SRI THYAGARAJASWAMI TEMPLE CHARIOT FESTIVAL

The annual chariot festival of the Thyagarajaswami Temple is celebrated during April-may as per the Tamil month of Chitrai. On the day of the chariot festival the Utsava Moorthy (The Lord who comes out from his abode for procession)...

...is gorgeously decorated and brought out of the temple along with his consort to the Great Car and the procession goes whole day long. The Chariot is the biggest in its type, size & height. It is 96ft tall and weighs more than 300 tons.

Besides, this grand chariot, there are 4 more cars for the Lord's consort. All these chariots are big in size but comparitively smaller than the Great Chariot. Grand Chariot is intricately decorated with wooden carvings and framework.

Almost 10000 people r required to pull the chariot around the 4 surrounding streets of temple.Iron wheels fitted to car make the movement fast &easy.Event is attended by lacs of people from across #TamilNadu.The Chariot festival is followed by the Float Festival named 'Theppam'.

Nellaiappar Temple in Tirunelveli is a place of religious significance. It is a place of spiritual significance. It finds mention in our puranas and many literary books, especially the Tevarams. It’s gopurams and musical pillars are a work of beautiful art.

Musical magnificence of Nellaiappar Temple in Tirunelveli
• This 7th century Musical Pillar produces musical notes when tapped. Indeed a wonder of ancient architecture.

• The majestic Nellaiappar Temple itself is a masterpiece in terms of architecture.

The entire city is synonymous with this temple that is steeped in so many rich legends and stories.

I am talking about the Nellaiappar temple, a living example of beautiful Dravidian architecture that was built by the early Pandyas in the 7th century.

Located on the northern banks of the Thamirabharani river, the Nellaiappar temple is dedicated to Bhagwan Shiv and his consort goddess Parvati. Bhagwan Shiv is worshipped as Nellaiappar or Venuvananathar and Goddess Parvati is worshipped as Kantimathi Amman.

But, its main feature is that it is one of the Pancha Sabhai Sthalangal or one of the 5 places where Bhagwan Shiv is believed to have performed his cosmic dance (Tandava dance). The Nellaiappar temple is the Thamirachabai (copper hall) based on the dance pose of Nataraja.

VILLOONDI TEERTHAM, #TamilNadu

Situated at 6 kms from #Rameshwaram, is a sacred fresh water spring in the sea. Yes, you heard me right. There is a fresh water body inside the saline sea. This place is called Villoondi Teertham and is the main attraction of this place.

A beautiful beach of #TamilNadu and one of the 64 teerthas(sacred water bodies) of Hindus in #Rameshwaram .There is a small Shiva shrine nearby and the Shiva linga here is named Thrayambakeshwara. The reason for this fresh water body in the sea is stated in #Ramayana.

It states that, After rescuing Mata Sita from Ravana, Rama together with Lakshmana, Sita, Hanumana and some of his other friends flew from Sri Lanka to Rameswaram on Pushpak Vimana, where he performed some rituals, Yajna and poojas by making a Shiva Linga.

After rituals Rama &his friends started their journey towards #Ayodhya ,when Mata Sita &his friends felt thirsty, Rama took his bow &arrow and shot it in the sea. The place where arrow pierced into sea emerged a fresh water spring, its believed Villoondi Teertham is that spring.

Villoondi literally means, one that is pierced through an arrow.
After the spring emanated, Rama and all his friends quenched their thirst and restarted their journey.

It is believed that a Trip to #Rameshwaram is incomplete unless you visit this place.

Jai Sri Ram 💕🙏

🌺Bhagwan Vishwakarma: The Architect of the Gods.🌺

Vishwakarma or Vishvakarman (Sanskrit: विश्वकर्मा, means 'all maker').He is a craftsman deity and the divine architect of the gods. In the early texts, the craftsman deity was known as 'Tvastar'.

The word 'Vishwakarma' was originally used as an epithet for any powerful deity.
However, in many later traditions, Vishwakarma became the name of the craftsman god.
He is also the presiding god of all engineers, architects, builders, carpenters, and craftsmen.

