Hinduism

Wallpainting in a Laotian temple, depicting the Bodhisattva Gautama (Buddha-to-be) undertaking extreme ascetic practices before his enlightenment. A god is overseeing his striving, and providing some spiritual protection. The five monks in the background are his future 'five first disciples'.

14 June, 2015 - 00:12 lizleafloor

Wealth and Religion Tied through Time: Was Ancient Religious Morality Spurred by Affluence?

Religion has become associated with having a focus on morality. But that wasn’t always the case, researchers say. Academics have long suspected that the modern world’s major religions were born of...

A page of a Bhagavata Purana illustrated manuscript in Devanagari. Illustration depicts Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva seated on their respective vahanas.

6 May, 2015 - 04:14 susan

The Anu and Ancient Seers in the Rig Veda

The oldest of the Vedas, a large body of ancient literature and scriptures of Hinduism, the Rigveda contains poetic and mythological origin stories involving gods and their descendants. In Hindu...

11 January, 2015 - 12:29 mrreese

An ancient text that has baffled researchers for more than 200 years - The indecipherable Rohonc Codex

The discovery of an unidentified text in Hungary has led to more than 200 years of attempts to determine who authored it and to decipher its contents. Many scholars have studied the text, known as...

21 November, 2014 - 01:43 aprilholloway

Three enormous statue heads unearthed at Banteay Chhmar temple, Cambodia

A renovation of Banteay Chhmar temple in Cambodia left workers astounded after three enormous Angkorian-era statue heads were found under half a metre of soil – two intact and one broken. The heads...

24 June, 2014 - 04:02 dhwty

The Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala

The Hoysala Empire was a Southern Indian empire that existed between the 10 th and 14 th centuries A.D. This empire ruled over much of the present day state of Karnataka. Initially, the capital of...

5 May, 2014 - 12:50 christel

Kailash temple at Ellora – preserving ancient wisdom for mankind – Part 2

(Read Part 1 ) Kailash Mountain is considered the residence of the Supreme, the Holy of Holies, the pillar of the Universe, the seat of the highest mind, holy for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and...

4 May, 2014 - 23:07 christel

The Kailash temple at Ellora – preserving ancient wisdom for mankind

When visiting the Kailash temple in the silence before dawn, one can’t help but bow down to the ones who designed and carved this majestic reminder of an unknown past. As it is still dark, it is not...