Upanayanam (from upa: auxiliary and nayanam: eye) literally means bringing (the ultimate truth) nearer in sight. This ceremony is called Munja in the state of Maharashtra. Its origin lies in worship of Munja, a deity on the Pipal tree. This deity is a bachelor and is worshipped throughout Maharashtra. As per Indian traditions, the Pipal tree represents knowledge. This is the origin of the ceremony. The sacred thread was added later on. Upanayan has got one more meaning that Upa na(over/above) yan am(it is) ...

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Upanayanam: the sacred thread ceremony for the bestowal of the Gayatri Mantra. The ceremony for the purpose of “bringing near or leading to”the Truth is performed by a priest and presided over by the father of the boy being initiated. India's law-giver, Manu, states the appropriate age for the receiving of the thread as five years for a Brahman, six for Kshatriya, and eight for a Vaishya (Code of Manu ii, 37-38).

(See also: Upanayanam, Hinduism, Yoga, Body Mind and Soul)

A rite of passage is a ritual that marks a change in a person's social or sexual status. The term was popularised by the French ethnographer Arnold van Gennep (1873-1957), in the early part of the twentieth century. Further theories were developed in the 1960s by Mary Douglas and Victor Turner. Rites of passage are often ceremonies surrounding events such as childbirth, menarche or other mile ...

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Brahmacharya is a Sanskrit word. The root "Brahma" signifies The Ultimate Reality or The Unified whole. The root "Char" means To follow or practice. The word Brahmacharya symbolises a person who is leading a life in quest of Brahma, or in other words a student. It is part of the Hindu scheme of life. Brahmacharya - Pronunciation. 'Brah' as the 'Bru' in 'brush' 'ma' as in 'animal' 'char' as the 'ture' in 'accenture' 'ya' as 'ia' in 'v ...

Including:

• Brahmacharya - Pronunciation
• Brahmacharya - Usage
• Brahmacharya - Yoga
• Brahmacharya - Diet and Ahimsa
• Brahmacharya - Modern Brahmacharis
• Brahmacharya - Links for more Information and Various Views

Read more here: » Brahmacharya: Encyclopedia - Brahmacharya

Shivaji Bhonsle, also known as Chhatrapati Shri Shivaji Maharaj (Marathi शिवाजीराजे भोसले)(February 19, 1630 - April 3, 1680) was the founder of the Maratha empire in western India in 1674 and one of the greatest Indian Kings. Using guerrilla tactics superbly suited to the rugged mountains and valleys of the region, he annexed a portion of the then dominant Mughal empire. He is still considered a hero in the present-day state of Maharashtra, and stories of his exploits have entered in ...

Including:

• Shivaji - The political scene before Shivaji
• Shivaji - Early life
• Shivaji - Confrontation with the local Sultanates
• Shivaji - Afzal Khan
• Shivaji - Siddi Jauhar
• Shivaji - Clash with the Moghuls
• Shivaji - Shahista Khan
• Shivaji - Surat
• Shivaji - Raja Jai Singh
• Shivaji - Trip To Agra and Escape
• Shivaji - Coronation
• Shivaji - Shivaji's rule
• Shivaji - Shivaji's forts
• Shivaji - Shivaji and Sanskrit
• Shivaji - Shivaji and Religion
• Shivaji - The Epilogue
• Shivaji - Remembering Shivaji
• Shivaji - Associates of Shivaji

Read more here: » Shivaji: Encyclopedia - Shivaji

Adolescence is the transitional stage of development between childhood and full adulthood (gender-specific manhood, or womanhood), representing the period of time during which a person is biologically adult but emotionally not at full maturity. The ages which are considered to be part of adolescence vary by culture. In the United States, adolescence is generally considered to begin around age 12-13, and end at 19-20. By contrast, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines adolescence as the period of life between 10 and 20 years of a ...