He is often stated to be the son of Brahma, but it differs in many other texts. In the Nirukta and Brahmanas he is stated to be the son of Bhuvana. In the Mahabharata and Harivansha, he is the son of Vasu Prabhasa and Yoga-siddha. In the Puranas, he is the son of Vastu.

Vishwakarma is the father of three daughters named Barhishmati, Samjna and Chitrangada. In other texts Vishvakarma is presented as the husband of Gritachi. When identified with Tvastar, Vishvakarma is also described to be the father of a son named Vishvarupa.

The term Visvakarman was originally used as an epithet for any supreme god and as an attribute of Indra and the Sun. The name Visvakarman occurs five times in the tenth book of the Rigveda.

RANI ABBAKKA-THE QUEEN IMMORATALIZED AS 'THE GREAT FEARLESS WARRIOR QUEEN' & STILL FORGOTTEN.

The renowned Indian Coast Guard launched ICGS Rani Abbakka in 2009 at Indian Naval Port of Vizag. It commemorated the valour of a brave Queen named Rani Abbakka, who is not much known.

Queen Abbakka carved a niche for herself as 'The Warrior Queen of Ullal'.Rani Abbakka Chowta was the first Tuluva Queen of Ullal(present day Mangalore) and was crowned by her Uncle Tirumala Raya in 1525 as the Chowta's followed a Matrilineal system of Inheritance.

While inheritance was from female line,the ruler was always a male. Since Tirumal Raya didn't have any children,he chose his niece as a legal Heir.She was married to King Lakshmapa Bangaraja in a Political wedlock,due to which they both remained estranged throughout their lives.

Rani Abbakka Chowta was trained to be a good ruler and administrator right from a very young age. Sword fighting, horse riding, archery, military strategies and political diplomacy were the subjects she was very keen in learning and she learned them with perfection.

Most Portugues sources tell us that Rani Abbakka was a great administrator.She was a Jain herself but she never stopped patronising Hindu temples,arts &literature.Her administration consisted of Muslims&Hindus alike. Diversity of her administration&her army was worth appreciation

Sri Yaganti Uma Maheshwari Temple is dedicated to Bhagwan Shiva and is located in the Kurnool distt of Andhra Pradesh. Temple houses combined idol of Shiva and Mata Parvati.
It's believed that Sage Agastya wanted to build a temple for Venkateswara here.

But the Idol couldn't be installed as its toenail was broken.Agastya got upset&performed Tapaa. Shiva appeared to him&told him dat site is suitable for a Shiva temple as the region resembled Kailasha. Rishi then requested Shiva to grant him combined Idol of Shiva&Mata Parvati.

Bhagwan Shiv gifted him the Idol as he wished.
Yaganti Temple is one of the most famous temples of Shiva in Andhra Pradesh.Temple dates back to 5th-6th centuries with the contributions from the Kingdoms of Pallavas, Cholas, Chalukyas.

However, some of the major and valuable contributions came from Vijaynagara Kings Harihara and Bukka Raya who completed the construction of quite a lot of structures in and around the temple during the 15th century.
Main idols in the temple are of Shiva, Parvati and Nandi.

Size of Nandi sitting in front of the temple is believed to be growing continuously due to which the temple staff had to remove one pillar.
Temple has caves in &around the vicinity named on Rishi Agastya and Bhagwan Venkateswara.
The temple has a small Pushkarini in the premises.

Do you know?

Rajaram Jat was a great Jat leader,who plundered the tomb of emperor Akbar and burnt his remains.

Rajaram Jat was the son of Bhajja Singh who was the chief of Sinsani in princely state of Bharatpur in India.Rajaram Jat also grew up to be the Chieftain of Sinsani.

He militarized the Jat, trained and organised them to form a proper standing Army.He was aware of the fact that his enemy ie the Mughals had advanced weapons in their arsenals&therefore decided to train his fellow Jat soldiers in firearms&made them capable to take on the Mughals.

He also built the small forts known as 'Garhi' in forest areas for raiding the Mughals. These Garhis were surrounded by the solid mud walls. These small forts played a very significant role in Jat Mobilization. They were used as Military bases and also their treasury.

