Youtube Selections on Ramana Maharishi

I was sifting through Youtube for videos of the enlightened sage Ramana Maharishi and came up with the following links. For those who admire and are devotees of Sri Ramana you will find these links inspiring and enriching. Below each youtube link is a short description of the what the video is about with its duration. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-OS8LU6JW8 

September 1946 documentary on Sri Ramana Maharishi, 6:26 mins. Excellent english documentary, it is not the complete documentary but it is by far the most succinct and inspiring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSNEib2RDl8

Complete english documentary of Sri Ramana and Arunachala Hill, 1hr 3mis. A little slow, but contains Sri Ramana's biography and teachings. Great resource if you have the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RLw2QdbiAU

Silent slideshow of the highest quality b&w photos taken of Ramana and his ashram by LIFE magazine. 3:45mins. 

http://books.google.com.my/books?id=1k4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA92

Not Youtube but the 1948 LIFE magazine article on Google Books.

Indian Heritage Cities Network

In a concerted effort to document and push for the preservation of India's many heritage city the Indian Heritage Cities Network (IHCN) was created by UNESCO's New Delhi office in 2006. It works with governments, NGOs and individuals to safeguard the heritage values of 20 ancient cities (with more to be added in time) in rapidly developing India. Their website has very informative, free-for-download publications and newsletters on the history, culture and building of many of these cities such as Jaipur, Ujjain, Ahmedabad. In time I can see its website as among the best with detailed documentation of ancient Indian architectural heritage. For those interested in taking part in the preservation work in these cities, this is the orgainzation to work with and there is much work to be done too!

BBC History of India / Story of India

If you are in search of a well researched and narrated history of India on Youtube one of the best is the uploaded snippets of Michael Wood's BBC documentary History of India and Story of India. Though the uploads are 'here and there' they are worth a watch no matter where you start. The quality of these documentary comes from BBC's usual excellence in programming and Michael Wood's admiration of Indian Civilization. Unlike other mainstream documentary on ancient India that gives scant regard to Hindu / Buddhist myth and philosophy, portraying a more muslim India these documentaries are more accurate to India's past heritage bringing up India as an Empire of the Spirit past and present. To view the documentaries go to Youtube and type 'History of India BBC' or click here.  

Diwali–The Hindu Festival of Lights

If you are looking for information on Diwali / Deepavali, the Hindu Festival of Lights go to www.diwalifestival.org a website dedicated to the festival with as much information as you can get. From the various legends related to Diwali, how it is celebrated in different regions in India, recipes, online gift services and more. Hindusearchengine.com can't vouch for the commercial services of the site, but the comprehensive information on Diwali on this website is very helpful unlike many other sites with sparse information made solely to derive pay-per-click income. 

Short & Sweet on Hinduism

This website on World Religions was created for elementary school students to give very concise description of Hinduism. I found it helpful for quick overview of an otherwise vast and variegated subject matter. Hinduism is complex because it is actually a complex of different religions that share a common core. This short and super-simplified rendition on Hinduism can provide relief to even Hindu students bewildered by research (of what is available out there in cyberspace and 'real-space') into their philosophy and also teachers who need a simple resource to point students to. For this valuable quality I have added this website in HinduSearchEngine.com's database. 

The Ancient City of Vijayanagara / Hampi

One of many UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India, Vijayanagara also know as Hampi was one of the most prosperous Kingdoms of Southern India of the Middle-Ages. It was well known in Asia as a rich Hindu Kingdom and its Kings spent no expense building monumental temples all over its territory that spanned the entire breadth of South India to its tip at Kanyakumari. The Kingdom was eventually conquered and ransacked by the Mughals of the North but a village called Hampi still exists where the former glorious capital of Vijayanagara stood. The Vijayanagara Research Project at www.vijayanagara.org contains excellent information on Vijayanagara, more than enough to wet the curiosity of ancient buffs and pilgrims alike to plan a visit to this ancient site. Though its images of Vijayanagara are disappointingly small and sparse a quick search on Google for images of Hampi or Vijayanagara provides a feast for the eyes. www.vijayanagara.org is now part of the websites in HinduSearchEngine's stable of websites.

