Navrang India

Tipu Sultan's tomb, Srirangapatna. alamy.com

Ever since the Siddaramaiah led congress coalition government announced the celebration of Tipu Jayanthi on 10 Nov. 2015 (165th birth anniversary), the great warrior, whose state emblem was Tiger has become a subject of perpetual controvercy. Though he ruled Mysore for 16 long years, no doubt, he proved that he was one of the best warriors in the Indian subcontinent. Tipu put the breaks on the expansion of the East India Company that ripped of so many Maharajahs and Nawabs in the north and scooped up their lands along with valuable jewelry. Consequently, they had difficulty in getting full control over the southern region. Considering Tipu as a poisonous thorn, the British made all out efforts to get rid of him at any cost.

Tipu Sultan oneindia.com

The grudge of the people of Karnataka was that the Congress-led govt. as usual, was adding fuel to the peaceful communal situation in the state by raising the bogey of Tipu Jayanthi to get Muslim's vote. Just like this year, in 2015 many parts of Karnataka were reeling under drought; potable water was a problem in many places. The nathas were not concerned about the gripping water problem and the hardship being faced by the people across the state, What they did was to divert the attention of the people, now, they were trying to open the Pandor's box by kicking up controversy over the birth anniversary of Tip. What these Congress and other parties had been doing prior to 2015 about Tipu? Did they ever allot funds to restore the rooting monuments left behind by Tipu?

Tipu Sultan remains a controvercial figure as far as his secular credentials are concerned. The history records are not clear about Tipu's right dealing with people of other faiths. Some historians say, part of the stories were cooked up by the wily British to whom Tipu was a source of trouble. The head of Gurupura Vajradehi Mutt mentioned why the govt wanted to celebrate Tipu jayanthi (Nov. 10) in the midst of opposition from various quarters. The seer said, “The priority of Siddaramaiah government is not to solve people’s problems. Instead this government wants to celebrate birth anniversaries of controversial historical figures,” . Further he stated, “Tipu Sultan was an intolerant ruler. He was responsible for the destruction of several temples''. Robert Rosario, member of United Christian Association (UCA), Mangaluru, said that Tipu Sultan was a controversial ruler; he was responsible for destruction of many churches in the Coastal region during his rule. He also committed atrocities on Christians. On November 6, 2015 UCA held a protest outside the deputy commissioner’s office in Mangalore against Tipu along with some Hindu organization

Tipu Sultan oneindia.com

On the other side of the coin, many people felt that Tipu was tolerant toward the Hindus and had awarded grants to many temple. His massacre of MandhyamAyyangars and imprisonment of a large section of Mangalore Christians are, no doubt, aberrations in his otherwise effective rule. That Tipu had never touched the Sri Ranganathar temple opposite to his fort at Srirangapatna is itself a proof that he respected the Hindus.

Tomb of Tipu Sultan youtube.com

The Gumbaz at Srirangapatna, Mandya district, India, Muslim mausoleum is in the middle of a well landscaped garden. Here lie the graves of Tipu Sultan, his father Hyder Ali, and his mother Fakr-Un-Nisa. Built by Tipu Sultan to house the graves of his parents, the British allowed Tipu' burial here after his death in the Siege of Srirangapatna in 1799.................................

A survey done a few years ago pointed out: 44 per cent of the people in Karnataka opposed the decision of the Congress government to observe Tipu Jayanti. Only 32 per cent said that they supported the decision of the Congress on this issue. 44 per cent were opposed to it. However, 58 per cent Muslims said that they were in favour of the celebrations. The Karnataka High Court refused to stay the Tipu Jayanthi celebrations to be held on 10th Nov. 2017 by the Karnataka Govt. Vote bank politics drove our power-hungry nethas to stir the Hornet's nest. Caught in the murky politics is Tipu Sultan who will be waken up from his eternal and peaceful sleep and turning in his grave every time his birth anniversary comes up for celebrations.
https://www.oneindia.com/india/where-does-karnataka-stand-tipu-jayanti-majority-give-a-thumb-down-2677821.html?utm_source=articlepage-Slot1-2&utm_medium=dsktp&utm_campaign=similar-topic-slider
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/tipu-responsible-for-destruction-of-temples/article7853765.ece

The story of Col William Baillie is a sad tale of a good English officer who had to spend a large part of his precious life in prison and die unsung in captivity at Tipu Sultan's fort, Srirangapatna, Karnataka.

Plaque of the William Baillie Memorial, Seringapatam.wikipedia.org

William Baillie (died 1782) started his career in the East India Company's Military division. Records in the India Office point out that he joined the army of the English Company on 18 October 1759 as a lieutenant in the infantry at Madras

William Baillie Memorial, Seringapatamen.wikipedia.org

As a good military officer, it was natural he got promotion periodically and by December 1775 he became lieutenant-colonel, indeed a covetous position in those days. Working under Colonel Joseph Smith after gaining experience as commandant of one of the three 'English' battalions in the pay of the company his battalion had to conduct operations against Hyder Ali of Mysore Kingdom in 1767–8(Wilks, Hist. Sketches, vol. i. and index to work).

The French had a big settlement in Podicherry, S.India and in 1779 he lead his army against the French and destroyed their works, etc. In 1780 he successfully conducted operations in in the Northern Circars (part of Andhra Pradesh). On this expedition he headed a detached force, consisting of two companies of European infantry, two batteries of artillery, and five battalions of native infantry,

Srirangapatna, Baillie's dungeon, plaque at the entrance. abhinavagarwal.net

Above image: This slab is at the entrance to the dungeon. It reads:"In this dungeon were confined for many years the British officers taken prisoner by Tipu Sultan................................

Srirangapatna fort, the dungeon -meant for POWS panoramio.com

In July 1780, Hyder Ali's army of 100,00 well-trained soldiers came down to the Carnatic to attack the English army. It was second Angelo-Mysore war. The English army at Madras was alerted. The Carnatic region was ruled by a Nawab, an alley of the English. Col. Baillie was ordered to move his army toward St. Thomas Mount near Madras to join with that of Gen. Sir Hector Munro who saw action in the Battle of Buxar in Bengal where he fought with three armies and came out victorious. Munro had an army of roughly 5200 men, exclusive of European troops, grenadiers and highlanders. Moving a big army with camp facilities and other paraphernalia in those days was a tough job and it resulted in delays. Baillie, close to Madras defeated a division of Tipu Sultan, Hyder's son. Tipu's army attacked him on the march near the village of Perambaukum in the 4th week of August 1780. Col. Baillie, anticipating a tough battle, sent a message to Munro, who was camping at Conjeveram, a distance of 14 miles. Munro did not want his stores exposed at Conjeveram, so he sent a small reinforcement of Highlanders, grenadiers and sepoys under Colonel Fletcher.

Baillie, made a wrong move by marching forward from Pollilur toward Conjeveram and on the morning of 10 September 1780, found himself confronted by Hyder Ali's army. In the pitched battle with no additional enforcement, col. Baillie could not make any offencive move. Hyder's men fought ferociously and several English men were either killed or severely wounded. Col Fletcher died here. The survivors, including some of the wounded were taken as prisoners, and carried off to Seringapatam. Among the number grievously wounded was Colonel Baillie, who fought bravely at Pollilur.

Baillie's dungeon, Srirangapatna. commons.wikimedia.org

The East India company;s officers and soldiers were in the prisons at Seringapatnam. The prisons were nothing but dungeons with no proper ventilation and at night it was just horrible. The pathetic thing was the POWs were in chains all the time until 1784 when the English Army took control of this place. When the fortress fell to British arms on 4 May 1799, the prisoners saw the day light for the first time . Among the 200 POWs, Captain David Baird, 73rd (71st) Highlanders and Col Lindsay. The former was in pain and limping and latter in poor health reached Madras on 17 April 1784. As for brave Colonel Baillie, his sufferings were too much andhe died in captivity on 13 November 1782 (Hook's Life of Baird,vol. i.).

It was Lt Col John Baillie who was William Baillie's nephew, and who served as the British Resident in the Court of the Nawab of Oudh, Lucknow, commissioned a memorial for Col. Baillie. It is located next to the Gumbaz, where Tippu Sultan is buried. The memorial came up 17 years after the fall of Tippu Sultan in 1799.

The underground dungeons are close Ranganatha Swamy temple, and Lal Mahal Palace. They measure 30.5 mts length and 12.2 mts breadth and is made of brick and lime mortar. When Tipu put the POWS in the dungeons, for which it was built, prisoners were chained to the stone slabs fixed on the walls andthe place was then filled half-way with water.

Surrounded by a deep moat there was no escape for the prisoners from this hell hole. The the dungeon was named after Colonel Bailey because he was an inmate here till his painful death. British officers like Captain Baird, Colonel Brith White, Sampson, Frozen and Lindsay were locked-up here for a pretty long period.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Baillie_(East_India_Company_officer)

once owned by Mysore Maharajah, 1911 RR Silver Phantom Wacky race car cartoon hotink.com

The English auction houses, often put some interesting items - pretty old artifacts, rare jewelry of valuable diamonds, etc for auction and invariably such auctions are meant for aristocrats or the rich who are wallowing in money and do not know how to spend it. The items from India always attract a large gathering of affluent community whose obsession is buying rare antique items or something exotic to boost their status in the society. In August 2011, a valuable item went under hammer. It was neither the dazzling diamond from the Golconda mines nor stone-crusted beautiful box of an Indian prince. It was something unique - a100-year-old Rolls-Royce built for an Indian prince and was set to fetch £400,000.

A customised 1911 Silver Ghost owned by the Maharajah of Mysore dailymail.co.uk

What is so special about this old RR model? The Silver Phantom is a custom made English car. It included a colourful umbrella, reminiscent of flashy Penelope Pitstop from classic cartoon Wacky Races. It was ordered by none other than Krishna Raja Wodeyar IV, Maharajah of Mysore who was worth 35 billion pounds in 1940!! I believe, he was the second richest man in the world then. What was the purpose of this special addition? The Maharajah, being humane and considerate, wanted his travelling servants to be shielded from the scorching tropical sun. Can you imagine whether the English Royal family members or any aristocratic English family would be generous enough to care for their servants' health and come up with something to make them feel at home? Maharajah's Silver Ghost 40/50hp Six Cylinder car, in possession of a private collector, was auctioned by Bonhams at the Goodwood Revival meeting on September 16. 2011. It was tagged as the "best car in the world".