Including:

• Adolescence - Puberty
• Adolescence - Preteens
• Adolescence - Teenagers
• Adolescence - Emerging Adulthood
• Adolescence - Discrimination against adolescents
• Adolescence - Psychology of adolescents
• Adolescence - Social significance
• Adolescence - Legal issues
• Adolescence - Fiction about teenagers
• Adolescence - Nonfiction about teenagers
• Adolescence - List of people who achieved fame in their teens
• Adolescence - Historical significance
• Adolescence - Literature
• Adolescence - Entertainment
• Adolescence - Sports
• Adolescence - List of famous teenagers
• Adolescence - Compare with

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This word in one common usuage generally denotes a particular phase of life (first 20-25 years of Life). Ancient Hindu culture divides the life in 100 year life span. This is the stage when the young child leads a student life, (ideally in the Gurukula - the household of the Guru). This stage of life is preceded by the Upanayanam of the child, during which ceremony, he is considered to be born again. It is the first in the four phases of a man, namely, Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha, and finally Sanyasa, as prescri ...

See also:

Brahmacharya, Brahmacharya - Pronunciation, Brahmacharya - Usage, Brahmacharya - Yoga, Brahmacharya - Diet and Ahimsa, Brahmacharya - Modern Brahmacharis, Brahmacharya - Links for more Information and Various Views

Read more here: » Brahmacharya: Encyclopedia II - Brahmacharya - Usage

A thread ceremony (Upanayanam) took place on May 29, 1674, and then a Vratya Stoma ceremony was performed. Shivaji was formally crowned Chatrapati ("Holder of the Umbrella", representing the protection he bestowed on his people) on June 6, 1674 at the Raigad fort, and given the title, Kshatriya Kulavantas Simhasanadheeshwar Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Pandit Gaga Bhatt, renowned as Vedonarayana (Greatest exponent of Vedic discourse) Brahmin from Varanasi, officially presided over the ceremony and traced Sh ...

See also:

Shivaji, Shivaji - The political scene before Shivaji, Shivaji - Early life, Shivaji - Confrontation with the local Sultanates, Shivaji - Afzal Khan, Shivaji - Siddi Jauhar, Shivaji - Clash with the Moghuls, Shivaji - Shahista Khan, Shivaji - Surat, Shivaji - Coronation, Shivaji - Shivaji's rule, Shivaji - Shivaji's forts, Shivaji - The Epilogue, Shivaji - Remembering Shivaji, Shivaji - Associates of Shivaji

Read more here: » Shivaji: Encyclopedia II - Shivaji - Coronation

In commerce, this generation is seen as an important target. Cellular phones, contemporary popular music, movies, television programs, video games and clothes are heavily marketed and often popular amongst adolescents. In the past (and still in some cultures) there were ceremonies that celebrate adulthood, typically occurring during adolescence. Genpuku (translated as coming of age) in Japan is an instance. Upanayanam is a coming of age ceremony for males in the Hindu world. The bar mitzvah for boys and bat mitzv ...

See also:

Adolescence, Adolescence - Puberty, Adolescence - Preteens, Adolescence - Teenagers, Adolescence - Emerging Adulthood, Adolescence - Discrimination against adolescents, Adolescence - Psychology of adolescents, Adolescence - Social significance, Adolescence - Legal issues, Adolescence - Fiction about teenagers, Adolescence - Nonfiction about teenagers, Adolescence - List of people who achieved fame in their teens, Adolescence - Historical significance, Adolescence - Literature, Adolescence - Entertainment, Adolescence - Sports, Adolescence - List of famous teenagers, Adolescence - Compare with

Read more here: » Adolescence: Encyclopedia II - Adolescence - Social significance

Brahmacharya is also observed to contain one's sensual desires for food and taste, as well as materialism. Most brahmacharis prescribe to avoiding the consumption of meat, spices and cooked foods, said to cultivate the taste buds and pleasure senses of the mind. To terminate egotism and possessiveness, as a part of curbing one's aggressiveness and tendency to commit violence, one must cease to covet all material possessions. ...

See also:

Brahmacharya, Brahmacharya - Pronunciation, Brahmacharya - Usage, Brahmacharya - Yoga, Brahmacharya - Diet and Ahimsa, Brahmacharya - Modern Brahmacharis, Brahmacharya - Links for more Information and Various Views

Read more here: » Brahmacharya: Encyclopedia II - Brahmacharya - Diet and Ahimsa

Most Hindu, Buddhist and Jain monks are brahmacharis, having taken the vow for life, commiting themselves to work of religious service and study. Mahatma Gandhi, the great Indian political and spiritual leader had embraced the vow and lifestyle permanently at age 36. Many brahmacharis have the final goal of nirvana, or moksha in mind when they pursue strictly disciplined lifestyles. ...

