Kumbakonam is located around 280 km south of chennai . If u are curious about the geographical details , Help urself and find a map ;) .

So my journey started from kanchipuram after a short stay with my college  friends in the hostel .Got a bus  at 9 Pm sunday night  , narrow aisle ,  no push back seats , the journey was quite forgetful , to make things worse the roads were in a pretty bad state :( . I was hardly able to sleep during the whole journey .It was almost 530 when we reached kumbakonam bus stand and i was the happiest person to get down from the bus which looked more or like a vehicle made out of  junkyard wars.

kumbakonam is rightly called the temple ciy  . Almost every street u step in has a temple and mind it that almost 70 percent of them are huge .The complex architectural structures, intricate sculptures and inscriptions would just amaze you. Sometimes i wonder why did they built so many temples so close to each other .Not to forget that there are countelss number of temples surrounding kumbakonam.

I am not a religious person and i normally elude visiting temples but this trip has changed my perception totally.  Well ,all thanks to my freind yuvanash for helping me to do so. I have learned that temples are more than just a place of worship . Temples can be a great source of information in understanding our rich culture and heritage .

Some of the places that i realy enjoyed visited are mentioned below ..

DARASURAM temple is located just outside the kumbakonam town about 4 km away and was built in 12 century  AD by the cholas . The temple has been declared as a world heritage center by UNESCO and has been maintained by the archeological department of India very well.

The temple is preceded by a huge lawn with lush green grass which adds to the beauty of the temple .The pic on the right is the entrance of the temple .Just before the entrance there is small mandapa which has steps made up of special types of rocks . The steps give sound of seven swaras when beaten with a another rock.Unfortunatly the place was sealed as the people were almost destroying it in the name of chekcing the sounds :P .The temple is an excellant example of the artistic excellence , the people had those days. The sculpture below depicts one of the scenes from ramayana .

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="210" caption="RAmayana sculpture"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_355" align="alignnone" width="366" caption="BULL and elephant having a common face"][/caption]

This pic above as u can see has two animals with one face .If u see from the left u can see a bull and if u see from right u can see an elephant.Well ,the reason behind this sculpture is still a mystery to me. I might need to google it to know the story behind it.

This one has a dancer with one face but three pairs of legs which clearly shows the imaginative skills of the artist those days .there was a sculpture which depicted two men holding each others legs and forming a circle like a wheel . unfortunately i dont have any pic of that :(. The temple is full of pillars which has inscriptions of varopus dance poses probably bharatnatyam and each pillar is unique by its style of design.IT would probably take a whole day if u want to have a close look at each and every sculpture present in this temple .

[caption id="attachment_359" align="alignleft" width="297" caption="BRAHADEESWARAR TEMPLE "][/caption]

Bhragadeeswarar temple in tanjore is again a world heritage center maintained by indian archeological department .The temple is completely constructed out of granite stones . The temple was built by one of the chola kings at around 1000 AD . The temple is located inside a fortress which ofcourse is not in perfect shape now . Its one of the tallest temples with the tower reaching a  height of 70 metres . thats quite tall isn't it .Local people say the that the tower shadow never falls on the ground. unfortunately i was in the temple at about 12 so couldn't observe the shadow .

[caption id="attachment_360" align="alignright" width="300" caption="NANDI STATUE"][/caption]

The top dome of the temple gopuram is believed to be made up of a single stone which measures about 80 tonnes . The nandi statue on the right pic is the biggest nandi according to sources.It is about 12 feet high sitting on an elevated platform.The shiv lingam inside the main shrine is also the biggest i have seen .

The whole atmosphere inside the temple campus would transport you thousand years back.  I felt like stepping inside  a time machine to go back and look how these huge and marvalous structures were  created .The more you look at these majestic creations 1000 years old more you get obsessed with them.

[caption id="attachment_364" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="MAIN GOPURAM"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_365" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Grand Anicut OR KAllanai"][/caption]

KALLANAI is another magnificent example of the grandeur and excellance of ancient architecture  .Kallanai also called as Grand annaicut is a dam built across river cauvery around 2000 years around , yes thats about the time the  (A.D)  era started and it still stands as the major source of irrigation down south for many  villages .

This was the only tourist place in my whole trip whihc is not a temple :P . The place is really awesome .I couldn't resist but to remove my clothes and have a plunge into the river and try my swimming skills :lol: . thankfully It was not that deep .

The nearest town to kallanai is Trichy about 25 km far .

Sarangapani Temple is one the main temples devoted to lord vishnu . The temple is located within the kumbakonam town so we just had to walk for about 10 mintues from my freinds house to reach It .The temple's gopuram is again huge which is full of breathtaking sculptures .The fact that each and every part of the gopuram has been painted makes it much more imposing and magnificent.

