Navrang India

Shatrunjaya hill temples, Gujarat gujarattourism.com

With no exceptions, all religions have a distinctive pilgrimage center to which lakhs of devotees pay a visit either to have peace of mind and tranquillity for the rest of their existence or earth or secure a place in heaven. As far as Hindus are concerned, they undertake such pilgrimages to holy places for salvation - free from rebirth. In the case of Jains of Jainism which is a small religion and an offshoot of Hinduism, pilgrimages form an integral part of their religious duty and they accomplish it before the onset of old age
The main pilgrimage site for Jains, in India is not that easily accessible as you would walk into a holy temple in Banares (Varanasi) or in Rameswaram where lakhs of Hindus flock.

The Jains, a primarily a business community not only live in India and also across the world. The world diamond trade is partly controlled by them and a large community of Jains is living in Antwerp, capital of Belgium engaged in cutting and polishing of raw diamonds, including diamond dust. It is said they have close rapport with orthodox/Hasidic Jews who have been traditional diamond traders in Antwerp for centuries. In 2006 mainly Jain diamond traders accounted for US$19 billion annual diamond trade. Believers of non-violence and strict vegetarians, they have no gods or spiritual figure; they follow certain seers/monks and do believe in reincarnation. They, like Hindus, strive hard to be finally liberated from the the cycle of life and rebirth.

Shatrunjaya hill temples, Gujarat gujaraticulture.org

Shatrunjaya hill ("place of victory against inner enemies") originally Pundarikgiri), also spelt Shetrunjaya is a major pilgrimage place for the Jains. Located in Palitana, in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat on the banks of the Shetrunji River at an elevation 164 feet (50 m) above sea level, they are similar to those hills where you can find Jain temples in Bihar, Gwalior, Mount Abu and Girnar. Palitana town is at the base of the foothills, 56 kilometres (35 mi) from Bhavanagar. The terrain is rugged while the land is drought-affected.

Climbing the stairs of Shatrunjaya Maha Tirth en.wikipedia.org

Shatrunjaya hill temples, Gujarat.agefotostock.com

The sacred hill of Shatrunjaya ( it is a part of the Girnar ranges), believe it or nor, has as many as 865 marble-carved temples on the hills spread mostly in nine clusters. The hills are said to be sanctified because it was here on the hill the monk Rishabha, the first tirthankara of Jainism, gave his first sermon. The history of the
hills goes back to the time of Pundarika Swami, a chief Ganadhara and grandson of Rishabha, who attained Nirvana/Moksha here. Located across the main Adinath temple, built by Son of Rishabha, Bharata, lots of pilgrims visit this shrine. Often referred to as Siddhakshetra or Siddhanchal, here many thirtankaras are said to have received enlightenment. It is said that 23 of 24 Jain Tirthankaras, except Neminatha, sanctified the hill by their visits.

Shatrunjaya hill temples, Gujarat Adisvar temple .jainpedia.org

To get to the top of the hill which is an an ancient tirtha (religious pilgrimage site) where the Palitana temples are located, the pilgrims have to climb about 3750 stone steps, that are carved into the mountain. The uphill distance is 3.5 kilometers (2.2 mi) from the base and it takes more than two hours to reach the top. This pilgrimage center is open almost year round except during the Monsoon season, lasting four long months. The pilgrimage is called "Shri Shantrunjay Teerth Yatra" and is undertaken from the Poornima day (Full Moon Day) of Kartik month according to the Hindu calendar (October–November as per the Gregorian calendar). However, a large number of pilgrims undertake the pilgrimage in the month of Phalguna (February/March), and this route passes via five sacred temple sites over a distance of 45 kilometers (28 mi). Jains normally undertake the yatra in large groups from the base of the hill. This pilgrimage being an important one, almost all devout Jains undertake it during their life time. It is the duty of the Jains to climb the hill as many times as possible. As for the elderly people above 60, dolies are available to take them up to the temples and down. A dholi is a seat attached to a pole carried by strong men to the top, for which you have to pay them.

Besides, pilgrims also go round the Shatrunjaya hills (in Tamil it is called ''Girivalam'', often associated with Kathigai Deepam at Arunachaleswarar temple, Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu) covering a distance of 216 kilometers (134 mi) on foot, chanting prayers while on the move. Once atop the hill, the devotees wearing white - robe never fail to do their religious duty. It is expected of them to pay homage at each of the complex’s many tuks, similar to temples. As part of worship, barefoot Jains sweep the grounds with brooms and see to it they don’t kill anything before sitting down or sweeping. They engage in chanting of religious texts along with other pilgrims and Jain monks surrounded by Tirthankaras, similar to unclothed Buddha statues.

The Palitana temples, records point out they were built over a period of 900 years starting in the 11th century. It is said that the earliest temples were built by Kumarpal Solanki, a great Jain patron. The builder, it is mentioned, paid the talented sculptors wages, not only according to their skills and capacity to carve with abrasive cords (not tools) the intricate designs, but also on the basis of the marble dust that they had collected every evening after their toil.

Shatrunjaya hill temples, Gujarat .pinterest.com

Unfortunately these amazing sculptures and temples were destroyed by the Delhi Sultanate army in 1311 AD. Two years later, the temples saw the rebuilding. However, temple building activities peaked in 1593 when Hiravijayasuri (Chief of Tapa Gaccha) organized a major pilgrimage to this location to attend the consecration ceremony of the temple built for Rishabha by Tej Pal Soni, a merchant. Later lots of temples came up. Invariably most of the present temples date back to the 16th century. In 1656, Shah Jahan’s son Murad Baksh (the then Governor of Gujarat) granted Palitana villages to the prominent Jain merchant Shantidas Jhaveri, a Svetambara Jain. Further, all taxes were also exempted, During the Mogul period, this temple town prospered.

Along with Shikharji in the state of Jharkhand, the two sites are considered the holiest of all pilgrimage places by the Jain community. They strongly believe that a visit to this group of temples is a must to get nirvana or salvation. During the yatra, food must neither be eaten nor carried on the way. Equally important is the descent which should begin before evening. No person shall be allowed to stay for the night atop the sacred hill. The Shatrunjaya hills are considered by many Jains to be more important than the temple-covered hills of Jharkhand, Mount Abu and Girnar.

Etymologically, Shatrunjaya means a “place of victory against inner enemies” or “which conquers inner enemies”. It is to be noted that there are 108 names of Shatrunjaya but only some of them are in common use. The Mahavir Jayanti, the birthday of Mahavira, is an important festival which is celebrated with religious fervor in the temple complex. Every year more than 400000 devotees visit the hill temples at Palitana.

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

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Chausath Yogini Temple, Jabalpur, MP empleadvisor.com

Chausath Yogini Temple, Jabalpur, MP. mapsofindia.com

There are hundreds of Hindu temples across north India that are either damaged or in ruins due to invasion by the Muslim rulers of Delhi after 12th century. They not only plundered the temples but also damaged them as they were against idolatry. The purpose of plundering was to lay their hands on the treasures in most of the Hindu temples. The invasions were more of a political nature than that of religion. Destruction of Hindu temples, etc declined considerably during the Mogul period. Chausath Yogini temple in Jabalpur is one of the oldest temples in this region, but it is a damaged one for political reason.
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Chausath Yogini Temple located atop the hill in a lush green serene environment in Jabalpur, MP, is one of the oldest heritage sites in India. From the top of the hill, you can have a fine view of the surroundings and the Narmada river. It is dedicated to Goddess Durga and there are 64 yoginis or shaktis - different forms of the Goddess. A Yogini is a female attendant of the mother goddess who is kind to her devotees, but destroyer of people with evil mind. Built of granite rock in the 10th century A.D, the temple can be accessed through 150 steep stone steps leading to the shrine. This partially damaged temple is the legacy of the the ancient rulers of this region. The complex has 95 shrines that include 64 shrines in circular form and for each yogini there is a main shrine where Lord Shiva and his consort Goddess Parvati are seen riding the sacred bull - Nandi. The temple came up during the reign of Kalchuri Dynasty and the partial damage to the temple complex was due to the raid by Mogul rulers who damaged the temple for the simple reason that they hated idolatry.

Chausath Yogini Temple. Jabalpur. esamskriti.com

Chausath Yogini Temple. Jabalpur. .holidayiq.com

Chausath Yogini Temple, Jabalpur, MP ravel.vibrant4.com

One of the oldest heritage sites in India, the structure of Chausath Yogini temple has close similarity with those of Khajuraho, a world famous heritage site. Yet another tourist destination is The Marble Rocks in Bhedaghat which is close-by.
https://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/travel/chausath-yogini-temple-jabalpur-a-must-visit-heritage-site
https://www.holidayiq.com/Chausat-Yogini-Temple-Jabalpur-Sightseeing-776-18555.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chausath_Yogini_Temple,_Jabalpur

Kakanmadh temple, near Gwalior, MP instazu.com

Kakanmadh temple, near Gwalior.facebook.com/

Kakanmath temple, near Gwalior storgram.com

Above image: Captivating animal at the gate of archaeological museum in Gwalior. It's one of a pair of lions taken from Kakanmath temple, Sihoniya, Madhya Pradesh, 11h century........ ...........
The ruined Kakanmath temple is rich in sculptures and nicely carved stone images. Though it is in a dilapidated state, the entire edifice has irresistible charm that no body can ignore it. Lots of tourists visit this historical heritage site that stands still today in spite of the damages it suffered in an earthquake in the past.