See also:

Brahmacharya, Brahmacharya - Pronunciation, Brahmacharya - Usage, Brahmacharya - Yoga, Brahmacharya - Diet and Ahimsa, Brahmacharya - Modern Brahmacharis, Brahmacharya - Links for more Information and Various Views

Read more here: » Brahmacharya: Encyclopedia II - Brahmacharya - Modern Brahmacharis

Kurmis, as also the Kunbis Kshatriyas, are found throughout India, from Punjab to Bengal in the east as well as southern India. They are relatively prosperous and educated but due to their being mostly aggrarians, they were classified as backward castes. Etymologically, the words, Kunbi and Khanbi are generally considered a derivative of the word Kurmi. Kurmis constitue around two-to-three percentage of the total population of India. < ...

See also:

Kurmi, Kurmi - Kurmi Origins, Kurmi - Kurmis in India and Nepal, Kurmi - Common Kurmi Surnames, Kurmi - Etymology and usage, Kurmi - Why Kurmi?, Kurmi - Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi, Kurmi - Kurmi Kshatriya Empires, Kurmi - Famous Empires and Dynasties

Read more here: » Kurmi: Encyclopedia II - Kurmi - Kurmis in India and Nepal

"Kurmi" in Sanskrit, which is frequently used in the Ramayana, literally translates as "I can" or "I am able", or "within my power to act". In other words, those who are not Kurmi are not able,incompetent or without power to act. Examples of the usage of the word in Sanskrit are from the Ramayana: 1)'yat na kurmi' sadresam priyam... (Valmiki Ramayana, Book 6, Sarga 1). 'I am not able' to do a pleasant act... 2)'na kurmi' tvam bhasmam (Valmiki Ramayana, Book 5, Sarga 22)

Kurmi, Kurmi - Kurmi Origins, Kurmi - Kurmis in India and Nepal, Kurmi - Common Kurmi Surnames, Kurmi - Etymology and usage, Kurmi - Why Kurmi?, Kurmi - Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi, Kurmi - Kurmi Kshatriya Empires, Kurmi - Famous Empires and Dynasties

Read more here: » Kurmi: Encyclopedia II - Kurmi - Etymology and usage

After his coronation, Shivaji launched a wave of conquests in southern India with a massive force of 50,000 (30,000 cavalry & 20,000 infantry). He defeated and captured the forts at Vellore and Jinji in modern day Tamilnadu. He also signed a friendship treaty with the Kutubshah of Golconda. Shivaji died in 1680 at Raigad, after running a fever for three weeks. Shivaji successfully fought the Mughals to create a powerful independent state. During his early career he was only able to defeat small Mughal contingents stationed in villages. Later on he defeated major Mughal armies ...

See also:

Shivaji, Shivaji - The political scene before Shivaji, Shivaji - Early life, Shivaji - Confrontation with the local Sultanates, Shivaji - Afzal Khan, Shivaji - Siddi Jauhar, Shivaji - Clash with the Moghuls, Shivaji - Shahista Khan, Shivaji - Surat, Shivaji - Coronation, Shivaji - Shivaji's rule, Shivaji - Shivaji's forts, Shivaji - The Epilogue, Shivaji - Remembering Shivaji, Shivaji - Associates of Shivaji

Read more here: » Shivaji: Encyclopedia II - Shivaji - Shivaji's rule

In 1894, the Kurmis formed their first association in Lucknow to give teeth to their protest against the British decision to cut their numbers in the police force. Realising it was not enough, the Kurmi Sabha of Awadh included the Patidars, Kappus, Vokkaligas, Reddys, Naidus and Marathas of other states in its fold. By 1910, in the All India Kurmi Kshatriya Mahasabha, the Ramanandi sect, a group of monastic brahmin sages, traced the Kurmis ancestry to ...

