varnam

In Kalki's novel, Ponniyin Selvan, the hero Vandiyathevan happens to see a performance of Kuravai Koothu while visiting the Kadambur Palace. The performance starts with the arrival of nine girls on stage. They sing and dance praising Lord Murugan's fame and valor, the skill of his victorious spear which killed the demons, Gajamukhan and Soorapadman. They also praise many of his qualities and his charities.

Now a terracota plaque depicting five women performing the kuravai koothu have been discovered near Mamallapuram. The location for this plaque is the oldest temple in Tamil Nadu which was discovered in post-tsunami archaeology. The original temple made of brick and dedicated to Muruga was built during the Sangam era (200 BCE to 300 CE). This temple was destroyed and the Pallava kings rebuilt it as a granite temple during 800 - 900 CE.

T. Satyamurthy, Superintending Archaeologist, ASI, Chennai Circle, said the terracotta plaque depicting the dancers "is one of the fabulous collections that will enrich the archaeological wealth of the State." It is a 13 cm by 12 cm bas-relief panel that shows the women with headgear and prominent eyes. Their mouths are open as if they are singing. The plaque belongs to circa second or third century A.D., he said.

"It is an important find because it is difficult to find terracotta figurines of the pre-Pallava period," said P. Shanmugam, Director, Institute of Traditional Cultures of South and South-East Asia, University of Madras. "This is the first time in Tamil Nadu that such a group dance plaque has been found," he said. `Kuravai koothu' performed in Muruga temples find mention in the Tamil epic Silapadhikaram. [Rare artefacts found]

All spoke of the gift of gold for burning a perpetual lamp at the temple. One inscription on a pillar belongs to the Pallava king, Kambavarman (of 9th century A.D). Another was issued by the Rashtrakuta king, Krishna III, in his 21st regnal year of 971 A.D. The third belonged to the Chola king, Rajendra III, of 13th century A.D.

During the earlier excavation from July to September 2005, the ASI had discovered the sanctum sanctorum built of bricks of the Muruga temple of the late Sangam age or the pre-Pallava period. According to archaeologists, a tsunami or tidal action damaged it. The Pallava kings subsequently converted into a granite temple in the 8th or 9th century A.D. It too collapsed because of a storm surge or a tsunami. The temple had a third phase of re-construction under the Cholas.

During the excavation last year, the ASI had unearthed two pillars with Tamil inscriptions of two Pallava kings, Nandivarman II of late 8th century A.D. and Dantivarman of early 9th century A.D. They also spoke of donations to the Muruga temple at Thiruvizhchil [Rare artefacts found]

The 6th grade text book controversy in California is taking a new turn. An organization called California Parents for the Equalization of Educational Material has filed a complaint against the State Board of Education.

The civil rights of Hindu schoolchildren are violated by advancing an inaccurate and derogatory picture of Hinduism in sixth grade school textbooks. California Department of Education and State Board of Education meetings on the matter failed to address Hindu concerns. Hindus are being discriminated.

Various Hindu groups and parents participated in this process since the Sixth grade History-Social Sciences textbooks came up for adoption last year. After being let down by the CDE and SBE, the parents decided to move the court and restore civil rights and forbid discriminatory practice against Hindus. Most importantly, the school children are the ones who will be suffering damage due to derogatory presentation in the textbook. Many students, from past and present, have spoken to CDE and SBE about their experience in the classroom and that what is taught in the school has nothing to do with what they know and practice at home.

Who was the first man to get a molar drilling? Turns out to be a person living in Mehrgarh site in western Pakistan about 9000 years back. He must have gone to the dentist to get his teeth cleaned after eating a mastodon. Then the doctor would have suggested deep cleaning as that is the only way dentists make money even now. The patient must have suggested that deep cleaning would be painful since anesthesia was not discovered and before he could complete, the doctor would have knocked him unconcious with a mastodon tusk. Anyway the process was done and his teeth was drilled.

All 9 of the Mehrgarh dental patients were adults — 4 females, 2 males, and 3 individuals of unknown gender — and ranged in age from about 20 to over 40. Most of the drilling was done on the chewing surfaces of their molars, in both the upper and lower jaws, probably using a flint point attached to a bow that made a high-speed drill, the researchers say. Concentric ridges carved by the drilling device were found inside the holes.

The drilling may have been done to relieve the pain and damage of tooth rot, but only 4 of the total of 11 teeth showed signs of decay associated with the holes. The scientists say it is clear that the holes were not made for aesthetic reasons, given their position deep in the mouth and on the erosion-prone surface of the teeth.

While there is no evidence of fillings, the researchers believe something was used to plug the holes because some of them were bored deep into the teeth. What that filler substance was is unknown. The holes ranged in depth from a shallow half-a-millimeter to 3.5 millimeters, deep enough to pierce the enamel and enter the sensitive dentin. [Man Was Enduring the Dentist's Drill 9,000 Years Ago]

M.T.Vasudevan Nair has made a style of re-writing history with different perspectives. His book, Randaam Oozham (The Second Turn), retells Mahabharata from Bheema's perspective. His movie, Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha retells a popular story from the perspective of the person characterized as the villain in the original.

Now in what seems to straight out of a MT novel, comes the Gospel of Judas, a long lost manuscript which tells the story of Jesus from the perspective of Judas.

In this version, "Judas is the good guy," said Bart Ehrman, a University of North Carolina professor of religious history.

The 3rd or 4th Century manuscript, written in Coptic on sheets of papyrus, was discovered in Egypt in the 1970s only to vanish again into an underworld of smugglers and shadowy antiquities dealers. On Thursday it was unveiled by the National Geographic Society, which is publishing the text and other materials.

The text describes itself as "The secret account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot during a week three days before he celebrated Passover."[The Judas gospel]

"The star that leads the way is your star, Jesus said to Judas... You will exceed all of them for you will have sacrificed the man that clothes me.

Even though it says Gospel of Judas, there is nothing which indicates who the author is. Some scholars think that the author could be a scribe, in the Gnostic community of Cainites who regard Cain, Esau and Judas as heroes.

Herb Krosney, author of The Lost Gospel : The Quest for the Gospel of Judas Iscariot, says that this document may not be included in the New Testament, which is no surprise.

I would really doubt that it might be included in the New Testament. In early Christianity, there were at least 30 potential gospels floating around, and there were dozens and dozens if not hundreds of original documents which were winnowed down at an early stage in the 3rd and 4th centuries which became the New Testament and the basis of the new religion called Christianity. I don't think that any apocryphal document will now be accepted in the canon of orthodox Christianity. But what this document does is it opens us up into a whole world of history that we had not been able to fully appreciate before, and it gives a new and different interpretation of both Judas and his relationship to Jesus.[The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot?]

See Also: The Gospel of Judas, Explore the Document

A Muslim girl decided to learn Bharathanatyam, the Hindu classical dance form. She came first in the dance competition in the recently held Kerala School festival. Now they are being shunned by the local mosque for this.

The local mosque committee at Valluvambram, however, is not impressed by Rubiya's feats, says her father, a clerk with a travel agency. "If she had won prizes in 'oppana' and 'mappila pattu' [traditional Muslim art forms], she would have been flooded with gifts by now. The mahallu leaders would never openly admit that it is her dance that makes them treat us as virtual outcasts," says Mr Alavikutty.

"God is one. When I pay ritualistic obeisance through mudras [hand signs], I am imploring not just the Hindu gods but the supreme creator, which we call by different names," she says. It is the Hindu worship content in the classical dances that her family says has driven a chasm between her and conservative elements in the community. [Muslim girl dances social divide]

Now Shamcera, a Muslim woman in Kerala, is teaching Kalaripayattu, an ancient Hindu martial art form of Kerala.

