Types of bodies - Siddha view

A short article on different bodies

Types of bodies
(from Tamil Siddhar Marabu- Dr. T.N.Ganapathy)

The Siddhas, unlike the other schools of Indian philosophy, consider the body as a vehicle for spiritual evolution and not as a hindrance. According to them, the material body which is prone to disease, aging and destruction should be transformed into a ‘deathless body’.

Tirumular in this Tirumandiram explains this as follow:
Before, I thought the body was a shame
I saw the entity within the body,
I saw that the Supreme One has taken residence within the body,
I am nurturing the body while remaining in it. (725).

The Siddhas consider the body as the residence of the Divine and hence should be treated with respect. Tantric works call the body a microcosm that reflects the macrocosm or the universe. The Tamil Siddhas refer to the body as a threshold between human existence and divine presence. They say that instead of wasting one’s time visiting various spiritual places and bathing in sacred waters one should seek these sacred places within one own body.

Before we delve deep into the Tamil Siddhas’ view on the body, let us see what the other Indian traditional schools say about the.

Buddhism identifies three types of bodies. They are nirmaana kaya- material body, sambogha kaya or bodhisattva body- blissful subtle body which is capable of entering bodies where it can impart important knowledge and dharma kaya- the body with supreme consciousness.

Upanishads talk about five types of bodies, the annamaya kosam (material body), pranamaya kosam (body of vital breath), manomaya kosam (body created by the mind), vijnanamaya kosam (body created by discrimination) and anandamaya kosam (body of bliss). These five bodies or sheaths are present one over the other with the outermost being the annamaya kosam).

Adivaita classifies body into three types, the sthula sareera (gross), sukshma or linga sareera (subtle) and kaarana sareera (causal body). The gross body is made up of matter or five elements. This is the annamaya kosam. The sukshma body is made up of the five tanmaatra or subtle elements. Pranamaya kosam, manomaya kosam and vijnanamaya kosam belong to this category. The causal body is like the anandamaya sareeram or body of bliss.

In Siddha works we read about sthula deha, yoga deha, siddha deha, pranava deha or mantra deha and jnana deha or divya deha. The process of converting the sthula deha into divya deha is called kayasiddhi. The Siddha alchemy also refers to this process only.

Yoga bijam classifies body into pakkva and apakkva deha. The apakkva deha has to be turned into pakkva deha by processing it in the fire of the kundalini. Kaya kalpam is the process of turning the material body into divya deha. This process is achieved by using mani, mantra and audadam or medicinal preparation. Mani is the process of transforming the body through chemical means. Mantra is transformation through kundalini yoga and audadham or aushadam is using medicinal method for transformation.

Ramalinga adigalar talks about siddha deha, pranava deha and jnana deha.
The Siddhas did not believe in attaining moksha after death. There is no guarantee that one will actually achieve it also! They believe that the body should be used properly as a moksha sadhana.

Gross or material body:

The material body is also called maanushi tanu, nava sutra veedu (house of nine principles). It is made up of the twenty four principles- five elements, five subtle qualities, five senses of knowledge, five senses of action, manas, chittam, buddhi and ahamkaram. This body is made up of seven types of dhatus or materials. They are rasa, raktha, maamsa, majjai, asthi or bones, seminal fluid or suklam and medas or fat. It possesses the three faults or dosha namely vata(vali), pittha(azhal) and kapha (aiyam). It undergoes five types of modifications, aging, getting white hair, diminishing sight, disease and death.
Such a body made up of the seven dhatus should be turned into yoga sareera by lighting the fire of kundalini. It is the material body that binds a soul to a particular place, time and situation.

Yoga deha:

Hata yoga strengthens the material body and removes the screen between the body and the mind. It removes the duality of body and mind. Isha Upanishad states that one who controls the body along with the mind attains deathless state. Tirumandiram recommends ashtanga yoga or the yoga with the eight components of yama, niyama, aasana, pranayama, dhaarana, dhyana and Samadhi.
Siddha literature calls the process of attaining yoga deha as deha siddhi.

Siddha deha:

When one attains the yoga deha further yogic practices raise the kundalini sakti. When the power of kundalini pierces the six cakra, the yogi attains special powers. The power that emerges from muladhara grants strength of the body and mind. The power that emerges from the svadishtana grants health. Power from manipuraka cakra grants a natural immunity. Power from anahata grants internal and external beauty. Senses become sharp. Power from visuddhi cakra makes the body firm like a diamond. The body of the siddha that attains special powers becomes like a multicolored rainbow that can disappear without a trace. Achieving this rainbow body is a big step in the transformation. A material body is visible because of its color. When the yogi erases the color of the body it becomes invisible. A yogi who has attained a siddha deha is not controlled by time, space and external causes. He take any form anywhere at any time. He does not depend on his senses for cognition.

