Copper Snake

Just came back from India today morning, after what I would say, a trip of rejuvenation. 

What else will I call a trip of biking through the Nilgiris, walking through silent valleys and streams, visiting some of the tallest peaks, having meals at places unthreaded by the human kind?

Apart from the planned visit to the Nilgiris, there was quite an accidental visit to a place which I would definitely visit again and again. This was situated in the foothill of Velliangiris at Kovai - Isha Yoga Foundation.

 The first thing that really amazed me, upon stepping into the Isha lands was the architecture. I later heard that the founder of Isha, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev was into building and architecture himself, amongst some other passions of his such as trekking, biking, writing and so on.

A trip to Isha Foundation, admist the peace of the Velliangiri mountains is something everyone should be doing before the end of their life. The 'Dhyanalinga', the 'Theerthakunda' and such will just be names, until you see and get amazed by one of the largest Lingas in the world sheltered by a dome which emplifies every sound made inside and a submerged mercury linga, solidified at room temperature.

The Isha Yoga Foundation to me, spells tranquility, beauty and peace, and I chose to bring with myself part of the temple, a copper serpent ring - serpents decorate the temple interiors at every possible opportunity they get. For me now, it's gonna be a continuing journey into discovering what nature withholds for me.

Thanjavur Glory to wreckage!

Been some time since i posted, and this below story, I have to post, because I am utterly shocked by the news.

I have promised myself to visit this temple as soon as possible, before further damage (I hope not) is done.

Imminent Danger to Thanjavur Big Temple 21/08/2008 18:49:44 G P Srinivasan

ASI (Archelogical Survey of India), department under Government of India, has been engaged in renovation work in the BrihadeshwaraTemple, popularly known as the Big temple for the past one year. This is the present state of parts of the temple after the so called renovation . In the name of conservation many valuble inscriptions, pillars,manadapam,shrines and original art have been destroyed beyond repair and rendered beyond recovery leading to irrepairable loss to the great Hindu heritage. The temple was apparently built like a jig saw puzzle. Each stone was weighed and balanced precisely viz viz the whole complex structure ; selected strictly according to agamas and shilapasastra and assembled like a mammoth jig saw puzzle. One has to know high level geometry and complex trignometry , material sciences and ancient temple architecture to understand the complex temple.

Over the years I have visited the templeatleast 100 times and taken around by experts in field. The entire gopuram was covered by Raja Raja Chola by Gold leaf coating known as Veli. When Malik kafur invaded South India, he d not only destroyed two tiers on the ardha mandapam, but also vandalised many parts of the temple. The temple remained under disuse for centuries and rebuilt by later day kings .The British and French had used the huge ramparts of the temple as their garrison to make long history short.

Last year when the ASI dismantled some portions of the huge complex by untrained contractors, who were never trained in ancient methods of constuction technology adopted by the King for constructing the Temple. Now they are having a tough time, as seen from the piles of wreckage which they dismantled for conservation, but now do not know how to it !

ASI lacks the skills technology and the minute care adopted in foreign countries for conservation.The temple complex resembles a war torn zone like Iraq. The temple has been reduced to piles of broken pillars and beams. This ancient temple, withstood the test of time, many floods ,rains and earth quake, is in imminent danger. Please read further. It is shocking to note the marks of granite cutters . They have been used to remove blocks of stone called "kumudappadai" Lotus motifs that adorn the outside walls of the huge temple. What Malik kafur could not do the, ASI is doing !