The temple is about 2000 years old however the painting works on the temple tower wont give u minute impression of the temple's age.

The main shrine has been desinged in the form of chariot which was visible in many other small temples too .The chariots were shown being pulled by elephants and horses on either side.

I dint take the pics of them so u can take a look of it over here and here .

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="490" caption="Erotic sculptures at sarangapani temple 1"][/caption]

The Temple gopuram's first row has been filled with sculptures with erotic poses that too on both sides . I wonder what was in the architects mind when he ordered poses like this to be sculpted on the temples main gopuram .

Some of the other places i enjoyed visiting  were Tanjore Palace built arounf 1500 AD and Poondi Matha Basilica which was visited by john pope paul II . Then there was swamimalai temple , ramasamy temple , thirunageshwaram temple and uppali appan temple .

There are loads of temples in and around kumbakonam that i visited which are unique in their own way .Obviously i cant write about each and everyone of them . So i guess i should stop here after all u must be getting bored of reading it for so long .I am sure many of them would have said " i quit"  midway and closed this site :P .

A big thanks to the very few people who have come reading this far ;)  .I wont take any more of ur time .

Signing off

arvind ..

The Legend - There is a famous Rigvedic Verse that says "Ekam Sat " that is "There is one Being, the sages call Him by many names." The God (Parmeshwar) has three deities who carry on the world. This is known as Holy Trinity. Brahma- the creator, Vishnu - the perpetuator of life and Shiva (Mahesh) -the purifier and perpetuator of good and destroyer of evil. Rig Veda refers to Shiva as Rudra as in its following verse. "We Worship Tryambaka (Rudra), Who spread Fragrance and Increases Nourishment, May He release me, like the cucumber from its stem, From Mortal Life, but not From Immorality. "(Rig Veda Mandal VII Sukta 59 and Mantra 12)

The Yajurveda describes Shiva as ascetic warrior whose robe is of Deer Skin and He carries Trishul. According to the verse Satyam, Shivam ,Sundaram ,the life is described as having three facets Truth (Satyam), Good (Shivam) and the Beautiful (Sundaram). Shiva is a living God. The most Sacred and ancient books of India, the Rig Veda narrates His presence in the hymns. Vedic myths, rituals and even astronomy testify to His existence from the dawn of time .The Mohinjodaro and Harappa findings confirm Shiva worship in the ancient India. According to the older scriptures, He has three places of His residence. One is Kailash Parvat another is Lohit Giri under which Brahamputra flows and third is Muzwan Parvat.

Significance of Amarnath Cave - The Legend about the importance of Amarnath Cave is as follows: This is the cave which was chosen by Lord Shiva for narrating the secrets of immortality and creation of Universe to Maa Parvati ji. The story goes like this. Centuries ago Maa Parvati asked Shivji to let her know why and when He started wearing the beads of heads (Mund Mala). Bhole Shankar replied whenever you are born I add one more head in my beads. Maa Parvati said," My Lord, my body is destroyed every time and I die again and again, but you are Immortal. Please let me know the secret of this." Bhole Shankar replied that it is due to Amar Katha."

Maa Parvati insisted that she should be told that secret. For long Shiva continued postponing. Finally on consistent demand from Maa Parvati He made up his mind to tell the immortal secret. He started for lonely place where no living being could listen it. He chose Amarnath Cave. In preparation to that He left His Nandi (The Bull which He used to ride) at Pahalgam (Bail gaon). At Chandanwari He released Moon from his hairs (Jataon). At the banks of Lake Sheshnag He released the snakes. He decided to leave his Son Ganesha at Mahagunas Parvat (Mahaganesh Hill). At Panjtarni, Shivji left the Five Elements behind (Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Sky) which make living being. He is the Lord of these elements. It is believed that as a symbol of sacrificing the earthly world, Shivaji and Maa Parvati had Tandav Dance. After leaving behind all these, Bhole Shankar enters the Holy Amarnath Cave along with Parvati Maa.

Lord Shiva took his Samadhi on the Deer Skin and meditated. To ensure that no living being is able to hear the Immortal Tale, He created Rudra named Kalagni and ordered him to spread fire to eliminate every living thing in and around the Holy Cave. After this He started narrating the secret of immortality to Maa Parvati. But as a matter of chance one egg which was lying beneath the Deerskin remained protected. It is believed to be non living and more over it was protected by Shiva-Parvati Asan (Bed). The pair of pigeons, which were born out of this egg, became immortal having listened the secret of immortality (Amar Katha). Many pilgrims report seeing the pair of pigeons when they trek the arduous route to pay their obeisance before the Ice-Lingam (the phallic symbol of Shiva).

