“PushpEeshu jAthi,

purushEshu VishNu,

nArIshu rambA,

nagarEshu kAnchi”

Jasmine is the only one among flowers, Vishnu is the great one among Gods, Rambha is the choice among women, and Kancheepuram is the best among cities- Mahakavi Kalidasa

This verse is quoted often to describe the glory of Kancheepuram, especially the reign of the Pallava dynasty in the period 5th-9th centuries CE. Mahakavi Kalidasa has described, it to be the best among the cities (Nagareshu Kanchi) while Yuan Chwang, the great Chinese traveler, visited the city in the 7th century and said that its people were famous for bravery and piety as well as for their love of justice and veneration for learning. Kancheepuram is one of the seven sacred cities for Hindus. As regards learning, Kanchi stood second in glory only to Kashi ( Banaras).  Like all ancient cities, Kancheepuram is also situated on the banks of a river, Vegavati. From the 3rd to the 9th century A.D. Kanchi was the capital city of the Pallavas who ruled over the territory extending from the river Krishna in the north to the river Kaveri in the south. The Pallavas fortified the city with ramparts, moats, etc., with wide and well laid out roads and fine temples. They were a great maritime power with contacts with far-off China, Siam and Fiji through their chief Port Mahabalipuram. The Cholas ruled this town from 10th century to 13th century. Kings of Vijayanagara dynasty ruled from 14th century to 17th century. The temple tower, 192 feet height in Ekamabaranadhar temple and 100-pillar mandapam in Varadaraja Swamy temple in this town are famous for the architectural techniques of Vijayanagara dynasty. 

Ancient Kancheepuram, the city of thousand temples, is one of the seven most sacred pilgrim centers for the Hindus. Kancheepuram owns 108 temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and 18 temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu besides scores of other temples, mosques and churches and Adi Shankara Mutt. The city is informally divided as Chinna Kancheepuram (little Kanchi), also known as Vishnu Kanchi, and Big Kancheepuram (also known as Siva Kanchi). There are hundreds of temples in the city, of which 14 are Vaishnavaite shrines known as divya desams (sacred shrines). It is the birthplace of PoygaiyAzhwAr and Swami Vedanta desikan. The famous Vaishnava Guru  Sri Ramanuja lived here. According to history records Lord Buddha had visited the place. SankaraMutt( Sri Kanchi Kamakoti peetam)  is the monastery started by Sri Adi Shankaracharya around 2500 years back and remains as one of the center of attractions in Kancheepuram city, inspite of several controversies. Today, apart from its temples, this small town is also known for its thriving handloom industry, traditional cotton and silk saris. The silk weavers of Kanchi settled more than 400 years ago and have given it an enviable reputation as the producer of the best silk Saris in the country.

Let us describe the Sri Varadaraja Swamy temple in Vishnu Kanchi in this article. This is one of 108 Divya Desam’s temples. The temple is very huge and architecturally beautiful.

Kanchi Sri Varada Raja Temple:

While the Pallava kings built several temples in the city, it was the Cholas who built the Varadaraja Perumal temple in the so-called Vishnu Kanchi in the year 1053 CE. The Chola kings shored up the base of the hill to signify a cave in the hill wherein the idol of Lord Narasimha is located in a seated posture facing west. There is a two-storied corridor surrounding the hill with colonnades of uniform pillars forming a central courtyard in typical Chola architecture. During the reign of Kulottunga Chola and his son Vikrama Chola (in the 11th century) the temple was expanded to a great extent. Later the rulers of the Vijayanagara Empire added more halls, embellished the existing ones, and developed the entire 23-acre complex. The architecture of this temple is a marvel characterized by several mandapams including a 100- pillar hall adorned with stone chains. The 9-tiered east tower rises to a height of 180 feet and the western Gopuram is 160 feet high.

Varadaraja Swamy temple is known as Hasthigiri. The name probably derived from the episode of Gajendra Moksham (salvation of the elephant) and from the legend that Indra’s elephant Iravatam in the form of a hillock bears the image of Lord Vishnu. Another legend has it that the original image of the Lord was carved from an aththi (fig) tree  and accordingly the Lord is also called Aththiyuran. The wooden image is kept at the bed of the temple pond and is taken out once in 40 years for worship for a period of 10 days. The next viewing of the wooden idol is supposed to be in the year 2019. The first enclosure of the temple is on the holy mound called “Hasthigiri”. The main sanctum is at a height of 40 feet with 43 steps to climb. In the basement level there is the idol of Lord Narasimha in a seated posture.

