On his arms
are needles
on which cluster
of limes will hang
through his cheeks
a 21 feet rod the pain
the spiritual pangs
on their feet bells
sing and clang
on his back
two huge steel hooks
pulling a truck..
the tamilian angst
a festival that
pays tribute to
mother marriammen
the drum beats .
with a soulful bang
the tamils genial gang
the women with hot
pots on their head
a trishul piercing
their tongue
a moment in
timelessness
overhangs
traditions
of hope humanity
from culture sprang
Monday, August 26, 2013
The Rod Piercers Of Goddess Marriammen
I Shoot Hope But You See It As A Picture I Shoot Pain
I Shoot Hope But You See It As A Picture I Shoot Pain, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
i shoot
the poetry of
life its lyrical
strain as it
reflects on
my soul
my cosmic brain
i shoot pain
i shoot pain
a follower of
humanity
a follower
of hussain
with every
picture
my sanity
i regain
my cosmic
longings
my legs
held in
chains
i shoot pain
if the rituals
dont hurt him
why should
you complain
The Silhouette of Pain
does it have
its source
in the heart
or the cosmic
brain ..hope
where faith
is born
ingrained
where it
blooms
lives
remains
i shot
the poetry
of life
a picture
it became
religions
are different
but god
the maker
is one
the same
called by
different
names
Faith Moves Mountains ..
for the skeptic
it can be
superstition
but for
the believer
it is his
cultural tradition
from where life
began ..reliving
it through customs
rituals time and again
before you pass
judgement on another
persons religion .
understand
dont just build
a fence
a poem in
their defense
this happens
only in india
captured
as poetry
of life
by my lens
The Cosmic Eye ...Does Not Lie
embedded
deep down
in the forehead
it pierces the soul
of truth it thrives
to relive a moment
that does not die
the vagaries of
debate dialogue
diatribe it rises
it survives
a new thought
in a new guise
poetically
to surmise
a foolish
moment
now appears
wisdom wise
Twitter Is An Outlet For Pouring Out Hate Bigotry Narrowmindedness
Twitter Is An Outlet For Pouring Out Hate Bigotry Narrowmindedness, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
an open for all
hate spread
abuses dirty
language
hold your
breath
political vendetta
religious sparring
trolling spamming
sexual abuse women
bashing ,,porn
life and death
Goddess Marriammen Cures Small Pox ,,
Mariamman
Māri (Tamil: மாரி), also known as Mariamman (Tamil: மாரியம்மன்) and Mariaai (Marathi: मरी आई), both meaning "Mother Mari", spelt also Maariamma (Tamil: மாரியம்மா), or simply Amman or Aatha (Tamil: அம்மன், "mother") is the South Indian Hindu goddess who can take away any kind of illness and a fertitility goddess. She is the main South Indian mother goddess, predominant in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Māri is closely associated with the Hindu goddesses Parvati[clarification needed] and Durga[clarification needed] . Goddess Mariamman and Goddess Kali are closely associated with each other. But , it does not mean that they are the same . They are two different goddesses[clarification needed]
Festivities for her happen during the late summer, early autumm season of "Aadi". Throughout the deccan region, grand festival known as "Aadi Thiruvizha" are taken for Maariamman. Her worship mainly focuses on bringing rains and curing diseases like cholera, smallpox, and chicken pox.
She is worshipped in accordance to the local agamas as "Pidari" or the "Grama Devata" usually by non-brahmin priests or in some cases of big temples like Samayapuram Maariamman temple, also by brahmin priests. According to shaktha agamas, she is depicted in sitting posture and might be flanked some times by Ganesha and Subramaniya or Ganesha and Naaga on her sides.[citation needed] She is usually taken in procession in a decorated chariot.
Contents [hide]
1 Origin
2 Worship
3 Myths
4 Inograghy
5 Goddess of disease
6 Fertility goddess
7 Temples
7.1 Sri Ramamirthamman Temple
7.2 Outside India
8 Hindu tradition
9 See also
10 Notes
11 References
12 Further reading
13 External links
Origin[edit source | editbeta]
Erode Mariamman Ther Thiruvilla
Mariamman is an ancient goddess, whose worship probably originated from pre-Vedic mother goddess cult of Dravidian people before the arrival of the Aryans with their Brahmanic religion.This is well attested by the unemployment of Brahmins in officiating the worshiping rituals of the goddess and by the non-Vedic worshiping method that was embraced by her devotees." She was believed and worshipped by the ancient Dravidian people to bring rain and hence prosperity to them as their vegetation was mainly dependent upon rain. The goddess was not a local deity, connected to a specific location but worshiped throughout the Dravidian nation.
