The Kerala Articles

Meenakshi Amman Temple - Madurai

2012-02-25T09:15:00.004+05:30

A Trip to Madurai (Madhura); Tamilnadu

Our unanimous selection for this year’s vacation (2011) was Madurai in Tamilnadu; out of four days available; we allocated first day for Madurai Meenakshi Temple; second day for the surrounding locations of Madurai like Thirupparam-kundram, Thirumalai Naicken Palace, Alagar Temple etc. The third day was for visiting Rameswaram (the tiny island off eastern mainland that houses one of the oldest temples in India). The first and half of the fourth day allotted for the grand temple turned out to be utterly insufficient; the temple turned out to be far more than what we could perceive!

Madhura (Madurai); this city is indebted to its origin, growth as well as existence to this grand temple by name Madurai Meenakshi Sundaresanar Temple. The architectural marvels known as gopurams (towers or spires) are so awe- inspiring that their images will never fade from one’s mind. Those richly carved spires with innumerable images, thousands of exclusively carved sand-stone pillars built by unknown artists, countless number of idols made in black and other rare granites; the golden lotus pond, etc are something words can never convey.

Here in Madurai all streets lead to the Temple; they are the haven of many small venders (mainly women) doing brisk business selling flowers and the entire streets are filled with the fragrance of those beautiful flowers stocked for devotees’ needs. Coconuts, fruits like guava, mango, cucumber etc (the prices they quote are very reasonable unlike other tourist- places). Devotees buy flowers and fruits to be offered before the deity as per the custom and these are the main items sold by these women who scrambling for client’s attention.

Meenakshi is the Tamil version of Parvathy; meaning the woman with fish shaped eyes. I had a notion that the temple was of Meenakshi; some Tamil deity; however this visit proved how wrong I was; and it changed my whole concept about Hindu temples and their sculptural values; the tough and brittle sand stones, marble or granites were mere wax-blocks before those gurus.

The original structure of this temple is supposed to be 2500 years old which had undergone several reconstructions and modifications by Chera and Pandya dynasties who ruled this land for several centuries. The main deities are of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi (Meenakshi).
Entry to this temple is through the eastern gate first structure is of Ashta-Lakshmi Mandapam (where eight beautiful idols of Goddess Lakshmi are carved). After that it is Meenakshi Naicken Mandapam that is endowed with carved sand-stone pillars each exquisite piece a feast to the eye.

Ayiram-kal mandapam or the thousand pillared tower is so rich to behold admission by paying a fees of Rs 10 is a must see place. The beautiful and priceless statues and murals exhibited really great in fact one full day are required to watch these exhibits. Never forget to keep the camera though rules demand some fee for taking in camera.

Sanctum Sanctorum (Sree-Kovil) for Shiva and Meenakshi are separate it is customary to pay obeisance to Meenakshi first (women first is no strange thing to old culture). Ganapathi (the son of the couple) is seated between the couple; Lord Shiva (a ten feet high statue) seems to be contending with coming third place as per the temple’s protocol; a smile in his face definitely declares that!

Meenakshi Temple is the symbol of love and its fulfillment and marriages held at this temple are considered auspicious that lead to long and fruitful married life. The venders here trade the sacred thread and mangalya- sutra (used to tie knots in marriage) as there are many to buy it from Madurai itself for the blessed presence of Holy Meenakshi!

Located at the heart of the city of Madurai; this temple is accessible by train, road and air; good lodges are available for reasonable rates (the air-conditioned double room we stayed cost Rs.2050 a day). Services and cleanliness were satisfactory and location was close by the temple enabling frequent journey between temple and room by walking. A small though bit crowded vegetarian restaurant nearby (Sabari’s) served excellent vegetarian delicacies was a real boon.

Thirupparan-kundram -we visited on the second day- is a grand temple with exclusive sand-stone carvings and nearby standing bare-rock on extreme proportions is real thing. I recommend visitors to Madurai should visit this temple at any cost. A deep pond in the temple compound that never dries up (Tamilnadu is a place where water is scarce) and the huge decorated chariot with its coir ropes (used for tugging it during festival rituals) are all unforgettable sights. Lack of maintenance and migration of beggars have sullied the otherwise beautiful spire in front of the temple.

Palace of former king Thirumalai –Naicken (who ruled Tamilnadu during 17th century) which is notable for its huge pillars, golden throne (on which the king sat to oversee the court), art works on its high ceilings etc were impressive. Alagar Hill and nearby Vishnu Temple (Kovil) and innumerable monkeys those lived from the food materials given by devotees etc were on our menu which were left for the second day.

Our third day was to visit Rameswaram the grand temple that houses many theerthams (wells containing pure water considered holy); there is train from Madurai to Rameswaram that pass via Tirunelveli and reach the sea-island over the Pampan Bridge (this bridge in itself is a marvel as train and road bridge pass parallel across the sea for kilometers). Many years back a bridge along with a train full of passengers were washed away by the sea causing several deaths; that memory will haunt the present passengers while the bridge is crossed!

Rameswaram also has many sights other than the calm sea and the famous temple. It was sad to see the grand temple was infested by toots never eligible to handle traditional rituals. However a restaurant operated by a Jain Association here serves excellent and fresh vegetarian food at reasonable cost. They also offer a very simple and tidy accommodation.

Our fourth day was of preparation for return yet a visit to Meenakshi could be possible; Meenakshi was more beautiful even for the second sight. The venders who have vandalized inside the temple seemed to be pity and we felt enraged to the government policy which gave license to this type of desecration of a holy place.

It was time bid farewell to Madurai as train was scheduled to depart; Goodbye Madurai.

Buckingham Palace

2011-09-12T08:09:00.006+05:30

Buckingham Palace by Tony Madrid

Whether it is the occasion for national rejoice or moaning; British people flock to Buckingham Palace; it is here the national icon of Great Britain; the queen resides and standing on the Palace balcony she addresses the Public. British monarchy is the only one on earth that has been consistently loved by its people. The Buckingham Palace is not just the house of the royal family; it is a complex structure of many offices, administrative offices of monarchy, residences of staff, galleries, guest rooms, reception halls etc. The palace has a considerable portion left for the public to visit. In the course of 4 centuries this palace has been subjected to many expansions and modifications.

A real mansion

This grand palace is 24 meters in height; 108 meters long and 120 meters in depth and has 775 rooms in total! These include 19 State Rooms, 52Royal and Guest-rooms, 188 bed rooms, two throne rooms and 92 offices. State Rooms are offices for executing the official duties of the monarch. More than 50,000 people visit this palace every year as guests (this number does not include the tourists who flock to the palace for sight- seeing) for banquets, lunches and other ceremonies like the Royal Garden party. The artifacts that decorate the walls and rooms of this palace is enough to enthrall any museums in the world; the portraits arranged are in the same order as Queen Victoria set them at her reign.

Buckingham Palace Guard by Márcio Cabral de Moura

History

Buckingham Palace is not just a big mansion; it is history on brick and mortar; a symbol of an only monarchy; for ever loved by its people. The original structure of this palace was built by the Duke of Buckingham in 1705 for residence in the manor of Ebury known as Eia; a marshy place watered by River Tyburn (This River was later made to flow through submerged tunnel beneath the palace yard; the submerged River Tyburn quietly flows unseen and unknown!.

