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Lepakshi - in the cusp of mythology and history

Murals and myths, history and legend crowd the walls of the forgotten temple of Lepakshi in Andhra Pradesh, a treasure waiting to be discovered

A massive Bala Ganesha greets you as you enter. The deities Shiva and Vishnu face each other, while in the centre is Veerabhadra. I walk around, and the Natyamantapa lures me. This is where the gods make music. Brahma is on the cymbal, Narada on the tampura, and Shiva in his Nataraja avatar amongst other heavenly artists. Mesmerising us with their instruments, costumes and ornaments, they seem to create divine melodies. The sun’s rays touch the large sculptures in the temple’s unfinished Kalyanamandapam, or marriage hall.

I am in Lepakshi, a small village near Hindupur in Anantpur district of Andhra Pradesh. I am looking at rare murals from the Vijayanagar era that adorn this ancient 16th century Veerabhadra temple. It is a late Saturday afternoon and, surprisingly, there are no tourists. A large joint family has just walked in and the children have discovered their playground amidst the pillars. The sun plays hide and seek and it looks like it will soon disappear amidst the clouds.

I sit beside a pillar and take in the scene. Unlike any tourist spot, there are no vendors or shops that besiege the tourist here. A guide offers his services and, looking at his rather hopeful face, I decide not to disappoint him. And he plays rather to the gallery as the kids stop their games and listen to him as well.

“Le Pakshi, said Lord Rama to Jatayu the bird, asking it to get up,” announces the guide dramatically, narrating the episode from Ramayana. “Ravana had chopped off its wings and Lord Rama found the bird fallen right here in this village. That’s why it’s called Lepakshi. See this sculpture here. There are more stories,” his voice trails off.

Many-headed Naga Linga at Lepakshi. Photo: Lakshmi Sharath

The temple, built in the Vijayanagar style, has an inscription stating that it was built by one Virupanna whose family deity was Veerabhadra. The temple, renowned for the largest monolithic Nandi sculpture, stands a few metres away from the main temple complex - a testimony to the building skills of our ancient artisans. It is carved out of a single rock and towers to 20 feet in height and is 30 feet long. A many-hooded Naga Linga stands opposite the Nandi in the main shrine. A group of children poses for a happy family photograph as I walk towards it.

Stories, myths and local lore resonate from every wall. For instance, the hill on which the temple is built is called Kurmasaila, as it resembles a tortoise. The giant multi-hooded Naga Linga was said to have been constructed out of a single boulder at such speed, apparently, even before the cook had finished cooking for the workers. But a crack appeared in the boulder that made it appear as if the sculpture were split in the middle, towards its base.

“The sculptor’s mother was so taken in by her son’s work that she praised him, but her words only awakened an evil eye and the crack appeared,” continues the guide as I smile at his superstitions. The guide moves onto more legends. The unfinished Kalayanamandapam was built where Shiva and Parvati were believed to have got married. A large carved foot on the ground, filled with water perennially, is said to be the impression of Sita’s foot. “It is also said that it is Goddess Durga‘s footprint, when she visited here,” says the guide. He shows me the carved thali-like plates on the ground. “The locals were fed here,” he explains. They look more like giant palettes to me.

Tales of devotion are depicted on the bas reliefs or on the murals that adorn the temple. Some of the finest specimens of the Vijayanagar dynasty, the panels bring the Puranas alive as various forms of Shiva vie for attention. My guide narrates these stories of devotion etched and painted on the walls. In one, Shiva is a mendicant testing the devotion of Sriyala and his parents by asking them to kill their only son and feed him the flesh. Pleased by their devotion, he restores their dead son to life and returns him to them. Another mural depicts a just king, Manuchola, who grants justice to a cow at the cost of his son’s life.

While the panels, sculptures and paintings narrate stories from the Puranas and the epics, the heart-wrenching story of two red marks on the walls of the shrine tell a sad tale. Virupanna, a merchant and treasurer of the Vijayanagar emperor Achutadevaraya, decided to build a temple here when he found a sculpture of Veerabhadra. He used the money from the treasury for this purpose when the king was away. The temple was almost completed, except for the Kalyanamandapam. When the king returned he found his treasury empty and the temple built without his permission. He ordered that Virupanna be blinded but the merchant decided to punish himself by banging his head against the wall near the Kalyanamandapa. The two red marks are said to be his bloodstains when the merchant gouged his own eyes out. The village, according to this legend, is said to be called Lepa-akshi, meaning ‘village of the blinded eye’.

