Nature's Pearl..

A coconut (Sanskrit: narikela ) is an
essential element of rituals in
Hindu tradition. Often it is
decorated with bright metal foils
and other symbols of
auspiciousness. It is offered
during worship to a Hindu god or
goddess. Irrespective of their
religious affiliations, fishermen of
India often offer it to the rivers
and seas in the hopes of having
bountiful catches. Hindus often
initiate the beginning of any new
activity by breaking a coconut to
ensure the blessings of the gods
and successful completion of the
activity. The Hindu goddess of
well-being and wealth, Lakshmi, is
often shown holding a coconut.
In the foothills of the temple
town of Palani , before going to
worship Murugan for the Ganesha,
coconuts are broken at a place
marked for the purpose. Every day,
thousands of coconuts are broken,
and some devotees break as many
as 108 coconuts at a time as per
the prayer. In tantric practices,
coconuts are sometimes used as
substitutes for human
skulls.
Coconut flowers
In Hindu wedding ceremonies, a
coconut is placed over the
opening of a pot, representing a
womb. Coconut flowers are
auspicious symbols and are
fixtures at Hindu and Buddhist
weddings and other important
occasions. In Kerala, coconut
flowers must be present during a
marriage ceremony. The flowers
are inserted into a barrel of
unhusked rice (paddy) and placed
within sight of the wedding
ceremony. Similarly in Sri Lanka,
coconut flowers, standing in brass
urns, are placed in prominent
positions.

Heaven Of Heavens: Kondura

Kondura
is sitchuated at Vengurla in Sindhudurg District.
It is one of beautiful beach in Maharashtra.
If you are fan of natures art ,so it is perfect place.

Konkan: The Gods Gift To India

The Konkan/ Konkan Coast is a
rugged section of the western
coastline of India .It is a 720 km
long coastline. It consists of the
coastal districts of Karnataka , Goa
and Maharashtra . The Konkan
Coast in Karnataka is known as the
Karavali/Canara. The ancient
sapta-Konkan is a slightly larger
region described in the Skanda
Purana which refers to it as
"Parashurama Srishti".

Boundaries
The precise definition of the
Konkan varies, it is roughly the
land between the Western Ghats
and the Arabian Sea, and between
the Tapi river in the north and
the Chandragiri river in the south.
It includes the following districts
of modern India: Thane, Mumbai,
Raigad , Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg,
North Goa, South Goa, Uttara
Kannada , Udupi and Dakshina
Kannada .

The Konkan Division
The Konkan division is an
administrative sub-division of
Maharashtra which comprises all
the coastal districts of the state.

Geography
The Sahyadri Mountain range
(" Western Ghats") forms the
eastern boundary of the Konkan,
and the Arabian Sea marks the
western boundary. The southern
boundary is the Gangavali River .
The Mayura River forms the
northern boundary.

The Gangavali flows in the district
of (" Uttara Kannada ") in present-
day " Karnataka State"; the cis-
Gangavali portion (seen from
Bombay) of this district is the
southernmost part of the Konkan.
The towns of Karwar , Ankola,
Kumta, Honavar and Bhatkal fall
within the Konkan. The exact
identity of the Mayura River, the
northern limits of the historic
Konkan, is indeterminate.

The Place Of Peace-Tryambkeshwar

Trambakeshwar is an ancient
Hindu temple in the town of
Trimbak, in the Trimbakeshwar
tehsil in the Nashik District of
Maharashtra , India , 28 km from
the city of Nashik . It is dedicated
to Lord Shiva and is one of the
twelve Jyotirlingas.

It is located at the source of the
Godavari River , the longest river in
peninsular India . The Godavari
River, which is considered sacred
within Hinduism, originates from
Bramhagiri mountains and meets
the sea near Rajahmudry.
Kusavarta, a kund is considered
the symbolic origin of the river
Godavari, and revered by Hindus
as a sacred bathing place. The
current temple was built by
Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao (a.k.a
Nanasaheb).

Triambakeshwar Temple,
Nashik
Jyotirlinga
As per Shiv Mahapuran , once
Brahma (the Hindu God of
creation) and Vishnu (the Hindu
God of preservation) had an
argument in terms of supremacy of
creation. To test them, Shiva
pierced the three worlds as a
huge endless pillar of light, the
jyotirlinga. Vishnu and Brahma
split their ways to downwards and
upwards respectively to find the
end of the light in either
directions. Brahma lied that he
found out the end, while Vishnu
conceded his defeat. Shiva
appeared as a second pillar of
light and cursed Brahma that he
would have no place in
ceremonies while Vishnu would be
worshipped till the end of
eternity. The jyotirlinga is the
supreme partless reality, out of
which Shiva partly appears. The
jyothirlinga shrines, thus are
places where Shiva appeared as a
fiery column of light.
Originally there were believed to
be 64 jyothirlingas while 12 of
them are considered to be very
auspicious and holy. Each of
the twelve jyothirlinga sites take
the name of the presiding deity -
each considered different
manifestation of Shiva. At all
these sites, the primary image is
lingam representing the
beginningless and endless
Stambha pillar, symbolizing the
infinite nature of Shiva.

