Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Sand and Stone

Sand and Stone

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE."

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After the friend recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE."

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND, AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE

Water and Believers

Water and Believers

Water is so flexible that where ever you place it, it takes the shape of that object. For example, if you put some water in a glass, it takes the shape of the glass. If you run the water through a tangled hose, it will take the shape of that also.

The believers are very obedient, gentle, and kind, like an obedient camel which when led follows and when made to sit, even though on a rock, does so obediently.

Gandhiji and his Clothes

Gandhiji and his cothes
In 1921 Mahatma Gandhi visited Madurai, and stayed in the residence of Sri Ramji Kalyanji 175 A West Masi street. On his way to Madurai he had seen farmers  and poor people wearing the simplest of clothes , a small towel like dhoti around their waist(Some he was told washed and wore the same clothes as they did not possess any other) .He was much disturbed and was haunted all through the night by the scenes that he had  witnessed . Overnight he took a decision to dress in a simple way just like so many of the people of his beloved country. He started to dress in this new way from the very next day much to the surprise of everyone present. He explained to them about his decision and attended the meetings in Madurai.He continued to dress this way through out his life.

True Devotion and True Devotee

Swami Vivekanada
Once Swami Vivekananda was in a certain town to give spiritual discourses. People recognised in him a great monk and profound scholar. They listened to his discourses with rapt attention for about three days. Every day, when the discourse came to an end, some people used to gather around him to ask about certain subtle points on Sadhana, Ethics and Sastras. Students were eager to know about national regeneration and the solutions he could suggest.

There was an old man sitting in a corner observing Vivekananda with avidity but could not speak one word. He was there all the three days, waiting for a chance to be near the monk. On the third day he made bold, went to him and said: "Son! Shall I bring you something to eat? These people never gave you anything nor did they give you time to relax and think about your food. I shall run and be back with food and drink for you." Vivekananda was greatly touched by the loving words spoken by the old man. He said with a beaming smile: "Come, let us go together to your place to eat and drink." Blessed indeed was the old man for he had sympathy and consideration for a fellow human being. He was ready to render loving service to the monk. This indeed is true devotion and he is indeed a true devotee.

Source: Chinna Katha II, 218

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Floating Solar Cells - Napa Vineyard Powered



For the Far Niente Winery located in California's Napa Valley, an acre of land is more valuable than gold, so finding space for solar panels is tough -- and costly. The solution? To float the panels on their irrigation pond, using new photovoltaic technology. "Floating solar", backers say, could be a boon for farming and a range of other industries.

Solar Power Station in Spain works at night - When will India implement like this?



A unique thermosolar power station in southern Spain can shrug off cloudy days: energy stored when the sun shines lets it produce electricity even during the night. The Gemasolar station, up and running since last May, stands out in the plains of Andalusia.

In India having sun light around 300 days. Why no one try to implement this?

Rainbow Rose

Rainbow Rose - Picture of the day

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Muttasu Special


May be the title Muttasu is very famous in southern Tamilnadu. Muttasu is a variety of sweet which is available very easily in the Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli districts in Southern part of Tamilnadu. Its a Jilebi kind of sweet made of Jaggery. If you go to Aruppukottai bus stand, you will find all shops having towers of Muttasu.

If you get a chance to eat then you feel more good and sweet :)

Taste of Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai (or) Chikki (or) Peanut Candy


Kovilpatti is famous for its kadalai mittai (Peanut candy). A booming small scale industry in that region, preparation of the kadalai mittai is a versatile opportunity there. Just like how dindigul is synonymous with biriyani, kovilpatti is synonymous with kadalai mittai. They mix peanuts with jaggery and allow it to set. When its almost set, they are cut into small squares or rolled into small balls and are packed. Try it to remember the taste. No kadalai mittai in the world can beat kovilpatti kadalai mittai.

Tamil - Kadalai Mittai
Telugu - Chikki
English - delicious peanut candy

Famous Tirunelveli Irutukkadai Halwa


Tirunelveli or Nellai (as called in Tamil) is a town that is situated near to Kanyakumari/Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. This place is very famous for its Halwa – The jelly like sweet made out of wheat and ghee that almost melts in your mouth! In fact, Tirunelveli Halwa has become a brand in itself! It is easily one of the best sweets I have tasted so far.

