Kavide

2009-05-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.igrs.ap.gov.in

AmberpetMallikarjunaswamy

2009-05-01T02:21:00.000-07:00

Mallanna, the Procienitor :- The kurumas trace their descent from their tribal god Mallanna (Malia Reddy) who was fabled to have originally been a Kapu by caste. It is believed that Mallanna was born out of Mali Chemata (the next sweat) of Lord Siva. Malia Reddy was the son of Neelamma and Adi Reddy, the ruler of Kolhapur. However.different story and says that Elanagi Reddy was the forefather of the kurumas Elanagi Reddy was the son of Adi Reddy and Ademma. He says that Elanagi Reddy and Beerapaof the Kurbas. Padmanna was the son of Masi Reddy and Neelamma, who lived on the eastern ghats. Mallikarjuna, the founder of the kurumas was the son of Chokkam Devi and Adiredu who was the ruler of Chandikapura. Mallanna was made the God of shepherds by Lord Mahadeva. Once Mallanna, having ploughed his farm, collected the rubbish and disposed of it by burning it on an ant hill. Two sheep had already been sheltered by Parvathi in the ant-hill, and being oppressed by the intense heat of the fire, they came out and solicited Mallanna for protection. Mallanna reluctantly consented and desired them to follow him to his dwelling. On arrival at his house, he found that thy sheep had multiplied ihto thousands. Dismayed and confused at this strange development, he appealed for relief to the God Siva, who came down from Kailas, transformed him into a god, and assigned to him the duties of presiding over the destinies of the shepherd class.Patti Kankanam and Unni Kankanam :- The kurumas are divided into several subsects like Patti Kankanam, Unni Kankanam etc. The kurumas aver that Mallanna had two wives, one Padmakshi (lotus-eyed), a Kapu girl (daughter of Katal Reddy, the ruler of Devagiri) who was married in accordance with the usual Kapu usage of fastening cotton thread (Patti) bracelets on the wrists of the bridal pair. Mallanna gave lands and cattle to Padmakshi. The other wife was Ratnangi (resplendent as gems), the daughter of a Brahman woman who, while pregnant, was devoured by a Rakshashi. The Rakshashi brought up the newly born girl until she carne of age. One day Mallanna, while grazing his flo in the jungle, where the girl dwelt, observed and was so struck with her beauty that he fell in love with her. He killed the demon and married the girl, but the wedding bracelets on this occasion were made of wool instead of cotton, which could not be procured in the jungle. Hence Mallanna's descendants by Ratnangi have been distinguished from those by Padmakshi by the name Unni (wool) kurumas and are said to hold a position superior to that of the latter. Mallanna gave sheep to Ratnangi. Mallanna also married Bhramaramba and Golla Kethamma. The Ugad kurumas are socially inferior to the other two sub-sects and make their living by officiating as priests to the kurumas and by begging only from them. Basaveswara and Linaavat kurumas : Regarding the origin of Lingayat kurumas, a story is told that Mallanna once met Basava, the founder of the Lingayat sect, and was converted by him to his faith. The progeny of Mallanna, subsequent to this event, became Lingayats by creed.Music :- Beerappa Dolu :- A unique contribution of the kurumas in the field of music is Beerappa Dolu. There are three musical instruments like Dolu, Pillanagrovi (flute) and Talalu (Cymbals). This music is rhythmically played during marriage, jatara (annual fair) and other auspicious occasions.:- In the Temple of Mallikarjuna of Inavolu near Amberpetl, men belonging to the kodouridevinefamily,every year Mahashivarathri after doing Mallikarunaswamykalyanam.Sunday evening Gangapooja, that Night Kouduridevine family chinebreakethem.Monday. Morning Mallikarjunaswamykalyanam.chandrapatham,suryabonam,n Aganigundam.run of the kodouridevine family.

Kodouridevine family started
1800year
Yellaiah,
Bhagaiah
Yellaiah
Mallaiah and sons present
Satyanarayana
Shiva shanker
Krishna
Jangaiah
Srinivas
Lakshman

guatamabuddh

2009-03-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

The Eight Fold PathBuddhism does not aim to explain God, creation or eternal concepts. Such truths can only be found within the heart of a person. Whatever one holds within the heart is what is. What Buddhism does aim to do is help us overcome the chaos of this world and point us to a path that leads us to our own spirituality. We are all searching for the same things- freedom from our pain and realizing who we truly are, deep within. The Buddha Siddharthe Guatama, in his contemplation, realized the truth about suffering and the path to liberation from it. This Eight-Fold Path and Four Noble Truths make up the foundation of Buddhism.
Right View
The Four Noble Truths:
1. The truth about suffering is that it exists. Life is suffering. Birth, aging and dying is suffering.
2. Our reaching into the world of dreams, our desire to fulfill what cannot be fulfilled is what brings us our suffering.
3. Only when we have broken the mirrors of illusion can we end our suffering, and
4. the Eight-Fold Path can help us to break our habits of suffering.
When we are able to recognize suffering as it enters our lives, see that our own desires have brought us this pain, and understand that letting go of this desire can bring us peace we have attained Right View.
Right Thought
Reality grows in the garden of the mind. Our world is the fruit of our thoughts that sprout from the seeds of ideas. We must therefore be discerning gardeners, looking carefully at what ideas we allow to take root within the mind. We must be able to recognize which ideas and thoughts are born of desire and which carry the seeds of desire that causes our suffering.
The seeds of suffering that take root within the mind are those of greed, ill-will, hostility, denigration, dominance, envy, jealousy, hypocrisy, fraud, obstinacy, presumption, conceit, arrogance, vanity and negligence. In Buddhism, these are known as the 15 defilements, and the Buddha realized 6 methods for removing such defilements from the mind:
1. Restraining: Restrain from what pleases the senses but bears poison.
2. Using: Use all that we are, all that we have, all there is to cultivate peace.
3. Tolerating: Tolerate all adversity, and never abandon our gardens to the wild.
4. Avoiding: Avoid all that is impure and spoils the soil of the mind. Tend only to what is pure and that which nurtures the pure.
5. Destroying: Remove the defilements by destroying them from the root.
6. Developing: Never cease to develop our skills of peacefulness.
Right Speech
We are often judged by our words. Long after we leave this world, our words shall remain. Words can often be sharper than the blade of the sword, bringing harm to the spirit of a person which can cause wounds that are deeper and last longer than that of a dagger. Therefore, we must choose our words carefully. The Buddha realized 4 methods of speech that bring peace to our lives and the lives of those who surround us.
1. Words of Honesty: Speaking without truth can be a means to our end and to the end of others. Therefore, honesty is always the best policy.
2. Words of Kindness: Speaking words of kindness, we will never be the cause that divides hearts or puts brother against brother. We become peacemakers. Our words are cherished and valued and shall bring peacefulness to ourselves and to those surrounding us.
3. Words that are Nurturing: Words that comfort rather than harm the heart, shall travel to the heart, and bring long lasting peace.
4. Words that are Worthy: Speaking only what is worthy and valuable for the moment, our words will always be found sweet to the ears of others and shall always be considered in a peaceful manner. Words of gossip, untruth, and selfishness do not return to us with peace. The worth of our words is measured by how much they improve the silence.
Right Action
All of our lives we have been instructed to do the right thing. Often we are perplexed with what is the right thing. Ultimately, we must decide for ourselves what is right- but often our judgment is clouded by the defilements of the mind. While upon the Eight-Fold path, we must remember that our aim is to end our suffering. All we do, comes back to us in one way or another, eventually. What may be the right thing for the moment may not be the right thing for the next. Although this moment is the only one that exists, we must not fail to realize that within this moment- the past, present and future are contained. The truly right does not change from moment to moment. Look deep within your own heart, and you will know what is right.
The Golden Rule in Buddhism is: Do no harm.
The Buddha practiced the following code of conduct in his own life:
1. Respect life
2. Earn all that you have
3. Control your desire, rather than allow desire to control you.
Right Livelihood
Often when one begins practicing the ways of Peace, a time comes when lifestyle must be evaluated. In this life, we have the opportunity to liberate ourselves from the cycle of suffering and find peace. We also have the opportunity to help others break free. Does one's way of life support or hinder the ways of Peace? Only the heart knows.
Right Effort
The path is not an easy one. Our habits of suffering are strong, and deeply imprinted in our way of life. It is difficult to maneuver peacefully in a world of chaos. Many of the things that we know we must let go of are things that we have held dearly for we have fought fiercely to obtain them. Our very own self- identity may have been formed with great personal sacrifice. Discipline and diligence is key to persevering on the path. Therefore, our decision to take up the path to liberation must be firm, and executed with right effort. When we have realized the truth of suffering, and are willing to seek liberation with the same tenacity as a drowning man struggles for a breath, then right effort has been attained.
Right Mindfulness
Being mindful of the heart of matters can help us to overcome suffering with understanding. When sitting, laying or moving, being mindful of the following four frames of references are said by the Buddha to help us achieve great understanding, and can even help us unlock the secrets that are within our hearts.
1. The Body: Paying attention to our physical being can help us direct the mind away from the distractions of the world. Focusing on our breath, our movements, our actions, our components, and on the sheer miracle of our physical existence we can arrive at calmness and clarity.
2. Feelings: Paying attention to our external and internal feelings, observing their rise and fall, can help us realize their origination, development and decline. Understanding the nature of our feelings can help us let go and break our habits of clinging.
3. Mind: Turning the mind upon itself, observing our thoughts, can help us realize the origination and aim of our thoughts. With this understanding, we can understand the nature of the mind and overcome our thought habits of suffering.
4. Mental Qualities: Paying attention to our mental state of mind can help us recognize the five hindrances of our mentality (sensual desire, ill-will, laziness, anxiety and doubt). Observing their origination, development and decline, can help us realize how we can overcome them. By observing the origination, the components, the development, and the decline of things in regard to these frames of reference, we can find a deep understanding in the nature of ourselves, and to know our own hearts is to know the hearts of others.
Right Concentration
As we sail through life, the winds of desire push us toward the Ocean of Suffering. But the skillful stand firm in virtue at the helm, directing the rudder of the mind toward peace. Single-minded concentration on the path to Peace (the Eight-Fold path) is right concentration. It is picking yourself up when you stumble and continuing onward. It is recognizing why you have fallen astray. It is recognizing when you are about to fall. It is continuing upon the path without hesitation or doubt. It is never ceasing to develop our skill in the way.
Namaste'
References: The Mulalapariyaya, Sabbasava, Sammaditthi, Satipatthana, Vitakkasanthana, Abhaya, Mahacattarisaka, and the Bhaddekaratta Suttas of the Majjhima Nikaya (the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha)

London: The Most Expensive City

2009-03-19T02:54:00.000-07:00

'This city is too too expensive!!’

This outburst is from Francoise Simard, a Canadian tourist who came in to London for a week’s holiday directly after a four-day stay in Paris.

'Paris is the city in the world that has the most tourists every year, but I found it much cheaper than London.’ Her tone is authoritative as if there is no doubt whatsoever in her mind.

Asked for specifics, she points to the hotel rates. 'What you pay in Euros in Paris, you have to pay in pounds in London.' And it’s not only the boarding. 'They provide a continental breakfast for seven pounds and it is only a three star hotel. In Paris they are much more reasonable.'

Did she take up the issue with the management of the hotel? The hotel has an impressive façade and lobby and is well located being just off Belgrave Road within walking distance from Victoria tube station. ‘As a matter of fact, I did,’ she said. ‘I told them the breakfast was too expensive and I would eat out.’ And their reaction? ‘They just shrugged. “It’s only seven pounds!” they said.’

Karen Laljani, a visitor from Brussels agrees with Francoise.

'I went to see a movie in Leicester Square,’ she says. ‘I could not believe the price of the ticket. Nine pounds for a movie!! I have to compare it with Brussels where I go to see movies at the Heysel the biggest movie complex in Europe. I pay only five and a half euros over there.'

Nasser Zakr came into London from Milan. He had contracted an eye infection and went across to a clinic in Victoria Station. He was shocked when he was asked to pay 69 pounds for an examination that took barely three minutes.

'The doctor felt there was no need to see a specialist, but I still had the problem after four days and when I went to see him the next time there was no discount. Another 69 pounds. I ended up paying 138 pounds for a routine examination and I'm not sure if there have actually been any benefits, come to think of it.'

But Medicare is expensive all over Europe. Not so much, claims Nasser, a seasoned traveler whose work takes him to different European cities. He explains: ‘I flew in from Paris actually where I had some work and the examination at the De Gaulle airport cost me only thirty-two Euros.’

According to a survey done by Merer Human Resources Consulting in December 2005 Tokyo and London are the most expensive cities in the world. The survey measures the comparative cost of 200 items in various cities chosen for the survey.

Whatever the truth of these claims be that London is currently the most expensive city in Europe, the crowds at peak tourist areas would seem to suggest that it doesn't deter any one from coming here.

2009-03-19T02:51:00.000-07:00

"Will the passengers please fasten their seat belts," said a soft voice over the intercom. And I slid one end of the belt into the heavy metallic slot, sat back, and peered through the window of the Royal Nepal jet.

The runway was clear and there was an Airbus 310, three Russian-made helicopters and a Dornier-aircraft near the control tower of Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport. Some people waved from the tower. It was one of those early-morning mountain flights that are run 'provided-the-weather-is-good' as they say in tourist-brochures.

My seat was right near the port wing and I could get a fairly good view of the engines coming noisily to life. The jet taxied lazily down the southern end of the runway, swerved around and sped towards the north gathering momentum till I could finally feel a hollow in my stomach. We were airborne.

It was a steep climb and the blue mountain front was looming close. You could even spot the trees growing on the mountainside. But in a moment we left it behind. I was thrilled at the picturesque panorama of Kathmandu Valley with its pretty brown terracotta houses and prominent pagodas, which receded beneath as the jet banked almost languidly in an easterly direction.

The first mountain that caught my eyes, was the conical snowbound Langtang Peak, which was gleaming in the early morning sunlight. By the time Dorje Lakpa loomed on my window, the aircraft had attained its ceiling height of 30,000 feet. Dorje Lakhpa in Tibetan means "thunderbolt hand". Nearby was another splendid peak, the 19,550 ft. Choba Bamare, reigning in splendid isolation. Choba Bamare rose in the distance and seemed to fizzle out towards the east.

I sat tight in my seat, oblivious of the 50-odd passengers in the aircraft's cabin, lost in a world of snowy fantasy, and marveling at the thought that we were less than fourteen miles away from those Himalayan giants, and feeling snug inside the pressurized cabin. Over the monotonous whirr of the Yeti's engines, the captains voice boomed through the intercom: "Attention ladies and gentlemen, the big peak to your left is Gauri Shanker."

The 23,442 feet Gauri Shanker, which is part of the Rowaling Himal Chain, was bathed in a ghostly mantle of snow and dominated the scene. This was indeed the Mount Olympus of the Orient, I said to myself. Gauri Shanker, the legendary abode of the Hindu God Shiva and his consort Parvati.

The Melungstse massif appeared to be blanketed with snow and looked smooth and even: like a tent covered with snow, except that a depression existed between Melungtse and its sister peak Chobutse.

Chugmago, Pigferago and Numbur impressed me with their virgin and silvery summits--looking placid and serene.

My thoughts drifted to the ageless Himalayas and their eternal silence. But my Himalayan reverie came to a momentary stop, when a tall and petite air-hostess came offering orange juice at a cruising height of 30,000 feet. It was a toast to the Himalayas.

From the 26,750 ft. Cho Oyo onwards, the Khumbu Range began to show their undisputed supremacy, since this range boasted of the mightiest of the mighty among mountains. As the jet flew past the 25,990 ft. Gyachungkang Peak, I was pleasantly surprised to find the steward come over to my window, point out small dotted structures against a rugged mountainside and say, "There's Namche Bazaar." I was amazed. Namche of the mountaineer's delight, and the home of the Sherpas. Namche, the village that has become a byword in mountaineering and trekking circles throughout the world--lay below us.

The jet lost height gracefully to give the passengers a closer view, and the snows looked hauntingly beautiful from the port side windows. The warm sunlight filtered through smack on my face. Its warmth was reassuring.

The 23,443 ft. Pumori Peak seemed to be soaring in the distance, and that was when I began to ogle at the familiar 25,850 ft. Nuptse peak. Then suddenly, like a revelation, I spotted the giant amongst them all: the grey, imposing triangular massif that was Mount Everest to the outside world, Sagarmatha to the Nepalese and Chomolungma – "the Goddess Mother of the Earth" to the Tibetans. There were flecks of snow to be seen along the ridge of the highest peak in the world. A trail of vapor was emanating from its limestone summit.

Far below the magnificent Ama Dablam peak struck me as trying to reach for the sky. But I had eyes only for the mysterious, grey and foreboding Everest massif. I recalled Mallory's words: "There was no complication for the eye. The highest of the world's mountains had to make but a single gesture of magnificence to be lord of all, vast in unchallenged and isolated supremacy.

The peaks Lhotse, Chamlang and Makalu continued to fascinate me. I felt thrilled to my marrow as the knowledge that we were flying over the highest mountains in the world sank into my head. I noticed that the Himalayas occurred as narrow ranges, prominently longitudinal and that the highest Himalayan chains below us were not massive elevations but narrow ridges.