The melancholy is a bit addictive, but then the beauty of the pillars takes you away from the tragedy. The silence is mesmerising and the solitude seductive. “You can still see Virupanna’s ghost here, the eyes bleed,” the guide’s voice trails off, but I am lost in the world of myths and epics.

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Dhoni richer than Bolt, Djokovic according to Forbes List

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has pipped the likes of 'Sprint King' Usain Bolt, tennis ace Novak Djokovic and teammate Sachin Tendulkar in the latest list of world's 100 richest sportspersons, released by the Forbes magazine.

According to the list, Dhoni is ranked 31st, which is way ahead of Djokovic (62nd), Bolt (63rd) and Tendulkar (78th). Star footballers Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres are also behind Dhoni in the latest list.

Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather topped the list with a total earnings of $85 million while Fillipino pugilist Manny Pacquiao, with earnings of $62 million, and golf legend Tiger Woods, with $59.4 million, are second and third.

Of his total earnings of 26.5 million, Dhoni earns 23 m through endorsements. Tendulkar has earned $18.6 million with 16.5 m from endorsements.

Interestingly, the Indian captain's earnings through endorsements are more than the world's most popular footballer Lionel Messi.

Although Messi is 11th in the list with total earnings of $39 million -- his earnings from endorsements is $19 million, which is 4 million less than that of Dhoni.

Manchester United's star striker Rooney is placed 37th with a total earnings of $24.3 million.

Djokovic from Serbia, winner of six Grand Slams singles titles, is 62nd with $20.6 million, while Olympic 100m champion Usain Bolt is 63rd with total earnings of $20.3 million.

Maria Sharapova is the richest among women's sportspersons at 26th with earnings of $27.9 million.

While Roger Federer is ranked fifth in the list, David Beckham (8th) and Cristiano Ronaldo (9th) are the two soccer stars who are in the top-10.

TOP 10 Richest Sportspersons with earnings: 1. Floyd Mayweather (Boxing) ($85 million) 2. Manny Pacquiao (Boxing) ($62 million) 3. Tiger Woods (Golf) ($59.4 million) 4. Lebron James (Basketball) ($53 million) 5. Roger Federer (Tennis) ($52.7 million) 6. Kobe Bryant (Basketball) ($52.3 million) 7. Phil Mickelson (Golf) ($47.8 million) 8. David Beckham (Soccer) ($46 million) 9. Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer) ($42.5 million) 10. Peyton Manning (American Football) ($42.4 million)

Other Notable Names: 11. Lionel Messi (Soccer) ($39 million) 26. Maria Sharapova (Tennis) ($27.9 million) 31. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Cricket) ($26.5 million) 37. Wayne Rooney (Soccer) ($24.3 million) 62. Novak Djokovic (Tennis) ($20.6 million) 63. Usain Bolt (Athletics) ($20.3 million) 78. Sachin Tendulkar (Cricket) ($18.6 million).

Gandhi papers set to fetch $1 million in auction

LONDON (Reuters) - A huge archive of letters, papers and photographs that shed new light on Mahatma Gandhi and his time in South Africa will be auctioned in London next month and is expected to fetch 500,000-700,000 pounds.

The documents, numbering several thousand and arranged in 18 files, belonged to Hermann Kallenbach, who became arguably Gandhi's closest friend after they met in Johannesburg in 1904.

Although relatively few are in Gandhi's own hand, the wealth of material from family, friends, associates and Kallenbach himself make the collection a key biographical source for one of the 20th century's most revered figures.

"The vast majority of this is unknown and unpublished, and has not been used by scholars in the last generation or two," said Gabriel Heaton, a books and manuscripts specialist at Sotheby's auctioneers which is selling the archive.

"It is very much material that will be adding to our sum knowledge of Gandhi and his life," he told Reuters.

The documents will go under the hammer as a single lot on July 10 at the English Literature and History sale.

Sotheby's also handled the sale in 1986 of the main series of Gandhi's letters to Kallenbach, when they raised 140,000 pounds. Together, the two batches represent the vast majority of the Kallenbach family's Gandhi collection.

"He is one of the towering figures of the 20th century," said Heaton, when asked to explain Gandhi's appeal to collectors and historians.

