23 Homa Prakriyas
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Gujarati Calendar
2019 Drik Panchang Hindu Calendar Hindu Calendar for Delhi, NCT, India Purnimanta Calendar - new month begins from Purnima Page 1 of 25 January 2019 Pausha - Magha 2075 Navami K Pratipada S Saptami S Chaturdashi S Saptami K SUN 30 9 6 16 13 22 20 29 27 7 रिव 07:18 17:30 07:19 17:35 07:19 17:40 07:18 17:46 07:16 17:52 Surya Grahan *Anshika Bhanu Saptami Bhanu Saptami Kanya 20:18 Dhanu 24:26+ Meena Mithuna 24:06+ Tula Hasta 08:25 P Ashadha 17:44 U Bhadrapada 11:07 Ardra 08:08 Chitra 14:25 Dashami K Pratipada S Ashtami S Purnima S Ashtami K MON 31 10 7 16 14 23 21 30,1 28 8 सोम 07:18 17:30 07:19 17:35 07:19 17:41 07:18 Pausha Purnima 17:47 07:16 17:53 Shakambhari Purnima Chandra Darshana Chandra Grahan *Purna Tula Makara Meena 12:53 Karka Tula Chitra 08:19 U Ashadha 20:37 Revati 12:53 Pushya 26:28+ Swati 14:29 Ekadashi K Dwitiya S Navami S Dwitiya K Navami K TUE 1 11 8 17 15 24 22 2 29 9 मंगल 07:18 17:31 07:19 17:36 07:19 17:42 07:18 17:48 07:15 17:53 Pongal Saphala Ekadashi Makara Sankranti Tula 27:24+ Makara Mesha Karka 23:32 Tula 09:00 Swati 08:45 Shravana 23:41 Ashwini 13:57 Ashlesha 23:32 Vishakha 15:15 Dwadashi K Tritiya S Dashami S Tritiya K Dashami K WED 2 12 9 18 16 25 23 3 30 10 बुध 07:18 17:32 07:19 17:37 07:19 17:43 07:18 17:48 07:15 17:54 Vrishchika Makara 13:16 Mesha 20:09 Simha Vrishchika Vishakha 09:40 Dhanishtha 26:50+ Bharani 14:13 Magha 20:47 Anuradha 16:41 Trayodashi K Chaturthi S Ekadashi S Chaturthi K Ekadashi K THU 3 13 10 19 17 26 24 4 31 11 गु 07:19 17:32 07:19 17:38 07:19 17:43 07:17 17:49 07:14 17:55 Sakat Chauth -
The Significance of Fire Offering in Hindu Society
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ISSN : 2277-7881; IMPACT FACTOR - 2.735; IC VALUE:5.16 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7(3), JULY 2014 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FIRE OFFERING IN HINDU THE SIGNIFICANCESOCIETY OF FIRE OFFERING IN HINDU SOCIETY S. Sushrutha H. R. Nagendra Swami Vivekananda Yoga Swami Vivekananda Yoga University University Bangalore, India Bangalore, India R. G. Bhat Swami Vivekananda Yoga University Bangalore, India Introduction Vedas demonstrate three domains of living for betterment of process and they include karma (action), dhyana (meditation) and jnana (knowledge). As long as individuality continues as human being, actions will follow and it will eventually lead to knowledge. According to the Dhatupatha the word yajna derives from yaj* in Sanskrit language that broadly means, [a] worship of GODs (natural forces), [b] synchronisation between various domains of creation and [c] charity.1 The concept of God differs from religion to religion. The ancient Hindu scriptures conceptualises Natural forces as GOD or Devatas (deva that which enlightens [div = light]). Commonly in all ancient civilizations the worship of Natural forces as GODs was prevalent. Therefore any form of manifested (Sun, fire and so on) and or unmanifested (Prana, Manas and so on) form of energy is considered as GOD even in Hindu tradition. Worship conceives the idea of requite to the sources of energy forms from where the energy is drawn for the use of all 260 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ISSN : 2277-7881; IMPACT FACTOR - 2.735; IC VALUE:5.16 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7(3), JULY 2014 life forms. Worshiping the Gods (Upasana) can be in the form of worship of manifest forms, prostration, collection of ingredients or devotees for worship, invocation, study and discourse and meditation. -
