For questions about the history of Hinduism.
3
votes
0answers
19 views
Was there any Rishi/Sant/Saint by the name of Maadan?
I was reading an article about Shukracharya here, which says:
There lived Saint Maadan in ancient India, once he visits an
Ashram (residential area for saints in jungle) and see beautiful
...
0
votes
0answers
48 views
Is Agathyar (Agastya) in Ramayana and the one who lived in Tamil Nadu 5000 years back are same?
We all know Agathyar (Agastya) had a part to play in Ramayana. but was it the same Agathyar who lived in Tamil Nadu 5000 years back as 1st Siddhar? His famous writing is Agathyar 12000 songs & his ...
7
votes
3answers
468 views
Who is the goddess depicted as “Bharat Mata” & why is she having Indian tricolor flag?
What is the story of Bharat Mata?
What's her connection with the Indian national flag?
6
votes
1answer
103 views
Norse mythology and hindu scriptures
I don't have a question but I was reading about J.R.R. Tolkien and it's books, and I found many similarities with our scriptures. I am not even sure that is it debatable or not.
Now like, most of the ...
3
votes
0answers
62 views
Is Velukkudi Krishnan from a Swayamacharya lineage?
As I discuss in this question, the Sri Vaishnava sect (of which I'm a member) is divided into two sub-sects, Thenkalai and Vadakalai. Both Thenkalais and Vadakalais have Mathams, similar to the ...
5
votes
0answers
69 views
How has been the religious exchange among India and the West after Vivekananda's Chicago speech?
Swami Vivekananda in his time had stated that spiritualism grew at a faster rate in India contrasting to the West, where materialism developed faster.
In his later life he had in fact been ...
3
votes
0answers
64 views
Thrivikrama Avatar
When God Narayana incarnated Thrivikrama avatar he kept his feet on Mahabali and showed his finger upwards. Thirumangai alwar composed a lyric on this and Thirugnanasambandar after hearing the ...
3
votes
0answers
55 views
Which scripture provides details about Suka?
I want to learn more about Suka (son of Vyāsa) who narrated Bhagvatam to Parikshit. Which purāna provide details on life or past-life of Suka ?
0
votes
0answers
18 views
At what point of time the SanAtana Dharma was started to be known as “SanAtana Dharma”? [duplicate]
"Hinduism" is typically known as a religion or set of religions . In broader sense, it's also called a "way of life". See:
Do any Hindu scriptures say that Hinduism is not a religion but simply a way ...
2
votes
1answer
127 views
Which is the oldest of all Purāṇas?
I was trying to answer Which scripture was first to identify Buddha as an avatar of Lord Vishnu? but then I don't know which is the oldest of the Purāṇas.
I'm not looking for references from Purāṇas ...
3
votes
0answers
65 views
Was Buddha a Hindu? [duplicate]
I was wondering where to post such a question. I chose Hinduism because it is the most liberal religion.
My question is: Was Buddha a Hindu? Was he a Kshatriya?
4
votes
0answers
42 views
What is the oldest scripture which explains how a temple should be built?
What is the oldest (surviving) Hindu scripture which explains how a temple should be built, maintained, and what should be its day-to-day affairs?
Is an English translation of the same available?
Is ...
5
votes
3answers
126 views
Which characters of Mahābhārata are also mentioned in the Vedas?
By characters, I mean people (kings, queens and sages) like Kṛṣṇa, Yudhiṣṭhira, Arjuna, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Duryodhana, Draupadī, Vyāsa, etc. and not gods/mythological beings like Indra, Agni, Śiva and Viṣṇu....
1
vote
0answers
33 views
Which characters of Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa are also mentioned in the Vedas?
By characters, I mean people (kings, queens and sages) like Daśaratha, Rāma, Janaka, Sītā, Viśvāmitra, Vasiṣṭha, etc. and not gods/mythological beings like Indra, Agni, Śiva and Viṣṇu.
And by Vedas, ...
2
votes
1answer
149 views
If some of the early Alwars used to consider Venkateswara as Shiva and Vishnu both then what's the proof of it?
Venkateswara, AFAIK, is a form of Lord Vishnu. And, Alwars a group of Tamil Vaishnavite saints.
But, the article, Sri Venkateswara on the Kamakotimandali.org, says that initially, the Alwars used to ...
6
votes
5answers
881 views
Who coined the term 'Jambudvipa' and 'Bharat' for India as a country?
I was going through this article in which there is a mention of India or 'Bharat' not being called as a country until in the Third century BC Ashoka used 'Jambudvipa' for 16 mahajanpadas which could ...
6
votes
1answer
1k views
Is there any God/Deity of Electricity?
For all the natural & social aspects like water, fire, animals, wind, earth, trees, engineering, sex, day/night, knowledge, maths, strength -- we have certain kind of deity.
Ancient civilization ...