Close to Gwalior at Sihoniya (Morena District) in Madhya Pradesh, India is located a strange-looking Hindu temple dedicated to one of the trinity Gods Shiva. Built by the Kachchhapaghata ruler Kirttiraja ( (r. c. 1015 -1035 CE) in the 11th century, what you see now is a ruined part of an original temple complex called Kakanmath temple. The inscriptions found at the Sas-Bahu Temple in Gwalior confirm this. From the inscriptions we understand that the ruler commissioned an extraordinary temple primarily dedicated to the lord of Kailash at Siṁhapānīya (modern Sihoniya). It is said that the original complex had a main temple surrounded by four subsidiary shrines. What is left out is only the remnants of the central temple . As for the outer walls, the tower balconies, etc., they became ruined and fell apart. Reason: It is postulated that the damage to the temple complex was caused by an earthquake. The Shiva temple was excavated from the huge mounds of rubble dirt. Though the tower of the temple appears damaged, its majesty and elegance will certainly leave a lasting impression on the visitors. The temple is a monument of national Importance listed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Kakanmadh temple, near Gwalior, MP Pinrest com

Kakanmadh temple, near Gwalior, MP storgram.com/

According to an inscription (1393-94 CE) in Sanskrit in the pillar, the renovation of this temple was done by one Durgaprasada. Yet another pillar inscription - A 1497 VS (1440-41 CE) records the visit of a pilgrim named Dekhana (the son of Kakaka, and a resident of Nalapuragaḍha) during the reign of Dungara (a Tomara ruler of Gwalior). Standing on an ornate base (pitha), the temple, like other Hindu temple, has a garbagriha/sanctum, a vestibule, and two halls (gudha-mandapa and mukha-mandapa). The sanctum has a prathakshana path (prakara/circumambulatory path) with three transepts. There are lateral transepts, and four clusters of pillars in the gudha-mandapa; the vestibule has four pillars in a row, that are well-aligned with four clusters of the gudha-mandapa. The shikhara (tower) of the shrine is not higher than 30 m and it looks as if it is out of a distinct shape. Besides, the impact of an earthquake, the tower appears to be well corroded due to prolonged exposure to the vagaries of weather. The outer and inner entrances seem to be well preserved and are in alignment. Massive ornate pillars at the entrance welcome the visitors. The steps at the entrance had two large lion statues, which are now located at the entrance of the Archaeological Museum, Gwalior.

Kakanmadh temple, near Gwalior, MP instazu.com/loca.instazu.com

Shiva linga in the foreground. Kakanmadh temple, near Gwalior, MP instazu.com

Though the entire structure appears to be shaky as if it is ready to fall at any time, it stands upright for a long period. Folk legend has it that, the temple was named "Kakanmadh" after Kakanavati or Kakanade, who was the queen of one Surajpala. The other version is name of the temple refers to the kanak (gold) and maṭha (shrine). According to a myth, this temple was built by some mystical powers, sort of genies over a short period.
http://www.mysteryofindia.com/2016/04/awe-inspiring-shiva-temple-kakanmath.html

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

Alamgir gate, Mandu Fort, MP flicker.com

Alamgir gate, Mandu fort, MP commons.m.wikimedia.org

Steeped in history, Mandu in Madhya Pradesh has a spectacular but ruined citadel that is not easily accessible by the enemies, part of the reason being its location atop the high plateau. Forming an important military outpost by virtue of its strategic location in an impressive naturally-protected place in the Vindhya hills surrounded by a ravine on all sides, every year it attracts tourists from India as well as abroad. The fort is 82 km in perimeter and is believed to be the biggest in India. What is so special about this big fort? Deep ravines cut into the sides of the 20 sq. km plateau (633 meters high) occupied by the fort. The ruins are spread over an area of 21 sq. km. Besides its tough location, mention may be made of the fort's high thick walls mostly consisting of small boulders, rubble, cobble, etc., stretch as far as 59.5 km (37 miles) long and the Narmada river blocking the way for the enemy's approach to the fort. Visitors can see beautiful palaces, mosques, tombs, etc amid the lush green gardens, lakes and woodland within the confines of walls. Dilawar Khan Husain Ghuri (ruled 1401-5) had first redesigned the fort and begun the work and later Mahmud Shah I Khalji (ruled 1436-69) completed the work that had been left behind by the early builder. It is an ancient stronghold as this region was prone to attacks from the Muslim rulers of NW of India.

In 1902 Alamgir gate, Mandu Fort asibhopal.nic.in

Toward the end of the 10th century, Mandu became a prominent place under the Hindu ruling dynasty of Paramaras that controlled the province of Malwa with their capital at Dhar. In 1305 the Sultans of the Delhi Sultanate displaced the Hindu rulers. The Hindus were either killed or forced to become Muslims under threats to life.Alauddin Khaliji (c 1267- 4 Jan. 1316) was a notorious Muslim fanatic. He had his own father-in-law ruler Jalaluddin killed and paraded his head on a spear in his camp to instill fear among his enemies In 1401 Dilawar Khan had a row with the Delhi sultanate and broke away from it. He founded an independent sultanate with Mandu as the capital of the Malwa region. Between 1405 and 1531, Mandu saw several developments such as palaces, gardens, lakes etc., and it was the golden age of the new capital and the fort was renamed ‘Shadiabad’ (City of Joy). It was during this period there was an infusion of Islamic architecture characterized by elegance and simplicity. This gave rise to Mogul architecture with fusion of Hindu building style as in Delhi and Agra.

Alamgir gate, Mandu fort, MP lonelyplanet.com

What the visitors see here at Mandu are the the remnants of 12 gates of the great fort, of them only seven survived. Located at vantage points, the soldiers from these gates were guarding the place 24 hours a day, on the look of the sign of any approaching column of an enemy's army. Through a system of acoustics, I believe, they will inform the palace and other gates of the approaching danger. Designed in such a way, the soldiers could see at long distances, looking for any movements

The barbican in front of Alamgir gate has a walled enclosure with two square bastions built at flanks. The height of the arched building from the bottom level to the top of the Kanguras is 11 m. The covered passage is about 9.5 m x 4 m. and there are four arches. The three inner ones support barrel-shaped roof. The outer portion of the building is characteristic of a flat roof, covered with slabs. The architecture of the gateway is as simple as it it can be , but for a band of carved masonry along piers of the outer arch of some parts. It is a conventional design.

Mandu is 35 km from Dhar and 100 km from Indore, MP.
http://www.asibhopal.nic.in/monument
/dhar_mandu_alamgirgate.html#
https://navrangindia.blogspot.com/2017/09/historical-gates-of-mandu-mp.html
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/a/019pho000430s32u00031000.html

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Jami Masjid, Mandu, Madhya Pradesh. boloji.com/

Jami Masjid,Mandu sea of arches shutterstock.com

Centrally located ''The Jami Masjid'' of Mandu, Madhya Pradesh is one of the finest achievements of the Ghauri dynasty. Grand in appearance, in its heyday, it could accommodate lots of faithfuls in the prayer hall.

Jami Masjid, Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, you tube.

Now in ruins, the historical mosque at Mandu called Chor-Kot once had a glorious past comparable with other historic monuments. Because of inadequate protection and care, and lack of barricade, it became a hangout for hobos, thieves and anti-social people; part of the reason is this place is in an isolated location. Locally called Chorkot, this place of worship came into being during the reign of Hoshang Shah. For unknown reasons, he could not complete the construction work and later during the reign of Mahmud Khalji the work was completed in 1454. Hoshang Tomb and Ashrafi Mahal were also built during his reign.

Jami Masjid,Mandyu, Madhya Pradesh. triphobo.com

The Delhi Sultanate's power declined after the powerful raid by Timur and this made Ghauri, governor of Mandu declare his independence in A.D. 1401, with Sultan Dilawar Khan declaring himself Shah, an independent ruler. His successor Hoshang Shah, moved the capital from Dhar to the plateau of Mandu. Shaw chose the right place to rule the country. Bounded on three sides by a rift valley, overlooking the Narmada river to the south from a height of 300 metres, the fortress of Mandu had a natural protection against the enemies and was virtually impregnable.

Jama Masji (also called Jami Masjid) is in Mandu in the Central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and its style of design is that of Mogul. Mogul architecture normally mixes the Hindu architectural elements to add zest to it and also to establish their territorial integrity.
The mosque occupying a total area of 88 square meters (950 sq ft), has the main entrance on the eastern entrance. As it is noticeable in numerous mosques built centuries ago in India, this structure is also built on an elevated platform 4.6 m (15 ft). From the one half of an inscription on the doorway to the porch it can be inferred that Jami Masjid was constructed on the model of ''Mosque of Damascus''. The doorway also carries jams and lintel that carry embellishments and reminds us of the Hindu architectural influence A flight of steps lead to the grand, domed porch on the east. There are intricate stone jallis inside for lighting purpose and they must have been used sparingly in the by-gone era. The spacious doomed hall has delicate trellis screens. Entering through the west doorway of the porch, one comes across spacious courtyard enclosed on three sides by the colonnaded verandas covered with domes. The prayer hall which is across the courtyard to the west of it, has 58 small domes and three large ones. The dominance of the domes is just overwhelming. Among the elements that enhance the beauty of this mosque, the monumental entrance from the east is worth mentioning. It is elegant, with a main arched doorway flanked by two smaller openings. The whole structure is faced with red sandstone and there no intricate decorations.

Jami Masjid, Mandu, Pulpit with a small marble dome tripadvisor.in/

The main pulpit and mihrab (niche) are well preserved in particular the central one. The raised pulpit has its own miniature marble dome supported by four arches.. This shows the influence of Hindu design styles. The prayer hall has a nice ambiance and the visitor may feel as if he were in a wooded area of arches nicely shaded by a canopy of domes. The hall is supported by 17 pillars which are not ornate and are quite plain. At the farthest ends of the prayer hall are the upper sections supported by nine columns each. These were reserved for the women and royal members. The pillars of Jami Masjid's prayer hall may look stark, but present a fine symmetry.

Vide wikipedia: this mosque is being administrated by the Nagore Durgah committee of Nagore, Nagapatnam District, Tamil Nadu.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jama_Masjid,_Mandu
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=Vuinp98E4sYC&pg=PA48&dq=jami+masjid+mandu&redir_
https://www.boloji.com/articles/969/the-pleasure-palaces-of-mandu

Hoshang Shah's tomb, Mandu, MP. Flicker com

Hoshang Shah 's tomb, Mandu, MP. commons.wikimedia.org/

Hoshang Shah 's tomb is the first one in India to be faced entirely with marble. Marble facing was not done prior to this one with respect to building mausoleums. The ruler died in 1435 and was loved by his subjects as he happened to be a man of compassion and of affable disposition. No doubt, his tomb had acquired sanctity and was the location of annual Urs that had been conducted until the end of the 19th century.