The main deity here is Varadaraja  Swamy in a standing posture facing westward, also known as Devarajan. His consort  is known as Perindevi  (Maha Lakshmi). The holy water tank is known as Ananthasaras. The river Vegavati is also considered part of the temple environment. The crown structure over the sanctum is known as Punyakoti Vimanam. There are other shrines in the same complex for Krishna, the Azhwars, Rama. KariamAnikka PerumaL, Andal, and Varaha Perumal  three AzhwArs have sung the praise of the Lord in 7 pasurams. Vedanta Desikan wrote “Varadaraja Panchasat” in praise of Lord Varadaraja. Manavala mahamuni wrote “Devaraja Managalam”. Sri Ramunjacharya also wrote verses on Lord Varadaraja.

There are several legends associated with this temple. One narrates that Brahma worshipped Vishnu at this location in the Krita Yuga. The name KanciIpuram is supposed to have  been derived from Ka (Brhama) and Anjitha (worship). Pleased with the yagna of Brahma the Lord granted a boon and hence He is known as Vara (boon) darAja. Another legend states that Brahma worshipped the Lord in this place without his consort Saraswati. Saraswati took the form of Vegavati River and flooded the place. Lord Vishnu blocked the river flow by lying down in its path. There are two lizards carved in stone in the sanctum plated with gold and silver and are supposed to represent the Sun and the Moon. Viewing them and touching them is supposed to remove any accumulated curse thereby ensuring the welfare of the worshippers in addition to negating the ill effects of the eclipses.

The annual Brahmotsavam is celebrated in the Tamil month of Vaikasi for 10 days. Garuda Seva (procession on Garuda mount) and ratha yatra (procession in a chariot) are important elements of this festival. Adyayana utsavam (recitation of Vedic scriptures) is celebrated in the month of Margashiram (Dec-Jan). NavarAtri festival is celebrated for 10 days in PuraTTAsi month (Oct-Nov) and the grand celebration of Vaikunta Ekadasi is celebrated in the month of Margashiram (Dec-Jan).

Muththuswamy Dikshitar and Saint Thyagaraja sang kritis on Lord VaradarAja. These kritis are generally descriptive of the features, characteristics, and exploits of the deity in question. They invoked the blessings of the Lord in all their kritis.

Lyrics: Muththuswamy Diskhitar

Language: Sanskrit

Pallavi:
varada rAjamupAsmahE vanajAsanAdi pUjitam
anupallavi
muraLI dhara SObhA-karaM mura kharAdi dushTa haram
caraNam
nIla mEgha jita SarIraM niratiSayAnanda-karaM
kAncI nagara vihAraM kALI rakshita cOram
(madhyama kAla sAhityam)
kali dOsha hara tIrtha prabhAva guru guhAdi nataM
kapila SukAdi sannuta garuDa vAhArOhitam

Lyrics: Saint Thyagaraja Swamy

Language: Telugu

Pallavi:

Varada rAja ninu kOri vacciti mrokkErA

Anupallavi: 

surulu munulu bhU-surulu cuTTi cuTTi sEvincE (varada)

Charanam:

vara giri vaikuNThamaTa varNimpa taramu kAda
nirjarulanu tArakalalO candruDai merayuduvaTa
vara tyAgarAja nuta garuDa sEva jUDa (varada)

Whenever we think of beautiful places in India the places generally come to our mind are Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala. Kerala is a small state in India, very famous for its scenic beauty. Thiruvananthapuram is its Capital. Kankyakumari, which is in Tamil Nadu is very near to Thiruvananthapuram. Tourists visiting Thiruvanthapuram can take the opportunity to visit Vivekananda Rock and Gandhi Museum in Kanyakumari. Many tourists including foreigners love to visit Kerala time and again. It’s one of their favourite destinations. Malayalam is spoken here.

Kerala is simply a visual treat and the people are friendly. The train journey from Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram makes us feel the heaven is no where but here and right here. The typical houses with Mangalore tiles and plenty of coconut trees and greenery all around presents an immense joy. One only needs to get rid of the daily never ending work pressure and take the family on a trip to the Paradise. One has to simply enjoy the pleasure of sailing in Kerala backwaters and watch the very attractive snake boat race during the season.

The population of Kerala is 33 million, approximately 1.5 times the population of Mumbai. Its area is 38,863 square kilometres. The state is bordered by Karnataka on its north and north east, Tamil Nadu to the south and south east and Arabian Sea to the west. Thiruvananthapuram is its capital. Other major cities are Kochi, Kollam,Ernakulam and Kozhikode.

