Navrang India

Map of the British Raj. commons.wikimedia.org

A new 'You Gov poll' taken in January 2016 had found that a large chunk of the British public were proud of their past British colonial history and the British Empire, ie, 44 per cent, while 21 per cent very much regretted it. The same poll came up with the conclusion that 43% of the public thought the British Empire was good, whereas 19% said it was bad and 25% of them said it was ''neither''.

It is a known fact a preponderance of the British population both the old and younger generation have not a clear picture of the British colonial rule across the globe and how a small country like Britain gobbled up so much land over a period of 200 plus years on which the sun had never set. In the last several decades, many Indians as well as English Historians claim that the British school students are taught a biased and distorted British colonial history in which their oppressive rules, massacres, atrocities on natives, racial discrimination, exploitation of lands and resources, wheeling dealing in businesses, etc are wantonly left out. What they are studying is a concocted story of colonial history and its benefits to the natives. During its heyday in 1922, the British Empire, believe it or not, was responsible for governing a fifth of the world's population and a quarter of the world's total land area; with colonies in very corner of the continents.

The proponents of Empire vociferously argue that the empire was responsible for the various economic developments in many parts of the world it controlled. Most importantly, they introduced democratic systems in many countries. In India, the British introduced the railways and built harbours, not for the benefits of Indian natives, but for their own benefits to move the raw materials fast from the hinterland to the harbours to be exported to English factories and to transport and distribute the finished products from England ex, textiles to the Indians across the country. This is true of other colonies as well.

British Enpire flag. reddit.com

Many Historians are critical of their autocratic unjust rule and the way they handled the administration, encouraging the exploitation of Indian labor, etc. They committed mass killing and stood mute to the worst famine conditions in Bengal in the early 1940s.

The following are some of the atrocities committed by the British Empire: 01. Boer concentration camps:
During the Second Boer War (1899-1902), the British rounded up around a sixth of the Boer population the way the cowpokes round up the cattle on the western ranches. They detained mainly women and children in camps. Because of overcrowding, the people were prone to outbreaks of disease. The food ration was just minimum. .

The Second Boer War (11 October 1899 – 31 May 1902) was fought between the British Empire and two Boer states, the South African Republic (Republic of Transvaal) and the Orange Free State, over the Empire's influence in South Africa. The war lasted for years with Boer guerrilla warfare, until harsh British counter-measures brought the Boers to terms. Of the 107,000 people interned in the camps, 27,927 Boers died, along with an unknown number of black Africans.

02. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, India:

Gen. Dyer, butcher of Amritsar, 1919. reformation.org

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre - the worst tragedy took place on 13 April 1919 when troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Acting Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer fired rifles into a crowd of unarmed Indian civilians who had gathered in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab. The unarmed civilians had assembled for a peaceful protest to condemn the arrest and deportation of two national leaders, Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew, and to honour the Sikh festival of Baisakhi. The firing was done without any warning whatsoever.

Dyer had the main entrance behind them in the bagh blocked, His soldiers took up position on a raised bank, and on Dyer's orders opened fire on the fleeing crowd for about ten minutes. They kept firing towards the few open gates through which people were trying to flee, until the ammunition supply was almost exhausted. The following day Dyer stated in a Report to the General Officer Commanding that "I hear that between 200 and 300 of the crowd were killed. My party fired 1,650 rounds.", a number apparently derived by counting empty cartridge cases picked up by the troops afterwards. The actual unofficial figure was more than 1000 and several hundreds severely injured. No first aid and no ambulance services available. Countless men, women and children bled to death without any medical help. It was the darkest day in British history.

03. Partition of India:

Indian subcontinent. origins.osu.edu

It was the Britisher's divide and rule led to the partition of India. India's freedom was already delayed by Winston Churchill who wanted to keep India at any cost because the subcontinent happened to be Britain's cash cow. The conservative British politicians understood the weakness of Jinnah and indirectly instigated the Muslims to demand a separate land for them. Jinnah became a sucker and fell into the trap.

In 1947, Cyril Radcliffe was entrusted with the job of drawing the border between India and the newly created state of Pakistan over a short time. Cyril Radcliffe, without using discretion and common sense divided the subcontinent along religious lines, and this caused the uprooting of over 10 million people, Hindus in Pakistan and Muslims in India were forced to leave their homes. It was a mass exodus - cross border trans-migration of people and majority of the families became helpless and penniless to start a new life afresh in a new home. The frustrations, resentment and hatred boiled down to violence, mayhem and killings. Some estimates suggest up to one million people lost their lives in sectarian killings. The British government did not plan it properly as they were in a hurry to leave India. On top of it the Indian govt. treasury had barely the minimum. There was money to sustain for some months.
04. Mau Mau Uprising, Kenya:

Brtish colony, Kenya. sahistory.org.za

When the British occupied Kenya, they had let lose atrocities on the natives. Members of the Kikuyu tribe were ill-treated and detained in camps, Described as "Britain's gulags" or concentration camps, here they were, without remorse, tortured and suffered serious sexual assault. In the aftermath, there was a big casualty; eestimates of the deaths vary widely: According to historian David Anderson 20,000 people died, whereas Caroline Elkins believes the total death may be up to 100,000. Thousands of elderly Kenyans, who claim British colonial forces mistreated, raped and tortured them during the MauMau Uprising (1951-1960), have filed a £200m damages claim suit against the UK Government. .
05. Bengal Famine, India:

Before partition, Bengal, India en.wikipedia.org

The Bengal famine of 1943 was a major natural calamity that happened in the Bengal province in British India during World War II. It is widely believed that an estimated 2.1 to 3 million, out of a population of 60.3 million, died mainly due to starvation, malaria and other diseases aggravated by such factors as malnutrition, , unsanitary conditions and lack of health care. A crisis situation developed as millions became emaciated and impoverished leading to a big impact on the economy and social life of the people. According to countless Historians, this calamity and its impact on the population could have been reduced considerably had the British Indian govt. taken the action at the right time. This famine is often tagged as as "man-made" because the wartime colonial policies aggravated the worst situation on the food front. A minority view that the famine arose from natural causes is true, but it became a crisis because of wanton negligence on the part of the conservative government in Britain led by India- baiter and hard core racist Winston Churchill who refused to unload the food grain from the Australian ships (laden with countless tons of wheat) docked at Calcutta and asked the captain move on to Europe to supplement the buffer stock meant for war contingency.

When honest British officials pleaded Churchill to redress the famine situation, he peevishly wrote on the margin of the file sent to Delhi. Had Gandhi not died yet? When India was reeling under the worst famine, Churchill was particular about storing food grains for future war purposes.

Talking about the Bengal famine in 1943, Churchill said: “I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion. The famine was their own fault for breeding like rabbits''.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/worst-atrocities-british-empire-amritsar-boer-war-concentration-camp-mau-mau-a6821756.html

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/aug/24/india.randeepramesh

Meerut College, Meerut. sanjeev17march.blogspot.com

Meerut College, Meerut is one of the oldest educational institutions in India. Located in Meerut Cantt where the first war of Independence started on 10 May 1857, this historic college celebrated its centenary in April 1993 and the Indian postal deptt. issued a commemorative stamp to mark the great event. The college had a humble beginning, started by a few students and teaching staff on 15 July 1892 with view to imparting better higher education to the needed students in this part of the region. In the early stages, classes were held in the Municipal school building. Later shifting to a new campus, the college had tough time owing to financial constraints and consequently had difficulty in getting a permanent status. Undeterred, the administrators successfully sought private donations and grants-in-aids to get the institution going. Having tackled the shortage of funds with patience, the founders focussed on the growth of this college growth of this college and its progress was phenomenal.

April 1993, Meerut College, Meerut. stampgallery.com

The college introduced several undergraduate programs in many fields. The college campus is on a land of 50 acres and has many academic deptts, labs, library, hostel complexes, etc. The college has PG courses and doctoral research programs in certain areas. In 1964, this college was affiliated to Meerut university. Dr. B.R. Chatterjee happened to be the first Indian Principal and Pt Dr. Sita Ram was the secretary of this college for 3 decades and these eminent people and others made a valuable contribution to the development of this college which has about more than 10000 students on its roll, including several hundred research scholars. The NAAC has awarded ''A grade'' to this college.

Meerut city map. affordablehomesindia.com

In the annuals of our educational institutions in this country,

this old college had made a mark after surmounting various difficulties in the early stages.
http://www.istampgallery.com/meerut-college/

Sri Muthuramalinga Thecar, a close associate of Nethaji Bose. doovi.com

pinterest.com

Ukkirapandi Muthuramalinga Thevar (30 October 1908 -30 October 1963), also known as Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar, was a dynamic politician of Tamil Nadu. In the annals of Indian politics only a handful of leaders won the heart and soul of the people cutting across caste and creed and Sri Thevar was one among them. He worked along with Subhas Chandra Bose when he was organizing and running the Indian National Army (INA) to fight against the British. His association with Nethaji became an eyesore for the British and Sri. Thevar earned the ire of the British government. His brief disappearance on the Indian political scene became a mystery and the rumour was thick in the air that Sri Thevar had travelled to Korea and China with Nethaji. In January 1949 Thevar announced that Nethaji was alive and he saw him. His remarks led to many speculations. Later, Sri Thevar became a leader of the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), and his leadership qualities and dedication to work saw him become national deputy chairman of AIFB from 1952. He was elected three times to the parliament, Delhi.

Sri Thevar studied up to the Secondary school and since early days never had he lost interest in horse riding, martial arts and shooting. Besides, he was a good speaker and a devout Hindu. In 1933 at Vivekananda library in Sayakgudi, he gave a wonderful speech for three long hours before a spell-bound audience. This brought out his eloquence, scholarship and depth of knowledge of the subject taken for discussion.

The criminal Tribe Act of 1934 (CTA) promulgated by the British Govt., clubbing many tribes was an unjust act. What Made Sri Thevar furious was it also included Mukkulathor as a criminal tribe. In the northern states certain tribes killed people for their livelihood and the British spent a lot of time to put an end to what was called ''Thuggee'' problem. This made the British conclude all the tribes were criminals. The CTA was promulgated in October 1871, covering northern states, and later in peace meal, extended to other Presidencies/ regions. Sri Thevar made all out efforts to see to it that this Criminal act was abolished for good in May 1948. He had led several agitations in many villages after 1929 urging people to defy the CTA. Sri Thevar was supported by leaders like P. Ramamurthy and Jeevanandam.

