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Feb

16

2010

The Pyramids of Egypt

Posted by Samantha | Comments : (3)

Category : News and society, Travel content

Tags: , , , , ,

With Egypt unveiling a new logo for its pyramids and for tourist promotion, it may be a good idea to talk a little bit about the Pyramids of Egypt…..

The pyramids of Egypt were constructed by the 3rd to the 6th Dynasties. They lie scattered along the western side of Nile stretching to the south of the apex of the Delta.

The pyramids, today, stand isolated against the backdrop of the Egyptian deserts. At the time of their construction, these pyramids were part of a complex of buildings that were surrounded by a walled enclosure.  The temple was normally located on the east of the pyramid and was dedicated to the worship of the dead.  There was also a raised and enclosed causeway on this side, leading to the western edge of the cultivation. Near this was the ‘Valley Building’ in which the embalmment of the bodies was carried out and interment rites performed.  A canal connected the ‘Valley building’ to the Nile.

The ancient Egyptians designed shape of the pyramid to represent the primordial mound from which the earth was created. The shape is also believed to represent the descending rays of the sun. The names of the pyramids also referred to solar luminescence.  They were highly polished to reflect the rays of the sun and give them a brilliant appearance. One of the narrow shafts from the burial chamber within the pyramid extends to the centre of the pyramid that point to the sky suggesting that the pyramid was conceived of as a means of magically launching the deceased pharaoh’s soul into the abode of the gods.  The West (the side on which the pyramids are built) also has mythological associations with the land of the dead.

The early pyramids were architecturally similar to Mastabas.  The step pyramid of Pharaoh Zoser at Sakkara is an example of the intermediary stage of evolution of the pyramid from mastabas. One of the pyramids at Meydum and two at Dahshur by Seneferu(bent pyramid) can also be cited as examples of the evolving architecture of the pyramids. The finest examples of true pyramid architecture can be seen in the famous three pyramids of Giza built by the fourth dynasty successors of Seneferu.

The construction of pyramids involved a lot of labor and materials. Each pyramid was a lifetime project of the Pharaoh.  The pyramids were built on living rocks which were first levelled and built upon.  The limestone rocks, of which the pyramids were built, were brought from the quarries.  The outer face of the pyramid was built with limestone quarried locally, while the inner face was built with limestone from Tura (on the eastern side of Nile). Some amount of granite has been used for linings of the chambers and passages.  This granite was brought from Aswan.  The tomb chambers and their approaches were cut into the rock below or were constructed in the core of the pyramid.  The entrances to the pyramid were normally in the northern side of the pyramid. The sides of the pyramid were scrupulously oriented with cardinal points.

The structure of the pyramid involved building a series of concentric sloping slices or layers around a steep pyramidical core. During construction the pyramid appeared to be a mass of step like tiers that were later filled in to give it the finished smooth steep look with its specific angle of inclination. The steps were filled in with packing blocks and brought with finely finished facings.  The finishing was done from top to the bottom and the apex stone was sometimes gilded.

Interestingly, the Egyptian construction tools were very primitive.   They had no knowledge of the pulley and their principal tool for raising the stone blocks was the lever.  Wooden sledges with or without wheels were used to transport the blocks to the construction site. Broad topped, sloping sand ramps reinforced with crude brick walls were built on the pyramid and the blocks were dragged up these ramps of sand and bricks.

There are as many as hundred pyramids scattered along the western side of the Nile. Many of them have been rifled and pilfered in the chaos that followed the 6th dynasty.  They have also been the target for tomb robbers over the years. A few pyramids have been well preserved and are great tourist attractions today.

Feb

15

2010

Journeys on record: What to see when you visit Kurukshetra

Posted by Samantha | Comments : (1)

Category : Content Marketing, General, Information highway, News and society, Travel content

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History lovers, tourists and temple goers will find Kurkshetra a wonderful place to visit. This historical site can be reached by road(National Highway1)  from New Delhi(160 Km); Chandigarh(90 Km); North Karnal(39 Km) and South Ambala(40 Km). The railway station at Kurukshetra is called Kurukshetra Junction.

A two day visit with one night stay at Kurukshetra is recommended.  Popular hotels for overnight stay at Kurukshetra are: Saffron, Heritage, Neelkanth Yatri Niwas and Parakeet hotel. There are also a number of guest houses and Dharmashalas that accomodate travelers to this historic city.