Maharajah Krishna Raja Wodeyar IV dailymail.co.uk

'Rolls-Royce company, England started building their 40/50hp Six Cylinder model in 1907, and it quickly came to be called as the "Silver Ghost". This was a reference to the company's own silver-painted trials car, which earned the name for its pace and silence in operation. Vintage car collectors know the value of RR cars and even to day there has been a keen desire among them to acquire what they consider to be a "full set" of pre-war Silver Ghosts, one from each production year.' A second Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, dating from 1908, was on sale as it was one of only four surviving examples from that year and was restored in the 1990s.

Wacky race car cartoon hotink.com

Maharajah Krishna Raja Wodeyar would always order RR cars multiples of seven in one go and would pay ready cash across the cash counter. In the company, 'doing a Mysore' became by-word for placing bulk orders. This 1911 Rolls-Royce Silver Phantom owned by the Maharajah of Mysore was in his large garage of foreign cars for a particular period. Krishna Raja Wodeyar IV was the 24th ruler from the Wodeyar dynasty, which ruled Mysore in south-west India from 1399 to the country's unification in 1947. He was called 'Rajarshi' - 'Saintly King' - by Mahatma Gandhi. For some time the Mysore kingdom came under the control of Hyder Ali and Tipu. After the defeat of Tipu in 1799, the kingdom was restoted to the Wodeyar family.

In the colonial period prior tp 1947, it was because of the filthy rich Indian rulers who patronized luxury Rolls-Royces, the English car company became popular across the globe. At one point of time before freedom in 1947, the Indian rulers had more than 900 RRs to take care of their needs. Included were the specially designed RR cars that were built sturdily to meet Maharajahs needs on hunting missions with the British Bobs. Some were designed to carry cricketing gear.Their sturdy construction helped the drivers negotiate the tricky terrains in the subcontinent. The Indian rulers alone accounted for 20% of RR company's production. The 1911 model was called 'Victoria'.by the Maharajah who had very close rapport with the British govt. Critics say the decor on RR is more suitable for for Penelope Pitstop from TV's Wacky Races.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2031237/The-Penelope-Pitstop-maharajas-Indian-royals-400-000-cartoon-like-Rolls-Royce

major and commissioner of delhi William Fraser, 1806 paintingen.wikipedia.org

Bahadur Shah Zafar (24 October 1775-7 November 1862) being the last Mughal emperor had his  authority limited only to the walled city of Old Delhi (Shahjahanbad). He became the successor to his father, Akbar II, upon his death on 28 September 1837 and was just a nominal Emperor. The East India company, soon after putting down the Great Indian rebellion of 1857 took over Delhi and thus the Mogul rule came to an end. Prior to that rebellion William Fraser was a Resident Agent to the Governor General of India and Commissioner of the Delhi Territory.  During his reign William Fraser (1784 -22 March 1835)  acted as a link between the English company and the last Mogul ruler. His residence was close to the St. George church.

On Sunday evening the 22nd March 1835 about half past 7 o’clock , an unexpected event took place William Fraser was shot dead close to his residence. This incident took place when he was  returning home after visiting Maharajah Kulleean Singh Chief of Kishengurh, then residing in Delhi. It was an important ceremony at the Majharajah's place. The assassin was one Kurreem Khan a well-known Marksman and was hired by the Nawab Shumsooddeen Khan of Ferozepoor to kill the British officer.
The Assassin, as planned before, rode up in the rear of his victim and when he was on target and close by used the carbine gun and pumped-in its contents. It was an instantaneous death for Fraser. One slug went through his body while two others penetrated almost to the other side of the body.  Kurreem Khan was executed on the 26th August and the Newab on the 8th of the following Month. At the trial both were found guilt of killing a high-ranking English officer.

Tomb of William Fraser at St. James' Church, Delhi,

The killing of a good British officer took countless people in Delhi - both natives and Europeans by surprice. Because like many British officers he was much influenced by the Indo-Mogul culture and had a taste for arts and culture. Besides a good admirer of Mogul poet, Ghalib, he also commissioned famed art work called as''the Fraser Album''. It includes countless works by well-known artists of Mogul era. The fine artwork covers the life during the Mogul period which is quite beneficial to the posterity as the present is relevent to the past era.

Being an agent to the Governor General, William Fraser, in 1814 accompanied the Army under the Command of the late Major General Sir Robert Rolls Gillespie K.C.B. The army was engaged against the Hill Fortress of Kalunga. Fraser voluntarily took part in the military operations and, on two occasions, severely wounded. It was the Marquis of Hastings K.G. Governor General and Commander in Chief in India soon afterwards conferred on William Fraser the rank of Major in the First Regiment of Irregular Horse. This regiment was a famous one commanded by none other than Colonel James Skinner CB (1778 - 4 December 1841); an Anglo-Indian mercenary in India), a true friend. Fraser took part in the siege of Bhurtpoor in 1826. Peace was restored there after successful military operations.

St. James Church, Delhi. slideshare.net

Fraser's mortal remains were first interred in the Burial Ground within the city but later removed to within the area surrounding St. James Church by Col. James Skinner C.B. A suitable monument was erected worthy of him. His epitaph, written by Skinner, reads as follows:

‘The remains interred beneath this monument were once animated, by as brave, and sincere a soul, as was ever vouch saved to man, by his creator! A brother in friendship, has caused it to be erected that when his own frame is dust it may remain as a memorial for those, who can participate in lamenting, the sudden and melancholy loss of one, dear to him as life. William Fraser. Died 22nd March 1835.’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Skinner_(East_India_
Company_officer)
https://delhistory.wordpress.com/tag/william-fraser/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Fraser_(British_India_civil_servant)

cliparts.co

That sitting for long periods of time is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and early death is a fact known to many. The sedentary life has become part of modern life and at offices and banks, employees work 8 to 10 hrs minimum daily and much time is spent before the computer. At home non-working Indian women folks sit before the TV and watch the tear-jerking soap operas at noon and get carried away when they see cliff-hangers late in the evening in which elderly family women have become vicious vigilantes.

askideas.com

Increasing number of research works on sedentary life and cardiac conditions point out that those who are sedentary -- especially those who sit for long, uninterrupted periods of time -- have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Since the sedentary habits vary among people, correct conclusion is difficult to make. African Americans, Europeans and Asians have different sedentary habits and you can not draw a line with respect to risk factors as the cardiac conditions of certain ethnic groups vis-a-vis sedentary habits may not show the same results.

Good news for the folks, a new study suggests the possibility that not all types of sitting are equally unhealthy.

The study, led by the researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physiciansand Surgeons conducted a detailed study on more than 3,500 participants to find out the link between leisure-time sitting (while watching TV; not sitting at work) and the risk of heart disease and death. The study concluded that moderate-to-vigorous exercise will help people reduce or eliminate the harmful effects of sedentary television watching.

running-info.com

Based on a new study of roughly 3550 plus African Americans in Jackson, MS who watched TV 2 to 4 hrs daily, it was concluded that those who watched the most TV-viewing hours (4 or more hours a day) had a 50% greater risk of cardiovascular events and death compared to those who watched the least amount of TV (less than 2 hours a day). In contrast, those who sat the most at work had the same health risks as those who sat the least.

Moderate to vigorous physical activity -such as brisk walking or aerobic exercises will reduce the risk of heart attacks, stroke, or death in the case people who are glued to TV for a long time. . However, the study found no higher risk of heart attack, stroke, or death was seen in those who sat before TV for 4 or more hours a day and engaged in 150 minutes or more of exercise a week.

According research author to Keith M. Diaz, PhD, assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University and a certified exercise physiologist, "Our findings show that how you spend your time outside of work may matter more when it comes to heart health. He says if you have long-hour sedentary job, if you have strenuous exercise schedule, this could reduce cardiac risks. In an early study, Diaz found that excessive sitting is linked to worse health problems and even more so when sitting occurs in lengthy, uninterrupted bouts. Source: Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Date June 26, 2019)

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190626125045.htm

(The study was published online today in the Journal of the American Heart Association).

Evoor Sri Krishna Swamy temple, kerala. en.wikipedia.org

The Hindu temple at Evoor called Major Sri Krishnaswamy temple is close to the famous snake temple at Haripad town, Alappuzha, Kerala. The main deity is Sri Krishna and this place of worship is said to be five millennium years old following Khandava Dahanam. However, the present structure was completed in the 19th century by the ruler Moolam Thirunal, Maharajah of the Indian state of Travancore between 1885 and 1924, succeeding his uncle Maharajah Visakham Thirunal (1880–1885). Owing to a freak fire accident at the temple, Srikovil (sanctum) suffered damages and the idol was safely recovered from the burning embers and saved, The ruler Moolam Thirunal was on a visit to Kasi (Varanasi) and he had a dream in which he was asked to rebuild the temple at Evoor. Upon his return, he took immediate steps to rebuild the temple at Evoor and completed it in a given time.

Bow of Arjuna findmessages.com

The idol of Sri Krishna is Vishnu with four arms with Panchajanya Shankha, Sudarshana Chakra and butter in three hands and the fourth arm held on hip. Unlike many Vishnu temples, here Raktha-pushpanjali is a special offering.

