Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Koh-i-Noor


The Kohinoor Diamond is one of the most famous diamonds in the world. The Kohinoor diamond was first mentioned in 1306 when it was taken from a Rajah of Malwa, whose family had held the diamond for centuries. It was described as weighing 186 carats and was an oval cut white diamond - the shape and size of a small hen's egg. The Kohinoor diamond belonged to various Indian and Persian rulers but it became part of the Crown Jewels of England at the time that Queen Victoria was proclaimed empress of India. The Kohinoor was re-cut at this time and now weighs 108.93 carats and is kept in the Tower of London.

The Curse of Kohinoor Diamond dates back to a Hindu text from the time of the first authenticated appearance of the diamond in 1306. The Curse of the Kohinoor Diamond reads:

"He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all
its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity."

The history and lives of the rulers who owned the Koh-i-Noor diamond were filled with violence, murders, mutilations, torture and treachery. Whether or not people believe in the Curse of the Kohinoor Diamond, the history of the stone is undeniable - and the threat of the Koh-i-Noor curse is enough to make people cautious. The British Royal family were obviously aware of the Curse of the Kohinoor and from the reign of Queen Victoria, when the Kohinoor diamond came into their possession, it has always gone to the wife of the male heir to the British throne. The History Timeline details the story of the Kohinoor diamond.


The following timeline & history of the Kohinoor details important historical events and dates:

Dates in History of the KohinoorTimeline & History of Kohinoor Diamond (aka Koh-i-Noor)
1200 - 1300's

There were many dynasties who owned the Kohinoor diamond including the Slave dynasty (1206-90), the Khilji dynasty (1290-1320), the Tughlaq dynasty (1320-1413), the Sayyid dynasty (1414-51), and the Lodi dynasty (1451-1526)These were all brief reigns ending with war and violence

1306In 1306 the Rajah of Malwa was forced to give the diamond to the rulers of the Kakatiya Empire
1323

Soon after, in 1323, the Kakatiya Empire fell after a rule stretching from 1083 to 1323. The diamond was taken by Muhammad bin Tughluq who became the Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351

1323 - 1526

The diamond came into the possession of the Delhi Sultanate which consisted of many Muslim dynasties that ruled in India to 1526. During the Delhi Sultanate Muslim armies consisting of Mongol, Turkic, Persian, and Afghan warriors invaded India

1526

In 1526 the Kohinoor Diamond passed to the Mughal Empire when the Timurid Prince Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans, at the First Battle of Panipat. Mughal is the Persian word for Mongol

Babur mentions in his memoirs, the Baburnama, that the diamond had belonged to an un-named Rajah of Malwa

The Mughal Empire ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for two hundred years and the Kohinoor passed from one Mughal Emperor to the next. Violence and bloodshed followed these years often marked by the sons of the Emperors rebelling and overtaking their fathers

The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592 – 1666), who was famous for building the Taj Mahal, had the Kohinoor Diamond placed into his ornate Peacock Throne

1639

The Koh-i-Noor changed ownership several more times until the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan took the throne. In 1639 a struggle for the Empire started between his four sons - Dara Shikoh, Shah Shuja, Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh when brother killed brother. Shah Shuja executed his brother Dara Shikoh and in then 1658 Aurangzeb defeated Shuja and Shuja who was tortured to death together with all his family

1665

In 1665 Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605 – 1689), French traveller and pioneer of jewelry and diamond trade with India, recorded his experiences in which he describes a great Mughal diamond said to be the biggest in the world. It was called the "Great Mogul" by Tavernier

1739

In 1739 the Persian King Nadir Shah invaded the Mughal Empire defeating their Emperor and stole the great Koh-i-Noor diamond (Nadir Shah is credited with giving the diamond the name it is known by today). The Koh-i-Noor Diamond was taken to Persia

1747

In 1747 the empire of Nadir Shah quickly disintegrated after he was assassinated - the Curse of the Kohinoor strikes again? After Nadir Shah's assassination, the diamond passed to his successors, each were dethroned and ritually blinded (Blinding was used to render an enemy powerless and make him a burden on his community.)