Towards the north, as far as the eye could see, was the barren Tibetan Plateau: rightly dubbed the Roof of the World. I was astonished to note that beyond the Everest massif's central chain there were no Himalayan ranges. It was the limit--the last frontier. The bleak Tibetan Plateau seemed to blend with the horizon towards the north.

I could not help feeling nostalgic as the jet turned for the homeward flight. I peered at the blue Mahabharat Mountains below and the Siwalik Hills a little further south--and the extensive, fertile Terai, which blended with the azure sky. While the major 'snows' were still visible on the starboard , it was fascinating to see the hanging-valleys, aretes, cwms and magnificent glaciers directly beneath the port windows. It reminded me of a trip I had made to the Swiss alpine town of Grindelwald, where the tongue of the glacier licks almost the town. Occasionally, as the jetliner sped by, the mountain-tarns would catch the sun's rays on their crystalline surface, thereby imparting blinding flashes of reflected light.

It must have snowed the previous night, since the neighboring hills, which were normally beyond the zone of perpetual snow, were also covered in varying degrees with fluffy blankets of virgin snow. One couldn't help being overwhelmed by the ecstatic and exotic beauty of these high snowbound wilderness areas that we were over-flying.

Continental music began to seep into the pressurized cabin and the lithe and beautifully swarthy air-hostess came down the aisle gracefully handing the passengers miniature khurkis (curved Gurkha knives) as souvenirs, with the usual compliment of sweets.

I could feel the captain easing off the throttles and saw the spoilers on the top surface of the port wind rising up slowly, in a row inducing a drag and causing the jet to slow as it touched town at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan Airport.

2009-03-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

Life and Living in New York (In the Twenty-first Century)
We visited New York twice since September 11. Each time it was a different experience for us. We were apprehensive about our son, Jaideep, living in New York, who was an eyewitness to the events of September. In December, there were some trepidations and tensions that were palpable among New Yorkers. Spring of 2002 seemed to have changed all that and ostensibly there is little memory of the disaster of September 2001. The city has rejuvenated itself in the true spirit of spring. These are two accounts of our visits to New York in December 2001 and April 2002.
December to remember – Three months after the Attack
I tend to agree with the old cliché that there are these United States and then there is New York. It is a special place indeed. The life in the big city is as vibrant as ever. The events of September 11 seem to have been all but forgotten, at least on the surface to a casual observer. People, I am told, still tend to be nervous when some fire truck goes screeching down the street with sirens blowing. It surely reminds the residents of that day of infamy in their history. But life seems to have returned to a normal state, for the most part. William Shakespeare said that life was as tedious as a twice-told story. But he was not thinking of New York, where life is the life-blood of the city.
It is December in the Big Apple and there is no other city on the planet that is more beautiful in December. The colorful display of lighting in mid-town and the spruced up decorations of the shops are breathtaking sights. The weather during the first week of December was a complement to all the hustle and bustle of life in the city. Especially this year, the gods have to be smiling on the city. The New Yorkers need a break and even providence is aware of this.
In many respects it is the New York of the old. Masses of people everywhere. Crowds pushing their way through, for no apparent reason, always in a hurry to get somewhere, anywhere. With rudeness that comes so naturally to the impatient people, nothing has mellowed as I had foolishly expected, since the events of September 11. Where else would you see a runaway cart filled with store goods careening down the sidewalk and people dodging to avoid being run over? And the storekeeper calmly retrieves the cart without a word of apology! A dozen lemons slip out of their crates and roll on to the sidewalk and spread people helter-skelter. Again no apology from the owners. Hey, this is New York. When we tried our chance at getting tickets for a long running Broadway show, the petulant lady at the window sniggered and seemed to be saying (using an unmistakably New York word), “What a Shmuck! Doesn’t he know that OUR show is sold out for the next hundred years? He must be from out of town!” Irksome characters are to be expected in New York. On these respects, nothing much seemed to have changed in the city. Without these traits New York would lose its identity.
The city is bustling. Business is as usual. We were not able to see the skating rink at Rockefeller center because of the stifling crowds. We were satisfied with seeing the famous spruce tree lit with glorious colorful lights. The window dressings and the grandiose decorations were breathtaking. It was heartening to see parents with little children in strollers trying to maneuver the crowds. I, surprisingly, did not mind the crowd. Psychologically, it was an uplifting experience to see and mingle with the masses than to see empty streets. I felt a kind of camaraderie with the crowd. The restaurants were doing brisk business. Jaideep, our son has now moved to an apartment in the Upper East Side and here is where true New York action is, if one considers the number of restaurants and century old museums. Each block has three or four restaurants and they are of all ethnic background one can imagine. I saw three Indian restaurants in a row on one street! Business is brisk indeed. Every third store seemed to be a florist and garden shop showing off its ware of brightly colored flowers and bouquets. The museums are adjacent to central park, and are only a few blocks from Jaideep’s apartment.
The first night we landed in New York, we went to visit Jaideep in downtown at the place of his work. He works in the financial district and puts in many odd hours of work. I jokingly told Rathna that we perhaps lost our son to the dungeons of financial world in New York. By the time we left I believed my own joke. He certainly works many more hours than I did when I was a surgical intern in New York, a quarter century earlier. And that, I thought was inhumane and cruel. Anyway, we consoled ourselves that he is young and should be thankful for the opportunity to work as hard as he does. This can only bring good results in the future. Fortunately, he thinks so too and this makes work easier to endure.
We took the train, packed like sardines. Little did we know that we would surface on the corner of Fulton Street and Broadway, which is next to Ground Zero. The massive rubble that used to be World Trade Center is now a shrine. People come to see the sheer destruction and the colossal work in progress through day and night, under bright lights, and watch in awe. It is a tomb, perhaps ten stories high, where more than three thousand bodies are still buried. The most hardened and stoic person can expect to get emotional at the spectacle. An old church at the corner serves as a place where the loved ones leave pieces of memorabilia of the innocent people who lost their lives on that fateful day. This only adds to the sanctity of the shrine that used to be called World Trade Center. Life certainly is not normal here now. Half the apartments in the downtown area are empty and the businesses that were forced to close still have not returned. But it is only a matter of time before the so-called Ground Zero and the Battery Park City are rebuilt as monuments for all the lives lost. It reminded me of the old adage that life goes on within you or without you! Life must and will go on.
The Guggenheim museum had an exquisite exhibit of Norman Rockwell retrospective. It was a wonderful collection of his paintings that celebrates life and its little instances. Only a keen observer of such nuances like Rockwell could bring these emotions to life in life like paintings. It was fitting to see such a praise of life in the aftermath of such destruction and death. ‘What a fine comedy this world would be if one did not have to play a part in it’, wrote 18th century French writer Denis Diderot. Norman Rockwell seems to defy this and say that the little things in life with its little characters make life pleasant and bearable, even when one is forced to be a part of it. Rockwell proves that life is not a tragedy even when seen in close-up.
Yes, we did manage to see a Broadway show. We got great seats for the matinee and saw ‘Les Miserables’ (popularly called Le Miz). If you have not seen this show in New York, I urge you to do so. Make a special trip if you need to but please see it in New York. It is the heart-wrenching story of a convict who unfairly spent nineteen years in prison doing hard labor for a petty crime before the French Revolution. He had made up his mind to change his ways and love and help people around him. It is a celebration of goodness of life. ‘As our life is short, so it is miserable, and therefore it is well it is short’ wrote Jenny Taylor, the seventeenth century Anglican theologian. Le Miz shows one how to make the best use of the short life.
We are now back home and we are glad to be home. One may have vacationed in Paradise but is always happy to return home. But the experience in New York, despite the oddity of it all, was enchanting. I always had a soft corner for New York. Now I am convinced that New York is where life is celebrated at its best. The company of our friends, especially Marge and Phil Tassi from Flushing, makes New York a major attraction for us. Their grace, dignity and their infectious love of life are more reasons why our trip to the Big Apple was a worthwhile adventure at this time. With friends like these and our son living in there, New York beckons us again.

Calcutta Kal Bhi Rahega

2009-03-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

Calcutta Kal Bhi Rahega
12 minus 4 is equal to 8 and between you and me even the damn foolish will say it is so but when Baadshah Akbar asked this question, Birbal, the wisest of his “nine gems”, replied that when 4 is taken out of 12, the result will be zero. Akbar, as stunned as you, asked as to how could it be possible and the explanation was: “His Highness! From 12 months of a year if 4 months of rainy season are taken out, nothing will grow and all will die. Thus it is zero”. So, chaps! This is the matter of essence. It is really difficult to imagine what India will look like if Calcutta is brought to no account.
Calcutta has a grave meaning for India .. not just a city. India without Calcutta will be India without its National Anthem – Jan gana mana adhinayak jay he Bharat bhagya vidhata. This beautiful and all-embracing poetry was written by Rabindranath Tagore, India’s first Nobel Prize winner in the field of literature. India without Calcutta will even be India without its National Song – Vande Matram by Bankim Chandra. Vande Matram is not merely a serene patriotic song with beautiful Sanskrit words depicting Mother India, it was the “mantra” of revolution which inspired thousands of brave sons of India who stood against the British and fought with exemplary courage. Those days this song was banned and anyone even uttering ‘Vande Matram’ was whipped by the British police. India without Calcutta will be India without Mother Teresa, another Nobel Prize winner of India whose Missionaries of Charity are still promoting the message of love and mercy in the nooks and corners of the world. India without Calcutta will be India without Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen and dozens of the glitterati of Indian Cinema whose contributions are immense and unforgettable. India without Calcutta will be India without ‘Rosugullas’, the king of the Indian sweets. If ‘Vande Matram’ became the vexing point of the British, ‘Rosugullas’ always allured them. India without Calcutta will be India without Howrah Bridge – a marvel of bridge technology for ever and an object of such appeal, not unlike the bridge on Thames in London, that a number of Indian films have been inspired by this. One film was even named after it – Howrah Bridge. India without Calcutta will be India without Tram and Underground Railway, hand-pulled rickshaws, sophisticated Babu Moshays (a typical Bengali gentleman is often referred to as such), enchanting greeneries, twisting Tista river, charming girls, artistic people, great intellectuals and .. and … So stop imagining.. India without Calcutta will be a sleep without a sweet dream.
Situated in the far east of India, the metropolitan city of Calcutta has seen the history of this country being written. For the native Bengalies, it is Kolikata or Kalikata and there are many myths surrounding its magical name. There is, however, perhaps no authentic explanation. My elder sister has another story which she told me when I was a child. Once a man was passing through a jungle near the Hooghly river when he was attacked by robbers who cut his throat. People flocked in crowd next morning and sighed over the sad death of the wayfarer. A royal band was en route and as the king stopped near the crowd, he saw the tragedy and asked “kab kata?” (when beheaded?) and he was informed that “Kal Kata” (beheaded yesterday). So it became ‘Kalkata’ or Calcutta as pronounced by the British. I am sure my sister was relating a hearsay but we would together talk about Calcutta with much wonderment.
We were in Bihar (an Indian state) and Calcutta was the nearest city we could think of or know about. I grew as a child depicted by an English poet. The child was a poor village boy and had never seen London but people talked about London – its theatres, its dazzling culture, its polished people, its sexy tints of life, its art and literature, its landmarks and panorama and everything. In the child’s mind, London imprinted an image that he lovingly cherished. He thought there the roads are like silver and buildings are of gold. Then he grew up and once he visited his dream city London. There was nothing like that, his dreams collapsed, his hopes shattered.
When I first visited Calcutta, I was only 10 years old and I still have some faint memories of the beauty of Victoria Memorial, the Kalighat temple, the Zoo and the Museum and I remember how excited I was to ride the Tram rails. They never stopped or just stopped not to stop and people had to jump inside and quickly get down when the destination came. Since then Calcutta has changed though I have never visited and I don’t want to visit lest my dreams collapse, my hopes shatter.
So, I was talking about this magical name of Calcutta. In my opinion, the name ‘Kalikata’ is due to Kali, the goddess incarnation. Bengal has been one of the leading centers of the devotees of ‘Shakti’ (female embodiment of Supreme Power) and ‘Kali’ is the most adored divinity in this part of the world. Whatever it may be, it is sufficient to say that this name existed even in the Mughal time in India but in early 17th Century it became famous as the East India Company was first established on the banks of the Hooghly. The city became even more famous in 1756 A.D. when Siraj-Ud-Dawlah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, captured the city and was soon defeated by Robert Clive. Warren Hastings was the first Governor-General of British India and he was charmed by Calcutta. He decided to make it the administrative headquarter of East India Company. By this time, a new leaf was turned in the Indian history. Clive and Hastings had already sown the seeds which sprang forth and turned into an unshakable tree overshadowing its branches all over India, devouring a number of kings and rulers and paving the underground way for expansion of the roots of British empire. So, if Bombay is the Gateway of India, Calcutta proved to be the Entrance. Soon it developed as the capital of British empire and became the political and economical ‘nerve-centre’ of India.

travel

2009-03-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

For most people, at least in the westernized world, December is the time of mad preparations for the upcoming holidays. Here in New Zealand, it's also the time for getting reading for the big summer break, bringing back the BBQ, and of course Christmas parties. So while most of the world is covered with blankets of snow and cold climate New Zealand basks in glorious sunshine. This makes it the best time to visit New Zealand and enjoy her many splendors.
Getting around the country is relatively simple. Cycling, hitching and driving hire cars or campervans are all popular and there are many all-inclusive conducted coach tours on offer. Finding accommodation is easy and it’s only during the high season (December-February) that you need to book well in advance.
New Zealand's main scenic highlights can be seen on an intensive two week itinerary but really you need at least four to six weeks to gain the most benefit out of your visit down under. This allows time to explore some of the fascinating wilderness areas, including the unspoilt native forests and dramatic alpine and coastal areas. A surprising one third of the total land area is conservation estate, protected by the Department of Conservation. Access for bushwalking, kayaking, tramping, climbing, hunting and saltwater fishing is absolutely free. Fresh water fishing and hunting require permit applications. Permits, wilderness hut passes, local maps and guides can be obtained for a small charge from Conservation offices.
Here’s a list of my favorite Holiday Destinations of New Zealand:
Bay of Islands
The Bay of Island’s natural beauty is a sight to behold. It is one of the most beautiful New Zealand travel destinations. This aquatic playground, lavishly furnished with 144 islands and a myriad of secluded beaches, keeps visitors entertained for days. Every bay, shore and cove has a story to tell. The townships of this historic bay are alive with memories of the area’s colorful history. Visitors can explore the well-preserved Maori and European relics of the past. The Bay of Islands is considered to be the birthplace of New Zealand as a bi-cultural nation, and today you can see how Maori culture and lifestyle have adapted to modern times.
Lake Taupo
As the largest fresh water lake in Oceania, Lake Taupo is a dominating presence in this region. At 616 square km, it is as big as Singapore Island and was created in 181 AD, by one of the largest eruptions the world has ever seen. Volcanic action created a landscape of bubbling craters, mud pools and steam vents ensuring visitors are aware of the regions turbulent past. Maori mythology is richly interwoven with the landscapes creation.
Martinborough
Nestled in a river valley beneath the Tararua and Rimutaka mountain ranges, the Martinborough area produces some of the world’s top wines, particularly the Pinot Noir variety. The boutique scale of the village, with its leafy square, numerous restaurants and heritage architecture, has made it a popular retreat for people wanting to get ‘off the beaten track’. With many of its boutique wineries in walking distance of the square, it has become popular with wine lovers.
Rotorua
Rotorua's reputation as the ‘natural spa destination of the South Pacific’ began 160 years after word of the Pink and White Terraces spread worldwide. Visitors were drawn to the area for its natural therapeutic waters. Today, Rotorua is undergoing a renaissance in the range of spa treatments on offer. It’s a unique chance to refresh and revitalize body and mind. From the moment you enter the region, it’s apparent you’re in a geothermal wonderland, close to ‘The Spirit of the Earth’. Sneaky threads of steam issue from parks, pathways and streets, and the occasional scent of sulphur wafts through the air – a hint of what's in store. Minutes from the city centre, geysers of steaming water roar from the ground and pools of bubbling mud gurgle.

