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The Cupola and Gov. Gen. Cornwallis' statue - Ft. St.George, Chennai

January 17, 2017, 6:43 am
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The Cornwallis Cupola, ft.St.George, Chennai. Blogarama

The city of Madras (Chennai), Capital of Tamil Nadu state is one of a few oldest settlements in India established in 1639 CE by the 
East India company to expand their trading activities. To store and  safeguard their merchandise, the British company built a fort near the seafront on 23 April 1640 CE, that happened to be the St. George's Day. Obviously, they named it as Fort St. George. 

This one of the earliest monuments has a number of historical, heritage structures within its precincts; one being the oldest catholic church where both Robert Clive, who began his career here and Elihu Yale, then the Governor of Madras Presidency and benefactor of Yale University, USA got married. Steeped in history, there are a few old structures that need wide publicity; the Cornwallis Cupola, a small structure inside the fort is a good example that is out of public gaze and limelight. 
Bentinck's Building The Hindu
The Greek-styled hexagonal cupola with Ionic pillared rotunda is a pavilion built in memory of  Gov. Gen.Cornwallis after his victory over Tipu Sultan of Mysore. In this respect, this cupola and Gov. Gen. Cornwallis have a close link with Tipu Sultan and the third Anglo-Mysore war, Being a powerful ruler of Mysore kingdom, Tipu never allowed himself to be cowed down by the British and hampered the EIC's expansion farther down south of southern India. Tipu had a formidable army and his ally was the French army. 
 Bentinck's Building in 1807, 'Madras High Court' and the bldg. in 2005 thehindu.com/m

Cornwallis Marble Statue at Fort Museum, Chennai.chennaispider.com
Cornwallis served as the  Governor-General of India twice, the first exciting tenure being from 1786 to 1793. during this period, he 
achieved something great which other senior officers had failed to achieve. Third Anglo-Mysore War between Tipu and the English company's army led by Cornwallis lasted for two years between 1790 CE and 1792 CE. Tipu Sultan's invasion into Travancore state in 1789 CE, an ally of the English,  resulted in this war which went in favor of the British. In 1792 Tipu was defeated by Cornwallis and his army. Tipu made a treaty with Cornwallis termed as "Treaty of Srirangapatnam". As per the agreement, Tipu had to pay  an indemnity Rs. 6 crores (later reduced to 3 crores), besides one-half of his territory to the allies of British.  Tipu had to hand over his two sons as hostages till the reparation was paid. Cornwallis spared Tipu and his intention was to defeat Tipu and not to kill him. Subsequently in 1799 Tipu was killed by the British army led by Wellesley at Srirangapatna, near Mysore.
Tipu handingover his sons to Cornwallis Ft St. George: Inscriptions on the statue TripAdvisor

Cornwallis monument at Ft.St.George, chennai Flick

Cornwallis statue: The victory over Tipu being a major one, the English residents wanted to have a public memorial for Cornwallis. To honor Cornwallis' achievements, the Council at Madras appointed sculptor Thomas Banks of London's Royal Academy to chisel the life-size marble statue of Cornwallis. 
 
The 14.5 feet marble statue was carved in Britain by Thomas Banks and was shipped to India. It was erected under this Ionic Rotunda at Fort Square, Fort St.George, Chennai and was unveiled on 15 May 1800.  This vintage picture shows the erection of the statue of Cornwallis under this ‘Ionic Rotunda’ and at the base one can seethe depiction of the surrender of Tipu Sultan's two boys to Cornwallis in 1792. The marble portrait statue of Cornwallis for Madras, it is reported,  was the first publicly erected monument exported to India. In 1805,  Cornwallis arrived at Madras on his way to Calcutta to assume the Governor-Generalship for the second time. Received by Gov. Governor Lord William Bentinck on May 6 with full military honors, here Cornwallis made a speech before the residents of Madras, presumably, in front of the statue of himself.  

 In 1805 CE, Cornwallis died at Calcutta and was buried there. In his honor a  Cenotaph was erected in Teynampet area under which the company official had a plan to shift the statue of Cornwallis. This did not happen for an unknown reason. Later the Cenotaph was sifted to North Beach beach. Cornwallis statue was removed from the cupola (at Ft.St. George) in 1825, then shifted to Connemara library in 1928.
 Now this ‘Ionic Rotunda.’ without the statue still stands as a monument at Fort's parade  Square (near Fort Museum) in Fort St.George, Chennai.
Chennai Cornwallis Statue Cupola.staticflickr.com
The eye-catchingcupola once stood opposite the historical Bentinck's Building, a heritage structure that was pulled down between 1991-92 to rebuild it to accommodate more state government employees. But the building never came up. The structure with cupola was left intact. Anyway, the empty cupola was the largest one built to house Cornwallis' statue. The 14.5-foot tall marble statue moved over to a spot away from the fort initially at the junction of Mount road and Cenotaph road. Since then, the statue of Cornwallis had been shunted from place to place as if he was a vagabond. The statue that was in the cupola once, later permanently placed in the  Fort  Museum in 1950 after India's independence.
Ref:
http://madrasmusings.com/Vol%2019%20No%2019/otherstories.html

http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/01/22/stories/2003012200270300.htm

 https://sriramv.wordpress.com/2015/06/29/know-fort-st-george-5-the-cornwallis-cupola

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The Singapore Mutiny,echo of India's freedom struggle!!

January 18, 2017, 6:09 pm
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public executions,Singapore sepoy mutiny.Mar.1915.en.wikipedia.org
During the First World War India, then, under the British rule was also drawn into the war for two main reasons: 1. India, part of the British Empire, had a duty to obey the orders from the British Crown, and 2. The Indian soldiers were brave and daring and had substantial experience in many aspects military operations and had the ability to adjust themselves to any war situation. Obviously, Indian troops were sent overseas on military assignments. A large contingent of Indian soldiers had been stationed in Singapore, a British colony to help the British military face threats from Germany and her allies.

 The 1915 Singapore Mutiny, involving up to half of 850 sepoys from India against the British in Singapore during the First World War, took place on 15 February 1915. The first overseas mutiny by Indian soldiers lasted nearly seven days and in the wake of it  47 British soldiers and local civilians were killed. At last, it was put down by British forces and Allied naval detachments. The Indian soldiers involved belonged to the 5th Light Infantry of British India. Also referred to as the 5th Light Infantry, the rebellion was in protest against the British in Singapore linked with the 1915 Ghadar Conspiracy.

Since much importance was not given to The Ghadar party (Ghadar is an Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi word for "mutiny" or "rebellion"), we have no idea whatsoever about its role in India's freedom struggle. Frustrated with the British's oppressive rule and unabated exploitation in India, some patriotic Indians worked hard to get India freed from the British yoke. Some formed secret parties and took to violence by way of instigating rebellions against the British rulers. The Ghadar party was founded in the United States in 1913 by Har Dayal, with the aim of forcing the British to leave India, by armed revolution. The Ghadrites ' Modes Operandi' was to convince the  Indian soldiers posted overseas to join them in their freedom struggle, and successfully turned them against the British. 

With the outbreak of WWI, the Ghadrites had an opportunity at their doorstep and never failed to capitalize on it. On 21 January 1915, they made an attempt to incite elements of the 130th Baluchi Regiment at Bombay to mutiny. Having become aware of their plan to incite trouble, beforehand the shrewd British administration relocated the regiment to other outposts as a precaution. The Ghadrites, this time, never wanted to miss the chance and now focused their attention on the Indian soldiers in Singapore, whose regular garrison at this time consisted of only a single regiment of Indian soldiers plus a few British artillerymen and Royal Engineers, protecting British strategic interests.
Indian 5th Light Infantry.

The 5th Light Infantry Regiment of the Indian Army had been part of the military since 1803 and during the period 1914–15 it was entirely a Muslim unit -Ranghars,- Muslims of Rajput  and Pathan origin. In October 1914, they landed in Singapore to replace the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, which had been assigned to France. The 5th Light Infantry Regiment was commanded by British and Indian officers. Already dissatisfied Indian soldiers, now haunted by poor communication between them and their commanding officers and prevailing racial discrimination against Indian officers made them perform their duties with less dedication. The on-going freedom struggle in India and the instigation by the Ghadar Party in India to fight against the unjust foreign power had created a deep impact on them and induced the dormant spirits to fight for India's freedom. The unexpected appointment of unpopular Lieutenant-Colonel E. V. Martin added fuel to the fire. However, the Ghadar factor had created an explosive situation which was further aggravated by the entry of Turkey into the war. Mehmed V, the Sultan of Turkey, widely regarded as the leader of the Muslim world, supported Germany in the first world war.

Mehmed V,  was one of the three emperors of the Central Powers during the First World War. When Britain attacked Turkey, the Sultan issued a fatwa. The Muslims, including those in Singapore, obliging the Sultan opposed the British. Besides, a local influential  Gujarati coffee-shop owner and a religious leader told the sepoys to rise against the British.

Rumors were thick in the air in the third week of January 1915 that the 5th Light Infantry would be shifted to Hong Kong for further garrison duties, replacing another Indian regiment. Actually, it was only a ploy employed by the British, and the Indian soldiers would be sent to Turkey to fight against the Muslims. At the farewell parade on the morning of February 1915, the senior officer in his farewell speech failed to mention the destination of Hong Kong. Driven by further suspicion, the 5th Light Infantry made of four Rajput companies of the eight companies and 100 men of the Malay States Guides Mule Battery around 3.30 pm same day started the rebellion. The Pathans from the other companies did not join the rampage but stood there stupefied.  Two British officers of the regiment on duty were killed.
www.asianbooksblog.com
The rampaging sepoys divided into three group, one group - about 100 soldiers went to Tanglin Barracks to get arms and ammunition. You may recall the sudden raid by German warship Emden on Madras on 22 September 1914 and its capture and the crew in the Coco Islands by the Australian warship. The crew members about 309 from the German Cruiser, had been interned by the British here. At Tanglin Barracks,  the rebels killed 10 Britishers and wounded three British and one German. The confused Germans refused to join the rebellion, many remained neutral and 35 Germans escaped. 

At Keppel Harbour and Pasir Panjang, 18 Europeans and local civilians were killed by the rebels. Martial law was imposed and British Vice-Admiral Sir Martyn Jerram sent a radio message, seeking help from any allied warships nearby. The town was in the middle of a holiday and it was an added advantage for the Indian Sepoys. Since the road to Singapore was blocked, Lieutenant-Colonel E. V. Martin and his supporters were held till in the morning. Later they overpowered the rebels who were now pitted against the volunteers, marines, and sailors.

Only three Indian officers, Subedar Dunde Khan, Jemedar Christi Khan, and Jemedar Ali Khan, were subsequently to be listed by a court of inquiry as key conspirators in this matter.

On17 February, the French, Russian, and Japanese naval forces responded and came to the rescue of the stranded British soldiers. Finally, the rebels were rounded up by these forces and others by the army of Johore Sultan who had joined them later. By 20th the remaining rebels were caught. Because of lack of leadership, poor execution, and coordination, the Singapore Sepoy Mutiny in the last stage fizzled out.

On 23 February 1915, a court of inquiry was initiated in secret and later publicly. The trial lasted until May 1915. The cause of the mutiny was not well established. Anyway, there was a general consensus that the soldiers were surreptitiously instigated or misled by unwanted elements. In addition, they were overwhelmed either by their patriotic zeal or religious sentiments to fight together for injustice. The path chosen by them by inciting violence and murder was beyond the realm of human tolerance and dereliction of duty.

More than 200 sepoys were tried by court-martial, and 47 were executed. The public executions by firing squad took place in March 1915 at Outram Prison under  Captain Tongue and Lieutenant Blair and Hay. It was witnessed by an estimated 15,000 people, The Straits Times reported. One Nur Alam Shah who had links with the Ghadar activists was finally deported to subdue the fury of Muslims. Imprisonment ranging from seven to twenty was awarded to 73 convicts. Two memorial tablets were erected at the entrance of the Victoria Memorial Hall and four plaques in St Andrew's Cathedral in memory of Singapore Mutiny.

Repercussions:

01. The British community in Singapore had begun to question the reliability of Indian sepoys in Singapore.

02. The Indian community in Singapore got a bad rap.The British were criticized for the public execution of ex-British India army soldiers right before a huge gathering.

03. This mutiny exposed the weakness of British rulers in the colonies and shook their strong hold on India.

04. The world silently witnessed to what extent the British rulers had been despised by the Indian in the subcontinent. 

05. Caught off-guard, the British masters in India were shaken up by the behavior of the Indian army in Singapore.

06. To improve the internal security of Singapore, military service was made compulsory in August 1915 for the males between 15 and 55 years of age, if they were not enlisted in the police or volunteer organization or armed forces.

07. The court of inquiry in Singapore came down heavily on Colonel Martin and later he left the army.

08. The 5th Light Infantry was disbanded in 1922.

Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1915_Singapore_Mutiny



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Dr. Nancie Monelle, first medical doctor in a princely Indian state

January 19, 2017, 2:57 am
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Nancie Monelle Mansell, M.D. en.wikipedia.org
In the colonial period in India, When many missionaries belonging to various denomination landed in India to preach the Gospel of Christ, it so happened that many of them were male and the Christian missions across India needed the service of medical missionaries to serve well the communities they cared for,

For a woman to work in India as a medical missionary in a remote place or elsewhere was a tough one. Besides getting used to monsoon seasons, poorly developed places and communication was a  main problem. In addition, they had to change their lifestyle and adjust themselves to the culture there that varied from place to place.

Nancie Monelle Mansell (1841-?), an American physician, a highly spirited woman,  has taken the honor of being the first woman doctor who went out alone into a Princely state to take up a medical job. As a doctor, she fought against Indian baby marriages prevailing then, and finally succeeded in raising the marriageable age of girls to 14 years by way of government orders.

Born in 1841, in New York City, Nancie Monelle paternal ancestors belonged to the ancient family of Monelle, of the province of Tours, France. Her father, a distinguished scholar, died when she was a baby. Her great-grandfather came to America with the young Marquis de Lafayette and settled here permanently.

Graduated from the Vassar College and in 1872 from the Woman's Medical College in New York City, taking first prize in surgery Monelle had spent a year in medical practice in a hospital and also in private in New York. The Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church was sending women doctors for overseas medical missionary work and chose Dr. Monelle for an assignment in Lucknow, now in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. She was sanctified in 1873 in a camp meeting and in the same year she reached India. She was the second physician sent out by the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society. Thus, Lucknow became the second city in India occupied by a woman medical missionary, belonging to the  Methodist Church. 

She became a sort of a trailblazer in her profession and took her medical services into the households which had never been entered by a Christian. Upon completion of her first year, she moved over to Hyderabad, Deccan on an invitation from the royal family. She left the mission and as a courtesy refunded the passage money and extra expenses. A fascinating fact that may look strange now is, as a first lady doctor in a princely state, accompanied by none from her side, she got a taste of royal treatment. Can you imagine that an American lady doctor was provided with elephants, a regiment of sepoys, and a band of music to escort her to the palaces of the various noblemen of the city on medical duty?

