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Volume 2013, Issue No.7, July 2, 2013, Time: 9h36m A. M.
INTELLECT INDIA
[Part
C]
by
Professor Dr.
Kotcherlakota Lakshmi Narayana
{Retd.
Prof. of Physics, SU, Kolhapur}, 17-11-10, Narasimha Ashram, Official Colony,
Maharanipeta.P.O, Visakhapatnam-530002
Mobile
No: 9491902867 & 9594717723
ORIGINAL DRAFT ON: 23rd
July 2011 : 18h01mPM
ABSTRACT
Dhyanam and
sometimes known as upasana practice makes every artist in India and the
Craftsman to achieve the degree of perfection of bringing out the self intended
form out of their art work. Hindu epics-Mahabharata and Ramayana depict these craftsmen use indigenous colors made
from Minerals, Gum and Herbs. The now
familiar Gold in Nirmal work is got from Herbal Juices. The Charkul Dance-Drama,
of Central India revolves around a story generally from the Indian epics like
the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. While Western dance it has borrowed from
Indian folk dance through the medium of the Gypsies. Many of the tribal groups
configure fine Bamboo splits or Paya to make an interesting musical
instrument that is played with the mouth. The paya must be 15 cm long
and 1.5 cm broad. Santoor, which originated from the Vedic Vana Veena, belongs
to the Kashmir Valley that is neither seen nor played anywhere else. The
Amareswaraswamy temple in Amaravathi, the Lakshminarasimhaswamy temple in
Mangala Giri, Siva temple in Pedakakani reminds one of INTELLECT INDIA prior to
Buddhism all located just 30km away from Vijayawada. Use of tamarind paste and
turmeric powder to do metla puja (i.e., adoring the steps) to the Godess Durga
or Kali, probably is as ancient as the temples. A dyke on Kupgal Hill contains
hundreds and perhaps thousands of rock art engravings, or petro-glyphs, a large
quantity of which date to the Neolithic, or late Stone Age (several thousand
years BC). Some of it is now at threat from quarrying activities. The
Rameswaram Temple of thousand pillars has music ringing tone constructs. Ancient
Indians made 'rock music'. . Large and small temples built
during this era remain as examples of the Hoysala architectural style,
including the Chennakesava Temple
at Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple
at Halebidu, and the Kesava
Temple at Somanathapura. Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro, came the discovery of the figure of the Dancing
Girl - further reinstating the fact that sculpture along with the use of Metal
Alloys was well known to people even then. Alloy of Five Metals
symbolizing the Five elements was adopted. The Metals are
1.Copper, 2.Brass, and 3.Lead with a little bit of 4.Gold and 5.Silver. The alloy, panchloha, symbolized
panchbhutian, the five basic elements - earth, water, ether, air and fire -
denoting the omnipresence of God and Nature. A smelting furnace dated 800 BC is
found in Naikund (Maharashtra), India. Recent discoveries reveal that Iron was
known in the Ganga valley in mid second millennium BCE. In the mid-first
millennium BCE, the Indian Wootz Steel was very popular in Persian courts for
making Swords. These paintings at Ajanta and Ellora depict though 500 years
old, the paint has not only retained its color but also much of its luster.
British culprits have removed some paintings by pulling them out from the
surface of the rocks using adhesive coated cloth and canvases. In spite of being a sandy area, it is very
green with a variety of flora. This is the Nandanavan of Rameshwar. This island
shrine consists of 24 odd holy water sources like Rama teerth, Sita Kund, Jata
Teerth, Lakshman Teerth, Kapi Teerthas, Brahmakund, Galawa teerth, Mangala
teerth, Kodandaram teerth, Pandav teerth etc., The waters at all these places
is sweet and has a taste of its own. The spotlight on the treasures housed
in hundreds of temples and monasteries without proper security. In India. In 2010, two ancient idols were stolen from
the Shoolini temple in Solan town. In another incident, ancient coins and
silver artefacts went missing from the Suryavanshi temple in Kullu town.
METAL CASTINGS
The Bastar and Chattisghad areas of Vanvashis
have a finely refined and extraordinary INTELLECT of metal castings and the
preparation of exemplary items of decorative items of ordinary home use.
Bronze Castings
Dhyanam and sometimes known as upasana
practice makes every artist in India and the Craftsman to achieve the degree of
perfection of bringing out the self intended form out of their art work.
Therefore before making bronze idols, the craftsman had to carefully study the
verses from the Shilpashastra. The verses instructed the craftsmen on
physical measurements, proportions, description of the deity, characteristics,
symbolism and above all, aesthetics. This is how the craftsmen set
about creating masterpieces from bronze in ancient India. What is also
interesting is the guidance that was sought from nature for modeling icons: eyebrows,
were modeled after neem leaf or fish; nose, the sesume flower; the upper lip, a
bow; chin, a mango stone; neck, the conch shell and so on.
Sheet Metal
An evidence
of it is present from the days of Ramayana since the great epics warriors of
India have used the deftly made shields of metallic ware. Pembarthi village in
Warangal District of Andhra Pradesh saw its glory during the reign of
Kakatiyas. You'd be wondering why and how. It is a 500 year old answer! During
the period of Kakatiya rule, sheet metal workmanship adorned the vigrahas and
vahanas. With temples proliferating in the vast Kakatiya kingdom, the Pemparthi
sheet metal worker saw his fame attract people from all religions of India.
Dokra
Unfortunately even the present Indian Government and the people of India alike describe the forest nature loving and living human Intellect of India as Tribes. The word tribe is coined by the Britishers but in India these people were the most respected and honored. The enslaved generations of India by the Muslim ruthlessness and the British suppression regard them as Tribes as if they are the sole monarchs of the Intellect India. The Vanprsthavan and the Manyam humans, maintained even to-date, the Dokra metal craft which is common to the forest and Aranya Vashi humans, in the hilly belts of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Bengal and Andhra Pradesh In Andhra Pradesh this craft is found in Chittalbori and Ushegaon in Adilabad District .What makes Dokra unique is that no two pieces are like. Deftly aerated by hand, the objects have individualistic touch. Figurines, horses, drummers’ peculiar shaped spoons and hauntingly original tribal Gods can be seen in Dokra.
Lacquerware
Lacquer
craft is application of lacquer on wood in pleasing shades to create a
distinctive appeal. Etikoppaka in Andhra
Pradesh is one of the most important centers of this craft. Lacquering is
done on a lathe, hand or machine-operated. For turning slender and delicate
items, the hand-lathe is preferred. Lac is applied in a dry state. That is, the
lac-stick is pressed against the woodenware to be lacquered. As the latter keeps revolving the heat from
friction softens the lac, enabling the color to stick. Designs are painted
with a brush on figures, objects and toys. Among the most popular Lacquerware
are the lac bangles. Hitherto studded with Gold and Precious Stones, today they
are also available with beads, glass, stones, mirrors and more.
Nirmal: In Nirmal town, Adilabad district of
Andhra Pradesh, there is a concentration of craftsmen known as Nakash, whose
traditional art is painting scenes from the Hindu epics-Mahabharata and
Ramayana. These craftsmen use indigenous
colors made from Minerals, Gum and Herbs. The now familiar Gold in Nirmal work is got from Herbal Juices. The
knowledge of this art might have been exported to Egyptians for decoration of
their mummies, of course of the rich kings only. The knowledge of this art
known throughout ancient India has been completely ousted out by the Muslim
rulers and artisans were many killed. Over the years, Nirmal work has grown to
meet new needs. Moving away from being mere painters of epics, the craftsmen
today paint motifs in the style of Indian schools.
Puppets, Toys, Leather Dolls and
Games Shows
In India, toys and dolls have a history as old
as icons and idols themselves. From the realm of divine inspiration to, day to day
recreation, the craftsmen with their innate skills transformed mundane objects
as toys into expressions of art. In fact, Andhra Pradesh has a number of toy
forms such as Leather puppets, kondapalli dolls, tirupati dolls, Nirmal toys
and Etikoppaka dolls. The form of animation movies were created by the Andhra
people called (Tholubommalu Ata) leather dolls Game i.e. viewed through a
magnifying glass by an individual audience. Others were to wait for their turn
to observe the show. It was very popular in the rural areas. The epics of
Ramayana and Mahabharata were depicted to the common man and women in this
style of presentation. Intricate arrangement of threads and fine rapid
movements were made in these leather puppet shows so that the viewer would get
a full feeling of real life situations of fights, arguments and love etc. emotions of the story
characters.
Folk
Paintings
There is a
very picturesque origin to the art of painting. "Narayan", the
Supreme Being was engaged in meditation when celestial dancing girls’ apsaras
tried to disturb him with a display of coquetry and blandishments. The god
conceived of a plan to cure the maidens of their vanity. The apsaras were put
to shame when they saw this painted maiden Urvashi, and crept away silently
from God's presence. And the picture, into which Divine skill had infused the
golden breath of life, became the ideal form of feminine beauty. Vishwakarma,
the architect of heaven, was then instructed bin the art and science of painting
so that he might transmit his knowledge to the people of the earth. The
Vishwakarma art was not simply confined to paintings but as well to all forms
of craftsmanship.
Kalamkari and Block-printed Fabrics
Kalamkari
is a craft of painted and printed fabrics. It derives its
name from kalam or pen with which the patterns are traced. It is an
art form that developed both for decoration and religious ornamentation. The
discovery of a resist-dyed piece of cloth on a silver vase at the ancient site
of Harrapa confirms that the tradition of Kalamkari is very old. Even the
ancient Buddhist Chaitya Viharas were decorated with Kalamkari cloth. The great
Alexander is also supposed to have acquired this Kalamkari cloth. In Andhra
Pradesh, Kalmkari is done in Machillipatnam and Srikalahasti. The Indigo like
natural organic colors were nicely blended to the cloth in Karmakari art with a
perfect science of covalent bonding or chemical adhesion with the cellulosic threads
of the variety of dress material apart from cotton and silks. It’s interesting
to note that Mahatma Gandhi fought British on the ban they imposed to cultivate
the Indigo crop in India to protect their synthetic product of color
preparations. Rajendhra Prasad met him first time in the very court room
arguments with the British Raj rulers. Machilipatnam Kalamkari craft almost died
during 1960 due to the successive state governments apathy towards this art.
Balayagudem Cooperative Industry revived it partly from the help of Kamla
Deviji and Nelli Sethna’s intervention. The later brought out the details from
old scriptures and manuscripts and collected even the ancient printing blocks.
New formats, borders, bed sheets, table linen and saris have been given for the
artisans. In 1982 Marthand Singh collected lot of museum pieces designs got
blocks made in Mumbai, and revived Machilipatnam Mihrab (produced by P.M.
Eswarudu and his father Nageswara Rao) design.
Many adulterations and screen printing techniques have sprung up and Government
help and recognition to the artisans of Kalamkari craft it appears, never
reaches to them. Viswakarma Museums need to be permanently established in
India.
Ikat
Ikat, the
technique by which the wrap or weft or both be tie-dyed in such a way that when
woven, the 'programmed' pattern appears in finished fabric. Of resist-dye
techniques, the use of clay or wax-resist has long been known to Indian
textile printers and painters, who would stamp or delineate the
fabric with resist and then immerse and re-immerse in dye. To reserve
areas of the warp or weft or both, before the process of weaving with tied
threads, and then to dye the yarn, is more interesting process that requires
greater skill. And this seems to be more closely aligned to weaving, than
to the application of impression of a resist to the surface of a
fabric. Fabric lining with silver Zari and even golden Zari was a great art that
still survives in Surat and to-day even Christmas gifts are being made to
satisfy the westerners.
Saris
Andhra has
the bright Venkatagiri saris which are woven with the help of a fly-shuttle
loom, thrown from side to side. Venkatagiri saris are woven with pleasant
colors, decorated with patterns of gold laces, dots, coins, leaves, parrots, and
or simple geometrical patterns. Narayanpet saris, in cotton and silk, some from
place with the same name. The cotton saris woven in dark earthy colors are
particularly eye catching. The Gadwal cotton and Kothakota saris from Vanaparti
have a rich gold borders and heavy panels like Pallavas. It seems that the
Saris made in Paithan were of exceptional quality in the 3rd BC to
4AD period of Andhra Kingdom rulers.
Crochet Lace
The ancient lace and Dakkha muslin cloth productions were ruthlessly
converted by Muslim rulers and Nawabs to decorate their ward robes and to
conceal their veiled Muslim women of Harems (secluded women confined within
four walls for pleasure seeking by Muslim rich and kings) as well, the abducted
Indian pretty women, from various parts of the country. The practice of
abduction of pretty women was also imitated by some Indian kings for the
satisfaction of their lust and greed during both the Muslim Rule and the
British Raj in India. Reintroduced in the middle of the 19th century to provide
employment to the poverty stricken women of the area, lace work was, to start
with, sent to friends and relatives abroad as gifts which were highly
appreciated by the Western and Muslim countries. Starting with a mere dozen
designs, the local skills were used to evolve as many as 300 designs over the
years which speaks of the high artistic sense of the artisans. The raw
materials and implements required for this industry are simple, consisting of
only a hooked needle and cotton thread. The thread used is twisted mercerized
cotton thread. The craft is carried on by thousands of women working part time
at their homes in Narsapur and Palakol areas of West Godavri District and
Razole Taluka of East Godavri District.
Banjara Embroidery
Think of
nomads, caravaners, gypsies and you think of them as "free people".
Free from the binds of urban life, they evoke dreams of the life spirit roaming
without fetters. The Banjaras in Andhra Pradesh seem to have captured their
exuberant clothes from this art. Nomads in the past, the Banjaras today
aggregate in groups called tandas. Staying in communes, they still strive to
preserve the fascinating and unpredictable traditions of their ancestors.
Tattooed women with hands weighed down by ivory bangles create the memorable
mirror and symmetry art work for which the Banjaras are famous.
DANCE and MUSIC
Popular dances of ancient India even to-date are listed
below.
1. Bharat Natyam
2. Kuchipudi
3. Kathakali
4. Mohini Attmam
5. Odissy
6. Manipuri
7. Kathak
8. Yaksha ganam
9. Bangra.
Books on Dance theater of ancient orgin are 1.Hastha Laksha
Deepika 2. Kochala Bgaratha 3. Dathilan 4. Sangeeta Ratnakar
Kamas raga à erotic feelings; Mkhanià
Compassion. Saranga raga à geroic.
Rules to build Melody:
I. Janaka Raga (Melakantha ragas about 72) and II. Janyu
Raga(adopts scales from the previous Janaka ragasa)
Melodyà Raga
Rhythmà concept of Tala
Lyrical à Pallavi.
ABINAYA: Has 4 parts, 1. Satvikaà mind
shooting feelings: 2. Vachikaà
expression through perfection of speech and song: 3.Angikaà gestures and rhythm of
movements: 4. Aharyaà that
with the aid of dress and decorative ornaments.
In enacting a drama-play let one should have both Kavya
Lakshana and as well Bhasha Lakshana.
Apart from
Shiva even Ganesha and Sri Krishna are associated with dance and music. India
has many classical dance styles. The oldest text dealing with aesthetics
covering various art forms including dance is the Natyashastra which is
authored by Bharatamuni. The sacred number 108 specifies the 108 combinations
of hand and feet to present the Bharat Natyam.
Kadha means
a story in Telugu. Depiction of a story with hand and feet gestures is very
well known in the villages of India. They used to enact some styles of
dance-drama even while working in the farms and especially in the rice (fields)
transplantation, cutting and heap making time of the produce. Probably it has
become Kath in Sanskrit language.
Matanga in
600-700 AD gave Bharat Natyasangraha with details of Raga, Tal.
Brihadderi Raga Sangeeta of Sarangadev of 1210-1247AD
specifies, Swaras, Ragas, Prabhandha and Tala- Vadyas as well Gamakas.
Fig.12 C
All the
Indian classical dance styles viz. Bharata Natyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Odissi,
Mohiniattam, Kathakali, Bangra, Manipuri, etc., are derived from the
Natyashastra. Some of these dance styles have evolved from folk dances and are
intimately connected with the art of story telling. Most of these stories are
drawn from our epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Kuchipudi and other
traditional dances are performed by artists families extended over several
generations who faithfully with all the devotion preserve it as their family’s
pride and talent. Tales from collections like the Panchatantra, Hitopadesha,
Katha Sarit Sagara, etc., also from the subject matter of these dance styles.
In fact the Kathak and Kathakali from U.P. and Kerala respectively, derive
their names from the term Katha which in Sanskrit means a story. As the story
is told in the form of dance, these dance styles can actually be called
dance-dramas, the only difference is the absence of dialogues.
Rasa
|
Bhava
|
|
1
|
Adbhuta(marvelous)
|
Vismaya
|
2
|
Hasya( comic)
|
Hasya (Mirth)
|
3
|
Srigaram(Erotic)
|
Rati (Love)
|
4
|
Bhibatsa(odious)
|
Juggyupsa(disgust)
|
5
|
Vira(Heroic)
|
Utsaha(enjoy)
|
6
|
Karuna(Pathetic)
|
Soka(sorrow)
|
7
|
Bhayanaka(fear)
|
Bhaya(terror)
|
8
|
Raudra( furious)
|
Krodha(Anger)
|
9
|
Shaanta(Peace)
|
---
|
The Charkul
Dance-Drama, of Central India revolves around a story generally from the Indian
epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Similar traditions of dance-dramas,
are prevalent in other parts of India too. In Maharashtra, you have the
Dashavatara, in Karnataka you have the Yakshagana The Kathak dance of North
India and the ktha*ali dance of Kerala also originated as dance-dramas and
derive their names from the Sanskrit work 'Katha' which means a story.
The story
has to be told solely through actions and hence an elaborate pattern of facial
expressions (Mudra), movement of hands (Hasta) and the simulation of various
moods like anger (Krodha), envy (Matsara), greed (Lobha), lust (Kama), ego
(Mada), etc., have been evolved. The mastery of perfect expression of these
feelings by subtle movement of the lips and eyes forms the root of all the
classical Indian dance styles. Navarasas
that is about nine emotional ordinary feelings of a human being are nicely
depicted with the Dance-dramas presentations in the interiors of the villages.
In evry art these Navarasas are vividly depicted by the villagers.
In fact the
combination of the three qualities viz. expression, rhyme and rhythm i.e.
Bhava, Raga, and Tala go into the determination of the term Bha-Ra-Ta, which is
used as the name of one dance style viz. Bharata Natyam. The integration of
Indian classical dance with the physical exercises of Yoga and the breath
control of "Pranayam" has perfected the dance styles. Yoga especially
had given the dance styles an excellent footwork which is called Padanyasa and
Padalalitya. Another feature of these dance styles is that they are integrated
with theology and worship.
