ॐ For my studies I had the possibility to go to India for some months. Therefore, I would like to share some of my experiences and insights into India’s culture, tradition, and especially its diversity with you. This article will also tell you something about one of India’s most important festivals: Diwali. This year, it was celebrated on October 31st, and I was able to participate in the university’s celebrations. There is an intriguing story about the meaning of this festival, which I will tell you after I’ve given you a brief introduction to ancient Indian mythology in general, and let’s see, we’ll probably run into some philosophical symmetry here and there.
Generally, there is no generality in India. Unity in diversity is what the country accounts for. The North has different eating habits than the South, Kerala (the state where I am right now) speaks differently than Tamil Nadu (the neighbouring state), and Kolkatta celebrates in another fashion than Hyderabad (a very large city in central India). India is very rich in religions, languages, ethnicities, traditions, cultures, cuisines, geography, climates, and so on. They say, if you’ll travel 100 km in India, there will be a major change in at least one thing from the preceding list.
Most of the people in India are Hindus, about 80%, although it is not evenly distributed, e.g., in Kerala there are only about 55% Hindus because there is an extraordinarily high share of Muslims and Christians. But we’ll stick to the Hindu mythology for now, as this is the one most of you probably know the least.
In Hinduism, there is an important concept called dualism, meaning that there are always two related but opposing parts or forces. This can be seen as a philosophical kind of symmetry and is what I referred to in my introduction. Basic examples of dualistic pairs are left and right, light and dark, east and west, as well as male and female.
In ancient Indian mythology, there is the Trimurti – a trinity of deities, namely Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver), and Shiva (the Destroyer). These three deities are married to the members of the Tridevi, who are Saraswati – goddess of knowledge and arts; Lakshmi – goddess of wealth and fortune; and Parvati – goddess of love, beauty, and motherhood. So the Tridevi is the female counterpart to the male Trimurti, giving us our first symmetry. In fact, there are more gods in Hinduism. Ganesha – the god of good beginnings – is a son of Parvati and has a very funny creation story (which I strongly encourage to read if you don’t know it). Many other deities in Hinduism are just a different form of the previously introduced gods and goddesses, or they are avatars to teach people something very specific. Some of you might have heard of Krishna, he is an avatar of Vishnu. Kali on the other hand is a different form of Parvati. I confess it is highly confusing, and I could not be further away from understanding all the connections, but let’s not make it too complicated and try to keep what I just presented and call it a day.
The festival of lights, called Diwali, which I was privileged to attend at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), is celebrated as the victory of light over darkness, good over evil. The main characters of the story are Rama and Sita. Rama is another avatar of Vishnu and was born as a prince in northern India. Sita is an avatar of Lakshmi, as Sita is Rama’s wife. Sita is taken by the demon king Ravana and brought to Sri Lanka. Rama kills Ravana, rescues Sita, and brings her back to India. The return of Rama with Sita is the event celebrated on Diwali. It is therefore called the festival of lights, because light has triumphed over darkness.
Diwali is often not just a one-day festival, it can last up to five or six days, depending on what part of India you are looking at. The festivities usually begin with decorations. Entrances to homes are decorated with rangolis, which are designs made out of coloured rice flour, sand, or flowers and may remind of mandalas. Mandalas are similar but are used in meditation practices to focus one’s attention and tend to be more abstract and geometric as opposed to floral rangolis used in devotion to the gods. In the centre of the rangoli a small oil lamp is placed with two wicks aligned from east to west. Our next symmetry representing the sun rising and setting and, taken a step further, light and dark.
Other lights ignited after dark on Diwali are small axial symmetrical clay lamps called diya which are filled with sesame or coconut oil.
Of course, there are loads of other traditions, purgas (prayers), and a lot of sweets! I think it’s safe to say that people all over India love sweets, even though there is again a wide variety of them. The ones I liked best so far are called sandesh and are very famous in Kolkatta and are made from condensed milk and sugar.
Since this article is kind of a personal experience report, I will introduce you to the dance Garba, which is not necessarily associated with Diwali but was performed here at IISER during the Diwali festivities. Moreover, it gives further insight into Hindu philosophy, and we’ll also encounter more symmetry there!
Garba is a dance originating in the very north of India, namely in the state of Gujarat. It is performed by dancers in concentric circles. In the circle’s centre is a material representation (like a statue) of Durga (which is again another form of Parvati), or just a big oil lamp. Both represent motherhood, especially the womb, and thus life itself. The dancers move around this centre, following the lead of an inner circle that dictates the movements to be performed by all. The revolving cycles symbolise time, as time is cyclical in Hindu philosophy (rotational symmetry ahead!). The dancers pass through birth, life, death, and rebirth on and on. The goddess in the centre is the only static thing in a constantly changing universe. The dance creates a deep feeling of connectedness, and another interpretation of the centre is a body invoking divinity. The dancers move around to worship that every living being carries this same divine energy.
By the way, there is another fundamentally important symbol in Hinduism, that shows rotational symmetry: it is, of course, the swastika (attention please, this is not the Hakenkreuz, so no offence). The sun sign, as it is translated, symbolises prosperity and good luck and was widely used in Western countries before it became associated with the Third Reich (what a great example of cultural appropriation).
I asked a well-educated lady who owns an art shop on the coast why there is so much symmetry in Hindu art and architecture. She explained that for every failure there will be success, for every feeling of bliss there will be sadness, and after every dark night, there will be a bright day again. So we should never be completely consumed by our feelings, neither good nor bad, as there is nothing in the universe that is static, except the gods. I would like to close with that because I have nothing to add. ॐ
P.S.: If somebody asks why I began and ended this article with an “Om”, the sacred symbol and sound representing the Supreme Absolute, Consciousness, and True Self, then tell this somebody that this is my last homage to symmetry, as this very symbol was used in the Vedas (sacred Hindu texts) at the beginning and end of each chapter. Namaste.
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