Babbler (Turdoides striata)

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Babbler (Turdoides striata)

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Animal

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Explanation

A babbler is a bird, with the common name seven sisters in English and seven brothers (saath bhai) in Hindi. The common names come from their propensity to hang around in groups , and often very noisy groups (hence "babbler").

Johannes Manjrekar

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quote
The Jungle Babbler (Turdoides striata)
is an Old World babbler found in the Indian Subcontinent. They are gregarious birds that forage in small groups of six to ten birds, a habit that has given them the popular name of Seven Sisters or Saath bhai in Hindi with cognates in other regional languages which means "seven brothers".

The Jungle Babbler is a common resident breeding bird in most parts of the Indian Subcontinent and is often seen in gardens within large cities as well as in forested areas. In the past, the Orange-billed Babbler, Turdoides rufescens, of Sri Lanka was considered to be a race of this babbler, but is elevated to a species.

The species was described in 1823 under the name of Cossyphus striatus and was based on a specimen from Bengal.



These birds are gregarious and very social. They sometimes form the core of a mixed-species foraging flock. They feed mainly on insects, but also eats grains, nectar and berries.
The groups maintain territories and will defend it against neighbours but will sometimes tolerate them.For their size, they are long lived and have been noted to live as long as 16.5 years in captivity.

These birds are very common near towns and cities particularly in northern India and are well known for their habit of moving in groups giving them the local name of "Sath Bhai" which means seven brethren but translated by the English in India to "Seven sisters". Visitors to India were very likely to notice these vocal and active birds
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

wet earth –
the babbler finds something
I didn’t notice

Shared by Johannes Manjrekar
Joys of Japan, 2012


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Related words

. WKD : THE BIRD SAIJIKI .


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Cow (Pashu, Gai)

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Cow, Pashu, Gai

***** Location: India
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic
***** Category: Animal

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Explanation

Cow is known as Pashu, Gai and in many other names in India and is worshipped and venerated like the Himalayas and the Ganga.

When my son was five years old - he asked me one day, why the Hindus were not allowed to eat a cow and what was the reason behind that?

It set me thinking ..... for I, unfortunately belonged to a generation that accepted things that were told to us - never questioning our elders.

Yes - I pondered - what could be the reason that Hinduism disallowed cow eating and more than that, simply venerated and held the cows- sacred?

Mata pita guru dhaivam . . .
A sanskrit quote

Which roughly means that. . .

Mata- mother comes before all, then
Pita - father, then
Guru - much revered teacher
and finally Dhaivam - the supreme God.

That was the order of importance!

India is a land that gives great importance to the position of motherhood.
And the Cow gives us milk - so she is regarded as a mother . . .
Can one eat one's own mother?

This simple logic holds good even today- though sadly, now-a-days, many Hindus eat beef. . . which is besides the point.

Of all the charity - the giving away of the cow as a gift - Go-dhanam- is considered the highest form of charity- in the ancient texts

summer morning . . .
a hungry calf
suckles his mother

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Nearly 13 years back when we were driving down to Chennai from Pune - on the way near Bangalore, we saw hundreds of cows, with each cow's hind legs tied together being taken on the roads - we stopped to ask why they were tied and where were they being taken to ?
The villagers replied that there was a great scarcity of water in that area that year and that these cows had no milk and that these villagers had no other option left but to give it away to the butcher. . .

peak summer -
lean cows walk
towards their death

kala ramesh
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"Among cows I am the wish fulfilling cow."
Krishna



The surabhi cow descended from the spiritual worlds and manifested herself in the heavenly spheres from the aroma of celestial nectar for the benefit of all created beings. The direct descendants of the surabhi cows are the sacred cows from the continent India which are uniquely distinguished the same as the surabhi by the beautiful hump on their backs and the wonderfully soft folds of skin under their necks.

Since all cows in existence in the world today are factual descendants of the sacred cows of India they are all holy as well and should always be lovingly cared for and protected with the highest esteem and greatest respect. One should never cause harm to cows in any way even in a dream and one should never ever even think of eating the flesh of cows as there is no action more sinful in all of creation then cow killing.

Cows are the mothers of all creatures.
Cows are verily the mothers of the 33 crores of demigods that administrate creation in the material existence throughout all the universes. Cows are the goddesses of the gods and the refuge of all auspiciousness. Cows bestow every kind of happiness and for these reason they always are worshippable. Cows are the support of all the worlds for by their milk they nourish terrestrials beings and by their ghee offered in sacrifice they nourish the denziens of the celestial realms.
Nothing superior to cows.

