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Puri Jagannath temple - 20 astonishing facts

March 3, 2016, 11:33 pm
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Puri Jagannath temple, Indiawww.myoksha.com

India is a land of mixed cultures, following different faiths, cults, rituals, etc., and is home to several huge Hindu temple complexes. The Hindus form the majority and they provide space for other faiths as well to interact. In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, there are huge Hindu temples mainly made of hard stones (mostly granite related hard rocks) built by the dynasties of Cholas, Chera, Pandya and Pallava. The Nayaks of Andhra and their resident representatives made valuable contributions towards temple contsructions in Tamil Nadu- Madurai, Trichy, Thanjavur, Thriuvannmlai districts,etc.  The Srirangam temple complex near Trichy city is the largest functional temple complex in the world - covering a total area of more than 200 acres.  The Big temple at Thanjavur (a UNESCO Heritage Monument) built more than 1000 years ago is a well known structure for its unique design and architectural beauty. The entire temple is made of granite stone with artistically carved images of gods and goddesses on the tall tower. The temple Tank Kamalayalyam, part of  Thiruvarur  Sri Thiagarajar temple complex is, perhaps, is the largest temple tank in India. Like wise its chariot-rath is the tallest and heavest one in India. The temple at Rameswaram has the longest prakara (path way around the shrine) in the world made of hard stone.
The Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple at Thrivantha Puram, Kerala is a famous one and is the richest temple in the world (temple owns jewelery, etc., worth more than $ 25 billion (without adding antique value pluscontents in the last safenot yet valued). Tirupati  Sri Balaji temple is the most famous and busiest one, besides being one of the richest temples in the world. Udipi temple in Karnataka is unique in its own way. So are the temples of Badrinath, Kedarnath in the north and Somnath temple of Gujarat. 
The sprawlingJagannath temple at Puri,Odisha (Orissa) is the busiest temple in India and has numerous small temples within the temple complex. It has the uniquedistinction of having the largest kitchen in the world, serving food to more than 80,000 devotees each day. Unlike other Hindu temples of India, here the Maha Prasada (divine food offering to god) is always  available for the visiting devotees. Without the help of a guide or temple priest it is difficult to visit this temple, considering its sheer size and a huge sea of humanity within the temple precincts. This temple is also more than 1000 years old. The tradition of yearly  Rath Yatra - Chariot procession of three deities - Lord Krishna (Jagannath), Balarama and Subhadra is being followed for centuries without a break. There is a replica of Jagannath temple in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, Telengana.
The Jagannath Temple at Banjara Hills, Hyderabad with 70 feet high Gopuram / Shikhara, built as a replica of the Puri Jagannath Temple, Orissa,srisrilara.blogspot.com

 The following are the fascinating facts about this large functional temple in Orissa (Odisha):
 
01. Puri temple  was built by the ruler of Kalinga Anantavarman Chodaganga Dev. Part of temple Jaganmohna and the Vimana date back to (1078 – 1148). Ananga Bhima Dev in 1174 AD was responsible for the present structure and plan of Puri temple.
The vimana of the main temple.en.wikipedia.org
02. The images of Lord Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra are believed to have been  prepared by Lord Vishnu and Vishwakarma themselves from the log disguising as  artistes.

03. Un-touchability is not entertained on the temple premises. No caste, creed distinctions, etc.

04. The  common offering to the deities here is Kitchadi, a kind of food served only in earthen pot. Any body can make the offering to the Gods here.

05. Puri Temple is spread over an area of approximately 400,000 square feet circled by a  high-fortified  20 feet high wall.

06. Three are as many as 120 shrines / mini temples within the huge temple complex. There are four parts in the complex :Bhogmandir, Natamandir, Jagamohana and Deul. Jagamohana is meant for worshiping.

07. There are over  6,000 priests  with over 14,000 people serving as  assistants and attendants of the priests, besides temple guides.

08. June or July every year is the time of centuries old tradition-bound famous Rath Yatra procession of  Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra.
The Rath Yatra in Puri in modern times showing the three chariots of the deities with the Temple in the background. en.wikipedia.org
09. The three deities are  symbols of Samyak Darshan, Samyak Jnana and Samyak Charita usually called Triratha (of the Jain cult), the assimilation of which leads to Moksha (salvation) or the ultimate bliss.

10. Main  images of Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra and Balabhadra  are wooden, made of Neem logs (specially selected) known as Daru Bramha.

11 .The images made of wood are believed  to have their distant link with the aboriginal system of worshiping wooden poles - practiced by the  hill tribes of Orissa. Likewise different tribes of native American Indians like Hopi, Navajo, Yakima, Anadarko et al adorn wooden poles called "Totem poles." 

12. Temple ritual called 'chhera pahara " is observed during Rath Yatra. The local ruler / king wearing the garb of a sweeper cleans the path of Rath Yatra with a broom, symbolizing the fact that 'before lord Jagannath every body is equal.'

13. Rath Yatra (3 km ride from the main temple to the Shri Gundicha Temple) was introduced during the  Ganga dynasty around 1150 AD. It was one of those earliest Hindu festivals reported to the western countries. 

14. Tradition has it that new wooden Rathas (chariots) are made every year and dismantled after the Rath Yatra. From the woods dismantled, dolls of Gods  are made for sale purpose.

15. The temple is a good example of fusion of Shivaism and Vaishnavism. Here Jagannath  represents Vishu, Narayana and Sri Krishna and the deities are regarded as the Bhairava (Shiva the formidable) with Vimala (the Bhairavi or the consort of Shiva) installed on the campus of the temple.

16. This temple shows the assimilation of various cults and also the tenets of Buddhism, Jainism as well as tribal worship. It is believed the temple could have been a Buddhist Stupa, containing the relics of Lord Buddha.
Thee deities of Jagannath temple. www.shreekhetra.com
Jagannath temple kitchen. Daily use of earthern pots for cooking. puriwaves.nirmalya.in
17. This temple has the largest functionalkitchen in the world 150 feet X 100 feet X 20 feet - height with 32 rooms, 250 earthen ovens, 600 cooks (Suaras) and 400 assistants. The kitchen fire called  Vaishnava Agni is never put out. Only earthen pots are used for cooking, etc. Yet another feature is they donot use modern kitchen electrical equipments for cooking, etc. Only water from the well on the kitchen premises is used for cooking.
largest kitchen in the world, Puri temple .www.flickr.
18. Sikh ruler Maharajah Ranjit Singh of Punjab donated massive amounts of gold to the  temple and he had a plan to donate the Kohinoor diamond to the temple. But the British took it away from him along with his kingdom. The Kohonoor diamond is in the Royal jewelery collections in the London tower building.
19. Every Ekadasi night, a lamp is lit  atop  the temple  tower near Sri Chakra-wheel.

Ritual chakra and flags at the top shikhara of Puri temple of Jagannatha also related to Sudarsana chakra. The red flag(12 hand or 14 Feet denotes that Jagannath is within the building....en.wikipedia.org
20. The English word 'juggernaut' - unstoppable person or thing gets going - has roots in Jagannath temple's  giant raths (chariots).

Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagannath_Temple,_Puri
 Jagannath Temple Odisha, Jagannath Temple Orissa". visitodisha.net. 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
 
"The Prasad is prepared in a very traditional way, without using onion, garlic, chillies""Jagannath
Temple Jat Puri". Retrieved 2006-09-20.
 
"Festivals of lord jagannath, puri festivals". fullorissa.com. 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2012. "Pana Sankranti or Mahabishuba sankranti:"

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Jinnah and Gandhiji - British India

March 6, 2016, 6:21 am
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Jinnah with Mahatma Gandhi in Bombay, 1944.en.wikipedia.org
. Muhammad Ali Jinnah.www.flickr.com
 In the annals of Indian History  leading to freedom from the British yoke,  two prominent  Indian personalities hogged the lime light in the last final phases before the declaration of freedom in August, 1947 -  Mohammad Ali Jinnah (25 December, 1876 – 11 September, 1948)  and Gandhiji (2 October 1869 – 30 January,1948). The former, the  founder of Pakistan was a disappointed person after the inevitable partition  and died with a heavy heart; the latter a dejected man over the partition of the Indian sub continent and loss of innumerable innocent people on both sides  during the transition period between two countries and the prevalence of disunity among the Hindus and Muslims. Unfortunately, Gandhi was felled by an assassin in 1948 as he had a soft corner for the Muslim minorities. Thus, the newly carved nations of Pakistan and India in the late 1940s began their arduous journey as free countries from the scratch on a sad note. On top of it, when the leaders of the two nations took the reins respectively, the treasury was  almost empty with bottom dollars!! The British emptied the coffers before leaving the Indian soil because,  by 1947, having been clobbered in the WW II during the Churchill administration, Britain's financial woes were up to the neck and the Crown decided to exit the Indian scene as quickly as possible.

Before leaving India for good, the British did two unsavory things - encouraging reserved electorate for the Muslims based on religion as demanded by majority of Muslims  and for scheduled caste and tribes as demanded by Ambedkar, a prominent leader of SC and ST. The Indian leaders' intention was to protect them from the Hindu majority.  Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru's father, thought "Separate Electorate" based on Geography would bind all the communities, not so in the case of religion or caste.  Ultimately, as predicted, it had only negative impact on the people after the  implementation of reserved electorate.

Making comparison between two stalwarts - Mr. Jinnah and Gandhiji, who were against  the harsh British rule and their exit from the Indian soil is an exercise in futility.

The families of both Jinnah and Gandhi  hailed from the same  region just bout 40 miles or so apart in Kathiawar (Gujarat). Since Gandhi's father happened to be a Dewan, he had a smooth and comfortable childhood. Whereas Jinnah's father was a textile merchant who changed his residency frequently and Jinnah had to adopt himself to the new places. His childhood life was not a comfortable one.

Sister Fatima Jinnah..arynews.tv
Mohandas K. Gandhi and other residents of Tolstoy Farm, South Africa, 1910.en.wikipedia.org
Both  Gandhiji and Jinnah were British Barristers, having studied at Lincoln's Inn in London. Gandhiji joined Indian  Politics after his long stint in S. Africa where he gained all the necessary political experiences, while practicing as a lawyer.

South Africa was then an apartheid country dividedand classified on the basis of race and color. Gandhiji himself was a victim of racial discrimination and tasted it right under his very nose. In S. Africa he had close contacts with the Hindu as well as Muslim population and became their voice. He experimented with satyagraha for 7 yeras to deal with the passage of the Asiatic Registration Act in Transvaal in 1907. Earlier his  other methods failed to yield expected results.. During this period, on his own, he developed sheer courage, organization skill, patience to pit the small Indian community against the powerful white majority government.  He started  Tolstoy farm  - 1000 acre spread for Sathyagrahis for meagre sustenence and  successfully ran it with the help of like minded people from different races, includind whites. His experiments with sathyagraha - peacefully disobeying government rules  bore favorable results. The autocratic white South African regime , at last had to listen to him.

