varnam

As Kuttan notes, The Da Vinci Code has been released in Kerala. Kerala has a large Christian population, which wields political power, but the Govt. was not retarded like the ones in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Punjab.

The film, whose screening has been banned or suspended in five states, was released in both English and a dubbed Malayalam version in 11 theatres in Kerala.

Long queues were seen for booking tickets for all four shows at Sridhar cinema hall here.

"The telephones are continuously ringing and all tickets have been sold out," said manager Ramkumar. "This is the only film after 'Titanic ' which has received so many enquiries."

Catholics have, however, reacted "coldly" to the film, Father Paul Thelekkat, spokesperson of the Syro Malabar church, said. ['The Da Vinci Code' released in Kerala]

Aamir Khan recently came out with a statement that people affected by the Sardar Sarovar Dam should be rehabilitated.

"The BJP is saying I'm against the dam and against Gujarat but I'm not against the dam. What I'm saying is that the people who have been affected by the dam should be rehabilitated," Aamir said late on Friday, during an interview with the a television news channel. [I'm neither against Narmada dam nor Gujarat: Aamir]

it is (Vadodara incident) very sad and what happened in Gujarat a few years ago was also equally unfortunate. It's a shame that the administration is not able to control the situation there and it is resulting in deaths of innocent people,' according to a BBC transcript of the interview.[Aamir Khan slams Narendra Modi]

This "mob censorship" in a state ruled by the BJP was enough to get all the familiar secularists all worked up. Shabana Azmi heard only about the protests by the BJP activists and not by the Congress and she got all worked up. Mahesh Bhatt, approached the Supreme Court asking for police protection in those movie halls, which was willing to show the movie.

There is another state sponsored censorship going on in India. The Da Vinci Code, which was cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification was banned in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Coming out in support of Aamir Khan, this is what Shabana had to say

It is the State's business to ensure that those citizens who wish to see the film should have the freedom to do so. No political party has the right to jeopardise a film that has been duly cleared by the central board of film certification".[Shabana Azmi, in defence of Aamir Khan]

Recently the Chhattisgarh government decided to give a knockout punch to the Naxalites with the help of K.P.S.Gill and our friend Praful Bidwai came out strongly against it. He was sure that this police action would violate the human rights of Adivasis. For once he has not come out against the human rights violations by the Naxalites.

This model of opposing police action, while remaining silent on brutality and murder by terrorists is not just the trade mark of Naxal supporters like Bidwai, but also of many human rights organizations. While organizations like Amnesty International scream about police and state violence all around the world, not a word comes out of their mouth against terrorists, dictators and warlords.

If an award has to be given to a human rights organization for being ridiculous, then it has to go to the one in Namibia. Angelina Jolie recently gave birth to a baby in Namibia and the paparazzi have been camping there to get photographs of the celebrity parents and the baby. The couple wanted privacy and they got it there.

Bodyguards and undercover Namibian police officers shielded the celebrity parents from journalists, erecting green cloth screens around the beach resort where they stayed. A local human rights group accused the security services of using "heavy-handed tactics" to keep the paparazzi at bay. [Hello! sues over Jolie photo leak]

Previously it was believed that agriculture began in West Asia in a region known as the Fertile Crescent with the domestication of barley and wheat. Later a new Fertile Crescent was discovered in China where rice cultivation began much before agriculture in West Asia. Archaeology in Lahura-Deva site in Uttar Pradesh had recently found carbonised material containing grains of cultivated rice along with wild grass and it was considered to be proof that rice cultivation started in India much before in China.

Now according to American and Taiwanese researchers rice domestication happened in multiple sites, independently

While there is consensus that rice had its roots in Asia, whether it was domesticated in southern China alone or at multiple locations has been under debate.

In a bid to trace the ancestral roots of rice — a cereal eaten by more than half of the world’s population — plant geneticist Barbara Schaal at Washington University and her colleagues analysed the genetic make-up of wild and cultivated rice varieties.

Their studies show that the indica variety was domesticated south of the Himalayas within a region spanning eastern India, Myanmar and Thailand, while the japonica variety was domesticated from wild rice in southern China.

“We now have strong evidence for multiple sites of domestication of rice,” Schaal told The Telegraph over the telephone.

The new studies also suggest that an additional — third — domestication event might have occurred in India, giving rise to a minor variety of rice called “aus” — a drought-tolerant strain cultivated in India and Bangladesh.

