As soon as Lakshmana left, Ravana who had been hiding near by, transformed himself into an ascetic (mendicant). Chanting shlokas from scriptures and holding out his bowl for alms, he came up to the hut. He called out for alms. It was customary for the lady of the house to give food in alms to […]
The Qingming Festival is a Chinese tradition held to commemorate the dead. Do you know: The Chinese believed that people constructed kites, which are used for sending greetings to commemorate the dead. The 104th day after the winter solstice, usually the first week of April, is celebrated as the Qingming festival. On this day, it
The magical deer vanished into the dense forest. Rama pursued it as it wove in and out among the trees. The deer led him far away from Panchavati. When the deer thought Rama was tired out, he paused, allowing Rama to shoot an arrow at it. Mareecha looked at Rama as the arrow hit him,
Mareecha went with Ravana in the Pushpaka Vimana to the place where Panchavati was situated. Mareecha transformed himself into a beautiful golden stag. The magical deer began to frolic near the hut of Rama and Seeta, sometimes grazing and sometimes running towards the water. Seeta was plucking flowers for worship and making garlands. Suddenly, the
Ngaben is a cremation ceremony practised in Bali, Indonesia. Do you know: In Indonesia, the social status of the deceased influences the time of the cremation ceremony’s performance. An expert decides the date for the Ngaben ceremony. On that day, the body is first placed in a coffin, which then goes into a sarcophagus. This
“What happens if I refuse to do this?” asked Mareecha. “I’ll cut off your head right now!” threatened Ravana. Mareecha thought about it for a while, ‘I have to die in any case. Ravana will cut off my head if I refuse to carry out his orders. If I do what he asks me, I’ll
You might have heard of a perfect place to relax or go on a holiday. But the Aokigahara Forest is known as the best place to die. Also known as the Suicide Forest, this dense forest is located at the base of Mount Fuji, Japan. It is believed that the ‘yurei’ or the ghosts of
Ravana’s wisdom was destroyed by his desires. He went to Mareecha again and this time he used another tactic to involve him in his evil plans. “Mareecha, our sister Shurpanakha has been insulted! Her nose and ears have been cut off by the princes of Ayodhya. We cannot let this disgrace go without punishment! Our
Death is considered a transition from one life to the next in Cambodian customs. Do you know: The teeth or parts of bone of the deceased are often worn as amulets on chains. When a person dies, in Cambodia the family of the deceased puts a white flag in front of their house. The flag
Ravana, although a very learned person and a devotee of Lord Shiva, had committed many crimes against devas and sages and women. His destruction was certain. As he sat in his court, Shurpanakha entered wailing and screaming, with her mutilated nose and ears. “What happened to you?” asked Ravana, shocked to see his sister in
The description of Seeta’s beauty made Ravana abduct her and make her his own possession, like all the other valuable things he had collected in his golden kingdom of Lanka. It would be an added pleasure to make Rama suffer for killing his brothers and demon army. Ravana decided to consult Mareecha who, he knew,
Placing food and money is the custom practised by the Vietnamese for their dead members. Do you know: The deceased is traditionally buried twice in Vietnam. After a person has died, his body is washed and dressed. A chopstick is placed in the deceased’s mouth with a little rice and three coins. Fake money is
Ravana began to attack kings and princes and devas and take away their kingdoms and possessions. Kubera advised him to stop. Ravana’s advisors counselled him to attack Kubera and take Lanka from him. Ravana wondered in his mind whether he should attack his elder brother. During this time, he met an old man and his
UFO sightings and the possibility of aliens date back to about 1440 BCE. But if there is one mystery that supersedes everything else, then it has to be the Aluminium Wedge of Aiud. This wedge-shaped object was found in 1974, when two Mastodon bones were unearthed from the banks of River Mures in Auid, Romania.
Once Ravana had tried to move Mount Kailash, the abode of Shiva and his wife Parvati. Annoyed with him, Shiva pressed the mountain down and Ravana’s hands were caught under it. He screamed with pain, and was advised to please Lord Shiva. So when he recited and sang songs in praise of Shiva, he was