Our Treasure - III

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I wonder how I forgot to continue the series 'Our Treasure' after writing Part I and Part II!

Well...my friend, Shail, did a post on Thiruonam/Onam festival which triggered my memories.  I told her that we had seen a beautiful sculpture of Trivikrama/Vamana at Ellora(!).  During our road trip we had covered Ajanta, Ellora, Badami, Aihole and Pattada kallu at a stretch.  Now, it is more than one and a half years and I am getting confused! This Trivikrama sculpture is at the Badami Caves.  All the three of us, I, my husband and son were so overwhelmed when we saw the minute design of this sculpture, we spent more than half an hour, in front of this unique display of the talent of our ancestors.  Even now, as soon as I saw this, I felt breathless.  Have a look at it now and you too will feel like me!

Trivikrama, a sculpture at the Badami Caves (Karnataka). Notice the fingers, toes, the posture of King Mahabali's subjects pleading with Vishnu/Trivikrama...the Devas are on top...

Another angle!

The whole sculpture is here!

Click on the image and notice the hand holding a sword (on the right side). Such minute details can be seen here.  So many are there.

The story of the sculpture goes like this:

King Mahabali was a powerful, good King, though he was described as asura (demon).  His subjects loved and respected him.  He brought nearly the entire world under his kingdom.  He conquered Indra, the King of the Devas and occupied Indralokha.  He wanted to rule Indraloka permanently.  As per his Guru Shukracharya's advice, he conducted Ashwamedha yaga...a pooja to be the King of Indraloka.  He had done 99 yagas and had started doing the 100th, when Indra's mother Adhiti pleaded with Vishnu to help her son retain the Indraloka.  Vishnu assured her that he would do the needful.

He reincarnated as a Brahmin dwarf boy (Vaamana) and came to the Yagashala, the place where the yaga was taking place.  Seeing him, Mahabali asked him what he wanted, since it was the practice to give anything (daana, it is said) the Brahmins asked during the yaga time.  Vaamana praised Mahabali for his good and peaceful ruling of the kingdom. He reminded Mahabali that his great grandfather Prahlada was a great Vishnu devotee and also praised Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada's father, for his power and determination. 

Finally Vaamana said that he will need just three steps of land which he himself would measure.  Mahabali told him that he is not happy to give such a small amount of daana/gift and asked him to ask for more.  But Vaamana said the 3 steps of land would do.

The King's minister/adviser Shukracharya sensed that Vaamana was Vishnu and asked Mahabali to refuse giving the gift.  But Mahabali was adamant on giving the daana Vaamana had asked.  Mahabali did the sankalpa (sort of promise with tulsi water) and agreed to the 3 steps of land which Vaamana had asked. 

Next minute, the short image of Vaamana grew up in size, so huge that it was impossible to describe in words (which was called as Trivikrama Roopa).  The sculpture shows how the other images dwarfed in front of him.

His first step covered the earth, second covered the sky and when asked where to keep his third step, Mahabali offered his head.  Vishnu did that and Mahabali went into Pataal loka, below the earth.  

Before going down Vishnu gave Mahabali a boon as per the wish of his subjects, he will rule his country for one day a year as their king, every year.  This day is celebrated as Balipadya in Karnataka, Andhra and Maharashtra after Deepawali and as Thiruvonam/Vonam in Kerala (Thiruvona nakshathram/star in the Malayalam month of Chingam...Aug/Sept.).  Onam is celebrated in Kerala (for nearly 10 days, welcoming their King!) with feast, art festivals etc. 

I think I will be writing more about our treasures for a long time!

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Down Memory Lane...School Excursions!

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I was looking at the picasa album now for writing captions for the photographs we had taken during our tours recently.  Saw many photos of school children and remembered discussing about them with my son.  I remember going to Mahabalipuram once, to Children's park in Adyar once and then to Egmore museum once.  I don't remember going anywhere else with our teachers.  I remember it was fun.

My sons had gone to more places than me...like Mysore, Kodaikkanal and other exotic places.

