1.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
2.
Neasden
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Neasden /ˈniːzdən/ is an area in northwest London, United Kingdom. It forms part of the London Borough of Brent, the area was recorded as Neasdun in AD939 and the name is derived from the Old English nēos = nose and dūn = hill. It means the nose-shaped hill referring to a landmark of this area. In 1750, it was known as Needsden and the present spelling appeared at a later date, Neasden was a countryside hamlet on the western end of the Dollis Hill ridge. The land was owned by St. Pauls Cathedral, in medieval times, the village consisted only of several small buildings around the green near the site of the present Neasden roundabout. In the 15th–17th century the Roberts family were the landowners in the area. Thomas Roberts erected Neasden House in the reign of Henry VIII, in 1651 Sir William Roberts bought confiscated church lands. After the Restoration the estates were returned to the ownership of the Church but were leased out to the Roberts family, Sir William improved Neasden House and by 1664 it was one of the largest houses in the Willesden parish. During the 18th century the Nicoll family replaced the Roberts as the dominant family in Neasden, in the 19th century these farmers and moneyers at the Royal Mint wholly owned Neasden House and much of the land in the area. Neasden was no more than a ‘retired hamlet’ when enclosure was completed in 1823, at this time there were six cottages, four larger houses or farms, a public house and a smithy, grouped around the green. The dwellings include The Grove, which had been bought by a London solicitor named James Hall, and its former outbuilding, the Welsh Harp reservoir was completed in 1835 and breached in 1841 with fatalities. It had an effect on the landscape as the damming of the River Brent put many fields. In the early 1850s, Neasden had a population of about 110, in the Victorian times the horse was the main form of transport, and as London grew, the demand for horses in the capital soared in the second half of the 19th century. Neasden farms concentrated on rearing and providing horses for the city, the urbanisation of Neasden began with the arrival of the railway. The first railway running through Neasden — Hendon-Acton and Bedford — St. Pancras was opened for traffic in October 1868. In 1875, Dudding Hill, the first station in the area, was opened, Neasden station was opened on Neasden Lane in 1880. New housing, initially for workers, was built in the village with all the streets named after Metropolitan Railway stations in Buckinghamshire. In 1883, an Anglican mission chapel, St Saviours, was set up in the village and its priest, the Reverend James Mills, became an important and popular figure in late 19th century Neasden
3.
NW postcode area
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The NW postcode area, also known as the London NW postcode area, is a group of postcode districts covering part of northwest London, England. It is the successor of the NW sector, originally created as part of the London postal district in 1856, the district names are no longer included in the postal address because the first part of the postcode contains equivalent sorting information. The boundaries of the area and its districts have changed over time and are the result of the working requirements of Royal Mail. They are not tied to those of the local authority areas served, the NW7 district extends to the Greater London boundary with Hertfordshire and follows that boundary for a short distance near Scratch Wood. The remainder of northwest Greater London is covered by the HA, UB, part of the EN, list of postcode areas in the United Kingdom London postal district Postcode Address File Royal Mails Postcode Address File A quick introduction to Royal Mails Postcode Address File
4.
Garbhagriha
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Garbhagriha or Garbha gruha is the sanctum sanctorum, the innermost sanctum of a Hindu temple where resides the murti of the primary deity of the temple. Literally the word means womb chamber, from the Sanskrit words garbha for womb, only priests are allowed to enter this chamber. Although the term is associated with Hindu temples, it is also found in Jain. The Garbhagriha is located in a Hindu temple which is worshipped at by Hindus, in temples with a spire or vimana, this chamber is placed directly underneath it, and the two of them form the main vertical axis of the temple. These together may be understood to represent the axis of the world through Mount Meru, the garbha griham is usually also on the main horizontal axis of the temple which generally is an east–west axis. In those temples where there is also a cross-axis, the garbha gṛha is generally at their intersection, generally the garbhagriha is a windowless and sparsely lit chamber, intentionally created thus to focus the devotees mind on the tangible form of the divine within it. Entrance to the garbha grha may be restricted to priests who perform the services there, the inner garbhagriha or shrine became a separate structure, more elaborately adorned over time. More often garbhagriha is square and sits on a plinth, its location calculated to be a point of total equilibrium, in the centre is placed the image of the deity. But sometimes, for the temples of feminine deities, the garbagriha is rectangular, for example, in the temple of Varahi Deula in Chaurasi. The present structure of most of these temples is a vimana with a square garbhagriha and a surrounding circumambulatory path, an ardha-mandapa. George Michell, Monuments of India Temple architecture Parts of a North Indian Temple
5.
Swaminarayan
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Swaminarayan, also known as Sahajanand Swami, is the central figure in a modern branch of Hinduism known as Swaminarayan Hinduism. He is believed by followers as a manifestation of God, Swaminarayan was born Ghanshyam Pande in Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, India in 1781. In 1792, he began a pilgrimage across India at the age of 11 years. During this journey, he did welfare activities and after 9 years and 11 months of this journey, in 1800, he was initiated into the Uddhav sampradaya by his guru, Swami Ramanand, and was given the name Sahajanand Swami. In 1802, his guru handed over the leadership of the Uddhav Sampraday to him before his death, Sahajanand Swami held a gathering and taught the Swaminarayan Mantra. From this point onwards, he was known as Swaminarayan, the Uddhav Sampraday became known as the Swaminarayan Sampraday. Swaminarayan developed a relationship with the British Raj. He had followers not only from Hindu denominations but also from Islam and he built six temples in his lifetime and appointed 500 paramahamsas to spread his philosophy. In 1826, Swaminarayan wrote the Shikshapatri, a book of social principles and he died on 1 June 1830 and was cremated according to Hindu rites in Gadhada, Gujarat. Before his death, Swaminarayan appointed his adopted nephews as acharyas to head the two dioceses of Swaminarayan Sampraday, Swaminarayan is also remembered within the sect for undertaking reforms for women and the poor, and performing yajñas on a large scale. Swaminarayan was born on 3 April 1781 in Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, born into the brahmin or priestly caste of Sarvariya, Swaminarayan was named Ghanshyam Pande by his parents, Hariprasad Pande and Premvati Pande. The birth of Swaminarayan coincided with the Hindu festival of Rama Navami, the ninth lunar day in the fortnight of the waxing moon in the month of Chaitra, is celebrated as both Rama Navami and Swaminarayan Jayanti by Swaminarayan followers. This celebration also marks the beginning of a calendar for the followers. Swaminarayan had a brother, Rampratap Pande, and a younger brother. He is said to have mastered the scriptures, including the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, the Ramayana, after the death of his parents, Ghanshyam Pande left his home on 29 June 1792 at the age of 11. He took the name Nilkanth Varni while on his journey, to find such an ashram, Nilkanth Varni asked the following five questions on the basic Vaishnava Vedanta categories, What is Jiva. While on his journey, Nilkanth Varni mastered Astanga yoga in a span of 9 months under the guidance of a yogic master named Gopal Yogi. In Nepal, it is said that he met King Rana Bahadur Shah, as a result, the king freed all the ascetics he had imprisoned
6.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj
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Pramukh Swami Maharaj was the guru and Pramukh, or president, of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, an international Hindu socio-spiritual organization. BAPS regards him as the spiritual successor of Swaminarayan, following Gunatitanand Swami, Bhagatji Maharaj, Shastriji Maharaj. He was believed by his followers to be in constant communion with Swaminarayan, and ontologically, the manifestation of Akshar, the eternal abode of Swaminarayan. Pramukh Swami Maharaj received initiation as a Hindu Swami in 1940 from Shastriji Maharaj, the founder of BAPS, Yogiji Maharaj declared Pramukh Swami Maharaj to be his spiritual successor and guru of BAPS, a role he commenced in 1971. He built more than 1,100 Hindu temples, including the Swaminarayan Akshardham temples in New Delhi and Gandhinagar and he had also spearheaded the efforts of BAPS Charities, which is the charitable service organization affiliated with BAPS. Pramukh Swami Maharaj is succeeded as the guru and President of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha by Mahant Swami Maharaj, Shantilal was born in the village of Chansad, Gujarat, on 7 December 1921. His parents, Motibhai and Diwaliben Patel, were disciples of Shastriji Maharaj, Motibhai and Diwaliben were both involved in the Swaminarayan fellowship, Diwaliben’s family’s association with the Swaminarayan fellowship extended to the time of Bhagatji Maharaj. Shastriji Maharaj had blessed young Shantilal at birth, and had told his father, This child is ours and he will lead thousands to the devotion of God. Through him, thousands will attain liberation, Shantilal’s mother described him as a calm and soft-spoken, yet energetic and active child. His childhood friends recall that Shantilal developed a reputation in the town and in school as an honest, reliable, mature, even as a child, he possessed an uncommon empathy that led others to seek out and trust his opinions and