🌺Shree Jagannath Temple, Khallikot, Ganjam, Odisha🌺

This temple is Recognised as the 2nd largest Jagannath Temple after Puri Jagannath Temple. If historians are to be believed, construction of this Temple in Khallikote was started in 1730 by King

Jagannath Mardraja-I& completed by his grandson Jagannath Mardraja-II in year 1868.According to some ancient texts Bhagwan Jagannath along with brother Balbhadra & sister Subhadra spent some of their time in this temple during their exile when Mughals attacked Sri Mandira in Puri

This temple is grand & the outer walls are beautifully carved with the sculptures of Dasavatara, AstaDigapalas, Different other avataras of Vishu ( i.e. Janardhan, Madhav, Lakshmi Narayan etc), some beautiful Nagas, Nartakis etc.

Every single stone is carved beautifully in this temple which will mesmerize you for sure.But this ancient Shree Jagannath Temple in Khallikote of Ganjam district is in a dilapidated state due to alleged lack of maintenance by the government.

It is believed that if immediate steps are not taken towards the renovation of the temple, the centuries-old structure might even collapse.

🌺The Curse on Agni, the God of Fire🌺

There was a sage by name Bhrigu. Bhrigu was created by the Creator Brahma from the fire during a sacrificial rite performed by Varuna, the God of rain. Thus Bhrigu is to be considered the son of Brahma, the Creator.

Bhrigu married Puloma. Puloma became pregnant after some time. One day Bhrigu left her alone in his hermit and went to the river to perform ablutions. At that time, a Rakshasa (demon) entered Bhrigu's house.

Puloma entertained him offering him fruit and snacks, taking him for a guest. (It was a practice in ancient India to offer food to anyone, including a stranger, who visits one's house.

In fact, feeding at least one stranger before the people in the house took their food was even considered an obligation.) The rakshasa was attracted by Puloma's beauty and was instantly consumed by intense lust.

The demon saw the sacrificial fire (Agni) that was earlier lit by Bhrigu, the fire that was still burning.

He asked Agni, "This woman's father had betrothed her to me and I had also accepted her as my wife. (When Puloma, as a child, was committing

🌺Do you know the simple remedies to appease Navagrahas?🌺

💮Offering water to surya regularly will improve sun's strength in your horoscope.

💮Performing Abhishek of shivlingam with Sweetwater strengthen moon position.

💮Donating bottles of water or serving water to...

...working people/labour gives positivity to Mars.

💮Watering plants helps in improvement in weak mercury.

💮Arrange drinking water in any temple, you will be blessed by Jupiter.

💮Distribution of sweet drinks on fridays to teenage girls will make your venus favorable.

💮Arrange drinking water in old age homes, good for Saturn.

💮Arranging drinking water for birds and dogs help to get relief from malefic effects of Rahu and Kethu.

🙏🏻

Courtesy: Gaurav Gupta Astrology

🌺Rishi Bharadwaj and his quest to learn the Vedas.🌺

"One has to be humble if he desires to acquire knowledge - Rig Veda.”
There once lived a great Rishi named Bharadvaja.He had an intense desire for knowledge &made it his life goal to master the Vedas.

The Vedas are India’s oldest sacred texts. However, the sage knew that he was only going to live for a hundred years. So he did severe penances and pleased Dev Indra.

Indra appeared before him and the sage asked Indra, “Please give me a hundred more years so that I can complete studying the three vedas”.
Then Indra said,”Tathasthu ( let it be so)”. So the sage Bharadwaja studied the vedas continuously.

When the end of that 100 more years approached, he again prayed to Indra and asked for 100 more years. Indra granted his request. When he again prayed to Indra for further longevity, Indra appeared before him and decided to instruct the rishi Himself.

The Dev then uttered the three vyahritis “Bhuh”, “Bhuva”, and “svah” and created three huge mountains.
When the sage saw the mountains he thought, “Maybe the three mountains represent my mastery over the three vedas”.

🌺Significance of Pran Pratishta in Sanatan Dharma.🌺

Pran Prathistha, also known as Murthi Sthapana, is a practice in Hinduism. It is the consecration of a Murthi (deity idol) in a temple with the accompaniment of Mantras and hymns.

When the priest or Purohit performs the rites, the idol converts into a deity by the invocation of life energy or Prana. There are elaborate discussions in different Vedic and ancient scriptures on the importance as well as the ways of conducting the Pran Prathishta.