Sri. Muthuramalinga Thevar. doovi.com

Among his election victories, the general election of 1937 is worthy of mention. He contested against the Rajah of Ramanathapuram who represented the Justice party. In 1952, contesting from Mukkalathur constituency, Sri Muthuramalinga Thevar won both the assembly seat as well as the parliament seat. A double header, indeed, a rare feat. He was instrumental in abolishing the Zamindari system in the Madras presidency (Under Sri Prakasam ), This was done with a view to helping the sufferings of the poor peasants. Being a follower of Gandhiji, he was against untouchability and promoted prohibition of alcoholic drinks. When Madurai lawyer Vaidyanatha Aiyar and others made an historic temple entryin to Meenakshi temple along with Harijans, Mr. Thevar threw his full weight behind Mr. Aiyar and gave him whole-hearted support to his team. As a pious man, he was at loggerheads with the rationalist parties of tamil Nadu who were bent on destroying traditional Indian culture and temple worship. Being a no non-sense leader, Thevar came down heavily on the Dravidar Kazhagam its successor DMK for stimulating separatism and parochialism. Moreover, he distrusted and despised the Atheist element of the Dravidian political discourse.

Statue of Thevar in Parliament opened by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, wikipedia

SriThevar not only dedicated his life for the welfare of the downtrodden - peasants and Harijans, but also played an active role in the area of industrial labor. He would try to solve the labor problems between company management and employees as much as possible amicably. Ofcourse, on a few occasions, it went out of hands, for which he was jailed. Through out his life, though born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he led a life of a ''Karma Yogi''and never deviated from the path of righteousness. Courage compassion and spiritual discipline and honesty were all his hallmarks and he died in Madurai on 30 October 1963.

The Central and the state governments should take serious steps to name the Madurai Airport after Sri Thevar, It will be a great honor for this noble soul who sacrificed his entire life for the welfare of other people, in particular, those who were below the poverty line. Further, he played no less role in India's freedom struggle against the British occupation.

http://www.istampgallery.com/p-m-thevar/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U._Muthuramalingam_Thevar

19th century Indian thuggees, colonial India. en.wikipedia.org

Above image: Three Thugs strangling a traveller; one holds his feet, another his hands and a third tightens the ligature around his neck. The would kill only men, not women or children. Death only by strangulation. No sharp instruments are used. If there is intrusion, the man who is guarding the crime scene will signal by way of humming, etc. Created in Lucknow, based on descriptions from imprisoned Thug leaders (Dash, 2005) Watercolour (1837) by unknown artist..........................................

Thuggee Hindi: ṭhaggī; Odia: thaka; Kannada: thakka; Bengali: ṭhogī; Punjabi: ṭhagee ) - all these Indian words refer to Thugs who operated in northern states in the early colonial period and before. This term ''thug'' is popular in the northern parts of Indian subcontinent. Like modern day mafiosi of Palermo, Sicily or American Mafia, commonly called ''Thuggee'', was a well organised gang of professional robbers and killers. Their victims were mostly long distance travellers from one town to another. Their main livelihood was robbing rich men and killing them. They would share the bounty after the dirty work. Most of them were tribes living in the northern states of India close to the caravan routes. These highwaymen never worked alone as thieves, but rather as a highly organised network of criminals. who managed to evade justice for decades. Thanks to their secretive and highly effective modus operandi

Indian thug. navrangindia.blogspot.com

Indian Thug. avrangindia.blogspot.com

These hardcore criminals acted under different gangs and were secretively active for more than 400 years and responsible for killing several millions of innocent people. Surprisingly, their killing spree continued undetected all those years and there was nothing to stop them. Between 1740 and 1840 alone Thuggees, it is estimated, had left a million plus corpses in remote regions buried deep underground. According to The Guinness Book of Records, they were responsible for the killing of a total 2 million people.

William Henry Sleeman,en. wikipedia. org

Above image : William Henry Sleeman, superintendent of the Thuggee and Dacoity Department, 1835. He developed elaborate detective methods to catch the thugs. It was a painstaking work and successfully put an end to the menace; leader Behram became crown's (prosecution) witness in return for less punishment....................................

Notorious serial killer Behram more than 900 victims weirdlyodd.com

It was this gang that produced the most prolific serial killer  ever to walk on this planet and also an accomplice in hundreds of killings. The leader's name is Behram, the notorious serial killer who stands as a Goliath before American serial killers like Rodney Alcala (50 to 100 victims; put to death) John  Gacy (rapist; killed 33 teenage boys; executed in 1994) David Berkovitz alias Son of Sam (life imprisonment), Ted Bundy (executed in 1989), Brailey Bros (executed 1984 -85), et al. This is not figment of some body's imagination and it is all recorded by the Special Task force during the early colonial period in the 1800s. Behram  is said to have killed 931 people in forty years. Figures are unsubstantiated, however, he might have killed several hundred people just for personal gain.

How come they remained uncaught ? How did they manage to  evade justice for centuries? They never used the mafiosi method of operation ''Omerta'' (code of silence). Thanks to their strict adherence to secretive and highly effective Modus Operandi.  Because they would engage in criminal activity collectively with full coordination, using code language or signs they were not caught by the public or police.

Their modus operandi is simple and won't raise any suspicion. The Thuggee would befriend travellers on long journeys and join them for portions of their journey. Feigning to be friendly, amiable and helpful, they will earn their chosen victim’s trust. On occasions, they would travel log distance and when the right spot is chosen, they will take the victim into the secluded wooded area with one man guarding the area for any intrusion, while the others will strangle the victim in a flash, not allowing him to shout or mumble. A nice and clean job, no fuss and no fumble. After removing the valuables - jewels, etc, victim will be buried in a suitable place far removed as if the ground is not disturbed. Some time they will throw the body in an abandoned well. Mostly killing will be done close to the caravan route so that they can individually get back to the group of travellers without raising any suspicion. Perfect time and right coordination will help them make this heinous crime free from evidences.
Their hallmark is they never left any traces or evidences of their criminal acts, No killing by sharp instruments. Using sharp instrument would cause pain and blood shed and a  wrong move meant disaster for the gang. The shouting or yelling by victims would get the attention of co-travellers. So, to avoid such risk to life they would execute the targeted victim only by strangulation, using a long scarf.
Tit-Bits:
o1. The English language word thug traces its roots to the Hindi ठग (thug), which means 'swindler' or 'deceiver'.

02. With limited police force then  the thuggee were seen as a blemish on the colonial rule rule.

03. The British ‘ran into  Phansigars and thugs almost simultaneously, in 1807 and 1809 respectively.

04. Dr. Sherwood of Madras Presidency is the first to point out a religious element in the phenomenon of cult killing. According to him, thuggee were highly superstitious and though some were Muslims, their tutelary deity was the Hindu goddess ''Kali'' or Mariatta’. The credit goes to William Sleeman, who got to the bottom of Thuggee problem and at last rounded them u
https://navrangindia.wordpress.com/2016/09/18/sir-william-sleeman-who-ended-the-disgraceful-thuggee-menace-british-india/
http://www.sickchirpse.com/thuggee-mass-murdering-thieves-of-india/

Chitragupta temple, Kanchipuram en.m.wikipedia.org

The temple town of Kanchipuram has 108 Shiva temples and 18 Divyadesam Vishnu temples, Along with them, the town has the unique distinction having a rare temple dedicated to Chiragupta, supposedly an assistant to demi-god of death Yama.

Chitragupta temple, a Hindu temple is one of a kind in the whole of South India; it is a rare one in India. Dedicated to sub deity Chitragupta, son of God Brahma (who created him through the Sun), he is believed to be an assistant to demi god Yama ( in charge of death). He keeps the record of every human on this planet, his activities,virtues, sins, etc and will record his date of demise and his final destination to heaven or hell. The job of maintaining each human activities was set by God Shiva.He himself created Chitragupta. This temple is on the Nellukara Street Kanchipuram in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Built during the Chola dynasty in the 9th century, the entrance tower has three-tiered Rajagopuram (gateway tower) and a single prathakshana path around the sanctum. Later rulers made additions to the then existing temple. while The temple is managed by HR & CE- the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Chitragupta image in the sanctum , Kanchi, TN gosthala.com

The image of Chitragupta in seated posture is in the Central shrine Here Chitragupta has a ezhuthaani (pen) in his right hand and palm leaf in his left hand symbolic of his work. His consort is Karnikambal. The major festival celebrated in the temple is Chitra Pournami during April. At this temple consecration was performed during 1918 and 1994.

As I mentioned in many of my posts on Indian temples, each one has asthalapurana - the origin of the temple and deity. As regards the origin of Chitragupta, there are different stories. The main legend has it God Shiva (Hindu god of destruction) once expressed his desire to his consort Parvati to have somebody maintain an account on the activities of humans - their bad and good deeds, etc.as they were prone to make mistakes. A close watch on the people will help them lead a Dharmic life . He wanted somebody to do this job and drew a picture of a man in mind on the gold plate. Parvathi was quite happy about the picture and with divine power, they turned the picture into a deity. Shiva allocated the duty of maintaining the account of deeds of all human beings on earth. That deity came to be known as Chitragupta (Chitra meaning picture and Gupta meaning accountant). He was an associate of demigod of death Yama who had to go by the Chitragupta's record.
According to another legend, Brihaspati, the Guru of planetary deities was not in agreement with Indra, the king of celestial deities. In the wake of difference of opinion, Brihaspati stopped being an adviser to Indra. On second thoughts, Indra realized his grave mistake and patched up with his Guru. To make amends for the sins committed by him unwittingly, he undertook a pilgrimage to find a Linga. In the chosen place, he built a temple. Surprisingly, golden lotuses started appearing in the nearby temple tank. The day was was called Chitra Pournami..

About Chitragupta' origin, there is another version Once Indira expressed his wish to Shiva to have a child. As his wife Indrani was not supposed to have any progeny, Shiva directed Kamadhenu, the holy cow to give birth to a child. Shiva later handed over the child to Indra and Indrani. They brought him up as Chitragupta.