Evoor Sri Krishna Swamy temple, kerala keralatemples.info

As I have mentioned in my many posts on the Hindu temples that every temple has an isthalapuranam - genesis of the temple. This temple at Evoor has a unique legend. Agni ( it is a Sanskrit word meaning fire, and connotes the Vedic fire god of Hinduism. He is also the guardian deity of the southeast direction, and is found in southeast corners of Hindu temples), the sub-god

God Agni (fire) and his vahana ''Ram'' otussculpture.com

of fire having consumed clarified butter nonstop for twelve long years from Swetaki'sYagja, developed severe stomach ailment. His father lord Brahma, one of the Trinity gods, advised him to consume the Khandava forest, the abode of Takshaka, the Naga leader and friend of Indra. This forest contained herbal plants shrubs, etc that could relieve stomach related problems. Whenever Agni wanted to consume the forest, he had a hurdle. Demi-god of rain, Indra, with his thunder showers would stop him and Agni's stomach ailment remained uncured. When Agni approached Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers (in Mahabharata), and lord Krishna for help, they immediately agreed.

Arjuna's bow. pinterest.com

Demi-god Agni armed Arjuna with the mighty bow Gandiva, the bow of Lord Shiva himself.  Kanva Maharishi, a learned saint had been living in the Khandava forest and worshipping an Arca moorthy (a four handed idol of Vishnu) and upon knowing of the purpose of the visit of Arjuna and Sri Krishna, he requested both to spare the Arca idol. Arjuna built a Sarakoodam to shelter Agni so that Agni could devour the forest under it. As for Agni, he was cured of the ailment and at the same time the saint's idol was saved. Grateful as he was, Agni, wanted to install Arca moorthy in a new temple there to facilitate worship. As instructed by Sri Krishna, Arjuna shot an arrow to determine an auspicious location for the proposed temple. The place where the arrow landed was Evoor. Evoor is a corrupt form of Eythoor (place where arrow was shot).
Krishna performed Prana-Pratishta of the idol in the new temple and Arjuna performed the first pooja. The other deities that are enshrined here are Bhoothanathaswamy (Kiratha Murthy form of Lord Shiva) and Yakshi Amma ( Devi Parvathy). The names of the adjacent places such as  Karippuzha (kari means char), Pathiyoor (courruption of Kathiya Oor-place that burnt), Pandavarkavu, Mannarasala, Kannamangalam (Kanva-Mangalam Kanva's abode) and the  remains of burned trees in the locality corroborate the legend.
Makara Ulsava (utchavam/ festival) in  Evoor temple is popular and it is a 10 day function, starting on the first day of makara. Like other festival this one begins with with the hosting of Garuda printed flag. The ulsava (utchava) days 6,7,8 are sponsored by three karas on at a time. On the ninth day there
will be Kala-kettu (decorated effigies of Bulls). The ulsava comes to an end with Aaraattu (Holy Bath of the idol in the
near-by river ) after that the flag is lowered and the deity is taken to Pallikkuruppu (Holy Sleep; in Tamil Palliarrai).
Evoor temple is near the Cheppad Railway station (Between Kayamkulam and Harippad) and on NH-47. It is on the coastal railway route.Nearest bus stations are Kayamkulam (7km north) and Harippad (5km south).

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

Nawab Siraj-ud daulah,/en.wikipedia.

Do you know the 2nd of July marks the 262nd death anniversary of Nawab Siraj-ud daulah, the man who was a semi independent ruler of Bengal in the 1700s. In the 18th century, the Mogul empire having become weak and on the decline, the governors of certain provinces under them became independent rulers and ran the kingdom on their own. Nawab Siraj was one among them, taking care the entire Bengal (incluing Bangladesh) and other parts The income from the vast fertile province was substantial. Upon the death of his grand father Nawab Alivardi Khan, the responsibility to run the state fell on 23 year old Siraj. Murshidabad was the capital of the Bengal Nawabs then and they had their own mints there.

Clive and Mir Jafer after Plassey war.en.wikipedia.org

Above image: Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, meeting with Jafar, uncle of Nawab Siraj after war at Plassey, Paintings by:Francis Hayman. Clive, it is said, received over two million rupees, Watts, another British conspirator over one million rupees. ...............

In any ruling royal family, be it Maharajah's, Nawab's or a European ruler's, the crucial matter of succession to the throne is a big issue, obviously the royal palace and related places with regal influence, are rife with conspiracies, treason an betrayals. Such decent is part of royal life and the ruler has to tackle this menace carefully in the midst of enjoying the trappings that go with this coveted position. Invariably, the life of a royal head is a tough one wrought with dangers within the family as well as from outside.

Bengal old map. i.pinimg.com

In the case of ruler Siraj, he had adversaries, at the same time, both within his big royal family as well outside. Being independent and not flexible, Siraj earned the ire of his close relatives when he brought about certain changes in the administration. The promotion of Mir Mardan as pay master or Bakshi angered his uncle and chief of army Mir Jafer. Siraj also promoted Mohanlal, a loyal officer as Diwan. This move by the Nawab irritated one Jagat Seth, a shrewd banker and financier.

quotesgram.com

On top of it, Siraj-ud-Daulah was at loggerheads with the East India company that got the special trade permit - free from customs duty from the Mogul ruler at Delhi to carry on their mercantile activities in this part. but the dishonest and corrupt British purposely engaged in private trade activities (without the knowledge of the English company in London) and made hefty profits, causing heavy revenue loss to the Nawab's treasury on account of their illegal activites. Besides, the English company, without his consent, began fortification of Ft. William, Calcutta and gave shelter to his opponents.
As the British refused to comply with the trade treaty and kept intimidating the ruler by not respecting his orders, now, Siraj suspected that the English company was ambitious to capture productive Indian lands. Nawab Siraj in 1756 raided Ft. William and took control over it and named the place Alipur. The Black Hole incident took place during this period and the Nawab

had anything to do with the death of many English men and women in the dungeon on the Fort complex. In January 1757, Robert Clive, who had emerged victorius in the war against the French and Nana sahib in the Tiruchirapalli region, TN, from Madras and Adm. Charles Watson declared war and recaptured Calcutta from the Nawab.

Mir Jafar (left) and his eldest son, Mir Miran (right) en.wikipedia.org

Tomb of Siraj ud-Daulah en.wikipedia.org

Here, right on the soil of Bengal the British used their best strategy - to align themselves with those opponents of the Bengal Nawab. Clive masterminded a conspiracy and his officials and the traitors of Siraj executed it well. Mir Jafer, Jagat Seth, Rai Durlabh (diwan) became puppets and were ready to work along with the British in return for peanuts from them. The British encouraged Jafer to become the next ruler in the place of Siraj and for greedy Jafer, it was an offer on a silver platter. The Nawab was not aware of the conspiracy going on to topple him from power by the cunning English company in collusion with his equally cunning and ungrateful relatives and well-wishers.

The Nawab, to teach a lesson to the unjust English company for not paying taxes, declared war on 23 June 1757 that took place in a place called Plassey (Palashi). As preplanned before, Mir Jafer and others feigned that they were fighting against the British and two thirds of Nawab's Army remained mute spectators. Small forces under Mohan Lal and Mir Mardan were not good enough against the British army who had better artillery power. Mir Mardan was accidentally killed while fighting and things were going against the Nawab though he had a huge army and many canons (mind you, the canons did not have cover against rain, etc). Mi Jafer advised Siraj to retreat to Calcutta and so, the fighting was stopped for the day. At the same time Jaffer informed Clive about Siraj' s retreat to Calcutta. In no matter the British army had a run on the Nawab' s army and marched toward Murshidabad, the capital of Nawab Siraj to take it over.

Tomb of Siraj ud-Daulah en.wikipedia.org

quotesgram.com

Siraj, when he came to know of his defeat, was at large and finally went to Patna where he was caught by Mir Jafer's men. Brought back to Murshidabad, on 2 July 1757 Siraj was executed in Namah Haram Deorhi by Mohd. Ali Beg on orders from Mir Miran, son of Mir Jafer. As for Mohanlal, he escaped from this place and went to Juranpur Kali pith, but his son was executed by Miran. His body was buried in Khushbagh in the capital. As for Mir Mardan, close official of Siraj, his mortal remains were in the tomb at Faridpur (Nadia Dist. West Bengal).

Thus, the conspiracy hatched by Robert Clive, his officials and the ungrateful relatives and close associates of Siraj, led to the death of Siraj and the British had laid the very basic foundation of the empire on the soil of Bengal soaked with the blood of Nawab Siraj. The victory at the battle of Plassey was a big turning point for the British that had begun to colonize the world one by one with the vast revenue from this fertile land. In the following years, the revenue from Bengal gave a great boost to Britain's poor economy (it's GDP was less than 3%).

Siraj-ud daulah was the earliest freedom fighter among the royals Saddest thing about this spirited ruler was he was felled down by his own close relatives. That is the edit of God.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siraj_ud-Daulah

https://theseventhwaves.blogspot.com/2009/03/siraj-ud-daulah-nawab-of-bengal.html

Tomb of Nawab Siraj and others, Mushidabad. tripadvisor.in

Siraj ud-Daulah,.wikipedia.org

Siraj ud-Daulah, was the last independent Nawab of Bengal in the 1700s. His tomb is on the other side of Bhagirathi river and to get there either by crossing the river in a boat or taking a narrow road over the bridge. The tomb is a simple one, not embellished as one will find in toms containing the mortal remains of well-known Nawabs. Nawab Siraj's resting place is in Khosh Bagh, in Murshidabad. (this town was built in 1704 by Murshid Quali Khan, then Governor of Bengal) the capital of Bengal in the 18th century during the Nawabi rule. Earlier, the Capitol was in Dhaka. Paradoxically the garden-Khosh Bagh, is known as Garden of Delight and in fact, if you hear the poignant story of a rich Nawab and how he was cheated, betrayed, dethroned and finally murdered by his own relatives and close associates in collusion with the English company officials for personal gains, you will be saddened. The end of his rule in Bengal marked the beginning of a new chapter in World history for the British East India Company who not only gained control over fertile Bengal but also had begun to expand their lands in India and in other continents with the vast revenue from this region.

