VIRUPAKSHA TEMPLE

Virupaksha Temple Is located in Hampi  350 km from Bangalore, in the state of Karnataka in southern India. It is part of the Group of Monuments at Hampi, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Virupaksha is a form of Shiva and has other temples dedicated to him, notably at the Group of Monuments at Pattadakal, another World Heritage Site.

Hampi sits on the banks of the Tungabhadra River in the ruins of the ancient city of Vijayanagar, capital of the Vijayanagara empire. Virupaksha Temple is the main center of pilgrimage at Hampi and has been considered the most sacred sanctuary over the cenituries. It is fully intact among the surrounding ruins and is still used in worship. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, known here as Virupaksha, as the consort of the local goddess Pampa who is associated with the Tungabhadra River. There is also a powerful Virupakshini amma temple (mother goddess) in a village called Nalagamapalle, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, approximately 100 km from Tirupati.

HISTORY

The temple's history is uninterrupted from about the 7th century. The Virupaksha-Pampa sanctuary existed well before the Vijayanagara capital was located here. Inscriptions referring to Shiva date back to the 9th and 10th centuries. What started as a small shrine grew into a large complex under the Vijayanagara rulers. Evidence indicates there were additions made to the temple in the late Chalukyan and Hoysala periods, though most of the temple buildings are attributed to the Vijayanagar period.

Under the Vijayanagara rulers, in the middle of the 14th century, there began a flowering of native art and culture. When the rulers were defeated by invaders in the 16th century, most of the wonderful decorative structures and creations were systematically destroyed.

The cult of Virupaksha-Pampa did not end with the destruction of the city in 1565. Worship there has persisted throughout the years. At the beginning of the 19th century there were major renovations and additions, which included ceiling paintings and the towers of the north and east gopura.

ARCHITECTURE

The progressively diminishing superstructure is made with brick and mortar. All around the exterior of the first tier spots many interesting stucco figures. You may get to some distance from the base of the tower to see all of them.The original worship place was only a few separate humble shrines (believed to be as old as 7th century) housing the image of the god and the goddesses. Over the centuries the temple gradually expanded into a sprawling complex with many sub shrines, pillared halls, flag posts, lamp posts, towered gateways and even a large temple kitchen. You access the temples main entrance tower through the chariot street in front now popularly called the Hampi Bazaar.

This east facing giant tower (Gopura) leads you the first courtyard of the temple complex. This pastel painted 9 storied tower with a pair of cow horn like projections on top is the most prominent landmark in Hampi. The lower two tiers of the tower is made of decorated stone work.

FESTIVAL

The temple continues to prosper and attracts huge crowds for the betrothal and marriage festivities of Virupaksha and Pampa in December.

In the month of February the annual chariot festival is celebrated here.

LOTUS TEMPLE

       The LOTUS TEMPLE , located in New Delhi, India, is a Bahá'í House of Worship completed in 1986. Notable for its flower like shape, it serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent and has become a prominent attraction in the city. The Lotus Temple has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles.

        Lotus Temple is one of the remarkable architectures of Bahai faith. It is located at Kalkaji in New Delhi. The temple looks like a lotus flower and is made of marble, cement, dolomite and sand. The temple has no restrictions for visitors and is open to people from all religions. The place provides immaculate environment for meditation, peace and wisdom. The Bahai temple was completed in 1986. Since then the temple has received recognition from all over the world for its splendid architecture and design. Lotus Temple is among the most visited monuments in India. The credit for building this beautiful structure goes to the Persian architect Fariborz Sahba from Canada.

       Personifying Lotus in the temple does not merely mean giving a lotus shape to the edifice but it has a message to the people of India in the form of a manifestation from the almighty. Lotus is a symbol of peace, purity, love and immortality. It is this particular specialty of Lotus flower which makes the flower an important icon in Indian culture and society. This is why the design of Lotus temple has been inspired by lotus flower.

       The design looks like a half opened Lotus flower with 27 freestanding "petals" made of marble. The architect, while designing the temple took into account the eternal beauty of Lotus flower. The construction work took almost 10 years before it finally got shape and was open for public. The team comprised of 800 engineers, technicians, workers and artisans who worked diligently to give realization to one of the most complex edifices in the world. The temple integrates the aesthetic values along with the technological influence within the whole structure. There are nine reflecting pools that encompass the temple from outside. Converting the geometry of the design that did not have any straight line to the actual structure needed a lot of effort and dedicated engineering.

       The temple has the capacity to accommodate nearly 2500 people and has nine doors that open in a central hall. The whole structure is made of white marble that adds to the glory of the temple. It is about 40 meters tall surrounded by nine ponds and appears as if the temple is floating like a Lotus flower in water.

AWARD

Award given to the architect Mr. Sabha in the year 1987 from International Federation for Art and Architecture, USA.
Award for the structural design by the Institute of Structural Engineers in UK.
The Citation Award for personifying the visual impact of the beautiful Lotus flower.

Accreditation for its outdoor illumination in the year 1988.

American Concrete Institute Award for being one of the most artistically built concrete structures.
In the year 2000 it received the "Glob Art Academy Award" from Glob Art Academy in Vienna.
So, whenever you visit Delhi, do not forget to see this particular masterpiece which offers a strong message of wisdom, peace and tranquility.

TOURISM

          Since its inauguration to public worship in December 1986, the Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi has, as of late 2002, attracted more than 50 million visitors, making it one of the most visited buildings in the world. Its numbers of visitors during those years surpassed those of the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal. On Hindu celebration days and holy days, it has drawn as many as 150,000 people in one day.

         This House of Worship is generally referred to as the "Lotus Temple". In India, during the Hindu festival Durga Puja, several times a replica of the Lotus Temple has been made as apandal, a temporary structure set up to venerate the goddess Durga.  In Sikkim a permanent replica is of the Hindu Legship Mandir, dedicated to Shiva.

IF YOU WISH TO SEE THE BEAUTY OF ARCHITECTURE !!!

COME AND SEE THE LOTUS TEMPLE......

HAWA MAHAL

Hawa Mahal "Palace of Winds" or "Palace of the Breeze"), is a palace in Jaipur, India, so named because it was essentially a high screen wall built so the women of the royal household could observe street festivities while unseen from the outside. Constructed of red and pink sandstone, the palace sits on the edge of the City Palace, and extends to the zenana, or women's chambers.

Hawa Mahal is a marvellous structure within the red associated with Indian, Jaipur. Hawa Mahal had been constructed through Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh within 1799. Hawa Mahal has got the type of overhead associated with Krishna as well as had been created by learn builder Lal Chand Usta. This is a 5 varied framework and it has 953 home windows. These types of home windows, referred to as Jharokas this a glance for a honeycomb from the beehive. The objective of this kind of style was going to help regal women to see town living without having to be observed through other people when it was normal to allow them to notice stringent "purdah". Hawa Mahal is made associated with red-colored sandstone and it is situated in a occupied industrial middle associated with Jaipur. Hawa Mahal whenever observed morning hours provides a spectacular see bathed within fantastic dawn.

HISTORY

           Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh had been additionally accountable for the actual fantastic preparing as well as improvement Jaipur town within 1727. It had been the actual grand son associated with Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, Sawai Pratap Singh who had been the actual boy associated with Maharaja Sawai Madhosingh We who else constructed the actual Hawa Mahal within 1799. Pratap Singh had been a good hardcore lover associated with God Krishna. This particular immortal loyalty with regard to God Krishna influenced Pratap Singh to create Hawa Mahal in the honor. Although you will find absolutely no apparent data of all time it really is considered which Hawa Mahal had been created for regal women to possess a glance associated with occupied town living without having to be noticed through other people. The actual regal group of Jaipur additionally utilized Hawa Mahal like a summer time escape. Throughout the very hot summer season the actual incredibly created windowpane displays associated with Hawa Mahal supplied awesome air flow that supplied a lot rest from the actual extreme temperature from the summer season.