An excellent
social tradition is reflected in the Bangra dance of Punjab province. And even
to-date the art is thriving and Rekha Malhotra, of Brooklyn New York, with the
help of modern techniques of combination of Song and operation of a modern
keyboard of a music box provides support to the Dance in the auditorium. She
runs a Segment production society and released DG Rekha 17 track mix CD.
Traditionally
these dances were patronized by the temples. During festivals and other
religious occasions, these dances were performed in the temple premises to
propitiate the deity. But many Dance-dramas are enacted in the remote villages
beginning late in the night at 11PM and continue to be oerformed through the
nght up to 4.30AM. What surprises one is the excellent LANGUAGE DIALOGUES THEY
USE AND THE PERFECT Music accomplisahments, to generate the full feeling of the
scean reality of the epic or story they depict through these performances. The
audiences are held spell bound. Thus the dance came to combine both art and
worship. Even today every recital of any Indian classical dance begins with an
invocation to Nataraja or Nateshwara the god of dance. In Indian folklore and
legend, the God of Dance is himself shown to be dancing in a form called the
Tandava. This has also been depicted in the statues and carvings in temples
like, Khajuraho and Konark in Northern India, and at Chidambaram, Madurai,
Rameshwaram, etc. in the South. Indian dances have also evolved styles based on
the Tandava like the Urdhra Tandava, Sandhya Tandava, etc. Indian classical
dance found its way outside India, especially to the countries of Southeast
Asia. The dance styles of Thailand, Indonesia, Burma, etc., have so heavily
borrowed from the Indian classical dance traditions that to a casual observer
there would seem to be hardly any difference between the two. While Western
dance has not directly borrowed anything from Indian classical dance, it has
borrowed from Indian folk dance through the medium of the Gypsies.
Since Vedic
times, Indians had been required to correctly recite, the Vedas. The
correctness in recitation was very important as the Vedas were, in those days,
transmitted through memory (Smriti) and were learnt through hearing (Shruti).
This was so, as writing was absent in early Vedic times.
RECITATION AND MUSIC
An emphasis
on recitation and the correct pronunciation lead to studies in phonetics and
sound perfection:
In the absence of transmission by Guru and
Disciple system of these skills and, in
the absence of trade in musical instruments, along with negligence in the
necessity of long and arduous practice which, was required to master these instruments,
the sustenance of this among the masses made the learning of music a difficult
task. However, as far as, devotional vocal music goes, Indian musical
traditions did travel to the countries of South East Asia.
Important musical instruments even to-day used are 1. Violin 2. Sitar 3. Sarod
4. Veena 5. Shahanai 6. Tabala 7. Nadaswara 8. Mrudhangam 9. Flute 10 Sarani
the other things are Jalatharangi etc innumerable practiced in Indian villages
and theaters.
RAGA SYSTEM
Melodius
combination of notes of musical scale, ornamentation (Gamaka) permutations and
combinations of notes rendered in partial sequence of either
Arohana.i.e.,ascent or avarohana i.e,.descent. Combination of Swara is the key
to Raga System. Sangeeta sara was written by Vidyaranya Swami of Hampi &
Vijayanagar founder in 1320-1380 classified them as Melas (Parent) an Janya
ragas.
TALA SYSTEM
It is a
perfect time scaie to regulate the music or even the enactment of Dance or
Drama.It is purely mathematical and exhibits inherene coherence, logical
rigidity, numeric accuracy. There are 108 derivatives of Tala. Main are
1.dhruva (1011) 2. Mattya tala (101) 3. Roopaka tala (01) 4. Jhampa tala (1U0)
5. Tripura Tala ( 100) 6. Ata tala 1100. 7. Eka tala ( just 1) where drutam is
0, laghu is 1 and anudrutam is U. There
are another three angas of Tala apart
from the three mentioned.
LAYA SYSTEM
This is inherent rhythm in
anything.
GREAT MUSICIANS of India
Pingala
gave the musical notation. Lyrical is just the poetic grandeur (Pallavi)
Chandas sastra specifies Gitam, Swarajati, Varnana, Kriti, Padam, Jaavadi,
Tillana.
Purandara das who lived in 1484-1564AD, Sri Shaym Sastri of
1762-1827AD, Thyagaraja of 1767-1847 Muthuswami Dhikshitar of 1776-1835 and
chatudandi prakashika of 1660AD by venkatamukli gave the 72 melakarta scheme of
the Music of ancient India.
The
Rabindranath Takur songs some are based on the single string musical instrument
that was extensively used by the village girls while accompanying the
shepherds’ and other farm workers to tune with the Flute. Many such instruments
of different number of strings are even to-date in use among the villagers and
roaming artists like Thyagaraja, Ramashastri, and Annamaya composers of
kirtanalu. The instrumental and vocal music of Korea has many elements of
Indian music, which it received along with the Buddhist invocative and
devotional songs and slokas (religious couplets). Along with Buddhism, some
Indian musical instruments like the flute (bansi), temples bell (Ghanta), etc.,
went to the countries of South-East Asia. Even Europe owes certain instruments
to India. Two popular European musical instruments namely the flute and violin
are believed to be of Indian origin. Though we do not know about the process of
transmission of these instruments, however in India the flute (bansi) and the
violin (a variant of the Veena) are definitely indigenously Indian. A pointer
to the fact that these instruments have been in usage in India since a very
long time is that the bansi is associated with Sri Krishna and the Veena with
the goddess Saraswati. This apart, in modern times the western musical
instruments like the Tambourin and the Tambour are adaptations of the Indian
Tambora and Tanpura. The names Tambourin and Tambour are also derived from the
word Tambora. The Sarangi, another Indian musical instrument has also found its
place in western music. The acceptance of these musical instruments in the west
is also evident from the fact that the words Tambora, Sarangi and Tabla are
mentioned in the Oxford Dictionary.
Musical Instruments
The Vanvashi
people in the hills such as people of Manipur etc., use a wide range of wind
musical instruments made of Bamboo. These are mainly played with the mouth. The
Lambang Vanavashis contrive cut-tubes of a small variety of Bamboo to make a
flute-like-wind musical instrument called Puleh. This instrument has 4 to 7 holes. The Maring
Vanvashis too use a similar musical instrument called Toutri. The Koms call it Theibe. The Thadou tribals cut three tubes
of different lengths from the same Bamboo stem and the tubes are separately
blown with the mouth to produce different musical notes. The Thadous call such
musical instrument Theiphit. The Lambang tribals use a peculiar musical wind instrument
called Relru which is a
one metre long hollow bamboo tube with an attached projection in the middle,
through which one blows with the mouth to produce musical notes. Almost all the
tribal groups use a musical instrument made of four to five Bamboo tubes of
uneven sizes that are joined together, the smaller tubes being partly inserted
into the bigger tubes. The instrument is played like bugle. The Lambang tribals
make use of both the hard outer layer or skin of the Bamboo and the pulpy inner
layer to make a musical instrument. The necessary length of both the layers is
30 cm. Many of the tribal groups configure fine Bamboo splits or Paya to make an interesting musical
instrument that is played with the mouth. The paya must be 15 cm long
and 1.5 cm broad.
Devasenathipathi and Stahpathi lineage 10 centuries
I. Lost Wax Process
Preparation of Odiolai :Preparation
of the Wax :Getting Ready the Wax Model :Making of the Mould: Late Devasenathipathi
& Stahpathi lineage 10 centuries, Strip of Dry Coconut leaf – measurements -
Stability of measurements: Marking based on Tala measurements: Crucial Step –
Wax model – bees wax, dammar groundnut oil, 4:4:1. Wax mixture heated with hot
water and lumps used. Hand used for initial shape – Tala Measurements 2nd Imp
step – Special Alluvilial fine soil from river bed- first coat –thin coat with right
pressure-no air bubbles – second coat coarse paste soil + sand 2:1.
II. Lost Wax Process
Heating the Mould, Melting and Draining the Wax Preparing the Molten Metal
–pouring into the mould Finishing, Engraving and Polishing Installation and
Opening of the Eyes Cooling the Mould and Opening it Right proportion – 1: 8 Wax
to Metal –panchaloha – crucibleheat – right temp critical – cow dung, special
roots of trees :Head of icon is first opened followed by other portions. Sthapatis
consider this as birth of the icon Icons cast for worshipping – rituals to be
followed for opening of the eyes are elaborate.
Golden era where all
forms of art and architecture flourished along with trade
The dynasty (Pallava Chola and Pandya) in southern India had a holistic approach.
Their periods in history is considered to be a golden era where all forms of
art and architecture flourished along with trade. Society was prosperous. Clock
wise from right (b) Stone relief 12th century depicting coronation of Rajendra
Chola son of Raja Raja by Siva (c) Dam built by Karikala Chola 1st cent AD (d)
Chola Fresco ~ 15th century
The various MUDRAS like the Apana vayu, Samaan vayu, Udana vayu, Vayana
vayu, Gyan, Dhyana, and Abhaya Mudras are some of them practiced by a sadhak
under the initiation by a Guru. The Dancers also exhibit during the course of
their performances some Mudras which can only be understood by a thinker and an
enlightened soul. The TALA, PALLAVI and RAGA are essential and the Vedic Hymns
are also recited in the several or different forms of poetic renderings. They
have an intricate and involved grammar of the Sanskrit language and are also
found in other regional languages of India. Bastar Brass :• Brass is used for
making figurines and ornaments • Figures and Ornaments are crafted by Ghadwa,
who are the metal casters of Bastar • Lost Wax Technique is used.Ref : Bastar Folk
Art (Shrines, Figurines and Memorials) by Michel Postel, Zarine CooperPublished
by Franco Indian Research Pvt Ltd. , Mumbai, India. Jhula is unusual
in that the artisan has attempted to render a folk figure in a classical
fashion Lamp, with a peacock behind the rider, and an elegantly shaped handle.
Ornament- comb Knife handle is sometimes cast in brass.Ref : Bastar Folk Art
(Shrines,Figurines and Memorials) by Michel Postel, Zarine Cooper Published by
Franco Indian Research Pvt Ltd. , Mumbai, India. Scientific Investigations-Radiography Porosities
in earlobe of Porosities in the hand 16th century Vishnu icon 13th century
Nataraja Porosities observed in the thinner portions of the icon such as the Vastra(s)
in the between the legs, earlobes etc.Pore sizes range from 0.1 mm toabout 10
mm in diameter.Ideal fingerprint tool. Scientific Investigations- XRF Results on Bronze icons Chola period Icons
were analyzed.(a) The major constituent in all these icons is Cu. The additive
elements tin, lead and iron, with varying compositions. (b) CU- 68% to 97%, Sn-
1.72% to 12.79% Pb-1.20% to18.35% and Fe- nil% to 5.26% (except in one
specificcase).(c) Change of composition was observed from region toregion
within the same icon. This variation was withinabout 10% in general.
Expertise utilised in fabrication of tallest Nataraja gifted by DAE to CERN:
Fritj of Capra, founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley,
CA, USA.
ANCIENT MUSIC INSTRUMENTS AND THEIR DESIGNS FOR MUSIC SCALES:
RAMAYANA: composed in Sanskrit by the poet called Valmiki. During this
period the whole science of Gandharva music had come into existence. Singing of
Jatis was in vogue. Music was used in
religious service, war, festivals, in the courts of kings , in dramas and in
daily life of people. References to VENU(FLUTE),
SANKHA (CONCH), BHERI, DUNDUBHI, MRIDANGAM (PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS) are there and technical terms such as kala,
matra, samya, pramana, laya, tala were used.
LALITAVISTARA
gives an account of Buddha’s life
and says that as a price he was trained to play the Veena. In one JATAKA story
it is said that the Bodhisattva was an excellent musician in his previous life
and his name was Guttila. Songs were
sung with the accompaniment of a seven stringed Veena. There are also
references to Bheri (Drum), Sankhya (Conch).
Music also had an honored place amongst the Jains and the name of all the
seven notes are attested to in the Sthananga Sutra, an important Jain
scripture.
Tamil books viz., PURANANURU and PATTUPPATTU refer to three kinds of drums, the battle
drum, the judgement drum and the sacrificial drum. PARIPADAL mentions seven Palai which were the ancient Dravidian
modes.
YALA (lute) was the most important instrument of the south. Some had a thousand strings. SILAPPADIKARAM
a Tamil epic refers to four
varieties of Pans or Ragas, five
types of flutes- Bamboo, Sandalwood, Bronze, Red catechu and Ebony. The flute
made of horns of various kinds of animals were exhibited recently in
Visakhapatnam during 29th-30th June 2011, on Manyam
Craftsmanship.
The main theme here is dramaturgy but certain fundamental principles of
applied music are also discussed.
BHARATA is believed to be an acrostic word and a name . BHA stood for
Bhava or emotion, RA stood for Raga or musical delineation and TA stood for
Tala or time cycle. He discussed two fundamental TONAL SYSTEMS - sadja-grama and madhyama-grama which
were the foundation of all scales. By an experiment he demonstrates the
interval of various notes from one another measured by microtones intervening
between them. He also gives Murchhana – scales obtained by the transposition of
the key-note.
Contributions of Bharata: Bharata
classifies all instruments into four classes: (1) TATA- stringed instruments-
Vina (2) SUSIRA- instruments with holes or wind instruments- flute (3)
AVANADDHA- instruments covered with skin or hide- Mridangam (4) GHANA-
instruments made of brass or wood used to keep time- cymbals.
Bharat mentions KUTAPA – ensemble of
musical instruments – both stringed and membranophonic. This formed the ancient
Indian 'orchestra'. Bharata gives
detailed description of Vina and Flute and playing techniques. He also gives description of seven kinds of
complex Talas and a comprehensive treatment of DHRUVA song.
Flute or Venuganamau, commonly known as the Bansuri is the wind instrument
of ancient India and was very common with Lord Krishna and the religious music
of the Buddhists. The frescoes of Ajanta and Ellora depicts that this flute was
also accompanied in the vocal and instrumental music. It is made of cylindrical
bamboo pipe of uniform bore that contains six holes for movement of the fingers
and a bigger hole for blowing air.
VEENA: The Saraswathi Instrument of Culture Art and Wisdom of India.
This instrument is, of Brhama creation of Sarswathi Godesse of learning and
Vedas origin and, is played by a plectrum placed on the right hand finger or
mostly without it. It has a broad stem and six main strings are fastened to
wooden pegs fixed to the other end. The pumpkin like pot kept on the left hand
side lap is really of a cavity for the proper resonance production from the
air. Thus it is a laptop instrument of ancient Indians. The scale adopted is
the INTELLECT INDIA since it is distinct and has a really tough thing for the
musical ear to capture and nurture it.
Ghatam is a mud pot carefully kneaded and uniformly fired. The mouth of the
Ghatam is open and is played with two hands, wrists, fingers and nails. The
mouth is pressed against the stomach so that when strokes are given, the air
inside is set in vibration and gives a deep tone. The player can produce various
volumes and tonal colors by giving the finger strokes at the neck, center and
bottom of outer surface.
Tabla, is evolved from the oldest percussion instrument, the damru of Lord
Shiva. In the hands of a master, Tabla is capable of producing
all patterns of rhythms with well-established time cycles (talas). There are
two pieces of Tabla which are generally tuned one octave apart. One is Dayan or
the Tabla made of black wood and other is Bayan or the Duggi made of wood, clay
or copper. Both are hollowed from inside and covered with skin fastened to
leather straps which are stretched over the body of the drums by means of
leather braces. These straps are pulled to raise or lower the pitch.
Santoor,
which originated from the Vedic Vana Veena, belongs to the Kashmir Valley that
is neither seen nor played anywhere else. But today, Santoor is played with all
Indian ragas and is very popular with the film musicians. The Vana Veena also
had strings and was played with sticks. The modern Santoor is made of a trapezoid
wooden box and has thirty bridges and a set of four strings of metal, tuned to
the same note and stretches over each pair of bridges. It is played with a pair
of flat wooden pieces curved at the striking ends.
Nagaswaram :
It is believed that this instrument evolved from the snake charmer’s Pungi. It
consists of a wooden mouthpiece into which the player blows the air. This air
under pressure is released from the lower end of the gourd through two bamboo
or metal pipes. These tubes have a valve that controls the flow of air through
the pipes and have holes that control the melody. Nagaswaram often attains a
wild beauty and softness and brings out the subtle graces of the Carnatic
music.
REVERBRATING SCULPTURES:
The simple
temple of Kanaka Durga in Vijayawada has a mention in Bhagavatam that when at
the time of rise of the waters of river Krishna to the foot step of
Indrakiladhri Mountain that would be the time of a Pralaya. World famous
Kondapalli bommalu, about 25km from Vijayawada, consisting of bullock carts,
animals, birds, women attired in traditional dresses etc capture the common
villagers’ artistic talents using indigenous material. The Amareswaraswamy
temple in Amaravathi, the Lakshminarasimhaswamy temple in Mangala Giri, Siva
temple in Pedakakani reminds one of INTELLECT INDIA prior to Buddhism all
located just 30km away from Vijayawada. Use of tamarind paste and turmeric
powder to do metla puja (i.e., adoring the steps) to the Godess Durga or Kali,
probably is as ancient as the temples.
Shiva Linga: Gupta, Early 5th
century AD
Cave 4, Udayagiri, Madhya Pradesh, India.
This type of linga is known as ekamukha (one-faced, also spelled ekmukha). The rock-cut caves at Udayagiri seem to have been the
focus of a complex mixture of Shiva worship (inside), Vishnu worship (outside),
sun worship, and astronomical activity including the prediction of monsoons.
Udayagiri is also the original site of the famous iron pillar of Chandragupta
II which is now in Delhi. The "caves" themselves are quite shallow.
Some are mere niches which are open to the outdoors, while others are accessed
by small entrances cut into the rock face.
Himachal Pradesh has over 2,000 temples
Himachal Pradesh
has over 2,000 temples and monasteries that are centuries old. Of these, 60 are
under the supervision of the ASI, while 31 are under the control of the state’s
language, art and culture department. The temples with lofty towers dot the
skyline. These temples are torchbearers of the glorious heritage of the Tamil
speaking region, and are repositories of the splendorous art forms that evolved
over several millenniums. One will be delighted to know that Tamil Nadu is
known as the Land Of Temples and the major reason behind this is that it
endorse more than 30, 000 temples in Tamil Nadu by various dynasties.
Reflecting early Dravidian art and culture, Tamil Nadu is characterized by
ornamented temples with soaring towers known as Gopurams.
