Tag: Features

BRIHADESWARARAR TEMPLE

The big temple, Thanjavur, Unesco classified monument. | Flickr
BRIHADEESWARAR TEMPLE

INTRODUCTION

Built by Raja Raja Chola I in 1010 AD,  is an ancient temple at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The deity of the temple is Lord Shiva—in his dancing pose—who is called the Nataraj. The temple is also known as Rajeswara Temple, Rajarajeswaram and Periya Kovil. The temple was built, like a fortress on the shores of a river, by the king to grace the Chola Empire. This thousand-year-old temple is now part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site adding to its exceptional historical and cultural value.

FEATURES

The Big Temple of Tanjavore is a stunning monument that speaks oodles about the  architectural mastery of the Chola era.  This 212 ft (64.8 meter) towering Shiva temple is home to  one of the largest Shiva Lingas of the country.  A majestic Nandhi (bull), measuring a gigantic 19.4 ‘ x 8.23’ x 12’ (5.94 x 2.51 x 3.66 in meters) stands guard over the temple.  This is the second largest  Nandhi in India and is carved out of a single stone.  Everything about this temple is big, majestic.  No wonder it is referred  as The Big Temple.

King Raja Raja Cholan had the main temple built completely with granite.  It is hard to imagine how, in  that age, more than 130,000 tones of granite was brought to the temple site, especially given that  there is no granite quarry within a hundred kilometers of the temple site.  Another stunning  architectural feat is the Vimana / Shikhara – the spire atop the temple.  The beautiful lotus shaped stone of  the Big Temple weighs a stunning 80 tons.  We can but marvel at the engineering mastermind who  managed to hoist an 80 ton carved rock up a 212 feet tower back in the 11th century.

The chief architect of the temple was Kunjara Mallan Raja Raja Perunthachan.  The layout of the  temple is based on the principles of Vastu Shastra, the ancient Hindus science of architecture and  construction and Agamas, the ancient scripts that define principles behind temple construction.  The  central temple site is surrounded by a rectangular boundary 885 ‘ x 450 ‘ (270 m by 140 m).  The  temple boundary holds many sub shrines besides the main temple and the Nandi. 

The niches on three sides of the temple hold images of Shiva, Vishnu and Durga.  The southern wall  has sculptures of Ganesha, Vishnu with his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi, Lakshmi, a pair of  Dvarapalas, Vishnu anugraha murti, Bhikshatana, Virabhadra, Dakshinamurti, Kalanta and Nataraja.   On the west side there are images of Harihara, Ardhanarishvara, a pair of dvarapalas and two  Chandrasekharas, one with and the other without halo.  On the north, in the lower series, the  depiction of Adhanarisvara, Gangadhara, a pair of dvarapalas, Virabhadra (with a sword and a shield),  Alingana Chandrasekhara, Siva holding a Sula (spear), a pair of dvarapalas, Sarasvati,  Mahishasuramardini and Bhairava.  The north series shows a number of Tripurantakas repeated in  each niche.  In the small circular space of the top niches are present the carvings of Ganesha,  Vrishabavahana, Bhikshatana, Narasimha and Varaha.

Besides these, each wall of the temple and the surrounding architecture are filled to the brim with  carvings and paintings depicting the rich history of art, culture, mythology and science of the era.

“IF HAD A TIME MACHINE ,I WOULD GO BACK 1000 YEARS FOR CHOLA PERIOD TO SEE HOW THEY BUILT A BRIHADEESWARAR TEMPLE(BIG TEMPLE)“

SALIENT FEATURES OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION: MODERN CONSTITUTION



The fact that the Indian Constitution was drafted in the mid-twentieth century gave an advantage to its makers in so far as they could take cognizance of the various constitutional processes operating in different countries of the world and thus draw upon a rich fund of human experience, wisdom, heritage and traditions in the area of governmental process in order to fashion a system suited to the political, social and economic conditions in India. In the end result, the Indian Constitution has turned out to be a very interesting and unique document. One could discern in it the impact of several Constitutions. As for instance, the Indian Federalism is influenced by the American, Canadian and Australian Federalism. Fundamental Rights in India owe a great deal to the American Bill of Rights; the process of Constitutional amendment adopted in India is a modified version of the American system.