People here say that the halwa recipe is more than hundred years old. Some say that the halwa recipe has come to the South from North India. In fact, the owner of a hugely popular stall called ‘Iruttu kadai’(Literally meaning dark shop) is a North Indian, perhaps settled here. It is also said that the halwa gets its special taste because of the water that is used to prepare the same is taken from Tamaraibharani river which runs in the place.



Iruttu Kadai is the most popular shop in Tirunelveli for Halwa. The opens only at 5:30 PM in the evening and remains open for a hour and a half or till all the halwa is sold out. We were lucky to get half a Kg of halwa when we went there at 7:30 PM when the shop was almost closed and only one door was open (see picture above). It seems that earlier, there were no lights in this shop and in the evenings they used a candle to run the business, and hence the name. Now there is an electrical bulb in the front of the store. It seems that the halwa bought from Iruttu Kadai doesn’t get spoilt even for 2-3 weeks. In fact, the people say that the halwa tastes better after a week! And yeah, there is not even a name board for this shop – If you see a bright flashy board in a shop called “Iruttu Kadai” you can be sure that it is not what it claims!





Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Do this! Avoid Nuke Power in World


Story of Appreciation



One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.

He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision.

The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research,
Never had a year when he did not score.

The director asked,
"Did you obtain any scholarships in school?"
The youth answered "none".

The director asked,
" Was it your father who paid for your school fees?"
The youth answered,
"My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.

The director asked,
" Where did your mother work?"
The youth answered,
"My mother worked as clothes cleaner.
The director requested the youth to show his hands.
The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked,
" Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?"
The youth answered,
"Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books.
Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.

The director said,
"I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.*

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother's hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.

That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked:
" Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"

The youth answered,
" I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes'

The Director asked,
" please tell me your feelings."

The youth said,
1. I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother, there would not the successful me today.
2. By working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done.
3. I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.

The director said,
" This is what I am looking for to be my manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.

A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop "entitlement mentality"and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts.
When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others.
For this kind of people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement.
He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?*

You can let your kid live in a big house, give him a Driver & Car for going around, Eat a Good Meal, learn Piano, Watch a Big Screen TV. But when you are Cutting Grass, please let them experience it. After a Meal, let them Wash their Plates and Bowls together with their Brothers and Sisters. Tell them to Travel in Public Bus, It is not because you do not have Money for Car or to Hire a Maid, but it is because you want to Love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will Grow Grey, same as the Mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to work with others to get things done..

Know (Y)our Scientists


Indian scientists have played a stellar role in the development of India. In the short span of its post-independence history India has achieved several great scientific achievements. Indian scientists have proved their mettle in the face of international sanctions and have made India one of the scientific powerhouses of the world. Here is a brief profile of famous Indian scientists.

C.V. Raman
C.V. Raman is one of the most renowned scientists produced by India. His full name was Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman. For his pioneering work on scattering of light, C.V. Raman won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930.

Homi Bhabha
Homi Bhabha, whose full name was Homi Jehnagir Bhabha, was a famous Indian atomic scientist. In Independent India, Homi Jehnagir Bhabha, with the support of Jawaharlal Nehru, laid the foundation of a scientific establishment and was responsible for the creation of two premier institutions, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.

Jagdish Chandra Bose
Jagdish Chandra Bose was born on November 30, 1858 in Mymensingh (now in Bangladesh). His father Bhagabanchandra Bose was a Deputy Magistrate. Jagadish Chandra Bose had his early education in village school in Bengal medium.

Meghnad Saha
Meghnad Saha was born on October 6, 1893 in Sheoratali, a village in the District of Dacca, now in Bangladesh. He was the fifth child of his parents, Sri Jagannath Saha and Smt. Bhubaneshwari Devi. His father was a grocer in the village. Meghnad Saha had his early schooling in the primary school of the village.

M. Visvesvaraya
Sir M. Visvesvaraya was born on September 15, 1860 in Muddenahalli village in the Kolar district of the erstwhile princely state of Mysore (present day Karnataka). His father Srinivasa Sastry was a Sanskrit scholar and Ayurvedic practitioner. His mother Venkachamma was a religious lady. He lost his father when he was only 15 years old.

Satyendra Nath Bose
Satyendra Nath Bose was an outstanding Indian physicist. He is known for his work in Quantum Physics. He is famous for "Bose-Einstein Theory" and a kind of particle in atom has been named after his name as Boson.

