December 20, 2016, 10:59 pm
James Scurry (1766–1822), a British soldier was known for his captivating memoir 'The captivity, sufferings, and escape of James Scurry', when he was held captive by dreaded Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan for 10 years (1780–1790) at Srirangapatam (now in the state of Karnataka). It is an interesting record of his daring exploits under the most testing time of his life with a huge razor sharp dagger hanging high over his head. Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan were the sworn enemies of the British and they fought valiantly against the British who wanted to capture the southern part of India. Their army was so formidable and the soldiers well trained, the British military strategies did not work well against them. Particularly, Tipu was a menace to them. James Scurry initially had been kept as a prisoner, at Bangalore and later he was taken to the Srirangapatna (modern day name is Srirangapatnam near Mysore city) fort where he had to spend the next ten long arduous years in pain and in isolation in the maximum-security prison. He did not breathe the fresh air of freedom until his tactical escape from Tipu's army camp, in Chitradurg ( also called Chitterdroog) and successfully reached an English camp. It was a hair-raising escape for a man who witnessed the horrors of punishments in a prison camp. Based on his personal experience in the prison of Tipu, he wrote a memoir on his capture in 1794 and his grueling experience during the captivity by the Mysore ruler. However, his narrative was not published until 1824, after his death.This narrative covers the reign of both Hyder Ali ( (c. 1720 - 7 December 1782) and also his son Tipu ( 20 November 1750-4 May 1799) and brings to light the stoic sufferings, mental agony and harsh treatment of the captured English soldiers and others. Besides, it also includes the poor treatment meted out to the Mangalorean and Syrian Catholics of Kerala, and other prisoners of war by Hyder Ali and Tipu - 1824. Born in Devonshire, England, James Scurry's father served in the British Army and participated actively at the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill early in the American Revolutionary War.Unfortunately, he died in the Greenwich mental asylum where he had been an inmate for sometime, leaving behind his wife, son James and his sister. James started out his early life at sea and his worst ordeal unexpectedly began in 1780 when Scurry, then 14 years old, set on a voyage from Plymouth Sound on the Hannibal. He and the 15 member crew were captured by the French Army at St. Helena. The French had a military alliance with the ruler of Mysore Kingdom Hyder Ali and Tipu against the British operations in India. The prisoners were handed over to Hyder Ali by French admiral Suffren. Deported to his Srirangapatna fort in South India, Hyder Ali had James Scurry and other British soldiers enlisted in his army after forceful circumcision and conversion to Islam; as part of religious conversion, each was given a Muslim name and James became Shamsher Khan.
As a prisoner, he had to wear heavy leg-irons and kept in a strong prison.any escape would be futile ans sicidal. Later he and his men were taken to a place called Burrampour, a three-day march from Bangalore. They had to survive on a poor diet of cooked rice and later Ragi flour during the march under the hot tropical sun. In the treaty of 1784 between the British and Tipu Saib, covering the release of POW, his name was overlooked along with 100 other English prisoners for unknown reason and were taken to Chitradurg town. Here James really feared for his life and death was at his door step because he was shifted to a suspicious place where some of his colleagues Captain Rumney, and Lieutenants Fraser and Sampson had their throats cut by the Tipu's army.After some initial hesitation on his part, as it was common, for fear of being captured, at last he and others escaped from the prison. To avoid capture and detection, they took the unknown trail in the wooded area near Chitradurga and carefully camped in different places. En route, the Marathas came to their rescue and allowed them to stay in their forts, from where they left for the English camps in a fort in North Karnataka, wearing the ragged uniform of Tipu's army. They were greeted by an old Scottish colleague, Mr. Little. Scurry in his work mentioned how he and his men were redeployed in the final attack on Tipu under Lord Cornwallis. Tipu's death in the final Angelo-Mysore war on May 4 1799 at Srirangapatna came as a big relief for the British. The ![]() |
| Wellesley defeated Tipu 1799. en.wikipedia.org/ |
British army was led by Richard Wellesley( June 1760 - September 1842).In his gripping, but poignant narrative he mentioned that his ten year ordeal left a deep psychological swathe in his mind and he could see drastic change in his personality. He lost his British persona, his English having become broken and stilted and forgotten how to use the knife and fork. In addition, his skin was over tanned because of tropical, sweltering heat in a tight prison and poor diet. In a sense, he completely lost his Brutishness and self-confidence. After his war duties James Scurry left for England by an English ship called Dutton. Back in England, he was converted back to Christianity. In 1800, he married once more and had 8 children, but only one son and one daughter survived. As for his livelihood, he had a chequered carrier and at last became a superintendent in a coal company and it was his last job. He developed severe cold and lung infection because of extreme cold weather and breathed his last in 1822 at the age of 57. He was buried in Exeter on December 14, 1822.James narrative is replete with details of unbearable conditions prevailing during his captivity. How he and his colleagues were in the grip of fear psychosis and how they went through worst trials and tribulations during their incarceration. His gory details border on barbarity and incivility. Given below are a few examples (vide Wikipedia...) mentioned by him:
Initiation of prisoners of war including James into Mohameddan religion:
“ He addressed us in the most endearing, though hypocritical, language, and gave us to understand, that we were to be circumcised, and made Mohammedans of, by the express order of Hyder”.
Method of killing people who refused to convert or try to escape from prison:
“But his most common mode of punishment was, that of drawing to death by the elephant's feet; the manner of which was as follows: the poor wretches (for several were drawn at one time) first had their arms tied behind them, above the elbows, and then a rope put about the small of their legs, which was fastened to the elephant's foot. This being done, the criminals stood with their backs towards the elephant's posteriors, waiting sometimes an hour for an order for their execution. The distance they stood from the beast was about six yards, and the first step the elephant took would throw the poor unfortunates on their faces; thus they would be dragged over rough and smooth ground till dead, and with no faces left ”.
Common use of cutting hands, ears and noses as punishment:
“ About this period, in the year 1785, he seemed more bent on barbarities, than at any other time that I was in his country. It was not infrequently that two or three hundred noses and ears would be exhibited in the public market, but to whom theybelonged we could not learn. We must, however, leave these tragic scenes awhile, and turn to something less horrible".Tit-Bits: As for the British army and their prisons in India, for example Kala Pani in the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal, they were much worse than the Indian rulers when giving harsh punishments to the prisoners. Scores Indian freedom fighters were subjected to rigorous imprisonment and many were hanged to death on filmy grounds. There were many massacres commuted by the British army. They never showed any mercy whatsoever towards Indian women. Many Indian leaders were reduced to poverty and they faced death with no money left for the families to conduct obsequies. Late PM Winston Churchill of Conservative Party, a famous India baiter artificially created famine in Bengal in 1943 that resulted in the death and emancipation of a million plus people. Churchill, on purpose, diverted the ships carrying food grains to Bengal to other places of war where the British were fighting. The British were more tyrannical towards Indian prisoners than their Indian counter parts.Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Scurry https://archive.org/details/ScurryOPT_201311
↧
December 23, 2016, 8:50 am
![]() |
| Painting of Nadir Shah. en.wikipedia.org |
![]() |
| Mogul period.peacock throne embedded with diamonds. Pinterest |
Among the looters of Indian treasures, the invasion of Nadir Shah (1739) dealt a serious blow to the entire edifice of the Mogul Empire which had begun to crumple and later was razed to the ground with the arrival of the East India company in the 1600s.Nadir Shah (or Tahmāsp Qoli Khan ; 6 August 1698[1] -19 June 1747), son of a Shepard, was one of the most talented and highly effective Iranian rulers and his reign lasted from 1736 to 1747. He belonged tothe Turcoman Afshar tribe of Khorasan in north-eastern Iran. He rose to prominence and power through his military genius and his ability to tackle enemies without losing his fighting spirits. He freed Iran when parts of it were taken over by the Russians, Ottoman and others.Because of his successful exploits in Afghanistan, Shah became a close friend of the young Iranian king. When the boy king died he became the emperor of Iran in late 1730s
The wealth looted by Nadir Shah from the Moguls treasury is as follows:.... sixty lakhs of rupees and some thousand gold coins, nearly one crore worth of gold-ware, nearly fifty crores worth of jewels, most of them unrivaled in the world … the entire (70-80 million pounds worth) gem treasure at Delhi, including the celebrated piece Kohinur diamond ( taken away from Kakatia ruler Pratap Rudra II of Warangal, now in Andhra in 1303 by Ala-ud-din Khiliji's general Malik Kafur, huge collections of gems and jewelry, looted from India, now adorn the museums of London and Tehran. The chests 'filled with gold, silver, diamonds, pearls and emeralds from the Mogul treasury' are now in the Tehran Museum. This has been characterized by a Curator of the Smithsonian Institution as 'perhaps the greatest jewel treasury of all times'. The Persian conqueror invaded Northern India, in 1739, with the sole intention of plundering it's wealth. He defeated the Moghul army at Karnal in February 1739, and took Emperor Muhammad Shah prisoner, and later marched into Delhi on 9th March,1739. The Emperor had nothing in his government treasury; the coffers were empty. He threw open his personal safe of jewels, and Nadir availed himself of all dazzling treasures that he could lay his hands on. His plunder consisted of all the crown jewels of the Mogul Emperors, which included the Koh-i-Nur, the Taj-e-mah, Akbar Shah diamond, the Shah diamond, the Jehangir diamond etc. and perhaps also the Great Table Diamond, as well as, the renowned peacock throne of Mogul ruler Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj. He sacked Delhi and Agra. When Nadir Shaw and his army left Delhi in the first week of May, 1739, this army carried with them a booty estimated at 70 crores (700 million rupees), and this helped him to exempt all Iranians from taxes for the next three years; besides a few thousand Indian girls (both Hindu and Muslim), a large number of boys camels, lots of slaves, thousands of elephants, and horses.![]()
![]() |
| Highly embellished peacock throne of Delhi. Internet Stones |
Nadir left Delhi and its neighboring places to bleed. His invasion was well timed, particularly at a time when the Mogul army became week because of frequent costly wars waged by the early rulers against the Marathas and others. The ruler Mohamad Shah was no match for Nadir' army.In the words of the Tazkira:"Here and there some opposition was offered, but in most places people were butchered without resistance. The Persians laid violent hands on everything and everybody. For a long time, streets remained strewn with corpses, as the walks of a garden with dead leaves and flowers. The town was reduced to ashes."
Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nader_Shah
↧
↧
December 23, 2016, 11:13 pm
Premlata Agarwal (born 1963), who hails from Sukhiapokhri, a small village in Darjeeling, Jharkhand state, on 20 May 2011(at 9.35am) became the oldest Indian woman to have scaled the Mount Everest - 29,029ft peak. When she made this feat she was 45 and a mother of two daughters and she had already given her elder daughter in marriage. At this age, other Indian women would rather spend their time in the comforts of their home and be content with playing with their grand children and taking care of household chores. But, Premlata was molded in a way different from others. She was a maverick driven by the spirit of outdoor adventurism and hence she went out in the wilderness to reach the mystifying Himalayan peak. Yet another first to her credit is, she is the first woman on Mt. Everest from her state - Jharkhand. She discovered her passion in mountaineering when she was just 35, when she was in the middle of leading a cozy and comfortable life. Presently she is based in Jamshedpur, Singhbhum District and is closely associated with Tata Steel Adventure Foundation.This ace woman mountaineer did not stop at standing atop the roof of the world. She focused her attention on the highest peaks across the continents and wanted to summit them too and, in this regard, she was fully supported by her family members, in particular, her husband Vimal, a senior journalist and friends. She never failed to follow her father Ramawtar Garg's advice, “Never reverse a decision. Good or bad, stick to it,” Being gritty as she was, Premlata went on to achieve yet another most difficult feat for her age, that is she became the first Indian woman to have climbed the Seven Summits on different continents, one of the tough mountaineering challenges, even for the professional mountain climbers will find it to achieve.![]() |
| Credit:Cartoonstock.com |
Her family commitments and responsibility were never deterrents to her ambition. In recognition of her great achievement, Premlata was in 2013 awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government. She was part of a 22 member Eco-Everest Expedition team that took the extremely windy and greatly risk-prone challenging South Col (Camp 4 at 26,000ft) route from Nepal side. It was led by Steven Sherpa Dawa and guided by the Asian Trekking Agency. Because of extreme weather condition at 26000 feet on the high mountains such as gale, heavy snowfall, etc, the team had some setbacks and their ascent on Everest got delayed.Earlier, Premlata Agarwal went on expeditions, under Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, to Island Peak in Nepal in 2004, the Karakoram Pass (18,300 ft) and Mt Stok Kangri (20,150ft) in 2006 and the First Indian Women’s Thar Desert Expedition in 2007. The latter was a 40-day camel safari from Bhuj, Gujarat to the Wagah border in Punjab (East).Premlata, then 50-year-old became first Indian woman to have climbed seven peaks on seven continents. She achieved this most difficult feat on May 23, when she climbed the North America's highest peak Mount McKinley, Alaska (USA) and planted the tricolor flag on the peak. Previous day, the inclement weather hampered her plan to scale the peak. The seven tallest summits thus she scaled were: McKinley (6,194m), Mount Elbrus (5,642m), Everest (8,848m), Kilimanjaro (5,895m), Aconcagua (6,961 m), Vinson Massif (4,892m) and Carstensz Pyramid (4885m). After reaching Mt. McKinley, Premlata said, " ...... this experience has taught me that if you have the will and focus, no matter where you come from, you can conquer the world."![]() |
| Seven summits climbed by Premlata. indiatoday.intoday.in |
Up to that point of time, approximately 300 climbers world over made it to the top of the seven summits successfully. People in thousands gave their attempt midway. It was Richard Bass (December 21, 1929 - July 26, 2015), an American businessman, rancher, mountaineer and ski-resort (in Utah) owner, became the first person in 1985 to successfully climb the “Seven Summits”- the highest peaks on all seven continents. He, for the first time, suggested his list of seven tough summits called “the Bass list” which included the following mountains in it:Mount Kosciuszko-2 228 m, Vinson Massif-4, Mount Elbrouz-5, 642m, Kilimanjaro-5, 896m, Mt McKinely 6, 194m, Aconcagua 6,962 m and Mount Everest -8 848m. Patrick Morrow of Canada, who climbed the last peak on August 5, 1986, followed Bass. Junko Tabei, a Japanese woman was the first from japan to reach the summit of Mount Everest and is also the first woman to achieve the Seven Summits in 1992. Mrs. Premlata followed suit.Premlata has made a mark in her life-long vision of empowering women and she is a source of inspiration to other aspiring young women and girls. If there is a will and firm commitment, nothing will deter one from one's vision. Indeed, it is a big stride towards my vision of empowering women. "My most cherished desire is to help Indian women come out of their routine household chores and instill in them the indefatigable spirit of adventure," said Premlata. It is a great achievement for a humble and an assuming homemaker whose romance with the mountains began at the age of 35. Ref:http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/conqueror-of-7-summithttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premlata_Agarwalhttp://www.telegraphindia.com/1110521/jsp/frontpage/story_140
↧
December 25, 2016, 12:44 am
There are several historical colonial churches in India that remind us of the Scottish legacy. During the EIC rule, numerous Scottish people worked for the company and its military operations and churches were built out of necessity in places like Kolkata, Madras, Bangalore, etc to cater to the religious needs of Scots and their families. These places accounted for a large European community.St. Andrew’s Church, named after the patron saint of Scotland, St. Andrew is on the Cubbon road, Bangalore. This historical Presbyterian church built in orthodox Presbyterian Scottish architecture, with a tall belfry and chiming clock at the apex of its tower is yet another landmark in this area of this big city and it was open to the public on 18 November 1866. The Rev. Stewart Wright, one of the chaplains of the Church of Scotland in the Madras Presidency, and pastor in charge of the newly formed congregation preached the dedication sermon. Two years earlier on 22 November 1866 the foundation stone for this impressive structure was laid by none other than Lady Grant, wife of Lieutenant-General, Sir Hope Grant, the then Quartermaster-General of Her Majesty’s Forces. It is recorded that total cost of this place of worship was Rs. 45,000/- inclusive of plot. The net the cost of interior decorations etc., was partly borne by the public subscription and by the government. When St. Mark church was damaged in a fire accident in on 17 February 1923, its patrons were accommodated in this church till it was rebuilt in 1927. ![]() |
| Andrews Kirk, Bangalore (around 1895. en.wikipedia.org |
A fascinating pipe organ was installed on 3.5.1881 by its builders![]() |
| Clock Tower, St. Andrew's (2004). en.wikipedia.org |
Peter Gonacher and Co., Huddersfield, England to be used during services. However, because of pretty long use, wear and tear after more tan 125 years of glorious service, the pipe organ showed signs of cracking. Because it is an antique and is part of a heritage site under the restoration project it was restored back to its old glory, beauty and sound. The restoration work was meticulously done by an English company - M/s Middle Organ Company. The highlight of worship service of re-dedication was the great music exponent Prof. Dr. Richard Marlow, Director of Music, Trinity College, UK was invited to perform an Organ Recital on this renovated Organ on the evening 4th of January, 2009. The Church, then known as St. Andrew’s Kirk, used to celebrate St. Andrew’s day, Burns’ night and so on. After India's independence in 1947, this Church became part of Church of South India (CSI). Actually it joined the CSI in September 1959. Presently it is under the Central council of Karnataka Diocese with the Bishop as the head.![]() |
| restored pipe organ istalled in 1881. en.wikipedia.org |
Considered as one of the beautiful churches in India Major Sankey (an Irishman from Tipperary), chief Engineer and Mr. R. C. Dobbs, the Executive Engineer of Mysore were responsible for the design and execution of the work to the minute details. Earlier Sankey designed the Anglican Cathedral of All Saints at Nagpur. The dimension of this brick colored Gothic structure is 105 feet (L) X 57 feet (width) X 43 feet (height). Thee impressive features of this church that catch our attention are large gables with stained glass windows and the impressive 90 feet tall tower. the richly ornate pulpit is made of quality teak wood; the most impressive being the 25 ft. stained glass above the altar. It is a careful fusion of 15 panels into one, created by Scottish artist Alex Ballantine and his assistant Gardiner, in order to commemorate the diamond jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria in 1897. At the base are the paintings of the Old Testament characters of Abraham, Moses, King David and Prophet Isaiah. The apostles of Christ - St.Andrew, St Peter, St Paul and St John are at top. The symbol of the church of Kirk is noticeable above - the burning bush along with alpha symbol on the right and omega symbol on the right (signifying beginning and the end). On the very top is painted Jesus Christ. This pulpit along with harmonium was gifted to the church by the ladies of the congregation. In the mid 2000s, the restoration of this heritage structure was completed, coinciding with 146 anniversary - Nov. 2006. It was done under the expert guidance of the Engineers from the Indian Inst. of Sciences, Bangalore. ![]() |
| Stained color glass panel St. Andrews church. . bangalore.citizenmatters.in |
Tit-bits:01. The church was consecrated in memory of Mary Elizabeth McGoun (died 1867), wife of Col. Thomas McGoun of the 6th Madras Native Infantry (died 19 April 1868 at Marseilles on the way back to Scotland. There is a memorial stone at the St. Andrew's Kirk, Madras. The monument to the memory of Mary Elizabeth is located at the end of the church altar.02. Native Indians were allowed to sit in the back pews. The Church mainly catered to the Scottish military personal of the local area of Madras Presidency and Scottish civilians. They formed the main congregation then. http://standrewschurch.org.in/brief_history.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Andrew's_Church,_Bangalore
↧
December 25, 2016, 11:09 pm
James Fergusson, FRS (22 January 1808 – 9 January 1886), the son of an army surgeon (Doctor) was a Scottish architectural historian, well-known for his keen interest and contributions to historical Indian structures and architecture of great antiquity that had remained unexplored and unknown to the western world for centuries. He was instrumental in throwing light on ancient India's archeology that was rich in artistic excellence and beauty. Born at Ayr, in Scotland on 22 January 1808 he had his education in first at the Royal High School, Edinburgh, and afterwards at a private school at Hounslow. James sailed to India to join the firm of Fairlie, Fergusson and Co (a mercantile house), Calcutta whose partner was his brother William. As a sort of vocation, on the side line, he developed interest in historical Indian architecture, hitherto unknown or poorly understood in the western world. He also studied the architecture of some of the European buildings, while living in London in the later part of his life.Since Indigo business was a lucrative one, he and his brother William started a new business venture and with sheer business acumen, they turned it into a fairly successful business. Later, he had some setback in his business, however, it did not dampen his enthusiasm in Indian archeology. His inquisitive mind, innate ability to gain fresh knowledge in areas unknown before and obsession led him to get involved in scholarly studies on his own without proper training in architecture. A good example is his work on the Deltaic Changes of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, which he subsequently published in the Quarterly Journal of the Geographical Society (August 1863).In the course of his studies, though he was neither a trained architect nor a scientist, he realized there was a vast scope for studies related to ancient Indian structures. The study had not been taken before by any body. Hence, he embarked on a long tour of the Indian subcontinent between 1835 and 1845, visiting very bit of land in all directions. He undertook this journey through the tough tropical terrain, unmindful of various hardship and difficulties, particularly, when visiting remote places and spending time and gathering information from the natives. During this period, he painfully took detailed notes of each of the monument he visited and came up with more or less accurate reproduction by way of sketches and field notes. His knowledge of draftsmanship with Camera Lucid was quite handy to him. Fergusson's approach was not only objective, but also subjective and interpretive. Later he settled in London, and from his house at 20 Langham Place, W he spent rest of his life on building designs. He deplored the fact that the English in India did not pay attention to the treasure trove of ancient India and approached the Directors of the East India Company to undertake a detailed study of Indians building of great antiquity by competent scientists. Based on the on typological analysis of the structures and fixing up the chronology on the basis of the dated ones, he listed the old structures like temples, monuments, etc. In 1840 he was elected a member of the Royal Asiatic Society.His book on The Rock-cut Temples of India (1845) included various aspects including the relevance of historical and aesthetic aspects. Unsatisfied with his work, with more energy, he approached studies of ancient Indian designs in a different perspectives. The Handbook of Architecture, a work first appeared in 1855 covered the whole gamut of comparative approach to ancient architecture. In 1856 Fergusson was elected by the committee a member of the Athenaeum Club. Subsequently he changed the title to The History of Architecture, that was edited by George Kriehn in 1910.
Other works:01. A paper on "The Ancient Buddhist Architecture of India" to the Royal Institute of British Architects, the first of a number of technical papers of great value and merit published (1848) in the Transactions of that body, 02. In 1849 "The History of the Pointed Arch", 03. In 1851 on "The Architectural Splendour of the City of Bijapur," and "The Great Dome of Muhammad's Tomb, Bijapur", 04. A History of the Architecture of All Countries. Lithograph (fourth volume) photographed by JB, courtesy of the Imperial Hotel, New Delhi and 05. In 1855. The Illustrated Handbook of Architecture, being a Concise and Popular Account of the Different Styles of Architecture prevailing in all Ages and Countries, 2 vols. It was followed in 1862 by one entitled A History of the Modern Styles of Architecture, being a sequel to the Handbook, 06. In 1876 Fourth volume on The History of Indian and Eastern ArchitectuThe Royal Institute of British Architects in 1871 awarded him a gold medal for his work. In 1856 Fergusson was elected by the committee a member of the Athenaeum Club, and in 1871 the Institute of British Architects awarded him the royal gold medal for architecture. Worthy of mention are his sessional papers of the Institute of British Architects - The History of the Pointed Arch, Architecture of Southern India, a study of Indian Mythology and Art in the early centuries of the Christian era, Architecture of southern India and medieval Muslim monuments of Bijapur, Architectural Splendour of the City of Beejapore, etc. Tree and Serpent Worship (1868), Buddhist remains at Sanchi and Amaravati. Rude Stone Monuments of Many Lands (1872), he stated that the megalithic monuments of India are 'historic' rather than 'prehistoric'. It was also under Fergusson's supervision that the various works of Indian art were exhibited at the Indian Court of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham and the Exposition International at Paris in 186. In 1867 The collection of photographs and casts for exhibition in the Indian Court of the International Exhibition held that year in Paris,
Fergusson's vast and comprehensive contributions to Indian studies supported by his personal field studies were on par with the pioneering and scholarly works of Alexander Cunningham, his contemporary and associate. His untiring interest in architecture never diminished and continued till his death. He breathed his last in London on 9 January 1886 and was buried at Highgate cemetery.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Fergusson_(architect) .