Mandira meni or mantra deha:

Converting the siddha deha into mantra deha is the next step. Tantra sastras say that Siva and Sakti are present in the sahasrara and muladhara respectively. They are present in the right and left part of the body. The apana vayu that flows through the pingala nadi in the right side of the body is considered as the flow of Siva. The prana that flows through the ida in the left part of the body is called as flow of sakti. When the aspirant practices breath regulation he changes the direction of the breath and makes it flow through the sushumna instead of the ida and pingala thus bringing the left and the right part of the body into an equilibrium. This is called union of siva and sakti, samarasa. Then the sound, om occurs within the yogi’s body and his siddha deha becomes pranava deha. The letters a, u and m of the pranava represent the soorya, Chandra and agni or pingala,ida and sushumna nadi respectively.

Tirumular calls the mantra tanu as sukshma panchakshara and Sivakaayam. As the pranava is called the unspoken mantra, Konkanar calls the transformation of the material body into mantra deha as the silent letter became the body. The body is called oomai deham or silent body. It is also called the pillar of omkara.

Jivan muktha:

A yogin who possesses the pranava deha is a jivan muktha. They are souls who have attained liberation while still in the body form. A yogin who possesses the pranava deha is a jivan muktha. They are souls who have attained liberation while still in the body form.

Even when their senses are engaged with the external world their consciousness is constantly immersed in self-awareness enjoying the bliss. They are not affected by the “I-sense”. They remain as a witness.

Jivan mukthi is different from videha mukhti in that videha mukthi is attained only after the death of the person. In fact the Siddhas do not believe in videha mukhti at all.
A jivan muktha’s body is deathless. His gross body becomes effulgent divya deha. He attains para mukthi with that divya deha. He goes beyond time and remains as an embodiment of sivam. It is believed that jivan mukthas are still remaining in this world.

Divya deha:

Divya deha is called chinmayam, baindhava sareeram, jnana deha. It is a body made of space. Those with divya deha have merged with the supreme space. In this state every hair shaft in their body glistens and glows.

Kakapujandar and Kambalichattai munivar call this body Kailaya deha. Sivavakiyar calls this body sorgaloka veli. He says that in the limitless sorgaveli the supreme truth remains as a mixture of white and red. In the sahasrara which is depicted as the thousand petal lotus, the yogin experiences white and red. The white indicates the prakasha aspect of the Divine and the red indicates the vimarsha aspect of the Divine.

Laya:

The process of reaching the divya deha from the yoga deha or the siddha deha is called laya. Laya is the process of merging of all the principles with each other and ultimately with Sivam. This is also called apancheekaranam or reverse manifestation.

When kundalini unfolds from its dormant state and ascends through the cakras it starts absorbing the element that each cakra represents. Thus, it absorbs the twenty four principles into itself. When it reaches the ajna cakra the yogin’s body becomes siddha deha. The twenty four principles do not affect the siddha deha as it is not made of them. A siddha deha is made of the Siva Sakti principle.

When kundalini goes beyond the ajna,to the other cakras, the sense of duality ceases to exist. When it reaches the sahasrara the yogin attain the divya deha. He consumes the divine nectar that flows down. His body becomes deathless. This body is called the golden body or ‘ponnaar meni’. The kechari mudra helps the yogin consume the divine nectar. The yogi attains kayasiddhi.

Methods to attain a deathless body:

Siddhas recommend three methods to attain a deathless body. They are alchemy, kundalini yoga and ulta sadhana.

Alchemy:
Alchemy is a chemical process where the almost unchangeable chemical principles in the body are changed with the help of chemicals such as mercury, phosphorus and mica. Even the rishi of the Vedic times have used this method to transform their body. The soma rasa that the rishis consumed in the soma yoga is based on this alchemical principle only. Tantric Buddhists are reported to have consumed a drink, Vaarunee to attain deathless state. Rasavada hrudayam is a book that prescribes methods for this transmutation.

Alchemy recommends use of salt, mercury and phosphorus to change the nature of the body. However, these chemical are not the general chemicals that we use in our daily life. Mercury refers to consciousness, phosphorus is the soul and salt is the body. These three chemicals are called ‘muppu’ or triple salts.

Those who practice alchemy use either plant extracts or pure chemicals for their chemical transformation. The body transformed through alchemy is called rasamayee tanu. Nargarjuna, one of the most popular Buddhist gurus was an expert of alchemy. It is said that he possessed extraordinary powers through the practice of alchemy.

