Music Raghavendra today

Now you see him in today life, performing concerts in and around Chennai and Bangalore even he is not able to travel alone (what to speak going by train etc.). Despite of all this here you see him on stage with famous people like Janaki Amma, Balasubramania and Maestro Illayaraja.
Bless Him with a wonderful success in music and career and write to him! please write under: raghavendra.music@gmail.com
thanx!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My friend from bangalore

Through the mystery of life and the support of great people, especially trough the family of Sri Vidyabhushana i was able to meet many good friends in India, and one of them is Mr.Raghavendra. He is a very energetic and positive person dispite of his great illness. When he was a small boy one operation made his life change. Due to misinterpretation and mismanagement and several other operations by some wicked doctors, he didn't have any other health related problems. But after the surgery he was not able to recover from that misoperation. But dispite of all this he is working hard on his career to become a very good musician in vocal carnatic music and performed and recieved many awards in that field. His personal teacher Sri Vidyabhushana knows him from his childhood when he allready started to perform public music concerts and took always much care about him (above you see Raghavendra 1985 before the surgery and after the accident in surgery holded by his oncle next to Sri Vidyabhushana in that time still a Sannyasi of Kukke Subhramaniya Mutt 1991). Raghavendra is still recieving music lessions by Sri Vidyabhushana and gets good responses from the carnatic music world for that. Now it would be good that all of you write some good words to Raghavendra to support him with your good thoughts and wishes and that he may overcome this disease and can perform musical devotion all over the world. Please write to him with some personal words, because make others happy is the best way to become happy your self.

New Movie "Maybe Bangladesh" with Sri Vidyahushana

A new movie has come out on the cinema market withe focus on south indian music - with the main focus on Sri Vidyabhushana. It is a story on how a group of german musicians searching for a unknown tape, which they recieved as a gift from india. They went to india it self, in search of the owner of the voice of that unknown cassette, and were directed towards Bangladesh first. Only in india it self they got redirected towards south india and finally met Sri Vidyabhushana personally. The documentary film is very interesting made and got some publicity in south indian TV chanels which you can watch here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U90sdPfDFt4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDacAIkYFuQ&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noAk8bRHO-k&feature=fvwrel

But also the webpage of this movie is packed with 3 clips which are nice to see:

http://www.maybe-bangladesh.de/

The DVD maybe soon available on the market!

Mystic - Astro Mandapa Part 7

As you see this mandapa is not very impressive from the outside and also the small shrine of Lord Ganapathy is so small that it doesnt really attract a big crown of pilgrims. But in the same time the Mandapa is so unique and special in all his details on astro events in the past and all those special carving (like this one of the Danish soldier or pirat, Lord Narasimha etc.) that also the small Ganesh is a very powerful Vigraha and i ask everyone who ever visit this side of the globe make a visit to this mystic place!

Mystic Astro Mandapa part 6

Kashyapa Muni

Then we find some other very interesting carvings on this mandapa, Narasimha ridding on Garuda, a great Rishi (kashyapa?), Turumburu (the son of Kashyapa, and a great musician) and a very extra ordinary dance with a Veena holding (Male and female together). Lord Narasimha ridding on Garuda is not shown often in carving nor in iconography. Anyhow all of those carvings are unusal as all those Graha occasions (eclipses) show!

Mystic Astro Mandapa part 5

Here we see clearly the Ganda Bherunda Symbol with the scorpion sign of vedic astrology (vrishchika). Above you see the 8 petal lotus which represents the Sun. In the sign of Scorpion and under the rule of The Hoyshala dynasty also a very powerful Sun eclipse took place, and as we can see from history just in the beginning of the 14. century more then 12 powerful eclipses accured, of those 4 were total darkness, that it forcast the soon future of grim occasions with a total change of lifestyle and feeling in everyones life. One of the most powerful eclipse that place in the year 1300 AD on the same day as Shivaratri (Amavasya) to show that soon the land will be swamped with calmities and horror. Only few years later a huge Muslim invation in south india took place, and changed the country in such a way that nothing was as before!
This mandapa can tell us so much of history and it can give much relevance to our daily life too. If we hear and start to read the signs of nature, we can live in harmony with God and his land (Bhumi) so much better. It can help us to understand and even forcast future events and give strength and shelter. Is it not what we all search for?

shows how important and influencial those eclipses were on the mind of the people, and was even future telling if we see those time back.

Mystic Astro Mandapa part 4 - Ganda Bherunda

The mysticial Bird Ganda Bherunda is also shown next to the astrological sign of Vrishchika (scorpion) in which another eclipse 1234 AD. accured. The mystical Bird which by great Narasimha Upasakas is worshipped as a Form of Lord Narasimha, in the same time it is a symbol of the Hoyshalas and Wodayar dynasties of south India. Most likely the Mandapa was built by their support or have been in that time of reign.

Mystic Astro Mandapa part 3

Let us see the other carvings from the roof of this Mystic Astrology Mandapa:
1) Kannapa, the great shiva saint (on of the 63 holy saint of shaivism, called Nayanars) who dedicated his eyes to Lord Shiva - next to it you see the Sun globe shown as a Lotusflower
That storydirects us toward Lord Shiva's Night - Shiva Ratri which faces a very strong Eclipse in the year 1300!

