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The Mercara Downs golf course, a suburban golf club located in Madikeri, Coorg is a 18 hole, 5584 yard, Par 70 layout set on a hill at an altitude of about 3600 feet from the MSL. It is just outside the Coorg town in a secluded part and has a fine layout with parkland setting. It is among India's old colonial golf courses established in the late 1800s. Actually, it is the oldest colonial golf course in the British Empire and as the record are lost for ever, it's date of inception, etc has no proof.

Mercara Downs Golf Club - Golfgaga

The golf course is about 6 kms from “Madikeri” or “Mercara”, the capital of Kodagu (Coorg) District, in the middle of serene rolling hills and greenery. The setting is such that it is tagged as a natural “parkland” golf course. It is a nice place to relax far away from the madding crowd. Centuries ago during the colonial days, this area was occupied by the British planters of tea and coffee. Numerous families owned plantation lands and the then East India company encouraged them to carry on their plantation activities for their export business. The plantation owners developed the the golf course here as the place was ideally suited to play the game. As there was no recreation available to them, golf events offered them a chance to relax on holidays teeing on the rolling hills. It was a change from mechanical, mundane life to self-rejuvenation. It is one of the few natural golf courses in India. Weather-wise and the amiable surroundings with smooth rolling landscape are close to those of “Sussex Downs”. No doubt the British were impressed by the congenial weather varying from temperate and pleasant to sometimes chilly, clean, fresh air, vast expanse of lush vegetation, quick downpours and the pale bluish gray mist. Besides at this elevation, one could notice the commanding view of the adjacent areas.

Coorg.com

On December 12th,- 13th 2014, Mercara Downs Golf Club, one of the prestigious Golf clubs in the country celebrated its 100th anniversary. Mercara Downs Golf Club has a new identity in the form of a new classic logo and to match it, there will be marked improvements in the facilities available to the patrons.along with a plethora of new facilities and features at the club.

MDGC is also planning to make the club a world-class destination course that will play host to professional as well as International tournaments. To begin with, the club has an exciting plan to build 18 premium golf villas, which will provide exclusive, luxury living for eternal golf lovers thus preserving the rationale and ethos of this old golf club founded by the British.

Ref:
http://mercaradownsgolfclub.golfgaga.com/

Sir_Henry_Montgomery_Lawrence. commons.wikimedia.org

Brigadier-General Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence KCB (28 June 1806 – 4 July 1857) was a British soldier and statesman in India, who died in the Siege of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion. He is remembered in the Indian subcontinent as founder of the four Lawrence Military Asylums.

Lawrence, born in 1806 into an Irish family at Matara, Ceylon was the eldest son of Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander William Lawrence and the brother of John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence, was educated at Foyle College, Derry and then at East India Company's Addiscombe Military Seminary. After his education and training, he decided to pursue his career in military and in 1823 he joined the Bengal Artillery in Dum Dum, a suburb of Calcutta. In the first Burmese War, Lawrence and his battery was part of the Chittagong column led by one General Morrison where the soldiers had to fight in the highly wooded hills of Arakan, infested with wild animals and bad mosquitoes. It was a tough terrain where military operations required skill and endurance. Unfortunately, the European solders, unaccustomed to such hot tropical forest conditions, were stricken with nasty fever that decimated them. As for Lawrence, very much affected by fever, he was back in Britain to recuperate. Because of the severity of the disease, he could not completely recover from its effects. Back India in 1829, he took up the job of revenue surveyor offered by Lord William Bentinck at Gorakhpur. While working, he married his cousin Honoria Marshall, and soon he had to join the brigade during the outbreak of the First Afghan War towards the close of 1838.

Being an assistant to Sir George Russell Clerk, he now got a chance to gain political experience in the management of the district of Ferozepore. When disaster struck the British military in Afghanistan in November 1841, he was deputed to take care of supports for the relief of Sale and the garrison of Jalalabad.
Unlike numerous British officers who had least concern for the natives, Lawrence attitude toward Indian was different. A devout Christian, with good knowledge of Indian languages, he was reported to have been "sympathetic and kind-hearted," with an unusual "disregard for money or personal luxury," which endeared him to his men despite his rather "fiery temper" (Moreton). On many an occasion, he impressed on the government to pay serious attention to the welfare of the Indian population and because of his insistence in this particular matter, he earned the ire of the higher authorities and was unpopular. The period December 1843 to 1845 saw him as the British Resident Minister in Nepal.
After the end of the First Anglo-Sikh War, Lawrence by the Treaty of Bhairowal (1846), became the Resident at Lahore as well as Agent to the Governor-General for the North West Frontier. While here, he governed the area with the help of a group of officers, later known as Henry Lawrence's "Young Men"

Henry Larence died here Lucknow. www.findagrave.com

Henry Lawrence. www.findagrave.com

In 1856, when he was posted as the Chief Commissioner in the newly annexed province of Awadh, the relationship with the military higher ups and the Indian soldiers was not good and it hit the rock bottom. Already the British higher ups got a bad name over annexing Indian states using various ruses. In 1857, it led to the culmination of the Sepoy mutiny, also known as the first war of independence. The rebellion across the northern part of India became hellbent. Among the worst rampages, the Siege of Lucknow was one and the British community, including the garrison of some 1700 men, took refuge in the British residency when the siege began on 30 June. During uprising, Lawrence defended the Residency at Lucknow to hold out until relief arrived. Commander Henry Lawrence was one of the first casualties, being wounded by an exploding shell on 2 July and dying two days later. He was buried quietly and his death was not reported for several days. The visiting artist and caricaturist, Leonard Raven Hill sketched every thing in the room where Lawrence died and the remains in the room had not been disturbed till the arrival of the artist. (Mukherjee and Kapoor 85). When Lawrence was critically injured, he is supposed to have said to those around him: "Put on my tomb only this; Here lies Henry Lawrence who tried to do his duty." This epitaph appears on his tombstone at the Residency graveyard, Lucknow.

Henry Lawrence. www.victorianweb

Henry Lawrence. victorianweb

He had also written a number of highly popular books on Indian affairs. Further, he supported opening of asylums for soldiers' children. The relief on the base of his monument by J. G. Lough in St Paul's Cathedral, London, shows Lawrence and his wife welcoming some youngsters.

He is well remembered in India as the founder of Lawrence Schools for the education of the children of British soldiers, known as the Lawrence Military Asylums, at four places.Three of these institutions survive today as the prestigious Lawrence School, Sanawar, near Shimla (HP, India), Lawrence School, Lovedale,
Nilgiri Hills, (Tamil Nadu, India) and Lawrence College, Ghora Gali (Murree, Pakistan): the fourth, which does not survive, was at Mount Abu, in present-day Rajasthan. They are known with their impressive motto, "Never Give In." One historian considered Lawrence one among the "extraordinary commanders" who "possessed in abundance that greatest of all virtues, courage" (Featherstone 12). Lawrence's wife had died in India in 1854, but he was survived by three of their four children.

Lawrence in 1843, along with Sir James Outram, supported Rev. Alexander Duff in founding the Free Church Institution in Kolkata
(after the split in the Scottish Church). Later it merged to form the Scottish Church's College, known since 1929 (when the Church of Scotland was unified) as Scottish Church College.
Ref:
http://www.victorianweb.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Montgomery_Lawrence

Continuing ritual: A young girl being branded on the neck at Marlavai village in Kumram Bheem. Photo: S. Harpal Singh.

More often than not I ran into interesting articles related to branding of cattle by cattle owners and branding of criminals and slaves in the past centuries carried out by barbaric slave owners and rulers. Never have I heard about the practice of branding the children and adults by Indian tribes to keep them healthy. Are you not in for a surprise that such crazy superstitions do exist among gullible Indian tribes in this modern world? India is a land of innumerable cultures and traditions that have been in existence for centuries and within the communities across India they vary. Branding of children, in particular, among the Indian tribes is an odd one and does exist in spite of government regulations.

.jantoo.com

The branding of livestock (act of marking) with fire-heated marks to identify ownership has been in practice since ancient times and it continues even today by the cattle owners. There is another kind of branding called human branding or stigmatizing that was prevalent in the past centuries by slave owners. In this type, usually a symbol or ornamental pattern, is burned into the skin of a living person, and the resulting scar remains as a permanent mark. This is performed using a hot or very cold branding iron. The physical techniques involved are similar to those of livestock branding on a human. It is done either with consent as a form of body modification or under duress, as a punishment or to identify an enslaved person or criminal. Within a tribe, it may be done as a "rite of passage", e.g. a mark of acceptance or membership.

In India, such a practice continues to exist among the Adivasi people or tribes. The Gonds tribes of northern part of Telengana state are worthy of mention. They are spread over the four districts which had once formed part of undivided Adilabad, Telengana State, South India. This ritualistic practice of hot iron branding by this tribal community has been around for centuries mainly for the health reasons!! Their firm conviction has been that to prevent indigestion and head aches branding at specific spots on the body will produce positive results that will cure the ailment.

On the day of Lakshmi Puja (goddess of wealth), normally in the month of October, every year they conduct this ritual called ‘dahadi verswal’in the early hours of morning. The iron is heated over the ‘gomera’, the year-old sacred lumps of cow dung mixed with husk. Yet another strange belief is only during the Solar Eclipse, the branding rod for the cattle called ‘dahadi’ and the alloy ring called ‘koval’ used to brand humans are also ritualistically made by blacksmiths. They believe this astronomical period will enhance the healing capability of the metal to the maximum and will benefit the branded persons. The branding tools are made of special alloy and metal

The preferred parts for branding of humans are spine, neck, and some painful spots on the back, abdomen, etc. Branding on children and adults is done by the Ghusadi tado ( a Gond tribal festival celebrated during Bhogi puja). In the case of children, branding on the spine, on the neck is done by an incense stick that may not cause pain. Residents believe that the mild heat on the nerve produces positive pressure that will act as protection against minor ailments - a sort of immunity. There is neither scar nor wound after branding. It id reported some people get the branding done every year to stay healthy and keep the minor elements at bay.

The Human Rights commission of India lately are taking serious measures to curb human branding prevalent among the rural, illiterate people as it is a serious issue of human rights violation.
Ref:
https://www.webmedcentral.com/article_view/2828

In India, there are countless tribes, following different cultures and ritualistic traditions and it will be a futile exercise for the government to keep track of them. In many tribal cultures, superstition is the core and the beliefs associated with it are deep-rooted. Such tribal communities live in remote areas, where it is impossible for the government officials and doctors to access them and reform them. In certain tribal communities Disharis and Jaanis, a sort of quake doctors or traditional healers are part of every aspect of tribal social life. Family events involving rituals such as blessing pregnant women and naming the newborn, funeral rites after death, etc are taking place under their direction. In the matter of separation or dispute between couples, wedding dates and timing, and building of houses, etc., the entire community members depend on the disharis and jaanis.

a branded Indian kid. indianexpress.com

The more shocking news is they don the role of medical doctors and prescribe medicines made from herb and roots for diseases such as common colds to jaundice and chicken pox without proper training in Ayurvedic medicine which is quite popular here and safe. Yet another role played by them is the act of exorcising ghosts. They are said to drive the ghost by burning incense and resins in a ritualistic way. It is said, they are experts in the art of removing spells on individuals or families. The list goes on.

Among all family related ceremonies, the unpalatable one is the traditional ritualistic protection of infants by branding, using hot iron or bangle and this zany (primitive) practice has been around for a century or more. Mainly in the month of Chaitra Amavasya (July/August), infant branding is done and for the dishari it will be a busiest month. People in large number with their babies wait before the dishari' house to get their infant branded by hot iron nails and forks. It does not matter if the kids experience excruciating pain.

CartoonStock

www.cartoonstock.com

For the tribes, branding their tribes is a must and an ritualistic event, it is a sort of buying insurance for the diseases. It is believed branding gives the baby necessary immunity against various ailments. Further, it also gets rid of evil spirit that may befall the child. It’s like vaccination for them.

Jharkhand tribals brand infants with hot iron rods as part of festivities.
India TV

The crux of this superstition is some branded babies survive the burn infection, many don’t and such deaths are looked upon as the edit of God and they don't blame the dilhari, who is purported to be the agent of God. Dilharis do not charge the people for his expert services. The government authorities are taking serious steps to stop this primitive practice, but the tribes hesitate to change their cultural mores - a road block towards their progress.

At Sheopur, in Madhya Pradesh, central India, Mrs. Seheriya and her husband Giru, 23, took their small kid Shivani to the healer on December 2nd to treat her pneumonia. The local healer, without second thoughts, burnt the child's abdomen with the hot knife over 40 times, to cure the baby, just two-month-old . Same night, the baby girl developed fever and was taken to the near-by hospital. The doctors carefully treated the baby for burns and, on further examination, found she had holes in her heart. The doctors found that the baby had defective ventricular septa.
Tit-bits:
01. The so called traditional healers have a grip on the tribal community that imbibe superstitious belief - the evil, the government and social organizations are fighting.