The twelve jyothirlinga are
Somnath in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna
at Srisailam in Andra Pradesh,
Mahakaleswar at Ujjain in Madhya
Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya
Pradesh, Kedarnath in Himalayas ,
Bhimashankar in Maharastra ,
Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar
Pradesh, Triambakeshwar in
Maharastra, Vaidyanath at Deoghar
in Jharkand , Nageswar at Dwarka
in Gujarat, Rameshwar at
Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and
Grishneshwar at Aurangabad in
Maharastra.

In Mythology, history and present
close up of the top of
Trimbakeshwar Temple
Trimbakeshwar is a religious
center having one of the twelve
Jyotirlingas. The extraordinary
feature of the Jyotirlinga located
here is its three faces embodying
Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and
Lord Rudra. Due to excessive use
of water, the linga has started to
erode. It is said that this erosion
symbolizes the eroding nature of
human society. The Lingas are
covered by a jeweled crown which
is placed over the Gold Mask of
Tridev (Brahma Vishnu Mahesh).
The crown is said to be from the
age of Pandavs and consists of
diamonds, emeralds, and many
precious stones. The crown is
displayed every Monday from 4-5
pm (Shiva).
All other Jyotirlingas have Shiva as
the main deity. The entire black
stone temple is known for its
appealing architecture and
sculpture and is at th foothills of
a mountain called Brahmagiri.
Three sources of the Godavari
originate from the Brahmagiri
mountain.

Its Mumbai...!!

Welcome to Mumbai…. The city that
never sleeps.. as the people say.

Mumbai, capital of Maharashtra and
financial capital of India, home to
Bollywood film industry and home
to people from all over the
country.
The local language spoken here is
Marathi but English and Hindi are
also spoken fluently. So a new
visitor will not have much trouble.
Temperature varies throughout the
year. March- June is summer
months with temperature reaching
almost 40degree .June- October
monsoon season with rain in full
force. November to February is
mainly winter months but being a
coastal city the winters are mild
here and pleasant weather.

Places to see: colonial architecture
from the Victorian times ….mainly
around South Mumbai area.
Famous monuments to be seen in
this area are the Gateway of India,
the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
(Victoria Terminus) building, the
Municipal Corporation and Police
Headquarters and the Chhatrapati
Shivaji Vastu Sanghralaya
(formerly, the Prince Of Wales
museum). The famous Taj Mahal
hotel is located just opposite the
Gateway of India. The Mumbai
University buildings and the High
Court are also excellent examples
of colonial architecture in the city.
Nehru science center and Nehru
planetarium are very good place to
visit as they have museum and
planetary views shown at both
centers
Mumbai has a few beaches, at Juhu,
Chowpatty, Marve. They are a great
place to see how the locals spend
their Sunday evenings, with various
food and game stalls.

The life line of Mumbai.. the local
trains run extensive network daily
on three lines…. Western line,
central line and harbor line.
Mumbai is famous for its street
food description of which I would
give in my next post. Modern
Mumbai has huge malls and
multiplex to cater to everyone’s
needs with branded names.
If  I continue it would turn out a
big essay, so come to Mumbai and
enjoy your stay while you explore
the city and feast on various
delicacies which are offered.

Rock Solid SINDHUDURG:Black And White

Sindhudurg
(Marathi सिंधुदुर्ग) is a
fortress which occupies an islet in
the Arabian Sea , just off the coast
of Maharashtra in western India .
The fortress lies on the shore of
Malvan town of Sindhudurg
District in the Konkan region of
Maharashtra, south of Mumbai .
It is a protected monument.

History:
This fort was constructed by
Chhatrapati Shivaji, Today also we
can See His foot & Palm print in
fort. The construction was done
under the supervision of Hiroji
Indulkar, in the year 1656.

Structural details:
The Watch Tower facing the
sea
Over 4000 mounds of iron were
used in the casting and
foundation stones were firmly laid
down. Construction started on 25
November 1664. Built over a
period of three years (1664–67),
the sea fort is spread over 48
acres (190,000 m 2 ) with a two-
mile (3 km) long rampart, and
walls that are 30 feet (9.1 m) high
and 12 feet (3.7 m) thick. The
massive walls were designed to
serve as a deterrent to
approaching enemies and to the
waves and tides of the Arabian
Sea. The main entrance is
concealed in such a way that no
one can pinpoint it from outside.
At a time when Samudra Gaman
(travelling by sea) was banned by
scriptures, this construction on an
island represents the
revolutionary mindset of its
engineer.

