Rivers of India: Narmada

Today I am writing about a programme on the famous river Narmada, which was aired on DD Bharati. Here I am just mentioning the names of some places around this pious river, which the programme covered.


At first, after starting from Amarkantak,  we witnessed Kapildhara which is the first waterfall of Narmada.

Then we came to Jabbalpur, which is a main city of Madhya Pradesh. Interesting thing is that the Central point of India is also located in Jabbalpur district. With reference to Narmada river, Jabbalpur is  also famous for  Dhuandhar Water falls and the marble rocks of Bheraghat. Both Dhuandhar falls and Marble rocks present amazing site to the tourists! 

Then we went to Rani Durgabati Fort and came to know about Rani Durgabati.

Next stop was Mandla disctrict, where Narmada forms a loop and surrounds the city from three sides. The river is worshipped here.

The show also covered information about Rani Ahalyabai, who built many temples and did many charitable words throughout India. Indeed a great soul!

Then, we went to the famous Jyotirling Omkaareshwar, situated on Narmada. 

After that, through Hoshangabaad, which is situated in the south bank of Narmada, we went to Nemawar, which is also called the Naabhi Kund of Ma Narmada.  

And at the end we visited the Bhrigu Rishi Temple in Bharuch.

I enjoyed this journey with Narmada. It is true that a river often symbolises the life of a human being, its various phases.

And also I could virtually visit so many pious places/ temples going with the river :)

A great journey! Enjoyed so much!

Moving with the shores of any river gives us insight making us rich and wise.

The Lord is present in every atom of the Universe!

Lots of Thanks to Doordarshan for such a beautiful programme.


Some extra information- 

Narmada parikrma or circumambulation of the holy river is considered to be a  meritorious act by pilgrims.

# There is a famous book on Narmada Parikrama in Bengali- 'Tapobhumi Narmada' by Shailendranarayan Ghoshal Shaastri.


# Here is a page which shows the famous temples around Narmada in Google map

http://www.shaktipeethas.org/travel-guide/topic486.html

# And here is a page which tells us about Narmada parikrama in details-

http://www.narmadasamagra.org/about-parikrama/



Jai Shri Krishna.

'Desert Diary' Series- Featuring Kiradu Temples of Barmer District

There is a series which is aired sometimes on DD Bharati with the name- 'Desert Diary'. It has a nice format, that is- a lady visits many places of  Rajasthan and writes about them in her diary. It is through her eyes that we see the state :)

I have watched only one episode of it and loved it. 

Today I am writing about the places covered in that episode.

It was based on the forts and temples of Barmer district. We were taken to very old Kiradu temples, which are in ruins now. It has temples of Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma and Ganesha. Scenes of Krishna leela and also various incidents from Shri Ram's life are depicted on the walls. Someshwara temple, which is of Lord Shiva, is the most famous of all these temples, it is the best preserved temple till now.

The episode also told us about the myth or history related to the place, how the villagers annoyed a sage and he cursed the village, as it seems, may be that is the reason why the place is less populated till now. 

I really liked the concept of the series, sharing the visits of the anchor through her diary :), so thought to write about it today :)


A coincidence :) - Recently an episode of 'Strictly Street'- a programne  on Travel XP, also featured Barmer and I enjoyed the episode as the host Rohan Patole went to the same places which were covered in Desert Diary :).

TV Report on 'Simhasta' 2016 on Doordarshan

On 22nd May 2016, after the programme 'Mann ki Baat', Doordarshan National showed a report on Simhasta, the Kumbh Mela at Ujjain. I really loved to watch the programme. It presented many long shots of the ghats of the river Shipra, which were full of devotees. Many scenes of early morning, even before sunrise :) :). Loved those scenes.

1st Shaahi Snaan was on- 22nd April, 2016

Then the 2nd Shaahi Snaan on- 9th May, 2016, 

Special snaan dates were also there like 3rd May, 2016, on the occasion of Varuthini Ekadashi.