The two major rice varieties grown worldwide today — Oryza sativa indica and Oryza sativa japonica — owe their origins to two independent events of domestication thousands of years ago, American and Taiwanese researchers said. [Rice roots lie in east India]

Did you know that football could have a corrupting influence among the new generation and it was a 'conspiracy instigated by the imperialists'? When you hear such a statement, the immediate guess would be that it came from the Taliban, who converted the football field in Kabul to a killing ground. Sadly, it comes from the 100% literate state of Kerala where football has a major fan following.

By going after those ‘unscrupulous’ and ‘morally weak’ soccer stars, the youth in the district are falling prey to a ‘conspiracy instigated by the imperialists’, they alleged.

“It is cruel to divert resources and energy when there are many who are suffering from poverty,” they said, adding they would launch strong campaigns against the soccer craze. SSF has held a protest march in Tirur the other day against the football craze saying that ‘capitalist forces are trying to make inroads under the guise of football’.[Soccer frenzy: Foul, cry Muslim outfits]

"Poor Countries" want to play football. Islamic countries want to play football. This protest seems to be yet another case where the monkey brigade seems to be more Catholic than the Pope.
Update: The Islamic Militia who took over Mogadishu also thinks alike. They have cut off electricity to prevent Somalis from watching World Cup, but even they have not been cuckoo enough to suggest that it is an imperialist conspiracy.

The BBC has an article on the theory that the town of Pattanam in Kerala could be the location of the ancient port of Muziris.

What is known, from a 1st Century document, is that the harbour was "exceptionally important for trade."

Clues to its location are provided in ancient Indian texts. Professor Rajan Gerta, from Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala, said that there are many references to "ships coming with gold, and going back with 'black gold'" - pepper.

"These ships went back with a whole lot of pepper and various aromatic spices, collected from the forests," he added. Merchants from a number of different cultures are believed to have operated in the port, and there are numerous Indian finds from the time as well as Roman ones.

In 1983, a large hoard of Roman coins was found at a site around six miles from Pattanam. However, even if Muziris has been found, one mystery remains - how it disappeared so completely in the first place.

Dr Tomba said that it has always been presumed that the flow of the trade between Rome and India lasted between the 1st Century BC through to the end of the 1st Century AD, but that there is growing evidence that this trade continued much longer, into the 6th and early 7th Century - although not necessarily continually. [Search for India's ancient city via email from Srijith]

Note that the map shows the location of the Cheraman Perumal Masjid, which according to myth, was built by a Kerala king who converted to Islam.

(Image via Dr. Shajan)

The Indian influence over South-East Asia expanded a lot during the time of Pallavas between the fifth and seventh centuries and the influence was mainly seen in Cambodia. In Indonesia, Srivijaya, a maritime power and dynasty which controlled the empire stretching from Sumatra to Malaya, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam arose from obscurity in the 8th century. Srivijaya was an Indianised polity, more Buddhist than Brahminical with its capital near Palembang in South Eastern Sumatra.

Rival to the Srivijaya dynasty was the joint kingdoms of Sailendra and Sanjaya based in central Java. It was during their time (after 780 CE) that the temple building activity flourished in the island. These temples were based on the layout and elevation of the Pallavan and Chalukyan temples. An exception to this style of construction is the colossal temple at Borobudur, which apparently started as a Hindu temple and was converted to a Buddhist place of worship.

One of the largest Hindu temples in the region is Prambanan, located in central Java. This temple, which was built around 850 CE during the time of the Sanjaya dynasty is dedicated to the Trimurtis. There are about 200 temples in this complex and the bas-relief of the temple depicts the story of Ramayana. Parts of this temple was damaged in the recent earthquake that hit Indonesia.

Brahma temple, one of the ancient shrines in the Prambanan compound in Klaten, Central Java,has been seriously damaged by the earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale which struck Yogyakarta city and environs early Saturday morning, a tourism official said.

"In the Prambanan complex, Brahma Temple sustained serious damage in the earthquake," Soeroso, director of archalogical heritages at the Tourism, ArtS and Culture Ministry , said here on Saturday.

Damage was also done to Plaosan Lor and Sejiwan temples but not to serious extent. Sejiwan Temple was actually in the process of being repaired and the quake undid some of the complete repairs. The Brahma Temple must now be rehabilitated totally because its basic structre had been damaged, he said. [Brahma Temple in Prambanan Complex seriously damaged]

Usually history books depict the development of ancient Indian Civilization as starting from Mehrgarh (from 7000 - 3300 BCE) and then moving to the Indus Valley. The Indus Valley civilization flourished from 3300 BCE to 1700 BCE and then the settlements moved to the Ganges plains, probably due to reduced monsoons or due to the disappearance of the Ghaggar-Hakra river system. It was assumed that the Ganges plains had dense forests and people did not have the tools to clear the forests till about 3500 years back.

