GYANGANJ,THE CITY OF IMMORTAL BEINGS OF THE HIMALAYAS

                                          
Tibet is one of the most beautiful and unspoiled areas on the planet. This remote region attracts not only adventure lovers but also those travellers who are guided by the aim to find a deeper meaning of existence in their life. Shrouded in mystery and highly remote until the last century, Tibet is still largely unknown and undiscovered. What makes this Himalayan region more intriguing are the various myths and legends associated with it. One such myth has caught the interest of many, leading to various debates, investigations and books.

Gyanganj

Located somewhere within the mystical valleys of Himalayas, is 'Gyanganj', the land of immortals. It is a mythological belief that Gyanganj is a city-kingdom inhabited by mysterious immortal beings that influence the existence of human beings in subtle ways, whenever needed. Only great saints devoid of any bad Karma can find a place in this spiritual land by passing through psychic barriers and dimensions. The exact location of this legendary kingdom is unknown as it is believed that Gyanganj artfully camouflages itself from humans, as well as mapping technologies. Some also believe that Gyanganj exists in a different plane of reality and thus cannot be detected by satellites. 

Buddhist Shambala

Gyanganj does not only find mention in Hindu mythology but Buddhism as well. The roots of this legend can also be traced to Tibet. In Tibet, this celestial kingdom is known as 'Shambala', a word derived from Sanskrit, which means "the source of happiness". The Buddhists believe that Shambala protects secret spiritual teachings of the world. Instructions to reach this mythical land have been given in some old Buddhist scriptures, however, the directions remain ambiguous. Buddhists also believe that Gyanganj defies the rules of death. No one dies in this immortal land, and consciousness always remains alive. Also known as Shambhala and Shangri-La.

Concept of Gyanganj

According to ancient texts and beliefs, Gyanganj resembles the structure of a lotus having eight petals. It is surrounded by snow-clad mountains. The tree of life which unites heaven, earth, and the underworld, stands at its centre. It is described as a shimmering crystal. Its occupants are immortals who are responsible for guiding the fate of the world. Residing in this mystical kingdom, they protect and nurture the spiritual teachings of all faiths and beliefs. Imparting their wisdom to others, they delicately work to influence the destiny of mankind for the good. Tibetan Buddhists believe that during the time of a great chaos in the world, the 25th ruler of this spiritual land will appear to escort the planet to a better age. When asked to describe Gyanganj or Shambhala, the Dalai Lama explained that it is not a physical place that people can find. It is not heaven but a pure land in the human realm. The only way to visit this land is through a karmic connection. Inhabited by the immortal beings of the Himalayas, the city, and its occupants subtly guide the destiny of the world through prayer and meditation. Protecting the spiritual teachings of the world, of all faiths and beliefs, they work for the good of mankind. Guru Sai Kaka, a spiritual leader, once revealed to the world, about his visits to Gyanganj, a number of times, in order to seek spiritual and immortal teachings. As per his narration, during his every visit, a sage escorted him to Gyanganj and that the kingdom exists on an entirely different plane or a higher dimension. Another visitor to Gyanganj has been L.P. Farrel, an English army officer, who claimed to have experienced Gyanganj in 1942. Though the tales of Gyanganj sound mesmerizing, superficial and mythical, all at the same time, in a world full of negativity, war and unkindness, it is quite fascinating to imagine that somewhere in the parallel world, exists a place where people are truly moral and are working to gently guide, influence and protect us.

BY: E.KANMANI

MYSTERY OF THE FLOATING PILLAR

                                           

Veerabhadra temple in Lepakshi is located near Anantapur which is 15 km east of Hindupur in the Anantapur district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in southeastern India. Bangalore is the nearest large city.

 The most famous pillar of Veerabhadra temple. Called the Aakaasa Sthambha (floating pillar), it hangs suspended! One can pass a cloth between the underside of the pillar and the floor. It is rumoured that the British (when they were in power) were fascinated by this pillar as to how it can be in a 'suspended' state.