This mansion remained a private property for about 150 years until got acquired by King George III in 1761 for his Queen consort Charlotte to reside; (14 of the George III’s 15 children were born in this house) thus this mansion got yet another synonym; the’ Queen’s House’. King George III remodeled it as per the design of William Chambers in 1762.

Queens Carraige at the Royal Mews in London by Michael McDonough

(Queen Charlotte (1761 to 1818); who became the owner of the mansion (Mecklenburg- Strelitz was her full name) was a lover of arts and an amateur botanist; it was she who founded the Royal Botanical Gardens – the largest garden in London; a World Heritage Site. She was Electress Consort of Hanover (who had the voting right to elect the Roman King). The Palace got yet another name as ‘Queen’s House due to the residence of Queen Charlotte.

Later King George IV started some remodeling works that lasted 47 years and was completed in 1827 under Nash (the over-shoot of budget cost Nash his job). During World War II the palace cruelly bombed by the Germans; a chapel attached to the palace was damaged; it was at that site the present gallery was built.

Every palace has its day

Buckingham Palace Guard by Márcio Cabral de Moura

The king who repaired it for half a century never moved in to it! A fire that broke out did extensive damage in 1834; however with the fire the bad-time of the mansion expired and fortune started to shine upon it in the shape of Queen Victoria who moved in and made the building her residential and administrative office. It was in 1837 the mansion got readied to become the Royal Palace to accommodate Queen Victoria on her accession.

A Guinness-book record

Queen Victoria who ruled Britain for 63 years and 7 months holds the un broken record as the only woman who ruled a land for such a long period; she was nicknamed as the Grandmother of Europe as her 9 children as well as 26 out of 42 grand children were married to various royalties of Europe!). The chapel situated in the compound was flattened by German Bombers during WWII; and at that site the ‘Queens’s Gallery was built; where royal exhibits of the palace are displayed.

Queen Elizabeth (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary)

Victoria Memorial from Buckingham Palace by H M Cotterill

The present incumbent of the Palace is Queen Elizabeth II; she is second only to Queen Victoria for the title of being the longest ruler of England (from 6 Feb 1952 to present). The queen was born in April 21, 1926, daughter to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Bowes Lyon. Queen Elizabeth is mother to four children (Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward). As the monarch to British Crown she holds many titles; she is Constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states like Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica etc, head of 54 member Common-wealth nations including India and she is Supreme Governor of the Church of England. British people are eager to celebrate her diamond jubilee in 2012 (on completion of 60 years of reign on June 2012).

Blame it on Buckingham!

The current Royal Family consists of The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The history of this monarchy begins from 400 AD when the Scottish Monarchy was established; that lasted till 1603 giving way to the present incumbents. Centuries go by; still people are left with only two choices; either hate to love this centuries old legacy or love to hate it; but no one can afford to ignore it. When a member of the royal family sneezes; the whole world catches cold; can the media stay behind; they also start squeezing and pulling their elaborate noses spread world- wide! Blame it on Buckingham the exquisite palace and the legacy attached to it.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple

2011-09-02T22:14:00.005+05:30

Padmanabhaswamy Temple Thiruvananthapuram

Shree Padmanabha Swami Temple at Thiruvananthapuram is famous for its antiquity and grandeur; it is the temple of the royal family members of Travancore Empire. Located at the most coveted spot in Trivandrum; this grand temple attracts millions of pilgrims from all over India. Here in this temple; Lord Vishnu is carved in a reclining posture on Anantha - the mythical serpent with thousand heads- hence this temple is known as Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple; meaning Lord Vishnu who rest on Anantha. All on a sudden Padmanabha Temple has shot to international fame for the treasures discovered from the sealed secret vaults within its premises and the priceless articles kept in them unopened for centuries.

There were rumors already in circulation the temple housed articles of great value. At present the ball set rolling by a petition filed by one T.P Sundara Rajan- a retired I.P.S officer- before the Honorable Supreme Court of India; seeking proper assessment and recording of the articles stored in the secret vaults within the temple structure. He also alleged that the members of the Royal family were pilfering the un- valuable wealth. Admitting the plea the court issued directions for opening of the secret vaults for verification and recording of the materials. But what has been so far found beat all the speculations by leaps and bounds. They were bedazzled by a treasure trove of rare and invaluable materials which could be communicated to the public by media briefing alone as cameras were not permitted inside! Now that it is estimated to be of 1000 billions of rupees ($ 20 billion) or rupees one lakh crores!

The team deputed for inventory taking constituted of big guns like two former judges of the Kerala High-Court (Justice M N Krishnan and Justice C S Rajan; Observers Sri Jayakumar (Chief Secretary) and Harikumar; representing Archaeological department, Sri T P Sundara Rajan (the petitioner), eminent gemologist etc. Fire fighters and medical persons were also deputed in case of emergency and supplying of light and oxygen in to the cellars. The vaults were dark and the cellars entrances had just enough space for one man to enter; cellars’ entrances difficult to find as un-recognizably paved with granite slabs. These slabs were engraved with secret codes and symbols which could not be decoded by anybody.

The experts deputed were first assigned for registering the details of the inventory and they are not entrusted with assessment of the value of the find. As all these items were of extreme antiquity; valuation may be a near impossible affair or at least require international expertise. Of the total eight vaults (numbered from A to F) the team could survey seven only so far (two of them were being daily opened for storing pooja materials and had no secrecy). Vault no. ‘A’ with its underground cellars contained really wonderful inventories like a shawl made of golden fiber at the length of Sri Padmanabha statue (18 feet in length and 35 kg in weight) was just one among them! Of late the court has passed orders for assigning value of the materials (which is still in the process).

A Vishnu Idol fully studded with gems and diamonds (estimated value Rs. 500 crores), A Krishna Idol made of pure gold, a golden neck-lace that is 18 feet in length, 200 silver pots. hundred thousand antique gold coins pertaining to various nations and various centuries (even coins minted by Napoleon were present in the collection), 20 bag-full of precious stones including rubies, diamonds etc; all safely packed in teak-wood cases. Pieces of one gold barrel (it is believed that the kings of Travancore used to bath in water filled in this golden drum at the time of ascent to the chair), crowns embedded with rare gems

There is one more no go area in this temple where even priests have no admission; that is the space between the main idol and the wall; no one is sure whether there is a floor there or there is a deep cavern made to trap the encroachers! There is a story doing round that one priest once tied a ring in a long thread suspended in to it and the ring kept on going down till the thread’s length finished; yet bottom was not found. The frightened priest retreated from his experiment. He said later that there was a sound akin to sea-wind emanating from the cavern!

The dark two cellars found had doors made of metal and their floors paved with granite slabs; certain slabs were actually camouflaged doors those led to the basement cellars carefully built to deceive encroachers however skilled were they in their ‘profession’. The team of experts had to postpone their work several times as it was difficult to locate and enter in to the chambers through the manhole opening. They had to bring advanced equipments, oxygen and many other precautions for entry. Two days work yielded of articles on about 1000 crores ($250 million).

On Monday (4-7-2011) at 1-30 pm after the morning rituals of the temple the team opened a vault called ‘nityadi’ (meaning day today dealing) and recorded valuables worth about 1000 crores. Findings of this vault include decorations meant for the idol, vessels etc. This vault is located below the ‘Ottakkaal Mandapam’ meaning single stone platform; yes as the name denotes this huge platform is carved out of a single rock.

