Madurai Veeran

Madurai Veeran (Tamil: மதுரை வீரன், Maturai Vīraņ lit. Warrior of Madurai) is a Tamil folk deity popular in southern Tamil Nadu, India. His name was derived as a result of his association with the Soputher City of Madurai as a Protector of the City. The deity is also popular amongst certain segments of the Tamil diaspora in Réunion and the French overseas territories in the Caribbean sea. He is known as the son of 'Amman' amongst the South African Tamils.

A legend says that he was born to Raja of Kasi Banaras.Varanasi Thulasingam and queen Karpagavalli.
Having seen the newborn child who was born as a result of divine intervention, with the umbilical cord wound round around the neck, the King was shocked as this would be a bad omen for the kingdom. As advised by the royal astrologers, the child was placed in a basket an let go in the river.
The child, we received by a childless pair (Chinnaan and Chinni) who were cobblers by profession. They named the child Muthu Kumaran and reared him as their own, fearing the original parents might ask for the child, they left the country of origin and moved southwards and sought refuge in the kingdom of Raja Bommu (Bommulu Raja)under Vijayanagaram they are Rajakambalam Nayakar community . Raja Bommu/Bommannan appointed Chinnan as the Gatekeeper of his palace.
The boy Muthukumaran was sent to a Gurukul to learn the arts and graduated as the best in all. However, fate played a different role. According to tradition, girls, who come of age are placed in a secluded location for a period after which shall only see the face of the man who is destined to marry her. In the case of King Bommannan's Daughter, Bommi, the gate keeper's son Muthu Kumaran turned out to be the person. As he was not know to be of royal birth, this was opposed by the royals and Muthukumaran and Bommi flees southwards.
Muthukumaran and Bommi reaches Madurai, ruled at this time by Thirumalai Nayak, who is immediately taken by the charming young man and appoints him to the Royal Army and also retains him as a close confidante and calls him Veeran (The Valient One).
Madurai, in those days was troubled by armed robbery by the Kallar tribe of south. The king orders "Veeran" to quell the menace.
Fate again plays its part here. Veeran, meets with the Royal dansuse, "Vellaiyammal" (The Fair one) and being well trained in all forms of arts and his looks, vellaiyammal is attracted to him and requests him to teach her the Natya Shastra (The tenets of dancing).
The King, who was attracted to Vellaiyammal does not appreciate this development and views this as an affair, and in one occasion, some of his generals, who hated the closeness of Veeran to the King, uses the opportunity to inform the King, that the delay in suppressing the robbers was deliberate as Veeran was in connivance with the robbers themselves. Furious, the king orders a traitor's death to Veeran.
Veeran is taken to the gallows and his alternate limps are chopped off. hearing this, Bommi and Vellaiyammal reaches the gallows to see the severed limps and chastises the King for his injustice. As the legend goes, Veeran, is brought back alive by the virtues of both these women and is vindicated by the presence of Gods. Veeran, thereafter retires to a cave beneath the now known Meenakshiamman Temple (The cave exists even now, though the path is closed for people)
A temple had been erected at the south gate of Meenakshiamman Temple later by Thirumalai Nayak. The Ballads of Madurai Veeran has been a folk tale carried out for many generations through village songs, known in Tamil as Gramiya Padalgal and Traditional Street Theater, known as Therukkoothu in southern Tamilnadu

Five Sikh Symbols

The Five Ks are the five items of dress and physical appearance given to Sikhs by Guru Gobind Singh when he gathered together the first members of the Khalsa on Vaisakhi day in 1699. These symbols give Sikhs a unique identity signifying discipline and spirituality. However, these items cannot be reduced to just symbols and must be worn in their full form.

Kesh

• Uncut hair, which is kept covered by a distinctive turban.
• Kesh are a traditional symbol of holiness in India, and the turban is a symbol of leadership.