The Meenakshi Temple, Kumari Amman Temple and Morgun temple, each one of them were quite unique but depicting the Indian architecture. The Shilpasashtra also traces the origin of the art to a pious and just king, Vajra who, one day, found himself at the feet of the great sage, Markandya. "Oh, Holy Being," implored the king. "Grant me a boon, such that I may master the art of iconography and erect a bronze idol of myself in the public square.”Knowing the king to be a good man at heart, the sage was inclined to grant him the boon. But before handing him the first lump of metal, Markandya put forth a few searching questions to test the sincerity of the king. "Do you know how to paint"? The sage asked. The king replied in the negative and pleaded that he be taught the skills of painting if that should be a prerequisite to learning sculpture. "In that case, you should know how to dance," insisted Markandya. In the course of this inquisition, King Vajra realized that in order to dance, he needed to learn music and in turn, singing. Effectively, he had to begin with fine-tuning his artistic sensibilities before finding a medium to express his creative urges. Explains Murlidhara another master craftsman in Kerala, "To this day, we teach our students the rudiments of music, dance and painting before initiating them into the intricacies of Bronze Molding. You cannot create a figure until you are familiar with the physical form, the rhythm and fluidity of shapes." The South Indian temple consists essentially of a square-chambered sanctuary topped by a superstructure, tower, or spire and an attached pillared porch or hall (maṇḍapa, or maṇṭapam), enclosed by a peristyle of cells within a rectangular court. The external walls of the temple are segmented by pilasters and carry niches housing sculpture. The superstructure or tower above the sanctuary is of the kūṭina type and consists of an arrangement of gradually receding stories in a pyramidal shape. Each story is delineated by a parapet of miniature shrines, square at the corners and rectangular with barrel-vault roofs at the centre. The tower is topped by a dome-shaped cupola and a crowning pot and strawniy zadnica.
The
Rameswaram Temple of thousand pillars has music ringing tone constructs. Ancient Indians made 'rock music' : Archaeologists have
rediscovered a huge rockart site in southern India where ancient people used
boulders to make musical sounds. The Kupgal Hill site includes rocks with
unusual depressions that were designed to be struck with the purpose of making
loud, musical ringing tones. It was lost after its discovery in 1892, so this
is the first fresh effort to describe the site in over a century. A dyke on
Kupgal Hill contains hundreds and perhaps thousands of rock art engravings, or
petro-glyphs, a large quantity of which date to the Neolithic, or late Stone
Age (several thousand years BC). Some of it is now at threat from quarrying
activities.
The motifs
themselves were made by bruising the rocks, presumably with a stone implement. Some
of the images are in locations so difficult to reach that the artist must have
suspended themselves - or got others to suspend them - from an overhang to make
the images.
Modern-day
commercial granite quarrying has already disturbed some sections of the hill. A
rock shelter with even older rock art to the north of Kupgal Hill has been
partially destroyed by quarrying.
"It is
clear government intervention will be required to elicit effective protection
for the majority of the sites in the [area] if these are not to be erased
completely over the course of future years," writes Dr Boivin in
Antiquity. Some of the images are in locations so difficult to reach that the
artist must have suspended themselves - or got others to suspend them - from an
overhang to make the images. She believes that the people who made the motifs
and those who went to view them must have been physically fit and agile.
Prehistoric Rock
Art :Cave
3, Bhimbetka
The "caves" (actually, deep overhangs) of Bhimbetka, near Bhopal
in Madhya Pradesh, were decorated with art beginning in the Neolithic period
(approximately 8000 BC) and continuing in some caves into historic times.
According to a local guide, the paintings in Cave 3 date to 5,000 BC. All
Bhimbetka dates in the following pages are quoted as they were recited by this
guide, who may have been speaking by rote.
Cave 4, Bhimbetka
Date quoted as 8,000 BC. A plentiful herd of different kinds of game is depicted
here. Cave 4, Bhimbetka.
Date quoted as 5,000 BC. This group is from the same cave as on the previous
page.
Cave 8, Bhimbetka
Date quoted as 3,000 BC. However, note the horse riders. Aswamedha Yaga is
known from the times of Ramayana i.e. it dates back to 17lakh 50000years of
Solar Calender. So different kinds of animals and birds knowledge and
capacities to talk with them were a part of Divine life and power of INTELLECT
INDIA. Saying that some nomadic tribes of the west brought it would be
ridiculous an argument in History Theoretical attempts.
Cave 6, Bhimbetka
BELUR AND HALIBEDU TEMPLES OF
ASTOUNDING MAGNANMITY
From Bangalore one reach them but
they stand as testimony eternal of INTELLECT INDIA to admire and get lost in
divine wisdom. The each and every piece of architecture here is UNIQUE and the
mastery-full of craftsmanship which, cannot and wouldn’t have, any match even
with the most advanced and super technologies of Robots and Digital methods of
Art and sculpture of Global Villages of the Modern World, because the INDIA is a divine country.
Characterised by a return to the simplistic and serene
art of the past, Hoysala architecture is the distinctive building style
developed under the rule of the Hoysala Empire in the region historically known
as Karnata, today's Karnataka, India,
between the 11th and the 14th centuries. Large and small temples built during
this era remain as examples of the Hoysala architectural style, including the Chennakesava Temple
at Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple
at Halebidu, and the Kesava
Temple at Somanathapura. Other
examples of fine Hoysala craftsmanship are the temples at Belavadi, Amrithapura, and Nuggehalli. A feature of Hoysala temple
architecture is its attention to detail and skilled craftmanship. The temples
of Belur and Halebidu are proposed UNESCO world heritage sites.
About a 100 Hoysala temples survive today.
The
courtyards also take up an old Indian architectural motif whereby the courtyard
provides light and air for the rooms directly in this hot climate, and people
are able to spend time outside or inside according to the time of day. The
courtyard is also the classical symbol of something shared a place where people
meet, spend time with each other and live together. This aspect is emphasized
in the courtyard for the general public, which is placed immediately inside the
entrance and constructed in the form of a Kund, a large area of stone steps.
Here people spend their waiting time together almost as if in a state of
communal meditation. A dedicated area which (would be completely inconceivable
in Western culture) functions as a “think tank” here, with the ambience of
waiting and stimulating communal reflection.
Indian architecture reflects its various socio-cultural
sensibilities which vary from region to region. Certain areas are traditionally
held to be belonging to women. Villages in India have features such as
courtyards, loggias, terraces and balconies. Calico, chintz, and palampore, of Indian
origin, highlight the assimilation of Indian textiles in global interior
design. Roshandans, which are skylights-cum-ventilators,
are a common feature in Indian homes, especially in North India.
Column of Heliodorus : 113 BC, Besnagar, Madhya Pradesh
This
inscribed Garuda column, in Besnagar near Udayagiri, was
erected in honor of Vasudeva (an early name for Vishnu) described by a person
named Heliodorus, who was a Bactro-Greek envoy from Gandhara to the court of
Vidisha. The fact that the Garuda is missing from the top of the column means
it was stolen by British or some western enthusiast who sold to a Museum of the
west. The Column stands about 6.5m (21') high. Decoration on the column
includes geese, a reed-and-bead pattern, lotus leaves, vegetation, fruit, and
garlands. The bell capital is similar to earlier Mauryan examples. Everything
here is typical of Indian culture of the time of Mauryan legacy.
A smelting furnace dated 800 BC is found in Naikund (Maharashtra), India.
Recent discoveries reveal that iron was known in the Ganga
valley in mid second millennium BCE. In the mid-first millennium BCE, the Indian
wootz steel was very popular in Persian courts for making swords.
Rust-free steel was an Indian invention, and remained an Indian skill for
centuries. Delhi's famous iron pillar, dated 402AD, is considered a
metallurgical marvel and shows minimal signs of rust. The famous Damascus steel
swords, now displayed in museums across Europe ,
were made from Indian steel imported by Europeans. The acclaimed Sheffield
steel in UK
was Indian crucible steel. The best brains of European Science worked for
decades to learn to reverse-engineer how Indians made Crucible Steel, and in
this process, modern Alloy design and physical Metallurgy was developed in
Europe. Indian industry was dealt a death blow by the
colonial masters who banned the production and manufacture of iron and steel at
several places in India, fearing their use in making Swords and other arms.
Dancing Girl of Indus Valley Civilization
(2500 BC)
(2500 BC)
.jpg)
Fig.26C Dancing Girl of
Indus Valley Civilization (2500BC)
Dancing girl found in Mohenjo Daro –now in
National Museum in New Delhi, Earliest Bronze - 10.8 cm long sculpted using the
lost wax method …a vivid impression of the young ... girl, her hand on ...-John
Marshall, Excavator at Mohenjo-Daro.
The bronzes of India
Copper
available in native form
• Early
Chalcolithic Period (5,500 - 4,500BC.)
• Middle
Chalcolithic Period (4,500 - 4,000BC.)
• Late
Chalcolithic (4,000- 3,000 BC)
Bronze Age in India
Metallurgical
process of Lost Wax also known as Madhuchistavidanam in Sanskrit language.
Marvels of
Indian Bronze -Gods Come AliveBaldev Raj Distinguished Scientist and
DirectorIndira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research Kalpakkam 603 102, India
Institute for South Asia, Tibet and Buddhism ofVienna University , Austria June
15, 2007.
Lost wax still
enthralls, and is not likely to be lost for another millennium and more. Kumud Mohan recaptures the 8000-year-old
fascinating story of Indian bronzes. A slim sixteen-year-old with hair tied up
in a stylish crescent-shaped braid behind her head. One arm covered with
bangles from shoulder to wrist, placed elegantly on the thigh, the other thrown
carelessly akimbo in a sharp, angular bow. One leg pushed forward gracefully in
a dancing posture, portraying the epitome of perfection in the elements of art.
So, treasured she must be relentlessly shielded from the bad effects of any
evil eye. The model of the 4,600-year-old, the dancing girl from Mohenjo-Daro -
one of the finest examples of ancient bronzes in the world - is permanently
encased in bullet-proof glass at the National Museum, New Delhi. Her exquisite
craftsmanship indicates centuries of trial and error that must have proceeded
to attain that level of perfection, but the story of the technological progress
has been lost to the ravages of time. Metallurgy on the Indian subcontinent is
traced back to 6,000 BC at Mehrgarh on the Bolan Pass in Baluchistan. After
that, there is no exact evidence of how the technology developed. Metal casting
was known in all continents except South America and Australia as early as
3,000 BC, following the wars depicted in Mahabharata and stories of Lord
Krishna of the ancient art in India, dating back to 8000BC. Bronze
Objects discovered during late chalcolithic period around 3000 BC • The earliest
bronze was probably a chance discovery. • Bronze Age, had far-reaching
effects –
developing copper-bronze
metallurgy. •
Bronze is widely used in making tools and machinery as well as in making other artistic
pieces.
Well-formed Metal Images are believed to have been crafted and have been
discovered at the Harappa civilization sites.
The images were secular, simple and natural to start with. Like those of
the dancing girl, birds, animals, chariots or bullock carts in the Indus Valley
Civilization. The images that acquired
religious connotations, inspiring Indian artists and craftsmen from different
regions to attain unparalleled heights in the of portrayal of the Perfect Form
have of course been lost in the excavations and preservation by the then
British Raj rulers. The images of Gods and Goddesses created by man were more
beautiful, more graceful, more powerful, forever young, and radiating a divine
benediction of love, peace, prosperity, protection and serenity.
The bronze images were often similar to the stone sculptures in which
craftsmen had developed considerable skill from generation to generation.
Metallic images, however, were lighter and could be worked upon all sides with
greater ease, resulting greater finesse. Also, they were sturdier. Many of
these images, described as chala murtis or movable icons (unlike the achala
or static ones placed inside the sanctum sanctorum), were transported on
chariots during festival processions. On these occasions they were beautifully
adorned with clothes and jewelry, giving an opportunity to the old, infirm and
the "lower caste" people to pay their homage to the deity. (Tiny
rings to facilitate the insertion of rods for transportation can be spotted at
the sides of the pedestals of some of the bronzes). The iconic bronzes in India depict all the
major ancient religions: Hinduism (Shaivism and Vaishnavism)
Buddhism and Jainism
They received a special impetus during the Gupta-Vakataka period (4th-6th
century AD) when ancient texts on iconography texts were codified and royal
patronage for the arts reached its zenith. The Gupta idiom, characterized by
simplicity, softness, sophistication and spirituality of expression, displayed
a refinement of form delineated by soft contours and elegance of posture. These
graceful qualities gradually degenerated with time, giving way to greater
ornamentation, except later in south India. Regional variations in iconographic
presentation developed in different areas, depending upon the availability of
raw material, contemporary inclinations, the skill, imagination and originality
of the craftsmen, as also the theoretical formulations of local priests and the
tastes of the patrons. The higher brass content in sculptures from Kashmir and
Himachal imparted the bronzes with a yellowish tinge. Cire perdue, or the lost wax process used to
cast metal images in India, was described as Madhucchista Vidhana in Shilpashastra,
a treatise on craftsmanship. The images cast were both ghana (solid) and
sushira (hollow). The image was first styled with bees-wax mixed in the
right proportions with castor oil, lamp soot, incense and camphor. Creating the
image of a deity raised the social status of the shilpkar or craftsman. So,
putting his soul into his effort, he sought to give lyrical expression to his
inner music in every stroke. The wax image was thoroughly coated with a
solution consisting of fine clay from ant-hills mixed with paddy husk so that
it entered every crevice. Next a thicker coat of clay is usually applied with
appropriate camouflaged holes, to allow molten wax to flow out later on. Before
that, the mould had to dry naturally in the shade to avoid cracking. The dried
solid mass of clay was placed in a kiln and once the wax had flowed out, the
hole was plugged. When the right temperature was reached, sufficient metal was
poured in to completely replace the wax. The piece was shaken vigorously to
prevent the formation of air bubbles. After that it was left aside to cool.
Finally, the burnt earthen mould was broken to reveal an unfinished image,
ready to be cleaned, polished and finished meticulously with fine tools. Since
the mould had to be destroyed in every case, the process had to be repeated in
all details for every single piece. Thus bronze images made by the lost was
process were all unique.
Cire perdue,
the thousands-of-years old metallurgical process devised to cast Indian Bronzes,
has not lost its relevance today. It has served as a model for modern processes
and is in fact an essential part of both cottage and large scale industries --
including the automobile and aircraft industry.
Bronze is a generic term for non-iron metallic alloys that are sometimes
enriched with gold or silver. Amongst Indian bronzes, in the beginning mainly
copper with tin was used for making artifacts and iconic images. Later on, the
usage of five metals (copper, gold, silver, tin and zinc) came into vogue. The
alloy, panchloha, symbolized panchbhutian, the five basic elements - earth,
water, ether, air and fire - denoting the omnipresence of God and Nature.
Copper Alloys
The first major alloying agent to
copper was arsenic (in the Middle East)
•
Copper-arsenic ores were widely available in Egypt, and could be smelted
directly to make a copper alloy
• Alloying
also achieved by mixing arsenic-rich ores with copper-rich ores during smelting
• Artifacts
from 3000 BC contained up to 7% arsenic
in copper 7% arsenic in copper.
Zinc distillation
A major breakthrough in the history of metallurgy wasIndia
A major breakthrough in the history of metallurgy was
Brass in
Taxashila has been dated from third century BC to fifth century AD. A vase from
Taxashila is of particular interest because of its 34.34 per cent zinc content
and has been dated to the third century BC (Marshall 1951: 567-568). Recently
two brass bangles belonging to the Kushana period have been discovered from
Senuwar (Uttar Pradesh , India
There is
evidence of zinc ore mining at Zawar in Rajasthan from the fifth century BC,
but unfortunately there is lack of evidence of regular production of metallic
zinc until the eighth century AD. The earliest confirmed evidence of zinc
smelting by distillation is dated back to 840 +110 from Zawar (Craddock et
al. 1985, 1989). This is the earliest date for zinc smelting and production
of metallic zinc by distillation process anywhere in the world.
Europeans
learnt it for the first time in 1743, when know-how was transferred from India.
Until then, India
Once Zinc had
become separated into a pure Metal, Alloys could be made with the required Zinc
component to provide the required properties. For instance, strength and durability
increase with higher Zinc component. Also, Copper Alloys look like Gold when
the Zinc component is higher than 28 per cent. Most early Brass objects found
in other countries had less than 10 per cent Zinc component, and, therefore,
these were not based on Zinc distillation technology.
Alloys that exceed 10 per cent Zinc
are found earliest in Taxashila in the fourth century BCE.
However, while Taxashila was distilling
and manufacturing Zinc on a small scale, it was in Zawar, Rajasthan, where this
first became industrialized on a large scale. Zinc mines have been found in
Dariba (11th century BC), Agucha (Sixth century BC) and
Zawar (Fifth century BC). These mines have pots and other manufacturing tools
of these dates, but the mining could be even older. Three important items are now
proven about the history of Zinc metallurgy:
(i)
Zinc
distillation and metallurgical usage was pioneered in India
(ii)
Industrial
Scale production was pioneered in Rajasthan
(iii)
England
transferred the technology of Zinc from India in 1736. British Metallurgy
documents do not mention Zinc at all prior to this transfer.
Tin
In western civilizations,
Bronze, an alloy of Copper with Tin was of exceptional importance, since it was
used to make as learnt from the 1000AD and 1100AD century Indian warriors that
Gun Metal, Armor, Machinery and the Massive Bells. Besides being harder than
Copper, Bronze could be melted more easily and therefore cast into desired shapes of craftsmanship spiritual universe
art forms for temples, rather than an alloy of Copper and Tin used for Armor
and Gun-Powder culture. Bronze was comparable in strength and durability with Iron.
Its historical replacement by Iron for making tools, weapons and machinery was
more because of the easy availability of Iron, rather than any inherent
advantage of Iron over Bronze. The pleasant patina associated with ancient Bronzes
is actually a protective layer formed by the action of salts, moisture and
particulate matter present in the atmosphere. Lacquering is not a desirable method
for preserving precious Bronzes as it cracks after a while leading to fungal
infection and further erosion. The best solution for preserving Bronzes is to
keep them in a dry, cool and clean atmosphere, and to avoid drastic changes in
temperature and light.
Of all the classical arts
that have survived time, the oldest in India is said to be the tradition of
sculpting in Bronze. It predates even stone and wood carving and can be
traced back to a long-forgotten epic called the Matsyapurana.
During the Indus Valley Civilization
(3000 BC), Bronze carvings became very popular, both for religious offerings
and decorative purposes. One of the most striking Archaeological finds from the
ruins of Mohenjo-Daro (in present-day Pakistan) was an intricately-carved Bronze figurine of a Dancing Girl. The technique and skills that went into
creating that figurine have been sustained to this day by descendants of those
early craftsmen. Most of them are scattered about the many temple towns of
South India and specialize in making Hindu Deities like Ganesha, Shiva,
Saraswati and Radha-Krishna. "We religiously follow the dictates of the Shilpashastra,"
informs Raghu Krishnan, a Master Sculptor near the Meenakshi temple at Madurai.
"It is the oldest known treatise on
iconography, which not only tells you the various methods and processes of sculpting,
but also suggests scope for experimentation."
