The Little Princess

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

K for Kumbh Mela

Welcome to the "Believe it or Not- That's Incredible India!" series. India is home to some of the most astonishing wonders in the world. The rich culture, heritage, food, scriptures, architectural marvels and scores of known and unknown facts come together to create this multicolored melange that is India. Throughout this month, read about the various believe it or not facts about India and know what goes into the making of this incredible country!

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If there’s one congregation that stands out for being the most heavily attended, it would have to be the Kumbh Mela. The sheer number of people who visit ‘the Kumbh’ is mindboggling. We aren’t talking of a few thousand people, not even a few lakhs. Hold your breath, because we are talking of a 80-100 million people! That is the number of people who throng to this holy place every year in search of moksha, making it ‘Maha’ in every sense of the word! What’s amazing about the Kumbh is that it is so large that the congregation is even visible from space!

According to a legend, when the gods and demons churned the ocean in what is famously described as the ‘Samudra Manthan’, a pot of ‘nectar of immortality’ arose from it. To prevent the demons from partaking it, the divine eagle–Garuda, flew away with the pot. Apparently, a few drops of the nectar fell into four rivers bestowing them with sacredness.

The Kumbh is therefore held once every 12 years at the banks of these four holy rivers— The Ganges in Haridwar, the Shipra in Ujjain, the Godavari river in Nasik and Sangam (the confluence of Saraswati and Yamuna) in Allahabad. Taking a holy dip in these nectar-fortified rivers is said to cleanse people of their sins and liberate their souls from the cycle of re-birth.

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Along with the veritable crowd of humanity, you will also rub shoulders with meditating sadhus, yogis balancing themselves precariously on one foot, astrologers and soothsayers beckoning you to have your future read, and ‘aghoris’ covered in nothing but ash. You will also see small tents selling a gazillion things from trinkets and medicinal herbs to conches and semi-precious stones.

All these sights coupled with the visuals of the glorious sun rising and setting against the backdrop of the vast river of people, make the Maha Kumbh ethereal and enchanting!

In the words of the great author, Mark Twain who once visited the Kumbh in 1895, “It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of old and the weak, the young and the frail, enter without hesitation and complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining.”

The Maha Kumbh is truly an experience beyond your wildest imagination!

Believe it or not - That's Incredible India!

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

J for Jai Hind!

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Indians have been foremost in many of the inventions and discoveries that have changed the world. It is a matter of pride to know that simple things that we use in our daily lives like buttons, ink, cotton, rulers and even shampoo are India’s gift to the world!

The excavations at Mohenjo Daro proved that buttons were used to fasten clothes - 2000 years ago during the Indus valley Civilization! Ivory rulers with decimal subdivisions on them were also excavated here and dated back to 1500 BCE. During the 5 th and 4^th millennium BCE, Indians not only cultivated cotton but made clothes out of it. Pretty cool, isn’t it?

Let’s move over to the 19^th century. If someone were to be asked who invented the radio, most people might say Marconi. He is credited with having invented the wireless radio communication and even received a Nobel prize for it.

But did you know that two years before Marconi’s demonstration, an Indian Scientist, Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose had already demonstrated the use of radio in 1895! A century later, Sir Jagadish was recognized for his feat and posthumously awarded for his achievement. Sir Jagadish’s revolutionary technology is what forms the basis of most of the modern technology we use today, ranging from mobiles to WiFi, and satellites to radars.

The daily Chronicle, England, 1896, wrote about his extraordinary invention. “The Inventor J. C. Bose has transmitted signals to a distance of nearly a mile and herein lies the first and obvious and exceedingly valuable application of this new theoretical marvel.”

Moving on to modern times, there are plenty of new age inventions that are credited to Indians. The most notable ones are the invention of the Pentium chip and the USB – two inventions that literally shaped our present day communication, and the invention of Fiber Optics.

Vinod Dham is called as the Father of the Pentium Chip and is held in high regard for his contribution to this highly successful Pentium Processor from Intel.

Indian-American Ajay V Bhatt is the inventor of the USB. He is also the man behind AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) , PCI Express , Platform Power management architecture and various other chip-set improvements.

Dr.Narinder Singh Kapany is widely known as the Father of Fiber Optics and was listed by the Fortune Magazine as one of the 7 Unsung Heroes for his pioneering work in Fiber Optics technology.

Aren't we proud of their achievements? Jai Hind!

Believe it or Not - That's Incredible India!

Monday, April 11, 2016

I for Indian Railways

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There’s hardly any Indian who hasn’t travelled by the Indian Railways. Before air travel became all too affordable, the train was the easiest way to get across the length and breadth of the country. In spite of the crowd, the trains running late, the fight for luggage space, the unending rounds of food being passed around - train travel in India is something you shouldn’t miss. The bonhomie, especially in long distance travel is unseen and unimaginable! How perfect strangers can become friends in a matter of minutes is something that beats any reasoning! Here are some interesting Railway facts.

Diamond Crossing at Nagpur
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Did you know that the Indian Railways employs 1.6 million people, carrying 13 million passengers and 1.3 million tons of freight every day? An astounding 14,300 trains run along the 63,028 kilometers of tracks stopping at 7000 railway stations!! The rail route cuts through the bellies of huge mountains, along the scenic coastal belt, and across the biggest rivers, ferrying people to their destinations all year through.

Oh, and did I mention that at the heart of India - in Nagpur, there's a place where the trains from North -South and East - West converge. It's called the diamond crossing.

Here are some famous rail routes.

Pamban Bridge-

The Pamban Bridge
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The most incredible train route would have to be the Pamban Bridge which connects the town of Rameshwaram on the Pamban Island to mainland India. What’s amazing about the bridge is that it is a cantilever bridge which has a double leaf bascule section midway. The bridge is raised when a ship has to pass through.