4
votes
1answer
120 views
Was Śatānanda the son of Gautama or Indra?
It is generally believed that Śatānanda was the son of Gautama and Ahalyā.
But was Śatānanda born before Indra had the brief affair with Ahalyā?
How do we know Śatānanda was not the son of ...
2
votes
0answers
78 views
Where is the bridge that were built between Sri Lanka and India in the epic ,Ramayana?
I have a question about our epic ,Ramayana .It was said that Lord Srirama built a bridge between India and Sri Lanka with the help of his vanara senna ,if so where is that bridge ?
1
vote
0answers
43 views
What is the lineage of kings in Bharata after Mahabharata war until recent day? [duplicate]
Arjuna's son Abhimanyu's son Parikshit's son Janamejaya around 5000 B.C
After that, what is the lineage of monarchy of chandravamsha (to which all Kurus belong)?
In history classes, 'India' ...
1
vote
0answers
88 views
What is the story of the first Acharya of Ramanujacharya's Matham in Melkote?
When the famous Sri Vaishnava Acharya Ramanujacharya fled Sri Rangam due to the persecution of the Shaivite Chola king (which I discuss here), he went to Melkote in Karnataka. It's only after the ...
5
votes
1answer
401 views
How exactly did Swami Vivekananda die?
Wikipedia says:
On 4 July 1902 (the day of his death) Vivekananda awoke early, went to the monastery at Belur Math and meditated for three hours. He taught Shukla-Yajur-Veda, Sanskrit grammar and ...
4
votes
1answer
179 views
Is there any Hindu spiritual principle that causes many Hindus to oppose the Aryan Migration Theory?
Recently a question was asked about the reasons why many Hindus are opposed to the Aryan Migration Theory (AMT)? The question was asked in a manner that does not fit with the requirements of this site....
2
votes
1answer
91 views
Which schools prior to the Gautam Buddha gave the finite size of the atma (आत्मा )?
Gautam Buddha is said to talk about Self in his teachings later during third turning of wheel (or call it whatever). He said about the self like this which is Advaitic & in agreement with both ...
0
votes
0answers
227 views
Why was Vedanta Desikan's other uncle initiated by Pillai Lokacharya's father?
The Sri Vaishnava sect has two sub-sects, Thenkalai and Vadakalai. Vadakalais follow the teachings of Vedanta Desikan, whereas Thenkalais follow the teachings of Pillai Lokacharya. I just found an ...
4
votes
0answers
84 views
Did Sri Ramanuja convert atheists?
Sri Ramanuja, the great Vaishnava acharya and the propounder of Vishishtadvaita philosophy, is known to have converted many Buddhists and Jains back to Hinduism.
What about atheists? Did he convert ...
1
vote
1answer
82 views
Is hiding one's caste a punishable offense?
From this article:
Although the first Maratha ruler, Shivaji, freely recruited Mahars in his army, two centuries later, by the time of the Peshwas, the status of Mahars was lower than ever. The ...
8
votes
0answers
105 views
What was the debate where Ramanandi tradition defeated Ramanuja tradition in 1921 Ujjain Kumbh mela?
From wiki
The 1921 Simhastha is notable for a historic debate in which the Ramanandi Sampradaya defeated the Ramanuja sampradaya (Shri Vaishnavas). The debate was to address the question whether ...
2
votes
1answer
84 views
Are the ancient commentator Dramidacharya's descendants Sri Vaishnavas?
As I discuss in this question, by far the most popular school of Hindu philosophy is the Vedanta school, which bases its tenets on the doctrines laid out in the Brahma Sutras, a work by the sage Vyasa ...
4
votes
1answer
71 views
Is Brahmo Samaj still functional?
wiki says
"Brahmo Samaj (Bengali: ব্রাহ্ম সমাজ Bramho Shômaj) is a Hindu reform movement. It is the societal component of Brahmoism, a monotheistic reformist movement of the Hindu religion that ...
3
votes
0answers
41 views
If Hinduism is not the same as Sanatana Dharma, in what way are they different?
That the names Hinduism was given by foreigners means nothing. After all, "India" is a foreign-origin name. Sanatana Dharma by definition extends back to the remotest past and would live forever. ...
0
votes
3answers
455 views
Is there a scriptural basis for Out-of-India hypothesis? [duplicate]
I heard that Hindus believe that all Vedic-era people originated in Bhārat. Is this a cultural belief or is it from scripture?
3
votes
0answers
43 views
Were the harsher punishments laid out in smṛtis actually carried out or they merely served as a deterrent?
Were some of the harsher punishments laid out in smṛtis like the Manu actually carried out (any real examples?) or they merely served as a deterrent?
From Manusmṛti:
On abusing a Brāhmaṇa the ...
4
votes
0answers
74 views
Where does Vaduga Nambi call two other shishyas of Ramanujacharya double-minded?
