Friday, August 21, 2015

Bishnu Shrestha

#ashokasays Did you know 128:
A solider is a soldier even after retirement. Read the brave heart story below.

Bishnu Shrestha

Bishnu Shrestha is a retired Indian soldier of Gurkha Infantry. On September 2, 2010 after retiring at the age of 35 he was on his way back to Nepal aboard Maurya Express. In the middle of the night, the train came to an abrupt halt in a jungle and 40 thugs entered the train. The thugs were armed with guns, swords, knifes and clubs. They started looting passengers of their valuables at knifepoint. When they came to Bishnu, he handed over his wallet to them peacefully, but when thugs attempted to rape an 18-year-old girl in his compartment, he intervened with his kukri knife. In the 20-minute action that followed, he raced through the aisles killing three and wounded at least eight of them with his kukri knife. The other 29 fled the scene to save their own lives leaving behind their loot.

In the scuffle he received serious blade injury to his left hand and took two months to recover. The girl received minor cuts to her neck. Her parents offered Bishnu large cash reward, but he denied the reward saying, “Fighting the enemy in battle is my duty as a soldier. Taking on the thugs on the train was my duty as a human being.”

He was awarded Sena Medal for bravery, and the Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak medal for his gallant actions.

Rifleman Lachhiman Gurung

#ashokasays Did you know 127:
Story about next Indian hero

Rifleman Lachhiman Gurung

Lachhiman Gurung was a rifleman of the British Indian Army during World War II. In May of 1945, he was manning the forward position of his platoon in Burma. Suddenly his troops came under attack from 200 Japanese soldiers. Grenade attack killed most of his troops and others lay injured around him. He started hurling back the Japanese grenades that fell into his trench twice and in the third attempt the grenade exploded in his right hand severely injuring the whole right side of his face and body. With total disregard to his severe injuries, he loaded his riffle and started firing with his other good hand. He single handedly took on a troop of 200 Japanese soldiers for four hours. He calmly waited in his trench as the Japanese soldiers advanced, firing them at point blank range. In the morning on assessing the damage he had inflicted, 31 Japanese soldiers lay dead around his trench.

He received Victoria Cross, the most prestigious award for gallantry during those times at Red Fort in Delhi on December 19th, 1945. He died in December of 2010 of pneumonia in England.

Naib Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav

#ashokasays Did you know 126:
Today's story of an Indian brave heart.

Naib Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav

When Kargil War broke out in 1999, Tiger Hill was captured by Pakistani army. Yogendra Singh Yadav of 18 Grenadiers was part of Ghatak Commandos, who were assigned to recapture the hill. The enemy bunkers were on top of the hill at an elevation of 5,300 meters above sea level. They planned to scale 1000 feet of sheer cliffs to reach the top and assault the three heavily fortified Pakistani Bunkers.

Yadav was trained in mountain climbing and alpine warfare and was the first to ascend the cliff, tasked with affixing a rope system to enable the troops behind him to scale the cliff. Halfway through the climb, he was met with rocket propelled grenades and the 12-18 soldiers following him were all dead. He was shot twice in the shoulder and once in his groin. Wounded and bleeding he rushed the last 60 feet of the climb and reached the top. He proceeded to charge the first bunker directly in line of machinegun fire and hurled in a grenade killing everyone inside. He then ran up to the second bunker and proceeded to kill four-man machine gun team in hand-to-hand combat. By this point, a second team of Indian soldiers had scaled up and came to his rescue. He refused to leave without destroying the third bunker, which he and his team successfully achieved.

Param Vir Chakra was announced for Yadav posthumously, but soon it was discovered that he was recovering in a hospital, and it was his namesake, who had died during the mission. Recapture of Tiger Hills was the most important objective of Indian forces in Kargil War.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Naib Subedar Bana Singh

#ashokasays Did you know 125 :

Fourth brave Indian in the 10 day list..

