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Tag: Rajasthan

  • Rama’s Arrow Made Maru Desert Jaisalmer

    Lord Rama, during his attempt to cross the ocean,prayed Samudra Raja, Lord of the ocean.

    He did not turn up.

    In a rare display anger Lord Rama sent in His arrow and it landed and parched the place it fell.

    Thus was formed the Maru Desert near Jaisalmer.

     

    Maru Mahotsav Jaisalmer,Rajasthan.jpg
    The world famous three-day Maru Mahotsav is the rich and colorful Rajasthani folk culture festival held every year in February at Jaisalmer. Maru Mahotsav also known as the Desert Festival is known for its unique events such as camel race,traditional dance performance, and other cultural events of royal Rajasthan.

    Ramayana says thus.


    ”

    The valiant ocean, the lord of rivers, wearing a wreath of pearls, with his eyes resembling lotus leaves, bearing a beautiful garland made of all kinds of flowers on his head, with ornaments of refined gold, adorned with excellent jewels made of pearls from his domain, decorated with different kinds of gems and metals, resembling Himavat mountain, wearing on his broad chest a locket shedding a white luster, resembling a Kaustubha gem (adorning the blossom of Lord Vishnu) and hanging in the middle of a single string of pearls, with a multitude of waves whirled around him, encircled by the clouds and winds, escorted by rivers mainly the Ganga and Sindhu, endowed with diverse forms resembling various deities, approached Rama with joined palms, who stood with arrows in hand, addressing him first as ‘Rama!’ and spoke the following words: “O, beloved Rama! Earth, wind ether, water and light remain fixed in their own nature, resorting to their eternal path. Therefore, I am fathomless and my nature is that it is impossible of being swum across. It becomes unnatural if I am shallow. I am telling you the following device to cross me. Neither from desire nor ambition nor fear nor from affection, I am able to solidify my waters inhabited by alligators. I shall make it possible to see that you are able to cross over. I will arrange a place for the monkeys to cross me and bear with it. As far as the army crosses me, the crocodiles will not be aggressive to them.”

    Then, Rama spoke to that ocean as follows: “Listen to me. This great arrow should not go in vain. In which region should it be descended?”

    Hearing Rama’s words and seeing that powerful arrow, the large splendid Ocean spoke the following words to Rama: Towards my northern side, there is a holy place. It is well known as Drumatulya, in the same way as you are well known to this world. Numerous robbers of fearful aspect and deeds, having the sinful Abhiras as their chief, drink my waters there. I am not able to bear that touch of those wicked people, the evil doers, O, Rama! Let this excellent arrow with out vain be released over them there.”

     Hearing those words of the high-soled Ocean, Rama released that excellent and splendid arrow towards that place as directed by the ocean. The place where the arrow, whose splendor was akin to that of a thunder and a thunder bolt, was descended by Rama- that place is indeed famous as desert of Maru* on this earth.

    * Maru—Malwar in Rajastan (India)

    The earth there, pierced by the dart, then emitted a sound . The waters of the penultimate subterranean region gushed forth from the mouth of that cleft. Then the hollow became known as Vrana. Water constantly seen, gushing forth from it resembled seawater. A terrific splitting sound was born in that place. Water was dried up in those cavities, as a result of hurling of that arrow by Rama. That desert of Maru became famous in the three worlds. Rama (the son of Dasaratha), a wise man and a valiant man resembling a celestial, made that cavity dried up and gave a boon to that desert of Maru. Due to granting of a boon by Rama, that desert of Maru became the most congenial place for cattle rearing, a place with a little of disease, producing tasty fruits and roots, with a lot of clarified butter, a lot of milk and various kinds of sweet- smelling herbs. Thus it became an auspicious and suitable move, bestowing these merits. While that cavity was burning, Ocean the lord of rivers spoke these words to Rama who knew all scientific treatises.”

    Contributions on this subject welcome.

    Citation.

    http://www.valmikiramayan.net/yuddha/sarga22/yuddha_22_prose.htm

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  • Laser Shadows High Temperature Kuldhara Village Of Ghosts

    Mysteries of Nature still daunt Man, despite professed advancements in Science and Technology.

    The problem of spirits, Ghosts are yet to be solved,

    The Ghost fact-finding adventures in TV channels continue, with evidence surfacing that Ghosts do exist.