The cemetery of Siraj has three sections. In the first enclosure interred were Sharifunnesa, Alivardi's wife,;Amina Begum, Siraj's mother, and Ghasiti Begum, his aunt. Siraj and his aunt Ghasiti Begum were buried in the same place. Ghasiti Begum, a jealous woman effected her nephew's downfall. The second enclosure has the grave of Siraj's dedicated associates like Ghulam Hussain Also include are his faithful body guards -- Abdul Hussain and Sabdul Hussain. Yet another interesting fact is the grave of Danesh fakir - the man who identified a disguised Siraj to the enemy, lies a few yards away. The final enclosure contains the tomb of Alivardi Khan, Siraj's three-year-old daughter Ummatul Zohra, and wife Lutfunessa, Aleya ( Mohanlal's sister). There is a grave of Shaukat Jang, whom Siraj himself had killed.

Tit-bits:

Siraj ud-Daulah, happened to be the last independent Nawab of Bengal. His defeat at the hand of the British opened a new chapter in World History. British East India Company's imperial ambition rooted here with the take over of Bengal and later almost entire South Asia. Siraj, who succeeded his maternal grandfather, Alivardi Khan as the Nawab of Bengal in April 1756 at the age of 23, had a tough time with the English company who cheated him by not paying the taxes as per trade treaty. He declared war on the English company. Betrayed by Mir Jafar, then commander of Nawab's army and his close relation, Siraj lost the Battle of Plassey on 23 June 1757. The East India Company's army under Robert Clive invaded and the administration of Bengal fell into the hands of the Company. As for Siraj, he was finally caught and murdered on 2 July 1757 on orders from Mir Miran, his relation in Namak Haram Deorhi, Murshidabad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siraj_ud-Daulah
https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-26573

Gandhiji's image on Israeli winw bottlesiasat.com

Now, an Israeli Beer Company to surge ahead of competition has chosen a caricature of Mahatma Gandhi, an apostle of non-violence, who became the foremost freedom fighter during the British occupation of India prior to August 1947. It was purely a marketing gimmick to get the attention of the beer freaks.. The bottle with the image of Gandhi was created jointly by the Malka Brewery and Negev Beers. Surprisingly, the set of box containing the beer was meant for commemoration of Israel's 71st Independence Day (in May this year). Gandhiji, a non-Israeli was the 5th person featured on the beer bottle. Earlier, David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir and Menachem Begin, former PMs besides Theodor Herzl, father of Zionism, were the other celebrated personalities who were featured on the bottles.

quotespictures.com

It was Kerala's Gandhi National Foundation chairman Eby J.Jose who took action in this matter and submitted written complaints to Indian PM Narendra Modi and his Israeli Counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu over the use of controversial caricature of Mahatma Gandhi on the beer bottle. Eby J. Jose said the image made a “mockery” of the independence leader. Labelling a great Indian leader on the alcoholic beverage bottle is an act of irreverence and a blot on Gandhi who was against drinking alcohol. Gandhiji's caricature image wearing shades on a liquor bottle made in Israel kicked up a big row.
Mr. Jose who was stunned after seeing the image of Father Of The Nation on the liquor bottle, took prompt action to get it rectified. He first noticed the bottle with Gandhiji's image in an on line video posted by an Indian man working in Israel.

American beer, ranklinliquors.wordpress.com

I don't not understand why Gandhiji's name is dragged out again and again to make him become a subject of controversy. and discussion. In May this year, during the Parliament election, Tamil movie actor Kamal Hassan mentioned that Godse, the assassin of Gandhiji, was the first Hindu terrorist. In the wake of this gaffe, Gandhiji became a subject of hot debate and the circumstances leading to his assassination.

Gandhi-Bot,www.fobulous-usa.comGandhi-Bot,www.fobulous-usa.com

The above controversy over his image on beer bottle reminds me of a funny, but serious subject related to Gandhiji. There are thousands of exotic names in this world, how come the Woodbridge (Connecticut, USA) based New England Brewing Company chose the name of Mohan Das Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) to name its new variety of brew called Gandhi Beer? This highly hopped beer had been on the market for roughly 5 years when Gandhiji's image on the beer can was noticed by some Indians. The American Beer co had a catchy sales pitch - as "fully vegetarian" and "an ideal aid for self-purification and the seeking of truth and love''. After a lawsuit filed in India that claimed the company had dishonored the memory of the independence leader, he Connecticut brewing company eventually apologized and removed all references to. Gandhi from its products.
Fortunately, the Israeli beer company does not have any catchy slogan matching Gandhiji's moral turpitude and self- spiritual purification. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Gilad Dror, Brand Manager of the company, apologised saying that he regrets using Mahatma Gandhi's image on the liquor bottles.

"Malka Beer offers its heartfelt apologies to the people and the Government of India for hurting their sentiments. We highly respect and value Mahatma Gandhi and regret our action of putting his image on our bottles," Gilad Dror said in the statement.

https://www.indiatoday.in/trending-news/story/mahatma-gandhi-s-photo-on-beer-bottles-israeli-company-says-sorry-to-india-1561294-2019-07-03

https://navrangindia.blogspot.com/2019/06/gandhi-bot-beer-usa-why-is-gandhijis.html

http://english.tupaki.com/politicalnews/article/Row-Over-Gandhi-Image-On-Beer-Bottles/88203

https://www.rt.com/news/463173-israeli-beer-companies-controversy-gandhi/

There are many holy towns in Tamil Nadu and among them Kanchipuram and Kumbakonam have lots of Hindu temples. the latter has all Navagraha temples within a short radius from the center of the city except Tirunallar - famous for Saneeswara shrine. As for Kanchipuram, besides Kamakshi Amman temple and Kailasanathar temple, Sri Varadaraja Perumal temple is quite popular and is on par with Tirupati and Srirangam in terms of importance. What is so special about this temple dedicated to God Vishnu? Built by the Vijayanagara rulers in the 12th century, it is believed that God Brahma (one of the Trinity Gods taking care of creation) himself installed the idol of Lord Vishnu. As the idol was worshipped by Bahama himself, it is believed to be a unique sanctified Vishnu temple. Hindus following Vaishnavism will never fail to visit this famous temple.

Kanchipuram Athi Varadar temple. water tank nakkheeran.in

According to the sthalapuranam/ legend, Goddess Saraswati, consort of Brahma, asked a delicate question to Brahma: ''Who is more important -Goddess Lakshmi or me?''. God Brahma, instead of being diplomatic, replied Goddess Lakshmi is more powerful than her. Goddess Sarawati, instead of being quiet and tolerant, became unhappy and, in rage, left Brama. She refused to be part of the Yajna being conducted by him. Not to stop the Yajna in the middle, Brahma went ahead with sacrifice. Goddess Saraswati took the form of a raging river Vegavati and engulfed the entire place, making it tough to resume the Yajna. To get out of this predicament and his precarious status vis-a-vis completing the Yajna, Brahma sought the help of Sri Vishnu.

In order to do justice, God Vishnu had lain across the river to stop its onward flow of the river. Having made several vein attempts to stop the Yajna, at last goddess decided to quit. The Yajna was successfully completed and, at the end, Lord Vishnu appeared from the Holy Agni (fire) and blessed Brahma. God Brahma asked Varadarajar to stay in Kanchipuram for good so that the people there could be blessed by him. When the answer came in affirmative, God Brahma had Visakarma, celestial architect, made an idol of Sri Vishnu made.

As for the original idol - Utchavar or Utchava moorthy, it was made of wood from Fig tree (in local parlance ''Athi Maram'') that came from the Homa kundam - sacrificial fire This unique idol was severely broken during Muslim invasion and consequently damaged idol was unfit for worship. So, the broken idol was encased in a silver casket and kept immersed in the temple water tank near-by called 'Anantha Theertham' . It is in the north of the main temple with a 100 pillar hall (mandapam). What about the idol in the sanctum -garbagriha of this holy place? It is made of granite and is enshrined there for daily worship.

Athi Varathar tnpds.co.in

No other Hindu temples - be they Shiva or Vishnu that I know of, have a unique tradition as this temple has. Raising of Athi Varadar is a great festival event that takes place every 40 years. It is about bringing the wooden idol in the silver casket out of the temple tank and keep it for display/ Dharsan. For 10 long days the public will be allowed to worship it during certain time, indeed a rare event that last took place in 1979. This year this event that began on the first of July, is being attended by thousands of devotes from Tamil Nadu and other states. Daily 40000 to 50000 devotees will worship Athi Varadar.

https://www.kancheepuramonline.in/city-guide/athi-varadar

The Nizam of Hyderabad, India mensxp.com

People all over the world have a great fascination for the richest people in their countries. It is a wonder that these people have achieved monetary success despite several odds - competition, ever-rising inflation, changing technology, changing geo-political situation, carping criticisms, etc. It is commonsense that they have achieved this feat over a long period of time. Among the rich, there are cases of rags to riches across the globe. Equally are the cases of affluent people born with a silver spoon in their mouth. A word of appreciation goes to such born-rich people, With exceptions many of them sustain their affluence without being lavish in their spending. All these show one thing: you can't enjoy the fruits of your hard labor overnight. Perseverance, dedication, correct planning, right move and above all just elements of luck are behind their achievements. Some people are endowed with riches and some people acquire them through hard work and good financial management. Below you fill find a note on the The Nizam of Hyderabad (India), one of the richest men in the 1930s and 1940s across the globe. It is said that once he wanted to buy Goa from the Portuguese.

gerontakos.blogspot.com

The following are the ten all time richest people in the world covering various centuries:

01. Mansa Musa: He was an African king, His land produced half of world's gold and salt. Estimated Peak Wealth: $400 billion ; Lived: 1280 to 133702
.
02. John D. Rockefeller: Main business was oil and gas. Owned Standard Oil Company. First American to become a billionaire in 1916. Estimated Peak Wealth: $336 to $340 billion; Lived: 1839 to 1937;

03. Andrew Carnegie: Made money in steel business, owned steel factories in the US. He was Scottish American. Estimated Peak Wealth: $309 to $310 billion Lived: 1835 to 1919.

04. Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov: a.k.a. Tsar NicholasII , emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Finland: Estimated Peak Wealth: $290 to $300 billion, Lived: 1868 to 1918.