At the end of three-year period, with an established hospital and dispensary, she treated more than 40,000 patients, and in between as part of her private practice, she treated innumerable nobles and rich nabobs.  She married one Rev. Dr. Henry Mansell, of the General Missionary Society, and in 1880 moved over to  Moradabad. Durin her time, the Indian women did not enjoy equal rights and, worst of all, child marriages had been in vogue for some centuries and there were incidences of young girls becoming widows at a very young age. To rub salt to the bleeding injury, there was no such a thing called widow remarriage. In the year 1890, there was an agitation against the baby marriages and this despicable practice and the pains suffered by the young girls at the hands of their husbands drew the attention of  Dr. Mansell who took upon himself the task of putting an end to this ignoble act.  A petition prepared and signed by 55 women doctors under her direction was presented to the Viceroy and Governor-General, pleading that the marriageable age of girls be raised to 14 years. The helpless child-wives in innumerable cases were subject to ill-treatment and the crimes included maiming, killing, physical injuries, etc. All these horrible cases far beyond one's belief shook the conscience of the society, cutting across religion, etc., and the government received countless petitions  from native Christians, Hindu women, and missionaries. This led to a serious debate in the hall of the Legislative Council that had great influence in bringing about the change of raising the age to 12 years (and not 14), as pleaded. Perhaps, "possibly the most important step taken in the domestic and social life of the people since the abolishment of Sati, in 1829."

Dr. Nancie Monelle spent the next thirty years in India as a physician, translator, and women's advocate. Isabella Thoburn served as a great inspiration to many women missionaries to reach higher spiritual level by way of serving people with love and care. and Dr. Nancie Monelle did exactly what Isabella had said. "Service to people is service to God".
Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancie_Monelle
   



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Kolkata (Calcutta)'s Jewish Cemetery - a heritage site

January 21, 2017, 9:17 am
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Jewish cemetery, Kolkata (Calcutta)www.jewishcalcutta.in

Kolkata  (Calcutta), the capital city of West Bengal, India was also the Capital of the British India until it moved over to Delhi in 1911.  Europeans in large numbers arrived here to seek job and business opportunities when the East India company became well-established and kept expanding their control over other regions as well . Obviously, the population of the European community had begun to grow larger.  

 Jews have been living in India, in particular, on the coastal Kerala and west coast even before the arrival of St. Thomas, the Apostle in 52 AD. However, the British East India company created a favourable atmosphere  for the Jewish community to explore business opportunities in India. The history of the Jews in Kolkata  (Calcutta)  dates back to the eighteenth century. The Jewish community of Kolkata was  mostly from West Asia -  Baghdadi Jews.   

Calcutta, in the colonial period,  had a flourishing Jewish community that was mostly engaged in small businesses and the population was  about  6,000 strong. Because of Jewish migation to Israel after its formation in the 1940s, the population had declined drastically. At present  there may be  fewer than 100 Jews in Kolkata. During the hey day, the Bagdadi jews outnumberd Jews from other places.
Jewish Cemetery, Kolkata. Rangan Datta.wordpress.com/2014
Naveh Shalom Synagogue. rangandatta.wordpress.com
To cater to their spiritual needs and other religion-related services in the later years, they had built the places of worship. At one time there were  five Synagogues in Kolkata and among them, Magen David Synagogue, Beth El Synagogue, and Naveh Shalom Synagogue, seem to be functional on a low key today. 
Elia Moses Chohen's headstone. www.jewishcalcutta.in
Geniza, at the Narkeldanga Cemetery, in Kolkata, India.en.wikipedia.org
Synagogues normally will have a Geniza (a word derived from Persian  ganj), a  special chamber where worn-out Hebrew religious
Calcutta Jewish cemetery. Charity box .jewishcalcutta.in
 or writings  are kept before the burial of the burial of the body. The Geniza is mostly either built within the synagogue itself or in the burial ground.  Calcutta synagogues had two chambers - Genizot. If one chamber is full, it will be sealed and the other one is used for religious materials, texts, etc. In Jewish religion, it is forbidden to throw away the books or writings, containing God's name. In many cases, the Genizot are temporary repositiries and can be found in the attic or in the basement of a synagogue. In many places they may be in the walls or in the burial ground as mentoned before.
Jewish cemetery, Kolkata (Calcutta). jewishcalcutta.in
 Since the Jewish community had grown larger, it badly needed  a place, where the departed souls would be given  a decent burial in accordance with Jewish rites.  The very first burial took place in January 1812 in the city. As per the record, the first man to be buried was one Hacham Moses on a big plot bought in 1798  for building a graveyard.  The land owner happened to be a generous Bengali businessman, who accepted a nominal rate (simply a gold ring), from  one Shalom Cohen, the first Jewish immigrant to Calcutta from, Aleppo, Syria. Initially, the Indian gentleman was kind enough to offer his land free, but Moses refused to accept it as the land was meant for burial alone. Moses was also an active social worker and had a deep care for the welfare of the small, but growing Jewish community in Calcutta. 

The Jewish Cemetery at 45 Narikeldanga Main Road has lots of graves, but the place of burial of Cohen, the man, who built the Jewish burial ground, is difficult to track, though his headstone, etc are recovered. The reason being, the time factor, vagaries of weather, lack of maintenance and above all nature's weathering action, that can not be controlled. Most of the graves have 
Magen David Synagogue in Kolkata. en.wikipedia.org
similar design and appearance with no complex structure  and ornamentation. No embelishments whatsoever. More over, they are widely scattered and were not built in a definite pattern. Near the entrance gate, there is a Star of David sign mark on the wall, presumably, the place  used to be a prayer hall. The other private Jewish graveyard about one kilometre from here  was opened in 1870 on U.C. Bannerjee Road is not traceable now. It lasted  20 years only and later fell into disuse  There are signs of vandalism inside the graveyard, and it does happen  in spite of the warning board put up by the authorities.

Ref:
https://rangandatta.wordpress.com/2014/11/19/jewish-cemetery-kolkata-calcutta/

http://www.jewishcalcutta.in
















 
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Is South Park Cemetery, Kolkata (Calcutta) haunted?

January 22, 2017, 9:15 am
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Dilapidated South Park Cemetery, Kolkata http://traveltriangle.com
haunted graveyard. Villains Wiki - Wikia
Sensational stories related to haunted places, paranormal activities have been around us for centuries and they attract no less attention  than other stories of equal sensationalism. Such incidents gain prominence because of fear psychosis and the eerie nature of the surroundings. Commonly historical places, old unused buildings,  burial grounds or graveyards, etc are the places where paranormal activities are purported to be sighted. 

According to traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is a manifestation of the spirit or soul of a  deceased person. How did a person die? Is it unnatural or natural?  These are the moot questions that need to be addressed. The degree of the fear factor associated with the dead person increases, corresponding to the nature of his death. If he commits suicide by hanging, it is quite obvious, people living in the same place won't be comfortable. This is also true of other forms of violent death faced by the deceased person. Though there are theories related to the belief in the ghosts of deceased animals or any other spirits, popular usage is confined to a dead person's spirit. The real evidence for ghosts is largely anecdotal, but the belief in ghosts and paranormal activities throughout history has been persistent across the globe. Movies or TV serials related to a spirit, particularly of a woman, facing unnatural death on account of her husband's or relatives' torture and taking revenge by way of killing them appear then and there in India with lots of spooky scenes accentuated by special effects. These weird visuals have made the people more susceptible to the fear of spirits, etc.

Flickr Hive Mind
As far as ghost sighting is concerned, the South Park Street Cemetery, Calcutta offers a good fodder to the scoop-hungry media and the sensational news- hungry public.  One of the oldest graveyards of Kolkata (then Calcutta) built in 1767, it houses more than  1600 graves, mostly British soldiers who died in India in isolation far away from their motherland. In their final hours, their death would not have been a quiet one. It is likely, they breathed their last with some unfulfilled desires, hence, their end was not a happy one.  Obviously, there is an ample scope for a few spooky tales of the ghost sighting, etc. Many of those buried in the cemetery died young. William Dalrymple wrote about this in White Mughals: “…two monsoons were the average life span of a European in Bengal; one year, out of a total European population of 1200, over a third died between August and the end of December.”
CartoonStock
The state government is taking serious efforts to restore the graveyard from the shadows of isolation, mystery and degradation and steps have already been taken up with some organizations in India and abroad.
PMSLweb
 Considered as one of the earliest non-church cemeteries in the world, and also the largest Christian cemetery outside Europe and America in the 19th century,  it was opened in 1767 on a large plot that was once a marshy place. The cemetery was in use until about 1830 and having become a heritage site now,  it is under the ASI - Archaeological Society of India. For unknown reasons, the European communities stopped the Christian burials and this cemetery fell into disuse in the year 1790.

Jone's grave, Calcutta.adrianprattinindia.blogspot.in
Many of the age-old graves - big and small, simple and embellished are covered with creepers and moss now. There are growths of wild trees and plants, creating a dilapidated, an eerie and bizarre appearance in the midst of scary silence. The hazy shadows of tall swaying trees on the walls of the tombs, the gentle fluttering sound of tree leaves and the hissing sound of the normal wind blowing across the grave are good enough to increase people's adrenaline if they step into such surreal places as the South Park Cemetery after sundown. Besides, these may create hallucinations of some kind of unnatural sighting if the anxiety and fear have a strong grip on the weak mind.

 It is reported that in the past some people on a visit to the graveyard to take photos, all of a sudden, experienced strange things.  The photographer and his friends became breathless and  disoriented at the same time for unknown reasons. Some creepy shadows emerged in the photos, it is reported. Ever since the appearance of a vague, fuzzy figure on the photo and the consequent sudden illness,  this place, where the Europeans, once the denizens of Calcutta, are taking eternal sleep, has been tagged as the haunted place. This place, that appears horrible because of absolute silence during the day, turns into a nightmarish and macabre place after sundown.

Listed below are a few British people who were once the residents of Calcutta, the city that gave them employment, name, and happiness. Unfortunately, their pretty old graves are objects of some scary mysteries, freakish stories and unearthly beliefs that chill the spine and blood. Such strange stories resurrect them from their eternal slumber in their respective graves. Here you feel isolated from the din and the cacophony in the middle of a huge city when you walk through the graveyard and get a feel of what Calcutta was in its heyday. You tend to relive the glorious past on a huge burial place which has now become a mound of damaged structures, trash and wild growth of plants and trees. Truly, it is a transient world; today's glory is tomorrow's forgotten story.
QuoteHD.com

The tomb of Charles Hindoo Stuart. en.wikipedia.org
Most of the graves in the cemetery are marked with crossed swords or gun because the soldiers were buried there. There are graves in large number that are marked with obelisks (tall narrow tapering structures). They are referred to as ghost in a veil. One Rose Aylmer's  (died 1800) grave is s a spiral obelisk.William Jones (died 1794), who brought to light the ancient language of India, Sanskrit and its close links with European languages, was buried here and his grave is marked with crossed spades as he happened to be a scholar, an Indologist and an archaeologist. It is believed to be the tallest one in Calcutta. The grave of one Charles Hindoo Stuart (died 1828),  the major general of East India Company, was like an ornate  Hindu temple with Hindu deities. He was more a Hindu than a Christian and never failed to perform Hindu rituals on the banks of the Ganges. .Elizabeth Barwell's (died 1779) grave has a pyramidal shaped tomb and covers a large area. She was a woman of bewitching beauty and wherever she went, she cut a glittering swath and made the eligible European bachelors' heart pound fast.

Ref: 

10 Scary Secrets Of The Haunted Yet Surreal Cemeteries In India
http://traveltriangle.com/blog/haunted-places-in-kolkata/

http://denzongleisure.blogspot.in/2014/07/kolkata-or-calcutta-is-capital-city-of.html
https://www.telegraphindia.com/1101226/jsp/calcutta/story_13348674.js












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Contentious Jallikattu - rural sport of Tamil Nadu!!

January 24, 2017, 10:18 am
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Indian bull. Tufing
jallikattu protest on the Marina beach, Chennai. www.thenewsminute.com
 Jallikattu has been a pretty old communitarian bull-taming sport with deep cultural roots in Tamil Nadu.  This rural sport, held during the Pongal holidays (harvest festivals; mid-January) and up to April / May in some places, involves a group of young men (not more than 8 at a time) embracing or holding on to the hump of bulls. The person who deftly manages to stay put even after the animal makes three wild jumps is declared a winner. It is, indeed, a tough job as the bull-tamer has to subdue the raging bull. At times, the participants are thrown off the back of bulls and may get gored by the animal, if they are not cautious, be quick enough to get up and keep a safe distance.  One jallikattu organizer says a person must be daring besides having the consummate skill to tame a bull in rage or in a state of excitement. It does not happen overnight as you learn to ride a bicycle or mo bike. To learn the nuances of bull taming, a tamer has to grow with the bull from his childhood. Knowing the behaviour of the bull is a good bet.
Times of India
It was a traditional rural sport in Tamil Desam centuries ago and, it is reported, that jallikattu is more than 2000 years old. The ban
on the age-old sport by the Supreme Court, New Delhi on a filmy ground under the pretext of Animal Rights has become a battle ground and a bone of contention between the Apex court, New Delhi  and the State of Tamil Nadu. Now at stack is the Tamil pride, Tamil culture  and Parampariyam. The Supreme Court had held jallikattu as violative of the PCA Act (sections 3, 11, and 22) and reiterated that bulls cannot be used as performing animals including in bullock cart races.

The legal battle ensued in the wake of SC ruling, and the pending final ruling against the appeal in the last 2 years has transformed it into a matter of debate on the age-old tradition pitted against court ruling. The crux of the matter is those who challenged in the apex court - the Animal Welfare Board of India, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, an animal rights NGO and others who moved the SC for a ban are not in a mood to listen to  the social and cultural arguments raised in its support. Nor do they understand the communitarian sentiments of Tamils -  roughly 60 million people, especially those living in rural  South Tamil Nadu. Across Tamil Nadu, the urban elites have joined the bandwagon to support the village people as the legal grounds brought before the court do not make a case for ill-treatment of animals. Their passion for Jallikattu has roots in the latest rural distress over poor monsoon,  shortage of water for farming works and other serious issues on the agricultural fronts.The unhealthy rural / agrarian economy will positively impact the people in the urban areas as well. The ban questions the viability of judicial diktat in reforming traditional practises and customs that have been in vogue for centuries. The centuries-long-tradition vs Judiciary has become a core issue.
Times of India
Positively, no ill-treatment of the bulls is involved, however, there could be some stray events related to cruelty to the bulls such as twisting the tail, hitting them with sharp instruments, etc. In one visual, a nasty man is biting the bull's tail to provoke it.These, it is believed, are done by some greedy people (so called bad apples) who make money by betting on the bulls. It is true that a bull, unlike a pet dog or cat is a large domesticated ungulate and is not designed to run.  A simple provocation is needed to make it run. A total ban on the rural sport is going to take the protest to a higher level unless it is removed and in its place, strict reforms could be enforced and the law-abiding people as they are will certainly follow them. When a few, glaring elements of cruelty to the bulls are kept showing as visuals before the Judicial body, ignoring the places where such jallikattu events are held peacefully without any major accidents, obviously a wrong fact is conveyed to the court and to the public.

Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju, a legal luminary is of the opinion (22 January 2017; Sunday) about the apprehensions of sections of protesters seeking a “permanent solution” were unfounded. The ordinance to allow Jallikattu will be replaced by an Act of the Tamil Nadu legislature which will be “permanent.” As for the "temporary" nature of the Jallikattu ordinance, he said,  "It is true that an ordinance issued by the Governor is only temporary, vide Article 213(2) of the Constitution of India”.

However, the “Tamil Nadu legislature is meeting tomorrow and will replace the Ordinance by an Act, which will be permanent,” he stated in his blog post today. “It is true that this Act may be challenged in the court, but this challenge is unlikely to succeed since the assent of the President has been obtained under Article 254(2). So the apprehensions of some people are really unfounded,” he said.
jallikattu in Tamil Nadu. The Indian Expres
More than a lakh of people mostly, both male and female school and college students, women, men from many walks of life, IT employees, and others have been silently protesting day and night on the miles-long stretch of the Marina Beach, Chennai, barring the cold weather against the ban on Jallikattu. No violence, no untoward incidents. There is no littering around and no garbage heaps.What has surprised me is that they have kept the selfish politicians at bay and requested the movie stars to express their solidarity and protest from some other place. Their contention is they do not want to share the film stars' name and limelight. They cooperate with the cops and the emergency vehicles like ambulances that go past them. Their peaceful protests, in a Gandhian way, had made the rest of India look upon them as role models for other student communities and the society to register their strong protest against the government. Violence will not yield any result and the wily politicians will add fuel to the fire and enjoy warmth in the glow. Such resolute and peaceful protests, in a democratic way, will get the nation behind them, support their reasonable cause and achieve positive results.  

 Yesterday morning, when the students were ready to call off the strike once the ordinance was made into a permanent one through legislation, unfortunately,  some rowdy, gooda  and anti- social elements got mingled with the students'  protest groups and started throwing stones on the police and misbehaving and arguing with the police in an indecent manner This instigated the police who had been  quite sympathetic with the student protestors to take action against the thousands of peaceful people gathered there to flush out the hooligans. It is reported in the newspapers that this was done  with blessings from a few low-level dishonest politicians to tarnish student's name. The students - most them kept aloof, but the general public got angry and soon there was a pitched battle between the police and people not only in Chennai but also across Tamil Nadu. Only in the late evening on the same day, the situation became normal.

 The reason for the  Central government's  apparent hesitation to meet the Tamil Nadu government’s demand for an ordinance to allow the conduct of Jallikattu events is a verdict in the case is due from the Supreme Court of India. The issue being Sub Judice, in a piquant situation such as this one, for the executive to intervene at this stage and promulgate an ordinance under pressure could amount to disrespect to the judiciary and ultra vires.

The Bill defines jallikattu as an event involving bulls conducted with a view to following tradition and culture from January to May and it includes similar events like ‘manjuviratu’, ‘vadamadu’ and ‘erudhuvidum’ festivals. The bill noted that the Supreme Court had held jallikattu as violative of the PCA Act ( saying that bulls cannot be used as performing animals including in bullock cart races;  sections 3, 11, and 22). The bill includes additional safeguards and regulations to protect the bulls as well as the participants. It also emphasises the facts that jallikattu plays an essential role in rural areas, preserving and promoting tradition and culture among Tamil people. Further, it ensures the survival and continuance of native breeds of bulls.  Once, the native breed used to be more than 27, but now only we have only 7 breeds. Native breeds of India and, in particular,  of  Tamil Nadu have been taken away by foreign cattle breeders to get A2 milk which is good for health. Jersey breeds produce inferior A1 milk and that is what Indians get in the past decades or so. Numerous bulls are sent to the slaughter houses in India by the villagers because of financial constraints. Jallicuttu is one of the ways to help the small farmers of Tamil Nadu.

Presently, after necessary parliament procedures - amendments acts by the central government to remove the bull from the list of performing animals in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, approaching the Supreme court would be the right democratic procedures.

As a matter of fact, Jallikattu is not a contentious or a violent sport. I am at my wit's end to understand why there is so much hue and cry.  A 2000 plus-year-old traditional sports associated with rural Tamil Nadu is not the business of some international animal protection group. If the sport is really violent, and the animal are subjected to persistent acts of cruelty, then there is every reason to ban it. Bull are revered in India, in particular, Tamil Nadu. Every Shiva temple has a huge stone bull facing the shrine and the Hindus pray to the bull, before entering the shrine. True sentiments of the Tamil people and their culture should be sacrificed in the name of animal rights when the sports does not involve violence and is conducted once a year. However, we have to follow certain strict regulations and norms, as some groups, conducting the Jallicattu have become money-minded and overstep on animal's freedom and cause pain to them. Likewise,  safe injury-proof barricades should be provided all around the jallicuttu make-shift arena to safeguard the interest of spectators, players and the raging bulls. Body protection must be made compulsory for the players to avoid getting hurt in the case of wrong handling of bulls.

The anger against PETA is the most intense in Tamil Nadu and many want the group banned in India because what they say is its opposition to Indian culture and tradition must be resisted. PETA India CEO, Poorva Joshipura  has vowed to continue their fight to protect bulls from cruelty. They ought to know they are playing with the pride of Tamil culture and age-old traditions. They can recommend additional safeguards; but, if they overstep, it means, they are hurting the sentiments of 60 million Indians who are proud followers of the age-old Tamil culture.

Ref:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/jallikattu-bill-tamil-nadu-assembly-passes-protests-violence-chennai-madurai-bull-taming-sport/
Times of India

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/jallikattu-row-tamil-nadu-government-files-caveat-in-sc-to-defend-its-ordinance-4486060/

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Captivating facts of Jallikattu, part of Hindu festival

January 25, 2017, 4:43 am
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Jallikattu, bull tamers. Vijayvaani
Tamil nadu map. Prokerala.com
Jallikattu, a popular rural sport in Tamil Nadu State, is more than 2000 year old. Unlike the highly publicized and  money-spinning professional western Rodeo shows, where the cowboys  show
Steer roping US Rodeo.WCMessenger.com
their skills in horse riding, bull riding, steer roping etc., 
 with perfect timing or the Spanish bull fighting where the
matador kills El Toro  slowly by sticking several sharp spears on its neck region in the presence of thousands of cheering spectators, jallikattu  can not be tagged as a cruel sport.
violence galore, Spanish bull fighting inkenglishmagazine.blogspot.com
Above image: 'The bull, symbol of courage and tenacity, is subjected to a degrading and painful spectacle. The animal is prepared: Vaseline is rubbed into his eyes and needles are stuck into his genitals, with the final purpose of getting him into the bullring weak and disoriented, facilitating the "slaughter" of the matador. Once the bullfight starts, the “picador”, knocks lances into the bull’s back, in order to cause intense pain in the neck of the animal that prevents it from looking up. Then the assistant matadors introduce the “banderillas” into the wound. Every movement of the bull is a martyrdom. Finally, the bull bleeds to death''.  ...Juan Sebastián Basto Hernández(http://inkenglishmagazine.blogspot.in/2015_10_01_archive.html).

Is it bravery?spanish bullfighter,bull dying in pain. ciccib.wordpress.com
  The  spectacle of Spanish bull fight involving more than two people - matadors and  a picador is  a nauseating experience. Compared to this barbaric act as depicted in the images above, in the name of Spanish culture, what justification is there to ban it?  PETA 's CEO says they are going  to fight it out in the Supreme court in the near  future regarding the recent legislation passed in the Tamil Nadu State Assembly. It will be something like opening the Pandora's box.

Jallicattu is not a pompous showbiz and is closely associated with the Hindu festival  of Pongal  or Sankranthi (in the the middle of January). Pongal is a harvest festival dedicated to the Sun god. In some places, it is a community sharing festival, a part of the new agricultural produce is also shared with animals. In rural Tamil Nadu and in many parts of India, the Hindus worship the cattle - cows from which we get a lot of food stuff. Equal importance is given to the bull which is associated with farm works. So, Jallicattu is a sort of a simple past time for the rural folks to indulge in a simple annual sport with the bulls. It has no money-spinning fancy clubs like basketball (NBA, USA), base ball, football or cricket. 

 Because of some stray incidents of people getting killed by the bull  and  bulls being subjected to various forms of cruelty, 
not withstanding the fact that in many places Jallicattu  events are conducted peacefully, the Supreme Court of India banned Jallicattu
 invoking PCA Act ( saying that bulls cannot be used as performing animals including in bullock cart races;  sections 3, 11, and 22). This ban on a traditional sport, part of a particular culture caused widespread protest by the Tamil-speaking people in Tamil Nadu, across India and in many countries. The entire state protested peacefully more or less in a dharmic, Gandhian way for a few weeks. Unfortunately, because of the intrusion of some bad people - rowdies, anti-social stooges, cast-offs, instigated by a few opportunistic politicians, the peaceful protest, all of a sudden,  showed its ugly head. The state government, without wasting time took right the democratic process by passing a resolution approved by the governor. AT New Delhi, once certain amendments are made to the acts pertaining to Jallicattu, it will get the final ascent from the Indian President.

Exciting facts of Jallicattu:

01.  According to ancient Tamil Sangams, this practise is called  
Yeru thazhuvuthal, literally "bull embracing"( yeru means bull, thazhuvuthal means  embracing or hugging). 

02. The  term Jallikattu  or Sallikattu is of recent origin meaning coins in a purse tied to the bulls' horns. In Tamil salli  means coins and kattu means a small package or purse containing coins  and that participants attempt to retrieve the purse from the raging bull.

03. Manju virattu  literally means "bull chasing" and is not widely used.

 04. Jallikattu  practised during the Tamil classical period (400-100 BC) became a symbol of bravery and the prize money was introduced to encourage this sport. Way back during the Madurai Nayak period, they used to keep cold coins in a bag and tied it in the bull's horns.

05. Evidences suggest the prevalence of bullfighting in the ancient civilization. A cave painting near Madurai, Tamil Nadu, is believed to be 2500 years old. 

06. In many places like  Madurai, Thanjavur, and Salem
Vadi majuviraṭṭu  is the most common form of Jallikattu. The bull is released from a closed space (vadi vasal) and the bull tamers  attempt to wrap their arms or hands around the hump of the bull and hold on to it to up to three wild jumps to win the award.

 07. In vadi vasal type of jallikattu, mind you, only one person is allowed to attempt at a time and survive the three jumps or the entire run hanging on to the hump of the raging bull.

 08. Veli viraṭṭu, a  variant of  vadimanju virattu follows the same rules. In this case, the bull is released into the open ground. This is popular in the districts of Sivagangai and Madurai.

09. The disqualification criteria are if the contestants hold the bull by the tail or neck or horns. They should hang on only to the hump for 30 seconds or survive 15 feet distance whichever is longer when the bull is trying to escape. The bull will be the winner, if no body can hold its hump or hang on to it for 30 seconds.

10.  A Bos indicus bull, commonly known as the Kangayam breed is mainly used for jallicattu, Victorious bulls are selected for breeding purposes. They are used as studs.

 11. There are some bad incidents in Jallicattu to make the bulky animal run by prodding the bull with sharp sticks or scythes, twisting of the tail which can fracture the bone, and biting of the bull's tail. Besides, there  are also reports of the bulls being forced to drink alcohol to disorient them, or chili peppers being rubbed in their eyes to aggravate the bull. However, such nasty stray incidents are triggered by  some selfish, money minded groups

12.  It is true participants  without knowing the psychology of bulls get killed by poor handling. In the past, bull handlers knew the skills well.

13.  Unlike the bullfighting in Spain or Mexico, the bull is not killed here. In Spain and in South America, the bull gets stuck with several sharp spears with  bloodgushing  out and the animal faces a painful and slow death. No such things happen here in Tamil Nadu.

14. Rodeo is banned in the UK and in the Netherlands. In the USA, Canada, and Mexico, the Rodeo shows, steer wrestling or bulldogging event and team roping are being questioned by the animal rights group.

Some additional interesting facts:

01. Surprisingly, bulls are being taken care of by the rural women folks. They give them good bath, feed them well regularly and once in a while do pujas. They feed them first and then only  eat. 

Native breeds of Tamil Nadu.The Hindu
02. The native breeds  of  Tamilnadu are Alambadi, Bargur, Kangayam, Pulikulam (Jallikattu), Umblachery and Vechur (native of kerala). Organizations like PETA, complaints keep coming, export the Indian  stud bulls  and import less inferior Jersey breeds that produce A1 milk in large quantity, but poor in quality.  People from Tamil Nadu expect the Indian government to safeguard the Indian breeds and ban orgnizations like PETA  that are functioning with selfish motive. Since the native breeds - cows have a big hump, they get  more energy from the sun and the quality of the milk will be good. Milk production may be less, but Indian cows' milk production will last much longer than the Jersey breeds. Artificial insemination should be avoided for breeding of farm animals.
Jallikattu & spanish bull fighting. SlideShare


03.  According to the Hinduism, bull (nandi) is the vahana (mount) of lord Shiva and in all temples of Shiva in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere one will see the stone image of the bull.
Gangaikondachola Puram temple bull, TN..pi2travel.com
04. Like  cows, bull is an object of divinity. At the Hindu temple, people pray to nandi Bhagavan (bull god)  when they get into the  temple. The Nandi shrine is always facing the main deity.
second largest. big temple bull, thanjavur. YouTube
05. The second largest bull is in Tamil Nadu at the Thanjavur Bragadeswar temple. It is entirely made of monolithic stone of granite - the oldest rock formation in the world.
largest bull in India / Nandi at Lepakshi, Andhra en.wikipedia.org

The first largest nandi / bull (4.5m high and 8.23m long) in India is
in the Veerabadra temple, at  Lapakshi in Ananthapur district, Andhra State, S.India.
bull/nandi. Pradosham,Thiuvannamalai temple.  Om Arunachala
Pradosha or Pradosham  is a bimonthly  special worship of Lord Shiva the thirteenth day of every fortnight in Hindu calendar. The auspicious 3 hour period, 1.5 hours before and after the sunset is the right time for worship of Lord Shiva. During pradosha, Nandi (the sacred bull of Shiva) in all the Shiva temples in South India, is  first worshipped with flowers, fruits and Annam (cooked rice).The festival idol of Shiva (utchavar) with Parvathi in a sitting pose on Nandi is taken as a procession on the temple complex. People in thousands attend  to see the Pradosha Kala Puja. So, the bull is given much importance in Hinduism.

