D i w a l i * D i v a l i * D e e p a v a l i
Observed By : Religiously by Hindus, Jains & Sikhs.
Other Indians celebrate the cultural aspects.
Type : Religious, India & Nepal
Significance ; Celebration of the victory of good over evil;
the uplifting of spiritual darkness.
Date ; Decided by the Lunar Calender
2010 Date : 5th November '10
2011 Date : 26th October '11
The exact day of the festival is decided by the position of the moon. According to the Hindu calendar, Amavasya or 'no moon day' is considered as the perfect day to celebrate Diwali. This dark night comes after every fortnight and in the month of Kartik, it marks this festival of lights and diyas. As per the English calendar, the festival generally comes in the month of November and December. For all Hindu people, the festival holds an imperative meaning since the festival is reckoned with Lord Rama's victory as the King of Ayodhya after his return to the kingdom from 14 years of exile along with his wife Sita & brother Laxman after killing the demon, King Ravana. The festival is celebrated by lighting diyas and candles to drive away the darkness of Amavasya.
Celebrations : Decorating homes with lights, Fireworks, distributing sweets and gifts.
Observance : Prayers, Religious rituals
Tu jagmagaaye teraa deep jagamagaaye,
Saare jahaan ki khushiya tere bhee ghar ko aaye
Ganga aur Yamuna sa nirmal ho tera man
Ambar our dhara sa swachh ho tera tan
Is nagar me teri jyoti chamchamaaaye
Tu jagmagaaye teraa deep jagamagaaye
Achchhe karmo se jag me naam hogaa tera
Teri aahat se buraiya lengi nahi basera
Tere marane ke baad bhee log tera naam gaaye
Tu jagmagaaye teraa deep jagamagaaye
Mit jaaye andhera jo teri dagar me aaye
Aaye kabhi na gam jo deti chintaaye
Naam amar ho tera ek taaraa timtimaaye
Tu jagmagaaye teraa deep jagamagaaye
Door karna chhuachoot mandir masjid ka jhagara
Koi mare na bhookha koi rahe na kangala
Aane waalaa kal tera naam gungunaaye
Tu jagmagaaye teraa deep jagamagaaye
It is popularly known as the Festival of Lights. It is an important five-day festival in Hinduism, Sikhism & Jainism, occurring between mid-October and mid-November. Diwali is an official holiday in India, Guyana, Trinidad & Todago,Mauritius, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Fiji and Surinam.
The name Diwali is itself a contraction of the word Deepavali (Dipavali), which translates into row of lamps (in Sanskrit). Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps (diyas) (or Deep in Sanskrit) filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. During Diwali celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends. Some Indian business communities begin the financial year on the first day of Diwali, hoping for prosperity the following year.
In Hinduism, Diwali marks the return of Lord Rama to his kingdom of Ayodhya after defeating (the demon king) Ravana, the ruler of Lanka, in the epic Ramayana.
In Jainism, Diwali marks the attainment of Moksha by Mahavira in 527 BC.
In Sikhism, Diwali commemorates the return of Guru Har Gobind Ji to Amritsar after freeing 52 Hindu kings imprisoned in Fort Gwalior by Emperor Jahangir; the people lit candles and diyas to celebrate his return. This is the reason Sikhs also refer to Diwali as Bandi Chhorh Divas, "the day of release of detainees". Diwali is considered a national festival in India and Nepal. They never start Dewali in debt.
Dadoji Konddeo (also known as Dadaji Konddev and Dadoji Kondadev ,) was a 16th century revenue expert from India, particularly known for his loyalty towards Shahaji. He was also a "Subhedar" (Military and Administrative head)of Kondana Fort (now known as Sinhagad), and thus the Pune region.
Dadoji Konddeo was in the service of Shahaji Raje Bhonsal, a nobleman and a commander in the Nizamshahi military of Ahmednagar. Shahaji proved himself as a brilliant commander. He was given independent land near the Pune region.
Soon Shahaji Raje Bhosale became a prominent war-lord of the region. Due to the constant warfare between the three major powers,Mughals (from north, based in Delhi and Agra), Adilshah (in south, based in Bijapur, current Karnataka State), and Nizam, from east, Shahaji had to be constantly engage in diplomatic and political manouvres. He intended to have an independent kingdom, but couldn't defeat the combined might of the Mughal forces and Adilshah. Eventually, after the death of his father-in-law, Jadhavrao, he joined Adilshah and was sent to Bangalore as a commander of Adilshah's army. Shahaji Raje transferred his family, wife Jijaoo and son Shivaji, from fort Shivneri, near Junner, to Pune and appointed Dadoji as caretaker and teacher of Shivaji. Dadoji Konddev was a brilliant scholar and a pious Brahmin. Under him the young Shivaji learned the revenue and statemanship. Dadoji did his job with utmost devotion and without expecting any reward.
Jedhe Shakawali written by Kanhoji Jedhe and his son Baji Jedhe mentions about Dadoji Konddev as "He developed city Shivapur as per order by Shahajiraje in 1636 and Lal Mahal in Pune in next year.
Dadoji Konddev taught Shivaji, reading , writing . He also taught him the art of administrating a kingdom. Dadoji had profound knowledge of the surrounding Maval region, the Sayadri mountain ranges and forts. Thus, he familiarized Shivaji with the locality and people. Shivaji and his mother Jijaoo, also referred to as Jijamata, always treated Dadoji with great respect. Dadoji also contributed in inspiring Shivaji to create and establish swarajya. He is immortal in history as one of Great Teacher [GURUWARYA] of Shivaji raje.
| title = Shivaji and His Times
Bodhidharma - The Prince of Pallava Dynasty
Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th/6th century and is traditionally credited as the leading patriarch and transmitter of Zen (Chinese: Chn, Sanskrit: Dhyana) to China. He was the third son of a Tamil king of the Pallava Dynasty. According to Chinese legend, he also began the physical training of the Shaolin monks that led to the creation of Shaolinquan. However, martial arts historians have shown this legend stems from a 17th century qigong manual known as the Yijin Jing.
Little contemporary biographical information on Bodhidharma is extant, and subsequent accounts became layered with legend, but some accounts state that he was from a Brahmin family in southern India and possibly of royal lineage.However Broughton (1999:2) notes that Bodhidharma's royal pedigree implies that he was of the Kshatriya warrior caste. Mahajan (1972:705–707) argued that the Pallava dynasty was a Tamilian dynasty and Zvelebil (1987) proposed that Bodhidharma was born a prince of the Pallava dynasty in their capital ofKanchipuram[4] Scholars have concluded his place of birth to be Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, India.
After becoming a Buddhist monk, Bodhidharma traveled to China. The accounts differ on the date of his arrival, with one early account claiming that he arrived during the Li Sng Dynasty (420–479) and later accounts dating his arrival to the Ling Dynasty (502–557). Bodhidharma was primarily active in the lands of the Northern Wi Dynasty (386–534). Modern scholarship dates him to about the early 5th century.
The Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall (952) identifies Bodhidharma as the 28th Patriarch of Buddhism in an uninterrupted line that extends all the way back to the Buddha himself. D.T. Suzuki contends that Chn's growth in popularity during the 7th and 8th centuries attracted criticism that it had "no authorized records of its direct transmission from the founder of Buddhism" and that Chn historians made Bodhidharma the 28th patriarch of Buddhism in response to such attacks.
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