A Smorgasbord Of Indian Spirituality

While looking for sites with good resource for mantras I stumbled upon www.jaisiyaram.com, a website with a veritable variety of offerings from yoga to opportunity to be charitable. The website promotes an ashram in the Northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The ashram Shree Bindu Sewa Sansthan in Vrindavan, from its website, seem to be a  one-stop center offering everything from yoga and meditation retreats, "ayurveda holidays", hikes into the Himalayas, a chance to participate in charity work and more. The sanskrit mantras in this site are usefully categorized into aspects of life such as love and relationships, self-development, health, financial success, meditation, peace and more; with altogether 205 mantras with sound bites to help with learning their pronunciation. This is a wonderful site to explore and will give you ideas of how you could spend a 'productive' holiday in India. I have added the complete offering of this site on HinduSearchEngine.com for its uniqueness with such a wide variety of information and activities in one place.

The Ancient City of Ujjain

Ujjain is a lesser known ancient city of India. Like Varanasi it is one of the oldest cities in India. It is mentioned in the Mahabharata as the city where Lord Krishna and Balarama came to study under their guru. It was also an important capital in King Ashoka's Mauriyan Empire. It houses one of the oldest astronomical observatory built by King Raj Singh in the 1700's yet despite its rich history it is seldom a destination of the international tourist throngs. It's tourists are mainly pilgrims who come from all over India to imbibe in the many ancient temples and history of this town. There is only one website on this important city to Hinduism  www.ujjain.nic.in put up by the its government which is very unassuming but does the job good enough to plan a trip to this ancient city.

Ayurvedic Scripture Online: Charaka Samhita

If you are a student of ayurveda, the traditional Indian science of good health and healing you will have heard of the Sage Charaka. His treatise on medicine, the healing arts and doctoring is contained as part of Vedic Scripture in the Charaka Samhita and is the basis of ayurvedic science. A very simple online version of the Charaka Samhita is available at www.charakasamhita.com. The website is very simple and is based on 54 basic questions about ayurveda, its philosophy, understanding of the bodies physiology and cures. The questions lead are links to pages with brief answers excerpted (though not referenced) from the Charaka Samhita. If you are looking for a quick glance or overview of the Charaka Samhita, this is a good website to browse.

Shiva Temple of Tamilnadu–One of the best site available

If you are looking for website that has the best information on Shiva Temples of Tamilnadu, especially temples that the Saivite Saints had sung about, this website shivatemples.com is the place to look. Organized according to the geography of ancient Tamil Kingdoms such as Kongai Nadu, Pandiya Nadu etc., the site provides excellent information about these temples, many of which are hard to find on other sites. Indeed nowhere in India is there such density of Hindu temples as in the Land of Temple, the state of Tamilnadu in India. It is great to have such a well organized site dedicated to Shiva temples. Hats off to the creators of this website who obviously did much research and organized the site in meaningful terms for Saivite pilgrims especially of Tamil origin. I hope they will venture into temple of other deities that are abundant in Tamilnadu–such as the temples of Lord Ganesha, Lord Murugan, Goddess Amman and Lord Vishnu. The site also has a Tamil version to it. Hindusearchengine.com has absorbed the links of this website into its database.

Sanskritdocuments.org is a rudimentary yet comprehensive online collection point for Sanskrit scriptural texts. It allows these texts to be downloaded as documents in various versions such as Post Script, PDF, ITX and so forth. Most of these texts are scriptural or liturgical, some with translations or transliterations in english or other languages. If you are looking to maintain your own library or looking for original sanskrit verses for use this is certainly the place to look. It has three main categories to choose from: Scriptures, Deities and Miscellaneous. They also maintain a resource list of scanned books and audio files on other site. This entire site is now available for search on HinduSearchEngine.com.

The One Stop Hindu Names Site: Babynology.com

If you are looking for Hindu / Indic baby names in as many categories as you can imagine; boy, girl, popular, cute, unique, unusual, uncommon, Buddhist, Sanskrit, Bengali, Tamil and more; there is finally a one stop website to serve your inspired needs of finding a Hindu or Indic name for your baby or whatever your needs maybe. This site comes with basic meaning of the names and also gives the option of suggesting a deeper or more elaborate meaning to name if you know of it to the webmaster, a great feature to keep the site getting richer. 