Naib Subedar Bana Singh

Quaid was a Pakistani post at the world’s highest battlefield in Siachen glacier at an elevation of approximately 6750 meters. It was a strategically very important post that India had to capture for safety concerns. As it was found out later, from this post they had a clear view of 80 km around, almost the entire Saltoro range including the Indian posts of Amar and Sonam, which were remote and were supplied only by a helicopter.

Operation Rajiv was launched to capture this post in three phases. The first two phases were unsuccessful with a number of causalities. On June 26, 1987, Naib Subedar Bana Singh with his handpicked team started ascending up the vertical cliff face under heavy snow and ambient light. Pakistanis became complacent due to the bad weather and treacherous terrain and were caught off guard by Bana’s team. His team was able to close up on the Pakistani bunker. Bana hurtled a grenade inside and closed the door. In short combat that resulted, six Pakistani soldiers were killed, half of them bayoneted to their deaths. The post was successfully captured and named Bana Top in his honor.

Naib Subedar Bana Singh was later awarded Param Vir Chakra for his conspicuous bravery and leadership under difficult conditions.

Gurbachan Singh Salaria

#ashokasays Did you know 124:

The third great Indian in the 10 day list.

Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria

Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria was commissioned in third battalion regiment of 1st Gorkha Rifles. The regiment was part of the 3000-soldier Indian aid to the U.N. Peacekeeping Force during the Congo Crisis of 1961.

He was tasked with the job of clearing a roadblock set up by the Katangese troops on the road connecting the U.N. Headquarters and Katanga Headquarters. With the help of 3-inch mortar, the militant roadblock was destroyed and U.N. roadblock was established by the Gurkhas. During his efforts to link up with the Gorkha Company to reinforce the roadblock, he met strong opposition in an old open airfield area. The militants packed heavy artillery, 2 armored cars and consisted of 90 men in dug-in trenches. Undeterred by the superior number and firepower of the militants, Gurkhas under the command of Gurbachan Singh Salaria charged forward with their bayonets, kukris, hand-grenades and a rocket launcher. In the encounter, he was hit by a bullet in the neck, but with total disregard to his safety he continued to command and charge forward with his troops. About 40 militants were killed and the twoarmored cars were destroyed. Rest of the militants bolted the battlefield in a panic completely demoralized. Gurbachan Singh Salaria succumbed to his wounds due to excessive blood loss.

He was posthumously awarded Param Vir Chakra.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

LANCE NAIL ALBERT EKKA

#ashokasays Did you know 123 :
The second person in the list started yesterday is Lance Naik Albert Ekka

Lance Naik Albert Ekka attached to the 14 Guards during Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971was assigned with the mission to capture a Pakistani position at Gangasagar. Gangasagar is on the border between Tripura and the present Bangladesh. This was a well-fortified position held in good numbers by the enemy.

The action commenced at 0400 hours on December 4th, 1971 when 14 Guards charged forward towards enemy positions with heavy shelling from the enemy and soon engaged in hand-to-hand combat. They soon were confronted by light machine-gun and pinned down inflicting heavy casualties on Indian side. Albert Ekka bravely charged forward towards the enemy bunker and bayoneted two enemies, finally silencing the machine gun. He in the process was severely injured, but continued to fight. His team had just cleared numerous enemy bunkers for 1.5 kilometers when they were confronted by a medium machine-gun from the second storey of a well-fortified building. Albert Ekka killed one enemy solider in the ground bunker and then proceeded to climb the sidewall of the two storey building to bayonet the enemy and silence the MMG. He accomplished the objective of mission, but later succumbed to his serious injuries.

He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest wartime gallantry medal, posthumously.

Saturday, August 15, 2015

BELUM CAVES

#ashokasays Did you know 120 : 

Belum Caves located at Belum Village in Kolimigundla Mandal of Kurnool District in State of Andhra Pradesh is the second largest cave in Indian subcontinent and the longest caves in plains of Indian Subcontinent, known for its stalagtite and stalagmite formations. Belum Caves have long passages, spacious chambers, fresh water galleries and siphons. It is a natural underground cave formed by the constant flow of underground water. The caves reach its deepest point (150 feet from entrance level) at the point known as Pataalaganga.

