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    My favorite artworks from European Museums

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    Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

    Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

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    Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

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    Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

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    Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

    The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

    The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

    Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

    Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

    Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

    Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

    St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

    St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

    Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

    Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

    Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

    Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

    The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

    The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

    The Dohany Street synagogue in Budapest

    St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

    St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

    The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

    The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

    Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

    Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

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      My favorite artworks from European Museums

      My favorite artworks from European Museums

      Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

      Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

      Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

      Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

      Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

      Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

      Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

      Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

      The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

      The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

      Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

      Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

      Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

      Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

      St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

      St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

      Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

      Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

      Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

      Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

      The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

      The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

      The Dohany Street synagogue in Budapest

      St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

      St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

      The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

      The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

      Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

      Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

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      Neelkanth Temple in Kalinjar Fort, Uttar Pradesh

      inMy Travels
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      image
      The ‘Samudra-Manthan’ with nag ‘Vasuki’ and ‘Mandaar Parvat’
      The danav on one side and Dev on the other. It was this that led to the Legend of Shivji as Neelkanth or One whose Throat is Blue
      I bow to Nīlakaṇṭha (who has) ten arms, three eyes,
      is sky clad [and] lord of the directions, dark eyed and adorned by/with poison.

      नीलकण्ठं दशभुजं त्र्यक्षं धूम्रविलोचनम् ।
      दिगंबरं दिशाधीशं नमामि विषभूषणम् ॥
      #४५ of शिवस्तवराजः

      Kalinjar Fort is one of the gems of the country. It lies in Banda District of Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh. Built by the Chandela rulers ( 9th to 13th century AD) the Fort proved as worthy as its name- The destroyer of time . It is one of the few forts that repulsed the invasions of Mahmud Ghazni.
      It lies on a hilly plateau, 1,203 feet above the plains in the Vindhya Range.
      We were on a visit to Khajuraho and had decided that visiting Kalinjar was a must. It is 130 km away from Khajuraho. For visitors to Khajuraho my advice would be to keep a day for this beauty too. And yes you will require a day and dont get taken in by guides who advise you to combine Panna and Kalinjar as they lie on the same route.

      You should combine Raneh Falls and Pandava Falls with Panna National Park.

      20160303_191106.jpg

      The entrance to the Fort is of course impressive as are the palaces inside but it was Neelkanth Temple that took my breath away and which I feel was the best part of my trip to Bundelkhand. Seen above is the Gate inside the Fort that leads down to the Temple. When we peeped from there we found that the temple lay way below.20160227_143904.jpgA total of 165 steps lead down to it in a long and winding route. I had hurt my ankle a few weeks earlier and it still wasn’t completely healed. However, steps can’t deter a traveller and a Seeker and so along with fellow pilgrim Sheelu Aggarwal I started the descent.

      20160303_191412.jpg
      The sight of the Grecian Temple was enough to fill us with a sense of purpose and we continued down with renewed vigour.

      20160227_144834.jpg

      All along the route there are carvings and statues on the rocks. In fact at the museum of Kalinjar Fort the ASI officer said that out of the 874 specimens of sculpture that they had in it most were found during excavations of the temple and I can well believe him after seeing the riches still there.

      20160227_144921.jpg
      This beautiful carving of Chamundi Devi is just a little way above the main temple.
      20160227_144829.jpg
      A small shrine devoted to Shiva.
      20160227_145043.jpgThis door leads down to the village and had one of the most adorable statues of Ganesha on it.
      20160227_145147.jpg
      Taking deep breaths after the exertion of the descent with fellow seeker Sheelu, at the bottom.20160227_145350.jpg

      The first thing we saw was this huge statue of Hanuman ji complete with the Sanjivani pahad near his head.
      20160227_145356.jpg20160227_145435.jpg
      Some of the broken pieces which must have adorned the temple at one time.
      20160227_145528.jpg
      And the beauty of this incredible yagna mandap has to be seen to be believed.
      To me it seemed absolutely God-Like.
      20160227_145630.jpg
      With another fellow seeker of the Divine.20160227_145754.jpg
      The Pujari of the Temple
      20160227_145911.jpg
      The legend goes that when Shivji drank the vish from the Samundra Manthan he came to this place to rest. And it was here that he found some peace from the burning in his throat. The Shivling in the centre of this photograph inside the temple cave is always wet near the throat portion, even if there is a drought or famine in this area. This is a reminder of the “neelkantha” or drinking of poison story from the epic
      20160227_145844.jpg
      Some of the statues inside the cave.
      IMG_20160227_150004
      I believe that God is One and is present everywhere. It gives me great pleasure to pray wherever I go and at all times to Him. Ringing the bells in a mandir, lighting a candle in a Church or prostrating myself in a sajda in a mosque are my ways of seeking nearness to Him
      20160227_150107.jpg
      The pujari doing tilak for me. Because of the coconuts broken inside and the constant water it is very slippery so be careful. Sheelu cut her foot on a piece of broken coconut shard. As she said, “maine khoon ki ahuti di.” The pujari immediately gave some chuna to put on her foot and the profuse bleeding stopped as if by magic.
      20160227_150154.jpg
      The door of the cave is a massive stone shutter like thing which the pujari told me used to move but they no longer know the secret lever.
      20160227_150711.jpg
      To the right of the temple a few steps down there is the most amazing statue of Kal Bhairav carved in the rocks.
      It is 24′ high, 17′ wide and has 18 arms and is garlanded by skulls.
      Though we had spent two days looking at divine sculpture on the walls of the Khajuraho Temple the force and majesty of this took my breath away.
      20160227_150824.jpg
      Taken from a wall opposite it by one of the boys inside the temple. We didn’t have the guts to jump up on it.
      20160227_151600.jpg
      A side view of the mandap. This was built by the Chandela Kings and once upon a time had a roof.
      20160227_151234.jpg
      35 steps lead upto a sarovar cut in the mountains behind the temple. Just above the temple is a natural water source that never dries up and water continually drips onto the shivalinga. The priests, who have been Chandela Rajputs since the time of the Chandela kings have pointed out that the neck of the sculpture of Lord Shiva on the shivalinga, though made of solid rock, is always moist to touch.
      IMG_20160227_151345
      It is said that this contains treasure and there are some indications written on its walls which guide you. I dont know how true it is for surely someone must have found it if it was material treasure. To my mind its treasure of the spiritual kind for I felt a great sense of peace here.
      This photo taken by Sheelu. I sat at the edge of the sarovar while she jumped down.
      20160227_151142.jpg
      The climb back was arduous as the midday son was beating on our heads but was worth every bit of it.
      IMG_20160227_152451
      lost in wonderment of what I had just seenIMG_20160227_151739
      This photograph by Sheelu Aggarwal.
      https://t.co/0HmYbl8Mvu

      Shloka quoted above Sent by @haritirumalai
      Translated by Rohini Bakshi

      Note : Nearest airport is Khajuraho.
      Banda is 56 km away
      There is no food or water available inside the Fort so please carry enough water, snacks and packed lunch with you. There is a govt guest house in not a very good condition but usable as a restroom on request.
      Wear shoes as its rocky inside.

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      Rana Safvi

      Come, explore and fall in love the Beauties of Delhi (Dilli ki Ranaiya’n) and the World with me, Rana Safvi

      I have a masters in medieval history from the prestigious Centre for Advanced Studies, Dept. of History, AMU. A firm believer in our Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb, I am passionate about gaining and sharing knowledge and these days I am doing it via the social media platform.

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      © 2018 Rana Safvi - A blog Exploring Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb of India, website handcrafted by Abu Sufiyan.