Kundalini yoga:

In this method instead of using chemicals for transformation the secretion from the sahasrara is used to transform the body. Through yoga, the impure aspects of the body are made to dry up first. Using the divine nectar they are purified and revived thus granting a divine body
.
Tirumular calls this process the true yaga. The body is strengthened and becomes an instrument to attain moksha. It becomes a boat that carries the soul present on one bank, this world, to the other bank, the supreme space.

Ulta sadhana or reverse practice:

This is an entirely new method of transformation where the normal functioning of the body is completely reversed. The breath, the blood flow, the digestive system etc are brought under control. The semen of the life force that normally flows down is reversed in its direction and made to flow upwards. This method is called paravriddhi. This is possible through yoga. It is said that one who loses the semen during a sexual intercourse is an animal and one who arrests its flow is divine. Agatthiyar jnanam and Tirumandiram talk about this process.

There are parallels between this method and alchemy. The most fluid principle in the human body is the sexual fluid. This fluid is hardened which is like turning a base metal into the most unreactive gold. These two methods are the indirect and direct techniques of kaya sadhana.

Upanishads state that the yogin who reverses the flow of the semen will have a fragrant body. The natha siddhas practice this method of transformation. They use a special language, the sandhya bhasha to refer to this esoteric process.

Thus, the Siddha, instead of fighting with the body and its natural tendencies transform it using the same principles into a supreme vehicle that carries them towards liberation.

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http://agatthiyarjnanam.blogspot.ru/2014/03/a-short-article-on-different-bodies.html

Science of Yoga & its Origin

Science of Yoga & its Origin

Yoga is one of the oldest sciences of the world originated from India, which is very useful for both getting and maintaining the physical, mental and moral health. This yoga was started with the development of civilization.
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THE BIG QUESTIONS

Traditional Yoga seeks to provide plausible answers to such profound questions as, “Who am I?”, “Whence do I come?”, “Whither do I go?,” and “What must I do?” These are the sorts of questions that, sooner or later, we all end up asking ourselves. Or at least, we have our own implicit answers to them, though may not get round to consciously formulating them. Deep down, we all are philosophers, because we all need to make sense of our life. Some of us postpone thinking about these questions, but they don’t ever go away. We quickly learn this when we lose a loved one or face a serious health crisis.

So, we might as well ponder these questions while we are in good shape. And don’t think you have to feel morose to do so. Yoga doesn’t champion dark moods, but it is definitely in favor of awareness in all its forms, including self-awareness. If we know the stuff we are made of, we can function a lot better in the world. At the very least, our self-knowledge will give us the opportunity to make conscious and better choices.
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Despite more than a century of research, we still don’t know much about the earliest beginnings of Yoga. We do know, though, that it originated in India 5,000 or more years ago. Until recently, many Western scholars thought that Yoga originated much later, maybe around 500 B.C., which is the time of Gautama the Buddha, the illustrious founder of Buddhism. But then, in the early 1920s, archeologists surprised the world with the discovery of the so-called Indus civilization—a culture that we now know extended over an area of roughly 300,000 square miles (the size of Texas and Ohio combined). This was in fact the largest civilization in early antiquity. In the ruins of the big cities of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa, excavators found depictions engraved on soapstone seals that strongly resemble yogi-like figures. Many other finds show the amazing continuity between that civilization and later Hindu society and culture.

There was nothing primitive about what is now called the Indus-Sarasvati civilization, which is named after two great rivers that once flowed in Northern India; today only the Indus River flows through Pakistan. That civilization’s urbane population enjoyed multistory buildings, a sewage system unparalleled in the ancient world until the Roman empire, a huge public bath whose walls were water-proofed with bitumen, geometrically laid out brick roads, and standardized baked bricks for convenient construction. (We are so used to these technological achievements that we sometimes forget they had to be invented.) The Indus-Sarasvati people were a great maritime nation that exported a large variety of goods to Mesopotamia and other parts of the Middle East and Africa. Although only a few pieces of art have survived, some of them show exquisite craftsmanship.

For a long time, scholars thought that this magnificent civilization was abruptly destroyed by invaders from the northwest who called themselves Aryans (ârya meaning “noble” in the Sanskrit language). Some proposed that these warlike nomads invented Yoga, others credited the Indus people with its creation. Yet others took Yoga to be the joint creation of both races.

Nowadays researchers increasingly favor a completely different picture of ancient Indian history. They are coming to the conclusion that there never was an Aryan invasion and that the decline of the Indus-Sarasvati cities was due to dramatic changes in climate. These in turn appear to have been caused by a major tectonic catastrophe changing the course of rivers. In particular, it led to the drying up of what was once India’s largest river, the Sarasvati, along whose banks flourished numerous towns and villages (some 2500 sites have been identified thus far). Today the dry river bed runs through the vast Thar Desert. If it were not for satellite photography, we would not have learned about those many settlements buried under the sand.

