Heritage

News, articles and Essays on Sanatana Dharma, Hinduism and Indian way of life.

Kalpathy Viswanatha Swamy Temple: Palakkad’s Sacred Dakshina Kashi and the Glory of Ratholsavam

The temple is believed to be more than 700 years old, making it one of the important ancient worship centres of Palakkad. Situated in the cultural landscape of Kalpathy agraharam, the shrine is not only a place of worship but also the spiritual heart of a heritage settlement. Kerala Tourism notes that the temple becomes the focal point of festivities every November during the Ratholsavam.

Ramayana in Malaysia: Hikayat Seri Rama, Wayang Kulit, and the Civilisational Light of Akhand Bharat

In a positive Akhand Bharat sense, Malaysia shows the beauty of Brihattar Bharat — the larger civilisational world shaped by Indian stories, maritime trade, Sanskritic vocabulary, Hindu-Buddhist ideas, temple culture, and shared epics. This was a cultural Akhand Bharat: a sacred network of ideas crossing seas, ports, kingdoms, and languages. The Malay world received these influences with creativity and gave the Ramayana a local soul.

PM Modi Highlights Shared Indian and Māori Values During Historic New Zealand Visit

According to the Prime Minister, both Indian civilisation and Māori traditions place considerable importance on the relationship between people, community and the natural environment. By bringing these values into trade and investment partnerships, the two countries could build commercial links that promote prosperity while protecting social and environmental interests.

India and New Zealand: Cultural Echoes Between Bharat and Aotearoa

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, some writers tried to connect Māori origins directly with India, Sanskrit and so-called Aryan ancestry. Te Ara records that Edward Tregear argued in the 1880s that Māori language, mythology and customs contained signs of Aryan-Indian heritage, and Te Ara also notes that older theories placed Māori origins in many places, including India, Greece, Egypt, Palestine and the Americas.

Ramayana in Myanmar: Yama Zatdaw and the Eastern Reach of Bharatiya Civilisation

The name itself reflects this adaptation. Yama Zatdaw is the Burmese version of the Ramayana and the Dasaratha Jataka. The term Yamayana refers to the story, while Zatdaw refers to an acted play or a story connected with the Jataka tradition of Theravada Buddhism. This makes the Myanmar Ramayana both an epic drama and a Buddhist cultural retelling.

Prambanan Temple: India and Indonesia Reconnect Through a 1,000-Year-Old Shiva Shrine

The Prambanan complex was built during the reign of the Mataram kingdom, especially under rulers such as Rakai Pikatan and Rakai Balitung. Unlike a single temple structure, Prambanan is a large sacred complex consisting of hundreds of shrines. Traditionally, the site is associated with 240 temples, arranged in a carefully planned layout. At its heart are the main temples dedicated to the Hindu trinity: Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma.

Sree Thiruvegappura Temple — The Sacred Three-Deity Shrine of Palakkad

The special greatness of Sree Thiruvegappura Temple lies in its three-fold divinity. The temple brings together Shaiva and Vaishnava worship in a harmonious spiritual arrangement. Lord Shiva with Parvathy represents the power of tapas, protection, and cosmic dissolution. Lord Vishnu represents preservation, compassion, and dharmic order. Lord Sankaranarayana represents the beautiful union of Shiva and Vishnu tattva, showing that different forms of worship ultimately flow toward the same divine truth.

India and Kyrgyzstan Launch Civilizational Research Centre to Deepen Cultural and Academic Ties

The centre was inaugurated during the visit of an Indian academic delegation to Kyrgyzstan from July 4 to 7, in collaboration with the Manas National Academy and the Centre for Studies of International Relations (CSIR), New Delhi. The event also marked the release of the first Hindi translation of the Kyrgyz national epic, Manas, making one of Central Asia’s most celebrated literary works accessible to millions of Hindi readers.

Thekkumkur Rajas: The Royal House that Shaped Kottayam’s Medieval Identity

The name Thekkumkur is commonly understood as the “southern regent” or southern division, often remembered in relation to Vadakkumkur, the northern counterpart. These two political houses emerged after the older regional order of Vempolinad weakened and split into smaller principalities. Local historical accounts connect the Kottayam region with the older Kulasekhara and Vempolinad background before the rise of Thekkumkur and Vadakkumkur as separate powers.