The Pushti Mārg tradition of Krishna worship creates yet another landscape—a linked network of havelīs, each housing a small and powerful image of Krishna, and a network of baithaks where Vallabha taught. At any one of these havelīs, the pilgrim experience brings vicarious participation as members of the extended family in the daily life of Krishna—his waking and sleeping, his caring for the cows and coming home at dusk, his swinging and his water sports. Visiting a havelī, one will catch the Lord somewhere in the daily domestic cycle and enter into that very moment.

Source: India: A Sacred Geography by Diana Eck

In Bodh Gaya, Surya is seen riding on a one wheeled chariot (ekachakra) drawn by four horses. He is attended on either side by a female figure shooting an arrow. They are the earliest depiction of Usa and Prayusa personifying dawn and driving away darkness.

Surya is depicted in Bhaja caves as a royal figure riding in the company of two women in a chariot. Its wheels pass over grossly proportioned nude demons seeming to float downwards in the air. This is identified as Surya floating through the sky with his attendants and destroying the evil powers of darkness.

Both of these are dated to around 1st century BC. Prior to this, the earliest representation of the Sun God in human form is found on a pottery piece of the Mauryan period in which the diety is standing with Aruna on four horsed chariot.

Source: VC. Srivastava, Sun Worship in India

J.N. Banerjea, Development of Hindu Iconography

Picture Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Elephanta is among the top attractions for Mumbai tourists. It is a Pashupata Shaivite cave temple. Pashupata Shaivism is considered as one of the earliest sects of Shaivism. It is believed to have been founded by Lakulisha who was born near Baroda in 1st Century CE. Inscriptions near Kandivili indicate the spread of Pashupata Shaivism in the present Mumbai region by 2nd Century CE.

The Kalachuri dynasty that came to power in the 6th century CE were followers of Pashupata Shaivism. They sponsored the construction of several temples and monasteries during their period. Elephanta is the grandest among them.

The Sadashiva (popularly and incorrectly called as Trimurti) is the most well known deity of Elephanta. The caves of Elephanta also contain several sculptures of the manifestations of Shiva. Gajasamhara, Ardhanariswara and Gangadhara are among them. The sculpltures capture all five principles of the Pashupata Shaivism, i.e Guru, Initiation, Illusion, Shivashakti and Sadashiva.

Source: Mumbai Beyond Bombay, Suraj Pandit.

Picture Credit: ASI

Hanumanji resides in the Hanuman Garhi temple of Ayodhya as a protector of Ayodhya. Lord Ram himself is supposed to have given this responsibility when he left earth.

Befitting this role, the Hanumanji deity, though small in size, is atop a throne in Hanuman Garhi. The temple is a fortified structure with bastions in each corner. Like a fort, the temple is reached by climbing a short flight of steps. It is quite close to the Ram Janambhoomi site and is on the hilly contours of Ramkot. Pilgrims first visit Hanuman  Garhi after a bath at Sarayu and before they visit Ram Janambhoomi.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.
Ayodhya, UP Tourism

Picture Credit

Ayodhya, UP Tourism

A devotee named Kanakadāsa came as a pilgrim to Udupi but was unable to enter the temple because of his station in life as a shepherd. So he sang songs of devotion outside the temple, and Krishna, they say, was moved by his song. The Lord opened up a crack in the temple wall and turned 180 degrees to face west so that Kanakadāsa could have his darshan. Rather than patch up the crack, the temple authorities turned it into a window, which they dubbed Kanakadāsa’s window, through which everyone can peep in from the outside and see Lord Krishna. Today, it is customary to peek through Kanakadāsa’s silver-framed and highly ornate window before entering the temple for darshan.

Source: India: A Sacred Geography by Diana Eck

It has to be Assam. Ghila Pitha is a deep fried delicacy. It is made of rice flour, traditionally the Assamese Bora variety. Sooji and gur are the other ingredients. It is the snack made during Magh Bihu of Assam. It is also served as a regular household tea time snack. Ring up your assamese friend and ask him to come.

Picture Credit: Archanas Kitchen

The eyes of Devi fell at Nainital, specifically at a location now known as Smuggler’s Rock. Devi Narayani is believed to have emerged from the area and resided in a cave before descending into the lake. Nainital derives its name from the “eye” of Shakti, referring to her divine gaze, and the lake itself. When the British discovered Nainital in 1841, they realized the lake’s sacred significance to the hill people. The locals vehemently denied the existence of the lake and took measures to prevent its pollution by Europeans.

Source: J. M. Clay, Nainital
Naintal Gazetteer

Picture Credit: Uttarakhand Tourism

Jagat Singh of Kulu is believed to have been instrumental in bringing a small metal image of Rama from Ayodhya to his royal palace. The deity is Raghunathji and is considered to be the Raja of the entire district. Every year, on Dussehrah day, all the village devis and devtas of Kulu district arrive in Kulu to pay respects to Raghunathji.