          

The palace is a five-story pyramidal shaped monument that rises 50 feet (15 m) from its high base. The top three floors of the structure have a dimension of one room width while the first and second floors have patios in front of them. The front elevation, as seen from the street, is like a honeycomb web of a beehive, built with small portholes. Each porthole has miniature windows and carved sandstone grills, finials and domes. It gives the appearance of a mass of semi-octagonal bays, giving the monument its unique façade. The inner face on the back side of the building consists of need-based chambers built with pillars and corridors with minimal ornamentation, and reach up to the top floor. The interior of the Mahal has been described as "having rooms of different coloured marbles, relieved by inlaid panels or gilding; while fountains adorn the centre of the courtyard".

VISITOR INFORMATION

The palace, called the "specimen of fanciful architecture", is located to the south of the Jaipur city, at the main road intersection called the Badi Chaupad (big four square). Jaipur city is well connected by road, rail and air links with the rest of the country.  Jaipur Railway Station is a central main station on the broad gauge line of the Indian Railways. As well, Jaipur is connected by major highways, and by the International Airport at Sanganer, at a distance of 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from the city.

Entry to the Hawa Mahal is not from the front but from a side road to the rear end. Facing the Hawa Mahal, turning right and again to the first right, leads to an archway entry and then to the rear side of the building.

It is particularly striking when viewed early in the morning, lit with the golden light of sunrise

DUDHSAGAR WATERFALLS

Dudhsagar Falls (literally Sea of Milk ) is a four-tiered waterfall located on the Mandovi River in the Indian state of Goa. It is 60 km from Panaji by road and is located on the Madgaon-Belgaum rail route about 46 km south of Madgaon and 60 km north of Belgaum. Dudhsagar Falls is among st India's tallest waterfalls with a height of 310 m(1017 feet) and an average width of 30 metres. 

            The entrance to the waterfall is from Collem through the forest department gate. Ticket sales are stopped at 3 PM.  The major highlight of the resort is Eco Classic Tent, which is appointed with all the essential amenities.  

 History: -

               of this fall is Legend has it that a beautiful princess lived in the forest on the edge of the King's palace grounds. She enjoyed bathing in a lake nearby and ritually drank sweetened milk from a Golden Jug upon finishing with her bath. One day while enjoying her jug of milk she found herself being watched by a handsome prince standing amongst the trees. Red with embarrassment at her inadequate bathing attire, the Princess poured the jug of milk in front of her to form an improvised curtain to hide her body, while one of the maids rushed to cover her with a dress.

The sweetened milk cascades down the mountain slope to this day as tribute to the virtue and modesty of the Princess.  The magnificent Dudhsagar Waterfall is perched in the high peaks of the Western Ghats and is a sight to behold especially in the monsoons when it is in full and furious flow. From a distance, the waterfall appears like streams of milk rushing down the mountainside. The exhuberent and spectacular waterfall is located in the Sanguem taluka.

Measuring a mighty 600m from head to foot, this waterfall on the Goa-Karnataka border, attracts a steady stream of visitors from the coast into the rugged Western Ghats. After pouring across the Deccan plateau, the headwaters of the Mandovi River form a foaming torrent that splits into three streams to cascade down a near-vertical cliff face into a deep green pool.

The Konkani name for the falls, which literally translated means "sea of milk", derives from clouds of milky foam which rises up at the bottom of the falls. Dudhsagar is set amidst breathtaking scenery overlooking a steep, crescent-shaped head of a valley carpeted with pristine tropical forest, that is only accessible on foot or by train.

Like most places in Goa, the Dudhsagar waterfall too has a legend attached to its name. The legend tells the story of this powerful and wealthy king who ruled a kingdom in the Western Ghats. His lavish and opulent palace in the hills was surrounded by vast gardens which were full of deers and gazelles. 

Climate :- 

           The most pleasant weather is to be experienced between November and February. March to May can be warm and uncomfortably humid. The Monsoon months of June to September, are the most scenic when the entire area is lush and green, however during these months the access to the waterfalls could be cut off due to flooded rivers and huge quantities of water cascading down the falls.