Unlike many other duplicate generic name sites out there, Babynology.com is one HinduSearchEngine.com recommends that will be worth your time. Another fun feature of the site is that it is quite comprehensive in providing names from other nationalities or ethnicities. Have you ever had the urge to look up Hawaiian names, Aztec names, Thai names or Gothic names? Then give Babynology.com a  spin. 

Kashi Maranamukti - Hindi literature

A friend emailed me this site on a classical Hindi literature. I have read wonderful reviews of it and have decided to place the book into HinduSearchEngine.com's database. The site is in Hindi, needs to be translated with google translate. They tell me that they are going to come up with an English translation soon. Looking forward to that day.

"I just wanted to suggest you a classic piece of hindi literature - Kashi Marnanmukti. This book is written by my Guru Shri Manoj Thakkar and Su Shri Rashmi Chhazed (Gadia), but this is not why i want you to read this book. I want you to read it because it is indeed a beautiful work, it is the story of Maha, a Chandaal who in search of his Guru travels 12 Jyotirlingam and 4 dham, and also into the mysterious stories behind each one of them. With the guidance of Kabirdas ji, Tulsidas ji, Shirdi Sai Baba, His Guru and many more enlightened souls, and through introspection, he ultimately attains the spiritual height of Buddha.

This book has received immense appreciation and rave reviews from its readers. Also, the book and the authors have been honored in five countries in the last five months. The President of India, The President of Mauritius, The President of Srilanka, The Prime Minister of Nepal, The Leader of Opposition In Victoria (Australia) have appreciated the book and the book has also been included in the collection of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia. The overall responses from regular readers have also been very appreciative.

We are utilizing whole of the proceeds for an old age home and for upliftment of mentally retarded children. We have also purchased a land for the said purpose in Indore, under Shiv Om Sai Trust. I am not writing to you for this cause, rather i am focusing on the content of the book. You can find the readers' reviews on the website. Website - www.kashimarnanmukti.com ."

The Siddhars

The Siddhars are a group of 18 powerful mystic of the Hindu tradition. These mystics were said to have lived in different parts of India and were influential in the development of Hinduism, especially in developing the mystical arts and sciences. Among the these Siddhars are Sage Patanjali, the author of the Yoga Sutras, Sage Goraknath, the author of Hatha Yoga Pradipika (a seminal work on yoga exercise) are among this group of 18. The Siddhars are also famous for their research into medicinal herbs. Their work and revelations of the workings of the human body is the basis of Ayurvedic medicine. The Siddhars are believed to be unrelated to the Vedic sages who revealed the Vedas. The various Hindu sects are thought to be combinations of Vedic tradition and Siddhar tradition. Apart from the Scriptures these Siddhars wrote, very little is known of their life. Some like Sage Agastiyar who was well know for his powerful mystical magic make appearances in many Hindu myths. There thus only sparse information on the internet on the Siddhars and their tradition. However this site www.palanitemples.com has a very helpful summary of who they are and what they contributed to humanity. 

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj's Website

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (April 17, 1897 – September 8, 1981), born Maruti Shivrampant Kambli, was an Indian spiritual teacher and philosopher of Advaita, an exponent of a branch of the ancient and mystical Natha lineage, he is known for his simplistic or minimalist approach in the quest for yogic enlightenment. According to Sri Nisargadatta, our true nature is perpetually free peaceful awareness, in Hinduism referred to as Brahman. Awareness is the source of, but different from, the personal, individual consciousness, which is related to the body. Enlightenment involves detaching awareness from feelings of the body and memory and becoming accustomed to awareness in its purest state. More on Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, his teachings, congregation and discussions can be found at the website dedicated to his life, teachings and publications.