Kalari Payattu combines both physical and spiritual discipline and is claimed to be one of the oldest martial art forms existing in the world. The training involves severe physical fitness exercises. The practitioners are also trained to use weapons like swords, shields and "Urumi" a metre-long flexible sword. Shamcera belongs to the conservative Muslim community and is just one among the many women who are now trained in martial arts. Religious restrictions did not deter her in pursuing her mission. [A Malayalee Muslim martial arts teacher trains women, children in Manjur]

The ruins of the Harappan Civilization (3300 - 1600 BCE) are being found all over North India now. Recently a Harappan burrial site was found in Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh. There was a mummified body wearing copper bracelets and the site had pottery and other artifacts dating back to the Indus Valley civilisation. Then a site dating back to 2500 BCE was found in Bagasara in Gujarat. This site, considered to be a parallel rural civilization to Harappa was found to have a shell making workshop, fortifications, and knives with bone handles. Then another site was found in Farmana Khas in Haryana.

Now a well developed site has been discovered in Rapar area of Gujarat's Kutch District.

In the excavation, structure of a strong outer wall, some 9.5 metre high, foodgrains like rice, wheat, barley, lentils etc were recovered from some 30 trenches, Director of excavation team Jeevan Singh Kharakwal said on Friday.

"The first phase excavation indicates a well developed and mature Harappan town," he said.

The trenches also revealed some sections of streets or lanes suggesting the kind of town that might have existed. Kharakwal said that deposits were found at various depth of 10 to 12 metres indicating four different cultural stages.

During excavation, the team also discovered microliths weighing around 134 grams made of steatite (soapstones) and pottery belonging to mature Harappan and late Harappan period. [Harappan town excavated in Gujarat]

Where did Adi Sankara write Soundaryalahari? Mount Kailas, Kanyakumari or Kashmir? A stone pillar bas-relief image, supposed to be of Sankara has been found in Bhagavathy Amman temple at Kanyakumari.

Centre secretary Padmanabhan, who undertook the research, said the Adi Sankara might have visited the temple during his pilgrimage, called Sankara Vijayam. The image in sitting pose is carved as bas-relief facing north. A `Danda' (the staff of an ascetic) is seen in his right hand with a piece of cloth tied near the top.

The image is evidence for the saint's visit to the temple; it also corroborates the theory that Adi Sankara wrote Soundaryalahari at Kanyakumari. [ Bas-relief, said to be of Sankara, found]

In A.D. 75 a sea-faring, Greek-speaking Egyptian merchant wrote a book called Periplus, which talks about various ports in India. One of the ports he mentioned is Musiris, which is near present day Kodungallur in Kerala. Dr. Shajan, an archaeologist thinks that ancient Musiris is a town called Pattanam, located 12 KM away from Kodungallur.

Pattanam, on the other hand, has yielded amphora (holding vessels) of Roman make and those made elsewhere in the Persian Gulf. This shows that Pattanam had trade not only with Rome but also with places in the Persian Gulf, she added. [Tracing an ancient trading route]

See Also: Hunting for Muziris, The myth of Cheraman Perumal's conversion

Large statues are usually made for Gods and Rajnikanth, There are statues like the Buddha in Bamiyan and Hyderabad, and Gomateshwara in Shravanabelagola which we all admire. Now joining that league is Chairman Mao. The place for the statue is also classy - Tibet.

CHAIRMAN MAO’S stern features are to gaze out over Tibet for the first time. A huge statue of Mao Zedong, whose Red Armies entered the deeply Buddhist Himalayan region in 1951 to extend Communist Party rule, is to stand in a newly built square in the town of Gongga. The 7.5m (24½ft) figure, weighing 35 tonnes, is a gift to the small Tibetan town just south of the regional capital, Lhasa, from the central Chinese city of Changsha, where Mao was born.

