Paduka
Paduka (
Although simple wooden padukas could be worn by common people, padukas of fine teak, ebony and sandalwood, inlaid with ivory or wire, were a mark of the wearer's high status.
Paduka are the royal symbol in Malaysia. Seri Paduka denotes "His Majesty", which is a title bestowed as an honour of recognition to dignitaries of the Malaysian court.[8][9]
Etymology
The Sanskrit word pāduka is derivative of pāda meaning 'foot'. This terminology was coined to define India's ancient archetypal footwear.[1]
Legends
The word pada ('foot') is cited in the ancient Hindu scripture Rigveda as representing the universe, namely the Prithvi (earth), Vayu (air), Akasha (sky), and the element of the realm beyond the sky.[7]
In the Hindu epic
Construction
The footwear is basically a sandal, which has generally a wooden sole with a post and a stub to provide grip between the big and second toes. It does not have straps of any kind to adhere the sole to the foot, so the wearer has to actively grip the post between the two toes to keep the sandal in place while walking.[10]
It is also known as khadau, karrow, kharawan and karom, and used in the Indian subcontinent mostly by mendicants, saints and commoners.[1] Made in the shape of the footprints, with two narrow and curved stilts, the design is specific to ensure that the principle of non-violence – practised by the saintly followers of Hindu and Jain religions – is not violated by accidental trampling of insects and vegetation. The Brahmins wearing such a paduka may be heard praying: "Forgive me Mother Earth the sin of injury, the violence I do, by placing my feet upon you this morning."[11]
Padukas made of ivory were in popular use among royalty and saints. Hindu religious ethos requires that the ivory be taken from elephants which died naturally or harvested from domesticated elephants, in a manner which avoids cruelty.[12] People of high societal status wear padukas made of fine teak, ebony and sandalwood and inlaid with ivory or wire. They are also made in the shape of fish as a symbol of fertility.[13]
Other forms of padukas worn on special occasions may be incised with silver or of wood covered with silver plates and sometimes adorned with bells to sound upon walking. Bronze and brass padukas may be worn for ritual and ceremonial use.[14]
A unique pair of wooden padukas have their toe knobs inlaid with ivory lotus flowers and are minutely painted. At each step, a trigger mechanism in the sole signals the lotus to open from bud to blossom. They are also made in the shape of an hourglass or with carved toes.[4]
Eighteenth-century footwear used as ritual wear made of "wood with bed of sharp iron spikes" has been found. It is inferred that it was meant to be used to inflict pain to the wearer to demonstrate his conviction in religious forbearance of pain.[4]
Veneration
Paduka is often gifted as part of a bride's dowry. They are worshipped and given as votive offerings by faithful believers.[11]
In a festival associated with the Hindu god
A popular religious belief is of the contact (sparsh) with the
Another notable feature of veneration is of the goddess
Below the
In South Indian Vishnu temples, priests offer the satari, a gold or silver plated crown that features the feet of Vishnu to bless devotees, who bow low so that it is ritually placed upon their heads.[15]
Vishnupada temple
The
Paduka Sahasram
The
Guru Paduka Stotram
Salutations and Salutations to the sandals of my Guru,
Which is a boat, which helps me, cross the endless ocean of life,
Which endows me, with the sense of devotion to my Guru,
And by worship of which, I attain the dominion of renunciation.
Satchidananda Utsav
Satchidananda Utsav (celebration of truth, consciousness and bliss) is organised by Sadguru Shree Aniruddha Upasana Trust (Mumbai, India) and celebrated every year on the second Saturday of Margashirsha (the ninth month of the Hindu calendar). It is usually performed for two to five consecutive days. The holy padukas worshipped during the celebration are prepared from the paper pulp of Ram Naam books issued by
Gallery
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Paduka at exhibit in the Bata Shoe Museum
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Exhibit in the Bata Shoe Museum
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Silver paduka, Bata Shoe Museum
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Silver paduka, Bata Shoe Museum
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "britishmuseum.org".
- ^ a b "All About Shoes – The Bata Shoe Museum". Archived from the original on 29 December 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
- ^ "The Paduka". Archived from the original on 29 December 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ a b c "Paduka". Fashion Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 2 February 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b "Feet and Footwear in the Indian Tradition". Archived from the original on 17 December 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ a b Monier Monier-Williams. "Sanskrit Lexicon". p. 618. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "In the Footsteps of the Divine". Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ a b Kampar (1969). Sri Paduka: the exile of the Prince of Ayodhya. Ohio University, Center for International Studies. pp. 3, 4. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help) - ^ Rigg, Jonathan (1862). A Dictionary of the Sunda language. Batavia, Java: Lange & Co.
- ^ Jutta Jain-Neubauer, Feet and Footwear in Indian Culture, 2000, Bata Shoe Museum
- ^ a b "The Paduka". Archived from the original on 12 January 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "The Ivory Padukas". Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "The sandalwood Padukas". Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Metal Padukas". Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ISBN 978-3-031-22516-1.
- ^ "Vishnupad Temple". Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Discover Bihar". Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "About Gaya". Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ISBN 978-81-208-0284-1.
- ^ Raghavan, Appaswamy Srinivasa (1991). The Life and Works of Sri Nigamanta Maha Desikan. K.R. Ramaseshan. p. 44.
- ^ "Guru Paduka stotram". Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/shree-satchidanand-utsav-given-sadguru-aniruddha-bapu-mihir-nagarkar[dead link]
- ^ "Shree Sacchinandotsav". 24 November 2015.
- ^ worldhistory.org
- ^ "The Ramayana index".
External links
- All about shoes: Padukas Archived 29 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine