This temple is called Uchhi Pillayar, meaning Ganpati at the top. The temple is on top of a Droog (steep rock). It served as a fortification and was a scene of many battles involving the Vijayanagara empire, Nayaks of Madurai, Nawabs and the British. The rock is 83 mts tall. The Ganapati temple on top of the hill, another Ganapati temple at the foothills and a rock cut Shiva temple are among the most visited in the city. Rockfort is also a popular evening spot due to the strong breeze on top and as the rockfort offers commanding views of the Cauvery river, the agricultural fields and the Srirangam temple.

Source:

PicureCredit: SR Ramanujam

Kala Ram temple in Nashik is a famous temple which was constructed in the 18th century by the Peshwas. It is so called because of the pitch black stone from which the deities are made. The temple probably existed from earlier times. It was reclaimed from invaders and the present grand structure was constructed by the Peshwas. There are puranic references that indicate a temple existed in this spot about 800 years ago.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.

Picture Credit
Ramanujam

Shabri ran away from her wedding to save the lives of several animals which were earmarked for sacrifice during her wedding. She took shelter in Pampa Sarovar. Matang Rishi was using the Sarovar till then. His disciples were not comfortable with Shabri, a woman, sharing the area with monastic disciples. However Matang Rishi realized that Shabri has been blessed by Vishnu himself. He requested her to move to Suriban (Surevan) and promised that Vishnu in the avatar of Rama would visit her and share her food. He also gave her the important task of pointing Rama to Pampa Sarovar where he would find Sugreeva.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.

Picture Credit
karnatakatravel.blogspot.com201201shabari-kolla

Kautilya considered republics as invincible through war. The republic was considered a nation-in-arms. The whole community was their army compared to hired soldiers of monarchies.

The Arthashastra outlines the special strategies that the would-be conqueror could use to vanquish the ganas. Because they were different, the strategies recommended to defeat monarchies would not work. Kautilya’s advice focused on creating dissension among their ranks. He marked out personal rivalry and greed of power in aristocracies as a fit soil for sowing seeds of dissension.

The Mahabarata also comments that it is almost impossible for the enemy to crush republics. Buddha too advised Ajatasatru that Lechcchavis, who were a republic, could not be conquered by war. Heeding the advice, Ajasasatru sent his minister to create dissension within the Lechcchavis and this strategy succeeded.

Source: Upinder Singh, “A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India from the Stone Age to 12th Century”
KP Jayaswal, “Hindu Polity”.

Picture Credit: Wikimedia Commons

It is well known that Gandhi and Subhash Bose had their differences. Gandhi did not favour Bose as Cong president and was responsible for him leaving the party. They also differed in their thinking with Bose in favour of revolutionary tactics to get freedom. Nevertheless they retained great affection for each other.

Bose asked for Gandhi’s blessings in a speech on Azad Hind Radio from Rangoon in June 1944 even as he was at war with the British. He said, “………..Nobody would be more happy than ourselves if by any chance our countrymen at home should succeed in liberating themselves through their own efforts or by any chance, the British Government accepts your `Quit India’ resolution and gives effect to it. We are, however proceeding on the assumption that neither of the above is possible and that a struggle is inevitable. Father of our Nation in this holy war for India’s liberation, we ask for your blessings and good wishes.”

Source: mkgandhi.org.

Picture: The Wikimedia picture shows Gandhi, Bose and Patel at the momentous Haripura Congress.

The war for Italian unification in the 19th century was led by the firebrand thinker Giuseppe Mazzini and the rebel general Giuseppe Garibaldi. The combination in the Chankya-Chandragupta mode inspired the earliest Indian revolutionaries. One of the first books that Savarkar read in London was the biography of Mazzini. The Irish rebellion had a profound impact too, with the Hindustan Revolutionary Army styled on the IRA. The Shakta school of Hinduism which inspired Bankim Chandra’s Vande Mataram, was a big influence.

The photo from Wikimedia Commons shows the first meeting of the two.

Zoroastrians consider the fire absolutely sacred and worship in fire temples called Atash Behram. When they came to India in the 8th century, they were called Parsis. The first sacred fire that they established in India was in Sanjan in Gujarat where they first settled down. It was called the Iranshah to honour the country of their origin. In the 14th century CE (or earlier), during the invasion of Gujarat by either Alauddin Khilji of Delhi sultanate or Sultan Mahmud of Gujarat, they were forced to flee with the Iranshah to Navsari. In the 17th or 18th century, the Iranshah was again transferred to Udvada, also in Gujarat, which is now the chief pilgrimage for Parsis in India.

Source: “Parsis of India”, SK Hodivala.

The Wikimedia image by Warrior 4321 shows Udvada Atash Behram where the Iranshah is housed.

Divirumpola is the site where Sita met Rama after the war. This is also the place where the Agni Pareeksha of Sita was conducted. A stupa is built over the spot of Agni Pareeksha. A platform commemorates the place of Agnipareeksha. Divirumpola means oath at the rice fields. A wooden sculpture of Hanumanji carved out of a single mango tree is present here.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.
Ramayana in Lanka

Picture Credit

www.flickr.comphotoslakpura

Malda alone (West Bengal) has three GI tagged mango varieties, Laxman Bhog, Himsagar and Fazil. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have two each. Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar and Andhra have one each.