Details run like this 100 numbers of ‘Sarappoli-manikya-mala’ golden laces studded with precious stones), Two golden lamps (nilavilakku) weighing 15 kg each, vessels used for daily rituals, golden pots, diamond chains, plates made of gold, silver etc, golden bird plate, golden pan, stirrer (chattukam), golden rose-water-bowls, crowns studded with diamonds, golden eagle idol, conch shells with clockwise twist (valampiri shanku –an extremely rare and costly variety) golden bells, flower vases etc. By three pm the surveying was compete- as per the custom this vault can be opened only after the rituals of the temple is over and the door is closed. These special decorations were only used on rare occasions.

The works related to opening of chamber B (which is believed to be closed for centuries) will be done only on 8th July. Justice T N Krishnan observer to the Supreme Court of India has stated that a meeting held on Friday will take a decision regarding the modalities to be worked out to open the chamber that is guarded by hard grill of steel In the mean time the members of the Royal family has approached the court against declaring the findings in public and pleading a stay of the team in discussing things with the public and media.

A ‘Deva-prashnam’ (seeking of astrological help in finding god’s will when in doubt regarding procedures of the temple) of the was held and the priests held a view that the deity was angry about the whole affairs and any further encroachments may invite the wrath of god; retaliation can be as serious as the annihilation the family of the encroachers! An order from a court is no excuse for entering in to god’s territory –Honorable Supreme Court is only for the mortals and not for Sri Padmanabha!
At present the royal family has approached the Supreme Court for revoking its orders and maintaining status quo; which means that the chamber B may not be opened until further orders from the honorable court. What is in the court’s mind is only known by the gods; for the present bid farewell to the curiosities and hold your breath to watch what happens next.

Bats and a Batman

2011-05-02T09:39:00.002+05:30

Bats and a Batman

Bats have always remained as the symbols of fright and eeriness; they are supposed to be accomplices of evil souls like witches, sorcerers and scary ghosts! They are comic looking, nocturnal and live in desolate areas like caves, caverns and dark places in barns giving some sense of fear and intrigue. Batman the child friendly cartoon hero remains very popular but it has done nothing to help children love or understand real bats. Our Batman (Mr. Tuttle) is no cartoon icon but a real man in flesh and blood; who leads a life dedicated for the conservation of these wonderful animals.

Bats have many unique features like; world’s only mammals capable of sustained flight; they simply hang on the branches with bottom up. They can fly in utter darkness with help of high frequency and hence inaudible sound waves sent and received back in to their elaborate ears etc (this mechanism is more efficient than the eye-sight of other animals). Big ears, doglike face, nocturnal life (active during nights) umbrella like black pseudo-wings (formed by skin between fingers) etc make bats a riddle to common people making superstitions flourish around these poor things.

Mr. Merlin Devere Tuttle –Curator of mammals in Milwaukee Public Museum – is one of the most eminent American ecologists; was born in Honolulu Hawaii in 1941. He was interested in bats and their behavior from the very young age. This batman is not dressed in queer attire like the cartoon figure; he holds many doctorates in various fields of animal behaviors like foraging, migration, hibernation, energetic thermo regulation etc.

He is most eloquent when it comes to bats and has smashed many age old myths about bats like they are useless and dirty creatures; destroy crops, spread rabies, bite human beings and suck blood etc. The organization formed under Tuttle’s leadership ‘BCI’ or Bat Conservation International (founded in March12, 1982) has conducted detailed researches about bats and their ecological importance. The observations made by it have disproved many age old myths about bats one by one. As per BCI study 150 big brown bats consume about 600,000 cucumber beetles which would have otherwise laid 33 million rootworms capable of destroying thousands of acres of crops. They munch mosquitoes not by numbers but by kilograms per day!

About 300 plant species need bats for their propagation; most of these plants are economically very important as they yield more than 450 commercial products worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Bats as it per the believes are ‘dirty creatures’ but nothing is far from truth as bats spend most of their free time cleaning themselves and never let any dirt stick on their body. In spite of all these good works the very existence of bats is being threatened by human activities like sealing the used mines where millions of bats live and lead them to death by suffocation. Cutting down trees where bats live in colonies etc leading them to perish for want of abode. Before the intervention of BCI millions of dollars were spent by the US Government to exterminate bats as they were thought to be pests!

Adding to the poor animals’ woes; there comes the disease by name ‘White nose syndrome’ which has terminated millions of bats already and counting. BCI has one more task in its shoulder; this malady being propagated by a bug; activism, persuasion or demonstrations have no role in its eradication. Concerted activities and serious research alone can serve the purpose where BCI can function as a nodal organization. Tuttle and his brainchild are of much more relevance in this time when these poor animals perish in to oblivion.

Bats are man’s friends and our economy and ecology need bats among many other contributors which we nurture on huge costs. Most of desolate islands would have remained barren but for the service of bats known as flying foxes; as they fly thousands of kilometers with the fruits and disperse their seeds in a single night. Most of the plants of very great commercial value would have vanished but for bats; the threat of wns (White Nose Syndrome) is a challenge on human existence as well and Tuttle should not be alone in his battle for the bats.

Vu Khac Minh - The smiling mummy of Vietnam

2010-06-26T09:10:00.013+05:30

Vu Khac Minh - The smiling mummy of Vietnam

300 plus and counting

Thien Temple is located at the village of Dau about 23 km from Hanoi the capital of Vietnam and there is a small chapel nearby the temple. This article is about a weird deity waiting for visitors at this chapel. It is Vu Khac Minh; the former Abbot (chief) of the Monastery. For more than 300 years; this former Abbot is sitting on a stone platform in lotus posture (padmasana –squatting with toe of one leg on the thigh of the other) in this small chapel with a mystical smile on his face. Beholders of this still figure feels some strong innate feelings – as explained by them; it is the understanding the difference from living and dead. If not convinced; just pay a visit to Thien Temple at Dau and look at his still face.

Not spiced or salted

Vu Khac Minh is not an ordinary mummified body like that found in Egyptian pyramids which have their inner organs removed; strapped in silk and treated with chemicals spice, salt etc. He only wears the conventional cloth of the Buddhist monks put on by the temple staff; otherwise the body is naked (not embalmed). He simply sits in an unsecured chapel where humidity is abundant enough to decompose any organic substance. It seems surprising to see that Vu Khac Minh’s body has not affected by any elements of the tropical weather for the last 300 years.

Merged in to eternity

Vu Khac Minh was formerly a high ranking officer under the Le Dynasty who ruled Vietnam; after getting promotion to the highest position of his career in the King’s senate he sought retirement and retreated to this monastery and led an extremely ascetic life. Due to his commitment and devotion he got promoted as the Abbot of Thien Monastery. When he became aware of the end of his life; he secluded himself to this small chapel; instructed his pupils to visit him only for the customary rituals after his death. Thereafter he avoided food and water and went on immersed in prayer for hundred days and gradually merged with the eternity.

The living dead

His last instruction to the monks who gathered around him at the time of his death was this “My time has come; after the departure of the spirit from this body; wait for one month; if any fowl smell arises from the body bury it as per the customary rituals; if there is no sign of decay leave me here in this posture itself and let me go on praying”. Even after passing two months the body remained as such; and the disciples covered the body with some protective paints to keep it safe from insect attack and dressed it with monastic silk attire which is being changed everyday. For the villagers and monks Vu Khac Minh is a living Buddha and all the customary rituals performed to a sacred Buddha Idol is done to him.