Jinnah was a rationalist in politics -  though kind hearted, he was cold and committed to his ideology. He never joked. Nor did he ever laugh.  He was not a crowd puller. On the other hand, Gandhiji was a down to earth idealist, committed to his ideology - peaceful  disobedience  of  government-  non- cooperation to achieve his political goal. He  became part of the crowd and knew the language that simple folks could understand.  He helped the the squalid poor without reservation. But Jinnah never had close rapport with the poor masses, in particular, Muslims. Being efficient as he was, he was more comfortable with a top position with the Indian National Congress  that  had lots of experienced leaders.  For the new entrant Gandhi, backed by his political exposure  in S. Africa, ascendancy in the INC was not an issue. Jinnah didn't like being pushed to the outer corridor of the party.  Basically he was a democrat  and wanted to deal with the problems as they were and did not toe the line of Gandhiji with respect to non-cooperation or Sathyagraha.  At Nagpur session in 1920 when Congress endorsed Gandhi's  Satyagraha, as a weapon for freedom struggle, Jinnah. resigned from the Congress. He thought Gandhiji's Satyagraha would lead to political anarchy and self -government could be achieved only through constitutional means.

Personally Jinnah was not religious, was more comfortable with the English language than Urdu. His parents  spoke Gujarati and Katchi.  He never liked the Mullahs and saints nor did he say his 'Namaz' daily and read the holy book 'Quran' like other Muslims. However, it was Jinnah in 1911 introduced the Wakf Validation Act to place Muslim religious trusts on a sound legal footing under British Indian law later it was enacted by  Viceroy Minto. 

The provincial elections of 1937 had  almost a traumatic effect upon Jinnah". The belief that Muslims could protect their rights in a united India through separate electorates proved to be wrong as  the Congress formed a government, with almost all of the Muslim MLAs sitting on the Opposition benches.  As for  non-Congress Muslims  members, they were  relegated to the backbench, facing a total political powerlessness.

In 1940, having no other recourse, he wanted a separate land / country for the Muslims within the frame work of a democratic secularism. It is a puzzle - being a  secularist, how come Jinnah gradually had changed his political ideology to the point of  pushing religion as a basic factor to form a Muslim nation? Like Gandhi, he was against religious fanaticism that would lead to political chaos. He used the Muslim League meeting at Lahore as a main platform and passed a resolution in 1940, demanding a separate nation. So, the two nation theory took its roots and Jinnah became its torch bearer. Gandhiji and other leaders asked him to give it up and Gandhiji, at last, implored him not to divide the Indian sub continent. Unmoved, Jinnah stuck to his gun, but, unfortunately, he never planned how to shape up the new  nation - whether purely based on religion or secularism and how to lead it in the near future.
Unlike Gandhi who identified himself with the poor masses after his trip  on 21.09.1921 down south to Madurai city in Tamil Nadu by wearing his famous "loin clothes," worn by the peasants there, Jinnah was highly formal in every aspect - manners, western  dress, behavior, etc. He was fond of cigar and whiskey and married a Parsi woman (his second wife) and not a Muslim woman. As a lawyer he was well dedicated, sincere and could argue a case with persuasive skill in a logical way. He began his law practice in Bombay  at the age of 20. He gained popularity and won the esteem of the bar council. Jinnah helped Tilak get acquitted in the seduction case on account of his clear presentation of case with proper legal evidences. Incidentally. he was a follower of Goplakrishna Gokhale, who in a way, was mentor to him as well as  to Gandhiji. At core, he was liberal despite being a Muslim.

When asked about the new country’s constitution, Jinnah added,  "Of course, it will be a democratic constitution; Islam is a democratic religion.… Our Islamic ideas have been based on democracy and social justice since the 13th century. The constitution would be democratic because the soil is perfectly fertile for democracy."  unfortunately, not so. After partition, Pakistan did not get a Constitution for another decade. Unlike India Pakistan did not see land reforms. Vast tracks of lands were owned by the elites who supported Jinnah. For the poor Muslims, financially there was no room for upward mobility in the new state of Pakistan. 

Gandhi wanted a united India with no divisive politics. He never sought any office of power and was closely associated himself with the India's poor masses. He acted according to his conscience within the democratic frame work, not taking refuge either in violence or in part politics. His main obsession was India and not western thoughts.
Both Gujaratis - Jinnah and Gandhiji, who themselves saw a divided India and its effects in the aftermath, died with their dreams unfulfilled in 1948s, a democratic, secular and strong Pakistan as visioned by the former, and  united strong Indian subcontinent as envisaged by Gandhiji never happened. However,  now  India has become one of the top economies in the world  and continues to enjoy being the largest democracy in the world in spite of its inherent internal problems.
Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali_Jinnah
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Funny quotes .

March 7, 2016, 11:31 pm
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A married man's lament:
Beautiful, delighted woman .www.dreamstime.com
Nagging wife, a good kick.www.123rf.com
Moon light: I never knew until I saw her cool  face; Eyes of deer: I never knew until I saw her bright, big, charming  eyes; Loveliness: I never knew until she smiled at me like a blossoming flower; Melting of heart: I never  experienced until she held  my hands with affection; Euphoria: I never experienced until she spoke to me assuringly like an  heavenly angel;
Dragon fire. www.dreamstime.com
Volcano : When I told her the girl across the house was beautiful (just for fun), I  never saw and experienced  until she frowned  and exploded on me with a  powder-keg temper.
 Now I feel  like an helpless man, standing before a Chinese dragon, spewing out fire and brimstones

George, now I am heading  to an Himalayan cave to become a saint to get freedom and salvation through meditation.
***
Hell:

VIP hell. www.cartoonmovement.com
Heaven and Hell. 
www.davegranlund.com
"Hell  -  the place where, strange bed fellows, ever-yapping evangelists and other  religious preachers discuss God, sins and the blessed ones -  are forced to swallow what they had preached on earth;  Hell  -  the place where crafty politicians discuss quorum, quick bucks and summer mansions (made from  boodles - ill-gotten money they had made on  earth);  Hell -  the place where mad mothers-in law and transvestites  feel sorry for the  their  sins  committed on earth." 

Hell for cheats.www.toonpool.com    
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Funny quotes 02

March 8, 2016, 10:07 pm
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The Rich and the famous:
Rich And Famous cartoon . www.cartoonstock.com

From the rich man's table.frith.moadoph.gov.au
The rich man with a bunch of money.  www.shutterstock.com
"The rich and the famous, the so called 'aristocrats' or royals from the higher strata of the society, particularly, in England have as many followers for their money, antics &  eccentricities as the mad people have  for their weird, odd and crazy behavior. Actually, there is no difference between them expect that,  the latter deserve our sympathy unlike the former."


Intern and his gripe:

Ex US President Richard Nixon (Tricky Dick) and watergate scandal, he resigned in 1974 from the top post. www.cagle.com
 
US president Nixon telling the TV audiencein  early 1970s that he is not a crook (Watergate break in scandal). It proved otherwise. writingisfun-damental.co
 "When asked to choose between two  options,  I would rather be a bouncer at a top-less joint  than be  an intern in the office of a crafty, foxy, ever-lying politician of Nixon (Richard Nixon of Watergate fame who uttered the famous remarks, ''I'm not a crook.'' on TV in the 1970s) genre in the White House. It's something like learningnothing." 

                                                 ......  An American graduate student in "Public Administration" was telling his professor about his proposed internship at the White house.
Watergate Cartoon WatergateCartoon.www.fold3.com



Woman and Horse:

"Horse and woman should be properly sandbagged  and under check; if not, they will gallop in a jiff, the latter faster than the four-footed hoofed animal."
galloping horse www.clipartpal.com

 ......the lament of a terribly disappointed  fiancé  who earned the ire of his girl friend with whom he had been going steady for sometime  (US saying).
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19 surprising facts of Gama's discovery of first sea route to India

March 10, 2016, 1:52 am
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The route followed in Vasco da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499). en.wikipedia.org
Vasco da Gama leaving the port of Lisbon, Portugal.
   en.wikipedia.org
Since the dawn of civilization, there have been so many breath-taking discoveries in the areas of science and technology.  None of them had made so much impact on the international communities as the very first discovery of the sea route to India by the daring Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gamain May, 1498. It was an "open sesame" for the other European countries and their access to India's vast wealth and natural resources. Most importantly,  the curtain drew on the world stage for the wily British to establish their hegemony across the globe - first foundation ever for the establishment of the British Empire, a show of strength of British imperialism and backed by their ingenuity, administrative and military prowess. 

UNESCO recently came into  possession of an important and very useful, but incomplete  pretty old document on the pioneering voyage of Gama to India by an unknown author. This rare document with 79 folios in faded ink was on the dusty shelf of a Monastery of  Santa Cruz de Coimbra in 1834. It was brought to light by one Alexandre Herculano, Portuguese Historian. Surprisingly, this handwritten highly faded, but readable document had lain there in the dark storage room unnoticed for more than three centuries!! The 15th century old  hand written manuscript Journal of the first voyage of Vasco daGama to India 1497 to 1499 mentions the casual talk between the Portuguese convict and the strange  Venetian merchants on the Kappad beach, India.

The following are the interesting facts of Gama's first voyage to India:

01. The Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama (ca. 1460-1524) was the first to travel by sea from Portugal to India with a view to spreading Christianity and beginning trade with the natives. The Portuguese then were crusading against the Muslims and wanted to monopolize the spice trade.
Vacodegama navrangindia.blogspot.com

02. Gama was a member in the court of King 
Manuel I and heundertook the sea journey to the west coast of India against the wish of numerous counselors. The spice trade was then dominated by Venetians and others and Gama wanted to break their monopoly.
Vasco da Gama lands at Calicut, 20 May 1498.  en.wikipedia.org

03. Gama led a fleet of four ships with a crew of 170 men from the Tagus River in Lisbon on 8 July, 1497.

04. Da Gama commanded the ship Sao Gabriel, a carrack of 178 tons and his eccentric brother  Paulo da Gama commanded a similar ship named   Sao Rafael.  Other ships were the caravel Berrio and a storage ship of unknown name. The latter got lost while sailing along the east coast of Africa.

05. On 4 November, 1497 the navigators made  landfall on the African coast, covering more than 10,000 kilometers (6,000 mi) of open ocean in a period of three moths, a world record that time.  During the Christmas time the Portuguese passed the South African coast. On his last leg Gama left eastward for India from Malindi  on 24 April, 1498.

06. Just like Bartolomeu Dias's successful voyage round the Cape of Good Hope (1487-1488), Gama's  intention was to reach the Malabar coast of India via the Good Hope. Spice trade had been going on in the coastal Malabar for centuries, and  were some European communities, including Jews residing there. However, a majority of the mercantile traders were Arabs. These communities had good understanding with the local Hindu king Zamorin(Samudiri).  

07. If you go by record, the first man to land on the Indian shore was not da Gama, it was one Joao Nunes, a Portuguese convict (degradado). On the morning of May 21, 1498, the greatest navigator, who was the special Ambassador of his King  Dom Manuel, was holed up in the under deck of his ship Sao Gabriel. Perhaps, he did not want to risk his life in a strange land.

08. Joao Nunes, upon his landing on the shores of Kappad beach near Kozhikode (now in the state of Kerala) in the showers, accidentally ran into multilingualTunisian traders. He told them they came here looking for Christians and spices. That time Indonesia was also supplying spices to other countries. 

