INDIA - Gate of Happiness -

26/05/2020

☀Mauli or the red thread of life🇮🇳

Mauli or Kalava, also called Rakshai or Charadu either north or south of India, is a sacred red thread🎗 tied on the wrist before the start of any ritual, prayer or religious ceremony🌟.

Mauli is made of cotton mainly in red and in small pieces of yellow color. Yellow colors represent spiritual energy and red stimulates the properties of spiritual energy🌟. It therefore has a miraculous power to protect itself from evil energy.

The ritual thread is traditionally worn on the wrist or the right arm by men and on the left by women.

The basic meaning is to obtain blessings from God. The wire preserves or absorbs these blessings when it is attached to the wrist during the ceremony. It is related to faith in God and asking Him to save us from all evil outside the world.

Many texts contain religious stories about Kalava. In the Mahabharata, Draupadi (daughter of King Drupada) tied a Kalava to d'Abhimanyu (character from the ancient Indian epic) before his last day of war for divine protection🙏. Many warriors did not defeat him as long as he carried the Kalava in his right hand🖐.

Lord Krishna wanted his death because he was wicked in his previous life. Krishna therefore sent a mouse🐁 to cut his Kalava and soon after, Abhimanyu was killed.

Another legend says that Lord Vishnu, during his incarnation as Vamana, tied a red thread to the hands of King Bali to grant him immortality and to rule the underworld.

The whole body is believed to be controlled by the wrist vein and if the Mauli is attached to the wrist it helps regulate the body's blood circulation.💃. It helps to purify our thoughts and turn them into positive thoughts☀and ward off evil and negative energy🕉..

25/05/2020

☀ Chicken tikka massala, non-veg 🇮🇳
👉 Ingredients for 4 people
Chicken (4 thighs, thighs or 4 chicken breasts of your choice), 2 stirred yogurts🍶, 1 small tomato paste🍎, 1 onion, 1 piece of grated ginger (3 cm), 1 pressed garlic clove, 2 tomatoes (or 1 small can of crushed tomatoes), 1 handful of unsalted peanuts, 2 tablespoons of ghee (or vegetable oil), 1 half lime, 1 handful of fresh coriander🌿, spices: 2 cc of garam massala, 2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, salt
👉Preparation
Mix the stirred yogurt with half of all the spices and the tomato puree, and coat the chicken in it.
In a cast iron casserole dish (or saute pan), brown the minced onion for 10 min, then add the garlic and ginger, as well as the chicken and its marinade. Leave to brown for 15 minutes while stirring, then add the crushed peanuts.
Add the chopped tomatoes (or the can of crushed tomatoes) with 1 small glass of water and the rest of the spices and simmer over low heat, covered for about 20 min (or more if your chicken pieces are larger).
After 20 minutes of cooking, add the 2nd yogurt which will bind the sauce, a handful of fresh corianderandre and a drizzle of lime, and serve with Basmati rice.

23/05/2020

☀The art of paper mache in Kashmir🇮🇳

Paper mache is one of the handicrafts for which Kashmir is famous. While we was in Srinagar, we visited the floating market workshop where the Kashmiris make beautiful hand-painted papier-mâché: plates, boxes, vases, furniture, so many different things to see. We can learn how they make their pieces in the traditional way. It's really solid and made for regular use. Nice to see ...

28/10/2019

☀ the homemade recipe of the idlis 🇮🇳

The, are steamed rice cakes in the oval shape that can be found everywhere in south india 🇮🇳. And for reason, it is traditional breakfast but also sometimes the dinner of the people of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Its influence extends even to sri lanka 😮. I love so much that I thought it was an excellent recipe to share with you...