9789004400139 Webready Con
Vedic Cosmology and Ethics Gonda Indological Studies Published Under the Auspices of the J. Gonda Foundation Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Edited by Peter C. Bisschop (Leiden) Editorial Board Hans T. Bakker (Groningen) Dominic D.S. Goodall (Paris/Pondicherry) Hans Harder (Heidelberg) Stephanie Jamison (Los Angeles) Ellen M. Raven (Leiden) Jonathan A. Silk (Leiden) volume 19 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/gis Vedic Cosmology and Ethics Selected Studies By Henk Bodewitz Edited by Dory Heilijgers Jan Houben Karel van Kooij LEIDEN | BOSTON This is an open access title distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC 4.0 License, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Bodewitz, H. W., author. | Heilijgers-Seelen, Dorothea Maria, 1949- editor. Title: Vedic cosmology and ethics : selected studies / by Henk Bodewitz ; edited by Dory Heilijgers, Jan Houben, Karel van Kooij. Description: Boston : Brill, 2019. | Series: Gonda indological studies, ISSN 1382-3442 ; 19 | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2019013194 (print) | LCCN 2019021868 (ebook) | ISBN 9789004400139 (ebook) | ISBN 9789004398641 (hardback : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Hindu cosmology. | Hinduism–Doctrines. | Hindu ethics. Classification: LCC B132.C67 (ebook) | LCC B132.C67 B63 2019 (print) | DDC 294.5/2–dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019013194 Typeface for the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic scripts: “Brill”. See and download: brill.com/brill‑typeface. ISSN 1382-3442 ISBN 978-90-04-39864-1 (hardback) ISBN 978-90-04-40013-9 (e-book) Copyright 2019 by Henk Bodewitz. -
Calendar Explanation
Calendar Explanation ॐ वक्रतुं ड महाकाय कोटिसूययसमप्रभ टिटवयघ्िुं क रु मे देव सवयकायेष सवयदा॥ rules. For example Ganesha Chaturthi has to be oserved when the Chaturthi Tithi is observed during the वटिष्ठ॥ यटममि ् पक्षे यत्र काले येि दृग्गटितै啍यम।् दृ�यते तेि पक्षेि क यायटिथ्याटदटििय म॥् 8th/15th part of the dinmana. The dinmana is the difference between local Sunset and Sunrise. If Chaturthi is not prevailing during that period then take the second day. भामकराचायय॥ यात्राटववाहोत्सवजातकादौ खेिैैः मफ िैरेवफलमफ ित्वम।् मयात्प्रो楍यते तेि िभश्चरािा ुं मफ िटक्रया दृग्गटितै啍यकृ द्या॥ For example, if one Tithi is observed at moonrise in India it may or may not exist during moonrise on the We are pleased to release the 2012 calendar based on Hindu dharma shastra and drika siddhanta. This same day in a different part of the world. If you are in America then it will be observed on previous day or calendar is specially prepared for the Greater Nadi, Fiji area, and it may not be applicable in other parts of the next day if you are in Japan, Fiji, Australia and other countries. For example if a total lunar eclipse is the world. All time presented here is adjusted for Daylight Saving Time. visible in India at 5:00 AM it will happen on the previous day in the USA. For these reasons Indian People usually align the Hindu festivals with the English dates based on the Indian calendar. -