Useful World History Website

As informative as wikipedia is when it comes to subjects like world history, sometimes it is just to overwhelming. I find that wikipedia is chalk full of information, but there is no gradation of the information. Thus for those looking for summary, basic understanding, overviews and quick information wikipedia is sometimes daunting especially for younger students. Fortunately there are websites like History World that are excellent for all the things that wikipedia cannot accomplish when it comes to world history. The information in this website is displayed in a friendly and less 'texty' manner and gives you choices of history, comparative timelines and fun stuff like quizzes. The graphics are also informative and pleasing. If you are looking for early human civilization, the history of inventions, religion or art; a vast range is at your fingertip. A very useful resource on history to add to your bookmarks. It is now part of HinduSearchEngine.com for world religions and human civilization history. 

One Billion Faces For Peace

Imagine One Billion Faces for Peace is a project to propagate the idea of non-violence as a means of securing peace and harmony globally in the world through education. The project aims to collect One billion supporters to join the initiative by joining through Twitter or Facebook. Every person that joins the initiative earns the one cent for the Non-Violence Project Foundation. I have added this initiative into HinduSearchEngine's database since non-violence is a very important tenant of any spiritual teachings and to support the Foundation's work. 

Hindu and Buddhist Articles on BeliefNet.com

BeliefNet.com is a wonderful site with plenty of interesting articles on the major religions and other articles that touch on inspiration, faith and spirituality. The website follows its secular yet inclusive theme throughout. It touches on wide ranging topics from diet to motivation. It mainly sources articles from different sources with some original work, but one will appreciate its ability as a well organized portal for inspiration on the web. I have added its articles on Hinduism and Buddhism as part of HinduSearchEngine.com's database.

Shiva Bala Yogi

http://www.shiva.org leads you the website dedicated to a lesser known but nevertheless popular Hindu guru Shiva Bala Yogi. Shiva Bala Yogi was a God Realized saint whose teachings was aimed to inspire followers to seek this Spiritual Realization as an important goal in their life. Shiva Bala Yogi was highly venerated not only for his spiritual acumen but also for his humility and ability as a siddhar (one with mystical powers). His teachings put simply is summarized in "Dhyana, vibhuti, bhajan, bhava samadhi" (Practice meditation, be devoted to God, sing His/Her praise, enjoy Divine Ecstacy). This entire website is now in the stable of HinduSearchEngine.com's spiritual preceptors.

The Siddha Community Website

I was researching information available on Balinese Hinduism for HinduSearchEngine.com when I stumbled upon Siddha.com . Siddha.com is a forum on Saivite Hinduism that has done remarkable work in translating the basic belief of Saivite Hinduism into many Asian and European languages such a Mandrin, Korean, Bahasa Indonesia, Portugese, Spanish and more. It's contents are can be found mainly in its discussion forum that focuses mainly on the Tamil Saivite tradition but is also as wide ranging as discussions on Atlantis and current political issues important to Hindus in Malaysia. The discussions are well moderated and its articles seem to be vetted and of sound quality.

Hindu Marriage Customs

HinduSearchEngine is looking out for sites with good information Hindu cultural practices. Marriage customs are one of them. While the Hindu wedding culture is richly varied among the different regions of India, there is a basic structure to it. I found a couple of sites which give good overviews on the basic structure of Hindu marriages. One of it from the BBC's segment on religion. 

The Oxford Center for Hindu Studies

The Oxford Center for Hindu Studies was setup in 1997 as an independent Center of Oxford University with the aim of studying diverse subjects relating to Hinduism . The Center is non-sectatrian and its website showcases journal publications, lectures and conferences, research material and subjects; and more. While actual academic content online is sparse, the website promotes the study of Hinduism through providing lecture and conference timings, as a portal to receive research applications and to provide current news of activity of the Center. I have included this website in HinduSearchEngine.com to link to actual academic support for online Hindu seekers looking for available academic study from a world recognized institution. This Center claims to be the first ever academy on Hinduism of its kind in the world.