Every New moon day there are special prayers in this temple which both Vaishnavites and Saivites visit. Women, to get the blessings of Chitragupta Swamy, go on fast or take food without salt on festival days.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitragupta_temple,_Kanchipuram

Parameswara Vinnagaram temple/Vaikunta Perumal (Vishnu) /en.wikipedia.org/

A visit to Kanchipuram, Close to Chennai, Tamil Nadu will baffle you, because this ancient city, once the capital of Pallava Dynasty, is endowed with so many historical Hindu temples whose antiquity varies. Among the 18 Vishnu shetrams - all Divyadesam shrines, Thiru Parameswara Vinnagaram or Vaikuntha Perumal temple is worth a visit. It is not a massive temple, but architecturally it is a beautiful one.

Thiru Parameswara Vinnagaram or Vaikunta Perumal temple, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu dedicated to God Vishnu is Divayadesam shrine* one among the 108) glorified in the Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. Built in the Dravidian style of architecture, here Sri Vishnu is worshipped as Vaikuntanathan and his consort being Lakshmi as Sri Vaikundavalli. Six daily rituals are done according to Vaikasana Agama and Thekalai Sampradhayam. The Pallava king Nandivarman II (720-96 CE), was the earliest builder of this temple and later Medieval Cholas and Vijayanagar kings made further contributions.

Vaikunta Perumal temple, Kanchi, TN tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com

Legend has it that the place where the temple is located was called Vidarbha Desa that was ruled by one Viroacha. Viroacha had no hair owing to his sins committed in the previous generation. Upon intense prayer to Shiva at Kailasanathar Temple, the god gave a boon The Dvarapalas (the sentinels) of the Vishnu temple will be born as sons to him. The princes grew up and became devotees of Vishnu and conducted yagna for the welfare of the people of their kingdom. Quite happy over the young princes' devotion, God Vishnu appeared as Vaikundanatha before them. The belief is Vishnu appears to devotees just like the way he appeared to the Dvarapalakas Pallavan and Villalan.

Vaikunta Perumal temple, Kanchi, TN tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com

Vaikunta Perumal temple, Kanchi, TNtamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com

Pallava King Nandivarman II in 690 CE, being a devotee of Vishnu not only renovated old temples and but also built several new ones. Parameswara Vinnagaram or the Vaikunta Perumal temple at Kanchi has inscribed panels of sculpture portraying the events leading up to the accession of Nandivarman Pallavamalla to the throne. Saint Thirumangai Alvar lived during his period.
One king Abhimanasiddhi, according to 8th century inscriptions near the sanctum, donated a bowl and an image made of gold measuring 1,000 sovereigns. Again there was a gift of golden bowl weighing ten thousand kalanju. Yet another gift of 3,000 kalanju of gold to meet daily expenses of the temple; all during the period of of Dantivarman I in 813.

The temple has a rectangular plan with a flat granite gateway tower. The vimana resembles a Vihara, this being due to a stepped pyramidal roof. The image of Vishnu has three different postures in different sanctuaries - seated (ground floor), lying (first floor; accessible to devotees only on ekadashi days) and standing (second floor; inaccessible to devotees). This type of sanctum is rare in Tamil Nadu temples. There are many sculptures and nicely craved images of gods, animals etc; architecturally it is a beautiful temple.

Mention may be made of the panels of Mahendravarman I and Narasimhavarman I and they show the battles with Pulakesin II of the Badami Chalukyas. Other panels show the search and the finding of a successor after Paramesvaravarman II's early death. The successor is Nandivarman II, who built this temple.

Vishnu deity. Vaikunta Perumal temple, Kanchi, TN anudinam.org

The Vaikasi Brahmotsavam, -in Vaikasi (May–June), and Vaikunta Ekadashi- in Margazhi (December–January) are the two major festivals celebrated in the temple. Divine hymns from Nalayira Divya Prabandham are recited by a group of temple priests amidst music.
It is an interesting temple to visit, a paradise for photographers.
The temple is said to be the second oldest extant temples in Kanchipuram after the Kailasanthar temple. The entire temple is surrounded by a granite wall enclosing all the shrines and water bodies. Lots of devotees visit this temple. The temple being a protected heritage monument, is under the management of ASI - the Archaeological Survey of India.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiru_Parameswara_Vinnagaram

Pandavathoothar Perumal Temple or Thirupadagam in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, is said to be one of three oldest temples in this temple town; the other two being Ulagalantha Perumal Temple and Yathothkari Perumal Temple. Built by the Pallavas of the late 8th century AD, with later contributions from Medieval Cholas and Vijayanagar kings, it is a Divyadesam shrine
glorified by the Azhwar saints of 6th–9th centuries AD. Here, Vishnu, is worshipped as Pandava Thoothar Perumal
and his consort is Lakshmi as Rukmini. Pada meaning big
and Agam meaning residence; ''Thirupadagam'' implies that
Sri Vishnu resides here with his giant form. The temple follows the Thenkalai Sambrathayam of Vaishnavite tradition and follows vaikanasa agama.

Pandava Thoothar Perumal temple, Kanchi, templepurohit.com

Pandava Thoothar is believed to have appeared before the Pandava
brothers, hence the name. Three yearly festivals are given due importance and among them the Krishna Janmashtami festival, that is held in the Tamil month of Aavani (August–September) is quite popular and is celebrated with religious fervor and Bhakti.

Pandava Thoothar Perumal temple, Kanchi tripadvisor.in

The legend of this temple has close links with an episode in Mahabharata. The cousins Kauravas and Pandavas had an eternal enmity over the rights to rule the kingdom. The foamer were greedy and evil minded people thoroughly misguided by their equally bad uncle Sahuni. Once Krishna was on a visit to Hasthinapura to meet Kauravas with a missive (message or in local language Toothu) from Pandavas. Duryodhana head of the Kouravas, being vicious as he was, in order to kill Krishna he had a huge pit dug, and covered it with a carpet and a chair studded with gems. Besides, he had wrestlers hidden in the pit to finish Krishna. Krishna, being an avatar of Vishnu took
Vishvarupa - a giant form in the court. Dhritarashtra, blind father of Duryodhana was just overwhelmed and requested Krishna to make him blind again as he did not wish to see anything after this Vishwaroopa Darshanam. Janamajeya, the great-grandson of Arjuna was blessed with Vishwaroopa Darshanam in the later
period.

God Krishna revealing his giant form- Viswaroopam upis.com

The temple has three inscriptions on its walls, two dating from the period of Kulothunga Chola I (1070–1120 CE) and one to that of Rajadhiraja Chola (1018-54 CE). The inscriptions on the western wall of the central shrine from the period of Rajadhiraja Chola II (1166-78 CE) mention about gifts of 32 cows for lighting lamps of the temple.Close to the Ekambareswarar Temple, he main entrance of the temple faces east. The temple with a rectangular plan has a four-tiered rajagopuram and a single precinct enclosed in the walls. The Maha mandapa is believed to have been built by the Cholas, whereas the adjacent hall, it is believed, was built during Vijayanagara Empire. The sanctum has a huge image of the deity - Pandava Thoothar, 25 ft (7.6 m).tall. Believe it or not such a giant image of Sri Krishna consecrated about 1000 years ago is one of its kind in India, The Sri Krishna is seen seated in Arda Padmasana posture with his right leg bent to the basement. He appeared as a human, hnce there are only two hands to the deity,

The east facing shrine has a vimana called Bhadra Vimana. The preceding hall to the main sanctum, Mukha Mandapa, has bronze images of the festival deities (Utchavars) of the temple and Azhwars. The idol of Arulala Permula Emburamanar, the disciple of Ramanujais a unique one here. It is to be noted that his image is rarely found in other Vishnu temples. The Shrine dedicated of Rukmini, consort of Krishna is to the south of the main shrine. The temple, with all shrines and two bodies of water are enclosed by a granite wall

Azhwar saints such as Peyalvar, Bhoothathazhwar,

Thirumazhisai Aazhwar, Nammazhwar and Thirumangai

Azhwar have sung in praise of the different forms of Pandava Thoothar. An interesting feature is there is separate shrine for Saint Emperumalar who, it is believed, was born in this plac. Once he had a debate (Dhargam) with saint Ramanuja for 18 days and finally became his disciple.

Krishna Janmasthami, celebrated during the Tamil month of Aavani (August - September) is a major festival. The other major festival is during Bharani of Karthigai (November–December) in honour of Arulala Peruman Emperumanar.

The temple, with all shrines and two bodies of water are enclosed by a granite wall.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandava_Thoothar_Perumal_Temple

Firoz Minor, Gaur, West Bengal. en.wikipedia.org

Firoz Minor, Gaur, West Bengal.double-dolphin.blogspot.com

Firoz Minar -Tower of Firoz/Firuz, built by Sultan Saifuddin Firuz Shah of the Habshi dynasty between 1485 and 1489 is a five-story tower in Gaur, West Bengal. Following the architectural style the Tughlaqi period, the first two storeys are dodecagonal and the final two are circular in shape with reduced diameter.

Firoz Minor plan. Gaur, WB. asikolkata.in

Saifuddin Firuz Shah (reigned: 1487–1489) was the second ruler of the Habshi dynasty of Bengal. His original name is Malik Indil. He was a former Abyssinian Army commander of the of Bengal's Ilyas dynasty. Saifuddin took over the control of the kingdom after the founder of the Habshi dynasty, Sultan Shahzada Barbak, was killed in 1487. Sultan Saifuddin Firuz Shah took roughly five years to complete this tower. He began the work in 1485 and ended in 1489
This tower was built to commemorates Firuz Shah's victories in the battlefields. The local story about this tower is Firuz Shah was not happy with the tower; he wanted it much taller. Being highly intemperate and rude, without any second thoughts, he threw the chief architect from the topmost storey to death. Reason: he was not satisfied with the design and height. Colloquially, the tower is referred as Pir Asa Mandir and Chiragh Dani.

Habshi dynasty of Bengal. minted coins. mintageworld.com

Above image: Saifuddin Firuz Shah (1488 CE -1490 CE) after sitting on the throne issued coins in gold and silver, mostly in silver. The coins came from three mints. ...................

