Shree Attukal Amma Devi Temple

The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is a famous temple at Attukal in Trivandrum, Kerala. Goddess Bhadrakali is the main deity in this temple. Bhadra means good and Kali means goddess of time. So, she is often referred as Goddess of prosperity, time and salvation.

Attukal Pongala is the main festival of this temple. It is a 10 day festival (Feb - Mar) months, which begins on Karthika star with the deity adorned with Kappu (Bangles). Millions of women gather and prepare Pongala (rice cooked with Jaggery, Ghee, Coconut etc.) in the open in small pots to please the mighty Goddess - Sri Attukal Amma. This annual festival has figured in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest gathering of women for a religious activity.

Attukal Devi is often worshipped in 3 forms :

Maha Saraswati (Goddess of Knowledge)
Maha Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth)
MahaKali/Durga/Parvathy (Goddess of Power)

Mythological Stories about Temple
The story of Kannagi, who was married to a wealthy merchant, Kovalan. After marriage, Kovalan spent all his riches on a dancer, forgetting his wife but later when we was penniless, he came back to his wife. Kannagi had 2 precious anklets, so they went to King of Madurai to sell one of the anklet. At the same time, the Queen's anklet was stolen, so when Kovalan tried to sell it to King, they mistook his for thief and killed him.

When Kannagi heard the news, she got very angry and went to King with the second anklet, and proved that the mistaken anklet was not of Queen. It is said that such was the anger of Kannagi that she burned the city of Madurai. It is said that Kannagi attained salvation later and resided on Attukal temple, as Goddess Kodungallooramma (bhadrakali/Kannagi).

Another story says that Sri Attukal Devi is Bhadrakali, born from the third eye of Lord Shiva to kill the demon king Daruka.

May Attukal Devi Amma bless all of us with her grace, divinity and ashirvadam, and help us conquer our inner demons so that we can always be blissful and righteous in our lives.

Mookambika Devi Temple

Mookambika Devi Temple is situated in Kollur village of Udupi of Karnataka state. The abode is situated in the foothills of Kodajadri Hills and surrounded by River Souparnika.

The mighty Goddess is revered by many Keralites and people of Tamil Nadu. She is called "Shree Adiparashakti" as she embodies powers of 3 Goddesses - MahaLakshmi, MahaSaraswati and MahaKali Devi. The ancient temple was built around 800 AD, which makes it one of the oldest temple.

Adi Shankaracharya, renowned spiritual guru, had done immense worship to Goddess Saraswati. When the Devi appeared, he asked her to come with him to Kerala, as there was no temple of her presence at that time. Goddess agreed on one condition and promised that he should take her to destination but while travelling, he should not look back.

While travelling, Shankaracharya was consistently hearing Devi's Padasaram (Anklet). Suddenly, the tingling sound stopped and out of confusion, he looked back, only to realise that the promise was broken. However, as Devi was very pleased with his worship, she agreed to come with him, as well.

It is said that Devi would come to Chottanikara Temple in Kerala every mornings and would return back to Kollur Mookambika Temple by midday.

Another story is Goddess Parvathy had killed a demon called Mookasura (Mooka means dumb - one who cannot speak) and hence, Devi attained the name Mookambika Devi.

May Goddess Mookambika Devi Amme bless us all with positivity and contentment in our mind, body and soul and assist us or make us adept in conquering our internal demons.

How to visit the temple ?

If you are coming from Kerala, you can take Intercity Express which goes till Mangalore Central. Then take Matsyagandha Express and get down on Mookambika Road Byndoor station. Take taxi to temple which costs approx 700rs as it is only 28 km from here.

Challenger Deep - Oblivion Expedition

Our world is full of surprises and eye popping or brain tickling facts and figures are quite galore everywhere around us. I had always been intrigued by one quite famous general knowledge factoid about the deepest part of the world's oceans. It is called Mariana Trench and is located in the Western Pacific Ocean. It has been named Mariana because of its proximity to Mariana Islands.

The Mariana Trench is said to be about 2550 kms long and has a width of only 69 kms. However, the lowest recorded depth point recorded here is at 10.994 kms below the surface and is named as Challenger Deep.

We can compare the distance by many comparison factors. It is said that if we can somehow put the Mount Everest inside it, we would still have some good half a mile empty space. Also, it is said that the pressure of any material thing reaching this deepest point would be like sustaining the pressure of being squeezed from all sides by around 50 jumbo jets.