See also:

Kurmi, Kurmi - Kurmi Origins, Kurmi - Kurmis in India and Nepal, Kurmi - Common Kurmi Surnames, Kurmi - Etymology and usage, Kurmi - Why Kurmi?, Kurmi - Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi, Kurmi - Kurmi Kshatriya Empires, Kurmi - Famous Empires and Dynasties

Read more here: » Kurmi: Encyclopedia II - Kurmi - Kurmi Origins

Because of his struggle against an imperial power, Shivaji became an icon of freedom fighters (along with the Rani of Jhansi) in the Indian independence struggle that followed two centuries later. He is remembered as a just and wise king and his rule is called one of the six golden pages in Indian history. A political party, the Shiv Sena, claims to draw inspiration from him. School texts in Maharashtra glorify his period. And in recent years organisations such as the Sambhaji Brigade have adopted a new religion known as Shiv D ...

See also:

Shivaji, Shivaji - The political scene before Shivaji, Shivaji - Early life, Shivaji - Confrontation with the local Sultanates, Shivaji - Afzal Khan, Shivaji - Siddi Jauhar, Shivaji - Clash with the Moghuls, Shivaji - Shahista Khan, Shivaji - Surat, Shivaji - Coronation, Shivaji - Shivaji's rule, Shivaji - Shivaji's forts, Shivaji - The Epilogue, Shivaji - Remembering Shivaji, Shivaji - Associates of Shivaji

Read more here: » Shivaji: Encyclopedia II - Shivaji - Remembering Shivaji

Puberty is the stage of the human lifespan in which a child develops secondary sex characteristics as his or her hormonal balance shifts strongly towards an adult state. This is triggered by the pituitary gland, which secretes a surge of hormones into the blood stream and begins the rapid maturation of the gonads: the girl's ovaries and the boy's testicles. Girls tend to enter puberty a year earlier than boys. The onset of puberty in girls is also related to body fat percentage. In most Western countries, the average age of menarche fell in a secular trend over the last century, most likely due to improved ...

See also:

Adolescence, Adolescence - Puberty, Adolescence - Preteens, Adolescence - Teenagers, Adolescence - Emerging Adulthood, Adolescence - Discrimination against adolescents, Adolescence - Psychology of adolescents, Adolescence - Social significance, Adolescence - Legal issues, Adolescence - Fiction about teenagers, Adolescence - Nonfiction about teenagers, Adolescence - List of people who achieved fame in their teens, Adolescence - Historical significance, Adolescence - Literature, Adolescence - Entertainment, Adolescence - Sports, Adolescence - List of famous teenagers, Adolescence - Compare with

Read more here: » Adolescence: Encyclopedia II - Adolescence - Puberty

Although many rituals that were practiced in ancient times are no longer followed, some traditions are continued to this day. Iyers are initiated into rituals at the time of Birth itself. In ancient times Iyers performed rituals when the baby was being separated from mother's umbilical cord. However, this practice is not followed in modern times. At the time of birth, a horoscope is made for the child based on the position of the stars. Then Iyers undergo the naming ceremony. This affair is important as the name given during this cere ...

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Iyer, Iyer - Spiritual and philosophical beliefs, Iyer - Rituals Ceremonies and Festivals, Iyer - Origins, Iyer - Social and political issues, Iyer - Iyer Women, Iyer - Traditional Iyer Ethics, Iyer - Iyers today, Iyer - Some notable Iyers in the Modern Era

Read more here: » Iyer: Encyclopedia II - Iyer - Rituals Ceremonies and Festivals

Iyer women are noted for their culture and tradition. Proud of their culture, they are uncompromising in their stand. If the Iyers have been able to retain many aspects of their culture, and if they are indeed among the most disciplined yet progressive brahmins, the credit must indeed go to Iyer women. Iyer women have played a major role in propagating Carnatic music and the classical dance form called Bharatanatyam. The Iyer woman is often portrayed as fair skinned woman draped in a nine yard saree, also known as madisaror[Kosha] in ...

See also:

Iyer, Iyer - Spiritual and philosophical beliefs, Iyer - Rituals Ceremonies and Festivals, Iyer - Origins, Iyer - Social and political issues, Iyer - Iyer Women, Iyer - Traditional Iyer Ethics, Iyer - Iyers today, Iyer - Some notable Iyers in the Modern Era

Read more here: » Iyer: Encyclopedia II - Iyer - Iyer Women