The influence of the British Constitutional Law, theories and practices on the
Indian Constitution is quite pervasive. As for example, the parliamentary form of
government in India closely follows the British model in substance; the system of
prerogative writs which plays a crucial role in protecting peoples’ legal rights and
ensuring judicial control over administrative action is Britain’s contribution to
India. Australia’s experiences have been especially useful for ordering the Centre-
State financial relationship, and for promoting the concept of freedom of trade
and commerce in the country. Inspiration has come from the Irish Constitution in
the shaping of the Directive Principles of State Policy.
The Government of India Act, 1935, which preceded the Indian Constitution,
has furnished not only administrative details, but also the verbatim language of
many provisions of the Constitution.
It will, however, be wrong to suppose that the Indian Constitution is just a carbon
copy of other Constitutions and contains nothing new and original. While
adopting some of the principles and institutions developed in other democratic
and federal countries, it yet strikes new paths, new approaches and patterns, in
several directions. It makes bold departures in many respects from the established
Constitutional norms and introduces many innovations. For example, in the area
of Centre-State relationship, with a view to achieve the twin objectives of promoting
the unity of India and reducing rigidity inherent in a federal system, the
Indian Constitution makes several provisions which are original in conception as
nothing parallel to these is to be found in any other federal Constitution and, to
this extent, it makes a distinct contribution to the development of theories and
practices of federalism in general.

Diversity of India

Indian Society is a vast social order with multitude of culture, language, religion and caste. It has a very extensive history. Indian society was a layered society from ancient times. Rulers of India belonged from different culture and religion ruled for a long time. “Unity in Diversity” is most frequent feature of our Indian Society. It manifests to unity among individuals who have different culture, ideology, religion, language, ethnicity, etc. Despite the diversity in people, they have the sense of unity. India has different people in every society yet it doesn’t lose their separate identity. People have been living here peacefully for thousands of years.

People have freedom to live their life in their own way. People from different culture and religion interact with each other in many ways which leads to exposure, development of trust, bonding among them, mutual respect for each other, love, etc. Unity in Diversity binds people to maintain peace and harmony and brotherhood. If the people are united like this it will help in the growth and development of country.

History of Indian Society

In ancient Indian history, many races and tribes were involved. The Greek, the Aryans, and many others were living in India. Each and everyone contributed in the development of Indian society, language, art and architecture, and literacy. They blended so perfectible from north to south, east to west.

Significance of history in present

Some people want to rehabilitate the ancient Indian society and culture. This was for the concern of preservation of ancient art and architecture. This advancement cannot be achieved without the clear and accurate understanding of the history. This can’t go along with the achievement of modern science and technology. This will increase social inequalities that can plague India. All these species of the past have to be eradicated from India for the growth of the nation.

Importance of Unity in Diversity

Unity in Diversity is of much importance in the Development of the country, Global Recognition, National Integration, Peace and Harmony. It is very easy to divide people having different ideology but if the people of India are united it is very tough to break down the nation. Unity between people maintains peace in the nation. If the Indian Society is weak and distributed on different terms, India won’t be able to move on the path of development. India is always appreciated on international platforms for its unity. It is a symbol of Unity for other nations despite their different culture and religion.

Role of Unity in Diversity

In India People from different religion and culture live here. Every state has different beliefs, language, ideas, culture, religion, rituals, etc. People follow religion of their choice as India is Secular country. Yet, they live with the spirit of love and brotherhood. Indian Society learned this all from ancient times. There are about 29 religions and more than 1,000,500 languages are spoken. In spite of such differences Indians have unity among them which threatens global society. “United we stand, divided we fall.”

Our Indian Society taught us caste, religion, language, creed, race cannot divide us. We should always stand united for the improvement of nation. We should always believe in the concept of love, peace and brotherhood. The distinction in culture, religion, language makes us strong and makes India recognizable.