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Shocking scientific inventions by ancient Hindu saints
Slideshow By: Richa Sharma
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Richa Sharma
During the growth of the ancient civilizations ancient technology was the result of incredible advances in engineering in ancient times These advances in the history of technology stimulated societies to adopt new ways of living and governance However many ancient inventions were forgotten lost to the pages of history only to be reinvented millennia later Here are the best examples of ancient technology and inventions that demonstrate the ingenuity of our ancient ancestors So get ready to be awed The land of India is known to be the land of saints and Gods It is filled with various types of unexplainable things In ancient times various saints after doing years of hard meditation their work and with their patience found the secrets hidden in the Vedas 1 000 years ago These inventions later came to be known as modern science Some of the saints came out with such amazing inventions that shocked the kings of those times as well Click on to know John Dalton 1766 1844 an English chemist and physicist is the man credited today with the development of atomic theory However a theory of atoms was actually formulated 2 500 years before Dalton by an Indian sage and philosopher known as Acharya Kanad Acharya Kanad was born in 600 BC in Prabhas Kshetra near Dwaraka in Gujarat India His real name was Kashyap It was Kanada who originated the idea that anu atom was an indestructible particle of matter An interesting story states that this theory occurred to him while he was walking with food in his hand As he nibbled at the food in his hand throwing away the small particles it occurred to him that he could not divide the food into further parts and thus the idea of a matter which cannot be divided further came into existence He called that indivisible matter anu ie molecule which was misinterpreted as atom He also stated that anu can have two states Absolute rest and a State of motion Objects fall on the earth due to a force of attraction by the earth Therefore the earth planets constellations moon and sun are held in orbit due to this attraction The meaning of these lines is parallel to that of Newton s Law of Gravity But these lines are not said by the European scientist They are said by an Indian in Surya Siddhanta dated 400500 AD the ancient Hindu astronomer Bhaskaracharya states these lines Approximately 1200 years later 1687 AD Sir Isaac Newton rediscovered this phenomenon and called it the Law of GravityAcharya Charak has been crowned as the Father of Medicine His renowned work the Charak Samhita is considered as an encyclopedia of Ayurveda His principles diagnoses and cures retain their potency and truth even after a couple of millennium When the science of anatomy was confused with different theories in Europe Acharya Charak revealed through his innate genius and inquires the facts on human anatomy embryology pharmacology blood circulation and diseases like diabetes tuberculosis heart disease etc In the Charak Samhita he has described the medicinal qualities and functions of 100 000 herbal plants He has emphasized the influence of diet and activity on mind and body He has proved the correlation of spirituality and physical health contributed greatly to diagnostic and curative sciences He has also prescribed and ethical charter for medical practitioners two centuries prior to the Oath Through his genius and intuition Acharya Charak forever remains etched in the annals of history as one of the greatest and noblest of rishiscientistsIn 1875 the VymaanikaShaastra a fourth century BC text written by Maharshi Bhardwaj was discovered in a temple in India The book dealt with the operation of ancient vimanas and included information on steering precautions for long flights protection of the airships from storms and lightning and how to switch the drive to solar energy or some other free energy source Vimanas were said to take off vertically or dirigible Bharadwaj the Wise refers to no less than 70 authorities and 10 experts of air travel in antiquity The science of wind has been explained by Sage Kanva in Rigveda sections 8416 in Jagati meter of God wind Sage Kashyapa has described the features and properties of this substance in Rigveda 96426 in the hymns of God Pavamana Soma in meter Gayatri Kanva was a great Rishi a descendent of Sage Angirasa He looked after Shakuntala when she was abandoned by her mother and father rishi vishwamitra Bharat the son of Shakuntala was also brought up by himKapil muni was born equipped with rare intellect dispassion and spiritual powers He authored Sankhya Darshan that defined the term Dhyaan or Meditation as the state of mind when remains without any subjectivity objectivity ie without any thought when the mind is away from worldly objects is called the Dhyaan or Meditation He teaches that there is an unbroken continuity from the lowest inorganic to the highest organic forms The source of world according to him is Prakriti fundamental nature According to Kapil Muni there are twentyfive principles responsible for the manifestation of the Creation Samasara out of which Purusha and Prakriti are eternal and independent of each other Kapila is not concerned to deny the reality of personal God or Maheshwara Yet his assertion is that no arguments can irrefutably establish Gods reality Therefore in his model of creation the Purusha Spirit and Prakrity matter are held solely responsible for creation without acknowledging an Almighty and intelligent Creator the God The Science of Yoga is one of several unique contributions of India to the world It seeks to discover and realize the ultimate Reality through yogic practices Acharya Patanjali prescribed the control of prana life breath as the means to control the body mind and soul This subsequently rewards one with good health and inner happiness His 84 yogic postures effectively enhance the efficiency of the respiratory circulatory nervous digestive and endocrine systems and many other organs of the body He was a master Astronomer and Mathematician born in 476 CE in Kusumpur Bihar In 499 CE he wrote a text on astronomy and an unparallel treatise on mathematics called Aryabhatiyam He formulated the process of calculating the motion of planets and the time of eclipses Aryabhatt was the first to proclaim that the earth is round it rotates on its axis orbits the sun and is suspended in space 1 000 years before Copernicus published his heliocentric theoryBorn to sage Vishwamitra Sushruta is the father of surgery 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans cataract artificial limbs Rhinoplasty restoration of a damaged nose 12 types of fractures 6 types of dislocations urinary stones and even plastic surgery and brain surgery Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India He is the author of the book Sushruta Samhita in which he describes over 300 surgical procedures and 125 surgical instruments He calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart Time taken by earth to orbit the sun 5th century 365258756484 days Born in the obscure village of Vijjadit Jalgaon in Maharastra Bhaskaracharyas mathematical works called Lilavati and Bijaganita are considered to be unparalleled In his treatise Siddhant Shiromani he writes on planetary positions eclipses cosmography mathematical techniques and astronomical equipment In the Surya Siddhant he makes a note on the force of gravity Varahamihirs book panch siddhant noted that the moon and planets are lustrous not because of their own light but due to sunlight In the Bruhad Samhita and Bruhad Jatak he has revealed his discoveries in the domains of geography constellation science botany and animal science In his treatise on botanical science Varahamihir presents cures for various diseases afflicting plants and treesYajur Vedic verse Brahmaanda vyapta deha bhasitha himaruja describing Shiva as the one who is spread out in Brahmaanda Anda means an egg depicting the shape of the galaxy It was the middle east Europians and Greeks who wrongly believed that earth was flat But Indians since long have always known that it was spherical In many scriptures the word Bhoogala is used Gola meaning round The world accounts discovery of atoms and sub atomic particles to Western scientists who coined these words and theories only in the early 17th century An excerpt from Lalitha Sahasranama told by Hayagreeva to Agasthya muni dating back to the distant ages of the past describes the Goddess as the super consciousnessBrahman that pervades even the sub atomic particles within matter Paranjyotih parandhamah paramanuh paratpara The word anuvu means atom Paramanu is subatomic particle finer than the finest of atom meaning electrons and the others Radiation still so intense the area is highly dangerous A heavy layer of radioactive ash in Rajasthan India covers a threesquare mile area ten miles west of Jodhpur For some time it has been established that there is a very high rate of birth defects and cancer in the area under construction Scientists have unearthed an ancient city where evidence shows an atomic blast dating back thousands of years from 8 000 to 12 000 years destroying everything most of the buildings and probably a halfmillion peopleThe Mahabharata clearly describes a catastrophic blast that rocked the continent A single projectile charged with all the power in the UniverseAn incandescent column of smoke and flame as bright as 10 000 suns rose in all its splendorit was an unknown weapon an iron thunderbolt a gigantic messenger of death which reduced to ashes an entire race Historian Kisari Mohan Ganguli says that Indian sacred writings are full of such descriptionsUsing a variety of complicated instruments gynecologists have gradually come to know how the embryo grows during the period of pregnancy But the Shrimad Bhagavatam 3rd canto 30th chapter gives a vivid description of the growth of the embryo in the mothers womb If we compare the information given therein with the information given in a standard textbook such as the embryology section of Grays Anatomy there are striking similarities in the information obtained from the two sources The Vedas claim that there are living entities everywhere even in fire Modern science however presumed that no life could exist in fire This presumption is in fact the basis for the process of sterilization But recent advancements in the field of medicine have shown that microbes called fire bacteria survive even in fireSiddhars are a type of saint in India who are said to have had many powers and achieved a godlike state through specific secret practices that were known only to them These powers spanned from controlling time and space to transforming the body manipulating matter at the molecular level and achieving immortality The Siddhars were followers of the God Shiva and according to different texts there were 18 of them Their teachings and findings were written in the form of poems in the Tamil languageThere is a debate as to who was the first Siddhar Some legends talk about Sri Pathanjali who was considered to be an incarnation of Adiseshan the celestial fiveheaded snake associated with God Vishnu But the prevailing tradition refers to Agasthya or Agasthyar as the first Siddhar one of the seven sages or Saptarshis as mentioned in the Vedic texts and he was the son of the god Brahma of the Hindu creation story Agathiyar is considered to be the author of a lot of the first Siddhar literature and he was supposed to have lived in the 7th century BC About 96 books are attributed to him and that includes writings in alchemy medicine and spirituality Apart from the legends that exist the beginnings of the Siddhars are lost in time The powers that the Siddhars possessed were separated in categories The main category included 8 powers called ashta siddhis To become tiny as the atom within the atom Anima To become big in unshakeable proportions Mahima To become as light as vapour in levitation Laghima To become as heavy as the mountain Garima To enter into other bodies in transmigration Prapti To be in all things omnipervasive Prakamya To be lord of all creation in omnipotence Isatvam To be everywhere in omnipresence VasitvamThere are ten secondary siddhis as described in Bhagavata Purana that include the following Being undisturbed by hunger thirst and other bodily appetites Hearing things far away Seeing things far away Moving the body wherever thought goes teleportationastral projection Assuming any form desired Entering the bodies of others Dying when one desires Witnessing and participating in the past times of the gods Perfect accomplishment of ones determination Orders or commands being unimpeded A famous Siddhar was Tirumular who was a Tamil mystic and writer of 6th century AD and was also one of the 18 Siddhars according to the Tamil Siddha tradition His main work is named Tirumantiram a 3 000 verse text which is the foundation of the Southern Shaiva Siddharta School of philosophy Another Siddhar Bhogar Bhoganathar who lived between the 3rd and 5th century AD is said to have discovered the elixir of immortality one his main works is the PharmacognosyDue to the closelyguarded nature of the Siddhar records the original knowledge of this enigmatic group of saints has remained shrouded in secrecy The question remains whether their powers were real and if so how they managed to attain them Manipulating space time and matter would require knowledge far beyond what we have today
According to Vaastu if a woman does these things it will lead to poverty in the house
Slideshow By: Ishita Sharma
A woman is said to be the caregiver of the house it is said that a woman can make or break a family however do you know that there are certain things that a woman should not do according to Vaastru Shastra Read on to know what are the things that if done can lead to poverty in the houseIf a woman cleans and mops the house herself it is said that she should do that before the sun rises If she cleans the house after the sun rises it can lead to poverty in the houseA woman should take a bath as soon as she is done cleaning the house a late bath can lead to poverty and distress in the houseIt is said that cooking for the family is like cooking for God hence a woman should enter the kitchen only after she is done taking a bath and not before thatIt is said that a woman should offer her prayers to the God and offer prasad before she eats anything herself eating before offering food to Goddess Laxmi can make the Goddess upset with youComing after sunset is said to be bad Vaastu avoid combing your hair in the evening this can make Goddess Laxmi very angryA house where a woman is always getting angry or irritated never stays happy hence a woman should avoid getting angry or upset without any reason Let us now learn more about some other Vaastu tips that can bring in wealth in the houseDo not construct any water body such as swimming pool or pool in the South West corner of the house this can bring in poverty and distress in the houseKeep your cash locker in such a way that it opens up to the North direction of the house keeping a picture of Kuber in the cash locker leads to prosperity in the houseMake sure that your cash locker is not placed under a bright light or beam light this can lead to all your wealth being driven out of the houseAnother Vaastu trick to attract more wealth in the house is to place a mirror in front of your cash locker in a way that it reflects the cash locker Doing so can make your wealth doubleEven though your entire house should be kept neat and clean it is especially important that your North East corner remains clutter free You should also avoid constructing stair case in this areaMake sure that there are no high rise buildings in front of your house this can obstruct the flow of prosperity and happiness in the houseWhen it comes to boundary walls of the house keep them straight and do not experiment curved and uneven walls can obstruct the inflow of wealth in your houseWhen it comes to the areas of the house always keep the SouthWest ceiling of the house higher than the NorthEast portion Get your slope constructed in such a wayNot only this make sure that South and West walls are thicker than the North East walls of the houseHouses that are considered to be at the same level as the road or other buildings are said to have good Vaastu do not get your house constructed at a lower level than thatKeep some indoor plants and a money plant in the SouthWest portion of a house this is said to stabilize the influx of wealth in the house and reduce povertyAlways keep the center of the house clutter free Do not get anything constructed in the middle of the house You can however get a temple constructed hereWhen it comes to the entrance of the house make it as beautiful and pretty as you can Hang some auspicious signs such as Swastika on the main door of the house to attract prosperity
