Category: ललित

  • Aura Around Disability

    Aura Around Disability

    Today is a proud moment for India as a country. Two of our athletes bagged gold in the Tokyo Paralympics 2021. Our ace shooter Avani Lekhara and Javelin Record Breaker Sumit Antil have created history for us. We are extremely proud of them. On a personal level, as a person with hearing disability I am very happy that my fellows are making it happen. Avani has become the first woman Indian athlete to bag the gold for India while Sumit broke his own records thrice in this tournament to bag his gold. They are getting recognized. And almost everyone was waiting for one man to react to these amazing athletes. Yes, you guessed it right. Mr. Anand Mahindra. 

    Only last week, Padmashree Deepa Malik who’s a paralympian herself and heads the Paralympic Committee of India, requested all automobile industry leaders from our country to research and make SUVs for people with disabilities like she is using in Tokyo. And as we all expected, Mr. Mahindra promptly put his crew on the task. Today he kind of reiterated his commitment along with a promise to give the first of its kind to our Golden Girl via his twitter handle. However, while replying to this tweet a guy sid correcting Mr. Mahindra’s use of the word “disabilities”. 

    It’s not about the label

    Sadly, part of the twitter thread is now all about the “correct” label for the community. If ‘disabilities’ is ok? Or we should call it ‘different abilities’. Some might even argue to call us people with ‘special abilities’. We Indians are so fascinated with our habit of labeling everything. Our honorable PM has coined a new label for us, Divyang. Personally, when I hear that word, I feel some mythological or mysterious limb has grown on my body. 

    Every language has a word for every disability. A person without eye sight is called blind person in English, आंधळा (Āndhaḷā) in marathi and so on. In a lame attempt to feel compassionate, sympathetic for us, people started creating such odd labels. 

    However, these specific terms are adjectives. They describe a PERSON with particular disability. While addressing one should not forget that you are talking about a person. Your focus should be a person and not a disability. Many forums and organizations, like United Nations have issued guidelines about inclusive language. They all prescribe to identify someone with disability as a person with disability and not to use the terms “handicapped,” “differently-abled,” “unfortunate,” or “special needs.”

    We, the people with disabilities

    We only need recognition and acceptance as fellow human from you and not your sympathy. Our disability is a condition which we have accepted and we are leading our lives happily. And as rightly proven by Avani and Sumit, hell yeah we are successful like every other person. So, let’s just call a spade a spade for once and accept us as we are. Once again, Congratulations to our champions and excitedly looking forward to engineering mastery of Mahindra and Mahindra.

    Read more such articles here.

  • Udaipur City Palace – Regal Gem of Mewar Dynasty

    Udaipur City Palace – Regal Gem of Mewar Dynasty

    Rajasthan is full of monuments, palaces and forts related to medieval Rajput royalty. Back then it was ruled by various princely states of Rajputana. Generations of these royal families created these magnificent forts, palaces and monuments. Today, we are visiting one such royal palace in the capital city of the Mewar Dynasty. The City Palace, Udaipur.

    From the History Book of City Palace:

    When Maharana Udai Sigh II was on a hunting trip in jungles around Pichola Lakes, he met a hermit. Hermit advised Maharana to build a new capital at this site. As Mughal pressure was increasing day by day on Chittor fort which was the capital of Mewar. Maharana Udai Singh II decided to act on the hermit’s advice. At first, he commissioned the building of ‘Rai Angan’ a royal courtyard at the place where he met the hermit. Since then, his successors continued to build the palace complex for the next 400 years. They lived here and administered the kingdom from this palace complex. As a result, this is the most iconic and important historic monument.