Challenger Deep got its name from the British survey ship Challenger II which pinpointed the location first. On January 23, 1960, US Navy sent a submersible, called Trieste, to touch down the deepest part with 2 people on it, Don Walsh (a US Navy Lieutenant) and Jacques Piccard (son of the boat's designer).

The whole descent took around 4 hours 47 minutes at a speed of 3 feet/sec. After passing 30000 feet, one of the outer window panes cracked which shook the whole boat. However, there was another inner protective layer of window pane which was still intact. The two men decided to descend further and spent almost 20 minutes in the ocean floor. The temperature in the cabin was recorded as 7º C at the lowest point.

The two men further recorded that they could view fishes swimming beside the submersible which brought forth the theory that there are aquatic life which could withstand and survive immense pressure at such depths of oceans. The ascent took 3 hours 15 min.

Shri Ashtavinayaka Tour - Mahaganapati Temple

The eighth among the Ashtavinayaka's revered shrines is the Mahaganapati, located at Ranjangaon, some 50 Km from Pune.

The idol faces the east with its trunk pointing to the left. The temple is designed in such a way that during the apparent movement of the sun to the south, the sun rays fall directly on the deity. The Lord is flanked by his consorts, Ridhi and Sidhi on both sides

It is said that the temple was built by Shiva, where he worshipped Ganesha in order to fight the demon Tripurasura. Tripurasura had built 3 powerful citadels (or forts) with a boon of invincibility given by Shiva himself. Howeever, as his atrocities in the universe grew, he had to be killed. So, Shiva prayed Ganesha and shot an arrow which pierced through the citadels and killed the demon.

Shri Ashtavinayaka Tour - Vigneshwara Temple Story

The Vigneshwara temple is the seventh of the Ashtavinayaka shines, located at Ojhar, which is about 85 kms from Pune. The literal meaning of Vigneshwara is "Lord of the obstacles" or "Remover of obstacles".

The temple features a spacious and large courtyard, a grand entrance and has lots of sculptural and mural works. The Ganesha idol faces east and has a left turning trunk. The idol is surrounded by his 2 wife's Riddhi and Siddhi and is covered with Sindur. His eyes are emeralds and forehead and navel are adorned with diamonds.

The story of Shri Vigneshwara Ganesha goes like this :
King Abhinandana performed a sacrifice in which he did not give any offering to Lord Indra. Infuriated, Lord Indra ordered Kala (Time/Death) to destroy the sacrifice. Kala took the form of a demon, Vignasura, who created obstacles in the sacrifice and ruined it.

Also, the demon started creating havoc in the whole universe and would create obstacles on the good deeds and sacrifices of sages and other beings. All the Gods then went to Ganesha for help and he battled and won over the demon, Vignasura. After the defeat, the demon agreed that he would not harass the beings of the world.

For this reason, it is said that Vigna would not dwell in places where Ganesha is worshipped. Hence the name of the Supreme Being as Vigneshwara, the One who had defeated Vignasura.

Ashtavinayaka Tour - Girijatmaja Temple Story

The temple of Shri Girijatmaja, the sixth temple of the Ashtavinayaka's - at Lenyadri, is situated 94 km from Pune near a village named Narayangaon.  It is present in one of the caves (Cave 7) of the series of 30 rock cut Buddhist caves called Lenyadri. The temple stands atop a mountain for which one has to take around 307 steps. The temple features a wide hall with no supporting pillars, which is 53 feet long, 51 feet wide and 7 feet in height.

There is no electricity inside the hall but the temple is so constructed that during the day it is always lit by the Sun rays. Ganesha idol faces north with its trunk to the left but compared to other Ashtavinayaka idols, it is not well carved off.

The name Girijatmaja literally means "Mountain-born" or "Atmaja (Son) of Girija". The story about Shri Girijatmaj Ganesha goes like this :

Once Parvati asked Shiva as to whom he was meditating on to which Shiva said that he is meditating on "the supporter of the entire universe - Ganesha". Parvati desired to have a son like Ganesha and she meditated on Ganesha for 12 years at Lenyadri.

Ganesha blessed Parvati that he would be born as her son and the clay image which Parvati worshipped came alive. Thus Ganesha was born to Parvati Devi at Lenyadri. Ganesha's escapades with childhood years, spanning around 15 years, were spent at Lenyadri during which he showed so many of his powers and innocence.