Lord Krishna told about these 5 crucial gems to Yudhishtra in order to gain wealth and prosperity
Slideshow By: Shruti Srivastava
Shruti Srivastava
Pandavas returned to Hastinapur along with their mother Kunti and wife Draupadi where there were welcomed by King Dhritarashtra his wife Queen Gandhari and their uncle Bhishma However they received cold reception from their cousins Kauravas who were not keen to see them all aliveIt was when the eldest of Pandavas Yudhisthira was coronated to the throne of Hastinapur by existing King Dhritarashtra after much public demand did Lord Krishna arrive at the palace to be a part of the ceremonyOn the night of coronation Lord Krishna and Yudhisthira were talking about the future of Hastinapur and the former passed on some gems of knowledge on how to take a Kingdom towards prosperityHe also told him how by keeping these 5 items in household could one attract immense wealth and prosperity in one s life According to Lord Krishna mere presence of these things in household not only lets in positive energy but also purifies mind and soul of its inhabitants Read about them here In Hindu culture offering water to the needy is considered next to godliness That is why we are always taught to offer water first to Lord Sun Gods and Goddess and every guest that visits your homeIt calls for well and continuous flow of wealth Also one is advised to always keep a bucket full of water neatly covered in the washroom areaLord Krishna reminds Yudhisthira a popular saying that goes like Despite being swathed by thousands of venomous snakes sandalwood tree never loses its fragrance similarly no matter how much negativity is entrapped presence of sandalwood in the house wards off any evilAs per astrology application of Sandalwood paste on one s forehead and Gods idol is an auspicious gesture which purifies the ambience It becomes magnet for prosperityCow is considered the most sacred animal in Hinduism thus the ghee prepared using its milk is believed to be highly pious Religiously offering ghee lamps only prepared from cow s milk to Gods and Goddess at the worship place inside home is believed to be an act of honorable devotionThough we do have numerous similar products available in market which boasts to be prepared using cow s milk however the one prepared at home holds high importance Not only this adds to your health but also impresses Goddess LaxmiLord Krishna explains that just like Goddess Saraswati who sits atop a lotus flower which rises from mud remains untouched by it Similarly a household remains unscathed by poverty and uncertainty if one keeps Goddess Saraswati s idol or her instrument Veena in their homesAccording to Lord Krishna honey is one pure element that not only purifies the soul of humans but also the aura of the house Honey has such strong positive energy which diminishes any negative essence existing in the householdIt must always be kept at a clean and dry place and is best when consumed by each of the family member of daily basis Not only it cancels out any chances of financial uncertainties but also restrains one from turning into a spendthriftAccording to traditional belief each house has its own energy type Once a person starts living in a house he comes under the influence of a specific energy field These energies in turn start influencing him in some way or the other Indian Vaastu science has several remedies to ensure that you become wealthy Here are a few of them Never build a swimming pool or water body at a level lower than the normal ground level in the SouthWest corner of a home office or any other buildingPlace the cash locker or cash almirah close to the South or SouthWest wall so that it opens in the North direction North is the direction of Lord Kuber and opening a locker in that direction allows Kuber to fill it again and again Also avoid placing the cash locker in any other directionNever ever under any circumstance place the cash locker under a beam as this puts a lot of financial stress on family or businessA trick to attract wealth is to place a mirror in front of your cash locker so that the mirror shows an image of the cash locker This is emblematic that your wealth is doubledKeeping the NorthEast portion clutterfree and open at all times attracts wealth towards you Avoid making a staircase etc in this direction Never keep anything heavy like machinery in the NorthEast cornerAvoid a plot where there are highrise buildings temples etc in the NorthEast direction of your plot or home as this leads to loss of wealth If there are highrise buildings and temples then at least make sure that their shadow doesn t fall on your home or plotAlways keep the SouthWest portion of roof higher than the NorthEast portion In other words the building roof must slope from SW to NEMake sure that the South and West walls of your home and boundary are higher and thicker than the walls on the North and East sidesAlways buy plots which have more or at least the same elevation than the surrounding roads Never buy a plot which is at a lower level than the road facing itAs per Vaastu for money planting big huge trees in the SouthWest portion of a plot stabilizes finance It also helps to avoid misfortunes and mishaps in family and businessAlways make sure to keep the centre of your home as a free area Never make any construction except a temple in this part of a house as this is the BrahmasthanAs per the Vaastu tips for wealth repair or replace any leaking taps or faucets leaking of water denotes wastage and loss of moneyPlace a water fountain in the NorthEast part of your home Make sure that the water in the fountain is always moving movement of water denotes flow of positive energy and wealthKeep a fish aquarium in your home in the NorthEast portion of your hall or living room Always keep the fish aquarium clean and aeratedDecorate the main entrance door of your home distinctively to enable prosperity and wealth to find your home easily Decorate the name and number plate of your home Keep this area brightly lit and beautifully colouredWealth is mainly represented by the purple colour hence keep a purple coloured plant in your home However if you find it difficult to get a purple coloured plant then keep a money plant in a purple coloured pot
Mysterious cases of Hindu temples that will shock you
Slideshow By: Pallavi Thakur
Pallavi Thakur
Historians say Hindu Temples did not exist during the Vedic period 1500500 BC The ritual of idol worship which became popular at the end of the Vedic age may have given rise to the concept of temples as a place of worship The remains of the earliest temple structure were discovered in Afghanistan in 1951 However the unearthing of Hindu temples all across the world is not just shocking but also surprising Take a look at some such discoveries and wonder about the roots of Hinduism All religions are one and are derived from Vedic Sanatana Dharma Historian PN Oak claimed that the word Vatican originally came from the Sanskrit word Vatika that Christianity came from the Sanskrit words Krishnaneeti the way of Krishna and that Abraham came from the Sanskrit word Brahma He further claims that both Christianity and Islam originated as distortions of Vedic beliefs Compare the two pictures and see a striking similarity between the shapes of a shiva linga and the vatican church compound In these pictures take a look at the tripundra three lines worn by Lord Shiva as tilak The word Vatican itself is derived from the Sanskrit word Vatika which means Vedic cultural or religious centers such as YagnaVatika Such words and discoveries prove that the Vatican was a Hindu Vedic religious center before its incumbent was forced to accept Christianity from 1st century AD Also according to some reports a Shiva linga was found during the excavation and is kept for display at a Museum in RomeThis Siva Lingam is exhibited in Gregorian Etruscan Museum Vatican City It has the most important Etruscan collection in Rome starting with early Iron Age objects from the 9th century BC A visit to Cambodia is recommended or may even be de rigueur for any Indian with an interest in the erstwhile history of India There are several hundred Hindu and Buddhist temple ruins throughout the countryside especially around the town of Siem Reap near the large lake Tonle Sap Siem Reap is the heart of the country Here is where the splendid temple Angkor Wat has stood for nearly nine hundred yearsThe sprawling temple spreads over a one square mile area Long walls with stories of Hindu mythology are sculpted as basreliefs It is a magnificent temple complex constructed in the form of mythological Mount Meru the Hindu center of the Universe The brilliant paint used to enhance the reliefs has faded but the architecture and beauty are still preserved The sheer magnitude of the temple complex is impressive All the gods of the Hindu pantheon are represented in temple sculpture Shiva and Vishnu were held in high esteem In 1940 archaeologist MS Vats discovered three Shiva Lingas at Harappa dating more than 5 000 years old This rare archival photo shows that ancient Shiva Linga as it was being excavated from the Harappa site A broken storage jar with inscriptions in Tamil Brahmi script has been excavated at QuseiralQadim an ancient port with a Roman settlement on the Red Sea coast of Egypt This Tamil Brahmi script has been dated to first century BC The same inscription is incised twice on the opposite sides of the jar The inscription reads paanai oRi that is pot suspended in a rope net A pottery specialist at the British Museum London identified the fragmentary vessel as a storage jar made in India A TamilBrahmi script inscribed on a potsherd which was found at the Khor Rori area in Oman has come to light now The script reads nantai kiran and it can be dated to first century CE that is 1900 years before the present The discovery in the ancient city of Sumhuram has opened a new chapter in understanding the maritime trade of the Indian Ocean countries according to specialists in historyConstruction workers in Bali have discovered what is thought to be the biggest ancient Hindu temple ever found on the Indonesian island archaeologists said The workers were digging a drain in the islands capital Denpasar at a Hindu study centre when they came across the remains of the stone temple They reported the discovery to the Bali archaeology office which then unearthed substantial foundations of a structure that the excavation team believes dates from around the 13th to 15th centuriesThe ruins of an ancient building discovered at the Indonesian Islamic University in Yogyakarta have been confirmed as a temple to worship the Hindu gods Shiva and Ganesha Linga the symbol for the worship of Shiva and yoni a Sanskrit symbol for divine passage or place of birth were found in the area La Ciudad Blanca Spanish for The White City is a legendary settlement said to be located in the Mosquitia region of eastern Honduras in Central America Researcher Charles Lindberg during one of his flights over the jungles of Mosquitia in Hondurus claimed caught a glimpse of what he thought was the Lost City of the Monkey God where legend says that local people worshipped huge Monkey Sculptures Theodore Morde an American adventurer worked on the tip given by Lindberg and claimed that he had finally found the lost city in 1940 He claimed sacrifices were made by local Indians to a gigantic idol of an ape However he was killed by a car in London before he could announce its exact location Morde had originally been looking for the White City a hidden refuge of gods and gold first reported by Hernan CortezResearchers from the University of Houston and the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping flew over the Mosquitia region and revealed that there is evidence of a plaza dotted with ancient pyramids now reclaimed by the jungle on the east end of Hondurus On the western end of Hondurus is the city of Copan the site of the ancient Howler Monkey God statue This monkey god that Westerners are talking about can actually be related to Lord HanumanRamayana s Kishkinda Kanda descibes about Trident of Peru South America etc and Yuddha Kanda War Episode describes about Hanuman travelling to Paatala Loka Central America and Brazil which are on other side of India in globe and meeting his son Makaradhwaja who resembles him After killing the King of Paatala Hanuman makes his son Makaradhwaja as ruler of that kingdom and he is being worshipped as God since thenThis could be one of the reasons why ancient Americans of central and south paint red color to all their gods statues The discovery of Vedic Havan Kund in peru is also one more evidence of Vedic influence in this region After his expedition Morder described traveling miles through swamps up rivers and over mountains before coming across ruins that he interpreted as the remains of a walled city He claimed to have evidence of large ruined buildings and said that his Paya guides told him that there once was a temple with a large staircase leading to a statue of a Monkey God Morde speculated that the deity was an American parallel to the Hindu deity Hanuman who he says was the equivalent of America s own Paul Bunyan in his amazing feats of strength and daring Morde was told that the temple had a long staired approach lined with stone effigies of monkeys The heart of the Temple was a high stone dais on which was the statue of the Monkey God himself before it was a place of sacrifice Morde and Brown brought back thousands of artifacts most of which became part of the collection of the Heye Foundation Museum of the American Indian in New York CityThese included metal razors stone blades a flute stone statuary and stone utensils Morde and Brown also reported having found evidence of gold silver platinum and oil and are now at display in