Last Shaahi snan was on 21st May, 2016.

Many pilgrims appreciated the arrangements made by the State Govt and the volunteers (/organisation in charge).

All the 13 groups of Sant Sampradaay participated in the Shaahi Snaan.

Around  5 to 7 crore people attended Simhasta this year, according to the state Govt.

The programme also showed the temple of Mahakaal which is the heart of Ujjain (earlier known as Avantika nagri in mythological texts).

Kumbh Mela takes place once in every 12 years. This year the celebration was from 22nd April to 21st May.

One spiritual leader explained how the Sanskrit word ‘nadi’ has come from the word Neer, which means water, and how 'Naraayan' is directly related to this concept. Water is an important part of archan, tarpan- all these religious  activities.

This programme reminded me of one song from Ramanand Sagar's ‘Shri Krishna’, where Krishna and Balaram travel to the aashram of Guru Sandipani on the banks of Shipra, at Avantika nagri, to receive education. Here is the lyrics of the song -

Shiksha praapt karne ko chale hain brahmachaari

Mathura se Avantika chale hain Brahmachaari

Sevak hain sang me na sang hai sawaari

Shiksha praapt karne ko chale hain brahmachaari

Mathura se Avantika chale hain Brahmachaari

Pag pag chalna bhumi pe sona

Sanyam se vichalit nahi hona

Bhiksha maangke bhojan pana
Bharmacharya ke niyam nibhaana

Bharatiya batukon ki parampara hai nyaari

Shiksha praapt karne ko chale hain brahmachaari

Mathura se Avantika chale hain Brahmachaari

Sevak hain sang me na sang hai sawaari

Shiksha praapt karne ko chale hain brahmachaari

Mathura se Avantika chale hain Brahmachaari

Om Namah Shivaay

Jai Mahakaal param kripaal

Shambhu namaste

Shambhu namaste

Swayambhu namaste

Jai Mahakaal param kripaal

Shambhu namaste

Punya bhoomi Mahakaal ki

Avantika shubhnaam

Sapt puri me ek yeh paap moksh ka dhaam

Kshipra teere upvane Sandipani ka vaas

Sarva kalaa jinko sulabh

Sadgun inke daas

Shishyon ko gurudev den ved vihit sanskaar

Guru sang milke sab karen Vidhivat mantrochchaar

And here is the video- 

This report on Sinhasta was a pleasant surprise for me, giving a taste of a Kumbh Mela :), which we could not attend, still felt like taking part in it, after watching the programme.

Lots of Thanks to Doordarshan for airing it.

Jai Shri Krishna.


(Photos taken from internet. Credit goes to the uploaders. Used only for the purpose of appreciation.

Video from Ramanand Sagar's 'Shri Krishna' used for the sole purpose of spreading devotion. No personal profit intended.)

Olympic Games, Rio 2016

Olympic 2016 just completed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Enjoyed all the Live Telecast in the 4 channels of Star Sports. Indeed the coverage was great! And throughout the whole day, they aired repeat/ highlights and many more programmes on Olympic, so that the audience do not miss anything interesting which has happened in all those arenas. Any time of the day we just needed to switch on the TV and surf those 4 channels to know what has happened in the previous day. Also they have this Hindi commentary on channel 2, which is very helpful in understanding any new sports. Some of the commentators were Ravikant Singh and Nirmala Kotnis. The programme 'Rise' was also good, anchored by Kamal Sidhu. The 'Pre Show' programme, everyday before the starting of the day's events as well as all the discussions during breaks or before/ after the match/ any competition (about all types of games- hockey, gymnastics, badminton and so on)- were also very good. These programmes also came in both Hindi and English on channel 3 and 2 respectively. Star sports has done very very good job in covering the Olympics.