The tower that sits atop the masonry plinth is 26 metres (85 ft) high and its circumference is 19 metres (62 ft). If you take the spiral staircase with 73 steps you can reach the top. The minar resembles the Qutb Minar of Delhi. Atop the tower there used to be a dome. However, after repair and restoration work, the dome was not rebuilt, instead there is a flat roof.
Firoz Minor is just one kilometre away from the Dakhil Darwaza in the city of Gaur, Malda district.

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

https://www.mintageworld.com/media/detail/9648-bengal-sultan-saif-al-din-firuz-shah/

Adina Mosque,Pandua, West Bengal beautifulmosque.com

The Adina Mosque, the largest mosque in the Indian subcontinent then, was built by Sikandar Shah, second Sultan of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty of the Bengal Sultanate. He constructed it in 1373 in Pandua, then capital city as a royal mosque in the Bengal Sultanate. During the introduction of Islam in India the hypo style of the Umayyad Mosque was taken as a model and Adina mosque is no exception to it. During their hey day after they crushed the powerful Delhi Sultanate twice in 1353 and 1359, the rulers had a plan to expand the sultanate, However, their plan did not materialise and the sultanate became disintegrated during the16th century with the rise of the Mogul Empire with capital in Delhi.

The central mihrab of the mosque en.wikipedia.org

The impressive aspect of this old mosque is its beautiful design that is similar to the Great Mosque of Damascus. Here, it blends Bengali, Arab, Persian and Byzantine architecture. Built with brick and stone, it had a rectangular hypo style structure with an open courtyard. The structure measured 172 by 97 m. had several domes and the western wall brings out the imperial style of pre-Islamic Sassanian Persia - ie, the monumental ribbed barrel vault over the central nave. It was the first such huge vault built in the subcontinent reminiscent of Sassanian style. The mosque consciously imitated Persianate imperial grandeur.

Adina Mosque,Pandua, West Bengal. en.wikipedia.org

Above image: Arches and columns in the interior of Adina Mosque. The elevated platform was the royal gallery where the Sultan prayed......................................

The prayer hall is five aisles deep, whereas the north, south and east cloisters around the courtyard consist of triple aisles. In total, these aisles had 260 pillars that supported the 387 domed bays. Indeed a great architectural feat. The interior of the courtyard has 92 arches surmounted by a parapet, beyond which the domes of the bays can be seen. The interior elevated platform was built to serve as the gallery of the Sultan and his officials. Despite the age, it still exists. The Sultan's tomb chamber is attached with the western wall.

Adina Mosque, Pandua, WBbeautifulmosque.com

The following are some of the important facts about the Adina Mosque, Pandua, W. Bengal:

Adina Mosque, Pandua, WB alamy.com

01. The mosque was built in the historic capital city of the sultanate.

02. Pandua, a cosmopolitan trading center during that period. A walled city with well-arranged streets and bazaars. and marketplaces. One could get many goods, including six varieties of muslin and four types of wine. There were eateries, drinking houses and bathing areas. Alcohol was not served in the royal court.

03.The mosque  is near the border with Bangladesh.

04. The builder of the mosque Sikandar Shah had a good name and had  lofty titles such as "the exalted Sultan" and "Caliph of the Faithful".

Adina Mosque, Pandua, WB double-dolphin.blogspot.com

Adina Mosque, Pandua, WB beautifulmosque.com

05. The mosque included: Exterior facade of the mosque, Central prayer hall, An elephant carving on the stone wall Tomb of Sultan Sikandar Shah.

06. The mosque was designed mainly to express the kingdom's imperial ambitions after its two victories against the Delhi Sultanate in the 14th century.

07. Encyclopedia Iranica has mentioned  the mosque's construction material included stone from Bengali temples. A few parts of the mosque's exterior wall in some parts have carvings like elephants and dancing figures- a typical Hindu temple feature.

08. Historians believe  the builders might have used stone from pre-Islamic structures or the mosque itself was built on the site of a pre-existing ruin.

09. The sultan's tomb chamber attached to the wall is facing the direction of Mecca.

10. Remnant of the former royal capital that still stands is the Eklakhi Mausoleum is yet another  remnant of the former royal capital. Remnants of the palace, including floral carvings, can be seen in Pandua's raised mounds.

11. The mosque in the 19th century, was damaged by earthquakes. Later it fell into disuse.  Pandua became an ordinary place.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adina_Mosque

Thiruvanchikulam Siva temple, Kodungallur, Kerala t ourstokerala.org org

In Kerala, countless Hindu temples are located in an enchanting and serene landscape, preferably near a pazha / river. In an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity, far removed from the din of urban life, devotees feel delighted to pray and meditate. They get a big break from the humdrum of mundane and mechanical life. Thiruvanchikulam Siva temple is one such a place.

Thiruvanchikulam Siva temple, Kodungallur in Thrissur district of Kerala was built during reign of Chera rulers in the 8th century. It is the only one Paadal Petra Sthalams in Kerala state glorified by the 7th century Tamil Saivite saints Nayanmars in their works Tevaram (a great Tamil canonical work). It is one among the 276 temples /Sthalams found mention in Tevaram. It was from here Sundara Murthi Nayanar, attained Mukthi (salvation) - reaching the holy feet of the lord in Kailash according to Periyapuranam, yet another a great Tamil canonical work. Here, Shiva, who is in the form of a lingam, is worshipped as Mahadeva and his consort Parvathi as Umadevi.

Thiruvanchikulam Siva temple, Kodungallur, Kerala en.wikipedia.org

There are images of Sundara Murthi Nayanar, and of Cheraman Perumal Nayanar in this temple. It is believed to be one of the oldest Shiva temples in South India where God Shiva is said to live along with his consort and sons.

Thiruvanchikulam Siva temple, Kodungallur, Kerala.nativeplanet.com

What is so special about this Shetram?

01. Saint Sundara Murthi Nayanar reached Kailash, Shiva's abode from here by sitting on an white elephant sent by Lord Shiva on Adi Swathi day (July/August) and he was followed on horse back by Seraman Perumal Nayanar. On his way to Kailash, Sundara Murthi Nayanar sang a Padhigam which was sent back to Thiruvanchikulam on his request.

Saivite saint Sudarar en.wikipedia.org

Above image: Sundarar (Tamil Sundarar), also known affectionately as Tampiran Toḻan was an eighth-century poet and was one of the most prominent Nayanars, Tamil Saivite saints. He was a contemporary of Cheraman Perumal and Kotpuli Nayanar who is among the 63 Nayanmars. The Periya Puranam, which collects the legends of the Nayanars, starts and ends with him. The hymns of seventh volume of the Tirumurai, the twelve-volume compendium of the poetry of Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta, were composed by him.,........................................

02. The temple is associated with Chidambaram Sri Natraja temple in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the Pancha bootha Sthalams (five important elements of life) dedicated to sky.

Parasurama. findmessages.com

Above image: The sixth avatar of Sri Vishnu in Hinduism. Born as a Brahmin, Parashurama carried traits of a Kshatriya and is often regarded as a Brahmin-Kshatriya. He, along with only Hanuman and Indrajita, is considered to be one of the very few Atimaharathi warriors ever born on the Earth. Like other incarnations of Vishnu, he was foretold to appear at a time when overwhelming evil prevailed on the earth....................................

03. It was at this holy shrine, Parasurama, an avatar of Vishnu, worshipped Shiva to atone for his sin of killing his mother Renuka.

04. Tamil Saivite poet, Sundaranar sang in praise of Mahadeva in ten verses in Tevaram, compiled as the Seventh Tirumurari. .It is a Paadal Petra Sthalam - temples that are revered in the verses of ''Tevaram.''

05. Shiva is the family god of the Cochin Royal Family -Perumpadapu Swaroopam after they came to power following the decline of Chera Empire.

06. The temple has amazing old mural paintings of Hindu mythology of beauty.

07. It is a protected monument under the administration of the ASI - the Archaeological Survey of India.

Mahodayapuram, the capital the Kulasekharas, existed around the temple and was protected by high fortifications on all sides connected with pathways and palaces. Tipu Sultan of Mysore was on a war expedition in Kerala during his hey day in the late 18th century. His violent army attacked and damaged the temple. The temple had fine copper roofing and extensive gold and jewelry collections. Tipu's army looted them and fled the place upon the arrival of the Travancore Army of Dalawa Keshavadas Pillai. The temple was rebuilt by Paliath Achan of Kochi/Perumpadappu Swaroopam.

The temple celebrates three annual festivals, of which the ten-day Vaikasipournami Brahmotsavam festival that falls in the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May - June) assumes much importance.

As usual, this temple built in Kerala style of architecture has entrance towers on all four sides. The sanctum/Srikovil is in the center of the fortified temple. The sanctum, the flagstaff and the entrance tower all fall on the same axial line, a common feature
in all Hindu temples regardless of architectural style. The
flagstaff - Dwajasthambam has images of Asthavidyesavara.
The images of Sundarar and Ceraman peruman are maintained at Bhagavathi temple near by and brought to the temple during
Svati festival during July - August. There are two temple tanks
in the second prathakshana path.

The temple administration is taken care of by the Thiruvanchikulam Devaswom under the Cochin Devaswom Board, Kodungallur town is also famous for Kodungallur Bhagawathy Temple and it is 3km from Thiruvanchikulam.
https://www.nativeplanet.com/travel-guide/thiruvanchikulam-mahadeva-temple-in-thrissur-003143.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiruvanchikulam_Temple

first ship from Britain carrying mail. SS Hinduostan /en.wikipedia.org/

Johnson's Hindostan or British India map, 1864 wikipedia

Above image: ''Hindustan is derived from the Persian word Hindū cognate with the Sanskrit Sindhu. The Proto-Iranian sound change *s > h occurred between 850–600 BCE, according to Asko Parpola. Hence, the Rigvedic sapta sindhava (the land of seven rivers) became hapta hindu in the Avesta. It was said to be the "fifteenth domain" created by Ahura Mazda, apparently a land of 'abnormal heat'. In 515 BCE, Darius I annexed the Indus valley including Sindhu, the present day Sindh, which was called Hindu in Persian. During the time of Xerxes, the term "Hindu" was also applied to the lands to the east of Indus'' ................ (vide: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindustan)_

Do you have any idea about the start of first passenger service including cargo and mail from England to India? Do you know way back centuries ago many ocean - going ships carried the name of ''Hindustan''?
SS Hindostan (1842) was a wooden paddle steamer run by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P & O) sailing between Southampton and Calcutta. Unfortunately, it sank near Calcutta during a cyclone in 1864.

