Bhagyalakshmi Temple - Charminar, Old City, Hyderabad

Religion is being tampered by the political parties for their dramas

Really there is no issue about Bhagyalakshmi temple – Charminar, Hyderabad. All religion people are living together very happy in Old City Hyderabad. But few people are making controversies about the Bhagyalakshmi Temple for their personal benefit. There is no mistake from the both religion, if they really want to solve the issue smoothly they can do, but few people don’t want to do this.

Bhagyalakshmi temple is a  located in Old city, Hyderabad, at the base of the city's famous Charminar monument.

Every year, Bhagyalakshmi temple is decorated for Dasara and Deepawali for a few days. The entire decoration is 30-50 feet. Diwali is celebrated world wide by Hindus to convey the message of enlightenment and destruction of evil. Goddess Lakshmi   birthday falls on the day of Diwali and also during the 5th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, he rescues Goddess Lakshmi from the prison of King Bali.

The temple has been a subject of controversy due to its location in a Muslim-majority area, and the alleged threat it poses to the historic Charminar structure. In the 1960s, the replacement of the holy stone with an idol and the addition of a temporary shed evoked communal tensions.

In 1979, the MIM, a political party in India, called a bandh to protest against the Grand Mosque Seiqure. When the local Hindu traders refused to shut down their shops, some extremists desecrated the temple on 23 November 1979, looted the Hindu-owned shops and set fire to them.

During the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in September 1983, certain Hindu organizations put up big cloth banners at a number of places in the area asking for the declaration of India as a Hindu Republic. In this charged atmosphere, a Muslim threw a stone at the temple. Some Hindus desecrated a mosque in retaliation and placed idols and pictures of Hindu Gods which resulted in MIM calling for a bandh. The situation soon developed into riots, in which 45 people were killed.

During the night of 1 November 2012, the temple administration started to carry out some construction work without the permission of Archaological Survey of India, stating that they were decorating the temple ahead of the Diwali festival.

 The construction activity, which was illegal according to the ASI, was stopped by the police.^[6] This construction work at the temple premises triggered Hindu-Muslim tension in the city. Some local Muslim politicians feared that the expansion might damage the historic Charminar, which they identify with Islamic heritage. The temple authorities maintain that they were not planning an expansion and had only replaced the worn-out bamboo structures with new ones. A contingent of MIM party workers and five [[Member of the Legislative

Assembly (India) MLAs led by Akbaruddin Owaisi organized a rally, alleging that the police was facilitating the illegal expansion work. The police stopped the rally and took the MIM leaders into custody. Following this, a few violent incidents were reported in the city, including stone pelting and damage to four APSRTC buses, two cars, an ATM and a garments showroom. The city administration temporarily put a ban on the public visits to Charminar, shut down the nearby market and barricaded some of the streets. The police also prevented the Hindu leaders from organizing a march to the temple by taking the organizers into custody.

Kaleshwar Baba's death mystery for devotees

Many devotees of Kaleshwar Baba have been shell-shocked over his sudden death at a Bangaluru hospital on Thursday. While the doctors said that the 38-year-old Baba died of liver and kidney-related disease, which led to failure of vital organs of the body, the devotees are not able to digest the fact.

While insiders say that the Baba has been suffering from the liver ailment for almost two years now, the devotees have no clue of his life-threatening disease.

Meanwhile, some reports said that Baba had huge amounts of money paid for insurance on his life in various companies including HDFC. The policies in various companies could be in the range of Rs 20 cr to Rs 30 cr, local media reports in Penukonda said.

The body of Kaleshwar Baba was brought to his 5-acre sprawling Penukonda ashram for devotees to have last darshan. The last rituals will be carried out on Monday.

Kaleshwar Baba dies of liver failure

Controversial godman from Penukonda in Anantapur district Kaleshwar Baba passed away on Thursday in a Bangaluru hospital. The Baba is said to have been suffering from a serious liver and kidney ailment for some time now and was admitted to Columbia Hospital, where he breathed his last after all vital organs stopped functioning.

He is just 38 and got married recently. His followers include Minister Raghuveera Reddy. TV5 channel chairman B R Naidu is a close confidant of the Baba.

Kaleshwar Baba, who originally hails from Kadapa district, has been in the news continually for the last many years over a slew of allegations of grabbing government land. He was also facing charges after he allegedly built a huge palace and multi-storied buildings after laying hands on the hidden treasures of Vijayanagara rulers 10 years ago.

