35 Amazing Facts About India

India, the Bharata is the world's largest democracy. India is the birth place of various wisdom of ancient science, arts and literature along with Ayurveda, and yoga. Ayurveda is considered to be the earliest school of medicine. India invented the number system,arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry and the numeral zero. Yes, India is an astounding, vibrant and incredible land of spirituality too. Many great philosophy, scientific discoveries and traditional arts began in India. After you go through this amazing facts about India, you will surely feel proud of this great land.

Interesting Facts About India

Nuclear Weapon or Bramhastra Destroyed Ancient Indian City

Nuclear power may have been in vogue in ancient India and the traces are now being captured by scientists in the form of radiation.Every war pushes people's lives into obscurity, but a nuclear war holds the power to destroy an entire civilization in an instant. According to many experts, a powerful weapons, such as atomic bomb was been used for several times in in ancient Indian war. And maybe, that type of powerful weapon, was lastly used in the battle of Mahabharata too. This information was first revealed by a Soviet scholars, considering a skeleton with a radioactive amount 50 times greater than normal. 

33 crore deities in Hinduism & the secret of universe

According to ancient Hindu scriptures, the number of Gods is 33 crores. Again, somewhere it is innumerable. Many ask why Hindus worship so many gods or how many gods are actually mentioned in Hinduism. In this article, we shall try to find some appropriate answers to some questions often asked by people. Today, with the advent of the internet, we all know that the Vedas refer not to 33 crore deities, but to 33 types of Deities, where the Koti is a Sanskrit term which means Category. But in today's article, we will know this information in a little more detail and try to clarify some ideas about it.

Image by Drak Code from Pixabay

Nirguna Brahman

Most of the deities mentioned in the ancient vedic texts are the names of cosmic and natural powers that have been addressed as deities to reveal their importance. In order to describe what God can actually be, the ancient sages has described him as Nirguna Brahman. Nirguna brahman means one who has no specific virtue, or who is attributeless, i.e. he is neither calm, nor agile. Neither he has the virtue of forgiveness, nor he determines the punishment for a crime. Two opposing qualities are born from this Nirguna Brahman and in the latter case from which Purusha and Prakriti are manifested And the universe is just a reflection of the combinations and evolutions of Purusha and Prakriti which causes infinite numbers of attributions for this Universe. But I am sure that the total algebraic sums of every attribution would be zero if they had numerical values or magnitudes. 

And this value of zero defines the Nirguna Brahma. In this way the whole world is expanding from nothingness towards infinity. This is what energy conservation law notes that the total energy of an isolated system remains constant. This says that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; far more, it can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another. That is, the same energy can have many forms and qualities. And it changes its form and quality based on time, medium, environment and objects. For an example it is possible to transmit light energy through a vacuum, but sound energy is unable to travel through a vacuum. In the same way, even though God is one and attributeless, he is endowed with eternal forms and qualities. 

Puri Ratha Yatra: Most Astonishing Facts on World Biggest Chariot Festival

Rath yatra celebration is one of the major Hindu festivals held in the month of Ashar. In the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal, the festival is celebrated with special fervor, and it has been one of the biggest festivals in India. Ratha yatra history is much interesting likes its facts.  

Jagannatha Deva, Shubhdra Devi, Balarama Deva

It has long been told that if anyone pulls the rope of the chariot once, he or she will be relieved of many troubles in the afterlife. But we do not know if there is an afterlife, whether there is any more state of consciousness after death or the death is the end of it all But to be honest, the development of civilization is only due to this one desire, that is, the search for liberation from all kind of suffering.

Civilization rises, In the temporary boasting of power, he became invincible. And then, for thousands of years, the sun sets in the west. Again they lost in the flow of time from the bosom of the earth. People have evolved from better to better, but still some habits people have not forgotten today, people still from those ancient times of civilization, cry when sad, laugh when happy, and love their loved ones. All these are the inner attributes of man, and one such path of self attribution is called Sanatan Dharma. The main goal of the religion is the pursuit of absolute happiness, and to be honest, joy and celebration is a unique way to get out of any trouble.

Although the people of this spiritual path chose modern civilization as a source of survival, they did not forget the ancient ones.Today in 21st century , they follow six-thousand-year-old tradition of immersing themselves in a joyous festival called Rath Jatra. This festival is organized to commemorate the return of Sri Krishna to Vrindavan after a long separation, which has been started in the Dwapar era, that is, about 6,000 years ago, on the holy soil of ancient India.

On the day of the Rath Yatra, idols of Jagannath, Balaram, Subhadra and Sudarshan Chakra are taken out in public in all the Jagannath temples of the country including the Jagannath temple in Puri. Then the chariots are pulled by completing the worship of the deities by sitting in three well-equipped chariots. Millions of pilgrims gather in Puri every year to pull the chariot. In Puri, non-hindus and foreigners are allowed to visit the temple premises only once a year. The chariots constructed in Puri are 45 feet high. The procession was broadcast live on various national and international television channels.

Here are a few interesting details about Rath Yatra that that you’ll surely love to know—

According to the Bhagwat Purana, an ancient Indian scripture, if one visits Jagannath Dham on this occasion, one gets the merits of visiting the remaining four dhams. Jagannath Dev is an awakened deity of Kali yuga, who always stretches out his arms to hug the devotees. Jagannath Dev has no eyelids, that is, one who is always looking to his devotees to protect them from all kind of suffering. The work of Rath Jatra started from Akshay tritiya. For about a month, preparations were made for the Rath Jatra through several small rituals and festivals.