Rajaram Jat organised a network of outposts & spies in such a manner that no Mughal convoy could pass unchallenged.
When Aurangzeb went towards Deccan to suppress the Marathas, the northern region of the Mughal Empire started crumbling.Jats took full advantage of this situation.

Under the powerful leadership of Rajaram, the Jats successfully raided several Mughal Dominions.
The path of Mughals to reach Deccan passed through the Jat territories and the Jats never missed an opportunity to raid them which made Mughals scared to take those paths.

Did you know?

Rig-Veda (estimated to be composed around 23720 BCE), is the first recorded document about a prosthesis.

The anatomy,physiology, embryology etc. r discussed very clearly in Vedas.
The surgery is the most amazing science found in RigVeda over thousands of yrs ago.

It mentions the concept of Artificial Limbs in history of prosthesis.

“Sodao janghamaysing vishapalaoi dhana hite sterba pratyadhattyam” Rig-Veda- 1:116:15

Meaning," The foot of Vispala, the wife of Khela, was cut off, like the wing of a bird, in an engagement by night.

Immediately you gave her a metallic leg, so that she might walk".

Khela was a King and Agastya was his Kul Purohit. Through his prayers the Aswins gave Vispala a metallic leg.

In Vedic Times, surgery was practiced including major operations like amputation, laparotomy...

...and trephining of Skull.
Medical science was surprisingly advanced in ancient Vedic Indian times.Particularly in the fields of plastic surgery, extraction of cataracts, dental surgery etc.
And, there is documentary evidence to support these claims.

Aitreya Upanishad states..

...about how the organs develop in the foetus.
The Bhagwata states that the head of foetus is formed at the end of first month and heart starts functioning in the second month of pregnancy.
Statements recorded in these scriptures are found to be true by modern science.

OM : THE PRIMORDIAL SOUND OF WHOLE CREATION AND COSMOS.

For a layman,its synonymous to meditation,they think that yogi sadhus chant it to meditate or do yoga sadhana.But its more than that. It's deepely embedded in Hindu culture &philosophy.

To truly understand its profound effects, we must have a basic understanding of sound. Every sound is made of vibrations. These vibrations have a source, they travel through air before reaching the ear and then they are interpreted by the brain.

The number of vibrations per second is called frequency. Since all matter is composed of atomic material, everything vibrates on some frequency.

Everything means all matter, including us, everything and everyone has some vibrating frequency.

The great inventor and scientist Nikola Tesla has very famously quoted, "If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration."

And he was right in saying so as we all know that sound never dies. It remains in the Cosmos forever. So, If someday we could develop a technology by which we could extract the sounds of the particular era from the Universe, we will be able to hear the Voice of Lord Krishna...

On this #InternationalWomensDay
Let's learn about another Warrior Queen of Bharat.

THE LEGEND OF NAAK KAATI RANI:QUEEN KARNAVATI OF #GARHWAL
The story of Queen #Karnavati is another gem burried deep in the history which couldn't find its place in the modern #History textbooks.

The Islamic #Mughal invaders who conquered and ravaged many parts of #India, committing atrocities on local populations have somehow been romanticized and idolized in #IndianHistory books, courtesy if the Leftist- Marxist Education system that modern India has.

Although they conquered and ruled large regions of north-India ,there were numerous kingdoms that they could never win. Here is the story of one such Kingdom of Garhwal and how the “Naak Kaati Rani” protected it.

Alike Mewar of Rajsthan,Garhwal kingdom in presentday #Uttarakhand is one of those kingdoms dat resisted invaders &kept their sovereignty through military velour. Here's the forgotten story of Garwali Rani who fought,defeated&humiliated Mughals by literally cuttingoff their noses

King Mahipati Shah of Garhwal was a battle loving ruler who did believed in stiff opposition to any invasion.When Shah Jahan,the Mughal Emperor was crowned on 14th February 1628 at Agra, rulers from all over subcontinent visited his coronation,but King Mahapati denied invitation.