Our understanding of the development in the Ganges plains are changing due to the work done by the scientists from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany and Lucknow University.

..analysed pollen and chemical signatures in mud dug up from a two-metre-deep hole in the dry lake bed of Sanai Tal, between Rae Bareli and Lalganj in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Ancient pollen yields information about vegetation, while changes in the monsoon are reflected in the signatures of chemical elements buried in lake sediments.

“Our findings suggest that people lived in the Sanai lake region 15,000 years ago,” said Mohan Singh Chauhan, a scientist at Birbal Sahni Institute. But the Sanai lake bed tells a different story: of a seesawing monsoon affecting vegetation and human activity.

The pollen analysis shows that the Ganga plain was a savannah grassland with a few pockets of forests. The scientists also found “cultural pollen” — pollen from plants that grow at sites of human habitation. “Cultural pollen is indirect evidence for human presence and we found it throughout the 15,000-year history of Sanai Tal,” Chauhan said.

The lake itself formed about 12,500 years ago, during a period when the monsoon gained in strength. But the region experienced a 1,000-year spell of dry weather between 11,500 years and 10,500 years ago. During the period, there was a clear decline in the growth of trees around the Sanai Tal, the scientists said.

The levels of cultural pollen — in other words, human activity in the region — also dramatically declined during this dry spell.

The studies show the largest expansion of the lake occurred between 10,000 years and 5,800 years ago, a period corresponding to heavier monsoons. Early during this period, Chauhan said, the region witnessed the beginnings of agriculture.

Excavations at some 9,000-year-old sites in Pratapgarh district, about 100 km east of Sanai Tal, had earlier shown evidence of farming. From 5,000 years ago to the present, the levels of cultural pollen — including pollen from cultivated plants — increases significantly. During this period, the Ganga plain is believed to have witnessed a largescale influx of people.

Following the withdrawal of the Soviet forces in 1992, Afghanistan was thrown into a civil war. Warlords were in charge of various sectors and they enforced their own rules Businesses had to pay them for safe transport and there were competing warlords. So if a Pakistani businessman wanted to send goods via road to Turkmenistan, he would end up lining the pockets of many warlords, which affected the profit margin. Then came the Taliban, from the madrassas in Pakistan and took over the Afghanistan and bought "stability". They defeated various warlords and established a single point of payment.

Then they imposed Islamic laws on the poor Afghanis. Criminal punishments included amputations, and stoning. Women could go out only with a male relative and Hindus were required to a special marking on their cloth. Finally they forged a relationship with Osama bin Laden and you know the rest.

Now this story is repeating in Somalia. Following the fall of Mohamed Siad Barre in 199, the county has been in chaos. In a scene by scene replay of the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, an alliance of Islamic militias have taken over the country. Now people can walk without fear in the streets of Mogadishu.

Somalis interviewed by Reuters in Mogadishu -- and Jowhar and Balad to the north, which the Islamic militia also captured last week -- almost unanimously expressed happiness at the new-found stability on their streets since the power shift.

Transport was moving more freely, business was flourishing, roadblocks had come down, and guns were less visible on the streets, they said. [Islamists bring rare peace, new worry to Mogadishu]

Abdifatah Nur, 26, said he was watching a World Cup soccer match at a movie house when Islamic militiamen crashed through the doors and ordered the television turned off. They beat the children with lashes and took the young men to a jail. Before the militiamen let their prisoners free three days later, Nur said, they whipped him and cut off his long, curly hair.

Nur said that a few days later, in a different movie house, he watched as Islamic militiamen beat the owner to death, apparently for ignoring earlier orders to not show soccer matches."I hate what they are doing," Nur said. "We have no choice.">Several leaders of the Islamic militias have said they have issued no orders banning World Cup broadcasts or requiring men to cut their hair.