 

Unexplained rainfall :

Certainly it will rain once or twice on the day of the festival, although most of the time the festival falls the rainy season in India, but if the festival ever happens during the drought, it will still rain during the festival. So far no such year has been recorded, there has been no rain during the particular day of the festival.

Traveling with the siblings:

As has been said pretty early, it is a date when Lord Jagannath, alongside his elder brother and younger sister, Balaram and Subhadra, is being sent to their maternal aunt's home which is another temple in Puri, named as  Gundicha Temple (or the Mausima Temple), where Lord Jagannatha stays with his siblings for 9 days before coming back home (Puri Jagannatha Temple)!

God comes to meet his devotees:

No god of any religion in the world walks out of his holy temple to meet with the devotees, but Jagannath Dev is such a god who walks with millions of devotees on the day of the festival.

The Puri Temple is said to be a very important worship site for the Hindus in the Kali Yuga that is associated with the existence of the entire human race. The rules and regulations in this temple are therefore also very strict.  This is the reason the Puri Jagannath Temple is said to be regulated by the tightest Hindus committee around. They are always vigilant and cautious about every aspect of the temple. According to history, several times in the past, the Muslim rulers of India took the initiative to attack this shrine, but they did not even touch this temple. Therefore, if you are not a Hindu by birth, you have no permission to get access in this temple, and even if you are a Hindu, you are not allowed to stay in the main shrine premises for a long time. But the Rath Jatra festival is a day when God Himself leaves the temple premises for the devotees. However, the barriers of caste, religion and creed simply vanish on this auspicious day and it is humanity that is worshipped.

New wooden chariot in every year:

Surprisingly, the chariots are made of new wood every year, and the design, height, and width of the chariots are not changed, so the chariots that were made 6,000 years ago are replicated today.

When Lord is resisting movement:

Legend has it that, no matter how many thousands of devotees drive the chariot, Lord Jagannath would be hesitant to reach his aunt's place every time, and spookily, each year, it would refuse to move a bit from his position. Despite the best efforts of the crowds, the chariot could not be moved even one inch forward. It is only after hours of pulling that it would show motion at last! Yes, it's somewhat funny — do it make sense to watch your LIVE television.

King Jagannatha:

Although democratic governments are formed all over India, Lord Jagannath is the real king of Orisa.Even today, the Lord Jagannatha comes out with his chariot on road, only before the king of the Puri dynasty, sweeps the road by a gold mop.

Sudarshan chakra at the top of temple:

The greatness of the Sudarshan Chakra at the top of the Jagannatha temple is equal to the majesty of Lord Jagannath Deva himself, i.e. if one only sees that chakra only from a distance, it is considered as the vision of Lord Jagannath Himself.

Largest community kitchen:

The wood used to make these chariots after the carnival is being used to cook Mahaprasad, that is made up of 56 different types and is cooked in the Temple kitchen, which is the largest community kitchen in the globe and can be cooked for up to 100,000 devotees at the same time. The incredible thing about this is that the quantity of food cooked every day is the same and has never been wasted.

The Ancient Engineering:

This chariot has been built in the same way for over 6,000 years. Follows the ancient method art and engineering, no metal nails were used to build this 45-foot-tall chariot with 14 wheels.

Wood Source:

The wood used for this construction comes from the two forest areas of Dashpalla and Ranapur. Because of the proportion of wood used in these chariots is quite huge, approximately more than twice amount of trees are planted the same time.

Chariot Builders:

From the time of its origin, there are a fixed number of families of traditional carpenters who build the chariots each year, and the tools, dimensions, techniques etc. for constructing the same are passed down across generations.

The English word Juggernaut:

Juggernaut meaning an unstoppable force that crushes everything in its path. This was due to the fact, that in the early days of the Yatra, many devotees would throw themselves under it’s massive wheels in order to attain salvation, Now a days there is a cordon, to prevent such incidents from occurring, but accidents do happen often. Actually Juggernaut means a large, heavy vehicle, particularly an articulated lorry or an extremely large, powerful, and overwhelming force that is impossible to stop. When the British authorities saw the massive magnitude of the chariots beyond imagination, they were shocked and developed this word for whatever is huge and a vehicle. 

It is said that if a good deed is started on the day of the carriage ride, it is a success. Following this belief, on this day many people in India start business or new journey, many enters their newly build homes, and many worship at their institution. Ratha Yatra is a larger than life spectacle and every year lakhs of devotees come to witness it in all its colour, customs and glory. Not just a festival, it is a staunch reminder of the belief and faith which binds us together.

Ancient Connection between India and Australia - DNA Reports

The relationship between India and Australia did not start from the modern era but the source of the relationship between the two countries is hidden in an ancient chapter of erased history. Speaking of recent times, it is true that both Australia and India were part of the British Empire before independence. 

Even both are members of the Commonwealth of Nations. Australia – India ties are international affairs that are also established as a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" between the Commonwealth of Australia and the Republic of India. Beside diplomacy, education, economy there is one more emotional relationship between India and Australia is the Cricket. 

India and Australia have a long history of military connections, when Indian forces served alongside Australian soldiers in a series of wars, including both World Wars, such as the 15,000 Indian soldiers who fought with the Australians in Gallipoli. India-Australia have recently emerged as strong strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific region for security concern from the aggressive policy of China. 

Connections from ancient times

It is true that Australia and India developed diplomatic relations before independence, but in today's article we will discover how these relations initiated on the eve of the Vedic period. When the world believed in one spiritual path that was Sanatana Dharma, the path of eternal divinity, originated in Vedic India.  It is well know the ancient Hindus did travel throughout Southeast Asia, even reaching Australia!  According to DNA researchers, about 4000 years ago, this may have happened.  There were some significant changes how the native Australian population was living.  At this time, the dingoes also appeared in Australia.  