 Leepakshi near Hyderabad is a quaint destination located not too far from the capital city of Hyderabad. One of the most popular tourist destinations in the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh, Leepakshi near Hyderabad is also one of the most fascinating historical cities in the country, which is steeped in oodles of cultural heritage.

Leepakshi near Hyderabad is a part of the Anantapur District of the state, and lies 14 Km to the east of Hindupur. Leepakshi near Hyderabad is archeologically an important place in the country too. This is so because Leepakshi near Hyderabad is a treasure house of all things ancient. You will find numerous carvings and all other sorts of relics scattered all over Leepakshi near Hyderabad. However, most of the relics unearthed from Leepakshi near Hyderabad date back to the era of the Vijayanagar Kings. So Leepakshi near Hyderabad is basically a Vijayanagar Art rich place. The murals, carvings, paintings and other architectural specimens are worth more than just a dekko.

 However, Leepakshi's biggest claim to fame is its Leepakshi Temple. Built sometime during the 16 th century, the Leepakshi Temple is renowned for the Nandi or the white bull which Shiva rides. This nandi is the largest of its kind anywhere in India; and, of course, anywhere in the world too. The Leepakshi Temple is replete with numerous beautiful and spectacular carvings and murals. Leepakshi also has a spectacular Anantha or the coiled seven hooded serpent. The USP of this Anantha is that it has been chiseled out of a single piece of stone. Also, the Leepakshi is known for its Panchalingas. All these, and a lot more, makes Leepakshi near Hyderabad what it is and the way it stands. So going for an excursion to Leepakshi near Hyderabad from the city would be a good bet, which will leave you with memories of a lifetime

BY: E.KANMANI

MYSTERY OF 1600 YEARS OLD IRON PILLAR OFDELHI

                                       


The skill and the technology possessed by ancient Indians may not be agreed by present day ‘secular’ historians, but the truth cannot be suppressed for long. The Iron Pillar standing tall at Mehrauli, Delhi is stands proof of how advanced science was in ancient India. The pillar which has not rusted for the past 1600 years has been found to be the handiwork of a great Vishnu Bhakth namely Chandragupta II Vikramaditya. The inscriptions on the pillar are in Sanskrit and refer to the mighty king. Inspite of all these evidences, school children will still continue to be taught that it was the Mughals who were responsible for the pillar. Yes, the Mughals were responsible for stealing the pillar from its original place! It is arguable that Indian scientists and technologists were producing high-quality corrosion-resistant iron and steel as early as 400 AD. There is considerable evidence of the ingenuity of ancient India’s metallurgists in the form of permanent installations, museum exhibits and pillars installed in places of worship across the country. The most famous of these – one which has defied and confounded students and professors of metallurgy in India and abroad — is the 32 ft high pillar of rust-free iron sited contiguous to the 239 ft tall red sand stone in Qutab Minar. And the wonder of this metallurgical marvel is that it has not rusted or succumbed to atmospheric corrosion despite being unprotected against the elements for over 1600 years. During the past two centuries since the existence of this wonder pillar was brought to public attention by British archaeologist James Prinsep in 1817, over 250 books have been written on this subject. The first systematic research was done by British metallurgist Sir Robert Hodfield in 1912, and since then several scientists from across the world have researched, presented papers and written books on the pillar. “The iron pillar in Delhi fascinates scientists all over the world, due to its excellent resistance to atmospheric corrosion. This is an attempt to explain the story behind the pillar in a very simple manner, so that a lay reader can appreciate the history, science and technology of the iron pillar. In addition the artistic merit of the pillar is highlighted …It is sincerely hoped that the imagination, especially of the young readers, will be fired by the facts and ideas presented in this book,” writes Balasubramaniam. The Story of the Delhi Iron Pillar traces the history of this metallurgical wonder and recounts that it was engineered in Udayagiri. The author reveals that the iron pillar was originally installed atop a hill near Udayagiri in the hinterland of Madhya Pradesh during the reign of Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (374-413 AD) of the Gupta dynasty. The original site of the pillar was the exact location where the imaginary line that is the tropic of cancer crosses India from where one can observe the sun rising in the east and setting in the west on spring and autumn equinox days. However in 1234 King Iltutmish (1210-36 AD) the third sultan of Delhi’s slave dynasty captured Udaygiri and transported the pillar to Delhi as part of his victory booty. Inscription on the rust resilient Iron Pillar from Delhi. The pillar carries a number of inscriptions and graffiti of different dates which have not been studied systematically despite the pillar’s prominent location and easy access. The oldest inscription on the pillar is in Sanskrit, written in Gupta-period Brahmi script.This states that the pillar was erected as a standard in honour of Viṣhṇu. It also praises the valor and qualities of a king referred to simply as Chandra, now generally identified with the Gupta King Chandragupta II. Some authors attempted to identify Chandra with Chandragupta Maurya and yet others have claimed the pillar dates as early as 912 BCE. The dating of the inscription is supported by the nature of the script and the Sanskrit poetics, both of which reflect the conventions of Gupta times. That the Delhi iron pillar is indeed an engineering marvel was conceded by the president of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, London. The incumbent professor of materials and metallurgical engineering at IIT-Kanpur, Balasubramaniam also unravels the mystery of the amazing durability of Delhi’s iron pillar. According to him unnamed engineers of that era used the film forming quality of phosphoric acid to create a thin protective layer of ‘misawite’, a compound of iron, oxygen and hydrogen to prevent rusting and corrosion. This protective film encapsulated the pillar within three years after its erection and has been growing imperceptibly since. Today 1,600 years later, the film is of a thickness of one-twentieth of a millimeter.

