Ancient Kailasa Temple india

Ancient Kailasa Temple: 60 Mind-bending images of a temple CARVED out of a MOUNTAIN The temple itself was built out of a single rock, 164 feet deep, 109 feet wide, and 98 feet high, making it ONE of the BIGGEST MONOLITHIC structures on the planet, carved out of a single rock. Numerous ancient sites around the globe are evidence that thousands of years ago, ancient cultures spanning from America to Asia had incredible knowledge in a number of fields. Just as many ancient civilizations had staggering astronomical knowledge thousands of years ago, they perfected their cultures in numerous fields. One of those is engineering and architecture. The Kailasa Temple at the Ellora Caves in Maharashtra India has fascinated researchers and tourists for centuries. This intricate temple suggests—according to many authors—that thousands of years ago, ancient cultures were far more advanced than what mainstream scholars are crediting them for. housands of years ago, ancient builders were able to quarry supermassive blocks of stone—some of them with a weight of over 50 tons—transport them to various construction sites, precisely shape incredibly hard rocks like andesite, and put into position massive blocks as if the entire process was a giant puzzle. Proof of their advanced skills is the Kailasa Temple which symbolizes Mount Kailash, the home of Lord Shiva, one of the most important ancient Hindu deities. According to experts, the Kailasa temple is the 16th from a total of 34 caves which were literally carved out of the surrounding rock. Mainstream scholars tell us that the ancient caves were built sometime around the fifth and tenth centuries AD, but many others disagree suggesting the caves are much older. H.P. Blavatsky and M.K. Dhavalikar are just some of the authors who agree that we are looking at serious ancient stuff. M.K. Dhavalikar, who was a notable Indian historian, and archaeologist, author of the book ‘Ellora’, suggests the shrines and the Kailasa temple were not excavated at the same time but are the result of a construction process that belongs to a number of different periods. The Kailasa temple in Ellora, Maharashtra, India is a MEGALITH carved out of a SINGLE rock. It is considered as one of the most remarkable cave temples in India, mostly because of its humongous size, architecture and sculptural implementations. In other words, it is one of the many places on Earth that proves how ancient societies—around the globe—were extremely advanced in various fields, possessing a knowledge that allowed them to erect—or carve—mind-bending structures that have remained standing for thousands of years after their creation.

Sri Seshadri Swamigal,thiruvannamalai-saint

He is worshipped as a religious guru by many Hindus throughout the world. Sri Seshadri Swamigal was born on January 22, 1870 in a small village near Kanchipuram in South India in the renowned family of Kamakoti. He studied Vedas (Hindu religious literature) at a very young age. An incident in his childhood reveals the greatness of his power when his mother took him to a temple fair and he touched an idol from a seller who had all the idols sold out like hotcakes, which were not getting sold out earlier. This gave him the name "Thanga Kai" (golden hand). His parents died when he was still in his teens. Just before his mother died, she asked him to sing 'Ambe Sive' (a composition of his grandfather's) and then, in the moments before she died, she called out, "Arunachala! Arunachala! Arunachala!" The word Arunachala struck a deep cord in Sheshadri Swamigal. Though he had never been to Arunachala, he sketched the five peaks of the holy hill on a board and from then on worshipped Arunachala every day. Having no worldly attachments, he became a sanyasi (ascetic) and came to Tiruvannamalai in 1889 at age nineteen and remained there for forty years until he died in the year 1929. When Ramana Maharshi came to Tiruvannamalai seven years after Seshadri Swamigal's arrival, Seshadri was immediately aware of the young swami's state of Self-abidance and he felt a motherly love for him. Sri Ramana spent his time then immersed in the bliss of the Self in the thousand-pillared hall in the front portion of the Arunachaleswara Temple. Urchins, not understanding his state, pelted him with stones. Sri Seshadri tried to protect the young swami who seemed quite unaware of his body and surroundings, but the urchins continued their harassment. To avoid this unwanted attention, Sri Ramana moved into the Patalalingam, an underground vault in the temple. He remained there, in deep meditation, for many day, oblivious to the ants, vermin, and mosquitoes who were feasting on him. Sri Seshadri found him there and asked his (Sri Seshadri's) devotee Venkatachala Mudaliar to lift "his child" out. He cleansed Ramana's blood-oozing wounds and revealed Ramana as a [saint] to the world. Seshadri Swamigal's behavior was quite eccentric and unpredictable. He acted like a mad man at times to fend off worldly people, but to earnest seekers he was extremely gentle and considerate. Sri Seshadri blessed his devotees and helped cure their illnesses with his wonderful touch. While roaming the streets of Tiruvannamalai, he would sometimes enter a shop and dump the cash from a cashbox or throw the articles from the shops. The shops he entered used to do good business on that day and so shop keepers would eagerly await his arrival. To this day, the shops in Tiruvannamalai have his photos as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. Sri Seshadri was a great worshipper of Shakti. Sri Seshadri died in January 1929, at the age of 59. His body was not cremated but buried, as is the custom in the case of a saint. It is believed that Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi was present at the place silently observing the rituals till it was completed. It is often quoted that the devotees called Sri Seshadri "Periya Seshadri" (elder Seshadri) and Sri Ramana Maharishi as "Chinna Seshadri" (younger Seshad..