Ashtavinayaka Tour - Chintamani Temple Story

The fifth temple for the Ashtavinayaka tour, Chintamani temple is located in Theur, some
25 km from Pune. Theur, literally means Sthavar, which in turn means stable in Sanskrit. According to legends, God Brahma meditated at this place to get rid of his worries and owing to Ganesha's blessings, he was able to bring his restless minds to a stable state.

Theur Chintamani temple was built by a Ganapatya saint Morya Gosavi. Exact date is hitherto unknown. Ganesha idol faces east and is studded with jewel eyes and the trunk facing left. It is interpreted that the idol is sitting in a cross legged posture.

Another legened about the Chintamani Ganesha goes like this :
A warrior king named, Ganasura and his army once came to the hermitage of Sage Kapila, who had the wish granting jewel named, Chintamani. As the King had come to his doorstep, the sage felicitated them with delicious food. On seeing the prowess of Chintamani, the King forcefully wanted to take the jewel from the sage.

Kapila, a devotee of Ganesha, prayed to him and the God appeared and beheaded Ganasura. Ganesha returned the jewel back to sage Kapila but he asked the divine God's presence instead of the jewel. Thus, Ganesha stayed in Theur with the sage and became popular with the name, Chintamani Ganesha

Ashtavinayaka Tour - Varada Vinayaka Ganesha Temple Story

Varada Vinayaka is the fourth ashtavinayaka and the name literally means, the giver of bounty and success. The idol was found in the village of Mahad in 1690 AD in an adjoining lake in an immersed position and that is the reason why the idol has a weathered look. In 1725 AD, the Varadavinayaka temple was built in its primeval form.

The temple is located 80 KM from Pune, near Khopoli off the Pune Mumbai highway and is closest to the Mumbai city. The Ganesh idol faces east direction and its trunk is also facing east. There are 4 elephant idols guarding the 4 sides of the temple. The hall is 8 x 8 feet and the dome is 25 feet high, with golden top and having designs of cobra. There is also an oil lamp, which is said to be constantly burning since 1892.

The unique aspect of this temple, compared to other ashtavinayaka's is that this is the only temple which allows the devotees to pay their homage and respects to the immediate vicinity of the idol. It is said that during Maghi Chaturthi, if the coconut received as prasad is taken then the devotees are blessed with a son. Huge crowds get amassed during the Maghi Utsav, which is usually held during the month of February, on the temple premises.

Ashtavinayaka Tour - Ballaleshwara Temple Story

The third Ashtavinayaka is called Shri Ballaleshwar. The temple is located at the location called Pali, a town off the Mumbai-Pune highway.

Shri Balleshwar’s structure resembles that of the mountain just behind the temple. The idol is studded with jewels in the eyes and the navel. The temple hall consists of 8 carved pillars which represent 8 directions. It is said that the temple is constructed in such a way that the after the winter solstice, the sunrays falls on the Ganesha idol after sunrise.

                              

                                            Mountain that resembles Lord Ballaleshwara

Another unique thing about this temple is that the offerings made to the Lord is not the usual Modaka but Besan Laddu.

Legends narrate the story of Ballaleshwar as follows :

Kalyanseth, a merchant and his wife were childless for a long time. After some years, they had a son, who was named Ballal. Ballal was a huge devotee of Lord Ganesha and used to worship with utmost devotion. He used to go to forests and along with his friends worship Ganesha idols.

Sometimes, as they were late in coming home from forests, his friends parents complaint to Ballal’s father. His father was anyways angry on his son for not concentrating on his studies. In a fit of rage, he went to the forest and threw Ganesha idol into the river. He destroyed the Puja materials too. Seeing this, Ballal’s friends ran away but Ballal was so engrossed in his puja that he did not even notice what is happening around.

His father beat him profusely and tied him to a tree and asked him to call Lord Ganesha and ask him to free him, if he is so powerful and then went home.

It is said that in the utmost pain, Ballal called Lord Ganesha for help. The Lord immediately appeared before him and hugged his devotee. And blessed him with superior life and lifespan.

It is said that the idol which Ballal’s father had thrown into the river is presently called Dhundi Vinayaka. This temple is just behind the Ballaleshwar temple. And from ancient times, devotees first visit the Dhundi Vinayaka before going to Ballaleshwara temple.

Ashtavinayaka Tour - Siddhivinayaka Temple Story

Siddhivinayaka Temple

Siddhivinayaka Temple is the second in line to be visited for the Ashtavinayaka darshanam and is placed on a small hill facing north. The temple is located off Pune Solapur highway baout 48 Km from Srigonda, Ahmadnagar district.