Worship[edit source | editbeta]
The worshiping methods are non-vedic and often accompanied by various kinds of folk dancing.[1] Offerings such as Pongal and Koozh that were cooked using earthen pots were also made during the festive season. Rituals such as fire walking and mouth or nose piercing were also practiced.
Myths[edit source | editbeta]
One story about the origin of Maariamman is that once Parvathi saw how the people were suffering from illness so she absorbed the people's sickness and turned into Mariamman.
Inograghy[edit source | editbeta]
Māri is generally portrayed in the sitting or standing position, often holding a trident (trisula) in one hand and a bowl (kapala) in the other. One of her hands may display a mudra, usually the abhaya mudra, to ward off fear. She may be represented with two demeanors—one displaying her pleasant nature, and the other her terrifying aspect, with fangs and a wild mane of hair.
Goddess of disease[edit source | editbeta]
The Nanalthidal Mariamman,Kattucherry near Porayar,Tamil Nadu
Mariamman cures all so-called "heat-based" diseases like pox and rashes. During the summer months in South India (March to June), people walk miles carrying pots of water mixed with turmeric and neem leaves to ward off illnesses like the measles and chicken pox.[why?] In this way, goddess Māri is very similar to North Indian goddess Shitaladevi.
Fertility goddess[edit source | editbeta]
Devotees also pray to Mariamman for familial welfare such as fertility, healthy progeny or a good spouse. The most favoured offering is "pongal", a mix of rice and green gram, cooked mostly in the temple complex, or shrine itself, in terracotta pots using firewood.
Some festivals in honor of goddess Māri involve processions carrying lights. In the night, the devotees carry oil lamps in procession.[why?] Mariamman is the family deity for many families in Thanjavur district,Tamil Nadu.It is usually a family custom to initially worship the family deity for any family occasion such as wedding. Many families even have a custom of inviting the family deity first for all occasion in the family.The family deity(Kula-theivam)worship is considered more important in any Hindu festival. The family deity worship runs many generation and it also gives a clue to the origin of family,because the family deities are usually located within the vicinity of the village where the family belongs.
Temples[edit source | editbeta]
Mariamman temple in a village in Tamil Nadu
Main shrine to Mariamman in the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Most temples to Mariamman are simple village shrines, where non-Brahmins act as lay-priests using non-agamic rituals. In many rural shrines, the goddess is represented by a granite stone with a sharp tip, like a spear head. This stone is often adorned with garlands made of limes and with red flowers. These shrines often have an anthill that could be the resting place of a cobra. Milk and eggs are offered to propitiate the snake.
Some temples have also attained enough popularity that Brahmins officiate at them. For example, the Samayapuram temple near the shore of river Cauvery in the northern outskirts of Trichy, maintains a rich agamic tradition and all rituals are performed by Gurukkal of Brahmins.
Punainallur, near Thanjavur (Tanjore), is the location of another famous Māri temple. Legend says that Mariamman appeared to the King Venkoji Maharaja Chatrapati (1676–1688) of Tanjore in his dreams and told him she was in a forest of Punna trees three miles distant from Tanjore. The King rushed to the spot and recovered an idol from the jungle. Under the king's orders a temple was constructed, the idol installed and the place was called Punnainallur. Hence the deity of this temple is known as Punnainallur Mariamman. Mud replicas of different parts of the human body are placed in the temple as offerings by devotees pleading for cure. It is said that the daughter of Tulaja Raja (1729–35) of Tanjore, who lost her eyesight due to illness, regained it after worshiping at this temple. Shri Sadasiva Bodendral is said to have made the Moola Murthy of Goddess Maariamman from the mud from the ant hill where snakes had resided.
Erode Mariamman temple festival is grand one in Tamil Nadu. Three mariamman goddess named small, mid and big mariamman in three corners of city combines to a festival at every April month of season. It has ther thiruvilla and all devotions to God which ends in Cauvery river to stack away the kambam(Mariamman's husband) into the flowing river water.
Other important temples of Mariamman in Tamil Nadu are in the towns of Veerapandi, Theni, Anbil (near Trichy), Narthamalai, Thiruverkadu, Salem, Virudhunagar and Sivakasi, Vellore. In Chennai (Madras), a famous Mariamman temple is the Putthu Mariamman—the Putthu (ant hill) is across the road from the temple and is located on the Velachery Main Road.
