BRIHADEESWARA TEMPLE

Thanjai Periya koil   BRIHADEESWARA TEMPLE - THANJAORE

Located on the south banks of Cauvery river is one of the biggest temple ever in history, called the Brihadwwswara temple. This world-famous temple is in Tanjaore, Tamil Nadu. As the name indicates(in sanskrit, Brihad=huge, eeswara=Lord, God) the temple  is very large with huge towering structures which has amazing sculpture all over on all sides.  It is  one of the biggest Shiva temples in the world. The large Nandi statue stands guarding over the temple. nandi is said to be a symbolic representation of time and is ever present attendant of lord Shiva. The temple is locally called as Periya koil which means big temple and is also known as Rajarajeswaram. This refers to the very famous Chola ruler RAJARAJA CHOLA who built this magnificent work of art. The temple construction was completed in 1010 AD. More than a thousand years old,  this temple was made by Rajaraja chola,  and his sister Kundavai who were ardent devotees of Lord Shiva. The Chola dynasty ruled over the greater Indian peninsula for more than 400 years and this temple was constructed at the peak of their reign.

It is said that the original name of the deity was Rajarajeswara and later the Maratha kings changed the name to Brihadeeswara, which meant the the Great God.!

We had the good fortune to visit the temple last week. As we entered the large compound we saw the huge statue of Nandi, which has been carved out of a single stone/rock. The smoothness of this work cannot be described in words. Each and every detail is done with such precision that one will surely wonder if this was really done by human beings! The whole structure of the temple is build in granite and about 130000 tons of granite is used for the making.

The exquisite carvings, statues and other works displayed in the temple are a feast to the eyes. Inscriptions in the temples show all the details used to plan and execute its construction. The chief architect, Rajaraja perunthachan is also portrayed here. His successors even now follow the traditional study of vastu shastra and architecture till today. Another interesting feature is the different hand gestures and movements mentioned in the Natya shastra, the text for dance and drama, is portrayed in such details that you will be amazed to see them etched over granite, for ever.! It must have taken several generations to plan and execute the construction of such a huge work of art and culture. The Chola frescos are all over the walls of temple and the earliest design plans dates back to 921 AD.!

 Historians and archeologists are surprised to know that there are no granite quarries anywhere near this huge temple. Then how could they bring it ? From where ? How? these puzzles are still remaining unsolved!

SRI RANGAM

The Temple of peace.  Sri Rangam

The sudden plan to visit Srirangam in Trichi was decided quickly. Four of us started to Trichi by train on a rainy day from Kerala. We reached there by 10 pm and straightaway checked into the hotel. The next day we were to visit the famous Sri ranganatha swamy temple. Before i start narrating the temple, i must add a note.

 There was a couple next to our seats and they were just minding their own business. The husband looked like an active person and the wife slept most of the time. Probably because of boredom, he suddenly started conversing with all of us. They were Tamil speaking people and he said he was also going to Trichi since its his native place. He added that he had come to Kerala for a wedding in the family since his wife's people lived here in kerala. He politely asked what we were doing in Trichi. We informed him that we wanted to visit the Ranganatha swamy temple and the Brihadeeswara temple at Tanjore.  We could see the interest in his eyes as he explained about the Sri rangam temple in detail.

 The Cholas were the most powerful dynasty of rulers in India(If not in the world). The Cholas ruled the greater India for more than four centuries which no other dynasty could do. There were a succession of many prominent and capable rulers among the Cholas who had even conquered the lands of malaysia, Thailand, Combodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Srilanka. And the Cholas were true pioneers of architectural marvels and they constucted a dam across the Cauvery river which has stood the test of time and stands tall even today.  It is the first dam ever built in the world across.!

 The Cholas were very interested in art and crafts. The temples and their featured architectural wonders will blow your mind! One such marvel is the Sri Ranganatha swamy temple at Trichi.