The unique thing about this idol is that out of all the 8 ganesha’s idols, this is the only one whose trunk is positioned towards the right. Rest all the idols would have their trunk positioned towards left.

The idol is 3 feet tall and 2.5 feet wide and Ridhi and Sidhi murthys are also present on one thigh. In order to make one round of the temple, or as we call it pradakshina, one has to go round the hill, which takes around 30 minutes on a moderate speed.

It is said that there was one Peshwa’s general, named Haripant Phadake. He lost his position and out of dismay, he came to the temple and did 21 pradakshinas around the hill. After completion of the rounds, his army men came and took him back to the royal abode as the general.

Also, it is said that Lord Vishnu was able to vanquish 2 demons, Madhu and Kaitabh, only after making Siddhivinayaka happy in this pious place.

Ashtavinayaka Tour - Moreshwara Temple Story

Last year I had gone to a long-awaited and long-dreamt Ashtavinayaka tour in Maharashtra. As the name suggests, it signified visiting of 8 ancient Ganesha temples, which houses 8 ganapatis, in their own magnaminous avatars and grandiose poise.

I would be narrating the significance and the story behind each of the Ganesha's avatars. The 8 ganapatis in their religious significance are :

Temple	Location	District
Moreshwar	Morgaon	Pune
Siddhivinayak	Siddhatek	Ahamadnagar
Ballaleshwar	Pali	Raigad
Varadavinayaka	Mahad	Raigad
Chintamani	Theur	Pune
Girijatmaja	Lenyadri	Pune
Vighnahar	Ozar	Pune
Mahaganapati	Ranjangaon	Pune

According to Shastras, we have to visit the temples in the order as mentioned above to finish the Ashtavinayaka yatra. It is said that some of these idols are swayambhus or self-existent effigies.

Mayureshwara (or Moreshwara) Temple

This is the the most important temple of the tour because it marks the beginning and the end of the tour. The temple is surrounded by 4 minarets which makes it resemble as if it is a mosque from a distance.

There is a Nandi (Shivas bull mount) in front of the temple premises, which is quite surprising as usually we would find Nandi's in front of Shiva's temples. It is said the Ganesh idol along with the Nandi was being transported to a Shiva temple and the carriage broke in between. And then afterwards, it was not possible to remove the idols from the current place.

The Mayureshwar name came because Ganesha, riding a peacock, killed a demon named Sindhu at this spot. The idol's trunk is turned towards left and has a cobra poised over it to protect it. The idol also has 2 other murtis beside i.e. Siddhi (which means capability) and Riddhi (which means intelligence)

It is said that Moregaon used to have lots of peacock and hence the name, Mayureshwar came into being.

Story of Statue of Liberty

Statue of Liberty is one of the old, beautiful and magnanimous sculpture in the present world. It is situated in Liberty island in New York harbour, New York, United States.

The statue is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence. A broken chain lies at her feet.



The statue was designed by Frederic Bartholdi, in France, in parts and there were initial hiccups for raising funds. The statue was made in parts for eg, head, waist , hands, etc. and the parts were later sent thorugh oceanic voyage to U.S. as it was considered to be a gift from the people of France to United States. The statue, since then, became the icon of Independence and freedom.

It has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Spectacular piece of art, indeed!!!

Mojave Phone Booth

Mojave Phone Booth was a phone booth, installed in 1960. So, what's the big deal!!! There were many phone booth's before the advent of mobiles and wireless stuff. But read on to find the uniqueness.

This phone booth was located at Majave National Reserve in California. When it was placed, it was eight miles (13 km) from the nearest paved road, fifteen miles (24 km) from the nearest numbered highway, and miles from any buildings. Its telephone number was originally (714) 733-9969, before the area code changed to 619 and then to 760. It was originally built to provide telephone services to local miners and other living in the area.



In 1997, a Los Angeles man spotted a telephone icon on a map of the Mojave and decided to visit it. After his visit, he sent a letter of his adventure to a local computer enterpreneur, who started the first of the few websites on the phone booth. The booth became an instant hit on World Wide Web



Soon, people started going to the phone booth as an adventure trip. Calls will be received and called from the booth to signal the start and end of the trip.

The booth has been removed at 2000 as it was decomissioned for the obvious reasons and the phone number was permanently retired.

Interesting indeed!!!