People Taking Bath During Kumbh Snaan

MILLIONS of people are making their way to the banks of Ganga in Haridwar for the Kumbh mela. They will take dips in the river on auspicious dates over three months beginning January 14, 2010 convinced that it will grant them salvation, ‘moksha’.

Raman Nanda feels light as he comes to terms with the cycle of life and death

My thoughts go back to the Mahakumbh 2001 in Allahabad where I finally ventured for a dip in the dirty, freezing cold waters for a transformative experience.

I asked a pujari about the holy bath and how one should approach it. “Stand in the river and do ‘aachman’ – collect some water with joined palms and throw it back over your head as an offering to your ancestors. When you dip your head under the water, think about your loved ones. Do take a few dips in the name of relatives who have not been able to make it to the Kumbh!”

Seemed simple. So, on the auspicious bathing day on a freezing cold January morning, I joined the stream of innumerable human beings headed for the river. I felt I was being carried to the river.

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If you want to be a part of the world’s largest confluence of faith and devotion, experience the spiritual fervour, take a holy dip in the Ganges, and purify your mind, body and soul then get prepared to immerse yourself in the sacred congregation of millions of devotees who will be attending the Kumbh mela to seek the divine blessings and eternal peace.

Kunbh mela snaan parv -2010 is being organised from 14th Jan 2010 till 28th Apr 2010. Be a part of world’s greatest confluence of faith and devotion.

Make sure you don’t miss this spectacular spiritual opportunity.

Also read the origin and importance of Kumbh mela at:

Kumbh Mela- Greatest Congregation Of Humanity

A recent poll on university campus across the US put Mahatma Gandhi ahead of political figures anywhere in the world. The only man more popular than him among the student community was Bill Gates.

A Berlin school was renamed after after Mahatma Gandhi on demand of it’s students. A large number of US universities and colleges have of late introduced courses in Gandhism. Gandhi Society at the University of Exeter offers trips to India.

The American Academy of Motion Pictures awarded the film ‘Gandhi ‘ eight Oscars in 1983.

All this clearly is evidence of revival of Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals. Indeed, the half-naked fakir of British imperial arrogance is capturing popular imagination about a world without violence.

Non-violence is not weakness. On the contrary, it is quite effective as it strips the adversary of all legitimacy. Gandhi demonstrated it’s success against imperial British. American civil rights movement of 1960s led by Martin Luther King Jr. culminated in political rights for African-Americans. Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe when confronted with non-violent resistance led by forces like Solidarity in Poland and Charter 77 in Czechoslovakia.

In 1986, a massive show of peoples power toppled Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship in Philippines. Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu played a major role in South Africa’s relatively peaceful transition from apartheid to a democracy.

Gandhi’s ideals of Truth and Non-Violence is as relevant as ever. Let us dedicate ourselves to the path shown by him to maintain peace and harmony in the world today.

“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we will redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance …. We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again.” - Jawaharlal Nehru (Speech on Indian Independence Day, 1947).

On 15th Aug, every year Indian state celebrates it’s Independence Day with all the pomp and show which have become part of political establishments of the day.

But it’s also a time to ponder over – What Independence Day means to you?

Is it any of these?

• Freedom to day dream.
• Freedom to holiday.
• Freedom to work.
• Freedom to not work.
• Freedom to work from home.
• Freedom to retire at the age of 40.
• Freedom to quit the 9-to-5 and start organic farming.
• Freedom to earn on par with your peers abroad.
• Freedom from Monday morning blues.
• Freedom from energy deficiency.
• Freedom from ‘Boss is always right.’
• Freedom from communal hatred.
• Freedom from jargon.

If you happen to be an Indian, do tell us ‘How independent you feel today?‘

It’s that blog pictures“>beautiful time of year again. Enjoy it.

Set amidst lush greenery along the face of a mountain with a small stream cascading through the valley below, Ajanta is any visitor’s delight. A monastic retreat fr the monks, these structures embellished with some of the most lovely paintings and splendid sculptures took 800 years to be carved out.

About 800 monks worked relentlessly on the hillside hanging over the tiny stream, chiselling and drawing int the heart of the rock, digging deep into the hillside, some going 100 ft. deep. It is believed that the caves were strategically located along the trade routes so that monks could travel safely with traders to far flung areas to spread their faith.

For many years the caves functioned as a perfect retreat for the monks but around the 8th century AD they were abandoned for the nearby Ellora caves. The reason for the shift is shrouded in mystery but once past its days of glory, Ajanta slipped into oblivion.

The caves lay hidden for over a 1000 years under dense forest overgrowth before being discovered by sheer chance by a hunting team. The caves are in a wooded and rugged horse-shoe shaped ravine about 35 km from the village of Ajintha about 100 kms from city of Aurangabad(India). These caves date from the 2nd century BC to 8th century AD.

There are 29 caves at Ajanta, two chaityas or prayer halls and three viharas- a place for the monks to rest, study and meditate. The walls and ceilings on the inside are adorned with sculptures and murals depicting stories from the life of the Buddha and the more popular tales from the lives of Buddha’s previous incarnations.