05. Mir-Osman-Ali-Khan: Estimated Peak Wealth: $225 to $230 billion, Lived: 1886 to 1957 (see details below)

pinterest.com

06. William the Conqueror: Conquered England and confiscated the estates of English nobles and their heirs. Estimated Peak Wealth: $210 to $230 billion, Lived: 1028 to 1087

07. Muammar Gaddafi: From 1969 till his death in 2011 he was a dictator of oil rich Libya; led a flamboyant life. Estimated Peak Wealth: $200 billion, Lived: 1942 to 2011

anticap.wordpress.com

08. Henry Ford: Introduced assembly line that paved the way for mass production of automobiles. A house-hold name world over. Estimated Peak Wealth: $188 to $199 billion; Lived: 1863 to 1947

09. Cornelius Vanderbilt: Made vast money in railroad business. Estimated Peak Wealth: $170 to $185 billion, Lived: 1794 to 1877

10. Alan Rufus: Cousin of first Norman king of England; owned 400 sq. mile estate covering present London, Suffolk, Norfolk, etc. Estimated Peak Wealth: $149 to $178 billion; Lived: 1040 to 1093.
****

Osman Ali Kahn, The nizam of Hyderabad, Deccan alchetron.com

The Nizam of Hyderabad: The story of the 7th Nizam is an interesting one. It is a dreamy tale of opulence and extravaganza. He was the head of the princely State of Hyderabad, Deccan is one of the 10 all time richest men in the world. In 1937 his image appeared on the ''Time Mangazine'' as he happened to be the richest man then,

Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, the last Nizam, or leader, headed the Princely state from 1911 until 1948 when Hyderabad became part of the Indian Union. Even after his land came under the control of India, Osman Ali remained the richest individual in South Asia until he died in 1967. His vast coffers were said to contain $500 million worth of gold, silver, and jewels. This collection included a rare Jacob diamond, valued at approximately $95 million in 2008, which was used by the Nizam as a paperweight. The Nizam is also said to have owned a total of 50 Rolls-Royces besides other expensive cars. He did not use RR cars that much and would prefer less expensive cars for travel. It is said, despite his being rich, he was frugal and would calculate every penny and shilling going out of his pocket. Osman Ali obtained most of his wealth through mining royalties in the 19th century, Hyderabad was the only supplier of diamonds to the global market in those days. The famous ''the Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace'' consisting of fine diamonds was a wedding gift from the Nizam to Queen Elizabeth. As it was a common practise among the Muslim rulers and to some extent among Indian Maharajahs, Osman Ali had seven wives and countless concubines. Some people say it was just 42 and 34 legitimate children. He was known to have the best collection of diamonds, precious stones and pearls in the world. His collection was so huge that it could fill up three huge swimming pools!!

Sir Nizam Osman Ali Khan. princemaak.hubpages.com

The Nizam owned numerous architecturally rich buildings in Hyderabad. After partition, a section of people in his administration wanted Nizam to make his land part of Pakistan. This attempt was stopped in the initial stage itself and the credit goes to Sardar Patel, a great freedom fighter. He wanted the Nizam to become part of the Indian Union as geographically it was advantageous for him. Had Nizam Osman Ali made Hyderabad state a part of Pakistan, he would have been in serious trouble. The land being in the middle of the Indian subcontinent, he would have not only lost his land, but also his wealth and stature.

In the colonial days, on a visit to London, while going for a stroll, Nizam Mukarram Jah saw a Rolls Royce showroom. In a jiffy, he decided to make an enquiry about the latest models. The sales men, mistaking the unassuming, ordinarily dressed Nizam, for a poor soul from India, asked him to get out of the showroom. This story, according to many historians, is a cooked up one. Any way, please read further: https://navrangindia.blogspot.com/2015/05/rolls-royce-car-companys-poor-treatment.html
http://www.lifed.com/top-10-richest-people-of-all-time

latestly.com

India is a land of not only religious festivals but also certain temple festivals unique to the respective temples and states. For example in Tamil Nadu during Vaikuntha Ekadasi festival Srirangam Ranganathar temple comes alive. So is Meenakshi temple of Madurai during the Meenakshi- Sundarar Thiru kalyanam festivities. In the case of Kerala, Vadakkunathan temple, Thrissur comes to our mind where Puram festival is held on a grand scale every year.

Puri Jagannath rath yatra. and hrawatch.com

One of the most exciting temple festivals in India is the Jagannath Rath Yatra held every year at the holy town of Puri, Odisha. It is held either in June or July every year and this year it was held on 4th July 2019. This place is considered a part of the Char Dham pilgrimage. It is believed that those who actively participate in this colorful festival are assured of salvation - meaning no rebirth. More than a million plus devotees from other states of India and also from abroad attend this long-drawn festival.

Lord Jagannath temple, Puri, Odisha. booking.com

What is so special about this rath yatra? This festival marks the annual visit of Lord Jagannath with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra to Gundicha Temple via his maternal aunt’s home (Mausi Maa Temple) located near Balagandi Chaka in Puri. Hence in the rath yatra there are three chariots each carrying the idol of  Lord Jagannath, Lord Balarama and Devi. The unique feature is every year new chariots are made for this purpose and they are not used again.  The long journey consisting of three well decorated chariots starts from the Jaganath Temple - main doorway Singhdwara (the Lion’s Gate) and ends at Gundicha Temple. Here, the rathas will stay for nine days and daily puja rituals are held as usual. On completion of 9 days, the return yatra to the main temple called 'Bahuda Yatra'takes place.  The first chariot to leave the temple is Lord Balabhadra. Then, Lord Subhadra and Lord Jagannath follows.

Among the rituals associated with rath yatra, the fascinating one is Chera Pahara. Gajapati King (ruler of this land) with a golden-handled broom will clean the street - path of the rath yathra. It implies the ruler is a humble servant to the lord.  Pahandi Vijay ritual is about installation of the small idols on the Chariots.
During the festival certain rituals are held such as  Brahma Paribartan (changing of soul): creation of new wooden idols and destruction of old ones. Only neem wood is selected for this purpose. Vedic mantras are chanted while making the idols. Then they are taken inside the sanctum where old idols are kept face to face with the new ones and this is done in the midst of mantras, implying transfer of power and sanctity from the old ones to the new. This is done in privacy with the idols wrapped in clothes. Koili Baikuntha Burial: This  ritual involves installation of new idols on the throne and removal of old ones. The latter are taken to  Koili Baikuntha Burial where they will be buried by the temple priests only. Others are not allowed to witness it.
Ritual Bath (Snana Yatra): The idols will be given a ritual bath 18 days before the festival on the full moon day  of Jyeshtha month. They use 108 pitchers of fresh water to bathe the idols. After the bath the idols are kept in a separate place away from public until the Ratha Yatra festival.

Three wooden idols of Jagannath and others hindi.webdunia.com

Once the yatra is over, the idols will be placed inside the sanctum reverentially with chanting of mantras by the priests. The important aspect of this rathyatra is the participation of devotees \with utter devotion, dedication and total involvement in this unique festival. Their spiritual ecstasy and peace of mind that they derive out of this grand festival get our attention. Self contentment is the soul of life. The rathYatra at Puri offers this wonderful experience.

https://www.travelogyindia.com/blog/the-enchanting-chariot-festival-of-puri-the-jagannath-rath-yatra

https://navrangindia.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-making-of-giant-wooden-chariots-of.html
https://navrangindia.blogspot.com/2016/03/puri-jagannath-temple-20-astonishing.html

Nettur Mahadev temple, Kerala hindujagruti.org

Paravoor temple. english.mathrubhumi.com

In the Gods' Own Country- Kerala state are the gods really safe anymore from man's greed? The answer is in the negative. Thefts of god's jewelry, etc are on the increase in the past decade, but not on a scale that you would see in the adjacent state of Tamil Nadu. In Kerala, it is reported that there had been at least one temple theft each day in the state and the value of stolen items may run into several lakhs! Mostly temple jewelry or other valuable holy items are stolen and the theft of idols seems to be rare in this stste unlike Tamil Nadu where, some unscrupulous officers of HR & CE, in collusion with local thugs or anti-social people, lay their hands on valuable centuries old Iyyempon idols (an alloy of five metals). Their market value runs into crores due to their antique and heritage value. The police and the state govt are taking serious steps to safeguard the idols in Tamil Nadu and reduce this menace as much as possible.

Poor security system in Kerala temples is the main reason for the thefts and they are under the control of the state government as in other states. Hundies (donation boxes) and vaults are the easy targets for the culprits. Devotees drop in the hundies cash or silver or gold jewels, depending on their monetary status. This is a token of their gratitude to the god for fulfilling their wish. Invariably, most temples carry god's jewelry, besides cash and jewels dropped in the hundies. Many of Jewels worn by gods may have antique value and are kept in a separate vault inside the temples. No doubt, thieves target these temples to rob the valuables. . Countless temples lack either security guards or security features like lockers or burglar alarms. This has made job easier for the burglers. People are at a loss to know why the govt. is not giving priority to security against burglary and break -in of temples at night. Yet another advantage is some temples are located in an isolated areas with lots of trees. The hundis at most of the temples are not set in a safe place where thieves can't access. Fixed in an unsafe place, it is a lot easier for the professional thieves to take money out of them rather than put something in them, according to a senior police officer.
The data at the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) mentioned 364 temple thefts in 2007 (it was 291 the previous year). Way back, only 88 cases in 2007 and 111 cases in 2006 have been detected so far.

stockunlimited.com

On 24 May 2013, a gold idol weighing 5.5 kg, of the famous Siva temple at Ettumanoor in Kottayam district of Kerala was stolen.
In terms of popularity and divinity, 'Ettumanoorappan' as the devotees call the deity, is second perhaps only to 'Sabarimala Ayyappan' and 'Guruvayurappan'(Sri Krishna) in Kerala. This theft created a political storm and the 'Ettumanoorappan abduction episode' became a serious issue as it had hurt the sentiments of millions of Hindu devotees. Culprit was arrested late and soon the idol was brought back to the temple. In the coalition govt, the communist party of India was a partner.
As we know most of the Communists have atheist mentality
and are lethargic about the safety of Hindu temples and their valuables in Kerala, people complain. In Tamil Nadu, the communists have close rapport with certain atheist parties
and they do not make any comment on temple thefts going on here........... https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19810630-stolen-gold-idol-of-famous-siva-temple-at-ettumanoor-in-kerala-recovered-773