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century. He did commendable work in astrophysics, physics and applied mathematics. Chandrasekhar was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983.

Vikram Sarabhai
Vikram Sarabhai was one of the greatest scientists of India. He is considered as the Father of the Indian space program. Apart from being a scientist, he was a rare combination of an innovator, industrialist and visionary.

Anil Kakodkar
Dr Anil Kakodkar is a very distinguished nuclear scientist of India. He is presently the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India (AECI) as well as the Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Atomic Energy.

APJ Abdul Kalam
Apart from being a notable scientist and engineer, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam served as the 11th President of India from the period 2002 to 2007. He is a man of vision, who is always full of ideas aimed at the development of the country and is also often also referred to as the Missile Man of India.

Birbal Sahni
Birbal Sahni was a renowned paleobotanist of India, who studied the fossils of the Indian subcontinent. Also a great geologist, Sahni is credited for establishing the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany at Lucknow in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Born on 14 November in the year 1891 at Behra in the Saharanpur District of West Punjab, Birbal was the third son of Ishwar Devi and Prof.

Srinivasa Ramanujan
Srinivasa Ramanujan was a mathematician par excellence. He is widely believed to be the greatest mathematician of the 20th Century. Srinivasa Ramanujan made significant contribution to the analytical theory of numbers and worked on elliptic functions, continued fractions, and infinite series.

Dr. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar
Dr Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar was a distinguished Indian scientist. He was born on 21 February 1894 at Shahpur, which is located in Pakistan in present times. His father passed away sometime after the birth of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar. As such, he spent his childhood days with his maternal grandfather who was an engineer and it was here that he developed an interest in science and engineering.

Har Gobind Khorana
Har Gobind Khorana is an American molecular biologist born on 9 January 1922 to an Indian Punjabi couple. For his work on the interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in the year 1968.

Raja Ramanna
Handpicked by the founder of India's nuclear program, Dr. Homi Bhabha, Dr. Raja Ramanna was a celebrated physicist and nuclear scientist that India had ever produced. A multifaceted personality, Dr. Raja Ramanna played the roles of a technologist, nuclear physicist, administrator, leader, musician, Sanskrit literature scholar, and philosophy researcher.

Ganapathi Thanikaimoni
Ganapathi Thanikaimoni, a successful botanist of his days, is remembered till date for his widespread contribution in the field of palynology. His researches and projects not only helped India to make its presence felt on the world stage of botany, it also furthered public relations between two countries.

Harish-Chandra
For those who quiver at the thought of calculations and numerical deductions, unless when counting money, mathematics can be the equivalent of hell on earth. And for such 'math atheists' a mathematician like Harish Chandra can very well seem like a mirage. Harish Chandra is one amongst those few people who often

G. N. Ramachandran
Gopalasamudram Narayana Iyer Ramachandran, popularly referred to as G. N. Ramachandran surely must be included in the list of one of the best scientists that 20th century India had produced. The best known work of G. N. Ramachandran till date is the Ramachandran plot, which the scientist had conceived along with Viswanathan Sasisekharan, to understand the structure of peptides.

Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis
Economic census, population census, agricultural surveys and various other large scale and in depth samples and surveys that have been admired the world over for their scope and accuracy owes its popularity and worldwide acceptance to the grit, determination and genius of one man, Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis.

Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao
Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao was one of the greatest physicists of 20th century India. His work in spectroscopy led to the development of the Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance in Physics. Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao is also known for his long association with the Andhra University in which he served as professor of Physics and subsequently,

Salim Ali
Almost every one of us is interested in watching colorful and distinct birds crossing us. But very few are passionate about studying them in detail. One such man who took extreme interest and excitement in studying birds closely and categorizing them was Dr. Salim Ali. One of the greatest biologists of all times,

Yellapragada Subbarao
"You've probably never heard of Dr. Yellapragada Subba Rao, yet because he lived you may be well and alive today; because he lived you may live longer". A famous adage quoted by American author, Doron K. Antrim, Yellapragada Subbarao was one of those rare people who made several significant contributions,

Sam Pitroda
Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda is a famous Indian and a renowned inventor, entrepreneur and policymaker who currently serves as an advisor to the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Manmohan Singh. His work revolves around Public Information Infrastructure & Innovations. He is respected for being a technological intellect

Venkataraman Ramakrishnan
Indian born American, Venkataraman Ramakrishnan is a senior scientist in the Structural Division at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, in Cambridge, England. This great scholar has worked in various fields of biology during the earlier part of his career. However, Venkat along with Thomas A.

