#odisha times

[newseee]

Deeply shaken : Biden

US President Joe Biden has expressed shock over the train accident incident in Balasore, Odisha. Biden said that he was deeply moved after hearing the tragic news of the train accident in India that killed around 300 people. My wife Jill Biden and I were shocked to hear the tragic news of India's worst train accident. We are praying for those who lost their loved ones and the injured in this incident. India and America are united by the family and cultural values ​​of both countries. Biden said that the whole of America is mourning for the victims.

[satyanarayanecoresort]

Best Resort in Odisha

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[indiafirstpaper]

Epaper From India

India First Epaper provides the best Epaper from India which is convenient access to digital versions of newspapers and publications from across India. Stay updated with the latest news, articles, and information in a digital format, all in one place. Accessing epapers from India is a quick and eco-friendly way to keep yourself informed about current events. Explore a wide range of newspapers at your fingertips only at https://indiafirstepaper.com/epaper/

[adlertours]

ODISHA-INDIA'S BEST KEPT SECRET

Are you wondering if Odisha is a good tourist destination or not? We are happy to tell you that The Odisha State has a rich cultural and natural heritage. Not only that, the state has a long coastline, forests, mountains, and a variety of historic and cultural sites that make it a diverse and interesting destination for tourists. From UNESCO World Heritage Sites to pristine beaches, there is no…

[ganga-times]

Odisha Vande Bharat Express Timings, Route, Stops and Ticket Price

The Odisha Vande Bharat Express is supposed to start on 25th May, and it is one of a kind in Odisha. The Puri Howrah Vande Bharat Express holds a lot of expectations as it has cut down the travelling time by three hours. The Vande Bharat Express is a flagship train launched by the Indian Railways, and it has completely changed the face of travel in India. Travel has become much more time…

[room-surprise]

Kabru from Dungeon Meshi's Ethnic origin

(Masterpost of evidence available here now!)

I've seen folks talking about this, which makes me SOOOOO happy. I've been trying to tell people that Kabru is *some kind* of fantasy version of Indian since at least March of 2023, which is when I finished reading what was available of Dungeon Meshi at the time. You may have seen my post in the Kabru tag about his name suggesting that he's of Nepali origin! I'll go into this in a LOT more detail when I finally publish my big Dungeon Meshi research paper (soon, I promise, I hope), but this is such a wonderful win for Kabru fans that I wanted to make a post about it! So many helpful fans were able to identify the sweet Kabru's trying to talk about is rasgulla, which means I didn't have to actually do any research to figure it out like I normally would have. Though since I know Kabru's meant to be from someplace like India, it wouldn't have been hard to search for "Indian dessert white ball" and figure it out.

Rasgulla (literally "syrup filled ball") is a dessert popular in the eastern part of South Asia. It is made from ball-shaped dumplings of chhena dough, cooked in light sugar syrup. This is done until the syrup permeates the dumplings.

While it is near-universally agreed upon that the dessert originated in the eastern Indian subcontinent, the exact locus of origin is disputed between locations such as West Bengal, Bangladesh, and Odisha. The name rasgulla is derived from the words ras ("juice") and gulla ("ball"), and other names for the dish include rasagulla, rossogolla, roshogolla, rasagola, rasagolla, and rasbhari or rasbari. Rasbari is the name of it in Nepal, so I think that's probably what Kabru would have called it if Milsiril hadn't interrupted him.

[zeherili-ankhein]

Ok one thing I see every year during this time and I'm again seeing nowadays, that is shaming bangali people for eating non-veg during Navaratri

First of all, Navaratri and Durga Pujo are VERY different. This is basic atp I mean.. but still...

And it's not only about Bangalis, Assamese people, some Odisha people and even some parts of North Eastern people I believe (forgive me if I'm wrong) also have the concept of non veg in their diet even during Puja, Devi Puja to be specific.

And second thing, Bengal's Shakta traditions and rituals are A LOT different.

Like some families have traditions of offering Jora Ilish to Maa on Ashtami, with the believe that's her favourite fish. While some families (like mine) go complete veg on that perticular day.

And most families usually eat mutton on Nabami. That's like a must in most households. Some places even had the ritual of Patha Bali during Sandhi Pujo on Ashtami or on Nabami. That is mostly changed with pumkins or ash grounds nowadays though.

Meat in some places is offered as Bhog to Maa. And on Dashami, some places again offer her fishes as that's the day she leaves us for another whole year.

Also you'd be further shocked to know it's not only during Durga Pujo that we have the tradition of non veg.