BY: E.KANMANI

ZODIAC KILLER

                                                        

Zodiac killer, unidentified American serial killer who is believed to have murdered six people, primarily in northern California, between 1966 and 1969. The Zodiac killer’s apparent first victim, an 18-year-old college student, was stabbed to death in Riverside, Calif., in 1966. Although this murder is commonly attributed to the Zodiac killer, some experts claim it was not committed by him.

Soon after the murder, a local newspaper received a letter that provided details of the crime and declared that the victim was neither the first nor the last. In 1968 a teenage couple was shot to death near their car in a remote area north of San Francisco; one year later another couple was attacked in similar circumstances, though the male victim survived. After the 1969 attack, the killer phoned police to alert them to the crime and to take responsibility for the 1968 murders. Later that year the Zodiac killer attacked another young couple, though once again the male survived.

The last victim, a taxi driver, was shot in October 1969. The murders were the subject of intense investigation and media coverage, particularly because of the killer’s taunting letters and phone calls, in which he explained the mystical and intellectual bases of his decision to kill. His letters demonstrated great interest in astrological symbolism and may have reflected the influence of occult religious thought popular in California at the time. Much remains mysterious about the Zodiac case, not least the issue of when the crimes stopped.


Crime writer Robert Graysmith has argued that the Zodiac killer remained active through the 1980s and murdered dozens more people, though this view is controversial. During the 1990s several investigators claimed to have identified the Zodiac killer; the suspect most often cited was Arthur Leigh Allen (1933–92), Calif., schoolteacher who had been institutionalized in 1975 for child molestation, though his identification with the Zodiac killer has never been substantiated

BY: E.KANMANI

WEEPING STATUES

The phenomenon of weeping or crying religious statues is one of the oldest and most stereotypical images of holy powers in Catholicism. Ireland, South America and southern Europe all have well documented accounts of Virgin Mary figurines seeping strange liquids. And, whilst sceptics believe there are good reasons to doubt the validity of such occurrences, to the local populations they are often only explainable under the term ‘miracle’. In November 1992, a six-inch-high, blue and white porcelain statue of the Virgin Mary began weeping blood in Santiago, Chile.

The figurine, which belonged to a local housewife, became an attraction for local people in the La Cisterna district and was even tested by Chilean police. Doctors at the Santiago coroner’s office discovered that the liquid produced at the statue’s eyes was type O-4 human blood. A similar event happened in the small village of Mura, 35 miles north of Barcelona in Spain. Outside the village church a twofoot-high marble statue of the Virgin Mary had been set on a seven-foot-high pedestal. In March 1998, the local priest, Luis Costa, discovered it was crying tears of blood. Mura residents were convinced the phenomenon was genuine.