The drying up of the Sarasvati River, which was complete by around 1900 B.C., had far-reaching consequences. Just imagine the waters of the Mississippi running dry instead of flooding constantly. What havoc this would cause! The death of the Sarasvati River forced the population to migrate to more fertile parts of the country, especially east toward the Ganges (Ganga) River and south into Central India and Tamilnadu.

Why is this important for the history of Yoga, you might ask? The Sarasvati River happens to be the most celebrated river in the Rig-Veda, which is the oldest known text in any Indo-European language. It is composed in an archaic (and difficult) form of Sanskrit and was transmitted by word of mouth for numerous generations. Sanskrit is the language in which most Yoga scriptures are written. It is related to languages like Greek, Latin, French, German, Spanish, and not least English. You can see this family relationship on the example of the word yoga itself, which corresponds to zugos, iugum, joug, Joch, yugo, and yoke in these languages. Sanskrit is like an older brother to the other Indo-European languages.

Now, if the Saraswati River dried up around or before 1900 B.C., the Rig-Veda must be earlier than that benchmark date. If that is so, then the composers of this collection of hymns must have been contemporaneous with the people of the Indus civilization, which flourished between circa 3000-1900 B.C. Indeed, astronomical references in the Rig-Veda suggest that at least some of its 1,028 hymns were composed in the third or even fourth millennium B.C.

Thus, the Sanskrit-speaking Aryans, who created the Rig-Veda, did not come from outside India to destroy the Indus-Sarasvati civilization. They had been there all along. What, then, was their relationship with the Indus-Sarasvati people? Here opinions still differ, but there is a growing understanding that the Aryans and the Indus-Sarasvati people were one and the same. There is nothing in the Rig-Veda to suggest otherwise.

In fact, the Rig-Veda and the other archaic Sanskrit texts appear to be the “missing” literature of the Indus civilization. Conversely, the archeological artifacts of the Indus valley and adjoining areas give us the “missing” material base of the early Sanskrit literature—an elegant solution to a problem that has long vexed researchers.
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YOGA AND THE INDUS-SARASVATI CIVILIZATION

This means that Yoga is the product of a mature civilization that was unparalleled in the ancient world. Think of it! As a Yoga practitioner you are part of an ancient and honorable stream of tradition, which makes you a descendant of that civilization at least at the level of the heart. Many of the inventions credited to Sumer rightfully belong to what is now known as the Indus Saraswati civilization, which evolved out of a cultural tradition that has reliably been dated back to the seventh millennium B.C. In turn it gave rise to the great religious and cultural tradition of Hinduism, but indirectly also to Buddhism and Jainism.

India’s civilization can claim to be the oldest enduring civilization in the world. Its present-day problems should not blind us to its glorious past and the lessons we can learn from it. Yoga practitioners in particular can benefit from India’s protracted experimentation with life, especially its explorations of the mysteries of the mind. The Indian civilization has produced great philosophical and spiritual geniuses who between them have covered every conceivable answer to the big questions, which are as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago.
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VEDIC YOGA

Now we are entering somewhat more technical territory, and I will have to use and explain a number of Sanskrit terms.

The yogic teachings found in the above-mentioned Rig-Veda and the other three ancient hymnodies are known as Vedic Yoga. The Sanskrit word veda means “knowledge,” while the Sanskrit term rig (from ric) means “praise.” Thus the sacred Rig-Veda is the collection of hymns that are in praise of a higher power. This collection is in fact the fountainhead of Hinduism, which has around one billion adherents today. You could say that the Rig-Veda is to Hinduism what the Book of Genesis is to Christianity.

The other three Vedic hymnodies are the Yajur-Veda (“Knowledge of Sacrifice”), Sama-Veda (“Knowledge of Chants”), and Atharva-Veda (“Knowledge of Atharvan”). The first collection contains the sacrificial formulas used by the Vedic priests. The second text contains the chants accompanying the sacrifices. The third hymnody is filled with magical incantations for all occasions but also includes a number of very powerful philosophical hymns. It is connected with Atharvan, a famous fire priest who is remembered as having been a master of magical rituals. These hymnodies can be compared to the various books of the Old Testament.

It is clear from what has been said thus far that Vedic Yoga—which could also be called Archaic Yoga—was intimately connected with the ritual life of the ancient Indians. It revolved around the idea of sacrifice as a means of joining the material world with the invisible world of the spirit. In order to perform the exacting rituals successfully, the sacrificers had to be able to focus their mind for a prolonged period of time. Such inner focusing for the sake of transcending the limitations of the ordinary mind is the root of Yoga

When successful, the Vedic Yogi was graced with a “vision” or experience of the transcendental reality. A great master of Vedic Yoga was called a “seer”—in Sanskrit rishi. The Vedic seers were able to see the very fabric of existence, and their hymns speak of their marvelous intuitions, which can still inspire us today.

Source: A Short History of Yoga by Georg Feuerstein
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Yog originated from Lord Shiva

In ancient times, India did not exist as one country, but still it was considered as one entity which they called 'Bharat Varsha'.

By race, by language they were not same; by religion, they did not worship the same Gods; politically, they were never one, but still the land south of the Himalayas was referred to as Bharat Varsha . So somewhere, there was some sense of unity because of the common spiritual ethos they carried in them.

Spiritual ethos means, no matter what you are doing, whether you are a king or a peasant, whatever is the nature of your activity, there is only one ultimate goal for everybody - liberation. Even today, even the simplest farmer in this country will talk about mukti. This is a result of the phenomenal amount of spiritual work done in this country. One person who is largely responsible for this, who is of paramount significance in shaping the human consciousness is Shiva.

In the yogic culture, Shiva is not known as a God, but as the first Guru or the Adi Guru. He is the Adi Yogi or the first Yogi. Out of his realisation, he became ecstatic and danced all over the mountains or sat absolutely still. He was constantly into bouts of stillness and bouts of mad dancing. All the gods who saw him, saw something was happening to him that they themselves did not know. Suddenly heaven felt like a bad place, because this guy is having such a good time! They felt, "We are missing out on something." When they finally got him to teach the method, Shiva expounded various types of yogas depending upon the level of preparedness of the person who was sitting in front of him.

The first part of Shiva's teaching was to Parvati, his wife. The yoga sutras of Shiva are such that almost in every sutra, he refers to her as the resplendent one, the gracious one, the beautiful one.

The second set of yogic teaching was expounded to the Sapta Rishis/Sages, or the first seven sages. When we use the word yoga, you should not think of twisting your body or holding your breath or anything like that we are not talking about a particular exercise or a technique. We are talking about the very science of creation and how to take this piece of creation (you) to its ultimate possibility. We are looking at gaining mastery over the fundamental processes of life; the very process of creation and dissolution. It doesn't matter at what level of evolution a person is right now, for him also, there is a way. For every being on the planet, there is a certain way that is the advantage of yoga. This teaching happened on the banks of Kanti Sarovar, near Kedarnath (Himalayas). This is when the world's first yoga programme happened.

Today, yoga is said to be the world's fastest growing wellness regimen because it presents spirituality as technology. Mahashivratri is a festival that was chosen to honour Shiva, the Adi Guru, from whom yoga originated. On this night the planetary positions in the northern hemisphere are such that there is a natural upsurge of energies. If one just stays awake and keeps one's spine erect throughout the night, it naturally pushes a person towards his spiritual peak.

http://www.himavanti.org/en/c/himavanti-1/shiva-the-founder-and-owner-of-all-yoga-and-tantra
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/Yoga-originated-from-Shiva/articleshow/4170824.cms
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Valari - An Unique Weapon of the Tamils

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A valari (Tamil: வளரி) or valai tadi is a throwing stick used primarily by the Tamil people of India and Sri Lanka. Valari were used in war, fighting, and hunting. It was the favorite weapon of choice in a deer hunt.

Shape

Like the boomerang of the native Australians, the Tamilian valari also returns to the thrower. Valari were made in many shapes and sizes. Marudhu Brothers, brave Tamil kings were the veteran of using this. The usual form consists of two limbs set at an angle. One is thin and tapering while the other is rounded. The rounded end was used as a handle. They were usually made of wood or iron. Other valari had wooden limbs tipped with iron. Some had limbs which had lethally sharpened edges. Special daggers known as kattari, double-edged and razor sharp, were attached to some valari.

Use

The thrower holds the valari by one of its limbs and throws it. There are several ways of throwing and aiming. It is usually given a spin while throwing. While flying through the air, it maneuvers and executes several types of movements according to the throwers purpose. It may spin in the vertical axis, horizontal axis, or just fly without spinning. The spin may also vary in speed. A lethal throw is given a spin and aimed at the neck. A non-lethal throw is given a spin and aimed at the ankles or knees. This is to capture a fleeing victim. A simple hurting blow does not have any spin.

Valari - An Unique Weapon of the Tamils(contributed by Dr.S.Jayabarathi, Malaysia)

The ancient Tamils had used many types of weapons. Some of the weapons have travelled through all these ages and have come down to the present times. Although we know what they are, there are no more practitioners of the art of using those weapons - unlike the Chinese, who have redesigned and revived many of their ancient weapons and use them in their many types of martial arts. Just like our martial arts, our weapons are also becoming exhibition pieces.