2009-03-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

The Unknown Ashoka
Ashoka Maurya, described by H.G. Wells as the greatest ruler the world has seen, is best known through his rock edicts and the Pali chronicles of Sri Lanka, Mahaavamsa and Deepavamsa, of the 5th century A. D. These chronicles belong to the Theravada school of Buddhism and stress Ashoka’s role in propagating it by dispatching missionaries to Kashmir, Gandhara, the Himalayas, Maharashtra, Suvarnabhumi in South-East Asia, and his own son Mahinda to Sri Lanka. A very different Ashoka comes before us in the Sanskrit Ashokaavadaana, a 1st century A.D. work which was translated into Chinese twice: the A-yu wang chuan around 300 A.D. and the A-yu wang ching circa 500 A.D. It is essentially a Hinayana text and its world is that of Mathura and North-west India. The emphasis of this little known text is on exploring the relationship between the king and the community of monks, the Sangha, and setting up an ideal of religious life for the laity, the common man, by telling appealing stories about religious exploits. The most startling feature is that Ashoka’s conversion has nothing to do with the Kalinga war, which is not even mentioned, nor is there a word about his belonging to the Maurya dynasty. Equally surprising is the record of his use of state power to spread Buddhism in an uncompromising fashion. The legend of Veetashoka provides insights into Ashoka’s character that are not available in the widely known Pali records. We find here the intensely personal reason for Ashoka adopting non-violence: his use of state power to propagate Buddhism by slaying non-believers led to the death of his own sibling. The Sanskrit Ashokaavadaana shows that the main springs of Ashoka’s conversion and the subsequent acts of welfare lay in his intensely personal anguish. It is this work that brings Ashoka intensely alive before us as a king with very human ambitions and passions, with greatness and flaws--a very different Ashoka from the shadowy do-gooder of the later Pali chronicles.1
The Gift of Dust
It was in the days when Buddha, the Blessed One, was living at Kalandakanivaapa in the forest near Rajagriha (today’s Rajgir in Bihar) that one morning he put on his triple robe, took his begging bowl and, accompanied by monks, proceeded to Rajagriha for alms. As he set foot on the threshold stone of the city-gate, wondrous things began to happen. You see, whenever a Buddha, a fully enlightened soul, sets his foot on the indra-keela of a city with a firm purpose in mind, miracles occur, it is said:
A ship rolls to the wind’s force; so too the mountain-ranged earth begirt with the ocean and adorned with towns and villages, sways at the touch of the Sage’s foot. The ground becomes level; the earth becomes faultless, free of stones and thorns by the Buddha’s power. The blind, the dumb, and the dull all regain their senses and musical instruments play though untouched, delighting all.
The citizens cheered the marvels with a roar like that of a storm-tossed sea with its crashing waves as the city was filled with the radiance of his presence.
Coming to the main road, the Buddha saw two little boys playing at building mud houses. One of them came from a well-to-do family and was named Jaya. The other’s name was Vijaya. Jaya and Vijaya saw the Buddha, and were deeply impressed with the resplendent appearance, his body adorned with the thirty-two marks of the Mahatma. Jaya thought to himself, “ I will give him some ground meal” and threw a handful of dust into the Buddha’s begging bowl. Vijaya bowed low, making an anjali with hands folded. This gift of a handful of dust is renowned thus:
He saw the supremely compassionate self Existent Lord whose body radiated a halo a fathom wide; resolutely, with firm faith he offered a handful of dust to Him who abolishes birth and old age.
Having made this offering, Jaya formulated a pranidhaana, a firm resolve: “By virtue of this offering, may I become kind and rule as a chakravarti over the earth and thus worship the Buddha.”
The Buddha, understanding Jaya’s character and resolve and recognizing the sincerity of his aspiration, accepted the proffered fistful of dirt and smiled.
The smile of the Buddha was, as always, followed by rays of light--blue, yellow, red, white, scarlet, crystal and silver—that spread the message of liberation from rebirth and suffering throughout the cosmos and re-entered his body. The spot at which they vanish into his body indicates an important event in the future. On this occasion, the rays circled the Buddha thrice and vanished into his left palm. Then spoke Ananda, his faithful disciple, “It is never without reason that Tathaagatas smile. Dispel our doubts, O foremost of men whose speech is like thunder, and reveal what will be the fruit of the gift of dust.” The Buddha replied,
A hundred years after my death there will be an emperor named Ashoka in Pataliputra. He will rule one of the four continents and adorn Jambudvipa with my relics building eighty four thousand stupas for the welfare of people. He will have them honored by gods and men. His fame will be widespread. His meritorious gift was just this: Jaya threw a handful of dust into the Tathaagata’s bowl.
The Birth of Ashoka
At this time, the King of Rajagriha was Bimbisara. Nine kings after him came Bindusara, who reigned in Pataliputra as the successor of Nanda.2 He had a son named Suseema. During his reign, a Brahmin of Champa city had a very beautiful daughter of whom the astrologers foretold that she would marry a king and have two famous sons, one of whom would rule over a whole continent while the other would turn to the religious life and attain liberation. When his daughter was of age, the Brahmin adorned her with all the ornaments he had and offered her in marriage to King Bindusara who accepted her in his inner apartments.
The maiden’s beauty excited the jealousy of the queens, who feared that if the king took a fancy to her, he would never look at any of them. So, they taught her the barber’s art, and sent her to groom the hair and beard of Bindusara. So good was she in her work that he would relax and fall asleep during the grooming.
Very pleased with her, Bindusara one day asked her what she would like most of all. She asked for a son. The king was astonished and exclaimed, “But how can I, a Kshatriya monarch, marry a barber girl!” “Your Majesty,” she replied, “I am not a barber girl, but the daughter of a Brahmin. My father gifted me to your highness as a wife.” Finding out who had taught her the barber’s art, the king passed orders that she would not do so any longer. Instead, as his queens had feared, he installed her as his Chief Queen.
In due course, this chief queen—who goes nameless in the tale--gave birth to a son. When asked what she would like him named, she said, “When this child was born, I became ‘without sorrow’.” Thus, he was named A-shoka. Later, she gave birth to a second son, whom she named Veetashoka, since he was born when sorrow had ceased (vigate-shoka).
Bindusara desired, one day, to ascertain which of his sons was best suited to succeed him as king. Summoning the wandering sanyasi Pingalavatsajiva, he requested him to test the princes. “Very well, your majesty,” said Pingalavatsajiva, “ go with the princes to the Garden of the Golden Pavilion, and I will examine them there in your presence.” Bindusara issued orders accordingly. But Ashoka sat, depressed and angry, in his mother’s apartments. She spoke to him, “ My son, the king has determined to examine all the princes and has proceeded to the garden of the Golden Pavilion. You should go there at once.” Ashoka retorted, “ Why should I? My body is unpleasant to look at; my skin is rough and the very touch of my body is distasteful to the king.” “ Go nevertheless,” advised his mother. Finally, Ashoka set forth, asking her to send him some food later in the day.
As he was leaving Pataliputra, Radhagupta, the son of the prime minister, met Ashoka. Hearing of the test, Radhagupta offered Ashoka the old royal elephant on which he was mounted. Ashoka rode this majestic, venerable mount to the garden of the Golden Pavilion. Reaching it, he took his seat on the ground, while the others were seated on appropriate raised seats. Food arrived for them all. Ashoka’s mother had sent him boiled rice mixed with curds in an earthen vessel.
King Bindusara now asked Pingalavatsajiva to examine the princes and pronounce who would best be able to rule after his death. The sanyasi was no fool. He knew that Bindusara detested Ashoka because of his peculiar skin. Hence he said, “ Your majesty, I will make my predictions without disclosing any name. He who has the finest mount will become king.” Each of the princes, of course, thought that he had the best mount. Ashoka, however, reflected, “I arrived on the back of the ancient royal elephant. My mount is truly the most excellent. I shall be king.”
Bindusara wanted the sanyasi to provide some more indicators. Then Pingalavatsajiva declared that he who had the best seat, the best vessel, the best food and drink would become king. When his mother asked about the predictions, Ashoka replied, “The prediction mentioned no name. It said that he who had the most excellent mount, seat, drink, vessel, and food will become king. The royal elephant’s back was my mount; the earth itself was my seat; my vessel was made of earth; boiled rice with curds my food and water my drink. Therefore I know that I shall be king.” Hearing this, and noticing that Pingalavatsajiva had begun to honor her particularly, Ashoka’s mother told the ascetic, “The king may some day suddenly question you further and press you for a direct answer on the succession. You had better seek refuge in the borderlands and return when you hear that Ashoka has become king.” And so, the wandering ascetic set forth and is not heard of again in our story.
Ashoka's Accession
Some time later, the city of Takshashila rose in rebellion against King Bindusara who dispatched Ashoka to tackle it with a fourfold army of cavalry, elephants, chariots and infantry. But the king passed orders not to issue them any arms. The servants came running to the prince and informed him, “ Prince Ashoka, we don’t have any weapons of war. How shall we fight?” Ashoka declared, “If my merit is such that I am to become king, let weapons of war appear before me!” And as he spoke, the earth gaped open and divine beings rose out of it carrying weapons for his army.
When the citizens of Takshashila heard of Ashoka’s approach, they decorated the road for several miles and went to welcome him with vases full of offerings. “O Prince,” they said, “we had no intention to revolt against you or the king. But evil ministers oppressed us and the tales of our miseries never reached Pataliputra. Hence, we had to rise and banish the King’s evil representatives.” In the same manner Ashoka was welcomed into the kingdom of the Khashas where two great warriors entered his service and thenceforth marched ahead of him, cutting a path through the mountains and proclaiming, “Ashoka will become a chakravarti monarch over one of the four continents. None is to oppose him!” Finally, the whole of the northwest, right up to the sea, submitted to him.
Back in the capital, one day Prince Suseema, the eldest son of the king, was returning from a ride when he met the prime minister. In jest, the Prince slapped the venerable man on his bald pate and passed on. But the wise prime minister thought to himself, “Today he slaps me with his hand. When he becomes king, he’ll let fall his sword. I must ensure he does not inherit the kingdom.” He summoned the five hundred ministers of the king and told them, “It has been predicted by the holy ascetic that Ashoka will become a chakravarti ruling over one of the four continents. When the time comes, let us place him on the throne.” And they agreed.
Soon the people of Takshashila rebelled once more. This time Bindusara sent Suseema, but he could not quell the rebellion. In the meantime, Bindusara fell sick. Hence, intending to install Suseema on the throne, he recalled him and ordered Ashoka to proceed to Takshashila. The ministers, however, thwarted this plan. They smeared Ashoka with turmeric, boiled some red lac in copper vessels and displayed it, saying that the prince was so ill that he could not move out of bed. As Bindusara’s condition worsened, the minister brought Ashoka before him, clad in all finery, and urged the king, “Consecrate Prince Ashoka for the present and we will install Suseema on the throne later, when he returns.” Bindusara’s wasted frame shook with fury as he refused. Then Ashoka declared, “If the throne is rightfully mine by fate’s decree, let the gods crown me with the royal crown!” At once heavenly beings manifested and placed the crown on Ashoka’s head. When Bindusara saw this, he vomited blood and passed away. Ashoka’s first act as king was to appoint Radhagupta prime minister.
Meanwhile, news of the coronation had reached Suseema in Takshashila. Furious at the usurpation, he rushed back to Pataliputra. Ashoka posted his two great warriors at two of the city gates. In front of the eastern gate, Radhagupta set up an artificial elephant so cunningly fashioned as to deceive a casual observer. On top of it, he placed an effigy of Ashoka, digging a ditch all around filled with live coals covered with reeds. The whole pit was camouflaged carefully. As Suseema arrived before the city, Radhagupta shouted tauntingly,” If you can slay Ashoka, the throne is yours!” That provoked Suseema to rush to the eastern gate to fight his half-brother. As he charged forward, he fell into the ditch full of live charcoal and died a terrible death.
Chandaashoka (Ashoka The Terrible)
Having installed Ashoka, the ministers began to take him for granted, considering themselves the real power behind the throne and secretly contemptuous of the new king. This attitude was a hangover of Bindusara’s dislike of Ashoka because of his peculiarly rough and unpleasant looking skin. Ashoka was no fool. To test the ministers’ loyalty and to discipline them, he ordered that all flower and fruit trees be chopped down, but the thorny ones preserved. The obvious analogy with his “thorny” appearance escaped the over-confident ministers. “What is your majesty planning?” they queried, “Should not, rather, the thorny trees be destroyed and the beautiful ones preserved?” Thrice they avoided complying with the orders in this manner. Furious at his authority being flouted, on the fourth occasion Ashoka unsheathed his sword and beheaded the five hundred counselors.
Once, Ashoka went strolling in a garden with his women. It was spring and the trees were laden with blooms and fruits. The king saw an ashoka tree in full bloom, and told his women, “See this is my namesake and how beautiful it is!” He wanted to be caressed by them, but the women disliked his rough skin and secretly mocked his comparing himself with the lovely tree. So, when he fell asleep, they decided to teach him a lesson. They got together, and removed all the flowers and leaves from the ashoka tree, leaving it bare and unlovely. On waking, Ashoka’s eyes fell on the ashoka tree, transformed from the ecstatic look of spring into the naked forlornness of winter. When he found out from his servants that his concubines were responsible, he was so furious that he had his five hundred women burned alive.
Seeing these fearsome acts of the king, the people named him Chandaashoka, “Ashoka the Fierce.” was Anxious that the people should not turn away from the king in revulsion, Radhagupta the prime minister spoke to Ashoka: “Your majesty, it is unseemly for the monarch to work as an executioner. Why not appoint some royal executioners who will carry out your commands?” Ashoka saw the wisdom of this and asked that suitable persons be sought out.
Not too far away, in a small village in the foothills, lived a weaver who had an evil son named Girikaa. This youth not only used to abuse his parents but would also beat up others for no reason and torture insects and animals. Therefore, he was called Chandagirikaa (Girikaa the fierce) by the villagers. Seeing him engaged in these horrible acts, the king’s men enquired whether he was agreeable to become the royal executioner. Girikaa replied with gusto and aplomb. “Certainly! Why, I could execute the whole of Jambudveepa and each would be a delightfully different death!” Asked to proceed to the capital, he told the king’s emissaries to tarry until he had told his parents. However, his parents would not let him go to pursue such a heinous profession. So, Girikaa killed them both and rejoined the king’s party. When they asked him why he had been delayed, he calmly told them, “I had to spend some time killing my father and mother for they would not let me obey the royal command.”
The first thing Girikaa asked of Ashoka, when he was presented to the king, was a building exclusively devoted to the art of execution. And so such a building was built, beautiful to look at from the outside, but housing all instruments of torture. People called it, “ the Paradisal Hell.” When it was ready, Chandagirikaa submitted to Chandaashoka, “Your majesty, grant me this boon: that whoever enters this place shall not leave it alive.” The king granted the request.
Once Chandagirikaa had gone to the Kukkutaaraama vihara where he happened to hear a monk reciting the “Baalapandita Sutra” which describes the five great tortures that beings suffer in hell. Some are stretched out on their backs on red-hot iron floors and balls of molten metal poured down their throats; others are thrown face-down on a mass of flames and branded; some are hacked and chopped with fiery axes into an octagon, a hexagon, a square, an oval and finally a circle; yet others are thrown on their backs on floors of flaming metal, and stakes driven through their hands, feet and heart. Hearing this horrific account, Girikaa was overjoyed. “Such are the five great agonies,” he mused, “and I shall follow the Sutra in implementing these in this life itself. Why deprive anyone of these in this life and keep them in suspense till after death?”
The Conversion of Ashoka
Around this time, a Buddhist monk named Samudra arrived in Pataliputra. He was so named having been born when his father, a merchant, was sailing across the ocean. Having lost his father at the age of twelve Samudra had joined the Buddhist order. That morning in Pataliputra, he unknowingly stepped into the imposing mansion, “the paradisal hell” asking for alms. Once inside, seeing the dreadful sights, he sought to leave, but Chandagirikaa stopped him. “This is where your life ends,” said the royal executioner and was much surprised when the mendicant burst into tears. Replying to his query, Samudra said, “Kind sir, I grieve not for the destruction of this body, but for losing this hard-to-attain existence in which I have been instructed by the lion of the Shaakyas and was hoping to achieve liberation.” Samudra, begging for compassion, sought a month’s delay of the execution. Chandagirikaa granted him a seven-day reprieve; and so Samudra waited, wrestling with the fear of death.
It so happened that early on the seventh morning Chandaashoka happened to find one of the women of the royal household fondly conversing with a youth. Flying into a rage, he sent them to the executioner who ground them with pestles in an iron mortar before Samudra. This horrific death led Samudra to realize the essence of Buddha’s teachings:
The body is as a foam-bubble, evanescent, worthless. Where now is that lovely face, that beautiful body? Only the ignorant delight in this impermanence. In this prison, I’ll cross the ocean of existence.
Striving all through the night, Samudra broke through the bonds of earthly attachments and became an arhat, a liberated being.
In the morning, Chandagirikaa strode up to him and said, “Monk, the night is gone, the sun is risen, the time of your torture has come.” Calmly Samudra replied, “True my night of ignorance has cleared and the sun of my good fortune is at its height. You may do as you wish, my friend.” Unmoved, the executioner threw Samudra into a cauldron full of water and blood, and tried to light a fire underneath. Try as he might, the fire would not blaze. Puzzled, he looked into the vessel and was amazed to see the monk sitting calmly on a lotus within it. He rushed to Ashoka who came to witness the miracle along with hundreds of people. Seeing the king, Samudra divined that the time had come for Ashoka’s conversion.
Miraculously, Samudra floated up in the air and stunned the monarch.For from half his body water poured down; from the other half fire blazed forth;Raining and flaming, he shone in the sky.
With folded hands, Ashoka begged enlightenment and initiation into the mysteries of the Dharma of Samudra. Samudra then told Ashoka how the Buddha had predicted that a hundred years after his demise there would be in Pataliputra a king who would distribute his bodily relics in eighty four thousand stupas. “Instead, your majesty,” said Samudra, “you have built this palace which is hell and where thousands are tortured to death. O king, grant security to all beings, for compassion is the highest virtue. Fulfill the lord’s prediction.” Begging forgiveness, Ashoka proclaimed his faith in the Buddha, in the congregation of believers (Sangha) and in his teachings (Dharma). He also promised to adorn the earth with chaityas housing the Blessed One’s relics.
Samudra vanished; Ashoka, too, was about to leave when Chandagirikaa stopped him. “Your majesty, you granted me a boon,” he said, “that none would leave this place alive.” Ashoka was taken aback at the effrontery, and asked, “What! You want to execute me too!” “Undoubtedly,” replied the unruffled executioner. “But which one of us,” asked Ashoka, “entered this place first?” Chandagirikaa had to admit that it was he, so he was taken away to the death chamber, and the building was demolished.