Permanent residents:
The number of permanent
residents staying in the fort has
been in decline since the fort's
abandonment. Most of the
residents moved out because of
inadequate employment
opportunities, but over 15 families
remain in the fort. The Sakpal
Naik family (the original 'killedars')
still resides in one of the 16
houses in the fort. However, Dr
Sarang Kulkarni's underwater
discoveries have led to the
establishment of the Indian sub-
continent's only well-established
scuba-diving industry. This has
provided the local residents with
some employment. Sindhudurg
fort is a popular summer
destination for Indian and foreign
tourists to explore the island and
go scuba-diving and snorkelling to
view the coral reef on the
outskirts of the island.

How to reach Sindhudurg:
Sindhudurg town lies in the
Sindudurg district to the north of
Goa, about 490 km south of
Mumbai (Bombay). Sindhudurg
can be reached either by train or
by bus from Bombay, Goa and
Mangalore . The Konkan railway
has a railway station at
Sindhudurg, but only few trains
stop there. Kudal, Kanakvali and
Sawantwadi are major railway
stations in Sindhudurg district.
There are Maharashtra state
government (MSRTC) buses
running from Mumbai , Pune,
Ratnagiri, Sangli , Kolhapur and
Goa state government buses
(Kadamba Transport Corporation)
running from Panaji , Madgaon,
Vasco and Pernem to Sindhudurg.
Nearest airport is Dabolim Airport
in Goa, which is located at approx.
90 km away from Sawantwadi City
(major tourist attraction) of
Sindhudurg.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

One of the most able administrators and ruler in India was undoubtedly Chhatrapati Shivaji. He was the founder of the Maratha Empire in India. With his flawless warrior skills and unlimited courage, he ruled the Deccan region, parts of central India and parts of modern day Pakistan with a firm hand. It was due to his efforts that the Mughals faced a decline in their empire. Using guerilla warfare techniques, he was successful in annexing a major portion of the Mughal Empire. Given here is a short biography about Chatrapati Sivaji that covers his life history briefly. So check out information on King Shivaji. 

Shivaji was born in Shivner on 10th April, 1627 to Jijabai and Shahji. His father Shahji was a nobleman in the royal court of Bijapur. Shivaji was named so after Lord Shiva of the Hindu mythology as his mother was an ardent Hindu devotee. Since childhood, Shivaji was brave and never feared anything. There are many instances in his childhood that show he was a born ruler. At the young age of fourteen, he had the dream of building his kingdom. At the age of 20, he took out his very first military attack and captured the Torna Fort of the kingdom of Bijapur. 

After that there was no stopping him and he went on to capture Kondana and Rajgad forts and exercised full control over the region of Pune. Around the year 1659, Shivaji took over the forts in Western Ghats and the ones near the Konkan coast. In order to disrupt Shivaji's series of triumphs, Adilshah arrested his father Shahji by unfair means and sent armies against Shivaji and his elder brother Sambhaji. However, the armies were no match for the two strong brothers and were defeated by them and their father was released. However, Afzal Khan later seized an opportunity to kill Sambhaji by deceit. 

Shivaji was an efficient ruler and administrator and ruled with a just and firm hand. His government had concepts that we know of now like the Cabinet known as Ashtapradhan Mandal, foreign affairs known as Dabir and also an internal intelligence wing. During Shivaji's reign the army was very efficient and dependable. Since Shivaji ruled a major part of the Western coast area, he also commanded a strong navy force. Shivaji is known for his protective and fatherly attitude towards his citizens. He is remembered till date as a hero who worked for the welfare of his subjects and state. Shivaji breathed his last in 1680 after suffering from fever for three whole weeks.

Promotion of Sanskrut in honour of Hinduism by Shivaji Maharaj !

Shivaji Maharaj did everything possible to promote Hinduism in every aspect of the fight for independence and establishing his own kingdom. Shivaji Maharaj's assembly of eight ministers was formed based on Hindu ideals. One comes across this concept of eight ministers in the Ramayan and the Mahabharat. King Dashrath too had eight ministers. In the Shantiparva of the Mahabharat also it has been suggested that an exchange of thoughts of eight ministers is necessary. During the coronation ceremony, Maharaj changed the Persian names of the ministers to Sanskrut as follows–

Thinking of Sanskrut names to rename various ministers or forts was a hobby of Shivaji Maharaj. In September 1665, that is around the time of Dasra before leaving on a journey he named all the forts from his kingdom. Malhar Ramrav Chitnis in the biography of the monarch, 'Chatrapati Shivaji Maharajanche Saptaprakaranatmak Charitra' has spoken about the forts saying, "At each place after place Shivaji Maharaj would build a new fort to frighten the enemy. Varugad, Bhushangad, Mahimagad, Vardhangad, Sadashivgad, Macchindragad are some of them". In the book 'Marathyancha Itihas' it is said, "Shivaji Maharaj loved Sanskrut. There are several instances to testify this. He changed the names of forts to Raigad, Vishalgad, Suvarnagad, Vijaydurg, Prachandgad and Pandavgad."”