There are also allegations that he had encroached the Vijayanagara fort and illegally raised structures there. There were also charges that he was helped by district officials and politicians in this exercise.

Money and illegal affairs behind Kaleshwar Baba's Death?????

Story on Kaleshwar Baba's death mystery in ABN Andhra Jyothi TV NEWS channel.

Controversial Kaleshwar Baba No More

Controversial Kaleshwar Baba of Shirdi Sai ashram in Penukonda suddenly died of kidney failure at Colombia hospitals in Bangalore on Thursday afternoon.

A godfather of revenue minister N Raghuveera Reddy, 38-year old Kaleshwar Baba had always been in the news for wrong reasons: encroachments of lands and even the historic Penukonda fort of Vijayanagara Empire, collection of huge donations and threatening of journalists. There were allegations against him that he had become rich overnight by unearthing a treasure trove hidden under Penukonda fort and subsequently, he had built magnificent palaces and other buildings. He had the blessings of local police officials and politicians.

Interestingly, Kaleshwar Baba had reportedly made investment in a Telugu news channel, which has been highlighting his death and the mourning in the Penukonda area ever since he was declared dead at 3.30 pm. He had also filed a criminal case against Surya newspaper managing director Nukarapu Suryaprakash Rao for demanding Rs 2 crore for not carrying a negative story against the Baba and the ashram.

Makara Jyothi is just an arati, say Sabarimala temple officials

Seeking to end the row over the flickering light seen on eastern horizons across Sabarimala temple during "Makarasamkrama" pooja, the temple authorities have clarified that it is "deeparadhana" perfomred by a priest as part of the long followed ritual of the hillshrine of Lord Ayyappa.

"Makaravilakku" is the ritualistic lighting of lamp at Ponnambalamedu while
"Makara jyothi" is a star that appears on the skies at the moment of Makarasmkarama pooja at the forest shrine, witnessed by thousands every year in mid-January, according to top temple authorities.

This year "Makaravilakku", marking the finale of the two- month long pilgrim season of Sabarimala, falls on January 15.

"The light seen at Ponnambalamedu is a ritual," Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president M Rajagopalan Nair said here yesterday.

Endorsing the stand, senior Thanthri (high priest) Kanadararu Mahseswararu said it was important to keep the distinction between "Makaravilakku" and "Makara Jyothi".

"The Jyothi is a star that appears on the skies on the Makarasamkrama day above the Ponnambalamedu towards the eastern direction of Sabarimala. The lamp lighted during the time of Deeparadhana (arati) in the temple is known as Makara Vilakku," Maraheswararu said.

He,however, said both had high sanctity as far as temple traditions were concerned
and had been held divine by millions of Ayyappa devotees.

According to some historians,lighting the lamp atop the Ponnambalamedu hill has been an ancient tradition of tribal communities living around the hillshrine.

After the temple started attracting devotees in large numbers, the ritual was taken over by TDB and done with the help of forest and electricity departments.

This time, some of the tribal outfits have approached TDB seeking a role in the ritual performed at the Ponnambalamedu.

According to Nair, TDB did not have any objection in inovling the tribal people of Ponnamabalamedu in the ritual alongwith a priest sent from Sababrimala temple.

However, the ritual has been performed in accordance with the directives of the Kerala High Court.

Meanwhile, TDB officials said elaborate arrangements have been made for smooth conduct of the Makaravilakku festival, when thousands of devotees would converge at the hillshrine and surrounding areas.

Last year, 102 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at Pulmedu trekking path when the devotees were returning after witnessing Makaravilakku.

Meanwhile, the income received by the temple since the pilgrim season started in mid-November crossed Rs 114.86 crore, which marked an increases of 20.16 crore compared to last year.

The income upto January 5 stood at Rs 135.02 crore against Rs 114.86 crore during the corresponding period last year.

The Great 2012 Doomsday Scare - NASA

This guest article on 2012 was written by E. C. Krupp, Director of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and is reprinted with permission from Sky & Telescope Magazine. The publisher and the author reserve all rights. All opinions are the author's own.

The year 2012 is acting like a badly behaved celebrity. Frightful rumors and gossip are spreading. Already more than a half dozen books are marketing, to eager fans, astronomical fears about 2012 End Times. Opening in theaters on Friday, Nov. 13, will be 2012, a $200-million disaster movie that seems designed to break all records for disaster spectacles -- with cracking continents, plunging asteroids, burning cities, and a tsunami throwing an aircraft carrier through the White House. The movie's ominous slogan: "Find out the truth." Two other major movies about the 2012 doomsday are also reported to be in the works.