There is only one place in India which has the highest literacy,that is Kerala. The infrastructure of Kerala simply can’t meet the ever increasing demands for employment. There is maximum migration of people from this State to other States and Middle East mainly due to this and also due to other factors. The migration of people mainly to Middle East brought lot of wealth and concrete culture instead of the traditional houses in this State.

Classical and Folk Dances:

Kathakali:

 Kathakali is a spectacular classical dance. It’s the combination of dance, music, drama and ritual. ‘’Katha’’ means story and ‘’ Kali’’ means play. Kathakali literally means ‘’ Story – Play’’. The dancers need special skills and plenty of patience since the makeup of the artistes is  a time consuming process. Kathakali is famous for the very attractive make-up and elaborate colourful costumes, detailed gestures and well defined body moments in tune with the music.

Mohini Attam :

Mohini Attam is a classical dance. Mohini means lady. Attam means graceful and sensuous body movements. Mohiniattam means dance of the enchantress. The dance depicts the story of the devathas( angels) and the asuras(devils) churning out amrut(nectar) from an ocean. Lord Vishnu transforms himself as  Mohini and used her guile to lure away the asuras from nectar and gave it to the devathas. Another story is related with Mohini destroying Bhasmusara, the King of asuras. Lord Shiva was pleased with Bhasmasura’s  penance. He granted Bhasmasura whatever he wanted. The demon king troubled everyone due to these powers. Lord Vishnu cunningly killed Bhasmasura by transforming himself as Mohini. This dance form is developed by Vadivelu,one of the Tanjavur quartet.

Theyyam:

Theyyam is also known as Kaliyattam or Thirayattam. It is one of the most outstanding folk dances of Kerala. It’s a sacred ritual dance performed to glorify the goddess Kaali.

Martial Arts:

Kalaripayattu is a well known martial art in Kerala. It means learning exercise of war fight. It comprises strikes, grips, grappling, preset forms, weaponry and healing methods.

Nature Cure and Ayurveda therapy:

Kerala is also well known for Nature Cure and Ayurveda therapy. The treatment may comprise Yoga, Herbal medicine treatment, mud bath, Diet Therapy, Stress Management etc.

Politics:

Kerala politics revolves around communism. The ruling parties are either right wing communist combination or left wing communist combination alternating between these combinations. The industrial development of Kerala is hampered mainly due to communist labour politics. As such Malayalis are forced to migrate everywhere in rest of India and Middle East.

Films:

Many Malayalam movies have won National and International awards. Neelakkuyil(1954), Chemmeen(1965), Swayamvaram(1972), Kodiyattam(1977), Thampu(1978) and Elippathayam(1981) are some of the award winning movies. Ramu Kariat and Adoor Gopalakrishnan are among Malayalam best film directors. Mohanlal and Mammootty are their popular actors. Telugu actress Sarada was one of the popular actresses of Malayalam industry. Sheela and Premnazir set up a world record for their romantic combination as lead pair. Adoor Basi was a  well known actor. Yesudas, a classical Carnatic Musician is their most popular singer in Malayalam films. Yesudas is also a well known singer in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. Yesudas is a Christian. Carnatic Music is purely Hindu devotional music. He is a very popular Carnatic Musician. He had to face many problems in his religion due to his devotion towards Carnatic Music. Malayalam movies are famous for their song picturization and melody of songs. Adoor Gopalkrishnan and Ramu Kariat are very popular movie directors.

Yesudas is a well known Playback Singer not only in India but also outside India. He is also a very popular Carnatic Musician. Carnatic Music is purely Hindu devotional music, 90% of which is written in Telugu which is an unfamiliar language to him. Yesudas is Christian by faith. He had to face many problems from the Christian gurus due to his singing Carnatic Music. He had problems with orthodox Hindus as well being Christian.

Once he was not allowed to sing the praise of the Lord Ayyapan in the Sanctum Sanctorum of the temple by the priests. The then chief minister Sri Achutha Menon said on hearing the incident” Yesudas need not enter the premises, Lord Ayyappan Himself will appear in front of Yesudas when he sings His Praise.”

Temples:

Anantha Padmanabh Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram has become internationally famous recently due to is new found treasure. Sabarimala, Ayyappa temple, and Guruvayyur, Sri Krishna temple are the other popular temples.