↧
↧
December 26, 2016, 11:05 pm
![]() |
| St. Mark's Cathedral(founded1808), Bangalore. www.google.co.in |
As I already pointed out in some of my earlier posts, the number of churches in this region during the colonial period shot up slowly only after the fall of Tipu Sultan in 1799 in the decisive battle against the EIC army at Srirangapatna. The French missionaries were primarily responsible for reviving Christianity in this region. Further, deployment of EIC army necessitated the growth of Anglican churches in Bangalore, Mysore and other cities.St. Mark's Cathedral, Bangalore named after Saint Mark was built in 1812, drawing inspiration from the 17th century St Paul's Cathedral, London. It is one of the earliest churches in colonial India. Located in a serene environment on Mahatma Gandhi Road, MacIver Town, the foundation stone was laid in 1808, but consecration was done only in 1816 by the Bishop of Calcutta. In the early stages in 1808, it was just a garrison Anglican Church and it saw much of the expansion in 1901 and reconstruction in 1927. The extension in 1901 was done, using government funds of British India. The renovated church was dedicated on 26 August 1902 by Bishop Whitehead of Madras.In 1808, the church was mainly used by the Madras army men of the East India company and its capacity was just 400 and to accommodate the growing members in 1902, the church was expanded in 1906 and unfortunately in February in 1923, the church was damaged by a fire accident purported to be caused by a short circuit and in the same year it resulted in reconstruction. Again, as ill luck would have it, part of the building caved in while the work was on in 1924. So, the church construction work was completed only in 1927. During the major construction work and organization, church services were held at St. Andrew's Church, Cubbon Road. St. Marks Cathedral is steeped in historical events related to EIC. The uniqueness about this church is there is a memorial for those who gave their lives in the Moplah revolt of Kerala. It was a violent armed uprising in 1921 against British authority and Hindu landlords and Brahmins in the Malabar region of Southern India by Mappila Muslims who were descendants of the Arabs.There are innumerable plagues of those British who died in Bangalore cantonment. Yet another historical event is the disbanding of 77th Moplah Rifles Infantry Regiment and the burial of military colors on the west wall of this famous church. It was the only church under the control of the government - East India company, Madras Presidency.![]() |
| St. Mark's Cathedral, Bangalore.1900. en.wikipedia.org |
The dimension of the church is 100 feet X 53 feet X 20 feet Using St Paul's Cathedral, London, as a model, this impressive colonial building with a dome, semi-circular chancel, Roman and amazing ornate wooden entrance draws the attention of the new comers to this sprawling city, a major center in IT. The stained glass windows are unique and they along with majestic ceilings and arches bring out the beauty of European church architecture. Added to these features is the church bell, believed to be the best maintained one in India. The stained glass work was created by M/s Sreenivasulu Naidu & Sons, Madras. The stained glass on the west facing window was created by the architect of St. Dunstan's Society, England and cost INR 4500.00. Italian Marble from Genoa is used in designing the pulpit and the font meant for baby baptisms
There is a Brass lectern (eagle with spread wings on the globe) in this church and it was gifted by some planters of Mysore in 1903, in memory of Harry Alexander Campbell and Montague Beaden Follett of Lumsden's Horse Regiment who died in the Boer Conflicts of South Africa. The bible on the lectern was presented by one Mrs. Laura Amelia Amaller.Tit Bits: 01. The church has a memorial plaque for Lt.-Col Sir Walter Scott, the nephew of Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott and 2nd Baronet, who died at sea in 1847. 02. After Indian independence in 1947, it became part of the Church of South India and later the Cathedral of the Karnataka Central Diocese in 1961.03. Saint Mark, after whom this church is named, is believed to be the first gospel writer.04. The St Mark's Ecumenical Center for church Music founded in 1990 is functioning here. It trains people interested in Church music regardless of religion and denominations and also helps train people in violin, piano, music theory and singing for the Trinity College of Music and Royal School of Music examinations. 05. The cathedral celebrated its 200 years bicentenary in 2007-2008. It is one among a few earliest colonial churches in this region fully funded by the colonial government.06. On 1 July 1928, Bishop Tubbs of Palayamkottai , now in Tamil Nadu, was the first to preach on the marble pulpit, delivering the sermon 'The reunion of Christendom'.07. The pipe organ of the St. Mark's Cathedral installed in 1929, was a gift from Avis F Cowdrey of the Cowdrey family. He was the father of famous Test cricketer Michael Colin Cowdrey in the 1950s and early 1960s. He represented MCC, England. It fell into disrepair and was fixed by the Swiss experts for Rs. 5 million.Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mark's_Cathedral,_Bangalorehttp://navrangindia.blogspot.in/2015/12/christ-churchsecond-oldest-in-north.html
↧
December 27, 2016, 8:43 am
Raghu Kaalam (also spelled as Raghu kaal, Raukalam, ) or the time dominated by Raghu (one of the nine planets) is a particular period of time every day that is considered inauspicious for any new venture, wedding or religious ceremonies or family functions, according to Indian Vedic astrology. The Raghu shrine at Naganatha Sawmi temple near Kumbakonam, TN is famous for Raghu Kaala Puja to negate Raghu Thosham (bad effects on humans). Hindus across India, in particular, south India will never venture to do good deeds during this period, fearing failure midway. Thirunageswaram town of Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu state has a popular temple dedicated to Naganatha Swami (Naga in Tamil / Sanskrit meaning Snake and Natha meansing God). Naganatha is a form of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati is depicted here as Piraisoodi Amman and she is in thava kolam (in deep penance). This place is 8 km east of Kumbakonam, an important pilgrim center in South India and is counted as one of the Navagraha temples for planet Rahu. It is also one of the most visited temples in the district.The reason why this place assumes religious importance in Navagraha worship is there is a shrine of Rahu Bhagawan (one of the nine celestial bodies). Unlike other places of worship, here he is seen with his consorts.The mythological serpents Aadi Seshan, Dakshan and Kaarkotakan worshiped Shiva here. Every day when abishekam (bathing of the idol with milk) is preformed during the Raghu Kaalam on the stone idol of Raghu (Serpent), a mysterious thing occurs which one can't see in other shrines. The striking feature is milk that is poured on the stone idol of Raghu turns blue when it passes over the idol and once again becomes white upon reaching the floor.Gautama Maharishi, Parashara and Bhageerata and king Nala worshiped Shiva here. It is the 29th in the series of Tevaram (7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work ) and is a Padal Pettra Stalams (one of the 276 temples) located south of the river Cauvery.
The temple complex has four gopurams (towers) and houses many halls and shrines. The famous being the ornamental entrance hall built during the Nayak (Thanjavur based) period.The temple was built by Aditya Chola I in the 10th century A.D. Later rulers made some additions on their own. The temple has a dimension of 630 ft (190 m) South-North and 800 ft (240 m) East-West with four major streets around the four sides. There are four gateways along the four sides with entry towers (gopuram) and a surrounding compound wall. There are Vinayaka shrine, Bali Peetam, Nandikeshwara hall and flag staff, etc located in the eastern entrance. An interesting fact is the Ganapathy idol in the shrine here is said to have been installed by the great saint Sadasiva Brahmendral along with a Ganapathy yantra.This is confirmed by an inscription in the temple.
That many serpents kings like Adishesha, Takshaka and Karkotaka, worshiped Shiva at this place is the reason why this place is called "Tirunageswaram". As per Hindu legend, the king of snakes, Adisesha who did penace at this place, called Senbaranya Kshetram because of the presence of large number of Senbaga trees, received a boon from Lord Shiva. Goddesses Girigujamba, Lakshmi, Saraswathi, Ganesha, Muruga, and Shasta worshiped lord Shiva here. The main Goddess being Swayambu in the form of Meru, no abiskekam (anointing) is done on the idol. The temple, it is believed, is being guarded by "Maha Bhairava and is assisting the divine mother during her prayers. Hindu legend has it the Demi God Indra earned the curse of sage Gautama as he misbehaved with the saint's wife Ahalya while he was away. In order to get relieved from the sage's curse, it is said, that Indra worshiped Giri-Gujambigai with a scented material termed Punugu for 45 days. The temple tank located in the southern side has a hundred pillared hall. The second precinct / prakaram has the Rahu shrine in the north eastern corner. There is a hall / mantap decorated with Nayak style pillars with yalis along with nine horses on the east and south sides. It was built by Govinda Dikshitar, the minister of successive Nayak rulers, Achuthappa Nayak (1560–1614) and Raghunatha Nayak (1600–34) of Thanjavur. The hall in the northern side with pillars decorated with yalis is used for displaying idols (Utchavar) during festive occasions. The Dwarapalaga (Entry guards) images on each side at the entrance of Naganathar shrine are made of chunam clay (lime and clay mix) and not of stone.
Weekly rituals like somavaram and sukravaram, fortnightly rituals like pradosham and monthly festivals like amavasai (new moon day), kiruthigai, pournami (full moon day) and sathurthi are well attended by the people.