While he was sitting

While Vu Khac Minh went on sitting; history passed by; many things happened all around the world; in Vietnam itself; the Le Dynasty -where he served as an officer- vanished; Nguyen Dynasty came to power; then came the French; Japanese rule followed and the US came and retreated after the unceremonious Vietnam war; Communist came to power; both Vietnams got united and at last democracy and liberalization come to vogue. Vu Khac Minh goes on watching all these with his stoic smile; and he will be there to watch the unknown future events that are to happen for many more years.

Thubten Gyatso of Lhasa

Mummifying is not alien to Buddhists; as in Tibet, China and other nations; monks of the highest ranks were mummified and kept for veneration; they believed that these mummies were living Buddhas and capable of warding off evils and bringing in prosperity. Such mummies are called ‘Mardongs’. Mardongs were prepared by boiling the dead bodies of high ranking priests in butter and leaching them in salt after removing internal organs. These mardongs were given masks of gold or brass for a face. The 13th Delai Llama of Tibet; Thubten Gyatso who died in 1933; mummified and kept in the Portong Marpo Palace in Lhasa is the best specimen Mardong.

Those who smelled rat

When the Communists came to power in Vietnam; the news about the ‘monk who turned to stone’ reached the authorities. Smelling something fishy about stories; the authorities immediately sent a team of experts to study and ascertain fact. The team took the ‘statue’ to the Military Hospital at Bac Mai and subjected it for thorough studies including X-ray tests. Fortunately they did not dismember the body for ‘detailed investigation’.

Kind enough to return unharmed

The investigative team comprised of archeologists and forensic experts were wonder struck as the X-ray films revealed that all the internal organs of the human body including skeletal structure remained Intact. There was no sign of any mummification done but for the silver compound paste that was applied by the monks after two months of his death. The authorities got convinced that their subject ‘the statue’ was in fact a human body and returned the same to the villagers. Thus the deity was placed back to its original abode. The body was so dry that it weighed just seven kilograms!

Damn camera!

It is a Soviet author by name Igor Lisevich who reported about the monk to the outside world but unfortunately he could not take a photograph of the monk on the spot due to some error occurred to his camera. Thus we miss the sardonic smile of the dead abbot. Mr Lisevich had added two photographs retrieved from his archives. These two photographs were taken by Nguen Lanh Cuong at the time when the body was taken for testing at the Military Hospital at Bac Mai. The same is given for the information of the readers. Most of the information is collected from one erstwhile Soviet publication by name ‘Sputnik’.

Carlsbad Cavern National Park

2009-11-14T20:20:00.002+05:30

Carlsbad Caves (Carlsbad Cavern National Park), New Mexico, US

Carlsbad Caverns Rail On the tour route

No one knows how many caves are there in the world; but definitely there are many more to be discovered than what have been listed. There is something weird about caves; they are far more than mere emptiness; they were home to our forefathers; ancient men used to express his artistic talents on its walls; that trend still follows human beings; even space age people turn artists if let free in a cave with a crayon! For a cave every kid is a Michelangelo; and its walls a Sistine Chapel! Even a child will run in to it; if a cave is spotted; darkness, echo, and bats all make a cave a miniature world of mysteries.

The American Cosquer

Jim White was an illiterate cowboy; curiosity and hard work alone were his assets; with just that and a little bit of luck; now his name remains among top names in explorers! A swarm of bats that aroused his curiosity; instead of ignoring them and tending his cattle he went in search of the source; could find only a cactus forest; neglecting their pricks he proceeded inside to see only a dark and gaping hole! The story is similar to that of 35year old Henry Cosquer a diving instructor of Marseilles who discovered the Cosquer’s Cave.

Hard work, curiosity and a bit of luck

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Millions of bats were coming out of the hole that seemed deep and dark. Jim made a born fire burning some dry twigs and threw the burning twigs in to the hole. He could sense the twigs falling to a depth of less than 200 feet; seeing the fire bats stopped coming out. After a while the flow continued; Jim thought “if millions of bats stay here; it must be substantially big; and there must be something substantial”. That young man did not know he was unfolding world’s most amazing cavern in the world.

Jim White got engaged

The Carlsbad Caverns are the largest cave-system in the world but it is the sheer variety and magnificence of the stalactite formations that make it the most unique. Jim White was engaged by a mining company that extracted the fossilized droppings of bats for its nitrate rich manure qualities. He was given permission to explore the remote corners of the cave complex during his leisure time. Jim utilized this right to bring out all the mysteries and named the strange formations in professional finesse. When the National Park was formed Jim got posting as its first Chief Ranger.

The National Park

Outside the entrance to the Carlsbad Caverns

The Carlsbad Cavern National Park is located on the western part of River Pecos beside the Guadalupe Mountains and the Chihuahua Desert. It is about 18 miles from (southwest) Carlsbad a small city in the southeastern part of New Mexico State of US. The Park contains about 109 caves including the Carlsbad Caves. The Lechuguilla Cave is one of the most amazing one with a depth of 1604 feet; it is a virtual laboratory for scientists to do research on geological as well as biological researches in an unpolluted environment. It is the fifth longest cave in the world.

Shapes weird; names strange

As per scientists this whole area was an inland sea filled with coral reefs about 25 million years back; by some geological upheavals the sea got dried up and coral reefs got covered with gypsum and salt. There after it took millions of years for the rainwater to seep in and dissolve the calcium compound in corals to shape them in such weird shapes as that resembles witch’s finger, king’s palace, hall of giants, queen’s chamber, lake of clouds and things with all strange shapes and equally strange names!

Stalactites and stalagmites

These weird shaped calcium compound formations belong to two categories, the stalactites are those tapering structures hanging like icicles from the roof of the cave; they are formed when water concentrated with minerals slowly drip from above depositing minerals from above. Stalagmites are (huge penitents) pillar like formations standing from the bottom of the cave; these are formed when water slowly dissolves the soft outer part of the calcium compounds filled in the cave. Carlsbad Caverns have both of them richly placed.

Of bats

It is estimated that about a million bats live in this cave; they belong to about seven species of which the Mexican Free-tail bats are most common; these bats are migratory and live in the ‘Bats Cave’ for day time refuge, maternity and roost. There is a gigantic ‘hall’ for bats in the cavern near the natural entrance of the cave; they dangle comfortably on its ceiling; authorities take special care to see them not being disturbed by the visitors. They halt here from early spring to October and fly off to tropical Mexico during winter. Bats don’t use their eyesight much as they depend on their sonar guidance for travel and catching prey.

Rooms and their names

The Witch’s Finger in Carlsbad Caverns

The Hall of the Giants

This is the biggest chamber in the whole Carlsbad cavern system with an area of 357,469 sq feet. The conical rocks that arise from the floor and the pricks like millions of formation directed downwards give an eerie look to this gigantic chamber.

Left hand tunnel is a long and straight passage that leads to the Lake of Clouds; it may seem hard to believe that this was spontaneously. Floor of the passage is intermitted with numerous fissures; no one knows what is beneath these fissures.

Lake of the Clouds

It is the lowest point of the cave (among the so far discovered caverns) and it has a substantially large lake with round cloud shaped rocks. It is located in a side passage from the left hand tunnel.

Balloon Ballroom is small in width and located in the ceiling of the main entrance; it is so named as it was first accessed tying the end of a rope with some balloons and floating it over to the passage.