The statue had not been tampered with, and further investigation revealed the blood was emanating from the figure in a particularly human way. Sceptics are quick to dismiss such stories. Some promote fanciful theories that water is soaked up by the base of the statues, mixes with red clay inside them, and then appears through the head as blood. Others are convinced these instances have been created through the use of a simple magic trick. Certainly, it is true that the actual point when blood appears on such statues is rarely witnessed. By diverting people’s attention, it is easy to interfere with the figurines unnoticed. But these explanations fail to alter the effect on a credulous public. Although it is important to discover the truth, this type of religious mysticism is a pleasant way to remind us that there are still some things in life that we just can’t explain.

By
Ekshaw.T

STONE CIRCLES AT CASTLERIGG

If stone age is the most famous stone circle in Britain, the Castlerigg Stone Circle, near Keswick in the Lake District, must be the most atmospheric. Situated in an open bowl between rolling hills, this Megalithic construction appears as a perfect picture postcard. This is the land of Wordsworth, Coleridge and Romantic poetry; but many millennia before, it was home to an equally creative race. 

 The Castlerigg Stone Circle, also known as Keswick Carle or Druid’s Circle, is one of the oldest in Britain. It was built in around 3,000 BC and comprises 38 stones of various heights placed in a slightly oval shape. The largest stone is over 8 feet tall, but the majority of them are less than 5 feet high. Although five of the stones have collapsed, it is a site in remarkably good condition. It has a feature unique among stone circles in Britain. Inside the ring of rocks, ten smaller stones are placed in a rectangle in an arrangement called ‘The Cave’. There is also a slight mound in the centre, which, it has been suggested, is a burial chamber. However, the site has never been properly excavated, and perfunctory archaeological studies have only ever uncovered charcoal deposits. 

 Like Stonehenge, the site has qualities which make it suitable for use as an astronomical observatory, although an unpolished stone blade found near the circle suggests it may have been used as a centre of trade for the area’s Neolithic axe industry. There is also a local legend that says the stones were never built to any design, but were actually men turned to rock by fear of a local monster. In all likelihood, it probably formed a focal point for the local community, and may have been used for a combination of commercial, religious and tribal purposes. For now, we can only admire the stunning sight of this early man-made structure placed in an area of unique natural beauty. 

By, Ekshaw.T

THE OGOPOGO

Wanted criminal often have a reward attached to their heads. Now it seems mythical beasts are also the object of bounty hunters’ affections. Between August 2000 and September 2001 three companies from around Lake Okanegan promised $2 million to anyone who could find definitive, living proof that the fabled Ogopogo monster did exist. The crime the creature committed is hard to say, although there are stories of it seizing and murdering helpless native people out on the lake. It cannot be denied that the Ogopogo is a serial offender at causing civil unrest. 

Lake Okanegan is in British Columbia, Canada. It is around 100 miles long and has areas almost 1000 feet deep. The native Salish tribe believed in a terrible serpent, which they called ‘N’ha-a-tik’, the ‘Lake Demon’. They said the beast had a cave dwelling near the middle of the lake, and they would often make sacrifices to please the monster. European settlers initially scoffed at the legends, but over the years the Ogopogo has established itself in the minds of many who live nearby. From the mid 1800s white immigrants started seeing strange phenomena in the lake. One of the first stories told of a man crossing the lake with his two tethered horses swimming behind.

 Some strange force pulled the animals under, and the man only saved himself by cutting the horses loose. Witnesses say the creature is anything up to 50 feet long, with green skin, several humps and a huge horse-like head. Some people have managed to closely view it as it ate water vegetation; they said the Ogopogo also had small feet or fins. It could be the North American cousin of the Loch Ness Monster. Most sightings have come from around the city of Kelowna, near the centre of the lake, and many monster watchers now agree that it seems to live in the area originally indicated in native legend.