Shankaracharya Shri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Swamigal

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Holiness Jagadguru Shankaracharya Shri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Swamigal or the Sage of Kanchi was an Indian Saint. He is usually referred to as Nadamadum Deivam (The walking God), Sage of Kanchi, Maha Periyaval or Paramacharya. Early life ============= Swaminatahn (Purvashram name of His Holiness) was born on 20 May 1894, under Anuradha star according to the Hindu calendar, into a Kannadiga Smartha family in Viluppuram, South Arcot District, Tamil Nadu. He was the second son of Subramaniya Sastrigal, a District Education Officer. The child was named Swaminathan, after the family deity, Lord Swaminatha of Swamimalai, near Kumbakonam. Swaminathan began his early education at the Arcot American Mission High School at Tindivanam, where his father was working. He was an exceptional student and excelled in several subjects. He won a prize for his proficiency in the recitation of the "Holy Bible". In 1905, his parents performed his Upanayanam, a Vedic ceremony which qualifies a Brahmin boy to begin his Vedic studies under an accomplished teacher. Incidents leading to Sainthood During the childhood of the Acharya, his father consulted an astrologer who, upon studying the boy's horoscope, is said to have been so stunned that he prostrated himself before the boy exclaiming that "One day the whole world will fall at his feet."[citation needed] In 1906, the 66th Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham performed the annual Chaturmasyam (a forty-day annual ritual performed by Hindu ascetics while remaining in one place), in a village near Tindivanam in Tamil Nadu. This was Swaminathan’s first exposure to the Math and its Acharya. Later, Swaminathan accompanied his father whenever he visited the Math where the Acharya was deeply impressed by the young boy. In the first week of February 1907, the Kanchi Kamakoti Math had informed Subramanya Sastrigal that Swaminathan's first cousin (son of his mother's sister) was to be installed as the 67th Peetathipathi. The presiding Acharya was then suffering from smallpox and had the premonition that he might not live long. He had, therefore, administered upadesa to his disciple Lakshminathan before he died. Sastrigal being away in Trichinopoly on duty arranged for the departure of Swaminathan with his mother to Kanchipuram. The boy and his mother started for Kalavai (where Lakshminathan was camping) to console his aunt who, while also being a widow, had just given up her only son to be an ascetic. They travelled by train to Kanchipuram and halted at the Sankara Math. By then, Lakshminathan had fallen ill: In the words of His Holiness: I had a bath at the Kumara Koshta Tirtha. A carriage of the Math had come there from Kalavai with the people to buy articles for the Maha Puja on the tenth day of the passing of the previous 66th Acharya. One of them, a hereditary maistry (mason) of the Math, asked me to accompany him. A separate cart was engaged for the rest of the family to follow me. During the journey the maistry hinted to me that I might not return home and that the rest of my life might be spent in the Math itself. At first I thought that my elder cousin having become the Head of the Math, it was his wish that I should live with him. But the maistry gradually clarified matters as the cart rolled on. The acharya had fever which developed into delirium and that was why I was being separated from the family to be taken to Kalavai... I was stunned by this unexpected turn of events. I lay in a kneeling posture in the cart, shocked as I was, repeating "Rama... Rama," the only prayer I knew. My mother and other children came some time later only to find that instead of her mission of consoling her sister, she herself was placed in the state of having to be consoled. —T.M.P. Mahadevan, The Sage of Kanchi The 67th Acharya also died, after reigning for a brief seven days as the head of the Math. Swaminathan was immediately installed as the 68th head of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam on February 13, 1907, the second day of the Tamil month of Masi, Prabhava year. He was given Sanyasa Asramam at the early age of 13 and was named Chandrasekharendra Saraswati. On May 9, 1907 his "Pattabishegam" as the 68th Peetathipathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam was performed at the Kumbakonam Math. Devotees including Shivaji Maharaja of Tanjore, government officials and pundits participated in the event. Even though there was not enough property in the mutt to be administered, the court considering the benefit of the mutt, ordered the mutt to be administered under the “Guardian and Wards Act”. Sri C.H.Venkataramana Iyer, an illustrious personality from Kolinjivadi (Colinjivadi) village near Coimbatore was appointed as guardian by the court. The administration of the mutt was under guardianship from 1911 to May,1915. On the day of Sankara Jayanthi in the year 1915, Swamigal took over the administration of the mutt on the completion of his 21st year. The administration of the mutt was taken over in name, but the actual work was taken care of by an agent, one Sri Pasupathi Iyer. He was an able administrator who volunteered to do the job without compensation and hailed from Thirupathiripuliyur. Swamigal does not sign any document, instead Sri Mukham stamp is placed on documents. Jagadguru Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati spent several years in the study of the scriptures and dharma shastras and acquainted himself with his role as the Head of the Math. He soon gained the reverence and respect of the devotees and people around him. To millions of devotees he was simply "Periyava" — the revered one or Maha-Periyava. "Periyava" in Tamil means a great person, and conveys endearment, reverence, and devotion. "Mahaswami" and "Paramacharya" are his other well-known appellations. Jagadguru Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati was the head of the Mutt for eighty-seven years. During this period, the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitam acquired new strength as an institution that propagated Śankara's teachings. The devotion, fervour, and intensity with which the Paramacharya practiced what Śankara had taught are considered to be unparalleled by his devotees. Throughout his life, the focus of his concern and activities was rejuvenating Veda adhyayana, the Dharma Sasthras, and the age-old tradition, which had suffered decline. "Veda rakshanam" was his very life breath, and he referred to this in most of his talks. Remaining active throughout his life, the sage of Kanchi twice undertook pilgrimages on foot from Rameshwaram in the far south of the Indian peninsula to Benares in the North. Providing support through Veda Patashalas (schools teaching Vedic lore) through the Veda Rakshana Nidhi which he founded and honouring Vedic scholars, he reinvigorated Vedic studies in India. He organised regular sabhas ('conferences') which included discussions on arts and culture — these led to a renewed interest in Vedic religion, Dharma sasthras, and the Sanskrit language. His long tenure as Pitadhipathi is considered by many to have been the Golden Era of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. He attained samadhi on January 8, 1994 and was succeeded by H.H.Sri Jayendra Saraswati.