Some families just like mine, have the tradition of Ranna Pujo, which is celebrated the day before Vishwakarma Pujo. This Puja is for Maa Manasa, and during this, Maa is offered various dishes made of fishes including Ilish or Rui. Some even offer prawns as Bhog.

And guess what? A lot of places still have Bali Pratha during various Kali Pujos that happens all around the year. I've seen myself.

Most Shaktipeeth, Including Kamakhya and Kalighat also have the same Bali Pratha. I just said those two places because I've seen them myself.

(I do agree it's not really good to kill animals but I'm just saying what is true)

Some Kali Pujo, even have rituals that includes alcohol, yes read right even alcohol as an offering to Maa. Believe me or not, this is 100% true.

So stop saying random stuff like why we are consuming non veg or how we are not following the rules, because rules are different in every part of India.

Yup! That's all. Now be kind and understanding and let us all enjoy our own festivals hmm?

Also to piss off people who'll still say dumb stuff, I ate momos and biriyani today cry about it

[ramayantika]

Okay some more Pinki tea because nobody is here from my college.

Pinki had a bf named Bunty (not using real names hehe). Bunty is from bengal and studies there while Pinki is here with me in odisha (Pinki is from bihar tho) anyway so Pinki and Bunty are a couple from school time so this was going to be a long distance relationship.

Now cut to the first week of us joining. She began telling how green flag this Bunty is, how sweet, caring and observant this guy is. She starts talking about marriage and the right age to marry. Help I was stupid to let out my dreams and ambitions in front of Pinki and ofc why in this generation would marriage be the first thing in my head? I have a lovely boyfriend who literally wants me to perform the best in dance and studies (he literally scolds me if I slack 😭)than talk about marriage and omg we need to marry and have kids soon.

This girl at 2am literally said it to my face: if you don't compromise a little with him and don't marry early, he might be married off and you will break his heart by saying you want your ambitions first bla bla bla. You compromise on postponing your dreams so you can marry.

Me in my head: bitch wtf- Trust me I have never wanted to smack someone's head off.

This ☕ is long

Well after a while 3 boys: Jaggu, Kheera, Chotu from our class befriend us- Me, Pinki and Lado (she is very innocent, slightly childish and very very messy but okay. A delight though)

----- updates in the reblogs -------

[whencyclopedia]

Shishunaga Dynasty

The Shishunaga Dynasty (also Sishunaga/Shaishunaga Dynasty) ruled the Magadha Kingdom in ancient India from c. 413 BCE to c. 345 BCE (in some sources from 421 BCE). It is said to be the third imperial dynasty of Magadha after the Brihadratha and the Haryanka, though the Brihadratha Dynasty is considered as mythical now. The first ruler of the dynasty was Shishunaga himself after whom it has been named, who came to power when the people revolted against the earlier Haryanka Dynasty in the 5th century BCE. The Shishunaga Dynasty had a very short reign before it was succeeded by the Nandas and then the Mauryas, but it too contributed to the solid foundation of the Magadhan Empire which was to dominate the Indian subcontinent for the upcoming centuries.

India Before the Shishunagas

After the Vedic civilization took its roots in the Indian subcontinent from around 1500 BCE, various political units rose in northern and northwestern India. This changed from the 6th century BCE onwards when some kingdoms rose to the east in the fertile Indo-Gangetic plains. During this time, the Indian subcontinent formed mainly into two political units – the Janapadas (which roughly means foothold of the common people) and the Mahajanapadas (the greater foothold of the people). There were 16 Mahajanapadas, and in the 6th century BCE, four out of them became very powerful – Kosala, Avanti, Vatsa, and finally Magadha. The ancient kingdom of Kosala falls roughly to some parts of the present-day Uttar Pradesh state in India. Avanti was Central India and now the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and Vatsa was also another part of modern Uttar Pradesh state.

The most powerful of them was Magadha, which would go on to dominate the entire subcontinent during the time of the Mauryas. All the polities close to Magadha except Avanti were defeated in battle and gradually annexed by the warrior king of Ajatashatru (r. c. 493/492 BCE - c. 462/460 BCE) of the Haryanka Dynasty. He also defeated the powerful confederation of the Vrijjis to the immediate north with their capital at Vaishali after 16 years of ancient Indian warfare from c. 484 BCE to c. 468 BCE. By the time Shishunaga ascended to the throne, Magadha, roughly corresponding to the present-day provinces of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, and the countries of Bangladesh and Nepal, had a very effective system of administration and government, a powerful army and a flourishing trade network.

Continue reading...