"There is only a tiny handful of individuals who have had such an enormous effect on world history ... Unlike most other comparable figures he never had an army at his disposal, which makes him unique in that way."

HUGE APPETITE AT AUCTIONS

The appetite for Gandhi memorabilia has shown few signs of abating over time.

In one of the more bizarre sales in recent years, samples of soil and blades of bloody grass purportedly from the spot where Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 sold for 10,000 pounds at a British auction in April, while a pair of his glasses fetched 34,000 pounds.

Kallenbach met Gandhi in 1904 in South Africa, where the Indian leader spent more than 20 years of his life before returning to India permanently in 1915.

Gandhi's time in Africa, ostensibly as a lawyer, had a profound influence on his thinking as he 

joined the struggle to obtain basic rights for Indians living there.

Kallenbach, a German-born Jewish South African, was an architect who fell under the influence of Gandhi and his ideas, and the two men became lifelong friends.

"So many of the letters refer to the importance of this relationship and how Kallenbach was able to support Gandhi in a way few others could," Heaton explained.

He gifted a large piece of land to his mentor which he named Tolstoy Farm, in honour of Russian author and philosopher Leo Tolstoy whose ideal of peaceful resistance influenced Gandhi.

Among the most illuminating of the documents on sale are the dozens of letters written by Gandhi's sons which provide details of Gandhi's life in India, particularly after his return when he lived in relative obscurity.

"Father is becoming more and more awful," read one incomplete letter probably written by Harilal, his eldest.

"It would not be strange if a time may come one of these days when either those who are living with Father might have to go or he might leave us all not being able to stand our life."

Heaton believed Gandhi's family felt able to speak more freely to Kallenbach than just about anyone else.

"They are writing to someone who's essentially a close family friend and also someone they knew understood their father as a man and not just a political head."

A.R.Rahman launches God Father audio

A.R. Rahman was the chief guest at the audio release ofGod Father which has Upendra in three roles.

The film is directed by famous cinematographer turned director Sriram. The function saw Kannada film industry`s legendary actor Ambareesh and his wife Ms. Sumaltha Ambareesh speaking on the achievements of A.R.Rahman, who had earlier worked in many Kannada films.

Upendra, the film`s director Sriram, the film`s producer K.Manju and others were also present. Kannada film industry`s top music directors and lyricists like Hamsalekha, V.Manohar and Kaviraj. Ms. Bharathi Vishnuvardhan along with Ms Priyanka Upendra, Ramesh Arvind, Kicha Sudeep and Dwarakish graced the function. Kannada Film Producers Association President Munirathna and top line producer Rockline Venkatesh were also present.

Rahman said, 'I had worked with music directors like Hamsalekha, Vijaya Bhaskar and Vijaya Anand. I have fond memories of Bengaluru and the great people connected to the film industry. I am glad to be back in Kannada film industry to work as a music director and thank director Sriram, Upendra and K.Manju for it', said Rahman.

Upendra said, 'When I was about to start Upendra I wanted to rope in Rahman sir. I called Manirathnam in this regard. But Rahman sir was very busy then. But I am happy that he worked for this film and has given some wonderful tunes', said Upendra.

 

Sachin enters Rajya Sabha

Sachin Tendulkar took oath as a Rajya Sabha member and said he was now in a better position not only to help cricket but other sports as well. Nominated to the Rajya Sabha April 27, Sachin took oath in the chamber of Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari. He took his oath in Hindi. "It is a great honour to be nominated a Rajya Sabha member and I thank all for showing faith in me and bestowing this honour," Sachin said.


1. Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar became India's first active sportsperson to be sworn in as a member of parliament.

2. In a surprising move, the world's highest Test run scorer was nominated to the upper house, the Rajya Sabha, along with film personality Rekha and industrialist Anu Aga in April this year.

3. "In the last 22 years of my international career, cricket has given me so much," said the 39-year-old batsman after taking oath in vice president Hamid Ansari's office. "Today with the nomination, I am in a better position not only to help cricket but also other sports," he added.

4. "I believe there will be a few obstacles along the way, and I will need (help) from my fellow parliamentarians, the administrators, media and our countrymen. Together we can make a lot of changes," he added.

5. "Today with the nomination, I am in a better position not only to help cricket but also other sports. It means a lot to me," Sachin said.