Today, 3.5 km of the cave has been successfully explored, though only 1.5 km is open to tourists.There are 16 different pathways, including the main entrance and there are deposits of Quartz in the caves.

INCREDIBLE BHARATHA

Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran

#ashokasays Did you know 122 :

Happy Independence Day to all of you.

Starting today for about 10 days I would like to remember a few soldiers of our great nation.
Every soldier is a hero, but before that he is a son, a father, a brother and a husband. In spite of all these responsibilities, the greater responsibility that they shoulder is a country’s safety. India has seen many wars in the past century. Indian soldiers were part of World War 1 & 2 before Independence. India has fought wars with Pakistan 4 times since the partition and once with China and during these wars we lost a lot of good men. The achievements of some soldiers deserve a special mention.

Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran

Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran was part of Operation Pawan in 1987. The operation was assigned to the Indian Peace Keeping Force to take control of Jaffna from LTTE in Sri Lanka.

On November 25th, 1987 when Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran was returning late night from search operations, his troop was ambushed by a group of militants. He kept his cool and encircled the militants from behind and boldly charged towards them. The militants were completely taken back by the bold counter-attack by Indian troops. Ramaswamy Parameswaran charged ahead and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with one of the militants and was shot in chest in the process. He snatched the rifle from the militant and shot him dead. In spite of being severely injured, he continued giving orders that inspired his troops even more. When the dust had settled, five militants were killed and their heavy weapons seized. He took his last breath on the same ground.

He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest wartime gallantry medal, posthumously.

LAL BAGH FLOWER SHOW

#ashokasays Did you know 121:

Lal Bagh flower show witnessed twice every year in Lal Bagh in Bangalore is one of the most beautiful and creative ones found around the country, or should I say around the world. Take a look at some facts about this year's flower show and also the history behind this flower show which is quite interesting.

1. 2015 Independence day is witnessing 202nd flower show. More than a century ago, this kind of flower show was started in 1912 when GH Krumbigal took over as superintendent of Lalbagh, 

2. During that time it was called the Summer Show and Winter Show. Today, it's called the Lalbagh Flower Show. 

3. Prior to this Flower shows have been held at Lalbagh since 1867. During the initial years apart from the flowers, cows, donkeys, fruits and vegetables, horses were also a part of the show. In 1888, John Cameron, the then superintendent of government gardens, proposed for the construction of a glasshouse for the purpose of holding horticultural shows. Designed originally on the lines of the Crystal Palace in England, it was completed in 1890 at a cost of Rs 75,000. The Crystal Palace was destroyed in a fire accident, but Lalbagh's marvellous glasshouse still stands.

4. Now Every year, it takes five months of meticulous planning and 200 men and women to execute the 10-day event.

5. This year's main attraction will be the replica of the Bangalore Place created using 200,000 Dutch roses, apart from the 5 Maharajas of Mysuru made using flowers.
6. The Glass House will host nearly 800 aesthetic exhibits and nearly 250 farmers across the State would display rare and unique farm produce to demonstrate the emerging horticulture technologies. 

INCREDIBLE BHARATHA

ASHOKE SEN

#ashokasays Did you know 119:

Ashoke Sen was born in 1956. His father was professor of physics at the Scottish Church College, Calcutta. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Presidency College, Calcutta and his master’s degree from IIT Kanpur. He later did his doctoral work in physics at Stony Brook University in New York, USA. He then pursued his career as a theoretical physicist and made a number of major original contributions to the subject of string theory. 
He is particle physicist working from a non-descript laboratory in the Harish-Chandra Research Institute in the not-so-happening town of Allahabad in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. (Unlike many who to US and make money there and serve that country)
He recently came into limelight when he was awarded the first Fundamental Physics Prize 2012. Fundamental Physics Prize is worth $3 million (approx. 3x the Nobel Prize). The new prize was set up by the Russian internet entrepreneur, Yuri Milner - some are calling it the "Russian Nobel Prize".
In its inaugural year, it has also been awarded to eight others and Prof Sen is the only Indian to bag the award along with scientists working in the US and Russia.
Prof Sen works in an esoteric branch of physics called "string theory", which he has been refining for the last two decades.
It is a complex mathematical theory that hopes to explain almost everything we know about the matter and energy in the universe. 
And Yes, today he is one of the richest professors in the world, having been conferred the award which has prize money almost three times that of a Nobel Prize in Physics. 
He was also the recipient of Padma Bhushan in 2013.

