Friday, July 1, 2011

Jagannath Culture

Jagannath Culture -The principle of SarvaDharma samanwaya

Orissa is the land of Jagannath culture. It represents the religious worships of orissa. It has unique and valuable religious tourism resources. The state has something for everyone. The monuments- the sun temple at Konark, the Jagannath temple at Puri, the Lingraj temple at Bhubaneswar are the sacred places of Orissa attract thousand of pilgrimages from the different parts of world in recent time. The beautiful yatra, Car festivals of Lord Jagannath motivate many devotees from different parts of the world. There are many spots of Orissa, which deserve to be publicized worldwide by international tourism. The temple architect and sculpture of Orissa are world famous. Apart from Indian culture, Orissa like any other region of the country have no separate culture of own. Lord Jagannath is the presiding deity of Orissa culture. It became the symbol of unified religion and culture among the Jainism, Buddhism, shaivism, vaishnavism and Shaktism from time to time. But Jagannath is the lord of universe, almighty and omnipresent. The sacred place, Puri of Orissa is prominent as purusottam kshetra. In the Hindu belief it is one of the four centers of salvation from ancient times ,the people of India regarded four places, namely, Badrinathin the north, Rameswaram in the south, Dwaraka in the west, and Puri on the eastern sea cost as their destinations for pilgrimage. Puri was thus recognized as one of the most sacred places of India from an immemorial past. It is also known as 'Shreekshetra1, Niladri, Sankha kshetra and Martya-baikuntha.

According to Vedas and the Puranas the Purusottam appears in the Puri. Therefore it is called Purusottamkshetra, the place of Jagannath or Purusottam, i.e., the Supreme Being or the Lord of the universe is a place of great antequity. According to old tradition, Sanskrit Brahma Purana and Scandha Purana as well as in Oriya Mahabharata of Adikavi Sarala Das and Darubrahma Gita of Jagannath Das, a Savara leader named Biswabasu worshipped the image of Nilamadhava at a secret place named Nilakandara on the eastern seashore.

The king of Malawa, Indradyumna "advanced towards Utkal to take possession of that divine Image. But Nilamadhava disappeared from his original place and floated in the sea in form of a huge log of wood.

Indradyumn engaged a carpenter to carve out images from that sacred wood inside a temple. The old carpenter agreed to make images on condition that the doors of the temple would remain closed for twenty-one days. On fifteenth day when no sound of woodcarving was heard. From inside, the queen suspected that the image-maker might be dead. She requested the king to open the door, when it was done. Inside the temple were seen the incomplete idols of Jagannath, Balab-bhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan.The legend suggests that Jagannath was originally the God of the savaras. . The primitive races like the Savaras, Nishads and the Kiratas used to worship trees as their deities from pre- historic ages. In later times the Dravidians, and the Aryans also included tree worship in their religion, subsequently, the tree worship was transformed in to the wor­ship of wooden images.

Be it noted that while the images of the Hindu deities are made of stone or metal, the image of the Supreme Being Purusotam Jagannath is made of wood. Since the original name of the Savara deity was Nilamadhava, the name of his new place came to be known as Nilachala.It is said that wooden idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra, subhadra and Sudarshan represent the primitive art of the savaras. Jagannath was the God of the Savaras was so deep rooted in the Oriya mind that Sarala Das described Jagannath as "Savari Narayana" in his Mahabharata written in 15th century. According lo the Jainism -Jagannath in the manner of the names of JainaTirthakaras.It is also said that Tri-Ratna of Jainism namely Right Faith, Right knowledge and Right Action are symbolically represented in the trinity of Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra.The Janis believed in idol worship.