There are some who would say, "kaththiyaith thiittaadhE. Buddhiyai thiittu" (Dont sharpen your knife, sharpen your mind (Intellect)). (But) We Tamils are not thiittifying (sharpening) anything. But the Chinese are advancing themselves in every field. Their involvement in martial arts and other arts have not made them backwards in other important pursuits.

There are some weapons which are unique to the Tamils. Among them are thirukkai vaal, vaLari, and suruL vaaL. Of these, the vaLari is a weapon which arouses our curiosity. It is a sort of boomerang. Boomerang is a weapon which is used by the Sons of the Soil of Australia and some tribes of Africa. Tamilnaadu is the only place apart from them.

The boomerang of the native Australians comes back to the thrower. But the Tamilian vaLari does not do so. VaLaris were available in many shapes and sizes. The usual form consists of two limbs which are at an angle to each other. Usually the limbs are flat. One is thin and tapering while the other is rounded. Some have one limb; the other limb is used as a handle. They were usually made of wood. But some were made of iron. Some the vaLaris had limbs which were tipped with iron. Some had limbs which had sharpened edges. These were very lethal. There were special daggers which were known as kattaaris. These were double-edged and razor sharp. They were attached to the limbs of the vaLari.

The thrower holds the vaLari by one of its limbs and throws it. There are several ways of throwing and aiming. It is usually given a spin while throwing. While flying through the air, it maneuvers and executes several types of movements according to the throwers purpose. It may spin in the vertical axis or horizontal axis. Or it may just fly without spinning. The spin may also vary in speed. A lethal throw is given a spin and aimed at the neck.A non-lethal throw is given a spin and aimed at the ankles or knees. This is to capture a fleeing victim. A simple hurting blow does not have any spin.

VaLari was used in war, fights, and hunts. It was the favourite weapon of choice in a deer hunt. VaLari was a famous weapon in the KaLLar naadu and Sivaganggai Siimai - the present PudukkOttai, Sivaganggai, and parts of Madurai and Ramanathapuram districts.

There were competitions in vaLari throwing. It was the favourite weapon of great heroes of these territories. Among the most notable vaLari exponents are Periya Marudhu, Chinna Marudhu, the rulers of Sivaganggai and one of their generals, Vaithilingga ThoNdaimaan of Pattamanggalam.

The picture below shows Dr.A.V.Jeyachandrun holding a vaLari which was discovered in ThoNdi which is an ancient port pattinam of the ancient Pandyas.

http://tamilnation.co/heritage/weapon.htm

India was Once Isolated Gondwana Island

54 Million Years Old Fossils Found, Solve Age-Old Riddles, Establish India was Once Isolated Gondwana Island

in SCIENCE November 22, 2014

Some newly discovered fossils of the horse, the rhino and the tapir led researchers to solve age-old riddles concerning the common ancestor for the these animals. More than that the fossils reiterate the contention that India, ancient Gondwana island, was once separated from the mainland.

The animals group likely to have originated on the subcontinent when it was still an island that swiftly for collision with Asia, the researchers said in their report published in the online journal Nature Communications.

Scientists from Johns Hopkins University, after combing paleontological debris in Wyoming moved to India in 2001 and found in an open-pit coal mine near Mumbai a mother-of-all 200 Cambatherium thewissi fossils.

These ancient animals, called Perissodactyla, lived 56 million years ago and the “odd-toed” ungulate belonged to this group with odd-numbered toes on their rear feet. Though the fossil record was rather thin, it helped researchers crack the so-called “missing-link” in evolution of these animals.

The Cambaytherium was considered the youngest Perissodactylia ever discovered and believed to be the missing link between older and younger animals and the new fossils connect both biological and geographical evolution.

Professor of evolution and functional anatomy at Johns Hopkins, Ken Rose, said that Cambaytherium traits indicate that at the time the animal was alive, India was isolated without land link to Africa or the Arabian peninsula.

Rose and his team were able to piece together what Cambaytherium might have looked like. It could have weighed between 45 pounds and 75 pounds, resembling a mini-version of both a horse and a rhino, though without the hallmark on its hooves.

Rose and his team were funded by the National Geographic Society to send a research team to the mine site in Gujarat for two weeks at a time once every year or two over the past decade.

The mine yielded them a treasure trove of teeth and bones amounting to 200 fossils of little known Cambaytherium thewissi, dated back to 54.5 million years, making them slightly younger than the oldest known Perissodactyla remains. But, Rose inisists that the findings provide a window into what a common ancestor of all Perissodactyla would have looked like.