Bat Cave is exclusively reserved for the original inhabitants of the cave-the bats. It has no adornment with stalactites and bats love the engulfing darkness, they breed and rear the young in this hall.

Bell Cord Room has a very special formation a cord like stalactite formation that come down from a hole in the ceiling resembling a church bell cord coming from a church spire.

Bifrost Room is a very beautiful name reminding the Norse Myth of the world above the sky that can be accessed only by climbing along a rainbow! In fact there are rainbow like color formation by traces of oxides present in the white calcium background.

Flowstone in carlsbad caverns, a form of travertine

Witch’s Finger is perhaps the most amazing growth of Stalagmite which less than two feet in diameter and grows up like a slender finger to about 20 feet in height.

Green Lake Room

Located at the uppermost floor of the ‘Scenic Room’; it has got a green colored pool at its corner thereby giving the chamber this name. It has got some significance; when the world was quivering under the threat of imminent nuclear attack; security agencies were in search of a protected space to escape the atom bomb. They reached the Green Lake Cave and observed the lake waters while atomic explosion was done at a distant place. The lake waters did not produce any ripples thereby assuring them of a safe place!

A World Heritage Site

Rock of Ages in the Big Room, photo by Ansel Adams

In 1930 US President Herbert Hoover declared Carlsbad caves and numerous Permian Age fossil- reefs located in the surrounding area as The Carlsbad Cavern National Park. UNESCO declared the park as a World Heritage Sit in December 6, 1995. This park spreads in to an area of 46766 acres around the cave. At present the park is a hot spot for tourists; more than 50,000 people visit this place every year; the park is open 24 hours all round the year except in the Christmas day. Two third of the park area is left as ‘wilderness area’ as a measure of preservation of the ecosystem.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

2009-11-14T20:17:00.001+05:30

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City USA

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

And a museum was born

After the end of the American Civil War there all around prosperity leading to increased interest in works of art. John Taylor Johnson an enthusiast in collection of artworks –by profession he was a rail road executive- along with some of his like-minded friends convened a meeting to form a common forum for safe custody and display of artworks that were kept in their private galleries and homes. They formed an establishment with Taylor Johnson as president and named it ‘Metropolitan Museum of Art’. The establishment was first opened in temporary quarters in a humble set up. Even the organizers did not realize that they were giving birth to an organization of such a great magnitude.

The ‘Met’ now

The facade of the Metropolitan Museum is one of the main features of New York City’s “Museum Mile”.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art –affectionately called as ‘Met’ is world’s one of the biggest art galleries and entertains more than 25 million visitors annually. It has more than two million exhibits on display; pertaining to all categories and ages like Classical Antiquity, Ancient Egyptian, European Masters’, American, Asian, Oceanic (the continent that includes Australia), Byzantine (pertaining to the eastern part of the Roman Empire), Islamic as well as Modern Art. 19 Curatorial Departments function for the preservation and upkeep of the rare and invaluable artifacts.

The Met also has a sister museum at Cloisters; though much smaller (compound measures four acres) it has more than 5000 Medieval Works of Arts belonging to period between 12^th and 15^th centuries.

Growth by acquisition

The Museum; established by Taylor Johnson in February 20, 1872 was originally located at 681 Fifth Avenue; NYC. At present it has been relocated to the eastern edge of The Central Park (an 843 acre urban park; the most visited place in the city of New York) in the Museum Mile New York City. (Museum Mile is a road that leads to the Central Park; this road is a unique one that has nine museums within one mile and hence the name!). In 1873 second year of its formation by an acquisition of the Cesnola Collection the Museum was covering one more mile-stone in its growth story.

The Cesnola Collection

Luigi Palma di Cesnola an Italian American soldier (winner of the Medal of Honor for his exploits in the American Civil War) had some interest in archaeology also; during his stay in Cyprus he conducted extensive excavations in the ancient Kourian Sites and recovered very valuable artifacts pertaining to the Middle Ages. He is the author of the book ‘Cyprus its ancient Cities, Tombs and Temples’. The artifacts he received were compiled and kept in a private museum; these collections are known as Cesnola

Collection

Kourian Site

The Kourian Site (also mentioned as Curias) is located near the modern town of Episkopi at the western side of the River Lycas in Cyprus. It had been venue for many historical upheavals involving Greeks, Romans and ancient Christians. Its history extends from antiquity to the Medieval Ages. All of them had some foot marks telling many tales about their presence although for a limited term.

Most diverse

The Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum New york

The Met is not stuck to any particular theme; it has every thing of interest arranged based on the theme it belongs. It would be interesting to note that the artifacts are not paintings or sculptors only; but they are of varying types like Encyclopedic Collection of Musical Instruments, costumes and ornaments and accessories, weapons and armors, interiors from 1^st century Roman to the recent American products.

Curative Department for Ancient Near Eastern Arts

Sculptures and reliefs made of ivory, stone and even objects made of precious metals collected from a wide area like the Indus Valley to Burma and time ranging from ancient to middle ages.

American decorations

It is a separate section with contemporary style furnishings along with glass and ceramic wares art works in silver ranging from 17^th to 20^th centuries.

American Painting and Sculpture

Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze

Portraits, Landscapes, Paintings on Historical Incidences, Sculptures from the colonial times etc. Altogether there are 1000 paintings, 600 sculptures and 2600 drawings.

Antonie Ratti Textile Center

Tapestries, velvets, embroideries, quilts, woven and printed fabrics, exquisite and invaluable carpets all at display under one roof ranging from 3000 BC.

The arts of Africa, Oceania, and Americas

Objects used as ornaments, masks, and other personal adornment, utensils, monuments, ritual objects, that reflect the culture and life style that existed in the dark continent for ages and different areas.

Arms and armor

Arms and armor, Middle Ages main hall – Metropolitan Museum New york

This department is extremely rich and no other museum in the world has such wide collection of armaments for soldiers, horses and even for children. Various weapons, and those intended to perform cultural and ornamental rituals; all received from Asia, Europe, Middle East and Americas.

Department for Asian Arts

This section is really exclusive and include objects from China, Korea, Japan and even South and East Asia; objects like printed textiles, ceramics, sculptures, images and utensils made of bronze, jades, lacquer, screens, paintings, calligraphy and such wide variety of objects that reflect the different life styles. These objects are of antiquity as well as modern.

The Costume Institute

The course of fashion during the last eight centuries with men, women and children pertaining to the five continents, dress, ornaments, accessories all. Even the current fashion trends are also well expressed with its exhibits! Due to the fragile nature of the items no permanent installation, two shows held every year, Channel (founded by Coco Channel, Persian fashion house in France) and Gianni Versace (founded by Gianni Versace the most talented fashion designer of the 20^th Century) are also big hits of the show.

Drawings and print

When Cornelius Vanderbilt donated 670 drawings to the museum that worked as a seed and this department since kept on growing; at present 11,000 drawings, 1,5 million prints, 12,000 illustrated books all them keep in increasing, Classic works from Rembrandt, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo are included in the long list of the artists who worked these wonders.

Egyptian Arts

The Egyptian Art Department is housed in the Dendur Temple that was reassembled here in 1978 after transporting it to New York after dismantling. This was done to avoid its submergence in the Nasser Lake formed due to the construction of the Aswan Dam. There are more than 36,000 items in its department at present; the initial collections were from private galleries, but the museum organized its own team of archaeologists which made significant discoveries and added much to the credit. 24 wooden models recovered from temple of Dier el Bahri Egypt that depict the day today lives of Middle Age Egypt are the most creditable artifacts belonging to this section.