09. Portuguese visitors had no idea about the presence of Christians there and the visit of Apostle St. Thomas on the coastal Kerala and the establishment of seven and half churches there in the 2nd century AD itself.
Kappad beach near Kozhokode, Kerala, S. India. de Gama landed here in may 1498en.wikimedia.org/
10. DaGama, upon the arrival of Joao, a week later with an invitation fromthe local ruler, landed on the Indian shores, thus becoming the first ever European navigator to have discovered the first sea route to India, covering a record distance across  three seas.
on the Kappad beach(baypore), Kozhikode(Calicut), Kerala, www.charteredholidays.com

11. The ruler gave him audience in the late evening and daGama was taken aback by the rich ambiance
inside the king's court, surrounded by vast wealth and affluence. He was wondering the stuff - some hats, two barrels of butter, a bale of sugar he had with him to be presented to the ruler were worthy of his opulence.  

12. The king was not pleased with Gama and his gifts. There was no trade deal. Even a poor merchant from the middle east would offer the ruler far more than the Portuguese navigator. 

13. After Gama's visit there were some skirmishes between the natives and the Portuguese, who thought the Muslims living there,  were instigating the king.Finally Gama was allowed to load his ship with stuff mostly spices, etc from Malabar.

14. His  cargo was worth sixty times the total cost of the expedition and Gama made a bundle upon reaching Portugal. Da Gama left Calicut for home on 29 August, 1498 in the midst of the
Outward and return voyages of the Portuguese India Run (Carreira da Índia). The outward route of the South Atlantic westerlies that Bartolomeu Dias discovered in 1487, followed and explored by da Gama. en.wikipedia.org/
SW Monsoon. Now, it took 132 days to cross the Indian ocean, the same journey earlier towards India took him just 23 days because of prevailing wind pattern before and after the SW Monsoon season.

15. Half of his crew died before reaching  Malindi, on 7 January, 1499 and  at last they reached W. African coast. Later Gama and his sick brother hitchhiked to his place, leaving his ship to his clerk, Joao de Sa.   

16. En route his sick eccentric brother Paulo da Gama died. Gama, after his brother's burial in Angra do Heroismo (in the Azores- autonomous region of Portugal); he reached Lisbon  on 29 August, 1499. He was givena rousing, heroic  welcome by the people there.

17. The royal treasury, later, was enriched by the spice trade with the Malabar region and hereon Gama's sea route was  regularly followed by  yearly Portuguese India Armadas.

18. Gama never, during later voyages developed a good relationship with the local Hindu  ruler and was harsh towards Muslim pilgrims who were on their way to Malabar from Mecca. The local ruler was quite furious.

19. Gama made three voyages to India; the second one in 1502 was to take revenge on the Zamorin ruler and  the third one being in 1524. This time Gama contracted Malaria and died on the Christmas Eve in Cochin (now in the state of Kerala) and was buried at
Gama was buried St. Francis Church, Fort Cochiwww.makemytrip.com
St. Francis Church, in Fort Kochi. His remains were returned to Portugal in 1539.

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

http://navrangindia.blogspot.in/2014/11/reasons-for-alternative-sea-route-to.html

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Funny quotes 03

March 10, 2016, 1:56 am
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Zipped-up mouth:
zipped up lips. credit:www.clipartof.com1
"Peace and tranquility will be yours if you master the art of zipped-up lips." 

Political corruption:


www.dreducation.com
Corrupt Indian politicians. www.thefunlearning.com
"An Indian  politician's  promises in his stump speeches on the campaign trails: -  a colorful  oral exercise written in moving sand and water – neither decipherable nor executable; an open ended bluff." 
. 
India Against Corruption. 
www.thefunlearning.com
 Trail blazers:
Indian saints.www.shrinathdham.com
Evil .  www.123rf.com
"Evils  -  live in God-deserted  world; Saints - live in God-dominated world;Swindlers - live in politician-dominated world;  Gossipers -  live in woman-dominated world. Successful people– live in trail-blazer dominated world."

Investment swindlers. www.cartoonstock.com
Gossipers. mokshayogakelowna.wordpress.com

Burgler and beauty:
Burgler.  www.123rf.com
Beauty Girl,  www.bhmpics.com
"Burglars may strike all of a sudden and take away either your money or life, rarely both. But if you are unlucky, some fair-skinned bewitching ladies, knowing your weakness, take them both together with cool melting eyes when you stand before her tongue-tied."
                     ...  sober voice of a failed finance
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Funny quotes 04

March 10, 2016, 8:10 pm
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Hangman and the Judge:
.
Bouquet for the for the man ready to be hanged!! what a fine gesture!! www.cartoonstock.com
public hanging cartoon humor: 'www.jantoo.com

funny, Bad Judge picture, www.cartoonstock.com

In the Indian sensese 'Sathaymeva bhavate'. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but. www.jantoo.com

"Once etched by the power above,  man's destiny or 

"Karma" can not be rewritten or over ridden. It is 

God's edit! He, who is to be a judge (let him be a 

hanging judge or a biased judge) by profession in a 

court of law, can never be an hangman in the 

gallows. By the same token he, who is to be shot 

dead, can never be choked to death on a piece of fish 

bone."
fish bone, choke. 
www.fanikatun.com



Chokin on a piece of fish bone. www.cartoonstock.com

 Information out of shape:
too much takin www.cartoonstock.com
 "If you ever let a  piece of information pass through 

so many people, at the receiving end it will become 

garbled, twisted, stunted and finally almost out of 

shape. If passed on through  a series yapping   

people, at the end the information will become a 

lump of clay or pulp."
How To Bring Out The Best In People At Their Worst!quotesgram.com

human resources job search difficult peoplewww.cartoonstock.com
 
Brooding over past horrors:
slap-stickwww.promenademusic.co.uk

"Talking about past horrors, atrocities, insults, 

aspersions, failures, etc  is like  stocking the slowly 

dying embers – neither useful nor remedial. It is 

something like  circus buffoons,  thrashing each 

other with slapsticks; soon one will become an 

object of ridicule and criticism, not adoration."
 

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Eleven myths of 1000 year old Big temple of Thanjavur, India

March 12, 2016, 8:52 am
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UNESCO heritage monument, Thanjavur Bragadeswar (Perudiyar)temple, Tamil nadu, India, http://epuja.co.in/
Thanjavur big temple, India imgur.com/g
The  Brihadeswar Temple (Circa 1000 CE; Tamil:  Peruvudaiyar kovil), is one of India's most astonishing architectural achievement, a UNESCO heritage monument built 1000 plus years ago, at a time when science and engineering knowledge  was poorly developed. Located in the city of Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, perhaps,  it is one a few Hindu  temples surrounded by fortified walls dotted with spaces to mount cannons (in case of war) and a big moat around it for protection. The fortification was done in the 16th century. This temple of great beauty, it is believed, is the world's first "complete granite temple"  built during the hey days of the rich, pious Hindu rulers of Tamil region - Cholas. The temple,  also called  Rajarajeswaram,  was built by the great Chola ruler Sri RajaRaja Cholan I in  1010 AD. The temple's foundations were first laid  in 1002 CE. The architect and engineer of the temple was one "Kunjara Mallan Raja Raja Rama Perunthachan."  The 'Vimana' - or the temple tower - is 216 ft (66 m) high and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. An axial and symmetrical geometry rules the temple layout that includes sanctum or Srikovil or Garbhagraha, shrines around it and the Prakararas. The cosmic energy of this temple flows down from the top of the Vimana or dome and falls within the boundaries  of the pyramidal layout, center point being atop the dome  or cupola right above the main deity Shiva Linga in the sanctum. The temple is an embodiment of Dravidian style of temple architecture and culture, besides ancient Tamil and religious tradition followed by the Tamil people and the rulers.



The following are the answers to the various prevailing myths that need further research:

Myth 01. The temple tower, etc is not made of hard rocks:

The entire tall tower (Gopuram), which is about 216 feet from the ground to the top, is not made of ordinary stone, but of granite and granite related rocks. The oldest rocks, geologically speaking, belong to the Archeangroup of rocks, roughly three billion years old and have been in existence since the formation of the Earth

Myth 02: Rocks used in the big temple were locally mined:

The granites used in the big temple are not in situ rocks - rocks available here. As a matter of fact, the entire Delta districts Thanjavur, Thiruvarur and Nagapatnam (once they formed composite district called  Tanjore or Thanjavur) do not have any  outcrops of hard rocks such as granite or Diorite and other related rocks. The delta region has a net work of various rivers that drain in to the Bay of Bengal

Myth 03: Did the rocks come from far of places?

Granite used by the Chola ruler were mined most probably near   Thiruverambur  in Tiruchirapally district about to 30 km west of Thanjavur.

Myth 04: If rocks were not available locally, how did the builders bring the huge granite blocks of different sizes from other far off places 1000 years ago?
Big temple, Thanjavur. Hard rocks with holes for splitting. www.quora.com/
Hard rocks of different sizes were mined, sized according to requirements by partly using controlled explosions and transported to the temple sites,  using trained elephants.  The other explanation is that sizing was done by drilling holes with chisel, putting poles  into them and then pouring water into them. It is explained that after some time the rock block breaks. This method suggested here is 'rock weathering'  caused by alternating freezing and thawing of water  and  is not  tenable here.How
Thanjavur big temple.A European head carved  with a hat on the tower of 1000 year old Hindu temple? perhaps  a representative of a jesuit? .kavirimainthan.wordpress.com
could they size thousands of tons of rocks with this conventional method ? More than 130,000 tons of granite were used to buildthe temple. Huge strong cylindrical or rounded  logs of woods were used underneath the massive rock blocks that were pulled with sturdy tuskers. Or the rulers  might have specially made sturdy load-bearing carts to be pushed (from the rear) and pulled by tuskers (in front).

Hollow tower above sanctum, Brahadeshwar temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India.. www.quora.com
The corridor in big temple - Thanjavurwww.holidayiq.com




Thanjavur 1000 year old Brahadeshwar  temple, hollow inner part of the tower built with successively narrowing rock stone, shifting the weight of the overburden,  kingharibhakt.com/
The Thanjavur big temple inner view of the tower,.www.quora.com
Myth 05: What about mode of transportation?

The ingenious designers and builders, in all probability,  might have laid a  wide,  strong extremely well compacted (metaled?) roads that could withstand frequenttransportation of heavy granite blocks.

Myth 06: The entire tower structure is solid and is made of granites of different sizes with a broad base

The entire tower right from the foundation
Building of Thanjavur big temple. Tranasportation of rock blocks. haribhakt.com/
 to the top is not at all solid as many think of. Surprisingly inside the tower, it is hollow just  empty space. The secret here is  semi interlocking beautifully carved stones  laid successively inwardly in a cascading style from the base, thus narrowing towards the top. The builder used specially  well-ground lime-sand mortar, etc to bind the rock stones. This kind of design enables shifting of weight of the overlyingrocks.

Myth 07: Is the dome atop the tall  temple tower  made of one  huge block of rock?
The Big Temple Dome atop the tower Note the pair of symmetrical bulls (Nandis) at (four) corners Tanjore, alphadevi7.aminus3.com
That, the dome or Cupola atop the tower is monolithic,  is not true. Considering its weight, whopping  80 tons and the carved features, etc, it is impossible to take the huge stone atop the sigara that is about 200 feet tall through an inclined ramp because of the force of variable angular momentum. Actually the cupola is made of 4 pieces or parts and each one was taken to the top of the sigara one by one through a series of ramps and platforms and they were  put together carefully atop the tower in such a way the joint is not visible.

Myth 08: The stone carving of a European head with a  hat on the northern side of the temple tower near the eastern corner roughly 60 to 70 feet from the ground level!!