The tomb is accessed through a north-facing porch. But, it is said, it is not used by the visitors. Square in plan, there are artistic ached openings on three sides supporting the marble dome above. The openings are well-proportioned. In the middle of the inside court stands the mausoleum on a square marble platform. In the big court inside a stone pavement runs along the north and south sides. Entrance to the tomb proper is through the doorway on the south side. The well-proportioned doorway is well ornamented that will never fail to get the attention of the visitors. In the interior parts the ornamental moldings such as the miniature arches with blue enamel background running all along the rim of the dome are impressive. But for this ornamental feature, the interior is plain and simple.

Hoshang Shah 's tomb, Mandu.freeart.com

corridor near Hoshang Shah's tomb, Mandu, MP.thinkingparticle.com

Hoshang Shah 's tomb, Mandu, MP. .trekearth.com

To make the tomb attractive, the main sarcophagus of Hoshang Shah is presented in the form of a casket with receding bands and with a mihrab moulded at the top. The carving is done with particular attention. Also found below the dome are the other graves three of which are in marble. At the four corners of the dome are the conical shaped turrets. The finial of the dome is crowned with a Crescent, a typical symbol of Islam. It is believed by the historians, this unique feature was introduced to Mandu from Mesopotamia. As for the massive white marble dome, it is shaped with meticulous care. Yet another unique feature is the mausoleum is built on a white marble square platform with massive walls rising to a height of 9.6 meter from it. Hindu ornamental elements can be observed in the platform bearing ornamental border with projecting lobes; presumably it was done by Hindu sculptors who were associated with the construction work.
It is noted down by some historians that standing in the middle of Md. Khalji's tomb, the halls of Hoshang's tomb, Jami Masjid and this structure, the centers of these buildings fall in a straight line.

Tit-Bits:
Hoshang Shah ( also known Alp Khan) (1406-35) was the first formally appointed Islamic king of the Malwa region of Central India. Also called Hushang Shah Gori, he was known as Alp Khan before he took on the title Hoshang Shah after being crowned the ruler of Malwa. Alp Khan's father Dilawar Khan Ghori belonged to the court of Firozshah Tughlaq, the Sultan of Delhi. He was appointed governor of Malwa probably by Firuz of the house of Tughlaq, but made himself independent of the Delhi Sultanate for all practical purposes in 1401. Thus he had practically come to Mandu in 1401 as the first King of Malwa, although he did not declare himself a king. He ruled Malwa for 27 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoshang_Shah
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=Vuinp98E4sYC&pg=PA48&dq=jami+masjid+mandu&redir_

Woodstock school,Landaur, India boardingschoolsofindia.com

Woodstock School, an international coeducational residential in Landour, Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, India, is one of the oldest residential schools in Asia and for the past 165 years it ha been providing international education here. The school's motto is ''Palma Non Sine Pulvere'' meaning no palm of victory without the dust of struggle. In 2004, Woodstock celebrated 150 years of its long eventful journey. Honoring the school's contribution to nation building, the Government of India issued a Woodstock School commemorative postage stamp in 2004.

Woodstock school,Landaur, India .woodstockschool.in

Located in the breath-taking foothills of the Himalayas, it is a private nonprofit institution with Indian Christian Minority Status, offering kindergarten through Grade 12 instruction, with a residence program beginning in Grade 5. In 2019 Woodstock School officially got the accreditation as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, with full authorization for both the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) and Diploma Program (DP).
Founded in 1854 as an English Medium school for protestant girls, it has been functioning on the present campus since 1856. When it became popular and necessity arose to start a school in the north with an American curriculum to prepare students for American colleges and universities. Missionaries took keen interest in establishing an institution that will be on par with western schools. It was in 1926, a full American coeducational program had been introduced at Woodstock. Believe it or not in 1959, Woodstock's progress was so good it became the third high school outside North America and the first school in Asia to receive US accreditation through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

Woodstock school,Landaur, India you tube.

Realizing the cultural fabric of the Indian society and fusion of many religions, 1960s, saw the introduction of cross-cultural courses in social studies, literature, art, and religion. Also included were the Indian classical music and dance lessons and their introduction was very much appreciated by all sections of the society.

In 1990 the Indian universities accepted the Woodstock Diploma as being equivalent to the Indian school-leaving examination, thus allowing graduates to enter Indian and foreign universities with considerable ease. A year-abroad study program was instituted by the school to gain a unique experience in a foreign land. First called the "Package Program," it is part of the SAGE (Studies Abroad for Global Education) network and after 1992, it has close link with the Friends of Woodstock and its predecessor organizations in North America. Students from more than 30 countries representing more than 20 nationalities study at Woodstock in Uttaranchal. Woodstock teachers and students come from all over the world to stay here and learn in a liberal Christian environment and the residential system promotes the fusion of different cultures and religions in a friendly atmosphere conducive to personal growth, better knowledge and nation building. The vision of Woodstock is a cohesive worldwide family committed to one another and building a better world. The school also gives due importance to music, drama and arts that bring out the ethos of various countries and cultures.

Since global warming and environmental pollution gaining currency, the school gives much emphasis on safe environment. Students are encouraged to get

involved in various projects like tree planting, plastic recycling etc.
http://www.istampgallery.com/woodstock-school/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_School

elephant attack. killed 369 people in Odisha since 2015 indiatoday.com

Elephants and tigers kill one human a day. Govt. datatimes of India.com

In India, the human-elephant conflicts are on the increase for various reasons, the most important one being the close proximity of human settlement to the elephant habitat or the range. This results in the confrontation between big animals and humans when the former are either migrating or foraging for food. The conflicts between humans and elephants assume great threats to their sustained existence. Various studies on the elephant-human conflicts have concluded that in Asia and also in Africa crop raiding is the main conflict that is wrought with danger. This conflict results in death and destruction. According to Alexandra Zimmermann, chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Task Force on Human-Wildlife conflict, ''Human-animal conflict is one of the biggest challenges for conservation efforts - especially for large species which get lots of attention,"

Angry elephant. colourbox.com

In India annually on an average up to 300 people get killed as a result of human-elephant conflicts and there is no sign of any slow down despite the measures being taken by the state governments. Tigers and elephants kill one human a day in India.


Crop raider in Jharkhand state .bbc.com/

Above image: A marauding elephant in Jharkhand state has trampled at least 15 local people to death in the past few months in 2017. According to the Indian environment ministry, 1,144 people were killed in elephant and tiger attacks between April 2014 and May 2017. Experts say the numbers could be much higher if attacks by leopards and other wild animals were included in the list..............................................

Elephant in rage. .istockphoto.com

Shrinkage of habitat or habitat loss may trigger ripple effects leading to crop raiding, injuries and deaths to humans by elephants. In Tamil Nadu in places like Coimbatore district, the elephants raid crops close to the villages and sometimes raid the houses as well looking for food, water, etc. So, the people living in the fringe areas of the wooded places are living in constant fear. Pachyderms in groups raid banana crops, jack fruit crops, etc and cause heavy financial loss to the small farmers who own less than 10 acres and eke out living on a small budget. Crop damages sometimes run into a few thousand dollars to millions of dollars. Every year, 100 humans (in some years it may be 300 people) and 40-50 elephants are killed during crop raiding in India. Yet another fact is both endangered elephants and tigers are killing a person a day.

Humans kill elephants for reasons of destruction of their properties and not for the reason of securing the ivory. Plantation workers in remote places feel the big animals are a threat to their lives and livilihood. So, they take the extreme step of retaliation against them which is a sign of human arrogance and dominance. In NE India more than 60 elephants were found dead in the recent past and this was due to retaliation against the elephants by the locals. They were on the look out for food for survival in the wake of fragmentation of their habitat.

It is to be borne in mind serious efforts should be taken to reduce the confrontation between elephants and humans to reduce death on both sides and steps must be taken for the conservation of Asian elephants. Why do elephants raid the crops? There may be many reasons, but one fact emerges from the studies; they prefer raiding crops to feeding on wild forage because of their higher nutritive content and palatability. Studies also point out that not all elephants in a population raid the nearby crops. Only fragmented landscapes with no contiguous area with wide range may force the entire elephant population to move out looking for water and food. Deforestation, degradation of landscapes cause food loss and scarcity of water. The habitat loss may have a heavy toll on the animals that need lots of food and water for survival and they are driven to desperation.

The government must take careful steps to preserve the elephant habitats and safeguard the corridors through which they migrate from one region to another to mitigate the loss of humans and animals. Of course, the growing human population is squeezing the habitats of animals, as a result, the conservationist have a challenging job ahead and they have

to contain the death on both sides and safeguard the animals, especially those that are listed as endangered.
http://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/elephants/asian_elephants/areas/issues/elephant_human_conflict/

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/60091086.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cpps
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-40899987

l


A drunk and an elephant. 123rf.com/

That lots of drunks in North Bengal villages find their grave on account of raging elephants is a recent sad news in the print media.
The problems of intoxication and drunkenness are world over and they impact countless populations and groups. They've been part of human society for several centuries. If you go deep into the roots, they have different perspectives for different purposes. The frenzied, and sensationalised commentary, and the public debates on drinking point the accusing finger at the declining morally bankrupt, permissive social, cultural and economic landscapes of our times. Polly Toynbee (2005), writing in The Guardian, confesses that ‘British drinking culture as we know it is already repulsively uncivilized’. This is true of many countries, including India where in remote places in many states the police have no control over illicit-brewing, boot-legging. etc.