Basudevastro Calendar 2020 Download
BasudevAstro Hindu Calendar 2020 for the World BasudevAstro (Specialized in Indian Vedic Astrology) Presents Hindu Calendar for the year 2020 BasudevAstro Hindu Calendar 2020 for the World January 2020 Pausha Putrada Ekadashi 6, Monday Pausha Shukla, Ekadashi Pausha Purnima 10, Friday Shukla Purnima 11, Chandra Saturday Grahan Sakat 13, Monday Chauth 15, Makar Ponga Wednesday Sankranti l Shatilla Ekadashi, 20, Monday Magha, Krishna Ekadashi Mauni Amavas, 24, Friday Magha Krishna January 2020 Amawasya BasudevAstro Hindu Calendar 2020 for the World Vasant Panchami, 29, Magha, Wednesday Sukla Panchami Kumbha Sankranti, 13, Makara to Thursday Kumbha transit to sun Vijaya Ekadashi 19, Phalguni, Wednesday Krishna Ekadashi Maha Shivaratri 21, Friday Phalguni, Krishna Chaturdashi BasudevAstro Hindu Calendar 2020 for the World February 2020 1, Ratha Saptami, Saturd Magha, Sukla ay Saptami 2, Bhisma Astami, Sunday Magha, Shukla Astami 5, Jaya Ekadashi, Wednes Magha, Sukla day Ekadashi 9, Magha Sunday Purnima, Magha, Shukla Purnima 13, Kumbha Thursd Sankranti, ay Makara to Kumbha transit to sun February 2020 BasudevAstro Hindu Calendar 2020 for the World 19, Vijaya Wednes Ekadashi day Phalguni, Krishna Ekadashi 21, Maha Friday Shivaratri Phalguni, Krishna Chaturdashi March 2020 Amlaki 6, Ekadashi, Friday Phalgani, Sukla 2020 Ekadashi 9, Phalguni Holika Monday Purnima Dahan March 10, Holi Tuesday BasudevAstro Hindu Calendar 2020 for the World Meena 14, Sankranti Saturda Kumbha to y Meena transit of Sun Basoda Sheetal 16, Chaitra, a Monday Krishna -
Agnihotra:- a Vedic Touch to Modern Agriculture Y
Vol.1 Issue-8, APRIL 2021 (e-ISSN: 2582-8223) Agnihotra:- A Vedic Touch to Modern Agriculture Y. B. Vala1* Department of Agronomy, C. P. College of Agriculture, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar, Gujarat ARTICLE ID: 001 Abstract The intensive chemical agriculture that has been followed after successful green revolution in our country is causing heavy pollution of our soil, food, drinking water and air. The harmful chemicals are ingested into the body when we eat food grown under these conditions. The answer to our problems lies in Agnihotra Organic Farming. Agni means „fire‟ Hotra means „healing‟. It‟s written in the Vedas that “HEAL THE ATMOSPHERE AND IT WILL HEAL YOU”. The most significant aspect of Agnihotra is that it combines the energies of five elements sun, space, air, water and earth to produce subtle changes in the living organisms and helps to restore the bio-rhythm. Agnihotra is the basic HOMA for all HOMA fire practices given in the ancient Vedic sciences of bioenergy, psychotherapy, medicine, agriculture, biogenetics, climate engineering and interplanetary communication. Agnihotra can be referred as a non-convectional approach as it reduces microbial count and toxic gases in air and improve atmospheric quality. It increases plant growth, yield and quality parameter. Application of Agnihotra ash and biosol improve soil quality by increasing beneficial soil microorganism. It lowers the incidence of pest and diseases as well as heals the atmosphere by preventing it from minimizing the use of chemical fertilizer which are toxic for human, plant and livestock health. Agnihotra ash also work to purify water and make it suitable for agricultural use. -