1800

1800 - Ranjit Singh took the Empire and possession of the Kohinoor diamond. Rajah Ranjit Singh died in 1839 and his successors lacked his bravery and vision

The Sikh kingdom became weak and the British conquered India which became part of the British Empire and the British Raj or rule gained control of India from 1858 - 1947

The British Governor-General of India, Lord Dalhousie, was responsible for the British acquiring the Koh-i-Noor

1851

1851 - Dalhousie arranged that the Kohinoor diamond should be presented by Ranjit Singh's successor, Duleep Singh, to Queen Victoria, the Empress of India

1851

1851 - The Great Exhibition was staged in Hyde Park in London when the Koh-i-Noor was put on view by the British public

1852

In 1852 Prince Albert ordered that the Koh-i-Noor diamond to be re-cut from 186 carats to its current 105 carats thus increasing its brilliance. The Koh-i-Noor diamond was mounted in a tiara with more than two thousand other diamonds

The Koh-i-Noor diamond was then used as the centre piece of the crowns of the Queen consorts to the British Kings. The Queen Consorts Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary wore the crowns

1936

In 1936, the stone was set into the crown of the wife of King George VI, Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother), wife of King George VI

The British Royal family were obviously aware of the Curse of the Kohinoor - "He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity." And from the reign of Queen Victoria the Kohinoor diamond has always gone to the wife of the male heir to the British throne
Dates in History of the KohinoorTimeline & History of Kohinoor Diamond (aka Koh-i-Noor)

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Indians in Kenya

Ref : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indians_in_Kenya

There are currently over 100,000 Indians in Kenya, most living in the major urban areas of Nairobi and Mombasa with others living in rural areas. Most are Sikh and Hindu with some Muslims, often with their own businesses and places of worship. Gurdwaras, Temples and Mosques can be found all over the country.

Indentured labour from Britain's Indian empire was brought in to construct the Kenya-Uganda railway. Subsequently the railway brought Indians engaged in trade from the coastal cities into the interior. The result was that by the 1920s there was a sizable Indian population who demanded a role in the developing political life of Kenya Colony.
The establishment of the colony of Kenya in 1920 brought in its train racial hostilities. The Indians, enjoying a greater economic strength, were the more adamant. As early as 1920 they turned down the offer of two seats on the legislative council, since this was not representative of the size of their community. Tension remained high until 1927, when the Indians won the right to five seats on the council (compared to eleven reserved for the Europeans).



In 1968, several thousand Indians fled Kenya for the United Kingdom due to discriminatory practices by the ruling government. Since that time relations have improved slowly.


One percent of Kenyan population practiced Hinduism as reported by IRF
Today, the Gujarati community in Kenya is estimated at over Sixty thousand, and is dispersed throughout the country. Despite varying degrees of acculturation, most have retained their strong Gujarati ties.
There are few hundred Kenyans converted to Hinduism mainly through Hare Krishnas.
Brahma Kumaris and Satya Sai Baba Organisation are also active in Kenya.
Hindus owned and controlled a lot of the construction and farming businesses in Kenya.




On 4 August 1972, Idi Amin, President of Uganda, gave Uganda's Asians (mostly Gujaratis of Indian origin) 90 days to leave the country, following an alleged dream in which, he claimed, God told him to expel them.
The order for expulsion was based on the Indophobic social climate of Uganda. The Ugandan government claimed that the Indians were hoarding wealth and goods to the detriment of indigenous Africans, "sabotaging" the Ugandan economy.



After Amin came to power, he exploited these divisions to spread propaganda against Indians involving stereotyping and scapegoating the Indian minority. Indians were stereotyped as "only traders" and "inbred" to their profession. Indians were attacked as "dukawallas" (an occupational term that degenerated into an anti-Indian slur during Amin's time). Indians were stereotyped as "greedy, conniving", without any racial identity or loyalty but "always cheating, conspiring and plotting" to subvert Uganda. Amin used this propaganda to justify a campaign of "de-Indianization", eventually resulting in the expulsion and ethnic cleansing of Uganda's Indian minority.
Their expulsion resulted in a significant decline in Uganda's Asian Hindu and Muslim population. Many Asians owned big businesses in Uganda and many Indians were born in the country, their ancestors having come from India to Uganda when the country was still a British colony. Those who remained were deported from the cities to the countryside, although most Asians were granted asylum in the United Kingdom. A plurality of the Asians with British passports, around 30,000, emigrated to Britain.[4] Other countries receiving 1,000 or more of the emigrants include India, Canada, Kenya, Pakistan, West Germany, Malawi, and the United States. Many emigrants also found their way, in smaller numbers, to Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Sweden, and Mauritius.
In Britain, the Ugandan Asians were offered temporary accommodation in converted RAF barracks. Most left as soon as possible to find their own homes or to share space with friends or family. Ugandan soldiers during this period engaged in theft and violence against the Asians with impunity. After their expulsion, the businesses were handed over to Amin's supporters.