.man-elephant conflict. hindustantimes.com/

According to Toynbee (2005), the damage done by drink is increasing [in the UK], as alcohol-related deaths from cirrhosis, hepatitis and alcohol poisoning have soared by 18% over the past five years. Those figures are dwarfed by the 22,000 violent drinking deaths in car accidents and pub stabbings, with half of violent crime due to drink. Last week’s figures showed under-age “drunk and disorderly” prosecutions up by 25%. (Toynbee 2005). As for the US, the less said, the better. In India the incidence of violent crimes in the cities and towns near the liquor shops and at home due to alcoholic drink has gone up manifold, in particular, Tamil Nadu. It has become a menace and alcohol related violent incidents have become regular news items in the newspapers.

pngtree.com

A drunk in India newindianexpress.com

In north Bengal the state government is facing a strange problem which needs a serious attention. Here, the tribes, I understand, produce good alcoholic brews that attract lots of farmers and tea-estate workers (often elephants too). Alcoholic brewing, mostly done by women is part of their culture and a large number of drunks in the remote places get killed not because of any side effects or over-drinking of local brew, etc but because of different reasons. Living in the fringe settlements close to the wooded areas, in a drunken stupor, they chase the wild elephants that cross their settlements looking for food and water. With disorientation, loss of reflexes, and direction they end up being either crushed or thrown away by the enraged pachyderms.

In my last post on human-elephant conflicts I mentioned about the habitat loss and growing human settlements in the fringe areas of the forest were responsible for death of men. Equally annoying is the fact that in some places in NE India, the maundering elephants either get killed or injured by the humans as the threats in nearby villages by elephants in search of food and water have assumed a serious problem. In particular, children and women are living in constant fear because the elephant attack may occur at time, particularly during the night.

According to the Union Environment Minister Babul Supriyo (June, 2019) in the last five years over 2,300 people in India were killed by elephants while tigers claimed over 200 lives. In this never-ending confrontation between wild animals and humans, last year alone 494 people hit the grave because of elephant attack. This does not include other wild animals like tiger, Jaguars, etc.

Recently I read with interest a report in ''The Hindu'' dated 25 August, 2019 that one thirds of the people killed by elephants between 2016 and 2019 in North Bengal were drunk. Invariably, they dug their own grave by chasing the wild beast in an inebriated state. This report was published in Science Journal Plos One.
This study took into account the profession, age and identity of the victims and reported 36% were drunk on local brew made from called Hania. The tea estate workers and marginalized farmers need to be educated about dangers of alcoholism and chasing wild beasts in a drunken-state. The study not only covered spatial

.man-elephant conflict. hindustantimes.com/

patterns of human elephant conflicts vis-a-vis changing land cover and human-dominated landscapes in north Bengal region, but also the temporal and seasonal variations in elephant attacks, land uses, besides the victims age profession, etc.

The study concluded that 74% of victims were males, 17% were tea estate workers, 30% farmers, 19% daily-workers. Villagers who went for gathering wood or attending nature's call constitute a small percentage of victims. Of particular interest is the elephant attacks are not regular; on the other hand, they are seasonal. Major attacks (54%) took place between May and July followed by 30% attacks between August and September.

The study found changes in land-use patterns. The forest cover is 446 sq.km, but, there has been some decline in tea gardens (reduced by 307 sq.km) and agricultural land (reduced by 128 sq.km). An important fact is the increase in the frequency of human-elephant conflict is due to increase in human settlement in the past decade by roughly 61 sq.km. It means interference in the animals' access to water sources and their major migration corridors
The elephant population in north Bengal is 446 and the number of death due to elephant attack is just 12% of total deaths in the country

The Ministry said to reduce the confrontation with elephants physical barriers are set-up such as barbed wire fence, solar-powered electric fence, bio-fencing using cactus, et. In some places boundary walls are erected to prevent the entry of wild animals into crop field. In some remote places in Tamil Nadu. the authorities erected chilly fesses to discourage elephants.
Recently, the West Bengal government acquired four special vehicles for tracking and tranquilizing elephants. An Elephant Movement Coordination Committee has been formed in the state that gives updates on elephant movement through text messages. In October, 2017, there was a proposal to to set up a unique elephant museum within the Buxa Tiger Reserve area in Alipurduar in north Bengal. The purpose of this museum by the government was to reduce the man-elephant conflicts in the state as much as possible and to eliminate unnecessary fear among human beings about tuskers,

shutterstock.com

.cartoonstock.com/

\As for elephant population in India, as per the last census in 2017 by the Ministry, there were about 27,312 elephants in the country. A total of 75 elephants died in 2018 while a total of 373 elephants died between 2015 and 2018, the data added.

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/elephants-killed-over-2300-people-in-last-five-years-environment-ministry/article28208456.ece
https://www.hindustantimes.com/kolkata/tackling-man-animal-conflict-bengal-govt-plans-elephant-museum/story-ND3PXSnQAnHdQYsEOo3J1J.html

hindustankikhabars.com

Do you know how the Vinayagar or Ganesh Chaturthi (birth of the elephant-headed God), a simple home Hindu festival, had assumed a grant public event of fanfare and bhakti? Countless people may not be aware of the origin of this grand public festival event. To know it, we have to travel back to the time of our forefathers' freedom struggle under the British Raj in the 1800s.

In the state of Maharastra, Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10 day long -drawn festival held with religious fervor. As a matter of fact it is one of the most visible and colorful festivals celebrated across India, Besides Maharastra and Gujarat, over a period of time, Ganesh Chathurthi has become a popular public festival in many parts of south India.

The person who turned Ganesh Chaturthi celebration into a grand national public event was none other than Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a great freedom fighter, nationalist and teacher who once said "Swarajya is my birthright and I shall have it!". He noticed that Lord Ganesh was considered "the God for every man". He was the founder and consequently became the President of the Indian Home Rule League that was founded in 1914.

BMetal ganesh idol lotussculpture.com

Bal Gangadhar Tilak akashvanisamvaad.blogspot.com

Above image: Bal Gangadhar Tilak (also known as Lokmanya Tilak) 23 July 1856 – 1 August 1920), born as Keshav Gangadhar Tilak, was an Indian nationalist, teacher, and an independence activist. He was the first leader of the Indian Independence Movement. The British colonial authorities called him "The father of the Indian unrest." He was also conferred with the title of "Lokmanya", which means "accepted by the people (as their leader)". Tilak was one of the first and strongest advocates of Swaraj ("self-rule") and a strong radical in Indian consciousness. He is known for his quote in Marathi: "Swarajya is my birthright and I shall have it!". He formed a close alliance with many Indian National Congress leaders including Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, Aurobindo Ghose, V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. In 1879 he obtained his LL.B degree from Government Law College after graduation Tilak started teaching mathematics at a private school in Pune. Later, he actively participated in public affairs. Before Gandhi, he was the most popular Indian political leader. Unlike Gokhale, Tilak was a radical Nationalist but a Social conservative. He went to jail on a number of occasions that included a long stint at Mandalay. At one stage in his political life he was called "the father of Indian unrest" by British author Sir Valentine Chirol ...............

Tilak popularized the festival to bring Brahmins and non-Brahmins under one umbrella to fight against the British and their repressive rule. Tilak was the first leader of the Indian independence movement in the 1800s and the British tagged him as the 'The Father of Indian Unrest' and kept a tab on him. The 1857 Indian rebellion shook the basic foundation of the British empire and it posed serious threat to the rule of the East India Company. Bal Gangadhar Tilak who happened to be one of the prominent leaders of the Great Rebellion realized the need to unite the Indians cutting across castes, creed, etc and bring them under one entity. It dawned on him that one way to unite the people especially the Hindus was to celebrate Ganesh Chathurthi annually as a national festival; Ganesh being a common idol, equally worshipped by all across India.

Idol of ganesh taken to the beach for immersion, Mumbai. .indiatoday.in

It was in 1893, Tilak organized ''Ganesh Utsav'' as a social and religious function across the nation. He was the first to have large hoardings with images of Lord Ganesh put up in pavilions in different parts of the city and introduced the tradition of immersion of huge Ganesh statues (made of clay) on the tenth day of the festival in the sea or any other water bodies. It is to be borne in mind, the festival served two important purposes. It provided an opportunity to bridge the gap between the Brahmins and the non-Brahmins and the other being it served as a meeting place for common people of all castes and communities, various leaders, etc to secretly chalk out programs to confront the British to free India. At that time the British wanted to hang on to India as much as they could and to curtail the freedom movements they, as a precaution, banned public social and political gatherings. As they never banned festival gatherings related to religion, the 10 day long Ganesh Chathurthi festival was looked upon as a great opportunity for the political leaders to wood wink the British and to interact with the common people regarding freedom struggle.

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations have been around for centuries, Historian mention that the festival existed when Satavahana, Rashtrakuta and Chalukya dynasties ruled, that is from 271 BC to 1190 AD. Some historical records point out that Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja took keen interest in the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations with a view to promoting culture and nationalism. It was continued during the reign of Peshwas; to them Lord Ganesh was a family deity.
https://www.indiatoday.in/fyi/story/ganesh-chathurthi-bal-gangadhar-tilak-339232
http://navrangindia.blogspot.com/2017/08/famous-ganapathi-temples-tamil-nadu-02.html

India got her independence after a long struggle from the British. As India happened to be a cash cow there was desperation on the part the colonial ruler to hang on to the Indian subcontinent as long as they could. Further, their economy, to a large extent, depended on the vast revenue from India. Losing India meant, a big chunk of revenue to the British treasury would be axed. So, India's freedom was a far cry at that point of time.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak.tentaran.com

Among the stalwarts of early freedom struggle like Gokale and others, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a highly respected political leader known for his political ideology and strict adherence to it. Hence he was called Lokamanya. But the British Government considered him as the "Father of Indian Unrest". A multifaceted person, he was a nationalist, social reformer, teacher, newspaper publisher and writer. From 1892 patriot V. O. Chidambaram Pillai of Tamil Nadu became his disciple and responding to Swadeshi movements initiated by Tilak, he was the first Indian to run Swadeshi Indian shipping services between Thuthukoodi and Colombo, Sri Lanka. Gangadhar Tilak helped VOC in this first venture and gave him moral support.

birth place of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, MH, tripsdvisor

Tilak was the one who daringly declared ''Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it''. His clarion call reverberated the whole of Indian subcontinent and appealed to the people's heart and soul. Being a social reformer and nationalist and a profound scholar, he believed that India' freedom was the first priority for the well being of a nation.