Picture Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Gwalior rock sculptures are unique for their colossal size and number. They are spread around the Gwalior fort in five groups and are several dozen in number. The rock cut sculptures are upto 57 feet tall. They were excavated in the 15th century in the reign of Tomara Rajas. Very soon after that, they were mutilated by Babur who has recorded the destruction in his own words.

Source: “Four Reports 1862-65,” Alexander Cunningham

Picture Credit: Ramanujam SR

Prof. S. R. Rao conducted offshore marine excavations in Dwarka. His findings matched the description given in Mahabharata about Dwaraka. He found evidence for a port city with active sea trade.

The layout of the submerged city, high fort walls and stone bases of flag posts correlate with the description of Dwarka in Mahabharata. Pottery found in the submerged city matches with 15th century BCE pottery culture. Seals were found (dated to 15th/ 16th century BCE) which correspond with the statement in Harivamsa that all residents of Dwaraka were required to carry a mudra.

He found that bastions and protection walls were built on boulder foundation. This technique is used even now for building on reclaimed land. The evidence of reclamation matches the description in Harivamsa that 12 yojanas of land was reclaimed to build Dwarka.

His excavations pushed the dating of Mahabharata earlier by about 5 centuries compared to the excavations of Prof B.B. Lal in Hastinapur.

Source: Further Excavations of the Submerged City of Dwaraka. Prof S. R Rao

Picture Credit: Lost City of Dwaraka. Prof S. R Rao

The spring or vernal equinox (Mesha Sankaranti) marks the start of spring. On this day both day and night are of equal duration. This is the traditional new year in most of India. It was also the new year in the first ever known calendar of humankind made by Mesopotamians around 2000 BCE.

On the spring equinox (Mesha Sankranti) the sun passes onto the Aries zodiac. In solar calendars (Kerala, TN, Bengal, Assam), it is around April 14th or 15th depending on how the start of the day is calculated (sunrise to sunrise vs midday to midday etc.). This date is actually 20 days behind the actual spring equinox.

The Mesha Sankranti varies in a luni-solar calendar as its date is dependent on the waxing or waning of the moon to mark the start of the month. Thus the same spring equinox is marked by a wide diversity of dates in India depending on the architecture of the calendars being used.

Source: Various

Picture Credit: Wikimedia Commons

By 1700, the fledgling Maratha kingdom was on its knees against the Mughals. Shivaji’s son Sambhaji Bhonsle had been captured, tortured and killed in 1689. His family was taken hostage. Sambhaji’s half brother Rajaram became king, and managed to win back a foothold in the state. He suddenly died in 1700.

Aurangzeb gleefully observed that Marathas were left with a widow and two infants. The widow Tarabai, wife of Rajaram, assumed leadership. In a masterly campaign of 8 years too back 6 Mughal provinces. After Aurangzeb’s death, Sambhaji’s son, Shahuji was released and became king. Tarabai established a rival kingdom at Kolhapur in 1709.

Both the Maratha kingdoms kept fighting till Shahu’s Peshwa managed to depose Tarabai in 1714 and place another Bhonsle scion at Kolhapur. Tarabai was imprisoned and was released only in 1730 when she was shifted to Satara. She spent her time there causing intrigue and fighting the Peshwas who were now the real power, till her death in 1761.

Picture Credit: The Wikimedia image is the statue of Rani Tarabai at Kolhapur courtesy pradeep717.

Ravidas, also called Raidas, a mystic and a poet, was one of the most renowned of the saints of the North Indian bhakti movement. He was born in Varanasi as a member of an untouchable leather-working caste, and his poems and songs often revolve around his low social position. His hymns are included in the Guru Granth Sahib of the Sikhs. His teachings make him a figure of pride in the contemporary Dalit movement.

Mirabai was married to the crown prince of the royal family of Mewar in the early 16th century CE. After the deaths of her husband and father, she became a mystic, toured the country and wrote some of the finest Bhakti poetry. Popular lore regards her as a disciple of Ravidas after she met him in Kashi. Scholars are divided, some detect the influence of Ravidas in her work while others contend that she followed the saguna ( with form) bhakti while Ravidas favored Nirguna (formless Bhakti).

Source: https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/mirabais-mystical-experiences-and-about-her-guru-ravidas

Picture Credit: Speakingtree.in

Popularly called Astavinayak temples, the group of eight Ganapati temples are around the Pune and Konkan region. The temples are in Morgaon, Mahad, Pali, Lenyadri, Ranjangaon, Siddhatek, Theur and Ozar. Astavinayak is a popular pilgrimage that many pilgrims cover in two or three days.

The deities are monolith and are also Swayambhu, self formed and not man made.

It is a commonly held belief that if a pilgrim visits any one of the 8 temples, they must visit the others as well to receive the full benefit of the pilgrimage.

Source: Glory of Ganesha. Chinmaya Mission.

Temples and Legends of Maharashtra. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan