Shakti Pith #23: Varanasi’s Vishalakshi Mandir and Manikarnika Kund
In a narrow lane near Varanasi’s Meer Ghat is a small, curiously South Indian-styled temple dedicated to the goddess known as Vishalakshi–the “Wide-Eyed.” At first, this temple might be easy to overlook if it weren’t for the elaborate gopuram (ornamented...
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The Varanasi Slide
“Ram Nam Satya Hai” Day and night, funeral processions transport the dead through Varanasi’s narrow, winding lanes toward the burning ghat, Manikarnika. Groups of men carrying corpses on decorated stretchers chant Ram nam satya hai (Ram’s name is truth). At...
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The Kalighat Experience
Since I have now been in Kolkata for a few days and am finally starting the process of unpacking and getting settled into my new flat, I felt that it was appropriate to ritually acknowledge my arrival with a trip...
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Kali Bhakti
KALI is a name which plays upon the feminine forms of Sanskrit words meaning “darkness” and “time.” As a particular manifestation of the Great Goddess, she is strongly associated with the power of transformation—not merely in a cosmic sense, but...
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THE VISION OF MA