    • Tripolia Gate of Udaipur City Palace
    • Udaipur City Palace From Pichola Lake Photo by Vishal Soni Copyrights CC BY-SA 4.0
    • City Palace Aerial View Photo by Pranshu Dubey Copyrights CC BY-SA 3.0
    • Front Facade of City Palace Photo by Ingo Mehling Copyrights CC BY-SA 3.0

    Architectural beauty

    This huge palace complex situated on the eastern ridge of Pichola lake is built entirely in marble and granite. Maharana Udai Singh II started the construction of this complex. Subsequently, the complex grew in size with efforts of the next 22 generations of Sisodiya Rajputs. It consists of 11 small individual palaces built over the period of 400 years. A maze of pathways and chawks connect the palaces which avoids any surprise attack. When you enter from the main Tripolia (triple) gate, you come to the Suraj Gokhda, facade used for public addresses followd by the Mor-chowk (Peacock courtyard). Then the strings of palaces starts with the Dilkhush Mahal (heart’s delight), the Surya Chopar, the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of glass and mirrors), the Moti Mahal, the Krishna Vilas, Shambu Niwas (current royal residence), the Bhim Vilas, the Amar Vilas that faces the Badi Mahal (the big palace).

    At the end of the string are the Fateprakash Palace and the Shiv Niwas Palace. They are now modified as heritage hotels. Amar Vilas palace has raised gardens. Many places house a rich collection of miniature paintings portraying royal possessions, festivals and games, collection of Mewar paintings, collection of Chinese and Dutch paintings. Since 1974, a part of the city palace and the ‘Zenana Mahal’ (Ladies Chamber) is a museum which is open to the public.

    I am participating in the A2Z challenge with Blogchatter and this is my take on the ‘U’ challenge. “U is for the Udaipur City Palace, Udaipur”. You can find my other posts from this challenge here.

  • Dharur Fort: Gem from an unexplored area

    Dharur Fort: Gem from an unexplored area

    It’s a second leg of our Incredible India!!! bucket-list journey after first Sunday break. Today we are visiting a historic place which stands witness to a very large part of our history. We are visiting an old fort of Dharur (धारूर) which is in Latur district of the state of Maharashtra. This is a gem from a comparatively unexplored area of Marathwada.

    I would like to mention a very amazing treasure trove of information about forts in Maharashtra at the very beginning of this post, TreKshitiZ. You will find very nicely documented, indexed information on their site. I don’t remember when I stumbled upon this site for the first time, but I have been using it at least for a decade now whenever I need any information about Maharashtrian forts. Credit for the photos which you will see in this post goes to them. 

    Story time:

    Back in the days of Satvahanas, Dharur rose to become an important market town on a major road to Satvahana capital city, Paithan. The Rashtrakuta dynasty followed the Satvahanas and ruled the region. Understanding the vitality of Dharur as a market town, they built a fort called “Mahadurg” for its protection. They just piled stones on top of eachother and built battlements and walls. 

    Subsequently, Kalyani Chalukyas, Devgiri Yadavas and Bahmani Sultanate ruled the region. After the fallout of the Bahmani Sultanate in five different factions, this particular region came under the influence of Barid Shah of Bidar. This region witnessed frequent battle action during the volatile period that followed after that. Baridshahi of Bidar succumbed to this volatility, and Adilshah gained control over Dharur. 

    Kishwarkhan from Adilshah court constructed a new fort at the same place of the Mahadurg using stones of the old one in 1567 CE. This is the fort which still stands the ground. Just a couple of years after that, Nizamshah took charge of the place in 1569 CE and in 1630-31, Mughals took control of Dharur. 

    Later it fell in the hands of Nizams of Hyderabad and remained in their control except a brief period of Maratha rule till the accession of Hyderabad principality to the union of India.

    Panorama of Dharur Fort (Photo courtasy: TreKshitiZ)

    What not to miss:

    Dharur Fort has a straight access from Dharur town as both of them are at the same level. However, the fort has a natural protection of the valley from the remaining three sides. This is a very unique combination in itself. 4.2 m wide and 4.5 m deep mote secures the side with straight access.

