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= = = Gallery of Nuskhuri = = =
= = = Gallery of Mkhedruli = = =
= Banai ( goddess ) =
Banai ( Marathi : बाणाई Bāṇāi , sometimes बानाई ) , also known as Banu ( Bāṇu , बानू ) and Banu @-@ bai ( Bāṇu @-@ bāī , बानू @-@ बाई ) , is a Hindu goddess and the second wife of Khandoba , a form of the god Shiva worshipped in the Deccan – predominantly in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka . Khandoba is portrayed as a king of Jejuri , where his chief temple stands . Some traditions do not give her the status of a legal wife and treat her as a concubine of Khandoba .
While scriptures related to Khandoba do not mention Banai , she is a central subject of folk songs . Banai is considered as a Dhangar , a sheep herding caste , and is sometimes regarded to be of celestial origin . Oral traditions chiefly discuss the tale of her marriage to Khandoba and her conflicts with his first wife Mhalsa . Banai is an antithesis of Mhalsa ; together they complete the god . Banai is generally depicted with Khandoba and often is also accompanied by Mhalsa .
Banai does not enjoy independent worship , but is worshipped as Khandoba 's consort in most of his temples . She is the patron goddess of the Dhangar community and is worshipped as a protector of their herds .
= = Development and symbolism = =
Though Khandoba is a god with five wives , his first two consorts Mhalsa and Banai are the most important . The tale of the King or god with two wives is retold with some variation across India : Murugan and his wives Devasena and Valli ; Venkateswara , Lakshmi and Padmavati being some examples . The motif of Shiva and his wives Parvati and Ganga is told in the Puranas .
The theme of the god marrying a tribal girl like Banai recurs across the Deccan region ; another example being Valli 's marriage to Murugan . Deities across the Deccan ( even extending to Kerala and Tamil Nadu ) often have two wives ; one wife from a high caste and another from the lower social strata : a lower caste or a tribal . Khandoba 's wives who come from various communities establish cultural linkages of the god to these communities , who worship them as their patron god .
While Banai is considered as a legal wife of Khandoba in Maharashtra ( especially with the Dhangars ) , the Kurubas of Karnataka regard her as a concubine . While Mhalsa is from the high @-@ caste Lingayat merchant ( Vani ) community , Banai is described as a Dhangar ( shepherd caste ) , representing the " outside " and associates Khandoba with non @-@ elite herding castes like Dhangars , Gavli and Kuruba ( Gowda ) who live in the forest . Some traditions consider Banai as a Gavli ( cowherd caste ) or Koli ( fisherman caste ) . In Karnataka , she is called Kurbattyavva and is a Kuruba .
Banai is an antithesis Mhalsa . Mhalsa has a regular ritualistic marriage with Khandoba . Banai , on the other hand , has a love marriage after being captured by the god . Mhalsa is described as pure , ugly , jealous and a good cook ; Banai is impure , erotic , resolute , but does not even know to cook . Mhalsa represents " culture " while Banai " nature " ; together they aid the god @-@ king Khandoba .
The oral legends and texts initiate a process of Sanskritization of the folk deity Khandoba by elevating him to the classical Hindu god Shiva ; his two principal wives Mhalsa and Banai are equated to Parvati and Ganga . Banai does not appear in the Sanskrit Malhari Mahatmya , the main scripture related to Khandoba , however it mentions Ganga arriving from heaven . Banai ( Ganga ) has a quarrel with Mhalsa ( Parvati ) , ultimately ending with the message that both are the same . Some Dhangars consider Banai also to be a form of Parvati .
