisher: PartridgeIndia
ISBN: 1482834626
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
The temple for the Lord of Vengadam in Tirumala (Andhra Pradesh, India) is one of the richest places of worship in the entire world with ever-increasing popularity, the footfall of devotees on the Seven Hills touching a whopping figure of seventy thousand on weekdays and one hundred thousand during the weekends. The Temple's annual budget hovers around 25 billion rupees. This world record to fame and riches is not without its flip side. The temple has become the focal point for a variety of controversies-some created by the political class, some by historians with an axe to grind, and some more by Hindus with a sectarian outlook. The never-ending dispute is over the identity of the idol as a result of the age-old conflict between the worshippers of Siva and Vishnu, the two most important deities of the Hindu pantheon. Taking their cue from this, Neo-Buddhists joined the fray with the claim that the temple was a Buddhist shrine and that it was converted into Vishnu temple by "wily Brahmins." The book aims to unravel the mystery over the history of the temple, providing a historical perspective to the issue and thus establishing the real identity of the Lord, which is indisputably that of the Vishnu.

Venkatachala Nilayam

Venkatachala Nilayam PDF Author: S R Ramanujan
Publisher: Notion Press
ISBN: 1685383475
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 299

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Book Description


Pilgrimages

Pilgrimages PDF Author: Richard Barber
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd
ISBN: 9780851154718
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Book Description
This is the first book to offer a survey of the great pilgrimage traditions. It outlines the history of different customs & merges common themes, revealing surprising similarities in practice among pilgrims of widely differing beliefs & times

Belief, Bounty, and Beauty

Belief, Bounty, and Beauty PDF Author: Albertina Nugteren
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9047415612
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 519

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Book Description
This study is focused on the interaction of material and symbolic values ascribed to sacred trees in India and expressed in 3,000 years of ritual practice. Point of departure is the contemporary trend of mining religious narratives in order to mobilise environmental awareness.

Sanathana Sarathi English Volume 07 (2012 - 2021)

Sanathana Sarathi English Volume 07 (2012 - 2021) PDF Author: Sri Sathya Sai Media Centre
Publisher: Sri Sathya Sai Media Centre
ISBN:
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 4302

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Book Description
Started in 1958, Sanathana Sarathi is a monthly magazine devoted to Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Righteousness), Shanti (Peace) and Prema (Love) - the four cardinal principles of Bhagawan Baba's philosophy. It is published from Prasanthi Nilayam (the Abode of Highest Peace) and acts as a mouthpiece of Baba's Ashram as it speaks of the important events that take place in His sacred Abode, besides carrying Divine Messages conveyed through Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The word meaning of Sanathana Sarathi is the 'Eternal Charioteer'. It signifies the presence of the Lord in every being as the atma guiding their lives like a charioteer. It implies that he who places his life, the body being likened to a chariot, in an attitude of surrender in the hands of the Lord, will be taken care of by the Lord even as a charioteer would take the occupant of his chariot safely to its destination. The magazine is an instrument to disseminate spiritual knowledge for the moral, physical and mental uplift of humanity without any discrimination as the subject matter discussed therein is always of common interest and of universal appeal. The fifteen Vahinis - streams of sacredness - known as the Vahini Series comprising annotation and interpretation of the Upanishads and other scriptures, Itihasas like the Ramayana, the Bhagavatha and the Mahabharata, and authentic explanations on Dhyana, Dharma, Prema, etc., have been serially published in this magazine as and when they emanated from the Divine pen of Bhagawan Baba. This magazine is published in almost all Indian languages, English and Telugu from Prasanthi Nilayam and others from respective regions. Every year Sanathana Sarathi comes out with a special issue in November commemorating the Divine Birthday. The English and Telugu magazines are posted on the 10th and 23rd respectively, of every month, from Prasanthi Nilayam. This magazine has wide, ever increasing circulation in India as well as abroad, as the study of it brings the reader closer to the philosophy of the Avatar in simple understandable language THUS SPAKE SAI... Discoursing during the launch of Sanathana Sarathi... From this day, our Sanathana Sarathi will lead to victory the cohorts of truth - the Vedas, the Sastras and similar scriptures of all faiths, against the forces of the ego such as injustice, falsehood, immorality and cruelty. This is the reason why it has emerged. This Sarathi will fight in order to establish world prosperity. It is bound to sound the paean of triumph when universal Ananda is achieved.