The major festival are: The Brahmotsvam is held for ten days in the Tamil month of Karthigai (November–December). As per local legend, Rahu got relieved of his pains praying to Naganathar during a Shivaratri day and the day is celebrated in the temple. Navarathri festival is celebrated for nine days for Girigujambigai and the images of Naganathar and Girigujambigai is taken in horse chariot on Vijayadasami, the concluding day of the festival. Sekkizhar Vaikasi Pooja is celebrated from 1969 on the birth date of Sekkizhar, the author of Periya Puranam. Rahu Peyarchi is yet another major festival celebrated once every 1.5 years on the star when Rahu switches its planetary position from one raasi (galaxy) to the other. The temple has six Kala Puja at various times from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and twelve yearly festivals on its calendar. Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahu_Stalam
↧
December 28, 2016, 8:12 pm
![]() |
| Calcutta Turf Club race course stands before 1905 en.wikipedia.org |
Though horses were widely used in ancient India, it was during the British rule horse racing became popular events conducted by the clubs and the members were mostly Europeans, Indian rulers and elite. In the early development stages, admission was based on by invitation only. ![]() |
| Barrackpore course N of calcutta. en.wikipedia.org |
During the British Raj, the Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC), founded in 1847 in Calcutta ( Kolkata,), became the premier horse racing organization in India. It became the governing body for almost all courses in the sub-continent, defining and applying the rules that governed the sport. During the height of colonial rule even after the direct administration by the British Crown (after 1858), the races it organized were believed to be among the most popular social events of the calendar, opened by the Viceroy of India. During the 1930s the Calcutta Derby Sweeps, organized by the club, was the largest sweepstakes in the world. Even today it is still an exclusive private club and still operates the Kolkata Race Course.![]() |
| Royal Calcutta Turf Club Race Viceroy's Cup Day, c.1910. en.wikipedia.org |
Soon after the fall of Bengal in the wake of East India company's victory at the battle of Buxar on 22 October 1764 between the forces under the command of the British East India Company led by Hector Munro and the combined army of Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Bengal, the Nawab of Awadh, and the Mughal King Shah Alam II, Calcutta gained importance as a major trading center and the first base of British power in India. With an army based on cavalry, sports such as hunting, polo and racing were naturally important as the British army was heavily dependent on cavalry. For the first time in India on 16 January 1769 at Akra, near Calcutta, organized horse races were held and had continued for the next forty years. Initially the races were held on narrow, rough and poorly prepared courses. Such courses were not good for the participating horses because that would affect the performance of the horses as well as the jockeys. At this juncture, Governor Lord Wellesley prohibited horse racing in 1798, however, five years later the Bengal Jockey Club resumed racing at Akra and races moved over to the Maidan area of Calcutta in 1809, where they are still being held. A new course at approximately the current race course location was laid by the club in 1812 to facilitate the horses to run smoothly without facing hardship. The race course is in the southwest part of the Maidan. A viewing stand / gallery was built in 1820 and it was modified extensively later.In those colonial days, races were run preferably in the cool of mornings just after sunrise, usually in five heats of 2.5 miles (4.0 km). The reason was to evaluate the performance of the horses - their stamina, retention of speed, endurance, etc. If the results of morning races were not not properly judged, the heats were resumed after sundown. The British press regularly published the news items about Calcutta race results and its activities. The Calcutta Welter, the main horse racing event in India was moved to the new course in 1825. The Calcutta Derby Stakes began in 1842, where maiden Arabs ran over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) for exceptionally high prizes. Founded on 20 February 1847, the Calcutta Turf Club's main function was to regulate all aspects of horse racing in Calcutta. It was run by a five-person committee and the members of the club were elected by ballot and five stewards ran the races. The Calcutta Turf Club copied English practices of gambling on races, named the Derby and the St Leger after the English equivalents. The club was organized in 1847 in part to regulate such gambling. In 1856 the Calcutta Derby was replaced by the Viceroy's Cup. Admission to the racing events was by invitation only. In 1860 Lord Ulrich Browne, who took interest in the Calcutta racing events, was mainly instrumental in redrafting the racing rules and revising the weight-for-age scale. In 1880 public interest in racing grew to a greater extend and additional stands were built accommodate more spectators.Races were held in the afternoons. On matters concerning the rules of racing and arbitration, the Calcutta Turf Club followed the same authority as the Jockey Club in England, By 1899 the Calcutta Turf Club assumed the authority for rules at all of the 52 courses in the subcontinent and Burma apart from Bombay, Pune, Karachi and Kolhapur, which were under the jurisdiction of Bombay.Sir William McPherson who headed the racing organization from 1886 to 1897 upgraded the rules of racing and made an agreement with the Bombay Turf Authorities under which any course in India that held races had to submit to the authority of Calcutta or Bombay. Sir William introduced various other changes such as Jockeys could not bet and professional handicappers were introduced. Steeple chasing (obstacle race) was brought under the jurisdiction of the Calcutta Turf Club in 1888. The first Grand National in India was run in 1895 at the course at Tollygunge. Steeple chasing was one of the main events in the racing season.Apcar Alexander Apcar, a rich merchant and owner of the Apcar Line of steamers, ran a stud farm of Australian race horses. For some time he was president of the Calcutta Turf Clubin 1881. He had a new grand stand built (1905 and 1907) modeled on the Longchamp Racecourse grandstand. During the Christmas race week opened, it was a tradition that the Viceroy of India and his wife would drive in state past the grandstand. The Prince of Wales, the future King George V, attended the races in 1905. In 1908 the Maharaja of Burdwan, Dhiraja Sri Bejoy Chand Mahtab, was the first Indian elected as a full member of the club. The club added "Royal" to its name in 1912 after King George V visited the races for the second time and in the early 20th century the Calcutta Turf Club conducted races on twenty eight days each year.In 1915 unfortunately the Tollygunge course was closed and steeplechases were run at the Maidan course which could not be expanded because the land prices were way high. The RCTC made a final decision to have modern facility built with new stands, stables and two courses, one round and one with six straight furlongs. The railway agreed to provide a spur line to the course that could carry both horses and spectators. The new facility of RCTC was inaugurated on 27 January 1928. This site to the north in Barrackpore, which included a race course was bought in 1922 as the price was affordable. However, Grand Nationals continued to be run at the Maidan course until 1929, when the Grand National was transferred to Lahore. At a time before World War II (1939–1945) the club looked to Australia for guidance rather than to England. Thus Harvey Roulston, an Australian became an administrator and the Australian "Gray" gate was used in place of English starting gates, Only in 1930 methods of detecting drugs such as Benzedrine from urine or blood samples became available to avoid cheating which the English Jockey Club followed.![]() |
| 1934 10-rupee Calcutta Derby Sweepstake tickete .wikipedia.org |
Lord William Beresford introduced the private sweepstakes - the Calcutta Turf Club Derby draw in 1887 and after World War I (1914–1918), the sweepstakes gave prizes of £75,000.00, £35,000.00 and £15,000.00 for the top three horses in the club's Derby. Consequently Calcutta Derby Sweepstakes became famous worldwide, with the pool reaching almost £1,000,000 sterling in 1929 and 1930. Out of the prized money, 40% of the total pool went to the first prize winner, 20% to the second and 10% to the third. Tickets for unplaced horses also received a share, while the club kept only 10%. There was a hitch and the sweep was open only to members of the RCTC, or to friends who could ask members to place a wager. It was famous next to the Irish Hospitals' Sweepstakes, in the 1930s, despite the expected pay-out being considerably higherThe Barrackpore course did not yield the desired results and the club incurred loss. After WWII races were run in 1947 and 1948. After that, the Barrackpore course was closed. In 1954, it was sold to the government in an official arrangement that included renewal of the lease of the Maidan course. Sir Uday Chand Mahtab became a Steward in 1947. In 1955 he was elected as Senior Steward, a position he held for twenty seven years. In February 1961 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited the historical course and presented the trophy to the winner. In 1971 Geoffrey Moorhouse placed the Royal Calcutta Turf Club in the first rank of clubs in the city. The club conducts racing in Kolkata, with a main winter season from November to April and a monsoon season which runs from July until mid October. Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Calcutta_Turf_Club
↧
December 28, 2016, 9:26 pm
It was under the East India company rule, the British officials took a keen initiative and started turf clubs in those power centers under their control. The aim was to spend their week ends and holidays in a relaxing mood. It was equally a social event where the members of the elite could socialize, exchange pleasantries and indulge themselves in gossiping to their heart's content. For the young Europeans, it was a good opportunity to pick up a female companion. The Europeans could attend such racing events with their families which was not possible when they went hiking, hunting in the jungles, mountain climbing, etc because such out door activities away from human settlements were risky and dangerous. The Royal Western India Turf Club has a history spanning just over two centuries and takes the credit of being one of the oldest turf clubs in the world. It conducts racing at Mumbai's Mahalaxmi Racecourse (from November to April), including the McDowell's Indian Derby in February and Pune (from July to October).On 10–11 January 1798 a two-day race meeting was held in Bombay after raising funds via an appeal in local newspapers with two plates run in heats. Breakfast was, it is reported, served on the high grounds opposite Colonel Jones’ house and Captain G. Hall saluted the last race with fifteen guns. Sir Charles Forbes, G Hall, A Campbell and P Haddow started in 1800 Bombay Turf Club in Byculla Club Grounds that they acquired through the good offices of Dorabji Rustomji of Bombay. In the early stages, the balcony of the clubhouse was the only place used as a private stand for the honorable Members. Soon the name was changed to the Western India Turf Club. It was in 1819 the first horse race was held in Pune with a 100-guinea cup donated by the British Resident and later Governor of Bombay, the Hon. Mr Mountstuart Elphinstone, as the trophy – one year after the end of the Last Anglo-Maratha War and the Peshwa's reign. In 1830 the Pune Race Course was built on the present site in the Cantonment near the Empress Garden. In 1870, the Byculla Club Purse came into being; prizes were given for the first time. Racing continued to be held at Byculla almost through out the 19th century and in 1883, the venue was shifted over to Mahalakshmi on a marshy land made available by Sir Cusrow N Wadia, industrialist and businessman. It was reclaimed and corrected to be fit for horse racing as the water table was closer to the ground. One Major J E Hughes was in charge of supervision and building of the race course.
The racing track in Mahalaxmi is oval shaped with 2,400 metres (7,900 ft) straight chute, spread over approximately 225 acres (0.91 km2; 0.352 sq mi) of open land in the prime area of Mumbai city. It was created out of a marshy land known as Mahalakshmi Flats as mentioned above. Built in 1883 and modeled on the Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne, it is spread over land facing the sea. Today it is on lease from the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) to Royal Western India Turf Club which runs the racecourse. The Grandstand, off the course, is a designated heritage structure. The racecourse has a helipad open for civilian use in South Mumbai. British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran performed at the racecourse on 1 March 2015 as part of his X World Tour.During this period in 1880s, the performance of club was not good enough and was well eclipsed by the Calcutta Turf club because of their experience and better organization to attract the members. The racing scenario changed only in the 20th century and RWITC overshot the Calcutta Turf club. Between 1886 - 1897, an important agreement was reached with the Calcutta Turf Club “that no course in India be allowed to race under Rules without being controlled by either of the two Turf Authorities”. The first running of the Eclipse Stakes of India in 1923 gave Bombay a race to rival the Viceroy’s Cup. New stands were commissioned in 1925. Yet another milestone was in 1935 HRH King George V, Emperor of India, granted permission to add the prefix “Royal” to the Club’s name. In 1936 Electric clock was installed for the first time followed by the opening of the Apprentice Jockeys’ School in1938 and it was under the guidance of the Stipendiary Stewards of the Club. In 1942 - 43 The Indian classics was introduced, restricting participation of horses bred in India. Princess Beautiful, a Maharaja of Baroda fillyon the Indian 1000 Guineas, the Indian 2000 Guineas and the Indian Derby and 21 years later the Indian Turf Invitation Cup was introduced and the venue happened to be Mahalakshmi.![]() |
| Race Course (Camp, Pune).en.wikipedia.org |
Pune city is just, three and half hours drive south-east of Mumbai (Bombay), where the Royal Western India Turf Club conducts its racing. It is a monsoon track with the main Club House. The track is different and has a shorter run-in, with the variable underfoot conditions making the sporting events exciting. Main events take place in the Summer. the highlight is many horses from Calcutta take part in the events. Pune Race Course located in Pune Cantonment, western India was built in 1830 and it covers 118.5 acres (48.0 ha) of land under the control of the Indian ArmyRef: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pune_Race_Coursehttp://www.rwitc.comhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahalaxmi_Racecourse
↧
↧
December 27, 2016, 7:41 pm
With some exceptions, there is no developing or developed country in the world that does not have horse racing as an important sporting entertainment. Horse racing, as we know, is an equestrian performance sport, involving two or more jockeys riding horses over a designated distance for competition. The horse that comes first is the winner in that particular event. Horse racing is believed to be one of the most ancient of all sports and its fundamental norms have remained unchanged since its inception. It existed in many cultures across the globe - in ancient Greece, Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Historically, equestrians developed their skills through games and races, provided entertainment for crowds and honed the excellent horsemanship that was very much needed on the battle fields to tackle enemies. Countries world over have developed their own, horse race traditions and related rules, etc. Also included are the regulations with respect to selection of particular breeds, running over obstacles, different distances, different track surfaces and running in different gaits, weight of jockeys, etc. In the early stages, the horse races were held purely as a sporting event mainly for the purpose of entertainment on holidays. Over a period of time, economic interest and gambling became a major preoccupation, generating worldwide market worth more than $125 billion. In many countries this has led to the nexus between race clubs and the underworld. As for as India is concerned, horse racing is just over 200 years old. Madras, now Chennai took the honor of conducting the first racecourse in the country in 1777, during the early colonial period under the EIC rule. Today, Horse racing in India is on a firm footing with well established organization taking care of racing events and breeding (stud) industry. The Indian government has a racing authority to oversee the activities of racing clubs to curb malpractices. The racing event in India is conducted on nine racetracks by six racing authorities. With stallions imported from all over the world, mainly Indian-breed horses are used in the races. The Indian Stud Book keeps records of all thoroughbred breeding activity in India. India has a mixture of both pool betting and traditional bookmakers.The six important and active turf clubs in India are: Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) - conducts racing in Mumbai from November to May and in Pune from July to November.Sir Charles Forbes, G Hall, A Campbell and P Haddow started in 1800 Bombay Turf Club in Byculla grounds that they acquired through the good offices of Dorabji Rustomji of Bombay. The marshy land was converted into a race course by the Club. In the early stages, the balcony of the clubhouse was the only place used as a private stand for the honorable Members. Soon the name was changed to the Western India Turf Club. It was in 1819 the first horse race was held in Pune with a 100-guinea cup donated by the British Resident and later Governor of Bombay, the Hon. Mr Mountstuart Elphinstone, as the trophy – one year after the end of the Last Anglo-Maratha War and the Peshwa's reign. In 1830 the Pune Race Course was built on the present site in the Cantonment near the Empress Garden. The racing track in Mahalaxmi is oval shaped with 2,400 metres (7,900 ft) straight chute, spread over approximately 225 acres (0.91 km2; 0.352 sq mi) of open land in the prime area of Mumbai city. In 1935 HRH King George V, Emperor of India, granted permission to add the prefix “Royal” to the Club’s name.
