Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Chennakeshava temple

 Chennakeshava temple -Built by Amarasilpi Jakkanachari



1.Amarashilpi Jakanacharya was a legendary sculptor credited with building many fine temples for the Kalyani Chalukyas and Hoysalas.
2.Jakanacharya was born in a small village called Kaidala, Karnataka. The original name of the town as per records was Kridapura. His life was one of love and dedication to art. His career began when Nripa Haya ruled as a local chieftain of the area.
3.Interesting life story of Jakkanachari :
As per local tales, he left home shortly after his marriage seeking fame in his field of work. He traveled far and wide building many temples and became so engrossed in his work that he forgot all about his wife.Jakanacharya's wife gave birth to his child, named Dankanacharya. Dankanacharya himself grew up to become a famous sculptor and set out to find his father.
At Belur, he found a job as a sculptor and noticed a flaw in a figure sculpted by the great Jakanacharya himself. Dankanacharya told Jakanacharya that the stone which he was carving had a toad living inside which was a considered to be a flaw by the sculptors. Furious at this, Jakanacharya challenged to cut off his right hand if the young sculptor was correct in his assessment of the sculpture.
Dankanacharya chiseled the place where the flaw was present and a toad jumped out with a little water flowing from that spot. Upon testing the figure, the flaw was indeed revealed and Jakanacharya kept his promise and cut off his right hand. Eventually, the two sculptors become aware of their relationship as father and son.
Subsequently, Jakanacharya received a vision to build the Chennakeshava temple in his native place Kridapura. After this was completed, legend has it that God restored his right hand. In celebration of this incident, Kridapura was henceforth called Kaidala. The term Kai in Kannada means "hand".
4. Jakkanachari is credited to many finest carvings and sculptures in Hasan and Halebidu, Karnataka.Each carving is known for its crystal clear detailing and grace.The government of Karnataka confers the Jakanachari Awards to talented sculptors and craftsmen from the state every year to celebrate the contributions of this great architect.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Navlakha Temple, Ghumli Jamnagar Gujrat


In the Barda Hills, you can visit Ghumli’s famous temples such as the magnificent Navlakha Temple from the Solanki dynasty and the Vikia Vav, perhaps one of the largest stepwells in Gujarat. You can trek in the Wildlife Sanctuary, though spotting wildlife is, as usual, often difficult. These hills are also home to the Maldhari, Bharvad, Rabari and Gadhvi tribal communities. The main entrance is from the Porbandar side of the hills, but there are also entries from Jamnagar District, either from Kapudi naka, taking a car up to Kileshwar Temple and hiking down, or from Abhapara Hill. There are no lodging facilities, but camping is possible with permission. Contact Conservator of Forests Office, Porbandar, Tel: 02862242551.

How to get there

By road: Dwarka is on the state highway from Jamnagar to Dwarka. Direct buses available from Jamnagar and Ahmedabad.
By rail: Dwarka is a station on the Ahmedabad-Okha broad gauge railway line, with trains connecting it to Jamnagar (137 km), Rajkot (217 km) and Ahmedabad (471 km), and some trains that continue all the way down the coast through Vadodara, Surat, Mumbai, Goa, Karnataka, to the southern tip of India in Kerala.
By air: Nearest airport is Jamnagar (137 km).




 http://www.jamnagar.org/gopgumli.htm



Friday, September 9, 2016

Virateswar temple of Shahdol


Virateshwar temple is a famous temple of Lord Shiv which is situated in Sohagpur Vanganga., at Shahdol , Chattisgarh of Kalachuri's of Dakshin Koshala!! 

Virateshwar temple is a famous temple of Lord Shiv which is situated in Sohagpur Vanganga. Kalchuri Kings ruled Dakshina Koshala [ ttoday's chattisgarh] between 322 CE and 567 CE to present it to the Acharya of Golkaki Math. 

In the beautiful campus of this 70 feet high temple you will find this beautiful example of Kalchuri Age architecture. When you ascend the five steps of the terrace of this temple, you will find Nandi and Lion welcoming you. 

There is a beautiful bronze of Mahavir, Shiv and Parvati in dancing posture, the bronze of Saraswati, Ganesh, Vishnu, Nrisingh, Vyal, admirable adolescent woman taking out a thorn, fighting men, Lord Krishna playing flute, admirable amative postures accompanying to Kamsutra, Vinavadini, and Ardhnarishwar will absorb you during watching of temple.