Discovery of Holy Cave - The story narrated by people about the discovery of this Holy Cave is of a Gujjar (shepherd) Buta Malik. He is given the credit of discovering this Holy Cave. Story goes like this, that a saint gave Buta Malik a bag full of Coal. On reaching his home when he opened the bag, to his utter surprise the bag was full of gold coins. This made him overwhelmed with joy. He ran to thank the Saint. But, what he found was that the Saint had disappeared. Instead, he found The Holy Cave and Shiva Lingam there in . He announced the discovery of this to the Villagers. Then onwards this has become the sacred place of Pilgrimage.

The ancient epics narrate another story, which goes like this. The valley of Kashmir was under water. It was a big lake. Kashyap Rishi drained the water through number of rivers and rivulets. In those days Bhrigu Rishi came that way on a visit to the Himalaya. He was the first to have Darshans of this Holy Cave. When people heard of the Lingam, Amarnath for them became Shiva's abode and a Centre of pilgrimage.

Since then Lakhs of devotees perform the pilgrimage through tough terrain and avail eternal happiness. The trek to Amarnath, in the month of sharavan (July-August) has the devout flock to this incredible shrine, where the image of Shiva, in the form of a Lingam, is formed naturally of an Ice Stalagmite, which waxes and wanes with the Moon's cycle. By its side are fascinating, two more Ice Lingams, that of Maa Parvati and of their son, Ganesha.

Amarnath is 145 km east of Srinagar in Kashmir. There is an ice Shiva-lingam here that changes size with the seasons, and also as the moon waxes and wanes it becomes bigger and smaller. On the full moon day the lingam is about 6 ft high. Each year on the full moon day of July-August (Sravana) when the Shiva-lingam attains its maximum height there is a festival at this cave temple. It is said that Lord Shiva first appeared on this day.

Location and Access

Location : 145-km From Srinagar, Kashmir

Region Altitude : 4,175m (13,700ft).

Darshan Season : July To August

It is located in a glacial valley at 4,175m (13,700 ft.). The cave is about 150 feet high and 90 feet long. Within the cave there are four or five ice formations that resemble the figures of different gods. The biggest figure is regarded as Shiva (Amarnath). On the left side of the linga is an ice formation called Ganesh, and on the right side is one of Parvati and Bhairava.

The area is covered with snow from September to June. The cave opens only in July and August. This is the rainy season, so pilgrims have to brave the rain to get there. About 25,000 people make this pilgrimage each year. You can also hire ponies and dandies for the trip. It is very crowded during the annual Sravana festival. There is a yearly pilgrimage starting from Srinagar that is led by the Chhari Saheb, the holy sceptre.
How to Get There

Air : Indian Airlines has daily flights to Delhi and Srinagar (depends on weather). There are also flights to Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh, and Leh. The Indian Airlines office (2542-735) is at the Tourist Reception Centre on Vir Marg.

Train : The Shalimar Express departs from Delhi at 4.10 pm and arrives in Jammu at 7 am. There are other trains to and from Delhi. From Jammu there are direct trains to Mumbai, Kolkata. Most buses from Jammu leave between 6 and 7 am, in order to arrive before night. A ticket to Srinagar should be booked in advance. There are buses to Delhi (14 hr), Amritsar (5 hr), and Pathankot (3 hr). From Pathankot you can get a bus to Dharamshala and Dalhousie. Deluxe buses depart from the railway station, usually between 6 and 7 am.
When to take up the Yatra

The Amarnath Yatra is organised every year by the J &K Govt. during the month of Shravan (July and August); the dates however, vary every year looking at the weather conditions and according to Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) in the month of Sharavan (Vikrama Samwat). This year Yatra will be taken up from 18 June 2008 to 18 August 2008.

Yatra to Baba Amarnath Holy Cave for which one has to trek a height of about 14,500 ft is full of thrill and joy .The feeling of divine which is always beneath ones' heart, burst out and one realises 'Moksha' as one attends the Cave and perform the prayer before the Shivlinga. Surrounded by beautiful valleys, mountains, one will always feel His presence on the paradise of the earth, the memory of which hardly vanishes with time a journey that will rediscover the nature and its love, which is always inside, but one has never felt.

Climate
The climatic conditions are very uncertain. Rain or snowfall may take place at any time or place during the Yatra . It is to be particularly noted that abrupt changes in temperature might occur. Sunny weather may turn into rain / snowfall in a short time. The temperature may fall up to -5 degree C.

NO! This time it's boy undies, and I'm only mentioning them because they are now LEGAL! Yippee!

It seems that the 200 or so staff at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala in southern India are now permitted to wear underwear. It even took an order by a human rights commission to permit it! According to a BBC story, the temple imposed a dress code some 10 years ago that forbade underwear because some staff (pun intended?) were pilfering the donations.

Temple staff could only wear a mundu, that is sort of like a sarong. Here is a wiki photo of a mundu, but at the temple, staff could not wear a shirt with it.

An anonymous person complained at the temple was ordered to repeal its policy.