Anyone who cruises the internet or all-night talk radio knows why. The ancient Maya of Mexico and Guatemala kept a calendar that is about to roll up the red carpet of time, swing the solar system into transcendental alignment with the heart of the Milky Way, and turn Earth into a bowling pin for a rogue planet heading down our alley for a strike.

None of it is true. People you know, however, are likely becoming a bit afraid that modern astronomy and Maya secrets are indeed conspiring to bring our doom. If people know you’re an astronomer, they will soon be asking you all about it.

Here is what you need to know.

Birth of a Notion
We"ve had similar scares in the recent past, but none quite like this. The last time the world got all worked up over the mystical turning of a calendar was the false Millennium of Jan. 1, 2000. Never mind the actual Y2K computer-date bug. True-believer authors (and their imitators) published scary and/or hopeful books about the moment's prophetic potential to catch an immense cosmic wave and change everything for either good or ill. Borrowing a forecast from Nostradamus, the 16th-century French riddler, author Charles Berlitz predicted catastrophe in his 1981 book Doomsday 1999. Berlitz (fresh off books on Atlantis and the Bermuda Triangle), warned that 1999 could inflict flood, famine, pollution and a shift of Earth's magnetic poles. He also spotlighted the planetary alignment of May 5, 2000, and warned that it could bring solar flares, severe earthquakes, "land changes" and "seismic explosions."

In the 1990s an entire "Earth Changes" movement swelled into being as the end of the century neared, with all sorts of Millennial expectations -- earthquakes, plagues, polar axis shifts, continents sliding into the sea, Atlantis rising and more. In England, the Sun tabloid predicted a "marvelous millennium of joy, peace, prosperity."

When Jan. 1, 2000, came and went with nothing worse than ski-lift passes printing the date as 1900, the focus shifted to "5/5/2000" several months later. Most believers in the power of planetary alignments forgot the failure of earlier lineups to induce disaster. The "Jupiter Effect" cataclysm predicted for March 10, 1982 (named for the 1974 book about it by John Gribbin and Stephen Plagemann) commanded headlines but never materialized.

Throughout history, end-of-the-world movements missing their mark number in the "hundreds of thousands at the very least, says Richard Landes, historian at Boston University and director of its Center for Millennial Studies. But people eager for the world to end are not to be denied, and this time, of course, all will be different.

The Rollover
What exactly is the Maya calendar about to do? On Dec. 21, 2012, it will display the equivalent of a string of zeros, like the odometer turning over on your car, with the close of something like a millennium. In Maya calendrics, however, it's not the end of a thousand years. It's the end of Baktun 13. The Maya calendar was based on multiple cycles of time, and the baktun was one of them. A baktun is 144,000 days: a little more than 394 years.

Scholars have deciphered how the Maya calendar worked from historical texts and ancient inscriptions, and they have accurately correlated so-called Maya Long Count dates with the equivalent dates in our calendar. Just as we number our years counting from a historically and culturally significant event (the presumed birth year of Christ), Maya times were numbered from a date endowed with religious and cosmic significance: the creation date of the present world order. A Long Count date is the tally of days from that mythic startup. Most experts think the start point corresponds to Aug. 11, 3114 B.C.

Most of the Maya calendar intervals accumulate as multiples of 20. An interval of 7,200 days (360 × 20) was known as a katun. It takes 20 katuns to complete a baktun (20 × 7,200 = 144,000 days). Although some ancient inscriptions turn 13 baktuns into an important reset milestone, others imply that the calendar simply keeps running. For instance, it takes 20 baktuns to make a pictun.

No one paid much attention to the end of Baktun 13 until fairly recently. In 1975 Frank Waters, a romantic and speculative author, devoted a brief section to the subject in his book Mexico Mystique. He identified the 13-baktun interval as a "Mayan Great Cycle," overestimated its duration as 5,200 years, and equated five such cycles with five legendary eras, each of which ends in the world’s destruction and rebirth. There is no genuine Maya tradition behind any of this.

Waters also miscalculated the date when the calendar would supposedly pull down the shades. "The end of the Great Cycle . . . will occur Dec. 24, 2011 A.D.," he announced, when the world "will be destroyed by catastrophic earthquakes." Exact date aside, the doomsday ball was now rolling.