A report of national academy of science

It was thought that the region was completely disconnected after the first people came about 40,000 years ago, before the Europeans moved in the 1800s. However the details studies of DNA of the Aboriginal Australians showed that there has been some movement from India during this period. Experts suggest that Indian migrants may have brought the dingo to Australia. They conclude that the fossil evidence indicates that wild dogs reappeared in Australia at about the same period. According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, They also assume that Indians might have brought stone tools termed microliths to their new home. 

Prof Stoneking to BBC

According to the BBC reports, Prof Stoneking said: "We have a pretty clear signal from looking at a large number of genetic markers from all across the genome that there was contact between India and Australia somewhere around 4,000 to 5,000 years ago."

Further Prof Stoneking said "Our results show that there were indeed people that made a genetic contribution to Australians from India”

Our researches 

Besides the statue called the "Gympie Pyramid," which no one is certain what pyramid really is, when and by whom was it built. There is a report, we do not know if this is true or not, but that a small statue, supposedly, the statuette is of the goddess Mother Lakshmi, we do not know for sure, and have been unable to find more evidence, if this statuette was really found near by the "Gympie Pyramid".  But the statuette found in Australia is similar to the goddess  Lakshmi worshipped in India. What we do know is that according to Ramayana, after Mata Sita was kidnapped by Sri Lanka's ruler Ravana, several search parties went out to find Mata Sita.  One place mentioned, of the search expedition that traveled east of India, that has been identified, is Java. (Yava Dvipam), from here the next identifiable location, is Fraser Island, Australia, because it describes a gigantic structure resembling Mount Kailash, according to Ramayana verse 4-40-40.  Ramayana also tell us that a the builder of the megaliths around the world, a "celestial architect" also built this pyramid, this architect's name is Vishwakarma.  This structure is the home of Garuda the son of Vinata.

Following this route, the next island, after crossing the sea, is Frasier Island, the next landmark mentioned is (beside the Pygmie Pyramid) is most likely the sea shore of Brisbane, it is described as being shaped like a necklace and having white sand. The outback of Australia is a desert, also as everybody knows there is unique fauna only found here, Kangaroos, koalas, platypus, and other different animals are only found here.  It is interesting to know that this vast area was used by the ancient Hindus as a testing area for their weapons, some of the nuclear weapons mentioned in Mahabharata.  As everybody can see, this is semi desert area very different from the coastal areas.  

The ancient Hindus that visited Australia, called this area Astralaya, (very similar to its Latin origin name that means, land of the south, Austral meaning south.  (Let's keep in mind that Latin has Sanskrit roots too) "Astra", means the weapons used and mentioned in ancient Indian epics, "Alaya," this mean home of the..., an example is the word Himalaya, Hima-alaya, home of the ice. According to many, due to its isolated land from the rest of the north territory of Arybarta (Ancient India), it was used as a preparation, stockpiling and testing ground for different types of weapons. 

The Naming root

Well, an European explorer, Matthew Flinders, took the credit of naming the region as Australia, who reached the continent of Australia. It's a little hard to think choose this name randomly ? or just because he came here from the northwest? Or was there a link of local terminology behind choosing this name? It might have been the case that people in the region should have used a phonetically similar word to describe their land.

There are some rituals practiced by the Australian aborigines similar to certain Hindu rituals, also there are images of aboriginal men wearing the bindi on their foreheads, As already mentioned there are DNA markers between Hindus and the aboriginal tribes of Australia. There are more evidence of the Hindu visiting Australia at least 4,000 years ago.

Astonishing Facts About King Jambavan of Ramayana Era

The bear king Jambavan of Ramayana era was actually the king of Himalaya in his previous birth. He incarnated as Jambavan being the son of lord Brahma. In few scriptures he is mentioned as Kapishreshtha. Kapi means Vanaras Rikshas are mentioned as close to Vanaras, but later versions of Ramayana Rikshas are portrayed as bears. Now, questions may arise in your mind, that how a bear and monkey can talk and fight like human? How does a wild animal have human intelligence? behave like human? Then is it possible that the story of Ramayana is nothing but a merely a Fairy tales?

The latest research carried out by anthropologists from the Estonian Biocentre and the University of Delhi reports that the mythological epic Ramayana occurred thousands of years ago in reality. And the Ramayana can be considered as the oldest event documented ever in human history. The outcome of the genetic studies, with available data,indicate the genetic signatures of tribal communities featured in Ramayna, such as the Gonds, are a notable group  in Adilabad district of Telangana. According to scientists, civilizations in the Indian subcontinent can trace their lineage back more than 60,000 years. This can be regarded as evidence of the reality and real existence of the events mentioned in Ramayana that would have happened more than 12,000 years ago. Nowadays, the Gonds, the Kols, and the Bhils are believed to be the ancient tribal communities of the area and have been mentioned in the Ramayana.

It is clear from the Ramayana that due to geographical reasons, the tribes grew up in the different parts of ancient India were divided into small communities. Many of the human civilizations that were developed in ancient did not renounce their traditions due to conservatism. In ancient times, people's relationship with the jungle and wildlife was very close. From wildlife, primitive people learned how to live in the jungle, how to protect themselves from unwanted dangers. Even at present, modern human civilization still can know the secrets of nature from wildlife. By following various wild animals, we have discovered many herbal medicines.