Guys just lets just not think Engineering and Medicine is the only set of courses to do to go great heights! 

INO

#ashokasays Did you know 118 :
There is always a complaint that India is not a nation where in pure science is not given importance and mostly Engineering and Medicine fields are given more role in the education sector even by the general public and Many in general public is also orienting their childern to either study Engineering or Medical. Though there is some truth attached to it, all is not true when it comes to various Indian institutes and central government is concerned. One major example is India-based Neutrino Observatory.

India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is a proposed particle physicsresearch project to primarily study atmospheric neutrinos in a 1,300 meters (4,300 ft) deep cave under Ino Peak near Theni, Tamil Nadu, India. This project is notable in that it is anticipated to provide a precise measurement of neutrino mixing parameters. The project is a multi-institute collaboration and one of the biggest experimental particle physicsprojects undertaken in India

The project was expected to be completed in 2015 at an estimated cost of₹ 1,500 crores (but looks like it may take some more time), has been cleared by the Ministry of Environment (India) for construction in the Bodi West Hills Reserved Forest in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu. When completed, the INO will house the world's most massive magnet, four times larger than the 12,500-tonne magnet in the Compact Muon Solenoid detector at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.

SKELETON LAKE

#ashokasays Did you know 117:

Roopkund Lake

The Himalayan region is blessed with several gorgeous high altitude lakes. But the one which catches the maximum attention is theRoopkund Lake, gorgeous, and shrouded in mystery. The lake is situated at a height of about 5,000 meters above sea level in Uttaranchal’s Chamoli District. During the summer season, when the ice melts in the lake, you can see several hundred corpses floating in the lake.

If  you are into trekking and hiking and haven't done the Roopkund trail, then you need to start planning for it right away.  It is one trek that is a must-do.

Its got everything going for it.  Deep virgin forests, gurgling brooks, breath-taking campsites, miles of undulating meadows, snow and ice and the taste of a great adventure as you climb from 8,000ft to 16,000ft in 5 days

A shallow lake, having a depth of about two metres, Roopkund has attracted attention because of the human skeletal remains that are visible at its bottom when the snow melts. Many theories and opinions exist, from purely spiritual to purely scientific ones, attempting to explain the existence of these skeletons, which date back to 9th century CE. Because of the human remains, the lake has been called Skeleton Lake in recent times.

The skeletons of the corpses have been well preserved because of the cold climatic conditions. Scientific evidence suggests that the corpses date back to around 12th century, but nobody knows the real story behind the mass deaths. Roopkund Lake is probably the only place on earth which continues to be beautiful despite the presence of about hundred skeletons.

INCREDIBLE BHARATHA

COBRA

#ashokasays Did you know 116 :

COBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action)

Commando Battalion for Resolute Action is probably the only Indian special force that is specifically trained in guerilla warfare to tackle the notorious Naxalite groups in the country. A part of the CRPF, COBRA commandos are masters of camouflage, jungle warfare, parachute jumps, precision strikes and ambushes. Their sniper units are also one of the best among the armed forces of India.

GOKAK FALLS

#ashokasays Did you know 115:
If America has a Niagara falls we in India have many. You know about Chitrakoot falls in Chattisgarh, now you should know about Gokak Falls in Karnataka.
Gokak falls is a waterfall known for its beauty. It is at a distance of 60 Kms from Belgaum and 10 kms from Gokak town. 

The river Ghataprabha after winding acourse of a long route takes a leap of 52 meters, over a rocky bed 170 feet down. The falls is famous for its spread and shape.Except in width and colour of the water, the general features of the fall, its height, shape and rapidity above are much like those of ” Niagara”.