Barrister M. K. Gandhi Sojourn in South Africa

A new chapter of Indian emigration to South Africa began in May 1893 when Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi, a young Indian barrister from Porbander, arrived in Durban. Abdul Karim
Jhaveri of Dada Abdullah & Co. had secured his services in a £40,000 legal suit against a rival
Indian firm in Pretoria. The young Gandhi?s arrival coincided with the determination of the
Whites to put an end to ?the Indian merchant menace?. This campaign had been directed against the ex-indentured labourers who had started working in other sectors of the economy, and especially against the more prosperous ?passenger Indians? who had become the principal rivals of the Whites in trade and commerce. In addition to the restrictions and prohibitions already enumerated above, the entire Indian community was also being subjected to a long list of petty indignities to humiliate them. They were not allowed to sit on ?European? benches in public parks or bathe in beaches reserved for Europeans. Nor could they enter a restaurant, tearoom, barber?s shop or a hotel as they did not have the ?uniform of a white skin?. Instead of admiring the energy and productivity of the Indian immigrants, which had brought prosperity to their colony, the White settlers were outraged by their very presence in their midst. They resented the far-sighted perseverance and skill of the Indians, their economic lifestyle, their food habits, their pride in their customs and traditions, and their attention to the education of their children - all of which had ensured that the Indian community would continue to prosper.



With his legal training, Gandhi insisted that the colonial government should strictly implement
Queen Victoria?s Proclamation of 1858 in which she had promised her Indian subjects equality
with all her other subjects throughout the Empire. Accordingly, his fight for non-discriminatory
treatment was waged only on behalf of the Indians. He apparently felt that the native Blacks
would want to fight their own battles. Despite his youth, with his newly minted philosophy of
non-violence and satyagraha, Gandhi was able to provide the Indian community the leadership
and inspiration that was needed to resist the racist policies of the Whites. He started the Indian
Opinion, a weekly newspaper, to give expression to the feelings and aspirations of his fellow
Indians, and as an instrument to guide them in their struggle for equality and fair play. He also
set up the Phoenix Settlement near Durban and, later on, the Tolstoy .arm outside Johannesburg, to provide shelter for the families of those who followed his advice and peacefully courted arrest and detention. It was during his sojourn in South Africa that the Natal Indian Congress was established on 22 May 1894, and later also the forerunner of the Transvaal Indian Congress. A mass movement of labourers, traders and industrial workers followed him in his courageous fight against the discriminatory laws that restricted even their movements. They could not, for instance, cross from Natal into the Transvaal, the new British colony where gold had recently been discovered. Nor had the White administration shown any respect for Indian customs and traditions.


By the time Gandhi finally left South Africa in 1914, this exemplary Pravasi Bharatiya had obtained some concessions from the Premier, .ield Marshal Jan Smuts. They included frustrating and delaying the Government?s efforts to register Indians in the Transvaal; abolition of the £3 poll tax; and formal recognition of Hindu, Muslim and Parsi marriages. But the future Mahatma?s real legacy to succeeding generations of resistance workers in South Africa, and that included also the majority Blacks, was to rid them of their fear of imprisonment and torture. Though most of the restrictive legislative measures against Indians remained when Gandhi finally left South Africa on 18 July 1914, he had sown the seeds for future generations to fight courageously against injustice and racial discrimination in South Africa. But .ield Marshal Jan Smuts, who had come to admire greatly Gandhi?s courage and ideals, did not really care much for his policies. In the event, racism continued to rear its ugly head in the country with increasing viciousness for a long time after that.