In ancient India, the tribes exemplified some wild animals as their way of life. I think Jambuban was the king of such a tribe. One can trace the presence of Jambavana at the churning of the ocean and he was from the sie of divinity. Jambavan was very experienced and knowledgeable person in Ramayan. He had a clear knowledge of the empire, politics, war strategy, medicine and dharma. He was main advisers of King Sugriva. Jambavana was the great motivators wgo motivate Hanuman Ji to fly across the ocean to search for Maa Sita. Jambavan was so powerful and physically strong, that even Ravan lost his consciousness after receiving a punch from Jambavan at the battle field.
but Ravana's charioteer withdrew Ravana from the battle.

Lord Krishna had a duel with Jambavan in Dwapara era. Jambavan was in the Ramayana period and is considered to be immortal. He had a daughter named Jambavati. Lord Krishna had to fight with Jambavan for the Syamantak Mani. He had to fight Jambavan, not for Mani, but to disprove the charge of stealing the gem. The Bear King Jambavan did not recognize Lord Krishna and started to fight with him. Later, when Jambwant started losing in the war, he called his Lord Rama to help him.
Hearing his call, Lord Krishna had to come in his Rama form. Jambwant became full of wonder to Lord Krishna in the form of Sri Rama.

Jambavan offered the gem and requested Shri Krishna to marry my daughter Jambavati.
Sri Krishna accepted his request. Not everyone had the potential to receive this Syamantak Mani.
Only an honest person could keep this Syamantak Mani. The gem became the source of bad luck and death if it was in wrong hand. Sri Krishna offered that gem to Akrur. Many think that the Kohinoor diamond is actually a small piece of Syamantak Mani. The history of the Kohinoor diamond also shows that the one who received this diamond died accidentally.

No One could Lift His Feet - Some Astonishing Facts about Angada

In Ramayana, Angada was the son of Almighty Vali and Devi Tara. There are very few characters in the history of Ramayana, as strong as Vali. King Vali was the son of Indra and he was for the God's side at the time of the churning of the sea (Samudra manthan). 

King Vali was a great valiant, as was a great ascetic. He was invincible during Treta Yuga. Vali defeated some of the greatest warriors like Ravana. Vaali was blessed with the ability to obtain half the strength of his opponent. Hence, Rama killed Vaali by hiding behind the trees. In Dwapara Era Vali was reincarnated as Jara (the hunter) who killed Sri Krishna with an arrow tipped with a shard of iron from a club borne by Samba. Devi Tara is characterized as the daughter of a royal physician, Sushena in Ramayana, and She was actually an apsara who rises out from the churning of the milky ocean. She was married to Vali and gave him a son named Angada. The intellect of Devi Tara, her presence of mind, strength and devotion to her husband, Vali, is praised. She is hailed as one of the Panchakanya ("five great women"), a recital whose names is claimed to dispel sin. So it seems that Angad was not a man of ordinary character, he inherited the qualities of his father and mother.

Just before the start of the war, Shri Rama sent Angad to Ravan's court as his envoy and give Ravan one last chance to send Sita back to him and stop the war. Because Sri Ram knew the consequences of the war. Which led to the terrible death of many people in Lanka. When Angad came from Sri Rama's side to Ravana's courtyard being a diplomat messenger, ignoring his advice Ravana started to insult Sri Rama and offered him to join him stating that his father Vali, was his friend. Angada however rejected Ravana's advances.

Experiencing Ravana's arrogance, Angad got really angry and place his leg to the ground challenging at Ravana's meeting, if anyone can move his leg even a little bit, master Lord Rama would acknowledge his failure and would leave the place afterwards. Every demon & commanders of Ravana's army and even his son Indrajit tried to lift Angada's leg but none succeeded. Seeing the defeat of all, Ravana himself slowly descended from the throne to try. But just as Ravana was about to grab Angada's leg in order to attempt the challenge, Angada jumped and Ravana fell on the floar. Angad then laughed and said that this challenge was for all the soldiers present at Ravan's meeting, not for Ravana. He advised that Ravana was ready to fall on his feet but,instead he should choose to fall on Lord Rama's feet.

He wants to tell them how you might think of defeating Lord Rama if you can't lift my leg. Arrogance makes everyone blind and this blindness causes the destruction of happiness and peace. Angada even killed many great warriors from Lanka including Ravana's son Narantaka later on at the battleground. It is said that Angad's feet represents the strength of Dharma, which had not even shaken a little by the most valiant and knowledgeable people presented at the court of Ravana. Be strong like Angada in determination and keep faith n Sri Rama as Angada had in his heart. No one can distract you achieving your goal. 

A Mystery of India, Could This be True ?

Valmiki Ramayana and Veda Vyasa's Mahabharata mentioned this place as Siddhashrama. Also this is believed to be the place of birth of Lord Kalki, the final Incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Lost in time, perhaps fantasy too, the legend of Shangri-La also called Shambala, remains to this day! A land of immortals, where death is not allowed, where it does not exist, Other legends, and the search for the eternal continue to the present day. This legend is similar to Brigadoon in Scotland, the town that appears once in a hundred years.

And a rather new legend, from the deserts of Arizona, USA, the town named Desert Rose. The human quest for eternal life, a way to cheat death, could be located in India, in the Himalayas, a mysterious place that even orbiting satellites can not detect, where only the enlightened, wise yogis and sages can reach and enter, this place. Gyanganj- The Land of Immortals, located between India and China, where few can find and visit. This place is hidden in another plane of existence, reason why very few enlightened men can enter. Valmiki Ramayan and Veda Vyasa's Mahabharata mentioned this place as Siddhashrama, as previously said. Here even, the advanced present day technology, can't penetrate its artful, and clever camouflaged city.

