RUDRASENA FOUNDATION

" In the dim days of yore, the people of the kingdom of Ossory   had the power of changing themselves into wolves whenever they pleased. While he was in his wolf-shape he ravaged sheep-folds and devoured cattle, and was in every respect as fierce and bloodthirsty as any natural-born wolf..." Faoladh/conroicht Both these are Irish words for “werewolf”. As you will see, the Irish werewolf is a complex creature, just as often helpful, or at least benign, as dangerous. Most of the sources say that Irish werewolves were considered guardian spirits who protected children, wounded men, and the lost. The Irish werewolf is different from the other modern stories, we hear now. It wasn't a monster at all. This shapeshifter is the guardian and protector of children, wounded men and lost people. According to some ancient sources, the Irish werewolves were even recruited by kings in the time of war.  Quite clearly, there was a cultural conflict between...

Durga is known to be the Goddess of ‘beyond reach’ or ‘inaccessible’. One of the names she is known by is ‘Devi Mahishasuramardini’. This means ‘the Goddess Killer of the Buffalo Demon’. Devotees see her to be gentle & mild and also, frightful & terrible.  Symbolizing victory of positivity over negativity, Navratri literally means 'nine nights' in Sanskrit; Nav - Nine and Ratri - nights.   Navaratri is simply the worship of different forms of the cosmic female...divine mother...the source of all... Day 1:  Shailaputri is worshipped on this day. Goddess Parvati is the daughter of Himalaya, the mountain. In Sanskrit, Shail means the mountain and thus she is also was known as Shailputri. The goddess in this form rides a bull, carrying a Trishul in her right hand and lotus in the left hand. Day 2: On Dwitiya, goddess Brahmacharini is worshipped. Here the goddess walks bare feet and a japamala and a kamandalu can be seen in her han...

Sastha is an ancient deity worshipped thousands of years ago across the globe. There are references to Sastha worship in the submerged Lemuria, Vietnam and Africa. There is a Sastha Hill in California, the U.S. Guruswamy Viswanatha Sarma, who made an extensive study of the Sastha concept, Ayyanar and Ayyappan chose eight Sastha incarnations for Loka Kshema. He also made panchaloka idols along with Aadhi Boodha Naadha Sastha , which makes it nine altogether. The Tamil word ‘Aadhi’ means source. ‘Aadhi Boodha Naadhar’ or ‘ Aadhi Maha Sastha ’ is the source of all other Sastha s, including Lord Ayyappan, also called Dharma Sastha of Sabarimala. Adhi Maha Sastha is worshipped with two consorts – Poorna and Pushkala. He is worshipped in many villages of South, as a protector of their houses and cities. He is also offered prayers to help find missing/lost items. His grace helps us receive rainfall on time, makes our water and land resources fertile and thereby enhancing crop cultivati...

Pandalam Dynasty The Pandalam Kingdom had its beginning around 904 AD when a scion of the declining Paandya Kingdom of Madurai in Tamil Nadu took refuge in Kerala when attacked by the Cholas.The Sasta Shrine at Sabarimala had been there from the time immemorial as the guardian deity of the people and rulers in and around the forest area.  Around tenth century- anarchy prevailed in those days in Kerala. People around Pandalam lived in perpetual fear of attack by Udayanan and his men who committed dacoit and murder. He built up many fortresses on the mountain of Talappara, Inchippara and Karimala in the forests of Pandalam. The temple of Sabarimala, where Dharma Sastha was worshipped from the very ancient past was on the route, a highway between Tamil Nadu and Kerala, along which merchants traveled. Udayanan used to plunder wealth from the travelers and the villages nearby. This amount of success made Udayanan so brutal, that he attacked the Dharma Sastha temple at Sabarimal...