The waterfall is horse shoe shaped at the crest, with a flood breadth of 177 metres (580 ft). During rainy season the thick reddish brown water sweeps far over the brink of the cliff with a dull roar that can be heard from some distance.

Gokak gets its name due to the Goki trees found in abundance in these areas.
A walk down either bank of the rocky gorge rewards you with ancient Chalukyan monuments waiting to be explored.

Did you know that Electricity in Asia was first generated in these falls in 1887?

INCREDIBLE BHARATHA

Friday, August 7, 2015

CHANNAPATTANA TOYS

#ashokasays Did you know 114:

CHANNAPATTANA TOYS

All of us say that we are proud of India's rich cultural heritage. We brag about it on social media and never shy away from raising the said point in any discussion.
But such beautiful they are, we ignore but outsiders know its value. Its for us to keep it alive and value it.
One of them is Channapattana Toys

Many of you know about Channapattana toys.

For who don't they are a particular form of wooden toys (and dolls) that are manufactured in the town of Channapattana in the Bangalore Rural district of Karnataka state, India. This traditional craft is protected as a geographical indication (GI) under the World Trade Organization, administered by the Government of Karnataka. As a result of the popularity of these toys, Channapattana is known as Gombegala Ooru (toy-town) of Karnataka.

1. Traditionally, the work involved lacquering the wood of the Wrightia tinctoria tree, colloquially called Aale mara (ivory-wood).

2. When the world found out that the Chinese toys were not safe for children, the demand for Channapattana toys picked up again as they are totally safe for the kids. Built using wood and vegetable dyes, these toys from Channapattana do not have any sharp edges or use any chemicals that can inflict damage to a kid.

3. Today, the Channapattana toy industry has so much demand that they are exporting more products to Europe and the United States and keeping less for the local market.

4. Microsoft India is one of Channapattana’s biggest customers? Apparently, they source a lot of mathematical games and puzzles as part of their drive towards education to all children and use these toys to impart knowledge and education to the under privileged children of the emerging markets of the world.

5. You can find Channapattana toys in White House too. Michelle Obama, during her trip to India was very impressed with these toys from Channapattana and bought some of them to take back to the White House as mementos.

Let us value and buy them to keep our culture rich and support the artisans.





Thursday, August 6, 2015

ALEYA GHOSTS

#ashokasays Did you know 113:
Lets get a bit of Creepy fact today...

As if the dark and murky swamps of Bengal aren’t scary enough, there is also a danger alert in line of paranormal activities. There have been whispers that along with the regular marsh beings, there are also mysterious Aleya Ghost Lights that lurk about.  Seducing travellers to their doom, they are said to zoom by and float above the land.
If you happen to be roaming the marshes and swamps of Bengal and are lucky—or unlucky, depending on your appetite for the paranormal—you might witness a hair-raising display of shimmering colourful lights in the distance. According to local beliefs, these lights emanate from the stranded spirits of dead fishermen who lost their lives accidentally in these areas. Those who have tried to approach these ghost lights or “Aleya” are said to have either lost their lives or their sanities.

Recently, a scientific theory has surfaced suggesting these lights are gases formed by the decomposing organic matter in the swamps. When they emerge to the surface and get mixed with oxygen, oxidization and ionization effects bring about a disquieting glow in the air.

Whatever said and done, if you want a creepy experience there are no dearth of places here in India.. Start visiting one by one if you have guts to experience it..




Wednesday, August 5, 2015

STOLEN LANGUAGE

#ashokasays Did you know 112:

Looks like The English had and have a habit of stealing everything in the world... They have done this for ages, looted this country like anything for 200+ years.  This culture has gone into their language English too!
The language is made out of words stolen from various words from different languages around the world. I wonder if it has an independent identity...

They have stolen enough words from Indian languages too... Take a look at the list.