Soil experts say Indian soil is very much affected because of over use  of fertilizers. When more bulls are used for farm works, the more productive the soil will become because cowdung makes a good manure. We will get quality vegetables, riceetc.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/jallikattu-bill-tamil-nadu-assembly-passes-protests-violence-chennai-madurai-bull-taming-sport/
http://tamilnaducattle.blogspot.in/2011/01/tamilnadu-cattle-breeds.html

http://inkenglishmagazine.blogspot.in/2015_10_01_archive.html

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Interesting Sri Uttar Chidambaram Nataraja temple, Satara

January 26, 2017, 8:56 am
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Natraj Temple in Satara, maharastra. Flickriver
Sri Uttar Chidambaram Nataraja Temple at Satara city, Maharashtra, India was  established in the year 1985. Modelled after  Sri Nataraja (consort: Sivagama Sundari) temple at Chidambaram in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, it is the 
brainchild of the late Sr. pontiff of Kanchi Mutt, Mahaswami Chandrashekhrendra Swamigal (Periyavar or Periyava). It was designed by the famous Sthapthathis - temple and sculpture designers  Ganapati Sthapathi and his brother M. Mutthayya Sthapathi of Tamil Nadu. Unlike the centuries-old highly ornate Chidambaram temple whose glory  was sung in devotional hymns by Tamil saints Nayanmars, this one is  small in size but,  has almost all the features the Tamil Nadu temple has. The Thillai Chidambaram temple is one of the pancha Boothasthas sthalams,representing Akasha (aether). The Satara  Nataraja temple's  architecture is altogether different from what is being followed in this region, as it is built in the Dravidian style of architecture adopted by the  great rulers of Tamil Nadu, in particular, Chola and Pandya dynasties.  They, along with Pallava and Hoysala rulers go down in history as the great builders of Hindu temples of grandeur and artistic beauty.

Built at the holy confluence of rivers of Krishna & Venna, the temple is a popular one here.  It is dedicated to Lord Shiva in the form of  Nataraja, the cosmic dancer who performs his divine, mesmerising dance to bring about the destruction of the transient  universe and makes preparations for god Brahma to initiate the process of creation. Scientifically speaking, he is maintaining the much needed  perfect balance between creation on one hand and destruction on the other. If these two processes do not have perfect correlation/ratio, there will be chaos.  The temple has four entrances with impressive towers,  similar to the Chidambram temple towers and  they can be seen from all  directions, In the past decades, this temple has become a venue  for various cultural & spiritual programs and is a famous platform for the presentation of Classical Dance performers.  

Both Satara and Chidambaram have close link with  great saints . The former recalls to our mind the samadhi of Smartha Ramadas (1608-1680), the guru of Satrapathi Sivaji Maharaj and of Ram Sastri  Prabhune and the latter brings to our mind the divine association of  Patjali and Vyagrapada  before whom lord Shiva did Ananda Thandava (dance of delight).

It  was in the year  1980 when senior  Kanchi seer visited this place and had his Chadurnasya, he was captivated by the serene  environment charged with religious fervor. Not only did he stay  here for a year  but also made up his mind to have a Shiva temple, similar to the one at Chidambaram built at Satara. One Sri  Shamanna Shambag (now deceased) of Karnataka, a sincere disciple and a businessman took the responsibility with  abiding interest in Uttara Chidambaram temple project. A trust had been formed and lots of people  came forward and made valid contributions. The governments of Maharastra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and  Andhra provided financial assitance. Necessary timber wood requirements were met by the Kerala government. On 9 June 1985 (between 5.00 am to 6.30 am) consecration - Kumbabisekam was performed by H.H. Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, junior head of the Kanchi Mutt, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu in the presence of the then CM of Maharashtra V. Patil, former CM Vasat Rao Patil, Rajmata Sumitra Raje Bhonsle of Satara an others. Innumerable Pundits from Tamil Nadu, Pune, Ratnagiri and Udupi took part in the chanting of Rigveda hymns. The Ganapathi shrine was consecrated as per Maharastra tradition. Accoding to the wish of H.H. Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, the pujas and temple rituals  at Satara temple are done by the Chidambaram Dikshitas (pundits) by rotataion in tune with the tradition being followed by them at Sri Nataraja temple, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu. The Chidambaram Sri Nataraja temple is being governed by the Dikshitas, also known by the name of Thillai Muvayirathar.

The temple adorns 108 sculptures depicting 108 dance mudras (poses) of Bharatanatyam. The four towers - 51 feet tall are named as Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Karnataka and Maharastra, implying the oneness of India.
Shri Uttar Chidambaram Nataraja Mandir.exploremytrip.com
There are other shrines on the temple premises  Lord Ganesha, Maruti/ Hanuman, Lord Krishna & Goddess Raadha, Lord Shiva’s ‘Linga, Navagraha, Aadi Shankaracharya and Lord Ayyappa.
Besides this temple, there are many worth-seeing places in Satara and its surroundings. Its beautiful environment surrounded by hills with lots of greenery, etc will never disappoint tourists who come here for relaxzation and fun.  The town gets its name from the Seven (Sat) Hills (Taras) surrounding it.

Ref:
https://kedarsjoshi.wordpress.com

Bhavan's Journel, vol. 31, no. 23, July 1-15, 1985.
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Hindu God Shiva's mysterious cosmic dance!!

January 26, 2017, 9:53 pm
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Cosmic dancer Shiva (Nataraja)Lotus Sculptur
Nataraja, a form of lord Shiva. www.fritjofcapra.net
 Among the Hindu Trinity Gods - Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma the most fascinating and perplexing form is that of  Shiva. The concept of Nataraja, the lord of dancers or simply a cosmic dancer is unique in Hinduism. The cosmos being his theater, he himself is the actor as well as the audience. The word Shiva means “one whose actions are good,” and is believed to be derived from Shankara meaning auspicious and benevolent.  Shiva is worshipped in the form of a  linga which is symbolic of no end and no beginning. He also represents Arthanariswarathathva - the concept of half woman and half man. Among his dance forms, the one at Chidambaram or Thillai called Ananda Thandava (dance of delight) forms the motif of south Indian Iyempon ( an alloy of five metals including gold) or copper iconic images of Sri Nataraja.  Physicists give much importance to the metaphor of Shiva’s dance - the cosmic dance of subatomic particles, which is analysed in depth by CERN’s physicists. Fritjof Capra, a famous physicist in an article titled “The Dance of Shiva: The Hindu View of Matter in the Light of Modern Physics,” published in Main Currents in Modern Thought in 1972 discussed at length  Shiva’s cosmic dance, the main theme in Capra’s international bestseller 'The Tao of Physics', first published in 1975 and still in print in over 40 editions around the world. He found a correlation between Shiva's dance and the dance of subatomic particles.

The late Ananda K. Coomaraswamy,  a reputed philosopher of Indian art and an early interpreter of Indian culture to the West, commenting on the cosmic dancer, said, "It is the clearest image of the activity of God which any art or religion can boast of.” Literally, he was overwhelmed by the  revelation that went  beyond the unsurpassed rhythm, beauty, power and grace of  Nataraja.
Fritjof Capra in 2010. en.wikipedia.org
 A special plaque next to the Shiva statue at CERN explains the significance of the metaphor of Shiva’s cosmic dance with several quotations from The Tao of Physics. Fritjof Capra, Austrian-born American physicist explained;  here is the text of the plaque 

'' ... Shiva's cosmic dance in magnificent bronze sculptures of dancing figures with four arms whose superbly balanced and yet dynamic gestures express the rhythm and unity of life. The various meanings of the dance are conveyed by the details of these figures in a complex pictorial allegory. The upper right hand of the god holds a drum, to symbolize the primal sound of creation. The upper left bears a tongue of flame, the elements of destruction. The balance of the two hands represents the dynamic balance of creation and destruction in the world, accentuated further by the dancer's calm and detached face in the center of the two hands in which the polarity of creation and destruction is dissolved and transcended. The second right hand is raised in the sign of 'do not fear' synbolizing maintenance, peace, while the remaining left hand points down to the uplifted foot which symbolizes release from the spell of maya. The god is dancing on the demon, the symbol of man's ignorance.

Modern physics has shown that the rhythm of creation and destruction is not only manifest in the turn of the seasons and in the birth and death of all living creatures, but is also the very essence of inorganic matter.  ...... Modern Physics has revealed that every subatomic particle not only performs an energy dance, but also is an energy dance in a pulsating process of creation and destruction. For the modern physicists, then, Shiva’s dance is the dance of subatomic matter.”

Capra, further explained, "As in Hindu Mythology, it is a continual dance of creation and destruction involving the whole cosmos, the basis of all existence and of all natural phenomena".Capra drew the conclusion: "Hundreds of years ago, Indian artists created visual images of dancing Shivas in a beautiful series of bronzes. In our time, physicists have used the most advanced technology to portray the patterns of the cosmic dance. The metaphor of the cosmic dance thus unifies ancient mythology, religious art and modern physics.”

 Shiva’s dance represents the dynamic flow and ‘dance’ of the universe.  The dancing universe is a  continual one , ceaseless flow of energy going through an infinite variety of patterns, which fuse into one another in a dynamic universal interplay.  His dance is symbolic of  the daily rhythm of birth and death, and the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction.  Shiva's dance makes us realize that  the many forms in the world are transient in nature - maya (not constant, but ever-changing), while He is eternally Real as He continually keeps creating and dissolving the forms in the external flow of His dance. The intuition of reality is  personified in the form of the cosmic dance of Shiva. 

Interestingly, Shiva who symbolizes creation, represents   sanguinary aspects in the form of destruction and cannot be separated from creation.  To create anew, Shiva has to destroy what has been created to maintain order.  Rudra  is symbolic of   destructive attributes in their totality as he dances for the annihilation of everything.  Shiva and Rudra are two images that seem to be inimical to one another initially, but one can see the assimilation of these two  divergent aspects.  Shiva himself takes on the role of Rudra and his attributes when  the latter became unpopular  after the Vedic period. It is a paradox that the same god represents  two different attributes that mingle into one, an integral part of Eastern Mysticism. It is a  bipolar synthesis, in which the opposite poles cannot exist without the other. 

The paradoxical aspect of Eastern mysticism is though it recognizes only one Reality as the Transcendent, yet there exist a myriad of forms. According to ‘Advaita’ (Non-Dual) Vedanta Brahman is the  Fundamental Reality, or the Ultimate Reality. But the world that may appear in transient is ultimately unreal (maya or mithya).On the contrary, it is ever changing, transient in nature. 


The medieval Hinduism accepts  God is not only  Formless but is often worshipped  in many forms.  God is Formless and One 
(Advaitic),  but in reality He is  being  worshipped in  many forms with true devotion in daily life.  Hence, in the Hindu pantheon, as synthesized by the  tradition,  we observe  that these myriad forms are grouped under the Trimurti (the Hindu Trinity):  Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (Protector), and Mahesvara (Modifier, destroyer i.e. Shiva).  

The Nataraja concept of Shiva is an embodiment of three important activities that govern the universe. They are  creative, sustaining, and destructive activities.  His Nataraja form is in tune  with religious, philosophical, and scientific investigation.  Somewhere in the universe, the never ending processes of Creation and Dissolution are taking place each moment and are symbolized by the Rudra-Shiva dance.  The amazing dancer in the fullness of time destroys all forms and many by fire and creates anew. This is the  multidimensional aspect of  Shiva's dance, the supreme cosmic dance that is not primitive superstition, as it was thought in the past, but it is an exploration of the infinity. 

 “I am God.  I do not recognize the hell.  I do not recognize the three worlds of heaven, hell and earth.  I am the Lord, the Controller.  I am still the witness after everything else is dissolved.  Nobody else is God for me; nobody else controls me.  I am I-less, I am my-less. ” Sankara
Ref:
https://nexusnovel.wordpress.com/2008/12/30/the-cosmic-dance-parallels-between-modern-physics-eastern-mysticism-and-process-philosophy/

Capra, Fritof. The Tao of Physics. London: Wildwood House, 1975

http://www.fritjofcapra.net/shivas-cosmic-dance-at-cern/





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January 28, 2017, 1:05 am
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Dhabaleswar Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is in a remote island of  Lord Dhabaleshwar on a hill top called dabalagiri at a distance of 27 km from the city of Cuttack. Charmed by the serene nature of the terrain, the temple atop the hill top in the exotic island of Lord Dhabaleshwar a lot of people from nearby places visit this place on the weekends for relaxation and religious experience. 

This highly embellished temple with amazing stone carved images date back to the early 10th and 11th century. Believed to be built by  Bir Kishor, ruler of Khurda, the original temple was discovered by him during one of his regular hunting trips in the jungle and it was in a bad shape - dilapidated state.The king not only renovated the temple but also granted lands to take care of it. Besides, the king entrusted the total care of the temple to one Mali. The Mali family founded the village of Malisahi near the temple (around1232 AD). Bhubaneswar Development Authority is in charge of this temple presently. The temple can be accessed by boat via Bidanasi or by bus via Chowdwar, Nuapatana, and  Mancheshwar. It is  about 57 km by road north of Bhubaneswar via Cuttack & Choudwar. Being situated on an island, the temple can be reached by boats leaving from ferries in or near Cuttack

With rare exceptions, Hindu temples are often associated with some kind of legend or sthala purana that has relevance in today's   mundane world. How did the place get the name Dhabaleswar 
(Dhabala or White + Easwar or God )? 

Once a thief, having stolen,  a black bull calf from a village finally found a safe haven in the sanctum of a Shiva's temple. The villagers who chased the thief heard the calf 's call in the temple. and were waiting outside the temple. Fear-stricken, the thief sincerely prayed to god to save him from real danger. Lord Shiva, realizing his folly, took the guise of a monk/sanyasi appeared before the angry crowd with a white calf to clear their cause of agitation. On seeing the white calf and confirming the man in the sanctum was not a thief, the crowd dispersed. Soon, Sanyasi  also disappeared and this made the thief realize the god himself saved his life and honor and repented his sins committed in the past. As an ancient wheeze says, "Confession is the right step to reformation", the thief told the crowd what had happened and tendered his apology to them. Then, he became a changed man with contended life.  Since Lord Shiva turned the black calf into a white one, he is referred to as Dhabaleswara. 

Like many shiva temples, the major festivals are Shivaratri, Pausha purnima, Dola purnima, and Kartika Purnima are celebrated  with devotion an dedication,  Being situated on an island, the temple can be reached by boats leaving from ferries in or near Cuttack. T
    Attractions
     Being situated on an island, the temple can be reached by boats leaving from ferries in or near Cuttack
        Shivaratri
        Various functions like Shivaratri, Pausha purnima, Dola purnima, and Kartika purnima are celebrated here
    References
        Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hindu temples of Orissa.
        Lord DHABALESWAR TEMPLE is located in an island within river Mahanadi and is approx 57 km by road North of Bhubaneswar via Cuttack & Choudwar. This information may be incorporated else the information in your section is misleading. There is a wirerope hanging footbridge which accesses to the temple.
    External links
        http://www#orissatourism#gov#in/new/wsdhabal#html Dhabaleshwara,the living god of Cuttack#
        http://travel#sulekha#com/dhabaleswar-island#htm Lord Shiva,who made one black bullock into white one#
    Sculptures of Dhabalesvara
    report on Archaeological survey



Dhauli is located on the banks of the river Daya, at a distance of 8 kms from Bhubaneswar city in Odisha state of India. It is a hilly area with the adjoining vast open space. It is the site where the major battle between Ashoka and the King of Kalinga took place. Around 250,000 people lost their lives. This war lead Ashoka to adopt the peace loving Buddhism religion. Then, started the rise of Buddhism in India.