रावण जब सीता माता के पास विवाह प्रस्ताव लेकर गया तो माता ने द्रुवा के एक टुकड़े को अपने और रावण के बीच रखा व कहा,'हे रावण!सूरज और किरण की तरह राम-सीता अभिन्न हैं।राम व लक्ष्मण की अनुपस्थिति में मेरा अपहरण कर तुमने कायरता का परिचय दिया व राक्षस जा‍ति के विनाश को आमंत्रित किया है।

तुम्हारा श्रीरामजी की शरण में जाना ही इस विनाश से बचने का एकमात्र उपाय है अन्यथा लंका का विनाश निश्चित है।'
सीता माता की इस बात से निराश रावण ने राम को लंका आकर सीता को मुक्त करने को दो माह की अवधि दी। इसके बाद रावण या तो सीता से विवाह करेगा या उसका अंत।

रावण ने सीता को हर तरह के प्रलोभन दिए।यदि वह उसकी पत्नी बन जाए तो वह अपनी सभी पत्नियों को उसकी दासी बना देगा और उसे लंका की राजरानी। लेकिन सीता माता रावण के किसी भी तरह के प्रलोभन में नहीं आईं। तब रावण ने सीता को जान से मारने की धमकी दी लेकिन यह धमकी भी काम नहीं कर पाई।

इसके बाद रावण के पास सीता माता की हां के इंतज़ार के अलावा और कोई विकल्प नहीं बचा क्योंकि ज़ोर-जबरदस्ती वो कर नहीं सकता था।
आखिर क्यों रावण सीता माता के साथ जबरदस्ती नहीं कर सकता था? आइए जानते हैं।

रावण के भाई कुबेर द्वारा निर्मित सोने की लंका अद्भुत,अगम्य,भव्य और दिव्य थी, जिसकी सुंदरता देखते ही बनती थी। उसी कुबेर के पुत्र नलकुबेर की होनेवाली पत्नी थी अप्सरा रंभा जिसके सौंदर्य पर रावण मोहित हो गया था।
एक बार जब विश्व-विजय करने के लिए रावण स्वर्गलोक पहुंचा तो उसे वहां...

WHY DO WE HAVE BELLS IN TEMPLES?

Everything that is used during a Hindu Puja Ritual plays a vital role in healing the body, mind and soul. Today I will tell you about the significance of the temple bells. Did you ever wonder why do we have bells in temples and why are they rung?

Hindu Scripture of Agama Shastra states;
"आगमारथम्तु देवानाम
गमनार्थम्तु राक्षसाम
कुर्वे घन्टारवम तत्रा
देवत: वाहना लक्षणम "
Which translates to,'I ring this bell invoking the Gods &Goddesses,so that noble&virtuous forces enter my house&the evil forces that lay within depart'.

The body of the bell illustrates infinity meaning 'Ananth' in Sanskrit, while the tongue of the Ghanti represents Goddess Saraswati. The bell's handle represents Hanuman, Garuda,Nandi or Chakra and is considered to be the essential life force known as 'Prana Shakti'.

Bell(Ghanta) is indispensable for the Hindu Poojas. A well designed 'Ghanta' that is made as per the procedures mentioned in Agama Shastra when rung produces the Divine sound'OM'which produces positive frequencies and vibrations around the place.

The Temple bell's soothing sound effect is such that the Divine enters u &all demonic forces within ur soul departs. Bells r rung before commencing the Puja, during Aarti,during chanting mantras&verses from the holy scriptures,while waving oil lamps &offering ablation to Deities.

Did you know?

The Leaning Tower of Pisa leans at 4 degrees, which is less in comparison to the 9 degree tilt of the Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple. Yet, this Leaning Temple of Varanasi has been lost in anonymity and not known in the world as widely as Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Forget the world, it's not even known in India. This is called the Peak of Hypocrisy.

Ratneshwar temple near Manikarnika Ghat, is also called Kashi Karvat. It means a temple in Kashi, which leans ( karvat) to one side.

The story behind its tilted nature is quite interesting.

There is a legend surrounding the origin of this temple, which states that it was built by a certain servant of Raja Man Singh for his mother, named Ratna Bai. Once the temple was built, the man proudly declared that he had paid the debt to his mother.

Much to his shock, as soon as these words escaped his lips, the temple started tilting backwards (north-west) to show that the debt to one’s mother can never be paid. The sanctum sanctorum of this shrine remains under Ganga water for most of the year.

