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Ohrmazd A later name of AHURA MAZDA, or God in Zoroastrianism. In Pahlavi texts he was known as Ohrmazd or Hormazd.

Olcott, Henry Steele One of the founders of the THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. Born in New Jersey in 1832, he was interested in the occult and along with Madame BLAVATSKY and W. Judge, set up the Theosophical Society in New York in 1875. He came to India with Madame Blavatsky and helped to found the Theosophical Society of India at Adyar in Chennai. He settled in Sri Lanka, became a Buddhist and worked to promote Buddhism there. He was the inspiration for the founding of the MAHABODHI SOCIETY in India. He died in 1907.

Old Testament A text sacred to Christians that forms the first part of the Christian BIBLE. The same text, with some variations, forms the whole Hebrew BIBLE.

Om A sacred word, also spelt Aum, used at the beginning of all Hindu prayers and ceremonies, said to be the greatest of MANTRAS, and to possess mystic power. It is a compound of three syllables, ‘a’, ‘u’ and ‘m’, which traditionally represent the first three VEDAS. The MANDUKYA UPANISHAD is among the texts that provides a description of Om. It states that all that is past, present and future, is Om. Om represents the nature of BRAHMAN, the Absolute, and is the symbol of the Supreme, the beginning, middle and end of all things. It is also the ATMAN, and its three letters reflect the waking, dreaming and sleeping states of consciousness. Those who know the Om that is beyond its individual parts reach TURIYA, the fourth state of consciousness. A person with such knowledge is a great sage. Om is the god (ISHVARA) seated in the heart; meditating on this, the Self transcends sorrow. The KATHA UPANISHAD states that Om is BRAHMAN, the highest, and one who has a true knowledge of this word obtains all desires (II.16). Later texts state that its three letters, a, u, and m, symbolize the three divine aspects of creation, preservation and destruction, or the three Hindu deities, BRAHMA, VISHNU and SHIVA.

Omkareshvara A small island located at the confluence of the NARMADA and Kaveri rivers in Madhya Pradesh. It is said to be shaped like the symbol OM and is a sacred site for Hindus. There are several temples here, dating back to medieval days. The SHIVA temple of Omkareshvara Mahadeva, which has one of the twelve jyotir LINGAS, is specially venerated. It was reconsructed by the Maratha peshwa Baji Rao II in the eighteenth century. Two major festivals take place here every year, that of Karttika in November and SHIVARATRI in February/March, attracting pilgrims from all over India.

Onam A festival celebrated in Kerala in August-September, marking the traditional day when MAHABALI, who according to legend ruled the area in ancient times, visits from the underworld. It is also a harvest festival. The Malayalam era (Kolla Varsham) new year begins with the month of Chingam. Year-long farming activities usually ended on 1 June before the advent of the monsoon. Paddy is sown before this and becomes ripe for harvest in the month of Chingam for the Onam festival. Other agricultural produce was also harvested at his time. The surplus produce was used to buy new clothes and special food was prepared from the newly harvested crops. Now there is a change in farming practices and an increase in non-farming activities, but onam is still celebrated with great joy and splendour. On this day special clothes are worn, houses are decorated with flowers, and elaborate meals are prepared. Games are organized, including the famous snake-boat race (Vallumkali) held at Aranmulai, Kottayam and other places, in which each of the long boats is rowed by a hundred people. The day ends with dances, feasts and other festivities.

Opus Dei A conservative CATHOLIC Christian religious order, founded by Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer. In India, it has centres in DELHI and MUMBAI.

Oraons, religion of Oraons, a tribal group found mainly in Jharkhand and Orissa, believe in a number of deities and spirits of whom the most important is Dharmesh, the sun god, creator and destroyer of the world. Dharmesh is not worshipped in any temple, but Oraons have a sacred grove where other deities, belonging to ten different levels or grades, are worshipped. Offerings and sacrifices are made by the village priest, known as the Pahan, sometimes assisted by the Pujar. Oraons also worship Hindu deities, including a form of SHAKTI named Devi Mai, but give them somewhat different characteristics. Some Oraons have become Christians, though they retain their tribal identity.

Oriyur A town in Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu, sacred to Christians. The Portuguese Jesuit St. John de Britto was martyred here in 1693. A shrine with a Portuguese-style façade is located here, with a statue of Arul Anandar, as St. John was popularly known, where he is depicted offering his head to the executioner.

According to legend, the sand turned red when he was beheaded. This red sand can still be seen and is said to have healing powers. Thousands of pilgrims visit the site every year.

Orthodox Church A group of Churches that broke away from the Western ROMAN CATHOLIC Church in the fifth century and later. Before the 400s there was only one Christian Church, but within it there were different nationalities and some divergent beliefs. At the Christian Council of Ephesus (431 CE), the Church condemned the teaching of the Patriarch Nestorius, who had said there were two natures in Christ (see NESTORIAN), leading to the separation of the East Syrian Church. Following this, at the Council of Chalcedon (451), the nature of Christ was redefined, as ‘truly God and truly man… in two natures… without separation’, thus leading to a rejection of Monophysite teachings, which said only one nature existed after the incarnation. The Armenian Church, the Coptic Church of Egypt, the Ethiopian Church and the Syrian Jacobite Church then broke away from the main group. After a series of disputes between the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Pope, a further schism took place in 1054 between Churches that followed the Byzantine rite and those that followed the Latin rite. Later some Orthodox Churches reunited with the Catholics, and they are now known as Eastern Catholics or Orthodox Catholics.