Cows are the foremost of all creatures in all the worlds. It is from cows that the means for sustaining the worlds has established. Cows are auspicious and sacred and the bequeathers of every blessing. Cows benefit humans with milk, yoghurt, cheese, butter and ghee. The Vedas have stated that the milk of a cow is equivalent to ambrosial nectar and that ghee derived from cows milk is the best of all libations poured onto the sacred fires of brahmins.

go-ange yata loma tata sahasra vatsara
go-vadhi raurava-madhye pace nirantar

Cow killers and cow eaters are condemned to rot in hell for as many thousands of years as there are for each hair on the body of every cow they eat from.

A cow must never be given to a tiller of soil.
Only a bovine bull may be given to a tiller of soil but never a cow.


Read more in this article:

Srimad Bhagavad-Gita and the Sacredness of All Cows
by Jagannath Das

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Nandi/Nandhi is the white bull
which Shiva rides, and the leader of the Ganas.

The white color of the bull symbolizes purity and justice. Shiva and Nandi's association in Hindu scriptures and art can be traced to the Indus Valley Civilization, where dairy farming was the most important occupations, thus explaining the appearance of various artifacts indicating a deity much like Shiva. This deity is believed to have been worshipped as the keeper of herds, and over time, was converted into the present day Shiva, with the bull Nandi as his primary vehicle. Over time of course, Nandi was accorded the position of a lesser Hindu god and a number of temples are dedicated solely to Nandi.

The close association of Shiva and Nandi explains the presence of a statue of Nandi at the gate of the Garbha Griha (sanctum sanctorum) of every mandir dedicated to Shiva. It also explains why the word "nandi" in the Tamil language is used as a metaphor for a person blocking the way. In Sanskrit, a bull is called "vrisha", which has another connotation - that of righteousness or Dharma.

Photo of Nandi

In Hindu mythology, it was Nandi who cursed Ravana (the demon King of Lanka) that his kingdom would be burnt by a monkey (Vanara). And later Hanuman burnt Lanka when he went in search of Sita, who was kept prisoner by Ravana in Ashok Vatika.

In addition to being his mount, Nandi is Shiva's foremost disciple. As the foremost disciple of Lord Shiva, it is important to seek the blessings of Nandi before proceeding to worship Lord Shiva. When the positive forces, the devas, and the negative forces, the asuras, joined together on a rare occasion to churn the mountain to obtain the nectar of immortality they utilized Vasuki, the serpent, as the rope. The devas pulled from one end and the asuras from the other. Vasuki was upset during the process of this churning, and vomited up a poison which became human karma. This "poison" was so dangerous that none of the devas or asuras wanted to go near it. It was extremely sticky and coming into contact with this poison, i.e, human karma, would drag the divinity down to the realms of human suffering and ego. As everyone else ran away, Lord Shiva, followed by Nandi, came forward to help as he was the only one who could counteract this deadly poison. Shiva took the poison into his hand and drank it. Nandi saw some of the poison spill out of Shiva's mouth and immediately drank if off the ground. The devas and asuras watching were shocked and wondered aloud what would happen to Nandi. Lord Shiva calmed their fears saying, "Nandi has surrendered into me so completely that he has all my powers and my protection".

In the Natha/Siddhar tradition, Nandi is the one of the primal gurus. He was the guru to Siddhar Thirumulanathar, Patanjalinathar and others.

Nandi, the WIKIPEDIA

Other sources say it was a white water buffalo.

Cow Temples in India


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Things found on the way

Bhagavad Gita , a non-seasonal topic for India haiku.

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HAIKU

holy cow -
her dead body floats
in the river Ganges

Whilst we sit at the riverside in Benares, watching the cow (and a few other things) slowly pass by, a boy from the nearby chai shop scoops some water from the river, prepares a cup of tea and offers it to us.

Gabi Greve, Varanasi, 1978

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city street
cars and buses wait
for a cow to cross

Norman Darlington
"First published Simply Haiku 2004"


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Go Maatha [ Mother Cow ]

cows in rows
whipped random ~
sad, they walk on

tomorrow is Easter
today is special cows'
slaughter day here

summer drizzle ~
the butcher sharpens
his knife in glee ~

"I will cut you
into two, you bitch ~
don't make noise "

the cow struggles
to extricate herself ~
butcher lights beedi~

a cow becomes
two pieces of life ~
butcher's son laughs

smell of blood ~
the cow is dead ~ again,
the butcher gets ready

"I enjoy killing
or I wouldn't be here ~ "
cow's eyes in tears ~

Statistics ~
thousands of cows are
killed for Easter feast

feast with beef ~
loud talk about money ~
Christ in tears

a piece of cow
cremated with spices
in a human body ~

[ Dedicated To Bernard Shaw :
" Don't make your body a crematorium for animals " ]