2009-03-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

History of Islam in IndiaNizam of Hyderabad and Tiger of Mysore
During the rule of Aurangzeb’s great grandson Muhammad Shah (1719-1748), the governor of Deccan was one Nizam-ul-Mulk. In 1723 he decided to carve himself a kingdom. Another Mughal functionary, Mubariz Khan had created a near independent state in Hyderabad, which was attacked by the Nizam in 1724. After forsaking his capital in Aurangabad, the Nizam moved to Hyderabad and founded the strongest independent Muslim state of the South. After British power rose in and around Madras, Hyderabad played an important role, especially in the struggle between the British and the French of Pondicherry. Nizam–ul-Mulk was ruling most of what today is the state of Andhra Pradesh whereas in the south the Nawab of Arcot was controlling parts of Tamil Nadu. Nawab-ul-Mulk died in 1748 and a succession battle ensued and spilled over to Arcot. The Anglo-French war intensified and puppet nawabs were placed in both Arcot and Hyderabad and played like pawns in a chess game by both the British and the French. Robert Clive a clerk and junior merchant of the East India Company fought the French and restored Muhammad Ali as Nawab of Arcot while the French controlled Hyderabad and seated Muzaffar Jang as the Nawab there. Later, when the French suffered defeat by the British, the Nizam of Hyderabad switched his allegiance to the British and promised them more land in the coastal Andhra Pradesh.
The Marathas had control of Tanjavur but with the help of Hyderabad both French under de Bussy and British under the command of their hero Robert Clive started their incursions deep into Maratha lands in the west. Eventually the French would lose to the British, who utilized to their advantage, the ‘farman’ (imperial directives, a sort of protection) they had obtained, using trickery, from the Mughal ruler, Farrukshayar, Aurangzeb’s grandson in 1716. Robert Clive sailed to Bengal when Siraj-ud-daula evicted the British from Calcutta and in what is known as ‘two hundred day war’ defeated the Nawab of Bengal (battle of Plassey) and installed a puppet nawab, just like in Arcot. Later the British, using the ‘farman’ as an excuse forced the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II to recognize Bengal as part of British territory. Later the Nizam of Hyderabad aided the British in their battles against the menacing Tipu of Mysore and consequently remained in their favor. Nizams of Hyderabad continued to rule their kingdom with British protection and would survive for another 150 years, until the independence of India in 1947.
The French in the face of defeat in Madras courted a Haidar Ali who was rising in power in Mysore. They had already lost the support of the Nizam of Hyderabad who had switched sides and was now a pawn of the British. Haidar Ali was in the service of the Wodeyars of Mysore, a little known kingdom of not much consequence in southern Karnataka. The Wodeyars were left over chieftan-nayaks from the Vijayanagara Empire and at various times had been overpowered by the Bijapur sultans as well as the Marathas. However, they remained inconspicuous and of little stature and escaped notice for a long time. The Wodeyars had lost their kingdom to two brothers in whose service a devout Muslim with ties to erstwhile Bijapur sultans through his ancestors, rose to prominence as an able soldier and leader. Haidar Ali learned by observing the power struggle between the French and the English and was fascinated with the European tactics of warfare. After protecting Mysore from invading Marathas in 1758, Haidar Ali deposed the brothers and became the undisputed ruler of Mysore in 1761.
Meanwhile Nizam Ali had deposed the nizam of Hyderabad who was his brother. Ali, in his quest to be seen with favoritism by his British overlords, proposed to attack Mysore. Haidar Ali was flexing his muscles and had gained considerable grounds in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The first Mysore war was fought in 1767, when the British-Hyderabad alliance suffered a crushing defeat. Haidar Ali’s reputation soared. The treaty and peace terms in favor of Haidar Ali were shamelessly reneged by the British and soon a second Mysore war ensued from 1780 to 1784. With his son Tipu as an able warrior, Haidar was winning the war when he died in 1783. He had captured Arcot from right under the nose of the British company. When troops from Bengal joined the fight, Tipu had to sue for peace and the Peace of Mangalore was drawn (which eventually proved to be meaningless).
Tipu was unhappy with the French support he had received. He then sent a delegation to Versailles as well to the Ottoman sultan in Constantinople. The delegation received a warm welcome in France but little military help. Tipu’s territories had included the Malabar Coast from where he was able to launch successful trade with Arabia and his kingdom became prosperous. He was also interested in agriculture and sought experimental seeds and new crops from all over Asia and France. Srirangapatnam was a converted to an admirable botanical garden and he introduced silkworm cultivation to Mysore (for which the region is well known even today). Tipu’s rule became the envy of the neighboring states and this did not bode well for him in the long run. Educated, possessed with a curious mind and with the ability to rule his subjects well he gained the nickname ‘Tiger of Mysore’. This is not to say Tipu was not ruthless. He showed no mercy when it came to people he considered enemies of the state. The torture that Tipu inflicted on his enemies are legendary.
The Marathas aside, the British were very nervous about Tipu’s success and never ceased their complicity against him. A third Mysore war was fought from 1790 to 1792 with the pretext that Tipu had attacked Travancore. Lord Cornwallis pursued Tipu with vigor into Bangalore and Srirangapatnam with the help of Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad. Tipu was outnumbered and had to pay indemnity to release his two young sons, ages eight and ten, who had been taken into British custody as assurances.
Tipu was in no position to renew his hostilities with the British as his power had been truncated by them. But the new governor Wellesley, sensing a weakened tiger attacked in 1799 with massive force from which there was no escape for Tipu. The pretext for the unprovoked attack was that it was thought that Tipu had made overtures to Napoleon to help him ward off the British. The siege of Srirangapatnam lasted for three months and Tipu’s body was found among the dead, cut with bayonets and shot twice. His prized and famous jeweled sword-belt had been stolen. This single victory paved the way for the British supremacy of India.
Mysore was tamed as well as its tiger. A child of the Wodeyar dynasty was installed as the ruler and was treated as a subordinate. The British now had control over coastal Karnataka and free access to the sea trade routes.

2009-03-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

History of Islam in IndiaSultans and Nawabs of the South
In the aftermath of the Muslim incursions of the south by Khilji, two kingdoms emerged in the south, one Hindu and one Muslim. Hindu Vijayanagara was founded in the 1330’s and spearheaded the resistance to the influence of Islam in the peninsula. Ten years later, Hasan Shah, who was under the service of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, founded the Bahmani kingdom. He rose rapidly in the ranks in Deccan and at the end of Tughlaq rule, defied Delhi’s authority. Gujarat had done likewise and now Hasan was known as Bahman Shah and made Daulatabad as his headquarters.
However, Bahman Shah has different beginnings according to legend. He was said to have been a servant in the household of a Delhi Brahman (brahmin) called Gungu. Once while ploughing the fields he chanced upon a pot of gold buried in the ground. Gungu, who also could foretell the future predicted a glorious and rich future for Hasan and told him never to forget his master. Hasan headed south to Deccan to make his fortune and carved himself the Bahmanid kingdom when Tughlaqs were in decline in Delhi. Later Hasan assumed Gungu as one of his titles. Even the name Bahman is close enough to Brahman for some historians to think that the legend may have some merit though the Muslim historians believe that the word Bahman comes from the ancient Persian King Bahman.
Ferishta, the Muslim historian writing a century after the demise of the Bahmanid kingdom, makes particular reference of destructions of idols and temples carried on by the Bahmani Sultans. However, this may be more a dream or based on other biased Persian writers’ accounts. Continuous conflict with the neighboring Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagara ensued and subsided only when either of the kingdoms disintegrated. There were also skirmishes with the Malwa in the northern borders. A rich tract of land between the Krishna and Tungabhadra attracted the Bahmanids to change their capital first to Gulbarga and then later to Bidar. They expanded their kingdom to both coasts and became a true nation-state. Truce was also achieved with Vijayanagara and Malwa and peace was at hand, at last. Due to in fighting, in the 1490’s Bahmani kingdom suddenly collapsed and was divided into several smaller sultanates.
The sultanate of Gujarat lasted a long time. Ahmad Shah built his capital Ahmadabad and the long reigning sultan Mahmud Shah expanded territory into Saurashtra and created a sultanate that would last well until the seventeenth century. Sultan Mahmud Khilji ruled Malwa and made Mandu its capital. It is recorded that this sultan once had a harem with ten thousand women that needed their own city to live in. What eventually became of this city is unknown. Mandu later fell to Gujarat incursions.
During the last Bahmani sultan Mahmud Shah’s reign (1482-1518), four major power centers would emerge and become independent states. The capital of Bahmanids, Bidar would be one but more powerful were Bijapur (Karnataka), Golconda (later Hyderabad), and Ahmadnagar in the northwest. A fifth would have Berar as its capital. The Vijayanagara kings utilized the splintering of the Bahmanids, initially to their advantage. The rivalry between Bijapur and Golconda was exploited well by Rama Raja, the successor of Krishna Deva Raya. This exploitation led to the extent that the four sultanates finally feared for their own existence. They patched up their differences and joined together to defeat the Vijayanagara Empire in the battle of Talikot in the year 1565.
Golconda and Bijapur would continue to dominate the scene well into the Mughal rule in the north. Akbar finally annexed Ahmadnagar and Bijapur and Golconda became Mughal suzerainties during Jahangir and Shah Jahan’s rule. During this time, with the Mughal protection, the sultanates expanded their territories well into southern Karnataka and Tamil lands. Aurangzeb, in late seventeenth century, unhappy with the Shiite sultans and Hindu nobility in the south, went south and made both Bijapur and Golconda part of a vast Mughal empire.
Bijapur and Golconda thrived alongside the Mughal glory in the north. Many mosques and tombs were built as if to match those built by the aesthete Mughals. The Bijapur architecture climaxed in building of the great masculine tomb, the Gol Gumbaz. An engineering marvel that has a dome second in size only to the Basilica in St. Petersburg, Vatican, it was completed in 1659, just after Shah Jahan completed his Taj Mahal in Agra. It was built for Muhammad Adil Shah who had died in 1657. His father Ibrahim Adil Shah had ruled over the golden period of Bijapur but was drawn into war when Akbar invaded Ahamadnagar sultanate. Son Muhammad, however, expanded south into Mysore and Tamil Nadu with the help of Shahji, father of Shivaji. The Nayaks of Madurai and Tanjavur acknowledged Muhammad Adil Shah. During Shah Jahan’s rule, Aurangzeb who was the governor of Deccan took Hyderabad and besieged the Golconda fort. Taking advantage of the death of Muhammad Adil Shah he also defeated the Bijapur Sultan. Aurangzeb was asked to cease hostilities by Shah Jahan on the advice of his first and favorite son Dara Shikoh. This eventually led to a rift between the brothers and Aurangzeb marched on Delhi to depose his father and pursue his brothers. Rest is history.
While the Mughal Empire declined and the British slowly gained a foothold in India, the geography of the sultans of the south also changed. In the mid eighteenth century two prominent Muslim sultanates remained in the south, namely Hyderabad and Mysore. Marathas had taken control of most of the northern part of the Peninsula and the various Maratha households came into prominence. Thus the Gaikwads of Baroda, Scindias of Gwalior, Peshwas of Pune, Bhonsles of Nagpur and the Holkars of Indore came to power under the broad heading of Maratha states or confederacy. Shivaji’s protégés would eventually settle in Kolhapur and outlive the Mughals and the British to finally surrender its autonomy after independence of India from the British. In the 1970’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi disestablished the long surviving Shivaji’s Bhonsles of Kolhapur

2009-03-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

History of Islam in IndiaQuintessential Orthodox – Aurangzeb (1618-1707)
While serving as governor of Deccan, Prince Aurangzeb started feeling uneasy about being sidelined by his father and his oldest brother, Prince Dara Shikoh. The emperor had favored Dara Shikoh to succeed him and this was not acceptable to the younger brother Aurangzeb. In Deccan, he colluded with a Mir Jumla, a rich Persian adventurer, in the service of Golconda Sultan. In 1656 he took Hyderabad and laid siege on the fort at Golconda. He was ordered to abort the siege by Shah Jahan on the advice of Dara Shikoh. The following year it was déjà vu in Bijapur. Dara Shikoh was not taking any chances lest Aurangzeb gain fame from his victories. Aurangzeb was deeply disappointed and frustrated. A deeply orthodox Sunni Muslim, Aurangzeb did not accept the Hindu infidels or the Shiite sultans. He was determined to rule over a large empire and convert it into a deeply fundamentalist Muslim State.
The illness of Shah Jahan in 1657 precipitated a flurry of activities amongst his four sons who considered themselves contenders to the throne. This was also a necessity and an inevitable fight until death as history had shown that the losing sibling would suffer deadly consequences. Dara Shikoh had the best chance as he was in Shahjahanabad (Delhi) at the time and favored by his father. Prince Shuja was pressing from Bengal, where he was the governor. Prince Murad Baksh from nearby Gujarat joined the advancing army of Aurangzeb. Shuja was beaten back by the imperial army under Jai Singh. He eventually fled to Burma (Arakan coast) and was never heard from again. He was said to have been disposed off there on the orders of Aurangzeb by the king of Arakan. Dara faced Aurangzeb’s army with a depleted army because of the fight in Varanasi to stop Shuja had taken his best troops. Dara also fled prematurely to Lahore. Aurangzeb occupied Delhi and Agra and put his father, the emperor Shah Jahan under house arrest.
Aurangzeb occupied Delhi but he knew his position was far from being secure as far as his archenemies, namely his siblings, were alive. Shuja had been disposed off in Burma. Murad, his ally thus far was easily imprisoned and later beheaded. Dara eluded Aurangzeb for a while but when he eventually was captured, he was humiliated in the streets of Delhi, dragged in chains. To seal his fate and leave no doubts in the minds of his supporters, his body was cut to pieces and then again paraded in the same streets. Mir Jumla was sent to Assam, where he briefly won that state but was bogged down in the torrential monsoon rains and then died.
Dara Shikoh would have made a great Mughal emperor. He had the demeanor of Akbar the great. He was the most tolerant of all the potential candidates and because of this he also went afoul with the ulema (Muslim scholars trained in Islamic law). He was a scholar of repute and he consorted with Hindus, Christians and Sufis. He even translated the Upanishads into Persian. He contended that Hinduism and Islam were essentially similar. This gave an excuse for Aurangzeb, who was an extremely orthodox practitioner of radical Islam to claim that he was saving the empire from idolatry and decline under Dara. Many saw Aurangzeb’s cause as legitimate and just.
Aurangzeb proclaimed himself emperor in 1658 and confined his father to the hallways of the Agra fort. He gave himself the title of Alamgir, Conqueror of the Universe and immediately set upon his dream of expanding his empire. In addition to Assam and Kashmir, he also claimed Tibet. Deccan had already been subdued except for the trouble being created by the Marathas. He also began his dream of converting the entire Indian population into a Muslim community. Gross discrimination in the ranks of administration and strict prohibition of intoxicants according to Islamic law was imposed. The hallmark of many Mughal generations of art, music and dance were banned. The hated jizya that had been lifted by Akbar was reinstated for all Hindus. When the people in Delhi protested they were ordered to be stampeded by elephants. Temple desecration was again begun in earnest, though it had never been completely stopped during Shah Jahan’s rule. Varanasi, the holiest Hindu site was attacked because of lingam worship, the worst form of idolatry according to radical Islam. A mosque was built in its place. An order was issued that all new temples and others in strategic locations were to be destroyed or converted to mosques. Non-Muslims were blatantly treated as second-class citizens and bigotry was encouraged with impunity. Rajputs and the Sikh communities were alienated and the enormous diplomatic work done by Akbar in bringing the religions together was undone with callous disregard. Guru Teg Bahdur, the ninth Sikh holy man was executed, which only led to the Sikh community becoming a militant force under the next and last Guru Gobind Singh.
Despite all these ignominious and inglorious activities, infringing on the freedom of religion for non-Muslims, Aurangzeb ably managed to keep the empire together. He was a very able administrator. His tendency towards trusting nobody, including his own sons, certainly played a large part in his longevity. When revenue streams in Delhi were streamlined and the royal treasury was seen to be safe with a steady flow of cash, Aurangzeb turned his attention to Deccan again. The Portuguese and the French were setting up trading posts in the peninsula. But his main adversary, and a worthy one at that, was the indomitable Shivaji. Son of Shahji Bhonsle, who had fought Shah Jahan in Ahmadnagar, Shivaji never accepted the Mughals as his rulers. He later founded the Maratha kingdom, in the northwest corner of Bijapur state, right under the nose of Mughal rulers. Shivaji was an opportunist and with ingenuity was able to carve himself a kingdom and considerable power. His Maratha riders gained a reputation as master fighters specializing in surgical strikes, usually as covert attacks. He made Pune his headquarters and tricked his way into many forts in the region. However, in the face of defeat he would have no qualms about relinquishing the forts and act as an agile and mobile fighting unit, only to reoccupy the forts when the enemy turned his back. Aurangzeb had experienced the tactics of the elusive Shivaji when he served as the governor of Deccan from 1652 to 1658. In 1682 at the age of sixty-four, Aurangzeb returned to Deccan never to return again to Delhi until his death twenty-seven years later. Though he was able to subdue Shivaji’s brood from time to time, he would never have the satisfaction of crushing Maratha power once and for all. They remained an anathema to him until his death.
Prince Akbar, one of Aurangzeb’s sons had the demeanor and the views of his great-great grandfather and namesake, emperor Akbar. When his father showed no signs of relinquishing his kingdom, he became impatient and rebelled. When his Rajput allies abandoned him the Prince fled south and made an alliance with Shambaji, Shivaji’s son. Shivaji had died in 1680 at the age of fifty and Shambaji was more than eager to help the prince to topple the much-hated Aurangzeb. However, Prince Akbar failed to gain ground on his father and had to flee to Persia where he died in 1704.
Aurangzeb’s campaign into Deccan would be endless. An active soldier even in his eighties, he could never extricate himself from here and return to Delhi. He and his entourage remained in Deccan for twenty-seven years until his death. In the process of fighting his adversaries, he extended his empire almost to all of India. Dissatisfied with their suzerainty status, he annexed Bijapur and Golconda and made them part of Mugahl territories. In Hyderabad, the emperor in the name of purifying it and ridding it of infidel Hindu Brahmins condoned heinous activities. Naturally, desecration of temples was a top priority. Shivaji’s son Shambaji was caught and promptly dismembered, joint-by-joint and limb-by-limb. His brother Rajaram and later his widow a Tarabai, as regent for her young son Shambaji II, continued to resist Aurangzeb.
Aurangzeb towards the end of his life became more and more orthodox. Transcribing the Koran and stitching skullcaps for the faithful, he continued to believe his battle was a holy one (jihad). In his zeal to hold on to power, he had already disposed two of his sons. A third son had been imprisoned. His daughter was exiled because she kept corresponding with the exiled son Akbar in Persia. Lonely and desolate as an octogenarian he lamented and wrote that his misery would never end until death. He never found peace in his heart and fell seriously ill in 1705. Wearing only white robes with a long white beard and a sallow complexion, his ghostly figure was carried to Ahmadnagar to wait for his death. His misery ended two years later, when he died in 1707, almost ninety years of age.
In the inevitable struggle for succession would follow. Two brothers had already been killed and one Prince Muazzam came out as the victor, after defeating another brother in a battle for succession. He assumed the name of Bahadur Shah and ruled for five years. But the long reign of Aurangzeb had left seventeen potential claimants to the throne, including his grandchildren and great grandchildren. As a result, the next seven years saw more bloodshed and in 1719, Aurangzeb’s great grandson, Muhammad Shah ascended the throne and ruled till 1748. British East India Company had its sights on the rich bounty in India and started undermining the Mughal authority. Other Mughal rulers held on to power with diminishing influence until the year 1858, when the British dethroned the last Mughal king Bahadur shah Zarfar II. The glory of Mughal rule of more than three hundred years ended in a whimper.