02. Towards the end of 2015, in Nabaranpur, Orissa at least seven infants were hospitalized. Reason: they were given a dose of local traditional healer's home-remedies including branding by hot iron nails or glass bangles

03. Babies as old as 8 month undergo this painful ritual - branding with hot iron or nail, the net result is the wounds become septic.

04. The root cause of the problem in the tribal belt is literacy rate is low, complicated by inadequate government medical care. there is one doctor for every 20,500 plus people. So, disharis, jaanis and gurumayees are present in large numbers and exploit the gullible tribes.

05. To the tribes, their age old traditional and cultural mores are more important, though, now, they have begun to send their pregnant women to far off government hospitals, they are reluctant to snap their ties with their old customs and mores.
07. Some tribes use juice from the seed of the wild cashew apple, hoping it would cure pneumonia and asthma.

Ref:
h ttp://indianexpress.com/article/explained/district-zero-in-branding-of-babies-a-battle-between-tradition-and-modernity/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2866936/Newborn-baby-scalded-40-times-hot-knife-Indian-tantric-healer-claimed-cure-pneumonia.html

If you read the history of human civilizations and their growth, one disgusting factor emerges clearly that is man's inherent barbarism and animal instincts, involving extreme violence beyond comprehension that transcend countries, religions and cultures.

Men for centuries had practiced religious and cultural fanaticism and casteism, racism, etc. In this modern world, they raise their ugly head then and there across the globe, resulting in mayhem, injuries and death. As for the societies, world over there exist innumerable social evils that are based on superstition, one being human branding among many hill tribes of India. In the past, human branding was used on a large scale by the Western slave owners and others.

Human branding is the process in which a mark is burned into the skin of a living person, resulting in permanent scarification. This is done either with approval as a form of body modification; or under coercion, as a punishment. It may also be practiced as a "rite of passage" such as within a tribal community, or to identify a member in an organization. The brand marks, it is said, will help family members to evade or treat the offending agent.

Branding is a traditional practice among the various tribes in India with which the skin is burnt with a hot iron rod or other metallic object to treat various medical conditions.

It is said to be a cure for common diseases like malaria, jaundice, meningitis and convulsions.

It is thought to be centuries old, and has attained a sort of religious sanctity and began to be associated with local deities.

This practice is still very much prevalent in villages in India.

Various body parts are branded for different diseases: the abdomen for malaria and jaundice, the neck or the forehead for meningitis and the wrist for convulsions.

Chinese punishment, whipping a lawbreaker wretchedshekels - WordPress.com

The red rod is just one of the instruments used, others include burning ropes and metal rings.

These ancient methods are crude and inhumane, causing the treatment to be unbearable even carrying the risk of complications.

Acute infection, transmission of blood-borne pathogens, allergic reactions, and complications which arise from third-degree burns are caused after branding.

As if these were not enough, the nasty practice of putting saliva, ash or untested herbal paste on the burn wounds make matters worse.

Source: Journal of Tropical Gastroentrology

Some facts:

01. American, European and other colonial slave owners branded millions of slaves brought from Africa and other countries. There were several brandings, e.g. for the Portuguese crown and the (consecutive) private owner (s), an extra cross after baptism as well as by African slave catchers.

02. Branding a slave, in those olden days, was something like marking properties like cattle. For the slave owners, it was to prevent escape and establish ownership.

03. Ancient Romans used to brand runaway slaves with the letters FGV (for fugitivus).

04. As for a loop in slavery and criminal law, a convict is branded and legally reduced, with or without time limit, to a slave-like status, such as on the galleys (in France branded GAL or TF travaux forcés 'forced labour' until 1832), in a penal colony, or auctioned to a private owner.

05. In criminal law, branding with a hot iron was a way of punishment consisting of marking the subjects as if they were goods or animals, in conjunction with heir reduction of status in life.

06. Convicted criminals were punished by branding mark, as besides enduring painful burns on a normally visible part of the body. Some convicts would carry visible imposition of an indelible criminal record on the body that would cause public humiliation.

07. Letter F (Fur) was marked on robbers, like runaway slaves, by the Romans ; the miners, and convicts were branded on the forehead for identification. During the time of Constantine I the the branding was done on the hand, arm or calf and not on the face.

08. At the time of the Roman Emperor Trajan, Christians experienced painful punishment on their face on a judge's order for refusal to sacrifice.

Bad News About Christianity

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09. In the 16th century, a cross was branded on the foreheads of a radicalAnabaptistfor refusing to recant their faith and join the Roman Catholic church.

In the 17th century North America, married couples, found convicted for adultery were branded with an "A" letter on their chest, and for other crimes, such as "D" for drunkenness and "B" for blasphemy.

Branding the mark as a code for the crime was prevalent in Canadian military prisons D for Desertion, BC for Bad Character; most branded men were, it is believed, shipped off to a penal colony

During the American civil war, branding was used for a time by the Union Army.

To stop flight, or escape from torture in Louisiana, Slave owners used severe punishments . They would often brand the slaves' palms, shoulders, buttocks, or cheeks with a branding iron.

To recapture escaped runaway slaves, branding was sometimes used to help the locals easily identify the runaway.

To to punish their slaves whipping and branding were used by the slave owners. Initially they would prefer whipping to branding. They were allowed by the laws in the USA and in S. Carolina, when a slave ran away, if it was his first offense, he would receive no more than forty lashes. Then the second offense would be branding. Branded letter R on their forehead would signify that they were a criminal, and a runaway.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2866936/Newborn-baby-scalded-40-times-hot-knife-Indian-tantric-healer-claimed-cure-pneumonia.html#ixzz4PIpG1PIR

Brevet Major William Stephen Raikes Hodson. (Kevin Shepherd) Bibliography

Brevet Major William Stephen Raikes Hodson (10 March 1821- 11 March 1858) a British leader of irregular light cavalry during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 had a reputation for the wrong reason. Frequently referred to as "Hodson of Hodson's Horse, he caused untold miseries to the last Mogul Emperor Bahadur Shah II whose exit is an important event in the 19th century Indo-British history - the down fall of the Mogul dynasty that ruled India for centuries.
The last Mogul in his advanced age suffered humiliation, not to speak of his family because of Hodson's utter disregard for the revered ruler. In the wake of his unjust act, Mogul ruler's subjects both Hindus and Muslims were in rage and it added fuel to the inferno of Sepoy mutiny.

Capture of the king of Delhi by Captain Hodson" from The Indian Empire Photo by: 1857

Hodson was so vicious, he himself summarily executed Mogul ruler's heirs to the throne without any formal legal inquiry. On the flip side, he was a good horseman endowed with appreciable leadership qualities. Hodson is credited with being jointly responsible for the introduction of the khaki uniform.
William Hodson, born on 9 March 1821 at Maisemore Court, near Gloucester, third son of the Rev. Dr George Hodson, Archdeacon of Stafford was educated at Rugby School and at Trinity College, Cambridge. After joining the 2nd Bengal Grenadiers of the East India Company when he was 23 years old, he successfully fought in the the First Anglo-Sikh War.

Being an expert swordsman and a Cambridge graduate, William Hodson was deputed to Sir Henry Lawrence's projects - the newly formed Corps of Guides in December 1846. As part of his duty, he had to choose a new suitable uniform for the new regiment. With approval from his seniors, he chose lightweight uniform of Khaki colour - or 'drab' as it was then referred to. Comfortable to wear in a hot tropical country, the important military advantage was, it would nicely blend with the dusty environs and make the soldiers invisible to the enemies on the other side. With help from his brother Rev. George H. Hodson, in England, he received "drab cloth" for 900 men as well as 300 carbines. the precursor to modern uniform with camouflage patterns. Military camouflage uniform is widely used in the military force world over to protect personnel and equipment from observation by enemy forces. William Hodson goes down in the history of military uniform as the first one to use the Khaki uniform for his regiment that had dual advantages - easy to wear and blending with the dusty background.
His new work on the civil side later took him to Amritsar, Kashmir and Tibet. In 1852 he was appointed Commandant of the Corps of Guides. Later on, he was transferred to the Civil Department as Assistant Commissioner in 1849 and stationed at Amritsar; and from there he traveled in Kashmir and Tibet. In 1852 he was appointed Commandant of the Corps of Guides. During the early rebellion, when the situation in the Indian subcontinent was tense and explosive Hodson carried the dispatches of General Anson from Karnal to Meerut and back again, a distance 152 miles in seventy-two hours. He did this feat with lots of guts, traveling through the hostile land with enemy soldiers, risking his life. Impressed by his courage and firm commitment, soon the higher-ups gave him the responsibility of leading a new regiment of 2000 irregular horsemen. Hence, later he came to be known as as "Hodson's Horse".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stephen_Raikes_Hodson

William Stephen Raikes Hodson s death. Getty Images

Hodson arresting the last mogul ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar, alamy

William Hodson. Find A Grave com

The Indian mutiny had been on since 1857 for some time and numerous towns in northern India were under the grip of mayhem, murder and riot. It showed people's loss of patience and their anger against the unjust British rulers. The rebels- mostly Indian soldiers and civilians in large number marched into Delhi and finally took control over it. There they met Bahadur Shah Zafar, the Mogul ruler to lead the rebellion to oust the British as he was a good man and liked both by the Hindus and Muslims. Bahadur Shah was the titular ruler of Delhi under the protection of the E.I.C's military and was getting yearly allowance from the government. What was once a big Mogul kingdom, over a long period of time, became as small as a town. After long deliberations, Bahadur half-heatedly agreed to lead the rebellion as he himself was a victim of British's diabolical policies. Mogul princes joined the foray and led the rebels around Delhi. Soon an unsavory incident happened for which Bahadur Shah took the brunt. The rebels caught 52 British officers hiding in the palace and killed them in retaliation against their unjust rule and this happened despite protest from Bahadur Shah.

This massacre of British people took the rulers off guard and caused repulsion among the EIC officials. They wrongly concluded that this bizarre incident had happened with the knowledge of Bahadur Shah under whose leadership the uprising was taking shape. The British were now after Bahadur Shah who was camping with his sons and the rebels just outside Delhi at Humayun's Tomb.

William Holden, a military officer was unpopular among the natives because he treated the last Mogul ruler and others shabbily. As far as the British were concerned, he was a daring officer and a celebrated person. It is believed that Col. Hodson, resolved to capture the mogul ruler and his sons, finally got permission from Colonel (later General) Archdale Wilson to ride into the enemy's camp with his men to capture the ruler and others. Without any protest, the ruler, 6000 mutineers and others laid down their arms, symbolic of surrender. There was no untoward incident whatsoever. Nor were there any protests from the natives.

As a sign of surrender, the Emperor handed over his arms, including two amazing swords, one with the name ‘Nadir Shah’ and the other with the seal of Jahangir engraved upon it. Hodson later presented them to as trophy to Queen Victoria. Now, they are part of Queen's collections in London.

As for the sons of the Mogul ruler, the princes were against unconditional surrender ordered by Hodson. They suspected something fishy about Hodson's move and categorically wanted guarantee for the safety of their lives. Finally, the army collected the arms from a huge gathering of mutineers there and the princes were later taken to Delhi on a bullock cart with escorts, supposedly for further interrogation.

Near the city gate before entering Delhi, suddenly Hodson ordered the three princes to get off the cart and remove their top garments in the presence of a huge gathering around them. No sooner had their signet rings, turquoise arm-bands and bejeweled swords been removed, than in a flash, without any scruples, Hodson took a carbine from one of his troopers and shot them dead. A cold blooded murder had been committed right before the people who stood there frozen. Hodson had the bodies of three Mogul princes displayed in front of a kotwali as a warning to the future rebels. It was a crass and dirty display of military power and arrogance and thus Hodson took the credit (rather discredit) of felling the last Mogul ruler Bahadur Shah's legal heirs to the throne. Young princes Mirza Mughal and Mirza Khizr Sultan and his grandson Mirza Abu Bakr lost their lives in their young age, fighting against the British. Over night, Hodson, a well- trained and abled military cum civilian officer became an assassin. The gate near the plave where they were killed is still called the Khooni Darwaza, or 'Bloody Gate'.