They believed used to place the images of the Tirthankars on chariot and take out in procession like the car festival of Jagannath. According to some scholars, the images of Jagannath, Subhadra and Balabhadra symbolized the Buddhist Faith in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. It is also said that forest-dwellers of Orissa like the Savaras adopted Buddhism in Asoka's time. By first century of the Christian era when idol worship became common among the Buddhists, the savara came to regard the image of Jagannath as the image of Buddha. In course of time the Hindus also regarded Buddha as an incarnation or Avatar of Vishnu and identified Buddha as Jagannath, The Supreme Being in this Age of Kali (Kaliyuga). Buddhism stood for a casteless society. It belived in brotherhood of all men. Purusottam kshtra is the only sacred place in whole of India where the Prasad or bhoga of Jagannath is shared under same plate by Brahmans and Sudra together. This unique phenomenon is described to the influence Buddhism under universal religion, which Jagannath stands for.

When the Surya a Dynasty came to power after the Gang as the medieval Bhakti Movement was at its height. Devotion to Krishna was the central theme of Bhakti. On account of this, Jagannath was seen as Krishna. To drive this point to the Hindu mind, was narration that when Srikrishna gave up his body after being struck by an arrow of Jarasavara, through Pandavas cremated his total remedial. But one portion burn, and floated in form of wood in the real it coming to know of in dream, king Indra dyunma order for carving out of images of jannath, Balabhadra, subhadra and sudarsan from that divine wood. To the Vaishnavites, thus it is srikrishna who has appeared as Jagannath in this kali Age.

In order to justify the presence of Balabhadra and subhadra with Jagannath it was said that Jagannath is Vasudev-Krikrishna, and, therefore Krishna's brother balarama and, sister Subhadra have been given place with-Jagannath. Since those, three idols were considered as Buddha. Dharma and Sangha by the Buddhists, and Sudarshan was described as a symbol of Buddha's Dhrma-Chakra the Vaishnavas identify Sudarshan with Krishna's 'Sudarshan Chakra'

The significance of the Jagannath culture lies in the fact that it has absorbed all religions and all religious believes within itself. Within its all-embarrassing fold, one finds the essence of the evolution of Indian religions and cult. The unique feature of Hinduism from ancient Limes was die freedom of every individual to think of God in his own way. Every group, community or caste was also given freedom to develop own religious tradition. There was neither rigidity nor intolerance- the Hindu way of life.

"In this atmosphere of perfect freedom and liberalism that there developed in India numerous religious customs and systems, mode? of worship and prayer higher human ideal; as well as blind superstitions in this over all background 'the culture of Jagannath developed itself such a way as 10 accommodate all varieties of believes within itself. Diversity in unity and unity in diversity is prime character of Jagannath Call The Supreme Bering One and the same; Jagannath is the Lord of the- Universe. In spume of outward differences m human existence, Jagannath is the One God for all.

Jagannath is represent in Vedic Brahmarfiim, Jainism, Buddhism, Puranic Hinduism, Saivism, Saktism, Taoism and Vaishnavism in various

phases of time. Though in shape of wooden idols, Jagannath is that Absolute Being who is beyond description, beyond form, and beyond comprehension. He Is the Savior of all, irrespective of caste, color orfreedom of man.

The Universality of Jagannath has carried it's: western thinkers of the present day. They find in the Jagannath Cull the highest spiritual ideals and the deepest feelings of demotion' mixed with outward ceremonies to satisfy the common mind. The Cult of Jagannath is thus a gift of Orissa humanity to satisfy its desire for spiritual peace, social harmony and universal divinity.

References: http://www.orissatourism.com
: History of India by R.C.Majumdar
: Indian History by M.N.Das
: Manorama Year Book.
: The Rough Guide of India by David Abram and others.
: History of Orissa by J.pattanaik
: History of Orissa by three authors

FROM:
Mr. Ramesh Chandra Padhy
Lecturer in Tourism Management
VIHTM, RAJKOT, GUJARAT
E-mail: ramesh.padhy@rediffmail.com

Reference:
- Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (earth foundation) Handbook.
- Kachcha:T.S.Radhawa. (published in 1998)
- Travel Planner Gujarat (A research project Ashok Tanna)


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Review: Hammond World Almanac 2006 World Atlas

Publisher: Hammond World Atlas CorporationISBN: 0843709375

The Hammond World Atlas Corporation has teamed up with the bestselling World Almanac and Book of Facts in putting together a superb and educational publication, Hammond World Almanac 2006 World Atlas.

