MARVELS OF THE WORLD -- 06 : GOMATESHWARA STATUE, INDIA

GOMATESHWARA STATUE : SERENE SPLENDOUR

(By Subbaram Danda)

It is a grand spectacle par excellence that unfolds once in twelve years.   The Mahamastakabhisheka or the great head anointing ceremony of the colossal statue of Jain saint Gomateshwara at Shravanabelagola town in the state of Karnataka, India, is a major occasion eagerly looked forward to.  Celebrities and people from far and wide irrespective of their own faith congregate in thousands to be a part of the unique and elaborate event.

As sacred chants and music electrify the atmosphere, priests and enthusiastic worshippers climb up the specially erected and tastefully decorated scaffold-steps carrying sanctified metal pots of water, milk, curds, turmeric, vermillion, flowers, gems, silver and gold coins.    They pour the contents over the head of the monolithic granite statue 57 feet in height.  The people gathered there watch with bated breath the contents of the pots fall in cascades down the body to the feet of the Lord and finally to the ground.  This goes on and on.  Spiritual fervour pervades the entire environment.

The festivities begin several days earlier with pujas, rituals and recitals from holy texts and conclude after a fortnight of the great event.  Special trains and buses are arranged for visitors and tourists to come and participate in the celebrations.

Awe-inspiring

The imposing statue of Gomateshwara was erected in 981 AD atop Indragiri hill (also known as Vindhyagiri) during the reign of King Rajamalla of the Ganga dynasty by his commander and minister Chamundaraya.  The chief sculptor was Aristanemi.  The open-air statue is reached by climbing 700 steps cut on the mountain side.

Its dimensions are awe-inspiring.  The height from the crown of the head to the earlobe is 7 feet and the length of each foot is 9 feet.  The measurement between the shoulders is 26 feet.  The statue is visible even from a distance of 30 kilometres.   It is considered to be “the world’s largest monolithic statue” of its kind.

The graceful image in Digambara Jain style without any attire signifying detachment from worldly bonds stands radiating peace and serenity.   The ascetic is portrayed as in deep and ever-lasting contemplation, unmindful of the happenings around--plants creeping over his body up to the arms or anthills mushrooming behind his feet.   

Gomateshwara, who was known in his earlier days as Bahubali, was the second son of King Rishabhdev.  After the lifetime of his father, Bahubali renounced his portion of the kingdom in favour of his elder brother Bharat in a noble gesture, despite establishing his superiority over him in a fight.  He spent rest of his life as a recluse true to Jain tenets meditating till he attained Nirvana (emancipation from worldly travails) and sainthood. 

Origin of statue

The legend of the statue is as absorbing as its grandeur.  The religiously-devout mother of minister Chamundaraya had a dream, in which she saw in front of her a huge statue of Gomateshwara.  She prevailed upon her son to take steps to erect one such.  With the blessings of King Rajamalla, Indragiri hill was selected as the site for the purpose and work initiated on the statue.

The head anointing ceremony has been going on for centuries.   But information about the first such occasion still remains in obscurity. An inscription talks about the ceremony having taken place in 1398 AD.  There is also a mention in it of seven ceremonies performed prior to it.  

In 1925 AD, Maharaja of Mysore Krishna Rajendra Wadiyar, it has been recorded, walked up the hill barefooted, witnessed the entire anointment ceremony, personally offered worship  and did Sashtanga Namaskar (lying flat, face downwards and fully outstretched) before the image.

Flower shower from air

In independent India, the Mahamastakabhisheka was conducted in 1953 in the presence of then ‘Maharaja’ Jaya Chamarajendra Wadiyar.   The next festival witnessed a new feature – Akasha Pushpavrishti.  A helicopter showered large quantities of multi-coloured flowers, vermillion and saffron powders on the statue.

The 1981 function marked the 1000^th anniversary of the consecration of the statue, attended by then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi.  The first anointment ceremony of the 21^st century was held in February 2006, whose inaugural ceremony was graced by then President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.   The next one will take place in 2018.

In August 2007, readers of English daily “Times of India” selected the Gomateshwara statue as “the first of Seven Wonders of India.”  The marvel received 49 per cent of the total votes.

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HUMOUR UNLEASHED -- 08

HUMOUR UNLEASHED -- 08

(Compiled by Subbaram Danda)

"The moment computers learn to laugh,

man becomes their laughing stock." 

The devil’s game

It was a game show on a popular television channel.  The anchor would make five statements about a man and the contestant should infer from them the man’s qualities or characteristics. The winner and another person of his choice would be entitled to an all-paid week-long holiday in Switzerland.