National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DCThis temple is said to have been in existence since the days to the Ramayana It is said that Lord Ram prayed to Lord Shiva here after he won against Ravana It is a temple complex comprising of five temples Of these the one dedicated to Lord Shiva is the central and the biggest one This temple has been destroyed twice in the past by the Portuguese before it was finally handed over to the Jesuits who rebuilt it The 13th and the last Jyothirlinga was gifted to Australia in 1999 by the then King of Nepal the late Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev Together with this was gifted 7996 hymns arranged in eight volumes especially to be sung in praise of this deity According to the scriptures construction of this lingam had to be in the southern hemisphere which symbolised the mouth of the snake the snake being like an ornament around Lord Shivas neck Hence Australia was chosen This temples foundation was laid on Shivratri in 1999 in Minto Sydneys suburb Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is the only cave temple to have been constructed by man Together with the 13th Jyotirlinga the temple also houses the replicas of the other 12 Jyotirlingas The conch and the Sudarshana Chakra are unmistakable Although the figures do not match popular images of Krishna sporting a peacock feather archaeologists are convinced that the coins are of Krishna revered as an avatar of Vishnu These square coins dating back to 180 BC with Krishna on one side and Balram on the other were unearthed recently in Al Khanoun in Afghanistan and are the earliest proof that Krishna was venerated as a god and that the worship had spread beyond the Mathura region says T K V Rajan archaeologist and founderdirector Indian Science Monitor Having done extensive research in Brindavan Rajan is convinced that a lot of the spiritual history of ancient India lies buried This shows the original and ancient Vedic connection that the area of Kashmir has always had A rare granite sculpture of Goddess Lakshmi believed to be 1 400 years old has been found at Waghama village along the river Jehlum in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir The image is seven inches high and 45 inches wide and is seen as one of the most important findings A heap of ruins where a Hindu temple of Chola period was believed to have been buried has been unearthed in the Northern part of Delft The temple is 40 feet long and 10 feet wide Professor P Pushparatnam of the Jaffna University History Department commenting on the findings said the people of the locality are unable to say when this temple was built The ruins indicate that the building would have been built many years ago An ancient Vishnu idol has been found during excavation in an old village in Russia s Volga region raising questions about the prevalent view on the origin of ancient Russia The idol found in Staraya old Maina village dates back to VIIX century AD Staraya Maina village in Ulyanovsk region was a highly populated city 1700 years ago much older than Kiev so far believed to be the mother of all Russian cities Dr Kozhevin who has been conducting excavation in Staraya Maina for last seven years said that every single square metre of the surroundings of the ancient town situated on the banks of Samara a tributary of Volga is studded with antiques Prior to unearthing of the Vishnu idol Dr Kozhevin has already found ancient coins pendants rings and fragments of weapons We may consider it incredible but we have ground to assert that MiddleVolga region was the original land of Ancient Rus This is a hypothesis but a hypothesis which requires thorough research he said Archaeologists are excited about a circular wooden structure found underwater at a nearshore excavation site off the coast of Jamnagar Thought to be the remains of the lost city of ancient Dwarka the wooden structure is well preserved and surrounded by another structure made of stone blocks It is significant as scientific dating of wood which is carbon is possible This was not the case with evidences like stone beads glass and terracota found earlier said Alok Tripathi Archeologist The surfacing of five ancient Siva temples partly in sand dunes along the Pennar river in Jyothi village in Siddhavatam mandal has led to the discovery that as many as 108 Siva temples have been buried under sand at the place Besides the rare presence of 108 Siva temples dating back to 1213 ce a silver chariot and a diamond crown said to have been presented to the Jyothi Siddhavateswara Swamy temple by Kakatiya Rudrama Devi were present in Jyothi village according to inscriptions discovered Quanzhou and its surrounding area consists of shrines or temples that according to historians is part network of number of Hindu shrines and temple At present there are no Hindus in Quanzhou But there previously existed a small Hindu community in late 13th century mostly situated in southeastern part of China The inscription of bilingual Tamil and Chineselanguage has been associated with the remains of a Shiva temple of Quanzhou Shiva temple is one of the two south Indianstyle Hindu temples The roots of the shrine do not lie in china but from the south India Most of the residents of the village think that deity is Guanyin the female Bodhisattva who is venerated in many parts of China Every morning the local residents of the village pray they light incense sticks and chant prayers unlike any deity one might find elsewhere in China The Hindu temple in the village collapsed 500 years ago but as local residents had belief that they still carry goddess brought them good fortune they dug through the ruins saved the deity and rebuilt the temple
This Vastu trick will boost your chances of SUCCESS Promotion in career
The knowledge and analysis of Vastu isn t just about planning architecture of home office warehouse or any building structure but boosting the energies inside and around youFor those who have good fortune of building their own property from scratch can easily implement Vastu rules so that the place brings prosperity in their lives But for those who move into already build apartments or buildings are helpless if there is a Vastu doshaTime and again I share with you easy tips to prevent inauspicious results of bad Vastu but easy tricks Similarly today I am going to reveal a new trick that might catapult your predicaments and turn them into something positive This trick will give your professional life a muchneeded push in the right directionNo you actually require not have a steed in your back garden but rather basically setting up a photo or a statue in your home or office can do the trap According to Vastu Shastra horses speak to vitality and their constant presence around us would subsequently trigger us to keep ourselves invigorated and focused tooThe photo of a running horse is a positive sign and keeps up the stream of vitality in the region where it is kept Nonetheless there are a couple Dos and Donts in regards to the course where to keep this masterpieceFor growth and promotion in professional life it is advised to hang the picture or place the statue in the North direction of your houseIf you re looking forward to attract fame and big name then you must place the statue in the South direction facing South Doing this can get you humongous popularity in your work fieldIt is advised to always keep a picture of running horse in your home preferable drawing room and the statue in your office for quick benefitsIf you have a picture or statue of a galloping horse ensure that there is no leash added or painted on it as it would restrict the prosperity in your lifeNever bring a single statue of a horse and if possible also avoid paintings that show one running or galloping horse The stallion must always be in a pairIf it isn t possible to keep these things in the South direction because of any reason like shortage of space or no space at all then place the painting or the statue in front of a window It must be place in such a way that the horse s face is overlooking the windowThe horseshoe is considered very lucky and used to be hung in many homes to protect and attract good fortune for the family residing insideIf the lucky horseshoe is hung over a doorway ends up it will catch good luck and ends down will let the good luck spill over the door and stop evil from enteringPerhaps a combination of the two was used so that after a few days when the horseshoe was filled with good luck it would then need to be emptied so that residents could benefit from that luck and the process would be repeated until the end of timePut the Horseshoe in a black cloth and place it in your granary where you store your grains the household will never be at loss for grains and food ever Do this on a SaturdayWear a ring on your right middle finger using the iron out of the Horse Shoe You will be protected from the illeffects of Sade Sati and Shani MahadashaIf you put the Lucky energized and charged Horseshoe in a U shape at the top of your main door frame you will be safe from your black magic evil eye and especially from Shani drishti
Kedarnath Important Milestone In Char Dham Yatra
Slideshow By: Radhika Ravi Rajan
Radhika Ravi Rajan
Kedarnath the beautiful and inspiring Shiva temple located in the Himalayan heights of Uttarakhand is out of bounds for Hindu devotees now because part of it and its surrounding areas have been almost destroyed by the recent rains in the form of floods landslides and cloudbursts This includes the pathways the tour guides and the animals which ferry pilgrims in the hills See in photo how the area looks today then see in next photo how it looked earlier to note the fury of NatureYes this is how it looked before All the surrounding buildings have almost vanished today All devotees who may have earlier visited the shrine will feel nostalgic about their pilgrimage to this beautiful shrinehow they travelled to the place what the temple was like how close they felt to Shiva etc Kedarnath is regared as a Chota Dham or small pilgrimage that a Hindu can take during his lifetime The other holy places that form part of the Chota Dham all in Uttarakhand are Yamunotri Gangotri and Badrinath Badrinath the shrine dedicated to Vishnu also forms part of the larger Char Dham which comprises Puri Rameshwaram and DwarkaImagine the locationsnowcapped mountains forming a backdrop as the sun shines on the temple and the pilgrims who brave the chill of the higher Himalayasonce you reach the temple you feel the long journey has been worth ityou find yourself close to Shiva who welcomes you with open arms being the Bholenath that he is he has no reservations to loving you and accepting you Kedarnath is also one of the 12 shrines where the Hindu god Shiva is venerated as one of the 12 jyotirlingas or lingas of lightKedarnath Temple is located in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand at an altitude of 3584 metres above sea level flanking the river Mandakini and near the Chorabari glacier Due to heavy snowfall during the winters the temple is open only from end of April Akshaya Trithiya tithi till Kartik PurnimaBhai Dooj November During the winter the idols from Shri Kedarnath Dham are brought to Ukhimath and worshipped there for six months The sage Adi Shankaracharya who is credited with establishing Hindu Sanatana Dharma and reviving the Vedas travelled here all the way from Kerala on foot suggested the building of this temple His stone image can be seen at his Samadhi Mandir in KedarnathKedarnath is named in honour of King Kedar who ruled in the Satya Yuga The Pandavas are also supposed to have done penance hereTill now pilgrims reached their beloved shrine after a steep 14kilometre trek on foot on a paved path Horses and palanquins were available on rent at Gaurikund Copter services were also available Now the whole process has to be rebuilt once again an emotional journey as much a physical oneMany Hindus opt for the Chota Char Dham or those who visit one of the four also opt to visit the remaining three since they are located not too far from each other in the same area of Uttarakhand As the map shows the Sikh pilgrimage spot of Hemkunt Sahib is also in the vicinity located next to the pristine Valley of FlowersAfter Kedarnath comes Badrinath the deity being Vishnu Badrinath is located on the banks of the Alaknanda river The town lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges and in the shadow of Nilkantha peak Apparently Adi Shankara once again discovered a black stone saligram image of Lord Badrinarayan in the Alaknanda river He originally enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs Later in the 16th century the King of Garhwal moved the murti to the present temple Yamunotri is the source of the Yamuna river It is situated at 3 293 metres in the Garhwal Himalayas The actual source being a frozen lake of ice and glacier known as the Champasar Glacier located on Kalind mountain at a height of 4 421 metres above sea level and therefore inaccessible is not frequented Instead a shrine dedicated to Goddess Yamuna located below makes for a symbolic Yamunotri The temple was built by Maharaja Pratap Shah of Tehri Garhwal The deity inside the temple is is made of black marble An interesting form of prayer is devotees cooking rice and potatoes tied in muslin cloth by simply dipping the package in the many hot springs located on the spot and then offering it to the goddessLike Yamunotri is the origin of the river Yamuna Gangotri is the origin of the river Ganga a river like no other when it comes to Hindu consciousness The river is known as Bhagirathi at its source and is known by the name Ganga only from Devprayag onwards where she meets the Alaknanda Gaumukh on the Gangotri Glacier is the real source of the Ganga a 19km trek from GangotriThe larger Char Dham comprises Badrinath Dwarka Puri and Rameshwaram considered important for Hindus to visit once in their lifetime Traditionally the trip starts in the eastern point at Puri in Orissa proceeds in a clockwise direction to Rameshwaram in the south then moves westwards to Dwarka in Gujarat finally moving northwards to Badrinath in Uttarakhand What is surprising is that geographically speaking the Char Dham make a perfect square with Badrinath and Rameswaram falling on the same longitude and Dwarka and Puri on the same latitude The Jagannath Temple at Puri is where the Char Dham Yatra begins The main deity is Shri Krishna known by the name Jagannatha here The main temple is about 1000 years old and was constructed by Raja Choda Ganga Deva and Raja Tritiya Ananga Bhima Deva The venue is also the scene of action during the famous Puri Rath Yatra festival when idols of Krishna Balarama and their sister Subhadra are taken out in chariots known as rathasThe Ramanathaswamy Temple located at Rameswaram is the place where Lord Ram built the bridge Ram Setu to Lanka The temple was built by Shri Rama Chandra The presiding deity here is Shiva in the form of a linga and known as Sri Ramanatha Swamy It is also one of the 12 jyotirlingas Rameshwaram is also significant for Hindus in another sense as a pilgrimage to Benaras is regarded incomplete without a pilgrimage to RameshwaramThe Dwarakadheesh Temple in Dwaraka Gujarat is located close to where the Gomti river flows into the Gulf of Kutch The legendary city of Dwaraka was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna It is believed that due to destruction by the sea Dwaraka became submerged six times The presentday temple and city is the seventh such city to be built The Char Dham concludes at Badrinath as mentioned before It is a journey much looked forward to by a devout Hindu and can be planned to be completed for the rewards it brings both on the physical plane as well as on the spiritual planeAfter the 1962 war between India and China India undertook massive road building to border areas This improved the infrastructure to the Chota Char Dham locales as well Now instead of trekking on foot pilgrims were able to travel in buses and jeeps to places near the shrines then reach their destinations more easily