Snake Boat Race:

The Nehru trophy boat race is the popular boat race in Kerala. It’s called ‘’ Vallam Kali’’ in Malayalam. It means boat game. The race is conducted on the every second Saturday of August every year and it’s a major tourist attraction. The boat is about 40 metres(120 feet) long and comprises of about 120 rowers.

Food:

Idiyappam, Paal- Appam, Puttu and Aviyal are some of their popular food preparations. Coconuts are available in plenty. As such coconut is used in most of the food preparations.

Festivals:

Vishu is their new year. It falls in the month of April. They believe that their good luck will prevail if they see the Kani on this day. Coconuts,fruits, Konna flowers and cereals are kept in big pots to prepare the Kani. The other major festival is Onam. This festival is celebrated in the memory of the great philanthropic demon king Maha Bali. This festival is celebrated in the month of August/ September every year with great enthusiasm. They also celebrate other big festivals like Christmas, Easter, Navratri, Janmashtami, Maha Shivratri, Ramzan, Bakrid, Muharram etc. like rest of India.

Popular Malayalam Writers:

Thakazi Shivasankar Pillai, M.T.Vasudevan Nair, G.Shankara Kurup, Uroob, Kamala Das, S.K.Pottekatt, Balachandran Chullikkadu, M.Mukundan and Vaikom Muhammad Basheer are some of the famous writers of Malayalam language.

Hill Stations :

Idukki, Chembra Peak, Lakkidi,Chitirapuram and Devikulam are the hill stations here. Idukki is a well known hill station.

National Parks:

There are three National Parks located here i.e Periyar National Park, Eravikulam National Park and Silent Valley National Parks.

Wildlife Sanctuaries :

Some of them are Idukki, Periyar, Aralam, Chinnar, Rajamala, Munnar or Eravikulam etc.

Beaches :

Kovalam is a very popular beach in Thiruvananthapuram. It is famous for crystal clear water. Many tourists frequent this place. The other beaches are Alappuzha, Nattiga, Cherai, Kappad etc. Kerala tourism department is planning to develop 22 beaches including Kevalam to attract tourists.

Readers can have a visual treat of Kerala by watching the following Video by Kerala Tourism Department.

[See post to watch Flash video]

Courtesy: I thank Wikipedia for certain statistics and information.

Orissa unlike many other parts of India has the prized distinction of possessing an uninterrupted series of temples illustrating the history of the well-defined Kalinga (former name of Orissa) from its very inception to decline, and the Sun Temple of Konark marks the highest point of achievement.  Konark, the seat of World famous Sun Temple, located in the District of Puri, forms one of the three points of the “Golden Triangle of Tourism” in the State of Orissa, the other two being Bhubaneswar, the city of Temples and Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath. This Temple chariot of the Sun God on the golden sands of the Bay of Bengal is a 13th Century architectural marvel. To-day Konark is not merely a symbol of Orissa’s great architectural craftsmanship, it is also the most sought after centre of attraction for tourists all over the World. It’s serene atmosphere coupled with a quiet but majestic sea-shore is today regarded as an ideal place for holidaying by domestic as well as foreign tourists.Konark is situated at confortable distance from the famous religious and tourist centre of Puri (35 K.M.) and the capital city of Bhubaneswar (65 K.M.).  The alignment of the Sun Temple is on the east-west direction. The Temple is located in natural surroundings, abounding with casuarina plantations and other types of trees, which grow on sandy soil. The environment is by and large unspoiled. Gentle undulating topography around the Sun Temple lends some variation to the landscape.     

The main Temple was called by European sailers “The Black Pagoda” as it formed an important landmark for them in their coastal voyage. Contrasting to this , the white washed Temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri was known as the white pagodaThe main Temple was called by European sailers “The Black Pagoda” as it formed an important landmark for them in their coastal voyage. Contrasting to this , the white washed Temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri was known as the white pagoda.    

 ”Konarka” , the place bears a name composed of two World elements : Kona meaning corner and ARKA meaning the Sun. The Sun god worshipped in Ark Kshetra is also called Konark. In ‘Brahma Purana’ the Sun God in Ark-kshetra has been described as Konaditya. So it is evident that the place where the Kona aditya (or Kona-arka, the Sun god) was worshipped was also popularly called Konark. It is described in Purusottam Mahatmya that Lord Vishnu after killing the demon Gayasur, to commemorate the glory of his victory, placed his Sankha (cronch) in Puri, Chakra (disc) in Bhubaneswar, Gada (mace) in Jajapur and Padma (lotus) in Konark and they were later known as Sankha Kshetra, Chakra Kshetra, Gada Kshetra and Padma Kshetra respectively. This corner on the east sea coast houses the ruins of a temple, exquisitely built to resemble a gigantic chariot with impeccably carved wheels , columns and panels. It stands as a mute reminder of the times when Orissan architecture has reached its pinnacle.        