History ofAkba

2009-03-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

History of Islam in IndiaA True Monarch Akbar The Great (1543-1605)
Akbar was only thirteen when his father died of an unfortunate accident in the palace at Delhi. In his haste to rush down the stairs to answer the call for prayer, Humayun slipped and fell to his death. This sudden turn of events left the newly reclaimed Mughal Empire in peril once again. Akbar, who was born during Humayun’s flight from Delhi after his loss to Sher Shah, was in Panjab at the time of his father’s demise. With no other claimants to the throne, Akbar was thrust into the forefront of an empire in jeopardy. Unlike his father and grandfather, Akbar was an Indian by birth. While his father was hiding in the Thar Desert, in a Rajput fort in Umarkot (now in Pakistan), under the protection of Hindus, Akbar was born to Hamida in October 1542. His education had not gone well both because of the stress of a family on the run as well as his inability to learn to read or write, surely because of dyslexia.
Akbar was lucky to have Bayram Khan as regent in those early teenage years. Under his tutelage the empire was protected form 1556 to 1560. After Humayun’s sudden death, while Akbar was still in Panjab, Hemu, a wretchedly puny but crafty man, quickly attacked Delhi and the Mughal force took flight. An unlikely adversary, Hemu, who was a chief minister of one of the Sur claimants, had to be driven from Delhi after a major victory in what was called the second battle of Panipat. Hemu riding on an elephant, the ‘Hawai’ (wind), took an arrow in his eye that pierced right through his head. Seeing their leader slump on his great beast the rest of the army scattered in confusion. Hemu was captured and beheaded in front of the young victor, Akbar. After this Delhi would not slip out of Mughal hands for another three centuries.
The loyal Bayram Khan was a Shia Muslim amongst the Sunnis. He fell victim to intrigue and betrayal and was provoked into revolting and then killed. Adham Khan, who is the son of Akbar’s erstwhile nurse stepped in and carried on the business of extending the empire and putting down the insurgency in the neighboring states. The legendary Baz Bahadur, who was the sultan at Malwa was defeated and his lover, the Rajput princess, whom the lovelorn Bahadur had serenaded, committed suicide by drinking poison, in the true Rajput tradition. Adham Khan, by now was corrupted by power and felt the wrath of the nineteen-year-old emperor and was flung headlong from the terrace to meet his maker.
Barely out of his teens, Akbar quickly consolidated power and centralized the administration. Ministers were dispensed with lest they grow ambitious and dissident commanders were dealt with swiftly. Unlike any other Muslim ruler in India, Akbar took keen interest in his subjects and Hindu ascetics, like jogis and sanyasis. He was most tolerant of all Mughal rulers and let his subjects practice their faiths without any fear of persecution. He also encouraged marriages between Hindu Rajputs and Muslims. His first and the most beloved wife (first of thirty-three wives) was the daughter of Kacchwaha Rajput raja of Amber (Kacchawahas built Jaipur later). Raja’s son and grandson became loyal lieutenants of Akbar and were treated as nobles. Rajasthan never again became a thorn on Akbar’s side as it had for all the previous Sultans and Emperors.
Akbar never discriminated between Muslims and Hindus and conferred nobility to many, with equal justice in mind. His only failure was one Udai singh of Mewar, whose son, a prisoner in Akbar’s court escaped and fled south. In 1567 Akbar himself marched south and participated in the siege of Chittor. Udai Singh and his son escaped but Akbar continued his siege and eventually occupied the fort. Udai Singh is the founder of the city of Udaipur with the lovely lake, where later, a Jagat Singh built the renowned palace on the lake. For Akbar defeating Chittor was a matter of honor (izzat) and this win effectively sealed his glory in the history of the Mughals. Historian Abu’l – Fazl in his Akbar-nama, recorded the events of Akbar’s rule.
Akbar also undertook the building of a new capital in Sikri (later called Fatehpur Sikri) and planned to move his capital from Agra to Sikri. Despite being married to many wives he was heirless and propitiated his respects to a member of the Chisti family called Shaikh Salim Chisti of Sikri. The Sufi holy man correctly predicted that the emperor would have three sons. The first male child was born to his Rajput wife and was named Salim (later Jahangir) in honor of Chisti. The fulfilled prophesy of Chisti of Sikri also had an important role in his folly of building a new capital in Fatehpur Sikri. After completing his father Humayun’s tomb, he undertook an ambitious plan to build an extravagant palace and other buildings in the middle of nowhere.
Akbar was a keen student of the various religions of India. Sufism flourished and the Bhakti cult as well as the Jain and Sikh followers of Guru Nanak fascinated Akbar. In his mind he formed an amalgam of various religions like Islam, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism. He even had Portuguese padres from Goa visit his court to give him a sermon on Christianity. He then sought a religion that encompassed the best elements of the various religions and proposed a new one called Din Ilahi or the Divine Faith. However, he did not vigorously promulgate his new religion and it never gained in popularity, as the tenets were not clearly spelled out. As expected he soon ran afoul with the ulema, who considered his actions blasphemous and a threat to Islam. His half brother Hakim, the governor of Kabul sent a fatwa enjoining all Muslims to revolt. With the help of his Hindu lieutenants Akbar was able to defeat Hakim in Lahore and then made a triumphant entrance into Kabul in 1581. Akbar went on to secure his borders and annex more and more territory. Not only Gujarat, Orissa and Rajasthan were subdued but Kashmir was also conquered. Sindh and Kabul were also under Akbar’s control by 1595. Fatehpur Sikri was having trouble with water supply and Salim, his eldest son was showing signs of restlessness about potential succession. Akbar then chose the security of the fort in Agra, abandoning Fatehpur Sikri. It was during this time that Akbar was busy with extending his empire into Deccan. The assault on Ahmadnagar became confused with the internal threat to Akbar from his son and resulted in a halfhearted attempt and least rewarding of Akbar’s conquests.
Akbar was also an exact contemporary of Elizabeth I of England but was the ruler of far greater number of people in India than the sparse population of England. The population of the subcontinent of India at the end of the sixteenth century is estimated at 140 million people with most of them living in the territory controlled by Akbar, between the Himalayas and the Deccan plateau. Compare this with the population of five million in England and 40 million in Western Europe. Akbar was indeed a true monarch and India with its enormous manpower quickly became rich again.
The benevolent monarch suspended all unjust taxation of non-Muslims. These taxes, called jizya had been collected ever since the Muslim rulers took control of India. Initially the Brahmins and some Buddhists were exempt but later Feroz Shah Tughlaq had made the taxes mandatory for all non-Muslims. Though handicapped with learning disabilities, Akbar appreciated art and music and honored artists, whoever they were. Miniature paintings from his era are considered to be masterpieces and the legendary musician Tansen was his royal singer in his court. Akbar’s reign also began an unprecedented period of political stability in India. A crafty and intelligent minister Birbal is the subject of much folklore.
The emperor’s waning years were mired in sadness. His own son, Prince Salim turned against him. In the year 1600, when Akbar was away, Salim attempted to seize Agra. The father and son reconciled but Salim again declared himself emperor in 1602. Salim murdered the trusted memorialist of Akbar, Abu’l-fazl, when he was sent to Salim to broker a truce between father and son. Akbar finally agreed to have Salim as his successor. However when Akbar died in 1605, perhaps form grief, the question of succession was far from settled. Salim’s son Khusrau was also vying for the throne, supported by the Delhi nobles. The erstwhile history of Muslim rulers with their tendency towards fratricide and patricide was again upon the Mughals.
The filial piety seen for two generations of Mughals would be forgotten and replaced by routine violence prior to each succession. The internal strife, as a result, would be a larger threat to Mughal rule than any external pressure

History of India

2009-03-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

History of Islam in IndiaThe World Conqueror: Jahangir (1569-1627)
Prince Salim (b 1569 of Hindu Rajput princess from Amber) showed signs of restlessness at the end of a long reign by his father Akbar. During the absence of his father from Agra he pronounced himself as the king and turned rebellious. Akbar was able to wrestle the throne back but the prince was showing no signs of remorse. There was also an unconfirmed story of strained relationship between father and son due to Salim’s amorous advances to an ordinary dancing girl. Deeply in love and enchanted by the dancing girl, Anarkali, who was of common birth, Salim was ready to make her his queen. This union, surprisingly, was said to have been unacceptable to Akbar and the girl was abducted and deported to a far off land. Though the historians do not mention the existence of such a girl called Anarkali, the folklore certainly has survived. This also might have exacerbated the strain between the monarch and the prince.
Salim did not have to worry about his sibling’s aspirations to the throne. His two brothers, Murad and Daniyal, had both died early from alcoholism. Ironically a similar fate would await Salim at the end of his reign when he also succumbed to the ill effects of excessive drinking. But his challenge came from a surprising member of his family. His son Khusrau was favored by the nobles and made an attempt to unseat Salim, who by 1602 had proclaimed himself as the emperor and renamed himself Jahangir (World Conqueror). Khusrau laid siege to Lahore but was captured by Jahangir and blinded. The cruelty of the previous Sultans of Delhi had now pervaded into the Mughal emperors. Hitherto unknown fraternal and filial murder and torture at the time of succession was to become the norm and almost expected in the kingdom. Jahangir explained that a king should consider no man his relation and sovereignty did not regard the relation between father and son. Treacherous perfidy during succession would not shock any future Mughal heirs.
Jahangir began his era as a Mughal emperor after the death of Akbar in the year 1605. He considered his third son Prince Khurram (future Shah Jahan-born 1592 of Hindu Rajput princess Manmati), his favorite. Rana of Mewar and Prince Khurram had a standoff that resulted in a treaty acceptable to both parties. Khurram was kept busy with several campaigns in Bengal and Kashmir. Jahangir claimed the victories of Khurram – Shah Jahan as his own. However, Kandahar, which had been won by Akbar, was lost to Persia’s Shah Abbas. Further defeats were handed in Northern Afghanistan. Some success was at hand in the Deccan when an African slave, Malik Ambar, brought from Baghdad, serving under the sultante of Ahmadnagar, helped Khurram-Shah Jahan.
The monarch meanwhile was basking in the glory of his son’s victories. He also had unlimited sources of revenue largely due to a systematic organization of the administration by his father, Akbar. The opulence of the Mughals had reached its pinnacle during Jahangir and Shah Jahan’s rule, thanks to Akbar’s foresight. Jahangir built his famous gardens in Kashmir and spent much time relaxing and delegating his work to others. One such person was Jahangir’s wife, Nur Jahan, whom he married in 1611. She was the thirty-year-old widow of one of his Afghan nobles. Her father, Persian born Itimad-ud-Daula became a minister and closest advisor to the emperor. Very able Nur Jahan along with her father and brother Asaf Khan, who was a successful general, ran the kingdom. Jahangir was the monarch in absentia. Addicted to alcohol, he was content to let his wife govern.
After the fiasco in Kandahar, the relationship between Khurram and Jahangir soured. Khurram suspected that Nur Jahan favored her son-in-law Prince Shariyar (son of Jahangir from a slave), who was married to her daughter Ladli Begum, from her first marriage. Khurram was in rebellion with his father and in this the African slave Malik Ambar and Nur Jahan’s brother Asaf Khan aided him. Khurram- Shah Jahan was married to Asaf Khan’s daughter Mumtaz Mahal. Prince Shariyar was murdered and Nur Jahan spent her last years building a tomb for her father Itimad-ud-Daula in Agra. She could have little influence over the willful Shah Jahan or her niece Mumtaz Mahal.
Jahangir had kept a diary that can pass marginally as memoirs. He describes inane and insignificant details of his garden and daily happenings around the palace. It only serves to give a glimpse of the emperor’s life in a superficial way. Though not a soldier, Jahangir was an ardent patron of Mughal art and an avid builder. He built Akbar’s five-tiered tomb in Sikandra. The emperor kept busy building in Lahore, Allahabad and Agra. While the de facto emperor, Nur Jahan was attending to administrative details, Jahangir found solace in loitering in his gardens and appreciating art and nature.
The darkest incident of his rule perhaps was the disposition of a peaceful leader of newly formed religion called Sikkhism. Akbar had watched the blossoming of the new religion founded by Guru Nanak, with fascination. Jahangir, in a controversy with its leader, was responsible for the death of Sikh Guru Arjan Singh (who died in Mughal prison) and this would have lasting consequences for future Mughal emperors. The peaceful religion of Sikhism would turn militant later when Jahangir’s grandson Aurangzeb murdered the ninth Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur. Jahangir, the laid back emperor died in 1627 from alcohol abuse and Prince Khurram–Shah Jahan’s reign as the emperor began.