The Bronzes of India defy age, looking as fresh today as they would have,
just out of the sculptor’s mould, many centuries ago! Indian Bronzes speak volumes on the expertise
of an art form that was born very long ago and still holds the strings of
continuity in the story of Indian tradition. The antiquity of the art can be
traced back to the epic called the Matsyapurana. Later, amongst the findings in the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro, came the discovery
of the figure of the Dancing Girl - further reinstating the fact that sculpture
along with the use of Metal Alloys was well known to people even then. Of
course, all along one was also equipped with an ancient detailed treatise on
iconography, the Shilpashastra. Yet
all this adds to the exciting mystique of traditions when one finds there is no
definite answer to the question of when or at what point of time the
experimentations into this form of artistic expression actually began. Shilpashastra tells this small story
that has come to capture the quintessence of this art.
There once lived a king called Vajra. He was a pious and devout man. One day
he found himself standing at the feet of sage Markandeya with a request. Oh!
Great sir, grant me but one wish begged the king. Teach me the art of
iconography so that I may make my own idol for worship, using devotion as yet
another input. Though the sage appreciated King Vajra’s sentiment, he was
forced to ask him a few questions before handing him the first lump of Metal. Do you know how to Paint? The sage asked the
king. The king did not know painting, but requested that he be taught the art
if it was a prerequisite to learning sculpture. But for that you need to know
how to Dance, instead the sage. To learn Dancing, in turn the king was required
to have a rudimentary knowledge of Instrumental Music which needed a foundation
in Vocal Music. So the king had to begin with the Octaves to be able to pour
his sensibilities into any other material and make a form! It is no surprise,
therefore, that the beauty of Indian Bronze lies in their efficient capturing
of all these artistic forms within the figure created.
So close is the association that the different disciplines also share
certain common terminologies like the word tala. To a sculptor tala means one measure. To a Musician
or a Dancer it refers to one beat. This
unified aspect of culture is more than evident when one sees the fluidity of
movement in these static figures. With Shiva (one of the Hindu Trinity)
symbolizing the cosmic forces of nature, Dancer becomes the epitome of life’s
rhythmic motion. The sthapathi or Craftsman seeks to capture this motion
in Bronze. The contours of the legs, the
arms and the whole body of a standing figure have so much semblance to reality
that one can perceive not only the previous stance but also the following one:
a fractional movement captured from the fluidity of one pose to another
seemingly with a lens of an exposure of 1/500th of a second! The
evolved technique and the material used in no small measure contributed to the
magnificence of the end product in these Bronze Figurines.
The conventions, rituals and instructions of measurements etc. are the same
old traditional ones which have come down through the ages. While Bronze Iconography
is age-old, it was only around the 10th century AD that there was
large scale revival in the practice of this art form. Subsequently, within a
few centuries, it reached its zenith. At this time, there was a strong
religious fervor in the southern Indian states following the waning of the
influences of Buddhism and Jainism. The Chola reign saw many temples being
constructed. The presiding deity was constructed in granite. But there was a
need for more idols which could be carried around the village or town on
festive occasions. These figures were called Utsavamurthis. Granite was too heavy
for this purpose and so use of the Alloy
of Five Metals symbolizing the Five elements was adopted.
The Metals are 1.Copper, 2.Brass, and
3.Lead with a little bit of 4.Gold and 5.Silver. So effectively was this
combination of Metals chosen that they even reflected the Figure’s vitality?
The process of making these idols is known as cire perdue or madhu chistam. Generally,
deities are made from Bronze. The favorite ones being Lord Shiva, Ganesha, the
elephant faced god, Lord Rama, the incarnation of Vishnu and Parvati, Lord
Shiva’s consort. These are, of course the more popular ones. However, there are
innumerable variations upon the same theme which capture every myth that is
associated with the Deities. After the Cholas, the degree of finesse seemed to
fade away and was never carried into subsequent generations but newer styles
evolved, almost as beautiful. The tradition remained unbroken and just as
cherished. It is this aspect that
provokes immense wonder, wonder at the fascinating degree of perfection which is
associated with the Universal Definition of Beauty.
Significantly, Bronze is used only as a ‘base metal’ and more often than
not, has to be combined with small portions of Copper, Lead, Gold and Silver. Together, they represent the five elements
(earth, air, water, fire and space) of nature and are considered essential,
especially while creating religious icons. The sculptors adopt a process of
molding, known as madhu chistam, whereby basic models are created out of
bees wax and transferred onto clay die. Into this, molten Metal is poured
before finishing touches are chiseled and hammered out. The closest parallel to
this process is the western cire perdue. "The evolved technique and the material
used in no small measure contribute to the magnificence of the end product in
these Bronze Figurines. The conventions, rituals and measurements are the same
as the old traditional ones which have come down through the ages." Apart from beauty and durability, Bronze Iconography
owes its popularity to the Chola kings who ruled southern India during the 10th
and 11th centuries A.D. They brought
about a large-scale revival of this art form with the construction of hundreds
of temples across the Deccan plateau. The impetus provided by them is being
felt to this day.
The Pallava
and Chola dynasties witnessed the flowering of the Bronze casting technique
that was extant from the Indus Valley period in India. The Chola Bronzes
(850-1275 AD) are unparalleled in their depiction of facile expression, the
suppleness of the human form and its flowing movements. The famous images of
Shiva Nataraja, Parvati, Kodanda Rama and Navaneeta Krishna have perennially
delighted devotees and aroused their religious fervor. Besides being votive
images, aesthetically, the Chola Bronzes mark a phase in the development of Indian
sculpture that is simply magnificent in form and style. The distinctive Chola
style emerged during the reign of Aditya Chola (870-906 AD). The Bronzes of this period are characterized
by display of supple body with flowing contours and an oval face.
The
world-renowned Bronze images of Nataraja, the dancing form of Lord Shiva,
appeared for the first time during the reign of Parantaka I, Aditya Chola's son.
The Chola bronzes after 975 AD are divided into two separate groups, the
Sembiyan Mahadev School and Raja Raja School, each having its own
characteristic but both developing simultaneously. The Bronzes of the Sembiyan
School are slender and tall and the figures are adorned by intricate
ornamentation. The Konerirjapuram Temple at Thanjavur contains several Bronzes
of this school. The Bronzes of the Raja
Raja School are "more masculine and majestic and radiate a sense of power
and strength, both physical and spiritual". The Vrishvahana Bronze image
belongs to this school.
About, the
imposing carvings in and around the Temples, and their inspired sculptured
pagodas, walls and the pillars, one
German visitor has recorded that these sculptures generate an immense sense of
feeling on the onlookers, to go round them and get a full feel of not only
their three spatial dimensions effects, but as well the sense of time,
belonging to them. That was a rich tribute, to the hand-to-hand craftsmanship,
of sculptors in India. In fact the sculpture craftsmen of India were of the
strong faith that unless to be sculptured figure within the rock, granted permission
in a spiritual-way, and showers its blessings, they could not have undertaken
the carving work.
In recent
time a writer by name Shivaji in Andhra Bhoomi news paper dated April 14th,
2011 wrote that the sculptures made by
the Indian Craftsman exhibits Animation effects. This sense of moving
figures within the set of sculptures is unique on the Globe and testifies
unequivocally the strength and nobleness of INTELLECT INDIA. He mentions that one could visit places like
Ghantasala, Jagayyapeta, Guntupalli, chandavaram, tripuranthakam, goli, and
Phanigiri to see these sculptures dating from 3rd BC to 3rd
AD. The sculptures demonstrate the Animation of a long jump and as well a
high jump feeling among the onlookers. With as little money as possible and a
pocketful of groundnuts are enough to go round and enjoy the several of the
graciousness of the sculptures in and around Guntur, Krishna and Nalgonda
districts. Elliot and Dubrial English
people have shifted the Best to England and others to Madras Museums. Many sculptures have been transported away
in trains from Macherla, Guntur, and Nagarjunakonda. These have depicted
the then existing village life with not only geometrical design perfection and fineness but as well they have
incorporated the spiritual dance details of what is known as ragam, talam and
laya. The flying Sarees and the Dress material, as also the light and dark
shadow effects of optical vision and illusion have been superbly carved by the
Craftsman. The sculptures depict the
sense of symmetry in the figures and of several dimensions simultaneously
including that of sense of time.
British Raj
The technology, designs and even raw
cotton were initially imported from India while, in parallel, India's
indigenous textile mills were outlawed by the British. India's textile
manufacturers were de-licensed, even tortured in almost all cases of plundering,
inhuman approach, treachery, over-taxed and regulated, to 'civilize' them into
virtual extinction. Textiles, Bronze alloys, Gold, Silver ornaments, Ivory work
etc and most importantly Steel, and as well the idly making and rice cooking steam
engine processes, also the groundnut oil driven diesel wheel power for pounding
rice between two massiv round rock structures, were the mainstays of the British
Industrial Revolution. All these had their origins in India. The Ahmedabad
textile museum is a great resource for scholarly material.
Unlike this,
British Raj was very Calculative and Adopted
a meticulously executed system of cold poison, to completely shatter the very
roots of the Indian culture and honesty. Hand-to-hand handed over, traditional
formula work culture, and the skills, in all walks of traditional living in
India has been completely destroyed by these two foreign invader rulers and
looters of wealth in India. It was during this period, the left traces of the
extraordinary skills of the craftsmanship of India, after the Muslim rulers’
suppression, have been totally destroyed very systematically.
In its place
an argument and vicious thought against, the mouth-to-mouth culture of Veda
culture and the local powerful and honest administration as dominated by a sect
of individual groups has been put forward as the divisive force in India. This
has yielded rich dividends to propagate, a divide rule policy, among the people
of India. A country wide spread with poor communication systems and as well
with linguistic differences the British Raj has acquired a firm foot of
treachery on the rich Nation.
They also
theorized that INTELLECT INDIA has either migrated as an Aryan race, or arrived
from the African land by way of settlers in ancient times. Bandwagon scientists of western influence have become blind to the Intellect
India. Today projection is that the
likely disappearance of the Ganga Glacier of the Himalaya Mountains, which
creates a devastivation effect on almost 8% world population of India, living
around the River Ganga valley region that strongly believes and practices Hindu
Dharma way of living.
Yamuna (River Goddess) : Gupta, Early 5th century AD : Cave 5, Udayagiri, Madhya Pradesh, India.
The figure is Yamuna, the personification of the Jumna river, holding an
emblematic water vessel and standing on her Vahana (a vehicle) (nearly
invisible) tortoise, in the middle of the waters. The water is skillfully
carved to indicate her partial submersion. Ganga / Yamuna pairs also appear on
each of the two sides of the niche.
Mount Abu
Wondrously
carved in marble, the Dilwara Jain temples in Mount Abu (Rajasthan) enshrine
various Jain 'Tirthankaras'. Constructed out of white marble from Arasoori
Hill, near Ambaji, 23 km from Abu Road, the temples are an outstanding example
of Jain temple architecture. Of the five shrines in this group, four are
architecturally significant. They are built with white marble stones. Each has a
walled courtyard. In the centre of the courtyard is the shrine with the image
of the deity, Rishabhdev. Around the large courtyard, there are numerous small
shrines, each housing a beautiful image of the tirthankaras with a series of
elegantly carved pillars from the entrance to the courtyard. The ministers of the Solanki rulers of
Gujarat had constructed all these temples during 11th and 13th centuries A.D.
Vimal Vasahi is the oldest temple, which has been dedicated to Adinath, the
first Jain tirthankara. Vimal Shah, minister of the then Solanki ruler of
Gujarat, built it in the year 1031 A.D. The special feature of this temple is
it's ceiling which is Circular in Eleven richly carved Concentric Rings. The
Central Ceiling of the temple is adorned with magnificent carving and it
culminates into an Ornamented Central Pendant. The pendant of the dome tapers down forming a drop or point, like a
lotus flower. This is an astonishing piece of work. It symbolizes the
divine grace coming down to fulfill human aspirations. Figures of sixteen Vidya Devis (goddesses of knowledge) are carved on
the ceiling. The other Dilwara temples are the Luna Vasahi, Vastupala and
Tejapala, named after the ministers of the then Vaghela ruler of Gujarat who
built them in 1230 A.D. Inspite of being plain and austere on the outside, the
interiors of all these temples are covered with delicate carvings. Its most
notable feature is that the brilliant intricacy and delicacy of the marble
carving is so fine that in places the marble becomes almost transparent. Dilwara
temples are one of the best examples of craftsmanship, the genius of carving
out so brilliant and intricatea shape out of a block of stone, such that it
almost comes to life! The temple is a tourist's paradise and a meditative
sanctum for the devotees.
Gingee
Gingee in Puducherry is one of the finest forts in South India.
Its origin dates back to the 9th century when it was a stronghold of the Cholas
but the fort as it looks today is the handiwork of the Vijaynagara kings who
made it an impregnable citadel. The fortified city is built on the seven hills,
the most prominent of which are Krishnagiri, Chandragiri and Rajagiri.
Surrounded by high walls, it
was so strategically planned as to make enemies think twice before they
attacked. Strongly guarded by a triple gate beyond which lay equally heavily
guarded courts, the summit of the Rajagiri could not have been easily attained
by any of the enemies. Today, the summit can be reached after a two hour climb,
still a strenuous task, but well worth the effort.
A place of great historic
interest, Gingee, no longer an unsurmountable citadel, is one of the most
interesting centres on the Tamil Nadu tourist circuit.
The Hill Palace, the official
residence of the Kochi royal family, is today the largest archaeological museum
in Kerala. Built in 1865, the palace complex consists of 49 buildings in the
traditional architectural style of Kerala, sprawled over 52 acres of
beautifully landscaped terraced land which houses a deer park and facilities
for horse riding. Numerous species of flora including rare medicinal plants
grow here. On display in the full-fledged Ethno-archaeological museum are
oil-paintings, murals, sculptures in stone and manuscripts, inscriptions,
coins, belongings of the Kochi royal family and royal furniture including the
sinhasan (throne).
Also exhibited are over 200
antique pieces of pottery and ceramic vases from Japan and China, Kudakkallu
(tomb stone), Thoppikkallu (hood stone), menhirs, granite, laterite memorials,
rock cut weapons from the stone ages, wooden temple models, plaster cast models
of objects from Mohanjodaro and Harappa of the Indus Valley Civilisation. The
museum also houses a gallery of contemporary art.
Fig.28C Gingee Museum
Kye
Monastery is situated 12 kms. north of Kaza and serves the western population
of Spiti in the Lahaul & Spiti District of Himachal Pradesh. It is the
oldest and biggest monastery of the valley and located at (4116 m) above Kye
village. It houses beautiful scriptures and paintings of Budha and other
goddesses. Lamas practice dance, sing and play on pipes and horns. Many Lamas
get religious training here. It has murals and books of high aesthetic value.
This monastery is an outstanding example of the monastic architecture, which
developed during the 14th century in the wake of the Chinese influence. The
Mongols plundered the monastery in the middle of the 17th century. In the 19th
century, it again suffered three brutal attacks. The successive trails of
destruction and patch-up jobs have resulted in a haphazard growth of box-like
structures, and the complex now resembles a defensive fort.
RECENT
ATTEMPTS
One would be
happy to note that the handicrafts received a boost of trade with western
countries in metal ware, wood ware and imitation imitation jewellery. This
sector employs about 76 lakh people. Now about seven main cities like Ferozabad
(as a glassware centre) and Varanasi (for zari and zari products) would receive
100crores to skill development and up gradation of facilities. They are
expected to meet the heavy demand during the Christmas season.
Sanskrit and other literature of
India
Nadabrahman
has an involved concept that it cannot be equated with merely the sound, but
invoking the Veda mantras and, the chanting of these is not merely just the
invocatory words. The subtle aspect of it if properly resonated, the hidden
wheels of the universe in a human with all the seed letters of the language of
realization that unifies the individual with the supreme universe. These known
as chakras when invoked give the infinite energy that can be channelized for
good deeds.
Even prior
to the Muslim invasion of India, the Buddha cult of 2500BC most probably, has
most successfully diminished, the influence of the ancient Brahmi scripts of
regional literature in the South India and Devanagari Sanskrit literature of
North India and its strong hold on the people of India, Cambodia, Japan, China,
Sri Lanka and other neighboring Asian countries. I am not biased but the Buddha cult has only left a human of utmost
moving away from birth and denounced to lead a family life. Swami Vivekananda
also realized that the Buddhist theology left Indian people as defenseless and
unconcerned of their Nation. There are several universal truths that have been
merely expounded by Buddhists, which only the knowledge based society thinker,
can adopt faithfully, for a renunciation of the worldly life.
The incredible Advaitham Philosopher of the Kerala
state in India, has solely and singularly, revived the INTELLECT INDIA. Sri Adi
Sankaracharya has established the four centers of his scholastic thought and
the teachings. Essentially he has revived the Vedas and rejuvenated source of
Inspiration, for the people of Bharat. Thus once again, he gave a chance of Excellence
and Magnanimity of spiritual Wealth and spinal card back-bone unity of the
Country.
Adi Sankaracharya
On Sunday,
Vaisakha Sukla Panchami in the constellation and Lagna of Dhanus in the year
Nandana, a son was born to Sivaguru and he was named ‘Sankara’ by his father in
2593 Kali (which corresponds to 3102-2593=509B.C) "When we calculate the figures
Rishi = 7. Bana = 5, Bhumi = 1 and Martyakshau = 2, in the reverse order and
reckon the total number of years in the Yudhishtira Saka (of the Jains), we arrive at the
year Tamraksha (Raktakshi) as the year of Sankara’s death."
Hence
Sankara's Niryana works out to 2157+468 = 2625 Kali or 3102-2625=477 B.C.;
(or
2634 B.C. - 2157 =) 477B.C.
The chronological table of Kamakoti clearly gives the
following dates among many,
1. Establishment of Peetha 482 B.C
2. Sri
Sankaracharya, First Acharya, occupied peetha for 6 years, demise:
Raktakshi year, Vaisakha month, Sukla-Paksha, 11th day, 476 B.C.
According to most of the texts, Adi
Sankaracharya (686 – 718BC) was born as the son of Namboothiri Brahmin couple,
Shivaguru and Ar in a place called Kalady, which is a small village in Kerala,
India. People are of the say that, this great soul survived for only thirty two
years. It is said that, Sankaracharya was born after many years of his parents'
marriage. His parents had offered prayers to Lord Shiva at the Vadakkunnathan
temple for the birth of child.
There is an
interesting legend associated with the birth of Adi Sankaracharya. It is
believed that, Lord Shiva appeared in the dreams of Sankara's parents and asked
them to make a choice, whether they want to have a mediocre child who lives a
long life or a precocious child who would not survive for a longer period of
time. Thus, they mutually decided to go in for the second option. Later, a son
was born to them, who was named Shankara. Shankara is a Sanskrit word, which
means bestowed of goodness. Adi Sankaracharya lost his father when he was very
young. When he was five years old, he began his student life. He always wanted
to lead the life of a monastic.
Adi Sankaracharya Philosophy
Adi
Sankaracharya had a strong faith in the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta. Advaita
is a term which basically means identity of the self (which is more commonly
referred to as 'Atman') and the Whole (Brahman). Adi Sankaracharya took the
initiative of promoting the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, which is based on the
concept of non duality. The beliefs & philosophies of Adi Sankaracharya
formed the base for the Smarta tradition or Smartism. Adi Sankaracharya founded
four Mathas, one at Sringeri in Karnataka in the south and the others at
Jyotirmath (Joshimath) in Uttarakhand in the north, Puri in Orissa in the east
and Dwaraka in Gujarat in the west. For each Math, he gave responsibility to
one of his disciples. Sankaracharya, a well known spiritual leader is also
known as Sankara Bhagavat which, means 'teacher at the feet of God.' He
deserves the entire credit for promoting the principles of Advaita Vedanta. He
preached the concept of union of soul, i.e. Atman and Brahman. He traveled to
several parts of the country for propagating the Advaita Vedanta philosophy
through various discourses and debates.
At Ujjain, Sankaracharya
was opposed by a Kapalika ascetic. As stated in Shankardigvijaya he disputed
with the Acharya, urging the sanctity of the practices of Kapalikas. He was
defeated in argument, but he and his sect had to be put down. King Sudhanwa, who is said to have
accompanied the Acharya from Malabar and the Viceroy of Ujjain under the king
of Kanauj, co-operated with Sankaracharya in finally getting rid of this horrid
form of Shiva worship. At this time, there lived at Ujjain a learned man,
Bhutta Bhaskar. He wrote a commentary on
all the Vedas. He was an advocate of religion of sacrifice. Sankaracharya had a
discussion with him and he was induced to be the follower of the achary.
There are
several Philosophies that have been expounded after Srisankaracharya, among
them notable are the Ramanjuacharya and the Madhvacharya. These later
Philosophers propogated Dwaitha and Visishta advaith Philosophies. Dwaitha
believes in the Indivdual as different from the Creator of the Universe while
the Visistha adwaitha preaches that the Individual and the Universal are some
how linked with each other.
PRANA: This
is a very powerful concept. That every living being posses it by the combines
of five elements Fire, Vayu, Akasha, Jala, and Prdvi is an accepted fact of
Indians. This is regarded as a force in the Universe all pervading and takes
also physical forms as destined or created by some divine power. To a great
surprise they associated what is called “pranic shakthi” for every physical
object such as stone, rock, mountain, boulders, as well for plants, animals, a
piece of wood or the crestures myriad o the universe.
A preliminary
introductory book featuring the details of the scriptures of Veda wealth in
India, has been recently brought out by Shri Dhurvasula Bhaskara Murthy (Visakhapatnam,
Phone. 08912549687).
Fig.30C. Buddha 2500BC: India Before History Destoyed
If Buddha dates to 2500BC then what
was India before his advent is destroyed, so people do not know. The Buddha
scripts have a close relation with the common man language of Prakrit in India
especially in the Coastal Andhra Pradesh and the Sri Lanka. The grammar of then
spoken language may be found contained within the epics of the Bhuddhism. This
may be due to the Collapse of the Kalinga Empire of Telugu, Kannada and the
Rashtrakutta regions just below Vindhya mountain range. It was only the First
World War, fought at Ranastala near Srikakulum and Visakhapatnam that the
destruction of the relatively recent (i.e.1500BC-to 4AD) culture of India, due
to the foreign traders intrigue.
Note: Dr D.
V. N. Sarma asserts that Ramayana epic dates back to one lakh fifty thousand
years ago when heavy machinery was used by them to build the Rama Sethu. (See trusciencetrutechnology@blogspot.com,
January 2007)
The
Ajanta Ellora caves
Cave temples became prominent throughout western India,
incorporating various unique features to give rise to cave architecture in
places such as Ajanata and Ellora.
PAINTING
Lintel:
Cave 2, Ajanta
This lintel surmounts the entrance to the right portico shrine. It portrays
a naga king flanked by his family and yaksha attendants. Paint remains on the
ceiling; the lintel, too, was probably painted.
Bracket Figures
Cave 16, Ajanta
These two bracket figures from cave 16, another late-5th century painted vihara, illustrate the care which was
lavished upon even the least significant decorations. Left, a flying couple
(the woman's breasts are decorously covered, rather unusually for this type of
figure). Right, a gana.
The very
first works of visual art created in the Indian sub-continent were primitive
cave or rock paintings. Many are assumed to exist, but the largest numbers of
discoveries are in Central India, on sandstone rock shelters within a hundred
mile radius around Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. These paintings are dated at
around 5500 B.C. i.e. they are 1500 years old. Some of these paintings have
been overlaid with later paintings and graffiti.
The
paintings generally depict animals, in scenes such as hunting. Human figures
are also shown with bows and arrows, and swords and shields. The colors used an
intricately carved pillar at Ellora in Maharashtra dating back to the 7th
century, are made up of natural minerals and are in various shades of many
colors like red and orange and surprisingly includes black as well. These
paintings are the forerunners of the frescos of a later age which are seen at
Ajanta, Ellora and elsewhere in India. We are told by the literary sources that
the art of painting was practiced.
In the
Buddhist texts, elaborate palaces of kings and houses of the wealthy are
described as being embellished with wall paintings. But actual evidence about
this art is lost. How this art could have been can be guessed from the
paintings on stone surfaces found at Ajanta and Ellora which are said to have
been done in around 400 A.D. (some say in the 1st century BC).
These
paintings at Ajanta and Ellora depict Buddhist tales from the Jatakas. Though
the paintings are today 1500 years old, the paint has not only retained its
color but also much of its luster. British culprits have removed some paintings
by pulling them out from the surface of the rocks using adhesive coated cloth
and canvases.
The
technique of painting has been thus described by a student of Indian Art, ³The
surface of the stone was first prepared by a coating of potter's clay, mixed
variously with cow dung, straw, and animal hair. Once this was leveled to a
thickness of half an inch to two inches, it was coated with a smooth fine white
lime plaster which became the actual painting surface. On the still-damp wall,
the artist first laid out his composition with a red cinnabar line and then
defined the subjects with an undercoat of grey or terre verte.
This was
followed by the addition of local colors, and once the whole wall was
completely colored, a brown or black line restated the drawing to finish the
composition. A last burnishing with a smooth stone gave it a rich lustrous
surface. The colors which were natural and water soluble, consisted of purple,
browns, yellow, blue, white, green, red, orange and black etc."
Thus it is
evident that the technique of painting had developed to an advanced level. The
monumental bull was
carved in marble in the 3rd century B.C. It stood on a column built by Emperor
Ashoka, which was inscribed with Buddhist edicts. of sophistication due which
the paintings could survive for 1500 years.
Though the
colors used are supposed to have been derived from minerals and vegetables they
had been treated to last long. The above description also illustrates how,
complicated procedures of preparing the surface to be painted had evolved in
India.
This technique
of painting had also spread to central Asia and South-east Asia. Some strains
of Indian painting can even be identified in western church paintings and
mosaics. Indian influence is clearly evident in the paintings at Bamiyan in
Afghanistan and in Miran and Domko in Central Asia. Not only do these paintings
depict the Buddha but also Hindu deities such as Shiva, Ganesha and Surya. In
Italy and other western nations the Indian paintings have found a place in
those days.
The Ajanta
Ellora caves are fine specimens of ancient rock-cut cave temples. Located in
the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, the Ajanta Ellora caves are
UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites. Even though Ajanta and Ellora are often
mentioned in the same breath, the cave temple clusters in these locations are
different from each other in many aspects. While the caves in Ajanta are
primarily Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhist caves, the Ellora cave temples belong
to Hindu, Buddhist and Jain religions. There are variations in the
architectural and sculptural dimensions as well. In comparison to the Ajanta
caves embellished with a profusion of intricate paintings and sculptures, the
Ellora caves are of a mundane variety drawing inspiration from the Vajrayana
school of Buddhism. The Ajanta caves remained hidden from public knowledge
until a unit of British soldiers from the Madras Army stumbled upon them in
1819 during a hunting expedition. In contrast, the Ellora caves, due to their
location on the ancient north- south trade route or the dakshinapatha, had
served as a refuge for traders, priests and pilgrims who plied the route to the
western ports. In fact, the Kailash was used for worship until the 19th century.
Ajanta Caves Architecture and Ajanta
Paintings
Paintings
The colors
used an intricately carved pillar at Ellora in Maharashtra dating back to the
7th century, are made up of natural minerals and are in various shades of red
and orange. The rock-cut Ajanta Caves are renowned masterpieces for their
unique architecture and the profusion of sculptures and paintings. The walls
and ceilings of the Ajanta Caves are chiseled with exquisite carvings and
paintings that chronicle the life of Lord Buddha.
The Ajanta
caves are treasure troves of exquisite paintings that depict scenes from Jataka
tales and the life of Lord Buddha. Beautiful murals adorning the walls,
ceilings and the pillars bear testimony to the versatility of ancient artistes.
Ajanta Caves
Nestled amidst
a lush green landscape, the Ajanta Caves are ancient Buddhist caves hewn out of
basalt rock formations. These caves are located at the Lenapur village in the
Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state.
Ellora Caves
The Ellora
caves represent a unique synthesis of Buddhist, Jain and Hindu cave temples;
all scooped out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills. Located in the
Velur village of the Aurangabad district in Maharashtra, the Ellora cave
complex is home to 34 cave temples and monasteries.
Kailash Temple
The
crown jewel among the Ellora caves, the Kailash temple epitomizes the zenith of
ancient rock-cut architecture. Also known as the Cave 16, the Kailash temple is
an awe-inspiring edifice with its massive proportions and exquisite carvings. The
Ellora caves represent a unique synthesis of Buddhist, Jain and Hindu cave temples;
all scooped out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills. Located in the
Velur village of the Aurangabad district in Maharashtra, the Ellora cave
complex is home to 34 cave temples and monasteries. Out of these, 12 are
Buddhist, 17 Hindu and 5 Jain caves. Ellora caves have been declared a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO. Most of the caves were built between the 5th century
and 10th century. The Buddhist caves
date back to the fifth and seventh centuries and are the oldest caves in the
Ellora cave complex. Most of these multi-storied structures, equipped with
living quarters, sleeping quarters, kitchens, served as Viharas or monasteries
for Buddhist monks. The cave 10 is the most famous of the lot and enshrines an
impressive 15 feet statue of Buddha seated in a preaching pose. The Hindu caves
were built in the beginning of the 7th century and are remarkable for their
creation by scooping rock from top to bottom. Of these, the Kailasanatha temple
is a veritable architectural marvel for the sheer complexity involved in
carving the massive structure from a single rock. The Jain caves are the most
recent of the Ellora caves.
The Science of Life
The
magnetism of Kerala is also due to Ayurveda, a magnificent Ancient Science of
India, and a unique health care system that was established in India in around
600 BC. Ayurveda is an indispensable branch of medicine, a complete
naturalistic system that depends on the diagnosis of the body's humors to
achieve the right balance the unique health care system that Kerala endorses.
Since most of the resorts in Trivandrum offer Ayurveda treatment, no one would
have a problem in registering oneself. One of them is Somatheeram-Ayurveda-Beach-resort.
The Treatment
The Indian emperor Ashoka (rule: 273—232 BCE) established
a chain of hospitals throughout the Mauryan empire by 230 BCE. One of the
edicts of Ashoka (272—231BCE)
reads:
"Everywhere King Piyadasi (Asoka) erected two kinds of hospitals,
hospitals for people and hospitals for animals. Where there were no healing
herbs for people and animals, he ordered that they be bought and planted." Ashoka is grandson of Chandhra Gupta Maurya. And Maurya
kings were students of the Great University, Takshashila located now in
Pakistan, Rawalpindi state and recognized as world’s heritage site.
Almost all the Ayurveda centers offered seven
common therapies for the comprehensive self-rejuvenation. These were Abhyanga,
Elakizhi, Njavarakizhi, Pizhichil, Udhwardhanam, Dhara and Nasyam. The doctors
and therapist in the resort assert that Ayurveda is more effective in monsoon
season as the atmosphere remains dust free and cool, opening the body pores to
maximum, making it more receptive to herbal oils and therapy. It is able to
resolve anxiety and stress related disorders as well as chronic fatigue
syndromes. Kerala is rich in
mythological heritage and has inherited many temples devoted to several gods
and goddess of Universal power. The Chottanikara Temple, located near
Ernakulam, devoted to Bhagwati, the mother goddess. The peculiar thing was that the presiding deity is worshiped in three
different forms as Saraswati, in morning draped in white, Bhadrakali at noon,
draped in Crimson and Durga draped in blue.
The next temple famous
Guruvayoor Temple is one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in South
India. The Pundit or the Saint told us that the temple enshrines the youthful
form of Krishna. He also told this temple hosts the maximum number of marriages
and rice feeding ceremonies. Sabrimala
temple and Vadakkumanathan temples have a distinctive style of architecture and
the structure of these temples are in harmony with the natural resources,
especially keeping in mind the climatic condition. These temples extensively
used stonework, wood work, stucco work and painting that were harmoniously
blended into a structure vibrant with traditions of the region.
Vidyaranyasvami (jurist Madhav Mantri)
established the mighty Hindu Kingdom of Vijaynagar
(the City of Victory) in 1336 AD
Swami Vidyaranya who was
committed to revival of Hindu Rule guided King Bukkaraya as his prime minister
in 1356. On auspicious moment that somehow missed by a few minutes accidently
(a stray moving sanyasi, gave the wrong signal a bit earlier, by blowing of the
couch in a nearby jungle, without knowing that Vidyaranya, observing the sky,
sitting on the top of a hill, was to blow his couch for fixing the auspicious
moment) the Vijayanagar foundation stone was laid as per the Hindu calculations
of the Constellations and the Planetary positions of the Cosmos. A
recalculation, by Vidyaranya showed that the Hindu Empire would survive only
300 years, instead of the 1000 years span he wanted it to sustain. He of course
guided the kingdom in the formative years and in 1372 he retired from political
activities and devoted himself to carry out his spiritual activities as the
Head of Sringeri religious Establishment. He died in 1386 after a glorious life
and to-date gave an unsurpassed guidance to establish and guide the establishment
of a Hindu Nationhood, and his role has been written in golden pages of Indian
History. His memory is immortal for many an Indian and his scholarly writings
were even referred for subtlety of
Indian Thought, and his superb contribution based on the calculations of Hindu
Astronomy, in building the India resistance against Muslim persecution, plunder
and destruction in the most crucial years. The Vijayanagar Empire brought out
successfully the full wisdom and glory of ancient India in every aspect of
public life, Society, administration and the protecting the people from
exploitation. The most significant is the fact that it revived the entire
Indian culture and brought it once again to the fore front of the world
Empires. This of course led to immense jealousy and the Muslim rulers in
particular were able to digest the rise of India with its past glory and pomp
of wisdom and valor. It survived just for 229 years (1336-1565AD) and not the
full period of 300 years as thought originally by Vidyaranya. This is because
our greedy and pleasure seeking Kings have even tramped away the very wise
ministers who were safe guarding the empire. It’s believed that the jealous
brother-in-law of the King Krishna Devaraya made use of the sword to kill the
only son of Krishna Devaraya that was presented to the Prime Minister
Thimmarasu, and put the charge on him.
The
Thimmarasu was equal to Kautilya or
Chanukya of the 400BC Magadha Empire and had all the wisdom to guide the Hindu
Empire of Hampi & Vijayanagar since as per the Artha Sastra, he constructed
irrigation water tanks for cultivation and people were able to reap almost
three harvests each year.
Without any
verification and in fury Sri Krishna Devaraya, made the prime minister of his
own Empire, namely Thimmarasu, a Niyogi Brahmin of the Nellore District totally
blind by harming his eyes. Later
Thimmarasu spent his days at the Anamacharya Village homes as a deserted
person. These Niyogi Brahmins were very intelligent and earlier in the past,
before Ashoka conquered the land of Kalinga; they were the rulers of the
Kalinga Empire and as contrite of the shameful war in India Ashoka became a Buddhist.
By 1347
Malerajya and Palasige of the Goa Kadabas were conquered and made part of the
Vijayanagar Empire. The town of Hampi in 14th century was visited by
several foreign traders and travelers. They have described it as one of the
most glorious cities of the world. It had seven concentric circles of
fortifications and it maintained a huge army with very intelligent officers of
outstanding courage and wisdom. It’s
trade was described by foreigners that diamonds, precious stones, ornaments of Gold and Silver Jewelry were
sold in open markets on the roads leading to the temple of Virupaksha built by
Vidyaranya Swami. He used a pin hole photography technique to supervise the
construction of the temple from his meditation room. The empire flourished in
trade of a variety of items of export quality, and especially the spices. It
had full control over all the trade routes of South India including the sea
ports. The death of Krishnadevaraya, brought on by himself, with the ruthless
removal of the prime minister who was made blind, following a suspicion of the
intriguing death of his only son, later
found too late as the treacherous act, by his brother-in-law and other close
relatives. The history of India is full of such episodes of in fights among the
greedy power lust Kings. Medieval historians found the Hampi town as one of the
most important center of trade with India. The joint armies of the five Muslim
kingdoms namely Bidar, Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmednagar and Berar combined
effectively to completely destroy the mighty Hindu Empire in 1565. The empire
was founded by Vidyaranya who was born on the 11th April 1296 to
Mayanacharyulu and SriMati Devi in the Pampakshetra and lived up to 1386.
People say he might have been born in Ekasila nagari i.e. modern Warangal. He
was a great Vedic Scholar, a saint and an outstanding Minister of the Kingdom.
Many seers and saints lived in India during the 14th century but
only he could make the History of India true to its glory and life. After Adi
Sankaracharya he was the only one who has put the Advaita Philosophy to the
fore front of Hindu thought and the rule of the Jambhudweep once again. He
knows that the wrongful people need to be punished and the righteousness to be
upheld. He was a mentor and Minister adviser and practically an uncrowned King
of the Hindu Empire who guarded the three generations of the Kshtriya fighters
namely the Harihara Raya I and Bukkai Raya I, for the cause of the land and its
honor from the Muslims.
He authored Sarvadarsanasangraha an important
treatise on Advaita Vedanta. Vidyathirtha or Vidya-Sankar, who was the head of
the Sankaracharya Mutt of Sringeri, was the teacher of Vidyaranya swami. He was
an Advaitin and guided the Harihara and Bukkai Raya for reviving the Vedic
culture of harmonious and graceful living of mankind. Vidyaranya wrote a
popular and comprehensive book on Advaita in Sanskrit. He was originally known
as Madhavarya, along with his brothers he received education from his father
but later left home and went to another teacher and later turned to be
Vidyaranya after his renunciation in 1331. He was well known for his scholastic
works on Vedas and other scriptures. He stopped the Muslim invasion of South
India, skillfully in 13-14th centuries.