[jeahreading]

-Katyayani

Sixth day of the nine days belongs to Devi Katyayani. The goddess is seated on lion and has three eyes and four arms. The destroyer of evil demon– Mahishasur. She is associated with the fierce forms of Shakti or Durga, a Warrior goddess, which also includes Bhadrakali and Chandika, and traditionally she is associated with the colour red. Skanda Purana mentions her being created out of the spontaneous anger of Gods, which eventually led to slaying the demon, Mahishasura, mounted on the lion given to her by Goddess Parvati. She was born a daughter of Katyayana Rishi, born in the Katya lineage originating from Vishwamitra, thus called Katyayani, “daughter of Katyayana”. Her exploits are described in the Devi-Bhagavata Purana and Devi Mahatmyam, part of the Markandeya Purana attributed to sage Markandeya Rishi, who wrote it in Sanskrit ca. 400-500 CE. Over a period of time, her presence was also felt in Buddhist and Jain texts and several Tantric text, especially the Kalika-Purana(10th century), which mentions Uddiyana or Odradesa (Odisha), as the seat of Goddess Katyayani and Lord Jagannath.In Hindu traditions like Yoga and Tantra, she is ascribed to the sixth Ajna Chakra or the Third eye chakra and her blessings are invoked by concentrating on this point.

@no-idea-where-i-am-lost @zeherili-ankhein DON'T BE MAD AT ME PLEASE OSRRY SORRY

[fatehbaz]

A devastating rail crash that left almost 300 people dead has refocused international attention on the importance of railways in the lives of Indians.

Indeed, to many Western observers, images of men and women crammed into overcrowded cars serve as a metaphor for modern India. Take, for example, a report by German newspaper Der Spiegel on India’s population surpassing China’s. Published just weeks before the accident in Odisha province on June 2, the now much-criticized cartoon depicted a shabby Indian train crammed with passengers rushing past a streamlined Chinese train with only two people in it.

Where does this enduring image in the West of Indian railways – and of India – come from? As a scholar of Indian history and author of 2015 book “Tracks of Change: Railways and Everyday Life in Colonial India,” I believe the answers lie in the gigantic infrastructure projects of the 19th century – forged at the intersection of colonial dictates and capitalist demands.

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A carrier of freight, not people

Railways remain the backbone of passenger traffic in India, transporting some 23 million people daily. In the pre-pandemic 2018-19 financial year, 7.7 billion passenger journeys in India. [...] Yet, when first planned in the 1840s, India’s railways were intended to primarily transport freight and livestock, not people. Indians were thought unlikely to become railway passengers by directors of the English East India Co., a merchant monopoly that gradually annexed and administered large parts of India under U.K. crown control. [...] However, early colonial railway policy was driven by pervasive Orientalist imaginings of a people rendered immobile by poverty, living in isolated villages [...]. The trope interlocked with colonial thinking that railways would foster greater industrialization which in turn would further a capitalist economy. They also aligned with the practical needs of a colonial trading monopoly which needed raw materials for English industries, such as cotton, to be moved swiftly and efficiently from India’s interiors to port towns [...].

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Despite the doubters, the new Indian railways attracted an increasing number of passengers. The half-million passengers recorded in 1854 when tracks became operational increased to 26 million in 1875. By 1900, annual passenger figures stood at 175 million and then almost trebled to 520 million by 1919-20. By the time of the partition of India in 1947 it had risen to more than 1 billion passenger journeys annually. Indeed, images of overcrowded trains came to epitomize the upheaval of partition, with the rail system used to carry swaths of uprooted peoples across the soon-to-be Pakistan-India border. Third-class passengers, overwhelmingly Indians, comprised almost 90% of this traffic. These escalating figures did not, however, generate a lowering of fares. Nor did they result in any substantial improvements in the conditions of [...] travel. [...]

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The generally British railway managers seemed disinclined to remedy systematic overcrowding, which included transporting passengers in wagons meant for livestock. Rather, they insisted that such overcrowding was caused by the peculiar habits and inclinations of Indian passengers: their alleged [...] inclination to follow one another “like sheep” into crowded carriages. These attributes were soon rendered into a more public narrative, especially among Western mindsets. Journalist H. Sutherland Stark, writing for the industry publication Indian State Railways Magazine in 1929, stated that though “unversed” in railway administration and traffic control, he knew railway facilities were not the problem. Rather, Indian passengers lacked the mental preparedness, “self-possession” and “method” necessary to travel like “sane human beings.” Stark suggested passenger education as a solution to the perceived problem, making railway travel a tool for “self-composure and mass orderliness.” [...]