The Seven Secrets of Shiva

Many people I know are enamored by this book on Shiva. It reveals the mysticism of Shiva through the folklore or the puranas that surround Lord Shiva, the most ancient form of God evolving out to the Indian Subcontinent. His legends exist and have survived since eons ago. This book is a treat for all who find mythologies and ancient legends fascinating. The writer, Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik has done an excellent job in easing readers into the philosophical mysticism through poignant narratives that uncover hidden philosophies and mysticism in the entertaining and traditional myths of Shiva. I would recommend this book as an introduction for aspiring mystics and those looking for a more profound understanding of Lord Shiva, it is insightful and at the same time simplified text of the vast pantheon and rich ancient culture of India. Because of its uniqueness I've added the Amazon.com link to this book into HinduSearchEngine.com

Vedic Maths

Hindusearchengine.com is now looking into ancient vedic sciences to add to its database. In vetting sites on Vedic mathematics, I found wikipedia to be the best that there is on the subject. The other sites are very terse in information, usually advertising books or tutorials. For those looking to master mental arithmetic, the ancient wisdom of Vedic maths can come in handy. India consistently churns out maths geniuses, from early human civilization, such as Arybhata, to more contemporary math masters like Ramanujan Srinivasa. An article on www.watershed.com.br, titled "Why are Indians natural math geniuses?" provides a hypothesis of why it is so.

Neem Karoli Baba

Who is Neem Karoli Baba?

Excerpted from Wikipedia. "Shri Neem Karoli Baba or Shri Neeb Karori Baba(died September 11, 1973, in Vrindavan, India), also known to followers as Maharaj-ji, was a Hindu guru and devotee of the Hindu deity Hanuman. He is known outside India for being the guru of a number of Americans who travelled to India in the 1960s and 1970s, the most well-known being the spiritual teachers Ram Dass and Bhagavan Das, and the musicians Krishna Das and Jai Uttal. His ashrams are in Kainchi, Vrindavan, Rishikesh, Shimla, Bhumiadhar, Hanuman Ghar, Lucknow, Delhi in India and in Taos, New Mexico, USA."

A humble devotee of Lord Hanuman, Maharaji was a candid saint who inspired his devotees to do humanitarian services and seek for their spiritual self. This website is the best there is on him, with stories and resources such as video clips, voice recordings and more.

Food Fit For The Gods

This is what neivedyam means. Any food prepared as part of offerings for worship of the Divine in Hindu liturgy is called neivedyam. Needless to say that such food is 100% vegetarian, meaning no meats or egg, but dairy products and honey are allowed. Neivedyam.com is an well presented and informative website for making traditional Indian vegetarian dishes (South Indian and North Indian dishes are abound). There are beautiful pictures of the dishes and the recipes are precise and cooking instructions helpful and clear. It is a blog site therefore the comments are helpful too. This site is a true treasure on the internet, which is actually has only a dearth of quality Indian vegetarian recipe sites. You will be easily drawn by the passion for cooking by the author who goes by the name Sharmi. I have added this site into HinduSearchEngine.com to further its reach into spiritual gastronomy.

Indian Society, Institutions and Change

I added this book to HinduSearchEngine.com's database for its study of Varna (Society) dharma. It is an academic study of Manu Smriti ( Manu Dharmashastras) which is an ancient record of societal rules and norms on of ancient Hindu India. The book states the ideals of these rules and how they evolved in ancient societies and how they effect modern Hindu society. The book also discusses Christian and Muslim Indian society, their laws and customs. A good resource for the study of the Hindu concept of dharma.

Indian / Chinese History and Philosophy

Friesian.com is a site that has much historical and philosophical content. Of interest to HinduSearchEngine.com is the way it correlates the rise and fall of Indian and Chinese Empires, their connection and relationship, the spread of religion and culture among these two significant Asian ancients. I have included all this sites essays on Hindu, Buddhist, Indian and Chinese subjects, ranging from philosophy to history. This site however is very basic in its presentation. It is like sites you would encounter in the mid-nineties when the internet was just beginning. Expect academic essays that are comprehensive though a challenge to read. Its articles on world history is very informative making it excellent for research work on early Asian and European history.

Saint Tayumanavar

Tayumanavar was a respected scholar in both Sanskrit and Tamil and was a minister to the King in Trichinopoly in South India. His name hails from the name of the deity of the Rockfort Temple in Trichinopoly. When he became god-minded he quit his job and began roaming, preaching Shaiva-siddhanta philosophy and Shiva worship. His songs are full of the divine bliss which he enjoyed and transmitted in abundance. The songs on the theme of the Atman craving for the union with the Supreme, are famous for their authenticity, simplicity and easily remembered language. He is also known for his unceasing emphasis on the unity of all paths to God and of all religions, and, in particular, on the unity of Vedanta and Shaiva siddhanta. Tayumanavar is one of the unsung spiritualist of Tamilnadu. His devotional songs all imbued with spiritual exhortations, yoga philosophy and mystical experiences are still sung by devotees of Lord Shiva in South India. With what little I can find about him on the net, I have added those sites to HinduSearchEngine's database.