"why do you
kill me foolish man?
I am God's breath "

medical opinion ~
cow contains myriad proteins
very good for man

Narayanan Raghunathan, 2005

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stalled traffic
a cow picks flowers
off the wedding car

hot evening
cows on the road
divide the traffic

Johannes Manjrekar, India, 2006

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holy shit !
the cow does it
in plain sunshine

　©　Gabi Greve, Benares 1979


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mother cow
the milkman and the calf
waiting for turns

Aurora Geet
Joys of Japan, February 2012


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***** Cow as Worldwide Kigo

***** Ganges, the Holy River Ganga

***** Himalaya Mountains


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Koel, Koil, Kuil bird

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Asian Koel, Koil, Kuil, Koyal

***** Location: India
***** Season: Spring
***** Category: Animal

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Explanation

quote
The Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)
is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. It is found in South Asia, China, and Southeast Asia. It forms a superspecies with the closely related Black-billed and Pacific Koels which are sometimes treated as subspecies. The Asian Koel is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of crows and other hosts, who raise its young.
They are unusual among the cuckoos in being largely frugivorous as adults.
The name koel is echoic in origin with several language variants and the bird is a widely used symbol in Indian poetry.



The Asian Koel is a large, long-tailed, cuckoo.

The word "Koel" is derived from the Hindi word which is onomatopoeic in origin. The Sanskrit root is "Kokila" and the words in various Indian languages are similar. It is traditionally held in high regard for its song and held in reverence with the Manusmriti, an ancient decree protecting them from harm.
The Vedas, Sanskrit literature dated to about 2000 BC referred to it as Anya-Vapa which meant "that was raised by others". This has been interpreted as the earliest knowledge of brood parasitism. Being familiar birds with loud calls, references to them are common in folklore, myth and poetry.

It has been chosen as the state bird by the southern Indian state of Pondicherry.

These birds were once very popular in India as cagebirds. Feeding even on boiled rice, these hardy birds lived in captivity for as long as 14 years.

This bird has a strong association with the traditional new year celebrations of Sri Lanka. In the literature around the festival, the song of the bird regarded as a heralding of the traditional new year. This bird is known as the koha in Sri Lanka by the Sinhala speaking community.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


Listen to its voice HERE:
source : www.youtube.com


Especially the "first koel song" is a sign of spring.

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Japan

oni kakkoo オニカッコウ "demon cuckoo"


. Cuckoo (kankodori) - little cuckoo (hototogisu) .


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


koil sings ~
hibiscus splashes
sunlight reds



kulir thennalil
kuil paattu ~ kaalai neeraada
pohum pen'manigal
[Tamizh ]

in the cool breeze
kuil's song~ women going to
bathe in the morning

Narayanan Raghunathan


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misty dawn -- the koel's call louder than the muezzin's

scudding clouds
the koel's notes trip
over each other

baked earth
a koel's rippling call
cuts through the noon haze

Johannes Manjrekar



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spring sunshine
the song of a koyal
echoes the sky

Shared by Sandip Sital Chauhan
fb, March 2012


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Koel's song
a touch of nostalgia
through my heart

- Shared by Arvinder Kaur -
Joys of Japan, 2012


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morning light...
with my deep breath
a cuckoo's song　

Kala Ramesh

. Haiku Culture Magazine - 2013 . 　　


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summer draught . . .
the mango tree heavy
with koel cries　

Sandip Sital Chauhan

. Haiku Culture Magazine - 2013 . 　



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Related words

***** . Haiku from Punjab .



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Birds of Bhutan

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BHUTAN SAIJIKI


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Birds of Bhutan

***** Location: Bhutan
***** Season: Various, see below
***** Category: Animals

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Explanation

Nestling in the eastern Himalaya, the kingdom of Bhutan is a land locked country with an approximate area of 47000 square kilometers. Its unique location along with altitude and climatic variations attribute to the tremendous diversity of flora/fauna to be found within its boundaries. Within its physical and biological diversities and with over 70% forest cover, Bhutan has some of the best remaining representative samples of the unique Himalayan eco- system.

The vegetation varies dramatically over short distance, ranging from tropical broadleaf to temperate conifer forests, to alpine shrubs and meadows. In addition, a rich assortment of medicinal herbs dot all over the country as do over 600 species of rhododendron.

These forests provide habitats for a variety of faunal species such as tigers, elephants, greater one horned rhinoceros, golden langur, blue sheep, musk deer, wolves, leopards, takins and a host of other creatures, many of which are listed as threatened or endangered.

The National Bird - THE RAVEN
(Corvus Corax Tibetanus)
Local name: Jarog



source
http://www.tourbhutantravel.com/bhutan_bird_watching.html


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. . raven (jarog) 　


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kigo for spring


Black-necked Crane, Grus nigricollis
also called Tibetan Crane
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !




on the wings
of black neck cranes
last snow

This year these birds which migrate to the Tibetan plateau for nesting have delayed their flight.
This haiku is for April 2010.

Sonam Chhoki 　


Black necked Crane winter migration to Bhutan.
The places they migrated to Bhutan are:

1) Phobjikha, Khotokha
2) Gyetsa, and Thangbi.
3) Bomdling

How this majestic bird “THRUNG THRUNG KARM’” to descend from the lofty Tibetan plateau and spend their winter in Bhutan.
http://www.tourbhutantravel.com/bhutan_bird_watching.html



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Worldwide use

. crane, tsuru 鶴 　
Japan


. WKD : THE BIRD SAIJIKI


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU



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Related words


. WKD : THE BIRD SAIJIKI


***** BHUTAN SAIJIKI

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Bearded vulture

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Himalayan bearded vulture

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Animal

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Explanation


Himalayan bearded vulture



Gypaetus barbatus aureus, a kind of Lammergeier


Reference

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kigo for spring

Himalayan Bearded Vulture chicks


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The Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture,
Gypaetus barbatus ("Bearded Vulture-Eagle"), is an Old World vulture, the only member of the genus Gypaetus. It breeds on crags in high mountains in southern Europe, Africa, India, and Tibet, laying one or two eggs in mid-winter which hatch at the beginning of spring.
The population is resident. The Lammergeier has been successfully re-introduced into the Alps, but is still one of the rarest raptors in Europe.
Like other vultures it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

himalayan bearded vulture. . .
the wingspan extends
mountain to mountain

_kala
published in Gean Tree Press - March 2010



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***** Bird Saijiki

***** Himalaya Mountains

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Sunbird, sunbirds

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Sunbirds

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Animal

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Explanation

Sunbirds are small birds and look something like the humming birds. Their flight is like darts. They usually feed on nectar and some of them hover like humming birds as well.

Vidur Jyoti

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The sunbirds and spiderhunters are very small passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings.

The sunbirds have counterparts in two very distantly related groups: the hummingbirds of the Americas and the honeyeaters of Australia. The resemblances are due to convergent evolution due to the similar nectar-feeding lifestyle. Most sunbird species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Worldwide use

Kenya

violet backed sunbird
black-bellied sunbird


source :　Arthur Morris / BIRDS AS ART
Variable Sunbird, Elsamere, Lake Naivasha, Kenya



windy evening--
a sunbird flying up
in the sky

Sophia Kathambi


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The sunbird can stay perfectly still in the air by fluttering its wings, and its hooked beak is ideal for drinking the nectar from flowers.

I recently observed it enjoying the neighbours' aloe flowers --

red aloe flowers --
a black sunbird sipping them
one by one

sunbird --
for a moment, it stops
to preen itself

Isabelle Prondzynski


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another bird from Kenya

firefinch
Red- billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala
Blue-billed Firefinch
African Firefinch Lagonosticta rubricata

a tiny reddish bird, usually arriving in a little group, and looking for grass seeds and the like.


. . . CLICK here for Photos !



. SAIJIKI FOR KENYA AND TROPICAL REGIONS .


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU





alone at dawn
by my bougainvillea
a sunbird calls





Vidur Jyoti, October 2008
© Photos and Haiku


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Related words

***** . The Bird Saijiki .



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Tiger (tora) and Dance

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Tiger Dance (Huli Vesha, Puli Vesha)

***** Location: India
***** Season: Autumn
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation


for tiger (tora) see below

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The Dance Of The Great Indian Tiger

Tiger, tiger burning bright
In the forest of the night.

William Blake.


The Great Indian Tiger has from times immemorial kindled man’s fantasy.
What could be the reason?
Maybe deep within primitive man admired it so much that he tried to emulate the ways of the tiger?

In India the tiger is associated with Goddess Durga.

He guards the jungle, Mother Goddess is depicted as riding on his back and the tiger is also credited with the power to create rain and capable of controlling drought

Performed around September - The Tiger dance –- called by various names depending on the region it is performed is a well known folk dance – usually seen during Dussera / Navarathri [ the 9 night’s festival].

Huli Vesha or Puli Vesha – as the tiger dance is known in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh is performed during Dussera and Muharram by both the Hindus and Muslims.

The dancer paints his body in yellow varnish with black stripes resembling a tiger, on his face he wears a tiger’s mask , his long tail is made of cloth and he wears bells only on one leg .

The tiger dance, also seen in Orissa, is known as the Bagh Nritya.

Kala Ramesh

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Tiger Dance is a unique form of folk dance in Dakshina kannada that fascinates the young and the old alike. Since tiger is considered as the favored carrier of Goddess Sharada (the deity in whose honor Dussera is celebrated), this dance is performed during the Dussera celebration. It is also performed during other festivals like Krishna Janmasthami.

There are more than 50 troupes who perform this famed folk dance. Popular and probably the oldest one among them is the Kesari friends circle group headed by Bajilkeri Kamalaksha. The Mangalorean style is distinctive by its body paint, the satin chaddi or knicker and the headgear which is made of papier-mache and adorned with raw wool - the 'fur' of the Tiger.



The grand Hulivesha performance is preceded by a long body painting session. Several layers of paint is applied on the artist's body carefully. Each layer is applied such that the end result reflects the grandeur of the carnivore. Typically the body colour is layered with yellow and black colour with occasional touching of red near the mouth. During this period which lasts several hours the artist stands erect so that the paint doesn't get distorted.

Hulivesha is accompanied by the familiar drumbeat which can be heard from very far off places. On hearing the beat, herds of children flock to place where the dance is being performed and start moving with the troupe. Every child in Kudla can play the popular Hulivesha drum rhythm (of course with their mouth). We wish we could play it here.

During the dance the artists perform many heroic acts which depicts the power of the carnivore. 'Killing sheep' is one the famous acts performed. A skillful tiger dancer is expected to kill a sheep, which means the artist holds the sheep by his teeth toss it in the air and throw it away. The sheep is not actually killed and it is only a ritual. Many such acts are performed, some of the popular ones being picking the note with his mouth by bending backwards, swinging the mace etc.

A typical troupe consists of 7-15 members. But there are troupes of much larger sizes also. The formal dance begins with a Ganesh pooja following the Navarathri festival. The tiger dance occupies a prominent place throughout the Dussera procession. It is a tribute to the royal cat which is the favored carrier of many gods and goddesses.
© Mangalore.com
http://www.mangalore.com/documents/tigerdance.html

More photos of Mangalore
http://www.mangalore.com/documents/picgallery.html

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Tiger Dance, Hulivesha - The royal tiger dance



© 2006 Venkatesh Rangarajan - All rights reserved.
http://www.lonelywanderer.com/p8829944.html

More superb photos are here:
http://www.lonelywanderer.com/c321894.html

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Things found on the way

Durga and the Tiger
(sometimes she is shown on a lion)



With her golden body blazing with the splendor of a thousand suns, seated on her lion or tiger vehicle, Durga is one of the most spectacular of all personifications of Cosmic Energy.

Article by Nitin Kumar
Read the full article at Exoticindiaart.com


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About Tigers and Elephants :

PROTECTING INDIA'S 'WILD EAST'
By PHILIP CARTER, May 2007


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HAIKU

the painted dancer -
holds the tiger’s face
in his hands

tiger dance -
imitating his movements
all the village kids

Kala Ramesh

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puli soda kudikkunnu~
pulikkalikidayiloru
ona thumbi~ [ Malayalam ]

tiger drinks soda ~
between the tiger dance
an onam-dragonfly

© Narayanan Raghunathan

Behind the masks,
their eyes so much alive-
the tiger-dance

Vasile Moldovan

Quote from the Photo Haiku Gallery

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***** Tiger, a non-seasonal topic
Animal.

Thailand

TIGER CONSERVATION PROJECT

(Tiger Island) At Wat Pa Luang Ta Bua Yannasampanno / Kanchanaburi Province

BACKGROUND

In February 1999 a four month’s old one-footed female tiger cub came to the monastery in a bad condition with a sign of alarm whenever she heard a popping sound of can opening. Her head was stitched. Her eyes were dimmed and she could see things only at a very short distance. The claws of her front legs were removed. She had blunt teeth and could chew and swallow foods only with difficulty. She was upset and roaring as she ate and kept wandering around but she never hurt anybody.

According to a narration, the baby tiger eluded from being killed and stuffed at the Thai-Myanmar border. Her mother was believed to be shot dead. The monastery thus looked after her and she stayed alive.

The event brought sympathy to all the persons who took part in saving her life and nobody would expect to see such case again. Yet several other baby tigers were brought to the monastery with almost the same story.

There are some fertile forest areas along the Thai-Myanmar border where a small population of tiger still exists. The areas are difficult to access and control and it is unfortunate that many tigers end their lives from being poached. Not knowing how to do after killing their parents, the tiger cubs are brought to the monastery where it is regarded as a land of mercy.

Read more about this wonderful project.
http://www.openworldthailand.com/index.cfm?menuid=69

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While the tiger is not always easy to see in this region of mountainous plateaus and rugged ravines, its presence can be felt: "While exploring the ruins of the Hindu kingdom, we came upon a little lake with a small temple perched perfectly on a peninsula.
We were there at midday, but in my mind's eye, I saw it at dawn, or by moonlight, perhaps twilight. There could be a tiger, emerging from the shelter of the temple, looking out over the lake."
© Robert Bateman
http://www.artandnature.com/bateman/hindutemple.html



HAIKU

i look at the tiger ~
the tiger looks at me ~
two cosmoses merge ~

Narayanan Raghunathan

Photo and more haiku at the Photo Haiku Gallery

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GERMANY
Bonsai-Tiger, pet name for the cat

Cat as kigo
http://worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com/2005/03/cat-neko.html


The Tiger, Priest Bukan and the "Four Sleepers"
Some Japanese Zen Art By Gabi Greve


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***** . Muharram festival .
The Pulikali, also known as the tiger dance, is part of the Muharram celebration in Kerala. Some Muslims paint their bodies with tiger markings, wear masks, and parade through streets . . .



***** Lion dance (shishimai 獅子舞)
but that is only with masks, a Chinese tradition, performed in China and Japan and other Asian countries.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

... WKD: New Year (shin-nen) and Lion Dance

WKD : Rain Rituals (amagoi)


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2010 the Year of the Tiger
Toradoshi 寅年
15 February 2010 - 3 February 2011
Metal Tiger (tora, the animal 虎)


. WKD : First Day of the Tiger (hatsu tora) 　
and related kigo about Mount Kurama


The Asian Lunar Calendar
and the 12 Zodiac Animals


Happy New Tiger !
More Information about 2010.




. The Animals of the Four Directions 　
Shijuu (四獣,四聖獣）with the White Tiger 白虎 in the West, a road in the West of a city layout.



The Four Sleepers, shisui　四睡 ... with a Tiger



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わが湖あり日蔭真つ暗な虎があり
わが湖(うみ)あり日蔭真暗な虎があり　
waga umi ari hikage makkura na tora ga ari

there is my very own lake ...
there is a tiger with a very
black shadow

Kaneko Tohta, 1961
Tr. Gabi Greve


Tohta writes:
"I had come back from Nagasaki to Tokyo. It was in early summer at some lake in the mountains, all was lush and green and a tiger could easily be hidden in the shadows. In my mind, the lake became my sphere, the tiger shadow lay there all black with my expectations."
He had differences with Nakamura Kusatao and started the new Gendai Haiku Kyokai in the same year.
One can imagine that the tiger in this haiku is Tohta himself.
http://yahantei.blogspot.com/2005/12/blog-post_09.html

This is the year when he published
The Haiku of Tohta Kaneko (1961)


Discussion at THF


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. Tora トラ　- 虎　- 寅　the Tiger Toys .
Japan


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[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

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Monkey

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Monkey　

***** Location: India, other areas
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic
***** Category: Animal

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Explanation

There are many species of monkeys.


Langur Monkey

The langur monkey is called ''leaf monkeys'' because they eat chiefly leaves. The large stomach and intestines of these monkeys give them potbellied appearance. They also eat fruit, flowers, grass.

The langur monkey has a slender body, with a long tail. Their coat may be red, brown, silver, gray, golden, or black so he can blend in with the places they live in. The adult langur weigh from 11 to 40 pounds. They measure 17 to 31 inches tall, their tail is 21 to 42 inches long. Male langurs are larger then females.

They live in warm humid swamp forest to cold mountains. They live in groups from 10 to 40 members. The langur can jump over a river. They can jump 10 meters
Langur Information Makalapa

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Monkeys at the University Roof



© Photos by Johannes Manjrekar

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The famous Hanuman, the Monkey King !

Hanuman is the son of Vayu, the Hindu god of Wind, and is looked upon by Hindus as the ultimate hero. He represents the figure of the ideal being, as he is humble yet brave. His physical prowess, mental discipline and spiritual purity have made him extremely popular all over India.



