Vishnu

Mythology for the Millennial: How Lakshmi, a fierce, Beyonce-esque creature, was transformed into a 'good wife and mother'

Lakshmi was the first Indian woman to be exploited by men — in one of her creation stories, she emerges from the creator god, Prajapati, only to dazzle all the other gods by her beauty and power, who immediately want to murder her and appropriate all her gifts.

Kalki movie review: Tovino Thomas's repugnant take on the violent, larger-than-life clichéd 'hero'

Everyone in Kalki is relegated to the background as Tovino Thomas strides across the screen framed in stereotypical low-angle shots.

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.

Mythology for the Millennial: This Holi, it's time to re-examine the story of the seemingly villainous Holika

The myths around Holi have a lot more to do with hubris than with evil women, and yet the festival is named after a wicked aunt whose only crime was to help her brother get what he wanted.

Mythology for the Millennial: Anasuya's story deserves to be told, not forgotten in the margins of myths

Anasuya is one of the Chaste Women of Hindu mythology — so pious, she became kind of magical in her own right.

On Diwali, understanding the nature of wealth through the mythology connected with goddess Lakshmi

As the goddess associated with the perhaps the biggest Indian festival — Diwali — this seems a timely moment to deepen our understanding of Lakshmi, and all that she represents.

Mythology for the Millennial: What Vishnu's female avatar teaches us about women in ancient India

Mohini came from Vishnu, and while it's not entirely clear whether Vishnu himself turned into a woman or merely created the illusion of a woman like augmented reality, all agree that she was extremely beautiful and very skillful at achieving her one and only goal: getting the better of someone using her feminine wiles.

Behind the storm over Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu's comments over poet-saint Andal

Incidents like the row over Vairamuthu's Andal comments only perpetuate a variety of misogyny | #FirstCulture

Maha Shivratri 2017: Shiva is a cultural symbol synthesised from influences over thousands of years

Shiva has been variously visualised, eulogised and internalised. This note brings together some of the popular forms and stories (in no particular order) of he who is the Mahadeva – the greatest of all Gods.

Nag Panchami not just about snake worship, but subjecting the object of veneration to needless agony, death

Sixty to seventy thousand snakes die each year on Nag Panchami during their trapping, rough handling on the day & because most snakes are allergic to milk.