You can probably call this Almanac the bible for world class cartography and data with its 200 pages of facts and figures about people, ethnic groups, languages, religions, area, capital, GDP, head of state, and governments. And then there are the 100 pages of digital TerraScape Maps that feature three dimensional relief of land and ocean floor terrain.

When I looked at the "Contents" section of the Almanac, I was delighted to see that there is a section pertaining to the interpretation of maps. How often have you looked at a map and you haven't a clue as to what all the symbols mean or the map scales and projections?

In clear and precise language the authors of this publication explain what are map projections and explore some of the most widely used projections. They also introduce us to a new projection, the Hammond Optimal Conformal.

For those of us who are unfamiliar with the term map projection, we are informed that the challenge faced by mapmakers is to project the earth's curved surface onto a flat plane. Consequently, to accomplish this feat, cartographers have developed map projections or formulas that govern this conversion of geographic data. It is possible to identify every point on earth with the help of a geographic coordinate grid, and this grid is projected onto a flat surface.

From this starting point we are given explanations of general principles and terms, how to flatten a sphere, selected examples of projections, conic projection and the Hammond Optimal Conformal.

This initial section is followed with a comprehensive explanation as to how to use the map section. It is here where we find out how boundaries are determined, sources of names, map symbols, colors, labels and map scales.

Armed with all this introductory data we are now prepared to examine the world maps starting with the Europe and Northern Asia and then Asia, Australia and Pacific, Africa, Antarctica, South America, and North America. On the bottom of each map there are color codes differentiating the population of the various cities and towns. There is also a mileage scale denoted in either miles or kilometers. Detailed and comparative thematic maps, tables, graphs pertaining to each continent, topography, population, land use, mineral resources and consumption are also included.

The concluding section or the World Almanac Section presents key facts and figures concerning every nation such as their rankings by population and area, major oceans, ocean depths, and islands, rivers, waterfalls, continental altitudes, lakes, reservoirs, dams, highest mountains, temperatures, top languages, precipitation, population growth, energy and environment.

Examining facts and figures about a particular nation we notice that what is included is the following: topography, capital city, independence date, type of government, who is the head of state and head of government, GDP, industries, chief crops, minerals, life expectancy at birth, literacy rate and a link to the country's web site.

This almanac is a magnificent achievement to be savored and repeatedly enjoyed. It fills an educational niche and is a perfect addition for libraries, classrooms, and personal book collections, where vital geographical data is at your finger tips.

The above review was contributed by: NORM GOLDMAN Editor of Bookpleasures. CLICK TO VIEW MORE OF Norm Goldman's Reviews

Norm Goldman is editor of the book reviewing and author interviewing site http://www.bookpleasures.com/ and the travel site http://www.sketchandtravel.com/

Bookpleasures is a global Internet book reviewing and author interviewing village. Reviewers come from all over the globe and review all genre. There are over 6500 sites that link to Bookpleasures and many of the reviews are listed within the first 3 pages of the Google Search Engine.

Norm also offers his own personalized express review service where you can have a quick review within 15 business days from the receipt of your book. To learn more about this service go to bookpleasures.com

Norm is ranked among the top 1000 Amazon reviewers and he contributes his reviews to several other Internet sites.

In addition, Norm and his artist wife Lily meld words with art focusing on romantic and wedding destinations, inns, and other hospitality properties. You can read Norm's travel articles and view Lily's art work that is always for sale at sketchandtravel.com


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History of Guinness World Records

One of the most popular books that come out every year is the Guinness book of records. This is now more commonly known as the Guinness world records. This popular book chronicles things such as the best and worst or the longest and shortest or many other recordable facts from throughout the world.

This book is accredited to the Irish twins Ross and Norris McWhirter who actually published the first Guinness book of records in Britain as far back as 1955. What a lot of people do not actually realize though is that the book is commissioned by a famous brewery in Ireland namely the Guinness brewery.

Guinness came up with the idea of making the book in order to further promote their product and bring more revenue into their company. The book initially was just a way of letting people know the answers too many of the bar bets that were being run at the time.