Our co traveller explained many stories related to this temple which aroused our curiosity to the maximum. And before leaving he offered his services to us and very politely said he would personally come and show us around. Though we were surprised, reluctant and apprehensive we agreed. he asked us to wait at the main entrance at sharp 7 am the next day and lo! he was there on the dot. parking his bike on the side he took us through the main gate. here starts the lessons he gave us.!!

The temple initially was built by the Chola king  Dharmavarma. Then later there was flood in the river Cauvery which destroyed the temple partially. Then slowly the rebuilding started and completed much later. There are four main gopurams or entrances to the large temple. The entire temple complex sprawled across an area of about 153 acres of land. The construction is in the dravidian way of architecture. It is considered as one of the most prominent of Vishnu temples across India. There are 108 vishnu temples of prominence and this one is the most important of all such temples. It has many names like the biggest temple, the abode of the lord on earth etc.

There are 81 shrines within the temple for various  other deities and other saintly people called alwars who initiated the bhakthi or devotion movements. From the third centuary BC onwards the temple attracts a lot of devotees, tourists and others in large numbers.

Lord Vishu of Srirangam is  a beautifully carved idol and this deity is about 18 feet long and is in the sleeping posture. He sleeps on the Adi shesha, the huge serpant and his consort sitting near by. Since the deity and the temple is mentioned in the epic Ramayana, its time dates back to 800 to 400 BCE. Archiologists say that its about 3000 years old.

We, along with our courteous guide entered the temple and was smoothly guided to all the different shrines in and around the temple compound. We were really bowled over by its magnificent structures, carvings and stone statues standing still for centuries. The construction of such a structure at a time when no mechanized help was available, was just too amazing for us to comprehend.

There was this mummified body of a saint, Sri. Ramanujacharya, at one of the shrines. The history says that he was a true devotee of the lord and revered by everybody. When he gave up his body, his lifeless body was kept there and still preserved perfectly in the sitting posture. We offered our salutations in front of this mummified saint and was so surprised to see his body in absolutely perfect shape. Since 1137 AD his body is kept there and is worshipped by all devotees. It is said that his body is preserved with natural herbs unlike Egyptian mummies which are treated and covered in many substances in sleeping position. Once or twice a year some herbs are applied to his body and for centuries it is kept with great care. he was a saint well versed in vedic texts, and was a social reformer and philosopher. he lived for about 120 years and was an elevated master.

It took us and our sincere guide, almost a day to complete the temple tour. We came out so happy and thrilled that we could see all the glory of this ancient piece of Indian history and profusely thanked our guide for his help.  It was a day well spent and we had a lot of contentment and returned to the hotel with gratitude and love.

 

 

 A journey worth a life time with Izzy!

A transcontinental journey that opened unknown vistas of my inner longing for new places..This took place in April of 2022.  I will  tell you from the beginning. okay so let us start the ride readers. Here you go fastening seat belts...

We are three people. Me, my son and his dog Izzy. Izzy is actually Isabelle but she will never acknowledge this full name. But when you address her as Izzy, she is all yours! My son was living in Los Angeles and then he changed his work place to Boston. He has to take his big dog and his car to Boston and he thought of this road trip. Enter me...the one who is bitten by the travel bug at least twice a year, was very eager to jump in the band wagon. So then began our journey from the west coast of US of America to its eastern coast. From California to Boston by road, to be exact.

California is called as the Golden state of USA. Along the Pacific coast, from the Mexican border lies famous state which has many terrains like valleys, mountains and deserts. The city of Los Angeles is the seat of Hollywood which hosts the entertainment division of the United States. San Francisco or the Bay area as it is called now, is the place of many technological companies. The Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco is a very famous land mark. The name Golden state was coined primarily because of the Gold rush in the year 1848, though the nick  name officially was introduced in 1968. The state capital is Sacramento  and the state population is 3.93 crores.  It is the third largest of all the US states. It has a wide variety of flora and fauna. Some of the animals are Black tailed deer, Black bears,Cougars,Elks, garter and rattle snakes etc. Oaks, Red woods, Sequoia etc are plenty in California.