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More than a century later, this depiction endures, though, ironically, it now serves as a foil to understanding contemporary India. In a piece published in The New York Times on March 12, 2005, the author lauded the then-new Delhi metro, emphasizing that it had “none of the chaotic squalor of hawkers and beggars that characterizes mainline railroads in India, nor do desperate travelers hang from the sides of the trains.” As the debate rages on whether safety has taken a back seat to “glossy modernization projects” in India – early analyses suggest signaling failure might have caused June 2, 2023, accident – railways continue to represent India’s history.

In the heyday of empire, they were deemed the technology through which Britain would drag India into capitalist modernity. In 1947, they became a leitmotif for the trauma of the partition that accompanied the independence of India and Pakistan. As the coverage of Odisha accident reminds us, it continues to be a metaphor in the West for evaluating contemporary India.

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Headline, image, caption, and all text above by: Ritika Prasa. “Overcrowded trains serve as metaphor for India in Western eyes -- but they are a relic of colonialism and capitalism.” The Conversation. 9 June 2023. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[celestesinsight]

I am really irritated with people who behave as the guardians of our religion on social media.

I just saw a young odia girl getting ganged up on Instagram in the comment section of a Durga Puja reel because she said that we, Odia, offer fish to the Durga Maa as prasad.

These so called guardians need to understand that Indian culture is not limited to North India. There are 28 states in India and each have their own unique identity and rituals. And if they want to respect the Indian culture, they need to respect them all, not just what suits their agenda.

Navratri may be pure vegetarian festival in North Indian states. (But I am sure some rituals and traditions may differ among those states or within a single state too.) In Odisha, Durga Puja isn't a strictly vegetarian festival. Infact, fish is considered subha (good fortune) in our culture and often times is offered to Goddess as prasad and is even used in marriages or other ceremonies as an important gift from bride's side to groom's side.

When my brother got married, my sister in law brought fish alongwith different sweets, banana tree and coconut tree for good fortune with her.

So, don't tell me or any Odia that we are insulting the term 'prasad' by calling the fish a 'prasad' because in our culture it is a 'prasad'. It may not be in your culture and that's absolutely fine. But that doesn't give you right to disrespect my culture. This kind of behaviour doesn't show your piety or devotion, but only show your narrow-mindedness and ignorance about diversity in Indian culture. I hope you try to learn about different culture and religion before giving ignorant and disrespectful remarks against anyone or acting as a cultural police.

Sorry, for the long rant, but the ignorant remarks and insults really enraged me.

[theramblergal]

On The Location of Manipura

This is the result of a discussion on Babhruvahana I'd had a couple weeks ago. Also, this is a lesser known fact, and I sure do enjoy spreading knowledge :P

The Manipur we know today is the state bordering Myanmar, in Northeastern India. But the Manipura (or Manalura as it is also called) in the Mahabharata is located on the east coast, in the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh region.

We're not given the exact location.

But it is implied in the text, when they describe Arjuna's journey.

I'm not going to cite all of Arjuna's travels, I'm saving that for another post (going to make a map of his journey). But here's the relevant text:

When he approached the gates of the kingdom of Kalinga, the brahmanas who had followed the Pandava took their leave and departed. But with their permission, Kunti’s son, the valorous Dhananjaya, went on as far as the ocean, with only a few companions with him. Passing beyond Kalinga, the lord saw many beautiful countries, and followers of dharma. He went and saw Mahendra Mountain, adorned with ascetics. Travelling slowly along the shores of the ocean, he arrived in Manalura. Having seen all the sacred places of pilgrimage there, the mighty-armed one went to visit the king who was the lord of Manalura—King Chitravahana, who was devoted to dharma.

(Section 207, Arjuna-vanavasa Parva, Adi Parva, BORI CE)

So he reaches Kalinga. From Wikipedia, here's the rough region of the Kalinga kingdom:

So Arjuna passes through Kalinga, and travels along the shore.

He then sees the Mahendragiri, which is presumably within the borders of the Kalinga kingdom.

And then he continues along the shores ("Travelling slowly along the shores of the ocean, he arrived in Manalura.") to reach Manipura.

I'm not sure whether he ever goes to the Northeastern part of India, but this is more than enough proof to indicate that Manalura is in the southern part of India.

I'd place it within the borders of Andhra Pradesh, frankly, but quite close to Kalinga.

So there you go: Manalura/Manipura of the Mahabharata is not the state in the Northeast, but a kingdom in in the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh region.

(Time to work on that map of Arjuna's travels!)