At the Nettur Mahadeva Temple, one of the important Shiva temples, the prabhamandalam, antique jewellery worth lakhs

of rupees was stolen in June 2014. The prabhamandalam, made

of brass, weighing over 12 kilos is said to be over 1200 years old. Fortunately the vault with temple jewelry was not broken

into and other old priceless temple items were left behind by the culprits. “An inter-state ring of burglars is suspected to be behind the racket..... https://www.hindujagruti.org/news/19967.html

In June 2018, in separate incidents of burglary, thieves made
away with 50 sovereigns of gold from two temples at Paravur
here in the wee hours of Wednesday. While 30 sovereigns of
gold, including the holy ornaments adorning the deity, and Rs 60,000 were stolen from Kottupalli Thirukapuram Devi. temple...https://english.manoramaonline.com/news/kerala/2018/06/13/temple-thefts-paravur-kochi.html

Preying on Gods in Gods' own country is quite disgusting and is akin to committing blasphemous act. The govt should beef up the security system at temple and come up with severe punishments for the people who lay their hands on temple properties that actually belong to the public. Lack of deterrent will pave way for more such thefts!! The robberies at Pazhoor Perum Thrikkovil temple at Piravom, Triprayar SreeRama temple etc cause a lot of worries among the Hindus. some theft cases remain unsolved and some might have gone cold with no trace of the robbers.
https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/crime-beat/huge-robberies-at-two-temples-in-paravoor-1.2885680

https://www.hindujagruti.org/news/19967.html

https://haindavakeralam.com/364-temple-thefts-2007-on-hk13970

Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple youtube.com

Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Templedeccanchronicle.com

Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple, one among the famous Sri Krishna temples in Kerala, is 14 km south of Alappuzha, and is often referred to as the 'Dwaraka of the South'. Built by the erstwhile ruler of Chembakasserry Sree Pooradam Thirunal Devanarayanan Thampuran during 15th - 17th AD, it is believed, that the idol of Sree Krishna of Guruvayoor Temple was brought here for safekeeping during the war expedition of Tipu Sultan of Mysore in 1789. The temple is also famous for its unique prasadam (offering to god), the delicious Ambalapuzha Palpayasam– a sweet mouth-watering porridge made from rice, milk, and sugar. Here, Lord Krishna goes by the name of Unnikannan (child Krishna).

The presiding deity is in the form of Parthasarathy– an aspect of Lord Krishna who was a charioteer for Arjuna in the great Kurushetra war. The idol of Krishna is made of black granite with right hand holding a whip iand a conch in the left.

About the palpayassam, there is an interesting legend behind it. Once God Krishna, in the guise of a sage, challenged the local king for a game of chess ( Dhayam /chaturanga) in the court. The ruler, being an expert, agreed to the challenge. About the prize, the self-contended sage made a modest request - a few grains of rice to be be determined as follows using the chess-board: One grain of rice shall be placed in the first square, two grains in the second square, four in the third square, eight in the fourth square, sixteen in 5th square and so on. Every square will have double of its predecessor. King, having lost the game, wanted to stick to his word and then realized the true nature of the demand. As the number of grains was increasing in a geometric progression and the total amount of rice required for a 64-squared chess board is 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 translating to trillions of tons of rice, the king realized his futile attempt to meet the demand of the sage. Sri Krishna appeared before the ruler who was in a precarious position and asked him to serve paal-payasam in the temple freely to the visiting pilgrims every day and this way his debt would be cleared for good.

As for the the origin of this temple, legend has it that while Pooradam Thirunal Thampuran and Saint Vilwamangalam Swamiyar (saint) were travelling along the backwaters they heard a soul-stirring melodious flute music floating in the breeze. Vilwamangalam Swamiyar, a true devotee of Sri Krishna, fell into a reverie in which he saw the lord playing flute on a Peepul tree. Feeling the presence of divinity there Thampuran had a temple for Sri Krishna built at this serene place.

The popular festival is Ambalapuzha Arattu - a 10 day festival held during the Malayalam month of Meenam (March - April). A unique martial dance form is performed during this time and it is called Velakali. The festival called Ambalapuzha Moolakazhcha held during the Malayalam month of Mithunam on the Moolam asterism (Mool Nakshatra) also draws lots of devotees.

An interesting fact about this temple is its close association with the famous performing art form of Kerala – Ottamthullal. It was first introduced here by the legendary Malayalam poet Kalakkaththu Kunchan Nambiar and was played on the Ambalappuzha Temple premises. The Mizhavu (a big copper drum used as a percussion instrument in performing arts) used by Kunjan Nambiar is still preserved in an enclosure in the temple.

The popular Champakulam Snake Boat Race is held on the Prathista day (idol installation day) of Ambalapuzha Sree Krishnan idol in the temple.

The Amabalapuzha Temple Festival has been around since 15th AD. That point of time Travancore was ruled by the Chembakassery Devanarayana Dynasty. whose members were highly religious.They wanted idol of Lord Krishna to be brought to the Amabalapuzha Sree Krishna Swamy Temple from the Karinkulam temple. The celebration related to the bringing of this idol of Lord Krishna is the origin of the Amabalapuzha Temple Festival, also referred to as the Chambakulam Moolam water festival. This festival is held every year on the Moolam day of the Mithunam month of the Malayalam era. The Aaraattu festival takes place on the Thiruvonam day in March–April.

Tit-bits:

recovered temple jewels,Sri krishna temple english.manoramaonline.com

On 17 April 2017 robbery took place at this temple, A necklace of 11.5 sovereign, worn by god on certain occasions,which is a part of ‘Thiruvabharanam’, the sacred jewellery of the deity was stolen. Following May 2017, it was recovered but the chain and locket were found separated. But the robber had sold the precious stone on the locket. This temple has a history of such incidents. A decade ago, a precious accessory on the 500-year-old golden umbrella weighing over 400 sovereigns had disappeared. That incident came to light after the devaswom officials draped the rib of the umbrella with rag to cover up the missing of the ornaments. The Travancore Devaswom Board ended the investigation after concluding that the ornament had ‘worn off.’ A lady administrative officer was found guilty. However, the case was put in the cold storage. In August, 2010, a division bench of Kerala High Court came down heavily on the tainted officials holding key post. Such gold ornaments are taken out on festival days. The officials still have no clue about the whereabouts of the missing golden accessory.

https ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambalappuzha_Sri_Krishna_Temple
http://www.hindudevotionalblog.com/20 11/07/ambalapuzha-sree-krishna-temple.html

Thirumayam Fort, Pudukottai distt. TN youtube.com

Centuries ago when Monarchy was ruling the roost, the rulers were particular about expanding their lands by way of raiding other ruler's kingdom. The king had to safeguard his family and his subjects in the midst of constant threats from enemies . So construction of forts and royal palaces, etc with built-in facilities within it became inevitable. The Thirumayam fort came up here to meet an emergency situation.

Thirumayam Fort, Pudukottai distt. TN youtube.com

Temple water tank. Thirumayam fort. TNalamy.com

Thirumayam Fort, an ancient monument situated in
Thirumayam town on the Pudukkottai-Karaikudi Highway in Pudukkottai District of Tamil Nadu is an ancient monument steeped history. Built in

Thirumayam Fort, Pudukottai distt. TN alamy.com

the year1687 by Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman, the Raja of Ramnad Vijaya Raghunatha Sethupathi became his successor. The fort was renovated by Archaeological Survey of India in 2012 to maintain its heritage value. It was here Oomathurai (alias Duraisingam), the younger brother of Panchalamkurichi chieftain Kattabomman was imprisoned inside the fort. Oomathurai was a great warrior and fought wars along with Kattabomman against the East India company's army. The English company, that got the rights to collect taxes on behalf of Arcot Nawab, demanded land taxes (Kisti) which the Palayakarar chieftain refused to pay. Both Kattabomman and his brother Oomathurai were executed by the British, the latter was hanged to death on 16 November 1801. Reason: They revolted against the company rule.

British colonial period canpon. Thirumayam fort. TN tripadvisor.com

British colonial period canpon. Thirumayam fort. TN tripadvisor.co.uk

The fort that was originally built as a 'ring fort' with seven concentric walls has only four surviving ones now. The three rings did not survive either due to war or internal strife or vagaries of weather. Built on a 40 acre plot, the fort is made of small blocks of stone along with bricks and   has an entrance on three sides - north, south and east. As in many forts, there are 6 canons (of British period) mounted at the gate. The original size of the fort was two times greater than the present one. The main entrance to the fort is one km away from the present structure.
There are shrines dedicated to Hanuman, Sakthi, Ganapathi, Karuppar (guardian deities of the fort) on the south side and to Bhairava on the north side. On the western side atop the rock there is a rock-cut cave  that houses a lingam on yonipitha. The south side has two rock cut temples dedicated to Sri Sathyamurthy and Sri Uyyavanda Nachiar while the other one is dedicated to Sri Sathyagireeswarar and Sri Venuvaneeswari. The former is vaishnavite place of worship and the latter is that of Easwaran (Shiva). There is a bastion on the summit with cannon that belongs to the British era.

The English company, after the fall of Kattabomman's fort at Panchalamkuruchi near Tirunelveli, was after Oomathurai, because he acted against the interest of the British. Oomathurai was at large for some time and finally he was captured and jailed here. This fort is also called  Oomayan Kottai (Kottai in Tamil means fort) and is 18 km from Pudukkotai town on the way to Tirupathur town.
https://navrangindia.blogspot.com/2015/07/oomathurai-valiant-early-freedom.html
https://www.indianetzone.com/64/thirumayam_fort.htm

Pearly dentures:

depositphotos.com

pinterest.com

A husband told his wife: ''When you were young and smart, I fell for your bright face and pearly teeth. They shone like stars. I never thought you would wear dentures so soon before you reached 48. Any way, still I can see the reflection of pearls despite the plaque on them''.

quotesgram.com

Indigestion:

polination.wordpress.com

''I never fail to say my prayer to the almighty before dinner' ..... it is not out of fear of God. I say it so that my next dinner will be a good one , not causing indigestion and flatulence. Mind you dear, twelve long years have gone by, I am yet to lay my hands on good home dinner''.................

