User:Nishaansharma23/Lord Nishaan

also known as: Nishaan the High, Lord of THC, Bringer of Smoke, Consort of Mary-jane, The Real Buddha not to be mistaken for Jah

Lord Nishaan is a minor deity in Hindu mythology, worshiped in small villages (see Dharamsala) in northern India as the God of Ganja. He is believed to be the 13th son of Garuda, the messenger God of Birds and Durga, however this claim is disputed by followers of Nishaan - also known as Sharmites - who maintain that Nishaan came to life due to a forest fire. They believe that when a field of hemp in Dharamsala was burned to the ground by a raging fire, Nishaan rose out of the ashes and smoke and took human form. Rituals In fact, the word 'ganja' itself stems from the Sanskrit word 'ganjika' which is the name given to his vehicle, a shape-shifting creature made of smoke. Ganjika is primarily depicted as a green peacock. The word 'ganjika' thus came to mean 'reliever of stress' and a transliteration of the word provides a common name given to cannabis. The hindi meaning of the word 'nishaan' is 'symbol' or 'mark'. The meaning of the word arose from an experience Shamites claim to have on their holy festival of Nishaantika. Nishaantika, like all Hindu festivals, operates on a lunar time-frame, and oscillates around November 23rd, the date Nishaan was first seen. It takes place of the 23rd every 13 years. On Nishaantika, Sharmites build an effigy of Nishaan out of cannabis and set fire to it. The resulting smoke is said to give hallucinations, and all true believers are visited by the image of the symbol of Nishaan; his green peacock, Ganjika. Criticism Sharmites are often criticised by non-believers due to their short-term memories and their refusal to work on Sundays - the day Nishaan set aside for ritual smoking of ganja. Due to their requirements by Nishaanian law, Sharmites cannot live in countries where marijuana is illegal. Thus, most Sharmites live in Holland. Many modern groups (see World Health Organization) severely condone following Nishaanism, and have fought to keep cannabis illegal.