The statue was designed by Zhu Weijing, president of the Changsha Sculpture Institute. He has created a whole new image of the late chairman that will be unique to Tibet, with his features made to look more like those of Buddha. [Mao turns Buddhist for Tibet]

Ravages was in Darasuram temple near Kumbhakonam and clicked the photo of the inscription shown above. There is a number in the inscription which is either 1355 or 355. What is a number in Indo-Arabic numerals doing in the middle of all that Tamil text?

If you have any ideas, please post a comment.

Recently there was an interview on KQED with Amartya Sen on his new book Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny. In the book Sen makes the argument that we tend to compartmentalize people with singular identities like American, or Iraqi or Muslim whereas a person could have multiple identities. "The same person can be, without any contradiction, an American citizen, of Caribbean origin, with African ancestry, a Christian, a liberal, a woman, a vegetarian, a long-distance runner, a historian, a schoolteacher, a novelist, a feminist, a heterosexual, a believer in gay and lesbian rights, a theater lover, an environmental activist, a tennis fan, a jazz musician," etc.

He says that during communal riots, people focus on the single identity of opponents and hence are willing to murder strangers. For example, if you look at the the incident in Marad, Kerala or Kashmir, people were murdered because they were Hindus.

Not many people have taken kindly to this argument. For his argument Sen has tried to present a compassionate view of Islam which has not gone well with public. In an effort to present tolerance of Islam he wrote about Akbar and the example of Muslim rule in Cordoba and the Iberian Peninsula. He has even twisted one story to suit his purposes, the one about Jewish philosopher Maimonides, who according to Sen found refuge in a tolerant Arab world. Not so true says Fouad Ajami, writing in the Washington Post.

Here, for Sen's benefit, is a passage from Maimonides' seminal "Epistle to Yemen": "Our hearts are weakened, our minds are confused, and our strength wanes because of the dire misfortunes that have come upon us in the form of religious persecution in the two ends of the world, the East and the West." Maimonides' geography was Islamic: The East in the "Epistle" was Yemen, then a battleground between Sunni and Shiite Islam, a place where Jews were being subjected to forced conversions to Islam; the Western lands were the burning grounds of Andalusia. The Almohads' pitiless warriors were in every way the Taliban of their age, the ancestors of today's religious radicals in the world of Islam. They put to the sword the fabled world of Andalusian tolerance, and young Maimonides witnessed the shattering collapse of that culture. [Free to be you and me in Amartya Sen's world]

To understand Mr. Sen's desire to get away from religion-based political taxonomy, one must be aware of where, as they say, he is coming from. The Nobel laureate--who has taken to describing himself as a "feminist economist"--is a full-fledged member of the Indian "progressive" left. If there is one concern that drives this group, that animates its politics like no other, it is the perfectly well-meaning desire to safeguard India's Muslim minority from the excesses of the country's Hindu right. This desire has led to such contortions as the left's defense of a separate personal law for India's Muslims (which leaves Muslim women at the mercy of inequitable rules on divorce and inheritance) merely because the Hindu right campaigns for a uniform civil code for all Indian citizens, irrespective of religion.

Ursa Major (Great Bear) constellation consists among other stars, the formation called the Big Dipper, a group of seven bright stars. In Hindu mythology, these are known as Saptarishis. Now a representation of Ursa Major has been discovered on a piece of rock at Mudumula village of Mahabubnagar district in Andhra Pradesh. This representation has been dated to 500 B.C, the time of Buddha.

The representation of the group of stars was found on a square table-like rock with a flat slanting top. "This appears to have been deliberately planted by the megalithic people to plot the Great Bear constellation, also known as `Ursa Major' and referred to as `Saptarshi Mandala' in Indian astronomy," Dr.Rao said.

The group of seven stars, four of which appear like a rectangle and a tail-like formation with three stars, has been mapped on the rock in the form of cup-marks. The Great Bear constellation was used by several communities especially the caravans and sea voyagers to identify the `Pole Star', located above the north pole and thus locate the exact north. [Signature of the sky in rock]