Another book in 1975 also spotlighted the Maya calendric roundup. Dennis and Terence McKenna discussed it in The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens, and the I Ching. That book at least got the Baktun-13 end date right: Dec. 21, 2012. It also noted that the date is the winter solstice, when the Sun will be "in the constellation Sagittarius, only about 3 degrees from the Galactic Center, which, also coincidentally, is within 2 degrees of the ecliptic." The McKennas continued, "Because the winter solstice node is precessing, it is moving closer and closer to the point on the ecliptic where it will eclipse the galactic center." In reality this event will never happen, but it hardly matters. The McKennas linked the whole arrangement with the concept of renewal and called 2012 a moment of "potential transformative opportunity."

Broader interest in 2012 caught on beginning in 1987. In The Mayan Factor: Path Beyond Technology, José Argüelles (an "artist, poet, and visionary historian" according to the dust jacket) linked the 13-baktun period with an impalpable "beam" from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. According to Argüelles, the Maya knew when we entered this beam and when we would leave it, and set their 13-baktun cycle to mark our passage through it accordingly. The beam, he asserted, operates as "invisible galactic life threads" that link people, the planet, the Sun, and the center of the Galaxy. Neither Maya tradition nor modern astronomy supports a belief in any such beam. It stemmed instead from Argüelles’s personal philosophy, which emphasizes "the principle of harmonic resonance." Argüelles also concluded that the planets are "orbiting harmonic gyroscopes" that “play a role in the coordination of the beam," which advances the development of anything with DNA. The year 2012, therefore, will bring a rosy version of the apocalypse.

If this sounds a bit familiar, you're right. In 1987 Argüelles and his followers predicted, with worldwide fanfare, that Aug. 16–17 of that year would bring a Maya-Galactic "Harmonic Convergence." That event turned into a global phenomenon, with thousands gathering at Earth’s “acupuncture points” to create a "synchronized and unified bio-electromagnetic collective battery." Unfortunately, the date passed with nothing more than colorful newspaper stories and a Doonesbury satire. (A character explains earnestly that that the alignment could bring either "mass unification of divine and earth-plane selves," or perhaps nuclear annihilation. "Either way there will probably be a crafts fair.")

Galactic Guessing Games
Fast-forward to 1995. That year John Major Jenkins packaged several of these themes into Maya Cosmogenesis 2012. According to Jenkins, the winter-solstice point and the centerline of the Galaxy will line up exactly on Dec. 21. Arguing that this motivated the Maya to contrive the calendar to end on that date, Jenkins concludes that it will be "a tremendous transformation and opportunity for spiritual growth, a transition from one world age to another."

In fact, astronomy cannot pinpoint such a "galactic alignment" to within a year, much less a day. The alignment depends on the rather arbitrary modern definition of the galactic equator, and/or the visual appearance of the Milky Way. There is no precise definition of the Milky Way's edges -- they are very vague and depend on the clarity of your view. (Jenkins says that he personally established the Milky Way’s edges by viewing it from 11,000 feet, far above anywhere the Maya lived.) So to give a precise visual position for its centerline is not meaningful.

Jenkins did acknowledge that the winter-solstice Sun actually crosses the center of the Milky Way anytime between 1980 and 2016. Elsewhere he expands this approach zone to a 900-year period, and settles for an imprecise alignment to which Dec. 21, 2012, is arbitrarily and circularly assigned. Real astronomy does not support any match between the Baktun-13 end date and a galactic alignment. The advocates both admit and ignore this discrepancy.

It's almost a sidelight that the winter-solstice sun will never actually "eclipse" the galaxy's true center, the pointlike radio source marking the Milky Way's central black hole. Moreover, the winter-solstice sun won’t even pass closest to it on the sky for another 200 years. What did the Maya themselves think about End Times? There is no evidence that they saw the calendar and a world age ending in either transcendence or catastrophe on December 21, 2012. Some Maya Long Count texts refer to dates many baktuns past 13 and even into the next pictun and beyond. For instance, an inscription commissioned in the 7th century A.D. by King Pacal of Palenque predicts that an anniversary of his accession would be commemorated on Oct. 15, 4772.

In all of the Long Count texts discovered, transcribed, and translated, only one mentions the key date in 2012: Monument 6 at Tortuguero, a Maya site in the Mexican state of Tabasco. The text is damaged, but what remains does not imply the end of time.

The Secret NASA Conspiracy
Some advocates for the 2012 catastrophe say that what will actually cause the devastation is an alignment of planets. There is no planet alignment on the winter solstice in 2012. Nonetheless, advocates of doom connect the fictional alignment to astrological predictions or groundless claims about a reversal of Earth's magnetic field and unprecedented solar storms. Many internet postings and guests on all-night apocalyptic radio have elaborated on these themes.

