The culture journal
Explore Indian heritage through clear introductions to sacred places, thoughtful readings of familiar texts, and practical guides to living traditions.
217 articles
Architecture & Heritage · 3 min read
Champaner and Pavagadh make more sense as a landscape than as a checklist. The hill, archaeological remains, religious places and routes between them belong to different periods and uses.…
Read articleArchitecture & Heritage · 3 min read
A walk through an Ahmedabad pol is most interesting when the lane stops looking like a corridor between attractions. A doorway, shaded corner or small courtyard belongs to somebody’s…
Read articleArchitecture & Heritage · 3 min read
At Dholavira, an empty reservoir can explain more than a spectacular skyline. The settlement survives largely as walls, passages and changes in ground level, so its achievements become clearer…
Read articleArchitecture & Heritage · 3 min read
A temple visit can be devotional, architectural, historical or all three. The experience becomes clearer when a visitor knows which questions belong to which purpose. You do not need…
Read articleScriptures & Philosophy · 4 min read
The shelves are large, the titles unfamiliar and the recommendations often contradictory. A person who wants to begin reading Indian scriptures can easily spend more time choosing a book…
Read articleEveryday Traditions · 4 min read
A home puja space does not need to be large or expensive to be meaningful. Its most useful qualities are often ordinary ones: it is easy to keep clean,…
Read articleArchitecture & Heritage · 3 min read
A stepwell changes the usual direction of architectural attention. Instead of looking first for a tower rising above the ground, the visitor encounters a sequence descending towards water. At…
Read articleEveryday Traditions · 4 min read
At a Garba gathering, the circle can seem to know what it is doing before a newcomer has worked out the first step. The best way to begin is…
Read articlePilgrimage · 3 min read
Shakti Peethas are sacred places associated with the Goddess and the story of Sati. For many families, the connection begins with one familiar shrine: a temple visited during Navratri,…
Read articleArt & Symbolism · 3 min read
The first thing to notice in a Nataraja image is the contrast. Shiva moves inside a circle of flame, yet his face is composed. The sculpture holds movement and…
Read articlePilgrimage · 3 min read
Mahalakshmi Temple in Kolhapur, also known through the name Ambabai, is an important centre of Goddess devotion. One widely discussed observance is Kiranotsav, associated with sunlight reaching the deity…
Read articleScriptures & Philosophy · 3 min read
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is widely expressed in English as the idea that the world is one family. It is commonly associated with a passage in the Maha Upanishad. The phrase…
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