It is rumored that the original idea came in 1951 when a certain Sir Hugh Beaver, who was at the time a managing director of the Guinness Empire was participating in a shooting party. He somehow got into an exchange of words with another person about Europe's fastest bird. They argued about whether it was the Koshin Golden Plover or the Grouse.

Whilst he was trying to find the answer from his reference books in his Castlebridge House library, he suddenly realized that the books were a little vague with the answer.

Then a thought struck his mind that perhaps a book like this could in fact be quite interesting. This was the start of the Guinness book of records.

This annual book has sold millions of copies since it was first published in 1955. Funnily enough it now holds a record itself as the most popular and best selling of all the copyrighted serial books in the world.

One unenviable record that this book holds is that it is book most likely to be stolen from public libraries in the United States.

If you are fond of keeping memories, then buy a camera strap and a DVR camera.


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June Gloom Got You Down?

What is with this June Gloom? Is everyone experiencing it or is it just us Californians? It seems as though it is never going away and I'm trying not to let it get me down. It comes at the most odd time of the year to me, right when you are truly enjoying the amazing spring sunshine and getting ready for those hot summer days it hits. It's crazy! It's like all of a sudden you are pulling out pieces from your winter wardrobe that you just packed away once spring hit. It definitely does not make sense to keep wearing the fabulous sandals and flip flops you just bought when it's sprinkling outside. I just don't get it, so I decided to do some research on this June Gloom and find out the facts.

According to Wikipedia (The Free Encyclopedia) June Gloom (also May Gray) is a California term for a weather pattern that results in overcast skies with mild temperatures during the late spring and early summer. The condition is prevalent in many parts of the world where marine stratus or stratocumulus clouds are common, particularly off the western coasts of continents-especially off Peru, Namibia, Western Australia, and California. Such cloud systems are persistent year-round off the coast, yet in certain seasons they blow ashore and create the gloomy "May Gray" effect on land. The June Gloom phenomenon has also been known to occur during the early fall in California.

Early mornings during this period are typically foggy, with an occasional drizzle. The fog turns to low clouds by late morning and early afternoon. Finally, by late afternoon, solar heating is sufficient to evaporate the clouds. Often the overcast will be evaporated ("burned off") quickly inland, but will linger along the immediate coast.

In California, the number of days from May to June that are gloomy vary from year to year. Cooler ocean temperatures, associated with La Nina, usually foretell a grayer period.

June Gloom has been reported by some Californians to bring on symptoms consistent with seasonal affective disorder. It is often cited as a time of depression. Did you know that Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer, repeatedly, year after year? The US National Library of Medicine notes that "some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. They may sleep too much, have little energy, and crave sweets and starchy foods. They may also feel depressed. Though symptoms can be severe, they usually clear up." The condition in the summer is often referred to as Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder, and can also include heightened anxiety. There are many different treatments for classic (winter-based) seasonal affective disorder, including light therapies with bright lights, anti-depression medication, ionized-air administration, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and carefully timed supplementation of the hormone melatonin.

So if this June Gloom has got you down, you are not alone. This weather just seems to make me feel like hibernating. Thank goodness it will only be here for a short time then onto our sunshine filled summer we go.

Check out these fabulous "June Gloom proof" items from Sealed with a Kiss Designs, perfect for throwing on over any Spring/Summer outfit on these cloudy June Gloom days. The Amber Plus Size Shrug for $33.00 available in Black, Electric Blue, and Pink 1X-3X can be paired with virtually everything! This style has 3/4 sleeves and rounded collar which is great for layering. Also, the Jenny Plus Size Wrap for $36.00 available in Black and Electric Blue 1X-5X is also a perfect layering item this season. This long sleeve wrap can be worn in multiple ways for every occasion.


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Grier's Almanac: 200 Years of Service

One of my favorite "reads" are almanacs. From the formerly named Information Please almanac to the Old Farmer's Almanac, these handy paperback books contain a wealth of information on virtually any subject, particularly the more generalized tomes such as Information Please.

