Gommateshwara Statue
Gommateshwara Statue is
a 57-foot (17 m) high monolithic statue
located at Shravanbelagola in Karnataka.
The statue is dedicated to the Jain god Bahubali.
It was built in around 983 A.D. and is one of the largest free standing statues
in the world. The construction of
the statue was commissioned by the Ganga dynasty minister
and commander, Chavundaraya.
Neighboring areas have Jain temples known
as basadis and several images of the Tirthankaras.
One can have a beautiful
view of the surrounding areas from the top of the hill. An event known as Mahamastakabhisheka attracts devotees from all over the
world. The Mahamastakabhisheka
festival is held once in 12 years, when the Gommateshwara statue is anointed
with milk, saffron, ghee, etc. to maintain its freshness.
On August 5 2007, the Statue was voted as the first of Seven Wonders of India - 49% of the total votes went in favour of it. |
Saturday, 29 October 2016
Gommateshwara statue
Sunday, 9 October 2016
MYSURU DASARA
Mysuru Dasara is the Nadahabba
(state festival) of the state of Karnataka in India. It is also called Navaratri (Nava ratri
= nine nights) and is a 10-day festival with the last day being Vijayadashami, the most auspicious day of
Dasara. Dasara usually falls in the month of September or October. According to
a legend, Vijayadashami denotes the victory of truth
over evil and was the day when the Hindu Goddess Chamundeshwari killed the demon Mahishasura. Mahishasura is the demon whose
slaying by the Goddess gave the name Mysore. The city of Mysore has a long tradition of
celebrating the Dasara festival with utter grandeur and pomp to mark this day
and the festivities there are an elaborate affair, attracting a large audience
including foreigners. The Dasara festival completed 400th anniversary in year
2010.
The Dasara festivities began with the
Vijayanagar kings as early as the 15th Century.A Persian ambassador, Abdur Razzaq reported the Dasara observance (originally
Mahanavami) in Vijayanagara during his mission to India in his book entitled Matla-us-Sadain
wa Majma-ul-Bahrain (The Rise of the Two auspicious constellations and the
Confluence of the Two Oceans), a major work which contained an overview of the
history of this part of the world from 1304 to 1470.
After the fall of the Vijayanagar
kingdom, the Wodeyars of Mysore continued the Dasara Festival, initially by Raja Wodeyar I (1578-1617
CE) in the year 1610 at Srirangapatna. The Mysore Palace is illuminated on
all the 10 days of Dasara. Chamundi Hill at Mysore. This would be
followed by a special durbar (royal assembly). It was during the reign
of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III in the year 1805, when the king started the
tradition of having a special durbar in the Mysore Palace during Dasara;
which was attended by members of the royal family, special invitees, officials
and the masses. After the death of Srikanta Wadiyar in December 2013,
this tradition has been continued by placing the “Pattada Katti” (royal sword) on
the golden throne.The ninth day of Dasara called as Mahanavami is also an
auspicious day on which the royal sword is worshipped and is taken on a
procession involving elephants, camels and
horses.
Lighting at Mysore Palace
The main attraction of the ten-day
Mysore Dasara festival is the Mysore Palace which is
illuminated daily with nearly 100,000 light bulbs from 7 pm to 10 pm on all
days of the festival. Nearly ₹10 million is spent towards maintenance of its
illumination alone every year. Various cultural and religious programs
highlighting the dance, music and culture of the State of Karnataka are
performed in front of the illuminated Palace.
Procession
On Vijayadashami, the traditional Dasara
procession (locally known as Jumboo Savari) is held on the streets of Mysore city. The main attraction of
this procession is the idol of the Goddess Chamundeshwari which is placed on a
golden mantapa (which is around 750 kilograms
of gold) on the top of a decorated elephant. This idol is worshipped by the
royal couple and other invitees before it is taken around in the procession.
Colourful tableaux, dance groups, music bands, decorated elephants, horses and
camels form a part of the procession which starts from the Mysore Palace and culminates at a place called
Bannimantap where the banni tree (Prosopis spicigera)
is worshipped. According to a legend of the Mahabharata, banni tree was used by
the Pandavas to hide their weapons during
their one-year period of Agnatavasa (living life incognito). Before
undertaking any warfare, the kings traditionally worshipped this tree to help
them emerge victorious in the war. The Dasara festivities would culminate on
the night of Vijayadashami with an event held in the
grounds at Bannimantap called as Panjina Kavayatthu (torch-light
parade).
In Mysore, India, the Vijayadashami
Elephant procession during Mysore Dasara is called Jumbo Savari (from the
British during their control of Mysore State). The original name to this
procession is Jumbi Savari ("going to the Shami (Banni)
tree"). Now Goddess Chamundeshwari is taken in procession on an Elephant.
But the "Jumbo" name is still intact.
After the Jamboo Savari, a torchlight
parade takes place in the evening at the Bannimantap Parade Grounds.
|
Friday, 15 April 2016
Goddess Bhuvaneshwari devi
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