A mute Husband:

cartoonstock.com

A husband was telling his old pal when he met him after a long time, ''I used to be talkative and inquisitive during college days. Since marriage I have become a sort of mute, often listening to my master - my wife and running errands for her''.

Man has no break:

hddfhm.com

''There is no comparison between wrestling match and a marriage where two people fight over nothing. In the wrestling match there is a referee to give you rest to breathe. In marriage there is no referee and the husband can not take a break. You keep fighting till you run out of breath!!''

pinterest.com

Contended married life:

''The secret behind a long successful marriage is, though the partners - husband and wife have divergent views, the contentment which they get after listening to the horror stories of other couples''.

aughspark.com

Lament of a wealthy man:

cartoonstock.com

A wealthy man was grumbling about his newly wedded wife who happened to be a past beauty queen. ''Coming from a middle class family my wife's nice manicured moving fingers writ checks, having writ move on ... to write checks after checks''.

Peaceful eternal rest:

askideas.com

In the course of a serious verbal duel the elderly woman said, ''I do not want to get buried close to your grave''. The old man replied, ''That idea is good. I do not like it either and I do not want my eternal sleep disturbed because your ear-piercing, hair splitting belching had given me countless sleepless nights ''.

Slow poison:

facebook.com/gibbleguts/photos/gm

There is no difference between love marriage and arranged marriage. The former is chosen by you - the risk is yours and the latter is chosen by your parents and relatives for you- again the risk is yours. Any way, both of them are like consuming a small dose of slow poison.

A slave ship

cartoonstock.com

A slave ship captain was advising his buddy, ''If you want to move your ship fast and good, change the Master in the galley . Instead, put a buxom woman as a Master, then you will realize how fast your slaves are rowing and how quickly your ship is moving across the bumpy ocean''.

hddfhm.com

''If there is one war that is fought at home, it is between husband and winner. Mind you, men never emerge victorious. That is the law of nature, rather the edit of God''.

Marriage - a comedy:

facebook.com/gibbleguts/photos/gm

pinterest.com

Marriage is nothing but a cocktail mix of comedy, romance, fights and tragedy thrown here and there. This is the reason why Shakespeare dramas cover all the three. Without them, the bard knows that life is drab and dry - simply a barren land.

facebook.com/gibbleguts/photos/gm

****

Woman and cat:

catster.com

''More often women are compared with the domestic cats in terms of attitude. Just like cats, they are more or less independent and do things that appeal to them very much. Similarly, men are compared with dogs, because they are flexible and make no qualms about anything. Over a period, they get trained to the idea.''
Woman - a riddle:

pinterest.com

"Despite my thirty years of research into the woman soul, I have not yet been able to answer the great question that has never been answered: What does a woman want?" ....................Sigmund Freud

Planet without women:

shutterstock.com

ofopinions.wordpress.com

"If women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning."..........................Aristotle

earth with no women . dreamstime.com

''If the earth is devoid of women. all the shining gold, silver, dazzling diamonds and beautiful jewelry and money have neither value nor do the people go after them. Without women if the planet is quiet and noiseless, gossip-free, jealous-free and no brawls among women folks, the life will be boring and dry''.

Complimenting women:

ooshv.com

ofopinions.wordpress.com

''If you want to earn the respect and love of a woman, shower sincere compliments. If there is nothing to be complemented, at least pretend that your compliments are sincere."

Lousy Boss:

Bad employer blog.vibehcm.com

Bad boss. glasscubes.com

Rare to get:

''A good wife: God's gift.

A good husband with fat bank deposit: A wife's source of joy and pain.

A good employer: A heaven's choice.

A small group of dependable pals: Gift of good environment.

A preacher in the church: A gift pushed out of hell''.

Preacher and heaven patheos.com

A courageous woman :

cliparts.co

''A courageous women will never fail to accomplish her goal even on the verge of her being torn apart.'' Her positive energy and spirited approach will make her keep going to the point of ordering herhusband run errands for her at the shortest notice.'

Keeping women busy:

moziru.com

heidistjohn.com

''Breeze and wind keep the trees ever busy. So are the gossips and surmises that keep certain rumor-hungry-yapping women busy in the high society. The social clubs provide them an opportunity and an ideal ambiance.''

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Karthikaya (Muruga) temple, Palani, TNsankarayatra.com

In South India, among a few Hindu temples that attract the most number of pilgrims, The Thandayathapani Temple, Palani (100km from Coimbatore), Tamil Nadu dedicated to God Muruga (Karthikaya) is a popular one and devotees from Tamil Nadu and also from the bordering state of Kerala come here daily in large number to pray and get blessed by the god that faces the west direction. Being an important pilgrimage center, it has hit the newspaper headlines frequently in the past several years. The sensational media scoops do not cover anything related to divinity, it is about the conspiracy that had been going on for sometime to steal the main Navabhasana idol (moolavar) of god Muruga and the mismanagement going on at this famous temple.

Thieves. dreamstime.com

The main idol in the sanctum has been in the center of controversy and is being investigated by the special Police force. What is so special about this idol of Muruga? It is neither made of special stone nor an alloy of five metals, including gold. It is a rare one in India made of processed herbs what is called Navapashanam - nine poisonous elements from herbs, etc available on the hills here. The poison is eliminated as much as possible by a special process and the herbal mix with which the idol is made of has wonderfulful medicinal properties that can cure many diseases. Siddha purusha Bogar, a disciple of sage Agasthiya who lived 4000 years ago as a yogi prepared the idol of Muruga and installed it atop the Palani hill as per Agama Sastra. Yet another feature is the small idol is made in a saintly posture wearing just an undergarment in the form of kowbeenam in Sanskrit (in Tamil Komanam) and a Dhanda (pole) in one hand with his head shaven - a symbol of renunciation.

Palani temple at night TN hindudevotionalblog.com

Prior to 1980, anointing (ritual bathing) of the moolavar idol was done frequently and it was stopped because it is believed that this was damaging the age-old hardened herbal idol. Though the priests claimed that there there was no sign of any damage to the idol, the officials kept saying the moolavar idol was slightly damaged, hence anointing should be avoided. Normally, the tradition has been that it in Hindu temples, pujas should not be done to the damaged idols. Since 1984, anointing has been done only on the Urchavamurthy (procession deity) made of Iyempon (an alloy of five metals) in the sanctum. In the 1990s and 2000s serious attempts were made by certain dishonest HR & CE officials to replace the navapashana idol with a metal idol (Iyempon) and there were protests from many sections of devotees.
In the recent past some senior officials of HR & CE and the sthapathi (idol maker) were arrested o by the special police team on charges of attempting to steal the 4000-year old Navapashana idol of God Muruga to be exported abroad. It is worth millions of dollars. Further, it was found out that the utchava murthy weighing 200kg was made of poor quality metals. It was installed in the sanctum and later removed on account of public protest over this arbitrary action taken by the HR & CE.

God Karthikaya *Muruga) in saintly posture, Palani temple, TN sankarayatra.com

idol thief hehansindia.com

Many newspaper reports mentioned that to make a new idol, gold was collected illegally by way of donation in peace meal to the tune of 150 kg. The advanced chemical analysis of the idol done by the IIT team from Madras in May 2018 on the Utchava murthy proved that the idol was not made of prescribed percentage of metals. It is obvious the officials stole a large quantity of gold collected from the gullible public. A fraud had been committed on a divine premises by the obnoxious officials.

Palani temple, gold-plated Vimana. oommuruga.blogspot.com

Recently, it was confirmed and the culprits (ex- HR & CE senior officers) told the officials that in collusion, with the idol maker, they had a plan to remove the herbal idol to be sold abroad for a fat price. To facilitate the removal of the main idol they lied to the public that the herbal idol was damaged due to daily ritual baths done over a pretty long period of time. Now the culprits are already behind the bar and they are awaiting final verdict from the court. The credit goes to police officers like Pon Manikkavel (retd.) who was appointed by the court to look into various temple idol thefts in Tamil nadu.

That idol thefts, financial irregularities and stealing of gold are taking place on the premises of divinity does not augur well for the future of management of rich temples. The Court should interfere and give severe punishment to the people involved in temple idol thefts, stealing of temple properties, jewels, etc. Severe punishment will act as deterrent. Further, the honest sr. officials keep their eyes open and watch the moves of those who have questionable integrity and honesty. Stealing things from the sanctified places is a blasphemous act and the culprits will face severe consequences for their despicable acts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palani_Murugan_temple
http://www.thehindu.com/2004/06/08/stories/2004060815580300html
https://www.hinduismtoday.com/module/smartsection/item.php?itemid=1016

Bogar making herbal idol of god Muruga, Palani, TN navabhasanasiddhar.50webs.com

Palani temple hill, TN indianetzone.com

The most fascinating aspect of Palani Murugan temple in Palani, 60 km from Dindugul city Tamil Nadu is here the main idol (Moolavar) is made of an amalgam of herbal paste called Navapashanam (nava+pashanam. Nava means ‘nine’ and pashanam means ‘poisonous substance’). It was made by none other than a great Siddhar called Bhogar who was living in this part 4000 years ago(?). One among the seven disciples of Nandi Devar. Bogar was conversant with countless herbs available on the hills there and their medicinal values, etc and it is said, he classified 64 types of poisons out of which 32 were naturally occurring and the other 32 were just artificial.