The temple itself is very wealthy, with millions in donations every year, and is the second most popular temple in southern India, so needless to say, there was a lot of temptation. But now with undies, perhaps there is an additional barrier to temptation...

I checked the temple's website and found that despite the "commando" approach to theft, it bills itself as the "Epitome of Religious Harmony". The temple is open to males of any age, caste or creed. The only females permitted, however, are girls before they reach puberty and post-menopausal women. Presumably this is because they also fear theft from the Tampax machines in the bathrooms.

Anyone interested in the myth behind the temple can read it on the temple site or a different telling here. The temple is dedicated to the story of Lord Ayyappan, which, in typical Hindu fashion (pun intended) is a bit of a soap opera, so I won't summarize it here. The gods Shiva and Mahavishnu appear as does Mahishi, a female form of Mahisha, a rather bovine demon (pic from the latter site). Loads of fun. I'm waiting for the movie.

Well, ok, I can't resist; one bra. It is a repost and it reflects the alternate version of the myth in which the goddess Durga defeats Mahisha, a male buffalo demon.

Durga Delight Shakti Shocker!

Gain complete control of your Shiva’s naughty Nandi with this beautiful bra that will take all eyes off even the worst hairdo!

Sorry about that.

]]> http://rameshjs.wordpress.com/?p=78 Tue, 20 May 2008 11:32:39 +0000 Ramesha JS http://rameshjs.wordpress.com/?p=78 Travel Date : 17.05.2008

We  have visited  SriKalahsthi on the eve of  Pradosham  one of the pancha bhootha sthalam. From Chennai early morning first travelled to Chittor and visited the famous  Vinayaka temple at KANIPAKKAM. Lord Swayambhu sri Vinayagar koil is very beautiful and always fully crowded.  As all the devottes who visit Tirupathi Tirumala also visit here , if there is long  que adivice to have a special darshan ticket 50 rs to have darshan of swamivaru. Here lord Ganapathi is swayambu , and belives still growing. For this instance inside the temple they have kept all the   Silver kavachams which are made to vinayagar from time to time. Small to big one.  

 Temple tank in front of the temple is very big and belived to be sacred is not well maitained and even cant step inside the water, all the wastages are scattered around water. Temple having a very big gopuram and lord ganesh dancing posture are carved on it.   While entring the temple on your right there is a temple of Lord Varadaraja Swami and next to Vinayagar temple one more temple Sri Maragadambika Sametha Manikantheshwara Swami is located.

Had a peaceful darshanam and then  traveled towards Srikalahasthi.

KANIPAKKAM VINAYAKA TEMPLE

<- Click above to see photos of KANIPAKKAM Temple

SriGnanaprasunambika Devi  sametha sri Kalahastheshwarar Temple - Srikalahasthi-Andra Pradesh

Worship of lord siva was there in India even before Christian era. Saiva saints of first century sang about this temple. The initial stracture of Sri Kalahastheshwara  temple was constructed by the great Pallava dynasty. Tamil Chola kings and the Vijayanagara kings also gave great help for the temple development. Like other great temples, the construction period of Srikalahasthi lasted centuries. Near about tenth century, the Chola kings renovated the temple and constructed the main structure. The outer walls and the four gopurams were constructed in the period of Sri Veera Narasimharayar in twelfth century. The 120 feet high main gopuram and the 100 pillar mandapam were constructed by Krishnadeva Raya, the great Vijayanagara king in 1516.  This ancient temple dedicated to Lord Siva is one of the panchabhootha stalams (temples celebrating Lord Siva as the embodiment of the primary elements), Air (Vayu Lingam) being the element in case here, the other four  temples being Tiruvannamalai (fire), Chidambaram (space), Thiruvanikkaval (water) and Kanchipuram (earth) respectively in Tamil Nadu.  (Refrence : www.srikalahasthi.com)

 Pradhosha Vrata, or Pradhosham, is an important fasting day dedicated to Lord Shiva. Pradosha occurs twice in a month - on the 13th day (Trayodashi) - during the waxing moon fortnight and the other during the waning moon fortnight. The puja and worship is done in the evening. The Pradosha period can be closely indicated as 1.5 hours before sunset and 1 hour after sunset. Pradosha worship is more auspicious if it falls on a Saturday. This year it has been on 17.05.2008 and as per calender this is the only satuarday appears as Shani Pradosha this year. (correct me if i am wrong)  We are graced to be there at Kalahasthi to perform the Pradosha pooja at Kalahasthi.

