Hindu Mythology

With Ahalya, Koral Dasgupta’s interpretation of Hindu philosophy points to undaunted women, sacred relation with nature

Author Koral Dasgupta on new book Ahalya, the Sati Series, importance of interpreting Hindu philosophy through different perspectives.

Mythology For The Millennial: On the elaborate adventures of Indian Cupid Kamadeva, and his enterprising wife, Rati

Since we are so conveniently placed between Valentine's Day and Holi, it would be a good time to talk about Kamadeva, the Indian Cupid, god of love and desire, or his enterprising wife, the goddess Rati, who also rules over sex and sexy feelings, but like many happy marriages, her story is entangled deeply with his.

Mythology for the Millennial: From feisty goddess to earthly river, navigating the rich lore of Ganga

Ganga came into our universe thanks to that little meddler, Vamana, who we last saw torturing Mahabali and making him give up his entire kingdom and die because the gods couldn't handle his success. While the Vamana was counting his steps across the sky, his toenail poked the edge of the world and a hole appeared in the universe, causing a divine ocean to flow out and become Ganga as soon as it reached our atmosphere. The river, not yet a person, stays in heaven until an enterprising guy called Bhagirath asks for it — now her — to come down to earth and wash away people's sins and what not.

In Ahalya's Awakening, Kavita Kané questions the penalty for infidelity, and its significance in Indian mythology

Ahalya's Awakening, as the author notes, traces the paradox of its eponymous protagonist, who is "deemed promiscuous", and yet, is seen as a symbol of chastity.

New book on Lepakshi temple discusses its architecture and origin that lies between history, mythology

A new book, Lepakshi: Architecture, Sculpture and Painting, by Anna L Dallapiccola, Brigitte Khan Majlis, and George Michell with John M Fritz, explores the history and artistic features of the structure that's hidden away in a remote part of the state.

'Ram Setu was built by Indian engineers, astonishes world even today,' HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal tells IIT students

Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal has claimed that Ram Setu was built by Indian engineers and it continues to astonish the world till date.

Amish Tripathi on his new book Raavan, ancient Indian philosophy, research and writing processes

In an interview with Firstpost, Amish Tripathi talks about the liberal nature of ancient tradition, clarifies misconceptions and discusses the function of philosophy and stories

Mythology for the Millennial: On Devyani, a sage's daughter, and Kacha, an undying man who would not commit

This is the story of one emotional f*ckwit, all the way back in ancient India, when the world was divided into devas, the gods, and the asuras, the demons.

Mythology for the Millennial: Narada may be a trickster, but he deserved better than a life of illusions

While the Norsemen have Loki as their trickster, Hindu mythology has its very own Narada, not a god, but a sage hobnobbing with the who's who of the divine world.

Devdutt Pattanaik on his new book Faith: 'Myths are a necessary part of the human condition, not just ancient times'

In his latest book Faith, Devdutt Pattanaik attempts to meticulously explain the various aspects of Hinduism that might baffle the modern practitioner, even the most seemingly irrelevant ones