2009-03-18T02:07:00.000-07:00

History of Islam in IndiaThe Mighty Mughals
A Tireless Tiger from Kabul – Babur (1484-1530) Zahir-ud-din Muhammad otherwise known as Babur or ‘the tiger’, was eying the events in Delhi and Agra under Sikandar Lodi with great interest. Lodi was building a new city in Agra. Building of a great fort was well underway, when a devastating earthquake hit Agra, toppling buildings and leaving the foundations of the fort in ruins. Sikandar Lodi was also having trouble in another front with Raja Mansingh, who was resisting within his well-fortified city of Gwalior. To add to this there seemed to be internal strife among the Lodi clan. Babur, who was of Mongolian descent in the line of the great Genghis Khan (form his mother’s side) and fifth-generation descendent of Timur (from his father’s side), was the ruler in Kabul, Afghanistan. He started his series of invasion into Panjab in the year of the earthquake in 1505 and continued to do so for the next twenty years, further weakening the Lodis. Five incursions later he finally took Delhi and Agra by defeating Ibrahim Lodi in the battle of Panipat in 1526. An uncle of the sultan and the governor of Lahore, Daulat Khan, aided the Mughal in overthrowing Ibrahim Lodi.
A vigorous warrior and trooper, Babur was the epitome of fitness. He was comfortable on the saddle as a warrior or as a connoisseur of great pieces of literature and poetry. A romantic with nostalgia and a softhearted love for his central Asian homelands, Babur was a tireless soldier. He soon saw the ill effects of inebriants on the performance of a cavalry and promoted prohibition. He was a contemporary of Henry the VIII in England, who was disabled by his obesity but admired the nimble Babur. Though Mongolian blood ran in his veins, Babur’s allegiance was to his place of birth, the erstwhile kingdom of Timur more than a century earlier, in the Turkic controlled central Asia (current day Tashkent). He grew up speaking Turki and he considered India only as a stepping-stone towards ultimate control of Samarkand, Timur’s capital. As a teenager he had attacked and occupied Samarkand three times and then driven away after a short period. With Kabul as his capital now he found himself waging war in India.
After his first raid after the earthquake, it took him another fifteen years to try again and finally in 1526 he succeeded in toppling the weak regime in Delhi. With a small but very mobile force he crossed the River Indus, and helped by a new gunpowder technology, was able to overpower the larger Lodi army. He took a keen interest in the newly emerging firearms and cannons. Man and beasts of war were frightened off their wits with the booming and deafening sounds of exploding cannons. Another matter that helped Babur in his quest was the internal strife of the Lodi brothers. They had divided the sultanate into two factions and then later, Ibrahim had his brother assassinated. The unsettled rivalry between Ibrahim and his governors and secret deals with the Rajput chief of Mewar, one Rana Sangha, also helped Babur win the battle of Panipat. A panicked foe of 100,000 soldiers and 1000 elephants was conquered even with a smaller army of Babur. He marched on to Delhi while his son Humayun hastened to the capital Agra to secure the treasury. Raja Mansingh’s successor raja Vikramaditya, who was a feudatory of Lodis since 1519, was also in Agra. After he was slain his family made a deal with Humayun.
Babur-nama, a memoir-cum-diary of Babur mentions that the family gave Humayun countless jewels including one unique diamond weighing 186 carats. Babur writes that this diamond originally belonged to Ala-ud-din Khilji, perhaps obtained from Golconda (Andhra Pradesh) during his expedition to Deccan. How the raja of Gwalior came to possess it is not known. This diamond later was known as the Koh-I-Nur, the mountain of light. Humayun offered it to Babur but Babur wisely refused it as there is a legend that ill luck would befall whoever owns such a stone. History, however calls it Babur’s diamond. To commemorate the victory at Panipat, Babur built a mosque there. Another mosque he built later called Babri Masjid was mired in controversy as Hindus claimed it was built in the birthplace of Rama of Ayodhya. Fanatic Hindus razed it to the ground using pickaxes in 1992.
With the help of Humayun, Babur extended his kingdom. However, he had to thwart some of the dissent among his ranks, when the nostalgic Mughals wanted to return to Kabul (reminiscent of Alexander’s Macedonians). They had had enough of hot and muggy Indian summers. Even at the risk of facing poverty back in Kabul, the rank and file senior members wanted to return. Nothing short of a pep talk by Babur himself could stop them from their determination. Finally the persuasion by their leader worked as well as the relief from Indian summer came in the form of cooler monsoon rains.
The Rajput from Mewar, Rana Sangha had aspirations of his own. Though he had assisted Babur in deposing the Lodis, he was hoping a quick withdrawal by the Mughals leaving him to reap the benefits. When this did not become a reality, Rana Sangha began his campaign against Babur. The morale of Babur’s troops ebbed, again to be rallied by their tireless leader. Stressing that the adversaries were idolaters and infidels Babur was able to designate the war a holy war (jihad). Cowardice would only prevent martyrdom and is punishable, according to Koranic teachings. He worked his troops into a religious frenzy and made his men swear off alcohol, another taboo as per the holy book. Rana Sangha was thoroughly defeated in the battle at Khanua (Khanwar). Following this Babur cherished any challenge. Firmly ensconced in the throne, he looked forward to skirmishes where he could personally lead his army to victory. The Afghan nobles loyal to Lodis were defeated in Ghagra. Babur conquered more and more territories that his successors found difficult to hold together. His empire extended from Kabul to Bihar and from the foothills of Himalayas to Gwalior.
His dream of returning to central Asia looked more and more unattainable. However, he sent his favorite son, the eldest Humayun to Samarkand for a campaign. Humayun was not successful in his bid and had to return to India due to his father’s ill health. In a dramatic change of events, Humayun fell gravely ill and the distraught father was seen praying at his bedside. He asked God to trade places with his son and forfeit his life for Humayun’s life. The twenty-two year old son recovered and the forty-seven years old father faded. He was interned in 1530 in a garden in Agra, which according to his wishes was later removed to Kabul, amongst his favorite melons and vineyards. It took only four busy years (1526-1530) for Babur to establish one of th. one of the greatest empires of the world.

2009-03-18T02:05:00.001-07:00

Ala-ud-din and his Eunuch General
After the so-called Slave Dynasty disintegrated in Delhi following the removal of the last sultan, the paralytic father and his wretched toddler, the Khilji’s were headed to Delhi led by their patriarch, Jalal-ud-din Feroz (also called Feroz Shah I). He was known for his kindness and brought some civility to the citizens of Delhi. For nearly one hundred years the Hindus were relatively spared as the sultans of the slave dynasty were busy resisting the numerous Mongol attacks on Delhi. However, soon after came another Khilji, who had designs of glorifying his stronghold by plunder and conquests of idolater’s territories. His name was Ala-ud-din. He was a nephew and son in law of the old man, Feroz Shah I.
Ala-ud-din’s incursion into Deccan was kept secret from his uncle in 1296. Devagiri was the capital of Yadavas (also called the Seunas), ruled by one Ramachandra. He was surprised by a rapidly moving unit headed by Ala-ud-din and quickly submitted for an enormous ransom. Well-fortified Devagiri was easily sacked and plundered because Ramachandra lacked the courage to fight and defend it. Appeasement for clemency included riches beyond Ala-ud-din’s wildest dreams including a Yadava bride. The kingdom was left intact and Ramachandra’s life spared, with the promise of future co-operation.
News of his nephew’s unauthorized achievement finally reached the sultan. He accepted, against the advice, an invitation by Ala-ud-din to meet him en route on the banks of Ganga. A small party of guards accompanied Feroz Shah I as he sailed downriver to meet his nephew and son in law. The old sultan was slain as soon as he set his foot on the shore. While the severed head was still bleeding, Ala-ud-din was pronounced as the next ruler of Delhi. Before he reached Delhi he dispensed off his co-conspirators, as they were not to be trusted. Though an illiterate Ala-ud-din with a not so remarkable a physique, he proved to be a shrewd administrator. Sindh and Panjab were regained from the Mongol intruders in early 1300 and this effectively slowed the Mongols march and plunder of India. Gujarat and parts of Rajastan and Malwa were also conquered. Rajputs put up a brave fight and the legendary Padmini of Chittor escaped from the grasp of the sultan and committed the honorable jauhar (sati). The sultan had been fascinated and captivated by the Indian beauty and let his guard down thinking he had won her over. Padmini tricked Ala-ud-din and rescued her imprisoned husband and escaped to the safety of the fort at Chittor. When the enraged sultan laid a siege on the fort and defeat was imminent the Rajput women along with Padmini jumped into their own funeral pyre, thus denying the Khilji sultan his desire to make Padmini his prize possession.
Somnath had been rebuilt after Mahmud of Ghazni had plundered it almost 275 years earlier. Ala-ud-din set his sights on Somnath and demolished it again. The replacement lingam was again hammered and pieces of the stone were used on the steps of a mosque in Delhi for the faithful to trample on. Cambay was seized and plundered and here a captured Hindu slave captivated the sultan. His value was one thousand dinars and he quickly espoused Islam. He was also a eunuch of such beauty that the sultan fell for his epicene handsomeness and appointed him his senior commander. His name was Malik Kafur but he was known by his nickname ‘thousand-dinar Kafur’.
Malik Kafur did his king’s bidding in more than one way. An opportunist and a sycophant who knew his effeminate characteristics captivated the sultan, he quickly rose in ranks. Now a fanatical Muslim he took command of the incursions into the South and was instrumental in destruction of many temples. The eunuch lived upto the old adage that ‘one is more passionate about what one hates more than what one loves’. He started with a revisit to Devagiri and routed the Yadavas. He then used the son of Ramachandra to help him launch an assault on the Deccan further south. He attacked the Kakatiyas of Warangal, where the royal treasures included many precious diamonds (as reported by Marco Polo, eighteen years earlier, in 1293), elephants and horses.
Thousand-dinar Kafur’s southern expedition continued in the following years. With the help of Yadavas of Devagiri who provided him with supplies and logistics to attack their southern neighbors, the Hoysalas of Dorasamudra. The Hoysala king did not resist the marching Muslims and even aided them by giving them passage to attack their southern hated neighbors, the Pandyans. Of course, this did not happen before their marvelous temple in Halebid was desecrated and the famous stone idols smashed. Kafur managed to enter Pandyan country in the south without having to fight a single war. He masterfully capitalized on the inevitable hatred of neighboring Hindu kingdoms. In the bargain, he also extracted a handsome ransom of gold, jewels, elephants and horses. Though he was not able to catch the elusive Pandyan king, Sundara Pandya, he did confiscate the gold idols of Madurai, Srirangam and Chidambaram temples.
Historian Barani, who was an eyewitness, recorded Malik Kafur’s triumphant return to Delhi in detail. The campaign had yielded twenty thousand horses, 612 elephants, 241 tons of gold and countless boxes of jewels and pearls. So much wealth had not been seen in Delhi before and there was no historical record of any loot of this magnitude being brought to Delhi in the past.
Ala-ud-din was not known for any building of mosques though he extended some existing ones in Delhi. He built the Siri fort in Delhi. He was not much interested in converting Hindus into the true faith. His one attempt to surpass Aibak’s Qutb minar with a minar of his own, three times as tall was aborted very early and the ruins are seen today next to the Qutb. He tried to control the prices of grain and rice with some initial success but the long-term consequences of price control were disastrous. Ala-ud-din succumbed to illness and died in 1316.
The last of the Khilji sultan was the son of Ala-ud-din, Mubarak by name. This indecent man was called a monster and his deeds were not fit to mention in a decent historical journal. Suffice it to say he had perverse tastes like frolicking with stark naked, abominable prostitutes in the royal terraces and making them pass water on the dignitaries as they entered the courtyard of the palace. In the year 1320, after only 30 years with only Ala-ud-din’s plunder-ridden rule, the Khiljis became history. The inevitable chaos resulted, and after a bloody period of four years, the Khilji empire was overthrown by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, the son of a slave of Balban of the Slave Dynasty.

2009-03-18T02:01:00.000-07:00

History of Islam in IndiaThe Sultanates of Delhi
The Slaves Who Would Be Kings Muhammad of Ghor was slain by a vengeful group of enemies called the Ghakkars of Panjab while he was sleeping at night in one of his many campaigns to secure his borders. His Turkish commanders, chief and most successful amongst them being a slave called Qutb-ud-din Aibak, had mostly achieved Muhammad’s predatory work in India. He was the most trusted one in the cabal of Muhammad of Ghor and was named as the sultan of Delhi. Qutb-ud-din came to power after a bloody struggle, which is the norm after any succession battle of Muslim India. He became the founder of the Slave Dynasty (because they were slaves at one time) and came to power in 1206. He only ruled for four short years and died in 1210, when he fell from his pony while playing polo and the pony landed on him. The pommel of the saddle entered his chest and killed him instantaneously. He was buried in Lahore. In those four years as the Sultan of Delhi he commissioned and built the famous and the Qutb mosque of Delhi. Qutb minar was the pride of the dynasty. Built from the pillars and bricks taken from twenty-seven Hindu and Jain temples (and said to be built at the site of a citadel the Chauhans built for Prithviraj), it boasted of five tiered balconies that stood atop Delhi as a sign of the Muslim conquest of India. (Its topmost cupola fell during an earthquake in 1803).
Aibak also gained notoriety as a temple destroyer. Varanasi saw the wrath of both Muhammad of Ghor and Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who reputedly destroyed thousand temples. Fourteen hundred camels loaded with treasure were hauled away. Between Muhammad and Aibak, a total of thousand idols in temples were destroyed and rededicated to Allah. Aibak also found the easy solution for building mosques quickly. By utilizing the cut stones and carved pillars of the glorious temples, he built many mosques in rapid succession. In Ajmer, temple pillars were stacked one on top of the other to build his mosque of requisite height as the prayer chamber. Only remoteness of some temples saved them from sure destruction as seen in, Bhuvaneshwar and Mount Abu. Khajuraho had been abandoned by the Chandelas earlier and escaped notice. Konarak was built later. Surely many smaller kingdoms and tribes resisted Aibak’s progress but such opposition is not well documented. India had begun to taste the wrath of religious offensive by Islam under the commander of Muhammad of Ghor, Qutb-ud-din Aibak.
Shams-ud-din Iltumish, another slave of Turkish extraction, who also was the son in law of Aibak, succeeded Aibak after the customary confusion and bloodbath. It was during his rule of twenty-six years that the tumultuous period was witnessed in the Muslim world in Central Asia. Genghis Khan was wreaking havoc with his ruthless invasion. Refugees from Persia, Iraq and Afghanistan came to India in large numbers. Iltumish also had to contend with the notorious Khan when he crossed the Indus in the year 1222. In the east, Bihar and Bengal were under the Khiljis, a dissatisfied group of Afghans, who came along with Muhammad of Ghor. Now they fortified their position in the east under their founder Bhaktiar Khilji. Their claim to infamy was the total destruction of the famous Buddhist monastery in Odantapuri, along with its large library of Buddhist literature even before they understood who the monks were. Shaven headed monks were branded as infidels not worthy of God’s mercy and slaughtered in thousands, in cold blood, and then their precious library set ablaze. Iltumish spent many years trying to subdue the Khiljis with varying degrees of success.
After Iltumish’s death (who amazingly died of natural causes, a feat so rare that a special mention of it is made by contemporary historians), the rule fell to an ineffective son. The son along with his vindictive mother tried to rule but was toppled by the daughter of Iltumish, one named Raziya Sultana. Raziya was wise, generous and just. However, she was handicapped by her gender in the Muslim world. Her able rule and power lasted only four years from 1236 to 1240. Raziya’s rule was considered to be scandal ridden because of her close relationship with a personal attendant, an African (Abyssinian) slave Jamal-ud-din Yakut. Male chauvinist Turkish junta cornered her while in Panjab and imprisoned her after killing her Abyssinian friend and confidante. While in custody, she fell in love with and married one of her conspirators and launched an attack on Delhi, only to be defeated and killed by Hindu hands while fleeing from the battlefield. If the war strategy had been left to Raziya, she certainly would have won but as a married woman she had to defer to her husband, who was inept in the battlefield.
Mongols sacked Lahore again in 1241. After Raziya’s death another period of quick and ineffectual succession battle ensued and Raziya’s brother Nasir-ud-din occupied the throne. A slave, Ghiyas-ud-din Balban (? Brother-in-law), however, was effectively conducting the policy during Nasir-ud-din’s rule. Balban eventually poisoned the sultan and assumed the throne in 1265. He was an able administrator and rebuffed several Mongol incursions by Genghis Khan’s grandsons (who by now, also had embraced Islam). But this was a lifelong battle for Balban and he lost one his most capable sons to a skirmish with the Mongols. Balban never recovered from this loss and now well into his eighties, eerie echoes of his howling with grief could be heard in the palace hallways, at nights. During the day he would conduct the business of court with a grim face. Only death in 1287 brought relief to the tortured soul of Balban.
A grandson followed, who had a merry time during his reign of three carefree years. Overindulging in fun and frolic, in the company of silver-bodied damsels with musky tresses, he spent much of his time in lubricious activity. Ladies of pleasure were everywhere and streets were filled with music and mirth. Three years of rule of abandon and benign neglect, was followed by the murder of the young and handsome sultan, who was a cripple by now with paralysis below his waist. A mere toddler son was made the sultan until overrun by the Khilji dynasty, which had risen again in Bengal. Thus ended the eighty-four year rule of the Slave Dynasty. They left behind the Qutb minar and mosque as well as Iltumish’s tomb with its marble interior as a reminder of their existence, as monuments. The credit of resisting the Mongol onslaught effectively also goes to the slaves who became kings in Delhi, especially Balban. The earlier sultans of the Slave Dynasty also have the dubious distinction of having been responsible for the destruction of countless temples in North India, though the attacking Mongols kept the later sultans busy, leaving them with little time for temple destruction. They are partly responsible for the strange absence of glorious temple structures in the North, while many magnificent temples are preserved in the South.