There were ten contestants in the final stage and the following is an account of how the tenth participant fared:

The anchor:  “Let us start now.  The man regularly uses Fair and Handsome cream.”

The contestant: “He is a beauty-conscious person of dark complexion.”

The anchor: “Good.  The man does not wear spectacles.”

The contestant: “He is young with good vision.”

The anchor: “Fine.  The man wears different watches on different days of the week.”

The contestant: “He is fairly rich and showy, loves flaunting his possessions.”

The anchor: “Excellent.  The man’s cell-phone rings very often.”

The contestant: “He is a go-getter with lots of friends.”

The anchor: “Great.  Be ready for the last statement.  Think over it carefully and take your own time before responding.”

The contestant: “OK, I am all set.”

The anchor: “The man says he has not encountered a devil yet.”

The contestant pondered over it for a minute, had a flash in his mind and replied: “He is not married yet!”

The next week the tenth contestant and his wife were seen enjoying a holiday in Switzerland.

Brilliance

Srinivasa Ramanujan is undoubtedly the greatest mathematician India has ever produced.  His theories have startled the entire mathematical world.  But for his untimely death, he would have certainly made further incredible contributions.

More light on him was thrown recently by Bruce Berndt, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Illinois and an authority on Ramanujan, who was in Chennai.   In a lecture, he said that the “Notebooks” of Ramanujan contained more “results” on continued fractions than what all the mathematicians had together produced.    That was the brilliance of Ramanujan.

Can you now guess what marks Ramanujan got in Mathematics, his favourite subject, in an examination when he was studying at Pachaiyappa’s College in Chennai? 

Hold your breath.  He obtained only 80 out of 150 – slightly over 53 per cent.  How could this be? 

This was because the portions for the examination were predominantly from Geometry, in which he was not comfortable!   His forte was numbers, fractions, series and the like.

Which is which?

A man and his wife went to a hill station on a holiday.  They visited a nearby restaurant for lunch.  After the main courses were over, the man ordered beetroot pie for himself and carrot pie for his wife.   When the server brought the sweets, they were discussing something feverishly.   In order not to disturb them he placed the dishes on the table and left.

After a while, the man looked at the two plates and wondered which one was his.  He smelled one plate and the aroma was peculiar.  He called the server and asked him, “Which is which?”

The server: “Sir, now I cannot tell you.  You please taste one and find it out for yourself.”  With a grudge, the man took a spoonful from one, shoved it into his mouth and howled angrily, “Bull shit.”

The server: “Thank you, sir.  Then it must be beetroot pie.  Our carrot pie tastes like dog shit.”

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MARVELS OF THE WORLD -- 05 : TERRACOTTA WARRIORS, CHINA

TERRACOTTA WARRIORS : HIDDEN TREASURES

(By Subbaram Danda)

“Welcome to the eighth Wonder of the World,” a young English-speaking Chinese guide with a glint in her eyes greeted a group of tourists, including some from India.  They were about to see thousands of life-size clay statues of Chinese warriors and horses, which lay buried for more than 2,200 years but now largely excavated.

 “The Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses” is a vast complex tastefully developed with broad well-paved roads, neat lawns and flower gardens.  It consists essentially of three major vaults (also called pits) and two halls.  It is located near the city of Xian in China and receives over two million Chinese and foreign tourists a year.

The statues have an exotic history.  The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty, entertained a desire that clay statues of his army constituents should be buried along with him when he died so that they could “accompany him during his eternal rest.”  What a bizarre wish!   Accordingly, the figures were made in life-size format using the local clay and then baked in a kiln.  They also received a dash of paint.  Thousands of potters and other artisans were on the job.

Life-size clay statues of warriors in the main vault

Colossal magnitude

Finally, the emperor’s desire was fulfilled and according to the calculations of archaeologists, clay sculptures of a colossal magnitude were buried -- as many as of 8,000 soldiers, 500 horses, and 150 cavalry stallions.  There were also 130 wooden chariots.

Interestingly, the buried treasures came to light accidentally.   The terracotta statues were discovered when some local farmers tried to dig a well in 1974.  The finding caught the eye of many archeologists and the Government did not lose time in announcing that a museum would be set up at the site.

Vault 1 is the main centre of attraction.  A broad solid platform has been constructed well above the level of the statues skirting the entire excavated area in a rectangular format.  Walking from one point to another on this platform, visitors can see vividly below almost all the terracotta figures.   A huge convex roof covers the whole area protecting it from direct sun and rain and has provision for natural ventilation.