Through many years of practicing yoga, meditation, fasting, praying, and Ayurveda these sadhus and sages can live forever and reject death. This place, called Sangri-La, or Shambala by Buddhists, does not belong to either India or China, or any particular religion. Shambala comes from Sanskrit origin, and it means "a place of peace and silence". mentioned in the Kalachakra Tantra and the ancient scriptures of Zhang Zhung, scriptures that came before Tibetan Buddhism, in western Tibet. The wisdom of the world, sacred writings and other mysterious scriptures can be found there. Several books, poems, stories, included at times in TV shows, and famous movies too, have been written about this idyllic city. There is also a famous song about Shangri-La in the west, and other famous and cute songs, from different forms of entertainment. Some travel agencies, both in Europe and USA, have said, some travelers want to book trips to Shangri-La, or some areas of the Himalayas between India and China. Whether true or not, these enchanting places are good for tourism, and for travelers looking for different adventures and mythical town. There is also the rumor that the Nine Wise Men, and keepers of the secret knowledge live in this mythical and beautiful place, where only the good and pure of heart can enter, a place where suffering and illness do not exist, only harmony and peace.

During World War II, Hitler sent more than one expedition to find this mythical place, where his men, and other prominent Nazis planned to escape and stay there forever. Needless to say the German Expeditions were unable to find this place. 

"Shambhala is said to be the land of a thousand names. It has been called the Forbidden Land, the Land of White Waters, Land of Radiant Spirits, Land of Living Fire, Land of the Living Gods and Land of Wonders. The Hindus call it Aryavartha (‘The Land of the Worthy Ones); the Chinese know it as Hsi Tien, the Western Paradise of Hsi Wang Mu; and to the Russian Old Believers, it is known as Belovoyde. "But throughout Asia, it is best known by its Sanskrit name, Shambhala, Shamballa, or Shangri-la the land of paradise." 
Quote by: ancient origins.net.
This special and historical place, is guarded by the Shambala Guardians.

Radha-Krishna, Love & The Legend of Holi - Color of Festival - 2 Min Reading

Here is a beautiful story behind Holi, the colour of festivals. Young Krishna is well known to be playful and very naughty. Story says, in childhood Sri Krishna was insanely jealous of Radha's fair complexion and her heavenly glamour as Sri Krishna himself was very dark in his childhood. He would always complain to his mother that nature did so injustice by giving him a dark complexion, while Radha was given a beautiful and fair complexion.

After hearing the innocent sound of little Krishna and seeing his sad face, mother Yashoda playfully suggested him to color Radha’s face in whatever color he wanted. Always seeking for some fun, Krishna didn't want to lose this chance. Making her one like himself, naughty Krishna applied various colors to Sri Radha’s  sweet face. Radha did not oppose him, all gopis came to her defense, but slowly they surrender themselves to Krishna's augmented character  and started to enjoy the game of color.

This loving game of Sri Krishna and Radha attracted everyone and all the residents of Vrindavan became fascinated with heavenly Maya of lord Sri Krishna and rejoiced in the game of colors. Soon, it became one of the village's most popular festivals and with the development of Sri Krishna's divinity, the festival spread far beyond the country. 

However Krishna was not so dark when he was born. There is also a story behind his dark skin. A demon once tried to kill little Krishna by offering him poisoned milk. The poison could not kill Krishna but made Krishna turn blue. However the devil died for the spirited touch of little Krishna.

Holi has been celebrated with great joy all over India since ancient times. It arrives on a full moon day in the middle of spring. people of different backgrounds and classes attend this color festival, irrespective of caste, color, status, creed, race or sex. By removing all discriminating barriers, everyone comes together and use colored powder on each other’s thus arousing a sense of brotherhood and belongingness in the society. Looking at this day, there seems to be no division among the people on earth. This festival brings love, brotherhood, unity and affection in everyone's mind. 

'Netaji' Subhas Chandra Bose: 10 interesting facts you may not know about him

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose believed that the Bhagvad Gita was the source of inspiration for him. Remembering the anniversary of the birth of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, another hero and pride of India, still inspiring us even to this present day, and forever.

1. On the 23rd day of the year 1897 God gave a gift to India from the hands of Prabhavati Dutt and Janakinath Bose. Since childhood, Netaji was an extraordinary child who excelled in his academic studies, from beginning school, until graduating with a degree in Philosophy in 1908 from Scottish Church College of University of Kolkata. In Orissa Bose was born into a large family. He had been a brilliant child from childhood and was doing very well in studies. From his early stages, he was also a ferocious patriot. In his 1913 matriculation examinations he came in 2nd.

2. His nationalism had come to light when he was suspended from the College of the Presidency for assaulting Professor Oaten for his remarks against India.

3. In England in 1920 he qualified the Indian Civil Service examination. However, becoming aware of India's struggle for independence, our nationalist hero resigned from his civil service job, on April 23. 1921.

4. Being a true and devoted patriot, in his youth, Netanji, had been active in a radical group from the Indian National Congress. Sometime after, Netaji then became President of the Indian National Congress. Unfortunately Nataji was expelled due to some different matters of opinions with Mahatma Gandhi, about how to liberate India, Netaji did not go along with the passive, non violence peaceful plans of Gandhi.

5. During the mid-1930s Netaji traveled in Europe, meeting Indian students and European leaders, including Benito Mussolini. Between the years of 1921 and 1941, Natanji was imprisoned for his efforts to liberate and gain independence for India.

