When I was a child growing up in Bombay (Mumbai) I used to love seeing the the Nandi Cow. I was fascinated by the fact that this cow was dressed up and could tell your fortune! The fortune was told by the way the cow nodded it's head. In this respect, never was there really a bad fortune and the cow was tipped quite well to make it's wages for the fortune.
According to Wikipedia:
Nandi or Nandin ( Sanskrit: नन्दी), is now universally supposed to be the name for the bull which serves as the mount (Sanskrit: Vahana) of the god Shiva and as the gate keeper of Shiva and Parvati, and in Hindu mythology. He is the chief guru of eighteen masters(18 siddhas) including Patanjali and Thirumular.[1] Temples venerating Shiva display stone images of a seated Nandi, generally facing the main shrine. There are also a number of temples dedicated solely to Nandi.
Largest Nandis in India:
According to Wikipedia:
Nandi or Nandin ( Sanskrit: नन्दी), is now universally supposed to be the name for the bull which serves as the mount (Sanskrit: Vahana) of the god Shiva and as the gate keeper of Shiva and Parvati, and in Hindu mythology. He is the chief guru of eighteen masters(18 siddhas) including Patanjali and Thirumular.[1] Temples venerating Shiva display stone images of a seated Nandi, generally facing the main shrine. There are also a number of temples dedicated solely to Nandi.
Largest Nandis in India:
- Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh
- Brahadishwara Temple, Tamil Nadu
- Chamundi Hills, Mysore, Karnataka
- Bull Temple, Bangalore, Karnataka
- Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu
- Hoysaleswara Temple, Halebidu, Karnataka
- Shanthaleswara Temple, Halebidu, Karnataka
- Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur, Kerala
- Hampi Bazar, Hampi, Karnataka
- Nandi Temple, Western Group of Temples, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
- Kedareshvara temple at Balligavi (Karnataka)
 |
| A beautiful Nandi Cow |
