Dham is a place of great religious and spiritual significance. Hinduism has four important pilgrimage sites that are called "Dhams."
Philosopher Adi Shankaracharya designated these four "Dhams" in the 8th Century. These four "Dhams" i.e. "Char Dham" are located in the four directions of India:
1. Puri - East
2. Dwarka - West
3. Badrinath - North
&
4. Rameswaram - South.
For over 1200 years, these Dhams have attracted pilgrims and devotees from far and wide. The "Dham" term is used with utmost reverence and honour, and historically and scripturally reserved for the ancient temples listed above.
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| Jagannath Dham - Image from X - @jagannathdhaam |
Puri Dham is Jagannath Dham, one of the four Dham of India. For ages, Puri has been one of the holiest places, being the abode of Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha. Shree Vishnu is Shree Jagannatha in the Kali Yuga. Puri is mentioned in many ancient Puranas and texts like the Skanda Purana.
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| Odisha Tourism |
It is said- "As in Rome, do as the Romans do."
Anywhere in the world, can we speak the way we generally do?
We speak to be understood.
We speak to convey our feelings.
If we are in Rome, Tokyo, Lima, or Timbuktoo, we must speak the local language to be understood.
I came across this article in the Economic Times earlier-
"When In Venice, Do As The Bengalis Do"-
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/et-commentary/when-in-venice-do-speak-as-the-bengalis-do/articleshow/114177255.cms?
In this article, the writer mentions about Rabindra Sangeet too.
But, look at the spelling mentioned-
"Robindrosongeet"
Sri Rabindra Nath Tagore composed and promoted Rabindra Sangeet.
However, the pronunciation and spelling used as as shared in the above news report.
The 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is scheduled for January 8 to 10, 2025, in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
17 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) have already been held. The previous one was held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
Each year, there is a theme for the event.
The theme of the 17th PBD Convention was "Diaspora: Trusted Allies for India's Advancement in Amrit Kaal."
This is the first time Odisha is hosting this event.
Odisha has several sites linked with the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
However, these sites are unknown; even the famous ones are not included in the heritage map, route/trail, or circuit.
Let us take the Ramayana Circuit, for example.
Significantly, the Indian Government is taking steps to include all the sites related to the Ramayana. This welcome initiative will link and connect many devotees while helping forge cultural connections.
The Railway Ministry has introduced the "Shri Ramayana Yatra- A Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train."
प्रभु श्रीराम से जुड़े सभी महत्वपूर्ण धार्मिक स्थलों के दर्शन हेतु आज से भारतीय रेल चलाएगी रामायण सर्किट ट्रेन। जय श्री राम! pic.twitter.com/VWVE5Bms14
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) November 7, 2021
However, there is exclusion of some sites of Odisha like the Mahendragiri.
Great to find “Shri Ramayana Yatra- A Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train” @RailMinIndia.
— Anita Sabat - ଡ. ଅନୀତା ସାବତ (@anitaexplorer) June 21, 2022
But, there’s exclusion of Mahendragiri in the #RamayanCircuit.
Please include Odisha too.
Sites are linked with Ramayana #IncredibleIndia #dekhoapnadesh #VocalForLocal #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav https://t.co/pjlqxxTcGR pic.twitter.com/DIdf5Mbhsq
Today is a very auspicious day- The Dwadasi of Bhadra i.e. "the 12th day of the bright fortnight of Bhādra" is celebrated as "Bamana Janma" & "Onam."
Today is the tithi birthday of my father, Shri A.K.Sabat Finance Guru - CA AK Sabat.
Papa was born on this day (& not date).
May Mahaprabhu bless him with great health and happiness and fulfill all his wishes🙏
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| Papa at the Shree Jagannatha Temple, Agara, Bengaluru |
Guru Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, is hailed as the "Second Buddha".
He belonged to Uddiyana or Oddiyana. That is why he is called- Uddiyana Guru Padmasambhava.
Uddiyana refers to Odisha, India.
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| Book by Sri Prabir Kumar Pattanaik;BK Publications |
As per the Wikipedia-
Guru Padmasambhava's place of birth is disputed.
Most scholars believe he was born in the Swat Valley, Pakistan.
Guru Padmasambhava is revered across the world. He is also called Guru Rinpoche.
There are several texts about him. Udiyana or Oddiyana is believed to be his birthplace.
While looking for Udiyana and Oddiyana, the above image and the following posts on X (Twitter) were accessed:
The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) and the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara organized a two-day International Conference, "Exploring the Life and Living Legacy of Guru Padmasambhava."
This conference was held on 28th and 29th August 2024 at Nalanda, Bihar.The two-day International Conference on "Exploring the Life and Living Legacy of Guru Padmasambhava" is scheduled for August 28-29, 2024, at Nava Nalanda Mahavihara in Bihar, India. Organized by the International Buddhist Confederation in collaboration with @nnmnalanda under the… pic.twitter.com/HZZeKHg3Qo
— International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) (@IbcWorldOrg) August 27, 2024
Odisha, a state in Eastern India, has had many names and references in the past.