The economic disparity separating the Indians from the Blacks may have been an important
factor in the resentment felt against them by the indigenous people of South Africa. It is true that ?Millionaires Rows? abound in various Indian townships ? like Winchester Drive in Durban
Reservoir Hills; Mbeni Heights in Chatsworth, near Durban; and Seal Crescent in Lenasia, not far
from Johannesburg. But they do not reflect the correct overall picture of the Indian community
as there are still many places like Malagazi near Isipingo and Hill Heads Estate outside Verulam,
where thousands of Indians live in wood and iron shacks without plumbing, without electricity,
and without sewage disposal. In fact, when the High Level Committee visited South Africa in
January this year, prominent members of the local Indian Diaspora informed it that 65 to 70% of
the PIOs are still living under the poverty line. The unemployment rate is also high in the
community. According to some estimates, one to two percent of Indians (between 10,000 to
20,000) has tested HIV positive. But in spite of the grim reality of their general poverty, there
have been frequent instances of violence directed against the community, as indeed also against
the Whites.




The HLC found ample evidence in South Africa to corroborate the fact that the PIOs in this
country are South Africans, first and foremost. The fact that they look like us, very often eat the
same kind of food, and have many of the cultural values that we cherish, does not make them a
little more Indian than South African. A century and a half of existence in an alien land, and four
or five generations of acculteration in a dominant White society, has diluted their Indianness. Ms.
Ela Gandhi, MP (ANC) and a granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, clearly summed up her Indian
South African identity when she said: ?I am a South African; a very proud South African. The
Indianness comes in at the level of culture, the way we eat, the kind of things we eat, the kind of
things we appreciate - like music, drama, the language we speak. We only enrich our country by
having all these different tastes and habits. What I am basically saying is that that is where the
Indianness stops?. And it is only right and proper that this sentiment should be generally recognised
and respected.
The Indian Diaspora in South Africa numbers at least a million people. More than 75% of them
live in KwazuluNatal. Durban, the capital of this province, accounts for a considerable part of the
largely urbanised Indian population in this country. In its meeting with representatives of the
Indian community in Johannesburg and Durban, the HLC was informed that the remaining 25%
of the ISAs are dispersed in the rest of the country, with the old Transvaal accounting for most of
them. The South African Indians represent a variety of Indian characteristics. This is not surprising
because of the miscellany of languages, religions, costumes, food habits, and other traits that
they have inherited from their Indian ancestors who had migrated to South Africa from different
regions and communities of India. Accordingly, they reflect the rich and diverse texture of the
land of their origin.




During the tallying operations for the 1990 census, as many as 94.93% of the ISAs had declared
English as their ?home language?. Among all the Indian languages, it is only Gujarati that is still
generally spoken, and that too among themselves, by persons whose ancestors had come from
Gujarat. But it is said that many children of Gujarati families are known to resent having to spend time at Sunday schools learning a language that they consider of little use to them in their daily lives.

Interestingly, a little over 39% of the community had declared in 1999 that their religion was
Hindu. But then it was a form of Hinduism that was being practised by people who had rid
themselves of traditions and customs like jaati and sati, gotra and sutra, kutum, endogamy and
dowry. The ruthless ironing out of mutual differences during the indenture years, when their
ancestors had been forced into co-existing with people from whom caste or tradition would have
kept them apart in their earlier Indian environment, had resulted in forging for their descendants a new identity.

Various Christian sects, and particularly the Pentecostal Church, appear to have made some inroads into the Hindu community, with the result that there are now almost 13% of the ISAs who belong to one or other of the Christian groups. And as a reaction to this development, various Hindu sects have activated themselves, such as the Arya Samaj, the Divine Life Society, the Ramakrishna Mission, Sai Baba Samitis and the ISKCON. The last of them organises a very popular rath jatra, pulled by jeeps, along the Durban sea front every year, to coincide with the festival in Puri.

Muslim ISAs constitute around 20% of the ISA population. The Central Islamic Trust is very
active in South Africa. The destruction of the Babri Masjid in December 1992 had a ripple effect
in the fire-bombing of the Shree Pretoria Hindu Seva Samaj Temple at Laudium near Pretoria.
But all the local Muslim leaders publicly apologised to the Hindu community, ascribing the
vandalism to the thoughtless act of criminal elements or agents provocateurs. The President of the Islamic Council of South Africa even went to the extent of saying that both communities should display restraint and caution and not allow the inter-religious strife in India to destroy the harmonious relationship between them in South Africa. Inter-caste marriages are quite common among Hindus and Muslims, though not inter-communal ones between the two communities.