Alas, the truth is that the Union is made up of at least four major jihadi groups: al-Ittihad al-Islami ("Islamic Union"), a group which used to appear on the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations (the folks at Foggy Bottom apparently bought at face value the group's previously self-proclaimed dissolution); al-Takfir wal-Hijra ("Excommunication and Exodus"), a group so extreme that it considered Osama bin Laden too moderate and tried to kill him in Sudan in 1996; al-Islah ("Reconciliation"), an Islamist group pushing for the establishment of a Islamic state in Somalia; and al-Tabligh ("Making Known"), an Islamist "missionary" group with links to the same madrassas in Pakistan which gave us the Taliban [WSJ:The New Taliban (subscription required)]

The Buddha died in the town of Kushinara, now called Kasia on the river Chotta Gandak in Uttar Pradesh. He had not given any instructions on what was to be done with his mortal remains. The Mallas of Kusinara had gathered to pay respects to Buddha and they took over the responsibility of the funeral. After paying respects for six days, they decided to cremate the body. After the funeral there was a fight among the Mallas and certain chieftains for sharing the relics. Finally, Dona, a brahmin intervened and the chieftains decided to divide the relics into eight portions. Each of them built a monument over the relic.

Out of these relics, Buddha's tooth reached Sri Lanka.

When Buddha's remains were cremated in north India around 486BC, eight corporeal relics survived. They were sealed in stupas (shrines) built across the Buddhist heartland. Custody of the tooth seems to have been disputed at various times but by 310AD the situation was serious enough for an Indian king to accede to a Sinhalese request that it be transported to Sri Lanka for safekeeping. From Tamlik in west Bengal it crossed the Bay of Bengal to land on the island's eastern shore before heading inland to Anuradhapura, the vast Sinhala capital that endured for nearly a millennium.

Its guardians took it to the Isurumuniya Monastery that still stands today. It is a small complex of buildings and shrines built around and hollowed out of a hillock of dark boulders. There is a charming sunken pool and an impressively large reclining Buddha statue of yellow complexion and scarlet robes.
[Nothing but the tooth]

Invading Tamils kept the tooth guardians on theirtoes and it was spiritedfrom Kurunegala to Gampola to Kotte, all short-lived capitals with scant remains today. Arriving in the early 1500s, the distasteful Portuguese once claimed to have taken the tooth to Goa and burnt it, and so forced desperate Buddhists to substitute a buffalo's.

Sri Lankans prefer the folkish story of its time hidden beneath a grinding stone, from where it eventually headed for Kandy in 1593 and a more-or-less permanent home.

The tooth endured the Dutch and the British rule. It had many more brushes with danger and destruction, most recently with a 1998 Tamil Tiger bomb attack that, among other things, exposed 18th-century frescoes hidden by plaster.[Nothing but the tooth]

See Also: Buddha's Bones, Buddha's relics

Finally the High Court of Andhra Pradesh had to lecture the State Government on why it should not have banned The Da Vinci Code.

Rejecting these arguments, Mr. Justice Raghu Ram, in his 48-page judgment, said, "The Constitution does not confer or tolerate such individualised hyper-sensitive private censor intrusion into and regulation of guaranteed freedom of others."

Tracing the concept of freedom of speech and expression and its necessity for the blossoming of the human mind, he noted that the Censor Board had cleared the film with appropriate conditions. A film was not like a billboard or hoarding that involuntarily affected innocent passersby. Those who purchased tickets to see the film made a conscious decision, and the state had no role to stop the screening.

Mr. Justice Raghu Ram said the authorities who passed the ban order had not even seen the film. The officer "mechanically certified" the veto of a few objectors rather than arriving at a decision based on informed satisfaction. This was "arbitrary, casual and [a] wholly irrational exercise of a very sensitive and responsible executive power, namely the regulation of a cherished, valued and guaranteed fundamental freedom of expression."

The judge, who saw the film at a special screening, recalled various works on different interpretations of Jesus Christ.

The court said, "Freedom of speech and expression contributes to the richness and equilibrium of human existence." Terming the Government's action wholly negligent and an irresponsible exercise of executive power, the judge directed the Government to pay Rs. 10,000 each to the distributors and Rs. 2,500 to Mr. Reddy. [ A.P. ban on Da Vinci Code quashed]

If you switch on The History Channel, you are overwhelmed with documentaties on Egypt. Every pyramid, every pharoah and every single grain of sand has a documentary. "Ancient Secrets of Egypt", "Really Ancient Secrets of Egypt", "The secret of the pyramids", "The Pharoah's slave's wife's second cousin's story", so goes the list. But if you ask which Indian emperor has moved more stone than the pyramid in Giza to construct a temple, everyone would blink.

It was refreshing to see the documentary called The Lost Temples of India ( via lazygeek) on the Big Temple at Tanjore, constructed by Raja Raja Chola. The documentary talks about how Raja Raja selected elephants for battle, how he moved 40 tonne granite stones to build the temple and the techniques used for cutting granite. They even find the remains of the ramp which could have been used for sliding up the stones.