The chief source of legends related to Banai are ovi ( pada ) or folk songs sung by Vaghyas and Muralis , the male and female bards of Khandoba . They sing at jagrans ( a vigil ) where the bards sing in praise of Khandoba through the night . The songs talk about the relationship of Khandoba to his consorts and the mutual relationships of the wives . They are centred on Mhalsa and Banai and often narrate about their quarrels . The tale of the marriage of Khandoba and Banai is a central theme in many Dhangar folk songs . The Varkari saint Sheikh Muhammad ( 1560 @-@ 1650 ) disparages Khandoba in his Yoga @-@ samgrama and calls him the " mad " god that searches for Banai due to " sexual passion " , an allusion to the tale of Banai 's marriage , indicating that the tale was well @-@ established by this era .
According to scholar Günther @-@ Dietz Sontheimer , the legend of Banai has close parallels with the story of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala from the Hindu epic Mahabharata . The tale of another folk god Mhaskoba ( Bhairava ) to gain his wife Balurani or Balai despite obstacles is also similar to Khandoba 's endeavour to win over Banai .
= = Legends = =
Banai does not appear in the Malhari Mahatmya originating from the Brahmin ( high @-@ priest caste ) tradition , which glorifies Khandoba as Shiva and de @-@ emphasizes his earthly connections . In contrast , Banai occupies the central position in the Dhangar folk narrative and Mhalsa 's marriage to Khandoba is reduced to a passing mention ; Marathas and other settled castes give more importance to Mhalsa .
= = = Early life = = =
Generally , Banai 's birth is not discussed in the folk songs . Few regard her as an avatar of the apsara ( celestial nymph ) Rambha , while others consider her as one of the seven daughters of Indra , the king of the gods . She is found by a Dhangar in a golden box in the forest , hidden in a termite mound or a pit . Her Dhangar father ( sometimes named Yamu ) is the chief of shepherds , who owns nine lakh sheep and goats , nine lakh lambs and numerous barren ones . Yamu is said to have prayed for a child and finds Banai in a box . A virgin ewe is said to have fed Banai her milk , as Yamu does not have a wife and does not know how to feed the infant . In another miracle , a three @-@ storeyed house appears at the place of Yamu 's tent for the young Banai to reside , while the rest of the Dhangars live in tents . She grows up as a rich shepherdess and becomes the overseer of twelve Dhangar vadas ( pastoral settlements or camps , inhabited by different Dhangar clans ) . She cares for her sheep , grazes them and learns how to breed them .
= = = Marriage = = =
Once , Khandoba and Mhalsa play a game of saripat ( translated as game of dice or chess ) . Khandoba loses everything to Mhalsa in the wager , except his dhoti , his flag , his staff ( wand ) and his bhandari , the bag of magical bhandara ( turmeric powder ) . In a dream , he sees Banai and falls in love with her . He goes on a hunt in the forest , gets away from the army and stays with Banai for twelve years . He marries her in non @-@ ritualistic marriage and brings her back to Jejuri . A variant describes how Khandoba arrives in Chandanpur on a hunting expedition and becomes thirsty . A Dhangar directs him to Banai 's vada . Banai offers him water or sends a pot of water , in which Khandoba reads Banai 's name . In another version , the pot with nine jewels is a sign for Khandoba to recognise Banai , the girl he saw in his dream . He falls for her and loses purposefully in saripat with Mhalsa and accepts a twelve @-@ year exile . In this period , he disguises himself as an impoverished , old leper and becomes a man @-@ servant of Banai 's father . Some folk songs have erotic overtones , for example , some songs give erotic descriptions of Banai 's beauty which maddens Khandoba .
Khandoba is described as doing odd jobs under Banai 's orders . Banai first assigns him the task of sweeping the entire vada . He is responsible for cleaning the sheep pens and taking the sheep and lambs for grazing . He completes all tasks by spreading his magical bhandara . The shepherds are astonished how a single old man can handle all the animals . Their vanity is crushed . Banai assigns him the additional responsibility of taking care of five hundred children . She commands if any sheep or lamb is lost or a child cries , she will not give him his food . But Khandoba fulfils the tasks again by spraying his bhandara . She assigns him the job of washing the sheep and lambs . Instead , Khandoba kills all her sheep and lambs to humble the shepherds and Banai . He skins the sheep and separates the meat . A repentant Banai begs his forgiveness ; he agrees to revive her flock on the condition that Banai marries him . Khandoba revives the sheep by spreading his bhandara and reveals his true form .
