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EN
ES
FR
Réf.
41837
Type
conference item
Titre
Mata Vaishnodevi Ji and Sri Amarnath Ji, their intangible values
Langues
English
Auteurs
Poonam, Chaudhary
Date
2003
Pagination de section
1-6
Titre de conférence
14th ICOMOS General Assembly and International Symposium: ‘Place, memory, meaning: preserving intangible values in monuments and sites’
Lieu de conférence
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Date de conférence
27 – 31 oct 2003
Mots-clés
intangible heritage / intangible values / sacred places / places of religion and ritual / caves / shrines
Pays mentionnés
India
Monuments et sites
Mata Vaishnodevi Ji, India / Sri Amarnath Ji, India
Résumé en anglais
India, the holy land, has innumerable temples and shrinesspread all over the country. As per Hindu mythology,
there are 33 Crore (3.3 Billion) Gods and Goddessesassociated to Hindu Pantheon and each has a shrine
dedicated to it. The Jammu and Kashmir State, the mostNorthern state of India, has three distinct regions namely
Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir and can be called a‘Religious Parad
ise’. It is famous for its cave shrines,which are natural rock formations that represent the
living intangible heritage of India. These Gods andGoddesses are sources to be spiritually uplifted for the
people of India. They provide spiritual solace tothousands of worshippers visiting these shrines. Apart
from spiritual attainment they provide mental satisfactionand great ecstasy that sustain and stimulate the life
pattern of thousands of strife torn people, who haveintrinsic faith in these deities. The most significant cave
shrine, however, are those of Mata Vaishno Devi andAmarnath located in Jammu and Kashmir regions
respectively.Mata Vaishno Devi cave shrine is dedicated to Goddess
Vaishno, which is a manifestation of Maha Kali, MahaLakshmi and Maha Sarasvati. The three manifestations of
the Goddess stand for the following:(Maha Kali, Tam) ---- Strength
(Maha Lakshmi, Raj) ---- Wealth(Maha Sarasvati, Satva) ---- Intellect
Each person on earth contains the attributes of Tam Guna,Raj Guna, Satva Guna, in some degree. His/ Her
behaviour is conditioned by which attribute ispredominant. However to lead a full and meaningful life
a balance has to be struck between the three. This balanceis extremely difficult to achieve. It needs divine blessings.
It is only at Vaishno Devi that such blessings are possible.Similarly the holy cave shrine of Amarnath is dedicated to
Lord Siva. The place is revered by the Hindu pilgrimsbecause every year the Shivlinga of snow is formed. The
Shivlinga seems to possess incredible and miraculouspowers. Therefore, people from all over India visit the
shrine to seek blessings of the God.Mata Vaishno Devi and Amarnath are the only cave
shrines in the world where pilgrims in huge numberswillingly and happily climb vertical heights of almost
3500 ft and 12000 ft respectively covering a distance of 24kms and 40 kms respectively. Large number of these
pilgrims are repeaters who come every year. Theunflinching faith of these devotees is wondrous to watch
and what seems to motivate them to the very core of theirheart are the three words, JAI MATA DI and JAI BABA
BHOLENATH.
there are 33 Crore (3.3 Billion) Gods and Goddessesassociated to Hindu Pantheon and each has a shrine
dedicated to it. The Jammu and Kashmir State, the mostNorthern state of India, has three distinct regions namely
Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir and can be called a‘Religious Parad
ise’. It is famous for its cave shrines,which are natural rock formations that represent the
living intangible heritage of India. These Gods andGoddesses are sources to be spiritually uplifted for the
people of India. They provide spiritual solace tothousands of worshippers visiting these shrines. Apart
from spiritual attainment they provide mental satisfactionand great ecstasy that sustain and stimulate the life
pattern of thousands of strife torn people, who haveintrinsic faith in these deities. The most significant cave
shrine, however, are those of Mata Vaishno Devi andAmarnath located in Jammu and Kashmir regions
respectively.Mata Vaishno Devi cave shrine is dedicated to Goddess
Vaishno, which is a manifestation of Maha Kali, MahaLakshmi and Maha Sarasvati. The three manifestations of
the Goddess stand for the following:(Maha Kali, Tam) ---- Strength
(Maha Lakshmi, Raj) ---- Wealth(Maha Sarasvati, Satva) ---- Intellect
Each person on earth contains the attributes of Tam Guna,Raj Guna, Satva Guna, in some degree. His/ Her
behaviour is conditioned by which attribute ispredominant. However to lead a full and meaningful life
a balance has to be struck between the three. This balanceis extremely difficult to achieve. It needs divine blessings.
It is only at Vaishno Devi that such blessings are possible.Similarly the holy cave shrine of Amarnath is dedicated to
Lord Siva. The place is revered by the Hindu pilgrimsbecause every year the Shivlinga of snow is formed. The
Shivlinga seems to possess incredible and miraculouspowers. Therefore, people from all over India visit the
shrine to seek blessings of the God.Mata Vaishno Devi and Amarnath are the only cave
shrines in the world where pilgrims in huge numberswillingly and happily climb vertical heights of almost
3500 ft and 12000 ft respectively covering a distance of 24kms and 40 kms respectively. Large number of these
pilgrims are repeaters who come every year. Theunflinching faith of these devotees is wondrous to watch
and what seems to motivate them to the very core of theirheart are the three words, JAI MATA DI and JAI BABA
BHOLENATH.
Document joint
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