Places of Tourist Interest

Sheikh Chehli’s Tomb is a beautiful tomb constructed by Dara Shikoh(1650 AD), the eldest son of Shah Jahan the Moghul Emperor, for the sufi saint Abd-ur-rahim or Sheikh Chehli. The tomb is constructed over an artificial terrance and is octogonal with a south facing entrance. It is built of buff sandstone and crowned by a pear shaped dome of marble with a high circular drum.  A smaller tomb with beautiful floral carvings dedicated to the wife of Sheikh Chehli can be found near the west entrance.  The whole overlooks a Madrasa which has a nine arched opening on each side of the central courtyard. It has been declared a monument of National importance.

The Kurukshetra Panorama and Science center is located near the Sri Krishna Museum in Kurukshetra. It is a two storeyed building that exhibits Indian heritage science and technology. Ancient Indian concepts of properties of matter, structure of the atom, geometry, mathematical rules, astronomy, medicine and surgery are on display.  The highlight of the museum is the life like panorama of the historical battle of Kurukshetra with 34 feet high paintings of the episodes from the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas.  The sound and light that accompany the scene along with the background Gita Chanting create an illusion of reality. A science park has been set up in the grounds with busts of all the greatest scientists of India.

The Krishna museum exhibits the collection of archelogical material from 5000 years of Indian History. Effort has been made to sequence the material culture from the Kurukshetra war pre epic, epic and post epic periods. There is no effort to establish the historicity of the war, only to display the archeological findings pertaining to the different periods. The museum has six galleries and a rich heritage of art and sculpture is housed in these galleries. A whole day can be spent examining these exquisite pieces of history and art!

Kalpana Chawla Memorial Planetarium was built to impart non formal education in Astronomy. A number of excellent programs with high tech digital and optomechanical systems are conducted in this building.  Science and technology exhibits, astronomy shows and the astro park are highlights of this spot.

Gulzarilal Nanda Institute of National Integration and Peace is a personalia museum built in honor of the erstwhile Governor of the State who did much to improve and preserve the historical and places of tourist importance in Kurukshetra.  The musuem highlights his career, spiritual beliefs and his services for Kurukshetra.

Brahmasarovar is a beautiful tank with a temple dedicated to Shiva in the center of the tank. This spot is believed to be the location at which Brahma begins his act of creation after the great Pralaya that destroys the world. A number of bathing ghats named after the characters of the Mahabarath can be found round this tank.  The waters of this tank are considered sacred and pilgrims visit this tank in large numbers during the Solar eclipse and on New moon day to take a dip in the holy waters.

The Sannihit Sarovar in Kurukshetra is said to be the confluence of seven sacred saraswatis. A large number of pilgrims visit this tank on New Moon day to absolve themselves of sins.  Adjacent to this tank are the temples dedicated to Dhruv Narain, Lord Vishnu, Laxmi Narayan, Lord Hanuman and Mother Goddess Durga.

Places of Historical Importance

Kurukshetra is replete with history.  The site has been the cradle of Indian civilization for more than 5000 years. A number of archelogical sites have been excavated and the findings from these sites are housed in the different museums located across the city including the Krishna museum.

The Archeological site museum and Harsha’s Palace are located behind the Tomb of Sheikh Chehli. The museum houses the archeological findings at the excavation site of the Palace of Harsha, the King of Thanesar.  The Archeological Survey of India has unearthed from the mound, stone and terracotta sculptures, coins, ornaments, ritualistic objects. The exhibition also has on display the schematic plan and its findings and architectural buildings that have been exposed during the excavation.  The mound itself is located close to the  museum and the contours of the palace are very visible. The settlement pattern, the architectural style, religious life and artistic endeavor are visible to tourists.

Jyotisar is the most revered historical location in Kurukshetra. It is believed that Krishna elucidated the Gita to Arjuna at this spot. While the historical truth of this assertion is not proved, tradition has it that the message was delivered under a holy banyan tree at this spot. Jyotisar lies 5 km from Kurukshetra on the Kurushetra Peshowa road.  The banyan currently found on the spot is said to be an offshoot of the original banyan that existed at the time of the discourse. The site has a beautiful marble statue of Krishna and Arjuna on a chariot.  A sound and light show on the theme of Bhagawat Gita is mounted by the ITDC as part of the tourist promotion of Kurushetra here.

Close to Jyotisar, infact at the entrance to the location, stands an ancient Shiva temple between the trunks of two trees. The temple is said to date back to the Kurushetra war.

Temples in Kurukshetra

The Staneshwar Mahadev temple is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Hindu God of destruction. It is said that the Pandavas visited this temple before the battle of Mahabarat to receive the blessings of Lord Shiva. The waters of the tank adjoining the temple is said to have cured Kind “Ben” of leprosy.  A pilgrimage to Kurukshetra is complete only when the pilgrim takes a holy dip in this tank.   The temple is constructed in the regional style and has a domical roof and the facade of this dome has the shape of an “amla” or gooseberry with a tall pinacle.  The sanctum sanctorum houses a Lingam in the traditional style.