Siddha dvashram.com

Above image: Bogar or Bhogar, a Tamil siddhar who lived sometime between 550 and 300 BC, it is believed, went to China and teach about enlightenment. It is mentioned in his book Bogar 7000. At the Panali temple he said to be in "Nirvigalpa Samadhi" below the garbagriha/sanctum sanctorum of Palani Murugan hill temple. A disciple of great sage Agastya, Bogar himself taught meditation, alchemy, yantric designs and Kriya yoga at the Kataragama Murugan shrine, Sri Lanka inscribing a yantric geometric design etched onto a metallic plate and installing it at the sanctum of the Kataragama complex. According to legends and the temple scriptures of Palani temple, Bogar created the Navapashana idol of Murugan and consecrated it atop the Palani hill. He also established a Murugan temple in Poombarai- Kuzhanthai Velappar temple Kodaikanal Tamilnadu, India. In the bygone days the milk that was poured on this idol during anointing was said to got mixed with some of the herbs thereby proving to be an effective cure for the diseases Bogar, the discoverer of an elixir of immortality was best known for his works on yoga and archery, and a glossary of medicine. He came to Palani after his long stay in the Meru hills in Kumari Kandam where he spent hid time meditating on God. (from en. wikipedia. org) ...................................

Of the 64 poisonous substance, Boggar chose nine poisonous herbs to make navapashanam. The nine available poisonous substances that were normally used to make the beads, malai and idols were Veeram, Pooram, Rasam, Jathilingam, Kandagam, Gauri pasanam, Vellai Pasanam, Mridharsingh and Silasat. The nine poisons represent nine planets and nine openings in our body. Bogar carefully processed using his knowledge of Tantric tradition, the herbs along with others and removed the poison as much as possible enough for humans to keep them alive. Now, it is a powerful alchemy, a smidgen of it is enough to cure any diseases. So, the moovalar idol in saintly posture with a thandam (pole) in his hand is made of hardened wax-like paste of various herbs - navapashanam. It is not a stone image. Nor is it a metal image. It was so tough, anointing (ritual washing of Hindu idols) for long period of time won't cause any wear and tear. The anointed water, milk, etc on the moolavar idol used to be safely collected to be given to the devotees as remedy for many ailments.

Agasthiyar Left, Bogar (right) shrine. members.tripod.com

Siddha elixirs or medicinal potionYou may call it a panacea!!

It is said the slim idol of Karthkaya stood unaffected by the effect of abhishekams/ anointing for centuries. On certain festival days like Karttikai, hundreds of abhishekams are done on the idol for the benefit of devotees who would use the anointed water or milk, etc. It it were not flint-hard, the herbal idol would have worn out centuries ago. Sage Bhogar, long ago, created a scientific wonder that may defy our imagination for, it has withstood the test of time beyond our comprehension. The abhishekam materials including the sandalwood paste at night would absorb the medicinal properties on the idol and they cure many ailments. Leucoderma and asthma. It is believed to be a remarkable Siddha elixirs or medicinal potion that will protect 9 important parts in our body. You may call it panacea!! In order to help the people free from some incurable ailments, Bogar made this medicinal potion. God Karthikaya himself advised Bogar to make the idol in a particular fashion and he revolved it to the sage in his dream. An interesting fact is the temple priests (Sivacharyas) of Palani Murugan temple were said to have been the descendants of Pulipani, one of Bogar's students, until the sixteenth century.

This medicinal potion believed to influence 01. Five koshas, 02. Navagrahas and 03. the Panchaboothas in human body. It nullifies the bad effect of some planetary positions on humans, it is said. That a single medicinal preparation offers remedy to so many diseases is a rare thing and this fact that can never be denied.

Entrance atop the hill (1500' tall), Palani temple. holidayiq.com

Sri Ganapathi Sthapathi, former principal of the Tamil Nadu College of Sculpture, told "Hinduism Today" that, "The icon is not made of any stone. It is made of a peculiar and shastric cement called katusarkara, made out of limestone with certain medical herbs. When prepared according to directions, the resulting form is like artificial stone." He explained that this was applied to a wooden frame. "I was able to see the wooden frame in the composition of the image. There is a vertical wood rod anchored into the floor through the pedestal for stability. Shifting the idol is fraught with danger, even a small vibration is likely to dislodgeit (Vide:........................http://palani.org/navabhasana.html
https://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.
http://palani.org/navabhasana.html
https://navrangindia.blogspot.com/2018/06/25-interesting-facts-of-yogi-bogars.html
http://palani.org/navabhasana.htm

in.pinterest.com/

Above image: Lord Cornwallis Receiving the sons of Tipu as hostages, 1792. This two-part oil sketch is related to a series of three paintings Mather Brown produced to commemorate the military defeat of Tipu, the sultan of Mysore, by Lord Cornwallis, the British military commander-in-chief, which ended the Third Anglo-Mysore War. Tipu’s two sons were taken as temporary hostages by the British to ensure compliance with the treaty. Mather Brown didn’t leave England to record these dramatic events, but based his work on descriptive military reports and his own speculation...........................................

Palanquin presented to Tipu's sons 1792 by the British .notesonindianhistory.com/

Marquess Cornwallis had the famous coach makers of Calcutta Stuarts and Co built two nicely decorated State palanquins for two important persons. They are none other than the two sons of Tipu Sultan, the sworn enemy of the British and who died in the final Angelo-Mysore war in 1799 at Srirangapatna, near Mysore city, Karnataka. Why did he choose Stuarts and company? This Calcutta based company specialized in making impressive palanquins for the Indian princes and were good at decorative arts on the canopy of the palanquins. Abdul Khaliq and Muiz-ud-din, sons of Tipu were brought to Madras (Chennai, Tamil Nadu) from Srirangapatna and they continued to remain hostages following the defeat of Tipu in the 3rd Angelo-Mysore war- 1791. Though Lord Cornwallis had defeated Tipu in May 1791, a ‘Definitive Treaty’ was not signed until March 1792, at which time two of Tipu’s sons were taken as temporary hostages by the British to ensure compliance with the treaty.

The two palanquins were made in grand style befitting Tipu Sultan's stature. ''All the moulding round the framing were solid silver highly polished and of the most exquisite workmanship. On the extremities of the bamboo were the heads of various animals elegantly embossed and engraved, to represent life; and the panels exhibited on the different compartments various trophies of war, to accord with the taste of that war-like prince (ie,Tipu Sultan). They were lined with crimson velvet on which the trophies of war, and other ornaments were magnificently embroidered with gold bullion lace''.

The two young princes received the nice palanquins from lady Oakley, wife of Charles Oakley, the Governor of Madras. This was done in the absence of Cornwallis. Cap. Doveton presented the palanquins durong his audiance with Tipu at Srirangapatna. Tipu said, ''I admire them much, but where true friendship exists, a present is nothing but a form''.

A fascinating fact emerges from the history of these palanquins. Tipu never used the palanquins and it remained unpacked till his death in the fourth Angelo-Mysore war in 1799. After his death when the British troops looted his palace, they found the unpacked palanquins presented by the British. However, the company that made the palanquins became popular and were patronized by the rulers of Lucknow and Arcot Nawab.

That Tipu Sultan never touched the palanquins presented to his sons at Madras shows how much hatred he had for the British and why he disliked them. Their long years of exploitation of Indian people, Indian lands and rich Indian rulers had a severe impact on the Psyche of Tipu who fought them till he fell dead on the last battle field at Srirangapatna,

Tit-bits:

Gov. Gen. Cornwallis en.wikipedia.org

Above image: Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, KG, PC (31 December 1738 -5 October 1805) was a British Army general he is best remembered as one of the leading British generals in the American War of Independence. His surrender in 1781 to a combined American and French force at the Siege of Yorktown ended significant hostilities in North America. He also served as a civil and military governor in Ireland and India; in both places he was responsible for significant changes ie, the Act of Union in Ireland, and the Cornwallis Code and the Permanent Settlement in India. According to historian Jerry Dupont, Cornwallis was responsible for "laying the foundation for British rule throughout India and setting standards for the services, courts and revenue collection that remained remarkably unaltered almost to the end of the British era. He also introduced important reforms in the operations of the British East India Company and, with the notable exception of the Kingdom of Mysore, managed to keep the company out of military conflicts during his tenure. He was a good administrator and military official.

He died on 5 October of a fever at Gauspur in Ghazipur, at that time in the Varanasi kingdom. Cornwallis was buried there, overlooking the Ganges River, where his memorial is a protected monument maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

https://www.notesonindianhistory.com/2019/05/description-of-palanquins-presented-to.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Cornwallis,_1st_Marquess_Cornwallis#Governor-General_of_India

Karnataka Politicians resurrected Tipu Sultan from the grave - Tipu's birth anniversary

Col William Baillie who died in captivity in the dungeon built by Tipu Sultan

Mysore Maharajah's custom made cartoon-like Rolls Royce car1911 - Silver Phantom

Assassination of William Fraser, British Agent at the Last Mogul ruler's court, Delhi (1835)

Heart risks increase if sitting long hours before TV!!

Evoor Major Sri Krishnaswamy temple, Kerala and its link with God Agni and Arjuna

Birth of British empire under Robert Clive and Death anniversary of Nawab ''Siraj-ud-Daulah'' (2nd July 1757)

The tomb of the last Nawab of Bengal - Siraj ud-Daulah,

Controversial Gandhiji's image on the Beer bottle of an Israeli Beer Company

Rare worship of ''Athi Varadar'', Kanchipuram rare worship of Vishny every 40 years

Late Nizam Osman Ali Khan, one of the all time richest men in the world!!.

Tantalizing Jagannath Rath Yatra, Puri. - a grand annual chariot festival of 2019

Frequent temple thefts in Gods' own country - Kerala!!

Serene Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple, Kerala - famous for sweet porridge (palpayassam)

Historical Thirumayam Fort near Pudukkotai, Tamil Nadu

Funny quotes, humor etc - 60

Funny quotes, humor, etc - 61

4000 plus year old ''Navapashana'' idol of Palani temple, TN - culprits confirmed they had a plan to steal the herbal idol!!

The Navapashana idol of Palani Murugan temple Tamil Nadu - a recap

Lord Cornwallis presented two fine palanquins to Tipu Sultan's sons, 1792