The clay figures are in formal attire representing all ranks of the army – officers, armed warriors and ordinary soldiers.   They are arrayed in battle formation.   The army men are in trench-like corridors, followed by horses and then wooden chariots.

Another set of exhibits

Different facial expressions

It is mind-boggling to notice that each statue sports a different facial expression and is in a different posture.   What an amount of planning and effort should have gone into the making of these figures!

In 1980 another significant dig revealed two sets of painted bronze chariots and four horses – “the most delicate, the largest and oldest bronzes of their kind in China.”  They have been housed in an exhibition hall.   In another room are displayed a wide variety of weapons and other artifacts found during the excavations. 

Though the terracotta treasures are treated as an adjunct to Qin’s huge underground mausoleum, it is interesting to note that only preliminary excavations have been made on the mausoleum proper.  It covers a huge area with subterranean palaces, the emperor’s secret tomb in an inner sanctuary, towers, priceless golden articles, gem-studded jewellery and a host of other exquisite funeral objects.  When the work is complete, archaeologists believe, it would be the most wonderful discovery in the history of mankind. 

International experts view that what has been discovered so far at Xian is “historically as important as the Pyramids of Egypt.….”   UNESCO, while granting the tag of World Heritage Site in 1987, described the exposed terracotta figures as “masterpieces of realism.”

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HUMOUR UNLEASHED -- 07

HUMOUR UNLEASHED -- 07

(Compiled by Subbaram Danda)

"The humble onion can make you cry.  But there is no mighty vegetable

that can make you laugh." -- American humorist Will Rogers

Changing minds

An elderly man and his wife, who had both been suffering from failing memory, went to a specialist one evening for consultation.  The doctor told them, “I am prescribing you some tablets, which should help.  At any rate, write down on a piece of paper whatever you want to do, even if they are very simple, and refer to them when you forget.”

Next morning they got up very late and the woman asked her husband to go to a restaurant and bring her two idlis and one vada for her breakfast.  He himself could eat there itself whatever he liked.   She told him to write it down and repeated that she wanted two idlis and one vada but he said nonchalantly, “Never mind.  I can easily remember these two.”

After a while the man returned and handed two packets to his wife.  She found to her horror that they contained pongal and uppuma!  She retorted furiously, “You do not take the doctor’s advice seriously, nor heed my words.  You have brought the items I hate.   I only wanted Masala Dosa and Alu Poori!” 

Different reason

It was a very large funeral congregation.  The burial ground had not seen such a huge turnout in a decade.

A passerby became curious and approached a prominent-looking person in the crowd and asked him, “Sir, who is the person, who has passed away – a politician, an industrialist or a film personality?”

The person: “No, he is a doctor.”

The passerby: “Is he such a famous healer?  You are all here in big numbers out of personal gratitude and regard for him?”

The person: “No, the reason for our presence is different.  He is a torturer and an extortionist.  We are all his victims.  We want to ensure that he is buried unceremoniously.  We will then celebrate his death with a big bash!”

Who is the child?

The Managing Director of a reputed company was about to retire.  He had a discussion with his Chairman on choosing his successor and shortlisted three seniors for consideration – Amarnath, David and Ahmed.  The Chairman told the MD, “Tomorrow you call all the three for a meeting.  Let us give them an age-old riddle.  Ask them to think over it for a day and come up with the answer.  The riddle to be conveyed to them is: Years ago, your parents had a nice child of their own.  But it is not your sister or brother.  Who is that child?  Whoever solves it will be the next MD.”

At the meeting next day the outgoing MD asked the three aspirants to write down the answer on a paper and bring it in a sealed envelope after 24 hours. The three did not want to miss the golden opportunity and decided to consult the best brains.

Amarnath went to prominent Hindu guru Sankaracharya to seek his blessings and also to find the answer to the puzzle.  He narrated the riddle clearly word by word and requested the Acharya to reply to the query – who is that child?  With a broad smile on his face, the religious leader said, “It is myself.”  Similarly, David met Bishop Anderson and Ahmed approached Mullah Naqvi.

On the appointed day, the chairman opened the three covers and was aghast to see the answers – “The child is Sankaracharya,” “It is Bishop Anderson” and “The answer is Mulla Naqvi.”  The chairman was furious and shouted, “What non-sense is it?”  The MD: “Yes, sir, they are all wrong.  The child is Sowbhagya, my wife.”

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