    There are two walls protecting the fort with battlements at regular intervals to mount the defances. One of the battlements houses the mint started by Mughals. As a memorial to the capture of Dharur fort, they issued a coin. This mint produced Mughal coins for almost the next hundred years. There are two major water tanks with the names of Godi Dindi (गोडी दिंडी) and “Khari/Solapur Dindi” (खारी/सोलापूर दिंडी). There is a dysfunctional “Hamam” with decorative water faucets. We can see a few guard rooms, a couple of mosques, a temple and ruins of various palaces in this fort. Fort also houses a few Percian inscriptions scattered around

    Fort was inhabited till the Indian Independence. As a result of this, it’s in a pretty decent condition. Marathwada region is not famous for tourism but this fort is a gem from this unexplored region. You can stay in the town of Ambejogai or Parali Vaijanath. Both of these are important pilgrimage sites of Hinduism and have good accommodation facilities. Please plan to visit this place and share the word about this.

    Photo courtasy: TreKshitiZ

    Adisjournal or me personally don’t have any claims of copyright over the photos you see in the post. I am a fan and frequent user of a wonderful trekshitiz.com to which these images belong. 

    I am participating in the A2Z challenge with Blogchatter and this is my take on day 4 challenge. “D is for the Dharur Fort, Latur District”. You can find my other posts from this challenge here.

  • Cellular Jail – Beacon of Remembrance of Sacrifice

    Cellular Jail – Beacon of Remembrance of Sacrifice

    For the first two days, we travelled to masterpieces of Dravidian and Gothic Architectures in the state of Tamil Nadu. Two beacons of faith – each for Hindus and Christians. Our today’s destination is a Beacon of Remembrance of Sacrifice. Cellular Jail, Andaman. This place constantly reminds us about the sacrifices of our freedom fighters, tortures they endured at this ‘Kaala Pani’. British Raj incarcerated many notable freedom fighters like Batukeshwar Dutt, Bikram Ghosh, Yogendra Shukla, V.O. Chidambaram Pillai and Savarkar Brothers in these infamous torture house. Currently, India honours this place as a National Memorial in memory of these freedom fighters.

    Story time:

    Right after the suppression of revolt of 1857, Britishers executed most of the revolutionaries. However, they exiled surviving revolutionaries for life on the remote island of Andaman to cut their ties to the mainland. They even started calling it as ‘Kala Pani’ to threaten them with loss of caste, resulting in social exclusion over a Hindu belief of ‘Sindhu Bandi’ (ban on overseas journey). Population of prisoners increased to around 1000 from the initial 200 prisoners in the first 10 years.

    • HQ of Ross Island Penal Settlement
    • Construction of New Jail

    As the independence movement picked up pace towards the end of the 19th century, the number of prisoners shipped to Andamans increased significantly. Which triggered the building of a new prison complex starting in 1896 which was completed in 1906. It was the same period when harsh punishments and intense labour started to be a part of ‘punishment of transportation to the Andaman Islands’

    Harsh punishments and labour

    When prison actively held prisoners, they had to undergo intense labour like running the oil mills, pulling the coir thrades by hands etc. Failing to complete the task or obey the orders, offenders were thrown in solitary confinement or subjected to harsh punishments like flogging, reduced diet, suspension in an iron suit, etc.. Many prisoners took a route of hunger strikes to protest against such barbaric punishments. To break these strikes, officers of the British Raj took extreme measures and tried forcefully feeding them with tubes. Because of this few of them died by “Drowning in milk”. 

    • Oil mill
    • Flogging frame

    These horrific punishments continued till 1939. Beginning of World War II forced to empty just. Later for a brief period of one and half year, Indian National Army occupied and governed the island till the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II

    Architecture:

    As I mentioned earlier, construction of prison buildings started in 1896 with puce-coloured bricks imported from Burma. It continued till 1906. Building had seven radial wings connected with a central tower used by guards to keep watch on all prisoners. Jeremy Bentham’s concept of Panopticon inspired the design of this jail. These seven wings comprised a total of 696 cells of 4.5 by 2.7 metres spread over three stories. There are no dormitories in the jail. The building is so designed that every cell faces the back of the other cell. As a result, communication amongst prisoners impossible. Cellular jail derived its name from these solitary cells.

    What not to miss:

    Today, only three wings are standing as a beacon of remembrance of sacrifice with a status of National Monument declared by the Prime Minister of India in 1979. There is a small museum depicting various punishments and hard labour activities which those prisoners went through. There’s a light and sound show in Hindi and English narrating and showcasing the trials and tribulations of the inmates along with guided tours of the complex.