Pune Race Course located in Pune Cantonment, western India was built in 1830 and it covers 118.5 acres (48.0 ha) of land under the control of the Indian army.
Bangalore Turf Club - conducts racing at Bangalore in two distinct seasons - in summer from May to August and in winter from November to April. In 1537 itself horse racing could have evolved in Bangalore that was founded by Kepe Gowda 150 years ago but for wars among the Indian rulers that created an unfavorable situation to introduce equestrian sports. The non-availability of suitable horses was a different matter. Brigadier General Sir Ormonde Winter was of the opinion that the native "country-bred'' pony was hardy but unsuitable for racing. Bangalore climate was favorable for rearing cavalry horses and on the outskirts of Bangalore what are now known as Kalasipalayam and Parvathipuram there were rows of stables belonging to Mysore cavalry. It was on December 1 1920 four stewards took the initiative and formed the Bangalore Turf Club. They were: Major R.H.O.D Paterson, Sir Leslie Miller, Major J.M Holmes and C.N Suryanarain Row. These gentlemen approved to form a race club in the city. There were to be 30 club members. The Stewards could elect an unlimited number of stand members. The admission charges for both types of memberships was Rs 20. Men were required to pay while entry was free for women. The Bangalore Race Club was formed in 1951 and started to run the Mysore races also.Hyderabad Turf Club - conducts racing in Hyderabad where racing is held on the Monsoon Track from July until the end of October and on the Winter Track from November until February. Hyderabad usually races on Sundays and Mondays.It was the Nizam Asaf Jah VI in 1868 at Moula-Ali started horse racing in Hyderabad. Called Deccan races and later the Hyderabad races in the past in 1886 the racing venue shifted to Malakpet by H.H Nawab Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, Nizam VI as he wanted the race course to be near his palace. Hyderabad Race Club started its operations in 1961 in Secunderabad and shifted to Malakpet in 1968 when the racing was revived under Hyderabad Race Club.Royal Calcutta Turf Club, Kolkata - conducts racing in Kolkata, with a main winter season from November to April and a monsoon season which runs from July until mid October.![]() |
| Calcutta Turf Club race course stands before 1905 en.wikipedia.org |
During the British Raj, the Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC), founded in 1847 in Calcutta ( Kolkata,), became the premier horse racing organization in India. It became the governing body for almost all courses in the sub-continent, defining and applying the rules that governed the sport. During the height of colonial rule even after the direct administration by the Crown, the races it organized were believed to be among the most popular social events of the calendar, opened by the Viceroy of India. During the 1930s the Calcutta Derby Sweeps, organized by the club, was the largest sweepstakes in the world. Even today it is still an exclusive private club and still operates the Kolkata Race Course.The Mysore Race Club - conducts regular season between mid-August and the end of October, as well as smaller summer and winter seasons. It is the most picturesque in the country on the foothills of the imposing Chamundi Hills.There are 250 members in the Mysore Race Club. It all began in 1891 in Mysore under the patronage of the Royal Family of Mysore and the ruler was Chamaraja Wadiyar. The new facility of the race course was built by Krishnaraja Wadiyar in 1906.The original location of the Race Course was near the present J.C.College.The present race course was established in 1920 by H H Sri Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the then ruler of Mysore. The race covered a152-acre prime land. The races were affiliated to the Royal Calcutta Turf Club.The Bangalore Race Club was formed in 1951 and started to run the Mysore races also. The present race course is on leased from the Karnataka government from1977. There are 250 members in the Mysore Race Club. The racing track is 2,000 meters long and 30 meters wide. The straight is 500 meters.Delhi Turf Club - conducts racing at India's capital usually once a week from August until May, where racing is run under the patronage of RWITC. It was established in 1940.Madras turf Club - races are conducted inwinter season at the main facility at Guindy and a spring/summer season at the hill station of Ooty, Nilgiri hills. First ever horse race was held at Madras race course in 1780. At that time Madras was a Presidency. ![]() |
| First ever race meet in India. This was in 1780.madrasmusings.com |
Chennai city (Old Madras) has one of the oldest race course in India, and has the record of hosting horse races for around 235 years with a brief hiatus in between. in August, 1974 the Tamil Nadu government banned horse racing on moral grounds, however the High court stayed it and in 1996 the Supreme court struck down the state government's ban on horse racing. races resumed in 1978. Earliest racing goes as far back as 1777, however there were some breaks in racing in the late 1700s on account of war between the British and Hyder Ali who came almost close to Madras, and then again in the 1870s. The Madras Race Club was established in 1837 and for this purpose parts of villages were allocated. The club functioned till 1875, when the Prince of Wales Edward VII visited Madras. Horse racing was revived in 1887, though it was a tough period and the club has been organizing the races since then. Again the racing was interrupted by the out break of WWI and India had to fight along with the British. Once the war came to an end, racing again resumed in 1919, Yet another race course was built in Ooty to host races in summer. Subsequently the Madras Race Club became a turf. Major races Most of the time, except for the summer when Bangalore races on the weekends and Mysore on Wednesdays, there is a seven-day race schedule all over the country and simulcasting takes place between all the clubs.India has five 'Classic' races which parallel the original British classic races. The Indian 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas are run in December. The Indian Oaks is run at the end of January. The Indian Derby is run on the first Sunday of February and carries a purse of over ₹ 30,000,000. Lastly, the Indian St. Leger is run in September.[3] They are all run in Mumbai, apart from the St. Leger which is run at Pune.
The Invitation Weekend which rotates between the various turf authorities is held on the first weekend of March. This features a Group 1 race each for sprinters over 1200 metres, a race over a mile and a 3000 metre race for stayers. The best horses are invited from all over the country for these races. The showpiece event is open to Indian horses which are 4 years old and over, invited from all the turf authorities, and carries a winners prize of ₹ 10,000,000. The Bangalore Derby is held on the second Sunday of July in Bangalore every year. It is sponsored by Kingfisher. Invitation cup and associated races sprinter,stayer,Super mile is rotational, Hyderabad 2014,Calcutta 2013 Bangalore 2012, Bombay 2011 and this year is RWITC' Mumbai,s Turn, is run over 2400 meters was for only 4 years old only were eligible but from 2014 onward it has been changed to elder horses also.
Famous horsesIndian horses have made their mark on the international arena. Mystical won two races at the Dubai Racing Carnival. Saddle Up was the best horse in training on the Malayasia / Singapore circuit and won the Tunku Gold Cup as well as running second in the Singapore International Cup. Southern Regent, won twice in England when way past his prime at the age of 9. Beat It Dude was one of the highest rated horses in South Korea in 2008. Astonish was a Class 1 winner in Hong Kong. Indian Government restrictions dampened the participation of Indian horses abroad. Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_racing_in_India https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_Race_Course https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyderabad_Race_Club
↧
December 29, 2016, 11:14 pm
The history of Church in Tamil Nadu goes back to 52 AD when St. Thomas established seven and half churches on the Malabar coast, Kerala, one being in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. European missionaries were active in the 18th and 19th centuries in the Peninsular India. Their preaching did not make the expected impact on the natives who were mostly Hindus. Regardless of the impact, the Jesuits opened many Christian schools and imparted western education to the people in the remote places. A small percentage of people had embraced Christianity because they were much impressed by the Missionaries unselfish interaction with them with respect to social problems, etc.
Immaculate Conception Church, Kuthalur, Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu, governed by the diocese of Sivagangai, is the largest and oldest church in this area. Kuthalur was one of the largest Parishes in the R.C. Archdiocese of Madurai & the Mother Parish of many new and large parishes of today. The building work began in 1860 and completed ten years later as the funds were available only through donations. This church is also referred to as as Sebasthiar Kovil in local parlance by the people. This Roman Catholic church is steeped in history, spanning 150 years and bear witness to the exit of the East India company rule, followed by the direct take over of India by the British Crown. The French Jesuit Missionaries were instrumental in developing this church into what it is today. Earlier, this village was called "Chinna Colombo" (Little Colombo) by the local people because most of people, in particular, Christians of this village before independence went to Ceylon (Sri Lanka and Burma (Myanmar) for employment. Prior to the construction Immaculate Conception Church here, the Christian community had a small church (Kurusadi) dedicated to St. Sebastian. Hence St. Sebastian's Novena is celebrated on a grand scale with devotion in the Second Week of January every year. The purpose of the festival is to thank him for being the patron of the Catholic Community in Kuthalur. Every year there will be a Car (Chariot) procession in the third week of May and also San Sebastian feast. It is believed that before the commencement of this Parish in 1860, Rev. Fr. Peter Ferrin S.J. began his ministry here - Marava Nadu, using the village of Kuthalur as his base. The main altar in the church is adorned with Mary's statue specially imported from abroad. The grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes was added by Fr. K. V. Paul in April 1955. A fascinating fact about this church in a small village is it is through the philanthropy of an unknown German lady, the entire church came into being. In 1970, in a Grand manner the Centennial Jubilee was celebrated by the villagers and as part of the 100th year celebration a big hall - mantap was built, besides complete renovation was done. The old church has French Gothic style architecture and is made of brick and lime mortar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuthalur
↧
December 31, 2016, 3:54 am
When Bengal came under the full control of the East India company, the British higher-ups lords and viceroys ruled the roost transforming Calcutta into a major trading center. With their rise and firm grip on Bengal, the Nawobs of Bengal and small rulers of other regions slowly disappeared from the scene, having lost their pelf, power and their lands. A new social order had appeared on the horizon with roots in western culture. The Bengal, Club a social club in colonial Calcutta (Kolkata, West Bengal) was opened in 1827 as the Calcutta United Service Club. The club-house functioned in an old building in Esplanade West built in 1813 and its first President was Lt. Col. The Hon. J. Finch, the military secretary to Lord Combermere, Commander-in-chief of the East India Company's army. The very first roaster of the club had 141 members that included senior officers, merchants, bank directors and other officials of the EIC. The main function of the club was to provide good quality services to people who had good standing / status in the society. The services included dinning, entertainment, dancing, bars, library, gymnasium, etc., in a serene, peaceful ambience to match their grace and dignity. Much emphasis was given to contemporary facilities to suit that point of time without compromising on the traditional gracefulness and the culture of the English society. Such social clubs in Calcutta never failed to offer an amiable and joyful atmosphere to their patrons. The club was the most favorite hangout for the British. The paradox is the Bengal Club that was exclusively for the "Whites" was functioning in a building owned by the famous writer Kali Prasanna Singha. Previous occupants of the building were Lord Macaulay 1834-1838 and Gov. Gen. Lord Metcalfe , who was the President of the club for eleven long years. Bernard Shaw once remarked, "Oh, a club is nothing. The best club in England is the one every sensible man keeps away from". Considered one of the first social club in the world, the Bengal club is 189 years old and had gone past innumerable historical events, including the Sepoy Mutiny - 1857, the great Bengal famine -in the early 1940s, World Wars I and II, India's independence - August 1947 and finally the partition of Bengal. The Bengal Club had its own policies and protocol in selecting and inducting new members who were subject to evaluation by a selection committee. This was to maintain the high standard of the club. In many social clubs, a member ought to be a professional and preferably a post-graduate degree holder. Members are eligible to visit other reciprocal clubs around India, as well as many parts of the world. The Club had strict formal dress regulations for its members. This Club is one of the most prestigious clubs in Calcutta serving as a bridge between the tradition of Bengal and British culture. using foresight and vision to rule a country whose ethnicity is altogether ethnicity. Once it had 1600 members on its roaster. It was popular among the elite bachelors.The club regulations were never diluted with respect to entry of non-whites. When, once Viceroy expressed his intention to bring his learned Indian friend one Sir Rajan Mookerjee for the Christmas dinner, the club members were unhappy and, at the same time, did not want to hurt the Viceroy. It was unanimously decided to have a separate Shamiana erected to accommodate just Rajan Mookerjee who had his dinner there. This high voltage racial discrimination led Rajan and other English men to have a high-level non-racial club established to admit the British and high society Indians. Thus, the Calcutta Club came into being in 1907. Only after India's independence, Indians walked freely inside the Bengal club. On his visit to Bombay, India in 1933, Bernard Shaw remarked on the exclusive Yacht Club for the "Whites", "It was nothing short of snobbery to have a club exclusively reserved for the use of the white people in a land of colored people".The club, despite its age, still maintains its past link with the colonists. There are big portraits of British lords who successfully took care of the colonial expansion and administration, the pretty old Nagaraj bar where the lords and biggies would have gulped down whisky and good old wine to subdue their frustration and fatigue. There are old wooden stools too. On the first floor there are grand old piano, old grandfather clock and a dinning hall, etc.