Mystery of Hanuman Lost city of the Monkey God found
La Ciudad Blanca Spanish for The White City is a legendary settlement said to be located in the Mosquitia region of eastern Honduras in Central America Researcher Charles Lindberg during one of his flights over the jungles of Mosquitia in Hondurus claimed caught a glimpse of what he thought was the Lost City of the Monkey God where legend says that local people worshipped huge Monkey Sculptures Theodore Morde an American adventurer worked on the tip given by Lindberg and claimed that he had finally found the lost city in 1940 He claimed sacrifices were made by local Indians to a gigantic idol of an ape However he was killed by a car in London before he could announce its exact location Morde had originally been looking for the White City a hidden refuge of gods and gold first reported by Hernan CortezResearchers from the University of Houston and the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping flew over the Mosquitia region and revealed that there is evidence of a plaza dotted with ancient pyramids now reclaimed by the jungle on the east end of Hondurus On the western end of Hondurus is the city of Copan the site of the ancient Howler Monkey God statue This monkey god that Westerners are talking about can actually be related to Lord HanumanRamayana s Kishkinda Kanda descibes about Trident of Peru South America etc and Yuddha Kanda War Episode describes about Hanuman travelling to Paatala Loka Central America and Brazil which are on other side of India in globe and meeting his son Makaradhwaja who resembles him After killing the King of Paatala Hanuman makes his son Makaradhwaja as ruler of that kingdom and he is being worshipped as God since thenThis could be one of the reasons why ancient Americans of central and south paint red color to all their gods statues The discovery of Vedic Havan Kund in peru is also one more evidence of Vedic influence in this region After his expedition Morder described traveling miles through swamps up rivers and over mountains before coming across ruins that he interpreted as the remains of a walled city He claimed to have evidence of large ruined buildings and said that his Paya guides told him that there once was a temple with a large staircase leading to a statue of a Monkey God Morde speculated that the deity was an American parallel to the Hindu deity Hanuman who he says was the equivalent of America s own Paul Bunyan in his amazing feats of strength and daring Morde was told that the temple had a long staired approach lined with stone effigies of monkeys The heart of the Temple was a high stone dais on which was the statue of the Monkey God himself before it was a place of sacrifice The steps to the dais were said to have been flanked by immense balustrades At the beginning of one was the colossal image of a frog at the beginning of the other a crocodile He also said the guides told him the city had been inhabited by the Chorotegas extinct OtoManguean language people a thousand or more years ago Morde and Brown brought back thousands of artifacts most of which became part of the collection of the Heye Foundation Museum of the American Indian in New York CityThese included metal razors stone blades a flute stone statuary and stone utensils Morde and Brown also reported having found evidence of gold silver platinum and oil and are now at display in National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DCMorde tried to return to Honduras in 1941 for further expedition but could not and eventually committed suicide for unknown reasons in 1954 Later journalists and authors have associated Morde s City of the Monkey God with La Ciudad BlancaArchaeologists have unearthed a temple believed to be more than 5000 years old at the famous El Paraiso site located near Lima the capital city of Peru On the western edge of the Paraiso Complex is a temple which is described as A small stone structure which features walls coated in yellow clay and traces of red paint is thought to be around 5 000 years old and has already been dubbed the Temple of Fire It was discovered within the western wing of the main El Paraiso pyramid The hearth located in the newly discovered structure was used to burn ceremonial offerings Marco Guillen who led the team of researchers interpreted his findings and said The smoke allowed the priests to connect with the gods This concept is very much similar to the Vedic rituals done in Havan Kund Yajna where people light up fire in a square shaped cube structure built with bricks and make offerings while chanting mantras mostly to please a godgoddess and achieve a certain objective This is also called as Agnihotra or HomaThe Paraiso Fire Temple is a larger version of a Havan Kund with seating space for the pundits priests chanting mantras Archeologists say the site is comparable in age to Caral the oldest preColumbian site in the Americas that was inhabited between 2 600 2 100 BC Caral is located some 200 kilometers 125 miles to the north and is a UNESCO World Heritage SiteThe entrance measuring some 48 centimeters 19inches wide leads to a chamber measuring eight by six meters 26 by 20 feet where shellfish grains flowers and fruit were burned as offerings The temple has four levels with each one older than the otherVedic sacred fire ritual havan serves as a link between man s consciousness and the cosmic consciousness Havan fire converts the physical components and all offerings made to the fire into their psychic components serving as homage to the deities presiding over the havan The offerings made into the fire is known as homa in SanskritProbably from the Sanskrit homa that the English word homage is derived though English etymological dictionaries trace the source to the word homme meaning man Agni Fire is the first word in Rig Veda which is the oldest text available Almost all religions use lightfire to worship higher force or God It can be in the form of agnihotra lamps or candlesBurning incense sticks is also practiced in many religions and for meditations purposes In Sanskrit Peru means Golden Mountain and Paru means Paradise Paraiso could have its roots in sanskrit just like the ancient language of the Americas Quechua which has similarities to sanskrit Just like the fire ritual in native american weddings and QoriKancha temple which has Kancha word which clearly means Gold in sanskrit and in Quechua language QoriKancha Korikancha means Courtyard of Gold
Descendants of Lord Rama in the war of Mahabharata
The astronomical dating of the events in the two great historical texts of the ancient world Ramayana and Mahabharata indicate that Ramayana took place at around 5000 BCE while Mahabharata took place around 3000 BCE So it is but natural to ask is there any mention about the descendants of Lord Rama in Mahabharata Read on to unravel the mystery In this blog you will find out who the descendants of Rama were in the era of Mahabharata and what was their role in the Great War at Kurukshetra Did they side with the Pandavas or with the Kauravas or did they remain neutral Let s find out Lord Rama had three brothers Lakshmana Shatrughna and Bharata Bharata founded the city of Takshashila Taxila in modern Pakistan which later became the center of higher education in the ancient world with its majestic Takshashila University one of the many great universities of ancient India Lakshmana founded the city of Lakshmana Puri modern day Luckhnow Shatrughana cleared a forest called Madhuvana and founded the modern city of Mathura the city in which Krishna was born during the times of Mahabharata Lord Rama had two sons Lava and Kusha They were born at a place called Ramtirth or Rama Theertha which is a famous pilgrimage in modern day Amritsar 11 km from the city of Amritsar in the state of Punjab There is also a hut near the Ram Tirth temple here where Maharshi Valmiki is said to have lived during the era of Ramayana Lava is said to be the founder of the modern city of Lahore in Pakistan originally called Lavapuri Modern day Laos was originally named after Lava Ramayana is very popular in Laos even today and has its own local version of Ramayana called Phra Lak Phra Ram Also the city of Lobpuri in Thailand which is about 150 km from Bangkok is named after Lava Kalavarnadish the king of Takshasila in 7th century founded this city in Thailand and named it after Lavpuri Lahore which later became Lobpuri Ayodhya was the capital of the Kosala Kingdom during the times of Rama After Rama his sons Lava and Kusha inherited the kingdom which was divided into North Kosala to the north of Ayodhya and East Kosala to the east of Ayodhya Shravasti was the capital of North Kosala During the times of Gautama Buddha Shravasti was one of the six largest cities in India Kushavati modern day Kushinagar a town near Gorakhpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh was the capital of Kusha s kingdom Buddhaghosa a 5th century Buddhist scholar says that the city had a population of 180 million during the times of Buddha During the times of Mahabharata Kosala Kingdom was split into five The five Kosala kingdoms mentioned in Mahabharata are North Kosala South Kosala East Kosala Central Kosala Eastern Kosala was captured by the Magadha king Jarasandha who was later killed by Bhima in the Kurukshetra war of Mahabharata Central Kosala the original Kosala ruled by Rama still had Ayodhya as its capital during the times of Mahabharata and was ruled by Dheerghayaghnya Central Kosala and North Kosala were conquered by the Pandava brother Bhima in his military expedition Southern Kosala the native kingdom of Rama s mother Kausalaya in modern day Madhya Pradesh was conquered by the Pandava Brother Sahadeva in his military expedition The fifth Kosala Kingdom between Central Kosala and South Kosala was ruled by Brihadbala a descendant of Kusha The kingdom of Kashi was probably a part of this Kosala kingdom during the times of Mahabharata The paternal grandmothers of Pandavas Ambika and Ambalika who were the daughters of the King of Kashi are referred in Mahabharata sometimes as the princesses of Kashi and sometimes as the princesses of Kosala Brihadbala was the 28th descendant of Rama s Son Kusha And he fought on the side of the Kauravas in the Mahabharata war at Kurukshetra Mahabharata while describing the ratings Bhishma gave to each major warrior on their side before the war says that the warrior skills of Brihadbala were rated to be one Ratha The different ratings were Ratha Athiratha Maharatha etc On the thirteenth day of the Mahabharata war Drona forms the Chakrya Vyuha formation a seventier defensive spiral formation intended to capture Yudhishtira the eldest of the Pandava brothers A game plan had been already set to lure Arjuna away from the main battle field as Arjuna was aware of the techniques of breaking this formation successfully The Kaurava side hopes to capture Yudhishtira hoping that he would try to break this formation and would be captured as he is lacks the knowledge required to break it However Abhimanyu the son of Arjuna who had partial knowledge of the Chakryavyuha formation takes up the challenge and enter the Chakrya Vyuha It is in this battle that Brihadbala along with Ashvaththaama Karna Kritavarma Krupacharya Drona pounce upon Abhimanyu at the same time violating the rules of the war in an effort to kill the heroic son of Arjuna Abhimanyu after killing the warriors on Brihadbala s side kills his charioteer breaks his bow cuts his flag and finally beheads Brihadbala The descendant of Lord Rama not only ends up on the wrong side in Mahabharatha he also ends up being a part of the battle which violated the very code of conduct of a warrior The battle against Abhimanyu is recorded as the most shameless violation of the ethics of war in which a defenseless warrior was attacked and killed by multiple big warriors through illicit means The other such incident in the war being the killing of an unarmed Karna by Arjuna The Genealogy of Lord Rama after the Mahabharata war is recorded as follows in the Puranas The last in the list Sumitra was defeated by MahaPadma Nanda the founder of the famous Nanda dynasty with Magadha as its capital The descendants of MahaPadma Nanda were later over thrown by Chandragupta Maurya who went on to form one of the greatest empires in history the Mauryan Empire 1 Brihadbala 2 Brihatkshaya 3 Urukshaya 4 Vatsavyuha 5 Prativyoma 6 Divakara 7 Sahadeva 8 Brihadashva 9 Bhanuratha 10 Pratitashva 11 Supratika 12 Marudeva 13 Sunakshatra 14 Kinnara 15 Antariksha 16 Suvarna 17 Sumitra Amitrajit 18 Dharmin 19 Kritanjaya 20 Sanjaya Mahakosala 21 Prasenajit 22 Kshudraka 23 Kulaka 24 Suratha 25 Sumitra This is the lineage of Lord Rama till Brihadbala To see a lineage of Lord Rama s ancestors in the Ikshvaku lineage read about Varanasi the oldest continuously inhabited city on Earth 1 Lord Rama 2 Kusha 3 Atithi 4 Nishadha 5 Nala 6 Nabhas 7 Pundarika 8 Kshemadhanvan 9 Devanika 10 Ahinagu 11 Paripatra 12 Dala 13 Uktha 14 Vajranabha 15 Shankhana 16 Vyushitashva 17 Vishvasaha 18 Hiranyanabha 19 Pushya 20 Dhruvasandhi 21 Agnivarna 22 Shighra 23 Maru 24 Prasushruta 25 Susandhi 26 Amarsha 27 Vishrutavanta 28 Brihadbala Is man on the threshold of a new world or merely stuck on a circular treadmill repeating the doomed lessons from history which he never seems to learn A growing number of scholars believe the world s macabre fascination with nuclear war is just the latest repeat in a series of blunders human technology seems obsessed with repeating Ancient tales speak of flying vimanas Vimanas were real vehicles and the origin of the Aeroplanes Great wars were described in early religious texts Weapons could literally level the land like a moving force field In ancient India we find words for certain measurements of length one was the distance of lightyears and one was the length of an atom Only a society that possessed nuclear energy would have the need for such words When Oppenheimer said I am become the destroyer of worlds he was quoting from these ancient books Believe it or not the deserts on a number of continents today are the result of prehistoric nuclear warfare Historian Kisari Mohan Ganguli says that Indian sacred writings are full of such descriptions which sound like an atomic blast as experienced in Hiroshima and Nagasaki He says references mention fighting sky chariots and final weapons An ancient battle is described in the Drona Parva a section of the Mahabharata The passage tells of combat where explosions of final weapons decimate entire armies causing crowds of warriors with steeds and elephants and weapons to be carried away as if they were dry leaves of trees says Ganguli Consider these verses from the ancient Mahabharata a single projectile charged with all