We started our trip with Izzy in my son's Tesla. Now i must add a few sentences about Tesla which i found very interesting. Though it is an elecrically charged car, it has its own internet systems which gets automatically updated periodically. This helps the smooth functioning of the whole car. It has two boots on both sides since there are no engines in the car. The charging stations are in plenty and the system figures it out and prompts you to go to the nearest charge station when the battery power diminishes. It figures out the the route automatically and tell you and show you in its dash board, the easiest way to navigate. Tesla has cutting edge technology which help accelerate the world's emerging transition towards more sustainable energy solutions and there is no exhaust and pollution at all.

So on a crisp morning we loaded up the car with our essential stuff and Izzy and off we headed out. Every four hours or so we took a break to charge both the car and ourselves. The same applied to  with Izzy as well. We were not very sure how she will accomadate herself in the car for long hours but surprisingly and to our much relief she was fine and sometimes curled up in the back seat pillow when she got tired of watching through the window. The charging breaks were her break too to pee and poop.! She happily ran around for 15 or 20 minutes along with us and was ready to continue.

Our first stop was at Las Vegas. The place is world famous for its Casinos and lights. The city has a nick name called The sin city! Entertainment and crime buzzing around, caused this special nick name. Its widely popular for its ever buzzing casinos and lies in the state of Nevada. Even now the nick name stands out notoriously and is a bustling place especially in the evenings. Casinos are great business places and one will never know the time once you enter into one. Day and night stand still inside casinos. A great part of Mohave desert is in this state. We stopped at the" strip" the long road in which all the major casinos are built. Flamingo, Ceasar's  palace, Casino Royale etc are some among the most popular ones.

The history of Vegas is very interesting. The year is 1855. A group of Mormons from the state of nevada, came westwards in search of better lands and pastoral facilities. At that time there were no white people in Las Vegas. They reached this place,  safe and bandit-free area and started settling in like any other group of wanderes. Those were the times when pirots were in plenty. The Mormons wanted to get away from them and settle down in Vegas. The pitates were not receptive of this community. The Mormons found out that they could start mining lead which was an essential component of manufacturing bullets. During the period between the years 1858 to 1900 only a few isolated groups of Mormons were in Vegas, who had come from the city of Utah. A handful of ranches here and there and mining lead, it was still a very sleepy town until 1902. That was the year in which there came rail road connecting Vegas to  California. Then the business boomed at once and it was truely a wild wild west in that place with horses, ranches and not-legalised gambling in place in those areas.

1931. Gambling was legalized and at that time there was a huge influx of people coming this area to get a divorce. Here and only here, then, you could avail a divorce in 6 weeks. Each state had its own rule of governing and for those who wanted divorce fast, came here for that. Those who had money and power frequented Vegas and after the rail road construction the city buzzed with people with money. This was a great income to the state as well. Money and wine and women were the main attractions of this city. Gambling for huge sums of money was a regular thing and people needed place to stay and enjoy. The hotels thrived on this. 

 The new Normal.....

The last two years are game changer. The world was running at full throttle. And one day ..stop..take a step back. you have a new hurdle! Someone called kovid 19. This made people frightened to death, ..ehem..literally to death and it made people STOP and pause with whatever they were doing.

SUDDENLY people turned their attention towards their own immediate surroundings. Like home! started literally talking to each other. I mean verbally. Not texting. And it turned out to be interesting. The people at home are really nice people. They have good intensions unlike your office!They are cooking for you healthy food which was suddenly an important thing in the new life style. The word 'immunity' quickly became the most talked about word. Oh..then exercise..that's a must too. Since you are locked down at home because of the virus its better to find ways to do 'exercise' at home. Yes pick up that cleaning brush and cloth and do your window panes or hoover the floor or even dust all the cob webs and change the dusty curtains.  its exhausting work..but wait a minute..was this not done before by anyone? Guess somebody was at it..NEVER MIND..I SHOUD DO IT QUITE OFTEN. Well..its good for my immunity. Isnt it? Clean home, good food on the table, well wishers around etc etc.