The wedding is deemed not in accordance to Hindu rituals . Banai and Khandoba marry in a simple , un @-@ Brahmanical ceremony , where sheep droppings are showered on the couple , instead of rice as in the ritualistic weddings of classical ( Brahmanical ) Hinduism . The wedding is conducted without a Brahmin officiating priest . Shepherds read the mantras ( the responsibility of the Brahmin in a normal wedding ) and the bleating of sheep replaces the traditional wedding band . The wedding is sometimes described as a gandharva marriage . Due to the unceremonious nature of the wedding , she is sometimes considered as a rakh ( concubine ) of Khandoba .
= = = After marriage = = =
In all versions , Khandoba returns to Jejuri with his new wife and faces the wrath of Mhalsa . Many songs tell about the confrontations of Mhalsa and Banai . In some songs , Mhalsa complains about Khandoba 's infatuation with the impure Banai . The cantankerous Mhalsa grumbles how Banai has polluted the house by her uncouth ways and suggests that Banai should be returned to the wilderness again . The songs sing how the vegetarian , high @-@ caste Mhalsa is forced to catch fish and eat in the same plate as the non @-@ vegetarian low @-@ caste Banai . Mhalsa is portrayed blaming Banai for the problems in the palace and talking about her superiority to Banai . Banai retorts by saying that Khandoba came to her , mesmerized by her beauty and became her servant . A frustrated Khandoba leaves the palace on a hunting trip after Mhalsa and Banai quarrel about who will embroider a shawl for him and marries Rambhai . The songs also narrate how ultimately the wives have to remain in harmony and aid each other . For example , a song sings how Mhalsa and Banai come together and celebrate the festival of Diwali with Khandoba at Jejuri .
Rarely , Banai also appears in Khandoba 's chief legend where he slays the demons Mani and Malla . Mhalsa and Banai ( or Ganga ) futilely help Khandoba in the battle to collect the blood of Mani , every drop of which was creating a new demon . Finally , the dog of Khandoba swallows all the blood . Rarely , Banai is described as seated behind Khandoba on the horse and fighting with a sword or spear , a role generally assigned to Mhalsa .
= = Worship and iconography = =
While traces of Banai / Balai 's association with the folk god Biroba as a " mother " remain , Banai rarely enjoys independent worship in modern times . She is generally worshipped as Khandoba 's consort . While in Karnataka , her temple is outside the village and Mailara ( as Khandoba is known in Karnataka ) journeys every year to visit it for ten nights from his temple in the village . In Maharashtra , Banai 's temple is inside the village , but outside the chief temple , as in Khandoba 's chief temple at Jejuri . Mhalsa - who is installed in the main temple - is said to resist the arrival of Khandoba 's new wife Banai and thus , Banai does not reside in the chief temple . Frustrated by the constant quarrels between the two wives , Khandoba is said to have divided the hill of Jejuri into two halves : the lower half belongs to Banai , where she has a separate shrine while Mhalsa rules the upper half where she stays with Khandoba in the main temple . It is customary to pay respects to Banai on the way up to the main shrine , before worshipping Khandoba and Mhalsa there . It is said that Khandoba bestowed the honour of first worship on Banai , while sending her off to a separate residence .
Banai is the patron goddess of the Dhangars and the protector goddess of flock and herds . She takes care of the well @-@ being of the community and is worshipped for increasing the herd . Stone votive images of sheep and other cattle are offered to her for plentiful animals . No animal sacrifice or non @-@ vegetarian offerings are presented to Khandoba directly , instead non @-@ vegetarian offerings intended for Khandoba are offered to Banai . Dhangars sacrifice rams in her honour and offer her a naivedya ( food offering ) of liver , meat and rice , especially on the holy days : Vijayadashami ( when warriors traditionally set off on war or on a journey ) and the full moon days in the Hindu months of Magha and Chaitra .