Courtesy: I love India

Thiruvannamalai Arunachaleswarar Thirukovil




 The ancient religion Temples are of major source of significance for most of the Hindus which centers for religious activity and serve as focus for social and cultural activities. The history, art and literature of Hindus are always rich of all the other regions of India. Hindus believe in salvation which is promoted by the blessings of Shiva and Vishnu. A Hindu, believes in Dharma, which is a law that rules human society corrects duties and rebirth of each person as per his deeds. For a Hindu, janmam and Karmam in a caste are the reversible actions and duties, papams (sin) performed in the previous lives. For every good action or duty in this janma, fruits out equal good actions in next janma. This is what is called "Karma". The future birth is decided on the basis of what one is performed lawful, good work, humbleness with the Order and good karmas. He alone escapes from this who attains to final salvation, a state which liberates him from the obligation to be reborn on this earth. Exactly based on these rules and actions of an individual gods also have a different function. Based on the functions they fulfill each take different aspects and names.


The gods like to flower those who deserve liberation through their devotion to a diety, or else the diety of their caste or one of their own choice. The Gods also watch over the destruction and the evolution of the worlds. At the very modest level, they are posed to be the caretaker of the Dharma in the Village of that religion or region to be said.

Holy Mountain Tiruvannamalai


The story of the Sacred mountain from the ancient times tells us that a quarrel between the Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma depicts the origin of the mountain. Both the creator and preserver of this universe were fighting to claim who is powerful among them. This went on for year and years. The sage Narada also convinced them that neither of the two were powerful nor Supreme. Then, the Lord Shiva made up his mind to show the truth, who is actual Supreme among two. To prove this he took the form of fire which was very big and immense. This fire stood in front of the two and a voice was heard from the fire, which was Lord Shiva himself and told that "Among you two who will first approach the top and bottom of this dazzling fire will be said to be the most powerful forever." Then Brahma, changed himself as a swan and flew up to the sky to reach the top of the Fire and kept flying for hundreds and hundreds of years. But could not reach the top on the other side, Lord Vishnu changed himself as a boar and starting digging down the Earth to find the bottom.

Who also did the same thing over couple of years and could not ever find the bottom. Then both of them realized that Lord Shiva, he who is endless without the start nor an end was only the "Superior" among both of them. Their fight had got a conclusion. They came back to Earth and bowed in front of the Shiva, who was in the form of dazzling form of fire and requested to stay in the same form on this Earth and bless the devotees Who is He the actual meaning for the power of creation nor preservation, Lord Shiva agreed to stay in the same form and transformed himself as a mountain. From then, every Karthikai Deepam Festival the column of dense fire comes to the sight on the top of mountain. At Thiruvannamalai this is done on the 10th day of this festival Karthikai Deepam.


Importance


This temple is one of the "Panch Boodha Sthalams" and it is "Agni" Sthalam. It has also the importance as "Padal PetraSthalam". That is the four famous 'Saiva Saints and Poets' such Appar, Sundarar, Manichkavasakar and ThirugnanaSambandar made several poems on Lord Arunachaleswara.


Sunday, October 7, 2012

Padmanabhapuram Palace




Padmanabhapuram Palace is a beautiful monument, situated in a small village near Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala. The distance between the two places is approximately 65 km. The palace is situated inside an old granite fortress, which is around four km in length. It was constructed somewhere around 1601 AD, under the patronage of Iravi Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal, the erstwhile ruler of Travancore.

The capital of Travancore got shifted from here to Trivandrum in the 18th century. Located at the foot of the Veli Hills, Padmanabhapuram Palace serves as the perfect example of traditional Kerala architecture. With the river Valli flowing nearby, it presents a picturesque sight. There are a number of structures, including a sprawling courtyard, which make up the entire complex of the Padmanabhapuram Palace of India.

Mantrasala (King's Council Chamber)
Mantrasala, or the King's Council Chamber, is the place where the king used to hold consultations with his ministers. It is a magnificent structure, adorned with colored mica windows and exquisite latticework. The flooring of the chamber is also very tastefully done in dark color and has a perfect finish. It has been constructed with a mixture of diverse stuff, like burnt coconut shells, egg white, etc.