We have discussed some of them in this post-
Utkala, Kalinga, Orissa - Some Names of Odisha -
https://www.anitaexplorer.com/2018/04/utkala-kalinga-orissa-some-names-of.html
ORIXA
"Orixa" is another name of Odisha.
It is shown in the following map of 1711 by Samuel Thornton-
Source: themaphouse.com
When I first met her, I was struck by her simplicity and dazzling smile.
It was 27 May 2017 & the event was the YES We Can Change Agents Awards Function- "Be The Change"-2- "Lesser Known Change Agents of Odisha."
Ikat is a technique of tie-and-dye of handlooms.
Some Indian states have the Geographical Indication (GI) tags for their own unique and special Ikat.
This includes-
Odisha- Orissa Ikat, Sambalpuri Bandha Saree and Fabrics, Khandua Saree and Fabrics;
Telangana- Pochampally Ikat; Telia Rumal;
Gujarat- Patan Patola
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| Can you identify this Ikat? |
Hati Besha or Gaja Besha or the Gajanana Besha is represented on Snana Purnima as a part of the Snana Jatra tradition.
Proud to celebrate the 10th International Day of Yoga today- on June 21st.
The 2024 Theme is: "Yoga for Self and Society."
Deba Snana Purnima or Snana Purnima is on June 22nd this year.
It is also called the Jyeshtha Purnima as it is in the "Jyeshtha" month.
It is also called Snana Jatra. The name has the term "jatra," which means "journey."
Snana Jatra means the journey to take a bath.
It is no ordinary journey or bath as this is related to the sibling deities - Shree Jagannatha, Shree Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra. As we know, everything about them is grand.
They are moved from their Ratna bedi to the Snana Mandapa in a Pahandi just like during Ratha Jatra. The difference is that this movement - Snana Jatra - is within the Shree Jagannatha Temple, Puri.
During Ratha Jatra, the deities move out of the Shreemandira.
I had written a previous post on Snana Purnima in 2022-
"Snana Yatra and Gajanan Besha"-
https://www.anitaexplorer.com/2022/06/snana-yatra-and-gajanan-besha.html
I have felt guilty (and still feel guilty) about using words such as "Yatra" instead of "Jatra" in the past.
Using the local word "Jatra" will be true to the Odia spelling and pronunciation.
Today, while searching online, I found that most articles and reports—including my own blog post mentioned above — have used "Snana Yatra" as the name.
I used "Yatra" in the name as it is more widely known, and people would find my Snana Jatra post if and when they searched.
Greetings
to all on the auspicious occasion of Basumati Snana🙏🏽
Basumati means- Goddess Earth.
Snana means- Bath.
After the Raja festival, Goddess Earth is bathed and worshipped today.
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| Bhudebi Maa - Mother Goddess Earth |
"The explosion of media over the past two decades means local stories can be told in local languages at a mass level in ways that was impossible in the past.
In print. On radio. On TV. Online. On digital video. Even on hoardings. As the regional language pipes grow, brands have wonderful new avenues via which they can speak to their consumers.
Festival of Indian Languages (FOIL) is a conference that will try to paint the linguistic patchwork that keeps together the magical idea of India.
Are we tapping all the opportunities that localisation of language offers? What more could we do? FOIL is the first such multimedia conference in the country that explores the power of local languages in mass media. It has been organised by afaqs!"
Languages are special.
Languages keep us connected.
They truly provide a "linguistic patchwork."
The Odia New Year is called Pana Sankranti or Mahabishuba Sankranti.
Details about Pana Sankranti are in my previous blog posts here.
This time let us all ensure correct representation in our social media posts.
As per the Purnachandra Odia Bhashakosha, an Odisha encyclopedia- a monumental 7-volume work of about 9,500 pages published between 1930 and 1940 by an illustrious son of Odisha, Sri Gopal Chandra Praharaj (1874-1945):
Bishuba Samkrānti ବିଷୁବ ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତି —ସଂ. ବି —ସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟ ବର୍ଷକରେ ଯେଉଁ ଦିନଦ୍ୱୟ ବିଷୁବ ରେଖା ଉପରେ ଗମନ କରନ୍ତି; ତହିଁର ପରବର୍ତ୍ତୀ ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତି ଦ୍ୱୟ; ଜଳବିଷୁବ ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତି ଓ ମହାବିଷୁବ ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତି; ବର୍ଷକରେ ଯେଉଁ ଦିନଦ୍ୱୟ ସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟ ପ୍ରଥମେ ଯଥା— କ୍ରମେ ମେଷ ରାଶିକୁ ଓ ତୁଳ ରାଶିକୁ ସଂକ୍ରମଣ (ଗମନ) କରନ୍ତି —The two Saṁkrānti days in the year falling after the equinoxes; the passage of the sun to the next sign at the vernal and autumnal equinoxes; the passage of the sun to the first points of Aries and Libra after the vernal and autumnal equinoxes; the equinoxial passage (Apte).