It was a revelation. There is another kind of life which do you really good. So where was i headed till now? Thanks to the virus i must add. People really are not that bad. I do have smiling neighbours though they are just after the compound wall. They say 'good day ' and hi' etc and smile from a distance. Sometimes they clean your gate-front too. Such lovely human beings do exist. Where was i heading out?

Anyway the new normal is becoming very enjoyable. No extra expenses. getting to know more of my fellow home-people and getting to try new dishes freshly cooked three times a day. Isnt that a great life? I nget lots of time read and listen all you tube additions too

ഹംസാക്ക  വരുമ്പോൾ എല്ലാര്ക്കും സന്തോഷം ആണ് .എപ്പോളും ചിരിക്കുന്ന മുഖം ..ലോഗ്യം പറച്ചിൽ മൂപ്പരുടെ സ്വതസിദ്ധ മായ  ശൈലി ..ഹംസാക്കയുടെ പൊട്ടിപൊളിഞ്ഞ എന്നാൽ പ്രതാപിയായ അംബാസിഡർ കാർ  ഞങ്ങളുടെ ഫേവറിറ്റ് ആണ് .അതിന്റെ മുമ്പിലത്തെ വാതിൽ ഏകദേശം കയ്യിൽ ഊരി പിടിക്കാം അത്ര പുരാതനമായ സാധനം ആണ് അതു .പിന്നെ അതിന്റെ മുമ്പിലെ സീറ്റിൽ ഉള്ള ബെൽറ്റ് .അതും ഹംസാക്കയെ പോലെ പുരാവസ്തു ..വഴിയിൽ പോലീസിനെ കാണുമ്പോൾ ഹംസാക്ക പറയും .കുട്ട്യേ ..ആ കയറു ഒന്ന് മുന്നോട്ടു പിടിച്ചോളി ..ബെൽറ്റാണ് ഹംസാക്കയുടെ കയറു ..ഇങ്ങൾക്കു ഇത് ഒന്ന് നന്നാക്കിക്കൂടെ ..ഉടനെ മറുപടി ..ആ ..ന്നിട്ടുവേണം ൻറെ കായി വെർതേ കളയാന് ..ഇതോണ്ടൊന്നും ഒര് കാരിയോം ഇല്യ കുട്ട്യേ ..ഗെർമെൻഡ് പൈസ ണ്ടാക്ക്യ ..അതന്നെ ...ചിരി അടക്കി പിടിക്യ അത്രന്നെ ..എങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞു മനസ്സിലാക്കും ഹംസക്കെനെ ..
ഒരു യാത്ര പോയി വരുമ്പോളേക്കും ഹംസാക്ക ഒരു വിധം നാട്ടു വിശേഷങ്ങൾ ഒക്കെയും അപ്പ് ടു ഡേറ്റ്  ആക്കും .പ്രവാസികൾക്കു ഒരു വസ്തും അറിയില്ല എന്നതാണ് മൂപ്പരുടെ ഒരു കണ്ടുപിടുത്തം ..ഹംസക്കാ ..ഈ കാറിൽ ങ്ങൾ ഒരു എസി പിടിപ്പിച്ചൂടെ ..നല്ല ചൂട്‌ ..ഇപ്പോ എസി ഇല്ല്യാത്ത എതെകിലും വണ്ടി ഉണ്ടോ ...അതൊക്കെ നിക്ക് അറിയും പക്ഷേങ്കില് ങ്ങള് അര മണിക്കൂർ എസിയിൽ ഇരുന്നൊക്കി ..അപ്പൊ പിന്നെ ആസ്പത്രീല്യ്ക്കു ങ്ങക്ക് നേരെ പോവാം ...ഏഹ് ..ആസ്പത്രീലിക്കോ ..അതെങ്ങനെ ...വാതം ..അതന്നെ ഈ സാധനം ല്യേ എസി ..അതൊന്നും മ്മടെ ദേഹത്തിനു തീരെ നന്നല്ല ..വാതം പിടിച്ചു കിടക്കേണ്ടി വരും ..അതോണ്ടൻയാ വെക്കാത്തതു കുട്ട്യേ ..എനിക്കെയ് ..ങ്ങനെ എല്ലാരേം സൂക്കേടുകാരാക്കണ്ട ..അതന്നെ ...
.....തോറ്റു ....നമസ്‌കാരം ......

