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Guruvayoor temple

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On a multi day motorcycle journey from Bangalore via Tamilnadu to Kerala. I was blessed to have Darshan of Lord Guruvayoorappan, a form of Vishnu worshipped in Kerala and Tamilnadu. He is the presiding deity of Guruvayoor temple, who is being worshiped as Shri Krishna in His child form (Balagopalan), popularly known as Guruvayur Unnikkannan (Guruvayur baby Krishna).  Guruvayoor temple is also known as ‘Bhoolokavaikunta’ or ‘Paradise on Earth’. Per legend, this temple was constructed almost 5000 years back, at the time of Lord Krishna by celestial architect Vishwakarma himself. It is believed that the deity of Guruvayoorappan represents the purna rupa (full manifestation) of four-armed Vishnu revealed by baby Krishna to His parents, Devaki and Vasudeva, immediately after His advent in Kamsa’s jail. This idol was, therefore, worshipped by the parents of Krishna, and later was worshipped by Krishna, an Avatar of Vishnu Himself. So baby Krishna is worshipped on a Vishnu deity. Lord Kr...
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Goa is a state of mind

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Goa is a state of mind. I am lucky, to visit goa three times in just a span of 30 days, for three different reasons. One for a leadership event. One for a college reunion. Other is for a motorbiker event. And I get energized seeing the golden sunset on the Arabian sea, the swaying palm leaves of the coconut trees, the smell of spicy food, beautiful Portuguese monuments and the warm hospitality of the local Goan folk. Goa is the smallest state in India. Its second highest in HDI and the richest state by per capita income. It was a Portuguese colony (like Brazil & Macau) for close to 400 years and got liberated and integrated to the Indian union of states in 1961. Goas language is Konkani.  Goa is visited by large numbers of international and domestic tourists each year because of its soft sand beaches, active nightlife, places of worship, and World Heritage-listed architecture. It also has rich flora and fauna because it lies very close to the North Western Ghats rainforests, on...
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Honouring our Ancestors, our duty

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  Many cultures around the world honour their ancestors with festivals. Hungry ghost (China), Obon (Japan), Chiseok (Korea), Día de Los Muertos (Mexico), All Saints or All soul's day (Europe), Samhain (Ireland & Scotland) etc. Even Halloween was originally meant to be a festival to appease the spirits of your ancestors with its origins from the Irish Samhain festival. In India, today 2nd October, is Pitru Paksha Mahalaya Amavasya, the holiest day for honouring the ancestors without whom we would not be there in this world. I Did some Hindu rites in the morning remembering and symbolically feeding 3 generations of ansectors both men and women, both on my father's and mother's side. It made me wonder, how all of them directly contributed to making me who i am with thier genes inside me. Imagine the struggles, our ancestors might have gone through to bring us up. Wow. Thank you all. 1. Tupil Vedanta Desikar   I trace my paternal lineage to Tupil Vedanta Desikar - a poet sa...
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Madurai - Athens of the East

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Madurai has several epithets - Athens of the East, Temple city, Sleepless City Madurai is perhaps among the oldest cities in the world and in India after Kasi, Varanasi with a recorded history a history of over 3000 years. Travellers in Ancient Greece, Rome, China have recorded Madurai for its wealth, spices, trading links. As early as the 3rd century BC, Greek traveller Megasthanes visited Madurai It is known as the "Athens of the East" because of its similarities to Athens, Greece including Elevated structures. The Gopurams of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple are visible from anywhere in the city, similar to the Greek Pantheon in Athens.Its Rich cultural heritage and architectural splendor. It's one of India's most popular Hindu pilgrimage centers and is home to many notable sites. And its origins date back to the Sangam period, OVER 3000+ years, a golden age of Tamil literature, and it's thought to be one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world.  Madurai ...
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Tiruvannamalai - Ancient Panchboota Shiva shrine

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In Tamil language, "Anbe Sivam", means "Love is God" meaning, being compassionate, loving and serving fellow human beings is considered akin to God.  Tiruvannamalai is a beautiful and ancient temple town dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is named after the central deity Annamalaiyar or Lord Arunachalam. Its in Tamil Nadu, about 200kms south east of Bangalore and 100kms west of Pondichery. It took me almost 8 hours to drive on my motorbike slowly from Bangalore in day and night through forested areas with lots of breaks. The temple complex covers an area of 25 acres, and is one of the largest temples in India. It houses four gateway towers known as gopurams. The tallest is the eastern tower, with 11 stories and a height of 66 m (217 ft), making it one of the tallest temple towers in India. How ancient is this location? It predates Lord Rama in Tretha Yuga. Conservatively speaking over 10,000 years old. Tiruvannamalai has been ruled by the Pallavas, the Medieval Cholas, the...
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