“Many of Cambaytherium’s features, like the teeth, the number of sacral vertebrae, and the bones of the hands and feet, are intermediate between Perissodactyla and more primitive animals,” Rose says. “This is the closest thing we’ve found to a common ancestor of the Perissodactyla order.”

Cambaytherium and other finds from the Gujarat coal mine also provide reiterate the long-held ancient Indian belief that India was separated from Madagascar and eventually collided with the continent of Asia as the Earth’s plates shifted, which gave rise to Himalayas of today.

In 1990, Stony Brook University researcher David Krause and Mary Maas suggested that several groups of mammals of the beginning of the Eocene period, including primates and odd- and even-toed ungulates might have evolved in India at a time it was a separate island on its own. Rose says his findings of Cambaytherium is the first concrete evidence to support the idea. He furhter says, “it’s not a simple story.”

“Around Cambaytherium’s time, we think India was an island, but it also had primates and a rodent similar to those living in Europe at the time,” he says. “One possible explanation is that India passed close by the Arabian Peninsula or the Horn of Africa, and there was a land bridge that allowed the animals to migrate. But Cambaytherium is unique and suggests that India was indeed isolated for a while.”

Rose said his team was “very fortunate that we discovered the site and that the mining company allowed us to work there,” although, he added, “it was frustrating to know that countless fossils were being chewed up by heavy mining equipment.”

After coal extraction, the miners covered the site and Rose and his team are currently focusing on other mines in the area to continue digging for more fossil evidene.

The study included scientists Rajendra S. Rana of Garhwal University, Kishor Kumar of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Katrina E. Jones and Heather E. Ahrens of Johns Hopkins University, Pieter Missiaen of Ghent University, Ashok Sahni of Panjab University, Luke T. Holbrook of Rowan University, and Thierry Smith of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.

What is Gondwana? 

In paleogeography, Gondwana or Gondwanaland, is the name given to the continent, which was, alongwith the Laurasia, was part of the Pangaea supercontinent that existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago. In Vedic scriptures it was mentioned as “Jambudweep”.

Gondwana formed prior to Pangaea, then became part of Pangaea, and finally broke up after the break up of Pangaea. Gondwana is believed to have sutured between about 570 and 510 million years ago, thus joining East Gondwana to West Gondwana. It separated from Laurasia about 200-180 million years ago during the mid-Mesozoic era.

Gondwana included today’s Southern Hemisphere, including Antarctica, South America, Africa, Madagascar, and the Australian continent, besides the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian Subcontinent. The name Gondwana was given by Austrian scientist Eduard Suess, after the Gondwana region of central northern India from Sanskrit Gondavana “forest of the Gonds”.

http://www.microfinancemonitor.com/2014/11/22/54-million-years-old-fossils-found-solve-age-old-riddles-establish-india-was-once-isolated-gondwana-island/

Gangaikonda Cholapuram - Bragadeeswarar Temple

Moolavar : Bragadeeswarar 
Amman / Thayar : Periya Nayaki
Thala Virutcham : Pinnai, Vanni
Theertham : Simma Kinaru
Old year : 1000 years old



Temple's Speciality:

The Shiva Linga in the temple is the biggest in size among the Lingas in Tamilnadu temples. 

This is made of a single lime stone 200 metres far from the sanctum sanctorum and placed on ground. 

Sun light falls on the Nandhi each day reflecting on the Linga. 

Even if all lights in the sanctum are put off, devotees can see the Lord in the sunlight. 

This is an outstanding evidence of the rare skill of sculptors of Tamilnadu with no parallel elsewhere. 

The shadow of the Kalasa on the tower does not fall on ground. 

A rare stone called Chandrakanta stone is installed under the Linga which has a 
strange characteristic of making the sanctum sanctorum cool in summer and warm in winter. 

Mother Periya Nayaki, as Her very name suggests, is 9.5 feet tall standing majestically. 

The Navagrahas the nine planets are made of a single stone on Lotus design peeta. 

This is other rare individuality of the temple.


Greatness Of Temple:

The Shiva Linga in the temple is bigger than the one at Thanjavur temple. 
Thanjavur Linga is 12.5 feet tall on an Avudayar of a circumference of 55 feet.

The Linga in Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple is 13.5 feet tall placed on a Avudayar of 60 feet circumference. 

Planks are provided around the Linga to stand on to facilitate abishek pujas. 

It is also said that the Thanjavur Linga is masculine with pounding stone design (Ural in Tamil), the one in this temple is feminine in nature with Udukkai design.

The Nandhi the bull vehicle of Lord Shiva is also bigger than of Thanjavur. 

The Nandhi in Thanjavur is made of a single stone and placed on a high level mandap. 