Sri Kalahasthishwara Swami Shiva temple, SRI KALAHASTHI

<- Click above to see photos of Sri Kala Hasthi  Temple 

 River Swarnamukhi having quite good water at this time, as it was very hot coudnt go till the river bed on the bare foot. After seeing the temple we have went inside the temple by 4.30 pm, By 7 pm they allowed in front of the santrum where the lord nadikeshwar was sitting in front of lord. Like other shiva temple Nandi not resides outside the temple, but its inside the temple infront of Lord shiva Small one in a small pit like place. (there is one Nandi in the ouside prakaram of the temple). At the prasosham time sevarthis are allowed to perform the abhishekam for lord. Afterwards started Pradosha Nandi Seva, First Sankalpam and followed by  Abhishekam was performed to Ambal and Shiva utsthva murthies and nandikeshwar. Later dhikshitar poured the abhishekam water on all and purified. At last aarathi was performed to Kalahasthiswarar and Nandikeshwarar.  Due to long que we couldnt visit the Pathala Ganapathi this time.  After having the prasadam we left to chennai by 8.00pm.

 Travel Note:  

• 1. From Chennai to Chittor around 170 km. 3.5hr drive. Better to take early morning Bus. We got by 5.30am and reached Chittor by 9 am. From Chitoor to Kanipakkam Busses are available and its 1/2 hr drive.
• 2. From Kanipakkam to Srikalahasthi as no direct busses available, board the busses going to Thirupathi (75 kms) at Kanipakkam Bus stand which is next to temple, every 15 min or continuously available.1.45 hr drive . From Thirupathi bus stand catch bus towards Srikalahasthi frequenttly available 30 to 40 min drive. Buses plying towards Chennai, Nellore direction.
• 3. In the night as many buses passing to chennai do not come inside the Kalahasthi Bustand, advised to travel back to Thirupathi and board to CHENNAI. As enquired buses available to Chennai from Thirupathi till late night as they come from chennai and returns back. (only Tamil nadu buses, no late night APSRTC available)

  §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§  Om Namah Shivaya  §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

Il nostro cuore è la sede del Sè, dell'Anima, dello Spirito, dell'Atma, tutti vocaboli che esprimono la stessa cosa. "Non siete null'altro che spirito eterno". Si tratta, per noi, di diventare lo Spirito, di realizzarci: tutto il resto appare assai futile. Questa è l'essenza stessa della vita spirituale, il lato sottile della vita e della conoscenza.

E' grazie allo Spirito che esistiamo perché esso è la sorgente primordiale della vita, in noi come nell'universo intero. E' l'essere allo stato puro, la coscienza immacolata, il testimone silenzioso di tutte le nostre esperienze. Lo Spirito è infatti Dio (Dio Padre, Shiva) in noi. Ma noi dobbiamo identificarci in Lui.
Dopo la Realizzazione, vale a dire dopo la connessione dello Spirito con il tutto attraverso il risveglio della Kundalini, eliminiamo progressivamente i nostri falsi attaccamenti (corporali, mentali ed emotivi).
Lo Spirito può manifestarsi solo quando il cuore è diventato un recipiente pulito e aperto. E' allora che esso vi riversa l'amore e la gioia eterna.

La tradizione indiana racconta che il grande Dio Shiva dimora nel suo cielo sui picchi nevosi del Monte Kailash.
Egli è molto amato poiché la morte è semplicemente uno stadio nel ciclo della creazione e rappresenta la liberazione e la rinascita proprio come l'inverno è seguito dalla primavera. Perciò Shri Shiva è "Mahadeva", che significa sia "Colui che reintegra" sia "Colui che distrugge".
Come molte divinità indiane, Shri Shiva può mutare aspetto e, a volte, ha quattro braccia e cinque teste con cui controllare ogni parte del creato. Egli è sempre bellissimo, con la pelle chiara e, sulla fronte, un terzo occhio che possiede poteri terribili quando Shri Shiva si adira.

Prima della creazione del mondo, c'era solo Silenzio. Questo Silenzio Assoluto, chiamato Parabrahma si risvegliò. Così il Silenzio divenne ciò che si chiama Sadashiva; e quando si risvegliò, cioè Shri Sadashiva cominciò a manifestarsi, volle, desiderò creare.

Alla creazione del mondo, le molte cose che avrebbero dovuto viverci scaturirono dal ribollente oceano. Il primo dono dell'oceano fu Surabhi, la mucca divina, il cui figlio Nandi, il toro bianco come la neve, divenne in seguito l'assiduo compagno di Shri Shiva.
Il secondo dono fu una luna crescente, che egli colse dalle onde e si pose sulla fronte per decorare i capelli e dove risplendette per sempre.
La terza cosa, scaturita dall'oceano, fu una dose letale di veleno che Shri Shiva bevve allo scopo di salvare il mondo dal male morale e fisico. Invece di inghiottirlo, egli lo trattenne in gola ed il suo potere tossico gli fece diventare blu il collo.