In Dhauli the Ashokan rock edicts are found. However, the most popular destination in Dhauli is Shanti Stupa. It is a Buddhist shrine built on the hilltop called as Dhaulagiri in 1972 CE by the Japan Buddha Sangh. Near this popular new structure, there is a little known ancient Hindu temple named Dhabaleswar temple located. Let us explore about this temple in this article.

Introduction:

Dhabaleswar temple is located on top of a small hill named Dhaulagiri in Dhauli. It is situated on the other side of the famous Shanti Stupa.

History:

The temple belongs to the 14th century CE and was built by the Ganga rulers.


Architecture/Temple Layout:

Dhabaleswar temple has a rekha vimana and pidha Jagamohana. The vimana is pancha ratha on plan. The interior of the east facing temple is plain. The temple is renovated with plastered cement and painted white in color. Hence, it lost its original and authentic look.

The temple is a living temple and enshrines Shiva Linga named as Dhabaleswar.

The Parsvadevta images of Ganesha, Kartikeya and eight armed Durga are found around the main shrine. It should be noted that Kartikeya and Durga idols are new idols. The original idols are completely eroded and they are placed in a corner in the temple complex. Unlike other Kalingan temples, where Parvati is found as a niche idol, in this temple Durga is found.

The metal idols of Narayan and Lakshmi are found in a separate shrine. There is another shrine for the Goddess Dhabaleswari located in this temple.
Happy travelling.

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Madras museum complex - British heritage building

January 7, 2017, 2:35 am
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1851 colonial building Govt. Museum and theater, ChennaiAlamy
 In the colonial era the growth and development of East India company's successful trading activities had a direct bearing on the influx of more Europeans, expansion of Madras city and construction of more buildings to fulfill various government and social needs. The outcome of the city's growth was one of the reasons for the construction a building complex to house a museum and a theater for entertainment purpose.

The Government Museum, Madras, in the suburb of  Egmore, Chennai is the  second oldest museum in India after the Indian Museum in Kolkata.  The museum complex has six buildings and 46 galleries on a huge plot of  about 16.25 acres (66,000 m²). The objects on display in the museum cover a variety of artifacts and objects  that come under diverse fields,  such as  archeology, numismatics, zoology, natural history,  earth sciences, sculptures, palm-leaf manuscripts and Amravati paintings. Also included  are the largest collection of Roman antiquities outside Europe and rare  works of artists like Raja Ravi Varma.  

The growth of this museum began with a gift of collection of 1,100 geological specimens by the Madras Literary Society to the Government in 1851. The museum moved into this building in  1854; earlier it was  on College Road in Nungambakkam in the year 1851. It was the first government sponsored  museum in India with  20,000 freely gifted specimens ranging from rocks to books.
The Museum complex by Willie Burke, c. 1905n.wikipedia.org/
Built in Indo-saracenic style, its architect was Henry Levin and this historical building includes a huge impressive Museum Theater built in Italianate style of architecture developed in England in the early 1800s. The huge hall with ornate columns was meant for theatrical performances in those days and has a seating capacity of 600. In the colonial era the theater was the venue of staging English plays preferred by the European elite. There is a  a huge reading room (built in 1859) with a wooden ceiling between two curved rows of stained glass, supported by ornate pillars and arches embellished with sculpted acanthus leaves. The land was bought in 1830 and before that time the building and the  land were the venue
Canons at the museum complex, Chennai. en.wikipedia.org
of Collector'scutchery (hearing grievances from people). The building contractor was  Namberumal Chetty. In 1864  first floor was  done. The library got a new block, now known as the centenary exhibition hall of the museum after restoration, in the northwest corner of the Pantheon road in 1876, with a lecture hall.  The Connemara Public Library, with ornate woodwork, elaborate stucco decorations and stained glass windows is an impressive one. It was formally opened in 1896.  In 1896, there had been built new buildings for the museum (where the anthropological and arms galleries are presently housed). The restoration  work in the interior  parts was done  between  2004 and 2007. As part of restoration work  to mark 150th anniversary,  the 19th century theater was  fully air-conditioned.

The Madras zoo was here  on the  vast museum grounds from 1855 till 1863. In the early 1980s it was shifted to  near by Vandaloor.
Ref:
http://madrasmusings.com/Vol%2020%20No%203/museum-library-and-theatre.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_Museum,_Chennai
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Dhabaleswar Shiva Temple, Odisha - where black bull calf became white!!

January 28, 2017, 1:05 am
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Dhabaleswar Temple, Cuttack. TripAdvisor

Dhabaleswar Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is in a remote island  within the river Mahanadi on a hill top called Dabalagiri in  Dhauli at a distance of 27 km from the city of Cuttack. Charmed by the serene nature of the terrain and  the temple atop the hill in the middle of greenery and the river,  a lot of people from nearby places visit this place on the weekends for relaxation and religious experience.
Dhabaleswar Temple, CuttackNuaOdisha
This highly embellished temple with amazing stone carved images date back to the early 10th and 11th century. Believed to be built by  Bir Kishor, ruler of Khurda, the original temple was discovered by him during one of his regular hunting trips in the jungle and it was in a bad shape - dilapidated state in the early period. The king not only renovated the temple but also granted lands to take care of it. Besides, the king entrusted the total care of the temple to one Mali. The Mali family founded the village of Malisahi near the temple (around1232 AD). Bhubaneswar Development Authority is in charge of this temple presently.
Dhabaleswartemple, the igol of Shiva. Pinterest
The temple can be accessed either by taking the  water route by ferrying across the Mahanadi river or  trough the the suspension bridge from the other side of the river (Athgarh-end). The distance of Dhabaleswar from Cuttack via two ferry ghats is about 5km. But via suspension bridge (jhula pola in Oriya) from the Athgarh-end   it’s around 37km.  Dhauli is  on the banks of the river Daya, at a distance of 8 kms from Bhubaneswar city in Odisha state of East India. It is a hilly area. Bus services are vailable  via Chowdwar, Nuapatana, and  Mancheshwar. It is  about 57 km by road north of Bhubaneswar via Cuttack & Choudwar.

With rare exceptions, Hindu temples are often associated with some kind of legend or sthala purana that has relevance in today's   mundane world. How did the place get the name Dhabaleswar 
(Dhabala or White + Easwar or God )? 

Once a villager from a neighboring place with a black bull calf was mistaken by the local villagers for a thief.  The stranger with a back bull  calf finally found a safe haven in the sanctum of a Shiva's temple. The villagers who chased the thief heard the calf 's cry in the temple  and were waiting outside the temple to catch the thief.  Fear-stricken, the stranger  sincerely prayed to god to save him from real danger. Lord Shiva, realising his predicament, took the guise of a monk/sanyasi appeared before the angry crowd with a white calf to clear their cause of agitation. On seeing the white calf and confirming the man in the sanctum was not a thief, the crowd dispersed. Soon, Sanyasi  also disappeared and this made the stranger realize the god himself saved his life and honor. He immediately repented  and as an ancient wheeze says, "Confession is the right step to reformation", the stranger told the crowd what had happened and tendered his apology to them. Then on, since Lord Shiva turned the black calf into a white one, he is referred to as Dhabaleswara. White in Sanskrit and Oriya is referred to as dhabala.

Like many Shiva temples, the major festivals are Shivaratri, Pausha purnima, Dola purnima, and Kartika Purnima  and are celebrated  with devotion and dedication.
There are shrines around the main one dedicated to Ganesha, Kartikeya and eight armed Durga  Unlike other Kalinga temples, where Shiva's consort Parvati is adorned in a niche, there is a  Durga idol in this temple. There is a separate  shrine for the Goddess Dhabaleswari  in this temple. There  are idols of Narayanan and Laksmi in this temple.

Tit-Bits:

01. The temple architecture seems to be of recent origin,  but evidences suggest that the temple was built around 10th century AD. Through ages, considering the location, the temple was subjected to periodic damages  due to natural calamities after renovation.
02. Emperor Ashoka fought a fierce battle against  the King of Kalinga. Ashoka came out victorious after killing more than 250,000 people. Emperor Ashoka was in no mood to celebrate his victory at the cost of thousands of lives. Being a man with scruples, love and peace became his mantras and later he became an ardent follower of Lord Buddha. 

03. A Buddhist shrine  was built on the hilltop  in 1972 by the Japan Buddha Sangh.  

04. Dhabaleswar temple  is located on the  other side of the famous Shanti Stupa.

05.The temple annually  attracts more than 15 lakh and  during panchuka, or the auspicious first five days of the month of Kartika, and bada osha ( auspicious occasion for fasting) more than 10 lakh devotees  come to  the shrine foe prayer and receiving blessings.
Dhabaleswartemple, odisha, Mulpix com.
06.  Dhabaleswar mela, too, attracts huge crowd between January and February each year.
Suspension bridge to the island. pravin Bhushan's Travel Blog!
 07. The other places of attraction are: Choudwar - famous for  Barabati Fort in Cuttack; Chhatia: Though locals call it Chhatiabata, it is well-known for a shrine of Lord Jagannath; Naraj: Known for its barrage over the Mahanadi river, historians link it to many prominent places of Buddhist culture and learning; Chandikhol: Well-known picnic destination surrounded by green hills and perennial streams, the Mahavinayak temple and ashram of Baba Bhairavananda attract a lot of people.

08. Famous Buddist sites of Ratnagiri, Udayagiri, Lalitgiri, Langudi, Tarapur, Vajragiri, Kayama and Deuli are near Chandikhol (Daitari to Paradip expressway) - 40km from Cuttack by road
.
Ref:  
 https://www.telegraphindia.com/1111107/jsp/orissa/story_14713878.jsp

http://travel#sulekha#com/dhabaleswar-island#htm Lord Shiva,who made one black bullock into white one

 http://www#orissatourism#gov#in/new/wsdhabal#html Dhabaleshwara,the living god of Cuttack
 
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Kolkata (Calcutta) city's tearful colonial graves

January 29, 2017, 6:36 am
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Shutterstock

an abandoned cemetery of Calcutta child sniffs glue www.alamy.com
 Above image: Calcutta, West Bengal, India. 15th April 2011. In an abandoned cemetery, a child sniffs glue while sitting on a grave. 

Kolkata  (Calcutta), the capital city of West Bengal, India was once a dynamic power center of the British Empire, still a living example of the British legacy and heritage. Once a seat of influential political authority, the heritage sites and the numerous graveyards keep reminding us of the ebb and flow of time, the heydays of imperial glory and, at last, the fall of the empire from sublime to nothingness. Abundant job and business opportunities brought in lots of Europeans in the 18th and 19th centuries whose lives were mainly dependent on the performance of the East India company that became well-established and was in the expansion mode.  Churches and graveyards came up to serve the Christian communities'  and their spiritual needs. The colonial life of Calcutta also changed and saw various changes on many fronts. The Europeans had begun to understand the glorious culture and the richness of Indian languages, whereas, the Indian natives' interest in the English languages made them widen their knowledge.The  cosmopolitan life of Calcutta was conducive to a healthy atmosphere in the areas of culture and tradition and brought about the revival in the life of Bengalis, in particular.

 City of a glorious colonial past after India's freedom from the British yoke became a city of declining economy tied to the stigma of poverty and desolation unlike cities like New Delhi, Mumbai or Chennai. In the past 3 decades or more Kolkata has moved forward with all round developments in various fields and is growing fast in tune with rapid economic developments. 

 Many colonial cemeteries are poorly maintained mainly due to neglect and there is an awareness to preserve the heritage sites  across India and the government is allocating funds for the restoration projects.  India has tens of thousands of monuments of great antiquity and it is a tough undertaking, considering the size and importance. In the last one decade, the government is taking serious steps to preserve the heritage sites without damaging the heritage values  so that they will be preserved fo the posterity.

 During the colonial rule, Calcutta had a large number of Cemeteries. The largest non-church cemetery being the South Park cemetery.Tollygunge Cemetery is a Christian Burial Ground, established in 1942 before India's independence.The following cemeteries served the Europeans and others:

 St John's Churchyard: Inception in 1709 and may be earlier.

Job Charnock’s MausoleumSt John's Church, Kolkata .www.alamy.com
 Above image: Job Charnock’s Mausoleum at the graveyard of St John's Church, Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal is made of a variety of granite called pink granite (containing iodine rich mineral called Hypersthene). This type of rock of Archaean age is mined at St. Thomas Mount, a suburb of Chennai. This granite variety is named after Job Charnock called Charnokites by the Geologists.

St John’s Church houses the mausoleum of Job Charnock, an honest official with the East India company, who chose a site comprising a few villages that  later  became Calcutta.   Also included are the monuments,q23 commemorating those who died in the ‘Black Hole’incident - the dungeon on the premises of Ft. Williams where more than 40 British died due to suffocation and stampede when the ruler Siraj-ud-daulah herded the soldiers and others when he captured the fort from the British company. The company went on their words and never paid the taxes due to the Nabob. Other note-worthy person in St John’s graveyard are Admiral Watson, who with Clive liberated Calcutta from the Nabob. The church also contains the study of Warren Hastings, the first Governor-general of India.

South Park Street Cemetery - ‘The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power’"The Great Burial Ground of Chowringhee" - opened on 25 August 1767.
These obelisks, Park Street Cemetery in Kolkata,.alamy.com
Pyramids, mausoleums ,South Park Street Cemetery.alamy.com

South Park Street Cemetery www.alamy.com
 It is believed to be the Great Cemetery of Asia “(South Park Street Cemetery), Kolkata” measuring some eight acres in the prime locality of this vast city,  enclosed by a high brick wall. SPSC served the European communities when they were at the helm of affairs in India in the 18th and 19th centuries. There are roughly  1600 burial sites - an array of tombs with cenotaphs, tablets, and epitaphs, surrounded by a serene, impressive landscape of tall, shady trees, bushes and plants of many varieties. The tombs, raised on a brick plinth, have different shapes and sizes, many fronted by Corinthian or Ionian columns that support the structures. Many follow an admixture of Gothic, Indo-Saracenic styles. The black basalt carvings on the frontal façade suggest a distinct respect for the Hindu faith.  Sir William Jones, founder of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta in 1796 and other eminent persons buried here include Henry L V Derozio and David Drummond.

Preservation work had begun in 2007 and the work has been going slowly in various phases as the site is enormous. There is a proposal to introduce solar-powered lighting”. It is probably the largest Christian cemetery outside Europe and America in the 19th century.

