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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

    Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

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    • Travel
      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

      Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

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      The Gajantak incarnation of Lord Shiva on the Outer Walls of Kalinjar Fort

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      https://youtu.be/bC-0C7KMPUo

      The fort of Kalinga in the south-western corner of district Banda in UP is on the border of Madhya Pradesh.This fort has a long and ancient history and has been apart from a city tell an important place of pilgrimage. The fort is located on a plateau which has a vertical scarp of around 40 feet all round thus making it almost impregnable

      Beyond that is a 30 foot wall there are various entrances to it built into its wall
      as it was built in the rocky hills it also had many rock shelters in the sky up below the rampart in which ascetics left as borne by the many scriptures and has a number of religious places. I have already made a video of the very famous temple Neelkanth and mrigdhara both of which are famous. Today I am going to showcase The rock cut sculpture amazing in its design and scope and some thing that has not been viewed by many people.We set of with Samir Kher of Deep Dive India and Sanatkada Heritage to see this spectacular piece of art.Samir warned is it was a difficult walk along the ramparts and that we would need to go outside the fort gates to see one of it’s outer walls.The walk was indeed tough but spectacular.Going out of the Panna and to tje toad going down to the village.But instead of going down to the village we climbed towards a n area called Mandukya Bhairava. Bhairava as we all know is one of the incarnations of Lord Shiva and that’s whom we were going to see.But what or who was Mandukya? That’s the name by which the Shiva sculpture is described in the inscriptions all around it on the rockface by pilgrims & devotees.It’s a name used for a frog, but though there’s a deep reservoir there called Bhairav jhirka it’s too deep for frogs to survive.I emailed Mr. Vijay Kumar whose detailed article in the Indian journal of Archaeology on the inscriptions of Kalinjar told me about the name. He replied that a “A plant called nirgundi also known as meudi grows in abundance in that area.I think this place is named after this weed.”Finally we had taken the turn and above me were again steep steps and the image we had come to see.
      I am talking of a huge sculpture called into the wall of Lord Shiva as the Gajantaka or Gajasursamharamurti which is an aggressive / destructive form of Shiva as a martial lord who killed an elephant demon. The story occurs in a couple of Puranas as well as some other sources. The killing was so violent that he skinned him and danced within his hide—which is why in some examples he dances on the elephant’s head and lifts the hind legs up.

      When a demon (Rakshasa) assumed the form of an elephant and terrorized Brahmins who were worshipping the linga, Shiva emerged from this linga, slew the demon, and removed the elephant skin, thereafter wearing the hide on his upper body.This icon waa popular in Pallava and Chola art, which portrayed him dancing vigorously in the flayed elephant hide of Gajasura.What makes the image in Kalinjar very special us that it’s 5th century Gupta Era. the sculpture of Elephanta of circa A.D. 550

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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.

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