In particular, several threads of irrational thought have created an internet phantom, the secret planet Nibiru. It's the bowling ball, and Earth is the pin. There is no such planet, though it is often equated with Eris, a plutoid orbiting safely and permanently beyond Pluto. Some insist, however, that a NASA conspiracy is in play and that Nibiru, looming in on the approach, can already be seen in broad daylight from the Southern Hemisphere. It was supposed to become visible from the Northern Hemisphere, too, by last May, but like a fickle blind date, it stood up those awaiting it.

Others on the Web, confused about the supposed alignment of the winter-solstice sun with the Milky Way's center, have declared that the Sun is now plummeting to the Milky Way’s center and dragging Earth with it. The predicted result? Earth’s polar axis will shift. Most of what's claimed for 2012 relies on wishful thinking, wild pseudoscientific folly, ignorance of astronomy, and a level of paranoia worthy of Night of the Living Dead.

So maybe the Maya were on to us after all. The clock is ticking. And it’s the end of the world as we know it.

2012: Beginning of the End or Why the World Won't End?

Remember the Y2K scare? It came and went without much of a whimper because of adequate planning and analysis of the situation. Impressive movie special effects aside, Dec. 21, 2012, won't be the end of the world as we know. It will, however, be another winter solstice.

Much like Y2K, 2012 has been analyzed and the science of the end of the Earth thoroughly studied. Contrary to some of the common beliefs out there, the science behind the end of the world quickly unravels when pinned down to the 2012 timeline. Below, NASA Scientists answer several questions that we're frequently asked regarding 2012.

Question (Q): Are there any threats to the Earth in 2012? Many Internet websites say the world will end in December 2012.
Answer (A): Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012.

Q: What is the origin of the prediction that the world will end in 2012?
A: The story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth. This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012. Then these two fables were linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 -- hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012.

Q: Does the Mayan calendar end in December 2012?
A: Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012. This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then -- just as your calendar begins again on January 1 -- another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar.

Q: Could phenomena occur where planets align in a way that impacts Earth?
A: There are no planetary alignments in the next few decades, Earth will not cross the galactic plane in 2012, and even if these alignments were to occur, their effects on the Earth would be negligible. Each December the Earth and sun align with the approximate center of the Milky Way Galaxy but that is an annual event of no consequence.

Q: Is there a planet or brown dwarf called Nibiru or Planet X or Eris that is approaching the Earth and threatening our planet with widespread destruction?
A: Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an Internet hoax. There is no factual basis for these claims. If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth in 2012, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye. Obviously, it does not exist. Eris is real, but it is a dwarf planet similar to Pluto that will remain in the outer solar system; the closest it can come to Earth is about 4 billion miles.

Q: What is the polar shift theory? Is it true that the earth’s crust does a 180-degree rotation around the core in a matter of days if not hours?
A: A reversal in the rotation of Earth is impossible. There are slow movements of the continents (for example Antarctica was near the equator hundreds of millions of years ago), but that is irrelevant to claims of reversal of the rotational poles. However, many of the disaster websites pull a bait-and-shift to fool people. They claim a relationship between the rotation and the magnetic polarity of Earth, which does change irregularly, with a magnetic reversal taking place every 400,000 years on average. As far as we know, such a magnetic reversal doesn’t cause any harm to life on Earth. A magnetic reversal is very unlikely to happen in the next few millennia, anyway.

Q: Is the Earth in danger of being hit by a meteor in 2012?
A: The Earth has always been subject to impacts by comets and asteroids, although big hits are very rare. The last big impact was 65 million years ago, and that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Today NASA astronomers are carrying out a survey called the Spaceguard Survey to find any large near-Earth asteroids long before they hit. We have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs. All this work is done openly with the discoveries posted every day on the NASA NEO Program Office website, so you can see for yourself that nothing is predicted to hit in 2012.

Q: How do NASA scientists feel about claims of pending doomsday?
A: For any claims of disaster or dramatic changes in 2012, where is the science? Where is the evidence? There is none, and for all the fictional assertions, whether they are made in books, movies, documentaries or over the Internet, we cannot change that simple fact. There is no credible evidence for any of the assertions made in support of unusual events taking place in December 2012.