The Nandhi in this temple is made of lime stone and placed on the ground. 

In Thanjavur, the Nandhi is 100 meters away from the sanctum, in this temple, the distance is 200 meters. 

Rays of Sun fall on the Nandhi each day and reflect on the Lord in the sanctum. 

The devotee can have a pleasant darshan of Lord even after putting off all lights, simply with sunlight. This is a rare sculptural skill exclusively of Tamilnadu.

A stone, called Chandrakanta stone is installed under the Linga with a rare power of making the place cool during summer and comforting warmth during winter. 

This is experienced by generations of priests of the temple. It appears that no temple has such an environment pleasure. 

Annabishekam is performed and celebrated in the temple on Aipasi full moon day by Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Mutt for quite a number of years. 

Hundreds of bags of rice are cooked for the purpose to cover this biggest Shiva Linga. 

This abishek begins at 9.00 a.m. on the day and continues till 4.00 p.m. 

More nivedhanas are offered to Lord prepared with vegetables and fruits. 

The Annabisheka Linga darshan is made available to the devotees from 6.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. 

As a tradition this Anna-rice is dissolved in rivers later. 

In this temple, the same is offered as Prasad taken from the Avudayar part of the Linga. 

The rice on the Linga is not offered as humans cannot bear its power, it is said. 

Those seeking child boon are particular to get the Prasad and consume it. 

Mother Periya Nayaki, as the very name suggest is tall and big in size. 

The devotee has to raise his/her head to worship the Mother to see Her merciful face. 

His Holiness Sri Chandrasekhara Saraswathi of Kanchi Kmakoti Peeth had installed a Sri Chakra at the feet of the Mother. 

People say that only after the installation of the Sri Chakra by Kanchi Seer, the crowd began to swell in the temple.

Navagrahas the nine planets are together on a lotus shaped peeta made of a single stone. 

The planets are around Sun on a Rath drawn by 7 horses. 

Aruna is the Sarathi-Rath driver. 

The mandap is so structured that devotees cannot circumambulate the Navagras, because they go round the world and humans should not go round them, according to one theory.

Mother Durga in the temple graces the devotees as a 9 year old pretty smiling little girl with 20 hands killing demon Mahishasura. 

She is the family deity of King Rajendra Chola. 

This is a rare form of Mother Durga praised as Mangala Chandi. 

People pray to her for wedding and child boons, employment and transfers to place of choice offering archanas. 

Rajendra Chola used to offer his worship first to Mother Durga and then only to Lord Shiva. 

Remembering this tradition, on Sundays devotees offer their first prayers in Durga Shrine before praying to Lord Shiva. 

Rajendra Chola called his Minister and demanded accounts for the temple construction. 

Minister was unable to submit the account correctly. 

He fell at the feet of Lord Vinayaka who restored his memory. Minister recollected the account as 8 thousand copper for Kavi (saffron) stones and 8 thousand copper for Kavi threads and so on. 

Hence, this Vinayaka was called Kanakku Vinayaka (accountant Vinayaka) presently praised as Lord Kanaka (Gold) Vinayaka. 

He appears with a pen (Ezhuthani in Tamil) in His right hand. 


The Rajagopuram of the temple is testimony to Chola temple architecture. 

As in Thanjavur, the tower was built only after installation of Lord. 

216 feet tall Tanjore Tower was built on a single base going up gradually in an even manner. 

The 180 feet tall tower in Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple has a base of 100 feet width up to 100 feet height. 

The base is reduced to 80 feet width after this level. 

The shadow of the tower does not fall in the ground. 

The Vimana-tower above the sanctum in the temple is the second biggest next to Thanjavur.

Temple History:
Rajendra Chola was born to King Rajaraja Chola and Queen Tribhuvana Madevi on the Margazhi Tiruvadhirai day. He was named Maduranthakan. 

He ruled from 1012 to 1044 AD. 

He conquered many countries crossing the sea including Kadaram and came to be known as Kadaram Kondan – Conqueror of Kadaram. 

He built a temple for Lord Shiva as his father did in Thanjavur and named the Lord and Mother, Bragadeeswarar and Periyanayaki as in the first temple. 
He brought the abishek water from Ganga for consecration carried by kings defeated by him. 
Hence the name of the place, Gangai Konda Chola Puram.
Rajendra dug a well in the temple and made the abishek water fall in the well. 
He also made a Lion statue, the symbol of the Chola dynasty and placed it on the well. 
While visiting the temple, he will spill this water on his head before worshipping the Lord. 
The whole temple is built with rocks. 
The Shiva Linga is biggest in Tamilnadu. 
Dhotis and upper cloth are specially woven for the Lord to cover the size.
Chandikeswara in the temple is all powerful.


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