Khandoba is often depicted with two identical goddesses accompanying him , representing Mhalsa and Banai . In brass images , Banai is depicted holding a lamb and offering water to Khandoba , while Mhalsa rides with Khandoba on his horse . In metal plaques worshipped by the Dhangars , Banai accompanies Khandoba on his horse and is depicted with sheep .
= Europium =
Europium is a chemical element with symbol Eu and atomic number 63 . It was isolated in 1901 and is named after the continent of Europe . It is a moderately hard , silvery metal which readily oxidizes in air and water . Being a typical member of the lanthanide series , europium usually assumes the oxidation state + 3 , but the oxidation state + 2 is also common : all europium compounds with oxidation state + 2 are slightly reducing . Europium has no significant biological role and is relatively non @-@ toxic compared to other heavy metals . Most applications of europium exploit the phosphorescence of europium compounds . Europium is one of the least abundant elements in the universe ; only about 5 × 10 − 8 % of all matter in the universe is europium .
= = Characteristics = =
= = = Physical properties = = =
Europium is a ductile metal with a hardness similar to that of lead . It crystallizes in a body @-@ centered cubic lattice . Some properties of europium are strongly influenced by its half @-@ filled electron shell . Europium has the second lowest melting point and the lowest density of all lanthanides .
Europium becomes a superconductor when it is cooled below 1 @.@ 8 K and compressed to above 80 GPa . This is because europium is divalent in the metallic state , and is converted into the trivalent state by the applied pressure . In the divalent state , the strong local magnetic moment ( J
= 7 / 2 ) suppresses the superconductivity , which is induced by eliminating this local moment ( J =
0 in Eu3 + ) .
= = = Chemical properties = = =
Europium is the most reactive rare earth element . It rapidly oxidizes in air , so that bulk oxidation of a centimeter @-@ sized sample occurs within several days . Its reactivity with water is comparable to that of calcium , and the reaction is
2 Eu + 6 H2O → 2 Eu ( OH ) 3 + 3 H2
Because of the high reactivity , samples of solid europium rarely have the shiny appearance of the fresh metal , even when coated with a protective layer of mineral oil . Europium ignites in air at 150 to 180 ° C to form europium ( III ) oxide :
4 Eu + 3 O2 → 2 Eu2O3
Europium dissolves readily in dilute sulfuric acid to form pale pink solutions of the hydrated Eu ( III ) , which exist as a nonahydrate :
2 Eu + 3 H2SO4 + 18 H2O → 2 [ Eu ( H2O ) 9 ] 3 + + 3 SO2 −
4 + 3 H2
= = = = Eu ( II ) vs. Eu ( III ) = = = =
Although usually trivalent , europium readily forms divalent compounds . This behavior is unusual to most lanthanides , which almost exclusively form compounds with an oxidation state of + 3 . The + 2 state has an electron configuration 4f7 because the half @-@ filled f @-@ shell gives more stability . The + 2 state is highly reducing . In terms of size and coordination number , europium ( II ) and barium ( II ) are similar . For example , the sulfates of both barium and europium ( II ) are also highly insoluble in water . Divalent europium is a mild reducing agent , oxidizing in air to form Eu ( III ) compounds . In anaerobic , and particularly geothermal conditions , the divalent form is sufficiently stable that it tends to be incorporated into minerals of calcium and the other alkaline earths . This ion @-@ exchange process is the basis of the " negative europium anomaly " , the low europium content in many lanthanide minerals such as monazite , relative to the chondritic abundance . Bastnäsite tends to show less of a negative europium anomaly than does monazite , and hence is the major source of europium today . The development of easy methods to separate divalent europium from the other ( trivalent ) lanthanides made europium accessible even when present in low concentration , as it usually is .