The present club is in a new place, and is not where Bengal Club had been set up. Located between the Chatterjee International Building and Metro Rail Bhavan, presently the club serves all kinds of food from two restaurants and has attached bars in an ambiance without losing colonial flavor and heritage. Old traditions are still being maintained and the club still maintains strict dress code. A vestige of colonial influence is the Christmas celebration and the number of guests are very much restricted. Other events are Diwali, Durga Puja, etc. When one leaves this oldest social club in the world, one can not but conjure up the vision of inevitable colonial hangover, clinking of wine glasses, liveried bartenders pouring drinks to the honorable guests with grace and the high society ladies' gentle whispering of gossips that hangs in the huge hall like LA fog. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Bengal-Club-The-best-of-183-year-old-heritage-on-show/articleshow/7114669.cms
↧
December 31, 2016, 7:32 pm
Among the racecourses in India, perhaps the the oldest is the one at Chennai (Madras). Known as Madras Race Club now (MRC), the race course is in Guindy, an important suburb of Chennai city. The club unfortunately had chequered history with horse racing, the only sport on which betting is legally allowed in India. It has hosted horse races for around 235 years despite interruptions and setbacks in between.Like all race courses in the south, it has been under the South India Turf Club since 1952-1953. Prior to that period, racing was conducted in accordance with the rules set by the Calcutta Turf Club. In the earlier days in the 1800s, the race course was near St. Thomas Mount and not at Guindy. Since 1966, the MRC has become an independent turf authority. The club now has about 625 well-bred horses in station. In the 1960s all kinds of people used to attend the races. Going to the race was a status, sort of social grace among the rich, no matter whether, they won or lost the bet.The gradual development of Madras racecourse is an interesting one, . Though the Club was formed in 1837, its early inception goes back to 1777. The government allocated land through a grant ( vide a letter written by the then Collector of Chingleput dated June 22, 1825), covering roughly 81 cawnies (local measure of land) that belonged to the Adyar villages of Venkatapuram and Velacheri. Besides, with the addition of lands - about 35 cawnies two racecourses were built beside along with stables. In the 1770s the races were held at irregular interval because of strained relationship between the East India Company and Hyder Ali of Mysore who had a powerful army trained by the French. He was a major threat to the English. The Prince of Wales Edward VII visited Madras in 1875 and later it became almost dormant. In 1887 Lt. Col. George Moore, President of the Corporation of Madras gave life to it and till 1887, the race club had a tough roller coaster ride. Soon a new club came into being with 50 members to improve racing to gain profits. In 1900, racing fell on hard time, further complicated by the breakout of the WWI. Madras race club, saw the light at the end of the tunnel only in 1920 during the tenure of Lord Willingdon, the Governor of Madras. Same year, two stands came up. Thanks to the munificence of Maharajah of Bobbili and Maharajah of Venkatagiri, ardent patrons. The Ooty Race Course in the Nilgiri hills is under under the MRC and is believed to be the only racecourse on a hill station. Again the MRC had to face the worst period and this time, the state government banned racing in 1970. Reason: racing and betting were pushing the working class into family break down, perpetual debt and ruin. The legal issue was solved only after 1985 through sincere efforts made by industrialist like the late M.A.M, Ramaswamy. However, races resumed in 1978 because the Madras High Court stayed the government ordinance. Classic races were introduced in 1958 and 1959. There are three stands and the racing season begins in November and goes on till March after which races are conducted in Ooty between April and June in the cool shadows of the Nilgiri hills, near Coimbatore city. Ref:http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/survivors-of-time-madras-race-club-a-canter-through-centuries/art
http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2013/jun/10/235-years-on-city-horsing-around-i
↧
↧
![]() |
| Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga, temple, Ellora. bharatdiscovery.org |
Grishneshwar, also referred to as 'Ghushmeshwar Jyotirlinga is 'one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines mentioned in the Shiva Purana "kotirudra sahinta". Perhaps, it is the last or the twelfth Jyotirlinga shrine on earth located in a village called Verul near Ellora, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) north-west of the city of Aurangabad, Maharastra. The temple is situated in a serene and quiet place far away from the noisy urban conglomerate. Grishneshwar Shiva temple is next to the Ellora Caves, a world famous UNESCO recognized Heritage site. It is an important pilgrimage site in Shaiva tradition of Hinduism. Here, lord Shiva is in Jyotirlinga form - a huge column of fire. Among the Jyotirlinga temples in India, this one is the smallest one. Lots of pilgrims visit this temple daily for prayer and blessings.![]() |
| Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga temple, Ellora. bharatdiscovery.org |
The temple has a chequered history of destruction and reconstruction during the Muslim rule - Delhi Sultanate in the 13th and 14th centuries and the Mogul Maratha wars and consequently, early artistic stone works and sculptures were lost for ever. The temple was re-built by Maloji Bhosale of Verul, (grandfather of Shivaji) in the 16th century and later Rani Ahalyabai of Indore, after the fall of the Mughal Empire, took the initiative and had the temple rebuilt, preserving as much as possible the heritage value of the temple and the old glory. Hindu temples such as the Kashi Vishvanath temple in Varanasi, a Vishnu temple in Gaya, and a much larger Shiva Jyotirlinga temple in Somnath owe a lot to this queen of Indoor who personally took keen interest and rebuilt them and now they form major centers of pilgrimage.![]() |
| Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga temple near Ellora en.wikipedia.org/ |
There is an interesting legend about this temple and the appearance of Jyotirlinga here. According to Shivapurana, on a mountain named Devagiri there lived a Brahmin by the name of Brahmavetta Sudharm with his wife Sudeha. That the couple had no kid saddened them very much. Sudharam, because of compulsion, married his wife's sister Ghushma, a true devotee of lord Shiva for the second time. Ghushma was blessed with a son and obliviously Ghushma received more attention by her husband than her Sister. Consequently, her sister Sudeha became jealous of her and at one point of time she became so envious, she wanted to kill her sister's son after his marriage. As planned, Sudeha one night silently killed him with a knife when everybody was fast asleep. Being a maniac, she cut the body into pieces and threw them into the near-by lake in which Ghushma used to drop Parthivlinga after prayer. Same night, after commuting this heinous crime without scruples whatsoever, she returned home and began to sleep as if nothing had happened. Following morning the family members were busy with morning puja, ablutions, household chores, etc. Sudeha also started her daily routine work. Ghushma' s daughter-in-law, when removing her husband's bed, was shell-shocked to find blood stains and blood-stained parts of the body on the bed. Grief-stricken and horrified, she told her mother-in-law about it. Upon hearing this, Ghushma never panicked, rather, she had begun to chant Lord Shiva’s mantra ‘Om Namah Shivay’ more vigorously and later, as it was her wont, she went to the lake as before, to drop Parthivlinga into the waters. To her surprise, she saw her son standing besides the lake. Her heart was filled with joy and Lord Shiva appeared and said, "I am pleased with your devotion and your sister had killed your son". Ghushma offered her prayers and asked Lord Shiva to forgive her sister as she was elder than her. Ghushma requested Lord Shiva to stay in that place to protect and bless the people to which the lord happily agreed; he turned himself into a Jyotirlinga close to the lake. Hence, the lake is called Shivalaya.This temple, built in South Indian temple architecture, has 5 tiers with Shikera and is made of red basaltic volcanic rock stone (the Deccan Plateau is mostly mad of volcanic rock Basalt). Among the attractions, the episodes of Dashavataras of Vishnu carved in red stone and a big hall with 24 ornate pillars, depicting various legends and mythology of Shiva attract our attention. The linga enshrined in the Garbhagraha faces the East. Regarding entry of pilgrims into the Sanctum, there are dress restrictions. As in many Shiva temple, the Nandi (Bull) faces the main shrine. Besides, there are stone carvings and sculptures of many other Hindu gods and goddesses in the Hindu pantheon. Maharaj’s mausoleum is also situated in this temple.Ref: http://www.maharashtradarshan.in/Jyotirlings/grishneshwar.html
↧
If you want to succeed in your life, be it a company job or business, a good, normal health is a necessity and it is is essential for all. If you are running a start - up or a fairly established company, facing a plethora of problems or issues is part and parcel of your business life. How can you face the unexpected problems cropping up somewhere down the line? Being the boss, confrontation of some issues - normal or serious requires lots of patience, guts, quick decision-making to plug the holes. Unless there is a perfect coordination between physical and mental alertness, being in a pressure-cooker situation you may become fatigued, indecisive and disoriented. So, for a young entrepreneur, a robust health is a must.
The following are the facts that need serious consideration:
01. Pay serious attention to your health, for health is wealth. If you have good health, you can achieve success and acquire wealth at any cost.
02. Stay focused on your physical and mental health as both of them are inter-dependent. Lack of either of the two means your chances of success in your life may be delayed or negated very thing you have worked for.03. Invariably in this "on line world" where paper work has become less in the offices, people depend, out and out more, onInternet facilities than anything else. It means more hours are spent before the computer and the jobs have become sedentary. There is no mobility whatsoever. So avoid sitting in one place for a long time.
04. If your work takes you through the office whole day, particularly before the computer, make it a point to take a break every 1 1/2 hours, walk around for 5 to 10 minutes in the office, be yourself and relax. Such a break from the routine monotonous work will improve the blood circulation in the body. If you come back to your work you will be fresh and energized.
05. Coffee / tea break is a time to relax and loosen up yourself; a chance to keep your mind off from unfinished work.06. Don't ever postpone your works when you can do them today itself. Additional backlog will only aggravate your mental stress. Try to be punctual when it comes to work.