The famous Sri Vaishnava Acharya Ramanujacharya had 74 disciples, known as the Simhasanadhipatis, but three of his closest disciples were Kurathalwan, Mudhaliandan, and Vaduga Nambi. Kurathalwan is ...
1
vote
0answers
28 views
does stars come to exact same positions in next same age axial precession
does stars come to exact same positions in next same age (after all other stars/ astrological sign ruling days are over, the current one comes again after full cycle) after complete of axial ...
3
votes
0answers
48 views
Where did Ramanujacharya's statue of Varadaraja come from?
I just came back from a trip to India, and one of the temples I visited was the famous Ranganatha temple in Sri Rangam. The temple has a shrine called the Udaiyavar Sannidhi, which contains the ...
2
votes
1answer
74 views
Were there sacraments to convert non-arya and arya but non-kshatriya kings to kshatriyas?
Wiki article of Mahapadma Nanda says
The Puranas describe Mahapadma as a son of Mahanandin by a woman from the Shudra caste.[ Jain works like Parishishtaparvan and Avashyaka sutra represent him as ...
1
vote
0answers
147 views
Was Pillai Lokacharya a descendant of Ramanujacharya's sister?
The Sri Vaishnava sect has two sub-sects, Thenkalai and Vadakalai. Vadakalais follow the teachings of Vedanta Desikan, whereas Thenkalais follow the teachings of Pillai Lokacharya. My question is ...
1
vote
0answers
135 views
What is the story of Manavala Mamunigal's ancestor Gomadathalwan?
The Sri Vaishnava sect has two sub-sects, Thenkalai and Vadakalai. Vadakalais follow the teachings of Vedanta Desikan, whereas Thenkalais follow the teachings of Pillai Lokacharya and Manavala ...
3
votes
1answer
81 views
Did the Ancient Indian Rishis keep Shikha?
Shikha is a lock of hair on the crown on a shaven head. In the modern times, it is mostly worn by priests.
It is believed that traditionally all Hindu men kept Shikha, but later this was restricted ...
1
vote
0answers
61 views
Etymology of Sringa
Sringa is an Ancient Indian musical instrument. In an answer to my previous question, it was pointed out that Mahabharat contains a reference to a ruler of the kingdom of Stri Rajya, also known as ...
4
votes
1answer
120 views
Which scriptures contain information about Stri Rajya?
Stri Rajya is a matriarchal kingdom located somewhere in Uttarpath and mentioned in several Hindu Scriptures like Kama Sutra and Sanskrit works (based on Hindu Scriptures), like Raghuvamsa and ...
2
votes
1answer
205 views
What is the Swayamacharya lineage of Srimushnam Andavan?
Last week the Sri Vaishnava Acharya Srimushnam Andavan departed the Earth. He was the head of a large Vadakalai Matham called Srirangam Andavan Ashramam. As I discuss in this question, both ...
2
votes
0answers
26 views
Have the nayanar shaiva saints of Tamil nadu wrote poems on lord shiva's sons?
Is there mention of Lord ganesha in the poems of nayanars?
I know that shankaracharya wrote ganesha bhujangam and ganesh panchratna but have nayanars wrote about family of Lord shiva?
-2
votes
2answers
205 views
When did untouchability start?
Kalavai Venkat's "Caste: a HAF-baked Lamentation" tells that
"untouchability started in 12th century"
Can somebody provide any reference from any book/scripture/history etc for the statement that "...
2
votes
0answers
50 views
Which Hindu Scriptures contain post Mahabharata historical events?
I'm searching for a list of all Hindu scriptures containing post Mahabharat historical accounts. So far, I only know that some Puranas, RigVedic accounts of Battle of Ten Kings, and a scripture known ...
7
votes
0answers
168 views
History behind Mahishasura Mardini Stotram?
I was listening to this powerful stotram on YouTube.
Don't know why but there were tears in my eyes it's so powerful!
For knowledge sake just wanted to know some facts about it for instance:
Who ...
0
votes
0answers
229 views
Did Ramanujacharya have two children?
The Alwars (also spelled Azhwars) are a group of 12 ancient Vaishnava saints who lived in Tamil Nadu and are famous for their devotional poetry in praise of Vishnu. It's the beliefs and principles ...
3
votes
0answers
76 views
Was there a resentment among the shishyas of Adi Shankara about writing a commentary on Shankara Bhashya?
This question is prompted by the movie Adi Shankaracharya movie which is made in Sanskrit. It is a movie about Adi Shankaracharya and depicts different incidents in his life from birth to attaining ...
2
votes
0answers
70 views
How has Hinduism spread & existing in Russia?
Russia & nearby countries were part of communist USSR for a while, which was typically anti-religion.
Yet there are several Hindu Russians (0.1% of population). How did it spread in such remote ...