In November 2005, I visited my locally owned drugstore and found that they had free copies of Grier's Almanac available for customers. Similar in design to the Old Farmer's Almanac, I took a copy home with me.

Although not peppered with stories such as can be found in the Old Farmer's Almanac, Grier's contains the usual "zodiac" information which farmers in time's past would rely on to help them determine when to plant. In addition, you can find information on daily weather predictions, a fishing calendar, an exhaustive list of holidays for the year, and interesting chronological information on events that happened on particular dates throughout history. In the back of the almanac is a section devoted to all kinds of classified ads.

As with most almanacs in this particular genre, Grier's has its share of ads. Some are helpful and include ads for insurance and gardening, while others are bizarre and include ads for oils and candles to help make your opposing lawyer stupid. Okay, if it works than that is great!

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Grier's is that 2006 represents their 200th anniversary edition. For two straight centuries the almanac has been published including throughout the Civil War period, a remarkable feat indeed.

Grier's is written for the southern states only from Virginia to Texas. As mentioned, copies are free and can be found in many drugstores, feed and seed establishments, and retail outlets throughout the south. Annual circulation reportedly exceeds three million copies.

Congratulations to Grier's Almanac Publishing Company of Atlanta for 200 consecutive years of service!

Copyright 2006 -- Matthew Keegan is The Article Writer who writes on a variety of topics including: advocacy, automobiles, aviation, business, Christian themes, family, news, product reviews, travel, writing, and more. Please visit Matt's blog for absolutely stunning and humorous writings from the master himself!


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What is the Best Place to Live in the United States and Canada - One Almanac Tells All

During the recession many families are re-thinking where they live and considering making a move, something they take very seriously, and cannot afford to make a mistake. But where do they move too? Where can they get all the information they need to make an informed decision? Well, boy have I got the perfect book to aid in this search:

"Places Rated Almanac; Your Guide to Finding the Best Places to Live in the United States and Canada" (Special Millennium Edition) by David Savageau with Ralph D'Agostino; IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., Foster City, CA; 2000.

This book is a wealth of information on places to live, listed are some 354 Metro Areas which are ranked by crime, weather, arts, recreation, sports teams, job base, education, transportation, energy, pollution, cost of living and health care considerations. There is so much data in this book you will be blown away, and it will make you consider things you may not have ever thought about before, such as the number of restaurants, churches, or parks. How about bike lanes, traffic times, yep, all listed.

How about good paying jobs? Cost of homes, rentals or business locations? Rainy days, sunny days, cloudy days, stormy days, well, it is all here in one giant almanac book and you can cross reference to your heart's content. All the suburbs are listed and the driving times to town, as well as trains, buses, subways, light rail, airports, number of airlines, it's a demographic dream come true, perfect for business or just plain deciding where to live and hang your hat, raise your family or retire to.

"Lance Winslow" - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/.


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An Almanac for Dads - Get Out? A Book Review for Any Father

Well, no one's parents are perfect, but what if you could be the perfect dad? Listen fathers, I think it is now possible. No, it's probably too late for dead beat dads, but if you have done a pretty good job so far, then perfection is within range. Let me explain, you see, you need the ultimate book designed just for dads:

"The Father's Almanac" by S. Adams Sullivan - 1947.

Sometimes funny, but always informative, this work is perfect for a father, who has a child, kid or teen and suddenly realized that his offspring came with no information manual. Well, consider this the book for you. The subtitle; "An Indispensable Book of Practical Advice and Ideas for Men Who Enjoy the Fun and Challenge of Raising Young Children." After reading through this book, I have to agree, it is all that and more. There is even a chapter for fathers who will soon be fathers and are quite worried and wondering if they can handle it or not. Most likely they won't get everything right with or without this book, but it's a heck of a great start.

Chapters include such subjects as dealing with babies, proper discipline, how to play with kids, juggling family with job, providing for a family and the real needs, as well as chapters on special events, working with kids, teaching them, and keeping good records. The end of the book is rich with much needed information, further reading and resources. If you are a day and want to stay on top of your fatherly duties you need this book and you ought to be reading it too.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Blog Content Service. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance Winslow's Bio


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