2) Mrgashringa, the female Lion with human head, famous mystic story from the Mahabharata sitting next to the Sun globe in form of a flower design with a bell in her hand - she is the indian sphinx which is mystified as a great Devotee of Lord Shiva

3) a big Beast like tiger is hunting a deer

4) Cobra attacking the moon and beneath two fishes meet face to face
according to our calcuation this total eclipse of moon as shown here attacked by a big mystical Snake (Rahu) had happen in pisces at 28th feb 1300 with 4 planets in conjuction (Moon, sun, Mercury and Venus). A very severe and heavy position.

5) two monkeys searching for food on the floor
which are the animal signs for two powerful stars (Nakshatras) - purvaashadha men monkey (saggitarius/capricon) and sravana female monkey (capricon/aquarius)

and below a big predator fish eats small one

Mystic - Astro Mandapa Part 2

Next to this Mandapa is a very small but beautiful Ganapathi Shrine, which mostly stands here from the same time period. It became never famous as other temples did, so no much further buildings (like agraharams, kitchen etc.) were built.
Anyhow I did enter the Mandapa and also saw those carvings of those eclipses, nagas attacking the Sun and Moon, different beast eating each other and also the very strange carving of this supposed Danish soldier. Actually i did find 2 carvings of foreign sailors which is indeed from the 13th century (as they fit the other drawings), but how they come on those pillars no idea. The Danish colony landed only in the year 1620 AD on the indian coast, and the Mandapa maybe was rebuilt and those carvings placed on in that time. Sadras, a commerical port for the danish crown for business was not far from mahabalipuram, as well madras was occupied by danish power in that time.
Then i have found those funny drawing what is for sure a later replacement of carving on those pillars. A funny face not very artistically drawn...!
But all in all the Danish soldiers in this mandapa is unique, as i have never seen any foreigner carvings either in Mandapas or other religious places in south india.

The Mystic Astro - Mandapa

To understand this story please read first the link given below, so to catch the idea here.

As i visited Mahabalipuram always on my trips to south india i come to this place for around 20 years now. The mood and the closeness to the ocean and the big city city made it easy for me to come here and relax and recharge. Only recently in the last 5 years Mahabalipuram had changed drastically as it is overrun the tourists NOT from uproad but by locals from chennai and near by states. With this phenomena landprice speculations had driven the cost unbelievable high, and just in no time strange buildings popping up in and around the "cavetemple city". It became hectic, dirty and loud. There is a wonderful Divya Desam Temple on the Busstand and a seperate Alwar shrine with his personal waterpond, from were he had been born.
It is here how Lord Vishnu watch's everyday the Sunrise from the ocean and very calm and beautiful temple atmosphere is found inside. In ancient times the Temple was suppose in the real centre of the city, what is now covered by the ocean. The worship is done in Vaikhanasa tradition and the temple priest families are very nice and great hosts.
When i visited them last time i told my friends from this temple about the very interesting Mandapa i heared from one Blog in Internet: http://rajadeekshithar.blogspot.com/2009/08/mandapa-commemorating-solar-eclipse-in.html and if they could guide me to this spot. First of all they did not know much about it, but then later one they discussed it with the elders and they gave me the tip to move with a bike outside of Mahabalipuram towards Pondicherry and search for the small Ganesh Temple just beside the mainroad. There it should be.
I did rent a bike made my way in the evening and missed the Mandapa for the first time. Only on my way back i did get the chance and found it around 6 km from Mahabalipuram.
There it was, those mysterious Mandapa which did tell about the past from the 13th century.
I started to enter it and did pictures as far i could do.... (see next text, please)

Lord Ranganathas 1000 pillar mandapa

In the ancient area of Lord Ranganathas Temple one can find a 1000 pillar Mandapa, which is huge in size, and in the carnatic war between england and french in the year 1751 - 1759 AD a huge company of 10000 Men was camping under here. Nowadays this Mandapa is only open on Vaikuntha Ekadasi Festival were Lord Ranganatha is worshipped by all. Recently they have started a digging around the temple complex and recovered some of the beautiful carving of the base of this mandapa. Anyhow we could make our way inside and had a super natural view of this. We discovered that there is even a seprate empty shrine far inside with some wall painting in - as usual - bad condition! Anyhow it is a wonderful expierence to visit that mandapa, and i hope the temple authority keeps it clean and dont let it fall apart!

Gopurapatti update 2011

We visited the newly renovated shrine of the ancient place of the immigrated sri Vaishnava community from the onslaught of the muslim army, were they have restarted the worship of Rangantha in the year 1325 AD. If they had built right away a huge visible temple for Him we doubt it, as the muslim invaders were still around, even it is only 12 km away from srirangam hidden in the fields of rice paddy and watercanals from the kaveri. Most likely the temple was built later after the danger was over. In Koil Olugu, the history book of Sri Rangam temple, Gopurapatti is mentioned were the rest of the surviours from Sri Rangam Ksetra had escaped and lived peacefully for about 35 years. Only in the year of 1371 AD. Lord Ranganathas Temple was reopened and Namperumal (the ustava deity) which had been taken by the sri vaishnava acarya Pillailokacharya him self and escaped to jyothishkudi inside the forest near Madurai and later moved Him to Tirupathi, had come back to his original abode. After all the descendants from the leftover priest community moved back to Sri Rangam, Gopurapatti became more lonely and lost after some decades his importance and dilapidated in do course of time.
Only recently the Bhattar family of Sri Rangam had made this place aware to us, and started to do rebuliding the temple. Now this temple is showing is super natural beauty again and the Murthy is wonderfully taken care, by one arcaka who is affiliated with iskcon. He likes that Devotees visit this temple and we only can say it is a wonderful expierence!
Please come to Gopurapatti and relax and enjoy the spiritual atmosphere of Lord Ranganathas secret place!