മരണ വീടുകളിൽ പോകാൻ എനിക്കു തീരെ താല്പര്യമില്ല .കാരണം മിക്കവാറും അവിടെ മറ്റു പല വർത്തമാനങ്ങൾ ആകും കേൾക്കുക . സാധാരണ ദുഃഖം അറിയിച്ച ശേഷം അവിടന്നു മുങ്ങുകയാണ് പതിവ് .എനിക്കു ജീവിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നവരെ കാണാനും ശുശ്രൂഷിക്കാനും ആണ് കൂടുതൽ താല്പര്യം . എന്നാൽ ഒരു ദിവസം ഒഴിവാകാൻ പറ്റാത്ത ഒരു സ്ഥലത്തു കുടുങ്ങി പോയി . മൃതദേഹത്തിന് അന്ത്യ ഉപചാരങ്ങൾ അർപ്പിച്ച ശേഷം പതുക്കെ മാറി ഒരു  റൂമിന്റെ ഉള്ളിൽ കയറി ഇരുന്നു.കയ്യിൽ ഫോൺ ഉള്ളത് രക്ഷയായി .ധാരാളം പരിചിത മുഖങ്ങൾ ...സ്ത്രീകൾ . എല്ലാവരോടും ഒന്നു മെല്ലെ ചിരിച്ചു  വേഗം ഫോൺ സ്‌ക്രീനിൽ നോക്കി ഇരുന്നു . അതുകൊണ്ടു എന്നെ അവർ സംസാരത്തിൽ ഉൾപ്പെടുത്തിയില്ല .ഞാൻ നിശബ്ദമായ കേൾവിക്കാരി ..അതു എനിക്കും നന്നായി ബോധിച്ചു .നിർവികാരത ഉപകാരപ്പെടും ഇങ്ങനെ  ചില സന്ദർഭങ്ങളിൽ ..കേൾക്കുകയാണ് പല തരം വിഷയങ്ങൾ . ഇന്ദിരമ്മായി ..കുട്ടീ അത് നമ്മടെ രാധാകൃഷ്ണൻ അല്ലെ ..ഇപ്പോ അമേരിക്കയിൽ ആണ് എന്ന് കേട്ടു .ഉടനെ എല്ലാ സ്ഥലത്തും ഒരേ സമയം പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെടുന്ന പദ്‌മിനി ഏടത്തി '.അതെയോ..അയാളുടെ മകൾ രണ്ടാമത് കല്യാണം കഴിച്ചത് ഒരു സായിപ്പിനെ അല്ലെ '"അങ്ങനെ കേട്ടൂല്ലോ "..ചിലപ്പോ അതൊക്കെ എങ്ങനെ ഉണ്ട് എന്ന് നോക്കാൻ പോയതാവും " ..അതെ  ശരിയാ ..ഈ  സായിപ്പന്മാർ ഒക്കെ എങ്ങിനെയാണോ  ആവൊ ' ഇയാൾ കഴിഞ ആഴ്ച വന്നതാവും .കാരണം മേലേടത്തെ കല്യാണത്തിന് ഇയാളെ കണ്ടില്ല്യല്ലോ '. പേരറിയാത്ത മറ്റൊരു വല്യമ്മ ഉടനെ ..."ആരു പറഞ്ഞു ..ഞാൻ കണ്ടൂല്ലോ ..തലേ ദിവസം രാത്രി വന്നു പോയി . ചിലപ്പോ ആൾക്കാരെ കാണാൻ മടി ണ്ടാവും ..