    We  have one in India as well.

    Room temperatures vary and Lasers detect strange shadows!

    It is the KuldharaVillage in Rajasthan.

    Recently, Paranormal Society of Delhi acknowledged that there is something strange about these scary places.
    The society was studying one of these locations in Jaisalmer’s Kuldhara village. Kuldhara village is a haunted location and it is believed that it is impossible to spend an entire night in the village. The society decided to unravel the mystery behind the village of Kuldhara’s spirit.
    Delhi’s Paranormal Society of Delhi reached Kuldhara under the leadership of Gaurav Tiwari on Saturday.
    A brave team of 18 members decided to spend an entire night inside the village along with 10-12 other people.
    Kuldhara Abandoned Village, India
    Kudhara ,Haunted, Abandoned Village, India
    The team spent 12 long horrifying hours inside the village and experienced some strange activities.
    The team equipped with their high-tech electronic equipments scanned the entire village and encountered really strange activities. From moving shadows, haunting voices to hand imprints of children on cars; the team members lived through one of their scariest nights.
    One of the members revealed that he felt someone touching his shoulder from behind. When he turned back to see who it was, he found no one.
    The team used a highly sophisticated equipment to communicate with ghosts and spirits. The equipment, named ‘Ghost Box’, was used to ask questions from the spirits. The spirits responded and even told their names.
    The team had a K-2 metre device which is used to measure change in surroundings temperature. The device recorded a temperature of 41 Degree Celsius at one location and as it was moved a few steps ahead, the temperature instantly dropped to 31 Degree Celsius.
    The team used LASER rays and found unexplained moving shadows.
    News Source.
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  • Mount Meru Location Details Hinduism Jainism

    There are references to Meru, the Mountain in the Vedas, Purans.

     

    In Sankalpa we say ‘ Mero: Dakshina Pasve/Uttar Parsve :”the South,North of the Meru.

     

    In the description of Devi Lalitha’s Abode, Her Chinatmai Gruham is described,

     

    Sumeru Mandala Madhyasthaa Sriman Nagara Nayikaa’

     

    The Sumeru may mention the Physical Meru  as well.( Su Meru means , The Meru, which is Auspicious’,

     

    Is Meru a Physical location?

     

    In the description of Brahmanda, the description of the Earth, Jambooth Dweepa, contains the  reference to Meru.

     

    Jainism and Buddism also refer to it.

     

    Meru finds a place in Africa Spain as well.

     

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.

     

    ”

    ‘The Hindus at Bikanir Rajputana taught that the mountain Meru is in the centre surrounded by concentric circles of land and sea.

    Some Hindus regard Mount Meru as the north pole.

    The astronomical views of the Puranas make the heavenly bodies turn round it.’

    Description by Jainism.

    The whole wide universe is seen by the knowledge of omni-knowledge.

    There is a Tircha Lok within it. The road leading to it is both long and wide.

    The height is 1800 yojans, of which 900 yojans are on flat land, while the other 900yojans are on height.

    In this 900 yojans the last 110 Yojans contain a jyotis circle, where the Jyotishi gods abode.

    The aircrafts of these gods move around the Meru Mountain.

    One Yojana is about 8 Miles.

    Meru Mountain is located exactly in the center of Jambudwip between East and West Mahavideh.

     In the north isDevkuru situated and Uttarkuru in south.

    Meru Mountain is like a pillar, which is wider at base and gets narrower and narrower as it grows up.

    The height of Meru Mountain is one lakh yojans, of which 1000 yojans are below earth and 99,000 yojans are above.

    The wide is 10090 yojans in the root within the earth whereas it is 10,000 yojans wide on the earth level.

    Gradually the width becomes less and less as it grows up, and on the top peak it is 100 yojans wide. 

    Thus the Meru Mountain is very wide in its root, gets less wider in the middle and becomes least wide at the top.

    The shape is similar to the tail of a cow. The whole mountain is very clean, full of diamonds, lakes and forests. Above the peak is a chulika.

    Meru Mountain is divided into three divisions (Chulika apart). These are called Kands:

    1. First Kand is called Adhyostankand.
    2. Second Kand is called Madhya (Middle) Kand.
    3. Third Kand is called Uparitan Kand.