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That’s not all. Cleaning the tracks and maintaining it is an everyday task as the bridge is built on water. It is prone to rusting and being destroyed by heavy rainfall and cyclones. A team of dedicated men walk the entire distance checking for damage and keeping it well maintained and they do this every single day!

Doodhsagar railway route-

There are plenty of scenic rail travel routes, but this one takes the cake for being the king of them all. The railway bridge at the Doodhsagar falls on the Mandovi river in Goa is a breathtaking scene to behold!

What’s incredible is that the train actually stops at Doodhsagar – one of India’s tallest waterfalls – and allows visitors to disembark and enjoy the view of the cascading waterfall!

Mountain railways of India-

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Whether it is the Blue Mountain Express at the Nilgiris in Ooty, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Kalka- Shimla Railway, Matheran Hill railway or the Kangra Valley Railway, these small trains running on narrow-gauge are a major attraction.

The thrill of travelling along rugged and yet scenic mountainous landscape is incomparable and have been honoured collectively as one of UNESCOs world heritage sites.

Believe it or not – That’s Incredible India!

What’s your favorite route on the Indian Railways?

Saturday, April 9, 2016

H for Heritage

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The UNESCO has listed 981 world heritage sites in the world. Of these 32 sites are in India. We have heard and probably visited the most famous of these heritage sites like the Khajuraho temples, the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, the Agra Fort, Jantar Mantar, Bodh Gaya, Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Humayun’s Tomb, Elephanta, Ajanta and Ellora caves, The stupa at Sanchi, and the temple ruins at Hampi.

A lot of national parks and sanctuaries make it to the list too. The Great Himalayan national park, Western ghats, Sunderbans national park, Nanda Devi and the Valley of flowers, Keoladeo national park, Manas wildlife sanctuary, and the Kaziranga wildlife sanctuary are the ones that have made it to the list.

And then there are lesser known UNESCO sites like Mahabalipuram, Chola temples at Brihadeshvara, The Churches of Goa , Pattadakal, Rani ki Vav, the Mountain railways of India, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the rock shelters of Bhimbetka, the hill forts of Rajasthan, and the Champaner archeological park.

Each of these places is unique in its own way, displaying stunning architectural details, sculptures that take your breath away and beauty that is unparalleled making every one of these places a worthy member of the prestigious list. Here’s one such UNESCO site that will leave you agape in wonder.

The Konark Sun temple-

The Konark sun temple on the eastern coast of Odisha is nothing short of a marvel! The temple as the name indicates the temple is dedicated to the Sun God – Surya, and is designed in the shape of a massive chariot with twelve pairs of wheels drawn by seven horses. The Kalinga architecture is amazing, but what is truly a scientific marvel are the wheels. Mind you, these are no ordinary wheels, they can tell the time – precisely to the minute! They are Konark’s prestigious Sundials!

How does one tell time at Konark?

The wheel is divided by sixteen spokes, eight thick ones and eight thin ones. The distance between two thick spokes is three hours. And the distance between a thin spoke and a thick spoke is one and a half hour. At the circumference of the wheel are small beads placed closely. Between a thick spoke and a thin spoke, there are 30 beads. So each bead corresponds to 3 minutes. Each bead can be further divided into three parts and that is how you can tell time precisely to the minute!

All you have to do is, place your finger on the center of the wheel and see where the shadow falls. That shows the exact time. The wheel shows time in an anti-clockwise direction.

What’s also amazing is the presence of iron plates between every two stones used to build the main sanctum. A 52-ton magnet was used to create the peak to hold the structure in place.

The temple also had a diamond positioned in the middle of the idol in such a way that the sun’s rays would get reflected by the diamond and fall on the idol. During the colonial rule, the magnets, and the diamond were removed.

Believe it or not - That's Incredible India!

Friday, April 8, 2016

G for Games

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Did you know that many of games that we play today originated in India? The most famous of them is the game of Chess. Chess was being played in India almost 3000 years ago and was called Chatur-anga – meaning four members of an army perhaps referring to the four armies used in the game – horse, camel, elephant and foot soldiers. Apparently, when a clan established new settlements, the game was used to allocate land between clan members!

And then there's the most loved game of Snakes and Ladders. Haven't we all enjoyed playing this as kids? Well, this game was invented in India too. It was known as ‘Moksha Patam’, and was invented to teach the lesson of karma to children. It taught them how one is punished for wrong-doing and rewarded for goodness as well as the concept of fate. What an innovative to teach such complicated lessons to kids!

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The game of cards also originated in India. It was called ‘Kridapatram’. It was a pack of 12 cards each containing a king and 11 subjects. A pack contained a king and his 11 subjects and a general and his 11 men. One set of cards was Ashavpati – lord of horses featuring a king on horseback and the Senapati (general) on horseback. Another set would be Gajapati –king on elephant and Senapati on elephant. Similar cards like Narapati – king of the infantry, Dhanpati – king of treasures, Dalapati – king of the squadron, Navpati- king of the navy, Surapati- king of the divine forces, Asrapati- king of the spirits, Vanapati- king of the forest, Ahipati- king of the snakes, so on and so forth were popular cards. All of them had respective set of 11 cards of Senapati or General.

The game of playing cards was probably invented by sages in ancient times who made a set of 12 cards - every king had 11 followers, thus a pack had 144 cards. The Mughals retained 12 sets having 96 cards. They called it Ganjifa and their sets represented different trades like Nakkash – the painter, Mujallid – the book binder, Rangrez -the dyer, etc. In addition there were also the Badshah-i-Qimash - king of the manufacturers and Badshah-izar-i-Safid - king of silver, etc.

Interesting isn’t it?

Believe it or not- That’s Incredible India!