The 12th century was full of
turmoil in the country and Delhi Sultans of Bhakito Khilji and Tughlaq dynasties led many
wars against several kings in India and moved down to South India to ransack
all the Hindu Kingdoms, as a barbaric movement of converting people to Islam
faith and religion. This was the great period of destruction in India of Hindu Kingdoms
and ruthless operation of conversion, repression, outright murders, mayhem,
abduction of women, destruction of temples, holy mutts, burning of scriptures
and knowledge materials of books, writings, persecution of Indians in general
and particularly Hindu people and mainly the loot of the wealth of India.
Mohammed Bin Tughlaq (Juna Khan) (1325-1355) in 1323 after repeated raids and
bitter wars in which Kakatiya valiant King Pratap Rudra lost the war and was
captured. The King Rudhra seemed to have ended his life by jumping off into a
river either the Godavari or the Narmada while being a captive and was being
taken to Delhi to ward off dishonor. The glory of Kakatiya Empire dwindled with
his ouster. Though he was rescued by his clever minister Yougandharayana and
brought back to state he couldn’t revive the Empire because of fellow
unfaithful people.
Kampili Kingdom
This kingdom of
Jambukeswara (Kampiliraya) in Anegondi was invaded on the pretext of harboring
a rebel and the brave King fought Tughlaq and met a heroic death in the battle
field. Former employees in the service of Pratapa Rudra of Kakatiya were held
prisoners and were taken to Delhi and were subjected to utter humiliation off
conversion into Islamic faith. They were sent back to rule the Anegondi as
governors of the Tughlaq and were made to pay Kappam (yearly subscriptions) to
the treasury of Muslim faith.
It was the clever Saint- Scholar-administrator
Vidyaranya who showed them how to declare independence and establish the
Vijayanagar Hampi Empire of Hindu people.
The place of
Hampi was chosen since Vidyaranya saw that in that place two simple hares have
driven off wild dogs on that site and realized the great potential to build an
empire that would withstand Muslim invasions and persecutions. He also got a dump of huge wealth from that
ground during excavations which, was used to construct the city Hampi. The
Vijayanagar Empire fell to the joint army action by five Muslim states Bijapur,
Bidar, Golconda, Birar (didn’t take part in the war) and Ahmednagar with a
great battle fought at Tallikota on the 25th December 1564. Araveeti
(alias) Rama Raya, instead of the actual emperor Sadivarayalu of Vijayanagar
fought the battle. When the war was to be won but one Muslim faithful commander
of the Vijayanagar Empire committed treason and joined the enemies, marching
away along with his troops. Thus the war was lost by the Hindus.
Royal
families of the empire ran away with wealth towards Penukonda, but the people
were left open for a ruthless massacre. The Muslims ransacked the city, they
stayed over for five months there and burnt, destroyed, everything that was
fine and used crow bars and hammers to pull down the monuments. Rama Raya was
killed instantly. The ferocity of destruction was one, of no parallel in the
history of invasions by Muslims. Thousands of people were killed.
The capital of Vijayanagar Empire shifted to
Penukonda and later to Chandragiri (Chittoor District) and survived for another
80 years but it never regained its pat glory of a Hindu Empire. In 1646 was
plagued by feuds in dynastic succession by the short sighted rulers, treason by
the vassals and rift among the minor subkingdom rulers that destroyed unity.
The lat ruler Sri Rangaraya III failed miserably to root out the rot. His own
vassals betrayed him. Rangaraya died in 1680 devoid of his throne or the
Empire.
“The
forgotten Empire” book written by Robert Sewell, the District collector of
Bellary during British Raj brought out the glory of the Vijayanagar Empire in Toto.
The ruins of Hampi and Vijayanagar (built to honor Vidyaranya Swami) are now
regarded as world’s heritage sites.
The only one parallel to the up rise of
Hindu Thought of human Life was by Saint (Ramdas) who was a spiritual Guru of Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj, and inspired the Maharastrians to establish the independent
Hindu Kingdom, stopping the conquers of Aurangzeb in the 17th
century. He was made to protect the Hindu faith by his patriotic mother, and
the saint Ramdas, from the onslaught of marauding Mughals and saved the Hindus
from persecution and forced conversions to Islam faith and religion. The
Shivaji Empire grew to great Heights with the weakened Mughals rule in the 18th
century, and also formed a formidable force and became a bottleneck for the
East India Company till the time when they the Shivaji Empire people fell down
to the British Raj at the great Panipat war in 1762 by the forces of the Afghan
ruler Ahmed Sha Abdali Durrani.
The first British outpost in South Asia
was established in 1619 at Surat on the northwestern coast. Later in the
century, the East India Company opened permanent trading stations at Madras,
Bombay, and Calcutta, each under the protection of native rulers. Shivaji Maharaj is
revered even to-date as an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Only Vidyaranya Swami and
Ramdas were of a comparable stature in Indian History who designed perfectly to
thwart the persecution by Muslim and Mughals of the Hindus in India. Hindu
morale was revived by these two great Empires.
Vidyaranya Swami identified for the first time
the causes of for Hindu downfall, as a result of utter persecution by Muslims,
and conversions to Islamic faith, and recorded them in a book known as the
“Prayaschitta Suddhanidhi” . This book is a treasure of atonement for the sins.
It was his great INTELLECT INDIA that safeguarded the Hindus from falling prey
to the Islamic pleasure and thought. His effort of writing the Veda Bhashyam
was to rebuild Hindu faith. He identified 14 evil acts due to the Islamic
faith.
1. Physical union
with menstruating women
2. Tasting
the food eaten by menstruating women
3. Physical
union with widows.
4. Physical
union with unmarried girls.
5. Moving
around with people who have left the right path and leading a wayward life.
6. Moving
with completely falling women.
7. Eating in
the same plate with people described above.
8. Touching
female genitals with tongue.
9. Oral sex
by men and women.
10. Taking
away the property of temples.
11. Taking
away the properties of Brahmins and learned men.
12.
Accepting rewards and gifts from people who live by the acts described above.
13. Accepting
prohibited goods.
14. Eating
evil food and making mockery of those who lead pious lives.
Swami
Vidyaranya wrote many scholarly books
1.
Jeevanmukti vivekamu (A treatise on salvation)
2. Anubhhoti prakashamu (Explanation for many
Upanishads)
3. Sangeeta saram (A treatise on Indian
classical music)
4. Sankara digvijayamu (Life history of
Sankaracharya)
5. Jaiminiyenyamala (Elaboration on Dwadasa
lakshani written by sage Jaimini)
6. Vivarana prameya sangraha. (Commentary on
Vivarana written by sage
II.
Prakashatma and on Pancha padeeka written by Sri Padmapadacharyudu who
was
disciple of
Adi Sankaracharya)
7. Nrusinhottarataapaneeya Upanishad
8. Panchadasi (A treatise on Adwaita Philosophy)
9. Brihadaranya virikasaramu (A treatise and
commentary on the commentary
III. Written by Sri Sureswara ( Ist Disciple
of Sankaracharya) on Briharanyakopanishad
this is an
important source for Advaita philosophy
10.
Prayaschitta Suddhanidhi ( A treatise on aspects of ill conduct by men that
lead
to downfall
and poverty and degradation)
11. Sayana
Veda Bhashyam (detailed explanations on Vedas aided by Sayanacharya, his
brother and a distinguished scholar)
The Southern Rivals
When Gupta disintegration was complete, the classical patterns of
civilization continued to thrive not only in the middle Ganga Valley and the
kingdoms that emerged on the heels of Gupta demise but also in the Deccan and
in South India, which acquired a more prominent place in history. In fact, from
the mid-seventh to the mid-thirteenth centuries, regionalism was the dominant
theme of political or dynastic history of South Asia. First, the spread of
Brahman intellect and notably, often missed by historians the CRAFTSMANSHIP
INTELLECT of India, was a process of preaching Vedas in Sanskrit and
localization of Hindu Dharma with common man’s, a variety of dialects, to
support art, sculpture, dance, music, drama and other activities that gave
surprisingly a strong and solid social
order. Second, was the equal ascendancy of the Brahman priestly, tradesman, Kshtriya
fighters and Vanavashis/or Manyam dwellers land cultivating agriculturalist
groups, that they together, inspired regional institutions, political and
financial authority for the cause of protection of the land and to feed the
common man. Third, because of the see-sawing of numerous dynasties that had a
remarkable ability to survive perennial military attacks, regional kingdoms
faced frequent defeats but seldom total annihilation.
Peninsular India was involved in an eighth-century tripartite power struggle
among the Chalukyas (556-757) of Vatapi, the Pallavas (300-888) of Kanchipuram,
and the Pandyas (seventh through the tenth centuries) of Madurai. The Chalukya
rulers were overthrown by their subordinates, the Rashtrakutas, who ruled from
753 to 973. Although both the Pallava and Pandya kingdoms were enemies, the
real struggle for political domination was between the Pallava and Chalukya
realms.
Despite interregional conflicts, local autonomy was preserved to a far
greater degree in the south where it had prevailed for centuries. The absence
of a highly centralized government was associated with a corresponding, local
autonomy in the administration of villages and districts. This is the GENIUS
and INTELLECT OF INDIA, that no matter what the political situation is in the
region or in the neighborhood the common man’s needs were greatly safe guarded
and plenty of food and comfort of living was provided by the Doctrine of Hindu
Dharma and the dedicated accountants, land and revenue recorders and administrative
SKILL IN THE FLOW OF TREASURE AND BARTER EXCHANGE OF GOLD and SILVER MONEY. Extensive and well-documented overland and
maritime trade flourished with the Arabs on the west coast and with Southeast
Asia. Trade facilitated cultural diffusion in Southeast Asia, where local
elites selectively but willingly adopted Indian art, architecture, literature,
and social customs. Cambodia, Thailand, Ceylon and Japan etc countries of the
East have flourished dependent on INTELLECT INDIA.
The inter-dynastic rivalry and seasonal raids into each other's territory
notwithstanding, the rulers in the Deccan and South India patronized all three
religions--Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. The religions vied with each other
for royal favor, expressed in land grants but more importantly in the creation
of monumental temples, which remain architectural wonders. The cave temples of
Elephanta Island (near Bombay, or Mumbai in Marathi),
Ajanta, and Ellora (in Maharashtra), and structural temples of Kanchipuram (in Tamil
Nadu), Madura Meenakshi are enduring legacies of otherwise
warring regional rulers. By the mid-seventh century, Buddhism and Jainism began
to decline as sectarian Hindu devotional cults of Shiva and Vishnu vigorously
competed for popular support.
The Sanskrit was the language of learning and theology in India was mostly
with the administrators of the kingdoms innumerable. The growth of the bhakti (devotional) movements originated
several in the South, for example, Alwars of the 10th Century, and Madhavacharya
Vishista Advaita and Ramanujacharyulu Dwaith Philospohies, which enhanced the
spread of Hindu thought to the North for the crystallization of Sanskrit literature
from all four major Hindu languages, Tamil,
Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada, who even to-date preserved their local cultural
lore. They often have their own special themes and vocabulary and Sanskrit
became enriched due to them. For example in Telugu there were 56 letters while
Sanskrit has less number of letters. Also the Telugu Poetry is much more a
refined in Grammar (called the Chandasu) than the Sanskrit poetry.
Dr Dhamerla Venkata Surya Rao records that
“The festivals of Andhra Pradesh for example the Eruvaka Pournimi (the
Full Moon Day of Jyesta month also known as krishi pournima) of rainy season is
very important when the farmer for the first time holds the plowing instrument
to till the farm field.
A sketch of the instruments used in performing an Yagnam genrally, during
the Vedic Times, especially of Rig-Veda is given below.
+is+mentioned+in+both+Rig+Veda+and+Vishnu+puranam.jpg)
Fig.34C This Puja (worship) is mentioned in both Rig Veda and Vishnu puranam
This Puja (worship) is mentioned in both Rig Veda and Vishnu puranam. In the
later it is refered as Seth Yagnam. When farmers do this yagnam, while Brahmins’
Yagnam on that day is Mantra Japam. At the same time the shepards community of
Sri Krishna do Giri Yagnam.(when an unprecedent rain was showered on shepards
by demons Sri Krishna lifted with just one finger the Govardhana Giri to
protected them safely underneath the mountain). The poems sung at that time
exist even to-date in Prakrit Telugu tongue among the farmers. It appears Telugu
and other Prakrit languages contributed a lot to the Sanskrit. Buddha’s father
King Sudhodhana used to gift away golden plowing instruments to the farmers
mentioned in Lalithvistaram. Satavahana king Haludu book entitled “GHADHA
SAPTHA SATHI” has a mention of Eruvaka Pournima and Eru means the instrument
made ready for tilling the land and eruvaka means the beginning if the
agriculturai farming. The oxen are fed with sweet, scented rice preparation
known as Pongali, and the rod (ka'di) around them is respectfully worshiped,
the horns are decorated with the sacred turmeric and kumkum (red powder) and
with lighted chandeliers’ and scented aroma fire sticks they perform the puja.
In the evening they actual start the plowing operations. They entire village participates
with great reverence to the Gods and with Gongura Jute they decorate the entire
village. They beat it with chernakole and take them as one wishes to feed their
animals for yielding better milk. In America this type of festival is known as
Maypove” The folklore poetry is known as Janapada Geyamulu.
Examples of Tamil literature include
two major poems, Cilappatikaram (The
Jewelled Anklet) and Manimekalai (The
Jewelled Belt); the body of devotional literature of Shaivism and Vaishnavism,
Hindu devotional movements and the reworking of the Ramayana by Kamban in the twelfth century. A nationwide cultural
synthesis had taken place with a minimum of common characteristics in the
various regions of South Asia, but the process of cultural infusion and assimilation
would continue to shape and influence India's history through the centuries.
Southern Dynasties in India
The Sultans'
failure to hold securely the Deccan and South India resulted in the rise of
competing southern dynasties: the Muslim Bahmani Sultanate (1347-1527) and the
Hindu Vijayanagar Empire (1336-1565). Zafar Khan, a former provincial governor
under the Tughluqs, revolted against his Turkic overlord and proclaimed himself
sultan, taking the title Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah in 1347. The Bahmani Sultanate,
located in the northern Deccan, lasted for almost two centuries, until it
fragmented into five smaller states in 1527. The Bahmani Sultanate adopted the
patterns established by the Delhi overlords in tax collection and
administration, but its downfall was caused in large measure by the competition
and hatred between deccani (domiciled Muslim immigrants and local
converts) and paradesi (foreigners or officials in temporary service).
The Bahmani Sultanate initiated a process of cultural synthesis visible in
Hyderabad, where cultural flowering is still expressed in vigorous schools of deccani
architecture and painting.
Founded in
1336, the empire of Vijayanagar (named for its capital Vijayanagar, "City
of Victory," in present-day Karnataka) expanded rapidly toward Madurai in
the south and Goa in the west and exerted intermittent control over the east
coast and the extreme southwest. Vijayanagar rulers closely followed Chola
precedents, especially in collecting agricultural and trade revenues, in giving
encouragement to commercial guilds, and in honoring temples with lavish
endowments. Added revenue needed for waging war against the Bahmani sultans was
raised by introducing a set of taxes on commercial enterprises, professions,
and industries. Political rivalry between the Bahmani and the Vijayanagar
rulers involved control over the Krishna-Tunghabadhra river basin, which
shifted hands depending on whose military was superior at any given time. The
Vijayanagar rulers' capacity for gaining victory over their enemies was
contingent on ensuring a constant supply of horses--initially through Arab
traders but later through the Portuguese--and maintaining internal roads and
communication networks. Merchant guilds enjoyed a wide sphere of operation and
were able to offset the power of landlords and Brahmans in court politics.
Commerce and shipping eventually passed largely into the hands of foreigners,
and special facilities and tax concessions were provided for them by the ruler.
Arabs and Portuguese competed for influence and control of west coast ports,
and, in 1510, Goa passed into Portuguese possession. It was the time of
Vijayanagar Empire many foreigners from western countries including those from
English and French, have stealthily came to India, after the loot by the
Muslims and Mughals, and took away many remaining treatises and books on art,
craftsmanship, machinery, building constructions, Ayurveda secrets &
medicinal plants knowledge, casting metal workmanship, mint technology, a fine
collection of Vedas and Puranas. The pirate ship warriors were supported by the
distant foreign administrators with financial help and promise of return of
awards for brining the Wealth, spices and other agricultural produce. One thing
is quite clear that unlike visitors from China, Greece and other non-western
countries have kept open their records of observations and findings in India
the visitors from Western countries were totally lip-tight and never divulged,
even by chance, what they have gathered and in what manner they could secure
the wealth, knowledge, know-how, and many other aspects of INTELLECT INDIA.
They simply took them just for a go-by with ship loads and bag full almost in
all cases of the loot of varied variety
by murder, intimidation and at several times at Gun-Point, like the
Muslim Invader Mahmud of Gazani plundered INDIA by ruthless killings and
outrageous murders and who carried away hundreds of donkey, horse and giraffe
loads of wealth.
The city of
Vijayanagar itself contained numerous temples with rich ornamentation,
especially the gateways, and a cluster of shrines for the deities. Most
prominent among the temples was the one dedicated to Virupaksha, a
manifestation of Shiva, the patron-deity of the Vijayanagar rulers. Temples continued to be the
nuclei of diverse cultural and intellectual activities, but these activities
were based more on tradition than on contemporary political realities.
(However, the first Vijayanagar ruler--Harihara I--was a Hindu who converted to
Islam and then reconverted to Hinduism for political expediency.) When the five
rulers of what was once the Bahmani Sultanate combined their forces and
attacked Vijayanagar in 1565, the empire crumbled at the Battle of Tallikota.
REFERENCES and BOOKS
TREATIES and MUSICOLOGISTS OF THIS PERIOD
1. Brhaddsi
of MATANGA: BETWEEN 700 AND 800
A.D OR 400 A.D. ?
This treaties provides connecting link between marga
and desi ragas. It draws largely upon previous sources such as Bharata only
adds chapter dealing with the Ragas.
2.
Abhinabbharati of ABHINABAGUPTA- 1000
A.D ?
It is a commentary on Natyashastra displaying
wonderful grasp on dramatics and music. He crossed swords with Matanga in respect of latter’s 12 svar murchhana.
It is a commentary on Bharat’s Natyashastra, without
which perhaps Natyashastra would have been unintelligible.
3.
