Videos on Hinduism

A short video giving instruction on how to perform the achamana ritual to purify oneself before starting worship. ...

Every 12 years over 70 million pilgrims gather at the meeting of India's holiest rivers, the Ganges and the Yamuna, for a spectacular spiritual festival: the Kumbha Mela. This documentary takes you on a voyage of discovery through this colorful event through the eyes of several Westerners and a young Hindu monk, Swami Krishnananda. Featuring encounters with some of India's most respected holy men and exclusive footage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
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A video documentary on the life and teachings of the great saint Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who appeared in West Bengal in the year 1486. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a Vaishnava saint and social reformer in eastern India (specifically present-day Bangladesh and states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Assam, and Orissa of India) in the 16th century, believed by followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism to be the full incarnation of Lord Krishna.
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Devraha Baba was a siddha who lived for over 250 years, before entering samadhi in 1989. So elderly was he that the first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, more than fifty years ago, said that his father had sat at the feet of Devraha Baba as a child - that is, in the middle of the nineteenth century - and Devraha Baba was already elderly at that time. Devraha Baba never took food, and never set foot on the ground. He lived in a unique hut that was raised off the ground by bamboo poles. This rare video footage was recorded for a russian television channel around 1987-1989, so it is not in English. A translation of the interview is below.
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The Fire Yogi is a 47 minute documentary exploring a Yogi who has the extraordinary ability to use a unique breathing technique to get into union with Fire. This documentary portrays a rare and unusual Fire Ritual performed by the Yogi and the subsequent chemical analysis of his clothing & physical tests that examine this supernatural phenomenon. ...

The Fire Yogi is a 47 minute documentary exploring a Yogi who has the extraordinary ability to use a unique breathing technique to get into union with Fire. This documentary portrays a rare and unusual Fire Ritual performed by the Yogi and the subsequent chemical analysis of his clothing & physical tests that examine this supernatural phenomenon. The Yogi has performed this Fire Ritual for a total of 1000 days over the last 45 years. The Yogi, weighing a mere 94 pounds (43 kilos), has been able to survive on only two bananas and a mere glass of milk with a few drops of water twice a day for the last 28 years. Many aspects of the Yogi are on the edge of unbelievability, while at the same time highlighting the power and endurance of human mind, body and spirit.
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An amazing video of the annual Ratha Yatra in Puri Dham, with footage of building the chariots, pahandi (carrying deities out of the temple), Golden Dress (Suna Vesha), Elephant Dress, etc. The video narration is in Hindi, but the footage is still wonderful and worth watching for those who don't understand Hindi.
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Part of an interview with Jahnava Nitai Das for an Indian television channel, which was simultaneously recorded by a devotee on a digital camera. Topic of the interview is Puri Jagannatha temple's policy barring foreigners from entering to worship the Lord. This interview was recorded on 6/17/06. For more information on the Bhaktivedanta Ashram, please visit: www.bvashram.org ...

Sri Ramana Maharshi (December 30, 1879 – April 14, 1950) was a Tamil saint considered by many to have been a jivanmukta (one who is liberated while still living in their body). He left home for the temple town of Tiruvannamalai at the age of 16, and subsequently lived in a cave on the nearby sacred mountain of Arunachala. The following video contains rare archival footage of Sri Ramana Maharshi during his later years. ...

Be taken on an amazing tour to one of India's most sacred and ancient temples - the Tirupati/Tirumala Venkateswara temple - during the biggest festival of the year, the holy Brahmotsavam. See the nine days procession, with the temple deity being carried throughout the holy city on his various golden vahanas accompanied by hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic devotees. ...

A short video of the annual Snana Yatra festival (bathing of Lord Jagannatha) in Puri recorded in June, 2007. Once a year the deities of Lord Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken out of the temple for a bathing ceremony. This occurs approximately two weeks before the Ratha Yatra festival. In this video you can see Lord Jagannatha dressed in hativesh, the "elephant dress". ...

This is a video of Devraha Hans Baba at the 2001 Kumbha Mela. Devraha Hans Baba is a self-proclaimed successor to Devraha Baba. ...

Naga Babas are a category of renunciates that wear no clothes and cover their bodies in sacred ash. Their customs and practices are usually never seen by outsiders, but here is an inside view of the secret Naga Baba initiation ceremony. This initiation ceremony was recorded during the 1998 Kumbha Mela. The video is narrated by Baba Rampuri.
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You are on the bus with Steve Forbes as you embark on a budget pilgrimage to two of India's most revered of Himalayan sacred sites - the temples of Kedarnath & Badrinath. Travel from the diesel streets of Old Delhi, to the immense green of the foothills, to 5,000 year old trails with one armed yogis.
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Rare video footage recorded by the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam 50 years ago as a promotional video for the Tirupati Balaji temple. You can see the abhishekam of the moola vigraha without ornamentation, followed by the deity in full gold and diamond dress. This is the only authentic video of Tirupati Balaji ever recorded. This footage was shown on a Telugu news channel. The reporter gives a 30 second introduction before the footage begins.
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Australian woman Apeetha Arunagiri lived in India for 30 years near the temple town of Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu. Initially drawn there as a devotee of Ramana Maharshi, she stayed and was instrumental in forming the Annamalai Reforestation Society dedicated to replanting the sacred mountain Arunachala. This is her story and the story of the Arunachala Village Forest Plantation, a small scale village-based group which she also formed. ...

Siddha medicine is an ancient system of medicine which has been practiced in South India. Siddha medicine was developed by the siddhars - the perfected mystical saints of ancient times. It is believed that it was first taught by Lord Shiva to the saints, who passed it down in disciplic succession.
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The following video shows the abhishekam (bathing ceremony) of a beautiful Hanuman deity near the South Indian city of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The second video shows the same deity wearing various alankaras, such as vadai mala, fruit mala, butter dress, chandanam, etc.
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"The Sage of Kanchi" is a biographical documentary in English on the life of Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi, the 68th Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. It takes you on a spiritual journey and portrays the life and times of the Maha Periyaval of Kanchi, referred to as Paramacharya by his disciples and followers. The video captures the 100 years of life of this great spiritual head, his immense contribution to the national and spiritual fabric of India, and to the 2,500 year old institution established by Sri Adi Shankara at Kanchipuram. ...