👉 the ingredients for 32 Idlis:
3 Cups of rice in idlis (rice a little more rude), 1 and a half cup of White Lentils (Urad Dhal), black but white lens when dehulled (otherwise coral lentils), 1 half coffee spoon From seeds of fenugreek, 4 teaspoons of salt, water,
👉 the method:
The complexity of the recipe for idlis is that it requires good management of time and quantities. A beautiful dough requires a time of preparation and fermentations and the ingredients must be carefully measured to get soft and light idlis ❗️
👉 start by washing and rinse the rice, then soak it a full night.
The next day wash the lentils and rinse them, soak them an hour with the fenugreek 🌿.
👉 then turn the lenses into two parts. Add ½ cup of water 💦 and mix to have a soft consistency. For all lenses, this will be 2 TO 2 and a half cups of water.
👉 do the same with rice. It will be mixed in three times with half a cup of water every time.
👉 mix rice and lentils together. Add the salt to the mixture now thick and liquid.
👉 put the blend in a bowl so that it is filled at half height. Start the fermentation of the dough, a fundamental step. To go faster and especially if it's cold you can help fermentation by placing the bowl in a warm oven that has just been turned off. The ideal temperature is between 25 and 28 degrees. Let the dough fermentation a full night 🌙. Small bubbles will be formed on the surface and the dough will take a good smell, it's a sign of good fermentation and fluffy idlis in perspective. The next day she's ready to be used ❗️
You can cook the idlis steamed in a minute cooker if you have mussels in idlis. Pour a bottom of water, drop a shady of dough in each hole in idli (without filling it completely). Be careful not to break the dough, you have to avoid stir it ❗️ carry the water to boiling then reduce to soft fire and let the idlis cook 7 minutes. You can also use Silicone Molds and cook them in the steam oven at about 100 degrees 💥 for about 100 minutes.
Let them cool a few minutes so you don't burn your fingers and then mix them with the sauces or chutney of your choice 😁

27/10/2019

☀️Happy Diwali🇮🇳️

The Festival of Lights 💡is known as Deepavali (deep - lamp, vali - array). This is the name of the festival in Southern India and is how the festival is referred to in other Asian countries such as Malaysia and Singapore. In Northern India, it is more commonly known as Diwali. Other spellings of the festival include Divali and Dipavali.

For Hindus around the world, the celebration revolves around the triumph of good over evil, purity over impurity, light over darkness🙏. It is one of the most important Hindu festivals with over 800 million people celebrating the festival in various ways.

👉Why is Diwali celebrated?
Diwali marks the return of Lord Rama, who was the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, from a fourteen year exile.
The Festival of Lights takes place on the darkest night (first night of the new moon) in the month of Kartik in the Hindu calendar.

Across India streets and temples 🏫are decorated with spectacular light displays and colorful garlands✨.
In their homes, people light small oil lamps called diyas. It is believed that deceased relatives 💕come back to visit their families on Earth during this festival and the lights are a way to guide 🕯️the spirits home. The sound of firecrackers exploding is common as the noise is said to drive away evil spirits👺.

Families, friends and business associates exchange gifts and sweets👩‍👩‍👧‍👧, settle old business deals and are encouraged to rid themselves of hate, anger and jealousy.

The festival is a time for rejoicing and renewal☀️.

👉The Five Days of Diwali
Diwali is a five day festival that straddles the new moon. Though widely celebrated across all of India, the days may have different names and have additional meanings in some parts of India, there is enough commonality to briefly describe each of the days:

✔️Dhanteras
Dhanteras marks the beginning of the five day festivities of Diwali. On this day, it is customary for people to clean their houses,🔮 so they are ready to welcome in Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity, whose Puja is performed in the evening. This is an auspicious day and a lucky day for buying expensive goods, though it is also a day to consider charity 🤗for those less well off. Small clay lamps, called diyas are lit to drive away the shadows of evil spirits.
✔️Naraka Chaturdashi
According to Hindu tradition, the demon Narakasura 👺was killed by Lord Krishna on the second day. Marking the coming end of the year in some regions of India, customs on this day are about cleaning the slate before the start of a new year and getting rid of anything bad. People get up early and wash and put on clean or new clothes. In parts of Southern India, this day is celebrated as the main day of Deepavali.
✔️Diwali
The third day is celebrated on the new moon🌑 in Kartik. In most parts of India, this is the most important day of the festival and is the last day of the year in many regions of India. On this day, Lord Rama rescued his wife💕, Sita, from the demon Ravana and returned home after along exile💪. Candles are lit to celebrate his victory, and to light his way home after the battle. In the evening, it may seem like the whole of India is lit by explosions as people set off many fireworks🎇.
✔️Balipadyami
The fourth day of Diwali is also the first day of the new year in the Vikram Samvat calendar and may also be known as Pratipada, Govardhan Puja or Annakut. Annakut means 'mountain of food', which is a giveaway that today is all about feasting🍲🥘🍩🥨. Tradition has it that on this day, Lord Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill to give shelter from torrential rains to local villagers. Today, Hindus prepare a great deal of food and take it to the temples to celebrate the beginning of the new year and give thanks to Krishna for his benevolence🙏.
✔️Bhai Bij
This is the fifth and last day of Diwali festival. This day celebrates the relationship between brother and sister👫

24/10/2019

☀ it's always interesting to know the superstitions of a country, some are common to ours and others... a little less ❗️

👉 here are some of them in India

🌴 do not cut your nails after sunset because the pieces of nails can spread to the ground in the absence of light, causing unwanted damage to others (Barefoot)

🌴 you would invite the bad spell if you were to hit the ground in the evening, because in the dark you can sweep something important

🌴 take sweet white cheese before leaving home lucky

🌴 you have to wash after attending a funeral, it prevents from catching the infection of the deceased

🌴 we coated the walls with cow manure to be under good auspices because cow manure is a natural insecticide and disinfectant

🌴 don't sleep the head to the north, sleeping in front of the north has the effect of disturbing the human body field because of the earth magnetic field.

🌴 does not come out during the eclipse, during the eclipse as the skin is exposed to increased radiation.

🌴 don't ask someone or he goes when it comes out, this is bad for the people who come out

🌴 when a family moves into a new home, it is tradition to boil a pan of milk on the new cooker, until the milk is overflowing with the pan. This means an abundance of prosperity and food that will also be beneficial for new homes. The boiled milk is then offered to the chosen Gods, before being offered to the guest with a little sugar.

🌴 when buying a new car or a new home, it is a tradition for a family to throw a coconut on the ground and make sure it is broken into pieces. This means a commemoration of a new article, by blessing it in the process.

🌴 Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays = no haircut day!
Here's why: Seniors believe that these days, planets are giving rays that can harm a person's health and well-being. The human brain is important to someone and if you cut your hair on the days, the rays will have a direct effect on the head. Here's what religious texts and astrology have to say about the days:

Now that you know these be vigilant 💕

16/10/2019

☀ the mosque on the water 🇮🇳
The Mosque is located on an island connected by a dam to the land 🌴. The Mosque is only accessible at low tide and the dam is filled with many shops of various and varied memories.
It is one of the most visited monuments in Mumbai. Both mosque and tomb, it was originally built in 1431 by the rich Muslim merchant and Holy Man Pir Ali Shah Bukhari who changed his life after his great pilgrimage to Mecca. His body is resting today in the mosque 🌟. On Thursday and Friday, the mosque is attended by many pilgrims who come to pray while admiring this mosque in the process of restoration and enjoying the ocean.

15/10/2019

14/10/2019

☀ why we eat with hands in india 🇮🇳

Science Science explains it clearly ❗️
Hands 🖐 are considered our most precious organ of action. Hands and feet are the channels of the five elements: Space, air, fire, water and earth. One of the five elements represents one of the fingers. Through the thumb, Angushtha, comes the space 🌠, through the index, tarjani, the air 🌬; through the major, madhyama, fire 🔥; through the ring ring, Anamika, water 💦 And through the little finger, kanishtha, the earth 🌎.

In The Vedic tradition, we eat with your hands because the five elements are represented by the fingers. They are starting to transform food and make them digestible before they even reach the mouth. This transformation also increases the senses so that we can smell and taste the texture of the food we eat 🍵. You also hear the sounds when you eat. All these sensations are a necessary prelude to activate agni, digestive fire (CF Ayurveda), and prepare to receive the meal. In your hands, you remember your sacred nature ✨.

