According to which Hindu mythology, the worship of 'Shiva linga' has been started?
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According to legend, when Bhrigu Maharishi performed a yagna, he was worried as to which amongst the three Lords-- Bramha, Vishnu or Shankar, was truly worthy of the fruits of the yagna. So he himself went out to determine the three Gods' true worth. Bhrigu was a very powerful saint and is said to have been short tempered. Also he had a third eye on the base of his right foot of which he was very proud.\n\nFirst Bhrigu went to Bramhalok and saw that Bramha was engrossed in the generation-activities of the three worlds along with his consort Saraswati and did not pay any attention towards the arrival of the saint, so he cursed him that Bramha wont be worshipped anywhere. As a result we practically dont have any shrines dedicated to Bramha in the entire country barring one in Pushkar in Rajasthan in India.\n\nSecond he went to Kailasha t find Shankara and his consort Parvati engrossed in the eternal cosmic dance 'Ananda Tandava'. they too didnt pay any attention to Bhrigu's arrival and the saint being angered cursed Shankara that he wont be worshipped in his physical form on Bhooloka (earth), and when Shankara realized his mistake, Bhrigu granted that only the incorporeal form of Shankara ( the linga form) be worshipped. Hence we see the worship of Shiva Linga.\n\nThird  he went to vaikuntha the abode od Vishnu and Lakshmi, where Vishnu was in yoganidra and hence did not see the saint's arrival. enraged by not being welcomed by any of the three major gods, the saint in a rage of fury kicked on the chest of Vishnu. Vishnu awakened by the force of the kick quickly realized his mistake and took the saints leg in his hands and pressed the third eye in it, thereby crushing the ego of the saint. \n\nthe story goes on that Lakshmi (who stayed in the heart of Vishnu) angered at the saint for kicking the chest of Vishnu and by Vishnu pressing the leg of Bhrigu, left Vaikuntha and Vishnu to be born on earth as Padmini where she was eventually wooed by Vishnu in the form of Venkateshwara.\n\nthats my knowledge of how shivalinga came to be worshipped.\nthough there must be other legends too for this.\n\nhope it helps.\n\nthanks
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homosexuality is perhaps not a part of hindu culture.  There is no mention of  homosexuality in any of our scriptures.\n\n  In Ajanta and ellora caves, which are of Tantrik tradition, there are sculptures  of homosexuality, anal and animal sex...perhaps in that Tantrik era this was allowed for Tantriks for their rituals.\n\n    bieng homo is perhaps not for religions, it is a state of mind and mainly depend upon cultural backgrounds
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If you are taking about India then it is Varanasi. Varanasi is said to be the most holy city in Hinduism. It is considered as the most sacred place of pilgrimage for Hindus irrespective of denomination.Varanasi is the site of the holy shrine of Lord Kashi Vishwanath (an aspect of Lord Shiva), one of the twelve revered Jyotirlingas of the Lord Shiva.It is believed by Hindus that bathing in the river Ganga results in remission of sins and that dying in the holy city of Kashi (Varanasi) circumvents rebirth.\n      Varanasi (Hindī: वाराणसी, Urdū: وارانسی ), also known as Benares, Banaras, or Benaras (Hindī: बनारस]), or Kashi or Kasi (काशी کاشی ), is a famous Hindu holy city situated on the banks of the river Ganges (Ganga) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, dating back thousands of years and being contemporaneous with Sumer[1].
241209
A Hindu festival. Actually it would be called that in any language :)
539447
That isnt true, hinduism originated in india but now hinduism is all over the world.
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Hinduism is not a religion.\nIt is a collection of thoughts and beliefs gathered over thousands of years.\nThey have hundreds of Gods and hundreds of different theories.\nEvery region in India has a differnt following for a particular God and follow different rituals.\nHinduism has evolved with time. Because people have made changes according to thier wishes.\nEven Jesus and Mohammad (PBUT) are considered Avatars or forms of thier God.
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Hindu god.  Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, IAST kṛṣṇa) is according to common Hindu tradition the eighth avatar of Vishnu. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, he is seen as the Supreme Person (God) and thus the origin of all other incarnations.\nKrishna and the stories associated with him appear across the spectrum of Hindu philosophical and theological traditions. Though they sometimes differ in details or even contradict each other reflecting the concerns of a particular tradition, some core features are shared by all. These include a divine incarnation, a pastoral childhood and youth and life as a heroic warrior and teacher. The immense popularity of Krishna in India also meant that various non-Hindu religions that originated in India had their own versions of him.\n\nHe is not the elephant god.  That's Ganesh!!!
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This website gives some awesome information on Mashashivarati and discusses the fasting ritual. The next Shivarati is Feb. 16, 2007.\nhttp://www.mahashivratri.org/about-mahashivratri.html
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hinduism is not a religion inwestern sence. it is a culture and includes the beliefs of whole india. hindu=indu=indian.\n\nthere is know known origin. its oldest beliefs go way back. even before bronze age.\n\nbuddha started his preachings in Sarnath, Varanasi.\n\nSikhism was organised by Guru govind Singh in punjab. he started is as martial branch of hinduism to fight muslims agaist percecution of hindus.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism
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Hinduism. it still includes mother goddess, sun, fire worship and shamans. \n\nwe call it Sanatana dharma. it includes most ancient traditions. yet always modifying itself according to changing ideas. still retaining old traditions and beliefs.\n\nstill for religious practices pots made of bronze are supposed auspicious. that was the first metal man used. \n\nHinduism has a continuous evolution tradition. but it never negated or disregarded earlier beliefs. it just modifies them. \n\nyou want to study religious evolution of man study hinduism. it will go back to stone age and latest off shoot of hinduism Sikh Panth is hardly 400 yers old.