 The European stone image in the old temple positively implies the visit of a foreigner to this place 1000 years ago. In the records there is no mention of any foreigner, visiting during the Chola reign, particularly, when the big temple building work was on. A simple guess is it could be a Christian missionary from the neighboring region of the Malabar coast of present day Kerala. It was here Apostle St. Thomas built seven and half churches after his arrival here in the 2nd century AD. Later he began his travel across India to spread the Gospel of Christ. Perhaps, the European head, could be modeled after one of the missionaries who were the followers of Catholic mission established by St. Thomas.  The followers of St. Thomas, on missionary works, frequented places in Kanyakumari district in the southern tip of the Indian Peninsula. Perhaps, a few of them might have visited this part of Tamil region for spreading Christianity among the natives.

Myth 09: The huge sacred bull, Nandi, Easwara's mount is not carved out of one huge stone. 

Thanjavur Brihadeeswarar Temple Big Nandi Mantap. myjourneysinindia.blogspot.com

Nandi, Bull made of monolithic stone, Bragadeswar temple, Thanajavur,Tamil Nadu, India.. imgur.com/g
The huge  bull (Nandi), measuring about 16 feet long and 13 feet high  made of granite stone, is monolithic and is not made of different parts.  It is a tradition to place the Nandi in front of the main shrine, facing the presiding deity, Lord Shiva - huge lingam, measuring 3.7m tall. It is the largest stone bull, next to the big one in Veerabhadra temple  at  Lepakshi, in  the Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh, India, 15 km (9.3 mi) east of Hindupur. 

Myth10: How did the builders bring the huge rock block from a far off place?

As mentioned earlier, the required  stone of particular size was mined from the granite quarry, most probably near the road side, using chisels and controlled explosions with the help of some kind of gun powder. Then it was  mounted on a huge sturdy cart drawn by one or a pair of elephants. At the construction site, the  Nandi was sculptured by expert sculptors,  using several chisels for delicate artistic work. If you look at the very young bull in the front, you can notice how carefully and in a realistic manner, the skilled workers chiseled the teethand the series of small bells round the bull's neck.

Myth 11: Is it true that the temple tower does not cast a shadow on the ground?

The temple tower does throw the shadow, but it creates the impression that it is not. The reason being the cascading style of placing the successive layers of rock stones round the tower. The shadow of the top  structures, fall on the flat part of nest ones in succession as a result it creates an illusion  that the temple tower does not cast shadows during the sunrise and sundown.

Ref:

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

    

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The myth of 80 ton Cupola atop the 1000 year old big temple tower, Thanjavur!!

March 12, 2016, 10:12 pm
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Thanjavur Big temple,www.flickr.com
Brihadeeswarar Temple thanjavur.  www.panoramio.com
The huge Big temple  - Brahadeswar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is an architectural beauty of world class and is an important UNESCO Heritage Monument Site located in Thanjavur city, Tamil nadu. It was built by the famous Chola king Sri Rajaraja 1000 plus years ago. It is the only temple with a 216 feet tall tower in the world  entirely  made of hard rocks - granite and its related Igneous rocks of Archean group (3 billion plus years old).

The tall tower had a huge,  beautifully carved  dome  with symmetrical images on all four sides, weighing about   80 tons. In addition to it, there are 4 pairs of huge stone Nandis (bulls), facing different directions at all four corners. The various carved images and the Nandis  on all four sides are mirror images of those on the other sides. They have perfect size, shape and symmetry. This great feat,  plus the placing of  so huge a dome atop  a 200 feet tall rock tower, that too 1000 years ago will baffle our imagination and the visitors to this wonderful historical site are literally awe-struck.

How is it  possible to roll a heavy  huge dome like rock mass  up to the top?How is it possible to defy the forces of angular momentum at  higher elevations? It is a Sisyphean task, that can never be completed.
Sisyphean” task, t.okasaneko.wordpress.com
 01. It wassuggested a long,  wide well compacted inclined ramp made of mud, lime etc., stretching as far as roughly one and half kms from the top of the tower / Sigara  was built and the rock  was slowly pushed up hill with the help of elephants.

02. The dome is not a monolith structure and has four parts of similar sizes,  and each piece weighing 20 tons was taken to the top one by one  along the inclined  low angled ramp. Then,  they were put together evenly on the top of the tower that has a wide base for the artisans to work on the sculptures and the erection of 4 pairs of Nandis.
Thanjavur Big temple, 80 tone dome atop the tower. www.thehindu.com

03. The second explanationis fairly tenable. However, it is still difficult to take a huge stone on a long inclined plane to such a dizzy height. My assumption is each one of the four parts of the dome, as suggested before, was taken to the top one by one, not through  a long continuous ramp, but through a serious of about 12 to 14 well compacted wide low angled ramps and successive flat platforms  for a particular distance each at a higher elevation. For example if the first platform is at an height of 15 to 18 feet with a ramp,  connecting it from the ground level, the second ramp will be 15 to 18 feet from the first platform with connecting ramp from 15 to 18 feet level. With a series of flat long platforms of different  and corresponding ramps, the task of rolling up a huge rock stone up with the help of elephants will be easier. On the flat long platforms at different elevations, rolling the rock mass forward with the help of tuskers, using rounded logs underneath is much easier. On the inclined plane the force of friction has to be over come. Using rounded logs of wood would  cut down the frictional forces, thus easing the foward mobility. It requires 3 to four elephants to push a 29 tone rock mass on a low inclined plane or ramp.

As for the towers,  on  four sides extremely strong scaffoldings were erected with wider platforms for the artisans to carve the delicate images. The skilled workers might have used specially tempered sharp chisels for various tasks. Because, unlike marble or any other soft rocks, carving delicate sculpturesrequires very high standard of skills and patience. Once the task is over, the height of scaffoldings was raised to work at the next level.

 Thus the builders used 1000 plus trained elephants and a few thousand horses for moving the construction materials to the site. The great ruler sri Rajarajan took 7  full years to finish the temple work,
 and the thousands of workers had to work long hours till dawn to dusk. 

 This 1000 year old monument of artistic beauty and grandeur stands as a good example of man's imagination, fantasy and his ability to achieve it despite odds. The ruler was simply driven by passion, commitment and above all devotion to God, the almighty.

Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brihadeeswarar_Temple
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Funny quotes 05

March 13, 2016, 10:37 am
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 Wild Tongue:

 "Enormity of  one's mistakes and the propensity of 

ensuing troubles have direct bearing on how wide

one's  mouth is open and how fast the carping 

tongue wages."
wild tongue www.shutterstock.co

. 
Face of man with a big mouth.  www.shutterstock.com

Opportunistic Indian politician:

www.clipartof.com
"An Indian  politician's stump speeches during 

election times -  is nothing but a magical mix of 

permutation and combination of promises of plenty,  
 
laced with  some  silly, unsubstantiated statistics  

here and there, full of sound and fury, the end result 

is zilch. Besides,  when he  meets the prospective  

voters personally, he will
www.clipartof.com
do all kinds of somersaults to get your vote. Once 

elected to office, when you approach him for simple 

help, he will make  you stand upright on your 

head in a typical yoga posture for hours together just 

to see him."   


Dame luck:
Water wellwww.123rf.com
"Guided by dame luck, and if the time is ripe, a man 

may come out of a  bone dry water well with a live 

fish in his mouth." 
man with a fish. cous.dromiff.top

 Lion and goat:
 A proud lion and its tail. www.colourbox.com
"I would rather be a meek goat than  be  a  

 lion's tail  and lose my identity and individuality"

                                    – a Tamil saying.
 
Goat. www.colourbox.com









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Chequered history of Thirumala devaswom temple, Gosipuram, Kerala

March 14, 2016, 8:46 pm
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Thirumala devaswom temple  Gosipuram, Mattancherry, Kerala.www.pbase.com
Thirumala devaswom temple tank, Mattancherry, Kerala.www.pbase.com
The historical Sri Venkatachalapathy Hindu templein Cochin, Kerala, unlike many temples of Southern India, has a  chequered history, a sort of seesaw battles of survival and finally made it in 1800s. The idol was conceived during the Vijayanagara period, centuries ago.The temple is under the care of the Gowda Saraswat Brahmins of Kerala, who were natives of north Canara (now in Karnataka) centuries ago.

The  Venkatachalapathy temple located at Cherlai in the heart of Mattancherry, Cochin  was established in the later half of 16th century and is being run by the  Cochin Tirumala Devaswom, also known as  Gosripuram. It is believed to be one of the significant socio-religious organizations of Gowda Saraswat Brahmins of Kerala. The organization is pretty old and is  closely linked to this old temple.   

The presiding deity of this famous temple is Sri Venkateswara and  there are  four small shrines dedicated to various  deities - Hanuman, Garuda, Vigneshwara and Goddess Mahalakshmi,  Vigneshwara. The main idol is Sri Venkateswara and his consorts Sreedevi and Bhoodevi  are on his either sides, as one will find in many Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu and other southern states. In the outer area of the main shrine  a visitor can not miss a unique giant bronze bell  about four feet in diameter and six feet in height, supposed to be rung or chimed during various Kaala Poojas. Also noticeable are the statues of  the Vijayanagara king Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya and Swami Vijayendra Theertha of Kumbhakonam Math. In a corner part of the temple  there is a Tomb or Samadhi of  Vrindavan of Shri Sukrathindra Thirtha Swamiji (1949 A.D, 19th Madathipathi of Kashi Math).

The entire history of this temple is eventful so are the lives of Gowda Saraswat Brhamins of Kerala, the care takers of this temple. The history of the temple goes several centuries back to the colonial period dominated by the Portuguese who first landed in Kozhikode (Kerala) in 1498. Till the end of the reign of the Vijayanagara rulers, Brahmins of Goa or north Canara led a comfortable life, doing their religious duties without fail. After the fall of  the Vijayanagara Empire  in 1568, the autocraticPortuguesetook control of the region, including  Goa and  began their vigorous religious persecution and caused all kinds of problems to the natives, in particular,  to Konkani speaking people, including Brahmins. The Portuguese wanted to convert the natives to Christianity at any cost through coercive methods, besides forcing them to learn the Portuguese language, dress in western style and eat western style food, including beef, ham, etc. As their atrocities became unbearable,  the entire Brahmin community began to move down south to Mangalore. A part of the community moved farther down to Cochin( now in Kerala).  Swami Vijayendra Teertha of Kumbhakonam Math brought the idol of Venkatachalapathy to Kochi and the people since then have been living near the temple that was  first built in 1599 (first Prathista). The temple faced the fury of Portuguese again in this part and finally the temple was rebuilt in 1633 (second Prathista)  when the Dutch took over the administration.

In 1791, as ill-luck would have it, the temple was  plundered again,  and the idol was secretly  kept in Alappuzha for many years. It was only in  1853, it was brought back to the temple here. 

This temple has a fascinating legend about the main idol. The famous, pious Vijayanagara ruler named Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya was an ardent devotee of Vishnu (Venkatachalapathy) of Thirumala and,  as time went by, he was unable to visit Thirumala shrine to worship Lord Vishnu. One night the ruler had a divine vision in which the lord himself told him not to come over to his abode for worship and instead he could have his idol installed in his place. Further,  he told him he would send a sculptor to whom he could provide the materials for making the idol. As instructed in his dream, the sculptor  approached him following day.
Cochin Thirumala Devaswom Aarattu - Ratholsavam.www.youtube.com
After getting the materials,  the sculptor got into the room and shut the door behind him to begin his work. As the sculptor did not come out of the room for a long time, the suspicious king had the door break open. To his astonishment, there was a beautiful shining, resplendent idol, very much similar to the one at the Thirumala temple and the sculptor was not in the locked room. Where did he go? The ruler presumed that it a divine act and the Viswakarma was none other than the Lord himself.He was tongue-tied and extremely pleased  at the turn of this auspicious event. However, for various reasons the idol was not consecrated for a long time and the king was not happy about it. Lord told him that he would be with the idol till its proper installation. Later the ruler expired.