Hindu Calendar 2019 with Festival and Fast Dates January 2019 Calendar
Hindu Calendar 2019 With Festival and Fast Dates January 2019 Calendar Sr. No. Date Day Festivals/Events 1. 1st January 2019 Tuesday New Year 2. 1st January 2019 Tuesday Saphala Ekadashi 3. 3rd January 2019 Thursday Pradosha Vrata (Krishna Paksha Pradosham) 4. 3rd January 2019 Thursday Masik Shivaratri 5. 5th January 2019 Saturday Paush Amavasya, Margashirsha Amavasya 6. 12th January 2019 Saturday Swami Vivekananda Jayanti/National Youth Day 7. 13th January 2019 Sunday Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti 8. 13th January 2019 Monday Lohri 9. 15th January 2019 Tuesday Pongal, Uttarayan, Makar Sankranti 10. 17th January 2019 Thursday Pausha Putrada Ekadashi Vrat 11. 18th January 2019 Friday Pradosha Vrata (Shukla Paksha Pradosham) 12. 23rd January 2019 Wednesday Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti 13. 24th January 2019 Thursday Sankashti Chaturthi 14. 26th January 2019 Saturday Republic Day 15. 27th January 2019 Sunday Swami Vivekananda Jayanti *Samvat 16. 30th January 2019 Wednesday Mahatma Gandhi Death Anniversary 17. 31st January 2018 Thursday Shattila Ekadashi Vrat February 2019 Calendar Sr. No. Date Day Festivals/Events 1. February 1st 2018 Friday Pradosha Vrata (Krishna Paksha Pradosham) 2. February 2nd 2019 Saturday Masik Shivaratri 3. February 4th 2019 Monday Magha Amavasya 4. February 4th 2019 Monday World Cancer Day 5. February 5th 2019 Tuesday Chinese New Year of 2019 6. February 10th 2019 Saturday Vasant Panchami 7. February 13th 2019 Thursday Kumbha Sankranti 8. February 14th 2019 Thursday Valentine’s Day 9. February 16th 2019 Saturday Jaya Ekadashi Vrat 10. February 19th 2019 Tuesday Guru Ravidas Jayanti, Magha Purnima Vrat 11. February 22nd 2019 Friday Sankashti Chaturthi 12. -
2019 Drik Panchang Hindu Calendar
2019 Drik Panchang Hindu Calendar Hindu Calendar for San Francisco, California, United States Amanta Calendar - new month begins from Amavasya Page 1 of 25 January 2019 Margashirsha - Pausha 1940 Navami K Pratipada S Saptami S Purnima S Ashtami K SUN 30 24 6 1 13 7 20 15 27 23 रिव 07:29 16:55 07:30 17:01 07:29 17:08 07:26 Pausha Purnima 17:15 07:22 17:23 Shakambhari Purnima Bhanu Saptami Chandra Grahan *Purna Tula Dhanu 10:56 Meena 23:23 Mithuna 10:36 Tula Chitra 18:49 U Ashadha 31:07+ Revati 23:23 Punarvasu 15:53 Swati 24:59+ Dashami K Dwitiya S Ashtami S Pratipada K Navami K MON 31 25 7 2 14 8 21 16 28 24 सोम 07:30 16:56 07:30 17:02 07:29 17:09 07:26 17:16 07:21 17:24 Pongal Chandra Darshana Makara Sankranti Tula Makara Mesha Karka Tula 19:30 Swati 19:15 Shravana Ashwini 24:27+ Pushya 12:58 Vishakha 25:45+ Ekadashi K Tritiya S Navami S Dwitiya K Dashami K TUE 1 26 8 3 15 9 22 17 29 25 मंगल 07:30 16:57 07:30 17:03 07:29 17:10 07:25 17:17 07:21 17:25 Saphala Ekadashi Tula 13:54 Makara 23:46 Mesha 30:39+ Karka 10:02 Vrishchika Vishakha 20:10 Shravana 10:11 Bharani 24:43+ Ashlesha 10:02 Anuradha 27:11+ Dwadashi K Chaturthi S Dashami S Tritiya K Ekadashi K WED 2 27 9 4 16 10 23 18,19 30 26 बुध 07:30 16:57 07:30 17:04 07:28 17:11 07:25 17:18 07:20 17:26 Sakat Chauth Pradosh Vrat Pausha Putrada Ekadashi Lambodara Sankashti Chaturth Shattila Ekadashi Vrishchika Kumbha Vrishabha Simha Vrishchika 29:11+ Anuradha 21:34 Dhanishtha 13:20 Krittika 24:11+ P Phalguni 28:52+ Jyeshtha 29:11+ Trayodashi K Panchami S Ekadashi S Panchami K Dwadashi K THU -