Sangeetratnakar of SARANGADEVA- 1230 A.D
It has seven chapters. (1)svaraddhaya treates on musical notes and scales (2)
ragaddhaya contains definition and illustration of various ragas
(3)prakirnaddhya explains various technical terms (4) prabandhhya describes
musical compositions and its varieties (5) talayaddhya treates on tala (6)
vadyaddhya deals with musical instruments (7) nrityaddhya explains dancing and
acting.
4.
Sangeetmakaranda of NARADA / MANTRAGUPTA & OTHERS- 7TH century
onwards compilation upto 14th and 15th century in its
present form.
5.
Gitagovinda of JAYADEVA : about 1150 AD.
Jaydeva was the court-poet of King Laxshman Sena of
Bengal. He was a Krishna-devotee. Here
Radha is the symbol of the human soul who pours forth in her song the pangs of
separation from Krishna – the symbol of the divine. They are composed in
PRABANDHA style and raga and tala for each song is indicated. He mentions 12
ragas – Bharabi, Basant, Karnat, Bibhas, Pondrakiri, Ramkiri, Malab, Gurjar,
Khambaj, Gandhar, Deshabarri and Malabgaur and 5 talas- Rupak, Ektal, Jati,
Aashtatal and Neeshar.
Sriranga Mahathmiyam is the compilation
of religious accounts of the temple, detailing the origins of its greatness.
According to it, Brahma, the Hindu God
of Creation in Hindu mythology was once in a state of deep meditation and in
His supreme trance received the gift of the Vishnu's idol, "Ranga
Vimana". He was told by god that there would be seven other appearances of
such idols on earth -- Srirangam, Srimushnam, Venkatadri (Tirumala), Saligram (Muktinath), Naimisaranya, Totadri, Pushkara and Badrinath. The idol was then passed on by Brahma
to Viraja, Vaiswatha, Manu, Ishwaku and
finally to Rama. Rama, himself an Avatar of Vishnu, worshipped
the idol for a long time, and when he returned victoriously from Sri Lanka after destroying Ravana, he gave it to King Vibhishana as a token of appreciation for the
latter's support for Rama against his own brother, Ravana. When Vibhishana was
going via Trichy en route to Sri Lanka, the deity wanted
to stay in Srirangam. Ranganatha, captivated by the sylvan setting of the
place, stayed put, promising to cast his benign glance eternally on Lanka.
Hence it is that the deity(in a reclining posture) faces South.
Invasion of Srirangam Temple
The Hall of 1000 pillars (actually 953) is a fine example
of a planned theatre-like structure and opposite to it, "Sesha
Mandap", with its intricacy in sculpture, is a delight.
The 1000-pillared hall made of granite was built
constructed in the Vijayanagara period (1336–1565)
on the site of the old temple. The pillars consists of sculptures of wildly
rearing horses bearing riders on their backs and trampling with their hoofs
upon the heads of rampant tigers, seem only natural and congrous among such
weird surroundings.. The great hall is traversed by one wide aisle in the
centre for the whole of its greater length, and intersected by transcepts of
like dimension running across at right angles. There still remains seven side
aisles on each side, in which all the pillars are equally spaced out. The
Garuda Madapa (hall of the legendary bird deity of Vishnu, garuda) located on the south
side of the thrid enclosure is another Nayak addition. Courtly portrait
sculptures, reused from an earlier structure, are fixed to the piers lining the
central aisle. A free standing shrine inside the hall contains a large seated
figure of garuda; the eagle headed god faces north towards the principal
sanctum.
The Kili mandapa (Hall of parrot) is located next to the Ranganatha
shrine, in the first enclosure of the temple. Elephant balustrades skirt the
access steps that ascend to a spacious open area. This is bounded by decorated
piers with rearing animals and attached colonettes in the finest 17th century
manner. Four columns in the middle define a raised dais; their shafts are
embellished with undulating stalks. The most artistically interesting of the
halls that the Nayaks added to the complex is the Sesha Mandap on the
east side of the fourth enclosure. The hall is celebrated for the leaping
animals carved on to the piers at its northern end.
Gopurams
Vellai
gopurams (tower)
+on+the+east+side+of+the+fourth+enclosure.jpg)
There are 21 gopurams (tower gateways), among which the
towering 236-feet Rajagopuram (shrine of the main gateway) is the second
tallest temple tower in Asia. The 73m high 13- tiered rajagopuram
was built in 1987 by Ahobila Mutt and
dominates the landscape for miles around, while the remaining 20 gopurams were
built between the 14th and 17th centuries. The gopurams have pronounced
projections in the middle of the long sides, generally with openings on each of
the successive levels. The Vellai gopura (white tower) on the east side
of the fourth enclosure has a steep pyramidal superstructure that reaches a
height of almost 44m.
Pre 1987
Post 1987
Rajagopuram (tower)
Fig.39C The Incomplete structure of Rajagopuram over 400 years.
Fig.40C The
Rajagopuram did not reach its current height of 73 m. until 1987
The structure of the rajagopuram
remained incomplete at the base ('kalkaram', 17 meters high), for over 400
years. Started during the reign of Achyuta Deva Raya of Vijayanagar, the
construction was given up after the king's death and apparently was not resumed
owing to some political preoccupations or crisis. The Rajagopuram (the main gopuram)
did not reach its current height of 73 m. until 1987, when the 44th Jeer of
Ahobila Mutt initiated the process with the help of philanthropists and others.
Constructed in a short span of eight years, this unique gopuram is a testimony
to the single-minded devotion of the 44th Pontiff of the ancient Vaisnanite
Ahobilaa Mutt, popularly known as Azhagiasinger and Jeer. The Rajagopuram was
consecrated on 25 March 1987. The length and breadth at the base of the
Rajagopuram is 166 feet and 97 feet, while the length and breadth at the top is
98 feet and 32 feet. Befitting the gargantuan dimensions of the structure,
every one the 13 glistening copper 'kalasams' atop the tower weighs 135 kg and
measures 3.12m(height) by 1.56m (diameter).
Epigraphy and later
history
The inscriptions in the temple
belong to the Chola, Pandya, Hoysala and Vijayanagar dynasites who successively swayed
the destinities of the Tiruchirapalli
district. They range in the date between 9th and 16th century A.D.
and are registered by ephigrahical
society.
The location where the
Ranganathan idol was placed was later covered by an overgrowth of deep forests,
due to disuse. After a very long time, a Chola king, chasing a parrot,
accidentally found the idol. He then established the Ranganathaswamy temple as
one of the largest temple complexes in the world.
According to historians, most
dynasties that ruled the South—Cholas, Pandiyas, Hoysalas, Nayakkas—assisted
with renovation and in the observance of the traditional customs. Even during
periods of internal conflicts amongst these dynasties, utter importance was given
to the safety and maintenance of these temples. It is said that a Chola king
presented the temple with a Golden Serpent Couch. Some historians identify this
king with Rajamahendra Chola, supposedly the son of Rajendra Chola II. But it is of interest to note
that he never figures in the latter's inscriptions, neither in the 4th
year (that shows various members of the family going on rampage in different
regions) nor in the 9th year (that shows only one member of the
second generation).
During the period of invasion by Malik Kafur and his forces in 1310–1311,
the idol of the deity was stolen and taken to Delhi.
In a daring exploit, devotees of Srirangam ventured to Delhi and enthralled the
emperor with their histrionics. Moved by their talent, the emperor was pleased
to gift them the presiding deity of Srirangam, which was requested by the
performers. Things took a drastic turn immediately. Surathani, his daughter,
fell in love with the deity and followed him to Srirangam. She prostrated
herself to the God in front of the sanctum sanctorum and is believed to have
attained the heavenly abode immediately. Even today, a painting of
"Surathani" (known as Thulukha Nachiyar in Tamil) can be seen
in the Arjuna Mandap adjacent to the sanctum sanctorum for whom, chappathis (wheat bread) are made daily.
Having assumed that the magical
power of the deity had killed his daughter, there was a more severe second
invasion to Srirangam in 1323 A.D. The presiding deity was taken away before
the Emperor's troops reached Srirangam by a group led by the vaishnavite
Acharaya (Guru), Pillai Lokacharyar, who died en-route to Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. The Goddess
Renganayaki was taken in another separate procession. Swami Vedanta Desika,
instrumental in planning the operations during the siege of the temple, closed
the sanctum sanctorum of the temple with bricks, after the processions of the
presiding deities had left, thereby protected the temple for generations to
come.
13,000 Sri Vaishnavas, the people
of Srirangam, laid down their lives in the fierce battle to ensure that the
institution was protected. In the end, Devadasis, the danseuse of Srirangam,
seduced the army chief, to save the temple.
Orlov Diamond depiction
After nearly six decades, the
presiding deity returned to Srirangam and the same Swami Vedanta Desika, who
had built a brick wall in front of the sanctum sanctorum, broke it open. The
deity and the priestly wardens wandered southwards towards Madurai, then northeast towards Kerala, Mysore, Tirunarayanapuram,
and finally in the hills of Tirumala Tirupati, where they remain until
reinstalled in 1371.
The Orlov diamond
The Orlov diamond 189.62 carats (37.924 g), is a
large diamond that is part of the collection of the Diamond Fund of the Moscow Kremlin. The origin of this resplendent
relic, described as having the shape and proportions of half a hen's egg. This
diamond and a similar gem served as the eyes of the deity in the temple.
Legends hold that a French soldier who had deserted during the Carnatic wars in Srirangam disguised himself as
a Hindu convert and stole it during 1747.
Srirangam is the foremost of the eight self-manifested shrines (Swayam
Vyakta Kshetras) of Lord Vishnu. It is also considered the first, foremost and
the most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divyadesams). This temple is
also known as Thiruvaranga Tirupati, Periyakoil, Bhoologa Vaikundam, and
Bhogamandabam. In the Vaishnava parlance the term "KOIL" signifies
this temple only. The temple is enormous in size. The temple complex is 156
acres in extent. It has 7 prakaras or enclosures. These enclosures are formed
by thick and huge rampart walls which run round the sanctum. There are 21
magnificent towers in all prakaras providing a unique sight to any visitor.
This temple lies on an islet formed by the Twin Rivers Cauvery and Coleroon.
Description
The temple of Srirangam is situated at 10 degrees 52’N and 78 degrees 42’ E
towards the southern tip of India on an Island formed by two arms of the River
Cauvery. The temple covers a vast area of about 6, 31,000 Sqm. (156 Acres). The
temple consists of seven Concentric rectangular enclosures round the sanctum
sanctorum. The temple of Srirangam is the only one in India with seven
enclosures, a sacred symbolic number which for present day Vaishnava believers
represents either the seven centers of Yoga, or a reference to the seven
elements making up the human body, in the center of which dwells the soul. 7 Prakarams denoting the 7 Lokam (worlds).
Fig.43C Temple of Srirangam 10d 52N 78d 42E
with the white structure
There are 7 prakarams (the only Divya Desam to have so) at this temple that
relate to the 7 lokams (7 worlds) each of which is said to be a step in leading
us to Vaikuntam.
Seventh enclosure (Bhoo Lokam).The
gopuras of the seventh enclosure are unfinished. They are called Rayagopuram.
The impressive dimensions of their bases prove that when finished, they would
have risen to a height of at least 50.m. This is also called the Chitra Street
now has a row of shops and offices.
Sixth enclosure (Bhoovar lokam). The
sixth enclosure has four gopuras; the eastern gopura is the most impressive of
all on account of its size the inscriptions in Thirteenth Century characters.
The processional chariots are kept in this enclosure. This also has a market
called Uthara Street.
Fifth enclosure (Swar Lokam). This
Prakaram has ChakkarathAzhvaar and Andal Sannidhi on the West and Thaayar
Sannidhi on the Southern side. The Sesha Raya Mandapam, on the Eastern side has
several battle field sculptures that reminds one of the great times of
Vijayanagara rulers. Opposite this is the 1000 pillar mandapam where the
Vaikunta Ekadesi festivities and the recital of Naalaayira Divya Prabandham
(4000 songs composed by Azhvaars) as well as the Araiyar Sevai take place. This
prakaram has some beautiful sculptures, possibly built by the Hoysala somewhere
around 1200AD. Some of the sculptures depict girls playing the veena and ladies
holding beautiful parrots. This prakaram has the famous White Gopuram at the
Eastern Entrance to the temple.
Kamban Ramaayana and Srirangam Temple
The Great Tamil poet Kamban had in
his composition of the Raamaayana written about the Lord destroying Hiranya,
the mention of which did not find universal acceptance. Kamban retorted stating
that if the Lord accepted his version, then the world could not dispute it. He
stood outside the Thaayar Sannidhi of this temple and recited his version. Lord
Azhagiya Singar, who heard this composition, accepted this version. In memory
of this, there is an Azhagiya Singar Sannidhi in the 5th Prakaram of the
temple. Recognising the importance of this event, there is a separate Kamban
Mandapam opposite the Thaayar Sannidhi.
Fourth enclosure (Mahar Lokam)
The walls of the 4th prakaram were built by ThiruMangai Azhvaar. This
prakaram houses one of the biggest mandapams for Garuda among the 108 Divya
Desams. This has over 200 pillars and is also possibly the most beautiful
mandapam in the temple. On the southern side of this prakaram, one finds the
Paramapada vaasal, also called Swarga Vaasal (the Gateway to Heaven), that
opens only once a year during Vaikunta Ekadesi. Among the 108 Divya Desams,
this is the only temple to have a Sannidhi for Dhanvantri, the medicinal God,
which is located in this Prakaram, opposite the tank.
Ramanuja and Srirangam
Srirangam cannot be discussed without mentioning the great Vaishnavite
scholar of Ramanujacharya who
attained divinity here. His "Swayam Thirumeni" (the symbolic body) is
preserved and offered prayers even today after 8 centuries. His Shrine is found
in the fourth "prakara" of the temple and his "Thirumeni"
is preserved in the temple in a seated position, by applying saffron and
camphor every six months in a ritualistic style. All the devotees are said to
wash their feet when going into the Sannadhi of Sri Ranganathar, because the
artistic works on Sri Ramanujar are found in the floors here.
Third enclosure (Jano Lokam)
One can enter the 3rd prakaram only through the Arya Bhattal Tower. This
houses several mandapams. While this is a dark area, one finds a special peace
when inside this prakaram.
Second enclosure (Thapo Lokam)
The 2nd prakaram, which one enters through the NaazhiKetaan Entrance is
called the Raja Mahendran street in memory of the Chozha king who built it.
This prakaram also has the Kili (Parrot) Mandapam and the big Glass mirror,
through which one can see the Lord when he comes out on procession.
First enclosure (Sathiya Lokam)
The first Prakaram was built by Chozha King Dharma Varma. There are 24
pillars inside this prakaram where(sanctum sanctorum) one finds Lord Ranganatha
in his sleeping posture facing South(Lanka). These 24 pillars, it is said,
denote the 24 letters of the Gayantri Mantra.
Moolavar:
SRI LORD RANGANATHA PERUMAL in reclining posture (Bhujanga Sayanam), on AadhiSeshan
faces South and gives Dharshan to the devotees.
Uthsavar:
NamPerumaal, Azhagiya ManavaalanThaayaar:
Sri Ranga Nachiarii, in separate Sannidhi.
Prathyasham (Physically
gave Dharshan to): Dharma varma, Ravi dharman, Chandhran and Vibeeshanan.
Vimanam: Pranavaakruthi. It took
almost 7 and half years to build this huge vimanam (Gopuram). It is also called
as "Raja Gopuram". This Raja Gopuram is 236 feet high with 13 Nilais
(Partition) and 12 Kalasams at its top.
+and+12+Kalasamas+at+top.jpg)
Sthala Puranam
Once
on the base of Himalaya, River Ganga, Cauvery, Yamuna and Saraswathi are
playing in the sky one ghandharvan (person who belong to Deva lokam) saw these
rivers playing and worshipped them. Seeing this, all the 4 river women started
saying themselves that he worshipped them only. They started arguing on whom
actually he worshipped. The argument continued but didn’t stop. Yamuna and
Saraswathi stopped their quarrel. But to Ganga and Cauvery it continued.
Finally, they both went to Sriman Narayanan.
River Ganga told to
Narayanan since she was originated from the feet of Narayanan, she is bigger
and mightier than Cauvery. Sriman Narayanan accepted it. But, Cauvery doesn’t
accept it and she did tapas on Sriman Narayanan. Finally, Narayanan gave seva
to her and told him that he will sleep on the bank of Cauvery and at that time,
river Cauvery will be the garland (Maalai) in his chest, which will the better
position than Ganga, who is found in his feet. This is the sthalapuranam said
here.
It is a traditional belief that Adi Sankara installed at Srirangam, a Yantra
called Janakarshana Yantra (to attract pilgrims) to this sacred temple, just as
at Tirupati he installed the Dhanakarshana Yantra (to attract wealth). Sankara
infused immense power to this Yantra, which has proved by its action perfectly
true to its name. Tirupati is the richest temple in the South, may be in whole
of India, and Srirangam is the most visited temple in the South. Though it is
primarily a Vaishnavite temples, believers in different tenets of faith do pay
their homage at the temple of Ranganatha, the Adi Purusha in blissful slumber,
floating on the Banyan leaf during cosmic deluge. The Adi Purusha in his
eternal happiness remained afloat on the Milky Ocean, for how long nobody can
say. He wanted to create the Universe. Lord Vishnu appeared before Brahma in the
form of a swan. Brahma questioned its identity, to which the swan replied with
two monosyllables 'OM' and 'THAP' and disappeared. Brahma
construed this bewildering reply as a direction to start penance uttering the
word 'OM'. After long years of penance, the four Vedas appeared. After years of
further penance, Bhoomi (land, the earth) appeared then the fire, the sky and
Devaloka, the heaven where angels stay, and human beings, animals, etc.,
gradually appeared. At that time, a demon, by name Madhu Kaitabha, appeared
from the ear of Brahma and snatched the Vedas from him and disappeared into the
ocean. This incident annoyed Brahma, who also plunged into the ocean to search
for the miscreant. Vishnu took the form of a horse (Hayagriva) and annihilated
the ace of Madhu Kaitabha and recovered the Vedas and taught the same to
Brahma. After the initiation by Lord Vishnu himself, Brahma started creating
the Universe, which is made of the five elements, Prithvi (earth), Jal (water),
Vayu (air), Tejas (fire), Vyoma (ether) and sixteen spheres of the Universe and
gave a start to the natural law of the Universe.Creation only being his main
port folio, when he set the natural law in motion, his work was completed and
the Universe would go on in the cycle of Karma, i.e., and action done by the
created beings. As one's karma becomes the decisive factor for the continuance
of the universe under the influence of natural law, Brahma realized in his
observation that a time might come when his own action will be put to judgement.