Born in a Marathi Chitpavan Brahmin family in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, as Keshav Gangadhar Tilak on 23 July 1856, his father, Gangadhar Tilak was a school teacher and a Sanskrit scholar. Tilak lost his father when he was just sixteen. His wife was Tapibai, later renamed as Satyabhamabai.

Giving importance to education, he received BA (in first class) in Mathematics from Deccan College of Pune in 1877 and LLB in 1879 from Government Law College. After a brief stint in teaching, he became a journalist. Driven by patriotic zeal and quite sour over the repressive British rule he dedicated his later life to the cause of freedom movements. As a strong advocate of Self-rule and 'unrest', his inspiring speeches drew the attention of other nationalists and the common people. In all his speeches he gave much emphasis on the importance of getting freedom from the British yoke. To him 'serving humanity is one step closer to God'. Across the country people and other freedom fighters held him in great esteem and called him ‘Lokmanya’, meaning he who is revered by the people.

Before Gandhi, he was the most popular and joined the INC in 1890.He never failed to have close contact with other Indian National Congress leaders such as Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, Aurobindo Ghose, V O Chidambaram Pillai and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. across India. He differed from his fellow Maharashtrian contemporary leader Gokhale as he was a radical Nationalist but a Social conservative. He was imprisoned on several occasions for his political activities against the Raj. Once he spent long time in jail at Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar).
In an abortive attempt on the Chief Presidency Magistrate of Calcutta Douglas Kingsford on 30 April 1908 by two Bengali youths (one committed suicide and the other was put to death by the British), Tilak, in his newspaper Kesari, vociferously defended the revolutionaries and called for immediate Swaraj or self-rule. The British Government action was swift and Tilak was charged with seditionand sentenced to jail in Burma by the court for 6 years from 1908 to 1914. Tilak told the court...'' I am innocent. There are higher powers that rule the destinies of men and nations; and I think, it may be the will of Providence that the cause I represent may be benefited more by my suffering than by my pen and tongue.” While in prison, he wrote 'Gita Rahasya' which became popular and sold well; he donated the money to the freedom struggle. He also wrote many books on Indian culture, history and Hinduism and was a strong believer in Indian culture and tradition.
As a social reformer, he opposed to child marriage prevalent in India then. He ran two newspapers Kesari (Marathi) and Maratta (English) to propagate the cause of freedom struggle among the people and to imbibe patriotism in them.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak, kamalsandesh.org

There was much resentment among the nationalists across the country when Lord Curzon divided Bengal in 1905 into two provinces based on religion. This was done by the Raj to fizzle out the freedom movements. On the contrary, the partition of Bengal gave a fillip to freedom struggle. Tilak and other leaders like Gandhiji encouraged Swadeshi products and boycott of foreign goods imported from England. Tilak often said that the 'Swedeshi and Boycott movements are two sides of the same coin'.

Among the early political leaders, Tilak gave much importance to education and the learning of the English language He founded
Deccan Education Society in the 1880s with his close associates. This was to train young Indians in nation building without compromising on Indian culture. The Society started the new English School for secondary education and Fergusson College (Pune) in 1885 for post-secondary studies. Tilak taught mathematics at Fergusson College. He began a mass movement towards independence by an emphasis on a religious and cultural revival.
The Jallianwalla Bagh massacre of April 1913 infuriated Indian leaders. Upon hearing this violent incident against the innocent people, Tilak was quite upset and advised other national leaders to keep the freedom movements going on a better footing. Being diabetic his condition worsened in mid 19320 and he passed away on August 1, 1920 at the age of 64.

Fergusson College, Pune. Photo courtesy: getmyuni.com

The Deccan Education Society is still managing the Ferguson College, Pune and the society carries on Tilak's legacy as of today. He popularized the Ganesh Chathurthi festival - 10 day religious festival that is held in Aug/Sept. annually as a national festival.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bal_Gangadhar_Tilak
https://www.connectedtoindia.com/bal-gangadhar-tilak-indian-nationalist-teacher-social-reformer-lawyer-activist-1075.html

Kundiram Bose. connectedtoindia.com

Patriot Khudiram Bose. Towards Freedom

Douglas Kingsford, former Chief Presidency Magistrate of Calcutta was a colonial British judicial officer. During his time Bengal was the hot bed of revolutionaries and freedom fighters, and freedom movements were more visible in Bengal than other regions, the reason being the presence of a large number of British officials in Calcutta which was then the capital of British India. Further, it was Bengal that was first seized by the East India company in an unethical manner under the direction of Robert Clive. The murder of the recalcitrant Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-daulah was carried out at the instigation of Clive and his co-worker James Watts.The British had been in Bengal since the later part of 1700s, exploiting the land, people and natural resources. Obviously, there had been an under current of hatred and abomination among the Bengalis for the British who, through wheeling and dealing, controlled a major part of India in the later period after their first and decisive victory in Bengal. Britain received vast revenue from the Indian subcontinent which, to a large extend, improved their economy at the cost of reducing Indians to penury.

As for Magistrate Douglas Kingsford, in his court in Calcutta he had to deal with lots of freedom fighters and revolutionaries. His judgements on Indian nationalists were not based on merit but on hate and partiality. Soon he gained notoriety for his unjust, biased and harsh judgements. When dealing with freedom fighters and young political workers, he had no mercy for them. Nor did he care for their political aspirations to see ''Free India'' from the British control. As for the revolutionaries brought before the court, he would spell venom by giving them horrible punishment. His inhuman, unjustified and vindictive verdicts against the ''Swadeshi and anti-Partition activists" earned him a bad name, The People across, Bengal considered him ruthless and cruel. He did not mind the carping remarks against him, for him he was doing his duty for the British crown and liked those natives who were for the British rule to continue in India. The local newspapers like Yugantar, Vandemataram, etc run by natives carried lots of news about the oppressive British rule and their high-handedness. They came down heavily on Judge Kingsford who never gave room for benefits of doubts when dealing with Indians.

When there was a large gathering of people before the court where Kingsford was the presiding judge in a sensational case against Aurobindo Ghosh, editor of Vandemataram and its publisher Bipin Chandra Pal, a young 15 year boy revolted against the police who ill-treated the Indians there. Judge Kingsford, without any remorse or any consideration for the age of the boy, ordered Sushil 15 lashes. Undaunted, the courageous boy shouted 'Vande mataram' after every lash. This news appeared in the front page of every newspaper of Bengal. Upon reading the harsh treatment meted out to a young boy, the revolutionaries could not contain their resentment and anger. This act of violence against a minor deeply embedded in their mind and the revolutionaries of Jugantar group chose their target. To retaliate this unsavory incident inflicting corporal punishment on a young kid, they decided to kill inhuman judge Kingsford.

The British govt. picked up the scent and felt that Kingsford's life might be in danger and decided to protect the judge. He was transferred to the town of Muzaffarpur, now in Bihar. The officials thought revolutionaries' rage would come down on account of Kinsford's transfer from Calcutta. When the revolutionaries came to know about the transfer, they decided to send efficient persons to murder the judge at his new location.

Prafulla Kumar Chaki and Khudiram young patriots were chosen by the revolutionaries based in Calcutta to get the job done.
The two young revolutionaries landed in Muzaffarapur in the third week of April 1908 with some weapons and adopted the code names 'Haren Sarkar' and 'Dinesh Roy' respectively. They decided to get used to the place before the final move. Staying in a Dharmashala (free, charitable inn) of a Bihari zamindar, they carefully watched the daily activities of judge Kingsford.

They noted down the the colour of the horse-cart of Kingsford that was taking him to the court and back home and found out that   Kingsford usually did not go anywhere else other than the court. Finally, they came to know that the judge used to leave the club for his home at 8.30 pm in the evening after playing bridge. The night time seemed to be ideal for them to escape in the darkness of night after their mission. To avoid bloodshed and killing of other people, hey decided to throw bomb at him in a secluded place and not in the court. They made up their mind to do this job when the judge was on his way from the European Club to his home or vice versa.

According to some historians on the evening of 30 April 1908 Khudiram and Prafulla reached the European Station Club with the bomb and lay ambushed under the shade of a tree in front of the club gate. They went inside the club after the arrival of Kingsford. Both the youngsters did not realize that they had chosen the wrong place for ambushing. It is said that Khudiram and Prafulla had waited in front of Kingsford's house, not the European Station Club, where Kingsford and his wife were playing bridge with Mr and Mrs Kennedy.
In the evening a security guard saw youngsters and told them to leave the place. They never took action against them as he thought the boys were young and harmless. Yet another advantage was the CID officer who tailed them in many placeds left Muffafarpur far before their arrival in this town.

Khudiram and Prafulla did throw a bomb at a carriage, but sadly, they chose the wrong target and the carriage was carrying Mrs Kennedy, the wife of Pringle Kennedy, a leading pleader of the Muzaffarpur Bar, and her daughter. Both women ldied in the attack, within hours of each other. As for Kingsford, it was God's edit that this cruel man was not the victim of the bomb attack.

Soon Khudiram was apprehended by the police and, after trial he was put death. As for Prafulla, he escaped from the scene and wandered around and, at last, shot himself to death before being caught by the police.
Tit-bits:
Jugantar (English meaning New Era or more literally Transition of an Epoch) was one of the two main secret revolutionary trends operating in Bengal for Indian independence. This association, like Anushilan Samiti began functioning in the guise of suburban fitness club. The British officials arrested several Jugantar members and either hanged, or deported them for life to the Cellular Jail set by the Raj in Andaman. Thanks to the amnesty after World War I, most of them were releasedand many of them joined Subash Chandra Bose's Indian National Army (INA) in the 1930s.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jugantar)

https://www.thebetterindia.com/154131/khudiram-bose-independence-day-freedom-fighter-news/
http://www.londoni.co/index.php/83-history-of-bangladesh/biography/khudiram-basu/502-khudiram-basu-tasked-by-yugantar-jugantar-party-to-kill-douglas-kingsford-former-chief-presidency-magistrate-of-calcutta-biography-of-muslim-and-bengali

Bengali war memorial, Kolkata telegraphindia.com

There are many ''war memorials'' in India and the one in Kolkata known as Bengali War memorial has appeared strange to me. Then I realized that not many of Bengalis in this metropolitan city and the adjacent areas either knew or heard of such a monument.