Rajarajeswaram more popularly known as the BigTemple (at Thanjavur in TamilNadu, India), was built a millennium ago by the Chola emperor Raja Raja I. The UNESCO has declared it as a World Heritage monument. It is completely under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India. The Thanjavur Palace Devastanam is in charge of the temple's religious administration only. It is the living muniment testifying eloquently to the multifoliate grandeur of the Chola Empire. It is a treasure-house of art, architecture, sculpture, painting, music, dance and the like, of Thamizhakam. It fosters the traditional Vedic and Agamic culture. It is hailed as the Devalaya Chakravarti. During the last one year systematic vandalism is taking place within the sacred premises of this great shrine in the name of conservation. Millennium- old inscriptions are getting shattered into smithereens. This is done under the blessed auspices of the Archaeological Survey of India. Portions of the Northern circumambulatory mantapam, the upapeetam and the athishtanam of the Maha Mantapam as also the inner part of the Sri Vimana are systematically destroyed in the name of restoration.

The circumambulatory mantapam was built by the Emperor's General known as Krishnan Raman alias Mummudi Chola Brahamaraya. These inscriptions bear testimony to the oral orders issued by the Great Emperor. A good many inscriptions were etched on the pillars, walls and basement. In these, only one pillar was slightly damaged during the invasion of the French and the British armies. However, the Maharatta Rulers, with great care, restored the pillar. The other pillars and also the roof-area of the Mantapam remained intact. Alas, the pillars treasuring these inscriptions, the cross-beams of the roof and also the ceiling stones have been broken to bits and thrown away. Replacement through fresh stones is at work. These new stones bear no comparison to the old ones at all. Moreover, the stones laid as foundation by Raja Raja have been uprooted, dismantled and carted away. It is said, lorry loads of stones have been sold secretly.

In addition to dismantling the stones in the adhistanam and upapeetam pertaining to Mahamantabam, granite-cutters have substantially damaged the Kumudappadai, thus in the process of weakening the building.

The inner plastering of the Sri Vimana had been totally removed as a consequence of which rain water seeps into the building and utterly spoils the ancient painting. As the protecting nets in the Sri Vimana have been removed, the Sri Vimana has become as asylum of bats. Sooner or later the sacred Vimana will be filled with the excrement of bats and noxious bad odour will pervade God's tower. The conservation is being done by untrained contractors and one shudder to think of immense damage which is imminent. May lord Siva save himself! Or else Hindus must step in to save the temple immediately to save the house of Lord Siva!.Hindus must approach the UNESCO immediately to save the Temple from further destruction and for immediate restoration.

Triple Jump

Oh Ranganathaa... Sriranganathaa...

Hello FM has successfully launched its 7th station in Trichy, thus, I go the chance of visiting Srirangam, a place, I have always wanted to visit, explore, and experience. I think the last time I went there was when I was about 7... so this time round, I wanted to learn about the place before visiting it... What stayed in my mind, before visiting the temple was the
1. so called moon-flower pond, which i read about,
2. the 1000 kaal mandapam which was never completed,
3. the enormous temple towers, acres of temple space,
4. and the golden kalasam, where only Hindus are allowed...
but what i experienced made me remember more..

As what one told... "I like all travellers have seen more than i remember, and remember more than I have seen" I managed to speak to one of the gurukkals there, and realised,
1. there is indeed a moon-flower pond, only that it is correctly called as 'Chandirapushkarani', there is also a 'Suryapushkarani',
2. the 1000 kaal mandapam is closed for viewers,
3. you can spend days and days walking around the temple in awe admiring the works,
4. and my friend and myself had to wait about 2 hours to enter the moolasthanam with the golden kalasam.
Apart from that, I visited the kili mandapam, thaayar sannidhi, a special raamar sannidhi, where you can see raamar in his kalayaana koalam, with anjineyar who has his tail above his head, considered extremely special.
I did not bring along my camera to capture all that I have seen, but I managed to come across a photoblog of Rohan Rao... http://ephotoz.blogspot.com/2007/03/few-photographs-on-my-tamilnadu-trip.html
check it out...

7 stations launched for Hello FM, Trichy being the 7th one, 7 was the age I last visited the temple, and it seems 7 is indeed a sacred number for Vaishnavites, as Srirangam is the only temple with 7 enclosures!!!

Srirangam is definitely a place, I will visit again. A wealth of knowledge to be uncovered.