07. When thing don't progress they way you planned, avoid tension. Try to think calmly without losing patience. With clear mind, decision taken at the right juncture, will make things work for you.08. When your progress is slow, take a break, go on a short vacation or read books at home or play with your children or pets. When you get back to work and shake the kaleidoscope, a clear pattern will show up. You may feel rejuvenated.09. A tense situation may arise if you pick on your team's small excusable mistakes. It is no use, making a mountain out of a mole hill.10. To beef up your overall health, concentrate on aerobic exercise. In the early morning go jogging for 30 to 40 minutes. Use tread mill or do skipping for 1/2 hour, if you are unable to go outdoors.if you follow the above suggestions, you will positively see some improvement in your health as well as in your company's progress.
↧
As far as the pilgrimage is concerned, for most Hindus visiting the Kasi Viswanath temple in UP and Rameswaram temple in Tamil Nadu is very important as they are closely connected with Pithrookaryam, conducting thithi- paying obeisance to Pithroos - forefathers
Ramanathaswamy Temple, on the Rameswaram island, Tamil Nadu, is an important Jyotirlinga place of worship among the 12 shrines where Lord Shiva is in Jyothiswaroopam (pillar of fire). Considered as one of the 274 Paadal Petra Sthalams, where the three of the most revered Nayamars (Saivite saints), Appar, Sundarar and Tirugnana Sambandar, have sung their songs in glory of this temple, people in thousands visit this place to do pithrykaryam, etc. The temple, expanded during the 12th century by the Pandya Dynasty, with its sanctum renovated by Jeyaveera Cinkaiariyan and his successor Gunaveera Cinkaiariyan of the Jaffna kingdom, has the credit of having the longest corridor / Prakaram among all Hindu temples in India.The temple is located in Rameswaram considered a holy pilgrimage site for Shaivites, Vaishnavites and Smarthas. The presiding deity, in the form of a Lingam, is called Ramanathaswamy (Shiva), and is believed to have been installed and worshiped by Lord Rama himself - an avatar of the god Vishnu, to absolve of his sins committed by killing Ravana, an ardent devotee of Shiva during the war in Sri Lanka to get his consort Sri Sita who was abducted by demon king Ravana.According to the Ramayana, Rama, the seventh avatar of the god Vishnu, in order to get rid of his sin, prayed to the god Shiva here. Rama killed Ravana, a shiva Bakthar and a brahmin by caste in the final battle between Ravana's army and Rama's army on the island of Srilanka. Upon his victorious return to Rameswaram, Rama wanted to have a large lingam to worship Shiva. So, he asked his assistant Sri Hanuman, to bring a lingam from the Himalayas before the designated time. When the auspicious time was ticking away with no sign of Hanuman bringing the lingam on time, Sita, the wife of Rama, built a small lingam out of the sand available in the sea shore, which is believed to be the lingam in the sanctum (Garbagraha / Sri kovil).Unlike other Jyotirlinga Shetras, here there are two lingams, one made by Sri Sita and the other being from the Himalayas brought by Sri Hanuman. Sri Rama emphasized that Visvalingam brought by Sri Hanuman should be worshiped first and the tradition continues even to day by the pilgrims. The temple has tall towers - gopurams, main tower or rajagopuram is 53 m tall. Among the closed corridors / Prakarams the outer most is the longest in the world, measuring about 6.9 m in height, 400 feet each in the east and west direction and about 640 feet in the north and the south direction. The inner corridors/ Prakarams are about 224 feet each in the east and the west and about 352 feet each in the north and the south direction They have variable width - from 15.5 feet to 17 feet in the east and west about 172 feet on the north and south with width varying 14.5 feet to 17 feet. The total length of these corridors is thus 3850 feet. The outer corridor is supported by as many as 1212 ornate hard stone pillars The height is about 30 feet from the floor to the center of the roof. The entire corridor is covered with long hard stone - granite slabs using lime mortar mix to bid them. Each pillar is artistically carved.In the early stages, the temple was a simple structure with thatched roof. In the 17th century the rulers of Ramanathapuram - Setupati dynasty made a voluminous contribution towards the construction of this big temple complex . The third and longest Prakaram was built by Raja Muthuramalinga Setupati. The Setupatis, thus, have become immortal figures with respect to Ramanatha Swamy temple. At this temple, Ramanathaswamy and his consort goddess Parvathavardhini have independent shrines separated by a corridor. There are also shrines dedicated to goddess Vishalakshi, the utsava images, Sayanagriha, Vishnu and Ganesha. Halls such as Anuppu Mandapam, Sukravara Mandapam, Setupati Mandapam, Kalyana Mandapam and Nandi Mandapam adorn this temple. Among the halls / mantaps, Chokkattan (in Tamil it means chess) Madapam is a unique one. formed at the junction of the third corridor on the west and the paved way leading from the western gopuram to the Setumadhava shrine, forming a pattern in the form of a chess board. In this hall, the adorned Utsava deities are kept for worship during the Vasanthotsavam (Spring festival) - on the 6th day of the festival in Tamil month Adi (July–August) and Masi (February–March) specially conducted by the Setupati of Ramnad Royal family.In order to help the yatrikas (travelers), the charitable Maratha rulers of Thanjavur built innumerable chatrams or rest houses between Mayiladuthurai, (erstwhile Thanjavur district) and Rameswaram between 1745 and 1837 CE and donated them to the temple.Among the sixty-four Tīrthas (holy water bodies) in and around the island of Rameswaram, in the temple complex, there are twenty-two of the Tīrthas suggesting the 22 arrows in Rama's quiver; the major one being Agni Theertham, the sea (Bay of Bengal). Skānda Purāṇa points out twenty-four Tirthas are essential and bathing in these Tīrthas is a significant aspect of the pilgrimage and is believed to be equivalent to doing penance.Considered as one of the holiest Hindu Char Dham (four divine sites as enunciated by Advaita exponent seer Sri Aadi Sankaracharya of Kalady) - Badrinath, Puri and Dwarka. The four monasteries fall across the four corners of India - Badrinath Temple at Badrinath in the North, Jagannath Temple at Puri in the East, Dwarakadheesh Temple at Dwarka in the West and Ramanathaswamy in the south. This temple authorities, on matters related to temple Sastras consult the Sankaracharya of Sringeri, Karnataka. Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramanathaswamy_Temple
↧
In the Hindu Mythology, there are countless legends about the gods and goddesses in the pantheon and they mostly revolve around the temple history. They carry a streak of moral lesson and bring out the truth that like humans are susceptible to making glaring mistakes and sins, which when committed knowingly or unknowingly, even gods are also bound to make amends to be absolved of sins. Such stories inculcate in us a moral responsibility to be upright, honest and be careful about our actions, especially the bad ones that may affect the people around us. Hence, discretion is very important before any action verbal or physical. Therefore, it is imperative to keep our mind in check. Wrong decision without second thoughts means one must be ready to face the repercussions in the aftermath. At Thirukandiyur Lord Shiva who himself committed sin ultimately repented and was relieved by Lord MahaVishnu.In Hinduism three gods - The Great Trinity are very important and they are Vishnu (Narayana - sustainer), Shiva (Sankara - destroyer) and Brahma (creator). A perusal of Hindu temples across India would reveal the fact that that are very few places where the Great trinity are worshiped on the same premises In Suchindram, near Nagercoil (Kanyakumari district) the idol of Shiva and in Thirukkannapuram, near Nannilam, Tamil Nadu the idol of Vishnu are believed to be symbolic of the Trinity. In the North, there is a separate temple for Lord Brahma at Pushkaram, Rajasthan. In the heartland of Chola Nadu Bikshandarkoil (Uttamar Kovil), near Tiruch and Thirukandiyur, near Thanjavur are two places where Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma are worshiped in the same place. An interesting fact emerges that these two places have a close link with Shiva's curse and his salvation from sin by Lord Vishnu.Hara Saabha Vimochana Perumal Temple in Thirukandiyur, a small village, about 11kms from Thanjavur, on the way to Thiruvayaru and Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu has a famous temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, and the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. Built in the Dravidian style of architecture, Vishnu, here is worshiped as Hara Saabha Vimochana perumal since he gave relief to Shiva (relief: Vimochana; the sin: saabha of Shiva also called Hara). His consort is Lakshmi as Kamalavalli Thayyar. Utchavar is Kamalanathan. Moolavar _perumal is in standing posture, facing east. The Vimana (small tower) above the sanctum is called Kamalakruthi Vimana.