1. Avatar- from Sanskrit
2. Bamboo - Bambu in Kannada
3. Bangle - from word Baangdi in Bengali
4. Bungalow - from word Bangla in Bengali/Urdu
5. Canara - Kinare in Kannada
6. Cheetah - Chiras in Sanskrit and Cheeta in Hindi
7. Coir - Kayar in Malayalam
8. Cash- Kasu in Kannada/Tamil
9. Curry - Kari in Tamil
10. Copra- Kopra in Malayalam
11. Crimson - Krumija in Sanskrit
12. Dhole (A wild dog) - Thola in Kannada
13. Father- Pitar in Sanskrit, Pater in Latin
14. Jackfruit - Chakka in Malayalam
15. Mango - Maanga in Malayalam
16. Chit- from word Chitti in Hindi
17. Guru - from Sanskrit
18. Ghee - Ghee in Hindi
19. 'Juggernaut' is derived from Lord Jagannath. It was originally used to denote the Rath Yathra temple car, which was so massive it would crush devotees under the wheels
20. Jungle - from Jangal in Hindi
21. Loot - any description required?
22. Mantra - from Sanskrit
23. Market - Maarukatte in Kannada
24. Mangoose - Mungusi in Kannada
25. Opal - Aupalah in Sanskrit
26. Pandal - Pandhal in Tamil
27. Punch - Panch in Hindi
28. Pundit - Pandita in Sanskrit/Kannada
29. Sandal - Chandan in Sanskrit
30. Shampoo -  from champo in Hindi
31. Sugar - Shakkar in Hindi,Sakkare in Kannada Sharkara in Sanskrit, Malayalam
32. Teak - Tekka in Malayalam, Tekku in Tamil
33. Teapoy - tipai in Hindi, tripad in Sanskrit
34. Thug - Tug in Marathi
35. Toddy - Thaadi in Hindi
36. Typhoon - Toofaan in Urdu
37. Verandah - Baramdaa in Hindi
38. Yoga - Sanskrit

The list goes on and on. And unfortunately I am sending you the message in this stolen language. And we say that we are well educated if we know English and yearn to learn it .We will be proud of being English speaking person and ridicule our own selves and language. Let's use our Mother (even this word is stolen from Maatha :)) tongue proudly everywhere and make the world aware about the above fact..
Google more to find out more words..(they say even word google's original derivation is from sanskrit. in sanskrit the word googol means 1 followed by 100 zeroes)

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

GET STAMPED

#ashokasays Did you know 111:

Do you wanna get stamped?

If Yes you can get personalised postage stamps in India

You can get one with your swaggy picture from the government.

‘My Stamp’ is the brand name for personalized sheets of Postage Stamps of India Post. The personalization is achieved by printing a thumb nail photograph of the customer images and logos of institutions, or images of artwork, heritage buildings, famous tourist places, historical cities, wildlife, other animals and birds etc., alongside the selected Commemorative Postage Stamp.

‘My Stamp’ was first introduced in India during the World Philatelic Exhibition, ‘INDIPEX-2011’. There was considerable demand for it during the exhibition and many requests to resume its printing have since been received. This enthusiasm from stamp lovers prompted India Post to extend the ‘My Stamp’ scheme to cover all Postal Circles. This scheme is available in selected Philatelic Bureaux and counters /Important Post offices/Post Offices situated at tourist places.

Now go and get yourselves Stamped People..

Monday, August 3, 2015

BIODIVERSITY OF WESTERN GHATS

#ashokasays Did you know 110:

Western Ghats is one of the 8 most biodiverse places in the whole planet. Unfortunately today we are not respecting it and destroying it mercilessly. But still all is not lost. Know more about the biodiversity of Western Ghats and spread it as much as possible to create awareness about losing them..

Known as ‘Sahyadri’ in local language, Western Ghats is a 1600 km long, 45-65 million years old mountain range which extends from south of the Tapti River in the border of Gujarat and Maharshtra to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, covering six states ( Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala) in India.

137 species of Mammals, 16 are endemic (native or restricted to certain area), including Lion-Tailed Macaque and Nilgir Tahr. 14 are globally threatened.

508 Bird species, 16 of them are endemic to Western Ghats.

332 species Butterflies, 36 are endemic species.