European Paintings

Contain many of the world’s most celebrated works by the old masters, Self Portrait with a straw hat by Van Gogh, Fortune Teller by George de la Tour, Death of Socrates by Jacques Louis David and Harvesters by Peter Bruegel the Elder are all here. There are 37 works from Monet, 21 from Cezanne, 18 from Rembrandt and 5 from Vermeer (this is the richest Vermeer collection in the world). There are altogether 2,200 pieces on works but this department is the most sought after section in the whole of the Museum.

Greek and Roman Arts

There are about 35,000 items in this section; the Roman sarcophagus; the first exhibit of the museum belongs to this section; it still remains as main object. Collections from Greek, Roman, Cyprus etc belonging to 4^th century onwards, vases, wall paintings, terracotta, sculpture, jewellery, gems.

Islamic Arts

The Museum has both religious and secular articles from Central Asia, Africa, Spain, and Mughal India numbering 12,000. Ceramics, textiles, decorations of mosques, manuscripts of Holy Qur’an, Calligraphy both religious and otherwise all make this section extremely rich. A reconstructed house from Damascus belonging to Nur Al-Din of the 18^th century adds beauty and originality to this wing.

Musical Instruments

It is a unique feature of Met as 5000 examples of musical instruments from all over the world under one roof. It began from a donation from Lucy W Drexel (w/o Joseph W Drexel; President of the NY Philharmonic Society and Trustee of the Met) and later enriched by the contributions from Mary Elizabeth Adams. The collection from six continents begins from 300 BC in an encyclopedic manner.

Modern Art

The Limbourg brothers’ Belles Heures of Jean of France, Duke of Berry

Met has no bias against what is modern; this section –a 60,000 sq ft floor- is also well represented by masters in this field, Picasso the ‘father of modern art’ also is represented here with his prominent works including ‘Gertrude Stein’, Joseph John with his ‘White Flag’; Paul Klee’s 40 creations represent the output of his entire career!

Robert Lehman Collection

In 1969 Robert Lehman (son of Philip Lehman head of ‘Lehman Brothers’ Bank) donated his collection of archives numbering 3000 to the Met; these collection undoubtedly the most extraordinary in the US is arranged not as per the regular pattern of the Museum but in the way Robert Lehman preferred them to be arranged in his private gallery. Lehman Collection is so precious that 200 of its works were solo exhibits at the Tuileries Garden of the Louvre Museum in 1957.

What is interesting; is relevant

Roman gallery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York

The Met has every thing of some relevance; whether the artifacts belong to stone-age or space-age; costume or ceramic; Russian, African or American also is no issue; the only thing is whether it has any relevance or whether visitors are interested to see it. Millions flock to see these artifacts sans frontiers vindicate the Met stand that these articles kept here are relevant and hence interesting.

Bagan Temples and Pagodas

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Temples of Bagan, Myanmar (Burma)

Bagan Temples and Pagodas

A city of ten million temples

Bagan is located in the Mandalay area on eastern bank of Ayeyarwady River at about 160 km from Rangoon (Yangon) Burma. Though small in size it is really big in its cultural heritage with countless temples most of them in various stages of decay and many still in ship shape and performing. Perhaps the only place that can be compared to Bagan in this regard is Angkor Vat of Cambodia in the sheer size and architectural magnificence. Angkor Vat temples are covered in thick forests and are only partly visible only from a height; whereas the ruins of Bagan are far greater in number and lie exposed in the tropical sun and are easily accessible.

Bagan; its rise and fall

As Burmese rulers used to shift their capital as per the wish of the ruling regime; Bagan got two chances to be the seat of power during 9^th and 12^th centuries; it is during these terms all these structures were built. A D 1287 came in the shape of the legendary Mongol conqueror Kublai khan who ripped those beautiful structures apart and did as much damages as he could before his retreat! As the town got deserted robbers took away whatever were left by the Mongols.

A man-made disaster!

Temples in Bagan

In 1975 when a massive earth quake hit the town and did much damage to the structures the ruling military junta of Burma (Myanmar) reacted by rebuilding some of them with modern materials like concrete and beautified them with enamel paint! A request from the UNESCO to list them as World Heritage Sites -so that they could be resurrected with the experts in the field- was blatantly ignored by the ruling regime. Thus Burma had to suffer one man-made disaster that followed a natural disaster.

At present

At present all the remnants of the structures of the ‘ten million temples’ lie scattered in 16 sq miles of land, looted, desecrated and getting damaged in sun and rain. About a thousand temples remain in good condition and some of them are functioning visited by devotees of which 10 temples that are immensely popular and remarkable in their make and hence covered in this article.

Sulamani Temple

The Payathonzu Temple is built in the Mon style

It is also known as the ‘Crowning Jewell Temple’ (in Sanskrit sula means trident and mani means jewel) and was built by King Narapathi Sithu in 1181, in style its construction is akin to the Thatbyinnu temple and has influenced the style of Dhammayangvi temple. This temple got damaged in the 1975 earth quake and was repaired. Sulamani Temple is also known for the beautiful frescoes and idols that decorate its interior.

Dhammayangvi Temple

The Dhammayangvi Temple is the largest structure of all the surviving temples of Bagan. It was built by the Bagan King Narathu who ruled a brief spell between AD 1167 and 1170. Its style of construction resembles to that of Ananda Temple of the same area. This temple was built by King Narathu (1167 – 1170).

Ananda Temple

A Bagan Buddha, 12th century

This temple is 51 meters in height and was built exactly like the Nandamula Cave Temple in the Himalayan ranges India. The only difference is that the Ananda Temple is a bit smaller than the cave temple. It originally built during 1091 AD under king Kyanzittha but the gilding works that adorn the temple was done recently in 1990. As per Buddhism there are four Buddhas (prophets who have received divine revelations); the Gautama Buddha is the last of them There are four gigantic statues of the four Buddhas each looking to each direction (Kakusandha facing north, Konagamana facing east, Kassapa facing south and Gautama facing west).

Manuha Temple

Built in AD 1067 by Manuha; a Mon king of the Thaton country who was captured and held captive by Anawrahta. The most notable thing with this temple is that statues occupy whole area of the temple giving no space to the priests and devotees. Three huge Buddha statues in sitting posture and one gigantic Buddha in reclining posture; all idols virtually filling the entire space of the halls are the specialties of this temple.

Shwesandaw Temple

Its was built by king Anawrahta in 1057 AD, it is considered as most sacred among the numerous temples of Bagan by the Buddhists as the holy hair of Buddha has been enshrined in its stupas. This temple also has been called Ganesha Temple as during the ancient times four idols of Ganesha (the Hindu god with the head of elephant; considered very auspicious) were placed in its four conrers.

Mahabodhi Temple

As its name suggests it is a replica of the Bodhi Temple of Bodhgaya India. It was built by King Nataungamya between 1210 and 1234. (it was at Bodhgaya Gautama Buddha got enlightenment while meditating under a banyan tree; Bodhgaya is about 105 km away from Patna the capital of Bihar a state of India. There is still an old temple built by Emperor Ashoka with an equally old banyan tree. This premise is considered sacred by Buddhists and the seeds of this tree had been taken and planted in ancient Buddhist’s centers like Burma and Sri Lanka (Mahabodhi tree at Buddhist temple at Anuradha pura). This temple is decorated with numerous Buddha idols placed in niches.