My relative is a teacher in a private school here, in Chennai.  Their school takes the children every year to Maya jaal, Golden beach etc. where children are asked to play video games, make them watch a movie, give them some food and bring them back. I haven't heard them visiting the Vandalur Zoo or museum or Vedanthangal Bird sanctuary, which are educative to the children.  They collect money from the children, use their school bus, get concessions at the resorts and make money.  Nothing is there for the children to learn about anything.  I have visited Vedanthangal bird sanctuary thrice and saw only govt. school children visiting there, all the time.  They were so excited to watch the huge birds there and were taking down notes from the placards written on the platforms.  The teachers also were explaining about the birds.  It was nice to watch them.  Private schools never take this much effort.  Well, I forgot, they take the older children to Singpore, Malaysia, every year.  Do they take them to Acquarium or bird sanctuaries over there? Or shopping malls and game stations? We have got so many treasures here, in India but they prefer going abroad!

Do you remember your school days' excursions? Please write about them in the comment section!

School children at Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, near Chennai

School children at Vedanthangal bird sanctuary, near Chennai

School children at Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur

School children at Badami cave temples! These children asked us to take pictures! Posing seriously!

School children at Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur

School children at Pattada Kallu Temples, Bagalkot dist., Karnataka

Small school children at Alamatti dam, Bijapur

Our 'guide' at Aihole!

A girl 'guide' at Aihole! Our guide had finished explaining about the temples at Aihole and we paid him.  This girl, her brother and some other children were watching intently what was going on.  Then, first the boy came near us and told us that he would like to explain the history of 'Aihole' to us.  We laughingly said, 'OK'.  The boy recited his lesson, without stopping, in one breath! It was fun watching his face.  I should have taken a video! Then, his sister stepped in and started reciting the same thing! Look at her expression.  We gave them chocolate bars.  Before other children started acting 'guides' we ran away! We heard 'saar, saar, naanoo heltheeni'! We didn't look back!

EDITED TO ADD ON 20.4.15:     Times of India link:

Educational consultant K R Maalathi said this trend was worrying. "Schools don't want to take any risk these days. Tours give children an opportunity to understand the world better. If they are not given such exposure they will continue to remain tied to their mother's apron strings," she said. "There is no need to stop trips. One only needs to take precautions."

P Vishnucharan, correspondent of Shree Niketan Patasala School, said it was unfortunate that while the board encourages schools to go beyond the textbook it is now clamping down on field trips. "There is no doubt that safety is of utmost importance. But we should not have to restrict tours based on their relevance to the curriculum," he said.

 I CAME TO KNOW YESTERDAY FROM A TEACHER THAT CBSC BOARD has asked the schools to stop taking children on excursions, unless needed.  Checked and came across the TMI link.

Our Treasure - II

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You must have read the first part of this series about our ancient treasures, here.  The sculptures mentioned here also are at Badami caves, Bagalkot, Karnataka, which was built in 578 CE by the Chalukya King, Mangalesha, according to the old Kannada script found here. (wiki link)

These cave temples are cut from Badami softstone rocks.  You can see the pictures here and in the earlier post.  You can read more details from the wiki link.

I mentioned about the Hindu God, Vishnu's beautiful sculpture in my earlier post.  Here some sculptures of Shiva and others in Cave no. 1. 

Please click on the picture and notice the minute design of the hands, the weapons in the hands of Shiva, the posture of the body, legs, etc. This is called 'Thandava Nrutya' by Shiva.  In this posture, he is called Nataraja, 'Natana raja' King of dancing.  Bharatnatyam, which is the Indian classical dance, the postures are derived from the postures of Nataraja here and from various other temple walls. 

I am not a scholar on Hiduism, so, I am stopping here and just posting the pictures, I admired!

5 ft. tall Statue of Shiva as Nataraja (the dancing pose)  with 18 hands.  You can see Ganesha and Nandi, the Bull too, here.

This statue is on the outer wall of the cave. I wonder where the sculptors stand and do this so perfectly!