6. Tendulkar also said that he will focus on his game, and as and when he gets time he would contribute not just for cricket but for other sports as well.

7. "At this moment my focus will be on cricket, and as and when, there is time in between, I will look at other things, and see how I can help and bring in whatever changes.... not only cricket but all other sports."

8. Asked if he will find enough time for parliament, Tendulakar made it clear that his first priority would be cricket. "I did not go to anyone asking to be a Rajya Sabha member. It's an honour and I accept that with respect. "But I am here because of my cricket. I can't take my focus away from cricket because that is where it all started for me."

9. In March, Tendulkar, who contines to play test and one day matches for his country, became the first cricketer to score 100 international centuries. Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi invited Tendulkar to her residence to congratulate him on the historic feat.

10. Asked if he will find enough time for parliament, Tendulakar made it clear that his first priority would be cricket. "I did not go to anyone asking to be a Rajya Sabha member. It's an honour and I accept that with respect. "But I am here because of my cricket. I can't take my focus away from cricket because that is where it all started for me."

Million Dollar BABIES

1. As of now, people were able to get only a faint glimpse of the 6-month-old baby. There is a buzz that even the photographers are offered a huge chunk of money depending on the clarity of the pictures. Ash and her daughter Aaradhya were seen visiting several places in France, but the protective mother ensured her daughter’s face is covered all the time.

As the Bachchans keep 'hiding' their baby from the paparazzi's, here's a look at other 'pricey celebrity babies' who were paid millions for first exlusive photographs.

2. Jessica Simpson has posed up with her daughter Maxwell Drew Johnson, who was born on May 1, on the cover of People magazine.The highly-anticipated first pictures of Maxwell were sold for $800,000. 

3. Knox and Vivienne - the biological twins of Brad and Jolie are the most expensive celebrity babies on the planet. The rights for the first images oftwins were jointly sold to People and Hello! for a reported $14 million.

4. Then comes JLo and Marc Anthony's twins - Max & Emme. Worth: US $6 million.

5. The third on the list is Shiloh Nouvel - the first biological kid of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. 'People' magazine reportedly paid $4.1 million for the newborn's photos.

6. It's Shiloh Nouvel in the picture, but not the original. Shiloh, one of the most wanted baby, entered Madame Taussad's wax house just hours after her birth.

7. The museum featured the wax figures of Shiloh and her parents - Brad and Jolie holding a copy of the People magazine which featured her first exclusive pictures. Shiloh was an instant hit at the museum; and people couldn't help holding the 'pricey' Brangelina baby in their arms.

8. Once again, 'People' won the rights to publish Brangelina's adopted kid Pax Thein's images for a reported $2 million.

9. Dannielynn - daughter of Anna Nicole Smith and Larry Birkhead Worth: US $2 million.

10. Harlow Winter - Nicole Richie and Joel Madden's daughter Worth: US $1 million.

11. Max - Christina Aguilera's son. Worth: US $1.5 million

After cricket, Dhoni wants to play a role in the army

Dhoni said he will not join politics after retiring from cricket but would certainly like to “serve actively” in the army.

 India captain MS Dhoni talks with army officials during his two-day visit to the India-Pakistan Line of Control. …

Srinagar (The Telegraph): Lieutenant Colonel Mahendra Singh Dhoni is ready to stand guard on the Line of Control! He is ready to face any challenge emanating from across the border.

The Team India captain, who holds an honorary rank of Lt Colonel in the army and visited forward areas on the LoC in Poonch during the first of his five-day visit to Jammu & Kashmir on Saturday, said he will not join politics after retiring from cricket but would certainly like to “serve actively” in the army.

“No sir, I don’t want to join politics,” he told reporters.

“I am from Jharkhand… I want my state to develop along with my country. More important than which party is in power, I want to contribute to the development of my state.”

So if politics appears to be a taboo, what about the option of joining the army?

“Yes I will like to serve, I would like to serve actively (in the army), but that will be only after cricket because I don’t want my cricket to suffer. That is something I am good at. Once my cricket career is over, I would definitely like to serve in the army”.

Behaving like a true army officer, Dhoni said “we” (army) are ready for any challenge emanating from Pakistan."

“That is a very difficult one (question),” he said when told that he was at a place that had seen many infiltration attempts by the militants.

What was his message to Pakistan?