Shwezigon Temple

Gate tower of Ananda Temple

Its work was begun by King Anawrahta who made Bagan his capital but it had to be completed by King Kyanzittha in 1089. The Shwezigon Temple is religiously the most important temple among all the structures in Burma as some bones and hairs of Buddha is kept in this place. During Nadaw a Burmese month (Nov – Dec) devotees from all parts of Burma visit this temple

Gawdapalin Temple

The Gawdapalin Temple has a dome topped with a golden crown reaching sixty meters in height stupa. This beautiful temple that stands with grandeur on the bank of Ayeyarwady River was built by king Narapatisithu in late 12^th century; it was badly damaged in the earth-quake which rocked the Mandalay region in 1975; it was rebuilt and at present it remains as one of the well kept temples in this region.

Mahamuni Paya

It is a crowd puller temple of the entire Mandalay region with a four meter tall idol cast in bronze that is covered with golden leaves; devotees bring golden leaves and decorate the idol for the fulfillment of their wish. It is said thus the weight of the idol has been doubled for the time due to this gold leaf adoration! The idol was originally situated in a temple in a village by name Rakhaing (located in the present Bangladesh). King Bodawpaya of Mandalay seized the image and brought it home to be placed in this temple. Women are not allowed to tough the sanctum sanctorum.

Bupaya Pagoda

There is dispute regarding the time of its construction one school of thought is that it was built in AD 200 by King Pyusawhti; as style of construction seems more advanced it is believed that it must have been built in around AD 1000. The large inverted bell shaped dome with golden coating is a really beautiful thing to watch. This small pagoda which was almost completely destroyed in the 1975 earth-quake was rebuilt to the present shape.

Disastrous aesthetics

Thatbyinnyu Temple

There are thousands of temple in the Mandalay region of Burma; a large number of them are irrecoverably damaged and many in critical condition. Rebuilding of the temples as a World Heritage Site by experts in the field is an urgent requirement. The present government is not willing to entrust the work to the UNESCO authorities making the work impossible. It is hoped that good sense would prevail upon them one day and those once marvelous structures will rise from their deathbed to fascinate the world!

Banaue Rice Terraces

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Banaue Rice Terraces (Hagdang Palayan ng Banaue), Ifugo, Philippines

God and worship

Banau Rice Terrace image courtesy: wayfaring.info

Rice is a cereal grain and food to about half of the world’s population; but it is far more than a cereal to the ancient cultures who toiled to produce it. Rice was for them a life giver that equaled god. The hard labor they put in to produce it was worship that gave meaning to their lives. No part of this holy plant is left unused, grains eaten after boiling or powdered to make cookies of many sorts, its husk as fuel and straw used as cattle-feed and to make things like hats, bags etc. The water in which rice is boiled (rice soup) is a natural health drink. A local beer by name ‘saki’ is made out of rice that gives the rural folks their vigor to work such wonders!

The real hanging gardens

The terraced rice cultivation as such is not a novelty as the Bali Island has also got similar methods of farming; while those of Banaue are of extreme scale that stuns common sense. The Banaue Rice Terraces are examples to show to what extend man can go to produce food from the very earth where he lives; however hard the terrain is. A visitor need not wander and toil in the drab deserts to find the remnants of that once existed Hanging Garden of Babylon. Compared to these rice terraces that cling on tall mountains up to 3000 feet high producing paddy for the last 6000 years and still feeding its owners; that Babylon stuff was a child’s play!

Climbing up and down

Banau Rice Terrace image courtesy: terre.sans.frontiere.free

These innumerable terraces were built one by one from bottom to top and that too in the absence of any of the modern equipments was real work! Building the terraces is not enough; rice is a plant that deserves uninterrupted care like sowing, transplanting, watering, weeding, removal of pests (by hand picking), harvesting all had to be done climbing up and down so many terraces so many times.

Living pyramids

Banau Rice Terrace image courtesy: letstravelphilippines.files.wordpress.com

It is calculated that a single mountain was modified to such a huge rice bowl taking about 2000 years. Then how many man-days spent on nurturing and up keeping them for the past 6000 years? Even the work of Pyramids of Egypt would not equal to these efforts. The real wonder is how a tribe living detached from the outside world gained these agricultural practices and the will power to pursue this farming!

Rice

Rice is a mono carpic annual plant belonging to the true grass family genus Oryza; species sativa (there is an African variety by name Oryza glaberrina). Rice can be cultivated in to tropical and sub tropical areas where there is large rainfall as it requires a lot of water. This plant grows when the field is flooded to a depth of 5 to 7 inches of water; so that weeds don’t pester it. It is this peculiarity that compelled the farmers to build terraces in many layers of the steep mountain slopes to keep the fields flooded. Rice plant is highly sensitive and requires constant care and attention.

Eighth wonder of the world

The magnitude of their work could be understood in one way; suppose these rice cultivated terraces are taken one by one and put end to end that chain will encircle the globe! Many sources claim these terraces as the eighth wonder of the world; considering the quantity of sweat that these farmers shed to ‘keep these fields up’ on the mountains naturally make the work more superb than many of the Seven Wonders of the World. The real greatness of the work is that it is not made for the pleasures of the royal members as the Forbidden City or Palace of Versailles but built by the tillers of the soil with their bare hands. Its real worth is that many generations survived on the food made out of these terraces on otherwise unproductive hill slops.

Who built these wonders?

Banau Rice Terrace image courtesy: joyful-ep.jp

To understand the architects behind these wonders we have to learn the brief history of Philippines which is an archipelagic country in the Southeast Asia comprising of about 7107 islands. These places were inhabited since pre historic times (50,000 years) and prior to the arrival of Europeans they led a pagan way of life worshipping spirits of ancestors. The ancestors of the Batad tribes who built these terraces remained cut off from the social changes that swept over Philippines during the past few centuries.

Present style; work for parents and rest for kids

Batad is a place (at present it is a 5^th class municipality) in Philippines and these indigenous tribes living on the slopes of Ifugao Mountain got the name from the region. They were busy in producing food shedding sweat and living a contented life far away from history! The elder generations living in the Apayao and Benquest Mountain regions still stick to their old customs and life style (The younger generations as it is the case with every place is finding working on soil a bore; they prefer to serve visiting tourists instead).

A tribe and some spirits

They speak a crude form of Tagalong language (Modern Tagalong is popular language of Philippines while English and Filipino are the official languages. They believe that a dead person needs three days to get accommodated in the ‘new place’ so that they hang the body on the thatched roof for three days and after ceremoniously take out the bones and keep them on the attic as a sacred possession. They are staunch believers of the power of spirits and sacrifice three chickens or a full pig to please them if they show the signs of any anger (by spreading diseases or making drought or untimely death of its members).

How to get there?

This location is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site and remains as a major tourisst attraction. Banaue is a 4^th class municipality in the Ifugao Province in the Northern Philippines; the road from Manila the capital of Philippines. The road from Manila snakes in through the mountain slopes and rice terraces to end at Banaue. At present the terraces are not well maintained due to indifference of the young for hard work and there are cracks in many places which need urgent repairs. Manpower and resource shortages stand in the way of the poor villagers from keeping them in shape. If urgent measures are not taken by the Governments it is possible that these manmade wonders may become a thing of the past.