The Sun Temple built in the thirteenth century was conveived as a gigantic chariot of Sun God, with twelve pairs of exquisitely ornamented wheels pulled by seven pairs of horses. Majestic in conception, this Temple is indeed one of the most sublime monuments of India, famous as much for its imposing dimensions and faultless proportions as for the harmonious integration of of architectural grandeur with plastic allegiance. It is admittedly the best in Orissa. Its fine traceries and scroll work , the beautiful and natural cut of animal and human figures, all give it a superiority over other temples. The chief quality is its design and architectural details. The Sun temple belongs to the Kalinga School of Indian Temples with characteristic curvilinear towers mounted by Cupolas. In shape, the Temple did not make any major departure from other sikhara temples of Orissa. The main sanctum which (229 ft. high) was constructed alongwith the audience hall (128 ft. high) having elaborate external projections. The main sanctum which enshrined the presiding deity has fallen off. The Audience Hall survives in its entirely but of the other two viz the Dancing Hall(nata Mandir) and the Dining Hall (Bhoga-Mandap), only small portions have survived the vagaries of time. The Temple compound measures 857 ft. by 540 ft.    

A shallow pool of water is known as the Chandrabhaga, where even now crowds of pilgrims take a purificatory bath before sun rise on the seventh day of the bright half of the month of Magha (January-February). A fair also takes place on this occasion. Once in the year the deserted holy place of Surya thus throbs with religious emotion. This is likely a survival of an ancient practice following the construction of the temple. Magha-Saptami is mentioned in the Madala Panji as one of the festival of this holy centre. It is also referred to the Brahma Purnima in connection with the description of Konark.      

As the legend says that, King Narasimha Deva-I of the Ganga Dynasty had ordered this temple to be built as a royal proclamation of the political supremacy of his dynasty.A workforce of 12 hundred artisans and architects invested their creative talent,energy and artistic commitment for an exhausting period of 12 years. The king had already spent an amount equivalent to the state’s revenue receipts of 12 years..However the completion of the construction was nowhere near sight. Then the king issued a final command that the work be completed by a stipulated date.The team of architects headed by Bisu Maharana was at its wit’s end.It was then that Dharmapada the 12 year old son of the chief architect Bisu Maharana arrived there as a visiting onlooker.He became aware of the anxiety looming large among the architects. Although he did not have any practical experience of temple construction, he was thorough in his study of the theories of temple architecture.He offered to solve the confounding problem of fixing the last copping stone at the top of the temple.He surprised everyone by doing that himself.But soon after this achievement the dead body of this adolescent prodigy was found on the sea beach at the foot of the temple.Legend says that Dharmapada laid down his life to save his community.      

The Sun Temple of Konark marks the highest point of achievement of Kalinga architecture depicting the grace , the joy and the rhythm of life all it’s wondrous variety. There is an endless wealth of decoration from minute pattterns in bas-relief done with a jeweller’s precision to boldly modelled free standing sculptures of exceptionally large size. Under the crackling wheels of past events , the Sun Temple has lost its main sanctuary but the remaining structure and the ruins arouns testify till today the boundless creative energy of Orissan artistes and their impresive contribution to the treasury of Indian Art and building technique. Standing majestically on the sandy coast of the Bay of Bengal, the porch, in its solitary grandeur is an eloquent testimony of a gracious and mysterious past. Dedicated to Sun God, this temple was constructed by Raja Narasinghs Deva-I of the Ganga Dynasty was dazzling supreme in the political firmament of India.    

That the fame of the this temple as a wonderful monument has spread far beyond the limits of Orissa in the sixteen century is amply borne out not only by the great Vaishnava Saint Chaitanya’s (AD-1486-1533) visit to the place but also by the following pithy description which appeared in the A’in-i-Akbari of Abu’l-Fazl, the famous chronicler of the court of Akbar (AD-1556-1605).Near Jagannath is a temple dedicated to the Sun. Its cost was defrayed by twelve years revenue of the province. Even those whose judgement is critical and who are difficult to please stand astonished at its sight.”