The main gateway - Raja gopuram - tower has five levels (tiers). The temple is said to have been built by the Medieval Cholas of the late 8th century AD. Additional contributions were made by the Vijayanagar kings and Madurai Nayak rulers. A granite wall is built around the temple, enclosing all its shrines and water tank. This temple is located in between the rivers Cauvery and Kodamuruti.Legend has it, both Brahma, the Hindu god of creation and Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, had originally five heads. Parvathi, the wife of Shiva, thinking she was performing patha pooja (ablution of feet, considered an act of prayer and respect) to her husband Shiva, did it to Brahma instead over which Shiva (whose 5 heads are Eeshana, Tatpurusha, Agora, Vamadevam and Satyojatham) became angry and cut off the middle head of Brahma. The removed head got stuck in Shiva's hand owing to a curse of Brahma. To absolve of the sin as a result of Brahmahathi Dosham , Shiva went around begging and at Karambarnur Lord Vishnu asked Poorva Devi to offer Shiva Bhiksha which she did. It partially removed Shiva's sin but Brahma Kapalam, to his dismay, got stuck on the palm and the food served on the skull failed to fall down. Again, upon Vishnu's advice, Shiva went to Thirukandiyur where he got complete salvation from the sin after taking a holy dip in the temple tank called Kamala Pushkarani. Since Vishnu gave salvation from curse here, he is called Hara Saabha Vimochana perumal. After this incident, the tank came to be known as Kapala Theertham (kapala means skull). It is believed that Shiva was pleased and he built the Hara Sabha Vimochana temple as a token of his gratitude to Lord Vishnu. Besides, Lord Shiva built a temple for himself near this place - Brahma Sira Kandeeswarar temple which is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams. Thirugnana Samandar, a well-known Tamil Saivite seer sang in glory of this temple. Lord's consort is Mangalambigai. In the Tamil month of Vaikasi the act of Shiva punishing Brahma is enacted as part of the festival. It is the fifth of the seven sapthastanas of Aiyarappar temple at Tiruvaiyaru. Tamil saint poets, Appar and Samandar of the 7th century sang devotional hymns and glorified this temple. The holy tree is vilvam and the holy water source is Brahma Theertham. In the Tamil month of Masi, on the 13th, 14th and 15th the Sun's rays fall on the Sivalingam in the Grabagraha - sanctum sanctorum. There are shrines for Bhairavar, Suryan, Vinayaka, Skanda, Ardhanareeswara and Vishnu Durgai. There was a separate temple for Brahma, but it fell into ruins over a period of time and the idols of Brahma and Saraswati are kept in the Siva Temple.![]() |
| Brahma Sira Kandeeswarar temple,Kandiyur en.wikipedia.or |
According to another legend once Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, not happy with her husband because he was paying more attention to Brahma, the God of creator, requested Shiva to cut off one of the heads of Brahma. Shiva did exactly what he had been told. At last Vishnu came to Shiva's rescue and got rid of his sin. It is believed that Sage Bhrigu, King Mahabali and Chandra (Moon) all got their sins relieved by worshiping Hara Saabha Vimochana Perumal. Thirumangai Azhvaar (Paasuram-2050) sang in glory of this temple and among the 108 Divya Desa shrines, this one is 15th. Brahmostavam, celebrated during the Tamil month of Panguni (April–May), Aipasi Pavithra Utsavam in Aipasi (October–November), Vaikunta Ekadashi in Margazhi (December–January) and Karthikai Deepam in Karthikai (November–December)Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hara_Saabha_Vimocchana_Perumal_Temple
↧
↧
Kandiyoor Sree Mahadeva Temple is an ancient Shiva temple situated in Kandiyoor near Mavelikara, Kerala on the banks of Achankovil River. Kandiyoor, once the capital of the Odanadu kingdom has a famous Hindu temple known as Sree Mahadeva Temple. One among the 108 great Shiva temples of ancient Kerala consecrated by Lord Parashurama himself, it is is 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) west of Mavelikara town. The Kandiyoor temple is a place of great antiquity dating back to A.D 823 during the reign of Rajasekhara Varman. The Kandiyoor inscriptions (K. E. 393) dated 1218 suggest that Rama Kotha Varma of Odanad rebuilt the temple and the Kalasam ceremony was graced by devadicci Unni wife of Ravi Kerala Varma King of Venad.The rear door of the temple is closed for centuries after the defeat of Kayamkulam by Odanadu. It is through the door the ruler of Kayankulam made his exit. Later the land was annexed by Marthanda Varma of Travancore. Evey Hindu temple has a legend behind it and this temple is no exception. Once Mrikandu, father of Rishi Markandeya accidentally got the idol of Lord Shiva in Kirathamoorthy form while bathing in the Ganga river. To his astonishment, he heard an oracle, a sort of prophecy that the idol be enshrined in a holy and worthy place. After a prolonged search for a befitting place for the lingam the sage - Rishi came down to Kerala and chose the bank of Achankovil and built the temple in Kandiyoor. The name is a corrupt form of Kandathil nalla uru (best place seen).According to another legend the temple is established at the site where Lord Shiva is believed to have cut off Lord Brahma's head. The name Kandiyoor is based on the name of Shiva - Sri Kantan. It was Lord Parasurama who renovated the temple and entrusted the tanthrik rights - conducting pujas, temple rituals, etc with the Tharananallur family.The primary deity Lord Shiva known as Kandiyoorappan (the ruling deity of Kandiyoor) is in the two tired Sri Kovil - sanctum santorum and there is a platform in the front for devotees, a feature that is reminiscent of the Hoysala style. The bottom tier is oval in shape while the top tier is rectangular. There is a 10 feet (3.0 m) Gajaprishta style wall that is believed to have been constructed by Shiva's Bhothaganas. Stone inscriptions depict various episodes from the Puranas.A fascinating feature of this Shiva temple, unknown in other states like Tamil Nadu is, the main deity, Kandiyoorappan is worshiped as Dakshinamoorthy in the morning, Umamaheshwaran in the noon, Kirathamoorthy in the evening, as Panchmukha from South-West corner of Pradakshina Vazhy by viewing five Thazikakudams of Shiva temples and as Vaikatappan (ruling deity of Vaikom) during sunset. The sub-deities in the temple include Vishnu, Nagaraja and Nagayakshi, Gosala Krishnan, Sastha, Sankaran, Sreekandan, Vadakkumnathan, Annapoomeswari, Ganapathy, Subramanyan, Brahma Rakshas and others
Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kandiyoor_Sree_Mahadeva_Temple
↧
India is one among the ten most forest-rich countries in the world like the US, Canada, Russia, China, Congo, etc and they account for more than 60% of total forest cover. India's annual forest growth is just 0.46% per year between 2000 to 2010. In India forestry is an important rural industry and a major environmental resource. Non-wood forest products such as resins, gums, aromatic chemicals, fragrances, latex, essential, oil, etc account for 50% of the revenue. The major commercial operation in the wooded areas is carried out by the lumber industries. In the last one and half decades the management of forest is beset with problems like poaching of endangered wild life, illegal wood cutting, etc. Yet another problem that needs serious attention is forest degradation, loss of soil and landslides in the monsoon season. ![]() |
| Sir Dietrich Brandis,/en.wikipedia.org |
Following the establishment of the Imperial Forest Department in India in 1864, British Crown's monopoly over Indian forests had gained a firm grip with the introduction of the Indian Forest Act of 1865 and this gave them free access to India's vast forest resources and the government’s claims over forests. The British colonial administration introduced a further far-reaching Forest Act of 1878, and this helped them acquire the sovereignty of all wastelands which in its definition included all forests. Adivasis, hill tribes and hill farmers were very much affected by this act. They were denied access to reserved forest lands (highly lucrative lands). Their condition became precarious.Sir Dietrich Brandis, KCIE, FRS (31 March 1824 - 28 May 1907), a German-British Botanist and forestry academic and administrator is considered the father of tropical forestry and of scientific forestry. Joined the British civil service in Burma in 1856,he was with the British Imperial Forestry Service in colonial India for nearly 30 long years and made a valuable contribution to Indian forestry. He later served as Inspector General of Forests in India from 1864 to 1883. Even after retirement and his return to Europe in 1883, he divided his time between Bonn and Greater London and devoted much of his time to scholarly work, resulting in his monumental book Indian Trees (1906). Besides his work in India, he had made a mark on forestry management of the United States.Born in Bonn, Germany, his father Christian August Brandis was a well-known philosopher and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Bonn. His grandfather Joachim Dietrich Brandis happened to be personal physician to Queen Marie of Denmark and Norway and a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. Educated at the universities of Copenhagen, Göttingen, Nancy and Bonn. As early as in 1849 he developed keen interest in forest management, a rare field not well researched before. He started out as a lecturer in Botany at Bonn. It was in 1854, he married Rachel Marshman, sister of General Havelock's wife. Havelock was a close friend of Lord Dalhousie of BEI company and this high connection made him go to Burma / India to take up a job. Upon his wife death in India in 1862, during a two-year sojourn in Europe 1865–1867, Brandis met and married one Katharina Hasse, eighteen years his junior. She moved over to India with him and the couple had six children.
During the early colonial period, the administrators realized the potential in unexplored Indian forests and at that time the felling of tree was not regulated, leading to the loss of forest in mid 1850s. Based on the report by a committee formed by the British Association in Edinburgh to study forest destruction, Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India in a memorandum (1855) stressed the need for effective management of India's forests. Brandis in 1858 became head of the imperial forest administration of all of British Burma soon after joining the British civil service in 1856, He, in a smart move, reduced the militancy of Karen tribal community in Burma by introducing the "taungya" system. The villagers were given the job of clearing, planting and weeding teak plantations and in return they were allowed to plant crops for the first few years between the trees. As the teak trees grew big enough, the villagers were moved over to a new land. This way they could cover more lands without affecting the livilihood of the tribal, hill community.Consequently the tribes were dependent on the state forestry and local resistance to forest take over by the British slowly declined.
Circumstances forced Brandis to undertake the botanical study of the forest trees, plants, etc. He did a major study on the teak wood plantation - total production, growth rate, pest- fire control, timber purchase, clearing rules, conservation, etc. From 1864 for 20 years, he was the Inspector General of Forests in India, and during this period he introduced new forest legislation and helped establish research and training institutions. Brandis was the founder of The Imperial Forest School at Dehradun. it is the most popular forest institution in India now. He became a Knight Commander in 1887.![]() |
| Brandis founded Forest Research Institute (FRI) Dehradun..trawell.in/ |
During his long tenure in India, Brandis was active and traveled widely to undertake scientific study of unexplored forest areas. His work took him to document the sacred groves in Rajputana and Kans (woodlands) of Mysore, the Garo and Khasia hills (1879), the Devarakadus of Coorg in 1868, and the hill ranges of the Salem district in the Madras Presidency in 1882, the Swami Shola on the Yelagiris, the sacred grove at Pudur on the Javadis and several sacred forests on the Shevaroys of Tamil Nadu. He was instrumental in protecting forest resources and flora through links with the local people. He also focused on the the forest flora of northwest and central India and Indian trees and their growth patterns.. His main work on Indian forestry after retirement dealt with 4400 species of Indian Trees, etc. First published in 1906 his book is still being referred to for research work by the scholars. In the last phase of his job, he became the principal of forester training institute at Balaghat in M.P. After retirement, he spent much of his time on his monumental work on Indian trees (1906). From 1888 to 1896) he supervised training of forestry students at the Royal Indian Engineering College in England. Besides, he was also involved in forestry education in England at Coopers' Hill. He took keen interest in matters related to American forest and for which he received a personal letter of thanks by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. Brandis' professional advice on management of forests was given serious consideration in the US and had a good impact on the introduction of professional forest management and on how to structure the Forest Service (founded in 1905).After his retirement in 1883, he came back to England and from 1900 until 1906, he lived permanently in Kew in Greater London. Upon his return to Bonn in late 1906, he was hospitalized and died few months later.Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Brandis
↧
January 4, 2017, 10:50 pm
![]() |
| tour of Senate House, U of Madras, Chennai./sriramv.files.wordpress.com |
Among the Indian cities next to Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai city (Madras) has the distinction of possessing the largest number of colonial buildings, about 2467 heritage structures; this being the highest within any metropolitan area (CMA) limit in India. Surprisingly, many of them are 200 years plus. old and this will give you a clear picture of how Madras City flourished during the early EIC rule and later (after 1857) under the direct administration of the British Government, London. Historically Madras played a pivotal rule in international trading activities and expansion of British imperialism. The British controlled the sea trade in the Bay of Bengal and part of the Indian ocean, thus confirming their supremacy over other European powers.![]() |
| Senate House, Madras, oil painting. www.tuckdb.org |
The idea of conserving the historical heritage sites got an impetus only after a major fire accident in the Moore Market building in 1985, in the wake of it, a majestic colonial structure was lost for ever. Only in 1997, the state government took serious action to preserve heritage sites to check further damage so that they would continue to remain as vestiges of colonial legacy for the younger generation to appreciate them. The Senate House, the administrative hub of the University of Madras, constructed by architect Robert Chisholm between 1874 and 1879, is believed to be one of the best and oldest examples of Indo - Saracenic architecture in India incorporated with many elements of the Byzantine style. Robert Chisholm, a well known 19th century British architect, did a pioneering work mixing Indo - Saracenic style of design. Earlier, he focused more on the Renaissance and Gothic styles of architecture. Chisholm 's other works in Indo-Saracenic include the PWD buildings of the Chepauk Palace (1871) in Chennai.![]() |
| Tower of the Senate house. Chennai. upload.wikimedia.org |
The senate hall is of immense proportion and height and it has corridors on the ground floor and they stand on six massive pillars on either side. The tall four towers at each of the corners of the building enhances the beauty of this historical building. The six porches on all sides bring out their vintage elements. The roof is made of brick shell with lime mortar. The structure stands majestically opposite the Marina Beach and draws the attentions of the passers-by. That there stood a saluting battery on this site prior to the construction of the Senate House is an interesting historical fact.With the passage of time, vagaries of weather and inadequate annual maintenance, this old amazing building lost its sheen and colonial charm. Resolved to preserve this and other structures, steps were afoot by the local government and are making progress now.The Madras University, one of the oldest in Asia, founded by the Brutish to impart western education to the Indian natives, was in dire need of a separate building for administrative purposes, senate meeting and to hold convocation. The necessity arose because of the growth of the institution, more subjects, students and faculty members. Hence, this building came up and Robert Chisholm was entrusted with design and construction of the Senate house took roughly 5 years, beginning in 1864. Prior to this building, the convocation was held in Banqueting Hall (now known as Rajaji Hall). It was during July 14 - December 21, 1937 the legislature of the Madras Presidency met at the senate house. There are small halls for holding the meetings of the senate, academic council and of the faculties, etc. The building, in the past, had offices of the Vice Chancellor, the Registrar and the university departments of study, a library, and research etc. For more than 120 years,the senate house had been a venue of many functions and convocations until 1965, when most of the activities were shifted to the massive centenary auditorium, built in 1960. Tit-Bits:01. The Madras Music Academy in the first years since inception conducted its concerts, etc in the The Senate House. Though, the use of Senate house was limited to holding of the convocations and examinations, after the construction of new departmental library building and later on the centenary building, besides being used as classrooms for teaching foreign languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senate_House_(University_of_Madras)
↧
