Couple turn their spare bedroom into a Hindu temple - and attract 50,000 visitors

Turtles in mythology:

A great deal of mythology exists in regard to the turtle. In the Far East, the shell was a symbol of heaven, and the square underside was a symbol of earth. The turtle was an animal whose magic united heaven and earth. The turtle is a creation of nature that carries its round shell over the ground, like heaven, and has a flat bottom, like earth. With a profile resembling a mountain and the turning motion of its toes, it seemed to be a depiction of heaven and earth changing constantly through the seasons.

In the West, early Christians didn't like turtles, and they viewed them as symbolizing evil forces during war. In Greece, turtles were once believed to be citizens of hell. But like the Chinese, Indians have a legend that "the world is supported by four elephants standing on a giant turtle." (As in the great Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.) After hearing a Western scientist clearly give a scientific explanation for the formation of the world, one old Indian woman said that he was wholly mistaken, that the world was being supported by a giant turtle. When the scientist asked what was under the turtle, she said, "Of course there is an endless pile of turtles, one on top of another."

Turtles seem to possess an enviable and god-like resistance to aging, and so they came to symbolize longevity. Their link to heaven and earth made them a natural for use in divination. Turtles are also symbols of immortality and are considered temporary dwelling places for souls making their way through a series of lives on the path to Nirvana. The turtle is considered to be the second incarnation of the powerful god Vishnu in the Hindu religion. After a great flood, which occurs every four billion years and dissolves the earth, Vishnu transforms himself into a great turtle. On his back, he carries a vessel in which the gods and demons mix the elements necessary to re-create the globe. After a thousand years, when the earth has been reborn, the turtle remains in place, and on his back stands a large elephant, which support the planet.

According to some Native American tales, the Earth Diver turtle swam to the bottom of the water that stretched across the world. He surfaced with the mud which the creator used to make the earth. The turtle is a shore creature, using the land and the water. All shore areas are associated with doorways to the Faerie Realm. The turtle is sometimes known as the keeper of the doors. They were often seen as signs of fairy contact and the promise of fairy rewards.

A Japanese Fairy Tale about Urashima tells of a man who protects a turtle from some boys who were bothering it. As a reward, the turtle takes the man to meet the King of the Ocean. As a reward for his good deed, Urashima marries the King's beautiful water sprite daughter. In Nigeria, the turtle was a symbol of the female sex organs and sexuality. To the Native Americans, it was associated with the lunar cycle, menstruation, and the power of the female energies.

The markings and sections on some turtles total thirteen. In the lunar calendar, there are either thirteen full moons or thirteen new moons alternating each year. Many believe this is where the association with the female energies originated. The turtle symbolizes the primal mother and Mother Earth.

To the modern Chinese, turtles are viewed in many different ways. It is regarded as one of the four divine animals, along with the dragon, phoenix and chimera. They are worshipped in temples. Flour turtles used to be used as offerings at temple festivals or big family events. However, the term turtle is also used as a curse word, and the Taiwanese expression for gamblers "losing your shirt" translates as "knocking turtles". Apart from gamblers' fears that eating a flour turtle will turn their luck sour, turtles have many other bad connotations in modern Chinese society. In fact, when people curse each other these days, the first thing to come out is often "turtle egg" or " grandson of a turtle".

Even so, the image of the turtle as a spiritual beast has become deeply implanted in people's minds. One ancient text warns its readers not to act rashly when catching turtles and always to carry out the proper ceremony to worship them first. There are also many legends about how those who killed turtles eventually met with misfortune. Common Buddhist restraints against the killing of animals evolved into the Buddhist ceremony of releasing turtles.

(Text excerpt from www.likeacat.com)

Poet for Life has contributed a photo to this story.

The Swastika is a holy symbol of sacredness, abundance, the sun, Ganesha an much more. Hindus around the world use it to bless their homes and temples.

Shrimaitreya has contributed a photo to this story.

This is Lord Shiva as the Nataraja

stella is elisa has contributed a photo to this story.

Ganesha — the elephant-deity riding a mouse — has become one of the commonest mnemonics for anything associated with Hinduism. This not only suggests the importance of Ganesha, but also shows how popular and pervasive this deity is in the minds of the masses.

The Lord of Success

The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. In fact, Ganesha is one of the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga being the other four) whose idolatry is glorified as the panchayatana puja.

Ganesha's head symbolizes the Atman or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence, and his human body signifies Maya or the earthly existence of human beings. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesha's left hand is a gentle implement to capture all difficulties.

The broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice, which he broke for writing the Mahabharata. The rosary in his other hand suggests that the pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. The laddoo (sweet) he holds in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman (soul). His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears to our petition. The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms. And he is humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse.

How Ganesha Got His Head
The story of the birth of this zoomorphic deity, as depicted in the Shiva Purana, goes like this: Once goddess Parvati, while bathing, created a boy out of the dirt of her body and assigned him the task of guarding the entrance to her bathroom. When Shiva, her husband returned, he was surprised to find a stranger denying him access, and struck off the boy's head in rage. Parvati broke down in utter grief and to soothe her, Shiva sent out his squad (gana) to fetch the head of any sleeping being who was facing the north. The company found a sleeping elephant and brought back its severed head, which was then attached to the body of the boy. Shiva restored its life and made him the leader (pati) of his troops. Hence his name 'Ganapati'. Shiva also bestowed a boon that people would worship him and invoke his name before undertaking any venture.

However, there's another less popular story of his origin, found in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana: Shiva asked Parvati to observe the punyaka vrata for a year to appease Vishnu in order to have a son. When a son was born to her, all the gods and goddesses assembled to rejoice on its birth. Lord Shani, the son of Surya (Sun-God), was also present but he refused to look at the infant. Perturbed at this behaviour, Parvati asked him the reason, and Shani replied that his looking at baby would harm the newborn. However, on Parvati's insistence when Shani eyed the baby, the child's head was severed instantly. All the gods started to bemoan, whereupon Vishnu hurried to the bank of river Pushpabhadra and brought back the head of a young elephant, and joined it to the baby's body, thus reviving it.

Ganesha, the Destroyer of Pride
Ganesha is also the destroyer of vanity, selfishness and pride. He is the personification of material universe in all its various magnificent manifestations. "All Hindus worship Ganesha regardless of their sectarian belief," says D N Singh in A Study of Hinduism. "He is both the beginning of the religion and the meeting ground for all Hindus."

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I saw these flowers all over Bali. Even in places of business. Hindu's use these Plumeria flowers in their daily spiritual rituals and offerings to their god.

"Also known as Kamboja in Bali. These flowers are used in certain Hindu rituals. Provides shelter to ghosts and demons. It's a symbol of holiness, and is widely used for a personal ornaments (placed right behind the left or right ear). The Kamboja is a very common flower which is also planted in sacred places, such as temples. It's commonly used in Balinese traditional & religious ritual events. Some people say that it's a Balinese icon".

think2create has contributed a photo to this story.

I created this shrine to honour some major world religions which have had great impact on my community and my family; (from top-clockwise) ancient Triskle symbol representing Neopagan & Euro-indigenous spirituality, star of David for Judaism, roman chi-rho symbolising Christianity, Khanda, emblem of the Sikh faith, ohm character for Hinduism, ying-yang symbol for taoists, crescent moon and star for Islam and finally the Buddhist dharma wheel over the earth in the centre. The shrine design is typical of ancient Romano-Greek styles. On the shrine there are offerings of flowers and a candle. Offering light signifies the stability and clarity of patience, the beauty which dispels all ignorance. Candles can also symbolise burning away our mental afflictions of desire, aggression, greed, jealousy, pride and so forth. The other part of the symbolism is that it is a way to burn away our illness.Offering flowers signifies the practice of generosity and opens the heart.

Janelle Ellis has contributed a photo to this story.

This photo was taken at the famous Konark Temple in Orissa. The temple is dedicated to the Sun God and was built in the century. The entire temple is in the form of a chariot which the sun god rides and have 24 beautifully carved wheels. This photo stands in the front of the temple and is supposed to be the guardian of the temple from evil spirits. Most of the Indian-Hindu homes have this symbol to guard them from malicious forces.

isthatharsha has contributed a photo to this story.

This photo was taken at the famous Konark Temple in Orissa. The temple is dedicated to the Sun God and was built in the 13th century. The entire temple is in the form of a chariot which the sun god rides and have 24 beautifully carved wheels. This photo stands in the front of the temple and is supposed to be the guardian of the temple from evil spirits. Most of the Indian-Hindu homes have this symbol to guard them from malicious forces.

isthatharsha has contributed a photo to this story.

Thank you Nowpublic members who have uploaded to this posting. The narrative has been inspiring.
Many thanks mtlogelin,Bissingerbooks,isthatharsha,Avanibhajana,tropicalsnaphappy,winged photography,Carmelo Aquilina,Janelle Ellis,think2create,ciskatobing,ez2axs,caseyyancey,Kabirdas,
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