indiheritage.com

Blog

Dusk of seasons
In the spring I wished to fly like butterflies.
In the autumn I wished to float like white clouds on the blue sky…
In the winter I wished to be the sliding glacier of frosty misty mountains…
In the Summer eves, I wished to be the moonlight of my sky.
In the cloudy Monsoons I wished to scatter as the splendid beam of sunshine.
In the drizzle, I wished to sprinkle like the drops of rain …
Does anybody know, why I wish to be merged in seasons?
The seasons, true preservers of signs of life on earth…
Let the creativity perpetuate endlessly….
And be the seasons their timeless witness!
copyright poem Dr.Sanjana p Souparnika
image courtesy – freepik AI
October 6, 2024
The queen of the night & the star
The starry sky and moonlight astounded
Snowy white milky petals,
Mystifying the world in ethereal fragrance,
Glazed in the milky moonlight
“The queen of the night”.
The star on the northern sky winked at the newborn flower,
Awakened from a deep sleep of infinite years,
Stared at the lovely star.
But a pal of gloom on the Milky white petals.
Perhaps the gloom of imminent return to eternity.
The star on the endless sky winked again
Asif sensed the melancholic shadows,
The predestined return on the same day of birth
To the world of eternity.
The star of the northern sky whispered
I remain here for centuries on the same sky
For your return on someday, somewhere
And every time you come back
I had never lost you
Ever with the waning seasons,
Although, you fall into the deep sleep lasting many years
To be awakened in yet another twilight
To bloom in yet another moonlight.
Love is immortal as the snowy white petals
Taking rebirth in the wheel of time
for blooming again and again
till the end of the universe,
if it ever happens or not.
—
copyright poem & image dr sanjana p Souparnika
October 6, 2024
Eternity
It was autumn when the leaves buried my memories beneath the ground
It was spring when I revived them from those ashes time had left behind.
“Immortal forever” they whispered with a smile.
Mayn’t fall with autumn hues
Mayn’t melt away in scorching sun
Mayn’t vanish from the earth with the deluge of time.
As I never made you mine ever with bondage of time & space
But eternally mine…
Forever mine….
Ever a free soul, as the brightest star on the firmament
Eternally on the endless sky
laughing as usual at my wisdom of making bond,
Perhaps the bygone years gifted me
Liberating from all the bondages life had imposed on,
Suffocating your soul.
Ever a free soul, as the brightest star on the firmament
Eternally on the endless sky
Drenching in the drizzle of love,
Walking over the endless shore of love.
Copyright dr.sanjana p Souparnika [ dr sanjana v.b]
image courtesy- freepik AI
October 3, 2024
THE PRISONER PRINCESS OF BONDAGE
The days and nights vanishing in the time machine,
Where I too a lone traveler,
With an accelerated pace
In search of dreams of pearls over the sky.
It steals huge momentum,
Leaves me languid.
Yet, I love the firmament where my dream is a resident.
But I am the prisoner princess of this pristine land…
A return inevitable
to the land of reality and roots,
from the firmament of white clouds
where my dream is a resident.
Travel for years, ever with backlog of unfinished tasks
Sensing deeply the inner calling over and over,
To pick pearls of dreams, over the white clouds. ….
Calling by mother earth,
The pristine rivers and lakes,
Where re-echoing the lackadaisical deep sighs of mine & the waves
merged for years elapsed…
The darkness and quietude of canopies,
Where my worries are buried….
The frozen glaciers of mountain peaks,
Where my fears take a refuge.
Standing amazed, unable to leave this land of mine.
Return of this wanderer to the loving people is predestined,
With dreams fulfilled,
With a fair bit of cloud in my heart,
A souvenir of rejuvenation to my soul,
After a long hiatus of years, in a jaded journey
Return of the prisoner princess is inevitable.
copyright dr sanjana p souparnika
image courtesy freepik
October 3, 2024
UNESCO world heritage sites of India
UNESCO World heritage sites of India
Dr.Sanjana p Souparnika
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection by an international convention administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The “cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity”
World Heritage Sites might be ancient ruins or historical structures, buildings, cities] deserts, forests, islands, lakes, monuments, mountains or wilderness areas
The sites are intended for practical conservation for posterity, which otherwise would be subject to risk from human or animal trespassing or negligence. These sites are demarcated by UNESCO as protected zones.