Swami Vijayeendra Thirtha of Kumbakonam Math was on a visit to this poorly maintained temple where the idol was hidden. A serpent appeared before him and it   crawled to a place where the Swamiji noticed the idol in a neglected well. Soon after it,  he did some poojas and that night the lord appeared in his dream and instructed him that the idol should be consecrated on an auspicious day in Gosripuram (Cochin). Swamiji, on his visit  to Gosripuram, was met by one Mala Pai, the leader of the Cochin Mahajanams. Their desire was to have the idol installed at the temple there. Swamiji  Vijayeendra Thirtha gave gold coin Abishekam (a part of anointing ritual),  and the contributions were made by the Brahmin families, both the poor and rich, living there. The main contributor was Mala  Pai, a rich man.

Later a temple was constructed for the lord and Swami Sudhindra Thirtha of Kumbakonam Math (Successor of Vijayendra Thirtha) performed the First Prathista of Lord Venkateshwara at Cochin in the Year 1599 A.D. Soon after its destruction, the temple was rebuilt in 1633.  In the year 1791 the Konkanies faced massacre by the ruler of Cochin one  Raja Rama Varma (Sakthan Thampuran) because part of the revenues was not given to him. The community immediately moved over to  Thuravoor and Alleppey in the Travancore Kingdom under the protection of the local ruler.  Only upon the death of Sakthan Thampuran in 1805 A.D the deity was taken back to Cochin  on the Midnight of 7 February, 1853.

The Third Prathista of the Vighraha of Lord Venkateshwara in the present temple builtby the Community was performed by H.H. Swami Bhuvanendra Thirtha Swami along with his Shishya Swami H.H. Swami Varadendra Thirtha.

Lots of people visit this historical temple and the temple is well maintained by the Mahajanam with care and devotion.

Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochin_Thirumala_Devaswom
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Funny quotes 06

March 15, 2016, 5:29 am
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Scriptwriter and Ballerina:
Flamingo Ballerina .www.picturesof.net
"The reason why the folks world over are glued to 

the various soap operas on TV, be it American or 

European or Indian,  is their plot-ridden scripts and 

cliff-hanging episodes create an anxiety among them.

The  smart script - writers are really a breed apart; 

they spin  nice and diabolic stories and plots faster  
dancing ballerina.www.123rf.com
pirouette muscle groups.balletstrength.com
than the  Baltic  ballerina, doing pirouettes – who 

spin their entire body with ease on  their toe."
 
Crocodiles and women:

Tear Jerker cartoon .www.cartoonstock.com
"Among the animals, crocodiles' incredible strength 

lies  in water, so is women's in  three'T's - their  

Tears, Tongue and Tantrums!!"

      ... a young spiritualist message in his office.

a woman in tantrums.www.windowssearch-exp.com

The law and the holes:


a remorse house. www.123rf.com

"The laws - be  they  civil or criminal  are  like a 

remorse house - full of holes, cracks, and crevices - 

it's easier to squeeze out through any hole  and be 

scott - free."


Uncontrolled suspicion:


Terror unleashed: The elephant runs amok in Thrissur. b.www.thehindu.com
"Suspicion is detrimental to your relationship. If 

unchecked and careless, it is like a wild elephant in 

musth, it may run amok and cause a trail of trouble 

in its wake"

elephant running amuck. www.dreamstime.com

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Funny quotes 07

March 15, 2016, 10:22 am
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 Gray hair and graveyard:
www.windowssearch-exp.com

Gray hair. jmanandmillerbug.com

"The tell-tale wisps of gray hair on our head  are not 

a sign of wisdom, rather they foretell us that we 

have  just crossed the middle age,  and the  God  

above us has just begun to dig a grave for  his 

blessed ones for their final  eternal resting place." 


  ...... a message in the office of an undertaker in asmall  US  town.


 Infatuation:               
Intense infatuation. sparkyour-imagination.blogspot.com
 
infatuation. kiss-lseandarsh.org

  "There is no human on this earth who does not 

experience infatuation. If he or she denies it, it is 

nothing but a plain lie. Come to think of it, 

Infatuation is nothing but temporary insanity laced 

with  unstable romantic stupor."

Bull and infatuation www.clipartof.com

 The rich and the poor:

The slave and the master. momentumbooks.com.au
 "Neither  give a promise to the poor and be a 

master to those miserable souls, nor take a loan 

from the filthy  rich and be a slave to them - always 

at their beck and call."

Slave Master cartoon www.cartoonstock.com
  
Taking loans:

eplwire.com
"When it comes to taking a loan, it is better to go to 

bed hungry than get up following morning with the 

fear of uncleared debts and the frightening sight of 

unscrupulous money - lenders  knocking on the door."

microwdfinance.wordpress.com "
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Goa, India - early history

March 17, 2016, 12:26 am
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Early history. Portuguese ..www.newworldencyclopedia.org
Goa Beach, India magalic.com
Early history. Portuguese ..www.newworldencyclopedia.org
Goa is a small  dynamic state in West India  and has undergone continual transformation for centuries. Being one of the strategic trade centers on the western coast of India,  the  historical monuments of Goa are the constant reminders of   seafarers, merchants, traders, monks and missionaries and various rulers of by-gone era and their impact on the socio-economic life of  Goa over the past several centuries. Goa has played a key role in Indian history,  second gateway to the entry of Europeans in India  from Portugal. The Portuguese after their first discovery of the direct sea route to  India via the Arabian sea  in May, 1498 under Vasco da Gama, later on their subsequent trips to India landed on the picturesque Goa coast.

During the British rule,  Goa was a tiny land, an enclave ruled by the Portuguese. When freedomstruggle was on against the British,  Gandhiji never focused his attention on the Portuguese who ruled over Goa for 451 years - more than the British. During the tumultuous period, the Portuguese ruled this tiny land quietly and that why did the Indian freedom fighters  turn their attention to Goa is a moot question.  The Portuguese  were thrown out by the powerful Indian Army only on 19th December, 1961- the was lasted for a day -shortest in World history.

One finds the first  literary reference to Goa  in the Bhishma Parva of Mahabharata as Gomanta, meaning  the region of cows.  According to the Hindu  scriptures, it is believed, that  Parashurama, is its as its creator but it is not backed  either by  archaeological or by  historical evidences. It was Parasurama who created a land by pushing the sea backward  with his mystic  seven arrows set out from the Sahydris. Accordingly, a vast region came into being called Shurparaka, meaning winnowing fan. Parashurama, 6th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, brought Brahmins from the North and settled them in this land, called Parashurama Kshetra. 

Geological evidences, to some extend, support the theory that once the land was under the ocean as suggested by numerous marine fossils  mainly gastropods of recent Pleistocene age - 12,000 to 15,000 years plus. A minor tectonic event (mountain building activity) might have pushed the sea bed upward and further lifting of the Deccan plateau as part of mountain building activities might have completely drained the waters. So, the present day Goa was once  a vast expanse of sea, part of the Arabian ocean.

Between 1350 AD Goa was under the  Bahmani Sultanate, later in 1370 the the Vijayanagar  Hindu empire ruled this place for a century and Goa had important ports through which the rulers imported the Arabian horses to strengthen their military. It was in 1469 the Bahmani Sultans of Gulbarga took control of Goa. Goa became a part of Adil Shah's Bijapur Sultanate soon after the split of the Bahmani Sultans of Gulbarga. Goabecame a second capital and Adil Shahi palace  later became the former Secretariat building in Panaji, later taken over by the Portuguese Viceroys as their official residence.

The very first conquest of Goa, once a great and prosperous trading port on the Indian coast,  took place in 1510. On behalf of the Portuguese admiral D. Afonso de Albuquerque. Goa (also Old Goa or Velha Goa) was not among the places Albuquerque had received orders to conquer.

Albuquerque, on request from one  Thimayya,  exiled Hindu chieftain from Goa  attacked Goa to relieve the  Hindu population of Goa  from Muslim rule. As a matter of fact  Goa was not on the agenda of Admiral Albuquerque who was on orders from the Portugal king to attack Aden and Malacca. Albuquerque accompanied by  admiral António de Noronha first reached the city of Goa in February, 1510 and by 17th February took control of the local city after conquering the Muslim ruler  Ismail Adil Shah of Bijapur (now in Kartataka).
Goa Map.Jplanettrekkerblog.com
With  a stronger fleet, composed of 34 ships, 1500 Portuguese and 300 Malabarese  Albuquerque sailed from Cannanore (capital of Kolathunad) and returned three months later, on November 24,1510. He captured Goa  in less than a day, from Ismail Adil Shah and his Ottoman allies, who surrendered on 10 December. Unfortunately the Portuguese, after taking the entire Goa under their control, on orders from Albuquerque butchered the Muslim population, consisting of men, women and children without showing mercy for the simple reason they resisted the Portuguese invasion.   It is estimated that 6,000 of the 9,000 Muslim defenders of the city died either in battle or killed by the foreign invaders.
The Portuguese had traded in Goa as early as 1510, and later founded three other colonies on the west coast in Diu, Bassein, and Mangalorwww.slideshare.net
Including Goa inquisition - forced conversion of Indian natives to Christianity under death threats, it is a great blot on the history of Portuguese in India. An interesting aspect is the capture of Goa was against the wish (royal orders carrying his seal) of the King of Portugal and the ruler was furious over the establishment of Goa without his acceptance. Anyway, Goa  became an important and strategic Portuguese  establishment in India.

The Portuguese left behind a lot of beautiful churches that form the vestiges of Portuguese rule, their legacy and their serious dedication to Christianity. Goa being a tropical paradise has historical churches of beauty and antiquityscattered across the entire land.

Among the numerous churches in Goa, Se Cathedral (1619),  Bom Jesus Basilica (1605), Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (1541), Church of St. Catejan (1700) and  Church of St Francis of Assisi (1661) are worthy of mention and are being visited by tourists, in particular, from Europe.

Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_conquest_of_Goa
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Tireless builder of modern Mysore - Dewan Sir K.Seshadri Iyer

March 17, 2016, 7:38 pm
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The bust of Seshadri Iyer in Kumara Park West. Bangalore. .www.thehindu.com

Angelo Mysore. Colonial period, India radhikaranjanmarxist.blogspot.com
During the British colonial rule in India all the highest  executive,  judiciary and administrative positions were held by the British officials and many of them passed the Indian Civil Service (ICS) examinations conducted in London. Well educatedIndianswere not allowed to hold higher positions. The higher positions attained by the Indian talents were of subaltern in character. At a time like this better opportunities were offered to extremely talented Indians and many of them held positions of eminence such as Dewan of princely states representing the interest of the British rulers and at the same time ruling the state on behalf of the ruler. They did their job with care and passion and won the appreciation of the British rulers.  There were many eminent Dewans  like  Sir. C.P. Ramaswami Iyer, Sir Seshayya Sastry, Sir. Madhava Rao, Sir. Salar Jung, Raghava Ayengar et al to name some. Sir Seshadri Iyer, Dewan of Mysore made a niche  for himself and gained a reputation as one of  best Indian administrators  during the colonial period. He was the builder of Mysore state and visionary whose selfless service, vast contributions and dedication go down in the history of Karnataka. 
Sir K.S.Sheshadri Iyer: (1883-1901).mpmurthy.wordpress.com
Sir K. Seshadri Iyer KCIE (June, 1845 -September, 1901;  also Sheshadri Aiyar), who was born in a small village near  Palghat(now in Kerala) of the then Madras Presidency, was the second Dewan of Mysore state since the reinstation of the Wodiyar family on its throne in 1881. Previously the princely state was under the British control for 50 long years years. Thanks to men like Bowring, Cubbon and even Viceroy Canning who followed a biased policy and consequently Krishnaraja Wodiyar lost his real power, a victim of circumstances. The ruler died in 1868 a broken man within the year of rendition. The British press highly condemned the high handed attitude of the British rulers and finally the British crown interfered and the kingdom was at last restored to the ruler.
Maharaja Sir Sri Krishnaraja Wodiyar 1906 .en.wikipedia.org
Rangacharlu, a graduate of Madras presidency college, was an exceptionally  brilliant and courageous  administrator and won the appreciation of the honest British officers when  he daringly  exposed the weakness of certain British  administrative policies, etc while working as the controller of Maharajah's household and the prevalence of corruption among the British officials. In 1881 Chamaraja Wodiyar was installed as the ruler, surprisingly on the same day Rangacharlu was made the Dewan of Mysore, a covetous job that he deserved very much. Unfortunately Rangacharlu died within 2 years after becoming the Dewan. It was he, who recognized the unusual talents of Seshadri Iyer and strongly recommended him for the Dewanship. Earlier Mr. Iyer closely worked with Rangacharlu, when he was the Deputy Collector of Calicut (now in Kerala) and thus began a long friendship and a through understanding between them. Rangacharlu came to Mysore in 1868 and within a short period Seshadri Iyer also moved over to Mysore as Judicial Sheresdar. Later Iyer became the controller of the Royal household when Rangacharlu assumed the position of Dewan.

Seshadri Iyer, succeeded Rangacharlu and had the unique distinction of having served the princely state of Mysore as the Dewan for the longest period from 1883 to 1901. He graduated from the famous Presidency College of Madras  where his mentor was the famous educationist  E. B. Powell  and qualified himself as a lawyer by taking a B.L degree  from the University of Madras in 1874. His forefathers on the fraternal  side were from  Ganapathi Agraharam in Tanjore district (now in Tamil Nadu) at the turn of the 19th century.

The following are the well-known, innovative  reforms introduced by Sir Seshadri Iyer during his tenure for the benefit of the state. He did implemented several major works in full consultation with the Maharajah, a good gesture that was well appreciated by the Royal family members  close to the ruler:

It was Mr. Iyer who chalked out plans for the construction of Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore as he thought the future students needed better quality education to serve the country well. At the initiative of Mr. Iyer,  the then ruler of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodiyar IV, donated  roughly  372 acres (1.51 km2) of free land in Bangalore to an educational  institution. It  become the Tata Institute of Science, later known as the Indian Institute of Science in 1911. IIS, Bangalore is one of the premier institutions in India for advanced quality education.

Mr. Seshadri Iyer was instrumental in laying railway lines, covering roughly 270 kilometers (roughly 170 miles) in the state.

For the benefits of the government employees he started the Insurance scheme for them. 

He introduced Shivasamudram Hydro - electric power project, the first one in Asia, to improve the agricultural  as well as electricity production of the state. He encouraged starting of industries in the state and paid serious attention to the needed infrastructure. The Shivasamudaram project began producing electricity in 1902 covering Kolar Gold Field (KGF). The power was transmitted through ransmission lines, covering a distance of  147 kilometers, then longest line in the world. and later to  Bangalore in 1905. 

The princely state had good relationship with the British administration, in particular, the Madras presidency. When the Mettur dam construction work was on in 1930 across the river Cauvery and Stanley reservoir,  the princely state under Mr. Iyer supplied necessary power from the Shivasamudram hydroelectric power station.

mr. Iyer paid serious attention to the health care of the people living in the state that resulted in the establishment of Victoria hospital in 1900 in Bangalore to serve the public.

He constructed the famous Glass House at the famous garden in Bangalore - Lalbagh in 1889.

He meticulously codified the revenue lands in the state and started agricultural banks to help the land owners and cultivators who had to depend on loans from private parties at higher interest rates. He also undertook cleaning of water tanks - desilting, etc to improve irrigation and better water storage.

The Bangalore city  saw a lot of improvements during his period  He built the Chamarajendra Water Works to take care of the city people's potable water needs, by connecting supply lines from Hesaraghatta Lake, 18 km away, in 1894. He began the extensions of Basavanagudi and Malleswaram in 1898 to reduce congestion in the city.

Sheshadripuram (a city extension created in 1892), Sheshadri Road, Sheshadri Memorial Library, and a statue in Cubbon Park bear Mr. Iyer's name in recognition of his vast contributions he made to the kingdom and the city.

Mr Iyer, being a gentleman as he was, always owed a debt of gratitude to his friend and predecessor late Dewan Rangacharlu who died at an early age and saw to it his family was comfortably settled financially. He also took care of the family of Purnayya, whose dedication and loyalty in a difficult time to the British helped them get rid of Tipu Sultan.

He gave importance to women's education and made provision for  special  scholarships for the talented students to go abroad for higher studies.

Like many Dewans through out his tenure he faced several troubles caused by some jealous members of the royal family who expected him to bestow some favors. Mr. Iyer was loyal to the ruler and stood the ground firmly and went by strict rules. Consequently some kind of misunderstanding did arise between him and the ruler on a few occasions. Also he was criticized severely for being autocratic and arbitrary and such criticisms never dampened his spirit to do his duty with better care and more attention.  On sidelines he took active role in Indian national congress. He was an ardent patron of Sringeri Saradha  mutt and follower of the teachings of Vivekananda.
  
Though Seshadri Iyer crossed sword with Lord Curzon over policy matters, it was Curzon who was generous enough to propose a public memorial for Sir Seshadri Iyer in recognition of his superb contribution to the development of Mysore. When Iyer's statue was unveiled,  Lord Hardinge spoke highly of him and considered him one of the  few best Indian administrators British India ever produced.

Ref:
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Seshadri_Iyer
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Search

Funny quotes 08

March 17, 2016, 11:52 pm
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www.123rf.com

A message on the Hell-gate:

"We  warmly welcome  our new guests from Indian 

politics to our eternal abode.   sorry for the 

inconvenience, presently our Hell is full of Indian 

politicians. Please move over to our temporary camp 

near here. We are constructing a special  building

called  Hell-Mole with latest gadgets exclusively 

for Indian politicians  for special treatment 

(punishment!!) worthy of them."
Devil in hell. www.dreamstime.com
Blind alley:

chakrigajula.com
"Waste not your time on trifles such as endless 

criticisms, etc., from people or relatives around you. 

It is hell of a job to shut their ever-yapping mouth 

that works over time. If you try seriously  it will get 

you nowhere but to the dead-end of the road."


One's limited ability:

www.cartoonstock.com
"It is nice to have great desires but, one's sky-high 

desires should not go beyond  one's  physical or 

mental ability or capacity. How  can you 

expect  a man with just one functional  hand 

and one leg to try bungee jump? Is it not foolish?


www.bestillaminute.com
Bottom dollars:
Morning Dew.wallpaperswide.com
I love feeling the morning dew on my bare feet!.www.cartoonstock.com
"When sitting idle, doing nothing to make a living, 

the last coin in the coffer will disappear, faster than 

the early morning dew."

www.gettyimages.in
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Interesting facts of Governor Elihu Yale of Yale university

March 18, 2016, 7:52 pm
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Elihu Yale Founder of Yale University.  www.picturesnow.com

Yale's first wedding took place here1680. St. Mary's Church, Chennai
During the British rule in India centuries ago, numerous British people joined the British East India company for better job prospects in a strange tropical land where the natives spoke different languages. Among them,  some got job promotion with additional responsibility.Over a period of time,driven by greed and over ambition to make quick bucks, some became corrupt. Once they made a bundle, they returned to their native land and lived comfortably like Indian Maharajahs.  Elihu Yale was a good administrator and through sheer hard work and gutsrose to the position of eminence and in late 1600s he became the Governor of Madras Presidency, an important British settlement on the East coast of South India. Yale married  one Catherine Hynmers, a widow, in 1680. Their wedding took place at St. Mary's Church, at Fort St. George, Chennai  where Yale was a vestryman and treasurer. The marriage happened to be the first registered at the  English church.
 
The following are some facts:
 
01. On July 26, 1687,Yale took over the administration of Ft. St. George Madras, India.

02. Gov. Elihu Yale was instrumental in getting absolute control over the town of St. Thome (now a suburb of Chennai) for three years from the Portuguese.

03. Yale's three-year old son David Yale died and was interred next to Hynmers, twice acting Governor of Madras in the Madras cemetery- St. Mary's church.

04. The records of this period mention a flourishing slave trade in Madras. Because of increasing demand for the slaves the English merchants began to kidnap young children and deport them to distant parts of the world, very much against their will.

05. On February 2, 1688, Elihu Yale through law restricted slave trade and made transportation of young children, in particular, was made unlawful.

06. In the later part of the 17th century, Madras steadily progressed during the period of the East India Company and under many Governors. Although most of the original Portuguese, Dutch, and British population had been killed during the Golkonda period, under the Mughul protection, large numbers of British and Anglo-American settlers arrived to replenish these losses. As a result during the Governorship of Elihu Yale (1687–92), the large number of British and European settlers led to the most important political event which was the formation of the institution of a Mayor and the Corporation for the city of Madras. Under this Charter, the British and Protestant inhabitants were granted the rights of self-government and independence from company law. In 1693, a Perwanna was received from the local Nabob granting the towns Tondiarpet, Purasawalkam and Egmore to the company which continued to rule from Fort St. George.

07. On December 30, 1687 the Corporation of Madras was established. The charter came into effect on September 29, 1688.

08. It was believed that Yale purchased territory for private purposes with East India Company funds, including a fort at Tevanapatam, now Cuddalore.

09. After Yale imposed high taxes for the maintenance of the colonial garrison and town, there were several revolts by the local Indians, but they were brutally put down by garrison soldiers. Further, Yale had a stable boy mercilessly hanged for petty crime and became unpopular among the locals. Being highly corrupt, high handed and arrogant, he was fired from the British company in 1692 as he got a bad rap wherever he worked. Yale died on July 8, 1721 in London, England.