Reportedly,Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple has a higher tilt than Italy’s famous Leaning Tower of Pisa built in1173. As the story behind the tilted nature of this Italian monument goes,the ground to its one side had started sinking under the weight of the stones after its construction.

🌺Trishund Ganpati Mandir Pune🌺

The temple is called Trishund Ganpati as it has the idol of Sri Ganesha with three trunks and six hands, seated on a peacock. This depiction of the deity is not found anywhere else in the country.

The temple has been constructed on a high platform and has a small courtyard around it which is often decorated with earthen diyas, lights and flowers on special occasions or festivals. The temple also has images and sculptures of Bhagwan Shiv on the outside.

Some even say that the original plan was to dedicate the temple to Bhagwan Shiv. At the entrance of the temple, you can also find sculptures of Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity flanked by two elephants.

Another intriguing part of the temple is the fact that it has three inscriptions on the wall of the sanctum of the temple. While two of them are in Devanagari script and Sanskrit language, one of them is interestingly in Persian script.

The first inscription talks about the foundation of Rameshwara and the story of the inspection of the temple in 1754. While on the second and inscriptions you can find verses from Bhagavad Gita and story about the construction of Gurudev Datta temple respectively.

WHAT IS THE HINDU VARNA VYAVASTHA?
Is the casteism part of it?
Let's find out...

चतुर्वरंयं माया सृष्टयं, गुणाकर्मा विभाक्षा:
तस्या कर्तारमापी माम,विद्या कर्तारं अव्यायं
(Geeta 4:13)
This Geeta verse is very important, not only from spiritual perspective but also..

...from the scientific point of view.
The verse also has its own social significance.

Let's comprehend. The word Varna is made of root word 'Var' which has many meanings-to choose, to demand, to desire etc. It is evident from this that the word Varna means,"to choose the desired work or thing". To assimilate Varna with caste is utterly irrational &sheer ignorance.

Above shloka translates to,
'Segregating the deeds based on properties, I composed four varna, ie 4 types of karma, with a freedom to choose are composed by me.' It's very important to note here that the division of Karma is based on qualities &there is a freedom to choose yours.

Hence, the word varna cannot be associated with caste as it's not based on birth rather its based on the Karma and there is also the option to choose your karma. Brahmin, kshatriyas,vaishya & shudras, these all words are qualitative nouns.

Do you Know?

The first ever commercial space hotel, Voyager Station, aims to open by 2027. Accommodating 280 guests and 112 crew members, the project is being planned by Orbital Assembly Corporation, a construction company run by John Blincow.

The station will be OAC's first major project, and the first commercial space station with artificial gravity.
Construction of the 50,000-square-meter Voyager facility will start in 2026, and OAC aims to welcome the first passengers to the hotel in 2027.

The team explains that the project is made possible by opening up low Earth orbit and beyond to construction, resource harvesting, development, and infrastructure.
OAC is planning to serve up traditional ‘space food’ like freeze dried ice cream,..

...while they also aim to have recreational spaces for activities like basketball, taking advantage of weightlessness in space. No room rates have been announced, but the team hopes to one day make the cost similar to a cruise ticket.

The first element of the rotating hotel to be built will be a central un-pressurized ring structure that will contain the docking hub. An outer ring truss will connect to the central ring by a network of spokes, and from there it will have 24 habitation modules.

WHY IS RUDRAKSH SO IMPORTANT IN OUR SANATAN DHARMA?

Rudraksh is the seed of medicinal plant known as Elaeocarpus Ganitrus in scientific terms. It has a great religious significance,used as ayurvedic medicine &taken as a remedy for multiple health concerns.

Rudraksh is a Sanskrit word consisting of the name Rudra (A form of Shiva) and Aksh ( teardrops from eyes), which translates as, 'Teardrops from Lord Shiva's eye's.

The Legend says that Lord Shiva was so hurt and sad due to the unrighteous behaviour of Demon Tarkasur's sons that tears shed from his eyes, taking the shape of a Rudraksh tree.

These fruits are also known as Amritphal ( Fruits of Nectar). The Rudraksh fruit is blue in color and resembles a lot like blueberries, only it turns black on getting dried. The hard seed in the center can have 1 to 21 faces.