This was the first ever steam auxiliary ship to run between the Suez Canal and Calcutta; During the early colonial period, when the East India Company became well-established after having taken over the whole of Bengal and adjacent lands, regular navigational shipping services between India and England became a dire necessity. This was to bring in work force, cargo and mail from England. So, EIC entered a contract with the P & O company mainly for carrying mail.
Hindostan ship had three masts for sails and paddles run by 520 horsepower engines, and was capable of carrying 2017 tons; 249 in length, it was made in a Liverpool dockyard under the direction of one Charles Wye Williams, marine engineer,

It began its long voyage on 24 September 1842 from Southampton to Calcutta. It took 91 long days to sail to Calcutta, harbor;  it was a 4,787- mile journey from Calcutta to Suez in 25 days 3 hours made despite SW monsoon winds and rains. It was boon for the mercantile traders. In July 1849 Queen Victoria requested to visit Hindostan at anchor in Southampton water close to Osborne Hose on the Isle of Wight. Indeed, a great honor for the shipping Co - P&O.

It plied via Suez and Calcutta with stopovers at Colombo and Madras. Its very first passage round the Cape of Good Hope to Calcutta was faster than the overland mail to Bombay via Mediterranean and the Suez. There was provision for 102 First Class passengers, including their servants. It was a bimonthly service between Suez and Calcutta.
As interesting feature is, giving due importance to the comforts of the passengers on a long journey, the ''passenger cabins'' were in the middle of the ship where the effect of pitching and rolling will be much less.

Tit-bits:

en.wikipedia.org/

Above image: Left: Riveted steel paddle wheel from a side wheeler paddle steamer on the lake of Lucerne. Right: detail of a steamer..............................

side wheel steamer. en. wikipedia. org.

Above image: Advance, a Greenock-built American Civil War blockade-running side wheel steamer............................

In the case of a paddle steamer or steam boat it is powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans.

In the early 19th century, steam-powered boats.got the propulsion using paddle wheels. Paddle propulsion was largely superseded by the screw propeller in the later period. and other marine propulsion. This system in marine propulsion had a higher efficiency, in rough or open water. Paddle wheels continue to be used by small pedal-powered paddle boats and by some ships that operate tourist voyages. The latter are often powered by diesel engines.

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindostan_(ship)
http://www.poheritage.com/our-history/timeline/a-new-ship-for-india

It is the Persian name for India, broadly the Indian subcontinent, which later became an endonym used in Hindi-Urdu. Hindustan is used as a geographic term for the Indo-Gangetic Plain in northern India. The name 'Hindustan' does not have constitutional sanction by the Constituent Assembly of India, whereas 'Bharat' was adopted as an official name. However, that 'Hindustan' would continue to be used unofficially across the Indian subcontinent.

SS Hindostan (1842) en.wikipedia.org

A number of ships were named Hindostan or Hindustan, after the old name for the Indian subcontinent and they were owned by the British Shipping companies. The following are some well-known ships 150 years ago.

clipground.com

Slave ship. cartoonstock.com

hutterstock.com

Hindostan (1819 ship) :
She was launched by William Barnar, Hindostan was launched at Whitby in 1819. She made one voyage, in 1821, transporting convicts to New South Wales. Later, she made two voyages transporting convicts to Van Diemen's Land, one with female convicts (1839), and one with male convicts (1840–1841). When not transporting convicts Hindostan was a general trader, sailing across the Atlantic, to India, and perhaps elsewhere as well. She was lost in 1841.d of Deptford on 3 November 1789 as Hindostan. Hindostan appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1820 with Williamson, master, Herring, owner, and trade London–Calcutta. She sailed to Calcutta on 25 January 1820 under a license from the British East India Company (EIC).
Hindostan foundered in the Atlantic Ocean on 27 August 1851. Nine of her sixteen crew went down with the ship. Survivors took to a boat and were rescued on 27 September by the schooner Martha Greenow. She was on a voyage from Whitby to Quebec City, Province of Canada, British North America. Ship owned by Christian Richardson & Co.

SS Hindostan (1842): It was a P&O side paddle-wheel steamer that swent down in a cyclone in Calcutta in 1864 while employed as a store ship. First carried mail from Southampton to Calcutta (sept. 24, 1842) First mail service in India via sea.

The passage to India required larger and sturdy ships that could stock more coal and bigger engines capable of withstanding the monsoon season in the Indian Ocean.

The first P&O ship to go to India was the Hindostan which left Southampton on 24th September 1842 and arrived in Calcutta 91 days later. Built in Liverpool under the watchful eye of Charles Wye Williams, she was over 2,000 tons and ten times the tonnage of William Fawcett. Built in Southampton shipyard, it was built to withstand windy SW monsoon accompanied by heavy winds and rains.
Designed for the bimonthly Suez to Calcutta service, Hindostan could carry 102 First Class passengers (and their servants) in addition to the mails and cargo. The passenger cabins were in the centre of the ship to avoid the effect of pitching and rolling on the high seas. Her sister ship Bentinck, launched a year later, boasted cabins with marble-covered basin stands, mirrors, drawers and writing desks together with a ‘gorgeous’ gilded saloon and a well-stocked library.

SS Hindostan (1863): It was built for British & Eastern Shipping Co., which sold her in 1873 to the New Zealand Shipping Co. That company renamed her Waitara. She sank in 1883 following a collision with Hurunui in the English Channel, with a loss of 20 lives.

SS Hindostan (1869): It was a P&O steamer that was wrecked on a reef near Madras in 1879.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindostan_(ship)
http://www.poheritage.com/our-history/timeline/a-new-ship-for-india

First aerial post, Allahabad, India.18 Feb 1911postalmuseum.si.edu

Though air-plane industry, research and development were mainly taking place in the US and Europe, it was in India, believe it or not the first official airmail flown by air plane took place deep in the United Provinces.

Walter Windham, an Englishman in 1910 was invited by the United Provinces (now part of Uttar Pradesh) to take part in their annual cultural and commercial exposition in Allahabad to be held in Feb. 1911. They requested him to bring his planes and spares, etc to conduct demonstration flights to create an interest among the Indians in the art of flying - a new venture in those days.

Tndia. 1911First aerial post, postalmuseum.si.edu

Special cancel used only one day, India, Feb 18, 1911First aerial post, postalmuseum.si.edu

Experienced French pilot Henri Pequet was also in India to hold flying demonstration flights for the United Provinces Exhibition in Allahabad, During his stay there in Allahabad for the commercial exposition, one Rev. W.E.S. Holland, a chaplain of the Holy Trinity Church, Allahabad, contacted Windham and requested him to help him raise funds for a youth hostel project. It dawned upon Windham to introduce aerial post in India as there was no such facility available and the colonial government and the public were dependent on the overland postal services which were slow and not attractive. The chaplain accepted the proposal and Windham approached the postal deptt. Geoffrey Clarke, Postmaster General of the United provinces and the Director of the Post Office, India granted approval for mail to be officially received and cancelled prior to transport by one of Windham's planes. Postal officials asked Windham to design the cancel. Most mail has a magenta cancellation, but a few examples exist with black ink. The regular postage rate required an additional surcharge as a donation for the Church Hostel Building.

The public was invited to deliver stamped and addressed mail to the Chaplain of the Trinity Church enclosing six pence or annas with each letter to be posted by air. People could also get the mail sent by air with the help of a postal official in the hanger on the parade grounds.The mail flight was scheduled to take place on 18 February 1911, two days earlier. As it happened to be a sensational event, thousands of people saw Pegquet take off with mails. French pilot Henri Pequet (1888-1974) carried the first official mail flown by an air plane. He carried a sack with about 6,500 plus cards and letters on his Humber biplane. The plane flew a distance of five miles, from an Allahabad polo field, over the Yamuna River, to a place called Naini and took 13 minutes to land there.. All mail received a special cancel depicting an airplane, mountains, and “First Aerial Post, 1911, U. P. Exhibition Allahabad.”.The postal official on the outskirts of Allahabad received the mails, sorted them out for surface transport to destinations world over.

gandhistampsclub.blogspot.com

Tit-bits:
01. The postal mark used on the air mails was distinctive and made in the postal works in Aligarh, UP.

02, The event also marked the first ever flight in India and was held during the Maha Kumbh in 1911.

03. The letters bore an official frank "First Aerial Post, U.P. Exhibition, Allahabad. 1911"

04, On the basis of this successful experiment in India, the world's first scheduled airmail post service took place in the United Kingdom between the London suburb of Hendon, North London and the Postmaster General's office in Windsor, Berkshire, on September 9, 1911, as part of the celebrations for King George V's coronation

05, The first official U.S. airmail delivery took place on August 17, 1859. On that day, veteran balloonist John Wise (1808-1879) carried 123 letters and twenty-three circulars from Lafayette to Crawfordsville, Indiana, a distance of thirty miles, in his balloon Jupiter.
https://postalmuseum.si.edu/collections/object-spotlight/india-air-mail.html
https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/worlds-first-official-airmail-309327-2016-02-18
http://www.istampgallery.com/first-aerial-post/

The Navaratna Temple complex is on the north bank of river Kansabati, Pathra, west Midnapore distt. West Bengal. The complex includes several temples, thanks to the Majumdar family who patronized them. Details are sketchy with respect to deities in the temples being worshipped by the people.