I also enjoyed the 'Daily Report' programme on Olympic which was aired on FM Gold at 7 am each day for half an hour. They gave the details of interesting events, analysis about the matches and also many information about the Olympics. Everyday morning I waited for the programme after the completion of RamCharitManas which comes from 6:50 to 7 am. The anchors/ reporters were Shivendra Chaturvedi, Anupam Pathak, B Shiv Kumar and many more.

Kolkata Doordarshan also aired special Programme named- 'Olympic Ek Nojore', everyday at 3 pm, which was also good. I watched the programme daily after taking lunch.

And yes, the name without which this writing will be incomplete is ‘Times of India’. Each day they had these columns named- 'Indians in Fray', where the names of our participants plus their sports along with the timing were there. Also they had this column named -'Worldwatch' where remaining interesting sports and their timing were covered. This list has been very helpful each day in deciding when to watch out for a particular match.

These are the programmes I enjoyed during Olympics or the things which I read. Now coming to the performances, a lot has already been written about it. Enjoyed all the performances and felt motivated too. Need another post for it. So maybe sometime later :)

With best wishes for success in future.

Visit to Akshardham Temple, Delhi

Recently, we went to Akshardham Temple in Delhi. Wanted to tell you all about the visit :-

- There they have this wonderful Garden of India (Info from Wikipedia:- "Also known as the Bharat Upavan, this garden has lush manicured lawns, trees, and shrubs. The garden is lined with bronze sculptures of contributors to India's culture and history. These sculptures include children, women, national figures, freedom fighters, and warriors of India.")

I loved this visit to our past.

Here is the details of the statues (from the official website of Akshardham, Delhi):-

http://www.akshardham.com/whattosee/gardenofindia/details.htm

Here is the Photo Gallery :

http://www.akshardham.com/photogallery/gardenofindia/index.htm

- And yes, we also had a Boat Ride (info from Wiki :- "Named 'Sanskruti Vihar', this ride takes visitors on a journey through 10,000 years of Indian history in approximately 12 minutes. Visitors sit in specially designed peacock shaped boats that make their way around an artificial river, passing through a model of Takshashila, the world's first university, chemistry laboratories, ancient hospitals, and bazaars, finally ending with a message expressing hope for the future of India.")

It was Just Overwhelming to visit the glorious past of our civilization!!

Here is some more info about this journey (from the official website of Akshardham, Delhi):-

http://www.akshardham.com/whattosee/boatride/index.htm

And the Photo Gallery-:

http://www.akshardham.com/photogallery/boatride/index.htm

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Last week we celebrated the INDEPENDENCE DAY , like every year . I personally feel , in an independent country , this day gradually loses its importance . This is a paradox itself that when the country is ruled by another , it struggles for freedom . But once they attain it , its relevance starts to decrease .

Actually , we are born after so many years of freedom struggle that we can’t relate ourselves to those days . May be that is the reason we are not conscious that we are a citizen of a free country . So we don’t act in a responsible way always . It comes to us as a natural thing , a fact . We really can’t do anything to carry on the memories of those days with us . That won’t be a practical step either (i.e.—only to remember and pay respect to the freedom fighters ) .

The main action which we all can do is to devote our time to upliftment of our country . Actually money , time and sincere effort – all are needed in this journey . We can find many faults regarding our country , but we should not forget that it is our MOTHERLAND . So we have our duty towards it .
The thinking should not be ‘what this country has given me’ , but how much I can do for my country . With our genuine endeavours , we can help the country to progress . Simply by being helpful and doing good to others .
Another thing I want to write about is -- CORRUPTION . No doubt it is a BIG problem for our country at the present time . Every person gets motivated by his/her own selish aim in life and forgets their role in the larger scheme of things . Thus corruption spreads from a small origin and takes a big shape after some time . Every person has to fight against it , otherwise it can’t be cured . If we behave in the proper way , be aware of our responsibilities , think and act sincerely and keep the issue of our NATION in our mind , then our culminative effort will definitely show its result in the betterement of our country --- our very own the great –INDIA .

With best wishes ,

Dpriya