In Tantra-Tattva, Prana Prathishta is a ritual meant to introduce life into a Murthi (deity idol). Not everyone can conduct Pran Prathishta. As per Vaishayasi Samhita of the Panchratra Agam Shastra, "One in whose every organ Paramatma resides wholly, that pure Mahapurush is...

...eligible to perform Prana Pratishta because one who can invoke Paramatva within his heart to the Murti can offer it."

The word Prana refers to life energy, and Pratishta means resting or position. In this very context, Pratishta is the installation or consecration.

Significance of Pran Prathishta: There are many significances associated with the performance of Pran Prathishta. It invokes the deity and gives the Murthi life energy. So, when a person visits a temple, he or she can imbibe the vitalities from the divine figure.

💮क्या आपको पंचांग का अर्थ पता है?💮

हिंदू कैलेंडर में पंचांग एक अनिवार्य हिस्सा है,जो हिंदू रीति-रिवाजों की पारंपरिक इकाइयों का पालन करता है, और महत्वपूर्ण तिथियाँ प्रस्तुत करता है और एक सारणीबद्ध रूप में गणना करता है।पंचांग का उपयोग ज्योतिष शास्त्र के लिए भी किया जाता है।o

🌺पंचांग मुख्यतः पाँच भागों से बना है।🌺

💮ये पांच भाग हैं: तिथि, नक्षत्र, वार, योग और करण। यहां दैनिक पंचांग में आपको शुभ समय, राहुकाल, सूर्योदय और सूर्यास्त का समय, तिथि, करण, नक्षत्र, सूर्य और चंद्र ग्रह की स्थिति, हिंदू माह और पहलू आदि के बारे में जानकारी मिलती है।

🌺पंचांग के पाँच भाग तिथि, वार, नक्षत्र, योग, करण हैं।🌺

💮तिथि: हिंदू काल गणना के अनुसार, सूर्य रेखा से 12 डिग्री ऊपर जाने के लिए चंद्र झुकाव में लगने वाले समय को तिथि कहा जाता है।

💮तिथि नाम - प्रतिपदा, द्वितीया, तृतीया, चतुर्थी,पंचमी,षष्ठी, सप्तमी,अष्टमी, नवमी, दशमी, एकादशी,द्वादशी, त्रयोदशी,चतुर्दशी, अमावस्या,पूर्णिमा।

💮नक्षत्र: आकाश मण्डल में एक तारा समूह को नक्षत्र कहा जाता है। इसमें 27 नक्षत्र शामिल हैं और नौ ग्रह इन नक्षत्रों के स्वामित्व में हैं।

💮27 नक्षत्रों के नाम इस प्रकार हैं आश्विन नक्षत्र, भरणी नक्षत्र, कृतिका नक्षत्र, रोहिणी नक्षत्र, मृगशिरा नक्षत्र, आर्द्रा नक्षत्र, पुण्यसूत्र नक्षत्र, पुष्य नक्षत्र, अश्लेषा नक्षत्र, मघा नक्षत्र, मघा नक्षत्र, पूर्वा नक्षत्र, पूर्वा नक्षत्र, पूर्वा नक्षत्र है।

💮🌺Madhubani Art🌺💮

The Madhubani or Mithila paintings of Bihar are one of the most vibrant folk arts of the world. Using natural dyes/pigments and fingers, twigs, matchsticks, brushes and pens, it is an art form dominated by women, who use it as...

...self expression and to reflect the mores of their society and region.

The form dates back to the Ramayana period, but was revived by WG Archer, an Englishman in the 1940s. It is divided into 5 distinct styles.

The skills are passed from mother to daughter, the decoration of the kohbar(the newly weds room) being the culmination of a lifetime of learning the art.Thereby,it makes sense that overweening themes are love & fertility,accompanied by religious motifs from Sanatan Vedic Culture.

Madhubani has traditionally been painted on mud walls but in recent years, artists such as Sita Devi and Ganga Devi have made paper /canvas works that stand individually as art.

Their interpretation of western themes such as the Twin Towers, the Arlington Cemetery and roller coasters are worth appreciating. Artists such as these are now collected in Japan and the USA, where the Asian Art Museum held a special showing.

💮Did you know about the Right-hand man of Veer Savarkar who revolutionized the independence struggle in southern Bharat?💮

VVS Aiyar was born on April 2, 1881, in a middle class brahmin family in Varahaneri village in Tiruchi.

He completed his graduation with B.A in History, Politics and Latin from St. Joseph’s College. He studied Law and passed the Pleader examination from the University of Madras in the year 1902.

Later he practised as a Junior Lawyer or Pleader in the District courts of Tiruchi. In 1906, he went to Rangoon, and practised as a junior in the Chambers of an English Barrister.

From Rangoon, he left for London in 1907, enrolled in Lincoln’s Inn with a view to becoming a Barrister at Law.
At the end of the conversation with Savarkar, there was a metamorphosis in his life. He became an activist in the Indian freedom struggle.

He became the right hand of Savarkar in organizing the Indian Home Rule League and giving training for a violent uprising for India’s liberation.

VVS was the man who stood by Savarkar in all his endeavours. He was inspired by Savarkar and in turn inspired Savarkar.

💮Some of the Ancient Sites Mentioned In Mahabharata.💮
1. Banganga,Kurukshetra – This place is located a few kilometers away from Kurukshetra.This was the place where Bhishma Pitamah had laid down on a bed of arrows.

2.Kurukshetra was the famous battlefield of Mahabharata War.

3. Hastinapur is located in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

4. Varnavat – Situated on the banks of river Ganga, it is a city located near Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.

5. Panchal Pradesh – Panchal Pradesh was located between the Himalayas and the river Chamba.

6. Gandhar or Gandhara –
Gandhara was the main city of Mahajanapada - the western region of present-day Pakistan and the eastern region of Afghanistan was the Gandhara region of India at that time.

7. Takshashila – This was the capital of Gandhar Desh.

8. Ujjanak – This was an ancient city near Kashipur, Nainital district.

9. Shivi Desh – Shivi Desh was located on the north border of India in South Punjab.

10. Indraprastha – Indraprastha was a grand city situated to the south of present-day New Delhi.

11. Magadh – South Bihar – The ancient name of present-day South Bihar was Magadh.

12. Matsya Desh – North Rajasthan – Matsya Desh, located north of present-day Rajasthan.

13. Patan, Mehsana, Gujarat – Patan, situated near Mehsana, Gujarat.

Did you know?

The Kalinga War was one of the largest and deadliest battles in Indian history.
The Kalinga War was fought in ancient India between the Maurya Empire under Ashoka and the state of Kalinga, an independent feudal kingdom located on...

...the east coast, in the present-day state of Odisha and northern parts of Andhra Pradesh. It is presumed that the battle was fought on Dhauli hills in Dhauli which is situated on the banks of Daya River.

Asoka, the son of Vindusara who invaded Kalinga in 261 B.C. and succeeded in occupying Kalinga. The Kalinga War was of colossal nature in which as many as 1,00,000 were killed and 1,50,000 were taken...

...captives while as many as that number died as an aftermath of the war. Asoka was deeply moved by the terrible bloodshed caused by this war.

Did you know?

Vidyashankara Temple in sringeri, Karnataka has 12 pillars that are corresponding to zodiac signs and constructed in such a way that the sun’s rays fall on each pillar in the exact order of the 12 months of the Hindu calendar?

Isn't it amazing?😯😍🚩

Another splendid architectural Marvel made by our ancestors.

Temple is a magnificent architecture, beautifully built entirely out of carved stone in around 1338 CE in the memory of Guru Vidyashankara and is dedicated to God Shiva by Vidyaranya who...

...headed the Sringeri Sharada Peetha and played an important role in establishing the glorious Vijayanagara Empire. 
Temple stands at the entrance to River Tunga. It was built with the aid & fusion of the Vijayanagara rulers,combining the Hoysala, Chalukyas and Dravidian styles.

The marvellous twelve zodiac pillars (called Raashi-Stambhas) inside the temple hall, on which are carved the twelve signs of the zodiac, are arranged in such a way that rays from the rising sun fall on each of them, in the order of the twelve zodiacs.

For example, if the Sun is now located in the constellation Capricorn (Makara Raashi), then the rays fall on the pillar with the Capricorn symbol.

🙏🌺

🌺What is so sacred about Kashi and its importance in Sanatan.🌺

💮Kashi is the spiritual capital of our country.
Our elders have always said that, every Hindu must visit Kasi atleast once in His/Her lifetime.

It is believed that , Shiva himself has created Kashi town, so, when the entire world will cease to exist , even then Kasi would remain untouched.

💮 Kashi is Rudra's(Bhairav) favourite place &daily at afternoon 12,Rudra comes to take a holy dip in Ganga at the Manikarnika Ghat.

Manikarnika means Ear ring, it is believed that the Ghat got this name because Shiva's ear ring / Vishnu’s ear ring / Sati’s ear ring has fallen in this place.

💮When Bhairav cut one of Brahma’s head , it is believed that Bhairav was wandering with that head in his hand, and Brahma’s head was absorbed in the Kashi mud, and thus Bhairav was relieved from the sin of Brahman Hatya ( murder ) in the holy Kashi.

💮Kashi is the place of moksha for all mortals.
The holy river Ganga flows in the Kashi, and pilgrims immerse the ash of their kin in Ganga , and thus believe they would get moksha and get cleansed of all sins by Ganga bath.

🌺Significance of a Lotus Flower in Sanatan and Asian culture.🌺

The lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is an ancient and polyvalent symbol in Asian culture. Hindus revere it with God Vishnu, Brahma and to a lesser degree Kubera, and the Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati.

Often used as an example of divine beauty and purity. Vishnu is often described as the "Lotus-Eyed One". It is believed that a lotus sprang from the navel of Vishnu while he was in Yoga Nidra. The lotus then bloomed uncovering the creator God Brahma in a lotus position.

Its unfolding petals signify the expansion of the soul. The growth of its pure beauty from the mud of its origin holds a benign spiritual promise. Particularly Brahma and Lakshmi, the divinities of potency and wealth, have the lotus symbol associated with them.

The lotus flower is one of the Ashtamangala of Buddhism, symbolic of creation and cosmic renewal and "primordial purity" and shares in the chakra and mandala symbolism of the Dharma chakra, is also cited extensively within the Puranas and Vedas, for example:

One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus is untouched by water.
— Bhagavad Gita 5.10

The symbolic significance of a lotus is reflective in Chinese cultures with a famous statement..

🌺Month of Shravan - Month of Mahadev🌺

Shravan maas ki hardik shubhkaamnaayen🙏🌺

In Hindu calendar,Shravan month is dedicated to Bhagwan Shiv. The whole month is considered auspicious to seek blessings from Mahadev. Devotees observe fasts during Shravan month to please Shiva.

This is the 5th month of the Hindu calendar when devotees visit temples to offer prayers &keep fasts to seek blessings.

Shravan month is also known as Sawan month in North Indian states.All Mondays or Somwar(s) falling in Shravan month r considered highly auspicious for fasting.

Many devotees observe sixteen Mondays for fasting.

All Tuesdays or Mangalwar in Shravan month are dedicated to Goddess Parvati, the consort of God Shiva. Tuesday's fasting during Shravan month is known as Mangal Gauri Vrat.

Shravan month in 2022 is starting from July 14 and will last until 11th of August. In Tamil calendar it is known as Avni and is the fifth month of the solar calendar.

Shravana nakshatra is the birth star of Sri Vishnu and falls on the full moon day during this time.

Everyday day of this month is considered auspicious to worship many deities, including Shiva, Vishnu, Parvati (gowri), Lakshmi and Krishna.

Har Har Mahadev 🙏🌺🚩🕉

Do you know?

The Stone wheels at Konark Sun temple serve as massive Sundials. People still use it today to tell time. It has 8 major spokes that divide 24 hours into 8 equal parts, which means that the time between two major spokes is 3 hours.

There are 8 minor spokes as well. Each minor spoke runs exactly in the middle of 2 major spokes. This means that the minor spoke divides the 3 hours in half, so the time between a major spoke and a minor spoke is an hour and half or 90 minutes.

The edge of the wheel has a lot of beads. There are 30 beads between a minor and a major spoke. So, the 90 minutes are further divided by 30 beads. This means that each bead carries a value of 3 minutes.

The beads are large enough, so you can also see if the shadow falls in the center of the bead or on one of the ends of the bead. This way we can further calculate time accurately to the minute.

Massive Sundials of The Konark Sun Temple were built in 1250 CE during the reign of the Eastern Ganga King Narsimhadeva I, from stone in the form of a giant ornamented chariot dedicated to the Sun god, Surya.

🌺Hinduism regards all souls as equal & all beings as the manifestation of Supreme Brahman & that's why we see God in everyone of his creation.🌺

Presence of soul in animal bodies may pose some problems to them with regard to their chances of liberation, but it does not..

..alter their essential nature.Beings differ in their ability &intelligence bcoz of presence or absence of certain aspects of Nature, but the soul is same in all. They r manifestations of Supreme Brahman,they deserve to be treated well& allowed to evolve in their own natural way.

Compassion to animals is an important virtue for those who seek liberation or those who want to lead virtuous lives on the path of righteousness to cultivate divine qualities. Killing animals without reason has the same karmic consequence..

..as killing humans, since every living being upon earth has an opportunity to evolve into higher life forms and work for their salvation.