Western influence is predominant in social, cultural and familial relationships. But it is important
to note that there is wide consensus among the ISAs for increased cultural interaction with India.
In common with other large, long-established overseas Indian communities, the Indians in South
Africa have a deep emotional bond with the culture of their ?mother country?. Our classical dance
and music continue to evince widespread interest in them. There are a number of local cultural
groups that are trying to attract PIOs to attend classes conducted by them. At the same time,
Bollywood stars are quite popular. A radio station relays Hindi and Tamil filmi ganas round the
clock, together with a lot of pop music. The opening of Indian Cultural Centres in Durban and
Johannesburg was enthusiastically welcomed as a meaningful response to the interest displayed
by local PIOs to preserve and develop their cultural heritage. Some among them would even like
to see the establishment here of the kind of institutions that have been set up in Mauritius,
namely, the Mahatma Gandhi Institute and the Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture. Such an
initiative, they feel, would showcase our culture to all the races in South Africa and thus enhance
the Indian community?s standing in the country. They would also welcome the organisation in
this country of a ?.estival of India? as such an event would be able to present their ?mother
country? in a proper perspective and thus disabuse their Black compatriots of their distorted and
derogatory perception of India.



Recently, the Diaspora?s feelings towards India were clearly exhibited when they contributed a
large amount of money and material for the relief of victims of the Gujarat Earthquake. But
unlike the PIOs in North America and Western Europe, there is no interest in South Africa in
acquiring dual citizenship. In fact, there is a fear that gaining such a status might only prejudice
their local position with the Black majority who would then be able to accuse them of divided
loyalties.



The Committee found ample evidence of the cardinal truth that the PIOs in South Africa are a
class by themselves, totally different from their counterparts in other countries. Unlike the large
number of persons in the Diasporas in North America and the UK, the PIOs in South Africa are
not generally prosperous. Unlike the situation in the Caribbean or Mauritius, here they have to
contend with the rights and expectations of an indigenous population that does not easily condone any kind of superior social status of immigrants. And unlike the Indian .ijians who have faced an almost identical situation, the Indians of South Africa have been able successfully to resist the onslaught of an alien administration that treated them with scant regard. Here they made common cause with the indigenous people. Along with them, they bore tremendous hardships and suffering in the fight against apartheid and shared their triumph when it was finally routed. But now they face another challenge - of finding their feet once again in a difficult environment.

Early History of Migration of Indians to South Africa

ref : http://indiandiaspora.nic.in/diasporapdf/chapter7.pdf

Contrary to the common belief that Indians had first gone to South Africa as indentured labourers in 1860, they had in fact already arrived there much earlier, in 1653. Dutch merchants, returning home from their voyages to India and the East Indies, had taken them to the then Dutch Cape Colony and sold them as slaves to the early Dutch settlers. There they were made to work as domestic servants, or to join the African slaves who were already toiling on the newly established farms. Between 1653 and the early 19th century, there were already as many as 1,195 Indians in the Cape, forming 36.40% of the slave population imported into the colony.


Most of these Indian slaves had been shipped from Bengal or the Coromandal coast. They were
unable to preserve their distinct identity in the Cape as ?Indians?. They married slaves from East Asia, other parts of Africa, or from the indigenous Khoikhoi and San inhabitants. Their progeny subsequently became known as Malays. This term was, in time, loosely applied to all the Muslims in the Cape, irrespective of their geographic origin.