Q: Is there a danger from giant solar storms predicted for 2012?
A: Solar activity has a regular cycle, with peaks approximately every 11 years. Near these activity peaks, solar flares can cause some interruption of satellite communications, although engineers are learning how to build electronics that are protected against most solar storms. But there is no special risk associated with 2012. The next solar maximum will occur in the 2012-2014 time frame and is predicted to be an average solar cycle, no different than previous cycles throughout history.

Row over denial of permission to Sabarimala Tantri’s grandson to enter sanctum sanctorum

The question of authority in matters relating to the rituals at Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple once again entered into a controversy with the Travancore Devaswom Board officials preventing Rahul Easwar, grandson of the senior Tantri, Kandararu Maheswararu, from entering into the sanctum sanctorum of the temple on Tuesday afternoon.

The issue began when Mr Easwar, a post-graduate in Philosophy, who reached the holy hillock on Tuesday morning was trying to enter the sanctum sanctorum along with the senior Tantri as the latter’s helper for the Utchapuja.

The Executive Officer, M. Satishkumar and devaswom guards prevented Mr Easwar from entering the sanctum sanctorum saying that they could not allow him inside the sanctum with out obtaining prior permission from the TDB.

Though the Tantri and his grandson have protested against the TDB stance, Mr Easwar could not enter the sanctum as the board official stood firm in his stand.

TDB official clarifies

The Executive Officer told The Hindu that TDB has posted three priests to assist the Tantri on the basis of latter’s recommendation and all of them were provided with photo identity card too.

He said TDB always held the view that the Tantri was the last word in matters concerning the rituals at its temples. However, the board officials were not supposed to permit entry for all priests to the sanctum sanctorum without obtaining prior permission for the same from the temple administrative body, he added.

Easwar protests

Meanwhile, Mr Easwar alleged that the TDB official’s act amounted to blatant denial of the 85-year old senior Sabarimala Tantri’s right to take his grandson, who is also well-versed in ritualistic matters, to the sanctum sanctorum.

He alleged that denial of permission for him to get inside the sanctum sanctorum was a testimony to the arrogance of the temple administration.

Mr Easwar said he also contacted the TDB president, M. Rajagopalan Nair, who, in turn, had promised to discuss the matter in detail on Tuesday night.

Mr Nair who is on his way to Sabarimala is likely to reach the holy hillock in the evening. However, he was not available over phone for a comment on the issue.

Mr Easwer said he was camping at the Tantri’s camp at the temple complex, awaiting a positive response from the TDB chief.

Yogakshema Sabha decries TDB stance

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, the Yogakshema Sabha State president, Akkeeramon Kalaidasa Bhattathiri, has strongly condemned the TDB act of denying permission to the Sabarimala Tantri’s grandson to the sanctum sanctorum.

Mr Bhattathiri alleged that the TDB act amounted to usurping of the powers and rights of the Tantri which could never be justifiable.

Mr Bhattathiri alleged that the TDB act could be taken as a move to bridle the Tantri and curtail powers of the office of the temple chief priest in the ritualistic matters of a temple.

RADHAKRISHNAN KUTTOOR

Makara Jyothi at Sabarimala is man made: Temple authority confirms

The Makara Jyothi is a claimed (not verified) star which millions of Hindus believe to be a sort of celestial and godly manifestation. They claim that seeing this star on Makar Sankranti day brings them good luck and blessing.

The appearance of this star also indicates the end of the Sabarimala pilgrimage which lasts 41 days.

The weird part however is that the Makara Jyothi is a big mystery by itself. Could it be a star that NASA could have missed? Or maybe all astrophysicists are fools and never noticed the existence of such a star. (Bien sure li ridicule!

The Makara Jyothi star or celestial light is indeed very beautiful to see but whether it is logical to pray to a lighted fire engineered by people on a hill is another question! This is what makes the Makara Jyothi a mystery. Many Indian scientists and also most Hindus of India do not agree that the Makara Jyothi is a star or celestial light. Some says that this is just a giant fire-light created by clandestine governmental officers and forest officials using huge camphor cubes.

A way to collect billions of rupees from donation and also a way to propagate the “business” more. Now maybe the Indian scientists and 90% of Hindu are wrong. It shall remain a mystery but not for people who have atleast some atoms of logic in their head.

It was one of the most unexpected and the most hurting situation for millions of Ayyappa Swami devotees when the Tranvancore Devaswom Board (TDB) confirmed that the Makara Jyothi that appears on the edge of the Ponnabalamedu hill (on the 14th of January, every year) at Sabarimala is man made.