Daan and Other Giving Traditions in India-Final.Qxd
Daan and Other Giving Traditions in India THE FORGOTTEN POT OF GOLD SANJAY AGARWAL Daan and Other Giving Traditions in India THE FORGOTTEN POT OF GOLD SANJAY AGARWAL Dedicated to Sh. Shekhar Agarwal, my brother, Guru, guardian, and friend, who first showed me the path of daan Published by AccountAidTM India 55-B, Pocket C, Siddharth Extension, New Delhi - 110014, India Phone No.: +91-11-2634 3852, +91-11-2634 3128 [email protected] www.accountaid.net First Edition: Delhi, 2010 Copyright © Sanjay Agarwal Price: `500 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book. While the greatest care has been taken in writing this book, no responsibility can be accepted by the publisher for the accuracy of the information presented. Daan and Other Giving Traditions in India ISBN 978-81-910854-0-2 Design and Layout: Moushumi De Illustrations: Mridula Sharma Printed at: PRINTWORKS, F-25, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi Contents at a Glance Foreword 09 Preface 14 I. Introduction 18 II. Daan and Utsarg (Hindu) 21 III. Sadaqa and Zakaat (Islam) 63 IV. Charity and Tithe (Christian) 71 V. Sewa and Daswandh (Sikh) 78 VI. Daan (Bauddh) 80 VII. Daan (Jain) 97 VIII. Other Traditions 102 IX. Leveraging Traditional Giving 106 Appendices 111 Works Cited 168 Notes 177 Index 229 Detailed Contents Foreword by Priya Viswanath 09 Foreword by Mark Sidel 12 Preface 14 Acknowledgements 16 I. -
2021 Drik Panchang Hindu Calendar
Created via PDFShift 2021 Drik Panchang Hindu Calendar Hindu Calendar for Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India Purnimanta Hindu Calendar new month begins from Purnima Location: Lucknow, India Date of Creation: October 6, 2020, Tuesday Latitude: 26° 50′ 21″ N Version: v1.0.1 Longitude: 80° 55′ 23″ E Elevation: 126 m Olson Timezone: Asia/Kolkata Timezone: 5.5 Registered Office: Branch Office: 010, United Daffodils, BMA College Road 187-D, Radha Nagar Doddanekundi, Marathahalli Outer Ring Road Krishna Nagar Post Office Bengaluru - 560037 Mathura - 281004 Page 1 of 25 January 2021 Pausha - Magha 2077 Tritiya Krishna Chaturthi Krishna Dwadashi Krishna Chaturthi Shukla Ekadashi Shukla Created via PDFShift SUN 31 3 3 4 10 12 17 19 24 26 रिव 06:52 17:48 06:56 17:26 06:57 17:31 06:56 17:37 06:55 17:42 Sakat Chauth Lambodara Sankashti Chaturthi Pradosh Vrat Pausha Putrada Ekadashi Simha Simha Vrishchika Kumbha 25:16+ Vrishabha P Phalguni 25:18+ Magha 19:57 Anuradha 10:50 P Bhadrapada Rohini 24:01+ Chaturdashi Shukla Panchami Krishna Trayodashi Krishna Panchami Shukla Dwadashi Shukla MON 28 29 4 5,6 11 13 18 20 25 27 सोम 06:54 17:22 06:56 17:27 06:57 17:32 06:56 17:37 06:55 17:43 Vrishabha 28:40+ Simha 25:05+ Vrishchika 09:10 Meena Vrishabha 13:03 Rohini 15:40 P Phalguni 19:17 Jyeshtha 09:10 P Bhadrapada 07:43 Mrigashirsha 25:56+ Chaturdashi Shukla Saptami Krishna Chaturdashi Krishna Shashthi Shukla Trayodashi Shukla TUE 29 29 5 7 12 14 19 21 26 28 मगं ल 06:54 17:23 06:56 17:28 06:57 17:33 06:56 17:38 06:54 17:44 Anvadhan Anvadhan Dattatreya Jayanti Darsha -
Hindu Calendar Banaras up India