The Orthodox Church includes the four ancient Patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem, as well as Orthodox Churches in eastern Europe, Russia, Africa, Australia and Asia.

In general, these churches believe that God is one and cannot be known, but that he is present in all creation through his energy. The human being was created in the image of God, but because of the sin of Adam, he became less than perfect, and death came into the world. Jesus, through his death and resurrection, provided for new life through his holy Spirit. Orthodox rituals include the seven Mysteries, similar to the SACRAMENTS.

In India the Orthodox Churches follow the traditions of ST. THOMAS and of Christians who came from Syria in ancient times and are known as SYRIAN CHRISTIANS. They include two Catholic Churches, while the others are linked with the Churches of West Asia. The main Orthodox Churches are the SYRO-MALABAR CHURCH (CATHOLIC); the SYRO-MALANKARA CHURCH (CATHOLIC); the MALANKARA ORTHODOX CHURCH, also called the Jacobite Church, or Orthodox Church; the Malankara Orthodox Christian Church; the ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST, also known as the Chaldean Syrian Church of the East; and the MALABAR INDEPENDENT CHURCH. There are other Orthodox Churches that are offshoots of these.

Orthodox Churches in India are also referred to as Eastern Orthodox, Lesser Eastern Orthodox, or Oriental Orthodox.

Oshadhipati A Hindu deity, another name of the moon, literally meaning ‘lord of herbs’.

Osho A philosopher and religious leader also known as Rajneesh, who has a considerable following both in India and abroad.

Born in 1931 at the village of Kuchwada in present Madhya Pradesh, his original name was Chandra Mohan Jain. He was rebellious in school, though intellectually and artistically gifted. After leaving school, he dabbled in politics, worked in a newspaper and studied for some time at a college. Simultaneously, he was developing his own philosophical ideas, meditating, practising austerities and seeking self-discovery. He claimed to have become enlightened on 21 March 1953, and to be a reincarnated saint who had lived 700 years ago. He then studied philosophy, obtaining BA and MA degrees, and going on to teach at Raipur Sanskrit College. In 1960 he was appointed professor at the University of Jabalpur. He began giving public talks on various issues and also organized meditation camps. He resigned from the university in 1966. In 1970 he moved to MUMBAI and soon started attracting disciples, using the title Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh. In the seventies he started an ashram at Pune, where both Indian and Western disciples lived. Though it was in some ways a typical ASHRAM, with duties assigned to everyone and several rules, in other ways it was unique. One disciple wrote, ‘The ashram is crazy, it’s chaotic… It’s a funhouse and a madhouse. A bawdyhouse and a temple. There’s music and dancing and laughter. There’s silence and reverence and stillness.’ Dynamic Meditation was held every morning, several different techniques and methods were made available, and sex was one of the paths to enlightenment, as in traditional TANTRISM. Orthodox neighbours objected to the activities at the ashram, and in 1981 Rajneesh moved to Oregon, USA, founding a commune called Rajneeshpuram. The ashram was extremely prosperous, but new controversies arose and local people complained against it. Rajneesh returned to Pune in 1985, and at his ashram there he continued to introduce new and esoteric techniques. He claimed that his Mystic Rose Meditation was the greatest breakthrough in 2500 years. In 1989 he took the name Osho, by which he is still known. He had suffered from ill-health even before going to the US, and after his return his health steadily declined. He died on 19 January 1990.

During his life he wrote over a hundred books interpreting ancient texts and explaining his own philosophy. He was charismatic and learned, and believed in inner exploration and in freeing and opening the mind, but in contradiction to this, he demanded surrender and obedience. His ideas are in some ways similar to those of J. KRISHNAMURTI, and Osho is still one of the most popular gurus of modern times, as well as one of the most innovative. Many of his meditation techniques, such as Dynamic Meditation or Enlightenment Intensive, are used today, without acknowledgement, by a variety of different teachers and spiritual groups.

Our Lady of Dolours, Church of A church located in Thrissur, Kerala, one of the largest in India, built in Indo-Gothic style and dedicated to the Virgin MARY. The interior has eleven altars in a row, and is richly decorated with large statues, murals and painted ceilings, while above it has a domed roof and belfry towers. It is a popular place of pilgrimage, and a tourist attraction.

Our Lady of Graces, Church of A ROMAN CATHOLIC church located in Sardhana, in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh, built by Begam SAMRU in 1822. The church is linked with the history of the Begam, a Muslim who later became a Catholic.

The church was earlier known as St. Mary’s Church, dedicated to the Virgin MARY, and once functioned as a cathedral. It is built in a combination of styles, designed by an officer in the Begam’s army, Antonio Reghelini of Padua. A marble monument dedicated to the Begam was added in 1848.

The church was renamed Church of Our Lady of Graces, after a new image of the Madonna was installed there in 1957, blessed by Pope Pius XII. In 1961, the church was raised to the status of a minor Basilica. The image of Our Lady is credited with miraculous powers, and the church is a centre of pilgrimage not only for Christians, but for those of other religions as well. A special feast is held on the first Sunday of November every year.

Begam Samru also left a legacy of several lakh rupees to be used by Christian churches and missions, both for their upkeep and for providing for the poor.