without my erstwhile
respected teachers
i would have gone
adrift ,..my teachers
after my parents
the only best gift
they made me
humble down to
earth in my
tasks swift
today after
several years
simple thrift
saw money
fame but
was never
a spendthrift
respect for
all religion
despite our
differences
between me
the other man
no sectarian rift
I have been documenting the rafaees body piercing ascetics of Mahim dargah, most of the Khadims from Ajmer come here ..this was shot when Barsati baba was the Murshad for a short while .. he died recently , most of the Murshads of the Chancawalli Rafaees have died tragically ,,unexpectedly Sikandar Wali Baba and Handi Sai..
The new Murshad is Sarkar Ali Bawa ..
Of late I have not been able to go to the Dhuni..during Urus tme but I have shot this ascetic order of Rafaees extensively ,, now I am documenting the Dam Madar Order of Malangs an order to which I belong too.The main seat is at Makanpur at the Shrine of Zinda Shah Madar .. the order is known as Madariya..
The Madariyya are members of a Sufi order (tariqa) popular in North India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, the Mewat region, Bihar and Bengal, as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh. Known for its syncretic aspects, lack of emphasis on external religious practice and focus on internal dhikr, it was initiated by the Sufi saint 'Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar' (d. 1434 CE), called "Qutb-ul-Madar", and is centered around his shrine (dargah) at Makanpur, Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh.
Originating from the Tayfuriya order, as his Pir, spiritual teacher was Bayazid Tayfur al-Bistami, Madariya reached its zenith in the late Mughal period between 15th to 17th century, and gave rise to several new orders as Madar's disciples spread through the Northern plains of India, into Bengal. As with most Sufi orders, its name Madariya too has been created by adding a Nisba to the name its founder, Madar in this case lead to Madariya, sometimes spelled as Madariyya, though it is also referred as Tabaqatiya at many places.[1][2][3][4][5]
Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar or Qutbul Madar was born in 242 Hijri as per Islamic calendar at Halab, Syria. In the book Gulzar-e-Madar, the author Maulana Sayed Mehmood wrote that Hazrat Huzaifa Sayed himself stated that one day in a dream Prophet Muhammad came to him and said: "his child is a Wali of the almighty Allah and is from my origin."[citation needed] The Muslims belonging to Zinda Shah Madar are called Shah, sai or syed.
In the book Taskiratulkram fi Ahwale Khulafa-e-Arbo Islam, it is written that Hazrat Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar had the knowledge of all the four books which came from the Paradise. At the age of 14, Hazrat Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar had memorised the Quran Shareef and had read its existence values as well he got knowledge of other religious topics.
His Pir or Sheikh was Sayed Bayzid Bustami (Sultan Arafeen). Hazrat Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar was pledged with the Tayfooriya order and was being said as Silsila-e-Tayfooriya.
Zinda Shah Madar has visited many countries and had extensively preached Islam. He is said to visited almost all places in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Iran, Baghdad, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and many more places around the world.[citation needed]
Dargah[edit source | editbeta]
The Dargah or the tomb of Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar is located at Makanpur, near Kanpur city, in Uttar Pradesh state in India. It is visited by thousands of visitors every month and especially during the annual Urs celebrations.[6] The dargah in Makanpūr gained increasing importance during the Mughal period. Various rulers donated land, while others erected buildings there. Aurangzeb (1068-1118/1658-1707) visited the shrine in the year 1069/1659 while marching against Shāh Shujāʿ.[citation needed]
The Tariqah[edit source | editbeta]
Most of the biographic details regarding Baduddin Zinda Shah Madar are shrouded under numerous legends and stories of his numerous miracles. However much of such information has come from his hagiography, Mirat i-Madari, written in 1654 by Abd ur-Rahman Chisti. Since then a number of hagiographic texts have emerged.[7] The silsilah (lineage) is still live throughout the world with the pir-muridi tradition. The Pir's of Makanpur sharif are "Sayeds". The Madariya chain of Sufi brotherhood is the oldest, largest, and fastest-growing Sufi brotherhood of the ancient era.[citation needed]
I have been shooting the Urus , almost every year on Mahim main road and strangely I passed the Holy Shrine on the day of the Urus I had work in town and by the time I completed it and came home it was far too late ..
And these are rafaees bawas fakirs beggars street side vendors selling aphrodisiacs herbal medicine beads gemstones who sit across adjacent to the refurbished renovated Dargah..and they are looking at my Asa , a carved wooden metal stick with a swans head.
It is very heavy and I have a good collection , some that were gifted to me by malangs.. this year at Haji Malang I bought a lot of beads and ended giving to my Peer and friends at the Makanpur Urus .