Every year, millions of Ayyappa Swami devotees used to visit Sabarimala and the Temple trust managed to gather crores of rupees as a revenue. Now the fat is, the Jyothi that appears on the hill slope is man made and this “fake” process of creating a Jyothi has been ongoing from hundreds of years! So are all Ayyappa swami devotees been fooled? Are Ayyappa devotees been misled?

Another interesting fact here is, most people in the Kerala were aware of this fake creation of Makara Jyothi. The truth came to light when the High Court questioned the temple authorities about the Makara Jyothi, whether it was natural or a man made one. The President of Travancore Devaswom Board then revealed that it was man made. Sow how is it actually done? Read below -

On every 14th of January at about 7:00 pm, a few people from the Kerala Forest Department, Kerala State Electricity Board, TDB, authorities from the Sabarimala Temple and a couple of policemen carry 4 – 5 kgs of camphor (in the form of cubes) in a plate and a few matchsticks. They then proceed to the Ponnambalamedu hill, light it and show it to the devotees thrice. Since the Sabarimala temple is situated on another hill opposite to Ponnambalamedu (where the camphor is lit) and about hundreds of feet beneath it, the flame that comes out appears to the devotees as Makara Jyothi but in reality, it is just the flames that you are seeing and not the actual Jyothi (light). This entire process is done by people, along with the support of Government of Kerala, and is not due to the miraculous powers of GOD. So to be honest, all devotees were fooled. Or better to say, all devotees are being fooled from hundreds of years.

Millions of devotees visit Ayyappa temple every year from all over India. Famous celebrities including Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, Kollywood super star Rajnikanth and Kannada Super Star Dr.Rajkumar had been to see the Makara Jyothi and have praised this miracle a lot. This made the people all the more confident that the Makara Jyothi appears due to the miracle created by the GOD himself and had no clue about this “artificial” way of creating it.

What I feel is, the Temple Authorities should have come up with the truth decades ago instead of misleading people. All they wanted was the crores of rupees that used to come from the devotees’ accommodation, transportation, food, their huge donations to the temple and through variety of poojas that were conducted there. Most of the devotees that come to Sabarimala are from Karnataka and TamilNadu. This will also add to the fact the the people of Kerala did not visit the temple in abundance in spite of the temple being in their own place. Why?

It is because most of the people in Kerala were aware of the fact that the light that appears on the hill was man made and there was nothing special about it. All those people who stool for hours waiting to see the Jyothi, and people who have been following a ritual of visiting Sabarimala from years are deeply hurt and disappointed, This is a best example of betraying people and this “cheap” act from the temple authorities is no less than “cheating” people.

With the Makara Jyothi being seen every year, lot of money was spent by the television channels to get the exclusive rights, and to telecast it on the TV. This made people at home (who could not visit Sabarimala) happy enough to get the view of sacred Makara Jyothi right from their television sets. In fact I myself have been happy seeing the Makara Jyothi every year right from my home . I thought that I was so lucky to get the view of the Makara Jyothi right from my home, as only a lucky few can get to see it on that day. On the contrary, I was a fool to feel happy to see the light being created artificially by a few local people with a matchstick and a few kilograms of camphor! Literally, a scam gone way beyond people’s imaginations!

We all know that Scam is everywhere and embezzlers are increasing with each passing day. I however had little or no clue about Makara Jyothi being created artificially. All my beliefs towards Sabarimala and Makara Jyothi has now been slashed and this has really made me think twice about believing any miracles that is claimed to happen because of the supreme power of GOD. Anyway, the hype surrounding the Makara Jyothi is now over and I hope that the devotees of Ayyappa will visit Sabarimala to pray to Lord Ayyappa, and not to view the artificial Makara Jyothi light.

5 foods for a healthy digestive system

Your science textbooks told you time and again to include those precious fibers in your diet in order to keep your digestive system healthy.
Since, as a child, you naturally avoided them, you have probably only realized the real deal only after being plagued by a weak digestive system. The digestive system is strengthened, not by pills, but by a healthy food chart. We bring to you 5 foods that will result in a miraculously healthy digestive system.

Avocados

A normal avocado is said to contain 15 grams of fiber and is reportedly the most fiber-rich fruit we know. The fruit is rich in healthy raw fat which aids in the digestion process. Very few fruits or vegetables can match the goodness that this small fruit boasts of, which is why you should add it to your diet.

Spinach

Easily available all over, spinach has always been known to be a master-food with regards to a healthy digestion. Though most leafy green vegetables are considered good, spinach is the one that rules this group. Apparently, half a cup of spinach has about 3.5 grams of fiber, hence, making it a great choice.