Intangible cultural heritage from India
- Koodiyattam -a performing art from kerala
- Ramlila performing arts from Ramayana
- Ramman festival -It is a festival of the Garhwali people of Saloor Dungra village of Himalayas.
- Cchau dance of westbengal &Odisha
- Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan
- Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala
- Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region,
- Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur
- Thatheras handicrafts of Jandiala Guru, Punjab,
- Naroz festival of Parsi community
- Kumbh mela festival of Ujjain,Haridwar
- Garba dance festival of Gujrat
Tangible cultural heritage of India
A. Natural heritage sites
- Great Himalayan national park,Himachal Pradesh
- Kaziranga national park, Assam
- Keoladeo national park , Rajasthan
- Manas wild life sanctuary, Assam
- Nandadevi &valley of flowers national park, uttaranchal
- Sunderbans national park,West bengal
- Western ghats , Kerala, south India
B. Man made Heritage sites
- Agra fort Uttar pradesh
- Ajanta caves Maharashtra
- Sanchi buddhist monuments Madhyapradesh
- Champaner-pavhadh archeological park,Gujrat
- Chatrapathi Shivaji terminal Maharashtra
- Elephanta caves Maharashtra
- Ellora caves Maharashtra
- Goa churches Goa
- Fatehpur Sikri Uttar pradesh
- Great living Chola temples Tamilnadu
- Monuments at Hampi Karnataka
- Monuments of Mahabhalipuram Tamilnadu
- Monuments at Pattadakkal karnataka
- Hill fort at Rajasthan Rajasthan
- Humayon’ s tomb Delhi
- Monuments of Khajuraho Madhyapradesh
- Maha bodhi temple complex Bodh gaya Bihar
- Mountain railways of India Westbengal
- Qutb minar Delhi
- Rani-ki-vav stepwell Gujrat
- Red fort complex New Delhi
- Rockshelters of Bimbetka Madhyapradesh
- Sun temple konark
- Taj mahal Uttar pradesh
- Jantar mantar Jaipur Rajasthan
- Nalanda university Bihar
- Architectural work of Le corbuster Chandigarh
- Historic city of Ahmedbad Gujarat
- Victorian,gothic and art ensembles of Mumbai Maharashtra
- Jaipur city Rajasthan
C. Mixed type
- Khangchendzonga National Park sikkim
September 22, 2024
Thalagunda – Pranaveswara temple a connecting link to the history of south India
Praveswara temple, Thalagunda in Karnataka is an ancient shiva temple of Kadamba dynasty , a monument protected monument by Archeological Survey of India[ASI] due to its historical significance.
Thalagunda,karnataka
Thalagunda is a village in the Shikaripura taluk of Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka, India. The village has been referred as Sthala-Kundura, Sthana-Kundur and Sthana-kunja-pura during ancient period. This hamlet is situated about 45 km from Banavasi, 20 km from Soraba and 7 km from Siralkoppa town.
There are many ancient temples in Thalagunda village including pranaveshvara, gangaadhareshvara, trineetra and veerabhadra temples. Praveswara temple is a protected monument by Archeological Survey of India[ASI] due to its historical significance.
According to the inscription found in the pillar of pranaveswara temple, it can be assumed that the temple was worshiped by earlier rulers including the Satakarnis. The temple dates back to the Satavahana period. However the current findings of architecture denotes that it is not of the Satavahana period but of the early Kadambas although explorations around the temple premises had revealed brick structure of the Satavahana period.
Pranaveswara temple
The temple is a small square building consisting of a garbhagriha and a sukanasi. There is a huge Shivalinga inside the sanctum. The garbha-griha doorway jambs are carved out of Kadamba inscription stones, the entrance doorway construction style denotes that it is of a later period, perhaps of the eleventh century CE.
Thalagunda inscription pillar
The Talagunda pillar inscription of Kakusthavarman is a well known epigraphic record in Sanskrit found in the ruined pranaveswara temple. The pillar is located in front of the Pranavalingeshwara temple.