As a child, Hanuman mistook the rising sun for a fruit and tried to eat it, in the process disrupting the movements of the nine astrological bodies, the Grahas. When Indra, lord of the skies, hurled his thunderbolt to stop Hanuman, Vayu was so angry that he sucked away the air from the three worlds causing all creatures to choke. Vayu wouldn't release the wind until Indra promised to give Hanuman supernatural powers.

Hanuman is best known from the Indian epic the Ramayana. In this masterwork, Sita, the wife of Prince Rama, is abducted by the demon Ravana. Hanuman leads his army of monkeys and bears to build a bridge from India to the island of Lanka, where Sita was being held.

As Hanuman's armies attacked, Prince Rama rode in on Hanuman's shoulders and fired an arrow into Ravana, killing the demon and liberating Sita.
http://www.siamese-dream.com/reference/hanuman.html


The Mystery of Hanuman
Inspiring Tales from Art and Mythology

In Hindu symbolism, a monkey signifies the human mind, which is ever restless and never still.

The Spiritual Significance of Hanuman
The goal of all mystical yearning is union of the individual soul with the universal soul. In the Adhyatma ('spiritual') Ramayana, a Sanskrit text dating from the fourteenth or fifteenth century, Sita represents the individual (jiva-atma), which has separated from the universal (param-atma) symbolized by Rama. In a beautiful interpretation, Hanuman here is said to personify bhakti, which annihilates the 'ahankara' or ego (Ravana), and re-unites the two.

Read the full article by Nitin Kumar
Exotic India

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In Hindu symbolism, a monkey signifies the human mind, which is ever restless and never still.

Adyaathma Raamaayana is a demystified version of a divine text venerated by innumerable people. Raamaayana is an Ithihaasa [ancient history] so old it is undatable: even the Sanskrit style involves a different grammar I hope people dont demystify The Gods into crude abstractions of Advaita or others.

Hanuman is the eleventh manifestation of Rudra Shiva and still Exists as a Chiranjeevi [ Ever Living ] available for perception in his glorious form.

Hanuman is one of my primary Guru(s)! He initiated me in a dream into yoga about thirty years ago when He appeared in a divine luminous space and showed me my death and my own subtle body[ sooshma shariram ]which passes on into other worlds after death . He also appeared to me in another dream about eight years ago when he revealed his Vishwaroopaam [Cosmic Form].

Anjaneya Hanuman is divinely ornamented with cosmic jewels and he is luminous golden in colour in my visions. Hanuman is also mentioned in other Puraanaas . It may be noted that Anjaneya is also hailed as the greatest linguist grammarian and musician apart from being the special Guru for martial arts like Kalari payatttu [ from Kerala] Gusthi [Wrestling] etc.

Hanuman's Sahasranaama [ thousand names ] are also recited and Lord Sri Rama is The Rishi (Seer) of this revelatory mantram.
Of course, Hanuman is the greatest Bhaktha [devotee] .

Narayanan Raghunathan, August 2006

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Worldwide use

Japan

monkey, saru 猿

. . . . .

kigo for alll winter

kanen, kan en 寒猿 (かんえん) monkey in the cold
saur sakaru 猿さかる（さるさかる） monkey in heat


. 温泉猿 Monkeys sitting in the Hot Springs ! 　


. . . . .

kigo for the New Year

saru mawashi 猿廻し (さるまわし) monkey dance performance
saru hiki 猿曳（さるひき）
saru hiki 猿引（さるひき）
saru mai shi 猿舞師（さるまいし））trainer of dancing monkeys
maizaru 舞猿（まいざる）dancing monkey
tayuuzaru 大夫猿（たゆうざる）"acting monkey"

. Dance and Kigo .

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Saiyuki, also known as Genso maden Saiyuki (幻想魔伝最遊記, Gensōmaden Saiyūki?, lit. Romanticized Tale of a Journey to the Extreme)
saiyuuki "西遊記" ("Journey to the West" )
Xī Yóu Jì (西遊記) in Chinese

deals with the fortunes of four fighters - the monk Genjyo Sanzo (Romanized Genjo in the anime and Singapore English manga), the monkey deity Son Goku, the half-demon Sha Gojyo (sometimes spelled Gojou), and the demon Cho Hakkai, who have been dispatched by the Sanbutsushin (The Three Aspects of the Buddha) to India to investigate the reasons behind the recent insanity among the demons. Demons, who have formerly coexisted peacefully with humans in Shangri-La, are going berserk and turning against them.

Genjo Sanzo (Genjoo Sanzoo 玄奘三蔵) — Xuan Zang (玄奘) or Tang San Zan (Tang's three scriptures), Buddhist monk who uses a gun which can exterminate demons and a fan to silence Goku and Gojyo when they start to quarrel and can use sutras to defeat stronger demons.