[hindulivesmatter]

I'm from the USA and took a lot of Indian history courses at my university. You might already know this or have guessed it, but a lot of what we learned was taught from a leftist--and at times explicitly Marxist--perspective. This was even stronger in other (but thankfully not all!) social studies departments where there were classes focusing solely on various social ills of Hinduism with regard to caste and issues of feminism, yet almost nothing negative could be said if it might be critical of Islam or Muslim figures, (Mahmud of Ghazni being a notable exception for one of my professors.) There was a whole class on British colonialism; no details were spared. Horrible famines in the Deccan, Odisha, Bengal. The decimation of the textile industry. Banning bharatanatyam. The salt tax. Accounts of how a British man kicked one of his servants to death, and another of how the poor and sick congregated outside the gates of a hospital in the south that at the time would only help Europeans. Jallianwala Bagh. But Aurangzeb? Completely whitewashed. You would think Sikhs carry a kirpan for no reason. It was only through reading additional books and documents for my essays and projects that I learned about how he tore down temples, smashed murtis (and stole valuable ones,) levied a double tax on non-Muslims, etc. I remember reading an account of a traveler going through the south at the time of the Deccan wars, remarking on how you could find entire villages empty and deserted fields full of unharvested crops because the people had fled advancing armies. In one region his forces simply killed some Telugu-speaking Brahmins serving the local king rather than force them to convert, and in another his forces captured a royal scribe, forced him to convert to Islam, and forcibly circumcized him before the man killed himself. Obviously the history of all things under the umbrella of Hinduism or any other system is not perfect, but there was a huge difference in how critical you could be of Hinduism (and even western traditions/ideas) compared to Islam.

Sometimes I daydream about what it would have been like to study Sangam literature in India or to experience Andal without needing an English translation, or going to translate old Sanskrit copies of the Mahabharata whose telling is unique to a certain village or something. But ultimately I'm glad I chose to be a research scientist instead and have a career in that, because I don't think I would have been able to succeed in academia unless I were a leftist. :\ Honestly I feel like even going to hang out with ISKCON for a few days would be a better introduction to Hinduism for the average person abroad with zero knowledge than a class called "Intersections of Gender and Caste in Hinduism" or something.

Very telling how Hinduism, and even Christianity is ripped apart in academia, yet when it comes to Islam, it is a religion of "tolerance, and beauty that respects women."

Honestly, though, it's because of how severely they react when their religion is criticized or even inspected. Apostates are given death, women who do not obey are given death, anyone who utters a word against their precious prophets is given, you guessed it! Death.

No religion is perfect, humans can be horrific creatures, and even Hinduism cannot escape that. But Islam has committed far more war crimes than any other religion.

It absolutely boils my blood to see traces of colonizers in our cities. One side of my family hails from Aurangabad, named aftre Aurangzeb, and you already know the atrocities he committed.

It's so fucking insidious to see how the youth have been told what to think. My own friend claimed to me, verbatim: "You cannot be neutral in the Israel-Palestine war. Either you support Palestine, or you support genocide."

Support Hamas? Support terrorism? The same terrorism that affects us? Has everyone forgotten 26/11?

It makes me so sad to think of the future we could have had. Sanskrit would be the most spoken language, instead of English. Gurukuls would exist, and India would still have all of its wealth.

You're right, even ISKCON is better than the propaganda they feed people about our religion.

[aronarchy]

[image ID: a graphic with a gray background and white text. Near the top is a QR code. Beneath it is captioned,

Scan to pay with any UPI app

IDBI Bank 5828

UPI ID: lakrajora@okicici

Below is the text,

A trans woman from Odisha, Neha, ran away from her home due to constant abuse by her family couple of months ago and came to Delhi. A few days ago she went back home for a few days after her mother approached her multiple times to come back home for a few days. On 4th April, her phone was coming switched off and we (her friends) couldn’t reach her. After trying to connect to her we got to know that she has been locked away by her parents. We are planning to go to Odisha to help her get out of there. We do not have the sufficient funds to go there and come back successfully. We appeal to everyone to contribute to help us.

/end image ID]

[mysticalblizzardcolor]

Vedic Temples 'वैदिक मंदिर' ॐ

Konark Sun Temple, located in Konark, Odisha, is a 13th-century temple dedicated to the Sun God. Here are some interesting facts about the temple:

Architecture and Design

The temple is designed in the form of a chariot, with 24 wheels, each about 10 feet in diameter, and is pulled by seven horses.

The temple is built using chlorite stone, with intricate carvings and sculptures depicting various aspects of life, including erotic scenes, Vedic historical creatures, and everyday activities.

The temple's design is based on the concept of the Sun God's chariot, with the wheels representing the cycle of time and the horses representing the seven days of the week.