He felt the necessity of getting advice from Narayana. To invoke him, he
started penance in the Milky Ocean. After long years of penance, Lord Narayana
appeared before him on Garuda and asked him what he wanted. Brahma requested
Narayana to show him his real form. Lord Narayana replied that nobody has seen
his real Jyothi (effulgent) Swarupam. He said further: "It is I who
appeared before you as a swan. It is I who brought you the Vedas. It is I who
took the form of Hayagriva and annihilated the demon. And now I have come on my
Garuda. I have taken up the responsibility of protecting the Universe and if
you want to visualize my real form, you will have to utter the Ashtakshara
Mantra in deep veneration. At this, Brahma started the penance. Like this a
thousand years elapsed, and at the end, Lord Vishnu appeared in a Ranga Vimanam
from the Milky Ocean. Ranga Vimanam is the name given to a special chariot-like
conveyance carried by Veda Murtis on their head, having Lord Vishnu inside the
Vimanam (vehicle). Nagaraja was holding the white umbrella in attendance.
Senapati Vishwaksena was holding a cane and chamaram (fan). Narada with
Tumburu, uttering the hymns in praise, along with Devas, Angels, Kinnarasi
(heavenly beings) were in prayerful attention. Sages Sanat kumara and others,
the usual mythological attendants of Vishnu, were following the chariot. In
deep veneration Brahma went round the chariot four times chanting the four
Vedas with his four mouths and stood before Lord Vishnu in prayerful pose
representatives of all the worlds of the Universe, including Durga, Saraswati,
Sapta Rishis, Navagrahas, constellations of stars and the Ashta Palakas (eight
doorkeepers) and others were also in attendance. Being pleased with the penance of Brahma, for
the first time the real Swarupam of Vishnu in Ranga Vimanam with his attendants
was shown to him as desired. Since that day the Ranga Vimanam became most
famous, as the real seat of the Universal God. Brahma wanted to worship Lord
Vishnu in the Vimanam forever. Lord Vishnu agreed to his request and Brahma
took him to his abode in Satyaloka.
Brahma was happy to worship the Vimanam. News spread in course of time to Manu,
the son of Sun God Surya, who was attracted and desired to have the darshan,
for which he performed a penance and fulfilled his desire by a visit to
Satyaloka and, paying homage’s to the Ranga Vimanam, then in the custody of
Brahma, he attained liberation. Manu's son Ikshwaku cherished the desire of
possessing the Ranga Vimanam for the benefit of the people on earth. He
consulted his family preceptor, Vasishtha (priest of the Surya vamsha), who
advised him to start penance uttering the sacred Ashtakshara Mantra.
Accordingly, Ikshwaku started a severe penance which puzzled even the devas,
foreboding evil days for them. They attempted to spoil the penance by deputing
Maninatha and the celestial nymphs to distract his attention. Indra took the
lead in this affair and did not even hesitate to send the Vajraayudha
(lightning weapon) to foil the penance. But all failed in their attempts. In
disappointment, they prayed to Brahma, to save them from the baffling
catastrophe. Brahma on his part approached Ranganatha for advice. Ranganatha consoled Brahma by expressing his
desire to go to Ayodhya where he would be worshipped by the descendant of the
Solar dynasty for four Yugas, and at the end of the fourth Yuga he would go to
the kingdom of the Cholas in the South, on the banks of the Kaveri, where he
would stay for 700 years. At the end, of this period he would return to
Brahmaloka. Brahma was directed to part with the Ranga Vimanam to Ikshwaku.
From Ikshwaku to Lord Rama time, this Vimaan was worshipped and belonged to
Ayodhya Kings. Sri Ramar who took the avathaar as an ordinary human being,
worshipped Sri Ranganathan, the god is also named as "Periya
Perumal". After his pattabishekham (crowned as king), he gave the Thiru
Aranga Vimaanam to King Vibeeshan, which belongs to Ayodhya Kings and their
followers. Coming along with the Thiruvaranga temple vimaanam, the Chola king
and the Rishis present requested Vibhishana to perform the Adi Brahmotsava
there itself instead of in Lankha. Vibhishana agreed to this request. So he
kept the vimaanam in the midst of Cauvery river to worship it. During the
worship, Chozhan Dharmavarman and lots of Rishis also joined. In commemoration
of this incident, the Brahmotsava is performed on the day of the full moon in
the month of Panguni, Uttaram day. After finishing all the poojas, tried to
take the vimaanam along with him to Lanka, he was unable to take it and he
could not even move. This must have caused almost heartbreak to Vibhishana who
went on praying to Lord Ranganatha to save him from the situation. At that
time, Sri Aranganathan told since he had given varam (promise) to River Cauvery
and since he has to purify her, he has to be all along the Cauvery River. And
told that he will not be in a position to move from there. But on hearing this,
King Vibeeshan became sad, for which Sri Aranganathan says that inspite of not
coming to Lanka, but he will be facing the south direction of Lanka. This is
the history explaination of Sri Rangam. There's
another similar story that says that Vibeeshan was to carry the Deity back to
Lankha but had to stop for taking bathe, and that Lord Rama had addressed
stating that He in the form of Sri Ranganathan would allow Himself to be
carried back to Lankha by Vibeeshan and then placed down He would not move.
Vibeeshan understanding that, needed someone to hold the Deity while he
relieved himself and bathed and returned. He found nearby one Brahmin boy and
entrusted the task of holding the Deity of Raganath to him to which he agreed.
And NOT to put the Deity down..... Anyway when Vibeeshan returned, he found the
boy gone and the Deity firmly fixed to the spot facing the south. Vibeeshan's
rakshasa nature came out and he became so angry at the boy taking out his sword
he cased him. Vibhishana ran after him. Lord Ganesha climbed up to the top of a
large nearby cliff. But, there, Vibhishana caught him and struck him on the
forehead. At that moment, Ganesha revealed his true form to Vibhishana, who
immediately apologized2, asked for his blessings and continued on his way to
Lanka. The enormous rock Lord Ganesha climbed upon now forms the Uchi Pillayar
Temple, only a few kilometers from Sri Rangam. The desire of Dharma Varma, the
Chola prince, was fulfilled in this miraculous way. He started constructing a
gigantic structure for installing the Ranga Vimanam. Dharma Varma worshipped
the Ranga Vimanam for a long time and attained salvation. Years passed and once
an unprecedented flood came in River Kaveri, which brought an enormous quantity
of silt and sand and flooded the entire country. It is said that the flood was
so devastating that even the peak of the gopuram of the temple was submerged
under sand and looked like a sand dune. The entire city surrounding it was
utterly devastated. The Chola king shifted the capital from Tri (Uraiyur) to
Tanjore. The Ranga Vimanam temple was left uncared for, submerged under sand,
which gradually gave rise to other growth of vegetation, which at last became a
wasteland. Then it so happened that once Chola prince went out for a pleasure
hunt. He rested for some time under a tree in this forest.A parrot living on
the tree suggested to king that down below be lying submerged the sacred Ranga
Vimanam. (The prince thereafter came to be known as Kilikanda Chola, who saw
the parrot). The Chola king had heard about the Ranga Vimanam and found its
location in the forest from the parrot. The information was also corroborated
by a dream seen by the prince. Upon validation, the king started excavation
work and unearthed the temple walls and prakarams. He also developed it further
and made additions and alterations to the temple particularly the addition of a
mandapam in the name of the parrot, still known as Kili Mandapam. He
re-established the religious rite rituals in the temple as before. He became an
ardent devotee of Ranganatha and attained liberation later. The other major
vicissitude in the history occurred during the reign of Raja Mahendra Chola,
when a sudden spring sprouted up emitting a huge quantity of water during the
flood in which it blocked the passage of the entrance to the temple and
threatened to engulf the temple base. The King had the passage blocked and
gopuram constructed over it, making a second prakaram like the wall of defence.
For this beneficial work done by him he too attained liberation. During the
period of invasion by Malik Kafur and his forces in 1310–1311, Namperumal was
stolen and taken to Delhi. In a daring exploit, devotees of Srirangam ventured
to Delhi and enthralled the king with their histrionics. Moved by their talent,
the King was pleased to gift them the presiding deity of Srirangam, which was
requested by the performers. Things took a drastic turn immediately. Surathani,
his daughter fell in love with the deity and followed him to Srirangam. She
prostrated to the God in front of the Sanctum Sanctorum and is believed to have
attained the Heavenly Abode immediately. Even today, a painting of
"Surathani" (known as "Thulukha Nachiyar" in Tamil) can be
seen in the Arjuna Mandap adjacent to the Sanctum Sanctorum. Position of Lord Ranganathar: The
position which Sri Ranganathar is found in this Sthalam is one of the great
thing that has to be explained.
In this sthalam, Aranganathan is found inside the Aranga Vimaanam, Keeping
five headed Aadhi seshan as the bed, his legs stretched along the direction of
the sun's upcoming side (East) direction from where the moon in the evening
rises and Lord Yaman, who is the demon king and cool breeze and wind which are
said to be found from the South direction are seen by Aranganathan and he sees
Lanka. Behind him, is Kuberan (North Direction) and Selva Magal (Sri Lakshmi)
are found. His right hand is kept under his head as a "Pillow" and
the left hand is on his lap and it is pointed to his feet. This position explains
to the world that all the Jeevathmas are finally getting terminated only in his
feet. IT IS BELIEVED - The darshan of Lord Sri Ranganatha is graced (achieved)
only to those who had taken birth in Srirangam in their earlier lives. Only
such sacred souls that CRAVE for the Lord get the darshan of Lord Ranga. There
was a king of TRAVANCORE (Kerala) who was craving for Darshan of Ranga and
composed - Ranga yatra diney diney - meaning every day he wanted to go
Srirangam but was retained by his ministers. These kings believed that entire
kingdom is of Lord and they only do duty fulfilling the Lord's will. This king
is none other than KULA SEKHARA ALWAR.
There is another composition –
SAPTA PRAKARA MADHYEY SARASIJA MUKULOD BHASA MANEY VIMANEY, KAVERI THATA
PARISARA MADHYA SALILE RANGA NATHAM BHAJAMI
Importance of Rameshwaram
Taking the Ganga water to Rameshwar, is considered as a very auspicious and
pious thing to do after the pilgrimage of the four holy shrines. After taking a
holy bath in Ganga water, the holy water is carried and offered to Lord shiva
of Rameshwaram. After this a little sand from here is carried to Ganga and
immersed there. Completing this ritual is believed to make one’s pilgrimage
complete and successful. On the southern seaside of India, Rameshwar sea shrine
is located. In classics like the Skandha Purana, Shivapurana etc., Rameshwar is
shown as a very important place. The story of Rameshwara goes like this:
Puranam of Rameshwar Jyothirlingam
After Sita’s abduction, Ram wandered in the jungles looking for her. While
doing so, he met Sugriva and made friends with him. Later with the help of
special messenger Sri Hanuman, he found out where Sita was taken. Then Rama
prepared an army to invade Ravana’s empire and reached the southern seashore.
He did not have any means of crossing the sea. Lakshman and Sugriva saw Rama,
who is a Shiva devotee in great anguish and could do nothing. But Ravana
received some special boons from Lord Shiva. Rama was aware of this and
therefore, his fears could not be set at rest. In the mean time, Rama was full
thirsty. Just as he was about to drink water, he remembered that he was yet to
perform Shiva pooja. He immediately made a Prathiv Linga and worshipped it with
sixteen methods, i.e., Shodasopachar Vidhis.
Ramji prayed to Lord Shiva ardently and soulfully, and sang songs of Lord
Shiva’s praise in a loud voice. He danced and made the sounds of “Aagad bam
bam”. This pleased Lord Shiva immediately and instantly appeared before Rama
and told him that could ask for any boons and that he would grant them. Ram
showed a lot of care, affection and love to Lord Shiva and prayed and paid
obeisance. Rama said “If You want to grant me my wishes, please stay on this
earth for the sake of all make it holy” Shiva granted the same by saying
“Evamastu” meaning “so be it”. He thus stayed there and came to be known as
Rameshwara, in the form of a Shiva Linga and became popular. With the blessings
of Lord Shiva, Rama killed all the demons including Ravana and became
victorious. Any one who takes a Darshan of the JyotirLinga at Rameshwar and
sprinkles the holy water of Ganga, attains salvation, Kaivalya Moksha or
Nirvana.
Specialities of Rameshwaram
The place where the JyotirLinga is located, a large and expansive temple has
been built. It is famous in the world as a typical architectural example. In
the Ramnad district of Tamilnadu, this temple is situated on a big island of
sand. It is worth seeing and is a wonderful experience. The main entrance of
the temple tower has many storeys and stands tall. Its structure carvings,
statutes and the peaks make people dumb founded. The grandeur of the Lord is
really felt here. The human weakness for being narrow-minded is automatically
removed and they feel their horizons broadened. On the tall stone pillars of
temple, beautiful carvings can be seen. Elephants with their trunks raised are
seen. The four sides of the temple are enclosed by strong stone walls. They are
650 ft. and 12ft. wide and tall respectively. This wonderful temple built on
the sand island, is a work of great art and very impressive. Near to a gold
plated pillar, a river is carved on a monolithic stone of 13 feet high and a
foot wide. This indeed is a typical example of beautiful sculpting. Near the
main temple of Rameshwar, there is a separate temple for Parvati known as
Parvatavardhini temple. Besides this, there are temples of Santana Ganapati,
Veerabhadra Hanuman, navagrahas, etc. At a distance of about nearly 2
kilometers from the main temple, there is Gandhamaadhan mountain. In spite of
being a sandy area, it is very green with a variety of flora. This is the
Nandanavan of Rameshwar. This island shrine consists of 24 odd holy water
sources like Rama teerth, Sita Kund, Jata Teerth, Lakshman Teerth, Kapi
Teerthas, Brahmakund, Galawa teerth, Mangala teerth, Kodandaram teerth, Pandav
teerth etc., The waters at all these places is sweet and has a taste of its
own. Every teerth has a typical story attached to it. Devotees take
Darshan and feel purged by doing so.
Everyday, right from 4am till 10pm devotees keep coming to the temple and
prayers go on. After the Harati at night, the Lord is made to sleep in a Golden
swing i.e., the Bhoga statutes of Shankara and Parvati put to bed. During
Mahashivaratri and on the 15th day in the month of Ashadha (Rainy season) a
Badatra mela/fete takes place, with great festivity. Devotees flock here on
these days and at all times right from Nepal and entire India. People in a
variety of dresses, attired differently come here. sambandhar, and appar have sung
padhikam on the Lord of Rameshwaram.
Katas Raj Mandir
Katas Raj Mandir is a Hindu mandir situated in Katas village in the Chakwal
district of Punjab in Pakistan. Dedicated to Shiva, the temple
has existed since the days of Mahābhārata and the Pandava brothers spent a
substantial part of their exile at the site. The Pakistan Government is
considering nominating the temple complex for World
Heritage Site status. It also proposes to spend about Rs 20 million in three
phases for the restoration of the complex. History: Most of the temples, located some 40 km from the modern city of
Chakwal in the Potohar region of northern Punjab in Pakistan, were built during
the reign of Hindu kings. These several temples were
built around 900 years ago or more, although the earliest of the Katasraj temples dates back to the latter half of the 6th
century AD Scholars believe that most of the temples
were actually constructed when the Shahi kingdom, driven from Afghanistan when
their ethnic cousin Mahmud of Ghanavi came to power, fled to the region and set
up base there. The mandir was abandoned by local Hindus when they migrated to
East Punjab in 1947. It has always been the site of holy pilgrimage for people
of various faiths. Even nowadays, worshippers from all faiths perform
pilgrimages to the mandir every year and bathe in the sacred pool around which Katasraj is built.
Lake Kallar Kahar in the Salt Range of Pakistan, is
a union council and subdivision of Chakwal District in Punjab, Pakistan. It is
a tourist destination located 25 kilometres southwest of Chakwal along the
motorway. It is notable for its natural gardens, peacocks and a saltwater lake.
It is 125 km away from Rawalpindi. The Katasraj temples are situated in Choa
Saidanshah tehsil (CSS), in 1981 a project was started named as Pak German
Project (PGP).
STOLEN PANCHLOHA IDOLS OF INDIA
AND HIMALAYA HINDU KINGDOMS
Lucknow,
July 21 (IANS) Idols of Hindu gods and goddesses, dating back to the 10th and
11th century, were recovered from a tunnel in Etawah district, about 200 kms
from here, officials said Monday. The idols were recovered from the compound of
an ancient Lord Shiva temple in Dadora village. “A four-wheeler was parked
inside the temple compound last week and after it left, the soil caved in,”
temple priest S.P. Dikshit told IANS. A tunnel was discovered after the locals
dug up the soil. Over a dozen idols were found subsequently. A team of the
Archaeological Society of India (ASI) reached the spot Monday and carried out
an inspection. “A police team has been stationed at the site as the recovered
idols appear to be of historical importance. Experts are also camping in the
area carrying out tests and exploring possibilities for further excavation,”
senior superintendent of police- Etawah, S.R.S. Aditya told IANS. Shimla, Sep
17 (IANS) Five 17th century Bronze Idols have been stolen from a temple in
Himachal Pradesh, police said Tuesday. The antique idols were found missing
from the Miya Ka Mandir in Nahan, about 140 km from here, Wednesday noon. The
head priest was not in the temple at the time. “Initial investigations rule out
the involvement of smugglers behind the theft. Five Bronze idols were taken
away from the total 11 idols,” said Assistant Superintendent of Police Rani
Bindhu Sachdeva. “Some drug addicts, who were regular visitors to the temple,
seem to be behind the theft,” Sachdeva told IANS. The Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) has been informed about the theft of the idols, which had been
installed in 1785 by Miya Maldeav and Miya Kushal Singh of the erstwhile
Bilaspur princely state. Wednesday’s theft has once again put the spotlight on
the treasures housed in hundreds of temples and monasteries without proper
security. In 2010, two ancient idols
were stolen from the Shoolini temple in Solan town. In another incident,
ancient coins and silver artefacts went missing from the Suryavanshi temple in
Kullu town.
MODERN INDIA
More than
2,500 years later, Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the father of modern India, used these concepts of
Hindu Dharma in the fight for independence (see Mahatma Gandhi books).
Current India of Young Intellect
Rajahmundry student Aditya (son of Ramanada Kumar,
School teacher of Panchayt Raj Department of Nagavalli) soon to join along with
Mr. Pramod Sreedharan, as a research assistant to Yong Kwun Lee, of Bio-Robotics
lab, KIST, Seoul, South Korea. He published a paper on single chamber
asymmetric micro actuators. He is interested to develop cell phone operated
car, a remote controlled boat and a robotic gripper etc.
The author is deeply indebted to Late Prof. K. R. Rao D.Sc. (Madras) D.Sc. (London) of Andhra University Colleges, Visakhapatnam, Andhra State without whose encouragement and guidance the author would not have succeeded in his life.
Dated 28 August 2013 at 8h39m PM.