The deities take the form of mohra masks carried in richly decorated rathas, sometime simple karadu baskets. They are accompanied by the priests, shamans and devotees on foot. They first arrive at the royal palace to pay their respects to Raghunathji. Then they move to the Dhaulpur plain where each devta is assigned a specific place where they camp for the next ten days. An image of Raghunathji is installed in the ratha in the maidan and the ratha is pulled to its designated spot in the Maidan. Each day is celebrated with song and Natti dance to greet the deities. The Raja routinely enquires the deotas about their comfort and well being. On the last day, the Rath Yatra of Raghunathji is performed. A traditional sacrifice of five animals called panchabali is carried out.

This festival has been going on for more than 350 years with only occassional interruption.

Source: Dussehrah of Kullu. Karuna Goswamy

Picture Credit: S. R. Ramanujam

Among the most famous of the līlāsthalas near the Yamunā bank are
the forest groves where Krishna would meet the gopīs at night and dance the rās dance with each of them in a wide circle. He created a well for them when they were exhausted with the dance and too thirsty to walk to the Yamunā River. There, too, is Sevā Kunj, the very bower, so they say, where Krishna met Rādhā for lovemaking.

Source: India: A Sacred Geography by Diana Eck

Swami Samarth Ramdas is supposed to have composed the aarti in the Mayureshwar temple. It is believed that the pilgrimage of the Ganesha temples should start and end with Mayureshwar. The bhajan itself is very popular with every aarti being accompanied by the bhajan.

Source: Temples and Legends of Maharashtra, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

PicureCredit: Kalyandasdomgaon, Creative Commons

Ganesha worship is very popular in Japan and spread through Buddhism. Sōshin Kangiten is the most enigmatic and elusive Japanese version of Gaṇeśa. Ganesha represents Dual God of Boundless Bliss. The Japanese Dual Kangiten is an elephant-headed deity couple in embrace. It represents the unity of contrasting genders and opposites. Avalokiteśvara (a Bodhisatva) is believed to have seduced and calmed down Vinayaka resulting in the harmonious union.

Source: Lode Rosseels, Gaṇeśa’s Underbelly, Universiteit Gent

PicureCredit: Ganesha; The Auspicious, The Beginning by Shakunthala Jagannathan and Nandhita Krishna

Azad, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru and others revived the Hindustan Revolutionary Association. They avenged the death of Lala Lajpat Rai during protests in 1928. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt would then explode a harmless smoke bomb in the Central Assembly in 1929, stand ground to be arrested, use the trial to draw attention to the injustice of British rule and even eclipse Gandhi ji for a while as the best known name in India of the time.

After these incidents, British arrested and hanged most. Azad evaded them but was betrayed. The famous Hindi writer and Padma awardee Yashpal is one of the suspects. The great revolutionary would take his pen name ‘Azad’ (free) seriously and shot himself.

The Wikimedia image shows the tree behind which Azad shot himself.

After falling out with the Congress, Bose formed the Forward Bloc and explored how to exploit WWII. In 1940, the British put him under house arrest at Elgin Road, Kolkata. He escaped, disguised as Mohammed Ziauddin, traveling inspector of an insurance company. He made his way to Afghanistan, thence to Germany in April 1941 and finally Singapore. There he setup the provisional government of free India in Oct 1943 and took charge of the Indian National Army (INA) made up of soldiers defecting from the British Indian Army.

The INA allied with the Japanese and fought the battles of Imphal and Kohima against the British Indian Army. They were defeated and their public trial by the British fired up the country. The Japanese had ceded Andaman to Bose’s government. Symbolically the first land to be freed, was the dreaded kaala paani. Bose could thus be regarded as the first leader of free India. He also chose ‘Jai Hind’ as the INA slogan and ‘Jana Gana Mana’ as the national anthem – his great legacies.

The Wikimedia image shows the currency issued by the Azad Hind govt of Netaji.

Unakoti is in Tripura. It is a Saivite pilgrimage site that dates back to atleast 7th – 9th century. Unakoti means one less than a crore. It is believed that as many rock cut carvings are available here. These carvings are located at a beautifully landscaped forest area with green vegetation all around. The main Shiva sculpture is about 30 feet tall. There are various other stone as well as rock cut images at Unakoti.

Source: Tripura Tourism

https://tripuratourism.gov.in/archaeological-sites

PicureCredit: SR Ramanujam

Homai Vyarawalla (1913-2012) was a pioneer in more than one sense of the word. She was India’s first female photojournalist. She documented the overthrow of British colonial rule. Homai spent her earliest years in and around Bombay and studied photography at the JJ School of Art.

Her presence as a woman in a sari managing a Rolleiflex, led many to dismiss her as an amateur. This dismissal seems to have come with some benefits, however, as it granted her unhindered access to her subjects. Her photos were initially published under her husband’s name and then later under a pseudonym she invented for herself, ‘Dalda 13’. It was not long before her work gained national regard.

Source: hundredheroines.org

Picture: The Wikimedia picture shows her photograph of Gandhi’s death procession.