Although animals enjoy the same spiritual status as humans, they are not well qualified to achieve liberation, since they do not..

..possess the higher mind or discriminating intelligence to make intelligent choices. Hence, to achieve liberation they have to take birth as humans. In some extraordinary circumstances, due to past karmas or the grace of God, they may rarely achieve liberation.

💮There are 108 other names that are known of Bhagwan Shiv and that describes his characteristics.💮

Historians and followers have idealized Bhagwan Shiva's image for ages. Ash-covered body,tiger hide,crescent moon,snake all around neck, third eye, unkempt hair, Ganga pouring...

..from the hair, scimiter in one hand and dumroo in other ,occasionally engaged in cosmic dance, sometimes sitting immobile like a rock. As well as this, there are 108 names for Bhagwan Shiva that define his characteristics.

Let's see what are those names one by one:

Ashutosh - One who is easily pleased
Adiguru - The first Guru
Adinath - The first God
Adiyogi - The first Yogi

Aja- The Unborn
Akshayaguna- The one with limitless qualities
Anagha- The faultless one
Anant Drishti- Of infinite vision
Augadh- One who revels all the time
Avyaya Prabhu- Imperishable
Bhairav- Destroyer of fear
Bhalanetra- One who has an eye in the forehead

Bholenath- The simple one
Bhooteshwara- One who has mastery over the elements
Bhudeva- God of the earth
Bhutapala- Protector of the disembodied beings
Chandrapal- Master of the moon
Chandraprakash- One who has moon as a crest
Dayalu- The compassionate one

Do you know?

💮The Goddess Bhadrakali of Warangal is the original owner of the kohinoor diamond.💮

In 625 CE, King Pulakesi II of Chalukya dynasty had built the Bhadrakali Temple. When the region came under the reign of Kakatiya rulers, they made Bhadrakali..

...as their tutelary deity, and fixed the left eye of the goddess with the rare Kohinoor diamond.

The fascinating diamond itself was mined from the Kollur mines of Golconda.
Later, in 1310CE, the Delhi sultanate under Alauddin Khilji brought the empire of Kakatiyas under their regime,destroyed the Bhadrakali temple &took away the prized Kohinoor to Delhi as their loot.

Then onwards, the awe-inspiring diamond went from one hand to another– from Babur and Humayun to Sher Shah Suri to Shah Jahan,Aurangzeb and Maharaja Ranjīt Singh of Patiala.

When Maharaja Ranjit Singh was nearing his death, he willed that the ownership of the coveted diamond be given to the deity at Jagannath Temple. However, the British officials ignored the will of the king, and instead, took it to England as a gift to their queen.

Did you know about an Indian chemical scientist named Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray?

💮‘Revolutionary in the garb of a Scientist’💮
– this is what British govt. records mention about chemical scientist Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray.

He was born on the 2nd of August 1861 at Jessore, Bengal. He supported freedom fighters, making arrangements for their stay and food in his factories in Bengal. A staunch patriot, he was against British rule and oppression.

He helped freedom fighters in the manufacturing of expl0sives for use against the British.

‘Science can wait, Swaraj cannot’ - Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray. He is called the father of chemical science in India.

He was the founder of India's first pharmaceutical company, Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals. He had written 107 research papers in all branches of Chemistry, authored ‘A History of Hindu Chemistry’,

‘A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century’, and more books. For his research in inorganic and organic nitrites, he was addressed as ‘Master of Nitrites’.

🌺Rajaraja Chola:The Mighty Chola King.🌺

Rajaraja Chola I was the one of the greatest ruler of the Imperial Chola dynasty who ruled in the period between 985 CE to 1014 CE. His real name was Arulmozhi Varman.

Through his extensive military campaigns, Rajaraja Chola transformed the Chola kingdom into a mighty empire that covered almost entire South India, parts of northern India, Northern parts of Srilanka, the islands of Maldives, and South East Asia.

Rajaraja was a great military general. He established a large standing army and a powerful navy. With the help of this army he waged unending campaigns against his neighbours - the Cheras and Pandyas and crushed their power.

To commemorate these victories, Rajaraja assumed the title of "Mummudi Chola" i.e the one who wears three crowns of Cholas, Pandyas and Cheras.

His most important military campaign was his invasion of modern day Srilanka.

Chola navy & army under his command crossed the ocean &destroyed ancient Singhla capital of Anuradhapura. Destruction of Anuradhapur was so great that it was turned into ruins& abandoned. City of Polanaruwa was made new capital & Shiva temple was built to commemorate the victory.