Kiradu temple of gujrat- khajuraho of Rajasthan

The Kiradu temples are located at about 35 km from Barmer and 157 km from Jaisalmer in a town situated in Thar desert in the Indian state of Rajasthan.There are five temples in all and most remarkable of them is Someshvara Temple .These temples feature impressive sculpture and a Solanki style of architecture. The temples are called 'The Khajuraho of Rajasthan' due to its erotic architecture. The temples were built during 11-12 century.

Polo city of Gujrat built by Parihar Rajput

Polo monuments ,near idar .north Gujarat .vijaynagar ,Gujarat

The ancient Polo city was built around the river Harnav, an ancient water body spoken of in the Puranas. It is believed to have been established in the 10th century by the Parihar kings of Idar, and was then conquered in the 15th century by the Rathod Rajputs of Marwar.  The name is derived from pol, the Marwari word for "gate," signifying its status as a gateway between Gujarat and Rajasthan. It was built between Kalaliyo in the east, the highest peak in the area, and Mamrehchi in the west, considered sacred by the local adivasis.  Together they block sunlight for most of the day, which might provide an explanation for the otherwise mysterious abandonment of the ancient city.

The 400 square km area of dry mixed deciduous forest is most lush between September and December after the monsoon rains when the rivers are full, but at any time of the year it provides a rich wildlife experience. There are more than 450 species of medicinal plants, around 275 of birds, 30 of mammals, and 32 of reptiles. There are bears, panthers, leopards, hyenas, water fowl, raptors, passerines, and flying squirrels (mostly heard, rarely seen), all living under a canopy of diverse plants and trees. During winter, all manner of migratory birds occupy the forest; during the rainy season there are wetland birds.

Until recently, this area was not well-known, and saw very few visitors. The numbers have increased dramatically in the last few years, thanks to a few individuals working to promote its beauty. This increased flow comes with a price, however. It is important to remember, as visitors, to approach each destination and its inhabitants, human or otherwise, humbly, openly, and with the awareness that every interaction, no matter how slight, carries its own impact on the area whether we know it or not.
Jigna Shah

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Sri Kamadchi Ampal Temple in Bonn,GERMANY.


Sri Kamadchi Ampal Temple in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, GERMANY. 

Dedicated to goddess Kamakshi. 

It was opened in 2002 and one of the largest temple in Europe

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Islamic destruction of Indian temples in Morena -Mandapika Shrine


The ancient Hindu temples of Morena do not date back to any one era. One can find temples from the earliest period of Hindu temple architecture in Morena till the 14th century—that is a period spanning around seven centuries.
It shows that Morena had a deep seated tradition of temple building which sustained over centuries, despite many odds. The seventh century mandapika shrines of Paroli and Indra ki Khiravali show that even in the earliest times, Morena was a great centre of temple architecture.
During the medieval ages, much of north India was laid to waste by Islamic invaders. The Hindu temple was the first casualty whenever an Islamic army attacked. Many ancient temples of Morena survived due to their remote location and due to the fact that no Islamic king could rule long enough to sponsor repeated waves of destruction.

Islamic Attacks against the Hindu Temple as an Institution

This did not mean that the attacks did not affect the institution of the Hindu temple at all. Hindus, like most other deity worshippers did not worship a desecrated murti. Therefore, the first focus of all Islamic attackers was to deface the idols by chipping away a nose, a leg, or a hand. More comprehensive destruction happened in cases where the Islamic rulers stayed for longer durations. Also, in those days, there was no dynamite to blow up the entire place up in a single shot. In most of the raids in or around Morena, disfiguring and desecrating were the only things the invaders could do.
As a result, even those temples that did survive in most of India were desecrated and hence were abandoned by Hindu worshippers. This is also the reason that most Hindu pilgrimages that survive in modern times do not have ancient buildings. They are comparatively very recent structures, some not older than a hundred years.
This accounts for the dichotomy in Hindu temples in India. The really beautiful and ancient temples are not in worship anymore. They are abandoned, lying in ruins in jungles and obscure places, off the beaten path. The temples that are famous and working are all virtually new.

Nature of an Islamic Invasion

Morena also witnessed this Islamic wave of destruction, desecration and defacing of its murtis and statues. Hence, most of these temples were abandoned by the Hindus over time.
The second reason for abandoning these temples was that they were the primary focus for any Islamic invader. When Muslim invaders attacked, they not only defaced the temples but also destroyed the villages nearby, massacred the Brahmins in the templesand slaughtered cows inside the garbha-griha. Living near a great temple was as risky as living near a radioactive area would be now. People fled the temples in order to save themselves.
There was another reason for abandoning these temples. Hindus valued art greatly. Religious architecture in the form of the Hindu temple was an idea which not just the rulers of the country, but the populations cherished too.
Read more at ndiafacts