the power of the Universe An incandescent column of smoke and flame As bright as the thousand suns Rose in all its splendour a perpendicular explosion with its billowing smoke clouds the cloud of smoke rising after its first explosion formed into expanding round circles like the opening of giant parasols it was an unknown weapon an iron thunderbolt a gigantic messenger of death which reduced to ashes The entire race of the Vrishnis and the Andhakas Until the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki modern mankind could not imagine any weapon as horrible and devastating as those described in the ancient Indian texts Yet they very accurately described the effects of an atomic explosion Radioactive poisoning will make hair and nails fall out Immersing oneself in water gives some respite though it is not a cure When excavations of Harappa and MohenjoDaro reached the street level they discovered skeletons scattered about the cities many holding hands and sprawling in the streets as if some instant horrible doom had taken place People were just lying unburied in the streets of the city as if doom had come so suddenly they could not get to their houses All the skeletons were flattened to the ground These skeletons are thousands of years old even by traditional archaeological standards What could cause such a thing Why did the bodies not decay or get eaten by wild animals Furthermore there is no apparent cause of a physically violent death These skeletons are among the most radioactive ever found on par with those at Hiroshima and Nagasaki At one site Soviet scholars found a skeleton which had a radioactive level 50 times greater than normal Other cities have been found in northern India that show indications of explosions of great magnitude One such city found between the Ganges and the mountains of Rajmahal seems to have been subjected to intense heat Huge masses of walls and foundations of the ancient city are fused together literally vitrified And since there is no indication of a volcanic eruption at MohenjoDaro or at the other cities the intense heat to melt clay vessels can only be explained by an atomic blast or some other unknown weapon The cities were wiped out entirely There is evidence that the Rama empire was devastated by nuclear war The Indus valley is now the Thar desert and the site of the radioactive ash found west of Jodhpur is around there A heavy layer of radioactive ash in Rajasthan India covers a threesquare mile area ten miles west of Jodhpur Scientists are investigating the site where a housing development was being built It had been established that there was a very high rate of birth defects and cancer in the area under construction The levels of radiation there have registered so high on investigators gauges that the Indian government has now cordoned off the region Scientists have unearthed an ancient city where evidence shows an atomic blast dating back thousands of years from 8 000 to 12 000 years destroyed most of the buildings and probably a halfmillion people One researcher estimates that the nuclear bomb used was about the size of the ones dropped on Japan in 1945 Another curious sign of an ancient nuclear war in India is a giant crater near Bombay above The nearly circular 2 154metrediameter Lonar crater located 400 kilometers northeast of Mumbai and aged at less than 50 000 years old could be related to nuclear warfare of antiquity No trace of any meteoric material etc has been found at the site or in the vicinity and this is the world s only known impact crater in basalt
Mysterious Nostradamus predictions
Is it possible to see into the future Many believe that a man named Michel de Nostradamus could His predictions of the future have mystified scholars for over four hundred years Nostradamus made over one thousand predictions and historians say that over half of them have already come true It is believed that he accurately predicted two world wars the rise of two antichrists Napoleon and Hitler and even the assassination of Rajeev Gandhi and John F KennedyWhile skeptics are quick to point out that Nostradamuss quatrains the fourline verses in which he wrote his prophecies are so cryptic that they can be interpreted in any number of ways scholars who have meticulously studied his work conclude that Nostradamus has been uncanny in his predictions of some of the most dramatic events of the 20th and previous centuries Nostradamus and his book have acquired a huge following Check out some incredible Nostradamus predictions that actually appeared to come true India as a country did not exist in the times of Nostradamus Hence the usual European landmarks are missing However the meaning is clear in his Quatrains Prediction She chased out will return to the realm Her enemies found to be conspirators More than ever her time will triumph Three and seventy to death very sure This Quatrain of Nostradamus has been interpreted as the one mentioning the assassinated former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi Indira Gandhi lost the general election of 1977 in the aftermath of the Indian emergency It was widely assumed that she had been permanently been driven out of politics However she returned victorious in the very next general elections of 1980Here Nostradamus indicates that her enemies were the conspirators of her assassination Indira Gandhi was 67 years old when she was assassinated three and seventy should be taken as 703 67 Prediction The great Pilot will be commissioned by the King To leave the fleet to fill a higher post Seven years after he will be in rebellion Venice will come to fear the Barbarian army Indira Gandhi had groomed her son Rajiv Gandhi to become the future Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi was working for Indian Airlines as a professional pilot it was only after the death of his younger brother Sanjay Gandhi who was the chosen heir that he entered politicsImmediately after his mothers death Rajiv Gandhi was appointed as the Prime Minister by the then President Zail Singh However he became involved in the Bofors kickbacks scandal and other scandals and there was a rebellion in his party He lost the next general election in 1989 his security level was downgraded and he was assassinated in 1991The seven year period has been clearly indicated by Nostradamus Rajiv was assassinated about seven years after he became Prime Minister of India Prediction The young lion will overcome the older one On the field of combat in a single battle He will pierce his eyes through a golden cage Two wounds made one then he dies a cruel death In the summer of 1559 King Henry II of France older one lined up to joust the Comte de Montgomery young lion six years his junior on the fields of France field of combat Both had lions on their shields In their final pass Montgomerys lance tilted up and burst through the kings visor splintering to pieces Two shards one through the eye pierce his eyes through a golden cage and one through the temple lodged in the kings head Two wounds made one Henry suffered for 10 days then he dies a cruel death before dying in his bed Prediction The blood of the just will be demanded of London Burnt by fire in the year 66 the ancient Lady will fall from her high place and many of the same sect will be killed The small fire that started in the bakery of Thomas Farriner on Pudding Lane in London September 2 1666 in the year 66 turned into a three day blaze that consumed the city One of the explanations for the blood of the just refers to the millions of flea carrying rats that were killed Peasant deaths were not recorded at the time but it has long been held that six people perished in the fire Prediction From the enslaved populace songs Chants and demands while princes and lords are held captive in prisons These will in the future by headless idiots be received as divine prayers In 1789 the French people decided theyd had enough of poor aristocratic rule and revolted The peasants enslaved populace took control of Paris and forced their demands on royalty The aristocracy princes and lords were taken from power were locked in the Bastille prisons and beheaded at the guillotine headless idiots Prediction PAU NAY LORON will be more of fire than of the blood To swim in praise the great one to flee to the confluence He will refuse entry to the Piuses The depraved ones and the Durance will keep them imprisoned Three towns in southern France Pau Nay and Oloron the capitalization hints that something is hidden within the words and to look further Rearranging them spells out NAPAULON ROY or Napoleon the King in French More of fire than of the blood refers to Napoleons nonnoble lineage and the refuse entry to the Piuses speaks to Popes Pius VI and VII both imprisoned by Napoleon Prediction From the depths of the West of Europe A young child will be born of poor people He who by his tongue will seduce a great troop His fame will increase towards the realm of the East Beasts ferocious with hunger will cross the rivers The greater part of the battlefield will be against Hister Into a cage of iron will the great one be drawn when the child of Germany observes nothingOn April 20 1889 Hitler was born in Western Europe to very poor parents Hitler moved Germany to action in the years following WW I in part who by his tongue through his over the top oratory skills His fame will increase towards the realm of the East The Axis alliance with Japan in the East Hister is believed to be a spelling error The German Army invading France Beasts ferocious with hunger will cross the rivers and the greater battlefield refers to the Allied Powers defeating Hitler Prediction Near the gates and within two cities there will be scourges the like of which was never seen Famine within plague people put out by steel Crying to the great immortal God for relief In early August 1945 the United States dropped two atomic weapons on the island of Japan in within two cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki The suffering endured by those in the blast and the radiation poisoning suffered by those who escaped the immediate detonation Crying to the great immortal God for relief Prediction The great man will be struck down in the day by a thunderbolt An evil deed foretold by the bearer of a petition According to the prediction another falls at night time Conflict at Reims London and a pestilence in Tuscany The great man John Kennedy received numerous death threats petition and was gunned down thunderbolt in the afternoon of November 22 1963 Bobby Kennedy was killed just after Midnight on June 5 1968 another falls at night time The world mourned Conflict at Reims London Prediction From the human flock nine will be sent away separated from judgment and counsel Their fate will be sealed on departure Kappa Thita Lambda the banished dead err On January 28 1986 the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after takeoff killing all the astronauts on board The cause of the crash was a defective Oring made by Thiokol and believers try and arrange the letters from Kappa Thita and Lamda to fit the name of the company Prediction God the Last but First the nickname of Nostradamus of the 90s takes the Goddess of the Moon for his Day Movement A frantic wanderer and witness of Gods Law in awakening the worlds great regions to Gods will On August 31 1997 Princess Diana and Dodi AlFayed did die in a car crash in the Pont de lAlma tunnel in Paris The above quote quatrain is used to highlight the foretelling of the death of Princess Diana Heres how that questionable leap of logic is made Believers say Diana is the Roman Goddess of the Moon They also say the nickname for prophet is seer Rees seer backwards is the name of the sole survivor in Dianas crash Trevor Rees Seer the nickname of Nostradamus as a seer into the future Prediction Earthshaking fire from the center of the Earth will cause tremors around the New City Two great rocks will war for a long time then Arethusa will redden a new river The full Nostradamus prediction alludes to New York City new city the World Trade Center center of the earth and the Twin Towers two great rocks The September 2011 assault on the Big Apple and the United States in general was a terrorist attack that led many to their deathsIt was not just the passengers of the hijacked planes who lost their lives but also the many people who were in the buildings at the time and the individuals who offered their lives to save these people The effects of that unfortunate event can still be seen in the way nations at present abhor terrorism Those studying the Prophecies of Nostradamus say that he has indicated the possibility of a Third World War Indeed in some of his quatrains he mentions terrifying battles and events occurring in and around Europe Asia and Africa which do not seem to have happened till date There is however a difference of opinion among the experts about the overall sequence of these events and most of all their timing Prediction The sloping park great calamity Through the Lands of the West and Lombardy The fire in the ship plague and captivity Mercury in Sagittarius Saturn fading Whats supposed to happen A great earthquake sloping park great calamity is reputedly foretold in this quatrain In the New World he Lands of the West California is the logical choice According to astrologists Mercury in Sagittarius Saturn fading the next time that Mercury will be in Sagittarius and Saturn in a fading position will be on November 25 2015 It is widely acknowledged that many of Nostradamus prophecies failed One author outlined five Venice would have great power and world influence by 1792 The Catholic clergy would fall in 1609 Persecution would arise against the Catholic church also in 1792 Astrologers would be persecuted in 1607 And China would subdue the northern part of the world by 1700There are other predictions that never came true such as the Bourbon line of kings would be restored to the French throne French king Charles IX would live to 90 he died at 24 A dramatic reduction in world population in the 18th century would occur due to famine and disease Instead population exploded during the 18thcentury Industrial Revolution While scores of critics say that these predictions are quite vague and maybe they re right the fact remains that plenty of people still believe that Nostradamus was a truly gifted soothsayer Only time will tell if rest of the Nostradamus predictions will actually come true
Most haunted places in India Read at your own risk
