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Monday, October 26, 2015

World's Oldest and Deepest Stepwell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chand_Baori

Org
http://www.chandbaori.org/

Tube
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Chand+Baori 

Slides
http://www.slideshare.net/search/slideshow?searchfrom=header&q=Chand+Baori

Top 10
http://www.triphobo.com/blog/stepwells-in-india

Wells
http://www.atlasobscura.com/categories/wells

Trip
http://www.tripadvisor.in/Tourism-g2322083-Abhaneri_Rajasthan-Vacations.html

Story
In 1499 the area then known as Dandai Desh was brutally sacked and the ruler killed, leaving behind a beautiful young queen. The conquering king, a neighboring Muslim ruler named Mohammed Begda, fell in love with the bereaved queen, who demanded he complete the stepwell her husband had started if he wanted her hand in marriage. He agreed, and set to work building the most beautiful well, five stories deep, adding intricate carvings of 
  1. leaves, 
  2. flowers, 
  3. fish, and 
  4. animals 
in a blend of 
  1. Islamic architecture and 
  2. Hindu symbolism.
When the well was complete except for the crowning dome, Begda presented his work, and asked the queen to honor her promise. She inspected his work, walked around the beautiful well, said a prayer, and threw herself into the depths.

Nearby are the graves of six masons who worked on the construction. Legend holds that when the stone carvers were asked by ther proud patron whether they might be able to build another well so beautiful, their answer of "yes" sealed their fate.
A new appreciation for these wells come both from renewed cultural and architectural pride, but also in realizing that the ancient system of holding water still makes a lot of sense. 

Monday, June 1, 2015

Akbar's Visit To Mirabai and After

once Akbar and his court musician Tansen came in disguise to Chittor to hear Meera’s devotional and inspiring songs. Both entered the temple and listened to Meera’s soul - stirring songs to their heart’s content. Before he departed, he touched the holy feet of Meera and placed a necklace of priceless gems in front of the idol as a present. Somehow the news reached the KumbhaRana that Akbar had entered the sacred temple in disguise, touched the feet of Meerabai and even presented her a necklace. The Rana became furious. He told Meerabai, "Drown yourself in the river and never show your face to the world in future. You have brought great disgrace on my family".

Meerabai obeyed the words of King. She proceeded to the river to drown herself. The names of the Lord "Govinda, Giridhari, Gopala" were always on her lips. She sang and danced in ecstasy on her way to the river. When she raised her feet from the ground, a hand from behind grasped her and embraced her. She turned behind and saw her beloved Giridhari. She fainted on him. After a few minutes she opened her eyes. Lord Krishna smiled and gently whispered: "My dear Meera, your life with your mortal relatives is over now. You are absolutely free. Be cheerful. You are and have always been mine.

Meera walked barefoot on the hot sandy beds of Rajasthan. On her way, many ladies, children and devotees received her with great hospitality. She reached Brindavan (or Vrindaban). It was at Brindavan that she again met and was inspired by Sant Raidas. She went about Brindavan doing Oonchavritti and worshipped in the Govinda Mandir which has since become famous and is now a great place of pilgrimage for devotees from all over the world.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Seeing Krishna Everywhere






Disappearance from Earth

On Krishna’s Janmashtami at the Lord Ranchor temple of Krishna Dwarika , there was much happiness all around in the abode of the Temple. The light of the lamps, the sound of the bhajans and energy from devotees’ ecstacy were filling the air. With Tamburi in one hand and cymbals or chipla in the other the great tapasvini was singing ecstatically with her Gopala smiling in front of her closed eyes. Meera stood up and danced with her song ‘Mere Janama Maran ke sathee’, and when the song ended, Kumbha gently approached her and requested her to come back. Meera said, ‘Ranaji, the body is yours and you are a great devotee, but my mind, emotions and the soul are all his. I do not know what use am I to you at this state of mind’. Kumbha was moved and he started singing with her in unison. Meera rose up abruptly, stumbled and fell at the flowers on the feet of Giridhari.


‘Oh, Giridhari, are you calling me, I am coming’.

When Kumbha and the rest were watching in awe, there was a lightning which enveloped Meera and the sanctum doors closed on their own. When the doors opened again, Meera’s saree was enveloping Lord Krishna’s idol and her voice and the flute accompaniment were the only sounds that could be heard.

Place
http://era8.blogspot.com/2010/01/on-krishnas-janmashtami-at-temple-of.html 

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Previous Birth

Meera is incarnation of Madhavi Devi from Trancedental World of Vrindavan

The story of Meera Bai, the great devotee of Giridhara Gopala is well known. Right from childhood she used to always do Krishna-araadhana. Every soul is influenced greatly by their previous birth's karma. Same is the case with the great Meera Bai:

Meera Bai, in her previous janma, was born in Mathura. She was married at an young age to a boy from Nandavrajam. "In the Nandavrajam there is Baala Krishna. It seems none can escape His maaya. All the vanitas forget everything and completely come under His control it seems. They leave their families too. Please be careful my dear" ' this is what everybody kept on warning Meera Bai before she left for Nandavrajam .

Finally the moment when she had to leave for Nandavrajam came.
She was taken to Nandavrajam in a beautiful pallaqi. On the way to Vrajam there was severe very heavy rain with thunders. The severity increased and there were huge boulders falling. The people carrying the pallaqi left it and ran for their lifes. Not knowing what happened, Meera Bai opened the pallaqi window and saw this parama-adbhuta scence:

It was the day when Indra showed His anger on the Vraja-vaasis. She saw a small Baalaka balancing the Govardhana giri mountain on His little finger (left hand) and saving the lifes of Gopalas. Meera was awe-struck. The image of Govardhana Giridhaari just got fixed in her mind. In no time a boulder fell on her too and she lost her life. The bhaavam which Meera experienced when she saw Shri Krishna is avyakta-madhuram (If explanied bhaavam will reduce).

All the Meera Bhajans end with Giridhara Gopala (Makutam).
http://g01v.blogspot.com/

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