Rutraksham god shiva

Rudraksha and God ================= Hindu legend relates many stories about Lord Shiva, also known as “Rudra”. He is famous for being the embodiment of the power of destruction in an eternal cycle of creation, maintenance, and destruction. It is said that Lord Shiva once entered in a deep state of meditation to get the solution for the problem faced by Devas (Gods) for a very long time. Finally when he opened his eyes after getting to solution was expressed with sacred tears which ran down his cheek and fell to earth generating a Rudraksha Tree. The word rudraksha, in fact, comes from the two Sanskrit words rudra, a synonym for Lord Shiva, and aksha, meaning “eyes”. Botanically, the rudraksha tree is known as Elaeocarpus Ganitrus Roxb. These trees grow in very few places in the world including the Himalayas of Nepal, as well as in parts of Indonesia. Many different Hindu scriptures written over many different periods of history describe divine qualities present in each beads. One intriguing aspect of rudraksha lore is that it is worn and worshipped by absolutely everyone regardless of caste, religion, sect, creed, color, or sex. Generally speaking, one who worships and wears the rudraksha in the prescribed manner will invoke the energies of Lord Shiva and negative thoughts and emotions will be destroyed. It has no adverse effects and promotes peace of mind and prosperity for the whole family residing in the place of where rudraksha is being worshiped. In various ancient scriptures (i.e. Padma Purana, Shiva Purana, Mantramahanava, Rudrakshajabalopanishad) it is proclaimed that if a person meets his death while wearing or close to rudraksha worshiping place he is released from the cycle of life and death and achieves moksha (liberation). Rudrakshas should be kept as a set of 21 beads (from one face to twenty-one face) in the prayer room and worshipping it will bring positive changes. This will bring health, peace, and prosperity to the whole family. for example ============ tri-mukhi Rudraksha: The Rudraksha with three faces is the symbol of the Three Devatas i.e. (Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesha) and is very powerful like the Firegod Himself. The person who wears this Rudraksha will always get the blessings of the three devas accompanied by the three powers, manifesting as the fire-god Agni. The way fire consumes everything and still remains pure, the wearer too gets free from all sins or wrongs of his life and returns to purity when blessed. The sins earned in past births of him, on whom it remains, are burnt as fire burns fuel. He who wears a Rudraksha of three faces on his body, will have past sins burned to ashes and gets purified in his mind and soul. He will not be overcome with disease, miseries and sorrow. Three faced Rudraksha directly delivers the fruits of sadhana. All education is distinguished by its effect. The wearer of this Rudraksha get success in all of his works. Symbol of: Agni, God of Fire Ruling Planet: Mars Mantras: Om Klim Namah, Om Namah Shivaya Recommended for: Blood defect, plague, small pox, digestive problems, blood pressure, weakness, disturbed menstrual cycle, spontaneous abortion and ulce