Besides the Tanjore temple, the documentary also talks about the Vijayanagara empire, Sri Rangam and the temples of Khajuraho.

If you are rich, it can open many doors, especially in a developing nation. This is what the Chinese officials discovered recently when they wanted to visit El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay and Chad. China's state controlled China Mobile Communications Corp is on a $5.3 billion dollar deal to buy Millicom International Cellular SA of Luxembourg. Chinese officials had to visit these countries to study Millicom's finance and operations. Not having a diplomatic presence was a hiccup, but it was soon overcome by talking directly to the President or the concerned minister in each of those countries.

Then not all developing nations are the same. According to a new Wall Street Journal article, Indian Govt. has been treating Chinese businesses with suspicion. When China's Huawei Technologies wanted to establish a new facility to make telecommunications equipment, permission was denied. Both China's ZTE Corp and Hutchison Whampoa from Hong Kong were denied permission to do business. China's CIMC-Tianda was allowed to setup air bridges in certain airports, but then were not allowed in some other airports.

The article suggests that Indians do not trust the Chinese because of the 1962 war. That is partly true. The two nations have not gone for war for more than 40 years and since time heals all wounds, the relationship should have gotten better. That may not happen since there are many reasons to remain suspicious of Chinese intentions.

The Indians have more reasons to worry that America and Europe due to the proximity and the semi-hostile relationship. China's "managed proliferation" to Pakistan has not really helped smooth relations. The aggressive nature by which China is going on surrounding India also does bode well in improving confidence. Unlike other nations, most of China's companies are state owned and may have more than business interests in mind.

With its new wealth, China has been inventively building trade and transportation links to further its larger interests. Such links around Indiaâ??s periphery are already bringing this country under strategic pressure on three separate flanks. China is fashioning two north-south strategic corridors on either side of India â?? the Trans-Karakoram Corridor stretching right up to Gwadar, at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz; and the Irrawaddy Corridor involving road, river and rail links from Yunnan right up to the Burmese ports. In addition, it is shoring up an east-west strategic corridor in Tibet across Indiaâ??s northern frontiers. [Dragon Designs]

That said, it is always better to have a business relation with the Chinese as it could lead to dialogue and reduce hostility. There are some areas which are sensitive like ports and airports and caution has to be exercised. This does not mean that you turn off a good business deal in other areas in which the Chinese are able to provide a competitive deal.

The test has classified the people in north and south India as belonging to one gene pool, and not different ethnic groups such as Aryans and Dravidians.
Giving the information to The Hindu here, Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research D.N. Tripathi said geneticists from Pakistan had collected samples for genetics analysis of the people of Indian subcontinent and sent them to cellular and molecular biology laboratories in the U.S. Scientists in Pakistan concluded from the test results that the human race spread out of Africa 60,000 years before Christ. They settled in the subcontinent. Geneticists in Pakistan concluded that people living in the northern and southern regions of India and those in the West Asian region were from the same gene pool, he added.

Asked about the argument of many historians tracing the lineage of people in north India to Aryans, Prof. Tripathi said test results had proved this wrong. "We have the results of studies. The conclusion of some historians that Aryans came here 15,000 years before Christ does not hold water," he added.  [People in north and south India belong to the same gene pool: ICHR Chairman via Rajeev Srinivasan]

1. According to the theory supported by the Aryan Invasion/Migration folks, the invasion/migration happened between 3000 - 1000 BCE and not, 15,000 years back.
2. The fact that humans migrated out of Africa some 85,000 years ago has been proved by the Bradshaw Foundation and Professor Stephen Oppenheimer and hence that too is not a new revelation

Around 100,000 years back, if the woman had "headache", the man knew the trick to make it disappear - jewelry. While people thought that such creative thinking started only about 50,000 years back, new discoveries are changing the timeframe.

An international team of archaeologists, in an article in Friday's issue of the journal Science, reported their analysis of small shells with distinctive perforations that appeared to have been strung together as ornamental beads. Chemical study showed that the two shells from the Skhul rock shelter in Israel were more than 100,000 years old, and the single shell from Oued Djebbana, in Algeria, was about 90,000 years old. [Shell Jewelry said to be 100,000 years old]

The article also notes that the sites where the shells were found were far from the sea shore indicating that they were bought there intentionally. This could mean that there could be an industry of shell making in all these regions. This shell making industry was found in India also, but not in the timeframe of the sites in Israel and Algeria. In 2004, a Harappan site was found in the small town of Bagasara in Gujarat. This site which dates back to 2500 B.C was found to have a shell making workshop, fortifications, and knives with bone handles.