Amidst the never ending debate of whether or not a paranormal world exists alongside us there is no denying the fact that there are numerous people who have had creepy unexplainable experiences Yes some tales can be stranger than fiction For all those who likes to push the boundaries a little and take a peek into what s happening in the mysterious world out there heres is a list of 23 places that have been declared eerie The tunnel number 33 on the ShimlaKalka road is one tunnel you will not like to pass through as you will definitely be not alone in there A man named Colonel Barog lives in the tunnel even after his death A visitors account says that the colonel spirit not only confront the passerbys but also indulge them in discussions His is believed to be a harmless spirit but there are other spirits who give jitters to the people passing on this route First is of a lady whose screams can be heard up to a kilometer as believed by the people Another is of a man who is seen asking for a lighter to light his cigarette The city of Meerut in the State of Uttar Pradesh has an interesting story of haunted building The GP Block is haunted by the ghosts of four men who are often sighted in a double storey building which has been abandoned for years The guys sit around a table in the building with a solitary lighted candle enjoying Sightings of a lady clad in red sari have often been reported The sightings keeps on reiterating again and again all over the building commencing from the first floor to second floor and then ceasing at the terrace Agrasen ki Baoli is a secret historical step well situated in the capitals heart on Hailey Road near Connaught place This 14th century baoli constructed by Maharja Agrasen is a beautiful spot in the middle of our chaotic city but is said to be spooky after dark Now completely dry it was once said to have been filled with black water that hypnotised people into committing suicide After a long fight with the Government of India over her regal rights Princess Wilayat Mahal great granddaughter of Nawab of Oudh was given this place along with her children Prince Riaz and Princess Sakina Bitter by her fate Wilayat Mahal committed suicide and her children have lived here ever since with their ferocious hounds with no connection to the outside world Terrified of constant robberies and intruder they were given the right to shoot in selfprotection Ever since countless number of people including reporters have tried going in but no one really returns Even the forest guards avoid this area Bhangarh a deserted town in Rajasthan was established in 1613 by King Madho Singh son of great Mughal general Man Singh Bhangarh was abandoned soon after being built and supposedly after it was cursed by a sorcerer In ignorance Ajab Singh the grandson of Madho Singh raised the palace to such a height that the shadow reached the forbidden place Hence the devastation of entire town of Bhangarh happened Local villagers say that whenever a house is built there its roof collapses People say that nobody returned who stayed there after dark The Archaeological Survey of India ASI sign board put up there says Staying after sunset is strictly prohibited in this area Arguably the most famous haunted Mumbai house is situated in one of the city s most affluent areas On the eighth floor of the Grand Paradi Towers in Kemps Corner a series of freakish suicides drew attention to what appeared to be a gruesome pattern of deaths and accidents in the building In 2004 an elderly couple jumped out of the window of this apartment Their children and their grandchild followed suit within the year There have been up to 20 fatal accidents and suicides since the building was constructed in 1976 According to the legend the Lambi Dehar Mines were shut down because half a million workers died coughing blood there The place is said to be the most haunted at night as strange sounds fill the area There have also been several cases of truck accidents where they go off the road late at night A helicopter crash also took place in the same area People also say that there is a witch which walks down the hill at night The remoteness from civilization and the uncountable deaths this place have seen makes it one of the most haunted places As per Hindu tradition the human body is burnt after death and this beach is used by the local residents for that purpose The tourists who visit this beach hear many voices but cannot see anyone These voices tell them to go back to where they have come from A well in the Dsouza chawl area of Mahim has acquired the reputation of being haunted It is said that a woman while getting water fell to her death in the well She appears near the well every night wanders around and then eventually disappears by the dawn Even though the apparition is believed to be harmless the residents of the Chawl are advised to keep at bay from the well especially during the nights Even though the Jamali Kamali Mosque is open to the public visits from 10 am till 6 pm it is considered to be a haunted place After dark there have been many instances of sightings of lights even in darkness apparitions and other faint features Many inexplicable sounds like the animals growling chasing by some invisible sight and such abnormal phenomenon have been reported besides having incidents of nightmares among people Some adventurous and ghost seeking people have found it exciting to visit this place after dark and they second the ghost theory One of the spookiest places Raj Kiran Hotel is in Lonavala One room in the lodge has been stated to be haunted There have been reports by the guests that bed sheets have being pulled off while they slept Some of them have woken up in the midst of dark nights with a ray of blue light at their feet These people have gone through mental therapies after staying in that room It is said that something reallyreally creepy goeson inside the room during the nights which frightens the people Ghostly apparitions keep floating in this room The sprawling Ferozshah Kotla fort never ceases to amaze visitors with its numerous ruins of palace rooms mosques mysteries and peculiarities Djinns are said to be found in these ruins In the niches and alcoves of its stone walls believers pray light candles and diyas and write letters to djinns supernatural creatures of Islamic mythology made of fire rather than clay as humans are Kurseong is a hill station situated in Darjeeling state of West Bengal one of the most haunted places in India Countless numbers of paranormal behaviors and murders are reported near the dark strange and haunted forests There have been numerous murders in the hills of this hill station Locals have reported strange sightings footsteps in their homes and mysterious activities Woodcutters have reported to have seen a headless body of a boy walking on the road and then disappearing in the trees This is the most beautiful and greenest stretch of Delhi that also makes it the creepiest of places to ride alone Many people have reported that a lady dressed in white hitchhikes on this road If you give her a lift she suddenly disappears after some time It is reported that this place is haunted by a vengeful spirit of the lady clad in white sari asking for lift from the motorists If people don t stop their vehicle she starts running swiftly with the same speed and reaching ahead of them There is another ghost story which says that a woman in white dress roams around the Ashok Vihar flyover between 1am and 4am Anyone who passes by at that hour and stops to ask her for directions will not find their way home that night Their vehicles break down or they go around in circles She is also been spotted under a fig tree in Dwarka Sector 9 and in Andheria Mor Modh where callcentre employees and their cab drivers are strictly advised against pulling over Sometimes she appears in the middle of the road only to disappear under the wheels This old burial place built in 1767 remains in the shadows of the new age High rise buildings and flashy lights The entry to this place gives you an eerie experience right from the big iron gates to the marble stone studded lanes that take you through the rows of graves bearing British names Stories of otherworldly figures lingering inside the campus has been doing rounds for many years Eyewitnesses confirm white fog of humanly figure has been spotted regularly at the grounds in the early mornings and late evenings Mukesh Mills in Colaba is a favourite with Mumbais directors but it also has the reputation of being one of the spookiest spots in the metropolis Shoots are packed up dot at 6pm because it is believed that terrible things will happen to those who remain there after dark Several people have spoken about it In 2009 actress Kamya Punjabi was really scared when during a shoot a junior actress on the sets suddenly started to speak in a manly voice Her lips and face had turned blue and she was screaming The village of Kuldhara is popularly known to be a deserted ghost village that has been abandoned since 1800s It is said to carry a curse of the villagers who vanished from there overnight after having lived there for over 7 centuries The village lies in ruins established in 1291 by the Paliwal Brahmins who were a very prosperous clan and were known for their business acumen and agricultural knowledge It has been said that one night in 1825 all the people in Kuldhara and nearby 83 villages vanished in dark The villagers also cast a spell on the village as they left cursing anyone who tried to inhabit the land This fort is from the times when the Peshwas ruled in Maharashtra and contains a chilling story within its walls It is said that this Shaniwarwada Fort Pune is haunted by the ghost of a prince who was brutally assassinated when he was 13 year old by a relative His ghost can be heard shrieking in the middle of the night Having a population of around 2500 this village is popular worldwide for its unexplained phenomenon of bird suicides Most of the migratory birds visiting the area never leave the village dropping dead for no rhyme or reason on the streets The case gets even more inscrutable as these birds always plummet to their death between 0600 pm to 0930 pm on the moonless nights of September and October This phenomenon is said to have occurred year after year without a break for more than a century The Tower of Silence is actually a Parsi cemetery situated rather picturesquely on Malabar Hill in South Mumbai Custom dictates that Parsis leave the bodies of their dead for vultures to feed on The winding road that leads down the hill is particularly desolate and eerie at night and the place has become recognized as a kind of ghoulish hangout The weird happenings at the Grand Paradi Towers for instance were blamed on spectral forces emanating from this cemetery According to the local people this church is haunted Long time ago 3 Portuguese kings were living in the state of Goa They want to gain power at any cost King Holger Alvunger one of the kings has invited two other kings in the palace He poisoned both of them and both died there After some time he also committed suicide by consuming poison This place becomes one of the most haunted places in Goa It is believed that For over 30 years whenever a murder trial is conducted here a vengeful bilingual ghost makes itself known by cursing and terrorizing anyone brave or foolish enough to enter According to Hindu mythology those who die an unnatural death can never find peace and keep roaming around as spirits causing the place to be haunted These haunted places across India are just among the famous ones In case you know of more haunted places or if you have experienced some paranormal activity yourself or know of haunted stories please do share in the comments
16 Vaastu tips for getting rich
According to traditional belief each house has its own energy type Once a person starts living in a house he comes under the influence of a specific energy field These energies in turn start influencing him in some way or the other Indian Vaastu science has several remedies to ensure that you become wealthy Here are a few of them Never build a swimming pool or water body at a level lower than the normal ground level in the SouthWest corner of a home office or any other buildingPlace the cash locker or cash almirah close to the South or SouthWest wall so that it opens in the North direction North is the direction of Lord Kuber and opening a locker in that direction allows Kuber to fill it again and again Also avoid placing the cash locker in any other directionNever ever under any circumstance place the cash locker under a beam as this puts a lot of financial stress on family or businessA trick to attract wealth is to place a mirror in front of your cash locker so that the mirror shows an image of the cash locker This is emblematic that your wealth is doubledKeeping the NorthEast portion clutterfree and open at all times attracts wealth towards you Avoid making a staircase etc in this direction Never keep anything heavy like machinery in the NorthEast cornerAvoid a plot where there are highrise buildings temples etc in the NorthEast direction of your plot or home as this leads to loss of wealth If there are highrise buildings and temples then at least make sure that their shadow doesn t fall on your home or plotAlways keep the SouthWest portion of roof higher than the NorthEast portion In other words the building roof must slope from SW to NEMake sure that the South and West walls of your home and boundary are higher and thicker than the walls on the North and East sidesAlways buy plots which have more or at least the same elevation than the surrounding roads Never buy a plot which is at a lower level than the road facing itAs per Vaastu for money planting big huge trees in the SouthWest portion of a plot stabilizes finance It also helps to avoid misfortunes and mishaps in family and businessAlways make sure to keep the centre of your home as a free area Never make any construction except a temple in this part of a house as this is the BrahmasthanAs per the Vaastu tips for wealth repair or replace any leaking taps or faucets leaking of water denotes wastage and loss of moneyPlace a water fountain in the NorthEast part of your home Make sure that the water in the fountain is always moving movement of water denotes flow of positive energy and wealthKeep a fish aquarium in your home in the NorthEast portion of your hall or living room Always keep the fish aquarium clean and aeratedDecorate the main entrance door of your home distinctively to enable prosperity and wealth to find your home easily Decorate the name and number plate of your home Keep this area brightly lit and beautifully colouredWealth is mainly represented by the purple colour hence keep a purple coloured plant in your home However if you find it difficult to get a purple coloured plant then keep a money plant in a purple coloured pot
Mystery behind India s most Haunted Place Bhangarh