Un giorno Shri Shiva decise di visitare la Terra, trasformandosi in un uomo, per punire un gruppo di asceti che erano diventati miscredenti e parlavano di un mondo senza Dio. Le loro mogli si innamorarono della grande bellezza di Shri Shiva appena lo videro, sebbene non sapessero chi egli fosse.
Gli asceti divennero gelosi e, facendo uso dei loro poteri riuniti, fecero scaturire dal loro fuoco sacrificale una tigre che si avventò contro Shri Shiva. Shri Shiva si limitò ad afferrare la tigre con una mano, la scuoiò e se la appese sul corpo a guisa di manto.
Allora gli asceti materializzarono un grande cervo per aizzarglielo contro. Shri Shiva lo bloccò con un'altra delle sue quattro mani e ve lo tenne per sempre.
Ancora determinati a distruggerlo, gli asceti crearono un serpente velenoso ma, essendo il Signore dei serpenti, Shri Shiva si mise l'animale intorno al collo come una collana.
Infine gli asceti crearono un orrendo nano demoniaco che roteò verso Shri Shiva una mazza che aveva un teschio ad una estremità. Shri Shiva gli strappò la mazza e la impugnò con la sua terza mano, quindi schiacciò sotto i piedi il nano-demone.
A questo punto Shri Shiva era furioso e iniziò lentamente ad eseguire la sua danza celeste,la Tandava. Questa danza sintetizza le sue cinque funzioni: Creazione, Preservazione, Distruzione, Incarnazione e Liberazione; e si dice sia la causa del moto dell'universo.
Gradualmente, l'impeto della danza di Shri Shiva raggiunse un culmine frenetico e gli asceti eretici e tutte le altre creature che ne vedevano il potere furono conquistati dalla sua bellezza. Si dice che essi abbiano rinunciato ad ogni cosa, in questa ed in molte altre incarnazioni, in cambio della promessa di potervi assistere ancora una volta.
Dopo questa visita sulla Terra, tre delle mani di Shri Shiva rimasero occupate per sempre dalla pelle della tigre, dal cervo e dalla mazza del demone. Nella quarta egli teneva il suo arco o, quando meditava, un tamburo dalla forma di clessidra a simboleggiare che egli continuava ad essere il protettore degli asceti devoti.

I woke up on a saturday morning without no idea of going anywhere, whatever. As I felt boring, I sarted to my office which is few minutes walk from my home. As soon as I started my regular mail checking at office, one of my friends from a different house at Bangalore called me up and said that we can go to Nandi hills today. Suddently a plan materialized in front of us. We had three bikes and 5 guys as usual 'Vetti' ( Useless / Guys with no work ).

So we started. We went to Hebbal and from there followed the NH7 road to reach Devanahalli. We filled up our bikes' tank. I felt happy to have my first bike ride to a hill station.

We started at around 11:30 AM. We were on our way in bike. I forgot the names of small cities we went past in our bike. On our way we saw some paragliders, but we had no idea where they were starting. May be this one - http://www.paragliding365.com/index-p-flightarea_details_4822.html

On our way we ate in one of the restaurants (forgot its name). Had cheap good lunch. We saw some 'ChowChow' vegetable creeper gardens on the way. We took some nice photos. We didnt take camera as it was a suddent trip. We used our cell phone cams. But one should take a nice camera especially when one is targeting for the famous Sunrise visits at Nandi Hills.

We went through Hair-pin bends and took lots of snaps on our way. Saw monkeys on the way as well. We reached there at around 3 PM (delayed because of dinner) and got tokens for bike parking and entrance ticket.

We went to Tipu sultans guest house. They told there is a temple, but we didnt find any. We roamed around. Saw some colourful flowers. Saw a palace with a Nehru statue on the back side. Nothing much, just roamed around.

As the dusk has started, we started early as one of the guys was an amateur in riding bikes. There was nothing much to tell during our return trip except that we stopped to have a glimpse of the Sunset. Though we dont have much to tell out of this trip we had a fairly good trip with no plan. We had fun while returning as it was dark and my bike head light stopped glowing.

And ya, one can have a great trip to Nandi Hills from Bangalore if they plan better than us. One could try for Paragliding as well, if possible.

Warangal, the ancient capital of the Kakatiyas is at a distance of 142 km from Hyderabad by rail. It is home to the Hanumakonda thousand pillared temple. Palampet near Warangal in Andhra Pradesh is home to brilliant Kakatiya art as seen in the Ramappa temple, that is near the ancient engineering marvel that is the 13th century Ramappa tank.

An inscription near the temple dates it to the year 1163 to the period of King Rudra of the Kakatiyas.

The Hanumakonda temple consists of three separate shrines to Rudreshwara (Shiva), Vasudeva (Vishnu) and Surya, a narrow platform in the middle, and the thousand pillared hall in front. At the entrance to the temple is the Nandi Mandapam with a typical Kakatiya Nandi.