On the other hand, the Indian presence in that country owes its origin to the British Parliament
passing the Act of Abolition in 1833, whereupon slavery was banned throughout the British
Empire. The immediate consequence of this was that the African slaves of British settlers in the
Natal Colony decided to desert their former masters en masse. Their erstwhile tormentors began to feel the pinch of having to bend their own backs to manual labour! After considerable efforts to persuade the reluctant British authorities in India to replicate in South Africa the system of indentured labour that was already being implemented in Mauritius, the colonists finally succeeded in their endeavour. Thereupon, a group of Indian ?coolies?, comprising 342 men, women and children arrived at the port city of Durban on board the S. S. Truro on 16 November 1860. They were the first of 384 such arrivals of ?human cargo? containing as many as 152,184 unfortunate persons that were going to be shipped to South Africa over the next 51 years. Of them, 62% were men, 25% women and 13% children. According to a 1985 report of Dr. .rene Ginwala, who is currently Speaker of South Africa?s Parliament, two thirds of these emigrants were Tamil and Telugu speaking Hindus from the then Madras Presidency, a predominance that has persisted in subsequent years, as well as from Mysore and surrounding areas. The rest of the migrants had gone mainly from what are now Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. If the vast majority of the indentured labourers were Hindus, less than 12% were Muslims, while some 2% were Christians. Most of them were illiterate, but they all carried with them memories of their traditions, customs and rituals - which they then strove to preserve as best as they could. They spoke a variety of languages - Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Urdu, as well as dialects from Bihar and UP which would later merge to become a sort of local version of Bhojpuri, very different from what is found in Mauritius with its distinctly .rench and Creole influence.

The initial purpose of importing the Indians had been to tend the sugarcane and sisal plantations
of the British settlers. The indentured labourers were bound by contract for 5 years. A carrot was held out to them in the form of a second contract for a further 5 years, with the offer after that of a free return passage to India, or grant of some land. The land grant was eventually dropped in 1891. The standard practice in the plantations was to work the labour from dawn to sunset, Sundays included. After providing them with meagre rations and the barest accommodation in crowded barracks, the planters were insensitive to all their other needs. Their main concern was to economise costs. They saved on rations by reducing them on the slightest pretext. They refused the workers permission to leave their estates, especially to complain to the authorities about their ill treatment. They grudged them even their meagre wages and often found ingenious excuses to minimise them. Arbitrary ?justice? was often meted out to them in the form of fines or whipping. In brief, the conditions under which the indentured labourers worked were inhuman and akin to slavery. This was one of the main reasons for the high number of suicides among them. Nevertheless, the majority of these Indians remained in South Africa, as they had practically banished themselves from their own country by going abroad when crossing the seas (kalapani) was taboo and attracted severe prayaschit.

While their initial recruitment had been for work in the plantations, Indian labour was also later
distributed to the railways, dockyards, coal mines, municipal services and domestic employment.
Even though they were not happy with the racist laws and taxes, only about 23% of Natal Indians had returned to India by 1911, when the much abused indenture system was finally terminated.



Their success had prompted the entry into the colony of ?free passenger Indians?? so called,
because they had paid for their fares as passengers on board a steamship bound for South Africa.
The new immigrants were a community of traders, both Hindu and Muslim, who hailed mainly
from Gujarat. They set up retail shops and started to compete effectively with the much more
expensive stores run by the white settlers In course of time, they constituted around 10% of
Indian immigrants. Much later, teachers, accountants, priests, lawyers and other professionals
arrived, also mostly from Gujarat. These developments lead to much recrimination and jealousy
against the Indians ? all of whom were unceremoniously labelled as ?coolies?. This resulted in
referring to leading members of the community in derogatory terms such as ?coolie merchant?,
?coolie doctor?, ?coolie barrister? and the like.


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Monday, July 20, 2009

Syamantaka Jewel

Syamantaka mani, or the Syamantaka Jewel is perhaps the most famous jewel in Indian Mythology. It yielded daily eight loads of gold, and dispelled all fear of portents, wild beasts, fire, robbers, and famine." But though it was an inexhaustible source of good to the virtuous wearer, it was deadly to a wicked one.There was a king of the name Satrajit within the jurisdiction of Dvaraka-dhama. He was a great devotee of the sun-god, who awarded him the benediction of a jewel known as Syamantaka. Because of this Syamantaka jewel, there was a misunderstanding between King Satrajit and the Yadav dynasty. Later on the matter was settled when Satrajit voluntarily offered Krsna his daughter, Satyabhama, along with the jewel Syamantaka. Not only was Satyabhama married to Krsna on account of the Syamantaka jewel, but Jambavati, the daughter of Jambavan, was also married to Krisna. When this jewel was worn by Satrajit in a locket around his neck, he appeared exactly like an imitation sun-god. Putting on this jewel, he would enter the city of Dvaraka, and people would think that the sun-god had come into the city to see Krishna.