    Today, let’s halt at this place and pay our homage and respect towards these freedom fighters and begin our journey northwards tomorrow.

    I am participating in the A2Z challenge with Blogchatter and this is my take on day 2 challenge. “C is for the Cellular Jail, Andaman”. You can find my other posts from this challenge here.

  • Basilica of our lady of good health: A place that rose to the glory

    Basilica of our lady of good health: A place that rose to the glory

    This bucket-list journey started with the magnificent Chola legacy of Airavatesvara Temple, Darasuram. Our today’s destination is not far away from it. Merely 80-85 km towards east of Darasuram, there’s a small village of Velankanni. This coastal village is the house of our today’s “Incredible India Attraction”. The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health is a Marian Shrine on the coast of Velankanni. Built in the Gothic style of architecture, this shrine is a major pilgrimage for Christians in India. 

    Story Time:

    Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health at dusk Photo by Koshy Koshy Copyrights CC BY 2.0

    This Basilica is dedicated to Our Lady of Good Health and is attributed to three miracles attached to the area around it. Oral tradition of the stories of two apparitions of the Virgin Mary and the saving of Portuguese Sailors from the storm in Bay of Bengal are the only source of these miracles as there are no historical written records about them.

    First apparition of the Virgin Mary dates back to the mid 16th century. Local shepherd boy was on his milk delivery duty. A woman holding a child asked milk for the little one to a shepherd boy. Boy moved to his next delivery after giving some milk to the woman. When he completed the delivery, he discovered the milk jug was still full with fresh cool milk. Then, a small shrine was built at the place of apparition called Matha Kulam, which means Our Lady’s Pool.

    Second time, Virgin Mary appeared in front of a crippled buttermilk seller boy asking buttermilk for the little one in her hand. Answering her request, the boy gave some buttermilk. Woman then asked him to go to the next town and meet a gentleman there. After reaching there, ask the gentleman to build a chapel in her honour at that location. As soon as he started the journey, he realized that he is no longer a cripple. They quickly built a thatched chapel in the honour of Our Lady of Good Health (Arokia Matha in Tamil).

    Third miracle occurred to the Portugues Ship sailing from Macau to Sri Lanka. The ship got caught in a horrific storm in the Bay of Bengal. When sailors prayed to Virgin Mery under her title “Star of the Sea” storm subsided. As a result, all 150 sailors reached the coast and as a thanksgiving rebuilt the shrine to Our Lady of Good Health and continued enhancing it in their subsequent voyages.

    • Gothic Architecture of Basilica Photo by Krrishnah Copyrights CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Right side of Main Chirch Photo by BrownyCat Copyrights CC BY 3.0
    • New extension to the Basilica Photo by BrownyCat Copyrights CC BY 3.0
    • Matha Kulam (Our lady’s pool) Photo by Muzirian Copyrights CC BY-DA 4.0

    Architecture:

    This Basilica is a classic example of a place rising to glory with time. Started with just a thatched chapel, Basilica is currently standing in its glory of Gothic Architecture. Currently, the Shrine Basilica contains three chapels, as well as Our Lady’s Tank, Church Museum, Priests’ Residence, Offering Center, Stations of the Cross, Stations of the Rosary, Shrine Mega Mahal and Vailankanni Beach. This magnificent white Gothic building has red-tiled roofing.  It witnessed many extensions like one one southern side in 1928 and the northern side in 1933. Latest extension included a new two storied church with 28 m high dome and 25 m Gothic spirals to accommodate multilingual pilgrims. This extension took place in 1974-75.