Navaratna temple complex Pathra, West Bengal. asikolkata.in

The Hindu temples of West Bengal follow different architectural style and they are altogether different from the Nagara style of Odisha, the Dravidian style of Tamil Nadu and other places. Nor do they have any close affinity with those of Kerala temples where hard wood is widely used in the interior. In Bengal, terracotta material is widely used for temple decorations/ construction. Like many regions of India, the art forms, native to Bengal are visibly religious in nature and the temples provide an ample opportunity to bring out the nuances of native art. In the 16 and 19th century, brick was widely used in the construction of Hindu temples and obviously they form distinctive groups of sacred monuments as opposed to South Indian temples where granite or other hard stones were used.
Brick temples of Bengal show a wide range of forms and techniques of construction and they have close link with the local influences on the region during different periods, Hence various fine artistic forms find expression in brick and terracotta. In Bengal, the temples are manifestations of ever changing culture, religious movements and arts; they have certain ramification on the artistic adn relief works in the terracotta. The temple art forms keep changing in tune with the changes in the society. The blending of Hindu and Muslim elements in monuments is an intrinsic part of Bengali culture. This was after the arrival of Islam in Bengal - 12 or 13th century? The earliest temple artforms show the influence of Mayrian and Gupta periods. In the late 18th century, temples were built in small size with less terracotta decorations. Yo can see decorations only on the front part. At that point of time the economic and social condition of the society had a direct bearing on the nature of the temples - small in size, less decorative works and minimum embellishments.

Here at Pathra, there are three other flat squared roofed Temples adjacent to it and one atchala brick built Temple. Of these, the famous is the Navaratna Temple built in 18th century. AD and having exquisite terracotta ornamentation.

Site plan. Navaratna temple complex Pathra, West Bengal. asikolkata.in

The Kalachand Temple complex is on the northern side of the river embankment right across Navaratna complex comprising rectangular built Dalan type brick Temple and one rectangular roofless laterite structure fronted by a verandah locally known as Durgamandapa. There is a half-buried Pancharatna Temple made of brick just obstructing the embankment; there is another damaged pancharatna Temple at a short distance on the Northern side of big tank and few other small Temples are close-by. .http://www.asikolkata.in/w-midnapur.aspx#JohnPearce

Tomb of Alexander Csoma De Koros, Darjeeling

blogger.com

Map of Darjeeling, West Bengal. darjeeling-tourism.com

During the heyday under the East India company rule and later under the direct crown administration after 1859, countless Europeans including evangelists moved over to India to try
their luck in their profession, passion and skill. Since Calcutta happened to be the main center of trade, innumerable European families settled there, either working for the English company
or for the private companies. Some were on their own, taking
care of their livelihood and pursuing their interest. India, being
a hot country with horrible summer, the discovery
of hill station Darjeeling was a blessing in disguise and most
of the European families would make a beeline to that hill resort
to cool off during summer days on the plains. Obviously this
place, famous for Darjeeling tea, was visited by well known personalities. Alexander Csoma De Koros was one among them, but, for a different reason. He came to this beautiful hill resort to take an eternal rest in the shadow of the holy ghost.

Alexander Csoma Bust Asiatic Society of Bengal, wikipedia

Above image: Hungarian Philologist Alexander Csoma Bust presented by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences to the Asiatic Society of Bengal. de Koros died at Darjiling in 1842 AD.
Sándor Csoma; 27 March 1784/8 - 11 April 1842) was born in Kőrös, in Transylvania (today part of Covasna, Romania). His birth date is often given as 4 April, which is actually his baptism day and the year of his birth is controversial; some authors put it at 1787 or 1788 rather than 1784. Hailing from a poor family, the sixth child of András Csoma and his wife, Krisztina Getse (Ilona Göcz). His name in English is written as Alexander Csoma of Koros and in Hungarian Kőrösi Csoma Sándor (Kőrösi means "of Koros). Between 1816 and 1818 he studied Oriental languages; he was Göttingen where he had a name for his proficiency in 13 languages including Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, German, and Romanian apart from his native Hungarian. When in Calcutta he also mastered Bengali, Marathi and Sanskrit. A scholar in Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan languages, on his 200th birth anniversary in 1984, the Hungarian government released a postal stamp depicting him and his travel. A park in his memory was opened in 1992 at Tar by none other than the Dalai Lama, a great spiritual leader.

postal stamp iin honor of Csoma. balkhandshambhala.blogspot.com

Way back on 1 July 1932 Csoma was honoured by Hungary by way of issuing a postage stamps. Again a commemorative postage stamp was issued by Hungary on 30 March 1984, depicting Csoma, the Master of Tibetan Philology, in the background of a map of Tibet.

We have not heard much about Alexander Csoma De Koros and his activities in India as we have about other Britishers because of lack of publicity or ignorance. De Koros, a Hungarian Linguist, philologist, traveller and Orientalist, was from Koros, Hungary (D.B.O: 4th April 1784). Being an avid traveller, his favorite destination was Asia. In 1820s after settling down here, he took keen interest in the Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy. His obsession with the language and religion made him spend much of his time in a productive way. He was a polyglot, knowing 17 languages. Having gained proficiency in the Tibetan language, he produced the first Tibetan-English dictionary and grammar book. His keen interest in the local language and religion left a deep impression on the natives who called him Phyi-glin-gi-grwa-pa in Tibetan, meaning “the foreign pupil” and was given the title of Bosatsu or Boddhisatva (Buddhist sainthood) by the Japanese on 22 February 1933 in Japan. Indeed, a great honor and achievement for a foreigner.

Tomb of Alexander Csoma De Koros, Darjeeling

blogger.com

Csoma de Koros, who is said to be the founder of Tibetology joined the famous Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal in Calcutta in 1831. The society took keen interest in the Indian languages and did extensive research particularly, in Sanskrit. In 1833, he became an Honorary member of the Asiatic Society and in 1834 an honorary member of the Royal Asiatic Society. De Koros was a Librarian of the Asiatic Society from 1837 to 1841.

Statue of Alexander Csoma de Koros riding a yak

An interesting fact emerges from his biography. De Koros arrived Lahore (now in Pakistan) all the way from his country on foot, covering a vast distance and different terrains all alone, taking considerable risk to his life. Then he moved on to the monastery of Zangla village in Ladakh via Kashmir, India. Astonishingly, he covered a long, strenuous journey on a rugged terrain - in total 12000 km from Hungary. It shows his sheer guts and determination to pursue his passion. It was his pioneering works in the Tibetan languages despite his tough days in a strange place that attracted the western scholars to take interest in this language. At Zangla, he learned Buddhist philosophy under a Lama and also learned the langauges spoken there. Later he moved over to calcutta to publish his works.

Plaque. tomb of Csoma de Kőrös , Darjeeling 1001things.org

That we are being dictated by the edit of god is true in the case of De Koros. He was on his way to Lhasa, Tibet and unfortunately, he could not move far beyond Darjeeling where he contracted Malaria, a dreadful disease in those days. Medication did not work and De Koros died on 12 April 1942 from fever in Darjeeling. He was just 58 years of age.

vedamsbooks.com

Located within the Old Christian Cemetery, a mile from the Darjeeling town, a small hexagonal memorial tomb on a low platform is built over the grave of noted Hungarian Philologist Alexander Csoma de Koros who died at Darjeeling in 1842 AD. The tomb is on Lebong Cart Road which overlooks the Darjeeling town and the tea estates. The Asiatic Society of Bengal, to honor him, erected the monument over his grave, the Hungarian memorial tablet was placed over it. A tablet was placed by the Hungarian government with the words of Count Istvan Szechenyi : "A poor lonely Hungarian, without applause or money but inspired with enthusiasm sought the Hungarian native country but in the end broke down under the burden"

https://1001things.org/tomb-alexander-csoma-de-koros-darjeeling/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A1ndor_K%C5%91r%C3%B6si_Csoma

Madhur Temple, Kasaragod town en.wikipedia.org

Madhur sri Vinayaka temple, kerala eralatourism.org

Madhur Temple located 7 km (4.3 mi) from Kasaragod town, Kerala is a famous Hindu place of worship once dedicated to God Shiva. It was known as Madarantheswara (Shiva) Temple as the deity, "Udbhava Murthy" (a statue that was not made by a human). according to the legend, was first sighted by an old women by the name of Madaru from local Tulu Moger Community.

A boy, while playing, drew a picture of god Ganapathy on the southern wall of the Garbhagriha/Srikovil (sanctum sanctorum). As no body expected, for no reasons, it had begun to grow big day by day and finally it became very big and fat. The boy called Ganapathi as "boddajja" or "bodda Ganesha". It is now more a Ganapathi temple than a Shive temple. This Ganapathi temple is one among the six Ganpathi temples of ancient Tulunadu, the other five are located at Mangalore (Sharavu Mahaganapathy), Anegudde, Hattiangadi, Idagunji and Gokarna.

Tipu Sultan of Mysore. nasrani.net

It is said this temple escaped from the fury of Tipu Sultan while on a raid in 1788. We have recently heard a lot about Tipu Sultan and his exploits in war. Unfortunately, he became a subject of debate now, as the Congress party, a few years ago, wanted to celebrate his birth anniversary as ''Tipu Jayanthi'' in Karnataka. A section of Hindu and Christian communities had reservations about it as Tipu, during his reign, destroyed some temples in Kerala and churches in Karnataka. Because of politicians, Tipu has become a controversial ruler of Mysore. Congress wanted to use 'Tipu Jayanti' as a ruse to get Muslim vote, and countless people vent their voice. It is not done in good sipirit by the nethas. Even a section of Muslims resent it.

Tipu stuck the sword on the wooden shade. Madhur Temple, Kerala topyaps.com/

Any way, the legend has it Tipu Sultan, who came down to Kerala on a war expedition, wanted to demolish the temple like Adooru Mahalingeswara temple during his invasion of Coorg, Tulunadu, and Malabar. As he and his army were thirsty after a long journey they decided to drink the temple water to quench their thirst first. But after drinking water from the temple tank, Tipu
changed his mind to destroy the Garbhagudi/ sanctum and then marched towards Malabar. However, it is said, he made a cut with his sword on the front wooden panel of the temple, symbolizing the attack. The mark is still visible on the building that is built around the temple well.

Water tank, Madhur temple,Kasaragod town.topyaps.com/

Above image; This is the water tank at Madhur temple where Tipu's army quenched their thirst. For unknown reasons, his army never attacked this temple. The temple tank water might have changed Tip's mind upon experiencing some divine vision. ...........................................