All of the three sancta are richly decorated with pilasters and bas reliefs. Although named the thousand pillared hall, the number of pillars here is about 300.

Other Kakatiya temples: Enroute to Palampet from Warangal, there are the Katachpur and the Jakaram temples. At Ghanpur, further beyond Palampet, there is a temple resembling the Hanumakonda thousand pillared temple, surrounded by several shrines, all now in ruins.

How to reach:By Road: APSTRC and Private buses connect Warangal with Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Karimnagar, Khammam and some other districts.
By Rail: Warangal has a railway station and is well connected by rail to important cities of India.
By Air: The nearest airport is at Hyderabad, 157-km away.

visit www.eTirth.com for more information on Temples, Ashrams, Gurus, Festival and Daily Panchagam (Hindu ephemeris).

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The "Bull Temple" is found in Bangalore the capital of Karnataka. Bangalore is relatively a new city and it dates as recently as 1537 when the Vijaynagar Kingdom made a grant of land to an ally called Kempe Gowda. In the 18th century, Haidar Ali, Tipu Sultan and the Wodiyar dynasty of Mysore strengthened it. The British later enlarged it and shifted the main cantonement from Srirangapattanam to a much higher and healthier Bangalore.

Bull Temple is one of the places to visit in Bangalore. Kempe Gowda made many temples.The height of the idol is approximately 15 ft and it is approximately 20 feet long. The Temple is positioned at the southern end of Bull Temple Road in Bangalore. The term 'Basavangudi' is derived from the word 'Basava', which means 'Bull'.

Importance:
A Bull started grazing on the well-grown crop enraging a farmer who hit the bull with a club. The bull sat stunned and was suddenly transformed into a stone. The shocked farmers then decided to build a temple for the bull to atone for what they had done, but were shocked to see that the bull was growing taller! The worried farmer then prayed to Lord Shiva who advised him to retrieve a trident buried a few feet away from the bull and place the trident on the forehead of the stone statue to stop it from growing.

Legend:
The surrounding area, known as Sunkenahalli had groundnut growing farmers. A bull started grazing on the well-grown crop enraging a farmer who hit the bull with a club. The bull sat stunned and was suddenly transformed into a stone. The shocked farmers then decided to build a temple for the bull to atone for what they had done, but were shocked to see that the bull was growing taller! The worried farmer then prayed to Lord Shiva who advised him to retrieve a trident buried a few feet away from the bull and place the trident on the forehead of the stone statue to stop it from growing. This was done and the bull stopped growing. The thankful farmers decided to place their first crop of groundnut as an offering to the bull. Though in reality there is a trident on the forehead of the bull, this story is a legend and lacks historical evidence. Hence, this handsome Bull Temple was built and the bull apparently took the hint and stayed away from the groundnuts. The thankful farmers continue to hold a Groundnut Fair (kadalekayi parishe) near the temple premises every year, to show their gratitude. It is one of the places to visit in Bangalore. Kempe Gowda got constructed many temples dedicated to Anjaneya (God of Power), Vinayaka (God of good fortune), Nandi (Shiva's bull mount).

One can see in the shrine atop the hill a massive garlanded black and shiny Nandi (Shiva's mount, the bull) ensconced, which dates back to 1786. The size of the Nandi is overwhelming. At the back is a small Lingam shrine. Its modern Gopuram rises, gracefully and majestically. The underground "Sri-Gavi Gandadhareshwara Temple" is equally fascinating, where on every year on January 14th (Makara Sankranti) it is believed that a ray of light passes between the horn of a Nandi outside the temple and lights the idol kept inside. Three levels of excavations have been carried out in the cave. One can see the black stone Hanuman. On the way to the Bull Temple there is one a temple dedicated to the Elephant God Ganesha.

Architecture:
The architectural style of the temple rejuvenates the notion of Dravidian architecture. In the vicinity of this temple, there is a shrine of Lord Ganesha by the name of Dodda Ganesha Temple. The unique feature about this shrine is that the huge image of the Lord is made out of 110 kilograms of butter after every four years. It is amazing to know that the butter never melts. After every four years, the butter deity is broken and distributed amongst the devotees.

Festival:
Bull temple is a buzz with great activity during the Shivratri festival.

Local festival Kadalekaye Parishe (Ground nut fair) at the Bull Temple includes a groundnut eating festival. The farmers offer their first harvest collection to Nandi (November-December). The temple is busy always with some ceremony that is on all the time at the temple premises. On weekends, musicians present their concerts at the temple.

How to reach:
One can easily reach Bull Temple by taking local Buses, auto rickshaws or by hiring taxis from Bangalore.