Hodson's grave, Lucknow. Wikipedia

During the Mutiny, the British did not spare the Mogul ruler Bahadur Shah II and his family members. Numerous male members were done away with by East India Company forces. They imprisoned or exiled the surviving members of the Mughal dynasty; Bahadur Shah II, who was already old, was tried on four counts, two of aiding rebels, one of treason, and being party to the murder of 49 people. However, he was sent to Burma in exile as Hodson had previously guaranteed his life, and there the Emperor eventually died of old age with a broken heart - the end of the long reign of the Mogul dynasty in India. Now E.I.C's enemies were the valiant Maraths and Hyder Ali and Tipu of Mysore kingdom in the later period.

Hodson's service record clearly showed him in bad light. He had often behaved in an arbitrary fashion before, which was not a good trait of a well-experienced, talented military cum civilian officer. This led to his removal from civil duties by the then Governor General of India, Lord Dalhousie. His erratic action and execution of three young heirs of the old Mogul ruler near kotwali in Delhi invited lots of criticism. Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, then a junior officer serving in the Delhi campaign,considered it a "blot" William W. Ireland, it is believed, called into question the urgency of his actions. However, in parliamentary speeches made on 14 April 1859, the Prime Minister Earl of Derby, and the Minister for India Lord General Hugh Gough paid glowing tribute to Stanley who recaptured Delhi from the rebels in 1858. In his dual role of cavalry leader and intelligence officer, Hodson played a large part in the recapture of Delhi from the rebels.

Hodson's widow received a posthumous award from Her Majesty Queen Victoria in the form of an apartment at Hampton Court Palace "in consideration of the distinguished service of her late husband in India".

Apart from the dissenting voices from other members of the military, there were also a few politicians who condemned the killing and felt the killing of Mughal princes by Hodson had been 'dishonorable'.

On March 11, 1858, when he and his men stormed Begum Kothi's palace Hodson was shot dead by the rebel and he fell on the ground, uttering the last words, "I hope I have done my duty". Hodson's grave is in La Martiniere College in Lucknow city, Uttar Pradesh. On the evening of 12 March 1858, his body was buried in the garden of La Martiniere, Lucknow. The memorial bears the inscription "Here lies all that could die of William Stephen Raikes Hodson"

The paradox is 'it was from the Mogul ruler the British got a chance to hold their firm foot in India in 1600s as mercantile traders and generations later, the same British, now rulers of land, made the Mogul rulers bow before them. In a fitting finale to show their gratitude to them, the British Bobs, now masters of the land, mercilessly uprooted the last young legal heirs of the last Mogul ruler. In the annals of 19th century British-India history, it is the most despicable and nauseating act on the part of the colonial rulers under the E. I. C.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stephen_Raikes_Hodson

12-jyotirlingas-on-india-map. Shree Hindu Mandir Photo by: Temple

There are 12 important Jyotirlinga shrines located across India where Lord Shiva, the famous cosmic dancer, is worshiped in Jyotiswarupam - in the form of a column of Agni or fire. Bhimashankar, near Pune, Malligarjuna Swami, Andhra, Mahakaleswar, Ujjain, M.P., Kedarnath, Uttrakhand, Kasi Viswanath temple, Varanasi, Omkareswar, M.P., Vaidyanath near Parli, Maharastra, and Assam, Trimbakeshwara near Nashik, Maharashtra, Nageswara, Gujarat Ramaeswar, Tamil Nadu, etc., are some of other Jyotilinga shrines

Shiva - pillar of light / fire. The Indian Mythology

Jyothilina or Jyothilingam is an ultimate divine object of the Almighty - a supreme form of God Shiva. Jyoti here implies 'radiance' or fire and lingam means the 'image or Sign' of Shiva - beginning-less and endless cosmic pillar (Stampha) of fire which proves his superiority over other gods. This is referred to as Lingodbhava, embodying infinite nature. The endless sky is the linga and the Earth is the base. Hence he is called Mahadeva - the Great God Shiva.

The story of Jyothilinga is, indeed, quite fascinating According to Indian mythology, Shivapurana, if a man has intense trust in Shiva who is the manifestation of everything, he will attain liberation and be free from the bondage of birth-death cycle. Even, if he does not follow three important activities i.e. Shravana, Kirtan and Manan, it does not matter, he can still get salvation - Moksha (salvation). He is a creator, destroyer and protector - all rolled into one. Since he himself is the creator - Brahma, for this very reason he is known as Nishkal. Shiva is called Saguna (God with form) because of his beauty. He is also called Nirguna (without any qualities). Being a cosmic dancer, while drumming the Ooduku, a small drum and dancing to his ecstasy, he keeps the universe active with his rhythm and sound.

map of India with the positions of the 12 Jyiotirlinga Astrogeography Blog

When subduing the pride and enmity of Vishnu and Brahma Shiva, being simple in form, showed them his resplendent divine form and prowess and preached the mantra "OM". Since then worship of Lord Shiva in the form of Jyotirlinga has become common and Shivaratri - the ritual of whole night worship of Shiva is widely observed across India in all Shiva temples.

Nandikeshwar, Lord Shiva's mount narrates the battle of lords Brahma and Lord Vishnu:

Once a serious verbal dual brewed between Lord Brahma, the Hindu God of Creator and Lord Vishnu, the God of Protector over a trivial matter related to 'self-esteem'. When Brahma called on Vishnu at his abode, he was not properly received and it was unintentional on the part of Vishnu. However, what started out as a serious argument, slowly simmered and ultimately boiled over to a big issue and both were ready to fight it out to prove their superiority. Celestial beings and Demi - gods tried to pacify them, but it ended in vein and the dual continued without any solution in sight. Finally, they sought the help of Lord Shiva to intervene and put an end to the enmity between Brahma and Vishnu.

Brahma with four head. one head was removed by Lord Shiva. www.researchut.com

Lord Vishnu www.researchut.com

Churning of the cosmic ocean of milk,. Goddess Lakshmi appeared.

Feigning ignorance, Shiva asked the celestial and others about the purpose of their visit to his place at the same time. The deities told him about the battle fought between Brahma and Vishnu.

Cosmic dancer Shiva .www.pinterest.com

Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati, accompanied by his one hundred Ganas reached there, where both Brahma and Vishnu were standing against each other with their deadly weapons - Maheshwar and Pashupat drawn respectively. Fearing the gravity of the situation and consequent destruction that might befall the world, Lord Shiva manifested himself in the form of 'Analstamba' (pillar or column of fire) between them. Brahma and Vishnu, who had already released their weapons - Maheshwar and Pashupat, saw their deadly weapons fall into that pillar of fire and got destroyed.

Both Brahma and Vishnu stood there aghast and dumbfounded as the pillar of fire was so gigantic in size that it reached the entire sky and penetrated deep down the earth - patalalogam. Lord Shiva said, "Whoever finds the base or crest of the fire column will be the winner". Vishnu transformed himself into a boar and went to the 'Patal' (nether world) to find the base of that 'Pillar of fire'. Having dug so many miles below the earth, Vishnu realized the futility of his attempt and accepted that he could not see the base of the fire column.

On the other hand, Brahma took the form of a swan / hamsa and flew up in the sky to reach the crest of the fire column / pillar. En route, he met a withered, but flagrant 'Ketaki' flower ( screw pine flower or Thazhampoo in Tamil) that was falling down. When he asked him about the crest of the fire column he told him that he had been falling downward for several eons and and told Brahma it was impossible to see the crest.

However, Brahma keen to win the contest at any cost, stooped to the level of requesting the Ketaki flower to give a false witness before lord Vishnu, that he (Brahma) had seen the summit of the fire column, to which Ketaki flower agreed. Accordingly Kekati flower told Vishnu that Brahma had seen the crown of the Pillar of fire. Ketaki flower gave witness in favor of Brahma. Vishnu accepted the superiority of Brahma and admitted to lord Shiva that he could not find the base of the pillar of fire.

Upon Brahma giving false witness, Lord Shiva was in rage with Brahma and decided to punish him for his falsehood. Lord Vishnu requested Lord Shiva to spare the life of Brahma. As Lord Shiva became pleased with Vishnu he accorded him the same status as before. Now lord opened his third eye from which manifested 'Bhairav'. Lord ordered Bhairav to kill Brahma. Bhairav severed the fifth head of Lord Brahma with his sword. Brahma became very terrified upon which Lord Vishnu pleaded Shiva to spare him and Shiva spared the life of Brahma.

Lord Shiva said," As you are a liar and gave false witness, your are not worthy of worship and there shall be no temple on the earth dedicated to you. You will posses only four heads."

Brahma begged for his forgiveness. Lord Shiva became pacified and accorded Brahma the status of being the presiding deity of all the Yagya. As for the Ketaki flower (Thazhampoo), it will not be used for worship at many temples. As the flower asked for his forgiveness, he became worship-able in the Vishnu temple.

Lord Vishnu and Brahma now understood the prowess of Shiva behind his unassuming simple appearance. They then worshiped him. This was the first time Brahma and Vishnu had worshiped lord Shiva. Since then Shivaratri has been continued to be celebrated in all Shivastalams - temples and it is the most auspicious day for the worship of Lord Shiva. Through out night in all Shiva temples, there will be prayers, bhajans and meditations. Ardent devotees will fast on this day. He appears as a column of fire in the month of Agahan and during the constellation on the night of Aridra

Nakshatra. The place where, he manifested in the form of Pillar of fire became famous as LingasthanJyothisthalam. Because of its resemblance with the 'Mountain of Fire', is known as Arunachal. Hence Shiva is often referred to as Arunachaleswar.

Lord Shiva then preached Brahma and Vishnu on importance of five duties or Panchakritya - 'Srishti' (creation), 'Sthiti' (position), Samhar (annihilation), Tirobhav (concealment) and 'Anugrah' (obligation or kindness) are the five duties by which this world functions.

The main source of this world in 'Sarga' or Nature that has pancha boothas - five elements essential for life. 'Sthit' refers to creation of living things, non living things. Samhar or destruction in the form of death, natural calamity, etc. The feeling of absence of this world is Tirobhav or concealment and Anugrah - attaining Moksha or salvation.

Lord Shiva also told them (Brahma and Vishnu) that he (Shiva) had blessed both of them to look after the two duties i.e. Srishti and Sthiti. Rudra and Mahesh have been entrusted with the job of Samhar and Tiribhav. "The fifth duty 'Anugrah' has been kept by him. After explaining the three important duties - Creation, Protection and Destruction, to get the universe going, Lord Shiva expounded the meaning of 'OMKAR' to Lord Vishnu and Brahma - meaning and the power of Shiva-Shakti and its relevance to the world - the oneness of man and woman in the worldly accomplishment as well as salvation. The universe is non-functional without Shakthi and Shivam. Thus OMorOMKAR' mantra preached by Lord Shiva breathes life into this universe.

Ref:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyotirlinga

Jama Masjid.Junagadh. Scroll.in

Dome of Jama Masjid by TravelPod Member Alison_l_ - TripAdvisor

Junagadh the 7th largest in Gujarat, located at the foot of the Girnar hills, is about 355 km south west of state capital Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad and it is a city steeped in history. Junagadh means "Old Fort"and the other meaning based on alternate etymology comes from "Yonagadh", literally "City of the Yona (Greeks)," referring to the ancient inhabitants of the city under the Indo-Greek Kingdom. After a brief struggle between India and Pakistan, Junagadh joined India on 9 November 1947 over its annexation. Earlier it was also known as "Sorath", the name of the earlier Princely State of Junagadh . In 1960, it became part of newly formed Gujarat state.

www.columbia.edu. The Jama Masjid, Junagarh, Gujara

Architecturally rich Jami Masjid is an amazing mausoleum well-known for its 140 pillars that support the ceiling of this mausoleum. The pillars were brought from Chudasana Palace. Built in the 19th century for the Muslim rulers, these decorated Maqbaras are on the Mahatma Gandhi Road. Of all the tombs, the most magnificent silver minarets, doors and staircases in winding patterns belong to Mahabat Khan and was constructed in 1892. The attractions inside are the Durbar Hall Museum, thrones, palanquins, crystal chandeliers, silver chains and howdahs for the elephants.

The magnificent Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque), built in Indo-Saracenic style in1423 during the reign of Ahmedabad’s founder Ahmed Shah I is just west of Manek Chowk a chaotic urban part of the city. Inside the masjid it is quiet and serene and one could see people doing Namaz silently.