    Significance and Pilgrimage:

    HH Pope John XXIII granted the status of Minor Basilica to this shrine on 3rd November 1962. through an Apostolic Brief. He also aggregated it to the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

    Annual festival takes place between 29 August to 6 September. This is the time along with Christmas Velankanni Basilica draws maximum pilgrims. As a result, “the Lourdes of the East” is a suitable title for this place. Annual festival has many rituals like  mass, novenas, flag-hoisting and carrying a ‘palkhi’ of Mary in a procession. Procession is the major event. Only women are allowed to pull the first car while the statue of Mery is in the last car of the procession. The car of the Mery is the most decorated one in the procession. People of other religions also take part in this procession. Many pilgrims shave their heads and perform ear-piercing. Both of these are Hindu traditions. Hence, this is a very significant site of pilgrimage displaying the meeting point of two major religions of the world – Christian and Hindu.

    At this point, the day 2 of our journey comes to the halt. Let’s just enjoy this white Gothic architecture and have a good night rest. Tomorrow is one more exciting day of this journey.

    I am participating in A2Z challenge with Blogchatter and this is my take on day 2 challenge. “B is for the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, Velankanni”. You can find my other posts from this challenge here.

  • Airavatesvara Temple: Magnificent legacy of Cholas

    Airavatesvara Temple: Magnificent legacy of Cholas

    Today, on the 1st of April, we embark on a journey together. It’s a virtual journey to exciting enticing places in our own country, the Incredible India! I have a dream to travel the world. However, I am fortunate to be an Indian. There are so many fascinating places in this country. Every place is attractive because of a unique feature. So, for this year’s April A to Z, I am taking an opportunity to make a sort of bucket list. A list of places to visit in India as soon as we are done with this COVID thing. As it starts with A, the first entry is “Airavatesvara Temple”.

    Airawateshwara temple is at Darasuram, in Thanjavur District of Karnataka. Built by Rajaraja Cholla II, this temple is one of the Great Living Chola Temples. Brihadeshwara Temple at Thanjaur,  Gangaikondacholisvaram Temple at Gadngaikonda Cholapuram are the other two in the group. UNESCO has declared this group of Great Living Chola Temples as a world heritage site.

    Story time:

    Sage Durvasa has cursed Indra’s elephant Airavata to lose its color and beauty for disrespecting him. Upset with guilt and regret, Airavat prayed to Lord Shiva at this temple location. Lord asked him to take a dip in the temple tank. This dip in the temple tank magically restored the color of its skin. After this incident Shiva Lingam at Darasuram bears its present name – Airavatesvara.

    Architecture:

    Rajaraja Chola II built this current complex of Airavatesvara Temple in 12th century CE in a classic example of Dravidian architecture with all of its peculiarities. The whole theme or template follows the Karakkoil style of temples. In this style, the main temple complex is chariot fashioned.  24 m high ‘Vimana’, the towering structure over Garbha Griha, is the pinnacle of architecture of the temple complex. Whole complex is donned with carvings and sculptures of many Vedic and Puranic deities like Indra, Agni, Varuna, Vayu, Brahma, Surya, Vishnu, Saptamtrikas, Durga, Saraswati and many more. 

    • Airavatesvara Temple, Darasuram, Photo by Supraja kannan, Copyrights CC BY-SA 4.0
    • The chariot-shaped agra-mandapam, Photo by MADHURANTHAKAN JAGADEESAN, Copyrights CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Another view of Airavatesvara Temple, Photo by Shriram Swaminathan, Copyrights CC BY-SA 3.0
    • Chola Carving in Airavatesvara Temple, Darasuram Photo by Nithi Anand, Copyrights CC BY 2.0

    Special attraction:

    Additionally, there’s one more interesting thing about this temple. ‘Agra Mandapa’ (अग्र मंडप) has an ornate porch with steps going from east to west with intricately carved balustrades. When one walks on these steps, they produce musical notes. This is the reason for them to be called ‘Singing Steps’. Isn’t it interesting? I have heard about musical pillars in many temples. These singing steps are very fascinating. I am eager to listen to their music.

    So, this is our first stop in this journey. Hope you also find this enticing and plan to visit this architectural marvel soon. Tomorrow, we’ll go to a new place… Till then, sayonara.

    I am participating in A2Z challenge with Blogchatter and this is my take on day 1 challenge. “A is for Airavatesvara Temple, Darasuram, Thanjavur District”. You can find my other posts from this challenge here.