Durga and Co
So these are they! What its all about. All Pandals have these five Gods represented in some way or other. Durga is clearly in the centre. The other four are her kids. (from left) Ganesh - the remover of obstacles, Laksmi - the Goddess of money and wealth, Saraswati - the Goddess of learning and culture, and Karick - who's job it is just to be beautiful it seems, and why not? I'm told he is the most beautiful of all gods. The key to recognising Hindu gods is in the icons that are depicted with them, here; a rat, an owl, a swan and a peacock respectively.
The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. Arab in... ... read more 