Anyway, his philanthropy overshadows his misdeeds while in the employ of British East India company, Madras,India. Image Source:

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

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35 Brutal facts of Goa Inquisition (Christian Terrorism) - Portuguese Colonial period

March 20, 2016, 5:38 pm
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Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian victims of the Inquisition, their hands nailed to posts, listen to a Catholic padre read out charges against them. bharatabharati.wordpress.com
Inquisition in Goa, India.www.maayboli.com
In the annals of world history, the period of  "The Inquisition" introduced by Portuguese rulers of Goa, India was  the worst and scary chapter no body can ever think of, all in the  name of Christ, an embodiment of love and compassion. In 1542, Fr. Francis Xavier, co-founder of the Society of Jesus, arrived in Goa  with a view to taking  the message of Christ among the native Indians who followed altogether different religions. He observed that the newly converted Christians were still practicing their old customs and traditions and were not serious about  following the true Christian faith. Indian Christians, having turned  a deaf ear to the European missionaries' clarion call and subsequent warning, kept joyfully following their traditional Indian customs. Terribly disappointed, Fr. Francis Xavier took the  extreme recourse available for him and he, at last, asked the Portuguese government in Portugal to introduce the most dreaded Inquisition in Goa, then a citadel of Portuguese power in India.  He urged King John the III of Portugal to set up the Inquisition in Goa  also to suppress Judaism  because Jews refused to reconvert to Roman Catholicism. There was also Jewish population present in the other colonies in the east like Cochin and Goa.
Protest in New York city in sept. 2015 asking the Pope for official apology for Goan Inquisition from the vatican Goa inquisition www.justiceforhindus.org
Thousands of devotees thronged to witness the decennial exposition of relics of St Francis Xavier at Basilica of Bom Jesus church in Old Goa.
ians.in
Fr. Francis Xavier’s embalmed remains are today kept in a silver casket inside the Bom Jesus Basilica in Goa and are taken out for public viewing every ten years. It is unfortunate that those thousands who come there to do their prayers reverentially to get his blessings had no idea whatsoever about him, who was responsible for the horrible atrocities he had let lose on the innocent people in ten of thousands, including Muslims, Jews and Hindus, many of whom were tortured to death and whose families underwent untold miseries  and pain in the loss of their loved ones.
The following are the disgusting and, nauseating facts of Goa Inquisition during the Portuguese colonial period:

01.  It is estimated that by the end of the 17th century,  the Portuguese carried out ethnic cleansing of Hindus and Muslims  who constituted  less than 20,000 people who were non-Christians out of the total Goan population of 2,50,000. Among the severely punished - 4,046, out of whom 3,034 were men and 1,012 were women.

02.  Indigenous people  were  forced to adhere to Portuguese religious beliefs, abandoning their faith.

03. The  new  Christian Missionaries from Portugal mandated that all Hindu temples be closed by 1541.

04. By 1559 Portuguese  missionaries ordered the destruction of  Hindu temples in that region. In 1567, in Bardez  300 Hindu temples  were destroyed. From 1567 on Hindu rituals, including marriages and cremations, were banned for good. Everyone above 15 years of age was compelled to listen to Christian preaching, on pain of punishment.

05. With the introduction of Goa Inquisition-religious tribunal for suppression of heresy and punishment of heretics, whose prime architect was Fr. Francis Xavier, the situation turned worse for Hindus, Muslims and also  for Jews. The latter were mostly traders.
Inquisition www.cartoonstock.com
06. Goa Inquisition was almost on par with Inquisition in Spain -1478 in terms of  gory treatment and violence let lose in the name of religion.

07. Introduced in 1560, both Indian Christians and non-Christians went through hell and mental agony caused by  Portuguese  preachers in their mother land.
A procession by the inquisition in Goa - Dominicans in the lead, victims in sanbenitos behind. From Picart's 'The Ceremonies and Religious Customs of the Idolatrous Nations' (English version, London, 1733-38). badnewsaboutchristianity.combadnewsaboutchristianity.com
08. The beautiful Goa enclave  with fine beaches and azure waters,  in particular, became a horrible place of horrors of unimaginable proportion just for the simple reason that the natives refused to accept Portuguese religious beliefs and refused to get converted under compulsion or duress to Christianity.
 
09.  Xavier commented "The Hindus are an unholy race. They are liars and cheats to the very backbone. Their idols are black—as black as black can be— ugly and horrible to look at , smeared with oil and smell in a evil manner..."
bizarrocomic.blogspot.com
10.  It is a paradox that  Francis Xavier, the devil in the guise of a priest, who forced the King of Portugal to legally introduce the Inquisition in  Goa and ordering the torture of tens of thousands of Hindus and Jews, using various innovative methods, was canonized by Pope Gregory XV in 1622.
 
11. Numerous Jewish families came to India to lead a peaceful life. Earlier they faced Inquisition in Spain and later in Portugal. They never thought the same fate would drive them to the wall here in India.

12. The preachers used many dreaded methods of torture to force the innocent people to swallow their preaching of Gospel . According to Richard Zimler, who wrote "Guardian of the Dawn" on Inquisition in Goa mentioned the missionaries used the “machinery of death” for forceful conversion.
Fr. Victor Ferrao: No Hindus in Goa before the arrival of the Portuguese Water boarding. bharatabharati.wordpress.com
religion-martyr-burning-heretic-monk-friar www.cartoonstock.com

13. Using torture, people were required to pass the ‘act of faith’ (auto-da-fe) by being stretched out on the rack.  If not they would be  burnt at the stake.
14. The following are the disgusting, brutal, inhuman punishments the faithfuls gave the gullible - tearing off the tongues,  skinning of the accused alive, blinding the victim with sharp sticks or red-hot iron spikes, pulling of the flesh of victims hard with pliers and quartering - hammering a stake hard through the body (avoiding vital organs). Not be content with the above methods they used sharp iron fork  to mangle breasts, red hot pincers to tear off flesh and red hot irons to insert up vagina and rectums.
Christian Inquisition Burning of victims - .bharatabharati.wordpress.com
15. Dismembering children limb by limb in front of their parents whose eyes were taped continued till they agreed to convert was the most cruel method used by the catholic faithfuls and they found this method very effective.

16. According to Zimler ” Over that period of 252 years, any man, woman, or child living in Goa could be arrested and tortured for simply whispering a prayer or keeping a small idol at home. Many Hindus — and some former Jews, as well — languished in special Inquisitional prisons, some for four, five, or six years at a time.”
www.pinterest.com
17. In the Portuguese colonies, the government provided incentives for baptized Christians - rice donations for the poor, good positions in the Portuguese colonies for the middle class and military support for local rulers. Missionaries of the Society of Jesus acted as agents.

18. Even before Fr. Francis Xavier's own letters about  Inquisition sent to the king, missionaries, with glee, encouraged the destruction of Hindu temples and religious artifacts.

Persecution cartoon  www.cartoonstock.com
19. The Jews who secretly practiced Judaism, feigning catholics were very much affected by Goa inquisition, in particular,  Cochin Jews who began to migrate to deeper parts of Present day Kerala for survival.

 20. The palace of Adil Shah, former ruler of Bijapur became the "palace of horror" where the Hindus who tried to flee the place with their deities were punished severely. There were special Inquisition prisons for the offenders of religion. Aleixo Dias Falcão and Francisco Marques were the ones who chose the palace as their venue to punish the apostates and heretics as well.

21. Possession of a small idol of a Hindu God, or a whispering prayer in Hebrew by the small Jewish community means serious trouble. Even Muslims had similar fate awaiting them.

22. Death awaited those non Christians or heretics  (kept in shackles by priests) who refused to give up their faith or divulge the names of those who are non Christians. Death was by strangulation or burning alive in public Acts of Faith. These atrocities continued till 1812 until inquisition was finally abolished.

23. Hindus were not allowed to have Tulsi (basil plant, considered holy by the Hindus) maadam in their houses. Brahmin's were forced to remove their tuft. The Portuguese colonial administration enacted anti-Hindu laws aimed at  encouraging conversions to Christianity. The public worship of Hindu gods was made unlawful.

24. As for converted Christians, they were forced to say the prayers in Portuguese. Indian preachers were compelled to learn Portuguese to give their services in that language, not in their mother tongue - Konkani. Konkani language faced decline.
 
25. Numerous  Gowda Saraswat Brahmins were forced to become Christians and were compelled to follow the western diets. Consequently numerous converted  Gowda Saraswat Brahmins migrated to Mangalore (in Karnataka) and other regions. The Hindu  Gowda Saraswat Brahmins, who escaped the religious persecution, also  moved over to southern Canara. Part of the community moved farther down to Kochi and settled down there in places like Mattancherry..

26. Francis Buchanan, a Scottish physician, who visited Canara in 1801, in his book, 'A Journey from Madras through the Countries of Mysore, Canara and Malabar (1807)',  stated that " Goan Christians - roughly 8000 left Goa, came and settled in South Canara at the invitation of the King of Bednore.
In 1664 and later, the Maratha rulers' invasions also one of the causes of exodus of Indian Christians. The Marathas were under the wrong impression that the native Christians were hostile to the Hindu population and forced them to convert to Christianity.

28. The inquisition was headed by a judge from Portugal who was answerable to (and only to) the General Counsel of the Lisbon Inquisition. He handed down  punishments in line with the Rules that governed that Inquisition. The Inquisition was used as an instrument of social control,aiming at spreading Christian faith as followed by the Portugueseand  Inquisition proceedings were conducted in secret.

29. Because of secrecy maintained by the Inquisition council and subsequent destruction of the records, numerous instances of atrocities inflicted by the Portuguese God men were not brought to light.

 30. Da Fonseca  recorded the violence and brutality of the inquisition. He mentioned the need for hundreds of prison cells to accommodate the accused.  Those convicted of lesser crimes had  to work in  ship galleys and gunpowder factories.

31. Hindus were not allowed to enter the capital city on horseback or palanquins. Nor were they allowed to keep Hindu God's images or idols at home. Christians were instructed not to employ Hindus for any purpose. Violations against the royal orders resulted in imprisonment.

32. Viceroy António de Noronha issued an order which applied to the entire area under Portuguese rule:
 "I hereby order that in any area owned by my master, the king, nobody should construct a Hindu temple and such temples already constructed should not be repaired without my permission. If this order is transgressed, such temples shall be, destroyed and the goods in them shall be used to meet expenses of holy deeds, as punishment of such transgression."

33. In 1620, legislation was passed prohibiting  the Hindus from performing weddings. At the instigation of  Franciscans, the Portuguese Viceroy  banned the use of Konkani in 1684,  decreeing that within three years, the local people should speak the Portuguese tongue and use it in all their dealings in Portuguese territories. If not obeyed, people will face imprisonment.
 
34. Those who persistently refused to give up their ancient Hindu practices were declared apostates or heretics and condemned to death. In 1736, over 42 Hindu practices were prohibited.

35. The Inquisition did not leave the  local Jews and Syrian Christians in Kerala, representatives of an early Christian tradition older than Roman Catholicism, that survives today as the Jacobite Christianity. In 1599 the Synod of Diamper authorized the forceful conversion of the "Syriac Saint Thomas Christians."St. Thomas established the first seven and half churches in the coastal Kerala way back in 52 AD. The St. Thomas Christians also became the victims of Goa Inquisition because Syriac Christians later swore the "Coonan Cross Oath," severing relations with the Catholic Church.

Ref:

https://arisebharat.com/2014/06/06/goa-inquisition-was-most-merciless-and-cruel/

Salomon, H. P. and Sassoon, I. S. D., in Saraiva, Antonio Jose. The Marrano Factory. The Portuguese Inquisition and Its New Christians, 1536–1765 (Brill, 2001), pp. 345–7.

http://pt.scribd.com/doc/28411503/Goa-Inquisition-for-Colonial-Disciplining

T. R. de Souza. "The Goa Inquisition". VG Web. Retrieved 1 November 2012.

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Goa Inquisition and Indian christians' ordeal - Portuguese colonial period.