Oats

Oats are good for digestion because they are rich in soluble fiber. They also contain Vitamin E, thiamine and zinc, and whole oats are the best variety. When choosing between quick oats and rolled oats, it is better to choose the rolled variety as they have more of their nutrient value intact.

Ginger

Finding something as commonplace as ginger in the list might be surprising to you but it is, indeed, packed with health benefits. Ginger aids in the digestion process by quickening the movement of the food from the stomach to the intestines. Either add it to your daily cup of tea or include its products in your diet,

Water

The goodness of water is something we can never deny. This colorless and tasteless liquid plays a vital role in improving the digestive system of our body. Drinking more water means making the navigation of food through the system a lot more easier. Also, certain foods contain vitamins and minerals that are soluble only in water. Therefore, increase your daily water content and see yourself getting healthier by the day. (Health, MensXP.com)

Top 10 places to see before 2012

A world tour is something that features on almost every person's bucket list.
Your life can simply not be complete before you visit some of the most definitive historical places around the world. With the end of the world edging in, its time to speed up with your travel plans and boook your tickets because we're deciding the places for you. Here are the top 10 places that you must see before 2012 strikes.

1. Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The world's largest coral reef is also one of its most threatened destinations. The reef is a place that will fill you with wonder on seeing its breathtaking beauty. An ability to dive will be an added advantage as you can see the real abundance of marine life in its true form.

2. Santorini, Greece
Santorini is perhaps the first place that springs to mind whenever you think of Greece. The island is a paradise for the sight with the deep blue waters, dazzling white houses and a panoramic view make it a delightful escapade. Hard to believe that it was a deadly volcano that resulted in the crescent shape of the island

3. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
This is another of the many wonders of the world that continue to astonish us. The excellence of architecture and mystery surrounding its past make it the perfect place to add to your wishlist. It contains of three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis. It is also the only surviving one from the Seven Ancient Wonders list. When going visiting the pyramids, it is advisable to go in the mornings as it is quite likely that too many people turn up before you resulting which, you will be denied entry into the pyramids.

4. The Grand Canyon, Arizona
The Grand Canyon is not one of those places where you just stand and admire the beauty around you. This famed place has a lot to offer to the backpacker in you which includes hikes, boat rides or rafting across the Colorado river, mule rides to the Phantom ranch, etc.

5. Great Salt Lake, Utah
'America's Dead Sea' is actually a remnant of the prehistoric Lake Bonneville that has been landlocked. Being around the Salt Lake, you can witness the most exotic sunsets ever with distinctly different hues engulfing the sky. Kayaking (canoeing) across the lake is a worthwhile experience as it allows you to see areas that you wouldn't come across otherwise.

6. Pamukkale, Turkey
Pamukkale, meaning cotton castle, rightly gives the impression of being a landscape made out of cotton. The site contains calcium-laden waters that flow through it. The calcium rocks hold pools of water flowing down from the mountain Cal Daa Western Anatolia. The water is said to have healing properties which is one key aspect that drive people to visit it. Rumour has it that Cleopatra had once bathed in these natural pools.

7. Petra, Jordan
Jordan's most prized possession without a doubt, Petra is a unique city created by the Nabateans, the ancient people of Jordan, by carving natural rock. This wonder is a major tourist attraction and give tourists the freedom to explore the place at their own will. The more interesting part of the site is that, it was featured in the 1989 Hollywood film 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'.

8. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Angkor Wat, a temple built in the early 12th century has fast become one of the greatest tourist places around the world due to its complex architecture, especially inside the temple. Walking through the monument can be a difficult task owing its confusing mix of chambers, porches, stairways and galleries. The challenge that the ancient monument presents, along with its significance in religious history, this place ranks high for adventure-seeking travellers.

9. Vatican Museums, Rome
The Vatican Museum is a place seeped in history. Its collection of art pieces goes back to 500 years ago. Visiting a place that houses revered works of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Filipo Lippi and Caravaggio isn't that bad a deal. Standing there, looking at some of the most defining art pieces of history, will definitely be one of the most enriching experiences of your life.

10. The Great Wall of China, China
Be a part of history by visiting this incredible man-made wonder. Built and rebuilt approximately two thousand years ago to secure the Chinese nation against foreign invasion, this tourist attraction never disappoints its visitors. Stretching upto 8,851 kilometres, the Great Wall is a sight to behold and seeing it with your own eyes is way better than how the history books explained them.