News, articles and Essays on Sanatana Dharma, Hinduism and Indian way of life.
The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Shiva, worshipped in the form of a Shiva Linga. The sanctum faces east, following the traditional sacred orientation seen in many old Kerala temples. Kerala Tourism also notes that the Shiva Linga of this temple is known for its large girth, making the main deity especially distinctive among the Shiva shrines of the area.
Phra Lak Phra Lam is the Lao adaptation of Valmiki’s Ramayana. Luang Prabang cultural documentation describes it as a Lao version of the Indian literary epic, with the central figures of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana transformed into Phra Lam, Nang Sida, and Phra Lak within a Lao cultural setting.
Vadakkumkur was not the story of one king alone. It was the story of a royal line, a regional state, and a cultural territory that shaped central Kerala before its absorption into the rising kingdom of Travancore under Marthanda Varma in the 18th century. Historical records connect Vadakkumkur with the old Vempolinad region, which split into Vadakkumkur and Thekkumkur around the medieval period.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The three Indian antiquities being returned include a sacred Nandi idol from Tamil Nadu, a ceremonial trident associated with Goddess Bhadrakali, and a six-headed Karttikeya or Shanmukha idol. These objects are linked to South Indian temple traditions and carry deep religious, artistic and civilisational value.