“What we want is non-violence. But at the end of the day we are here to protect the interest of our country for which our officers and jawans are positioned here… They also do a lot of sacrifice for it... So we are up and ready for it (challenge). We don’t want any sort of violence but we are up and ready for anything,” he added.

Dhoni said he was excited by his first visit to a forward area and first official trip as an army officer.

“It is very exciting… Before this I knew army from a distance but now I know it from close quarters.”

Dhoni also favoured resumption of cricketing ties with Pakistan.

“We have to make a beginning somewhere. Sports is a medium which transcends all borders,” he said.

Dhanushkodi - at land's end

Barely 20 km from the town of Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Dhanushkodi gets its name from Dhanush (bow) and Kodi (end). The name alludes to an anecdote in the Ramayana, where Lord Rama broke the bridge constructed by his army of monkeys between the mainland and the island of Lanka with a stroke of his bow. Barely 50 yards long, Dhanushkodi is the sole terrestrial border between India and Sri Lanka. It was inhabited until 1964, when a terrible cyclone wrecked the village and swept a passenger train into the sea. Though Dhanushkodi today is a ghost town, it is still visited by pilgrims. 

1. A distant view of Dhanushkodi town from a vehicle. Pilgrims from all over India visit Rameswaram Temple to bathe in the holy wells and in the sea. It is a well-known pilgrimage site. Only a few, though, know the mythological and historical importance of nearby Dhanushkodi.

2. A view from Kothandaramaswamy Temple, located 12 km from Rameswaram. Popular belief goes that Vibishana, brother of the demon king Ravana of Lanka, surrendered before Lord Rama here. The mythological importance assigned to this town is that when Lord Rama returned to India after vanquishing Ravana, Vibhishana pleaded with him to break the setu (bridge) so that no other armies would use it. Rama acquiesced to his request and broke the Indian side of the bridge with the end of his bow. This place came to be known as Dhanushkodi (Dhanush is 'bow' and kodi is 'end' in Tamil) and remains to this day a holy place for Hindus.

3. Road leading to Dhanushkodi from Rameswaram. It was on this island in January 1897 that Swami Vivekananda, after his triumphant visit to Chicago to attend the Parliament of Religions in September 1893, set foot on Indian soil from Colombo.

4. Dhanushkodi is today a ghost town and human habitation is almost non-existent as only a few fishermen with their families now live here.

5. On the fateful night of December 22, 1964, Indian Railways train number 653, the Pamban-Dhanushkodi Passenger, left Pamban with 110 passengers and five railway staff. It was only a few yards before Dhanushkodi railway station when it was hit by a massive tidal wave. The train was washed away, killing all 115 on board. In all, over 1,800 people perished in the cyclonic storm. Following this disaster, the town was declared unfit for living.

6. All forms of transport to Dhanushkodi stop at Moonram Chathiram. From here, we hire a vehicle – a smelly van that carries fish – more suited to the sandy terrain, to traverse the mud tracks leading up to the ruins. A 7-km bumpy ride along the shore and sometimes into the sea water takes us to the actual ruins.

7. Dhanushkodi used to have a railway station, a small railway hospital, a higher secondary school, a post office, customs and port offices, temples and a church. Ferries between Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar in Sri Lanka transported travelers and goods across the sea. There were hotels, textile shops and inns (dharmashalas) for pilgrims and travelers.

8. Remains of the ruined town. Groceries and vegetables were brought by the railways through the Indo-Ceylon Express also called Boat Mail), which connected Madras (now Chennai) to Colombo. Ferries from Talaimannar brought textiles and luxury goods. Before 1964, a train connected Sri Lanka to Madras. It stopped at a pier in Dhanushkodi. From there, passengers used a ferry to cross the 18-km Rama Setu.

9. Brick walls etched by time and tide tell tearful stories. The structures that withstood the tidal wave exist, buried under the sand and some partly weathered by the sea, adding a mysterious beauty to the place.

10. The remains of the church and railway station buildings. A few fishermen have settled here in thatched huts.

11. The walls of the church still stand.

12. A survivor of the 1964 cyclone who now lives in Dhanushkodi supplies drinking water to tourists from a well on Dhanushkodi beach.

13. It is amazing that the well, which is just a few yards from the sea, supplies sweet drinking water.

14. An array of fishing boats seen from the bridge.

15. A view from the centre of Pamban bridge. I was fortunate to get this shot without any vehicular traffic.