The North Park Street Cemetery does not exist, save for one grave—the Robertson family tomb. The cemetery was cleared in 1953 and the land is currently occupied by the Assembly of God Church and the Mercy Hospital. But the map of Calcutta prepared by Frederick Walter Simms in 1847 identifies two more cemeteries at this end of Park Street. Located on the south-western corner of the North Park Street Cemetery was the Mission Cemetery 
( commonly called Mr Kiernander's opened in or by 1773), which has also disappeared. Further north was the small French cemetery,  where the Apeejay School is functioning. One tombstone that has been preserved is that of Anne Kiernander, wife
The North Park Street Cemetery. qz.com/
of the  Swede, Johann Zachariah Kiernander, who was the first protestant missionary to Bengal. Her tombstone is inside the Assembly of God Church building and is fixed in the  wall. Among the tombs lost when the French cemetery was demolished was that of Josephine Tiretta, wife of town planner Eduardo Tiretta. A bazaar called  Tiretti Bazar is in her memory. Her tombstone is not yet located, further, several tombstones from the French cemetery are now on the walls of the South Park Street Cemetery.

North Park Street Cemetery  was the burial  place of Richmond Thackeray (father of novelist), Lt Col James Achilles Kirkpatrick (the White Mughal) and other well known persons.
 
Bhowanipore Cemetery:"The Military Burial Ground, beyond the General Hospital, was opened in the year 1782-83".

 Bhowanipur cemetery Kolkata ; West Bengal.http://www.alamy.com/s  
Bhowanipore cemetery, Calcutta. PK Bhattacharyya - WordPress.com
Bhowanipore cemetery. TripAdvisor
Bhowanipore Cemetery located one km from the southern end of the Calcutta Maiden and is enclosed by a high wall. The war plot is at the rear of the civilian cemetery, some 200 meters from the main entrance. The cemetery is at no. 15 Debendra Lal Khan Road, Calcutta 700027.

Bhowanipore Cemetery was a civil cemetery and has been in 
use since 1864 and the earlier burials involving personnel and their dependants took place nearby garrison at Fort William.
The cemetery initially took its name from it. Initially there 
were war graves, but subsequently, civilian graves got mingled with them. Calcutta (Bhowanipore) Cemetery has  95  Commonwealth burials of the WWI, including one brought in from Fort Chingrikhali Cemetery in 1934. WWII burials number 617. The Commission also has responsibility for the care of 233 non-war burials in the cemetery.
Visiting Information: Opening hours are: 09.00-16.00. A notable fact is the Wheelchair access to cemetery is possible  for elderly people via main entrance. In 1954, the church authorities moved   the graves to places with largest war burials.


Lower Circular Road Cemetery-Also known as General Episcopal Cemetery, it is located on the crossing of Mother Teresa Sarani (former Park Street) and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road (former Lower Circular Road), Kolkata  with its entrance on Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Established on 29 April 1840 and it is still operating; the grave is not well maintained. It is said that burial records are maintained on site.

At one time, this cemetery contained a number of war graves of both world wars and was in use till 1953. Later, the cemetery had no room for additional burials. But for two of the Second World War graves rest  were therefore moved into the services plot in Calcutta (Bhowanipore) Cemetery The graves have permanent private memorials and are privately maintained. They include persons who worked in the civil organizations recognized by the Armed Forces, whose members' graves rank as war graves.

Calcutta Lower circular road cemetery. cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/

 WWI casualties remain here and their maintenance was a major hurdle here. So, they are commemorated by name on 1914-18 War Memorial in Madras War Cemetery at Chennai, Tamil Nadu. 

 In 1904,  a Gas Crematorium was commissioned for the first time to facilitate ash or urn burials. The crematorium is believed to have been first of its kind in Asia.  The “Mini Cemetery” located behind the LCRC at No.2 Crematorium Street. 
Inside the Lower Circular Road Cemetery in Calcutta.www.alamy.co
Charles Freer Andrews (died 1940), Sir William Casement, British Army Major General, Member of  Supreme Council of India (died 16 April 1844), Henri Hover Locke, Michael Madhusudan Dutt (died 1873), et al are buried here at Calcutta.

Scottish Cemetery:  "The Scotch & Dissenters Burial Ground - was purchased in 1820.
The Scottish cemetery, Kolkata. Find A Grave
The Scottish Cemetery at Calcutta established in 1820 (3 Karaya Road) was meant to serve the specific needs of the large Scottish population in the Kolkata area. It consisted mostly of soldiers, missionaries, business people, etc. Many held positions of power and prominence with the headquarters of the East India Company, and later the administration of the British Raj, whose capital was Calcutta. The cemetery was in use until the 1940s but after India's independence fell into disuse in  the 1950s. Well over 90% of those buried bear recognizably Scottish names. Around 10% are Bengali.
A huge plot comprising 6 acres (24,000 m2) the cemetery is in the middle of the city in a prominent place and has  over 1600 burial plots, with at least 2000 burials. 

A few  important graves areThomas Jones 1810-1849, a Welsh missionary, the director of the Calcutta Zoological Gardens,
Rev. John Adam, "late missionary to the heathen", besides several  officers of the EIC.
   
Armenian Church & Cemetery:The Armenian Church of St Nazareth built 1724 has a burial ground attached to it.

Old Grave at the Christian Armenian Church in Calcutta Indiahttp://www.alamy.com
The grave of Astwasatoor Mooradkhanen.wikipedia.org
  Above image: The grave of Astwasatoor Mooradkhan (died at Calcutta on 29.09.1799). He was one of the founders of the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy, Kolkata.
 
tombstone of Rezabeebeh,wikipedia.org

Above image:Located in an Armenian Church, the oldest Christian tombstone in Calcutta belongs to Rezabeebeh, who died on 11 July 1630.

The association of Armenians with India dates back to several centuries and has been mutually beneficial. As a matter of fact India's cultural fabric had been enriched by their continuous presence here. Their major settlements include  Agra, Surat, Mumbai, Kanpur, Chandernagore, Calcutta, Saidabad, a suburb of Murshidabad, Chennai,  Lucknow, etc.  By the 7th century a few Armenian settlements came up on the Malabar coast of Kerala.  Armenians had a strong control over a big chunk of export of precious stones and quality fabrics. A 1956  archive directory in Delhi states the first Armenian to reach the Malabar coast of India  in 780  was one Thomas Cana, a merchant-cum-diplomat, using the overland route. In the year  1498, Vasco da Gama landed on the Kappad Beach of Calicut (Kozhicode.)  Thomas Cana was an affluent merchant dealing chiefly in spices and muslins. He was referred to as  "Kanaj Tomma", meaning Thomas the merchant by the locals. After independence, their numbers, just like Jews, has come down to less than 100 mostly settled in Kolkata. They established a college there - The Armenian College which still functions there. 

Greek Church & cemetery: The Greek Church of the Transfiguration of Our Blessed Redeemer on Mount Tabor was consecrated 6 August 1781, but later was demolished. A new one came up at Kalighat in 1926. "Greek cemetery at 105 Narkeldanga Main Road is forlorn'. Located in a busy residential area - near Phoolbagan, Kolkata, it is tough to locate it and is in a pathetic state due to negligence on the part of authorities concerned. It is believed this cemetery will be renovated soon.
greek cemetery of Calcutta. IndiaMike.com
In Colonial Calcutta, along with other communities, the Greek community also lived. Two Greek tombstones, dated 1713 and 1728, preserved in the Catholic Cathedral of the Virgin Mary of the Rosary in Murgihatta, Kolkata (Calcutta) Commonly known as Portuguese Church,  confirm  Greek or Hellenic presence in Calcutta in early 18th Century.
Greeck graveyard -various tablets.indrajitdas.wordpress.com

Alexander Argeery or Hadjee Alexios Argyree from Philippoupolis (documents suggest  Hadjee is a Turkish word and subsequently not to be found in Greek Lexicon)  came to Bengal in the year of 1750. Greek merchants, settled here in Bengal, were mostly from Thracian cities of  Philippoupolis (Now Plovdiv in Bulgaria) and Adrianoupolis. Thre was an exodus of Greeks to this place during the Turko-Russian war, as the Greeks lost all their properties and valuable possessions when they left their homeland.

The ldest grave is 1777 of Alexander Argeery, who died in Decca (Now Dhaka in Bangladesh) subsequently brought here in 1949.  There are around 120 graves, named gravestone is 108 and remaining 12 gravestone is unnamed. One  Basanta Das is the caretaker of the cemetery, the newest one is 2013, the grave of a Greek Lady. 
Ref:

http://christianburialboardkolkata.com/statistics.html

http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=Cemeteries_in_Calcutta
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Painful facts of Kolkata ('Calcutta)' s colonial cemeteries

January 30, 2017, 5:04 am
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Grave of Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, South Park Street Cemetery, Kolkata Alamy
Jantoo Cartoons
The city of Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal, India has the rare distinction of having a large number of European cemeteries where thousands of Europeans have lain buried since 18th centuries. Innumerable Europeans were once men of great repute and eminence during the heydays of the British rule. These colonial cemeteries, remnants of the British legacy, are looked upon as the heritage sites that need preservation and restoration. Unfortunately, the graves are in bad shape. Only in the past few decades, an awareness has been created among the like-minded people who are serious about restoring the dying monuments of great antiquity. Already steps are afoot by the state authorities of Bengal in collaboration with some foreign agencies to restore them back to old glory.
 
Given below is a list of numerous colonial cemeteries. I believe some are either non-functional or donated to some Christian charities to run hospitals, schools, etc.
LCR cemetery, John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune~ The Indian Vagabond
St John's Churchyard - from 1709 and maybe earlier. South Park Street Cemetery - "The Great Burial Ground of Chowringhee" - opened on 25 August 1767. It is known as the Great Cemetery of Asia and others. North Park Street Cemetery - "New burial ground Chowringhee" - probably opened in 1799; on the opposite side of the road to South Park Street but no longer in existence. Richmond Thackeray (father of novelist), Lt Col James Achilles Kirkpatrick (the White Mughal) and other well-known persons were buried here. The Mission Cemetery - "The Mission Burial Ground, Chowringhee, commonly called Mr. Kiernander's" - opened in 1773 for the wife of Rev John Zachariah Kiernander; but does not exist. Tiretta's Cemetery - "The French or Tiretta's Burial Ground, Park Street" - earliest record 1796; also no longer exists. Bhowanipore Cemetery - "The Military Burial Ground, beyond the General Hospital was opened in the year 1782-3. Tollygunge Cemetery (Estd. 1942). St. Stephen’s Cemetery (Estd. 1820). Lower Circular Road ( LCR - at 184 Acharya Jagadish Bose Road) - "The New Burial Ground, Circular Road" was opened on 29 April 1840 for the remains of Captain E T Milner's child. This cemetery is still in use. It has 12,000 graves/tombs. However, the condition of the older graves, in general, is not good. The Mini Cemetery with a closed Gas Crematorium is located within the same cemetery.

Scottish Cemetery (3 Karaya Road) - "The Scotch & Dissenters Burial Ground - was purchased in 1820. Armenian Church & Cemetery - the Armenian Church of St Nazareth built 1724 has a burial ground attached to it. Greek Church & cemetery - the Greek Church of the Transfiguration of Our Blessed Redeemer on Mount Tabor was consecrated 6 August 1781 but demolished and a new one was built at Kalighat in 1926. "Greek cemetery at 105 Narkeldanga Main Road is forlorn". Portuguese Church& burial grounds- there seem to be several, the most notable may be the Portuguese Burial Ground at Boithakhana, opened on 8 February 1786.

The Bengal Act of 1881(Bengal Act V), led to the formation of the Calcutta Burial Board (CBB) as a statutory body in the past. The Christian Burial Board, who now oversees this cemetery will help the visitors in all possible ways. They have a well-maintained burial record.

 Fascinating Facts of colonial cemeteries of Kolkata:

01. In the early period, a civil cemetery had been in use since 1864, many of the earlier burials of service personnel and their dependants being made from the nearby garrison at Fort William, After the new construction work in Ft. William in the 1880s, the old burial ground in the fort fell into disuse and the headstones were shifted and mounted on the walls at SPC (South Park Cemetery). It is a military burial ground and is closed to the public.

02. During the Second World War, various departments relevant to the war effort were posted to Calcutta and No 47 General Hospital was there from January 1943 to the beginning of February 1945.

03. The graves, originally, were set based on denominations and war graves and civilian graves got indiscriminately mingled. In 1954, on the church authorities' advice, war graves were moved by the Commission into the area with the largest number of war burials. This now forms a separate service section containing the graves of both world wars.
Punch Cartoon -
04. Over a third died between August and end of December, a regular annual occurrence, perhaps due to monsoon seasons, heat, etc. The survivors used to hold thanksgiving banquets towards the end of October to celebrate the deliverance.

05. Preservation of such precious heritage sites, steeped in history, requires special care and expertise of archaeologist-engineers. The structures need to be saved for posterity, by retaining their original characters. restoration work was done in phases, covering a certain number of tombs.

06. The Park Street Cemetery was one of the earliest non-church cemeteries in the world, and probably the largest Christian cemetery outside Europe and America in the 19th century.

07. Rudyard Kipling remarked scornfully in 1891: "Men were rich in those days and could afford to put a hundred cubic feet of masonry into the grave of even so humble a person as “Jno. Clements, Captain of the Country Service, 1820".

08. Bhowanipore (Calcutta) Cemetery has 95 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, including one brought in from Fort Chingrikhali Cemetery in 1934. Second World War burials number 617.

09. The reason for the excessive masonry work in the graves, it is believed, are based on medical grounds. In the 18th century itself, there was some awareness that the dead bodies were one of the main sources of spreading death-causing contagious diseases. Hence, numerous graves were well protected with structures of various sizes.

10. Graveyard records reveal so many deaths took place because of tropical diseases, fevers, gruesome epidemics, etc from which there was no respite. There was no medical cure for such dreadful diseases and the knowledge of medication was inadequate.

11. Dying on the battlefield may win laurels at a young age, but dying unsung at a young age as a result of diarrhea or malaria is unfortunate. The each grave of Calcutta reveals a pathetic story about the person buried under it.

12. The oldest Christian tombstone in Calcutta belongs to Rezabeebeh, who died on 11 July 1630. It is located in an Armenian Church, Kolkata (Calcutta) that served the Armenian community.

13. South Park Cemetry (SPSC) has 1600 colonial tombs /Relics.(under renovation – Phase III) and is a major tourists’ attraction as the only Colonial Cemetery of its kind in the world according to BACSA (Website: www.bacsa.org.uk).14. The Park Street Cemetery holds the remains of the colonial elite-bureaucrats, military officials, big business people and their families in the glorious days of the Raj. Now, they become part of the dust as anybody else.

15. This historical cemetery is presently protected and preserved by the CBB in collaboration with a team of Archaeologists and a Conservation Architect after its massive restoration in 1978.