Shell bangles have been found before but not a workshop with a such a concentration of shells. The presence of the workshop reveals that the shells were cut and polished into fine bangles. Several heaps of sacred conch shells along with thousands of shell circles systematically cut from these shells have been discovered. Workshops of faience and lapidary stone beads have also been found. [Parallel rural civilization to Harappa]

A similar industry dating to about 1800 BCE was found in Bet Dwaraka as well.

The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra, Atria (March 21, 2006), 336 pages

The novel starts with the death of Beatrice d'Este, the wife of Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan during childbirth. Three days before this event, a man calling himself the Soothsayer had sent a letter to Rome predicting this. The year is 1497  and and Leonardo da Vinci has been commissioned by the Ludovico Sforza, to paint The Last Supper in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The Soothsayer's weekly letters also suggest that there is a hidden message in the painting and it should be stopped.

Agostino Leyre, a father in the Secretariat of Keys of the Papal States, a secret congregation,  is sent to Milan to investigate the matter. The father was chosen since he was an expert in codes and had analyzed previous messages of the Soothsayer. His only clue in finding the Soothsayer is a riddle in one of the letters. The Father chooses to stay in Santa Maria delle Grazie and starts working on the puzzle with the help of Father Alessandro, the convent's librarian.

While there are some initial attempts at solving the puzzle, it is pushed to the background as the Father learns more about various heretic in Milan and what they want to accomplish. About sixty years back, during the time of Pope Eugene VI, the Patriarch of Florence and held a council which could have succeeded in altering the course of Christendom. The Patriarch, Cosimo de' Medici had purchased the books of Aristotle and Plato and learned about the immortality of the soul and how heavenly bodies were responsible for everything. This knowledge was not palatable to the Church and hence the current Duke of Milan wanted to hide this information publicly using art,  with the help of Leonardo da Vinci.

Leonardo da Vinci, the major character in this book appears in every other chapter, dressed in white, looking like a giant, setting puzzles for the monks to solve while working with his disciples on bigger secrets in the convent. The community of monks in the convent know that Leonardo is working on concealing a mystery in The Last Supper, but they are unable to find out the sepcifics. Leonardo already had a reputation for painting things not found in the Gospels and monks faithful to the Pope were always trying to find some clue to hold against him. There had been accusations that he found inspiration from Apocalipsis Nova, a book written by his friend, Amadeo of Portugal, in which it is suggested that the Virgin and Saint John the Baptist were the true protagonists of the New Testament, and not Christ.

After Malaysia decimated a Hindu temple, Lahore's only Hindu temple was also demolished to construct a commercial building. Now in a welcome development, Pakistan is spending about $25 million for the restoration of the Katasraj temple.

Pakistan has many famous Hindu temples like the Sharada Thirtha, the temple of Lav (Rama's son) and Katasraj . Katasraj temple, according to mythology is the place where the Pandavas met the Yaksha who asked them the 'Who wants to be a millionaire' questions.  Al-Biruni mentioned in Ta'rikh al-Hind ("Chronicles of India") that he learned Sanskrit and Science at Katasraj. The restoration work is expected to start next month.

A comprehensive study had been conducted. The temple ponds would be cleaned, enlarged and fenced, sources said, adding that the Shiva temple and the adjacent area would be restored and debris removed. The missing staircase would be rebuilt and the walls would be plastered, they said.The sources said that proper pathways leading to the pools, the Shiva, Hanuman and Ram temples, as well as the stupa and Hari Singhâ??s haveli, would be built.

The flight of steps to the haveliâ??s eastern entrance and the damaged wooden doors would also be repaired.New benches would be set there and new changing rooms for male and female pilgrims would be built, they said, adding that the youth hostels would be upgraded and proper facilities for toilets and drinking water would be provided. A website on the Katasraj Temples and a publicity campaign would also be launched.

In phase two, the Satghara temples, the Hanuman temples and the Ramchandra temples will be restored. All the paintings in the Hanuman and Ramchandra temples will be treated chemically.In phase three, a site museum will be established and the Satghara temples, the stupa and the slopes of the hillock overlooking the pond will be landscaped. An open area with parking facilities on the eastern road leading to Kallar Kahar will be established, and a road leading to the site from various locations will also be built. [From Asian Age, which asks me to view the page in IE]