6. Since Nataji had a more action oriented approach to achieving independence, Nataji traveled to Germany, Russia and Japan trying to unite these countries, during World War II, for the purpose of trying to unite these countries and together attack the British and permanently expel them out of India.

7. Netaji reorganized his first Azad Hind Fauj or Indian National Army (INA) and formed Azad Hind Government in Exile with ex-prisoners of war, and other workers from plantations in Singapore, Malaysia, and other Southeast Asia, countries.

8. With monetary, military, and diplomatic help from Japan, Netaji established an Azad Hind radio station in Germany, continuing his efforts for independence. The islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands were liberated, and and came all the way to Manipur in India, by his INA, and Japanese forces too.

9. In August 23, 2007 the Japanese P.M. Shinzo Abe on a visit to the Subhan Chandra Bose Memorial Hall in Calcutta, PM Abe said, "The Japanese are deeply moved by Bose's strong will to have led the Indian independence movement from British rule." Today we fondly remember this great hero of India.

10. Subhas Chandra Bose believed that the Bhagvad Gita was a source of inspiration for him. He followed the lessons of Swami Vivekananda on universal brotherhood and of course the great inspiration, like some of Natanji's personal philosophy, of helping others through social service, nationalism and love for India.

The Scientific and Historical Essence of Maker Sankranti and Ganga Sagar Festival

Hindus are progenitors of a heritage which combined spirituality and science with mystical secrets. The underlying core conviction of Hinduism is that there is only one supreme divinity and all emanates from that One. Simultaneously Hinduism believes the supreme divinity is beyond of number system. From nothing to infinity the Supreme Brahman exists. Every types of divine personalities are the expression of the Supreme Brahman, each reflecting one or more aspects of the divine qualities, duties and expression. The multi-faceted Vedic Hinduism’s original name is Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Order). Our ancients sages (Rishis) thought us the core philosophy of secret in simplest way that the inner core of human life is the combination of Sat-Chit-Anand (Reality-Consciousness-Spiritual satisfaction) and that environmental evolution is not separate from human life.To bring the science and spirituality to life, the philosophical ideas (Vedas) were transformed into beautiful allegorical ancient history.

Every year, on the occasion of the Ganga Sagar Mela, a large crowd of pilgrims gather on the island of Ganga Sagar on Makar Sankranti.The island in the Ganges delta, located on the Continental Shelf of the Bay of Bengal about 100 kilometers southeast Kolkata. The second largest mela after Kumbh Mela is the Ganga Sagar Mela. It's India's biggest fair in Sagardwip, West Bengal, and experiences a large group of people coming in. Celebrated with brilliant vigor and excitement, the event has a cultural and religious importance where pilgrims dive into the holy waters of Ganga to purify their souls.

Astronomical Significance

Hindus celebrate major cosmic changes (In this planet hinduism is one and only religious View that worships cosmology), such as the transmigration of the sun from one Zodiac sign (Rashi) as Sankranti. Of the twelve sankrantis (bcoz , there 12 zodiacs), Makara Sankranti on January 14th is the most significant; the sun passes through the winter solstice, from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn (Makar).

Lets see what history is saying about the origin of this festival.

This sacred place is primarily important for the Temple Of Kapil Muni (Who invented the legendary Book "Sankhya-Darshanam") , the great saint who according to myth was Lord Vishnu. Kapil Muni was the son of Kardam Muni. In ancient history it was said that Kardam Muni wanted to get Lord Vishnu as his own son. Lord Vishnu had taken birth being his son & named Kapil Muni. Kapil Muni’s historical story is related with the story of bringing the Holy River Ganga at this place. The story is something like-
60,000 sons of King Sagar, who was the ancestor of Lord Sri Rama and king of Ayodhya, came at this place searching their sacred horse. The horse were infact stolen by Indra Dev and hidden at the ashrama of Kapil Muni. The sons of King Sagara did not know anything about Kapil Muni, they found the horse from the residence of Kapil Muni and mistakenly they started blaming Kapil Muni. Muni was furious, and his blaze of outrage came out of his eyes which burned the King's sons and confined their souls to hell.

Several years later King's grandson (the son of his daughter) Prince Bhagirath did come to Kapil Muni to ask and pray to Muni to free the souls of his maternal uncle from hell.
Kapil Muni advise Bhagirath that if the Mother Ganga emerges from heaven to earth, and if the divine water of Ganges passes over that prince's body ashes, then only the king's sons will be freed from hell otherwise no. Bhagirath managed to bring Devi Ganga to this place, and the souls were freed with the touch of this holy river of water. According to the narrative, the souls were liberated on the day of "Makar Sankranti"

Still after many centuries people come to this Ganga Sagar to get rid of the pain of their Bad karma (sin) and to earn grace from all over India and world. They take a sacred bath in this divine Sagar and receive blessings and worship the great saint Kapil Muni.

Other astrological and Historical Significance

1. The Puranas state that on this day, Sun is entering the house of his son Shani (Saturn), the lord of Makar Rashi. Such father and son don't generally get along comfortably, but in spite of any discrepancy between each other, Lord Sun makes it a point to join each other on this day. Father actually comes to his son's house for a month. This day symbolized the value of a father's special bonding.

2. Another well-known connection of this day came when Mahabharata, Bhishma, on this day proclaimed his intention to leave his mortal coil. His father had Ichha-Mrityu's boon, so he kept lying on arrow bed until this day, and then left his mortal coil on Makar Sankranti's day. The person who dies during the Uttarayana era, is believed to be free from the endless circle of life and death.