16.  Professions mentioned in the epitaphs are breeder of cattle, jail-keeper, silversmith, school teacher, architect, translator, livery, printer, head tide-waiter, park superintendent, cooper, postmaster, surgeon. All Europeans or their descendants, including people on a ‘civilizing mission.
Job Charnock's grave in SPC., now in St.John's  - WordPress.com
17. The pathetic story emerging out of many cemeteries in Colonial India is the fact that innumerable young people, children, and others died between August and December, perhaps after the Monsoon seasons. The other cause could be tropical heat during the summer season, besides the presence of dangerous mosquitoes and poisonous snakes like Cobra, Russel's Viper, etc.that might intrude the settlements.

18. Several decades ago, two cemeteries viz. The North Park Street Cemetery and the French Cemetery, Kolkata, were donated to schools, hospitals and to a church. The four other cemeteries mentioned above are active cemeteries, which conduct burials regularly except the South Park Street Cemetery,

19. In 1904, a Gas Crematorium was commissioned for the first time to facilitate human ash or urn burials in the LCR Cemetery. It was the first one in Asia then. The “Mini Cemetery” located behind the LCRC at No.2 Crematorium Street. It became non-functional in 1980.

20. Surprisingly, there are roughly as many as 1.25 lakhs of mortal remains buried in the LCR Cemetery alone, according to available Burial Registers.

21. The Tollygunge Cemetery is believed to have the maximum burials after its massive restoration by the present Board.

22. The second oldest grave is the grave of Astwasatoor Mooradkhan (died at Calcutta on 29.09.1799). He was one of the founders of the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy, Kolkata.

This post is based on the information given in the references below and they are found to be quite useful.
Ref:
http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=Cemeteries_in_Calcutta
http://christianburialboardkolkata.com/statistics.html
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Enticing Baitaḷa Deuḷa Temple of goddess Chamunda, Odisha

January 30, 2017, 10:14 pm
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Odisha (Orissa),  just like Andhra or Tamil Nadu is a land of temples whose attraction is their architecture with countless delicately carved small figures of gods, goddesses, demigods, etc. Many of them show the impact of the ravages of time and weather. We mostly come across the devotional type of temple design across the states and some contain small erotic sculptures.
The Odisha temples can be classified into three types -
Khakhara Deula, Rekha Deula and Pidha or Bhadra Deula. Among them, the Khakhara  Deula is altogether a different style of architecture, reminiscent of the  Dravidian  Gopuram (tower)  design.  The word is derived from kakharu (pumpkin, gourd) as the crown/summit looks like a barrel-vaulted elongated roof.  The  Sakta (shakti)  temples are generally of Khakhara order.
Baitala Deuḷa Temple ,Bubaneswar. .hindudevotionalblog.com

Vaital Deul Hindu Temple, one of the oldest ones (late 8th century) is dedicated to Goddess Chamunda and is in Bhubaneswar (Khurda district), the capital city of Orissa, India. This typical Khakara temple is also locally known as "Tini Mundia Mandira" and its unique feature is the shape of its sanctuary tower. The khakhra temple commonly has a typical semi-cylindrical shape of its roof and in a way shows similarity with those Dravidian styled temples of South India with particular reference to gopurams/towers. 

The plan of the deul (shrine) is oblong and the Jagamohana (pyramidal roof with horizontal platforms, receding in size) is a rectangular structure, but embedded in each angle is a small subsidiary shrine. Vaital Deul has amazing relief figures that have delicate features marked by delicacy and perfect equipoise. Other exciting features are the temple outer walls are adorned with well-planned panels of Hindu deities. These include mostly Shiva and his consort Parvati in her Shakti form, processions on a  hunting mission, capturing of wild elephants, etc. There are occasional carvings of erotic couples.

Two chaitya windows dominate the front of the deul above the left of the jagamohana - the lower one has a carved figure of sun god Surya with Usha (Dawn) and Pratyusha shooting arrows on either side while Aruna in front driving a chariot of seven horses. We have commonly come across this kind of representation of  Sun God Surya in many Hindu textbooks.

The panel in the upper Chaitya-window houses a 10-armed Nataraja or dancing Shiva. There are two Buddha-like figures seated in dharma-chakra-pravartana  on a stone post in front of the flat roofed jagamohana.

Many features of the presiding deity here show certain distinct characteristics of the Tantrik type of worship, which is unusual. The striking feature is the ferocious-looking figure of goddess Durga with eight arms (Chamunda) in the Gurbagraha - sanctum and is enshrined in the central niche. Locally, the goddess goes by the name of Kapalini and, hence, this one is a shakti shrine. The tantric aspects are revealed further by the appearance
Baitala Deuḷa Temple of Goddess Chamunda in Bhubaneswar. Flick com
Baitala Deuḷa Temple of Goddess Chamunda in Bhubaneswar. Wikiwand

 of  the presiding deity. Here, the main deity Chamunda or Mahishasuramardini sits on a corpse bordered by a jackal and an owl. She wears a garland of skulls and holds a snake, bow, shield, sword, trident, thunderbolt and an arrow, piercing the neck of the demon. The niche is capped by a chaitya window containing seated figures of Shiva and Parvati.

The Chamunda is surrounded by a host of other smaller size carvings of demi-gods in the lower parts of the walls, each within a niche separated by a pilaster. The figure on the east wall, near the door, is a skeleton form of Bhairava. It forms the counterpart of Chamunda on the east wall.

On the north wall also one could see the tantric aspects such as a skull-cup with the blood of a person whose severed head lies on the right. On the pedestal is an offering of two more heads on a tray resting on a tripod, flanked by a jackal feasting on the decapitated body on the right and a woman holding a head on the left.

 The stone post also exhibits the tantric character of the temple where sacrificial offerings were chained/tied, just in front of the jagamohana. You need an artificial light to see in the darkness of the interior, though early morning sun lights up the interior.

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



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The Banqueting (Rajaji) Hall, Chennai - steeped in colonial history

January 8, 2017, 7:15 pm
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The Banqueting Hall, c. 1905. en.wikipedia.org/wik
Rajaji (Banqueting) Hall, Chennai Flickr
The Rajaji Hall, earlier known  as the Banqueting Hall, Madras built  in 1802 in the form of a Greek temple by  E I Company's astronomer and engineer Goldingham, is one of the earliest public halls used mainly for  social functions. The total cost of the building then was Rs. 250,000.00. It is said it was built to commemorate the British victory over formidable Tipu Sultan  of Mysore in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War of  May 1799. It took just two years to complete the building that was commissioned by Gov. Edward Clive as an extension of the Government House. The gala opening was done on 7 October 1802 with a grand inagural ball worthy of governor's official status.

In the initial stages, since the time of George Foxcroft (1668), the first Governor, the EIC's Governors had lived within the prescient of Fort St George, Chennapatnam (Madras / Chennai) along with their paraphernalia - writers, soldiers, etc. As the British company progressed well, a century later it became a necessity to have a separate  building  with enough garden space for recreation and parties.  After 1752,  the government through the efforts of  Governor Thomas  Saunders  acquired land and built a mansion that later came to be called   Government Estate near Round Tana. In its place now stands the huge new State Assembly complex. During the time of  Edward 

Lord Edward Clive WordPress.com
Rajaji, Eminent lawyer of TN ,Ist Gov. Gen. of India the myLaw.net blog
Lord Clive the Second (tenure:1798-1803; son of Robert Clive, died in London in 1839, aged 85 and   buried at Bromfield parish church, near his Oakley Park property), additions were  made to the mansion and again the authorities decided to have a stately Banqueting Hall (now Rajaji Hall) built with impressive  rows of columns - Doric, Ionic and Corinthian style. 
Tamil Nadu, S.India Webdunia
Rajaji Hall was built in the form of a Greek temple and it is believed to have been modeled after the Parthenon in Athens.   Hence,  it looks like a Greek temple as mentioned before.  Goldingham, preferred this building built this way, a bit different from other structures.  He had begun his career in Madras in 1786,  and was a  good friend of Edward Clive and it was natural that Goldingham  had been entrusted with the project in 1800. The basement is made of arched cellars and store rooms surrounded by a colonnaded terrace. The exterior of the hall was built in the 16th-century Italian Manneristic style. This historical building saw extensive expansions and additions after 1875. An arcaded  verandah was built in 1895. An interesting fact that emerges is that the building was commissioned under the British company's  rule and massive extensions and additions were made after the British government, London  took direct control of India. The extensions included  widening of the access to the hall through a fine flight of steps, open terraces enclosed by rows of arches linked by columns and low walls,

 The dimension of the building is 120 feet long, 65 feet wide 
and 40 feet high and is enclosed by a gallery which is adorned 
with portraits of popular Anglo-Indian leaders and eminent  administrators including Edward Clive, Richard Wellesley,  Sir Thomas Munro and others. Also on display are British monarchs George III and Queen Charlotte. The southern end has an 
access to the Government House by an array of steps resembling 'neo-classical temple' for hero worship"The Banqueting Hall from 1857  witnessed  convocations of the University of Madras till 1879when the Senate House was built. A historical event took place  during  27 January  1938 - 26 October  1939 when the legislature of the Madras Presidency met here. 

The north gates of the Government Estate has direct access to what was once an impressive sweeping driveway taking us to Banqueting Hall and  past to the Government House. The silver-painted iron gates had on either side the shelters for the Governor’s mounted bodyguard. They formed  the most colorful and regal  body of troops  whose ‘Changing of the Guard’  and the excitement filled the air in the by-gone era  and  it was almost on par with that of what still takes place at Buckingham Palace in London. The place looks void now, no extravaganza, no change of guard and no din and only a gloom prevails. That historical edifice was unfortunately replaced by a new Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly - Secretariat Complex built  between 2008 and 2010. Media reported that the new massive building caused considerable damage to  the hall's foundations. The Rajaji Hall needs to be repaired and restored back to old glory that would have silently watched various important colonial meetings, social gatherings, and grand balls. The state government regardless of its other urgent commitments, should take serious steps to preserve this heritage site, steeped in colonial history.

Only after India's independence,  the famous historic hall was renamed as "Rajaji Hall" in honor of lawyer C. Rajagopalachari (native of Salem,TN), a  great patriot (who led the Vedaranyam Salt March) and first and last Governor General of India.

Tit-Bits:

01. Incidentally,  Rajaji  Hall is featured in innumerable famous Tamil films, depicting demonstrations by the people, government functions, marches, etc., when the core of the story is about a hero and how he is tackling the corrupt politicians and their coterie of henchmen and sordid party men.
Ex CM, Tamil Nadu (dec.2016) lying in stateThe News Minute
02. The mortal remains of important political leaders lay in state in Rajaji Hall before their funeral. When our former CM Honorable Ms. Jayalalitha died recently  6 December 1916, her body lay in state in the Rajaji Hall for public viewing before the final funeral.
Rajaji Hall.ex CM M.G.R. 's death.Ms. Jayalalitha behindMy photography
03. The body of Ex CM, Tamil Nadu MGR  lay in state at the Rajaji Hall in Madras on December 24, 1987. In the image above you can see Ms. Jayalalitha, the  future CM of TN.

 Ref:
 http://madrasmusings.com/Vol%2019%20No%2023/otherstories.html#story1
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajaji_Hall

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Enticing Baitala Deuḷa Temple, Goddess Chamunda, Bhubaneswar

January 30, 2017, 11:37 pm
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Baitala Deuḷa Temple,Goddess Chamunda,Bhubaneswar.hindudevotionalblog.com


Like Tamil Nadu or Andhra, Odisha is a land of countless temples, many of them are dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu, and Kali or Durga. Some temples are extremely ornate and have artistically carved outer walls with occasional erotic miniature sculptures. There are three types of architecture noticeable in Orissa. They are Khakhara Deula, Rekha Deula, and Pidha or Bhadra Deula. Among them,
 the Khakhara  Deula altogether follows a different style of  architecture, reminiscent of closely appearing the  Dravidian  Gopuram (tower)  design. The word is derived from kakharu (pumpkin, gourd) as the crown looks like a barrel-vaulted elongated roof. The Sakta (Sakthi) temples  are  generally  of
Khakhara order.
Baitala Deuḷa Temple,Goddess Chamunda,Bhubaneswar. Flickr


Vaital Deul Hindu Temple, one of the oldest ones (late 8th century)is dedicated to Goddess Chamunda and is in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Orissa, India. This typical Khakara temple is also locally known as "Tini Mundia Mandira" and its unique feature is the shape of its sanctuary tower. The khakhra temple commonly has a typical semi-cylindrical shaped roof and in a way shows  similarity with those Dravidian styled temples of South India with particular reference to gopurams/towers. 

The plan of the deul (shrine) is oblong and the Jagamohana (pyramidal roof with the platforms receding in size) is a rectangular structure. Embedded in each angle is a small subsidiary shrine which enhances the artistic beauty of this temple. Vaital Deul has amazing relief figures that have delicate features marked by delicacy and perfect equipoise. Other exciting features worth of mention are the temple outer walls are adorned with well-planned panels of Hindu deities. These include mostly Shiva and his consort Parvati in her Shakti form, processions on a  hunting mission, capturing of wild elephants, etc. There are occasional small carvings of erotic couples.
Baitala Deuḷa Temple,Goddess Chamunda,BhubaneswarWikiwand
 Two chaitya windows dominate the front of the deul above the left of the jagamohana - the lower one has a carved figure of sun god Surya with Usha (Dawn) and Pratyusha shooting arrows on either side while Aruna in front driving a chariot of seven horses. We have commonly come across this kind of representation of  Sun God Surya in many Hindu textbooks.

The panel in the upper Chaitya-window houses a 10-armed Nataraja or dancing Shiva. There are two Buddha-like figures seated in dharma-chakra-pravartana  on a stone post in front of the flat roofed jagamohana.

Many features of the presiding deity here show certain distinct characteristics of the Tantrik type of worship, which is unusual. The striking feature is the ferocious-looking figure of goddess Durga with eight arms (Chamunda) in the Gurbagraha - sanctum and is enshrined in the central niche. Locally, the goddess goes by the name of Kapalini and, hence, this one is a shakti shrine. The tantric aspects are revealed further by the appearanceof the presiding deity. Here, the main deity Chamunda or Mahishasuramardini sits on a corpse f bordered by a jackal and an owl. She wears a garland of skulls and holds a snake, bow, shield, sword, trident, thunderbolt and an arrow, piercing the neck of the demon. The niche is capped by a chaitya window containing seated figures of Shiva and Parvati.

The Chamunda is circled by a host of other smaller size carvings of demi-gods in the lower parts of the walls, each within a niche separated by a pilaster. The figure on the east wall, to the fight of the door, is A skeleton form of Bhairava forms the counterpart of Chamunda on the east wall.

On the north wall also one could see the tantric aspects such as a skull-cup with the blood of a person whose severed head lies on the right. On the pedestal is an offering of two more heads on a tray resting on a tripod, flanked by a jackal feasting on the decapitated body on the right and a woman holding a severed head on the left.