Immortals or Chiranjeevins

asvatthama balir vyaso hanumans ca bibhisanah
krpah parasuramas ca saptaite ciranjivinah

The Chiranjeevins are the seven immortals in Hinduism. However, in Hinduism, "immortal" does not mean eternal. Even immortal things are dissolved at the end of the universe. The only things that are eternal are the Trimurthi (the Hindu Trinity), Sheshnag (the Eternal Serpent), and the four Vedas.

Ashwatthama - He was the was the son of guru Dronacharya. A man cursed to immortality and eternal suffering without love from anybody for his role in the murder of the five sons of the Pandavas and his attempted murder of Arjuna's grandson. The curse was given by Krishna for his misconduct. Ashwatthama also had to surrender a valuable gem, Mani, set on his forehead, the wearer of which ceases to have any fear from weapons or disease or hunger, and ceases to have any fear of gods, Danavas and Nagas. This was taken from him by Krishna before his exile and presented to the Pandava king Yudhisthira.

During the fight, Ashwatthama invoked the 'Brahmastra' against Arjuna and Arjuna in response invoked the 'Pashupatastra'. Fearing the destruction of the world, the sages advised both to take back their weapons. While Arjuna could do so, Ashwathama could not (the Brahmastra is a weapon that cannot be revoked once it has been invoked) and was given the option of choosing any single target to destroy. Out of spite, Ashwathama directed the weapon at the wombs of Pandava women.

At this time, Uttara was carrying the unborn Parikshit, son of Abhimanyu, who upon birth would be the future heir to all the Pandava brothers. The Brahmastra weapon was successful in fatally burning the foetus, but Krishna revived the stillborn child and cursed Ashwatthama with leprosy and to roam the world for many years as an unloved castaway till the end of the Kali Yuga.

Kripacharya Kripa (Kṛpa in IAST transliteration), also often called Kripacharya, was the chief priest at the court of Hastinapura, in the Mahabharata.
He was the son of Sharadvan and Janapadi. His twin sister Kripi married Drona, the weapons master to the court.
He fought in the great battle of Kurukshetra for the Kaurava side. Afterwards, he was appointed to be the teacher and preceptor of Parikshita, the grandson of Arjuna.

Vyasa Krishna Dwaipayana, or Veda Vyasa, not only wrote the Mahabharata but also played a key role in it. Veda Vyasa was the biological father of the brothers whose children fought against each other in the Great War. Later Vyasa dictated the epic to Ganesh. At one point Ganesh’s quill broke while he was writing. He then broke one of his tusks and continued writing. This is the reason that Ganesh is always depicted with one tusk.

after giving birth to Veda Vyasa, Satyavati married King Shantanu of Hastinapura. They had two children, Chitrangada and Vichitraveerya. Chitrangada died in battle while Shantanu was still alive, and Vichitraveerya was crowned king after Shantanu’s death. Vichitraveerya married Ambika and Ambalika, the princesses of Kashi. But unfortunately he died of tuberculosis without leaving behind any issues. The royal race had to be propagated. Satyavati called Veda Vyasa, who produced a son each through Ambika and Ambalika. Ambika gave birth to Dhritarashtra and Ambalika to Pandu. But after the death of Pandu, the animosity between his children and those of Dhritarashtra escalated. Vyasa came to Hastinapura and told Satyavati that she will not be able to bear what is to follow. He took Satyavati, Ambika and Ambalika to his hermitage in the forests, where they spent their last days. The animosity between the children of Pandu and Dhritarashtra resulted in the Mahabharata war.
The Mahabharata is the narrative that contains all narratives. A verse from the epic reads, "What is found here, may be found elsewhere. What is not found here, will not be found elsewhere."


Markandeya Rishi Mrikandu Munivar worshipped Shiva and sought from him the boon of begetting a son. He was given the choice between a gifted son with a short lived tenure on earth or a dunce with a long life. Mrikandu Munivar chose the former, and was blessed with Markandeya, an exemplary son, destined to die at the age of 16. Markandeya grew up to be a great devotee of Shiva. On the day of his destined death Markandeya continued to worship a Shivalingam. The messengers of Yama, the God of death were unable to take away the lad's life, given his devotion to Shiva and his being engaged in the act of worship then. Yama himself came in person to take his life away and sprung his noose around the young sage's neck. The noose landed around the Shivalingam, and out of it, Shiva emerged in all his fury, and kicked Yama and killed Death itself. He then revived him, under the condition that the devout youth would live for ever.