March 20, 2016, 7:10 pm
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.Banniere de l'Inquisition de Goa.. tvaraj.com
limits of religion and patriotism. www.cagle.com
According to the Chronista de Tissuary (Chronicles of Tiswadi), the last auto de fé was held in Goa on 7 February 1773, many of the newly converted Goan Catholic ancestors of the present Mangalorean Catholic community fled Goa because of the Goa Inquisition introduced by the Portuguese in 1560. Based on strong recommendations given by  Fr. Francis Xavier, King Sebastian of Portugal decreed that every trace of Indian customs be eradicated through the Inquisition. Fr. Xavier came to the Portuguese colonies in India in the 16th century mainly to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ among the native whom he considered unrefined humans and lacked proper standard religion and divinity. 

 But many Christians of Goa were ethnically attached to some of their ancient Indian customs and refused to abandon them. Those, who adamantly refused to comply with the rules laid down by the Inquisition, were forced to leave Goa and to settle outside the Portuguese dominion. About 7,000 of them (mostly Saraswat Brahmins) fled Goa. Most migrated to South Canara in what is called the "First Wave of Migration

 Orthodox Hindus never wear  slippers while praying before the deity on the temple premises or any other places of worship. They leave them at the entrance of the temple. At weddings, even to day, indigenous practices such as  use of a variety of flowers, betel leaves and are-ca nuts, playing Indian instruments and drums,  wedding costumes, jewelry for both brides and grooms etc are ceremoniously and strictly followed. Likewise many Christians even today do follow many of these customs. Brides do  wear typical Indian Saree at the  solemnization of wedding in the Church.
Hindu Genocide in Goa Inquisitionagniveerfan.wordpress.com
At catholic churches both Christians and Hindus bring in flower garlands to be offered to Holy Mother Mary and do prayers by holding two hands in supplication. Many prostrate before the alter - a sort of complete surrender to the lotus feet of the Almighty be it Krishna or Christ, the messenger of God, for His grace, guidance and  blessing during the turbulent period. Another Hindu custom is tonsuring of head, a typical Hindu custom as a token of gratitude or an expression of thanks  to the deity for having fulfilled their prayer; example: fixing of marriage, property disputes, business deals, severe ailments, etc. On completion one year, young parents take their babies to their family deity for tonsure so that the baby will have a healthy, peaceful and prosperous life. Christians  do follow this custom with religious fervor without fail. For centuries this tradition has been in practice.  

Many Orthodox Indian Christians reverentially keep the statue of Christ or Mary at  home and do daily prayer.  Lots of staunch Indian Christians undertake  annual long ''pada yatra'' - walking barefoot covering  100 km plus to well-known churches  under scorching sun to attend important, holy annual events to express their thanks for fulfilling their prayer. Thus here in India Christians do follow lots of typical indigenous customs without compromising on the true Christian spirit and tradition as prescribed by the religious authorities. 

The moral behind the Indian ceremonial customs associated with temples and prayers is  ''steadfast faith, commitment and  ''Vairagia''- firm determination  are essential for man's success in his arduous life long journey.

Francis Buchanan, a Scottish physician, when he visited Canara in 1801, in his book, 'A Journey from Madras through the Countries of Mysore, Canara and Malabar (1807),'  stated that " Goan Christians - roughly 8000 left Goa,came and settled in South Canara at the invitation of the King of Bednore."
In 1664 and later, the Maratha rulers invasions also one of the causes of exodus of Indian Christians.

 The "Second Wave of Migration"1571 took place  because of attacks by the Sultan of Bijapur and the  third wave of migration took place in the 1600s to escape from horrors of inquisition. In 1664 and later the Maratha rulers's invasions also one of the causes of exodus of Indian Christians. From the Bardez district of Goa, Jesuit priests estimated that 12,000 Christians migrated to the South of Goa between 1710–1712. A Goa Government report of 1747 recorded that around 5,000 Christians fled to South Canara from the Bardez and Tiswadi districts of Goa during the invasion of the Marathas. It was estimated that during the Maratha raids on Goa, about 60,000 Christians migrated to South Canara. In the later years, the migration slowed because of the 
Maratha-Mogul wars, which kept Sambhaji busy, and some 10,000 Christians returned to Goa. Some of the Hindu rulers were against the missionaries because of their attitude towards locals and their approach to conversion under force and inducements to entice the natives.

Historian Severine Silva reasons that the fact that these Catholics who fled the Inquisition did not abandon their Christian  faith because they simply wanted to observe their traditional Hindu customs along with their  new-found Catholic practices.

In 1787, encouraged and inspired  by the French Revolution, several Goan Catholic priests, unhappy with the methods  of promotion within the Church and other open discriminatory practices of the Portuguese,  revolted against  them. The ''Pinto Revolt,''though  unsuccessful  and failed to get the attention of the Portuguese,  the first ever open revolt against the theocratic Portuguese rulers from within Goa. Subsequently Britain gained control of Goa - first  in 1797–1798 and the second time from 1802–1813. In 1843, the capital was moved to Panjim and later Portuguese influence was on the decline.


 Inquisitions were used by the Portuguese  as a deterrent  to prevent defection back to other faiths and the result was counter productive and had  far reaching implications. Though the Christian converts followed the Hindu customs in the privacy of their home such as greeting people with nameste, growing Tulsi plant or sacred basil, dress, wedding music, method of prayer, etc they were more loyal to the Christian faiths than the Europeans themselves who threw to the winds the true Christian spirit of compassion, love and brotherhood. 

Inquisition. tackk.com
During Goan Inquisition in 1784 Indian Jesuits were not allowed to carry out their preaching activities in local language  - Konkani. They were punished severely for using the local language in church prayers and services. They wanted Indian natives to become  westernized  following Portuguese way of life in every aspect. They were compelled to use Portuguese as their main tongue and follow their customs like western music, diet, drinks, etc. Indian jesuits who violate the restrictions were given severe punishment. Thus, many customs were suppressed and Goans were forced to become  became
Test of patience, Christian inquisitionbiasedbbc.org
"Westernized" to some degree as a Catholic elite who came to see themselves as a "cultivated branch of a global Portuguese civilization. People, renamed after conversion were not permitted to use their original Hindu names. 

The Goa Inquisition impacted  the  local Jews and Syrian Christians in Kerala during that period. The Syrian Christians were  representatives of an early Christian tradition older than Roman Catholicism, that survives today as the "Jacobite Christianity". In 1599 the Synod of Diamper authorized the forceful conversion of the "Syriac Saint Thomas Christians." St. Thomas established the first seven and half churches in the coastal Kerala way back in 52 AD. The St. Thomas Christians were also haunted by the Portuguese religious fanatics because Syriac Christians later swore the "Coonan Cross Oath," severing relations with the Catholic Church.

Thre is a small community of Gowda saraswath Brahmins settled in the Kochi area. They came to this place during ethnic cleansing in Goa. They establishe a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the families now live near the temple.

Ref: 
Historian Alfredo de Mello describes the performers religion of Christ.l". Rediff. 14 September 2005. Retrieved 14 April 2009.    
http://pt.scribd.com/doc/28411503/Goa-Inquisition-for-Colonial-Disciplining

 "Recall the Goa Inquisition to stop the Church from crying foul". Rediff (India). 16 March 1999.

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Famous St. Sebastian's feast and St Andrew's Basilica, Kerala

March 21, 2016, 1:45 am
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St. Sebastian's Church, Arthankal, Kerala  www.keralatourism.org
Arthunkal, a coastal town and a major pilgrim center in the southern Indian state of Kerala, 43 kilometer south of Cochin city (21 kilometer north of Alleppey city) in the Alleppey district,  is one of the  important pilgrimage  centers in Kerala  and is being visited by lots of people. The main attraction here is the church, dedicated to saint patron St. Sebastian. 

The famous St. Sebastian's feast at  St Andrew's   Basilica  is celebrated on a grand scale from 10 to 27 January every year with great fanfare, reverence and devotion and people across the state actively participate in the feast. The attraction here is the colorful  procession of the saint in a  well decorated palanquin from the church to the  near-by beach and back to the church and is well attended by the ardent devotees. On the 18th early morning   before the Saint's procession, the Church gates are open and like wise  on 27 January midnight the church doors are closed and the St. Sebastian's statue is safely  kept in  the safe locker in the room near Vicar's office on the Church premises.  A small statue of the saint is placed there for 40 days for the benefit of devotees. This marks the end of the Arthunkal Perunnal.  According to Church record in 2009, more than 1.5 lakh persons performed the bow and arrow 'nercha'- this part of prayer.  This tradition has been in practice for a pretty long time. Believe it or not more than 200,000 people visit this holy place for prayer and blessings from the saint. 20th January is the final day of the feast and the church authorities conduct mini feast  called  'Ettam perunnal'on the 8th day after the main feast.
St. Sebastian's Church, Arthunkal, Kerala  en.wikipedia.org
Yet another feature that is worthy of mention is the visit by thousands of Hindu devotees returning from  the  near by Sabarimalai Ayyappa  Swami temple. Not only do they bathe in the church tank, but also pray in the church before resuming their home journey.  In the church,  they with devotion, remove the Hacocarpus bead chains at the altar and  the  Hindus believe that Ayyappan and St. Sebastian are brothers. This  brings out the secular nature of the communities  of different faiths that live in religious harmony here.
St. Sebastian's Church. Arthunkal.bizhat.com
Not only do the devotees  visit this Church  for intense prayer to be free  from many family, civil problems, etc  that  cause them lots of mental agony,  but also to fulfill  their vow and express their gratitude to the Almighty  for answering their prayers. People with mental disorders come here and get cured, it is believed, after their prayers here for a particular period of time. On the evening of 26th of January, dedicated devotees undertake the difficult task of  crawling on their knees called   Nirangu Nercha from the beach - roughly one kilometer to the Church or roll their body on the ground  known as  Urul nercha' (as  devout Hindus do it in the temples called Anga Pradhakshanam), carrying the nercha material (Ambum Villum; bow and arrow) in hands. To accomplish such prayer, the devotees need lots of 'Vairagya' or intense commitment and focus to fulfill the religious task undertaken by them, without compromising on the religious significance and certain norms.

Initially this place of veneration was  a chapel in 1569  with thatched roof made of coconut palm leaves, named after St. Thomas.  In 1581 Italian Fr. Gasper Pious S.J.  “Ishosabha” monk was instrumental in constructing a church here after getting necessary permission from the local Hindu ruler. The Hindus who lived in large numbers made valuable contribution by way of offering cash for the building the church. Even before the feast day of St. Andrews (November 30) the church building was completed with wood and palm leaves. It was first church at Arthunkal and was named after St. Andrew’s.  The Portuguese missionaries established "Santharthre mission" and forced the Marthomite Christians to accept the Latin rite.   

It was Fr. Jaicomo Fenicio, an Italian preacher  became the parish priest in the year 1584. He  founded the  real architect of the Christian society at Arthunkal. Fr. Jaicomo Fenicio got permission from the king to build the new church using stones   to protect the church from battles and robbers. It was successfully completed it in 7 years. After Fr Fenicio was transferred to Kozhikode in 1579, eight priests took charge in succession. In the year 1647 the statue of St. Sebastian was brought from Milan,Italy and placed here. In 18th Century, the church was taken charge by Carmelite missionaries from Jesuit missionaries.

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