It is a marble monument built to honor the memory of the soldiers of the 49th Bengali Regiment, the only British Indian Army regiment made entirely of Bengalis. They served in the Mesopotamia theater and died there during World War one (WWI- 1914 to 1918). Historians point out that the Mesopotamia theater (Iraq) was the worst managed one by the British. At this juncture, it is quite pertinent to point out that as many as 130000 Indian soldiers were shipped abroad to fight in different war theaters during the WWI. The unfortunate fact is with some exceptions, none of them were commissioned officers and drew a low pay. India had nothing to do with WWI and it origin, but was compelled to supply soldiers, clothing, rifles, boots, etc by the British. All of these at the expense of British India government!! The moot question is: Why did the Indian soldiers have to go to different countries and fight on the side of the British Army with people who were not their enemies. Ironically, a large part Indian money financed British participation in the war.

Bengalee War memorial, Kolkata. NoiseBreak

Though Bengal produced a plethora of freedom fighters and revolutionaries whose hallmarks were their spirit of patriotism, love of freedom and courage to kill colonial officials who were extremely harsh toward the people fighting for freedom, it has been a general consensus that Bengalis are known more for their intellectual pursuits than wielding rifles or swords in the battle field. They would rather take refuge in books, read pages after pages and improve their knowledge rather than seeking political solutions through wars. Put in in a simple language, Bengalis do not belong to the martial race that is what the British thought and it took a while for them to recruit Bengalis for the British army. Upon announcement by Governor of Bengal Lord Carmichael on the 7th of Aug. 1916 the British Army had begun to recruit Bengalis on 30 July, 2016 at Ft. William, Kolkata for the military

Bengali war Monument in College Square in Kolkata en.wikipedia.org

services and on the 1st of July 1917, the 49th Bengali Regiment officially came into being. Ability to fight has anything to do with either race or state. It is a question of consistent, practice, assimilation of fighting qualities, hard work and above all courage Race does not bequeath warriors, rather proper experience and dedication produce warriors.

Bengali war monument.Kolkata /double-dolphin.blogspot.com

Close to to the College Square, Kolkata right across, near the eastern gate it is difficult to locate the barricaded memorial as it is surrounded by hoardings, etc. On the east side is an inscription in the base that reads: “In memory of members of The 49th Bengalee Regiment who died in the Great War, 1914-1918, To the Glory of God, King and Country.” On all three sides contain the names of soldiers killed in WWI and their places in Bengal. Atop the memorial below the pediment there is an inscription ''49 Bengalis'', here 49 refers to the 49th Bengali Regiment.

Like countess monuments across India, this one is also in a state of neglect. The state govt. should take steps to remove the hoardings, etc close to the memorial and make it visible to the people. Without monuments our connectivity with the past becomes a forgotten chapter in history. Such monuments are useful for the posterity.

Some interesting facts of the 49th Bengal army:

01. This regiment consisted of Bengalies misty from the elite families. It was also called Bengali Double Company.

02. In the social gatherings, Bengali soldiers became a subject of joke and carping remarks bordering on derision. The Bengali soldier can 'barely distinguish the butt from the barrel of a rifle'.

03. The 49th Bengalis were trained in Karachi and shipped off to Mesopotamia (Iraq) in August 1917, reaching there in September.

04. Kazi Nazrul Islam, Bangladesh’s national poet, was known to have served in the regiment.

05. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose wanted to join the British Army, but is said to have been rejected on grounds of poor eyesight.

06. Subedar Major Shalindranath Basu, who is related to the family of former Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu and a former secretary of Mohun Bagan club, was a Viceroy’s Commissioned Officer (VCO) in the regiment.

07. In the British Army it was difficult to get selected for the post of Commissioned Officer.

08. Other Bengali soldiers (bhadralok) included Kumar Adhikram Mazumdar, a lawyer, Khaza Habibullah, a nawab of Dhaka, and businessman Ranoda Prosad Saha.

09. These Bengalis and other Indian soldiers were given security guard duty and did not see action in the war front. As many as 30000 Indians died in this theater not in the battlefields but due to disease.
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/the-bhadralok-goes-to-war/cid/221119
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/the-bhadralok-goes-to-war/cid/221119

Rajbari, Kolkata The thakurdalan inside the "palace".wikipedia

Rajbari, Kolkata main entrance,Singhadwar ( Entrance with lions). wikipedia

The city of Kolkata is a tourist paradise and there is no dearth of colonial monuments, historical buildings, memorials, etc. Among them, Shobhabazar Rajbari (Shobhabazar Royal Palace) located in the prime area is a fascinating one. Built by the Shobhabazar royal family whose founder was Raja Nabakrishna Deb (1737–97) who at a young age of 35 started his modest career and had begun to move up in life by dint of hard work. However, in his anxiety to earn money, he chose the wrong path. His services to the British helped him become wealthy. What is not palatable was his crucial role in dethroning Nawab of Bengal Siraj ud-Daulah in collusion with Nawabs's traitors. The plan was hatched by Robert Clive and James Watt of East India Company as the Nawab was not cooperating with the British. to expand their trade in Bengal. So they wanted complete control over Bengal in the near future. After the war of Plassey (June1757), the EIC army defeated Nawab and later he was put to death by his own relatives. Raja Nabakrishna Deb was rewarded by the EIC for his help in getting rid of the Nawab. Soon Raja Deb became a wealthy and influential man having close contact with the top EIC officials.

top floor caved in. Rajbari, Kolkata Nat mandap ,Rajbauri

The building at 35 Raja Nabakrishna Street (known as Shobhabazar Rajbari or "Baag ola Bari - House with the lions"), on the northern side of the road, was the one first built by him. Later it was inherited by his adopted son from his elder brother Gopimohan and his descendants including his son Radhakanta Deb. The house at 33 Raja Nabakrishna Street known as Choto Rajbari) came up when his wife bore him a son later in life, and it was left to his biological son Rajkrishna and his descendants.

Soon after the defeat of Siraj-ud-Daulah at the battle of Plassey, it is said that Raja Nabakrishna Deb celebrated Durga Puja in 1757 with great fanfare and the invitees included Lord Clive and Warren Hastings. The same house was the venue of the first civic reception of Swami Vivekananda upon his return from Chicago where at Parliament of Religions he gave an inspiring speech which won him laurels. The warm reception was held in 1897 under the direction of Raja Binoy Deb Bahadur.

It is a nicely built structure with multi-foliate arches and pairs of columns. These columns with plain shafts rise up between the arches to support the entablature above. The residence part has a large central court yard with 'Thakurdalan' which is a unique feature of Bengali architecture. The two-story wings on either side connect to the Thakurdalan with nacch ghar on the south. The roof of the naach ghar caved in and the superstructure is gone for ever.

As for Nat Mandap, it is characteristic of a set of eight massive Tuscan columns that support a wide projecting cornice at roof level. Access to the nabaratna temple at the rear is through two rows of multi-foliate arches at the northern end. The first floor is gone because of poor maintenanc.e

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

ujala bapli -atlasobscura.com

The historical Mandu, Madhya Pradesh has many attractions for the the tourists who always like something unique that differs from other places of interest. Among many sites in Mandu, the nicely ornamented step wells never fail to get the attention of the tourists.

Ujala baori, Mandu, MP atlasobscura.com

The artistically made, step well at Mandy is a treasure house that has survived the onslaught of seasonal weather changes and various wars and skirmishes. The near-by Mandu Fort (roughly 19 km from here) is steeped in history as within its confines of huge, sturdy walls took place so many revelries. Once it was the center of various power struggles in the 15th and 16th centuries between ruling dynasty and the invaders from outside. The reason why other rulers had an eye on this amazing fort is it was a self-contained one with nice palaces, water tanks, step wells, water channels, well-guarded gates, etc. The entire site is a UNESCO recognized world heritage site. With step wells, water channels, etc., the fort was well-guarded against long siege by the enemies to the fort. Among several step-wells here, the most fascinating one is ''Ujala Baoli''. There are around 60 monuments associated with Madu.

ujala bapli .asianpaints.com

Commonly called as baori, baoli, bawadi, and vav, step wells were more or less like an efficient water-harvesting structures unique to the subcontinent, in particular, in the western regions of India. Gujarat and Rajasthan have plenty of step wells catering to the water needs of the people living there. As a matter of fact in the 600 CE, thousands were built in the semi arid regions to live through the hot summer days. Most of step wells have multi-functional structures below the ground for the benefit of travelling people, etc. They were built to have direct access to the ground water all through the year. To have comfortable access to the ground water, ornamented and geometrical steps were built carefully taking care of water depletion in the summer and water flow in the Monsoon season during which period, steps, up to a certain level would submerge. A diligent work, but an effective water conservation procedure.

Ujala (meaning ‘light’). built away from Mandu is a strange-looking one as the steps ' geometric patterns are not prominent unlike other baolis that have distinctive patterns. The patterns. may be direct or zigzag suggesting not a “normal” approach. The interesting feature of this baoli is when the steps are combined with carved-out niches and arched chambers, they bring out a sort of sculptural 3D painting work. Shadowy arches are a bit disquieting, however, the surroundings offer calm, almost magical, serenity. This baoli appears to be diminutive and shallow.

Centuries ago these baolis offered travelling public the needed
rest and relaxation in the semiarid region. Shadows in the step wells and the buildings below the ground were quite useful to the people. But, the baolis had begun to lose their importance during the British colonial rule. With the advent of modern water pumps, including submersible water motors, lots of baolis have lost their usefulness and are not well-maintained now. Like historical monuments, such time-honored step wells need to be restored
and preserved for the posterity as they are impressive and innovative structures unique to the Indian subcontinent and once it served as a rain-water harvesting system, taking care of the water needs of the people in that area.