Thai Kottaram (Mother's Palace)
Thai Kottaram, also known as the Mother's Palace, dates back to the mid-16th century. It has been deigned as per traditional Kerala architectural style and is believed to be the oldest structure in the entire palace. There is an inner courtyard, called 'nalukettu', with sloping roofs and four pillars that seem to be supporting it.

Ekantha Mandapam (Chamber of Solitude)
Ekantha Mandapam is known as the 'Chamber of Solitude' and is situated in the southwest corner of the Mother's Palace. The chamber is festooned with elaborate woodcarvings, of which the most beautiful one has meticulous and attractive floral designs.

Nataksala (Hall of Performance)
Nataksala is the place where dance performances used to take place. The hall was built under the aegis of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal, the erstwhile ruler of Travancore. It is also known as the Hall of Performance and has solid granite pillars and gleaming black floor. The wooden enclosure of the hall has peepholes, which were used by the royal ladies to watch the performances.

Central Building
The central building of Padmanabhapuram Palace is a four-storied structure, situated in the heart of the palace. The top floor of the building, known as Upparikka Malika, used to serve as the private worship chamber of the royals. The walls of the top floor have been ornamented with exquisite murals that date back to the 18th century. Most of these murals exhibit scenes from the puranas, while some depict the social life of the Travancore during that time.

Just below the worship chambers are a number of rooms, one amongst which was once the bedroom of the King. The ornate bedstead of the ruler can still be seen there. It was received as a gift from the Dutch merchants and is composed of 64 types of herbal and medicinal woods. Almost all the rooms of this building have built-in recesses in walls, which were used for storing weapons like swords and daggers.

Thekee Kottaram (Southern Palace)
Thekee Kottaram is the name given to the southern palace, which is believed to be as ancient as the Thai Kottaram. Presently, it has been converted into a heritage museum, where one can see antique household articles and curios being displayed.

Other Structures

  • A Big Hall (where ceremonial feasts were held on auspicious occasions)
  • Bathing Pond (used by the royalty)
  • Clock Tower (with a 300 year old working clock)
  • Secret Passage (for the escape of king, his family members & their staff)

Collection

  • A variety of weapons that were used in war, including swords and daggers
  • A wooden cot made of upto 64 wooden pieces of the trunks of various medicinal trees
  • Brass lamps and wood & stone sculptures
  • Chinese jars, all gifted by Chinese merchants
  • Furniture items and large mirrors made of polished metal
  • Paintings illustrating incidents from the history of Travancore.

Location: Near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Founded By: Iravi Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal
Founded In: 1601
Timings: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Best to Visit: November to May

Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur




The Peruvudaiyar Koyil, also known as Brihadeeswarar Temple and Rajarajeswaram, at Thanjavur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and a brilliant example of the major heights achieved by Cholas in Tamil architecture. It is a tribute and a reflection of the power of its patron Raja Raja Chola I. It remains India's largest temple and is one of the greatest glories of Indian architecture. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola Temples".
This temple is one of India's most prized architectural sites. The temple stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century. The vimana — or the temple tower — is 216 ft (66 m) high and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. The Kumbam (or Kalash or Chikharam) (apex or the bulbous structure on the top) of the temple is not carved out of a single stone as widely believed. There is a big statue of Nandi (sacred bull), carved out of a single rock, at the entrance measuring about 16 feet long and 13 feet high. The entire temple structure is made out of hard granite stones, a material sparsely available in Thanjavur area where the temple is. Built in 1010 AD by Raja Raja Chola in Thanjavur, Brihadeeswarar Temple, also popularly known as the ‘Big Temple', turned 1000 years old in 2010.


Brihadeeswarar Temple is a magnificent temple, situated in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. It dates back to the 11th century and was founded by the Chola King Rajaraja Chola I. The temple is considered to be an architectural wonder and is the perfect example of the expertise of the erstwhile Chola rulers, who once ruled over the peninsular India. One of the tallest temples of the world, Brihadeeswarar Temple is designed in such a way that the vimana never ever casts a shadow on the ground at noon.

Brihadisvara Temple has been built as per the South Indian style of temple architecture. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva, whose idol has been kept in the Garbha Griha (sanctum sanctorum). There is a tall sanctum tower (srivimana) inside its complex, along with splendid gopurams (elaborate gateways). A fully carved structure, Brihadeeshwarar Temple was designed by the chief architect of the Chola court, Sama Varma. It stands on a 29 m square base and rises to a height of somewhere around 65 m.