In ghronikah mudra, the five fingers form a petal around a piece of food the size of a plum. This is one of the two main mudras used to eat solid food. Ghronikah Active and balance the element "Earth" in the body. The " Earth " element controls the sense of smell and gives an additional vision to " feel our journey ", that is to be aware of the connection with mother nature.
In annabhakshana mudra, we use the fingertips to pick up a small amount of food 🍮, enough. We use the thumb to advance the food forward and in the mouth. This is the second of the two main mudras to eat solid food. This mudra practice grows our conscience by eating good quality food and in a quiet environment 🌿

Kangulah mudra is used to eat long and thin pieces of food 🌶. When we bring the food to the mouth in kangulah mudra, the palm of the hand faces up, evoking the spirit of conscience. This mudra thanks what nature gives us.

Kadambah mudra uses the five finge

13/10/2019

☀ mundan 🇮🇳
This is the Hindu ceremony of mundan or chudakarana where we shave for the first time the children's hair.

This ceremony is very practiced in India and has given me as important as the bâptème in our house 🙏. For all these families, it's party day ❗️

This ritual takes place when the child begins to feed by himself and marks the beginning of the separation with his mother. It must take place before the age of three.

In The Hindu tradition, the child's hair ties him to his past lives, to of memories 💫. So he's going to be completely shaved to release him from his past and allow him to grow healthy 🌟.

Hair is then offered to the gods while reading mantras and doing a ritual around fire and offerings to the temple 🏨.

The Child's shaved head 👨 🦲 will then be coated with a sandalwood paste and reflects its purity and the absence of ego.

12/10/2019

☀ special invitation 🇮🇳

Want to get in the air ❓
Dinner differently ❓
Treat yourself to an original dinner ❓

Well this is the concept of dinner in the clouds either in Delhi or bengaluru 😉
Dinner 50 meters from the ground to you to see...

10/10/2019

☀ homam or yagnam the fire ceremony 🇮🇳

The Sacred Fire ceremony is held in temples, houses and workplace. Different forms of divine gods and half gods are claimed during the fire 🔥 sacred according to the guidelines of the vedic scriptures.

Homam or yagnam brings humans closer to their divine nature offering the way to burn his karma and get closer to the almighty. Homa is practiced by the the at almost all religious ceremonies and important events.

A Homa has a purifier effect on practitioners 🌟 but also on the environment. We offer eco-friendly products to fire and mantras that boosts chakras. This invigorates the body and mind that and brings abundance by exchange negative energies such as anger and irrational thinking with positive energies such as calm, tranquility and controlled attitudes 🙏.

According to the ancient texts of Sanatana Dharma on homa, any offer of fire to divinity is actually an offer in the sun ☀. Offerings such as ghee, rice, dried fruits, honey, herbs, wood, etc. Are offered to the holy fire while reading the holy fire.

Mantras are recited to ask the God of fire to transmit offerings and prayers to the desired divinity. And there are two basic energy systems in the physical world: heat 🔥 and sound 🥁. By performing yagnam, these two energies, the heat of the fire of yagnam and the sound of the gayatri song and other vedic mantras, are mixed to achieve the desired physical, psychological and spiritual benefits.

09/10/2019

☀️ Pari mahal in Srinagar, the garden that dominates 🇮🇳
On the zabarwan mountains in Srinagar, there is a beautiful garden and a well-Relaxing Palace: the bet mahal. This treasure dates back to the period of the period It was built by Dara Shikoh, the elder son of the king shah jahan, in 1640. He was home to a small library and was used by dara shikoh as a summer retreat 🍃. Later, pari mahal was transformed into an observatory and used as a teaching center for astronomy and astrology students ⛺️. Built in the architectural style, this beauty is surrounded by valleys and green hills, it is a peaceful place overlooking lake dal, ideal to recharge and meditate.