Scientific Explanation

 “Makar- Sankranti” is not only a festival, but there is a secret science behind the festival , after 12 years of research Microbiologists from the Chandigarh-based Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), who had studied the special characteristics of Ganges water have found, some significant mineral and bio changes in Ganga water at the time of Makar Sankranti. The most important point here to noticed that this changes stay only for 6 hours. At the time when Sun starts to enter Capricorn, the specific angle between Sun and Earth allows some unrecognized rays (similar to Crepuscular Rays) fall on earth, the behavior of this rays are normal in any source of water, but magically it plays a wonderful rolls in river Ganga, some good bacteria (Example, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus Reuteri ) are activated automatically with the presence of this unknown rays in Ganga Water. This bacteria are responsible to increase beneficiary mineral entities for Human body. Well I think it’s not the entire science behind this festivals, in future we may disclose more interesting and scientific facts behind this ritual, apart from science, Purana says at the time of Makar Sankranti ,one can remove his or her sins through taking bath in Ganga River. Mother Ganga will rescue Him or her from the system of maya, as Mother Ganga is the elder sister of Mother Mahamaya (Uma) so, one can achieve Mokhsya / Nirbana receiving the blessing of Maa Ganga.

  

Mahabharata much older than we assume,say ASI Archaeologists - Sanauli Excavations vs Findings of BB Lal

The senior archaeologists at the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) claimed on Friday (19 October) in a significant archaeological discovering that the Mahabharata could be as old as 1500-2000 BCE, against the currently believed 900-1000 BCE era, according to The Economic Times reports.

Mahabharata much older than we assume, say ASI Archaeologists - Sanauli Excavations vs Findings of BB Lal
All Images are taken from Google 

The statement follows the observations of last year's Sanauli excavation site, 68 km from Delhi, including the discovery of a horse-driven "war chariot", a rusted bow and arrow, a burial site and ochre-colored pottery, battle helmets, spear, torch and hilt antennae sword.

Sanauli excavation site, 68 km from Delhi, including the discovery of a horse-driven "war chariot"
All Images are taken from Google 

The director of the ASI Institute of Archeology, Sanjay Manjul, who carried out the Sanauli excavation, addressed these findings on Friday. Mr. Manjul said the war chariot excavated was the first discovery of a war chariot and that it was found to be "a horse-pulled one" after advanced research, taking the site “closer to the culture of Mahabharata”. He said that the Sanauli excavations are a missing link to the Rigvedic culture and a symbol of continuity of civilization. In Rigveda, Ramayana, and Mahabharata, chariots are common.

Rusted Sword
All Images are taken from Google 

Mr. Manjul said his group was revisiting Braj Basi Lal's discoveries in 1951-52, having performed excavations at Indraprastha and Hastinapur. Lal had announced that a significant portion of the city had been destroyed by a heavy flood in the Ganga around 800 BC. He had named the time of painted grey ware (PGW) culture based on the relics recovered and said this was the earliest famous pottery linking all the Mahabharata sites including Hastinapur, Mathura, Kurukshetra and Kampilya.

Braj Basi Lal is an archaeologist from India. From 1968 to 1972, he was the Director General of India's Archeological Survey (ASI) and has served as Director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla.  Lal served on various UNESCO committees as well.

Braj Basi Lal 
All Images are taken from Google 

Lal also speculated that the war of Kurukshetra occurred about 800 BC and claimed that during the time of Nichasku, who was the fifth ruler after Parikshit, the kingdom was moved from Hastinapur to Kaushambi, while Udayana, the Buddha's contemporary, was the 19th ruler in the Kuru clan. Udayana would have ruled around 500 BCE, according to Lal's research, after which 24 rulers ruled for 15 years each. According to The Economic Times report, Manjul also looked into the genealogy Kuru kings, starting with Pratipa leading to Dhiritrashtra, Pandu and Yudhisthir in fifth, sixth, seventh ranks, and completing with 36th King Kshemaka, preceded by Iramitra. 

"Buddha's contemporary was about 550 BCE, which was the Kuru kings ' 23rd gen. When you assign the kings an average of 50 years each, which decreases with regular wars in the later generations, the date of the Mahabharata is around 1750 BCE. According to Mr. Manjul the genetic analysis of Sanauli findings is undergoing, Manjul further Manjul claimed that the ASI team used the survey to ensure its accuracy through various scientific techniques including Xray, CT Scan, 3D scanning, photogram metrics and GPR studies. Since the first Indraprastha excavations in the early 1950s, at least eight excavations have undertaken at places mentioned in the Mahabharata, but no definitive, direct or genetic evidence has been published by the ASI to date to determine exact historical facts.

Time: Mahabharata in Artist's Imagination
All Images are taken from Google 

The single war chariot that were discovered in Sanauli excavation site were the first to be discovered on Indian soil before this extraordinary finding such chariots were only found in ancient and Vedic literatures or shown in various television serials.

Many used to ridiculed that such a chariot was merely a fantasy, but the discovery of this war chariot in Sanauli excavation could prove more akin to the reality of the Mahabharata war. When did the war of Mahabharata actually occur, what do you think...??

You may also like, 8 most Interesting Facts That Confirm Mahabharata Is The Longest Epic of All Time

India's Great Tradition of Guru-Disciple - Treta to Kali Yuga

Guru's (master's or teacher's) grace is not showered only upon the learned, but also upon those who serve his feet with a pure heart. India has a great tradition of Guru-Disciple which passed on spiritual knowledge from one generation to the next. Only due to such Gurus and Disciples does the flow of knowledge continue undiminished and constantly.