    The lowest Kand has a height of 1000 yojans, that of Middle Kand is 63,000 yojans and that of top Kand is 36,000yojans.

    There are four forests on Mountain Meru:

    1. Bhadrasha Van: It is located at the foot hill of the mountain on flat land.
    2. It is surrounding the Mountain Meru on all four sides. Its North and south width is 250 yojans and its east-west width is 22,000 yojans. The whole forest is divided into eight sections with four tree-shape mountains, viz. Saumanas, Vidyut, Prabh, Gandhmadan andMalyavan and two rivers, viz. Sita and Sitoda.
    3. Nandan Van: It is 500 yojans higher than the Bhadrashal Van and 62,500 yojans below the Somansvan. 
    4. Its area is 500 yojans. In exact the middle of this section is Abhyantar Meru and in a distant of 50 Yojans are eightKut of Dishakumaris. There are eight Palaces of eight Dishakumaris of Urdhva Loks; there is a Kut 500 yojansabove it where a palace of the goddess is situated. Thus, the goddess stays 1000 yojans above the flat earth. 900 yojans of this section belong to Tirchha Lok while the 100 yojans above belong to Urdhva Lok (upper Lok);so the Goddess belongs to this upper Lok. Besides, in Nandanvan, there are four temples (Chaitra) on four sides of it. In other directions are two palaces of Ishanendra.
    5. Somvan: Somvan is situated 62,500 yojans above of Nandanvan. This is another series of Meru Mountain which is 500 yojans wide.
    6. Pandagvan: Pandagvan is 3600 yojans above Somvan. It is circularly 494 yojans wide.

     

    Meru in Hinduism.

     

    Mount Meru (Sanskrit: मेरु), also called Sumeru (Sanskrit) or Sineru (Pāli) or Kangrinboqe to which is added the approbatory prefix su-, resulting in the meaning “excellent Meru” or “wonderful Meru” and Mahameru i.e. “Great Meru” (Chinese: 須彌山 Xumi Shan, Japanese: 須弥山 Shumi-sen, Pāli Neru, Burmese: မြင်းမိုရ် Myinmo), is a sacred mountain with five peaks[1] in Hindu, Jain as well as Buddhist cosmologyand is considered to be the center of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes.

    Many famous Hindu and similar Jain as well as Buddhist temples have been built as symbolic representations of this mountain.

    The highest point (the finial bud) on the pyatthat, a Burmese-style multi-tiered roof, represents Mount Meru.

    The dimensions attributed to Mount Meru, all the references to it being as a part of the Cosmic Ocean, along with several statements like that the Sun along with all the planets (including Earth itself) circumambulate the mountain, make determining its location most difficult, according to most scholars.[2][3]

    Some researchers identify Mount Meru or Sumeru with the Pamirs, north-east of Kashmir.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

    The Suryasiddhanta mentions that Mt Meru lies in ‘the middle of the Earth’ (“Bhugol-madhya”) in the land of the Jambunad (Jambudvip). Narpatijayacharyā, a 9th-century text, based on mostly unpublished texts of Yāmal Tantr, mentions “Sumeruḥ Prithvī-madhye shrūyate drishyate na tu” (‘Su-meru is heard to be in the middle of the Earth, but is not seen there’).[14] Vārāhamihira, in his Panch-siddhāntikā, claims Mt Meru to be at the North Pole (though no mountain exists there as well). Suryasiddhānt, however, mentions a Mt Meru in the middle of Earth, besides a Sumeru and a Kumeru at both the Poles.

    There exist several versions of Cosmology in existing Hindu texts. In one of them, cosmologically, the Meru mountain was also described as being surrounded by Mandrachal Mountain to the east, Supasarv Mountain to the west, Kumuda Mountain to the north and Kailash to the south.[15]

     

    Mount Meru of Hindu traditions has clearly mythical aspects, being described as 84,000 Yojan high (which is around 1,082,000 km (672,000 mi), or 85 times the Earths’s diameter), and having the Sun along with all its planets in the Solar System revolve around it as one unit.

    One Yojana can be taken to mean about 11.5 km (9 mi) though its magnitude seems to differ over time periods. E.g. the Earth’s circumference is 3,200 Yojanas according to Vārāhamihira and slightly less so in the Āryabhatiya, but is given to be 5,026.5 Yojanas in the Suryasiddhānta. The Matsya Purana and the Bhāgvata Purāna along with some other Hindu texts consistently give the height of 84,000 Yojanas to Mount Meru which translates into 672,000 miles or 1.082 million kilometers.