The inscriptions are engraved on hard grey granite and dated to between 455 and 470 CE. It throws light into the history of Kadamba dynasty and the reign of king Śāntivarma in northwest Karnataka.
The pillar is 1.635 metres (5.36 ft) high with a 0.4 metres (1.3 ft) square top. It is octagonal shaft that slightly tapers and narrows as it goes up. The width of the octagonal face is 0.178 metres (0.58 ft). The inscription is found on all faces, but on 7 of the 8 faces, it consists of two vertical lines that start at the bottom of the pillar. On the eighth face, we can find just one short line.
The inscription consists of 34 poetic verses that respect the chanda rules of Sanskrit. It is the earliest epigraphical evidence found in Karnataka about the existence of a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva in Talagunda, the construction of a temple water tank, and the practice of worshipping the Shiva Linga before about 450 CE.
The inscription unravels the glory of Kanchipuram as a center (ghatika) for advanced studies in ancient India, where the already learned Brahmin Mayurasarman from Talagunda goes with his counsellor to study the whole Veda. It also throws light into the cultural values and customs prevailed in the 5th-century India with the mention of “music” and goddess of wealth (Lakshmi) and speaks about the practice of marriage between north Indian and South Indian empires.
How to reach Thalagunda ?
The nearest railway station is Shivamoga .You may reach Manglore or Bangluru by flight and may reach Shivamoga by train or bus service. Approximately a one and half hour journey from Shivamoga by cab may help you reach Thalagunda[77.5km].
References
September 18, 2024
Balligavi art gallery
Balligavi karnataka
Dr.Sanjana p Souparnika
Balligavi art gallery is situated close to Kedareswara temple in Balligavi , Shimoga district, which is a pilgrim centre where main deity is Mahadev or Shiva .
Balligavi , is a town in Shikaripura taluk of Shivmoga district. Its an ancient town with various names such as Baligrama, Dakshina Kedara, Valliggame and is well -known for ancient sculptures and idols.
Balligavi was an important city during the 11th – 12th century Western Chalukya rule. The term Anadi Rajadhani (ancient capital) used in medieval inscriptions to describe this town
Archeologically Balligavi dates back to Satavahana -Kadamba era of ancient history[4th- 5 th century A.D. The earliest inscription mentioning the name Balligavi is a 685 CE Badami Chalukya inscription.
Myth
It is believed that Pandavas of Mahabharatha [epic] visited Balligavi during their vanavasa [ forest sojourn] period and installed shiva linga ,more precisely panchalinga and the seity of the temple later established here is known by the name panchalingeswara.
kedareswara temple of Balligavi is a hoysala chalukya architectural temple which includes the art gallery in its premises .
The art gallery displays very ancient idols and sculptures which are the vestiges of the bygone era. Many of these sculptures are broken.
The gallery also has numerous paintings which delineate the history of Sreekedareswara temple.
Balligavi art gallery
The art gallery displays idols & sculptures of ancient era . The sculptures describes the Hindu god shiva ,Ganapathi, devi parvathi or Durga. Kedareswara temple is a pilgrim centre where main deity is Mahadev or Shiva . The archeological gallery is located within the temple premises on the left side.
The Balligavi art gallery and temple is protected by Archeological survey of India. Sculptures and idols are displayed as two sections inside and outside the art gallery.
Paintings of ancient Kedareswara temple & many huge sculptures are found inside the art gallery building .
Numerous ganapathi , devi durga idols in stone are placed outside the art gallery building in an ancient Mandapa like structure which seems to be part of the Kedareswara temple. This stone construction has no roof over it . Many sculptures and parts of this mandapa are in a dilapidated condition. However the temple and art gallery built in Hoysala architectural style hasn’t lost their splendor and magnificence overtime.
How to reach Balligavi ?
Balligavi is located in Shivamoga district of Karnatakka.
Nearest airport is Belgaum . from Belgaum 224km by road to Balligavi.
One can also reach from Manglore by cab or bus [ 253km] in around 4 hrs 42 minutes.
September 13, 2024