The temple built in Kerala style of architecture is of 3-tiered gajaprishta structure meaning resembling the back of an elephant. There are nice wooden carvings depicting scenes from the great epic the Ramayana. This well-built temple offers a fine ambiance for those who want to meditate and be at peace with themselves. The temple is running Vadha Patasala and teach Sanskrit.

The main offering (naivaidyam) to the deity by the devotees here is in the form of "Udayastamana". Madhur is famous for this Appa" as the prasad, is a very tasty and mouth-watering. Among puja rituals "Sahasrappa" (Thousand appas) is popular and is done by devotees once their wish is fulfilled. It is a sort of thanks-giving to the God. As we may be aware, ''man's success is driven by trust besides his hard work'', this type of offerings is done in many Hindu temples by the devotees. Yet another special pooja is Moodappam Seva . It is done by covering the Mahaganapathi idol with Appam. This is usually done on a community scale. This temple is overcrowded on the festival days of Ganesh Chaturthi and Madhur Bedi.

Local people refer to this temple as the one that escaped the fury of ''Tipu Sultan'' of Mysore.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhur_Temple
https://topyaps.com/tipu-sultan-kerala-temple/
https://www.nasrani.net/2007/05/06/the-tiger-and-the-syrian-christians-tipu-sultans-padayottam/

cartoonstock.com

It is a known fact that one in ever three Indians has hypertension and this is the gift of modern life plus unhealthy fast foods that are loaded with all kinds of bad items that are not good for your heart. Proper medication can help reduce BP, researchers believe healthy diet and regular exercise can produce the desired results. Many people are not aware, there are many drinks other than healthy diet that can help us maintain BP and reduce the risk of cardiac condition. The Cardiological Society of India, in its 2017 report, advised people to reduce salt intake and high sodium food items. Say no to canned food, sugary and trans fat laden food and, of course, processed meat and alcohol.

The following healthy drinks are recommended to reduce BP:

01. Low fat milk:
Loaded with potassium calcium and vitamin D, the British journal of Nutrition recommends low-fat milk. Full-fat milk has palmitic acid which cab block the blood vessels, hence it is not recommended.

02. Chia seeds infused water:
Packed with Omega 3 fatty acid, it can help make the blood thinner and reduce BP. It can also prevent strokes.You can soak the chia seed in water or half hour and drink the water. A month later you can see the results.

Pomegranate juiceyoutube.com

03. Pomegranate juice:
This ruby-red juice is a popular one and has lots of potassium. Normally, potassium rich food is good for reducing hypertension. This fruit has three anti-oxidants, more than green tea and red wine and thus formation of plaque in the arteries can be prevented. If you drink it on a regular basis. it will reduce your BP.

pinterest.com

04. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) drink:
Drinking ACV has lots of benefits because it has lot of nutriants including potassium, ACV removes excess sodium and toxins from the body. Rennin enzyme in the juice is beneficial to our body as it reduces BP. You can mix the Apple Cider Vinegar with honey in a glass of warm water and drink it, mind you, on empty stomach. Lemon water also does give the same benefits. Vitamin C acts as anti-oxidant and removes free radicals, thus regulating the BP level.

draxe.com

05. Fenugreek aka Methi water:

It is a high-fibre drink and can control BP. You can soak the seeds in water previous night and drink the water in the morning on empty stomach.

Athivaradhar, Kanchipuram tnpds.co.in

Moolavar idol Varadaraja perumal temple, Kanchi. picswe.com

Since last week of June, 2019 there has been a spate of news items on Athivaradar - Sri Vishnu at Sri Varadaraja Perumal temple, Kanchipuram, about 75 km from Chennai city. What is so special about Athivaradar and why is much importance given to this deity? Athivaradar, a form of Mahavishnu is made of ''Athi wood'' (fig tree) and he is kept for darshan from first of July till 17 August - 48 days on the temple premises - the VasanthaMandapam To take the idol out from the depths of temple tank, twelve feet of water is drained out far before the start of the event. Later the priests had spent time to clean up the idol to prepare it for daily darshan and nithya alangarams (daily decorations). Taking out the huge wooden idol from the water tank is a tedious and emotional task for the Bhatters. After reaching the surface of the pond in poor light, one has to descend 12 steps deep further and the idol lies a nine feet tub brimming with water. It is said the Ahivaradhar was first submerged in the temple tank in the 1700s during Muslim invasion.

Varadaraja perumal temple, Kanchipuram ripadvisor.com.au

Above image: Varadharaja Perumal Temple originally built by the Cholas in 1053 was expanded during the reigns of the great Chola kings Kulottunga Chola I and Vikrama Chola. In the 14th century Chola rulerd added another wall and a gopura. Located in part of Kanchipuram called the Vishnu Kanchi that is a home to 18 divyadesam shrines. this temple is a huge one standing on a 23-acre (93,000 m2) complex and has fine rock sculptures of ancient vishwakarma sthapathis. It is foremost among the 108 divyadesams glorified by the Azhwar saints of 7th and 8th centuries. Ove the sanctum one can see beautifully carved gold-platted lizards .............................
It is an once-in-forty-years temple ritual in which the deity is retrieved from the waters of temple tank Ananadasaras. It was on July 2, 1979, he came out last to give darshan and earlier on 12th July, 1939. This time, in a span of three weeks, lakhs of people have visited this temple to have darshan. It is reported in the media that in 18 days roughly 20 lakhs (two million) devotees from Tamil Nadu and across India came to this temple to be blessed by the lord. The temple authorities never expected that a huge crowd of this magnitude would descend on this temple and they thought 20000 to 30000 devotees a day would visit till the end of this rare event. The lord will be kept in Ananthasayanam (reclining) posture for the first 24 days and for the rest of the period he will be in a standing posture. Each day the deity has impressive alangaram - decoration with flowers, clothing, etc. Simple ''Deepa Aradhani'' will be shown to the lord every now and then for the benefits of devotees. The reasons for this huge crowd sometimes reaching 100000 plus a day are Athivaradar will emerge from the Ananadasaras only after 40 years from now and, as he has emerged from the water tank after 4 decades, it is strongly believed that he brings with him positive energy and prosperity, dispelling negative thoughts and darkness - within and without. His emergence from his water abode is an assurance that bad elements in the society will be driven out for good. Peace and faith will be restored. After darshan, it is said, the devotees will have good things going in their lives; it is a sort of rejuvenation for them. Here, trust matters much.

temple tank, Varadaraja Perumal temple, Kanchipuram. en.wikipedia.org

This 9 - foot long Athivaradhar idol is carved out of the divine fig tree (in Tamil 'Athi' means fig), botanically identified as Ficus Racemosa Linn falling under the Moraceae family. Agama sastras say that wooden idols made from 'athi' wood will have good durability and won't fall apart or get damaged even if it is in the water for years.

Varadaraja perumal temple, Kanchiesamskriti.com

According to legend, Goddess Saraswathi, consort of Brahma, the Creator, had a serious argument with him and, in the wake of it, with resentment, she left him with his divine wand in a rage. Brahma, without the wand could not continue his Aswamedha yagna in the forest that was full of 'athi trees (Fig forest; later this place came to be known as Kanchipuram). Anyway, Brahma decided to go ahead with his Yagna despite impediments caused by his consort. Enraged Saraswathi, in association with the Asuras (demons), wanted to stop the ritual and took the form of a river called Vegavathi river (now it is called Palar river). Brahma, having no other recourse, prayed to Vishnu who had lain across the course of the river and stopped its flow. Then he emerged from the holy sacrificial fire with brilliance of one thousand Suns as Devarajaswamy (Athivaradhar). Vishnu pacified Saraswathi and the yagna was finally completed with out any hitch. Grateful as he was, Brahma requested Lord Vishnu to stay in the Athi forest (Kanchi) and had Viswakarma carved out an idol of Athivaradar from a divine well-grown fig tree. Lord Vishnu agreed to stay in Kanchipuram atop the Elephant Hill.

Those people who have no interest in our culture and age-old tradition, the wooden idol of Athivardhar may not cause any excitement. Nor does it induce reverence because they only look at the face value of the simple-looking wooden idol. That his emergence from Anandasaras after 4 decades has caused wide spread sensation not only in Tamil Nadu but also across India will bear testimony to his mystical power that drives away the negative elements in our society and his divinity that has an aura about him. This is because he was worshipped by innumerable pious people and by some great Vaishnava Acharyas - Ramanujacharya, Vedanta Desikan, Manavala Mamunigal, et al in the past eras. For countless devotees who witness this event for the second time, they are fortunate to have been blessed twice and the present event may get them to go nostalgic. This particular wooden idol is more than 1000 years old as confirmed by the worship of Sri Ramanujar.

This idol was once the ''Moolar'' centuries ago, because it had minor damages for unknown reasons, as per Agama sastras, it was unfit for worship. Hence, the idol was immersed in the temple tank.

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

https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/retrieval-of-kanchi-athivaradar-a-deitys-tryst-with-history/article28182955.ece

Tipu Sultan, Seringapatam captivity of Mangalore Christians. en wikipedia org.

Since Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan's death on the battlefield at Srirangapatna in 1799 against the East India company's Army led by Wellesly, 220 years have gone by so far, many historians, a section of Hindus of Kerala and Karnataka, Mangalore Christians of Karnataka and Syrian Christians of Kerala are of the opinion that Tipu's reign was not a comfortable one for the non-Muslims, particularly, the followers of Christ. However, the ruler was far better than the Portuguese Jesuits of Goa, in particular Rev. Francis Xavier, who recommended the King of Portugal to introduce inquisition (forced conversion of natives to Christianity using extremee violence, including death) in Goa in 1520 to put the heretics, pagans and native Christian converts on the right path of Christianity. Karnataka state's decision to celebrate ''Tipu Jayanthi'' (birth anniversary) every year drew a lot of criticism as Tipu, a Muslim warrior of repute was dragged into a subject of discussion and debate.

Hyder Ali had a close relationship with Mangalorean Catholics. en wikipedia org.