2009-03-18T01:08:00.000-07:00

A Stroll through the Old City
by venkat

One has always referred to them as the "Twin Cities" - but one always talked about Hyderabad and Secunderabad. A desultory stroll in the Old City made me realize that I indeed live in a city that is clearly demarcated - in terms of language, culture, cityscape and a lot more. While I was growing up, I have always had a lot of Muslims as my friends. I was invited over to their houses on Eid and they came over to ours on Diwali and Dasera. One of my friends, I remember, particularly digged into Ugadi Pachchadi - a bitter/sour/sweet concoction made of tamarind, raw mango, jaggery and neem leaves and eaten first thing in the morning on Ugadi - Telugu New Year. Every year that day she made it a point to come home all the way from near Charminar area, about 10 kms away which in those days was considered to be a long way off. But those were also the days when distances were not measured in terms of kilometers.

Why do I think of this now? Monday night hubby and I decided to make our way to the "Old City" in Hyderabad. The reason - during the month-long Ramzan period, the place is said to come alive during the night. It had actually been ages since we have even been to that area, and so we set out at about 10 pm. Hyderabad is called a city that never sleeps - so, it isn't unnatural to see vehicles and people on the streets even late in the night. However, as we approach Nampally, Mozamzahi Market, Afzalgunj, Purana Pul - it is difficult not to be amazed by the buzz of life and activity in these areas. The streets are crowded, well lit making it seem like day, and the shops are abuzz with activity. In fact, we are not allowed beyond the famous Madina Hotel. The road from Madina Hotel to Charminar along Pattar Gatti had become a street market - with every inch of the space occupied by people selling anything and everything to people walking around. Where were all these people going? Or coming from? One was never too sure.

We parked the bike near Madina and made our way towards Charminar, jostling through the crowd. All around the shopkeepers (one couldn't really call them that because there were no shops) tried to entice us to at least look at their wares. There was one teenager, not more than 13 or 14 years old, standing on a bench, jumping up and down asking people to buy clothes from him - the cost for each dress, he kept yelling out, was Rs 135 (when said in English) or Rs 125 (when said in Hindi).

Despite such moments, it felt like a different world altogether. Having grown used to Supermarkets and Shopping Malls, having the sellers literally screaming into your ears asking you to check out their stuff - that was an experience one was just not used to. To me it seemed more like a market from the Medieval Times - time truly seems to have come to a stand still. Is this why it was still called the "Old City"?

We walked on - strangers in our own home town, almost like tourists visiting a new place. Why was there such a strong sense of displacement? Why was there no connection? Why didn't we feel we belonged? I couldn't make sense. Much later when I was talking about it to other family members, it stuck me why - we felt displaced because we have lost the desire to touch, to connect. Thanks to a handful of religious fundamentalist and increasingly insecure society we seem to be living in, haven't we deliberately moved away from it all? But I am digressing.

Our aim was to walk up to Charminar which we hadn't seen in a real long time, especially during the night time and then walk back. Finally we spotted the magnificent structure, a monument that never ceases to amaze me. On a less crowded day you can actually spot it all the way from Madina Hotel - an amazing structure standing tall above everybody else. Built by Muhammad Quili Qutub Shah in 1591 to commemorate the eradication of plague, Charminar was first envisaged as a mosque with 45 covered prayer spaces and some open space to accommodate more people in Friday prayers. Positioned right in the middle of the road, Charminar makes for an impressive and beautiful structure, each side measuring 20m and each of the edges having a pointed high minaret. During the night, when lights are on, it seems even more impressive.

I have driven past Charminar on a number of occasions, but this was probably only the second time I walked around it, watching it up close. The first time round was way back in the early eighties when I was still a kid, and we climbed up the monument. While that is not allowed today, on a normal day with heavy traffic on the crowded road, it also becomes difficult to walk around it. As we went closer we found ourselves standing in front of a unusual structure - jutting out of one of the minarets of Charminar was a small temple - the Charminar Maisamma Gudi. Yes, one of the oldest mosques in the city had a temple attached to it. It was obvious that it wasn't part of the original construction; it had come up much later; but the fact is that in this densely Muslim populated corner of the city, adjoining a much-revered national monument, a mosque nevertheless, was a temple - that was allowed to be built and stay. What can speak more for the secular fabric of this country? To me that speaks volumes about the people we actually are - that let alone, with no intervention from the self-serving politicians of the country, the Hindu-Muslim unity was in no danger of being eradicated.

After spending some time near Charminar we went further up. Towards Rajendra Nagar and Barkas were the Unani School of Medicine and Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid. I have seen the Masjid from outside many a time and have always been rather impressed with its entrance itself. I have never had an opportunity however to enter the shrine itself. It probably is always open to everybody, but I just wasn't too sure. But on this day, there were people inside - some of them offering their prayers, some just lounging around, some really relaxing and sleeping. So, finally, after all these years of being in Hyderabad emboldened by the presence of people and the festive spirit around me, I entered Mecca Masjid. I was immediately taken in by the enormity of the place - it was truly truly huge, and seemed to fit tens and thousands of people at one time for prayers. As we sat there, we found it to be rather peaceful, completely detached from the chaos outside even though it was actually right in the middle of the crowded street

We made our way back and reached home way past midnight. I am not sure what this trip meant to me, but I was moved by it. The Old City does seem like a different city altogether, different from the City I live in - even though ironically both are actually part of Hyderabad itself. Yet, the people seemed different. I know of a lot of people who accuse those living in the narrow lanes of the Old City of being narrow in their mindset, closed up. But I couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't the same with us as well - our roads may be wide, but are our minds broad enough?

November 5, 2006

2009-03-18T01:05:00.000-07:00

A Date with Godavari
by Anindya Paul

Since we bought our sweet swift hatchback, we were dying for a long drive. After many a missed opportunities, we i.e., me, Debjani, my counterpart, and Tvisha, our little old lady, could merge our weekends to give it a go. Mithu, Debjani’s cousin sis and Tarun, her husband and my colleague cum friend were always there just for a call. On a pleasant, sunny morning of January, we set out from our Township at Visakhapatnam, to explore Konaseema, the emerald Andhra, and me, for a date with Godavari, the boundless beauty.

We got onto the National Highway 5 and sped past Anakapalle, Elamanchili and Tuni to halt after 100 km at Annavaram, the abode of Lord Vishnu. We took breakfast and an impromptu decision to visit the hill temple. On the way we stopped beside the Pampa River, formed into a reservoir. Tarun wielded his high end digicam, his new prized possession and I took out my camcorder. We went up the Ratnagiri hill and visited the temple of Sree Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy Varu. The temple was hum drumming with religious activities.

We came down and took a small road via Annavaram Rail Station for a short distance of 11km to get on to a wider road which will take us straight to Kakinada, the gateway to Konaseema, the Godavari basin. This is a less travelled road, but a more exotic one. From Uppada, as we caught the Bay of Bengal on our left, the drive was fantastic. We stopped to take some spectacular snaps of the green paddy fields with contrasting silvery sea dotted with fishing boats with their blue sails unfurled. We reached Kakinada in no time and got down at the Kakinada beach to sip a cup of coffee. The Kakinada port bound ships were foggily visible on the horizon. Some more shots for Tarun amidst the Casuarina trees, some more ‘Cheese’ for us.

We took the port road from the Lighthouse to bypass the town and rode on to the Yanam road straightaway. We reached Yanam, 24 km from Kakinada, with the sun over our head. Entering into Yanam through a graceful thoranam, we found little trouble to find the Govt. Checked in to two A/c suites, equipped with all amenities but poor maintained. Dropped our baggage and while others were getting refreshed I and Tarun went out for finding a place to lunch.

While looking for a good restaurant, we tried to discover Yanam, a former French Colony, now a part of Puducherry, a bit. It is a tiny town with a character of its own - roads are narrow but clean, a number of statues adorning both sides of the road. A Catholic Church stands just opposite our Guest House. But we couldn’t find any French flavor as such.

After a heavy lunch, we proceeded to Draksharamam, 16 km from Yanam. First time we had to negotiate a bad stretch of road. The Drakhsaramam temple is predominantly a Shiva Temple, one of the five arama kshetras of Lord Shiva in Andhra, but at the same time it is also revered as one of the Saktipeethas, the twelfth one to be precise. It houses one of the three Jyotirlingas along with Sree Sailam and Sree Kalahasti which gave the ancient name of Andhra, Trilinga Desha. The priest told us that the linga here is 14 ft tall. We also came to know from him that the temple was built by King Vengi-Bhima of Eastern Chalukya dynasty in 9th century. Shiva is worshipped here as Bheemeswara and his consort is known as Sri Manikyamba.

We drove back to Yanam and went straight to its most prominent landmark on the bank of Godavari, a huge sculpture depicting two elephants showering water on a huge Shivalinga.

Tvisha loved it, and immediately got drenched in the shower. It was twilight. The sun was about to set and Godavari was at its best under the thrilling light of the setting sun. We embarked on a boat and sailed on Godavari. It was an experience of a life time. The panorama was picture perfect. On one side the rising moon was on the sky, on the other the scarlet sun was melting slowly into the river. The wavelets were as if gleaning the last rays of the sun and playing gleefully with them. It was pure magic.

We spent the evening on the bank of Godavari, sitting on the tastefully developed stretch on the riverside. It was addictive. The gentle breeze, the shimmering moon and Godavari…

We found a tough time to find chai to accompany the easily available hot chats. There are more liquor shops than tea shops in this part of the world. We came back to the Guest House. Switched on TV and found India thrashed in the Perth cricket test. We travelled 240 km today.

Next morning, I got up early with an azan, got ready and went out for a stroll. The huge tree in the Guest house premises which was sheltering hundreds of cranes last night was bustling with the sound of the wings as the herons were preparing to take off for the day out. I passed by the church and went up to the crossing near by and brought piping hot tea for all of us.

We checked out from the Guest House early and crossed Godavari, the Gautami, for the first time over the newly built Balayogi Varadhi and we entered into the coconut country. It was coconut trees all the way standing gracefully tall right from the edge of the road on both the sides. We drove via Amalapuram, refueled car after spending some nervous moments as the fuel indicator was pessimistic enough and no Petrol Bunk was coming on the way after Amalapuram, crossed Godavari, the Vainateya, for the second time at Gannavaram and stopped at Razolu, 48 km from Yanam, for breakfast and direction. Our nex is Dindi, the unknown haven for the nature lover.

8 km from Razolu, we left the main road and crept on to a mud road to suddenly discover the Coconut Country Resort standing in front of us with all its splendor. It is the latest jewel in the crown of AP Tourism and waiting for formal inauguration. On completion it promises to have multi-facilities including a banquet hall, a swimming pool, an ayurvedic and massage center and even a meditation center. Just on the other side of the Godavari, pulled out from the canvas of a master artist, languidly flowing towards the bay - a perfect idyllic setting for a laid back weekend. Tarun and Mithu immediately got on to their act for a photo session.

The tourism offers on fully furnished houseboats for a rather prohibiting tariff. We went on board of a houseboat, sat on the deck, spent an indolent hour, filled our eyes with the pristine beauty of the sun kissed river bordered with endless coconut groves, and recharged our lungs and souls. We crossed Godavari, the Vashishtha, for the third time to and fro over the Chinchinada Bridge and went on to Antarvedi where Godavari finds solace in the Bay.

We lost direction a bit and chartered into interior Andhra. It was lush green paddy fields below, topped with platoon of coconut trees, a breathtaking view, truly emerald. We were bound to stop for posing and clicking some more.

We found our way to reach Sri Laxmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Antarvedi, 22 km from Dindi. A big wooden chariot was waiting outside probably for the ensuing festival. The pulling ropes were awe inspiring. The Godavari could be seen at a distance from the terrace of the temple. This temple is famous as a Mukti Kshetra. A number of myths flow around the temple. One such myth says that Kesavadas, a cowherd, while grazing his cows found the remains of the old temple amidst a jungle, originally erected by Sage Vashishtha. The villagers built the temple which was ruined after some time. It was re-built by Sri Narendra Laxmi Narasimha Rao, a generous gentleman, only to be ruined again later. The present temple was re-constructed in 1923 by Adinarayana, a merchant, and his sons which is historically evident from a stone inscription.

Our last stopover was the Antarvedi beach with a lonely lighthouse. And at a little distance, Godavari, after a thousand and a half kilometers of nurturing and sustaining thousands of thousands of lives for thousands of years, ends her journey and confluences with the all powerful. We too ended our journey ahead to start a swift 300 km back home. Thus was my delightful date with Godavari.

February 24, 2008

2009-03-18T01:00:00.000-07:00

Beyond Borders, Between Birds ’n Blues:
A Boat Ride to Bet Dwarka
by

Mesmerized by the unique charm of a simple, apparently non-descript, ferry ride at the western most tip of the country, Sutapa Chaudhuri writes about one of those few places in the world, that remain well-trodden but still unexplored.

During the Republic Day last January, we embarked on a journey to do the rounds of the oft visited holy circuit that the state of Gujarat, in western India, is so famous for. Little did we imagine what unique treasures this typical tour of temples had in store for us. We expected the usual dose of religious tourism promoted in this region; yet, quite unexpectedly, it was not the heavily loaded pilgrim places that gave us a taste of the heavens and a touch of the eternity beyond, but a simple boat ride- a day to day transit in the lives of many- that rendered solace to our souls thirsty for a drop of eternal, elemental and infinite bliss.

From a ferry ride to reach yet another temple, albeit famous and holy, it became a journey in search of the elemental pleasures in life, those simple joyous moments, emotions and experiences of truth that in our daily pursuit of a technocratic materialistic urbane lifestyle we have forgotten and conveniently consigned to oblivion. This unique and exclusive experience brought us in close touch with nature and its joys and also transported us close to the heavens- cleansing the clutter in our burdened souls more effectively than doing the rounds at the temples in all the holy pilgrimages put together. Truly the ride almost took us to the enchanting world of the famous Jonathan Livingstone Seagull.

The picturesque journey from the ferry jetty at Okha to Bet Dwarka is unforgettable not for the anticipation of ‘punya’ that one accrues by the holy passage from the two famous Hindu pilgrim places or a visit to the historic sites of national importance -Dwarka and Bet Dwarka – it is impressive for its natural beauty and the beautiful congregate of sea gulls, flocks of white lithe satiny soft birds in multitudes and their wild, uninhibited and artless acrobatics in abandon that would shame even the most supple and perfect of gymnasts - swooping in, fluttering about, rakishly riding the white crests of the waves, down, soaring high, leaping straight out of the blue, lunging at the boats, pouncing on the proffered nuts, the next moment plunging deep into the waters of the sea; at times mingling their pearly feathers with the silvery frothy foams of the sea, swimming serenely, or diving headlong in the wild waters all in a fantastic and furious flurry of feathers.

The ferry ride from Okha, a port near Dwarka, the regal kingdom of Lord Krishna and one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages, to the Isle or Bet, the mythical place where Lord Krishna met his beloved friend Sudama, makes for a wonderful and unusually exciting outing for the entire family any weekend. For the kids it takes the tones of an adventure and for the adults it holds the promise of almost a return to the unrestrained joys of childhood and innocence. The half an hour boat trip from Okha jetty to Bet Dwarka across a watery stretch of 5 kms. in the middle of the Arabian sea is truly enchanting. Sea gulls galore on this tiny strip of the mighty waters. This is where, even if for a momentary time being, one can discard the worldly worries, the frustrations of daily life and become a child again. To mingle freely with the natural beauty of the place, the salty sea and the satiny sea gulls, in order to rejuvenate the soul. As the sea gulls swoop down with lightning speed and perfect precision, to catch the bits of nuts that are tossed high up in the air, our souls take beyond borders to reach the ever boundless blue firmament. Like a happy child we too desire to spread our wings to reach out to our dreams. For us thisis memorable not as a part of the journey from the famous mainland temple in Dwarka to the islet of Bet Dwarka, but as an enlightening experience of freedom.

Bet Dwarka or Dwarka Island a tiny habitat of traditional temples located on an island in the middle of the Arabian Sea, next to the coastal town of Okha at the western tip of the Gujarat peninsula. It is at a distance of 32 kms. north of mainland Dwarka. This Bet or island in the sea, near Dwarka makes pleasant outing. From the ferry jetty at Okha, it takes twenty minutes to half an hour by a regular ferryboat or steam launch to reach the island. State and private buses go to Okha from Dwarka (1 hr) every thirty minutes. One can also go by jeep or tour bus. The entire trip to the island from the town of Dwarka will take at least four hours.

June 21, 2008

2009-03-18T00:38:00.000-07:00

History of Islam in India
King of the World: Shah Jahan
(1592-1666)

Prince Khurram ascended to the throne after a tumultuous succession battle worthy of a Mughal Prince. His own father, Jahangir, had already handicapped Khusrau, when the son aspired to unseat the father. Younger brother Prince Khurram promptly had him killed, as fraternal ambitions were not to be encouraged, even though the wretched Prince Khusrau was blind. Prince Shariyar, Nur Jahan’s son-in-law had lost his bid to the throne and murdered by Khurram’s father-in-law, Asaf Khan (also Nur Jahan’s brother). Another brother Parwiz was of no consequence. With the wealth created by Akbar, the Mughal kingdom was probably the richest in the world. Prince Khurram gave himself the title of Shah Jahan, the ‘King of the World’ and this was the name that was immortalized by history. With his imagination and aspiration, Shah Jahan gained a reputation as an aesthete par excellence. He built the black marble pavilion at the Shalimar Gardens in Srinagar and a white marble palace in Ajmer. He also built a tomb for his father, Jahangir in Lahore and built a massive city Shahajanabad in Delhi but his imagination surpassed all Mughal glory in his most famous building Taj Mahal. It was in Shahajanabad that his daughter Roshanara built the marketplace called Chandni Chowk.