I also bought a fiber beggar bowl..the original ones of coconut shell cost from 15000 to rs 50000 .. I use my on my Urus trip I beg and eat in it with the other Malangs .. it is crushing all ego and a important lesson in humility ,, I carried it to the Maha Kumbh too.
And I carried it to Ajmer Sharif ..The cosmic beggar bowl of a beggar poet.
Shooting the malangs rafaees naga sadhus is shooting the other side of a very exotic vibrant India .. every frame is a learning and self experience I met foreign Naga Sadhus , at Sector 4 Allahabad Maha Kumbh.
The most interesting was shooting the Hijras taking a dip in the Sangam..I was lucky to be there .. and capture the mystical side of the Indian transgender .
Than at Ajmer shooting the Hijra Bawas ..hijras who have renounced life and taken the path of mystics , healing and dua tawiz..
Says Appu My Best Friend
Rosh Hashanah Dr Glenn
You are the finest
Among all American men
I hear you are coming to Mumbai
But When ?
At Mahim St Michaels Church
I await you
the begging streets my den
I could have written you a nice letter
but you know I cant hold a pen
but I do think of you
now and then
I am learning
the English alphabet
I can count from one to ten
to sell the American Presidentship
Mc Cain certainly needed a woman
a cross between mary magdalene
and a stand up comedienne
Long Live the Vice President
Amen
Rosh Hashanah
from Wikipedia
Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: ראש השנה, literally "head of the year," Biblical: IPA: [ˈɾoʃ haʃːɔˈnɔh], Israeli: [ˈʁoʃ haʃaˈna], Yiddish: [ˈroʊʃ hɑˈʃɔnə]) is a Jewish holiday commonly referred to as the "Jewish New Year." It is observed on the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar,[1] as ordained in the Torah, in Leviticus 23:24. Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High Holidays or Yamim Noraim ("Days of Awe"), or Asseret Yemei Teshuva (The Ten Days of Repentance) which are days specifically set aside to focus on repentance that conclude with the holiday of Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah is the start of the civil year in the Hebrew calendar (one of four "new year" observances that define various legal "years" for different purposes). It is the new year for people, animals, and legal contracts. The Mishnah also sets this day aside as the new year for calculating calendar years and sabbatical (shmita) and jubilee (yovel) years. Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of man whereas five days earlier, on 25 of Elul, marks the first day of creation.[2]
The Mishnah, the core text of Judaism's oral Torah, contains the first known reference to Rosh Hashanah as the "day of judgment." In the Talmud tractate on Rosh Hashanah it states that three books of account are opened on Rosh Hashanah, wherein the fate of the wicked, the righteous, and those of an intermediate class are recorded. The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life, and they are sealed "to live." The middle class are allowed a respite of ten days, until Yom Kippur, to repent and become righteous; the wicked are "blotted out of the book of the living or in other words are sent to the Book of Death."[3]
Rosh Hashanah is observed as a day of rest (Leviticus 23:24) and most of the activities prohibited on Shabbat are also prohibited on Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah is characterized by the blowing of the shofar,[4] a trumpet commonly made from a ram's horn, intended to awaken the listener from his or her "slumber" and alert them to the coming judgment.[5] There are a number of additions to the regular Jewish service, most notably an extended repetition of the Amidah prayer for both Shacharit and Mussaf. The traditional Hebrew greeting on Rosh Hashanah is "shana tova", (pronounced [ʃaˈna toˈva]) for "a good year," or "shana tova umetukah" for "a good and sweet year." Because Jews are being judged by God for the coming year, a longer greeting translates as "may you be written and sealed for a good year" (ketiva ve-chatima tovah). During the afternoon of the first day the practice of tashlikh is observed, in which prayers are recited near natural flowing water, and one's sins are symbolically cast into the water. Many also have the custom to throw bread or pebbles into the water, to symbolize the "casting off" of sins.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kumbh Mela (/ˌkʊm ˈmeɪlə/ or /ˌkʊm məˈlɑː/; Devanagari: कुम्भ मेला "kumbh mēlā") is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus gather at a sacred river for a bath in the river. It is held every third year at one of the four places by rotation: Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayag), Nasik and Ujjain. Thus the Kumbh Mela is held at each of these four places every twelfth year. Ardh ("Half") Kumbh Mela is held at only two places, Haridwar and Allahabad, every sixth year. The rivers at these four places are: the Ganges (Ganga) at Haridwar, the confluence (Sangam) of the Ganges and the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati at Allahabad, the Godawari at Nasik, and the Shipra at Ujjain.
Kumbh means a pitcher and Mela means fair in Hindi. The pilgrimage is held for about one and a half months at each of these four places where it is believed in Hinduism that drops of nectar fell from the Kumbh carried by gods after the sea was churned. The festival is billed as the "world’s largest congregation of religious pilgrims".[2] There is no scientific method of ascertaining the number of pilgrims even approximately and the estimates of the number of pilgrims bathing on the most auspicious day may vary widely, from 2 to 8 million depending upon the team(s) of persons making the estimate and the rough method of making the estimate.
Mauni Amavasya traditionally attracted the largest crowds at the mela, held here every 12 years. The day marked the second and the biggest Shahi Snan (royal bath) of this event, with 13 akharas taking to the Sangam. This was the biggest bathing day, 10 Feb 2013 at the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela and probably the largest human gathering on a single day. Over 30 million devotees and ascetics took holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.[3]
The current Kumbh Mela began on 14 January 2013 at Allahabad.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Places
2.1 Prayag
2.2 Haridwar
2.3 Nashik
2.4 Ujjain
3 Venues
4 Timing
4.1 Attendance
5 The ritual
6 Most significant days during the Kumbh Mela
7 Recent Kumbha Melas
7.1 1894
7.2 2003
7.3 2007
7.4 2010
7.5 2013
8 Kumbha Mela in media
9 See also
10 References
11 Further reading
12 External links
[edit]History
The first written evidence of the Kumbha Mela can be found in the accounts of Chinese monk Xuanzang (formerly romanised as Hsuan Tsang) who visited India in 629–645 CE, during the reign of King Harshavardhana.[4][5] However, similar observances date back many centuries, where the river festivals first started getting organised. According to medieval Hindu theology, its origin is found in one of the most popular medieval puranas, the Bhagavata Purana. The Samudra manthan episode (Churning of the ocean of milk), is mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana.[6]
The account goes that the Devas had lost their strength by the curse of Durväsä Muni, and to regain it, they approached Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva. They directed all the demigods to Lord Vishnu[7] (full story on kumbh mela) and after praying to Lord Vishnu, he instructed them to churn the ocean of milk Ksheera Sagara (primordial ocean of milk) to receive amrita (the nectar of immortality). This required them to make a temporary agreement with their arch enemies, the Asuras, to work together with a promise of sharing the wealth equally thereafter.[8] However, when the Kumbha (urn) containing the amrita appeared, a fight ensued. For twelve days and twelve nights (equivalent to twelve human years) the Devas and Asuras fought in the sky for the pot of amrita. It is believed that during the battle, Lord Vishnu (incarnated as Mohini-Mürti) flew away with the Kumbha of elixir spilling drops of amrita at four places: Allahabad (Prayag), Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik.[9]
[edit]Places
Kumbh Mela takes place every twelve years at one of four places: Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. The Mela in its different forms alternates between Prayag, Nashik, Ujjain and Haridwar every third year.[10][11][12] The Ardh (half) Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at only two places, Haridwar and Prayag.
Kumbha Mela: Held at all four places.[13]
Ardha Kumbha Mela: Held at Haridwar and Prayag, every 6 years.
Purna Kumbha Mela: Held only at Prayag every 12 years.[14]
Maha Kumbha Mela: Held only at Prayag, every 144 years.[15][16]
[edit]Prayag
The Triveni Sangam, or the intersection of Yamuna River and Ganges River and the mythical Sarasvati River, where devotees perform rituals.
Triveni Sangam, the meeting place, of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Sarasvati.[17]
[edit]Haridwar
On the bank of river Ganga.
[edit]Nashik
There are 14 Akhadas, of which 11 belong to the Shaiv sect (of the 11 Shaiv Akhadas, one—Bhudad Akhada—is defunct, while 10 are active) and 3 to the Vaishnav sect. The Shaiv Akhadas take a holy dip at Kushavart in Trimbakeshwar, about 30 km from Nashik.[18] The Vaishnav Akhadas perform rituals at Ramkund in Godavari and stay at Tapovan.[19] The Vaishnav Akhadas have Khalsas (religious groups headed by Mahants attached with Akhadas) attached with them. Both Shaiv and Vaishnav Sadhus used to take the holy dip in Trimbakeshwar, until 1838, when a clash between them led to bloodshed and the Peshwa ruler requested Shaiv sadhus to perform rituals at Trimbakeshwar and Vaishnavs to move downstream to Ramkund in Nashik.
[edit]Ujjain
On the bank of river Shipra.
[edit]Venues
YearPrayagNashikUjjainHaridwar
1983Ardh Kumbh–––
1989Purna Kumbh–––
1991–Kumbh––
1992––KumbhArdh Kumbh
1995Ardh Kumbh–––
1998–––Kumbh
2001Maha Kumbh–––
2003–Kumbh––
2004––SihasthArdh Kumbh
2007Ardh Kumbh–––
2010–––Kumbh
2013Purna Kumbh––-
2015–Kumbh––
2016––SihasthArdh Kumbh
2019Ardh Kumbh–––
2022–––Kumbh