Flora and fauna:-

The area is a wild and scenic deciduous forest and an ardent Bird watchers paradise. Many species of birds, insects, plants and animal abound here.

The fauna found in the sanctuary is as follows: Gaur, Panther, Spotted Deer, Mouse Deer, Barking Deer, Wild Boar, Porcupine, Wild Dog, Leopard Cat, Sambar, Bonnet Macaque, Common Langur, Jungle Cat, Civet, Flying Squirrel, Malabar Giant Squirrel, Pangolin, Slender Loris, etc. Occasionally, Tigers have also been seen, but the area is famous for King cobras though other snakes found are Python, Krait, Viper etc. as well as non-poisonous snakes. About 200 species of birds are found in the sanctuary of which the better known ones are Indian Black Woodpecker, the Malabar Pied Hornbill, Paradise Fly Catcher, Fairy Blue Bird, Drongo, Wag tails, Barbets, Great Indian Horn Bill, Kingfishers, Shrikes, Emerald Dove, Grey Jungle Fowl etc.

By and large sightings of wild animals on the trails leading to the Waterfalls are poor due to human activity, however what you will see plenty of are monkeys of various types, who scamper down the steep slopes to greet visitors. Feeding of monkeys is prohibited and will incur a fine if found guilty.

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is one of the most wonderful tourism destinations in India and is aptly 

considered one of the greatest wonders of the world. People all over the world desire to see the grandeur of the Taj Mahal and only a lucky few get to see this wonder in marble. The Taj Mahal signifies and glorifies human love, has withstood the test of time, and still stands in all its glory. Emperor Shahjahan has firmly put Agra on the travel and tourism map of the world.

The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleumlocated in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage".

Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indianarchitectural styles.

In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar component of the Taj Mahal, it is actually an integrated complex of structures. The construction began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen.The construction of the Taj Mahal was entrusted to a board of architects under imperial supervision, including Abd ul-Karim Ma'mur Khan, Makramat Khan, and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. Lahauri is generally considered to be the principal designer.

Come, walk along the pathway beside the reflecting pool with fountains upto the mausoleum crafted in soft & pure marble and jewelled with semi precious stones, where in the serenity of paradise rests the Queen in peace with her King. Come to unfold the pages from the past to churn the charm out of its mystique and enrich your imagination about this marvel of an epic in stone, The Taj!

The grace of perfection of proportions and grandeur of geometrical patterns of well appointed gardens enhancing the poise of the whole complex together add magnificence to the delicacy of this mance of love, dedication and purity, ‘The Taj’! 

Come take a dip into the saga of ‘The Taj’, culled out from no fiction but facts and unfurl a saga, which is set out of nothing but pure love! 

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder! Probably for Taj Mahal, the axiom is just the other way round.The Taj is the beauty personified! The Taj displays its different moods through its varied shades. The Taj has as many shades as any kind of beauty can ever have! The Taj is pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening, golden when the moon shines and the intermediary variants during different hours of the day and during different seasons in a year.

Picturesque descriptions by the historians contemporary to the period of its making, the facts revealed by the scholars & archaeologists of today and the panoramic montage of the reasons behind its making are sketched with every step you would walk towards the mausoleum the next time you visit The Taj! 

A look this time at the Taj will keep you indulged with thoughts superimposing your sight and would make you feel the presence of Shah Jahan, the Maker and Mumtaz Mahal, the Reason, as though walking along with you

Whence its breathtaking splendour makes you wonder breathlessly and you tend to pause for a while but to continue staring at ‘The Taj’, you would sense them standing beside you! 

If one has a heart that beats and that beat throbs to seek, the purity of love in galore! Surely one deserves a visit to ‘The Taj’, as much as ‘The Taj’ deserves your visit once, and more!

Come to ‘The Taj’ with blissful pride! Bring the saga come alive!! Come; fall in love, every time!!!