Victoria Lautman, author of The Vanishing Stepwells of India says: ''We do not choose our obsessions; they choose us, and I could never have predicted that step wells would commandeer such a large slice of my life.”

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ujala-baoli

Delhi Rajon ki Baoli en.wikipedia org

Delhi:Gandhak Ki Baoli, one of the three baolis in Mehrauli, en.wikipedia org

There are three baolis in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park,near Delhi mainlined by the Archaeological Survey of India. These are the Anangtal Baoli, the Gandhak Ki Baoli, and the Rajon Ki Baoli. These water wells are approached through single stage or three stage steps; hence are called step wells. These were built below the ground level. Anangtal Baoli is a single step well built in the 11th century. It is the oldest among the three wells. In 1060 AD, it was built by Rajput king Anangpal II. It is not well maintained by the authorities for unknown reasons. In this brief post I cover only the last two baolis - Gandhak ki baoli and Rajon ki baoli .

Tourists visiting Delhi prefer seeing reputed monuments and do not set aside time to see other unique places of great antiquity taking us back to medieval time. One being Gandhak ki baoli whose name suggests a strong smell of sulphur. The smell does not come from the step well rather, it is said, from the near-by areas where they make freshly baked tandoori rotis from Pehelwan Dhaba. The smell reaches as far as  Mehrauli bus depot and past Adham Khan's tomb.
This step well was built by 13th-century Slave dynasty ruler Iltutmish, the early Muslim ruler of Delhi Sultanate. This step well that once served the needs of the people of this area is dry now. No trace of water. Thanks to the vast urbanization of Delhi and adjacent areas. Simple in its design, with thin stone pillars and narrow walkways at each of its five tiers that lead to the well and back, it does not have embellishments.  Located at walking distance from the Qutab Minar and on the road leading to the dargah of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki and Gurdwara Banda Bahadur, the structure, is not dilapidated, however, it does need repair and conservation,. This may make the baoli good enough to last for a long time.  The stairway here is about 40 meters (130 ft) long and 12 meters (39 ft) wide. At each level there are ornate pillared passages. Way back ASI undertook desilting of the well.

Rajon ki baoli, a 16th century baoli located behind Gandhak ki baoli is yet another step well larger in size and more ornate. In the 16th century, this step well was exclusively used by the rajmistries or masons.; hence the name. Both these step wells offer a nice ambiance in the midst of greenery. From inscription on the near-by mosque, we understand that  these monuments were built by Daulat Khan in 1506 during the reign of Sikandar Lodhi. The step well, etc were constructed by Daulat Khan  with a view serving the people of this area.
Rajon ki baoli has a colonnaded arcade running along three sides of the step well. Rectangular in shape, the symmetrical arches of the arcade and the incised plaster work make it impressive.  With four levels, each narrowing as you descend toward the well, there are rooms in the inner part of the arcade. Centuries ago, they provided a cool retreat to the people to relax and it must have seen water up to the 3rd level. In the past it was almost dry. ASI undertook cleaning of the baoli and desilting work up to a depth of 20 feet in the past and now the baoli has considerable water; the water level had risen by 20 feet

Tourists coming to Delhi. must visit these sites that once served as a rain-water harvesting system, especially useful in the scorching Delhi summer heat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baolis_of_Mehrauli
https://www.asianpaints.com/colourquotient/Showcase/the-vanishing-stepwells-of-india-documents-victoria-lautmans-pursuit-of-lost-indian-architecture/

Nanjangud Srikanteswara temple,Karnatala epuja.co.in

Nanjangud Srikanteswara temple,Karnatala,templesinindiainfo.com

The highly impressive Nanjangud Srikanteswara temple, also known as Dakshina Kashi / or "Varanasi/Prayag of South". is a popular Hindu temple where the main deity is God Shiva. Located on the on Mysore-Ooty highway, it is just 20 km from Mysore.

Nanjangud Srikanteswara temple,Karnatala, you tube

Nanju in Kannada and also in Tamil means poison. According to ''Bhagavata Purana'' the legend has it once God Shiva swallowed the poisonous scum emerged during the churning of the Ocean of Milk (Samundra manthan) by Asuras on one side and Devas on the other side using the giant snake Vasuki as the churning rope and mountain Mandara as the churning; God Vishnu taking Kurma avatar was holding the mountain.

Samundra manthan by Asuras and Devas temple purohit.com

The purpose of churning was to get Amrita, the nectar of immortality. While churning first the poison called Kalakota was coming out of the serpent and it affected the demi-gods - Devas, demons and God Vishnu who turned bluish. God Shiva timely intervened before the situation went out of control and swallowed the poison. The poison was so potent his throat became bluish and he did not allow it to go inside his stomach. Thus God Shiva saved the Asuras, Devas and God Vishnu. The name Nanjundeshwara means the "God who Drank the Poison" (halahala visham); hence the town is called Nanjankud.

As so much divinity is attached to this temple, lots of devotees throng this place. Yet another belief is this temple is sanctified by sage Gautama who stayed at Nanjangud and offered puja to the Shiva Linga. The place is called Parushurama Kshetra as the rivers Gundlu and the Kapila join here. The soil around the banks is said to have curative properties and thus, Sri Nanjundeshwara is also worshipped as bhavaroga vaidya. Tippu Sultan of Srirangapatna called him Hakim Nanjunda and gifted an emerald Linga and a valuable emerald necklace to the temple to express his gratitude for having cured his favorite elephant of an eye disease. Parasurama, an avatar of Vishnu prayed at the deity here to free himself of the sin of beheading his mother Renuka. According to folk legends this place is known as the dwelling of Nanjayya (Shiva) and the ballads on Nanjayya describe his divine romance with Chamundi (Parvati) of Mysore.

The main gopura /tower has (entrance tower) seven tiers and atop the sikara are seven gold-plated kalasas. The prathakshana path around the main shrine is very wide. In the temple there is a plethora of stucco figures of gods and goddesses from the Hindu pantheon and also countless beautiful bronze icons. The workmanship and artistic work are just amazing. The temple has 32 forms of Ganapathi as praised in the Mudukala Purana. The Chola rulers in the 11th and 12th centuries and later Hoysala rulers made solid contribution to this temple
Sri. T. S. Vishweshwara Dikshith a learned Sanskrit Pandit and a scholar ( Ghana Patikal) in several Vedas,Yajur Veda in particular, has composed Sree Srikanteshwara Suprabhata Stotram of Lord, in praise of the main deity. He was a recipient of covetous awards from the Maharajah of Mysore, their holiness the pontiffs' of Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Karnataka and Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam., Tamil Nadu respectively for his distinguished services to the Sanskrit Literature.

The popular festival at this temple is called the "Dodda Jaathre" and it attracts thousands of devotees. Rath Yathtra - chariot festival is associated with this major events and five chastely decorated five chariots will be pulled along the four Ratha beedi (in Tamil Veedi) by devotees. The other major festivals are Navaratri and Shivaratri that are celebrated with utter devotion and religious fervor.
https://nanjangudtemple.kar.nic.in/about.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srikanteshwara_Temple,_Nanjangud
https://nanjangudtemple.kar.nic.in/

.bankbazaar.com

Pookolam, with flowers. patrikai.com

The annual harvest festival varies from region to region in India, depending on the timings of harvest and crop patterns. It is a sort of thanks-giving festival dedicated to the almighty for a successful harvest by providing copious supply of rain and optimal weather condition for raising the crops. India is a land of many festivals and many are native to their respective states. Across India, almost every month there will be some kind of festival related to the religion, example:the Durga Puja of West Bengal, Ganapati Chaturthi of Maharastra.. These various colorful festivals offer a kaleidoscopic view of our culture that is well-knitted with religion. No matter where they live people hold the festivals to their heart and celebrate them with enthusiasm and devotion. If you go deep down to the roots of many of these festivals the matrix is ''spiritual''. In no other country on this planet you can see so many colorful festivals at their best as in India. In southern India Pongal or Sankaranthi and Onam festivals are popular and associated with harvest seasons.

bajajelectricals.com

As for Onam festival which is a 10-it day event, is held on a grand scale in the southwestern state of Kerala. It showcases the unique culture and heritage of this state which is often dubbed as ''God's own Country''. The state government declares three or four official holidays. Starting from Onam Eve (Uthradom) to the Third Onam Day, the festival falls during the Malayalam month of Chingam (August or September) and it marks the annual home coming of the mythical King Mahabali who is believed to be the king of Kerala. A colorful rally accompanied by floats and folk dance performances mark the ‘Athachamayam’ celebrations, heralding the start of the 10-day ‘Onam’ festivities in Kerala.

Mahabali, though charitable, was egotistical on account of powerful boons he received from the God. To subdue his arrogance and ego, Vishnu in the guise of a dwarf saint ''Vamana'', approached the king for charity and asked him to grant him a small piece of land equal to his three strides. Thinking it was a simple grant, the king agreed. Now Vamana turned into a giant and measured the earth and the sky with two strides. As there was no place for the third stride, King Mahabali stuck to his word and offered his head. Vishnu put his foot on him and pushed him into the underworld.
In reality, God was quite pleased with his integrity and offered
him salvation by keeping him close to his place. The king requested
the lord to allow him to visit his land Kerala once a year on Thiruvonam (the second day of Onam) to visit his people to make sure they were doing well, to which the lord agreed.

Vallam Kulangara - Snake boats wikipedia.

With a view to giving King Bali warm and impressive reception, for his annual visit, the people of Kerala clean and decorate their homes with floral displays. Besides, ladies make Pookkalam - rangoli on the ground in front of their homes. The kolams made of flowers of various colors are attractive, as they have mind-boggling geometric patterns. Yet another interesting feature is before most of the well-decorated Hindu temples, one can see many caparisoned elephants. During the festival time lasting 10 days, particularly after evening performing artists, well trained under prominent Gururs, perform state's traditional dances such as Kathakali, Mohiniyattam. Part of Onam festival includes impressive Ona Thallu, a martial art native to Kerala, Puli Kali (tiger dance),Thambi Thullal (women's dance) Vallam kali snake-boat races that are held at Champakulam. The boat race in Aranmula is yet another major attraction of the festival. Children get attracted by the procession of well-decorated and caparisoned elephants during this festival time. Away from mundane stuff, giving a rhythmic touch to the religious procession, percussionists perform Chendamelam and panchavadyam (local percussion instruments)in a grand way, exhibiting their talents.

Traditional Onam sadhya is served on banana leaf. (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

Above image: Traditional ''Onam Sadhya'' is quite famous and is cooked in all households. There is no doubt that the mouth-watering array of food will tickle your hungry tummy. Spread on plantain leaves, the meal includes nine courses, but may include over two dozen dishes, including chips (especially banana chips), Sharkaraveratti (fried pieces of banana coated with jaggery), pappadam, various vegetable and soups such as injipuli (also called puli inji), thoran, mezhukkupuratti, kaalan, olan, avial, sambhar, dal served along with a small quantity of ghee, erisheri, molosyam, rasam, puliseri (also referred to as velutha curry), kichadi (not to be confused with khichdi) and pachadi (its sweet variant), moru (buttermilk or curd mixed with water), pickles both sweet and sour, and coconut chutney. The big feast ends with dessert called Payasam (a sweet dish made of milk, sugar, jaggery, and other traditional Indian savouries) eaten either straight or mixed with ripe small plantain. Even if you take a look at the payasam, it will make your mouth dribble. The curries are served with parboiled rice-‘Kerala Matta’. Parboiled rice is widely used in Kerala. The semi-polished brown rice of Kerala used in Sandhya feast is known as kutthari. (https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/onam-special-onam-sadhya-recipes-inji-puli-5969503-kerala/)

People of other religions participate in this popular festival and partake of sumptuous food specially prepared for the festivals. Private banks and institutions in the state give following month's salary in advance so that employees can celebrate the festival with joy. During this period Hindu temples are crowded with devotees and at famous temples traditional dance performances can be seen in the Koothambalam (Natya mandapa) - space for dance on the temple premises.

https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/onam-festivities-begin-in-kerala-595939
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onam

Vallamkali. Kerala snake boat racetemplesinindiainfo.com

An integral part of annual Onam festivities associated with rice harvest in Kerala is the annual snake boat race called Vallamkali which has been around for several decades. Vallam Kali (meaning boat game), traditional boat race native to Kerala is a form of canoe racing which is common in the western countries. They use paddled long war canoes of which there are many kinds . Each team spent more than 6 lakh rupees for the Nehru trophy that is held in the Punnamada Lake near Alappuzha. Odi vallam, veppu vallam, vadakkanody vallam, etc are some of the names of the boats participating in the event.

The technique being followed in the making of snake boats has been around for more than 650 years. In the past in the 13th century in this part of Kerala necessity arose to make war boats because the feudal kingdoms of Kayamkulam and Chembakassery were not on good terms and the rulers were at loggerheads. King Devanarayana of Chembakassery invited talented carpenters and asked them to build strong war boats called Chundan Vallam. The narrow race boat is not an ordinary one and the standard length is 100 feet that can carry 150 men. It is made of Anjili wood (Atrocarpus hirsurte) that can withstand water. Further, periodically, the boat is lubricated with fish oil burnt coconut shells and carbon mixed with egg. This process makes the boat strong improves its longevity and gives resistant to water. Most importantly, water gives less friction to the lubricated boat and helps it move forward faster. The curved ends normally look like cobra's head. To the villagers, vallamkali is like a god and they treat the boat with divinity and care, hence much attention was given when the boat was being made and when the race is on peddlers sit in the boat barefoot, a tradition that is followed by the Hindus when they visit the temples.

Vallamkali. Kerala snake boat race livemint.com

Tradition has been that before the start of the race, Pujas are performed to each boat and to mythical king Mahabali by the priests to propitiate the god for the safety of boat and boatmen. This is the reason why one will find puja items and flowers at the helm of each boat. Boat race is conducted on the 5th Onam day and the distance of the race is a 40 km in the Pampa river and the major avenue is Aranmulla where there is a temple dedicated to Sri Krishna and Arjuna. About 30 boats are allowed to be participated in batches and the boats always move down stream.

Vallamkali. Kerala snake boat race fotosearch.com

Normally such race boats are meant for 150 men only, of which 125 will be oarsmen, 25 singers to cheer up the oarsmen and the crowd and 4 helmsmen. The success of race boats depends on team spirit, agility of oarsmen and their perfect timing in moving the boat forward. The snake boat event is a major tourist attraction is watched by large number of people from other states and abroad.

https://templesinindiainfo.com/vallamkali-boat-race-onam-festival-vallam-kali-boat-race/

koothambalam at Silver Sand Island. newindianexpress.com

Koothambalam of Koodal Manikya Temple, Kerala Icommons.wikimedia.org

Though steps are being taken by the government both at central state levels, countless historical, colonial and religious monuments, and traditional buildings are either slowly disappearing or pushed to a dilapidated state. They need to be repaired and restored back to old glory. In states like West Bengal and Kerala, there has been much awareness among a section of people about the importance of preserving monuments for the next generation to understand India's past history and legacy. In states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka efforts are being made by respective governments to repair and restore old monuments, etc.

It is quite imperative that there is a need to preserve and appreciate structures of past era and we are obligated to conserve the heritage structure of our local communities because we must understand the significance of built heritage and its values or traditions of previous eras. The bad news is in many places architectural heritage is at risk due to lack of appreciation, experience in conservation and periodic care. Consequently, we end up losing some already and many are facing near danger.

It is to be borne in mind that we can not cut off our past connectivity with the present and a living heritage site is part of our society. There is an urgent necessity to understand, define, interpret and manage the heritage site with care for future generations. In the case of developers and architects, protecting the built heritage and conserving the local traditional and cultural values of communities for future generations present a real challenge. We ought to know they reflect the ethos of past society.
That in Kerala traditional historical buildings are not well maintained and facing slow degradation, and they are being replaced by modern structures is a sad story. We have heard about shifting of an entire old historical building to a better location where it is reassembled with care by the restoration engineers in the western countries. This is done to give a new lease of life to the old structure without disturbing its heritage value.

Asian School of Architecture and Design Innovation (ASADI), Kerala in the recent past undertook a difficult project in Kerala that was not done before and the school's head one B R Ajit was instrumental in making the project a success. What did the school do to win the appreciation of heritage lovers? They saved 181 year old Koothambalam in Arnamulla that was about to be pulled down for good by a contractor by dismantling, transporting and reassembling the entire structure in a new place. Had Mr. Ajit not taken the right step, a heritage structure of immense cultural value would have disappeared from the soil of Kerala. Koothambalam or is a temple theater, a closed hall for staging Koothu, Nangiar koothu and Koodiyattam, the ancient ritualistic art forms of Kerala. Important Hindu temples in Kerala have a Koothambalam. It is mostly made of high quality wood native to Kerala.

The contractor had a plan to rummage through the structure and salvage the wood, etc to be sold to furniture makers.
Fascinated by the beauty of this old building, Mr. Ajit bought it from the contractor for Rs. 25 lakhs and spent Rs. 1.5 crore on dismantling, transportation and reassembling it on a new site in
Silver Sand Island.
This toughest job that was well done with meticulous care because it involved correct planning and right execution. Each and every part of koothambalam had to be numbered and marked right from paneling, wooden beam, cross beams, etc. ''Every slot, notch and wedge had to be taken into account while reconstruction. A slight miscalculation or wrong setting of beams would have a domino effect on the structure. It meant total collapse. When properly reassembled, the final work was an easy one. Mind you, the entire structure was transported from Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district to Silver sand island on the Vyttila-Tripunithura route.

Koodalmanikyam Temple, Thrissur Rich carpentry work. Credit: Elajtrip NTD India

Normally Koothambalam is built in such a way the high tilted roof, wooden slats on the wall and the wood paneling keep the inner space cool even in the hot summer season; mind you a century ago there was no electricity, hence no fans. Cool interior was a must. otherwise it would fatigue the artists performing inside the dance theater. Besides, the slanting roof and its wide projections on all its sides keep the rain water away from the walls of the koothambalam. The entire structure bears testimony to the workmanship and artistic talents of the carpenters of past era. As the stage was cool and comfortable, there was no need for fans in the good old days.

slogansmotto.com/

In the present fast-phase life there is a responsibility for various communities across India to find out ways and means to preserve and restore old dying traditional, heritage buildings. memorials, etc because past is relevant to the present. It is through the monuments we get to know our centuries-old culture and tradition.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2018/sep/19/180-year-old-koothambalam-gets-a-lease-of-life-1873817.html

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Kakanmath Shiva temple near Gwalior - a charming dilapidated Hindu temple!!

Historical Alamgir Gate, Mandu, a part of the biggest fort in India - Madhya Pradesh

Awe-inspiring Jami Masjid of Mandu, Madhya Pradesh - a legacy of Ghauri dynasty

Hoshang Shah 's tomb, Mandu, Madhya Pradesh - first one in India entirely faced with marble

Woodstock School, Landour, Uttarakhand - one of the oldest schools in India founded in 1854

Human-elephant conflicts in India - they continue unabated

Drunk villagers of North Bengal and elephants

Ganesh Chathurthi as a national public religious event was introduced by nationalist Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Inspiring nationalist Bal Gangadhar Tilak, first leader of the Indian freedom movement

Why did judge Douglas Kingsford become a target of murder by the revolutionaries in Bengal - Colonial India

Some interesting facts of Bengali War Memorial, Kolkata

Shobhabazar Rajbari structure built after the battle of Plassey (1757) in Bengal

Ujala baoli, near Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, an ancient step well

Delhi's baolis (step wells) - the Gandhak Ki Baoli, and the Rajon Ki Baoli.

Nanjangud Srikanteswara temple, Karnataka, a soul-stirring place of worship

Onam - the traditional harvest festival of Kerala

Fascinating Vallamkali boat race of Kerala - a part of Onam festival

Shifting of entire Koothambalam, 181 year old temple dance theater from Aranmula to Silver Sand Island, Kerala!!