A big blot on Tipu Sultan's reign was the destruction of Syrian Christian churches and Hindu temples in Kerala. The ''Captivity of Mangalorean Catholics''at Seringapatam (1784–1799) -15 long years of imprisonment is not a palatable chapter in Indian history The de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. had 60,000 captives, including Malayali Christians, and Tamil Christians from the Tamil regions in his fort, as stated by Tipu in the Sultan-ul-Tawarikh. Equally disturbing is the fact that it marks the wretched part of the history of Mangalore Christians. Though the root cause of this prolonged imprisonment for no reasons is a disputed one, three reasons may be worth mentioning. First, Tipu hated the British company and the wily officials whose faith was Christianity and their eating habits. Secondly, he was quite suspicious that the native Christians were not trust-worthy and wee more loyal to the British than to his kingdom. Thirdly, historians are of the opinion that it was purely due to religious reasons, as Tipu himself stated: "To spare them was mercy, to honor them with Islam a favor. No fault being imputed except them being Christians." His war expeditions into Kerala and elsewhere, destruction of temples and churches and conversions of thousands under duress, historians point out, bear testimony to his 'Islamic' ambition.

Mangalore city map, Karnataka, S. India.ftd.travel

During the reign of Hyder Ali, the Mangalorean Catholic community in Mangalore had nothing to fear. Hyder Aki had Catholics in his administration and also in the army. The ruler allowed Christians to build a church within the Seringapatam Fort where French generals (Hyder Ali had an alliance withe the French Army) offered prayers. Tipu had also taken part in the conquest of Mangalore in 1768, and was aware how badly the Canara Muslims were treated by the Portuguese clergy, and was at cross road with his father's favourable policy towards the Mangalorean Catholics. No sooner had Tipu Sultan taken over the control (he was just 31 years old) from his father and inherited the territory in January 1784, than he issued orders to seize the Christians in Canara, confiscate their estates, and send them to Seringapatam. His orders were carried out and on 24 February 1784 they took effect. Tipu accused the Mangalorean Catholics of treachery towards the sovereign, as well as their having helped the British. In March 1783, when the British took over the Mangalore fort, many catholics joined the British army and acted as spies for them and this act of treason angered Tipu. Praxy Fernandes, historian has mentioned that the Christians helped British Colonel Campbell in the Mangalore fort and had close contacts with Mysore traitors Kasim Ali and Mohammed Ali, who were enemies of Tipu and had plotted with the English to overthrow him. Fernandes pointed out that the head of the Congregation of Monte Mariano Church at Farangipet, near Mangalore, provided the British garrison with 1,000 bags of rice. Historian Thomas Paul is of the view that Tipu shifted his hatred for the British to the Mangalorean Catholics and other South Indian Christian communities. Historian Sita Ram Goel, about religious conversion, has mentioned that Tipu's justification for the conversion was that during the Portuguese domination, many Muslims were forcibly converted to Christianity under threats of death and torture Tipu justified his actions as a punishment for the conversion of Muslims to Christianity in Goa and elsewhere.

After a peace treaty with the British, the Mangalore Fort was delivered to Tipu in January 1784. Tipu never pardoned the Christians for their betrayal and owing their allegiance to the British. He expelled 13 Goan priests from his kingdom to Goa and told them they would face death if ever returned. Upon receiving highly exaggerated reports about the role of the Christians and their help to the British during the Second Anglo-Mysore War, Tipu wanted to minimise the threat to his kingdom from the British and banish the Christians of Canara. They were issued with orders of expulsion to Goa and would be fined Rs. 200,000, and threatened with death by hanging if they ever returned.

Built by Tipu. Idgah mosque, Mangalore en.wikipedia.org

Above image: It is widely mentioned that the Idgah mosque in Mangalore across St. Aloysius College ( Private, co-educational Jesuit college with 4299 UG students and 1530 PG students) was built by Tipu Sultan with stones taken from the destroyed Milagres Church. It was built in 1680 by Bishop Thomas de Castro, a Theatine from Divar, Goa.....................................

The long march from Mangalore to Srirangapatne began on
Ash Wednesday 24 February 1784, Tipu herded them to his capital at Seringapatam. In the same year, he also pulled down 27 churches including the Milagres Church. During the long march to Srirangapatnam in the most painful and stressful time, twenty thousand Christians died with no basic medical care. It is
reported that they poignantly underwent extreme hardships, persecutions, torture and death. Many Christians were forced to convert to Islam and the Mangalore Christians, with no hope to get free almost faced near extermination. The  dungeons in the fort were used by Tipu to imprison Hindus and Christians who did not convert. When Srirangapatnam came under the control of the British after Tipu's death at the Battle of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799, during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, of the 60,000–80,000 Christians captives, only 15,000–20,000 remained alive
and retained their original faith. The bi-centennial anniversary of the Christians' release from captivity was celebrated across the region on 4 May 1999.
Tit-bits:
Catholics under the Mangalore Diocese, are referred to as Mangalorean Catholics who are are Konkani people whose mother tongue is the Konkani language. Unfortunately the records of South Canara's Christian community were lost during the tumultuous time of their deportation by Tipu in 1784. Though it is not known when Christianity came to Canara for the first time, however it was after the arrival of the Portuguese in 1498 when de Gama landed on   St Mary's Islands in South Canara and planted a cross there in 1500s,the Cristianity had taken roots there After the Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral arrived at Anjediva in North Canara with eight Franciscan missionaries, conversion began and in 1526, during the viceroyship of Lopo Vaz de Sampaio, the Portuguese captured Mangalore and soon Portuguese Franciscans began slowly spreading Christianity in Mangalore. As for Mangalorean Chritians, originally many of them were ''Saraswat Brahmins'' who were forced by the Portuguese to convert to Christianity during the Goa inquisition. These converts, to avoid threats and persecution left Goa for good and settle down in Mangalore in the 16th century.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captivity_of_Mangalorean_Catholicsat_Seringapatam

https://ratthes.blogspot.com/2013/02/tipus-fanaticism-and-cruelty.html

The Milagres Church, Mangalore, India alamy.com

The Milagres Church, Mangalore, India tripadvisor.com

The Milagres Church (Portuguese: Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Milagres, English: Church of Our Lady of Miracles) was first built in 1680 by Bishop Thomas de Castro, a Theatine from Divar, Goa. Quite famous for its beautiful architecture, the church has an impressive altar with eye-catching French painting of St Monica and St Augustine. yet another attractive feature is the display of statues of apostles. There are six of them mounted on pedestals and the facade with the statues similar to the St. Peter's Basilica, Rome. The main altar has the statue of Our Lady with superscription 'Altare Previlegiatum'. It is a magnificent monolithic marble altar, the gift of the late Mr. Nicholas Britto.

The Milagres Church, Mangalore, India holidayiq.com

One of the oldest churches in South Canara, the original structure was built at the site of the present-day cemetery. During the reign of Tipu Sultan of Mysore, it is said, that this church was one among 27 churches pulled down by him. Tipu had built a mosque - Idgah mosque on the Light House hill opposite to St. Aloysius College, with stones removed from the destroyed Milagres Church. It was the Portuguese who introduced Christianity in this part of Karnataka. During the 17th century, Mangalore occupied a significant place with respect to Church management in India.

The Milagres Church, Mangalore, India. mangaloreimages.blogspot.com

The Goan Catholics settled in Canara were handicapped by lack of good priestly leadership, this being due to return of of migrant priests to Goa when the Portuguese withdrew from the region. In 1658, a Carmelite missionary, Fr. Vincento Maria de Santa Catharina on a visit to Canara was not happy about the leadership and administration. He wrote to Rome, explaining the poor state of Christianity in this region that had to be improved. Responding to the request, the Holy See decided to help the Canara Christians, and put a Theatine, Bishop Thomas de Castro as the Vicar Apostolic of Canara and Malabar in 1674. Bishop de Castro who came to Mangalore in 1677 approached the queen of Mysore Wadiyar royal family, Keladi Chennamma. Being a woman of charitable disposition and interested in the welfare of the society, she granted the needed land as a gift to the Bishop.

De Castro immediately plunged into the church construction work which was completed in 1680. Besides, he settled down here to take care of church activities by staying in the near-by quarters. Upon his death on 16 July 1684, Bishop de Castro's mortal remains were buried in the south eastern corner of the cemetery, where his grave may be identified by its bronze slab next to the St. Monica Chapel.
After Queen Chennamma's death, her successor, King Basavappa repossessed the land. However, in 1715, a local priest Fr. Pinto successfully secured the land from ruler Somashekara II. His nephew Fr. Alfred Pinto who succeeded him, had a new church built at the site of the present church in 1756. Unexpectedly, there was a change in the political scenario and in 1763, Canara came under the control of Hyder Ali who earlier worked for the Wodiyar family. He was considerate toward the Christian community of this area, However, when his son Tipu Sultan became a successor in 1782, the Mangalore Catholic Christian community had a tough time. When Mangalore came under the British control briefly, many Christians worked as soldiers and some worked as spies for the English company. This led Tipu Sultan to believe that the entire Christian community was conspiring against him during the Second Anglo-Mysore War and, in collusion with them, the British are trying to capture his kingdom. Obsessed with this kind suspicion, Tipu captured about 60,000 Mangalorean Catholics on Ash Wednesday 24 February 1784, and herded them to his capital at Seringapatam where they were kept for 15 long years. When the British captured Tipu's kingdom after his death in the final war in May 1799, it is said, only 20000 Mangalore Christians were alive. Besides, in the same year 1784 Ash day, he destroyed 27 churches including the Milagres Church in the Canara area.

After British victory in May 1799, the Mangalorean Catholics were freed from Captivity and most of them subsequently returned to Mangalore. Among the returnees was a baker one Lawrence Bello, who took so much pain to build a chapel to replace the demolished church. With contributions from many sources, including the new government, step was taken to build a new spacious church for which the foundation stone was laid in 1811. For unknown reasons in 1911, the facade of the church collapsed and later the present church structure came up which was designed by Fr. Diamanti S.J. A portico was added later to the structure. No doubt, this nice church is steeped in the history of the Christian community of this area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milagres_Church_(Mangalore)
https://web.archive.org/web/20120321053956/http://www.daijiworld.com/chan/exclusive_arch.asp?ex_id=189

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Madhur temple, Kasaragod in Kerala that survived Tipu Sultan's onslaught.(1788)

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Tipu Sultan of Mysore and 60000 Mangalorean Catholic captives

The Milagres Church of Mangalore, South India - a legacy of Portuguese rule