Stories and jewelry from India
Once upon a time, a fisherman came to Pandarpur to worship Lord Vittal (a form of Lord Vishnu). He had brought along with him two of the fishes that he had caught as an offering to the Lord. The guards and priests of the temple denied him entry. Their sentiments were hurt for a dirty,
Rāmayanam is a Hindu epic that details the life history of King Rāma of Ayodhya, his brothers, his wife Sītā and their trials and tribulations. In most stories about women and jewelry, women play the central character driving the story forward. However, in this incident from Rāmayanam, the woman, Sītā is only spoken about. Her
Once Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati argued about who was more powerful. They decided to settle this dispute through a dance duel. Shiva, as the master of dance would perform a step and Parvati had to replicate the step perfectly without missing a beat and vice versa. A huge crowd gathers to watch this
Continue readingKanaka Thadanga earrings – of modesty and shame
Once upon a time, there lived a tiger in a forest. In his youth, he slayed a wealthy merchant and kept as a souvenir, a sparkling gold bangle or kada. With the passing years, he became too old to hunt. He was hungry, morose, and licking his aching limbs as he rested near a marsh.
A version of this story appeared in Amar Chitra Katha as “The celestial necklace” by Toni Patel. It is said to have been an adaptation of a Jain story, written in Hindi by Muni Mahendrakumar Once there lived a pious and charitable king. Pleased with his devotion, a Demi God blessed him with a celestial