Pilgrimage Woes in Holy Amarnath

As world population increases it only becomes more imperative that governments take more effective custodian control over environmental care. In India the faithful may spell disaster for some of its most natural pilgrimage sites. This article from National Geographic is one that highlights such a need. Many are blaming the new helicopter rides to the cave for environmental degradation of Amarnath. However one of the biggest problems not just at Amarnath, but all over India is general civil disrespect of nature. Trash strewn all over by an uncaring society and lack of enforcement on such simple issues that make a lot of difference is a major problem. I hope keeping such news easily available on HinduSearchEngine.com will keep this issue of caring for nature in the forefront of pilgrims wanting to go to Amarnath when they search for pilgrimage information.

Learn To Do Yoga or Teach Yoga in Koh Phangan

If you are looking for a wonderful location to learn yoga or learn to teach yoga, do check out Thailandyoga.net . They have 200 hour and 300 hour teacher training courses, this are about the time it will take to be a good yoga teacher. I am especially interested in the incorporation of ayurveda and 'homa' fire ceremony in its courses. Of course Koh Phangan is a beautiful place and it is legendary for all sorts of bonfires, so why not a spiritual one, makes sense. Though I have not personally gone to check out this yoga retreat, I have a strong sense that a visit and deeper review of this place is worth it and will happen soon. 

A Hindu Website

If you are looking for quick references on Hinduism and Hindu related subjects such as astrology and yoga, www.hinduwebsite.com is a page to check on the go. Its material are briefs, often sourced from other places but it has some good references for certain hard to find scriptures like the Manu Dharma Shastras. I have added this site to HinduSearchEngine.com mainly for students looking or quick reference information for projects and assignments. The site gives an overview of the depth of Hindu teachings.

Stotra Ratnas – An Amazing Collection of Hindu Temple Liturgy and Translations

Mr. P.P. Ramachander has done an monumental and amazing task of translating into English the meanings and transliterating into roman alphabets a large collection of Hindu mantras that are used in South Indian Temple liturgy. These compendium of mantras are important parts of scriptures from the Saivite, Vaishnavite and Shakta sects of Hinduism. They are often chanted in daily and special festivals in the temples. Mr. P.P. Ramachander must be praised for his efforts in making the meaning and chanting of these sacred mantras available to all those who are interested in them. While the site itself is simple and terse in its presentation, for the discerning student of Hindu mantras, yearning devotees and scholar of mantras this website is a very welcome effort and deserving of praise.

The Bad Effects of Mining Ganga's Riverbed

The Ganges River is a river of vital importance to the people of India and Hindus all over the world. It sustains economy, religion and culture, yet greed can destroy the vitality of the Ganga. This article on the effort of a group of brave swamis trying to fight off some of India's mining mafia's sheds light on current issues effecting the Ganga and also about the passion of spiritual people in fighting for righteousness at many levels. The article is on Hindusearchengine.com to enrich understanding on current issues surrounding the Ganga. It also leads readers to other interesting articles and photos related to Ganga on National Geographics site.

The Temple in Hampi

Hampi was the capital of Vijaynagar Kingdom (from medieval period). Now it’s one of the World Heritage Centres in India. The ruins of the empire are spread over an area of 26 sq km. If history is what interests you then Hampi is one of the best places to Visit in India....Hampi is 13 KM from Hospet and we took a local bus (it’s frequently available). On the way you can find many ruins of the capital city of Hampi. Like most of our trips we didn’t do any Hotel booking but was carrying many hotels and guest house phone numbers.....For those interested in off the beaten track ancient history of India the ruins in Hampi, Karnataka is an important place to visit. The blog In Search of Passion has one of the best travelogue on Hampi on the net.