This legend of Shiva killing death itself, is frozen in metal and held in worship at Tirukkadavur.

In Bhagavata Purana there is a story that tells when the earth was about to be swallowed by water, Markandeya prayed to Vishnu to rescue him. Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of a child floating on a leaf, and declared to the sage that he was Time and Death. Vishnu demanded the sage to enter into his mouth and save himself from the surging water. Markandeya went inside the mouth of Vishnu. He saw inside Lord Vishnu along with the entire cosmos, all the gods and deities. The sage came out after some time, Vishnu was still floating seated on the leaf and this is how his life was saved.


Hanuman After the war, and after reigning for several years, the time arrived for Rama to depart to his heavenly abode. Many of Rama's entourage, including Sugriva, decided to depart with him. Hanuman, however, requested to remain on earth as long as Rama's name was venerated by people. Sita accorded Hanuman that desire, and granted that his image would be installed at various public places, so he could listen to people chanting Rama's name.


Vibhishana When Vibhishana attained the position of the King of Lanka, he turned his subjects from the path of evil to the path of good and Dharma (righteousness). His wife, Queen Sarma also aided him in this effort.
When Shri Rama was about to leave Ayodhya at the end of his reign, Lord Rama in his original form of Shri Vishnu ordered Vibhishana to stay on earth and serve the people and guide them to the path of truth and Dharma. Hence, Vibhishana is considered one of the seven immortals, or Chiranjeevins. Lord Vishnu also ordered Vibhishana to pray the family deity of Rama's natal Sun Dynasty, Lord Ranganatha.


Parashurama The sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was a son of Jamdagni a sage. His name Parashurama is derived from his weapon - Axe which is 'Parshu' in Sanskrit. He went round the earth 21 times and punished the evil-doers who were harassing the subjects. He was the preceptor of great Acharyas like Bhishmas and Drona. He even taught the art of Archery to Karna from Mahabharata. He is supposed to be one of few immortals on this earth.

Mahabali, a righteous demon king who conquered heaven, earth, and the underworld, but was forced to give it back by Vamana.

Lemonade Diet

Also known as Master Cleanser Diet.

While you are following the diet (10 to 40 days), your sole source of energy and nutrients is a lemonade made with fresh-squeezed lemon juice, purified (non-fluoridated) water, grade-B maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. In addition, each morning, you drink a salt-water flush, and each evening you drink a laxative tea. The only other beverages allowed on the Lemonade Diet are pure (non-fluoridated) water and peppermint tea.


The Diet consists of fasting to rid the body of toxins, created by improper diet, lack of exercise and negative mental attitudes. The purpose of the Lemonade Diet is to dissolve and eliminate toxins and congestion; to cleanse the kidneys and digestive system; to purify glands; to eliminate waste and hardened materials in the joints and muscles; to build a healthy bloodstream; to maintain optimal blood pressure; and to what you all are waiting to hear... to lose weight. As a reducing diet it is superior in every way, reducing fat at a rate of about two (2) pounds a day for most persons, without harmful side effects.

Lemonade Diet Recipe
For at least 10 days, drink around 10 servings/day of the following:
2 Tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice NOT BOTTLED JUICE!! (approx. 1/2 lemon),
2 Tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) organic Grade B maple syrup,
1/10 Teaspoon or more cayenne pepper (hot red pepper), and
1 Cup (8 fluid ounces) purified or spring water, NOT fluoridated water.
(This is what I did) This is the equivalent of taking an empty gallon water jug and filling it with:
the juice of 5 lemons
1 1/4 cup of organic Grade B maple syrup
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
10 cups of water
Shake it all up and you got your days’ serving!
Salt-Water Flush Recipe
Upon rising drink a mixture of:
2 level teaspoons of uniodized sea salt to a…
quart of lukewarm water
Herbal Laxative Tea (You can find this at most grocery stores)
Each evening drink an herbal laxative tea to help with elimination - preferably right before bed.