Kirpan

• A ceremonial sword, symbolizing readiness to protect the weak, and defend against injustice and persecution.
• The kirpan is normally worn with a cloth shoulder strap called a gatra.
• The kirpan exemplifies the warrior character of a Sikh.

Kara

• A steel bracelet, symbolizing strength and integrity.
• Steel is symbolic of strength yet resilient under stress. In the same way, the human soul must become as strong and unbreakable as steel which has been tempered in the furnace.

• A small wooden comb, symbolizing cleanliness and order.
• The kangha is used to keep the hair clean and is normally tucked neatly in one's uncut hair.
• As a Sikh combs their hair daily, he or she should also comb their mind with the Guru's wisdom.

Kachhera

Cotton boxer shorts, symbolizing self-control and chastity; prohibition of adultery.

Prathyangira Devi

  

 

Prathyangira, also known as Narasimhi, is a Hindu Goddess associated with shakti, the Hindu concept of feminine energy. She is described as a goddess with a lion's face and a human body. This combination of lion and human forms represents the balance of good and evil.

The Goddess's alternative name is Atharvana Bhadrakali, identified in the Atharvaveda with Kali.

As told in Markandeya Purana: In the beginning of the Satya yuga, the Lord Narasimha, an avatar of Vishnu, killed the unruly King Hiranyakashipu by tearing up his body and drinking his blood. Because of the anger in Hiranyakashipu's body and the malicious effects of human blood, Narasimha was drunk on rage and could not be stopped. To calm him down with the power of compassion, Lord Shiva came down as Sarabeswara, a bird-animal-human hybrid. Upon seeing this, Lord Narasimha created Ganda-Berunda, a two headed-bird that was Sarabeswara's opposite. Upon seeing this, Sarabeshwara turned into Bhairava (Shiva's fierce form) and created Goddesses Pratyangira from his third eye. Prathyangira ate the bird, displaying rage the like of which the gods had never seen before. They praised her as she calmed Narasimha down by sitting on his lap.

Prathyangira is also mentioned in the Hindu epic Ramayana. Indrajit was performing "Nikumbala yaga" (a sacred ritual to worship Prathyangira) while Rama and his soldiers were waging war in Sri Lanka. Hanuman came down to stop this ritual because he knew that if Indrajit completed it, he would become invincible.In the Lalita Sahasranama, the title "Maha Bhairava Poojitha" is identified with Prathyangira. She was also called "Bhairava pathni", (wife of Bhairava). Another one of her names is "Daksha yagna vinasini", "the goddess who destroyed Daksha's sacrifice".

There are three temples in India with dedications to Prathyangira, usually consisting of a Sri Maha Prathyangira Devi Statue and Sri Maha Prathyangira Devi Sannadhis:
Sri Maha Prathyangira Devi Temple, situated in Sholinganallur, Chennai-119. It is the first temple with Sri Maha Prathyangira Devi as the main God, where the Goddess is throned "gigantically and powerfully".[citation needed].
Ayyavadi (Aivar Padi) near Kumbakonam. This temple was built many centuries before the Prathyangira Devi Statue was placed in the form of Suthai (Tamil-சுதை-Made up of Brick and Cement). Here Prathyangira is lion-faced with 18 hands.
Vedian Enthal, a small village near Manamadurai. Here Prathyangira is five-faced and seated on a lotus in the form of Suthai.
Sri Maha Pratyangira Devi Temple situated in Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad
Pratyangira temple in Madurai-Othakadai
Maha Devi Prathyangira temple, Brasil
Maha Prathyangira Devi Temple - Bangalore
Brahmapuram Sree Mahalakshmi Pratyangira Temple, Sasthamangalam, Trivandrum - 10
Jaya Mangala Pratyangira Devi Temple situated near the bus stand (opposite to the post office) in Kuzhumani, Tiruchirappalli.
'Bhadra kali temple' also known as BHADULI maa Pratyangira Itakhori, Chatra, jharkhand bihar, india.