shiva – GOPS

Sep 28

by GOPAN NAIR in Life in this India, travel, Varanasi 2 comments tags: baba, baba shiv das, benaras, das, gopan g nair, gops, gops.org, india, italy, kashi, sadhu, shiv, shiva, varanasi

A HINDU MONK FROM ITALY

The year was 2014 and the beginning of winter in Varanasi. During my usual stroll along the ghats of Kashi in search of photo-stories, I came across Baba Shiv Das enjoying the warmth of the rising sun with a cup of tea in one hand and a cigarette in the other. The instinctive photographer in me couldn’t resist clicking a few candid shots, though I had an apprehension about the invasion of privacy. To my shock, the Baba suddenly turned his head, gave me an intense gaze, showed a gesture with his index finger and called, “Hey! Come here.” Ignoring my gut feeling about certain arrogant Sadhus in the past, I took a decision to meet him. To my surprise, he was very kind, peaceful, soft-spoken and advised me that it is an inappropriate way to photograph people without their knowledge. When I offered my apologies, the baba was very generous to grant the permission to make some close-up shots. I was fascinated by those charming blue eyes which glittered like pearls through my view-finder. When I mentioned that the river ganga could be seen flowing through his eyes, he busted out laughing and I quickly captured that moment too […]

THE GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, PART 3 of 3 : DARASURAM (தாராசுரம்)

The Chola Dynasty (300 BC – 1279 CE) of Southern India were followers of Shaivism and great patrons of arts, literature & poetry . Chola Kings (Tamil : சோழர்) were one among the most prominent rulers of India, who built several Shiva Temples around the world, many of these are still in existence. ‘The Great Living Chola Temples’ the name given to a group of three architectural marvels built by the Chola Kings, still exist at Thanjavur, Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram in TamilNadu. These three temples are unique for their Dravidian architecture and incredible artistic skills. The mighty Brihadeeswarar temple ( Read about it here ) at Thanjavur (Big Temple, Peruvudaiyar Kovil) was completed in 1010 AD by emperor Raja Raja Chola I (985–1014 AD) . Brihadeeswarar temple which turned 1000 years old in 2010 is one of the biggest temples in India and a World Heritage Monument of UNESCO. Rajendra Chola-I (1012-1044 AD) son of the Great Rajaraja-I who believed to have conquered the lands upto Ganga river in North was known as Gangaikondacholan . He was one of the most famous Chola Kings whose Kingdom spread across most parts of Southern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Sumatra, Kadaram (now Kedah in Malaysia) and […]

THE GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, PART 2 of 3 : GANGAIKONDA CHOLAPURAM (கங்கைகொண்ட சோழபுரம்)

‘The Great Living Chola Temples’ is the name given to a group of three architectural wonders built in the Medieval Chola period, that remain intact till date at Thanjavur, TamilNadu. These three temples, viz., Brihadiswara (<click), Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram (<click) are unique for their dravidian architecture, advanced scientific knowledge and incredible artistic skills. I think you may please go through the story of Raja Raja Chola and the mighty Brihadiswara Temple built by him, before reading this page. Rajendra Chola-I (இராசேந்திர சோழன் 1012-1044 AD, son of the Great Rajaraja-I) who ventured into the North of India upto the Ganga river and brought the water back with him was known as Gangaikondacholan ( The Chola who brought Ganga) . Having one of the best Naval armies of their time, Rajendra started expanding his father’s Kingdom further across the oceans. He was one of the most famous Chola Kings whose Kingdom spread across most parts of Southern India and regions in Northern India like Kalinga (current day Orissa), Bihar, Bengal/Bangladesh, foreign areas like Sri Lanka, Burma, , Bali, Java, Sumatra, Kadaram (now Kedah in Malaysia) and Cambodia. The Hindu traditions being followed in Indonesia and Angkor Wat temples in Combodia are the […]

THE GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, PART 1 of 3 : BRIHADISWARA (பெருவுடையார் கோயில்)

‘The Great Living Chola Temples’ is the name given to a group of three architectural wonders built in the Medieval Chola period, that remain intact till date at Thanjavur, TamilNadu. These three temples, viz., Brihadiswara, Gangaikondacholapuram (<click) and Darasuram (<click) are unique for their dravidian architecture, advanced scientific knowledge and incredible artistic skills. During my journeys through the reminiscences of Chola empire, I could witness the birth, growth and death of a dynasty that ruled almost all of Southern India for the longest duration. Though the exact origin of Chola dynasty is not known, it is believed that they were contemporaries of Ashoka during 300BC and continued the reign until 1279 AD. Like most of the remarkable civilizations built around rivers, Chola land was also developed around the Kaveri river basin and their glorious past is still evident from the mighty temples they left behind in the region. Raja Raja Cholan and his son Rajendra Cholan were the most prominent among them all who marked the golden period during the 460 years of Chola rule. Cholas possessed one of the best Naval powers of their time and that helped them conquer the Northern half of SriLanka in 996 AD . […]