Son Gokū — Sūn Wùkōng (孫悟空), the monkey king, who is equipped with:
kinkoji (緊箍児), a magical head band placed by Sanzō Hōshi / Xuan Zang
nyoiboo (如意棒), an extendable fighting stick
kinto-un (觔斗雲), cloud mobile

Read more in the WIKIPEDIA


SARU, meaning "to go away, to pass" also a sentence like MA GA SARU　魔が去る, the evil will go away, made the monkey (saru) a special object of bringing good luck in Japan.


. Monkey Amulets and Talismans .


ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo


See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil!



Jizo statue of a monkey in Sugamo, Tokyo. The pedestal carving depicts the Three Monkeys covering eyes, ears and mouth.

©　PHOTO nipponia / animals




monkey teachers . . .
to observe, to listen
to recite haiku

Gabi Greve
another look at the three wise monkeys





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Monkey's Raincoat

初しぐれ猿も小蓑をほしげ也
hatsushigure saru mo komino o hoshige nari

first snow shower -
even the monkeys would want
a straw raincoat
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

Sarumino 猿蓑　: Linked Poetry of the Basho School
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

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Kenya

. Monkey haiku from Kenya


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Philippines


. Tarsier / Tarsius syrichta
The world's smallest monkey !


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Malaysia




Monkey on the fence
Lived in an Anchor Beer crate
Sweet thing….. Snake screamer

At the Police Married Quarters in Kuching, Sarawak in about 1963. There were monkeys posted all around the perimeter fence as early warning for snakes.
This one was called Queenie.

- Shared by Res John Burman -
Joys of Japan, 2012


. MALAYSIA SAIJIKI . 　　


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Things found on the way



Daruma Doll Museum : Saru - Monkey
by Gabi Greve

Migawari Monkey, the Monkey Charm of Naramachi Japan
身代わり猿、奈良町


ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo

Monkey business on Delhi Metro New Delhi

They say it takes a thief to catch a thief, but India's Delhi Metro has hired a monkey to frighten off other monkeys from boarding trains and upsetting passengers.
The langur monkey, trained since the age of three months, has been patrolling monkey-prone stations on a leash. In June, a monkey boarded a train at the underground Chawri Bazaar station and reportedly scared passengers by scowling at them for three stops. It then alighted at Civil Lines station.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation says it hopes the new hire will avert a repeat of that episode. "It started working about a month ago and since then we've not had a single incident," said Anuj Dayal, a metro spokesman. The langur's keeper - or langurwallah - is being paid 6,900 rupees (80 pounds) a month. Langur monkeys are similarly employed around the grounds of parliament and some government buildings in New Delhi.
© Thursday, 03 August , 2006 (Reuter)

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HAIKU



lunch break
a langur looks out
from the classroom

evening moon
a langur rests against
the TV aerial

my window bars
langurs playing
on the grass

Johannes Manjrekar, 2006



morning light
the langur's black face
and silver halo



Johannes Manjrekar, 2007

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A monkey snatches
a bunch of banana and eats-
sitting on a parapet.

Aju Mukhopadhyay, August 2007

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Go tell your monkey
that I don't see things
the way he does

CJ, haikumagic blogspot

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the monkey
monkey faced with monkey acts-
the year passes

Kala Ramesh, India

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Alone
on the National Highway
Hanuman

Hanuman on the highway is a familiar sight. There are Hanuman temples (on both sides of the National Highway) most of which remain unvisited by people. Also, there are frequent appearances of monkeys on the highway that disrupt traffic. Recently there was a widespread media coverage of monkey-menace in Delhi. They are also in the holy city of Varanasi.

--R.K.SINGH, India, November 2007

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Monkeys

Half eaten fruits left,
without a rhyme or reason
are meaningless words.

Minal Sarosh, India January 2008


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monkey business
around the world
we look at each other

Gabi Greve, August 2006

... ... ...

monkey peace ...
picking fleas off
each other's backs

Ella Wagemakers

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fleeing the bees
the monkey's restless
eyes

hachi nigete saru wa kyoro-kyoro manako kana
蜂逃て猿はきょろきょろ眼哉

by Issa, 1824
Tr. David Lanoue


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Related words

***** dancing monkeys, maizaru 舞猿 in Japan
sarumawashi 猿廻し (さるまわし)
Kigo for the New Year



***** Crape myrtle (sarusuberi) Japan
Lit. Even monkeys fall from trees!
Kigo for Mid-Summer



. ANIMALS in all SEASONS
SAIJIKI


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