2017 Hindu Calendar Based on Longitude Latitudes of Banaras UP India (For use in UP, Bihar, Punjab, Hariyana Kashmir, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh Delhi, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand) HINDU CALENDRIC SYSTEM IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER LUNAR MONTH NAMES DAY BEGINS AT SUNRISE NOT MIDNIGHT CHITRA, VAISHAKHA, JYESHTHA, ASHAADH, SHRVANA, BHADRAPADA, AASHVAYUJA (ASHWIN), KARTIKA, MONTH SYSTEMS MARGASIRA, PAUSHA (PUSHYA), MAGHA, PHALGUNA o LUNAR AND SOLAR MONTHS o DIFFERENT SYSTEMS IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF INDIA THITHI (PHASES OF MOON) LUNAR MONTH SYSTEMS (CHANDRAMANA) EACH LUNAR MONTH HAS TWO HALVES – SHUKLA PAKSHA (WAXING MOON), KRISHNA PAKSHA (WANNING MOON). EACH PAKSHA HAS 15 TITHIS. THITHIS IN SHUKLA PAKSHA END WITH PURNIMA (FULL MOON) AND AMAVASYANT MONTH SYSTEM THITHIS IN KRISHNA PAKSHA END WITH AMAVASYA (NEW MOON) HASES OF OONS LIKE ULL MOON ALF MOON EW OON AND OTHERS OCCUR DUE TO THE MONTHS ENDS ON AMAVASYA P M F - , H - , N -M MOON’S POSITION IN ORBIT AROUND THE EARTH. MONTHS BEGIN WITH SHUKLA PAKSHA EACH PHASE IS TITHI. MONTHS ENDS WITH KRISHNA PAKSHA THE LENGTH OF EACH TITHI IS 12 DEGREES POPULAR IN: o MAHARASTRA (SHALIWAHAN ERA) LENGTH OF TITHI CAN RANGE FROM 19 TO 26 HOURS. o GUJARAT (VIKRAM ERA) TITHIS DON’T HAVE A FIX STARTING AND ENDING TIME. o KARNATAKA (SHALIWAHAN ERA) THEY END AT THE SAME INSTANCE ALL OVER THE WORLD. o ANDHRA PRADESH (SHALIWAHAN ERA) THITHI NAMES o PRATIPADA (PRATHAMA), DWITIYA (VIDIYA), TRITIYA (TADIYA), CHATURTHI (CHAVITHI), PURNIMANT MONTH SYSTEM PANCHAMI, SHASTHI, SAPTAMI, ASHTAMI, NAVAMI, DASHAMI, -
Agnihotra-Rituals-FINAL Copy
Agnihotra Rituals in Nepal The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Witzel, Michael. 2015. "Agnihotra Rituals in Nepal." In Homa Variations: The Study of Ritual Change Across the Longue Durée, eds. Richard K. Payne and Michael Witzel, 371. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199351572.003.0014 Published Version doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199351572.003.0014 Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:34391774 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Open Access Policy Articles, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#OAP Michael Witzel AGNIHOTRA RITUALS IN NEPAL Five* groups of Brahmins reside in the Kathmandu Valley of today:1 the Newari speaking Rājopādhyāya, the Nepali speaking Pūrbe, who immigrated in the last centuries before and the Gorkha conquest (1768/9 CE), the Kumaĩ, the Newari and Maithili speaking Maithila, and the Bhaṭṭas from South India, who serve at the Paśupatināth temple. Except for the Bhaṭṭas, all are followers of the White Yajurveda in its Mādhyandina recension. It could therefore be expected that all these groups, with the exception of the Bhaṭṭas, would show deviations from each other in language and certain customs brought from their respective homelands, but that they would agree in their (Vedic) ritual. However, this is far from being the case. On the contrary, the Brahmins of the Kathmandu Valley, who have immigrated over the last fifteen hundred years in several waves,2 constitute a perfect example of individual regional developments in this border area of medieval Indian culture, as well as of the successive, if fluctuating, influence of the ‘great tradition’ of Northern India.