Oct 28

by GOPAN NAIR in Indian architecture & Heritage 9 comments tags: architecture, blog, buddha, buddhism, buddhist, caves, cut, elephanta, ellora, ferry, gateway, gharapuri mural, gop.org, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, heritage, hindu, hinduism, india, MUMBAI, of, photography, rock, shiva, shrine, site, temple, Temples, tourism, unesco, WORLD

EXQUISITE ELEPHANTA CAVES

Artillery firing continued profusely for weeks and months without having a single enemy in the vicinity. In fact, the Portuguese soldiers were firing cannon balls at the mighty rock sculptures in Elephanta caves for target practicing. A journey through the timeline of explorations, invasions and colonization would reveal the bloodshed and destruction that accompanied every successful event. Successors of those ruthless invaders who turned the treasures of a great country into heaps of rubble and sand must feel ashamed of their forefathers’ deeds. While we boast about the rich culture and heritage of India, those disturbing facts are often being ignored. Gharapuri was the name of that ancient island kingdom situated near Mumbai harbour. Gharapuri literally means ‘City of Caves’ in Marathi language. Traces of early inhabitation that dates back to 2nd century BC is still visible in this little island. For travelers visiting Mumbai, it would be a quick escapade from the hustle and bustle of one of the largest cities in the world. The island consists of two small hillocks on its east and west sides with a narrow ravine situated in the middle. Caves and sculptures have been carved out of Basalt rock similar to that existed […]

Oct 31

DEVOTION, DEEP INSIDE THE JUNGLE : THIRUNELLI TEMPLE

Thirunelli MahaVishnu Temple is one of the oldest and sacred shrines in Kerala. ‘Thiru Nelli’ literally means Holy Gooseberry tree (Amla). According to ancient Hindu scriptures or puranas, Lord Brahma got attracted by the beauty of this valley and descended here. He noticed an idol of Lord Vishnu on a gooseberry tree. Realizing the presence of Lord Vishnu, he installed the idol there and blessed the temple to be the one that washes of all the sins. Hence the water stream here got the name Papanasini. Situated in Wayanad district of Kerala, Thirunelli temple is surrounded by incredibly green mountains of Brahmagiri ranges adjoining Western Ghats. Thirunelli is Located in north Wayanad, 34 Km away from Mananthavady. The exact age of this temple is not known. According to historians, the temple could be 3000 years old what makes it one of the oldest temples in Kerala. It is also believed that Chera King Kulasekharan (AD 767 – 834) was the founder of this temple. Copper plate inscriptions discovered from the area date back to the period of Bhaskara Ravi Varma I and II (10th and 11th century). Remains of the original temple is still visible around the premises. Some of […]

Sep 26

by GOPAN NAIR in Indian architecture & Heritage, travel 2 comments tags: Achutaraya, bangalore, day, empire, ganesh, getaway, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, gops.org, idol, Le Pakshi, Lepakshi, linga, naga, one, shiva, temple, trip, Veerabhadra, Vijayanagara, Virupanna

BANGALORE WEEKEND GETAWAY SERIES : LEPAKSHI TEMPLE

“Le Pakshi,” in Telugu language means “Rise, Bird”. The name comes from epic Ramayana, in which Lord Rama meets dying Jatayu and blesses him to rise to heaven. Ancient Hindu scripture Skandapurana mentions about Lepakshi ( “Lepakshya Papanasanah” ) as one among the 108 prominent Shaivite pilgrimage centres in Southern India. There is another story that says Lepakshi was derived from ‘Lepa + Akshi’ which means ‘embalmed eye’. Lepakshi is an ideal place for a weekend drive from Bangalore. It is a small village in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh, India, located approximately 120 Km north of Bangalore. It lies 15 km away from Hindupur in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh. Lepakshi Temple is mainly dedicated to Lord Veerabhadra (a form of Shiva), which was built during the period of Vijayanagara Kings (1336–1646) . The temple dates back to AD-1530, built on a small hillock having the shape of a tortoise, hence known as Kurma Saila. As per historians, the temple was constructed by two brothers called Virupanna and Viranna, who were Governors under the reign of King Achutaraya. There is another interesting story about the construction of this temple. Virupanna, the treasurer of Vijayanagara Kingdom was handling the funds […]

A HINDU MONK FROM ITALY

THE GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, PART 3 of 3 : DARASURAM (தாராசுரம்)

THE GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, PART 2 of 3 : GANGAIKONDA CHOLAPURAM (கங்கைகொண்ட சோழபுரம்)

THE GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, PART 1 of 3 : BRIHADISWARA (பெருவுடையார் கோயில்)

EXQUISITE ELEPHANTA CAVES

DEVOTION, DEEP INSIDE THE JUNGLE : THIRUNELLI TEMPLE

BANGALORE WEEKEND GETAWAY SERIES : LEPAKSHI TEMPLE

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