Ujjayi Pranayama (Victorious Breath or Ocean Breath) This classic pranayama practice, known for its soft, soothing sound similar to breaking ocean waves, can further enhance the relaxation response of slow breathing, says Patricia Gerbarg, MD, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at New York Medical College and co-author of The Healing Power of the Breath. Her theory is that the vibrations in the larynx stimulate sensory receptors that signal the vagus nerve to induce a calming effect. TRY IT… to focus your attention on your breath during asana. Inhale through your nose, then open your mouth and exhale slowly, making a “HA” sound. 
Try this a few times, then close your mouth, keeping the back of your throat in the same shape you used 
to make the “HA,” as you exhale through the nose. Nadi Shodhana Pranayama (Alternate-Nostril Breathing) This practice of alternating between the right and left nostrils as you inhale and exhale “unblocks and purifies the nadis, which in yogic belief are energy passages that carry life force and cosmic energy through the body,” Cole says. While there is no clear scientific evidence to support these effects, one pilot study found that within seven days of practicing this technique, overactive nervous systems were essentially rebalanced. And a study of 90 people with high blood pressure found Nadi Shodhana lowered blood pressure and improved mental focus. TRY IT… at the end of an asana sequence to prepare the mind for meditation. Take a comfortable seated position. Close your right hand in a gentle fist in front of your nose, then extend your thumb and ring finger. Gently close your right nostril with your thumb. Inhale through your left nostril, then close it with your ring finger. Open your right nostril and exhale slowly through it. Inhale through the right nostril then close it. Open your left nostril and exhale slowly through it. That completes one cycle. Repeat 3–5 times. Kumbhaka Pranayama (Breath Retention) If you inhale fully and then wait 10 seconds, you will 
be able to inhale a bit more, Strom says. Why? Holding your breath increases pressure inside the lungs and gives them time to fully expand, increasing their capacity. As 
a result, the blood that then travels to the heart, brain, and muscles will be more oxygenated. TRY IT… after asana to prepare for meditation. Inhale, inflating the lungs as fully as possible. Hold the breath for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, inhale a little more. Then hold it for as long as you can. One caveat: For anxious people, breath retention can be difficult. Strom suggests they start with holding the breath for 3 seconds, or as long as they’re comfortable, and work their way up. Kapalabhati Pranayama (Breath of Fire or Skull-Shining Breath) This rapid breathing technique is energizing, and activates the sympathetic nervous system. In a study using EEG electrodes to measure brain activity, researchers found that Kapalabhati Pranayama increased the speed of decision-making in a test requiring focus. However, “For people already under stress, I don’t think Breath 
of Fire is a good idea,” Strom says. “You’re throwing gasoline on the fire.” TRY IT… to jump-start your asana practice when you 
feel lethargic, or for brainpower when you’re foggy. 
To start, take a full, deep inhale and exhale slowly. Inhale again, and begin exhaling by quickly pulling 
in the lower abs to force air out in short spurts. Your inhalation will be passive between each active, quick exhalation. Continue for 25–30 exhalations. See also Watch 3 Warming Pranayama Practices