What is "makara"

Makara may refer to:

• Makara (Hindu mythology), a mythical creature in Hinduism
• Capricorn (astrology) in the Hindu calendar
• "Blessed" in Greek. Since many East European people accepted Christianity from the Greeks, many of these peoples have Makara in the root of some names: Makarios (Greeks). The given name Makar gave rise to a number of last names Makarov (Russians), Makarenko (Ukrainians), Makara (Slovaks).
• Seven sisters who became the Pleiades in the mythology of some Aboriginal tribes in Australia
• In the Khmer language, Makara is the first month of a year, January .
• Makara, New Zealand, a rural locality on the coast of the North Island west of Wellington
• Makara River, Wellington
• Makara River, Chatham Islands
  • Makara Guardians, a group opposed to wind-farm development at Makara in New Zealand
• Universitas Indonesia logo name
• X-Bomber Japanese sci-fi puppet character Commander Makara
• Makara (magazine), a Canadian feminist arts journal, 1975–1978
• A surname of Brythonic and Goidelic origin, as above.
• Makara (album) is the third studio album released by E.S. Posthumus.
• Makara means " charcoal" in Kikuyu, a Central Kenya local language
• A trademarked name for an Indonesian variety of cinnamon.

Makara is a sea-creature in Hindu culture. It is generally depicted as half terrestrial animal in the frontal part (stag, deer, crocodile, or elephant) and half aquatic animal in the hind part (usually a fish or seal tail, though sometimes a peacock or even a floral tail is depicted.) Makara take many different forms throughout Asia. In Hindu astrology, Makara is equivalent to the sign of Capricorn, tenth of the twelve symbols of the Zodiac.

Makara appears as the vahana (vehicle) of the river goddess Ganga and of the sea god Varuna. Makara are considered guardians of gateways and thresholds, protecting throne rooms as well as entryways to temples; it is the most commonly recurring creature in Hindu and Buddhist temple iconography, and also frequently appears as a Gargoyle or as a spout attached to a natural spring. Makara ornaments are a popular traditional wedding gift for the bride; these makara-shaped earrings called Makarakundalas are sometimes worn by the Hindu gods, for example Shiva, the Destroyer, or the Preserver-god Vishnu, the Sun god Surya, and the Mother Goddess Chandi. Makara is also the insignia of the love god Kamadeva, who has no dedicated temples and is also known as Makaradhvaja, "one whose flag depicts a makara".

Makara was a Canadian feminist arts journal, produced in Vancouver, B.C. from December 1975 to 1978 by the Pacific Women’s Graphic Arts Co-operative, in co-operation with Press Gang Publishers. The collective began work in 1972-3.

The magazine was billed as "The Canadian magazine by women for people" and it "sought to explore alternatives to traditional journal structures and work toward positive social change" and reflect concerns arising from the women's movement at the populist and academic levels.

Makara stopped publishing after 13 issues because it was not self-supporting; sales and advertising revenues did not cover printing costs or salaries, and a government grant which had sustained it ended. Journalist Eleanor Wachtel describes a major problem faced by feminist magazines and journals in Canada in her 1983 report on Feminist Print Media as involving "a small population stretched out across 4000 miles".

The magazine's fonds were donated to author Margo Dunn and can now be found in the Simon Fraser University archives in Vancouver.

Makara is a surname that occurs in several cultures and languages. It is a Slavic surname, which is a variant of Makar, derived from the given names Makary or Makar, which are forms of the Greek name Makarios, meaning blessed.

Makara is also a Japanese family name. The name may refer to:

• Robert Makara, Ukrainian skier
• Makara Naotaka (1536–1570), Japanese samurai

Makara is the third album of E.S. Posthumus. It consists of 15 tracks and was released on February 2, 2010 for download on iTunes, Amazon MP3, and several other popular download services. The album is available on both CD and for digital download at CD Baby. The album was made available on eMusic on January 26, 2010. There may also be a vinyl release of the album in the future.

According to CD Baby, with the release of E.S. Posthumus' new single Arise, the description of the song hinted that the new album would be called "Deciphered." But in an interview with the group posted on Original Sound Version in December 2009, it was stated that the new album would no longer be called "Deciphered."