 The stone post also exhibits the tantric character of the temple where sacrificial offerings were chained/tied, just in front of the jagamohana. The interior parts are dark after sunset and one needs  an artificial light to see the minute features which may be visible during the day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baitala_Deula
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Golden hall of Chidambaram Nataraja temple, Tamil Nadu

January 31, 2017, 8:30 am
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sri Nataraja templee, Chidambaram. Alamy
Chidambaram in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, one of the five Pancha Bootha Sthalams is among the foremost holiest Shiva temples of India glorified in Tirumular's Tirumandhiram. This temple was visited by great saints  Patañjali and Vyagjrapadhar     (Pulikaal Munivar).  The five classical elements such as water Jalam), fire (agni), aether (akasam), Vayu (air) and earth (Bhoomi) play a vital role in the sustenance of our lives in this universe. Chidambaram is also known by the name of Pundarikapura which associates with the lotus-heart of Viratpurusha or the universal being.

Shiva in Chidambaram represents akasha (aether) and delightfully dances in the sky-Chidambaram in the golden dancing hall called "Kanakasabha". He is the lord of the sabha, hence kanaka sabha pathy. His dance is the dance of bliss, Ananandatandava. It is of interest to note here that there is a hall beyond, all empty, to suggest a vast expanse of space, Akasa. When the screen is pulled to one side, an empty space emerges without any image or any stone figure, suggesting nothingness-purportedly the sky.

The removal of the screen/veil between us and the empty space is tantamount to the removal of ignorance. Beyond the veil is the truth Sat Sit Ananda, representing Nataraja form of Lord Shiva in all his glory and splendor. This representation of space or emptiness or void  is often referred to as Chidambara Rakashya or simply mystery. It is here Sages Patancurjali and Vyaghrapada saw the dance of Nataraja in the chit sabha. The legend has it that once king Simhavarman I or II (reigned in the 5th-6th century CE; Pallava Dynasty) on a hunting trip to Thillaivana bathed in the pond and became golden hued and was cured of leprosy. It is believed, because of this incidence, he was called Himayavarman. The golden tiled roof for the Chit Ambalam (the vimanam) with a golden tiled roof, records point out, was laid by the Chola King Parantaka I(907-950 CE). Hence he was given the title in Tamil  Thillaiyambalathhukku pon koorai veiynthevan meaning the one who laid the golden roof). Later  Chola rulers  Rajaraja Chola I (reign 985-1014 A.D.) and Kulothunga Chola I (1070-1120 A.D.) made valuable donations to the temple. Rajaraja Chola's daughter Kundavai II made big donations in gold, etc., while Chola king Vikrama Chola (1118-1135 A.D.) made endowments for the conduct of the daily puja, temple rituals, etc,  Niryasabha hall in this temple is adorned with dance figures that are gracefully carved with minute details and it is quite spell-binding. This hall has the look of a ratha - chariot with wheels and galloping horses. Thanks to the munificence of the Chola rulers.
Sri Nataraja temple, Chidambaram, TN , Flickr
Charmed by Shiva's graceful dance of bliss, Lord Vishnu explained to Adisshesha what he had experienced. Upon which Adishesha descended to the earth (with his hands in prayer gesture) as the offspring of sage Atri and his wife Anusuya. He was named Patanjali (his legs were transformed
Gold-tiled roof (golden hall),Nataraja temple. tamilnadu.com
into those of tigers) pati meaning descend and Anjali means holding hands in supplication. Vyaprapada later joined him to witness Nataraja's dance.
Nataraja with Sivagami. saintsVyaghrapada(right)& Patanjali (left),Alamy
On a typical day, lord shiva blessed them with the vision of his dance to the accompaniment of instruments  being played by lords Vishnu, Brahma and Nadikeswara.It was a dance of delight and bliss. 
Ref:
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thillai_Nataraja_Temple,_Chidambaram
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Astounding facts of Varadaraja Perumal temple, Kanchipuram

February 1, 2017, 8:06 am
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Stone chain, varadaraja Perumal temple, kanchi. Places to visit in Tamil Nadu
Kanchipuram. Varadaraja Perumal Temple Complex. Indtravel
Varadharaja Perumal Temple complex is in Kanchipuram of Tamil Nadu, S. India  and the holy town has many Vishnu temples. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, it is one of the Divya Desam shrines (108 temples of Vishnu) believed to have been visited and patronized by the 12 Vaishnava  Tamil poet/saints -Azhwars. Sri. Ramanuja, a great exponent of VisishtAdvaita philosophy is believed to have resided in this temple. Among the Divya Desams, Kanchipuram Varadaraja Perumal temple is known as the ‘Perumal Koil’ and is one of the most sacred places for Vaishnavites. 

Fascinating facts:

01.This temple is one of hugeVishnu temples like Srirangam Ranganathar temple in Tamil Nadu, covering an area of 23-acre (93,000 m2) of prime land.

02.  It was first built in 1053 AD by the great Chola rulers and later
 Kulottunga Chola I and Vikrama Chola were instrumental in expanding the temple. The 14th century Chola rulers, later, built the gopurams - towers and the huge walls.

03. The belief has been that Nadivarman was the first builder of this temple.

04. Innumerable Hindu temple came under attack during the reign of the 17th century Mogul ruler Aurangazeb, a well-known tyrannical ruler and  a Hindu bigot. Anticipating trouble in 1688,  the main idol of Perumal was secretly shifted to Udayarpalayam, (now in Tiruchirapalli District). The main idol was brought back to Kanchi only in 1710  once the threat of Muslim invasion had ceased and normalcy was restored. 

04. The Temple  records are not clear about the role of  Gen. Todarmal in bringing the lord's idol from Udayarpalayam. However, the chieftain of that village was not happy about taking the idol back to Kanchi. Paramahamsa Parivajakacharya Attan Jeer took the initiative and brought the idols back to Sri Varadaraja perumal temple, Kanchipuam.

05. The temple has a rare possession of  a Maharkandi - costly  necklace which is  adorned  by the deity during special temple festivals. It is purported to be a gift from Robert Clive of the East India company, who laid the foundation for the British Empire.   The temple records fail to mention the first name. Clive chose the occasion of  the Garuda seva festival  to present the valuable necklace, now termed Clive's Maharagundi, to the Hindu deity. It was a good gesture on the part of the young British Officer. It is likely that the donor  could be Robert Clive's son  Edward Clive who was the Governor of  the Madras Presidency (1799-1805).That who was the donor of the Maharagundi is a controversial one. Anyway, the credit goes to the Clive's family and his descendants.
Kanchi Varadarajar and his consort. ePuja
06. The Nayak rulers Achutaraya and Vira Narasingaraya Saluva Nayaka endowed many villages to the temple to maintain it, according to inscriptions dated 1532CE (record of 1919).

07. In the 13th century - vide inscriptions in the temple, the Hoysala rulers, gifted a crown to the presiding deity. 

08. This huge temple has three outer corridors (prakarams) namely Azhwar Prakaram, Madai Palli Prakaram and Thiru Malai Prakaram.
Varadaraja Perumal temple, Kanchipuram./en.wikipedia.org
09. Within the temple complex  there are 32 shrines, 19 vimanams 
(towers), and 389 ornate  pillars, supporting various mandaps - halls. Many pillars have the lion type yali sculptures that are common in many Hindu temples of Tamil Nadu. 
 pillars with Yali images.Varadaraja Perumal temple, Kanchi. en.wikipedia.org
!0. Like many Hindu temples, some sacred tanks (integral parts of the temple)  are located outside the complex.

11. The west facing main Garbagraha/sanctum  can be  accessed via a 130 feet tall, 7-tiered Rajagopuram (main gateway tower). Its height is less than the East tower and it is a rare temple design in which the Rajagopuram is smaller than the other one.
Huge stone chain  Varadaraja temple, Kanchi. ,Divine Traveller
12. Among the fascinating wonders of this temple is the most astonishing huge stone chain. It is simply an architectural and artistic masterpiece entirely made of a single stone  with a series of rings strung together  without breaking the continuity.

13. A big hall mandap has the support of 100 ornate pillars; here one can see various episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabaratha beautifully carved in the stones. It is a masterpiece contribution from the rulers of Vijayanagara.

14. The presiding deity is a 10 ft (3.0 m) tall idol made of granite in standing posture, while Thayar (goddess) is a 4 ft (1.2 m) stone image in sitting posture
 
15. Yet another unique feature in this temple  is the presence of a huge wooden image of Perumal (Vishnu), besides the main stone image. The wooden image is kept within a silver box from which water is pumped out every 40 years. After cleaning and other rituals, the wooden image is is kept in the same silver box and it remains immersed in the water till the next periodic cleaning.
Peumal Kovil, Knchi.Huge  temple umrella. Anudinam.org

16. Yet another unique aspect about this temple is its  popular huge umbrella used on the festival days. 


17. Vedanta Desika, an equally revered saint like  Ramanuja, attracted by the divine grace of the lord, patronized this temple in his literary works. 

18. Among the Carnatic music trinity, Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar(18th century) composed compositions on the temple festivals. Thirumangai Alvar, Bhoothathalvar  and Peyalvar sang devotional hymns in praise of the lord.

18. Goddess Perundevi Thayar is in the third prakara and the worship tradition here has been that the devotees must pray to the goddess first before offering prayer or puja to the main deity.  

19. The Thulabara Mandapa  was built in1532 by the Vijayanagara ruler Achutaraya. It consists of four  small halls and here  the offering like rice, etc., equal to the body weight of the devotee(s) is made to the deity. In the days of yore, rulers used to make gold and silver as thulaparam offering to the temple as an expression of gratitude to the god. 

20. The seven prakaras/corridors are called Pradakshina Padha, Hastagiri Pradakshana, Madapalli Pragara, Alavandar Pragara and Azhwar Thiruveedhi. One could see a lot of shrines in the Alavandar Pragara.

21.The temple car festival here is famous and the temple car was a gift from Sri. Krishnadeva Raya in 1517 CE. 

22. The temple has 16th century paintings of the Vijayanagar kings and they need periodic maintenance. Like many Vaishnava temples, there is a shrine for Chakratazhwar on the eastern side of the temple tank. There are seven festival idols (Urchavar) of Sudarshana depicted within the same Chakra. 

23. The shrine has two different images and hence has two entrances. There are two entrances to the shrine as the two images are considered to be separate. The shrine is said to have been built during the reign of Kulothunga III in 1191 CE by Ilavazhagan Kalingarayan of Nettur as seen from the inscriptions in the temple.

The administration  of the temple is under the Hindu Religious and Endowment of the Government of Tamil Nadu.


Ref:

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g503705-d7717411-r271895594-Sri_Varadaraja_Perumal_Temple-Kanchipuram_Tamil_Nadu.html#

http://navrangindia.blogspot.in/2017/01/robert-clive-or-edward-clive-who-gave.html

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





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Interesting Chinakkathoor Bhagavathy Amman temple, Kerala

February 2, 2017, 12:17 am
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Chinakkathur temple a few days before the festivaln.wikipedia.org
Palappuram, a small town, located 4 km from Ottapalam, between Palakkad and the Shoranur Highway in Kerala, South India 
has a popular Hindu temple dedicated to Badrakali and the annual
Kuthira (Horses) used in the Chinakkattur Pooramen.wikipedia.org
temple festival known as Chinakkathur pooram is as famous as Thrissur pooram . The venue of this popular festival is at the 
Chinakkattoorkkavu temple of Goddess Durga held every year 
in the month of February/March. Palappuram is part of old Valluvanadu kingdom.

This  Devi temple has two Grabhagrahas / Srikovils -  Bhadrakali, namely Thazhathe kaavu (lower shrine) and Mele kaavu (upper shrine). The temple has a strange puja tradition. In most of the  temples of Kerala,  mainly the Namboodiri Brahmins will perform puja in the Garbagraha, but  here pujas are done by the Namboothiri pundits only in the lower shrine, whereas in the upper shrine, priests belonging to Kulangara Nair family are in charge of pujas. The temple opens in the morning from  5 am to 10 am and 5 pm till 8 pm.  Ganapathyhomam, Ushapuja and Uchapuja are the routine puja protocols  being followed here as in other temples. Likewise, the temple will be closed for that day after the deeparadhana and athazhapuja.
Ottapalam | Chinakkathoor Pooram 2010 YouTube
It is believed that the Bhagavathy in the lower shrine is self-manifested (swayambu). It is also said that Chinakkathoor temple used to be a place of worship for the people from the lower caste.
Chinakkathur pooram Kudhira kaliwikipedia.org
 As for the origin of this temple, the belief has been  that once Rama and Lakshmana (ot the Ramayana epic) were wandering through jungles in search of Sita who was abducted by Asura Ravana. Upon reaching Vilwadri (the Vilwa Mountain), they requested lord Ayyappa and Bhagavathy who were accompanying them to find a suitable place to take rest. When they failed to come back after a long time, they were in rage. Further, upon seeing both lord Ayyappa and Bhagavathy Amman  taking rest at the top of the hill,they lost their patience.  Infuriated over their irresponsible attitude, Rama pushed Ayyappa down to the south and gave a good beating to Bhagavathy. Hence the shrine of lord Ayyappa at Vilwadri temple is situated in a lower part from the rest of the structure now - like a pit and the deity is called Kundile Ayyappan (meaning Ayyappa in the pit!). After this incident, Bhagavathy Amman ran away from there crying “ayyayyo” and at last settled at  Chinakkathoor, Palappuram, facing the north direction.

 Now the deity faces south and according to another story, in 1757, ruler Samoothiri and his army were on their way to attack Paliathachan. When the king and his army went past Palappuram,  the palanquin bearers could not move it forward. Upon knowing the presence of a benevolent Kali temple, the king Samoothiri got off the palanquin, walked to the north and thus asked: “who is it?”, Upon came the reply from Bhagavathy Amman, now turning toward South, “It is Kali.”
 
Samoothiri offered prayers at the  Bhagavathy Amman shrine and could carry on his journey. He ordered the people there to celebrate the annual festival of the temple with all the pomp and pageantry. He handed over the local landlods the responsibility of carrying out the proceedings of the festival with 16 wooden horses. Kuthirakali.  This ritual game of these man-made wooden horses is an integral part of the pooram festival and every year it is performed by the well trained players.This traditional art form is kept alive by the people of Kerala.

Here is yet another myth: Once upon a time, a Cheruma girl, while was cutting grass for her cattle, noticed blood stains when she used the knife to dig the ground. The girl informed the villagers about it and they suspected the presence of divinity there - the mystical power of Bhagavathy Amman . They began to worship Bhagavathy there and, their efforts to get to the roots of the stone ended up in failure. Then on that place came to be known as Chinakkathoor, tmeaning  chinakkiyedutha ooru (the place which was dug out).

Here, the Pooram festival is a major attraction in which lots of caparisoned elephants participate accompanied by melam (drum beating) and colorful paper-made Kuthira(horse) and Kudhira kali

Ref:
http://www.chinakkathurtemple.com/myth.html


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