അതോണ്ടായിരിക്കും എന്തൊക്കെ പറഞ്ഞാലും ഈ സായിപ്പമാർ തീരെ പോരാ ട്ടോ ..കുളിക്കും ഇല്യാത്രേ ..എങ്ങന്യാ ഈശ്വരാ .ഈ കുളിക്കാതേം ജപിക്കാതേം ജീവിക്കണേ ..ഇക്കറില്ല്യ ..ഇനീപ്പോ കുട്ടിയോള് ണ്ടായാൽ ..സായിപ്പൻയാവും ..ല്ലേ ..മലയാളോം പറയില്ല്യ ..യോഗ ഫലം അതന്യേ ..അയാളെ അയാൾടെ അമ്മേനെ ശരിക്കു കഷ്ടപെടുത്തി ന്നാ  തോന്നണേ ..അപ്പൊ അതിന്‌ കിട്ടീതാരിക്കും ..ഏതായാലും ഞാൻ ഒന്നു പോയി വർത്താനം പറയട്ടെ ..
പെട്ടെന്ന് അവരെ കാണാൻ ഇല്യ . ദൂരത്തു ആളെ തിരഞ്ഞു പിടിച്ചു സ്വയം പരിചയപ്പെടുത്തുന്നുണ്ടായിരുന്നു മരണ വീട്ടിലെ വലിയമ്മ മൂക സാക്ഷി.പക്ഷെ ഇടക്കിടക്ക് സംഭാഷണങ്ങൾ ശ്രദ്ധിക്കുന്നുണ്ട് ..തനിക്കു ഇതിൽ പങ്കു ചേരാൻ പറ്റീല്ലല്ലോ എന്ന് വിചാരിക്കുന്നുണ്ടാകും . എന്നാലും അവർക്കു കേൾക്കാമല്ലോ എല്ലാ നാട്ടു വർത്തനങ്ങളും . ചുറ്റുവട്ടത്തുള്ള ആരും രക്ഷപ്പെടില്ല ഓരോ വീടുകളായി പരിശോധനയാണ് .ഓരോ വീട്ടിലെയും അംഗങ്ങളുടെ കൃത്യമായ കണക്കുണ്ട് .ആര് എവിടെ പോയി എന്ന ഡേറ്റ സഹിതം .ഇവിടെ ആർട്ടിഫിഷ്യൽ ഇന്റലിജൻസ് പരാജയപ്പെടുന്ന തരം ഇന്റെൽ ശേഖരിക്കൽ ആണ്.നിരീക്ഷണ ക്യാമെറകൾ ..എവിടെ നോക്കിയാലും ..ഞാൻ മുപ്പത്തഞ്ചു വർഷത്തെ പ്രവാസം മതിയാക്കി വന്നതിനു ശേഷം കണ്ട ആദ്യ മരണ വീട് ..ഈശ്വര  ഇത് വളരെ അത്ഭുതം തന്നെ .ഇവിടെ എല്ലാവരും ഉണ്ട് എന്നാൽ വന്ന ഉദ്ദേശം എന്താണ് ..ശരീരം ദഹിപ്പിച്ചില്ല അതിനു മുന്നേ തന്നെ അവർ പതിനഞ്ചാം ദിവസത്തെ സദ്യക്ക് ഏറെ ഒക്കെ വിളിക്കണം എന്ന് കണക്കു കൂട്ടുന്നു .ജീവിതത്തിനു അർത്ഥമില്ലാത്ത നിമിഷങ്ങൾ ..അല്ല ..മരണത്തിന് ...

Beautiful Ladakh.....Travel diaries