The Bhadrakali temple is a temple dedicated to Shakti, the consort of Lord Shiva. It is one of the fifty one Shaki peetas or seat of power of the Goddess.  The right ankle of Shakti is idolized in this temple.  A large number of devotees congregate in this temple to worship the Godress. Local legend has it that Krishna and Balarama had their “Mundan” ceremony or the removal of first growth of hair was conducted in this temple. It is also believed that the Pandavas visited this temple to pray to the Goddess for victory in the Kurukshetra war.  Worshippers offer terracotta horses to the diety when their prayers are answered by the Goddess.

The Kalmaki temple is also dedicated to Bhadrakali. This temple is associated with Tantricism and is said to have existed even in the sixth and seventh centuries AD at the current location.  The style of the temple, however, is 19th century.  The brickwork is in Lakhori style and is double storied. The style of the sanctum santrum is offbeat with the sanctum juxtapositioned to form a single structure bearing a composite domical and vaulted roof styles.  Four domical spires are located around the central domical spise.  The entrance to the temple has a vaulted alcove design.  Beautiful murals decorate the sanctum interior and the octogonal wall below the inner dome and square chamber of the sanctum.

Bhishma Kund or Narkatari tank is located about a mile and half from Thanesar on Kurushetra Pehowa road. The legend says that Bhishma, the elder of the Pandava and Kuru clan gave up his life voluntarily at this spot. It is believed that the waters of the tank were summoned forth by Arjuna to quench the thirst of Bhishma. There is a temple dedicated to Bhishma on this spot adjacent to the tank.

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Jan

18

2010

Journeys on record: train gains

Posted by Samantha | Comments : (16)

Category : Creative writing, News and society, Travel content, Types of content, website content

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Traveling on the Palace on Wheels in India is an experience that is often recommended to tourists who visit the country. You are given a taste of the luxurious world of the rajahs of yore,  who commandeered every kind of comfort for themselves. Yet one gets a glimpse into the real India only when one travels in other ordinary trains that chug their way through the length and breadth of the country.

Looking out of the window one is awed into silence as the landscape changes with every mile. Mountains, rivers, dry fallow lands, jungles of thorn bushes, small villages that totter on the verge of collapse, cities where the train tracks are considered open toilets, glimpses of towering luxury apartments, silent heritage buildings in the horizon, churches, mosques, wayside temples and what not…. You turn your eyes away from the scene and you would find a dozen  curious eyes fixed on you expectantly–humans who know that they have to share the next 18-36 hours with you and would like to know what makes you tick. They will not hesitate to ask you the most embarrassing personal questions.

The interrogation begins innocuously enough:

Are you a native of x or y? No? Are you going all the way? No? Where will you get off? Why are you going there? Where will you go from there? and so on…

Then would come the next level of questioning. Are you married? How many children? what are they doing? Do you work? Does you spouse work? Do you have in-laws staying with you? How many brothers and sisters you have?  …

Deeper still. Was your’s an arranged marriage? No? Wow, love marriage? Tell me all about it!  You were divorced? Your fault or your spouse’s? …….

Of course, this is interspersed with a lot of information about themselves–it does not matter that you do not ask questions. If they have a right to know about you, you have a right to know about them!!  Logical eh?

While this exercise lasts  for a good two or three hours( –there are generally six passengers per unit and this makes it a fertile ground for investigation), the “confidantes” feed each other with whatever eatables they have brought with them for the journey or buy from the vendors passing to and fro.  Once everyone has been “throughly” introduced to everyone else, matters of general interest are permitted to take over. Someone holds forth on politics; another holds forth on music.  It does not matter that either of these people have nothing to do with the subject in their daily lives and would not dare to speak about it in other forums! Who is to question their authority?  The shaking coaches have shaken their reticence about unknown subjects and they feel that it is ok to pretend authority for the tenure of the journey.  Arguments, contradictions and even categorial assertions on impossibles, are wholly possible. No one cares. It helps bear the tedium of the journey and everything is OK in this confined world. After all, journeys end will diperse the companions and memories are short. Unimportant discussions drain out of the mind as the journey ends and one is free to move forward in life…..

Horrified? If you are pure British you would be. If you are American, you are expected to be friendly. If you are Indian, you are expected to be a bosom companion–irrespective of the fact that you may have lost your roots and are a British Indian or an Indian American. The Desis will have their tools ready to dig into you and turn your out…After all train gains are spiritual experiences that should not be missed…..Indian Railways is an effective platform!

So, if you are planning a trip to India for appreciating India as it lives in the masses or to gain some spiritual insights, take a train journey…. You will not regret it?

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