290 species of fishes, 189 species and 12 genera are endemic. 12 endemic fish species are Critically Endangered. 

203 species of reptiles among which snakes are a majority, 124 (62 percent) are endemic.

181 Amphibians species with 159 are endemic, 16 are Critically Endangered.

77 species of fresh water Molluscs ,27(36 percent) are endemic.

270 species of land snails, 207 (77 percent) are endemic 

200 globally threatened species, but only 10 percent of Western Ghats area comes under protected category.

Let's keep BHARAT always INCREDIBLE ..


Carps Fish

Lion Tailed Macaque

Nilgir Tahr

Tamil Lacewing,  one of the beautiful butterflies in WG.

Malabar Green Pit Viper is a venomous reptile, endemic to Western Ghats

SPOOKY LUNCH

#ashokasays Did you know 109:

There is no dearth of strange places in this country.

Do you mind having a spooky experience while having lunch/dinner.. Then you need to visit this place...

The New Lucky Restaurant in Ahmedabad features tables scattered around real coffins which the owner Krishan Kutti decided to preserve the graves rather than ripping them out to make way for his restaurant. 

Around a dozen graves lay inside the restaurant, and have been sealed off by iron grills. Every morning, when the shutters of the restaurant are pulled up, waiters spend some time wiping the gravestones and decorating them with fresh flowers.

Go and have a spooky fill..




Saturday, August 1, 2015

108

#ashokasays Did you know 108:

108 has long been considered a sacred number in Sanathana Dharma (Hinduism), Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. Japanese monks rings their temple bells 108 times to welcome New Year. So What is the significance of the number 108? The number’s significance is open to interpretation.

Take a look at this.. And all these were done by Indian Sages Ages ago..

1. The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth. The Distance from the Sun to Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Sun.

2. The average distance of Moon from the Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Moon.

3. In Ayurveda, there are 108 "Marma" points that are vital for giving life to living beings.

4. The powerful Sri Chakra yantra intersects in 54 points each with a masculine and feminine quality, totalling to 108.

5. In Tantra, it is estimated that every day we breathe 21,600 times out of which 10,800 are solar energy and 10,800 are lunar energy. Multiplying 108x100 is 10,800.

6. The famous saint Bharata wrote "The Natya Shastra" which has 108 karanas (Movement of hand and feet)

7. There are 54 letters in Sanskrit each can be mentioned as masculine (Shiva) and feminine (Shakti) aspect, totalling to 108.

8. Astronomically, there are 27 constellations in our galaxy, and each one them has 4 directions, and 27 * 4 = 108, In other words the number 108 covers the whole galaxy.

9. In Hindu religion, number 9 is very important. Keeping the importance of number 9, Rishi Vyas has created 9 Purans, 108 MahaPuran (Upnishads). Mahabharat has 18 chapters, Geeta has 18 chapters, Bhagavat has 108000 Shloks (verses).
The addition of digits of number 108 is 9, and number 9 is related with Brahma, that's why 108 is very important, and came into lot of Indian scriptures.

10. Indian Vedas, treats the Sun as God, and Sun has 12 signs (Zodiac signs). In Yajurved, Sun is related with Lord Brahma (the number 9), remember - 12 * 9 = 108; therefore for Gods Prayer, the number 108 is very sacred.

11. According to Indian mythology, there are 4 Yugs
Satyug - consists of 172,800 years (1+7+2+8 = 18 == (1+8 = 9)
TretaYug consists of 1296000 years (1+2+9+6 = 18 = (1+8 = 9)
DwaparYug consists of 864000 years (8+4+6) = 18 = (1+8 = 9)
Kaliyug consists of 432000 years (4+3+2) = 9

12. There are said to be 108 earthly desires, 108 lies that humans tell and 108 human delusions or forms of ignorance.

13. The sacred River Ganga spans a longitude of 12 degrees (79 to 91), and latitude of 9 degrees (22 to 31). 12 times 9 equal 108.


The list goes on and may be I will need 108 points to tell you the significance of 108. Please continue your research on 108 if you are further interested.

INCREDIBLE BHARATHA