I am posting this picture just to show where it is, in the cave.

Nagaraja...serpent god hanging from the ceiling.  Click on the pictures to view better pl.

This image is on the ceiling! The guide gave a story...the sculptors lie down on the wooden ladder/saaram and cut this with broad leaves placed on their eyes which are slightly heated so that just the nerves in the leaves are there to see through and work.  The stone pieces might not fall on their eyes and hurt them, though I don't think it is enough.  We can just admire them.  I saw many many more images on the ceilings here and other places like Ajanta, Pattada Kallu etc.

One more design on the ceiling

This is Shiva with his wife Parvati and his vaahana (transport!) Nandi.  Look at the designs on the pillars and ceiling.  My picture is not this clear.  Thanks to this photographer, I noticed many things here in this picture and his other pictures in the link.

This is Narasimha (Nara, means human, Simha means Lion).  Another avataar of Vishnu.  Notice the designs on the pillars and the corners of the ceiling images. 

He looks relaxed here, not like Ugra Narasimha...angry faced Narasimha.  Look at the details...ornaments and other images on the sides.

The details of this cave are here!

The is the sandstone rock from which these temples are carved.  Really amazing. Many many more sculptures are there.  I am covering only some which caught my eye instantly. 

Let me write more about this cave in the coming posts. Our country has got treasures like this all over.  Let us treasure them.  We should be proud to be Indians. 

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY (TODAY!)!

GANATANTRA DIWAS KI SHUBH KAANAYEIN!

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Our Treasure - I

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Para Vasudeva (Vishnu), at Badami Caves, North Karnataka

'Eega Raja durbarada olage praveshisiri', the guide said and we were asked to enter this beautiful palace hall-like place in the Badami Caves.

It took sometime for me to decipher what he was saying...I was stunned at the beauty of the sculpture...it was mind boggling! I really had a feeling that I had entered a palace!

We had a 2 week visit to Ajanta-Ellora Cave paintings/sculptures in Maharashtra, Aihole, Pattada Kallu and Badami cave temples in Karnataka.

Badami caves were built by the Chalukya King, Mangalesha in the year 578 CE. We can see an old Kannada inscription on a stone here about the period. Badami was called Vatapi in those days. These rock temples (4 temples, one for Shiva, 2 for Vishnu and one for Jain/Mahaveera) are carved out of the soft Badami sandstone on a hill in the late 6th to 7th centuries.

This temple of Vishnu was the best and the biggest and it had splendid giant figures of Paravasudeva, Bhuvaraha, Harihara and Narasimha (all avataras of Vishnu). I will post the other pictures later! The guide said that the avatara of Vishnu here, is called Para Vaasudeva!

A closer picture of the sculpture! Look at the heads of the snakes, the fingers, nails, toes, ornaments, the flow of the anga vastra (the cloth flowing from the shoulder), the way the feet are poised...click on the picture to view clearly!

You can see the tiny figures around the main sculpture here! The snake's body looks so natural, thin in the end and then it becomes thicker on top!  These sculptures go beyond religions!                                                                                       

The 70 feet wide cave in which this sculpture is seen.

The Vishnu temple is on the left. We had to climb many uneven steps to reach there.

The caves were carved through these rocks! Incredible!

This beautiful photograph is by Dinesh Kannambadi.  Looks clearer than my picture!

Many more beautiful sculptures are there.  This post will become tooo long then.  I am planning to do small small posts, so that it would be easy to read.

We have got so many precious treasures here, in our own country.  I regret for not visiting these places earlier.  We should be very proud of our ancestors for leaving treasures like these for us and our future generation to admire.  These cave temples will stay for thousands of years to declare the greatness of our Indian heritage.

HAPPY LOHRI,
(TODAY)

 HAPPY PONGAL, 

(15.1.15)

MAKARA SHANKRANTHI, 

TO ALL MY FRIENDS! 

BE HAPPY ALWAYS!

P.S.: Our Treasure - II is here!

        Our Treasure - III is here!