The mosque and arcades are made of beautiful yellow sandstone and the interesting intricate caving on it throws light of the quality of artistic work done by the highly talented artisans of those days. The white marble floored wide open courtyard, is surrounded by a columned arcade displaying painted giant striking Arabic calligraphy. Yet another feature is the water tank in the center as one will find in the Hindu temple, and it was meant for for ritual ablutions in the center. The impressive structures that attract the visitors are the two principal minarets flanking the main arched entrance way collapsed in the 1819 earthquake, their lower portions still stand. The main prayer hall has There are over 260 columns supporting the roof, with its 15 domes, in the main prayer hall which is characteristic of a maze of light and shadows. A notable feature is some of the central domes are carved like lotus flowers, as one will find in the typical domes of Jain temples; and some of the pillars are carved with the form of a bell hanging on a chain, resembling the ones that often hang in Hindu temples. The carving of an 'Om', an important symbol on one of the inner most widows is unusual in a masjid. It is likely the place was once a Hindu shrine and the masjid was built on it.

http://www.gujarattourism.com/destination/details/10/245

Shiva Temple, Bhimashankar,OkTataByebye

Shiva Temple, Bhimashankar, TripAdvisor

Bhimashankar Temple is one of the 12 important Jyotirlinga shrines located across India. Lying 50 km northwest of Khed, near Pune, in India and 127 km from Shivaji Nagar (Pune) in the Ghat region of the Sahyadri hills. Bhimashankar is also the source of the river Bhima, which flows southeast and merges with the Krishna river near Raichur. Ever since this place was declared as a wild life sanctuary, lots of people have visited this place that has good flora and fauna and the temple here. The other Jyotirlinga shrines in Maharashtra are Vaidyanath near Parli, Beed district, Trimbakeshwara near Nashik, Grishneshwar near Aurangabad and Aundha Nagnath Temple in Hingoli, Nagnaath in Aundh built by Pandavas. Bhimashankar is the sixth Jyotirling in the series of Dwadasha Jyotirlingas.
Jyothilina or Jyothilingam is a divine object of Supreme God Shiva. Jyoti means 'radiance' or fire and lingam means the 'image or Sign' of Shiva with no end and beginning; Hence, Jyotir Lingam denotes the The Radiant Sign of The Almighty Siva. According to the Hindu Mythology, Lord Shiva appeared as a huge fiery column at certain places places for specific purpose either to remove ignorance or arrogance or to annihilate the evil forces and these are called Jyothilinga sthalams or shrines. Lots of Hindus go on a pilgrimage to such places to get the Lord's blessings and to get their personal problems solved.

Long long ago in the dense forests of Dakini, on the lofty ranges of the Sahyadris, there lived an evil minded tyrannical demon - Asura named Bhima with his mother Karkati. Compassion and kindness were anathema to him. One day from his mother he came to know that he was the son of Kumbhakarna, the younger brother of the mighty Lanka king Ravana of Lanka. Lord Vishnu in his incarnation (avatar) as Lord Rama killed Kumbhakarna. Bhima, in rage, decided to avenge Vishnu and engaged in intense penance to please Lord Brahma. Pleased as he was, Brahma granted him immense mystic powers which was a grave mistake unwittingly committed by him. With more power, the arrogant demon terrorized the sages, saints and others. His atrocities went beyond the level of tolerance as he had already defeated King Indra, conquered the heavens and also also defeated a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva - Kamarupeshwar. The angered gods asked Brahma to stop the demon. Realizing his folly, Brahma requested Lord Vishnu to annihilate the demon at any cost. One day Bhima forced Kamarupeshwar to worship him when he was worshiping the Shivalinga. He refused to so. When evil tyrant raised his sword to kill Kamarupeshwar, Lord Shiva appeared in his divine, resplendent form and reduced him to ashes. Thus, the saga of tyranny, horror and lawlessness came to an end.

Upon the request of sages and rishies, to take care of the welfare of this region Lord Shiva made this place his abode in a serene place and took the form of the Bhimashankar Jyotirlingam. The Bhimarathi River is believed to have been formed from the sweat of lord Shiva during his fight with Bhima.

Shiva Temple, Bhimashankar. Vanamali Ashram

There is another legend with respect to Self-emanating Mahadeva (Bheema Sankara), whose abode is the Sahayadri mountains. Once upon a time wood-cutter by the name of Bhatirao Lakadhara, as usual, went to the forest and one day when he was cutting the wood blood had begun to ooze out . Tongue-tied and scared, he brought the local people to the spot. Someone brought a milk cow and made it stand there and the cow's milk stopped the bleeding of the earth. Suspecting divinity there, they found a glowing JyotirLinga of Shankara. There upon the natives had a temple built there - in the middle of the mountains and installed the JyotirLinga This temple, later came to be known as Bhima Shankara temple. Here lord Shiva is guarding the entire region from this quiet place. The silence is frequently broken by the whiz of cool breeze and the occasional

www.google.co.in/

chirping of birds perching on the trees near by.

Shiva Temple, Bhimashankar, TripAdvisor

Built in the in the Nagara style of architecture, the Bhimashankara temple has old as well as new structures. The Bhimashankara temple built in the 13th century is modest in size, but quite graceful. There are references to this temple in the literary works of 13th century. One Nana Phadnavis built the Sabhamatap and also the Shikara in the 18th century.

Portuguese bell. Shiva Temple, Bhimashankar, Himadventures

Another view of Portuguese bell, Shiva Temple, Bhimashankar, bhimashankar.in

Saint Jnaneshwar is believed to have visited Tryambakeshwar and Bhimashankar. The great Maratha ruler and warrior Shivaji is said to have made endowments to this temple to meet the costs of daily (Nithya) puja protocols. An interesting feature here is the presence of a big metal bell with engravings of the idol of Mother Mary with Jesus Christ . This odd bell donated by Chimaji Appa (Brother of Bajirao Peshwa I and uncle of Nanasaheb Peshwa). It is one among the five bells Chimaji Appa acquired on 16 May 1739, after capturing the Vasai Fort from the Portuguese. He offered the other bells to the Shiva temples at Menavali near Wai in front of a Shiva Temple on the banks of the Krishna river, Banshanker temple (Pune), Omkareshwar Temple (Pune) and Ramlinga temple (Shirur).

Mahashivaratri is a major festival here and is celebrated with intense devotion and bhajans.

Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhimashankar_Temple

http://bhimashankar.in/

http://www.go2india.in/maharashtra/bheemshankar.php

iz Quotes

Mt Everest Base Camp Trek. Chania. . Everest Base Camp Travel

Among Nature's innumerable awe-inspiring creations, the mountains and the tall peaks have fascinated the humans for centuries. Hence the American native Indians, Asian Indians, Sherpas and others even today associate them with divinity and revere them. The Hindus consider the peak Mt. Kailash (according to the Hindu mythology) the abode of God Shiva. Ancient Greeks revered Mt. Olympus. There is no dearth of stories of superstitions about mountains in many cultures. Mt. Everest, the tallest peak in the world and part of the Himalayan mountain chain is a natural wonder, considering its sheer size and height, piercing into the sky. Geologically speaking, the Himalayan mountains are young and were formed in the last orogeny - mountain building activities and are still slowly growing.

1871climbing expedition-Walker family,Melchior Anderegg&Adolphus Warburton Moore. en.wikipedia.org

In 1492, Antoine de Ville, of France made the first ascent on the Mont Aiguille, in France, with a small team, using ladders and ropes. It is believed to be the first recorded climb of any technical difficulty, and it marks the beginning of mountaineering.

Sherpa village. Mountain Tiger Nepal

In 1573 Francesco De Marchi and Francesco Di Domenico scaled Corno Grande, the highest peak in the Apennine Mountains. In 1760, Mont Blanc in France was climbed. Mont Blanc in France, was climbed in 1786. In 1854, one Sir Alfred Wills made mountaineering popular in Britain and in 1857, Alpine Club was formed and by the early 19th century many of the alpine peaks were scaled. The first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 led by the English illustrator, Edward Whympermet ended with tragedy as four members of the team fell to their deaths.

In the 1800s mountaineering in North America, became popular. Pikes Peak (14,410 ft (4,390 m)) in the Colorado Rockies, was first climbed by Edwin James and two others in 1820. Heavily glaciated Fremont Peak (13,745 ft (4,189 m)) in Wyoming was summitted by John C. Frémont and two others in 1842. Later several peaks in the Americas were climbed by the mountaineers, despite inadequate gear.

It was during the colonial period in the Indian sub continent, serious steps were taken to measure the exact height of Mt. Everest under Surveyor General George Everest. Final Geodetic surveys established that Mt. Everest was the tallest peak in the world.

The term mountaineering is a form of sports involving climbing to reach the highest point,hiking and also skiing. Commonly it involves rock climbing, as well as crossing glaciers. Mountaineering has three special areas - rock-craft, snow-craft, and skiing, depending on whether the route chosen is over rock, snow or ice. It is a risky sport that needs experience, athletic ability, mental agility and technical knowledge to maintain safety under adverse weather conditions.

In British India several trained European mountaineers made futile attempt to scale Mt. Everest because of several hazards and lack of safe mountain gear. No body could forget George Mallory and his partner Andrew Irvin who disappeared near the summit in 1924. After the first ascent on the peak by Eumund Hillary and Sherpa Tensing Norgay in 1953, innumerable expeditions have been made by teams from many countries. Women also made their foray decades ago and several world records have been made by the enterprising mountaineers. thanks to the use of modern mountaineering gear.

The expeditions to Mt. Everest were made possible for the foreign mountaineers by the Sherpas - an ethnic group native to Nepal. They also live in Bhutan and Tibet. They have amazing mountaineering skills because of their centuries-long association with tall mountains. World over, none of the ethic groups have this kind of skill and dexterity as the Sherpas have. Hence, Sherpas not only act a guides but also as porters to transport prospective climbers gear up hill. Surprisingly, they have tremendous endurance and stamina to leap around at higher altitudes near the snow line with minimum available oxygen. Invariably, they are the ones who lead the party of mountaineers to set the route for them, taking all kinds of risks. They excel in the art of mountain climbing and no body is a match for them. Their expertise for foreign climbers is quite indispensable as they naturally have better physical endurance and stamina than others to tolerate oxygen poor environs at higher elevation.

Sherpas of Mt. Everest. The Planet D

What is the reason behind their natural tolerance and ability? what are biological secrets that make Sherpas the best mountaineers? Obviously, there are some biological reasons behind natural climbing ability.

Mount Everest is the ultimate testing ground for adventurers to stretch their limits of human endurance in an oxygen - starved atmosphere. Being the tallest peak in the world at 8,847 meters above sea level, low oxygen at that altitude is major hurdle for the mountaineers. But, it is not for the Sherpas who, on the high mountains, tolerate such low levels of oxygen with ease, a trait that keeps them apart from others.

Xtreme research team conducting experiments at the base camp, Mt. Everest. edition.cnn.com

It was in 2013, the 'Xtreme Everest' research team led by Denny Levett, a consultant at Southampton hospital and a founding member of the team conducted medical experiments on Sherpas and other volunteers at high altitudes to figure out the reasons behind Sherpas' ability to thrive at such heights. The aim was to know more about hypoxia -- a situation when not adequate oxygen reaches the body's organs -- a condition that affects many intensive care patients.

Sherpas the true heros of Mt. Everest. The Cosmosphere

The study was conducted in the research lab set up at the base camp of Mt. Everest and was based on the various tests carried out, using 180 volunteers that included 116 healthy volunteers living in low land locations and 64 Sherpas, during and after a climb to Everest base camp. The volunteers were subject to further tests at 3400 level and above 5000 meter levels above MSL.

The following are the conclusions made by the researchers:

01. The secret behind this ability lies in their cells; The Sherpas have unique mitochondria - human cells that respire to give energy; this means they use oxygen very efficiently. So, their inherent ability lies in their cells and their mitochondria were much more efficient at using oxygen at higher levels.

02. Regarding genetic reasons behind the Sherpas' adaptations to high altitudes, we have to take inference from Darwin's theory of natural selection and adaptation. For centuries, they have adapted to living on the high mountains, so breathing comes easily for them in the thin air.

03. With Oxygen levels at its summit just one third of those found at sea level, according to Levett, fewer than 6% of humans are capable of making the climb without supplementary oxygen.

04. Altitude sickness will set in at higher levels. When non-Sherpa climbers reach 3500 meters, following morning, they may feel sick or have fever or hang over. Sherpas do not experience this because of adaptation and better survival at high altitude.

05. The Sherpas' mitochondria function more effectively at different higher elevations. They get more energy for less oxygen in-take, unlike us. Among non-Sherpas, this adjustment was not noticeable.

06. Yet another important factor is micro-circulation - blood circulation that occurs in the smallest blood vessels and determines how well oxygen reaches muscles, tissues and organs. Sherpas have normal micro blood circulation, whereas others do not have good circulation within the small veins.

07.When blood flows easily through small veins more oxygen gets to the tissues and it maintains the energy efficiency of mountain climbers. Chris Imray, professor of Vascular and Renal transplant surgery at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire gives importance to the value of blood flow through small veins.

08. At higher elevation increase in blood flow in the brain caused by low oxygen level may lead to swelling as blood fails to drain out as fast as it goes in.

09. Sherpas' amazing physiology and its adjustments on higher mountains is a subject of great medical interest and will be of use to mankind in the near future..

Tit-Bits - Some records made by the Nepalese:

a. Apa Sherpa holds the world record for most successful climbs on Mount Everest with 21 ascents. Sherpa, Phurba Tashi, is the other joint record holder.

b. Lhakpa Sherpa: seven times. Most ascents by a Napalese woman

c. Ang Rita: Ten times. Most summits without supplemental oxygen - May 23, 1996

d. Pemba Dorje: 8 hours and 10 minutes - Fastest ascent from Everest South Base Camp without supplemental oxygen. May 21, 2004.

e. Kazi Sherpa: 20 hours and 24 minutes - Fastest ascent from Everest South Base Camp without supplemental oxygen.

f. Babu Chiri Sherpa: 21 hours - Longest stay on the summit. May 6, 1999.

g. Min Bahadur Sherchan: 76 years 340 days - oldest man from Nepal. He climbed Everest in 2008.

Surely, when it comes to hop around the tall, rugged mountains, none can compete with the Sherpas of Nepal and, indeed, they are extraordinary humans.

For further reading:

The biological secrets that make Sherpas superhuman mountaineersBy Meera Senthilingam, for CNN;Updated 1139 GMT (1939 HKT) October 7, 2016 or

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/11/health/sherpas-superhuman-mountaineers

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/03/sci_nat_everest_anniversary/html/3.stm

Nageswar Jyotilinga, Dwaraka. TripAdvisor

Nageswar Jyotilinga, believed to be the first one on the earth is in Dwaraka, Gujarat. It is one of the prominent 12 jyotirlings that are located across India. Here, the all-pervading Almighty Shiva appears in the form a huge column of fire, stretching up into the sky and and down into the abyss - patal, thus proving his supremacy in spite of his being simple in form. The radiance from him, it is believed, destroys all bad elements and instills positive energy, driving away the negative elements, ignorance and darkness in us.

Given below are engaging legends about Nageswar Jyotirlinga:

According to Shivapurana, demon named Daruka, terrorized sages and Shiva devotees in a place called Darukavana, an ancient forest in India under the sea inhabited by sea snakes and demons. Indian epics Kamyakavana, Dvaitavana, Dandakavana made mention of Darukavana. They caused untold miseries and the Shiva devotees led by one Supriya prayed to Lord Shiva intensely. Upon their continuous prayer, Lord Shiva appeared and vanquished the demon Daruka and later resided there in the form of a Jyotirlinga. The Demon's wife Daruki,who was angry over Daruk's death, obtained immense power from Parvati, consort of Shiva, moved the entire forest - Dharakavana under the sea and continued to harass the sages and Shiva devotees. Literally, she held them hostage. Supriya, together with other devotees, prayed to Shiva by chanting the mantra Om Namaha Shivay in praise of Shiva. Though he had no food, never had Supriya failed to do Puja to Shiva while in prison and this irritated demons who wanted to put Supriya to death. Supriya and others prayed to Lord Shankara to save their lives from the demons.

Nageshwar Jyotirling, Dwaraka, Gujarat. Temple Advisor

The Lord appeared before him at once and destroyed the entire group of demons including their families. Because of Parvati's boon to Daruki, she saved some Demons. Then Shiva and Parvati stayed there and Shiva once again assumed the form of JyotirLinga, and the lingam worshiped by Supriya was called Nageswar, while Parvati was known as Nageshwari.

As for the location of Darukavana, no acceptable explanation is available. It could be in the western Himalayas, however, Sri Shankarachariya of Kaladi praised this Jyotilinga as Naganath and inferred that the location could be south west of the Vindhya Mountains extending to the sea in the west( vide Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra ..6 ). It could mean the town of Sadanga whose ancient name was Aundh in Maharashtra, south of the Jageswara shrine in Uttarakhand and west of Dwaraka Nageshvara.

The other legend has it that once the Pancha Pandavas (of Mahabharata) in the course of their exile (Vanavasa - spending life in the forest) settled here on the bank of the river and built their home. Whenever their cows went to the near-by river for drinking water, they had let their milk flow into the river as if it was an offering to the god. One day, one of the Pandava brothers, Bhima, upon seeing the miracle, immediately told his brother Dharmaraja about it. The brothers suspected the association of divinity with the river at that particular place. Then the Pandavas explored the river bed and found it to be hot and the water was boiling.
Bheema with his mace struck the the river thrice and the water gave way instantly. Instantly, blood had begun to ooze like a spring and Lord Shankara’s Linga was visible as the Jyotirlinga.

The Nageswar temple architecture is impressive with strong boundary walls around it. This temple is believed to have been built with stones during the Pandava period. As in other temples, the idol of Nagesha Lingamurthy is in the Garbhagraha -Sanctum.

Unlike numerous Shiva temple, there is no Nandi (bull) idol in front of Mahadeva and there is a separate Nandikeshwara shrine on the temple premises. On all the four sides of the main temple, there are small shrines for the twelve JyotirLingas. Also present are small shrines dedicated to Vedavyasa Linga, Bhandareshwar, Nilakanteshwar, Ganapati, Dattatreya, Muralimanohar, Dasavatar temple and idols etc., In all, there are 108 Shiva lingas and 68 shrines located here.

Nageshwar Jyotirling, Dwaraka, Gujarat. en.wikipedia.

There is an interesting story about the direction of Nageshwar Mahadev Sivalingam that faces South while the Gomugam is facing east. An avid devotee by name Naamdev, while busy in praise of Shiva and doing bhajans was asked by the devotees to move to other place as he was blocking the view. He asked them to show the direction. The impatient crowd removed him to the south side. Naamdev was sad that he could not continue the bhajan in front of the god. At that time a miracle had happened. The Lingam slowly turned toward south side and the Gomugam was facing east. Every 12 years, at the time of Kapila Shashti, kashi Ganga offering as “Padarpan” is performed.

During the first hour in the early morning, the temple priests perform Pooja and Rudrabhishekam. Contrary to the tradition being followed at numerous Shiva temples, here the devotees are allowed to perform Abhishekam (anointing) on the Jyotirlinga in the Grabagraha-Sanctum .

The main religious festivals of this shrine are Magh month festival in January-February, Ganesh Chaturthi (Vinayaka Chaturthi) in August-September, Makar Sankranti, etc. Special pujas are performed in the temple for Lord and Goddess Ambika on Deepavali. Pradosha days – 13th day of New Moon or Full Moon days, procession of Lord in Kailash Vahana, 29 day Brammotsavam in May-June, Skanda Sashti in October-November, Maha Shivarathri in February - March and 10 day Ashada Purnima (Aadi Pooram) in July-August are other temple festivals that are attended by lots of devotees.
Ref:
http://shaivam.org/temples-special/12-jyotirlingas-6-sri-naganath-temple-in-darukavanam-aund

Rangnatha perumal, Pallikonda, Vellore dt. nrameshrao - WordPress.com

In Tamil Nadu there are countless Hindu temples of great antiquity dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and other deities. Most of them were built by the rulers of different dynasties centuries ago. The Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu at Pallikonda is an interesting one.

Uttira Raganathar temple at Palligonda (9 km SE of Gudiatham, 23 km west of vellore ) is located on the south bank of river Pallar. This temple, just like Ranganathat temple at Srirangm is popular and the presiding deity Ranganatha Perumal is said to have guarded and protected Lord Brahma while he was performing Yaga here.

Legend has it, a king by the name of Amba Raja , ruler of Thiruvedhi Mangalam (today’s Pallikonda), having lost interest in materialistic life realized that real pleasure was praying to god and getting his darshan. In order to make his life worthwhile, he meditated on god - Vishnu for a pretty long period. As the god did not answer his meditation, he was about to end his life. At that time he heard an Asariri's voice (voice from above) that advised him to be patient. and continue his prayers so that he would soon get the darshan of God.

During the same time when Brahma was approached by Lakshmi (for wealth) and Saraswati (for wisdom) and Durga (courage) to give his unbiased opinion about their supremacy. Brahma, being undiplomatic, gave the verdict in favor of Lakshmi. Being Brahma's consort, Saraswathi was full of fury and walked away from him despite Brahma's request. Brahma who was in the middle of conducting the Yaga, could not complete it without his consort. Being in a dilemma he approached, Lord Vishnu who told him that he would bring Saraswathi back.

Rangnatha perumal made of saligrma stone. Pallikonda, nrameshrao - WordPress.com

When Saraswathi took the form of a river named Vegavathi and started flowing through Vishu stopped her for the first time with a reclining pose (Ranganatha) at Thiruvedhi Mangalam (Pallikonda). When Saraswathi bypassed him adjacent to his feet and moved ahead Lord Vishnu again stopped her for the second time with his reclining posture at Thiruppaarkadal - near Kaverippaakkam on the Bangalore highway. This time Saraswathi cleverly bypassed him again above his head and moved farther.

Upon encountering yet another obstruction for the third time by Lord Vishnu (reclining) to stop her at Thiruvekka, which is in Kanchipuram, Saraswathi became calmed down because Raganathar is supreme and went into the earth at this third place. There’s another Lord Ranganathar temple here. In all the three places, Lord Vishnu is seen in the reclining posture (Aaanthasayanam). In the mean time Amba Raja was much pleased as he, at last, got the Lord's Dharshan when he returned to Pallikonda.

Upon king's request lord Ranganather stayed in this place where he blissfully created an harmonious relationship between Brahma and Sarawathi. The Itheegam (tradition) here is unmarried people and the separated couples are blessed by the God and their wishes are fulfilled. It is said that numerous unmarried men or women who visit this temple and pray to Lord Ranganathar get married soon and lead a happy life. Also the separated couples, upon their worship at this temple, get reunited and lead a pleasant life.
Here Vishnu's consort is Ranganayaki.

Rangnatha perumal (Ananthasayanam posture) Pallikonda. nrameshrao-WordPress.com

Several inscriptions point out the great antiquity of this temple. Inscriptions of NandiVarman II( (848 ) ParanthaganI (920), Rajarajan I (9850, Rajendran I (1012), etc are worth mentioning.
The temple has 5 tier tower - gopuram, swing mantap(Oonjal mantap), Artha mantap, Mahamantap. there are shrines dedicated to Sri Ramajujar, Rama, krishna, Andal, Veera Anjaney, etc. There are 12 idols of Azhavars in the Mahamantapam. In the Grabagraha Lord Vishu is in reclining position on the coild bed of Adisesha, placing his head on the south and his sripatha (feet) on the north. His blissful appearance is inspiring and overwhelming.

Several temple festivals are celebrated here as at other temples
The major ones are: Chithirai Brahmmotsavam in April-May, Vaikasi Visakam Garuda Sevai in May-June, Aadi Fridays Tiruvadipooram in July-August, Sri Krishna Jayanthi, Purattasi Navarathri in September-October, Tirukarthikai in November-December, Vaikunda Ekadasi in December-January, Masi float festival in February-March and Panguni Uthiram in March-April.A large number of people actively participate in these festivals.

Ref:
http://www.templeadvisor.com/temples-in-india/hindu-temples/sri-uthara-ranganathar-temple

Indianetzone

Rani Rasmoni's home, venue of Durga puja, Kolkata. Indiablooms

Though Indian women in the 18th and 19th centuries led cloistered lives, and got stuck to home and hearth because of societal restrictions, etc., some women rose to the occasion and proved their courage of conviction and hidden ability to fight out the injustice done to them either by the people around them or the ruling class. They never gave up their struggle until they had accomplished their mission. Rani Rashmoni( 1793-1861) of Kolkata was one such a woman whose fighting qualities put her in good stride when facing adverse situations in her eventful life.

Born on 28 September 1793 into a Zamindar family in Kona village, in present-day North 24 Parganas, she was brought up with love and care by her family Her father was Zamindar Harekrishna Das of Mahishya family. When she was just eleven years old, as it was a custom in those days among the Hindus, her father gave her in marriage to one Babu Rajachandra Das of Janbazar, Kolkata, another wealthy Zamindar family. When she was into the prime of life, misfortune had struck the family and unexpectedly her husband died at an young age. In a short time, her happy and care-free life became strenuous, mournful and gloomy.

Firmly determined to take charge of her family welfare and business, she learned the various aspects of Zamindai system, her family's holdings and business. In no less time, she proved herself to be a natural and committed leader. Her upbringing was such that Rashmoni had been pious and god-fearing since her childhood and never failed to distinguish herself by her piety and austerity of her life. She became a popular figure in Kolkata known for her courage, piety and charity. Since she had an astonishing aura about her, people used to call her Rani.

She also made her foray into the social life of Bengalies and played an active role in fighting out social issues that affected the poor people. During the colonial time the British imposed tax on fishing in the Hoogley river at the mouth of the Ganges river and innumerable impoverished fishermen were very much affected by the tax. She devised a way to teach a lesson to the British. Her successful blocking of the shipping trade in the Ganges with support from the public after getting fishing rights from the British forced them to abolish the tax imposed on fishing in the river. Thus Rani Rashmoni removed the bottleneck that threatened the livelihood of poor fishermen. As part of Durga puja, etc., in those days it was common to conduct puja processions on the street. The British stopped the religious procession on the ground of disturbing the peace. In the face of arrest, imprisonment, etc, she boldly defied the orders and finally made the British withdraw the penalty imposed on her in the face of public opposition and rioting in her support.

Rani Rashmoni,W.Bengal. iStampGallery.Com

Rani Rashmoni was also a woman of charitable disposition and to her credit she was involved in several charitable works such as laying of a road from Subarnarekha river to Puri for pilgrims, construction of ghats such as Babughat (in memory of her husband), Ahiritola Ghat and Nimtala Ghat for the daily bathers in the Ganges, liberal donation the then Imperial Library (now the National Library of India) and Hindu College (now Presidency College), etc.

Rani Rashmoni temple, Kol;kata. Wikimapia

Rani Rashmoni was instrumental in converting part of the marshy lands (Sunderbans) in 24 Parganas district, comprising places like Santoshpur, etc into fisheries so that fishermen could make a comfortable living. Surrounding water bodies were later turned into large rich bheris. Earlier the entire area was under the occupation of thugs and later these people were reformed and converted into fishermen. Thus, these directionless people gave up their traditional plundering and looting profession and began to make money honestly. Indeed, it was a monumental social work done by a daring, humane woman during the colonial period. She considered every obstacle a stepping stone and move forward and there was no turning back on the past life.

Driven by a divine revelation, Rani Rashmoni in 1855 founded the famous temple Dakshineswar Kali Temple complex on the banks of the Ganges at Dakshineswar in the North 24 Parganas. It was here Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa (then known as Gadadhar) was appointed as its head priest under her patronage. She remained closely associated with Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and the Ramakrishna Mission. She was pious through out her life and her house at Janbazar was well-known for the yearly Durga puja during the Navaratri festival.

On the premises of Dakshineswar Kali Temple, there is a shrine dedicated to Rani Rashmoni. She died on 19 February 1861 and the Department of Post of Government of India issued a postage stamp on the occasion of the bicentennial of Rani Rashmoni in 1993. There are many memorials in Kolkata in her honor. She has made a permanent mark in the history of social life of Bengal. Lokamata Rani Rashmoni Mission is today at Nimpith, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal. A remarkable wealthy women who dedicated her life to the cause of other people in the lower strata of the society in Bengal in those days. She never aspired for materialistic life and became its slave. Instead, she found solace in being charitable and religious till the end of her life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rani_Rashmoni

Today at quiz contests, the kids easily answer what the height of Mt. Everest is before blinking our eyes. None of us know how much hard work, sacrifices and mounds of mathematical calculations were made by the people during the great survey undertaken in 1800s by the British under William Lampton, George Everest and Andrew Waugh.

Radhanath Sikdar discovered the height of Everest. Veethi

During the colonial period under the East India company' rule it was an eminent Indian mathematician Radhanath Sikdar (1813-1870), of The Great Trigonometric Survey of India (GTS), who had discovered in 1852 the highest summit, (then called Peak XV), in the world. Several years later, it was confirmed by the Surveyor-General of India, George Everest. The highest peak was later known as Mt. Everest. Like George Everest himself, Sikdar never saw the snow-clad Mt. Everest.

Mt. Everest .Daily Express

The border area of Nepal-Tibet was a god-forsaken one, a forbidden region and it was a difficult terrain for the survey crew to work with while mapping the Himalayan region and the peaks. Many higher peaks and the terrain below them were glaciated and subjected to glacial erosion. This resulted in unstable slopes and pointed peaks, making the climb a tough one. Surveyors in 1849 could cover lesser summits, taking measurements of Peak XV from six different locations with theodolite instrument. They covered a distance of 100 miles south of the peak. More daunting task was the light reflected off snow at distances, making it tough to get the same measurements twice. A difference of 1000 to 1300 feet in the data caused by refraction had to be mathematically corrected by the mathematical team based in Calcutta.

Survey of India emblem. en.wikiprdia.org

Surveyor Lampton FRS (c. 1753 – 20 or 26th January 1823), soldier and geographer toiled 17 years of his life in his project (called Triangulation Survey),

William Lampton.Frontline

involving physical measurements. He died in 1823 of TB at the age of 70 while camping with his team on the high mountain.
George Everest, Lampton's successor changed the techniques and the apparatus and took another 20 years, conducting surveys. Only in 1843 the survey team could reach the Himalayas under Andrew Waugh, George's successor.

Great Theodolite by Jesse Ramsdenuded by lambton en.wikipedia.org

The survey took into account the elliptical shape of the earth that varies from place to place. Yet another factor is density of the rocks which led to the theory of Isostasy - the state of gravitational equilibrium between Earth's crust and mantle such that the crust (made of rocks) "floats" at an elevation that depends on its thickness and density.

Everest (4 July 1790 -1 December 1866), a Welsh surveyor and geographer who became assistant to Colonel Lampton in 1816 embarked on the mammoth task of the Trigonometric Survey of the Indian subcontinent, involving various mathematical methods and it took 20 to 25 years for him to complete the survey. The survey had its early beginning in Madras (now Chennai) in 1802 under William Lampton, an army officer. The survey involved several thousand Indians and was named the Great Trigonometrical Survey (GTS) in 1819. He retired from the survey in 1843.

The detailed survey over a stretch of more than 1,600 miles, covered vast mountainous wooded areas and rugged terrains. The employees mainly Indians in thousands, had to work under various unfriendly weather conditions, far away from the human settlements. Countless people lost their lives owing to wild animal attacks, mosquito bites and poisonous snake bites.

Andrew Scott Waugh (GTS of India) Wikipedia

George Everest,The Great Trignometric Survey of India WikipediaPinterest

Radhanath Sikdar in 1852 met his superior Andrew Waugh in the survey office in the hill station of Dehradun and excitedly told him that he had finally calculated the highest peak in the Himalayas. He arrived at the figure after years of hard work with mind-boggling mathematical calculations. Sikdar, aged 39 was mainly instrumental in arriving at the correct figure after going through countless data gathered during the tiresome survey of the topography. Though Sikdar came up with his important discovery, he remained an unsung hero.

The Great Arc: India was Mapped and Everest was Named: John Keay. Amazon.com

Sikdar had a sound knowledge of mathematics and his skills were fully utilized by the survey. George Everest himself acknowledged that Sikdar was a "mathematician of rare genius," according to the British historian John Keay, author of two books on the subject, told BBC News Online. He further mentioned that
"His greatest contribution to the computation was in working out and applying the allowance to be made for a phenomenon called refraction - the bending of straight lines by the density of the Earth's atmosphere." George Everest further commented on Sikdar: “There are few in India, whether European or native, that can at all compete with him. Even in Europe these mathematical attainments would rank very high .... there are a few of my instruments that he cannot manage; and none of my computations of which he is not thoroughly master. He can not only apply formulae but investigate them."

Sikdar's great contribution was not known to countless Indians and is now part of the Great Arc Exhibition in London's vibrant Brick Lane. The Indian Government-sponsored exhibition celebrates 200 years of the mapping of the Indian subcontinent.

Though the discovery was made as early as 1852, the public announcement got delayed till 1856 because of recheck and final confirmation. Andrew Waugh made a formal announcement four years later, renaming the peak after his mentor and predecessor George Everest despite his protests. As part of the work, the density of the earth, its angle of curvature and heights of innumerable peaks all along the curve had to to be minutely calculated. Extrapolation and calibration of various survey data needed high degree of mathematical skill and Sikdar's work was a stupendous one.

Sikdar, who was 39 when he made his discovery, was one of the survey's unsung heroes.The GST was greatly indebted to him for hid monumental work in solving the jigsaw puzzle with respect to the height of Everest. The son of a Bengali Brahmin, he was born in October 1813 in Jorasanko, Calcutta's old city. He majored in mathematics at the famous Hindoo college, Kolkata and also gained basic knowledge in English. At the Hondoo College Newtonian mathematics and physics were taught by Tytler and Ross and Sikdar was the first Indians to master Newtonian mathematics and physics. He Joined Great Trigonometrical Survey in 1832. He remained a bachelor through out his life and his passion was maths and was good at solving, tricky, knotty odd mathematical calculations. He became the right-hand man of George Everest at Dehra Dun in measuring the Great Arc and wrote the scientific and technical chapters of the Survey Manual. Having spent 20 years in the North, Sikdar was transferred to Calcutta in 1851 as the Chief Computer. Here his additional duties included serving as the Superintendent of the Meteorological department. His few innovations in meteorology became standard procedures for many decades to come. The most significant finding wasa practical formula for conversion of barometric readings taken at different temperatures to 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Skidar became a recluse in the later years and died on 17 May 1870 at his own villa in Chandan Nagar, then a French colony. Earlier after retirement in 1862, he taught maths at General Assemblies Institution and was awarded corresponding Membership of Bavaria Natural History Society under German Philosophical Society in 1864, a rare honor bestowed on a foreigner. Along with one Peary Chand Mitra, Sikdar edited a women's magazine called Masik Patrika (the monthly magazine) of the Calcutta Art and Craft Society in 1854. He believed in woman's empowerment and spoke against polygamy, child marriage and racial discrimination. He wholeheartedly encouraged widow's remarriage.

Mauna kea and Mt. Everest. Business Insider

Tit-Bits:
01. Geologically speaking, Mount Everest, a part of the Himalayan range, is slowly growing inches by inches because of plate tectonic movements between the Indian and Eurasian plates. Slow collusion of these plates pushes the crust all along the Himalayan mountain chain. o, areas near the boundary are pone to tremors due to adjustments made by the moving blocks of rocks.


Indian plate colliding with the Eurasian plate and make mountains like the Himalaya.www.public.asu.edu

02. The height of Mt. Everest has risen higher since Sikdar's findings. In 1955, the mountain "grew" by 26 ft to 29,028 ft (8 m to 8,848 m). It grew another 7 ft (2 m) in 1999. Today, the world's highest mountain stands 29,035 ft (8,850 m) high above the MSL(mean sea level).

03. The GST under George Everest was earlier known as the Triangulation Survey started by William Lampton at Madras (Tamil Nadu) to survey the Geomorphology of the southern regions first.

04. He assisted in the publication of many technical surveys. When the third survey manual came out in 1875 there was no acknowledgement of Sikdar's major contribution and it was condemned by many British higher ups whose unanimous opinion was Sikdar was a great mathematician of exceptional ability and deserved better recognition and the survey owed him a lot.

Ref:
https://www.quora.com/How-did-the-Indian-mathematician-Radhanath-Sikdar-calculate-

https://www.facebook.com/public/William-Lampton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radhanath_Sikdar

By Soutik Biswas, BBC News Online - Monday, 20 October, 2003, 02:09 GMT 03:09 UK
http://www.slideshare.net/ruchirgpt1987/radhanath-sikdar

http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Shikder,_Radhanath

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirling Main Temple. Wikimapia

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain, a prominent Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is one among the twelve Jyotirlinga sthalas - abodes where Lord appeared as a pillar of Jyoti - fire to prove his supremacy over Lords Brahma and Vishnu and subdue their ego. The 12 Jyotirlinga temples are considered to be the holy abode of Lord Shiva. It is located on one side of the Rudra sagar lake in the ancient city of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. The presiding deity, Lord Shiva in the form of lingam and is believed to be Swayambhu (self-manifested), that was consecrated with chanting of certain mantra as per temple Agama Sastras.

The temple of Mahakaleshwar of great antiquity with massive front part and imposing tower dominates the skyline of Ujjain city. The sight is awe-inspiring and is part of the city life and its people Here the lord reigns eternally guarding the city and its people . The temple has five levels, one being below the ground and is surrounded by massive walls with a wide open court yard. This historical temple is located on the banks of the river Kshipra. As part of the puja protocol, after abiskekam, Chitabhasm (ash) is

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirling. Ujjain The Divine India

applied on the deity and idol of Mahakaleshwar is in the grabagraha -sanctum also known as Dakshinamurti (facing the south) with Nandi (bull) on the south side. The idol of Omkareshwar Mahadev is consecrated in the sanctum above the Mahakal shrine. Here Mahadev is referred to as Swapaneshwar and his consort Shakti is called Swapaneshwari. Intense prayers at this temple right before the god and goddess will never go unnoticed and the devotees will never miss the blissful experience they get. The idols of Ganesh, Parvati and Kartikeya are around the sanctum sanctorum. There is a separate shrine for Nagchandreshwar on the third story and is open to public for darshan only on the day of Nag Panchami.

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirling. Ujjain. Creative Darshan

That This temple is glorified in the 7th century CE Tamil devotional work Tevaram (devotional hymns on Lord Shiva) in which saivaite saints Thru Gnana Sambandar, Sundarar and Thrunavukkarasar referred the Ujjaini Mahakal as
Tiru Oonjai Maakalam (oonjai means Ujjaini in Tamil) suggests that this temple is pretty old. The temple normally is open from 4 am to 11 pm and Maha Shivaratri is a major festival celebrated on a grand scale here. A huge fair or mela is held on that day here.

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirling. Ujjain. Amritsar Temples

Here at Ujjain lots of people visit this holy shrine to get his blessings because Siva is Nishkam or lust-less and has no material desires. But he lavished wealth on his devotees if they have trust in him and do their duty with dedication, without falling prey to wicked ways to get material happiness.

The shrine here is considered as one of the 18 Sakthi peethas that are endowed with sakthi (mystic power) as a part of Sati Devi fell on these places when Lord Shiva was carrying the corpse of Sati Devi. The upper lip of Sati Devi is believed to have fallen here and the sakthi called Mahakali.

Mahakaleshwar Jyothirlinga Temple, Ujjain.en.wikipedia. org

Shiva carrying the corpse of Sati Devi, en.wikipedia.org
Located on the banks of the river Kshipra, the city of Ujjain also known as Indrapuri Amaravati, and Avantika. This town is “Swarna Sringa.” because several temples have gold-plated towers.

According to Sthala purana (legend)of Ujjain in Avantika there lived a Brahman with four sons, who were ardent devotees of Lord Shiva. who were all devotees of Siva. An obnoxious, wicked demon king by the name of Dushan, who after getting boon from Brahma, tortured and terrorized the people living there. The scholarly Brahmins stoically underwent untold miseries and pain , but never had they failed to worship Shiva and the nithya pujas conducted despite impediments. Their bhakthi / devotion was more intense than ever before. The demon ruler and his henchmen saw to it that there were no Vedic and Dharmic activities taking place in that area. The Brahmins never stopped their prayer to Lord Shiva. Enraged Dushan, now physically attacked the Brahmins and prevented them to conduct prayers and Pujas. As his acts of violence and nefarious activities transgressed the limits of endurance, the Brahmins prayed to Lord Shiva.

When the demon and his associates were on a rampage, the earth split open near the Parthiv Murty with a thunderous noise and a crater was formed. Out came through the crater a gigantic form of Mahakal in all his glory. No sooner had Shiva assumed the form of a Mahakala - mammoth size than he reduced the demon and his associates into ashes in a jiff.

Since then, the very name Ujjain has become embodiment of Mahakala and in those days Ujjain was the seat of Mahakal and the rulers were fervent Shiva devotees.

According to another legend the ruler of of Ujjain Chandrasen a staunch devotee of Lord Siva. had a beautiful precious stone called Sundara Chintamani which he wore on his necklace. It was given to him as a gift by his friend Manibahdra a follower of Maheswari. It was so irresistible and engaging, some kings wanted Chandrasena to give the gemstone to them. Upon his refusal, his rivals king Ripudamana and king Singhaditya of the neighboring kingdoms turned against him and attacked the kingdom. His intense prayer to the lord never failed and the lord destroyed the enemies, by assuming the form of Mahakala.

Once a Brahman widow with a son was wandering near Mahakal. the king Chandrasena, on the advice of Lord Shiva, was performing Puja to the stone installed in his empty house. He imagined it to be an incarnation of Shiva and started worshiping it. The boy, for un-known reason, attracted by the beauty of the stone assumed it to be a form of Shiva and began to meditate. One day his mother threw away the Shiva linga as the boy had spent most of his time with it chanting all the time, forgetting house-hold chores, sleep, food, etc. The boy was grief-stricken. He started to pray to Shiva with intense concentration. This stone Sivalinga which the boy had been worshiping, became a precious stone and ultimately turned into a Jyotirlinga. Not only was the boy surprised to see a resplendent Jyotirlinga, but also a big beautiful palace. Thus, with God's grace the boy became rich and led a very happy life.

The above legends tell us how the God rescued his devotees when they were in serious trouble and how he was compassionate to those who had trust in him.
Ref:
http://shaivam.org/siddhanta/sp/spjyoti_mahakal.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahakaleshwar_Jyotirlinga

Hindu queen Bhagmati. The Flowers of Indus Valley

Hindu queen Bhagmati and the Sultan. Sulekha.com

Be they kings or ordinary citizens, romance is part of their lives and marriage will give them responsibility and purpose in their lives. A romance between people of same status does not get any attraction, not so in the case of a ruler and an ordinary woman from a poor family. In the past it when monarchy was in vogue, it had been a tradition to choose a prince or princess from the royal families of equal status. In some cases, the tradition was broken and there were instances where a prince or princess had chosen his or her partner from the commoners, in the midst of protests and risk of life. In rare cases, royal members allowed their children to choose partners, from ordinary families. As for Muslim rulers of India, centuries ago, only a few of them fell in love with Hindu women, married them and lived ever happily. A well known example is Mogul ruler Akbar, who happened to be a secular emperor and who married a Rajput princess. In the southern region of the Deccan, the romance of the Sultan of Qutb Shahi Dynasty and a beautiful Hindu woman of an ordinary family is an interesting one and it has become a subject of drama and folklore in Andhra region (now Telengana).

Rani Bhagmati, the Hindu queen of Muslim ruler Quli Qutb Shah, the Golconda Sultan of the erstwhile Qutb Shahi Dynasty was popular for her beauty, excellence in fine arts and wisdom.
It is believed that Quli Qutb Shah, founder of Hyderabad city was so fond of her, he named the city as Bhagyanagar after his charming queen Bhagmati. Upon religious conversion to Islam, her name got changed to Hydermahal, so was Bhagyanagar into Hyderabad. This change of name of Hyderabad is confirmed by the works of many Hindu and Muslim writers from the 16th century A.D and one being mentioned by viceroy of Akbar, named Faizi. However, the subject of the old names of the city shown variously as Bhagnagar or Bhagyanagar related to Bhagmati is a debatable one. She was more often tagged as a fairly-tale queen. However, after the death of Quli Qutb Shah's death, we do not hear much about her. Though she has become an obscure figure, the Sultan's romantic escapade with her is immortalized in folklore by some writers.

TheRomantic.com

Among then Hindus, in the bygone days there exited a community whose girls were dedicated to the Hindu temples as temple dancers, in the service of god. The community was called Devadasi community. Bhagmati it is believed, was born in Chichlam (around Yakutpura) in a Hindu Devadasi family and as per the tradition of that period, used to perform dance at temples. She was a very good dancer and had a charming look. It so happened that the king Quli Qutb Shah met her accidentally at the Nagamalleshvara temple and later on a few occasions met her whenever he went on a hunting trip through her place. Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah madly fell in love with her and finally married Bhagmati with her consent in the year 1589 CE. She came to be called Mishtari or Hydermahal after marriage. As for the Sultan, he remained with her as her husband until his death in 1611 CE.

Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah of Golconda (r.1580-1612) controappuntoblog.org

Quli Qutub Shah and Hyder Mahal had a daughter named Hayat Baksh Begum. She married Qutub Shah's nephew Muhammed Quli who ascended the throne upon the death of Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah.

There are innumerable portraits and paintings of Bhagmati in the Andhra Pradesh Museum of Art in Hyderabad and there is a fine painting of the queen done in the 18th century AD.

Queen Bhagmati died in 1611AD and unfortunately no tomb was built over her last remains. On the other hand, the mortal remains of courtesans Taramati and Premamati lie buried at Qutb_Shahi_Tombs. What was the reason for the denial of a burial place for this queen at Qutb_Shahi_Tombs? It was the Peshwa (prime minister) of Mohammed Quli who was responsible for obscuring Bhagmati's character, according to Ziauddin Ahmed Shakeb, an expert on Indian and Islamic art.

Tit-Bits:

01. Some historians dub that Bhagmati is a fictional character created by some writers. According to Mr. Safiullah of Deccan Heritage Trust: “There is no inscription, miniature or coin of that period mentioning her name. There is no trace of her grave either. Even Chichalam, the place where she was supposedly born, has not been identified yet,” Mr. Safiullah said.

02. According to the old records with the Royal families of Qutb_Shahi, Bhagmati was not a fictional one. Nor was she a dancer or a courtesan in a temple as depicted in many works. She was a beautiful girl of Chichelum village (now in Rein Bazar limits) belonging to a Hindu family.

scene from the ballet. www.thehindu.com

03.Bhagyanagaram is a literary dance drama about Bhagmati's romantic relationship with the prince of Golconda, Quli Qutb Shah who had an obsession for her. Their romance that transcended the social barrier of religion is a subject of literature, dance and drama in this part of India. It was staged at at Ravindra Bharati on the occasion of the 400th year of Bhagmati in January 2011.

The Purana Pul, the oldest bridge on the Musi. A 1908 photo www.thehindu.com

04. Mohd. Quli Qutb Shah's father is believed to have built the Puranapul bridge to help his son cross the river to meet his lady love. But the Heritage enthusiast would like to remove the myth of not only Bhagmati but also the old bridge.

Ref;

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-03-22/hyderabad/281434911_bhagmati-quli-qutb-shah-hyderabad

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/did-bhagmati-really-exist/article5339909.ece

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/dance/memory-of-a-queen/article1038195.ece

Vaidhyanath Jyotirlinga.
Shivdarshan.org

Vaidhyanath Jyotirlina shrine is one among the 12 famous shrines in India and this particular Jyotirlina is at three different places - Parli, near Nanded, in Maharashtra, Deoghar in Jharkhand state and Santa Paraganas region in Jharkhand state. These three jyotirlingas are considered as one. Among the three, the one at Parli, near Nanded is well known and is being visited by lots of devotees.

Vaidhyanath Jyotirling. Vaidyanath Parli, Travel Portal Of India

The jyotirlinga shrines enjoy a special status in Maharashtra and one will be surprised to know that out of 12, five are in this state alone. They are Aunda Nagnath, Parli Vaidyanath, Bhima Shankar, Trayambakeswar and Grishnewar. lots of people visit these shrines and religious and tourist places like Pandarapur, Tuljapur etc in Maharashtra.

Parali, an ancient village located near three rivers, Brahma, Venu and Saraswati, is famous for the Jyotirlinga and it is also known by various names - Kantipur, Madhyarekha Vaijayanti or Jayanti. It is 26 kilometers from Ambejogai in the Beed district.This village is located on the slopes of Meru or Naganarayana. It is interesting to note that Kanyakumari, Ujjain and Parali fall on the same straight line.

Jyotirlina shrines, Maharastra, Aurangabad Taxi

The are some interesting legends about this temple. it was here Yogeshwari of Ambejogai was to marry Lord Vaidyanatha (Shiva) of Parali. The marriage party, that was supposed to reach the venue of wedding at the right auspicious time, did not reach the place on time and the right time had already passed. As a result, the people of the marriage party turned into stone statues. Yogeshwari was waiting away from Parali.

According to the Hindu mythology, when the Gods and Demons were churning the sea of milk ( Amrit Manthan ), out came fourteen gems, including Dhanwantari and Amrit Ratnas in it. if one had Amrit (Amritham), one could attain immortality. The moment the demons tried to lay their hands on them, Lord Vishnu, knowing the consequences, hid Amrit and Dhanwantari in the Shiva Linga (Lord Shankara). When the demons tried to go near the Linga, huge tongues of flame began to emanate. Fearing death, demons ran away. However, the devotees of Sankara had easy access to Amrit from the linga.

It is here that Lord Vishnu successfully helped the Devas get Amrit. Hence this place is also known as ‘Vaijayanti”.

Even today, here in this temple, devotees are allowed to touch the Shiva Linga and there is no room for caste, creed or color. Anyone can come and visit this temple for prayer and blessing. The devotees can touch and perform abhisekam and pooja. As the Sivalinga is believed to have Amrit and Dhanvantari, the deity is known as Amriteshwar and Dhanvantari. An amazing aspect of this place is lots of medicinal herbs are available in the mountains, jungles and on the banks of the rivers. That is why Parali JyotirLinga is also known as Vaidyanatha.