India is full of mysteries with its rich and long history Perhaps no one is as puzzling as what happened hundreds of years ago at a royal city in Rajasthan now under excavation Today I am presenting a story of World s most haunted place in Frightening Fridays At the edge of the Sariska forest in Rajasthan lies the town of Bhangarh whose haunted stories are attracting scores of tourists Bhangarh is a town in India that is famous for its historical ruins within the Banghar Fort which was built in 1613 It is in the Rajgarh municipality of the Alwar district in the state of Rajasthan It s interesting to note that entry to this Ghost town is legally prohibited between sunset and sunriseBhangarh is a place between Jaipur and Delhi in Rajasthan state of India known for its ruins Bhangarh is also a prehistoric site The most remarkable of its buildings are the temples of Gopinath Shiva Someshwar Mangla Devi Lavina Devi and Keshava Rai Other buildings include shops along the main road several havelis a mosque and a palace The palace was protected by two inner fortifications across the valley The town is separated from the plain by ramparts with five gatesThe town was established in 1573 VS 1631 during the rule of Bhagwant Das as the residence of his second son Madho Singh the younger brother of Emperor Akbar s general Man Singh I Madho Singh participated in many campaigns with his father and brother The next ruler of Bhangarh was his son Chhatr Singh after whose death in 1630 Bhangarh slowly declined When the Mughal Empire became weaker after the death of Aurangzeb Jai Singh II attached Bhangarh to his state by force in 1720 After this Bhangarh diminished in population and since the famine of 1783 VS 1840 the town has remained uninhabitedEntry to Bhangarh is legally prohibited between sunset and sunrise It s the only Legally Haunted location recognized by the Indian Government A signboard by ASI Archaeological survey of india specially specifies these instructions which further adds to the mystery of this town While the board is written in Hindi the instructions on it roughly translate into Entering the borders of Bhangarh before sunrise and after sunset is strictly prohibited Legal action would be taken against anybody who does not follow these instructions According to legend the city of Bhangarh was cursed by the Guru Balu Nath He had sanctioned the construction of the town on one condition The moment the shadows of your palaces touch me the city shall be no more When a descendant prince raised the palace to a height that cast a shadow on Balu Nath s forbidden retreat he cursed the town Balu Nath is said to be buried there to this day in a small samadhi There exists another myth This is the legend of the Princess of Bhangarh Ratnavati She is believed to be the jewel of Rajasthan On her eighteenth birthday she began to get offers of marriage from other regions ie nobility In the area lived a tantrik a magician well versed in the occult called Singhia who was in love with the princess but knew that the match was impossible One day Singhia saw the princess s maid in the market he used his black magic on the oil she was purchasing so that upon touching it the princess would surrender herself to him The princess however seeing the tantric enchanting the oil foiled his plan by pouring it on the ground As the oil struck the ground it turned into a boulder which crushed Singhia Dying the tantrik cursed the palace with the death of all who dwelt in it The next year there was a battle between Bhangarh and Ajabgarh in which Princess Ratnavati perished Legends says that there are ghosts in Bhangarh and that is why entry is prohibited for tourists in the fort after sunset and before sunrise The locals believe that the princess Ratnavati has taken birth somewhere else and that the fort and the empire of Bhangarh is waiting for her return to put an end to the curse Entry to Bhangarh is legally prohibited between sunset and sunrise A signboard posted by ASI Archaeological Survey of India which is a Government of India organization specifies the instructions While the board is written in Hindi the instructions on it roughly translate into Entering the borders of Bhangarh before sunrise and after sunset is strictly prohibited Legal action would be taken against anybody who does not follow these instructions Some other rules are there according to which no one is allowed to graze their animals after sunsetTerrified There are so many stories you still need to know Stay tuned to this column for more haunted stories from around the world Please share your views in comments section
Unknown facts about Buddha that will blow your mind
The details of the Buddhas life are not known for certain but most scholars are in agreement that he was an actual historical figure who lived in northern India around the 5th century BCE The events of the Buddhas life are recorded in Buddhist tradition and are a favorite subject of Buddhist art In this blog we look at a few lesser known facts about Buddha and Buddhism that will take you by surprise Before Gautama Buddha was born an astrologer predicted that Suddhodhana s son will either be a great and known holy man or he will become a great king His father wanted him to stay away from the sufferings and even did not let him have the religious teachings in fear of him becoming a holy man His father even built three palaces for him with all the luxuries of life so that he does not have any desire to see the outside world Though Gautama Buddha is known to live a very modest and simple life many people does not know that he was born as a prince of the Shakya Clan in Nepal His father Suddhodhana was the chief of the Shakya Clan in India while his mother Queen Maha Maya was known to be the princess of Koli He was born in Lubini under a sal tree in a garden He was married to Yasodhara and even had a son named Rahula Destined to be a great holy man Gautama soon became tired of his materialistic life and desired to leave the palace to see the outside world At the age of 29 while on his ride to see the countryside he saw four different things during his four different trips outside the palace which he was not aware about These four things changed Siddhartha s life completely In his four trips outside the palace he saw an old man a corpse a sick man and at last he saw a wandering ascetic He was so disturbed at these sites and he wondered how he can enjoy his life so much when there is so much suffering in the world He finally realized that the reality is not what he has seen till now in his life but the reality is what he was seeing in the life After leaving the palace it was hard for Gautama to find a teacher for himself who could teach him about the truth of the world and about different religions To learn about the sufferings he used to wander in robes and tried to learn from the wisest teachers But none of the teachers could tell him how to end the sufferings and so finally he decided to go in search of the answer all by himself For around six years he led a life of self discipline and abstinence by surviving on mere roots fruits and raw food He also learned yoga and meditation practices In a very short period of time Siddhartha mastered the art of Yogic meditation but nothing satisfied him Later he realized that neither the wealthy life in the palace and nor the modest life in forest is an answer to what he was looking forBuddha was not as chubby as many depictions of him would make it appear he was mainly portrayed this way because it was symbolic of happiness in the east He practiced moderation in all things fasted regularly and spent most of his time walking hundreds of miles spreading the philosophy of enlightenment At the time of Buddha s quest for enlightenment there were many religious practices that called for either intense overindulgence in the senses or strict deprivation such as weeks of fasting Realizing that neither was truly beneficial he devised what would later be known as The Middle Way to enlightenment a balanced approach that emphasized inward rather than outward renunciation It is not easy to think that a great teacher like him who taught the whole world about Buddhism could be hesitant to teach at the first place He considered that the thing he knows is very difficult not only for the people to understand but it is also difficult for him to express what he knows into words But later his compassion swayed over him and he finally decided to teach the people about the doctrines of enlightenment Unlike most religions or spiritual beliefs Buddha s teachings were spread by nonviolent methods such as word of mouth or carvings on prominent stone buildings Practicing Buddhists view Buddha as a teacher and not a god or avatar Buddha s spot of enlightenment underneath the bodhi tree is still preserved to this day He died in Kushinagar and according to the sources it is said that he died in the 483 BCE He encouraged his followers to work for their deliverance and he told them that happiness is in learning that nothing in the world is permanent Even after so many years of his death his words of compassion and kindness are still followed by people in different parts of the world Buddha taught and traveled his entire life until the age of 80 when he passed away His final request of his followers was this All component things in the world are changeable They are not lasting Work hard to gain your own salvation During his journey throughout the world to spread their teachings Buddha visited his son father his devoted wife and his foster mother Eventually his family joined the Sangha which is the Buddhist monastic community His cousin Ananda also became his disciple and joined the community and became a monk His son Rahula was the youngest monk in the community and he became monk when he was just seven years old After achieving the enlightenment he started sharing his idea and his teachings Buddha and his disciples for the next forty five years went to different places in the world to spread their words and teachings Buddha taught people that to become the enlightened one a person should never be ignorant angry and hate people It was not hard for Buddha to win hearts of people wherever he went as he knew the true feelings of people and knew how to deal with them There are two different types of Buddhism there is Mahayana and Theravada Theravada are the original teachings of the original Buddha Buddha gave long speeches to a group of people called the Arhats The Arhats are the original disciples of Buddha they had all reached enlightenment and were basically perfect beings Theravada Buddhists commonly live in Southeast Asia Cambodia Vietnam Laos etc They believe that people reach enlightenment over many lifetimes and it takes eons to reach nirvana Mahayana Buddhists live in Tibet China Korea and Japan they do not follow the original teachings they believe that the Buddha went to outer space and spoke to angels called Devas Buddha taught them a secret teaching Then the Devas told monks this secret teaching then the monks wrote it down Mahayana Buddhism basically believes that everyone alive possesses the ability to get enlightenment at anytime Zen is a limb of Mahayana Buddhism Zen is a mixture of Buddhism and Taoism that developed in eastern China Zen in terms of Christianity would be snake handlers It is miles away from the original message of the Buddha Amitabha Buddhism is the belief that there was once a Buddha named Amitabha no one knows if this Buddha lived on earth or in a parallel universe But if you pray to to Amitabha Buddha and repeat the name of Amitabha over and over again you can go to a place called the Pure Land which is a parallel universe where you can practice Buddhism in perfect harmony learning from ancient Buddhist masters There is a large amount of literature on the original Buddha s previous lives In the books he appears as a deer elephant and monkey Supposedly the Buddha told his disciples about his past lives and they wrote them down They resemble cute little folktales with talking animals and mythical feats super fun to read One of the top ten facts about Buddhism is that it is the 4th largest religion Today there are over 360 million followers of Buddhism worldwide after Christianity Islam and Hinduism The countries with the largest Buddhist populations are China Thailand Vietnam and Myanmar One of the top ten facts about Buddhism is the ultimate reality that nothing is permanent Although demographic tables lump all followers of the Buddha s teachings into one heading the truth is that there is no singular or official version of Buddhism And it s more than just minor variations in practice Some Buddhist practices invoke dieties Some eschew the entire concept of dieties Some emphasize monastic life while others see Buddhism as a practice for an engaged life One of the foundational elements of Buddhism is known as the Five Precepts Like the JudeoChristian 10 Commandments these simple rules form the core of acceptable ethical behavior The Five Precepts are Do not kill Do not steal Do not engage in sexual misconduct Do not lie Do not use intoxicants Buddhism s original language was Pali But today even esoteric Buddhist writings are available in many languages worldwide Dharma talks lessons are given in local languages in Buddhist centers and online Chanting may be done in a variety of languages depending on the choices of the community Some opt for ancient tongues while others prefer contemporary language What the Buddha discerned in his moment of enlightment is summarized within the Four Noble Truths Suffering exists Suffering arises from attachment to desires Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path If suffering is to be reduced a path is needed In Buddhism that path is The Noble Eightfold Path which consists of Right View Seeing the world and life as it is Right Thought Similar to emotional intelligence Right Speech Clear truthful compassionate Right Conduct Not exploiting one s self or others Right Livelihood Ethical occupation that does not harm others Right Effort Directing one s energies towards good ends Right Mindfulness To be in the present moment and Right Meditational Attainment Unity of action and intention To become a monk you must not have any of these ailments leprosy goitre boils scabs itch psoriasis which excludes me from reaching enlightenment pulmonary consumption epilepsy jaundice elephantiasis scrotal hernia spasmodic cholera asthma bloody abscess rheumatism swelling of the glands blood disease liver disease hemorrhoids bone disease etc etc etc In general in Buddhism it is better to be born a man they believe it is easier to reach enlightenment via being male A woman can reach enlightenment but there can never be a female Buddha There has never been a female Dalai Lama and in the Jatakas Buddha was rarely ever a female even when he was an animal he was a male
Mindblowing scientific predictions for the next 25 thousand years