India-a journey into exotic and mystic places

India is such a vast and diverse country in many facets. Culture, geography, language, politics, religion and plenty of hidden places to visit. Aceguide.blogspot.com is a nicely put together blog by a passionate Indian discovering India for himself and  in the process sharing his valuable experiences and insight with the  rest of the world. His aim are places rarely if ever highlighted in more mainstream publications like the Lonely Planet or Rough Guides. For travelers and those more interested in unique less of tourist traps places in India, this blog is well worth a visit before you plan an adventure in India.

National Geographic Online On Ancient Indian Art

I am now looking for interesting resources on Hinduism, Buddhism and mysticism on National Geographics website. So far I have found this wonderful resource on ancient Indian art. Of course National geographic is known for their superb photographs along with their articles. In this entry it is on ancient Indian art and focuses on wall paintings, sculpture and architecture in ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples such as Ellora, Ajanta caves and Brihadeeswarar Temple. I am hopeful to find more amazing resource that will enrich HinduSearchEngine.com on National Geographics website.

Village Gods of Tamil Nadu

Villagegods.blogspot is an worthwhile effort of P.R. Ramachander, a priest who has posted stories of many small village Hindu temples of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. His research on the short stories of many obscure and small temples teaches much about the cultural attitudes of the Tamil folk when it comes to creating temples and deities. In these stories which are about the lore of the origins of such temples it can be seen how the deities 'talk' to their devotees mainly through dreams giving them instructions and directions to clear problems or calamities a village was facing. The resource has over 71 posts and is a useful site to go through if anyone needs to research Tamil or South Indian culture. Though the sentences occasionally require intuition to make out, it is understandable and the effort of the blogger should be commended. 

Vikrama Aditya Stories

Vikrama Adithya is a legendary and mythical King whose stories are some of the earliest in Indian literature that highlight culture and ethics. His wisdom and prowess is widely known among those born into Hindu culture and his stories told as bedtime stories by grandparents to their grandchildren. This blogspot site has one of the most comprehensive collection of Vikrama Adithya's stories. Most of these stories are still passed on by word of mouth, which makes this collection of stories on the internet precious.

The Spiritual Sanctuary

The spiritual sanctuary is a collection of overview on of the world religions and creeds which also include Bahai, Humanism/Atheism, and Native American Beliefs. This site is open to sharing and connecting with other sites with the intent of helping people understand other faiths from a positive and affirming perspective. Therefore the information is not entirely objective but more based on the writers admiration of their respective faiths. The presentation is also more of a summary. It is useful for comparative religion or creed studies or to get an overview of some of the major philosophies that dominate human thinking from a more positive light.

Tattva - A Hindu Magazine

Tattva is an online Hindu magazine geared for youth, founded Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh’s Hindu YUVA youth movement. Tattva, which means “essence or building blocks” in Sanskrit, draws inspiration from the roots of Hindu philosophy. It aims to present inspiring aspects Hindu philosophy, culture and history and current issues important to Hindu youth. It has a wealth of articles that touch on these aspects and is continually updated though its regularity can be random. It's database of articles and events by YUVA has been added in HinduSearchEngine.com's database for its good quality articles that provide resources such as philosophical discussions, yoga tips, recipes, prayers, festivals, forums and more.

Amar Chitra Katha

Amar Chitra Katha is an Indian publication house that was a pioneer in publishing the rich body Indian myths, fables and history as comics. The comics are are well drawn and cover a vast array of Hindu, Buddhist and Indian secular literature. From mythical stories of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, fables like the Panchatantra and Jataka tales to biographies of Indian historical greats such as Mahatma Gandhi, Shivaji, Akhbar the Great and more; Amar Chitra Katha comics present a fun way to read and get to know Indian literature and stories. For the longest time the only way to get a hold of these books was by going to Indian and buying them. Slowly bookshops catering to South Asians around the world started to put them on their shelves, but it is never easy to get the books one wants unless you are in India. However now with Amar Chitra Katha's online store its entire collection is now available and shippable anywhere you may be. I have entered the entire Amar Chitra Katha online store into the stable of HinduSearchEngine's databases.

