Allô Chatrath

Respectful salute to 5 Indian martyrs who sacrificed their lives last week while defending the safety, unity and integrity of India. Havildar Hardhan Chandra Roy (Indian Army) ..... Naik Satai Bhushan Rameshrao (Indian Army)..... Gunner Subodh Ghosh (Indian Army)..... Sepoy Jondhale Rushikesh Ramchandra (Indian Army)..... Inspector Rakesh Doval (BSF)..... JAI HIND!

'Respectful salute to maker of modern India - Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru on his birthday.

Here is a song song by the inimitable K.L.Saigal in the film Tansen. This film was released in 1943- the year I was born!Today is Diwali, so light the lamps (Diya Jalao) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR_b-fjaTM0

I am happy to share that my friend of over 50 years and batchmate Vijay Ranchan IAS (Retd)-1967 batch, (ranchan21@yahoo.com) has come out with yet another book. It is a serious in depth work in Hindi.It is entitled 'Krishna Prashn' and covers 18 chapters of Srimad Bhagwat Gita.It is published by www.anybook.org . Vijay Ranchan, you make your Service and your Batch proud.

I noticed this unusual carving at Saravanagelgola. I do not know whom is it supposed to represnt or what is it supposed to convey. Would some knowledgeable person please guide me on this?

Come, visit my India!

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In December 2019, I visited remnants/temples of an earstwhile Hindu Kingdom of 4th to 14th century A.D.- My Son, 4th-14th century A.D., deep in the thick jungles of Vietnam. Write up and photos coming soon on my blog.

The Lakshmi Narasimha statue is one of the most imposing sculptures found in the ruined town of Hampi. The speciality of the sculpture is that it is the largest monolith statue in Hampi. The statue is located on the southern side of the Hemakuta group of temples that stand on the Hemakuta Hill. The unique feature of the statue is the bulging eyes of Narasimha.It is really amazing to note that such a huge sculpture was crafted from a single boulder of granite. The original sculpture had a small figure of Goddess Lakshmi, consort of Narasimha, sitting on his lap. The gigantic statue was vandalized and mutilated in 1565 A.D. during the raid by the Mughals that led to the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire. Now the damaged statue of Lakshmi resides at the Archaeological Museum at Kamalapura. According to Hindu mythology, Narasimha is the fourth incarnation of Vishnu and appeared on earth in the form of half human (nara) and half lion (simha). Narasimha is believed to have the face a...

How little we know of our neighbouring countries and the impact exerted by Indian culture there. Till I went to Thailand last month, I only knew of our Indian Ayudhya which has been in the news for controversy nregarding building of a Rama Temple there. I did not know how powerful impact Ayudhya has had on Thailand. Ayutthaya (officially Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya) is a province in central Thailand, north of Bangkok. Its capital city, also called Ayutthaya, was the seat of the Kingdom of Siam and a prosperous trading port from the 14th century, until it was razed by the Burmese in 1767. The old city ruins, with Buddhist temples, monasteries and statues, now form the Historic City of Ayutthaya. ..... How little we know of our neighbouring countries and the impact exerted by Indian culture there. Till I went to Thailand last month, I only knew of our Indian Ayudhya which has been in the news for controversy nregarding building of a Rama Temple there. I did not know how p...

About 200 year old mural in a place of worship somewhere in Uttrakhand, India, depicting Sudama being welcomed by Lord Krishna in Dwarka...A write up with more photos coming soon on this blog

There is a beautiful church in Fatehpuri. In fact there is a mosque, a temple and a church in the area. That speaks volumes for the secular character of India where adherants of different faiths live peacefully. St. Stephen’s Church is located on Church Mission Road in Delhi. The church was built in 1862, by Anglican missionaries and DPW Engineers in the style of Italian Gothic architecture. It is part of Church of North India Diocese of Delhi. The St. Stephen’s Church, Delhi compound also had the famous St. Stephen’s College and St Stephen’s Hospital, Delhi. The Church is typical Gothic style architecture, the Church is highly influenced by the Romanesque architecture Apart from its ornate walls and ceilings the Church has a unique feature which is the stained glass rose window which is exclusive in Delhi. The baroque styled church has arched windows which allow the sunlight to brighten the interiors. The interiors are well maintained with motifs, pictures, carvings and beautiful ...

With around 900,000 people participating in it, it was a fine display of faith, administrative competence and amazing self discipline shown by the faithfuls....Jai Jagannath! The pillar in the background on the right side was brought from Konark which is around 64 kms away. It is now embedded in front of the entrance to the eastern gateway and is called Sun Pillar (Aruna Stambha), which originally stood before the temple of the Sun at Konark and was shifted here by the Marathas.The Sun Pillar is a monolithic shaft of chlorite with sixtten sides.It is 25 feet and 2 inches in height,2 feet in diametre,and 6 feet and 3.5 inches in circumference.It stands on an exquisitely carved pedestal (made of chlorite) of 7 feet 9 inches square and 6 feet high,and has a capital on the top 2 feet high,over which squats the praying Aruna. The capital is formed of two rings surmounted by a series of lotus petals. The measurements thus give a total height of 33 feet & 8 inches from the ground to...