Wine - The divine drink

2009-03-18T07:50:00.003+05:30

A holy obsession

Wine and woman have always remained as man’s two great desires. While a woman is a part of a man; wine prevails as his biggest obsession. This unearthly drink has admirers from people of classes; emperors to laymen. The impact of wine on human body is nothing less than the ecstatic state achieved by saints and other holy people; (calling liquor spirit is not without cause). This comparison has made wine a holier drink leaving poorbeer the other beverage to remain always as its poor cousin.

There are many wines

Grapes remain the universal source for making Wine but it can also be made from other fruits as well; but they are called fruit wine or the fruit of which is made; like apple wine etc. White wine rose wine, red wine, sweet wine, port wine, sparkling wine, still wine; all these are wines of different hues. Let us see how they are alike and differ.

White wine is colorless made from either green grapes; can also made of red grapes if fermented after removing the skin),

Rose wine is that made from red grapes bottled with its skin and given just sufficient time given for the color of the skin to dissolve in to the must (pulp),

Red wine is made of dark-red grapes first fermented with skin until a light violet hue is imparted in to the must and then fermented second time filtering out the skin,

Sweet wine contains some residual parts of the sugar from the grapes as its fermentation is stalled adding brandy.

Port wine or port (Vinho do Porto) is a sweet wine; a native of Duoro Valley of northern Portugal; though at present many nations make their own brand of port wine.

Sparkling wine is that were fermentation of the residual sugar is allowed to take place in the bottle for rest of the time and carbon dioxide thus produced is allowed to get dissolved in the wine (Champagne is a form of sparkling wine); it is the trapped carbon dioxide that forms the bubbles)

Still wine; as its name suggests the wine is still in the glass with no fuss of bubbles (it contains no trapped carbon dioxide to produce foam).

Country wine, apple wine etc are a class apart as they are made from other fruits and known after the fruits.

Straight from Carpathian; land of the Dracula!

It is believed that wine was first discovered by the Caucasians (the Caucasus consists of the present Georgia and Armenia parts of the erstwhile Soviet Union); the legendary land of lord Dracula.

In Caucasus; around B C 6,500 there lived a farmer who was engaged in farming grapes-vines. One day he kept some grapes in a wooden container and forgot about it. After some days he found some syrupy liquid came out of the grapes got fermented naturally. The violet liquid smelled great and he drank it; woe betides! He poured it in to a jar and buried it in a secret place. Daily he used to visit the spot and took a dose and returned as if nothing has happened.

The grandmother of wine

The temptation of wine was too strong to resist that he could not avoid visiting the spot for a sip. His wife was not less smart; she spied his tryst with wine and discovered the secret. On sustained questioning the poor Caucasian had to confess how he got the brew. Thus that village lady got the formula to become the grandmother of wine; who made it for the first time and became the first wine maker. All said and done the popularity of this holy brew spread all over Caucasus like wild fire!

The heavenly drink going places

Without knowing the chemical changes associated with fermentation; villagers started making and drinking it. It was Mesopotamia which learned the art first from Caucasus; from there to Syria, Palestine and Egypt. The technology growing grapes and fermenting wine reached Europe via Cyprus and Crete. So far the fame of this ‘godly’ liquid spread from ear to ear; but the Egyptians were not satisfied by that they etched making of wine on their tomb-walls and wooden-boards! God Dionysus of the Greeks and Bacchus of the Romans both represent wine. Eucharist of the Christians and Kiddush of the Jews are ceremonies related with wines.

Wine magic

Wine rose to a liquid of historical as well as religious importance; for Christians it represents the blood of god. There were Hindu gods who loved wine. History would have never been the same without the participation of wine. Omar Quay yam treated his life itself as a cup of wine and drank it to the last drop! It had an inseparable role in the history of ancient Egypt and Greece. There are many kings who lost their kingdoms for wine and there are many husbands who have lost their wives for it; that is ‘wine magic’; people simply lose their family, wealth and kingdom for it; and live happily ever after ‘lipping the cup’.

The ingredients

The strangest thing with wine is that it’s making does not require expensive ingredients or machineries. Some grapes, sugar (half the weight of grapes), wheat, clove and cinnamon (very small quantity) are the only requirements for making this holy drink. Its making is so simple that any one who has got a porcelain jar and the above things can brew wine at his home. There is even a branch of science known as enology; that deals with the techniques of wine-making; but the fact is that what these enologists churn out is no where near the product our granny’s make!

(Vinification) (Primary fermentation)

Wash the grapes wash it thoroughly in clean water and dry it with a pure cotton cloth; crush it with bare hands. Place one layer of crushed grapes in the bottom of the jar and sprinkle sugar over it just to hide the grapes (say quarter of an inch). Place sugar and grapes alternatively to half the volume of the jar. Fill the rest quarter with sterile (boiled and cooled) water leaving one quarter of the jar vacant. A five minute stirring once a day may be better for proper mixing.

Secondary fermentation

Wait for two weeks; take the mixture; crush the grapes in to the solution; filter it and remove the seeds and skin. Place a cotton pouch with wheat, clove and cinnamon) in to the solution and keep it in a china-jar (those who don’t have the luxury of owning an oak cask) for another month for aging. When aged the wine can be transferred in to glass bottles. For sparkling wines; some of the fermentation is left to take place in the bottle.

The process given is standard; as per the requirement (white wine red wine etc) this can be changed as given in paragraph subtitled ‘there are many wines’. Grapes though a good choice that gives red wine; cashew apples, gooseberry (amla) etc can be used to make wine. Gooseberry and jaggery (an edible byproduct of sugar) combination is behind the ayurvedic preparation known as Chyavana prasha that bestows eternal youth.

The cup that keeps the doctor away

Wine is not just history and religion; it is a tasty health drink; if the latest inventions are right; a glass (about 125 ml) of red wine a day can keep blood pressure under control and check the pace of aging The rich poly-phenols; contained wine are powerful anti-oxidants and they are capable of reducing the risks of heart attacks. Cancer and several other ailments caused by free radicals that haunt the modern man can be contained by the proper use of wine. Aging stimulated by stress can be kept at bay by the use of wine that unwinds the stressed nerves. Wine can make the hardest pessimistic a little hopeful of life; if not convinced just have a glassful of red wine and go to sleep; sweet dreams will follow!

Sexy making!

The making of wine was intertwined by the cultural etiquettes that existed in each culture; the wood that was selected for making storage cans, the way in which grapes are battered etc. In Europe beautiful girls after properly washing their feet and dressed in shorts and checkered shirts were engaged in mashing the grapes in to pulp. They used their used their bare feet for the jobs. The pulp was kept for three to ten days for fermentation in canisters made of selected wood (mostly oak). It was for them a community celebration.

Industrial revolution

But of late big industries have taken over the role and the processes have been made less labor intensive (read without any glamour or sex-appeal); Sanctity in its making has suffered; heartless machines need participation of no village belle clad in shorts. Steel drums are being used for wooden canisters. Who cares of customs and traditions if the product is to be consumed by unknown people living in some corner of the world! A time may come when clocks will reverse and wine may get released from the clutches of multinationals; let us wait for it with a glass full of nanny-made red wine.

Awake my little ones and fill the cup,

Before life’s liquor in its cup be dry.

Omar Quay yam.