= = = Isotopes = = =
Naturally occurring europium is composed of 2 isotopes , 151Eu and 153Eu , with 153Eu being the most abundant ( 52 @.@ 2 % natural abundance ) . While 153Eu is stable , 151Eu was recently found to be unstable to alpha decay with half @-@ life of 5 + 11
− 3 × 1018 years , giving about 1 alpha decay per two minutes in every kilogram of natural europium . This value is in reasonable agreement with theoretical predictions . Besides the natural radioisotope 151Eu , 35 artificial radioisotopes have been characterized , the most stable being 150Eu with a half @-@ life of 36 @.@ 9 years , 152Eu with a half @-@ life of 13 @.@ 516 years , and 154Eu with a half @-@ life of 8 @.@ 593 years . All the remaining radioactive isotopes have half @-@ lives shorter than 4 @.@ 7612 years , and the majority of these have half @-@ lives shorter than 12 @.@ 2 seconds . This element also has 8 meta states , with the most stable being 150mEu ( t1 / 2 = 12 @.@ 8 hours ) , 152m1Eu ( t1 / 2 = 9 @.@ 3116 hours ) and 152m2Eu ( t1 / 2 = 96 minutes ) .
The primary decay mode for isotopes lighter than 153Eu is electron capture , and the primary mode for heavier isotopes is beta minus decay . The primary decay products before 153Eu are isotopes of samarium ( Sm ) and the primary products after are isotopes of gadolinium ( Gd ) .
= = = = Europium as a nuclear fission product = = = =
Europium is produced by nuclear fission , but the fission product yields of europium isotopes are low near the top of the mass range for fission products .
Like other lanthanides , many isotopes , especially isotopes with odd mass numbers and neutron @-@ poor isotopes like 152Eu , have high cross sections for neutron capture , often high enough to be neutron poisons .
151Eu is the beta decay product of samarium @-@ 151 , but since this has a long decay half @-@ life and short mean time to neutron absorption , most 151Sm instead ends up as 152Sm .
152Eu ( half @-@ life 13 @.@ 516 years ) and 154Eu ( half @-@ life 8 @.@ 593 years ) cannot be beta decay products because 152Sm and 154Sm are non @-@ radioactive , but 154Eu is the only long @-@ lived " shielded " nuclide , other than 134Cs , to have a fission yield of more than 2 @.@ 5 parts per million fissions . A larger amount of 154Eu is produced by neutron activation of a significant portion of the non @-@ radioactive 153Eu ; however , much of this is further converted to 155Eu .
155Eu ( half @-@ life 4 @.@ 7612 years ) has a fission yield of 330 parts per million ( ppm ) for uranium @-@ 235 and thermal neutrons ; most of it is transmuted to non @-@ radioactive and nonabsorptive gadolinium @-@ 156 by the end of fuel burnup .
Overall , europium is overshadowed by caesium @-@ 137 and strontium @-@ 90 as a radiation hazard , and by samarium and others as a neutron poison .
= = = Occurrence = = =
Europium is not found in nature as a free element . Many minerals contain europium , with the most important sources being bastnäsite , monazite , xenotime and loparite .
Depletion or enrichment of europium in minerals relative to other rare earth elements is known as the europium anomaly . Europium is commonly included in trace element studies in geochemistry and petrology to understand the processes that form igneous rocks ( rocks that cooled from magma or lava ) . The nature of the europium anomaly found helps reconstruct the relationships within a suite of igneous rocks .
Divalent europium ( Eu2 + ) in small amounts is the activator of the bright blue fluorescence of some samples of the mineral fluorite ( CaF2 ) . The reduction from Eu3 + to Eu2 + is induced by irradiation with energetic particles . The most outstanding examples of this originated around Weardale and adjacent parts of northern England ; it was the fluorite found here that fluorescence was named after in 1852 , although it was not until much later that europium was determined to be the cause .