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
Scriptures & Philosophy · 2 min read
Karma concerns action and its consequences within several Indian religious and philosophical traditions. Terms such as sanchita and prarabdha appear in explanations of how karmic results are understood. They…
Read articleEveryday Traditions · 3 min read
Navratri brings many forms of Goddess devotion into public and household life. The name refers to nine nights, but the ways those nights are observed vary. Garba in Gujarat,…
Read articleEveryday Traditions · 3 min read
Namaste is widely recognised as an Indian greeting, often accompanied by palms joined together. Its familiarity can make it seem as though one elaborate English sentence must explain every…
Read articleArchitecture & Heritage · 3 min read
Kailasa, usually identified as Cave 16 at Ellora, can be difficult to understand from a single photograph. It is a substantial temple complex created through excavation of rock. The…
Read articleScriptures & Philosophy · 2 min read
Chapter two of the Bhagavad Gita begins within Arjuna’s distress. Its teaching is not delivered to a detached observer collecting philosophical facts. It answers someone who is confused about…
Read articleEveryday Traditions · 3 min read
A tulsi plant can be a familiar part of a Hindu home, linking daily care with prayer and family custom. Its significance is not limited to a list of…
Read articleArt & Symbolism · 3 min read
Shiva’s association with cremation grounds places him outside many ordinary signs of social comfort and prestige. Ash, asceticism and the presence of death can seem unsettling, but they also…
Read articleArchitecture & Heritage · 2 min read
The Vastu Purusha Mandala is a diagram used in architectural and ritual traditions. It is often shown as a grid with a figure or deities arranged within it. Calling…
Read articleEveryday Traditions · 2 min read
Kumbh Mela is a major religious gathering associated with sacred bathing and pilgrimage. It involves far more than a crowded riverbank: religious communities, teaching, service, temporary arrangements and the…
Read articleScriptures & Philosophy · 3 min read
The Mahapuranas form a large and varied body of Sanskrit literature. The familiar number eighteen identifies a received grouping, not eighteen books with identical contents or a single simple…
Read articlePilgrimage · 2 min read
Jwalamukhi in Himachal Pradesh is known for sacred flames that are central to the shrine’s worship. The flames give the temple a distinctive character. A useful account can describe…
Read articleScriptures & Philosophy · 3 min read
Kundalini and chakras appear frequently in contemporary discussions of yoga, often with diagrams of seven coloured circles. These images can be useful introductions to a particular teaching, but they…
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