According to yet another belief: Demon king Ravana did penance on lord Shiva in Mt. Kailash, barring severe cold conditions, etc. As part of his penance, Ravana, without hesitation, offered his ten heads one after another to Shiva as a sacrifice. Pleased with his devotion, Shiva granted the boons and restored his lost heads. Upon his request to come to Lanka, the lord agreed and asked him to carry his Shivalinga till the final destination without ever putting it down on the earth. After a long journey, Ravana gave the Shivalinga to a cow head so that he could relieve himself. The boy, unable to bear the weight, put the Shivalinga on the ground. Shivalinga remained there for good and later came to be called Vaidyanath as the lord himself acted as a medicine man and restored the severed heads of demon Ravana.

The temple is made of stones with strong boundary walls all around. The stairway, leading into the temple was built in 1108 AD and the temple was renovated in 1706 by the devotees. The dwajasthambam is huge and impressive. The Shivalinga in the sanctum is made of saligram stone and the sanctum itself is below the ground level. On all four sides of the temple, there are Nanda Deepams` - oil lamps that keep burning. The main gate or the Mahadwar has a minaret like structure nearby and is called a Prachi or Gawaksha, i.e., window. Special pujas are held for Sun God, based on where the Sun rays are falling through these windows, directly on the Lingamurthy. Within the prescient of the Vaidyanath temple itself, there are eleven more shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva.The water from the Harihar Teerth is brought for the daily worship of Vaidyanath.

Tit-bits:

Vaidyanath jyotirlinga is located at Prajwalika Nidhanam (meaning funeral place i.e., Chithabhoomi) in the North-Eastern part of the country. Deoghar is far located in east compared to Parli which is in west central part of the country. Also Chidabhoomi indicates that, in olden days, this was a funeral place, where corpses are burnt and post-death ceremonies were performed.

Major festival days are Chaitra Padva, Vijayadashami, Tripuri Pournima, Maha Shivaratri and Vaikunth Chaturdashi, and during these celebrations, Mahadev is offered Tulsi leaves and Vishnu is offered Bel (bilva) leaves. Such a practice is rare except here. Rudrabhisheka Mantrochchar is chanted in the rainy season (Sravan).

It was here Markandeya, received the boon of immortality from Vaidyanatha. According to Shivapuranam, Markandeya, not blessed with a long life was chased by Yama - the demi god of death. At last Markandya hugged the Shivalinga with his hands. When Yama threw his Pasakkkayar (death rope), it also fell on the Shivalinga. Immediately Shiva appeared and released Markandaya from imminent death and blessed him with immortality. There is a pond here that is named after him and it is believed that this incident took place here. Great saints like Dhundiraj, Yamaraj, Vishweswar, Guru Lingaswamy, et al lived in Parali.

The above legends and other facts mentioned here enhance the divinity and sanctity of this place. This is the reason why Parali is a popular place in Maharashtra.
Ref:
https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g3902999-d3874338-r202902032-Parli_Vaijnath_Temple-Parli_Vaijnath_Maharashtra.html

Kedarnath temple. India GK

Kedaenath temple. presiding deity. Blogs - SiliconIndia

Kedarnath Temple, dedicated to lord Shiva (one among the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines) is in the majestic Garhwal Himalayan range on the banks of the graceful Mandakini river, a tributary of the Ganges in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand state in India. The temple is at an height of 3,583 m (11,755 ft) from MSl and is 223 km from Rishikesh. The temple is in a quiet place with impressive architecture that is common in the north. It is believed to be a favorite abode of lord Shiva where the sanctified atmosphere induces you to go into meditative mood. Lots of devotees make a beeline to this shrine that is charged with devotion and religious favor.

Extreme weather conditions prevail in this region and located in the snow-covered area of the Himalayas, it can be visited only during six months in a year. Pilgrims normally go on a pilgrimage to this holy abode of lord Shiva from the month of Vaisakha to Ashwin (Ashwiyaja) - the end of April (Akshaya Tritriya) to Kartik Purnima. The temple remains closed for the rest of the year as this area become snow bound and access is absolutely impossible. In the month of karthika or Kathigai, temple priest lights the ghee lamp called Nand Deepa and the idol of Sri Kedareshwar is reverentially taken to Ukhi Math in the valley and will be here for worship till Chaitra. In the month of Vaishakham, the temple will be opened for the public view. An interesting feature is the Nand Deep still keeps burning after a lapse of six months. Whoever sees the ghee lamp,it is said, is blessed by the god.

Undertaking pilgrimage to Kedarnath is a tough one and the devotees must have robust health, patience and determination to complete the pilgrimage. Part of the route is motorable, for the rest, the devotees have to walk through tough and steep mountainous terrain. Elderly pilgrims may employ doliwallahs who use something like yoke to carry the pilgrims. Mules are also available for transporting the pilgrims and the baggage. The stretch from Gaurkund to the temple about 14 km stretch is a tough one, but the picturesque scenery will never fail to attract you.

kedarnath,Yatra. long line of cars. tough terrain NDTV.com

The presiding deity Shiva is in Swayambu form - self-manifested and was not consecrated as per temple Agama sastras. It is believed to have been built by Pandavas and centuries later Adi Sankarachari of Kaladi revived it. It is also one of the major centers of pilgrimage in the Himalayas called chota char dham.

Kedarnath_Temple. en.wikipedia.org

Gaurikund - Here Shiva cut off the head of Ganesa and replace it with Elephant head. There are other holy places like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Devprayag, Sonprayag and Triyugi Narayan, Gaurikund.
in this region.

Legend has it that in the great Kurushetra war, Kauravas and their cousins Pandavas, were pitted against one another and at the end Pandavas, (who were cheated) emerged victorious. But they were in grief because that had to kill there own cousins - Kauravas in the battle. They undertook a pilgrimage to Lord Shiva's abode to get their sins absolved. When they reached the Himalayas lord Shiva played a sort of hide and seek with them and playfully hid himself in some place. Upon this, the eldest brother of Pandava - Dharmaraj pleaded the lord, “Oh, Lord, You have hidden yourself from our sight because we have sinned."But, we will seek You out somehow. Only after your Darshan our sins be would washed away.This place, where the god had hidden is known as Guptkashi and has become a famous shrine.”

From Guptakashi (Rudraprayag), the Pandavas visited Gaurikund, looking for Shiva. There Nakula and Sahadeva, younger Pandava brothers, had encountered a he-buffalo in the Himalayas. Bhema with mace hit the Buffalo and the head went straight to Nepal, leaving the rest of the part here. The face of the buffalo is called Pashupatinath in Nepal.

Kedarnath temple.Tripmondo

Lord Shiva took form of a radiant pillar of fire on the hind part of Mahesha and appeared before the Pandavas. Their sins, having been absolved, the Pandavas were happy and the lord informed them that he would remain here as a triangular shaped JyotirLinga. Near Kedarnath, some tribes perform a dance called “Pandav Nritya”. It is believed that the Pandavas attained Mukthi here and hence this place is called “Swargarohini”- they attained Lord's feet from here. It is said that Dharmaraja established a
small lingam in the shape of a thumb.Water and Bel leaves are
used for worship of the lord. Lord stayer here at Kedar and Mahesha himself stayed there as a Jyoti. Here, He is known as Kedareshwara.

kedarnath temple, Nandi (bull). vedictantra

Kedarnath Temple has the images of the five Pandava brothers, Lord Krishna, Nandi, and Virabhadra, one of the guards of Shiva and Draupadi. In the Garbagruha one will find a medium-size conical rough stone structure which is believed to be Sadashiva form of Lord Shiva.. Adi Shankara visited this temple and revived it, along with Badrinath and other temples of Uttarakhand; It was here at Kedarnath the great seer and philosopher, Adi Sankara attained Mahasamadhi. His samādhi (tomb) is behind the temple.

It is believed that a visit to Kedareshwar would remove our sorrows. Pandavas got rid of their sorrows after their prayer to Kedareshwar . The belief has been that Shambara (Badri-Keshwar’s darshan) will get rid of one's ties with material attachments that are a source of sorrow. Unmindful of treacherous route, a visit to this temple is a blissful experience where your mind and soul are in unison.

Tamil saints of repute Sambandhar, and Sundharar have sung one padhikam (devotional hymn) each on the Lord of Kedharam.

Tit-Bits;

01. During the June, 2013 floods caused by incessant heavy rain, Kedarnath and the surrounding areas took severe beatings and lots of buildings near the Madakini river were severely damaged. The rivers over flowed the banks at many places and the death toll was about 150 across the state as the pilgrims were caught unawares at many places. The state government needed 1000 crores (roughly $150 million) for the clean-up operations.

02. The temple was closed for about a year and was out of reach for the devotees.

Flood ravaged Kedarnath. .indianexpress.com

03. Because of unprecedented flash floods triggered by monsoon rains, the temple and the adjacent areas were submerged under slush and mud. However, the temple was safe.

04. The famous temple is near the Chorabari glacier up hill.

05. Annually more than 75, 000 pilgrims go to different shrines during this season, unmindful of tough terrain and weather conditions.

06. About 50 people died and several were found missing in the Kedarnath area.

Ref:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kedarnath_Temple

http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/monsoon-fury-leaves-kedarnath-shrine-submerged-in-

Happy Valley Tea Estate is located at the end of the T. P. Banerje. mobsea.org

A view of Happy Valley Tea Estate in Darjeeling. en.wikipedia.org

Nothing gives me more pleasure than enjoying a nice cup of hot tea ` tea in the morning, while browsing through the morning news paper and picking up sensational scoops here and there. It rejuvenates and helps me prepare for that particular day's usual mundane life. Drinking tea is part of every culture world over. First introduced in China, it was Dutch East India company that introduced Tea in Europe and it was a fashionable drink in the Hague in the Netherlands. Only in the 18th century, tea became a popular drink in Britain before that it was not affordable by the commoners. Tea was introduced in India in 1840s as a challenge to Chinese monopoly. Cultivation of tea began in the NE state of Assam by the British. In India, popularity of tea began in the 1950s and now India is one of the largest producers and consumers of tea. Here tea from Assam, Darjeeling and Nilgiri is widely used.

Darjeeling town in the Indian state of West Bengal is a picturesque place and a popular tourist destination. Located in the beautiful Lesser Himalaya at an elevation of 6,700 ft (2,042.2 m) it is known for its tea industry which has been there since the colonial days. Here the other attractions are the majestic view of Mt. Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain, and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built by the British. Presently the town enjoys partial autonomous status within the state of West Bengal.

Happy Valley Tea Estate overlooking Darjeeling. en.wikipedia.org/

On account of its elevation and pleasant weather conditions this place began to develop into a town in the mid 19th century with the establishment of a sanatorium, a military depot and later large-scale tea estates by the English. Lots of British families moved in here to run tea estates. The development of hybrids of black tea using novel new fermentation techniques resulted in typical, distinctive Darjeeling tea that gained world-wide recognition and is considered as one among the most popular of the black teas.

There are many old tea gardens in and around Darjeeling and the Happy tea garden that was founded in 1854 is Darjeeling's second oldest tea estate, covering over 437-acre, at an elevation of 6,400 ft. (2,100 m) above sea level. It is about three kilometer from the town and roughly 1500 people are employed in the estate.The first oldest tea estate is Steinthal Tea Estate which was established in 1852. At a height of 6800 feet, it has one of the highest tea factories in the world. Its founder was one David Wilson, an English man who named the garden as Wilson Tea Estate and began tea production in 1860

The Himalayan Black Bear, . 123RF.com

View of the majestic Himalayan peaks from the estate. krishnaresidencydarj.com

In 1903 for unknown reason, the tea estate changed hands and was bought by one Tarapada Banerjee, an Indian aristocrat from Hoogley. Later in 1929 he bought the Windsor Tea Estate nearby and merged the two estates under the name of Happy Valley Tea Estate. Later it was managed by the descendants of Banerjee.
After 2007, the tea estate experienced slump and fell on hard time and it was bought out by S K Bansal, of Ambotia Tea Group, which built a new factory with modern machinery on the same premises. He modernized the farming process and switched over to organic farming. As for the old factory, it has become a museum and old machines with single piston slow-speed engines, and the shaft machines, etc., are on display.

Happy Valley tea factory. Tenka Tea - WordPress.com

Since 2007, the hand-rolled tea produced by Happy Valley has been sold at at Harrods in the UK and is also available at Mariage Freres in France. An interesting fact is the bushes in the garden are very old - the minimum age is 80 years, and some are 150 years old. Consequently very little re-plantation has been done in the recent past. The busiest time is between the months of March to May when plucking and processing are mostly done.. It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ref:

"India Brews a Stronger Cup". TIME. 15 November 2007.
"Tea factory to be open to tourists". The Hindu. 25 March 2008.
Happy Valley Tea Estate
"Harrods to sell hand-rolled Darjeeling tea". Indian Express. 31 May 2008.
"Happy Valley Tea Estate". Lonely planet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Valley_Tea_Estate

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