08/10/2019

☀️ visit from Varanasi to india 🇮🇳️
Varanasi is another sacred city 🙏 of India with a very ancient history. It is known as the city of Lord Shiva, the God of both creation and destruction. Anyone who dies in Varanasi will be released from the cycle of reincarnation. It is even said that a wash in the ganges removes all sins. 💦
The fascinating thing about this mystical city is that these rituals come to life freely along the many ghats on the edge of the Ganges, also used for bath or to burn the bodies of the dead.
Yoga 🧘 ♀️, blessings, massages and cricket games are one of the other activities practiced on the edge of the river 🙂

30/06/2019

☀️Purulia, West Bengal🇮🇳

Nature is at the heart of Indian mythology and many believe that Hinduism has a deep animist essence. A school of thought says that Agni, the god of fire, was born once on earth and took the form of a flower. This flower is called "Palash" and when it is in full bloom it is a fiery vermilion🌺. The palash flowers during the first week of March and, at that time, the flowering trees feel like they are on fire.

The beauty of the palm trees in bloom fascinates and this brief but surprising flowering has seduced many eminent writers and poets. It is generally believed that Palash is the precursor of spring ☘️ and is found everywhere in India.
Although it is the official flower of Jharkhand, palash also grows abundantly in West Bengal. In spring, Purulia is deep red, which is due to the mass flowering of palash.

It is a beautiful place that regenerates, calms and revitalizes.

19/06/2019

☀️Sivasagar, the heart of the Ahom🇮🇳 kingdom

Previously known as Sibsagar, its name translates as Lord Shiva🙏's ocean.
Sivasagar is the seat of the district of the same name and is 360 km from the state capital, Guwahati.

It is a historic city and it was the capital of the Ahom kingdom for about 100 years. There is an artificial reservoir of 52 ha called the Sivasagar Reservoir 💦around which the city is built. The presence of historic monuments belonging to the Ahom era is the pride of the city.

Today, Sivasagar has become a historic city surrounded by oil and tea gardens. There is much to explore in this tourist destination of Upper Assam. The Ahoms led the Assam region for more than 600 years, until they were completely destroyed by the Burmese in 1817😮

01/06/2019

☀️Why does Ganesh have a broken defense? 🇮🇳

Ganesh is one of the most important gods of Hinduism. Widely revered by Hindus everywhere. So, how did Ganesh break his left defense?

Parashuram was an incarnation of the god Vishnu who had defeated the evil king Kartavirya Arjuna. He did it with the blessings of Lord Shiva. The slender owl known as Parashu was used by Parashuram to kill his enemy and avenge the murder of his father Jamadagni.

After killing Kartavirya, Parashuram wanted to meet Lord Shiva. He wanted to thank Shiva for teaching him his legendary fighting skills and the powerful '' Parashu ''. On his way, Parashuram was arrested by Ganesh, the son of Lord Shiva.

Parshuram was a brave bhaktan (devotee) of Lord Shiva🌟, he defied Ganesh who accepted and a dangerous fight between them. During the fight, Parashuram hit Ganesh's defense with Parashu.

Ganesh knew that the '' Parashu '' had Shiva's blessings and he let himself be struck by it. Ganesh's defense broke out after the impact. Since that time, he is also known as 'Ekadantya', the one with a defense.

After this incident, Ganesh also became a Chiranjivi (one of the seven immortals of Hinduism) alongside Hanuman, Parshuram, Ashvathama and Vibhisana☀️

24/05/2019

☀️Kesariya, the last days of the Buddha
Located 100 km from Vaishali, Kesariya is a short and important stop on the Buddhist circuit🇮🇳

Kesariya would be where the Buddha would have spent his last days before his nirvana 🌟 and where he would have given his alms bowl to the Vaishali Lichchhavis (The Licchhavi clan was originally from Vaishali and Muzaffarpur in northern Bihar, India).
He would also have given here, one of his most important speeches, the "Kalama Sutta" which advocates logical reasoning and questioning opposing blind faith and dogmatism.
To commemorate this moment, the Lichchhavis built the stupa Kesariya.
It would be the biggest stupa in the world. It is 42m in circumference and 3m high but was previously more important.

Originally the stupa was just a mound of earth; it has its current brick structure from the Maurya, Sunga and Kushana periods. Its unique architecture has several terraces with niches in which are placed statues of the Buddha, partly destroyed.
Long before his last visit, the Buddha already had a connection with Kesariya: the legends of Jataka (Buddha's previous lives) tell that in a previous incarnation, Buddha would have been king of Vaishali.