Singer Harini rendered in 2012 a song on Samayapuram Mariamman deity which became part of the album OM NAVA SAKTHI JAYA JAYA SAKTHI. The song narrates the power of Sakthi as Samayapuram Amman which has the Peruvalai River as Punya Theertham as believed by people in that area.[2]
Another famous Mariamman temple is situated in the state of Karnataka, in the town of Kaup, seven kilometers from the famous temple town of Udipi.
Marubai temple matunga
Mariamman Koil, Pilakool
Mariamman Temple, Ho Chi Minh City
Mariamman Temple, Bangkok
Mariamman Temple, Pretoria
Punnainallur Mariamman
Samayapuram Mariamman Temple
Sri Ramamirthamman Temple, Erumaipadukai
Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur
Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Penang
Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore
Mariamman Temple, Pretoria
Sri Ramamirthamman Temple[edit source | editbeta]
Sri Ramamirthamman Temple is a famous temple on the banks of the River Vennar near Needamangalam; the beautiful village is called Erumaipadukai. Shri Maan S.Ramachandran pillai is the founder of Ramamirthamman Temple. This amman kovil thiruvilla was very famous; many people celebrate this amman kovil year festival.
It is believed by the devotees that the Goddess has enormous powers over curing illnesses[1] and hence, it is a ritual to buy small metallic replicas, made with silver or steel, of various body parts that need to be cured, and these are deposited in the donation box.[citation needed] Devotees also offer mavilakku (Tamil: மாவிளக்கு), a sweet dish made of jaggery, rice flour and ghee. [2] Offerings of raw salt is also made to the Goddess by the rural devotees. The temple attracts thousands of devotees on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays, the holy days for Ramamirthamman.
Outside India[edit source | editbeta]
There are many Mariamman temples outside of India, in Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Fiji, Guyana, Vietnam, Germany[3] and South Africa, the product of efforts of the Tamil diaspora. Some notable temples include the Sri Mariamman temple in Singapore, a Mariamman temple in Pretoria, South Africa, as well as one in Medan, Sri Mariamman Temple Karachi Pakistan, Indonesia.[citation needed]
Hindu tradition[edit source | editbeta]
In Hindu tradition, Mariamman is the sister of Lord Vishnu (Sriranganathar) and called Mahamaya.[citation needed]
The Samayapuram Mariamman is worshiped on the first day of the Tamil month of Vaikasi by the Iyengar/Srivaishnava Brahmins of Srirangam. They claim that she is the sister of Lord Renganath (a form of Vishnu) of Srirangam.[citation needed] This is the second most prominent temple in Tamil Nadu, following Palani, on the basis of income.[citation needed]
She is also known as Sri Chowdeshwari Devi in most of the parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. In Mysore region she is worshiped as both Chowdeshwari Devi and as well as Mariamman. There are many instances where Mariamman has appeared to people in form an old woman wearing red sari with green bangles and three mangalsutras.[clarification needed] She is also regarded as the Gramdevata[clarification needed] of certain villages, thus reducing the incidence of contagious disease in these villages. Another version depicts her as Pattalamma, goddesses of truthfullness and punctuality. She is said to punish any villager failing to practice these virtues.[citation needed]
In reference to Sanskrit stotras, it is suggested Mariamman is not sister of Lord Visnu rather feminine aspect of Lord.[citation needed] The Lord incarnates in this form during Kali yuga, when knowledge is almost void or ignorance at peak. Even few refer or map to other female goddess like Renuka devi, none of them have been proved or validated. The Mariamman represents core aspects of Lord in form of curative aspect to signify direction and awakening of knowledge. It also represents finite aspect of infinite qualities.
As A Street Photographer I Chose To Shoot My Cultural Heritage
As A Street Photographer I Chose To Shoot My Cultural Heritage, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
i had no
wish to
be an
ornamental
fish in an aquarium
or a fancy bird
in a gilded cage
i decided to
become a malang
later renounce life
become a mystic
sage ..or die young
i do not wish to age
i shoot humanity
blood gore rage
people take umbrage
i do not shoot to
satisfy your bigotry
or your narrow
mindedness
i do not take
a wage nor
your salary
you cannot
buy me
or images
on this page
life is a drop of tear
evolving this moment
to another stage ..
i refuse to change
i want nothing
in exchange
i am a silhouette
a shadow ..
in a crowded hall
might sound strange
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Shah-e-Mardan Sher-e-Yazdan Quwat-e-Parwardigar Lafata Ila Ali La Saif Ila Zulfiqar , originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1 ....
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Dargah of Hazrat Syed Ali Mira Datar Unava Gujrat , a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr. HAZRAT SYED ALI MIRA DATAR'S G...