The paintings on the walls are of the highest craftsmanship and depict a mastery of forms, positions and gestures that had never been seen before in ancient India. Some paintings also contain scenes from the royal court and popular life of ancient times.

Since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have become a UNESCO world heritage site. And like many say, its hard for anyone who has not been to Ajanta to imagine the charm of the caves. See it to believe it.

If there is a beauty contest for temples, the Brihadeshwara temple in Tanjavur will win it hands-down. Believed to be the first granite temple in the world and the grandest project undertaken by any Indian ruler, the temple was constructed by great Chola king Rajaraja Chola in 1010 AD.

It is a perfect blend of “beauty with brains”. While there is a amazing simplicity about the various parts of the temple : square vertical base, tall tapering body, and over it all the graceful vimana which is believed to be tallest in the world, it also has many dazzling architectural feat to its credit. For instance, it’s vimana (it is said) never casts a shadow at noon at any time of the year.

At the entrance of the temple sits a huge stone bull (Nandi) which is considered the largest among the world. The walls of the temple are covered with beautiful sculptures of gods and goddesses and its top is capped by a massive monolithic cupola. The most dominating feature of the temple is the “vimana”, which is the tallest structure in the temple. This makes Brihadeshwara somewhat unusual , since the tallest structure in most Indian temples is the “gopuram”.

There is a sense of solidity about Brihadeshwara. The grace and form of the structure is amazing. It has been included in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site under the “Great Living Chola Temples” list.

Built by King Narasimhadev in 13th century, the temple is designed in the shape of a chariot with seven horses and 12 pairs of wheels which Sun god can use to cross heavens.

Three types of stones – khondlite, chlorite, and laterite were used to build this temple which is 227 feet high. The porch structure of the temple is more than 120 ft. high.

The temple was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1984.

Even in a half preserved state, the Sun Temple of Konark in India is a magnificent sight. It envisages – the Sun god passing through the heavens on his divine chariot being pulled by seven horses. That’s the whole concept, but it does not matter even if you look at it in parts as each part here is an example of exquisite craftsmanship in stone carvings.

Each stone slab in the perfectly proportioned structure is alive with precisely chiseled motifs of flowers, animals, birds, royals and deities. The leaves of a tree, the adornments of the courtesans, the carved spokes of the wheel – the details on each panel are striking.

The panels carry erotic sculptures as well besides those depicting everyday activities like hunts, dances, and battle scenes. It is said that the base of the temple alone some 2000 images of elephants.

The fame of this 13th century structure located in Puri district of Orissa (India) had reached far and wide even during medieval times. It was visited by the Vaishnava saint Chaitanya as also by Abu’l Fazl, the author of A-in-e-Akabari (a biography of Mughal emperor Akbar) in which he wrote -”…even those whose judgement is critical and who are difficult to please stand astonished at it’s sight.”

Ditto, I say even in it’s present state. The east-west alignment of the temple captures the sun rays magically at sunrise, noon, and sunset. That’s when the whole structure blazes like fire and the stone figures sparkle.

Built by Chandela kings between 950 and 1050 AD the temples at Khajuraho were lost to civilization till the middle of 19th century when they were rediscovered.

Originally 85 temples are believed to have been built by the Chandela kings. Of these, only 24 still exist. The temples are divided into various groups namely – Western, Eastern, Southers, and Jain group of temples.

Many explanations are given for the eroticism depicted on it’s walls, such as:

1. These were meant to distract rain god Indra so as to prevent him from striking down with lightning,
2. These were meant to familiarize Brahmcharis with worldly ways,
3. Chandela kings believed in Tantra practices and had these sculptures incorporated to ward off evil eye to protect the temples as well as to depict the futility of carnal desires in the pursuit of spiritualism.

However, eroticism is but a mere segment of these temples which follow a unique architectural style characterized by the exquisite details of their sculpture and the effect of overall lightness that they produce.

These temples have now been painstakingly restored and present a stunning picture to the millions of tourists who visit them.

Also known as the Golden Temple, the place is extremely holy to Sikhs. It is remembered by every Sikh in his prayers when he begs the Lord almighty to bless him with a dip in the holy sarovar.

The temple was built over a long period. Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh guru laid the foundation of Sarovar of Golden Temple in 1577. The foundation of the temple was laid by a Muslim saint Sain Mian Meer on Jan 13, 1589. During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Punjab, a sum of INR 64,11,000 was spent on gold work in the shrine. It is because of this gold work that the temple is known as Golden temple.

Sri Harmandir Sahib has always had a exalted status because of its religious importance but the shrine also houses rich art heritage. Beautifully executed in different materials and techniques, the intricate art on the body of the temple convey philosophical significance besides showing the skill of the craftsmen. these decorative art forms within and outside the main shrine have been classified as jaratkari (inlaid stone), moharakashi (frescos with natural pigments), gach (engraved patterns), tukri (fixing of mirror using mercury) and gold embossing.

Sikh devotees for whom the temple is a symbol of freedom and spiritual intelligence arrive from all over the world to offer prayers.