Happy Deepavalli (Diwali) 2010 to all who are celebrating the Festival of Lights. This is a wonderful day to remind us of the power of illumined wisdom that can dispel dark ignorance in a flash.
There are a number of festivals in the Hindu tradition that are celebrated in solidarity among all the sects of Hinduism. These celebrations are Ganesha Chaturthi, Navaratri (Dusheera) and Diwali (Deepavalli). They unite Hindus in joyous celebration that remind us that God is One and paths to God are many. I believe that as Hindus we have a mission in the world to continue practicing the truth that God is Universal. Swami Vivekananda did this successfully and the world can use his inspiration today in accepting the fact that we are all the children of God, irrespective of our many differences. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam–The Entire Earth is But One Family is such a wonderful philosophy to be fanatical about.
To celebrate Deepavalli this year I created a collage of photos and videos of the Big Temple in Thanjavur – Thanjavur Periya Kovil, Tamilnadu; also known as Brihadeshwarar temple. This temple is on of the architectural wonders of the ancient world. ( Learn more about Thanjavur Temple at HinduSearchEngine.com . Search Thanjavur )
2010 is an historic year for Brihadeshwarar because it is celebrating its millenium anniversary. 1000 year old sturctures are rare in the world. However what makes Brihadeshwara unique among such ancient structures is that it is still functioning for the purpose for which it was built by the famed Tamil King Rajaraja Cholan. In fact all the ceremonies of this temple are still performed very much like how it must have been done during the time of King Rajaraja. It is a proud achievement that should be shared with all of humanity.
The background audio for this collage is a Tirumurai song that hails from a tradition of Tamil saints–nayanars, that is equally ancient as Brihadeshwarar itself. Happy Deepavalli to all who are celebrating and to the everyone else in the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