PERSOONLIKE INLIGTING

Kinders

Nandi, 5 tahun, bocah lelaki Citayam adalah salah satu anak yang sering bertandang main ke gubuk kami. Apalagi kalau saya bawa keponakan yang sebaya (6) dan (4) yang dua-duanya sekolah. Bertiga mereka main di parit-parit air yang gemercik, memetik jambu batu dan melahapnya langsung tanpa dicuci karena baginya buah tersebut cukup diusap-usap ke bajunya yang tentunya tidak juga bebas hama, atau makan belimbing, atau rambutan kalau sedang musimnya sambil telanjang kaki sungguh merupakan paradise bagi keponakan-keponakan saya Dana dan Dito yang dipandu oleh Nandi. Sebagai insentif atas jasanya bertindak sebagai sparring partner, kepada Nandi biasa kami bawakan makanan, atau mainan seperti kembang api dsb. Kalau sudah jam 8 malam, biasanya ibunya yang nampaknya hamil lagi datang menjemput Nandi seraya minta maaf kalau putranya "ngaduk-aduk" - Bahasa Citayam "aduk-aduk" adalah nakal. Bagi kami Nandi adalah bocah lelaki wajar dengan aktivitas seumurnya.

Tentu saja dengan ayah yang pekerjaannya bangun siang, dan merasa kewajibannya adalah main bola kali untuk menghilangkan stress dan kepenatan seharian (stress apaan), lalu kalau malam berhayal cari proyek gede (tapi hampa), bisa dibayangkan kira-kira tingkat ekonomi selevel P3K (Pelan Pelan Porotin keluarga). Biasanya dengan menjual tanah warisan.

Seumur Nandi di kota para orang tua sudah sibuk menyekolahkan anaknya ke sekolah favorit, sementara guru memberi stress berupa pekerjaan rumah yang berlembar-lembar. Sedangkan bocah Nandi kalau ditanya "sudah kelas berapa?" jawabannya geleng sambil "kagak sekolah". Gantian mata dengan wajah polosnya menatap seperti mengatakan "nanya apaan sih kok aku ngak mudeng".

Kadang wajahnya seperti sinetron Anak Tiri yang punya kakak dan ibu (tiri) yang kejamnya diluar batas Pancasila.

Sayangnya rata-rata penduduk Citayam kurang menghargai nilai pendidikan. Orang tua mereka bisa mengusahakan jual tanah untuk ke tanah Arab, "lihat kuburan Nabi" dan pulangnya mendapat panggilan "Wan"- seperti Wan Sarman, Wan Senel, namun untuk uang sekolah anak, nanti dulu. Saya pernah menyoba menyekolahkan beberapa anak yang kelihatannya "baik-baik" dan berakhir dengan mendapat laporan bahwa uang tersebut dipakai untuk beli rokok dan minuman keras, ketimbang untuk sekolah.

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Ada sikap yang unik dari Nandi adalah kalau diberi makanan, pertama ia malu-malu, lalu ia akan menghilang beberapa saat dan kembali setelah makanannya habis. Kalau penganan yang kami berikan agak banyak, ia laporan bahwa "makannya sama emak.."

Orang kota selalu "GeEr" merasa memiliki nilai hidup yang adiluhung dan ingin ditularkan kepada bocah lugu seperti Nandi. Pertama kalau diberi makanan, ia diminta untuk menyodorkan hanya tangan kanannya yang selama ini kiri-kanan okey. Percobaan pertama berhasil. Ia sudah bisa menjadikan tangan kiri yang jumlah jarinya ada lima, yang ajaib ciptaan Tuhan menjadi barang yang separuh mubadzir.

Bahkan cenderung didzolimi lantaran kita punya dalih dan dalil, itu "tangan kotor" - padahal sekali tangan kotor itu tak berfungsi, kita baru tahu rasanya. Kedua Nandi belum terbiasa mengucapkan kata terimakasih. Mungkin Nandi tanpa sengaja ingin mengajar kita bahwa kalau sudah memberikan sesuatu, jangan harapkan pujian ataupun kata terimakasih. Sayangnya orang kota "mawa cara" - punya cara baku.

Pada kesempatan lain ketika disodorkan sepotong kue, Nandi sudah "benar" sikapnya yaitu mengambil dengan tangan "suci" alias kanan. Tapi kami ingin lebih dari itu.

"Coba Nandi kalau dikasih kue bilang apa..."

Sejurus ia nampak berfikir, lalu dari mulutnya yang mungil keluar kata singkat "RISOLES" - sambil memasukkan risoles kedalam mulutnya.

Pernah ia ditanya oleh seorang tamu, kalau lebaran Nandi akan pergi kemana? - jawabnya "jauh, ke Parung" (Citayam - Parung jaraknya sekitar 6 kilometer). Nandi sudah bisa "mandi dewek kalau kagak segen", sementara keponakan saya 6 dan 4 tahun masih tergantung kepada ibu, bapak dan bibinya.