Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Golden yellow

Religion is obviously big in India, as it is the world over. Almost every Hindu ritual involves fire, the purifying agent, at least in the form of lamps if not a larger homa kundam. Mostly, such rituals are carried out with mantrams, the chanting of sacred verses. In some systems of worship, stylized representations of the divine powers are drawn using powders of turmeric (ah, that's the yellow connection!), vermillion and other colours.

But the 'yellow' touch does not end there. The lamps shine golden, the flames reflecting off their ridged stems; the oil used to fuel the lamps is golden too, a few shades darker than the bronze of the lamps. The light falling on the flowers highlights the yellows among them; as the ritual concludes, you get slices of bananas, still in their yellow skins. And finally, the deep yellow of the sandalwood paste stays smeared on the forehead long after the lamps die out!


How much more 'Yellow' can we get on this theme day? Click here to view thumbnails for all participants - there are literally hundreds of City Daily Photo blogs going yellow today!

11 comments:

Mo said...

Very regal.

GreensboroDailyPhoto said...

Our little GDP family loves learning about India-- from culture, food, history, language, to movies! Loved reading what you wrote!

Ham said...

That's a great choice and a fascinating insight, thanks.

I'm learning Chinese and off to China this year ... .maybe India next year.

Tara said...

That's thorough explanation for the religion and the yellows. Very nice post. Thanks for the visit.

chorinchath said...

In olden days the Kings used to give Dakshina to the Poojari after Homam in gold coins in golden vessel One King gave daksina & asked the Poojari to return the vessel. The Poojari asked him whether he really wanted it back. The King said that he need not return. But the Poojari said that the damage had already been done when he asked for it-less blessings

Hilda said...

This is the most informative post I've read for this month's theme day. I love it, thank you! Beautiful photo too.

Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com said...

this is very beautiful and special. I enjoyed your commentary. very interesting. so serene and contemplative.

Ben Nakagawa said...

Fantastic and educational!

magiceye said...

brilliant post!

Shantaram said...

Thank you, all, for visiting and for your comments - continue to be amazed at the rich variety of coverage the CDP blogs offer!

lachezar said...

Beautiful choice and story! Thanks for your visit and kind comment! By the way, I posted a follow up to show what's under the yellow wrapper! Cheers!