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Durga Puja, London, United Kingdom Source: Moushumi Chakraborty Durga Puja is a Hindu festival which honours Goddess Durga.  Durga, a slayer of demons, is considered to be a form of   shakti   of Shiva.   Originally a tribal deity, over time she was adopted into the broader Brahamanical fold.  The name of the goddess means "Inaccessible" or "She Who is Difficult to Approach".   As per mythology, she was created by gods (the trimurti or trinity gods - Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva and the lesser gods of the Puranic Hinduism), fully formed as a warrior to fight against a demon named Mahishasura who threatened the power of the gods and the order of creation. She killed the demon after fighting a fierce battle. She is depicted with eight or ten arms, carrying weapons provided to her by the gods. It is to mark this significant victory over evil, the festival of Durga Puja is celebrated. I t is primarily celebrated in the eastern part of India in West Bengal, Bihar,...

Anantashayana Vishnu (Vishnu Lounging on the Celestial Serpent Sheshanaga or Ananta) A Passionate Eye: Textiles, Paintings and Sculptures from the Bharany Donation  (2014) [Exhibition], National Museum, New Delhi  Source: Dr. Richa Singh Vishnu, as the" Preserver of the Universe" in Hindu mythology, took on the form of the avataras, his earthly incarnations, to aid humanity at times of severe adversity. Though the number and identities of Vishnu's incarnations vary. For example, the Sanskrit text Satvata Samhita  one of the earliest agamas or the post-Buddhist scriptures from the Pancharatra agamas , an older collection of Vaishnava texts, enumerates as many as 39 incarnatory forms of Vishnu, including Ananta or Shesha, the Naga who is considered Vishnu's serpent mount on which he rests in eternal yogic sleep in the "Anantashayana" position. Interestingly, some lists incorporate spiritual teachers of the Shramanic movement or heterodox sects that emerged du...