Indian Based Activity in Latin America

Latinamericanaffairs is a blog that focuses on Indian based activities in Argentina and Brazil. It has a good article on a temple complex called Hastinapura, after the ancient city in Mahabharata, in Argentina. The blog is routinely updated and if you are looking for Indian based events such as concerts and about Hindus or Indians in Latin America this is a good online starting place.

The Story of Milarepa

Milarepa is one of the most widely known Tibetan Saints. In a superhuman effort, he rose above the miseries of his younger life and with the help of his Guru, Marpa the Translator, took to a solitary life of meditation until he had achieved the pinnacle of the enlightened state, never to be born again into the Samsara (whirlpool of life and death) of worldly existence. Out of compassion for humanity, he undertook the most rigid asceticism to reach the Buddhic state of enlightenment and to pass his accomplishments on to the rest of humanity. Find out more on Milarepa and Tibetan Buddhism on HinduSearchEngine.com

More information on Sacred Destinations in Nepal

Sacred destinations in Nepal has information and nice photos of 5 temples; Boudhanath Stupa, Kumari Ghar, Lumbini, Pasupatinath Temple and Swayambunath Temple. Apart from nepal I have also included other mystical destination from this website into HinduSearchEngine's search directory such as Bali,  Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Thailand.

Sacred Destinations

Sacred-desinations.com/india is a well presented site on pilgrimage places in India. Focusing on Hindu, Buddhist and Jain sites it gives good historic and archaeological information. Not a travel website but information on the places that is well organized with few but meaningful pictures. 

Versatile Vedic Astrology Site

Hindusearchengine.com already has an astrology site in its database called Vedicscholar.com, now I have added another Astrosage.com. Astrosage's chart input are easier than Vedicscholar because it automatically adds the longtitude and latitude after you enter your city. However if your city is obscure you may still need to go to Vedicshcolars more comprehensive tool. Get your chart done in Astrosage, click on the linlk on the upper left menu that is "Free Kundli - Vedic Chart" or the top menu bar "Free Kundli". Astrosage is a more comprehensive site than Vedicshcolar, providing for regional Indian horoscopes and almanacs, and also more up to date. It also has numerology and gemology if you are into these things. 

A Nice Collection of Articles and Youtube Video Resources on Hinduism & Mysticism

Indiadivine.org is a very well content endowed journal on Indian culture, religion and mysticism. Drawing from selection of Youtube videos and articles on news and documentaries, this site offers a wealth of information ranging from current events to astrology, mantra chanting to puja ceremony tutorials, ayurveda and much more. It is setup by devotees of ISKCON or more commonly known as the Hare Krishna group, so expect their philosophy and events to be a major part of this site. There are rare content such as the life story of Ramalinga Swami of South India and other popular Hindu gurus whose information are rare to find in cyberspace.

Another Hindu Temple List for North America

Garamchai.com is a community website for Indians in America. It has Hindu temple listings, Gurudwaras, Jain temples and even mosques and churches that cater to ethnic Indian devotees. The site  also other useful listings that serve the Indian diaspora in the USA such as restaurants, bazaars, theaters, wedding centers, newspapers and more. Great collection of listings that will be helpful those who want to connect or reconnect with Indian roots in the USA.

Hindu Scriptures, History, Travel Information and more

Bharatadesam.com is a simple and informative website for many aspects Indian life and history. One of its treasures are the Hindu Scripture content that are well organized and very easy to get to. It is quite comprehensive with coverage of scriptures. The Vedas, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Kautilya Arthashastras and more. It also covers arts and culture, festival, some tourism information, though the site really shines with its content on Indian Scripures and literature. If you are ever looking for less covered scriputures such as the Brahma Sutras and more popular ones such as the Upanishads this site will not disappoint. 

Hindu Temples in the USA

There are not that many comprehensive list of Hindu Temples in the US. The best by far is the Wikipedia list. However, the Wikipedia list also adds Hindu organization prayer halls and Sikh Gurudwaras. Hindutemples.us seems to be a new listing that has potential and dedicated solely to Hindu Temples. It is interesting to see that that New York has the most number of Hindu temples. HinduSearchEngine.com scoures the globe for Hindu, Buddhist and other Eastern mystical tradition centers around the globe.