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There are about 33million deities in Hindu religion. Lord Ganesha is the god of knowledge.Goddess Durga is The god of Power. Ram(a) &Krishna are thesame gods but of diffrent era's.They are the gods of dasha avatar (10 births). thoes births are 1)Matsya(fish) 2)Kurma(tortoise) 3)Varaha(pig) 4) Nrisingha(head of lion & body of man) 5)Vaman(short man) 6)parshu Ram 7)Ram 8)Krishna 9)Buddha(to whome buddhist follow) 10) Kalki (who will take birth after 38000 years after). You asked about Shiva , he is one of the 3main Gods Vishnu(who gives birth),Bhramha(who takes care),Shiva(who kills).Krishna is the only god  who has been called the supreme personality of godhead. If you still want to know more visit a sight, India divine.com.\nAnd yes these gods are not only taking care of this earth but also of this universe\n                                Thank you for reading!
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For thousands of years India has been a veritable laboratory of religion: everything imaginable has been tried out, and nothing ever has completely been rejected. India remains a predominantly Hindu country. Its ethos has evolved down the ages through its the ancient Hindu traditions, customs, philosophy and culture.  In spite of many attacks on Hinduism by varied invaders, in spite of rumors of decay and disarray, Hinduism has outlived all announcements of its impending demise. \n\nWhen religion becomes organized, man ceases to be free. It is not God that is worshipped but the group or the authority that claims to speak in his name. It is not faith, but just social idolatry. God is not like a father in a patriarchal society, who has His favorite children to whom He communicates. This idea seems rather archaic and crude. Hinduism believes in behavior than belief and  experience over authority. In the words of S. Radhakrishnan, Prophetic religion is severe, militant, uncompromising, intolerant, while mystic religions are renouncing, and peaceful. \n\nThere is no need to be afraid of world's most tolerant, religion wich never persecuted nor attcked any country in name of religion .\n\nBored?? The vast collection of Hidu philosophy is fascinating and colourfull. No one can ever be bored . \n\nIn fact it will improve your understanding of mysticism even in christianity.It is a collection of wisdom of innemerable sages are missing out a great deal.\n\nThe Hindu religious system can be divided into two major systems. The Orthodox system (called astika in Sanskrit) accepts the authority of the Vedas.\n\n1. Sankhya - founder Sage Kapila\n2. Yoga  -  Sage Patanjali\n3. Mimamsa  - Sage Vyasa / Sage Jaimini\n4. Vedanta  - Shankaracharya, Ramanuja/Chaitanya/ Madhava/Vallabha\n5. Nyaya  - Sage Gautama (not Buddha)\n6. Vaisheshika - Sage Kanda\n\nThe Heterdox (Nastika) system rejects the authority of the Vedas. This system includes Carvaka (materialism), Jainism, and Buddhism. The Carvaka system denies existence of the individual self(atman) apart from the body and rejects the notion of moksha (salvation) for the atman\n\nWisdom of Geeta is a class apart.\n\nHinduism is a religion of freedom. It allows the widest freedom in matters of faith and worship. It allows absolute freedom to the human reason and heart with regard to questions such as the nature of God, soul, creation, form of worship, and goal of life. It does not force anybody to accept particular dogmas or forms of worship. When religion becomes organized, man ceases to be free. For it is not God that is worshipped but the group or the authority that claims to speak in his name. Thus, it becomes a kind of social idolatry. Highly individualistic, Hindus have always resisted any regimentation of thought.\n\nRegarding mothermulesmeals' post:\n\n I am glad I am not one of her friends at whom she is  always preaching Jesus  !!! It only shows their maturity and her own childish ignorance.\n\nReally she takes advantage of their being tolerance in it. She seems to be blissfully ignorant how irritating it is. Or may be she does not care about it in her zeal.\n\nHow would she feel if they start telling her how immature, egoistic and narrow , is the idea that God asked everyone to follow Jesus !\n\nGod does not his favourite children. Religion is an experience. To think that any human being or institution has the monopoly of God's truth is to commit the sin of pride.
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Hinduism is generally regarded as the world's oldest organized religion.\n\nMost forms of Hinduism are henotheistic religions. They recognize a single deity, and view other Gods and Goddesses as manifestations or aspects of that supreme God. Henotheistic and polytheistic religions have traditionally been among the world's most religiously tolerant faiths.\n\nKrishna is the second person of the Hindu Trinity. He is considered to be one of the incarnations of the God Vishnu. Some Hindus believe that he lived on Earth during perhaps the 2nd or 3rd century BCE.
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linga is the sacred phallus and principal symbol of the Hindu god Shiva and nearly always presented in connection with the yoni. i don't know where you're getting the anal orifice thing from
405251
yes, in hindu mythology
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the civilization was formed around the river Sindhu but the european called it Indus and hence they called that region as India.\n\nthats is how they called the people living in that region as Hindus. but the actually Hindu is not one who follow perticular religion but the one who lived around indus river. \n\nabout the religion, the real name of the hindu religion is "Vedic Religion or Sanatan Dharma".