    Mount Meru is also the abode of Lord Brahma and the Demi-Gods (Dev).

     

    Citations.

     

    Meru in Hinduism

     

    Meru, Sacred Texts

     

    Meru in Jainism

     

    Images Credits, in addition to the links mentioned above, are due, to

     

    http://quadralectics.wordpress.com/

    http://migungaadventures.com/

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  • World India Human Trafficking Causes Statistics

    Human trafficking has assumed serious proportions with the organised crime taking a major hand in the operations.

    The main reason still remain

    Prostitution,

    Bonded/forced Labor,

    Human Organs.

    Human Trafficking cuts across race nations.

    There is traffic in Whites as well as Blacks: Adults, Children.

    Traffic in Human Beings.
    Traffic in Human Beings.

    Yet it’s likely less than 1 percent of an estimated almost 21 million human trafficking victims worldwide are identified, according to Capitol Hill testimony given Tuesday by Bradley Myles, executive director and CEO of Polaris Project, a non-profit that combats human trafficking….(townhall.com)

    Human Trafficking World wide. figures 2012
    Human Trafficking World wide. figures 2012 source.; prezi.com

    There re broadly three types of Human Trafficking..

    Trafficking in women for sexual exploitation

    This prevalent form of trafficking affects every region in the world, either as a source, transit or destination country. Women and children from developing countries, and from vulnerable parts of society in developed countries, are lured by promises of decent employment into leaving their homes and travelling to what they consider will be a better life. Victims are often provided with false travel documents and an organized network is used to transport them to the destination country, where they find themselves forced into sexual slavery and held in inhumane conditions and constant fear.

    Trafficking for forced labour

    Victims of this equally widespread form of trafficking come primarily from developing countries. They are recruited and trafficked using deception and coercion and find themselves held in conditions of slavery in a variety of jobs. Men, women and children are engaged in agricultural and construction work, domestic servitude and other labour-intensive jobs.

    Commercial sexual exploitation of children in tourism

    This crime type has been apparent in Asia for many years and has now taken hold in Africa as well as Central and South America. The phenomenon is promoted by the growth of inexpensive air travel and the relatively low risk of prohibition and prosecution in these destinations for engaging in sexual relations with minors.

    Trafficking in organs

    Trafficking in humans for the purpose of using their organs, in particular kidneys, is a rapidly growing field of criminal activity. In many countries, waiting lists for transplants are very long, and criminals have seized this opportunity to exploit the desperation of patients and potential donors. The health of victims, even their lives, is at risk as operations may be carried out in clandestine conditions with no medical follow-up. An ageing population and increased incidence of diabetes in many developed countries is likely to increase the requirement for organ transplants and make this crime even more lucrative.

    Although EU Member States reported identified and presumed victims from different sources of
    information, as they were requested, it is the police which remains the predominant source. Since not all
    Member States were able to provide all the required information, the key findings below are not all based
    on the same national datasets.
    Identified and presumed victims
     In the countries reporting data for 2008, 2009 and 2010, the number of identified and
    presumed victims increased by 18 % between 2008 and 2010.
     The profile of victims by gender and age was 68 % women, 17 % men, 12 % girls and 3 %
    boys.
     The majority of the identified and presumed victims over the three reference years are
    trafficked for sexual exploitation (62 %). Trafficking for forced labour (25 %) comes second
    and trafficking in other forms such as trafficking for the removal of organs, for criminal
    activities or for selling of children follow with much smaller percentages (14 % all together).
     The majority of the identified and presumed victims over the three reference years are from
    EU Member States (61 %). The percentage of male EU citizens trafficked within the EU is
    74 % and the percentage of female EU citizens trafficked in the EU is 66 %.
     The percentage of identified and presumed victims from non-EU Member States increased
    over the three years, from 12 % in 2008 to 37 % in 2010 for the male victims and from 18 %
    to 39 % for the female victims.
     Most victims detected in EU Member States are citizens from Romania and Bulgaria.
     Most victims having citizenship outside of the EU Member States are from Nigeria and
    China.
     The number of residence permits for victims of human trafficking having citizenship outside
    of the EU in 2010 was 1 196 in the 19 Member States able to provide the information.
    Traffickers
     In the countries reporting data for 2008, 2009 and 2010, the number of suspected traffickers
    fell by 17 % between 2008 and 2010.
     75 % of the suspected traffickers are male.
     Over the three reference years, 84 % of the suspected traffickers detected trafficked human
    beings for sexual exploitation. Around 12 % trafficked for forced labour and 3 % for other
    forms of exploitation.
     The report shows that in 2008 67 % of the prosecuted traffickers in the EU had citizenship of
    an EU Member State. This percentage increased to 75 % in 2009 and 76 % in 2010.
     In the countries reporting data for 2008, 2009 and 2010, the number of convictions for
    trafficking in human beings decreased by 13 % between 2008 and 2010.”..