Its never easy to forecast the future Throughout history writers scientists and by and large gifted people have prognosticated about the future Looking back on these predictions is usually laughable but every now and then someone hits the nail on the head While predictions of the future can never be absolutely certain let s jump forward in time and see what some scientists have said may happen within the next 25 thousand years People will be fluent in every language With various Internet giants racing to perfect instant translation it wont be long until your cellphone speaks Chinese on your behalf It will communicate with traffic lights to improve traffic flow It will interact with other vehicles to prevent accidents It will let you drag and drop a playlist from your home network It will find the petrol pump and handle the payment It will notify you when someone dents your door and supply footage of the incident Dentists are already using this modern tech wonder to transform laser scans of your mouth into customfit appliances for your teeth But thats a fraction of what the machine can do When a 3D printer costs the same as say an HDTV you will use one of your own to download all sorts of useful things marveling as it creates each item layer by layer from plastic rubber titanium you name it Just imagine your future self printing a birthday cake or a Rolex Rescuers will use electronic noses to locate disaster victims Some devices will use an array of sensors to rapidly detect carbon dioxide ammonia and acetone released into the rubble via breath sweat and skin Others sniff out chemical compounds from human remains buried 3 feet underground All keep working long after the dogs have retired to their kennels The human immune system is supremely adept at detecting and neutralizing foreign substances Why not train it to target illicit ones Thats the idea behind addiction vaccines Persuade the body to produce antibodies that shut down drug molecules before they get to the brain When miniaturization reaches its full potential achieving superhuman eyesight will be as simple as placing a soft lens on your eye Circuits and antennas can also be grafted onto flexible polymer enabling zooming night vision and visible data fields Humans may upgrade themselves to become cyborgs within the next 200 years merging man and machine to potentially live forever according to a Hebrew University professor Yuval Noah Harari a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem believes the wealthy will transform into a new type of divine immortal human with complete power over life and death Human dissatisfaction will drive mankind to upgrade themselves and that cyborg technology will allow them to do this according to Harari In the year 2 500 more than 20 000 ships set out 2 headed for each planet It was inevitable that many ships would successfully make the journey No one knew what they would find There was no plan for communication between the stars The colonisation of the Milky Way had begun Personalised medicine in which drugs are prescribed according to the patients molecular background rather than by trial and error can become reality The ultimate empowerment of medical consumers who will know their own disease risks and seek commensurate treatment rather than relying on the hunches and folklore of a paternalistic family doctor We will need to feed 10 billion people and nature cant keep up with demand so we will need much more ocean farming for fish But algae farming is also on the way for renewable energy and maybe even for growth of feedstock raw materials or resource extraction via GM seaweed or algae We will have the ability to communicate through thought transmission Transmission will be just as easy as other forms of brain augmentation Picking up thoughts and relaying them to another brain will not be much harder than storing them on the net First space elevators will certainly be around and although cheap is a relative term it will certainly be a lot cheaper than conventional space development It will create a strong acceleration in space development and tourism will be one important area but I doubt the costs will be low enough for most people to try We could learn that theres an invisible universe that mirrors our own No one knows whether we are alone out here or not and in some thousands of years we will definitely get all our answers Sadly some scientists have predicted that about 20 to 30 percent species will face extinction within next 100 years This will be known as the 6th mass extinction on planet earth The extinction event will be the result of habitat destruction and climate change due to human activity Human beings are predicted to have an average life span of 140 years in the future and will also have the technological capabilities of digital storage of the human personality This will enable them to achieve immortality In the next 2000 years scientists have predicted that the earths magnetic field would flip These studies show that the pole switches every half a million year or so There are also evidences that suggest that before the earths magnetic pole switch the magnetic field slowly fades out and reappears with the poles reversed Since the Earths magnetic fields protect us from the Suns harmful radiation as it faded we may face a disaster In the 1974 a collection of radio data was broadcasted into the space through frequency modulated radio waves and was called the Arecibo message The message was aimed at the current location of globular star cluster M13 some 25 000 light years away because M13 was a large and close collection of stars that was available in the sky at the time and place of the ceremony Within 25 thousand years the message will reach its destination So the question is will somebody be there to receive it The nanotechnology of recent decades has conferred powers to citizens that would be considered superhuman by 21st century standards These upgraded transhumans could perform feats regarded as Godlike to denizens of earlier times Terraforming means transforming a planet so as to resemble the earth especially so that it can support human life By the middle of this millenium the Red Planet will be turned from a cold dead world into a lush Edenlike paradise This monumental achievement will be the result of human collaboration on a planetwide scale The wide spread belief in Global Warming is controversial while temperatures are rising some scientists believe that it isn t out of pattern for the Earth and that in the next century we may face a cooling rather than warming Obviously this would change evolution but the same principle applies The improvements in healthcare education and living standards will make humans evolving into a race of giants 7ft tall muscular and highly athletic with lifespans of 120 Note that this lifespan refers to purely biological noncyborg humans who will comprise a small minority by then There will be 9 billion people on the planet in 2050 seven out of 10 of them in urban areas and everyones got to eat Future food production will depend on farmscrapers that grow pesticidefree crops yearround making it much simpler to eat local In the brains of everyone from abusive parents and rapists to arms dealers and heads of state there can arise a concatenation of nerve impulses which allow someone to see as normal the mutilation maiming or death of another for ones own pleasure greed or benefit If such a specific pattern of brain activity were detectable could methods then be devised that prevented or disrupted it whenever it was about to arise Within 25 years the world will achieve many major successes in tackling the deadliest diseases of all Certainly we will be poliofree and probably will have been for more than a decade The fight to eradicate polio represents one of the greatest achievements in global health to date The climate controlled clothes will protect soldiers from extreme heat and cold The secret to allweather clothing is Peltier plates which can be used to warm you up or cool you down by sending an electric current across the junction between two different metals This would be done with selfhealing concrete Invented by University of Michigan engineer Victor Li the new composite is laced with microfibers that bend without breaking Hairline fractures mend themselves within days when calcium ions in the mix react with rainwater and carbon dioxide to create a calcium carbonate patch Picture a rotorpropelled drone that tracks a pattern on your Tshirt with an onboard camera Now imagine it flying in front of you at worldrecord pace Scientists are hard at work trying to perfect apps that can measure your heart and respiration rates perform blood and saliva tests even evaluate your cough Question is how long it will take the medical industry to embrace them These buildings will help us fight smog When sunlight strikes their aluminum skin a titanium dioxide coating releases free radicals which break down the grime and convert toxic nitrogen oxide molecules in the air into a harmless nitrate Everything washes away in the rain Drugs will be tested on organ chips that mimic the human body The new silicon chip will feature channels that house living kidney or lung cells Simulated blood and oxygen flow allows them to mirror the actions of real organs reducing the need for animal testing and speeding up drug development
8 Reallife cursed jewels that can destroy you
Theyre spectacular but lethal Diamonds and rubies and sapphires these precious stones hold more than just glitter and gleam they also hold mystery sorrow and misfortune Here is a collection of horrifying accessories that have slaughtered their owners or driven them mad at least according to legend Heres a list of the most infamous haunted jewels Stunning but we wouldnt touch this stone without gloves on either Also referred to as The Eye of Brahma this stone was allegedly stolen from one of the eyes of a statue of Lord Brahma in Pondicherry This would explain the curse and the many suicides to follow the owners of this black diamond JW Paris who is the one responsible for bringing the diamond to the US in 1932 jumped to his death from a skyscraper in New York The next owners were two Russian princesses Nadia VyeginOrlov and Leonila GalitsineBariatinsky who both committed suicide months apart by jumping to their deaths from buildings in Rome After this incident the diamond was cut into three different pieces by a jeweler who proclaimed the division would break the curse And maybe it did This jewel was discovered just 30 years ago by Peter Tandy curator at the Natural History Museum in London Found inside the museums mineral cabinets the gem was supposedly sealed up in several boxes surrounded by protective charms and came with a warning Whoever shall then open it shall first read out this warning and then do as he pleases with the jewel My advice to him or her is to cast it into the sea Many suspect the gemstone was part of the looted treasure stolen from Temple of Indra in Cawnpore during the bloody Indian Mutiny of 1857 The cursed quartz was brought into England by Bengal Cavalryman Colonel W Ferris who eventually went bankrupt as did his son after he inherited the stone It was then purchased by writer Edward HeronAllen who later claimed it brought him nothing but bad luck HeronAllen gave it away to friends who promptly returned it after experiencing mountains of misfortune including a singer who lost her singing voice after possessing the stone Gem Select even claims that HeronAllen threw the Delhi Purple Sapphire into Regents Canal only to have it returned a few months later The jewel was eventually sealed up and sent away to the family banker with the instructions that it should stay forever locked away until HeronAllens death The Lydian Hoard is a collection of elaborate jewelry plates pots and other golden pieces But the brooch and necklace from the Hoard have caused its owners nothing but trouble A part of King Croesus treasure the loot dates back to 547 BC But in 1965 the real trouble began The treasure was found in an unknown tomb and promptly looted by just about everyone Over 150 relics were ransacked Almost all the looters met with sickness bad luck and death Le bleu de France as the Hope Diamond is also called is kept in the Smithsonian Museum The 4552 carat diamond is blue to the eye because of boron that is contained in its structure It was formed in the Earth over 1 billion years ago The diamond has been in many lands and many hands including a few Kings Unfortunately wherever it went its notorious curse followed The diamond is said to bring bad luck and tragedy to any person who wears or owns it Most people simply assumed that the myth was created to increase the diamond s value and reputation Yet oddly enough there have been news stories that aided in adding more mystery to the big blue gem Sadly none of them were pleasant One news account told of Jacques Colet purchasing the diamond from another man he later committed suicide The man who purchased it from Colet was killed by Russian revolutionists The woman who borrowed it from that man was killed by her lover There were at least 10 more accounts given in this same article that was published in the New York Times in 1911 There was never any true confirmation of any of these things happening This is said to be the ring that inspired JRR Tolkien to write about the One Ring of Middle Earth in her Lord of the Rings Trilogy This ancient Roman ring bears the inscription in Latin Senicianus live well in God That inscription ties it to a Roman tablet inscribed with a curse on the man who stole it Legend has it that the KohiNoor Mountain of Light was stolen from Lord Krishna while he slept It appears in Mogul chronicles as part of captured treasure in 1304 and remained with the Mogul emperors until 1739 when Delhi was sacked by the Persians The Mogul emperor tried to hide the diamond by concealing it in his turban but a member of his harem tipped off the Persian Nadir Shah who ended up with both the turban and the diamond The KohiNoor remained with the Persian kings despite many bloody attempts to steal it In 1849 it was handed over to the British East India Company as part of the settlement imposed on the Punjab after the Sikh wars When the stone reached Queen Victoria it had the reputation of bringing bad luck to its male owners but luckily for her not to females Victoria had it cut from 186 carats to its current 109 carats and set in a tiara Since 1911 the stone has been placed in coronation crowns of the Queen Consorts thus averting any possible bad luck Controversy continues to follow the diamond Pakistan India Iran and the Taliban have all requested the return of the diamond but have been denied politely The KohiNoor remains on display in the Tower of London with the rest of the Crown Jewels awaiting Camilla s big day Gemstone Advisor reported that the stone which has a rougher look than most wellknown diamonds has changed hands by a slew of rulers and in fact the names of three different Shahs are engraved in it The final owner used the diamond as blood money to the Soviet Union in 1829 after a Russian diplomat was killed Seeing as nearly every one of its owners has seen a gruesome end or ended up in dire political straits its unsurprising that the Shah Diamond is considered cursed As far as mysterious gems go The Blue Diamond may be one of the most bizarre According to the legend one of the Saudi royal familys janitors took a number of jewels from the Prince Faisal bin Fahds bedroom in 1989 He supposedly concealed them in a vacuum cleaner bag and took them with him to Thailand The Thai police nabbed the thief but he had already pawned off some of the jewels When the pieces were returned the royal family claimed that the Blue Diamond was not there A multitude of businessmen and diplomats that were said to be investigating the robbery either disappeared or were killed Chalor Kerdthes the officer in charge of the initial investigation ordered the execution of the Thai jeweler who was thought to make the imitation jewels for the royal family He in turn was sentenced to death in 1995 Considering all of the deaths that are linked The Blue Diamond its no surprise that its believed to cast a curse on anyone who possesses it by illegal means In medieval times people believed that pearls were unlucky because they represent tears Diamonds however were considered great luck because they were thought to have the power to drive away witches and also prevent the wearer from ever going insane Hence why wearing pearls instead of diamonds on your wedding day would be thought to predict an unhappy marriage Wearing a pair of silver earrings was once thought to keep the devil away Silver earrings were used to prevent evil spirits entering the body through your orifices So think about all the devils you are keeping out of your body the next time you rock a simple pair of hoops It is considered bad luck if a woman removes her engagement ring before the wedding for fear that the wedding may not actually happen Also you are not supposed to let another woman try your ring on if you don t want her to steal your man Conversely it is considered bad luck for a single woman to wear a ring on her engagement finger as it might curse her to be single forever