Surrounding the Brihadeeswarar Temple is a huge compound, with walls that are over 15 m high. Only the inner sanctum sanctorum, along with the gopuram (tower) adorning its top, was constructed by Rajaraja Chola I. This construction took a period of twelve years. To further enhance the beauty of the temple, the king got it adorned with a 12.5 feet tall finial, which is made of 9.25 kg of copper and is plated with 800 gm of gold. Subsequent rulers of the Chola dynasty added to the temple, never once letting the construction go out of sync.

The entrance of the Brihadeeshwarar Temple leads to a huge rectangular enclosure, which has been lined with stones. Moving through the corridor, one comes across a stone statue of Nandi Bull (the mount of Lord Shiva) and then, two idols of Lord Ganesha. Thereafter, one reaches the sanctum sanctorum (garbha griha), where the deity has been enshrined. The inner walls of the garbha griha illustrate 108 dance poses enacted by Lord Shiva. There are numerous inscriptions also, which are said to give details of the modern times.

The tower situated to the right of the temple is also an architectural beauty. The topmost tower comprises of a huge dome, made of black granite and weighing around 80 tons. The sanctum tower, or the srivimana, is surrounded by a rectangular prakara or corridor that comprises of two squares. The main tower is situated in the center of the rear square, while the vimana has 16 tiers and measures 200 feet in height. As per the India mythology, the point where the tower stands represents Mt Meru, the center of the universe.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Are you agree?


Now a days, Medical expenses are very high. Lower middle and poor people are struggling more to pay for their medical expense. They are not able to go private hospital. So, always they preferred government hospital. Still lot of villages, people need to travel huge distance to reach the hospital. How to resolve this situation?

Shall government consider the below points

  • Need to open more Government Medical College
  • Need to open more hospital in India and take over the private hospital who are asking more fees.
  • Need to create more doctors and all are government employees
  • Need to create more infrastructural for hospital
  • Need to resolve the difficulties to do the above points from law end
  • Need to take decision for long vision

All are equal. Doctors are not God. They are also like you and me.  Are you agree?





Love is Always True. But lovers...

True Love

One day, a young guy and a young girl fell in love.

But the guy came from a poor family. The girl’s parents weren’t too happy.

So the young man decided not only to court the girl but to court her parents as well. In time, the parents saw that he was a good man and was worthy of their daughter’s hand.

But there was another problem: The man was a soldier. Soon, war broke out and he was being sent overseas for a year. The week before he left, the man knelt on his knee and asked his lady love, “Will you marry me?” She wiped a tear, said yes, and they were engaged. They agreed that when he got back in one year, they would get married.

But tragedy struck. A few days after he left, the girl had a major vehicular accident. It was a head-on collision.

When she woke up in the hospital, she saw her father and mother crying. Immediately, she knew there was something wrong.

She later found out that she suffered brain injury. The part of her brain that controlled her face muscles was damaged. Her once lovely face was now disfigured. She cried as she saw herself in the mirror. “Yesterday, I was beautiful. Today, I’m a monster.” Her body was also covered with so many ugly wounds.

Right there and then, she decided to release her fiancé from their promise. She knew he wouldn’t want her anymore. She would forget about him and never see him again.

For one year, the soldier wrote many letters—but she wouldn’t answer. He phoned her many times but she wouldn’t return her calls.

But after one year, the mother walked into her room and announced, “He’s back from the war.”

The girl shouted, “No! Please don’t tell him about me. Don’t tell him I’m here!”

The mother said, “He’s getting married,” and handed her a wedding invitation.

The girl’s heart sank. She knew she still loved him—but she had to forget him now.

With great sadness, she opened the wedding invitation.

And then she saw her name on it!

Confused, she asked, “What is this?”

That was when the young man entered her room with a bouquet of flowers. He knelt beside her and asked, “Will you marry me?”

The girl covered her face with her hands and said, “I’m ugly!”

The man said, “Without your permission, your mother sent me your photos. When I saw your photos, I realized that nothing has changed. You’re still the person I fell in love. You’re still as beautiful as ever. Because I love you!”

Picture of the day

Real Salute to this man

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