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Old Kalash Man with Chitrali Pakol on his head with flowers and smile
Collecting firewood in harsh environment, Kalasha, Pakistan.
Photo: Alex Treadway/ICIMOD.
A Kalash Girl with her kids on the door of her house.
The Postcard
A postally unused postcard bearing no publisher's name.
The Use of Coconuts in the Hindu Religion
Coconuts are native to the Asia-Pacific region of the world, and have long occupied a place in Hindu religious practice, first appearing in Sanskrit literature in the fourth century B.C.
For example, two major Sanskrit epic tales, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata both feature coconuts. Today, coconuts have significance within the Hindu religion and play a role in a variety of rituals.
The Symbolism of Coconuts
Coconuts have symbolic importance within Hinduism. The coconut's rough exterior fibers look like hairs, and its round shape and three eyes resemble a face. For this reason the coconut has been used to represent the three eyes of the Hindu god Shiva.
The coconut can also symbolize a proud heart, as it is has a rough exterior but the fruit within is sweet and tender.
Puja
In the Hindu religion, Puja involves honoring and connecting with a deity or divine spirit. During Puja, Hindus make an offering to the deity and receive a blessing in return. Both the fruit and leaves of a coconut may be used during puja.
The coconut fruit is used to represent a divine consciousness, and is often displayed with its leaves in a copper pot called a kalasha.
Aadi Festival
During the annual Aadi festival, celebrated mid-July to mid-August, Hindus worship the goddess Amman. One ritual practiced during the festival is that of breaking open coconuts over the heads of the faithful. The ritual is representative of fulfilling a personal commitment or gratitude to the goddess for her blessings.
This practice can sometimes result in minor injuries to the participants, resulting in authorities preventing those below a certain age from engaging in the coconut-breaking ritual.
Other Coconut Rituals
Some Indian coastal villages that make a living primarily through the fishing industry present offerings of coconuts to ensure calm, bountiful seas (as in the photograph).
In the state of Kerala, the largest producer of coconuts in India, coconut flowers are planted in rice bowls and displayed during wedding ceremonies.
Instead of smashing a bottle of champagne, Hindus may break coconuts when blessing a new home or business venture.
Kalasha is spoken in Chitral— Bumburet, Birir, Ashwaga, and Rumbur valleys. The language has a total number of 5,000 speakers.
Credit: Jamil Akhtar
The Kalasha (Kalasha: Kaĺaśa, Nuristani: Kasivo) or Kalash, are a Dardic indigenous people residing in the Chitral District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. They speak the Kalasha language, from the Dardic family of the Indo-Aryan branch. They are considered unique among the peoples of Pakistan. They are also considered to be Pakistan's smallest religious community.
The neighboring Nuristani people of the adjacent Nuristan (historically known as Kafiristan) province of Afghanistan once practiced the same religion as the Kalash. By the late 19th century much of Nuristan had been converted to Islam, although some evidence has shown the people continued to practice their customs. Over the years, the Nuristan region has also been the site of much war activity that has led to the death of many endemic Nuristanis and has seen an inflow of surrounding Afghans to claim the vacant region, who have since settled among with the remaining natives. The Kalash of Chitral maintained their own separate cultural traditions.
www.vedicvaani.com
The #Kalash is design with #lord #Shiva faces it symbolically represents creation. The vacant pot, symbolizes earth, and the water filled symbolizes the primordial water from which life began on #earth. It is filled with water (preferably the water of #holy #Ganga, any sacred river or clean, running water). Its top open end holds betel or mango leaves and a red-yellow #sanctified #thread (#kalawa or mauli) is tied around its neck. This #kalash is placed on the #puja vedi (worship dais or table) near the idols or pictures of the #deity. It is placed facing the North, in the center. This positioning signifies balance; balance that one needs to achieve success in every walk of life. Often it is topped by a coconut or a deepak and kept on the 3sacred #Vedic #swastika symbol or a #Vedic #swastika is drawn on it by using wet vermillion, #sandal-#wood powder and turmeric.
The mango leaves represent the life forms. And coconut a product from the life forms is again filled with water symbolically representing endless cycle and the single thread that runs in all of us.
When #devas and #asuras churned the ocean to obtain the immortality nectar, it is said that the nectar appeared in a #kalasha. Thus it also symbolizes immortality. The water in the #kalasha is also used during the consecration of #temples and is known as #kumbabhisheka and it involves pouring water from several #kalashas.
A #kalasha is an important accompaniment in #puja #rituals, #housewarming, #wedding, while receiving important dignitaries, during #festive #occasions and as a welcome sign at the entrance of houses . Design: Made of thick #brass with long lasting finish.
Design: Made in heavy #shining #brass.
#Brass is well known for its grasping capacity. It grasps the divine spirit upto 30%, when compared to other metals. The #spiritual #vibrations are attracted towards these #shining #idols easily.
Dimensions: 4 inches (H) x 3 . 5 inches (W) x 2 . 5 inches (top diameter)
Weight: 840 gms
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Inside a Kalasha house, the poverty and resulting everyday strife is evident