Be it Guru Brihaspati and Devtas, Bhargav Shukracharya and Ashuras, in Satya yuga, Guru Vashista Guru Vishwamitra and Sri Rama Chandra - Laxman of  Treta yuga. Veda Vyasa and Shuka or Dronacharya and Arjun , Gaudapada , Govindapada , and Acharaya Shankara of Ancient Era. Vidyaranya , Madhusudana Saraswati, Samarth Ramdas - Shivaji Maharaj of the middle ages. Present era's Sri Ramkrishna Dev and Swami Vivekananda or other Acharayas of today; by following and spreading their own Guru's teachings they have expressed their gratitude towards their Gurus. Leading one's life according to the knowledge gained from one's Guru is the real Guru Dakshina (offering to Master) and it is everyone's duty to pass on all that we gained from our Guru to the following generations by means of body, mind and wealth just like the river Ganga, the cascade of spiritual knowledge has been flowing and shall continue to flow through the Guru- Parampara.

However, not all teachers were of spiritual teachers. Teachers for other occupations and vocations were available in ancient India. They were outstanding in different fields like arts, crafts and several professions. They also taught medication,surgery, material science, weapon science,painting,scratching,fine arts,architecture,sculpture and many more.

Chndrayaan-2 - ISRO Scientists Discovered Moon’s Soil in Ramanujan’s Mahalakshmi Devi Temple

Chndrayaan-2 - ISRO Scientists Discovered Moon’s Soil in Ramanujan’s Mahalakshmi Devi Temple. India's space research organisation ISRO India had to go to the famous Mahalakshmi Devi temple in Namakkal with Chndrayaan-2 Vikram and Chndrayaan-2 Rover Pragya before sending Chandrayaan-2 Moon Mission 2019 to Lunar territory. 

Chndrayaan-2 - ISRO Scientists Discovered Moon’s Soil in Ramanujan’s Mahalakshmi Devi Temple

Maha Lakshmi of Namagiri

Namagiri Thayar is a form of Hindu goddess Maha Lakshmi pooja is performed in Namagiri, a city also called Namakkal, in modern Tamil Nadu, India.  In Hindu Mythology (Though Mythology does not fit to Hinduism), she is the consort of Mahavishnu.  

Srinivasa Ramanujan credits his mathematical findings to the Goddess of Namagiri. According to Ramanujan, she appeared to him in visions, proposing mathematical formula that he would then have to verify.

Testing of Lander Vikram

Lander Vikram had to complete several tests and trials on the ground of Namagiri Thayar temple of Ramanujan before leaving for the lunar trip. The surface of the earth and that of the moon are not same. Thus ISRO needs an artificial moon surface and test the rover and lander. 

Testing of Rover, Pragyaan. Image Credit : ISRO

It was necessary to test the rover, Pragyaan, on soil like Moon so that the scientific and technical experiments on lunar surface go without any obstacle and jerk.The surface of the moon is encased with craters, stones and dust, and the soil has distinct texture as compared to earth's surface. The lander’s legs and the rover’s  wheels had to be checked prior to their journey.

Lunar Soil in India ?

The IANS report clarified that importing substance like  lunar soil from the US was very much deal. (the prevailing price was $150 a kg). ISRO needed about 70 tonnes of soil. Now you can imagine how expensive was to import the soil substances from US. But ISRO did not have much capital to invest in this project. In that situation Ramanujan’s Mahalakshmi Devi temple was remembered by ISRO scientists to find alternatives of Lunar soil substances. Many geologists informed ISRO that there were "anorthosite" rocks available in the soil of Ramanujan’s Mahalakshmi Devi temple near Salem in Tamil Nadu that would be similar to characteristics. of moon soil or Lunar soil. Lunar Soil Collected By Apollo Mission
This anorthosite was abundant in the rocks that were collected by astronauts from US  'Apollo' missions.

Perhaps the moon looks so bright from earth due to the abundance of anorthosite on the lunar surface.The ISRO finalized to take  the "anorthosite" rocks for moon soil from the villages of Sithampoondi and Kunnamalai in Tamil Nadu. The rocks were crushed to the necessary size and transferred to Bengaluru where the Lunar Terrain Testing Facility was located and the test bed was formed. Specialists from National Institute of Technology of Tiruchi,  Periyar University in Salem, and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, joined the project, working free of charge. Professional crushers broke down rocks and soil to the sizes of micro grain that the ISRO-led team was looking for. Transporters shifted the tons of this ' lunar earth ' to ISITE without taking any fee.

Image Credit : ISRO

Why explore the Lunar South Pole?

Moon offers the greatest connection to the early history of Earth. It provides an unmodified historical record of the environment of the inner solar system. Although some mature models exist, Moon's origin still requires more explanations. In order to trace back the origin and evolution of the Moon, extensive mapping of the lunar surface is crucial to study variations in the structure of lunar surface.

Water In Moon's Surface?

Proof of water molecules found by Chandrayaan-1 needs further research on the extent of the allocation of water molecules on the ground, below the ground and in the tenuous lunar exosphere to tackle the source of water on Moon.The lunar South Pole is particularly important due to the much bigger lunar surface area here that remains in darkness than at the North Pole. There is a chances of the presence of water in permanently dark areas around it. Moreover, there are craters in the South Pole area that are cold traps and contain an early solar system fossil record.Chandrayaan-2 was endeavoured  to softly land the lander-Vikram and rover-Pragyan in a high plain around two craters, Manzinus C and Simpelius N, at about 70 ° south latitude.