His beloved wife Arjuman Banu (daughter of Asaf Khan and niece of Nur Jahan) passed away while delivering their fourteenth child in the year 1631. The distraught emperor started building a memorial for her the following year. The Taj Mahal, named for Arjuman Banu, who was called Mumtaz Mahal, became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The beauty of the white marble structure is unsurpassed. Almost four hundred years later it still is the awe inspiring place where lovers hold hands and swoon over each other. The thrill one feels at the first sight of Taj Mahal through its main archway is beyond description.

The great Juma Masjid built by him was the largest in India at the time. Shah Jahan also built or renovated forts in Delhi and in Agra. White marble chambers that served as living quarters and other halls for public audiences are examples of classic Mughal architecture. Here in Agra fort, Shah Jahan would spend eight of his last years as a prisoner of his son, Aurangzeb shuffling between the hallways of the palace, squinting at the distant silhouette of his famous Taj Mahal on the banks of River Jamuna.

Shah Jahan’s earlier years were spent in doing his father’s bidding in various campaigns and territorial expansion. However, the territories gained were significant only in a symbolic way. In fact, land and prestige was lost in Kandahar and Northern Afghanistan. The dream of Babur to extend the empire into and beyond Afghanistan into the homeland of the Timurs in Samarkhand was permanently shelved by his progeny, after the humiliating defeats in Kandahar in the hands of Persian king. Never again would a Mughal venture into the northwest. In Deccan, Shah Jahan had initial failures in the hands of an African habshi (Negro) slave from Baghdad, a Malik Ambar, who was under the Bijapur sultan. Later, however, he joined Shah Jahan and helped him quell the threat from his brothers who had aspirations to conquer the throne. Golconda (Hyderabad) and Bijapur (Karnataka), two powerful states of the south were forced to become vassal states but were left alone to govern as they pleased. At least on paper Shah Jahan’s empire had extended deep into the south in Deccan and beyond. The cover of Mughal suzerainty only helped the southern sultanates to extend their borders well into Chola heartland of Tamil Nadu and Mysore. Muslim rule, now effectively extended to the mouth of Kaveri River.

Though Khurram was the favored son of Jahangir in his earlier days, the influence of Nur Jahan on the emperor had a deleterious effect on his relationship with his father. She was trying to prop up her own son-in-law, a brother of Shah Jahan as the legal heir. This alarmed Shah Jahan and with the help of his father-in-law and Malik Ambar he was able to muscle his way into Delhi and pronounce himself the emperor.

In September of 1657, Shah Jahan, in his waning years, suffered from acute constipation and rumors of his imminent death spread rapidly through the land. The potential successors to the throne, four brothers, were alarmed and moved with haste to claim the throne. His third son Aurangzeb eventually claimed the empire, in the year 1658. Shah Jahan would recover from his illness only to spend his last days as an old and decrepit man, imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb, in the fort in Agra. There he was to remain in house arrest for eight years watching the magnificent monument he had built for his beloved wife Mumtaz. Shah Jahan died in the year 1666, at age seventy-four, eight years after losing his throne to his son. He was interned in the Taj Mahal, next his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.

2009-03-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.sailu.com/books

2009-03-16T04:22:00.000-07:00

Konidela Siva Sankara Vara Prasad born on August 22, 1955, more popularly known as Chiranjeevi, is a popular Telugu film actor and is fondly known by Telugu fans as Mega Star.He was born in Mogalthur, West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India to Konidala Venkata Rao and Anjana Devi. Chiranjeevi has two brothers (Nagendra Babu and Pawan Kalyan) and two sisters (Vijaya Durga and Madhavi). He has been married to Surekha (daughter of Allu Ramalingiah) since February 20, 1980. Chiranjeevi has one son, Ram Charan Teja and two daughters Sushmita and Srija. His nephew, Allu Arjun, is also a Tollywood actor.Chiranjeevi debuted with Pranam Khareedu. After playing a series of negative and minor roles in films such as Manavoori Pandavulu, Mosagadu, and 47 Rojulu, he got his first breakthrough with Khaidi in the direction of A. Kodandarami Reddy. A series of good performances in movies such as Rudraveena, Challenge, Chantabbai, Intiguttu, and Subhalekha established him as a great actor by the end of 1980s. In 2002, his only release was Indra, which was a success and was also the highest grossing movie in Tollywood at the time. He also won the Filmfare Best Actor Award (Telugu) and the Nandi Award for Best Actor for his performance in Indra. His only release of 2003, Tagore, became a big hit and re-wrote many records. His most recent film was Stalin, cast opposite Trisha Krishnan and in the direction of A. R. Murugadoss.His next upcoming film will be Shankardada Zindabad, which is a remake of Lage Raho Munnabhai. Choreographer-turned-director Prabhu Deva will be directing it.Chiru brother Power Star also playing the roll of Abhishake in HindiCharity and ServicesChiranjeevi (Below) receives Padma Bhushan from President Abdul Kalam (left)On October 2, 1998, he founded the Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust (CCT), which includes Chiranjeevi Blood and Eye Banks. It is the state's largest recipient of Blood and Eye Donations. The Blood Bank of the CCT helped over 80,000 people and the Eye Bank has helped about 1000 people in the state of Andhra Pradesh since its opening.So far Around 3.5 lakh people pledged their eyes to CCT so far.1600 people got eye sight because of CCT .CCT also won ‘Best Voluntary Blood Bank Award’ by the AP State Govt for the past 4 years.On June 10, 2006, The President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam, inaugurated the Chiranjeevi Charitable Foundation (CCF) at the Jubilee Hills Check post in Hyderabad.AwardsIn January 2006, Dr.Chiranjeevi was honored with the Padma Bhushan,the third highest civilian award in India. In November 2006, Chiranjeevi was awarded with a honorary doctorate by Andhra University for his services to the Telugu film industry and for his social work....
Filmography::
2007 Shankardada Zindabad
2006 స్టాలిన్
Style cameo
2005 Jai చిరంజీవ
Andarivadu
2004
Shankar Dada MBBS
Anji ౨౦౦౩
Tagore 2002
Indra ౨౦౦౧
డాడీ
మంజునాథ
Mrigaraju Raju
2000 అన్నయ్య Rajaram
Hands Up అమెఒ
1999 Iddaru Mitrulu
Sneham Kosam 1998
Choodalani వుండి
Bavagaru Bagunnara 1997
Master Hitler 1995
Rikshavodu Big Boss Alluda Majaka ౧౯౯౪
The Gentleman Hindi
S.P.Parshuram
Mugguru Monagallu ౧౯౯౩
Mechanic Alludu
Muta Mesthri 1992
Aapathbandhavudu
Aaj Ka Goonda Raj Hindi
Gharana Mogudu 1991
Rowdy Alludu
Gang Leader
Stuartpuram Police Station ౧౯౯౦
Raja Vikramarka Raja
Prathibandh హిందీ
Kodama Simham
Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka సుందరి
Kondaveeti Donga Raja ౧౯౮౯
Lankeshwarudu
Rudranetra Nethra
State Rowdy
Athaku Yamudu Ammayiki Mogudu 1988
Yudda Bhoomi
త్రినేత్రుడు
Marana Mrudangam
Khaidi No.786
Yamudiki Mogudu
Rudraveena
Manchi Donga 1987
Jebu Donga
స్వయంకృషి
Pasivadi ప్రాణం
చక్రవర్తి
ఆరాధన
Donga Mogudu ౧౯౮౬
Chanakya శపథం
Dairyavanthudu
Rakshasudu
Chantabbai
వేట
మగధీరుడు
Kondaveeti Raja రాజ
Kirathakudu చరణ్
1985 విజేత
Adavi Donga
Raktha సింధూరం
Puli
జ్వాల
Chiranjeevi
దొంగ
Chattam Tho Poratam ౧౯౮౪
Rustum
అగ్నిగుండం
Naagu ఇంటిగుట్టు
ఛాలెంజ్
మహానగరంలో Mayagadu
దేవాంతకుడు
Hero
గూండా
Allulu Vasthunnaru ౧౯౮౩
సంగర్షణ
Manthri gari వియ్యంకుడు
Khaidi
Simhapoori Simham
Maa Inti Premayanam
రోషగాడు
Maga Maharaju రాజు
Gudachari No.1
Puli Bebbuli
Shivudu Shivudu Shivudu
ఆల్యశికరం
Abhilasha
Palletoori Monagadu
Prema Pichollu 1982
Bandhalu Anubandhalu
Manchu Pallaki
Mondi Ghatam
యమకింకరుడు
Billa రంగ
Patnam Vachina Prativrathalu Tingu
du Radha My Darling సితదేవ్
i Idi పెళ్లంటారా
సుభలేఖ
Bandipotu సింహం
Intlo Ramayya Veedilo Krishnayya 1981
Kirayi Rowdylu
Chattaniki Kallu లేవు
Priya Srirasthu Subhamasthu
47 రోజులు
Rani Kasula రంగmma
Ooriki Ichina మాట
Nayam Kavali
Prema Natakam
Tirugu Leni Manishi
Todu దొంగlu
Paravathi Parameshwarulu
Adavaalu Meeku Joharulu 1980
Rakta Sambandham
Mogudu కావాలి
Prema Tarangalu
Love in సింగపూర్
Thathayya Premaleelalu
Kaali Nakili మనిషి
Punnami Naagu
Mosagadu జathara
Aarani మంటలు
Chandipriya
Kottapeta Rowdy
Agni Samskaram ౧౯౭౯
Kothala రాయుడు
Sri Rambantu
Idi Katha Kaadu
Poonadi Rallu
I Love You
Kotta Alludu
Kukka Katuku Cheppu దెబ్బ
Tayaramma Bangarayya
Golimar ౧౯౭౮
Manavoori Pandavuలు
ప్రాణంఖరీదు
TriviaChiranjeevi won Southern Filmfare Award (Best Actor) for seven years The dubbed version of Kodama Simham, The hunters of the Indian treasure, introduced Chiranjeevi to foreign spectators. Was in VH1 top 20 webjunk for Golimar Chiranjeevi is well know as MEGA STAR and No 1 Hero in Tollywood for the past 20 Years

2009-03-16T04:08:00.000-07:00

Trees with person and dog on a foggy winter's day

2009-03-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

Barcelona Olympic park

2009-03-16T03:57:00.000-07:00

Looking up between two towers of La Sagrada Familia

2009-03-16T03:53:00.000-07:00

Another view of Barcelona, this time taken from one of the towers of La Sagrada Familia

2009-03-16T03:49:00.000-07:00

Cogeneration plant in Würzburg

2009-03-16T03:46:00.000-07:00

2009-03-16T03:42:00.000-07:00

Reykjavik sunrise

2009-03-16T03:38:00.000-07:00

Hotel Window view in Selfoss

2009-03-16T03:35:00.000-07:00

At the Skogafoss waterfall

2009-03-16T03:32:00.000-07:00

Icelandic ice roads

venkat

2009-03-16T03:27:00.000-07:00

2009-03-16T03:22:00.000-07:00

Love Journey A village scene in rural India. It's Sun setting time. Two persons travelling in a boat talking about their beautiful future.... They are First friends.... lovers....life partners...small family....They have their own world.... They have everything except boundry....

Saibaba

2009-03-16T03:18:00.000-07:00

2009-03-12T07:39:00.000-07:00

http:///www.sheepandwool.com

2009-02-09T01:52:00.000-08:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2009-02-08T04:05:00.000-08:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Sundarakandaku sandhade
movie;Sundarakanda

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2009-02-08T04:02:00.000-08:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Aakasana suryudu-male Song
movie;Sundarakanda

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2009-02-08T03:59:00.000-08:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Aakasanna suryudu-female
Sundarakanda

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2009-02-08T03:49:00.000-08:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Manasapalakava palakave

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2009-02-08T03:47:00.001-08:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Anandam anandamaye-male
subhakankshalu

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2009-02-08T03:47:00.000-08:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Anandam anandamaye-male
subhakankshalu

2009-02-05T03:35:00.000-08:00

year;1998

producer;n.v prasad,shanam naga

director;bhimeneni srinivasroa

Lyrics.srivennala

Music;koti

Starring ;jagapathi babu,rassi,Ravali

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2009-02-05T03:34:00.001-08:00

AllIndianSite.ggbggcom - Best Songs

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2009-02-05T03:34:00.000-08:00

AllIndianSite.ggbggcom - Best Songs

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-06-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Song; Tilotamaa Priya Vayaraama

Master

2008-06-12T07:59:00.001-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-06-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

Song Thammudu

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-06-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Master
Producer Allu Arvind
Director Suresh krishna
Music deva
Starring chiranjevi,Saakshi and Roshini
Song Bsc ayina gani

MEGAVIDEO - I'm watchin' it

2008-06-11T03:46:00.000-07:00

MEGAVIDEO - I'm watchin' it

Rowdy Alludu Telugu Movie

2008-06-11T03:45:00.000-07:00

Rowdy Alludu Telugu Movie

2008-05-26T07:00:00.001-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

Saajan
Year;1991
Producer;Sudhkar
Music;Nadeem Shravan
Starring ;Sanjay Dutta,Madhuri Dixit,Salaman Khan

2008-05-23T03:54:00.001-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-23T03:54:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Song O maria omaria

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-23T03:52:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Chudalani vundi
Procedure Vijayanthi Movies
Directior GunaSekar
Music Manni sarma
Starring Chiranjeevi, Anjala jhaveri.Soundarya
Song Raamma ,Chilakamma

2008-05-23T03:37:00.001-07:00

VENKATESH

2008-05-23T03:37:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs 2
Song okalamma edi nee

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-23T03:35:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Hitler
Song Koosindi kanne koyaila

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-23T00:42:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
State Rowdy
Song :one Two Three four

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs]
Khadi no786
Song chali gali kottindammo

VENKATESH

2008-05-23T00:34:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-23T00:32:00.001-07:00

VENKATESH

2008-05-23T00:32:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Khaidi
Producer A.Kondarami Reddy
Music Chakravathi
Starring Chiranjeevi, Madahavi, Sumalatha.

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-23T00:20:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-23T00:19:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-23T00:18:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

Rikshaavodu

Producer Kranti Kumar
Directior Kodi Ramakrishna
Lyrics Bhuna Chandera
Music Koti
Starring Chiranjeevi,Nagama,Soundaraya

MEGAVIDEO - I'm watchin' it

2008-05-21T06:44:00.000-07:00

MEGAVIDEO - I'm watchin' it

2008-05-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

MEGAVIDEO - I'm watchin' it
Tolliprema

2008-05-21T06:09:00.001-07:00

venkat

2008-05-21T06:09:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Annamayya
Producer V.Doraswamy raju
Directior K .Ragahavendra Rao
Music Keeravani
Starring Nagarjuna ,Ramyakrishna,suman,Bhanu Priya

venkat

2008-05-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-21T05:50:00.001-07:00

venkat

2008-05-21T05:50:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Allari Priyudu
Producer
Director K.Raghavendra Rao
Music; M.M Keeravani
Starring Dr Rajasekar, Ramya Krishna,Madubala

2008-05-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-21T05:33:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Allari Mogudu
Directior Ragavendra Rao
Music M.M.Keeravani
Starring Mohan Babu,RamyaKrishna,Meena

song Muddimandhi

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-21T01:05:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Song Amalapuram

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-21T01:01:00.002-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
song ; Chilkaa

2008-05-21T00:58:00.001-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-21T00:58:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Rowdy alludu
Proceducer Sri SaiRam Arts
Music Bappi Lahari
Starring ChiranJeevi, Sobhanan,DivyaBaharti

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-21T00:41:00.006-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-21T00:39:00.002-07:00

2008-05-21T00:39:00.001-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-21T00:39:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Premaabhiskem
Directior; Dasari Narayana Rao
Music; Ramesh Naidu
Starring; Nageshwara Rao ,Sredevi,Jasudha,Mohan babu

2008-05-21T00:30:00.001-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-21T00:30:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com
Cooli No -1
Year; 1991
Procedure; D.Suresh Babu
Director;K.Raghavendra
Lyrics; Sriveenela
Music; Ilayaraja
Starring ; venkatesh , Tabu

2008-05-20T23:57:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-20T23:56:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
MutaMestari
Procedure K.C Sekar BAbu,D.sivaprasad Reddy
Director A.Kodanda Ramreddy
Music Raj-koti
Starring chiranjeevi ,Meena, Roja

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
Allari mogudu
Directior Ragavendra rao
Music M.MKeeravani
Starring Mohan babu,Ramya krishna,Meena
Song Repalle mallemrali

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs
ALLURI PRIYUDU
producer
directior K.Raghavendra roa
Music M.M Keeravani
Starring Dr.Rajasekar.Ramayakrishna,Madhubla
song; Andama neeperu emati

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-17T04:05:00.001-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-17T04:04:00.003-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

gg

2008-05-17T03:50:00.001-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs

2008-05-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

AllIndianSite.com - Best Songs