There are 38 varieties of Rudraksh that are found primarily in Nepal, India, Indonesia & Sri Lanka. Rudraksh tree is a large evergreen tree, which grows up to 50 to 200 feet and it bears fruit in 3 to 7 years.

आदि गुरु शंकराचार्य का जन्म 508BCE में केरल के कालड़ी गांव में हुआ था।उनके माता आर्याम्बा और पिता शिव गुरु उनको शंकर नाम से पुकारते थे। शंकर अपने माता पिता के एकलौते संतान थे। उनके पिताजी की मृत्यु बचपन में ही हो गई थी।

बचपन से ही विलक्षण प्रतिभा के धनि शंकर के अंदर अद्भुत तर्क शक्ति तथा स्मरण शक्ति भी। मात्र आठ साल की उम्र में शंकर ने चारो वेदो को कंठस्थ कर लिया था। 12 वर्ष की उम्र में सभी उपनिषद दर्शन में महारथ हासिल कर लिए थे और 16 वर्ष की उम्र में ब्रह्मसूत्र भाष्य की रचना की थी।

आदि गुरु शंकराचार्य ने पुरे भारत की यात्रा की तथा सनातन धर्म को एक सूत्र में पिरोने के लिए चार दिशा में चार मठों की स्थापना की। पश्चिम दिशा के द्वारका में शारदामठ की स्थापना की। उत्तर दिशा में आदि गुरु शंकराचार्य ने बद्रिकाश्रम में ज्योतिर्मठ की स्थापना की।

पूर्व दिशा में उन्होंने जगन्नाथपुरी में गोवर्धन मठ की स्थापना की।उन्होंने दक्षिण दिशा में श्रृंगेरी मठ की स्थापना की।इन सभी मठो में आज भी शंकराचार्य के पद पर सुपात्र को बैठाया जाता है लेकिन जो विलक्षण ज्ञान आदि शंकराचार्य का था आज तक किसी भी मठ के किसी शंकराचार्य का नहीं हुआ हैं।

मठों में आदि गुरु शंकराचार्य से लेकर अभी तक जितने भी गुरु शिष्य हुए, उनका इतिहास सुरक्षित है।
8 वर्ष की अल्पायु में ही शंकर ने गृहस्थ जीवन त्याग कर सन्यास और तप का मार्ग अपनाया। कई महिनों तक वह गुरु की खोज में जंगलों,पर्वतों और गुफाओं में भटकता रहा। शंकर ने गुरु की खोज में...

Did you know?

Many versions of Ramayana were written in different languages, having one or more characters as pivotal roles in the last 2500 years.

Depending on the methods of counting, as many as three hundred versions of the Great Hindu Itihasa are known to exist.

The oldest version is generally recognized to be the Sanskrit version attributed to the sage Narada, the 'Mula Ramayana'. There has been done extensive research for eight years on different versions of Ramayana and for 'Asura: Tale of the Vanquished'.

Some famous versions are:

-Valmiki Ramayana (Sanskrit Version)
-Ram Charita Manas(Avadhi version)
-Kamba Ramayana(Tamil version)
-Ranganatha Ramayanam,
Molla Ramayanamu, and Srimadramayana Kalpavrikshamu (Telugu Versions)
-Saptakanda Ramayana (Assamese version)

-Krittivasi Ramayan(Bengali Version)
-Dandi Ramayan,Bisi Ramayan and Vilanka Ramayan(Odia Versions)
-Torave Ramayana,Ramchandra Charita Purana and Sri Ramayan Darshanam(Kannada Versions)
-Adhyathmaramayanam Kilipattu,Mappilla Ramayanam and Kannassa Ramayanam(Malayalam Versions)

-Bhavartha Ramayan(Marathi Version)
-Ramayanu(Konkani Version)
-Ramavatar Charit(Kashmiri Version)
-Pothi Ramayan(UrduVersion)
-Dastan-e-Ram O Sita(Persian Version)
-Bhanubhaktako Ramayan(Khas Version)
-Dasrathajatak(Buddhist Version)
-Paumachariyu&Kumudendu Ramayan(JainVersion)