    ‘

    Human Trafficking in India,

    According to the nation-wide census held in 2011, there are 940 females for every 1000 males in India. While the figures at a national level are disturbing, the State of Rajasthan accounts for an even lower sex ratio of 926 females for every 1000 males. The difference between 926 and 1000 seems small at first. However, Rajasthan has a population of 68,621,012 out of which 35,620,086 persons are male and 33,000,926 are female. With the natural human sex ratio being approximately 1:1, it is found that 2,619,160 females are ‘missing’ from the population of Rajasthan.

    In 2012 Rajasthan had 308 cases filed under the Pre-Conception, Pre-Natal and Diagnostics Techniques (PCPNDT) Act 1994 against sex-selection abortion, which was the highest in the country. However, according to unofficial estimates, 2,500 baby girls fall prey to female foeticide or infanticide every single day in Rajasthan. Though the grand old patriarchs of clans practicing femicide continue to pride themselves over producing only sons, their systematic, mass-scale  and merciless murders of their daughters are not only gross violations of a human being’s basic human right to life but they also present a predicament to the position of their precious sons in society. In a culture where marriage is seen as a universal and inevitable eventuality, the genocide of females leaves a significant number of men without partners; and so, the buying and selling of women as ‘brides’ prospers.

    Bride trafficking is forced sale, purchase and resale of girls and women in the name of marriage. Girls and women are kidnapped or lured into bride trafficking and sold, raped and/or married off without their consent only to end up as a slaves and bonded labourers at the mercy of the men and their families, who have ‘bought’ them.

    Bride trafficking is also commonly called bride buying – a strange term because despite their sale, these ‘brides’ are no commodities. They are real, living females who are victims of trafficking. They are just as human as any of us. How can anyone truly buy another living being?

    According to Global Voices approximately 90% of the 200,000 humans trafficked in India every year are victims of inter-state trafficking and are sold within the country. The states of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan are major destinations of trafficked ‘brides’. It is hardly surprising that these states also account for the most skewed sex ratios in the country. Although the buying and selling of brides was a well documented historic practice in undivided India, lives of today’s trafficked girls and women are cloaked in secrecy because neither do they have a voice, nor do they have the social-mobility or resources to acquire one and raise it.

    Resources and For more:

    http://www.interpol.int/Member-countries/Asia-South-Pacific/India

    http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-is-new/news/news/2013/docs/20130415_thb_stats_report_en.pdf

    http://justiceforwomenindia.wordpress.com/tag/trafficking-statistics-in-india/

  • A Thirteen Storey Stepwell Photos

    This step well is located opposite Harshat Mata Temple, constructed in 800 c. and is one of the deepest and largest step wells in India. It was built in the 9th century and has 3500 narrow steps in 13 stories and is 100 feet deep.

     

    Chand Baori is a famous stepwell situated in the village of Abhaneri near Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan.

     

    Chand Baori India
    Chand Baori India

     

    Chand Baori Deepest Stepwell,Rajasthan, India
    Chand Baori Deepest Stepwell
    Deepest Stepwell Rajasthan,India
    Deepest Stepwell Rajasthan,India

     

    Chand Baori,Rajasthan India
    Chand Baori,Rajasthan India

     

    Chand Baori,India
    Chand Baori,India
    Deepest Stepwell India
    Deepest Stepwell India

     

    Chand Baori,India
    Chand Baori,India

     

    http://moreindia.in/blog/2011/01/chand-baori-stepwell/