judgments in matters large and small. Shantilal was raised in a home environment, as his family was of modest means. Although he excelled in his studies, in the seventeen years he spent at home before becoming a sadhu, as he grew older, Shantilal helped his household by doing chores on the family farm. Shantilal was strongly inclined towards spirituality from a young age, upon completing his schoolwork, he would often rush off to the village’s Hanuman temple, where he and a childhood friend would listen to the discourses of a Hindu holy man named Haridas. Shantilal took his meals only after having darshan at the Swaminarayan temple and he used to meet other sadhus who passed through the village from the holy places of pilgrimage in North India. Swaminarayan sadhus, such as Ghanshyam Swami and Balmukund Swami, frequently visited Chansad and other nearby villages, as a teenager, Shantilal’s bond with Shastriji Maharaj deepened, and his devoutness and intellect impressed many in the fellowship. Many felt it was only a matter of time until Shantilal would embark upon a life by joining the order of Swaminarayan sadhus under Shastriji Maharaj. On 7 November 1939, when Shantilal was seventeen years old, he received a letter from his guru, Shastriji Maharaj and his parents gave their permission and blessings, and Shantilal left home that day to join Shastriji Maharaj and his sadhus. Shastriji Maharaj gave Shantilal primary initiation, parshad diksha, at Ambli-Vadi Pol in Ahmedabad on 22 November 1939, one of Shastriji Maharaj’s first requests to the newly initiated Shanti Bhagat was for him to study Sanskrit, Shanti Bhagat complied with this wish, and excelled in his studies
7.
Hindu temple
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A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. It is typically used for such buildings belonging to all faiths where a specific term such as church. These include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism among religions with many modern followers, the form and function of temples is thus very variable, though they are often considered by believers to be in some sense the house of one or more deities. Typically offerings of some sort are made to the deity, and other rituals enacted, the degree to which the whole population of believers can access the building varies significantly, often parts or even the whole main building can only be accessed by the clergy. Temples typically have a building and a larger precinct, which may contain many other buildings. The word comes from Ancient Rome, where a templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest and it has the same root as the word template, a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out on the ground by the augur. Templa also became associated with the places of a god or gods. Hindu temples are large and magnificent with a rich history, there is evidence of use of sacred ground as far back as the Bronze Age and later the Indus Valley Civilization. Hindu temples have been built in countries around the world, including Cambodia, Nepal, Mauritius, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Great Britain. They include the structures called stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions, Temples in Buddhism represent the pure land or pure environment of a Buddha. Traditional Buddhist temples are designed to inspire inner and outer peace, a Jain temple is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Some famous Jain temples are Shikharji, Palitana Jain Temples, Ranakpur Jain Temple, Shravan Belgola, Dilwara Temples, Jain temples are built with various architectural designs. Jain temples in North India are completely different from the Jain temples in South India, additionally, a Manastambha is a pillar that is often constructed in front of Jain temples. The temple of Mesopotamia derived from the cult of gods and deities in the Mesopotamian religion and it spanned several civilizations, from Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian. Ancient Egyptian temples were meant as places for the deities to reside on earth, indeed, the term the Egyptians most commonly used to describe the temple building, ḥwt-nṯr, means mansion of a god. A gods presence in the temple linked the human and divine realms and these rituals, it was believed, sustained the god and allowed it to continue to play its proper role in nature. They were therefore a key part of the maintenance of maat, maintaining maat was the entire purpose of Egyptian religion, and thus it was the purpose of a temple as well. Ancient Egyptian temples were also of significance to Egyptian society
8.
Sadhu
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In Hinduism, a sādhu is a religious ascetic or holy person. It literally means one who practises a ″sadhana″ or keenly follows a path of spiritual discipline. Although the vast majority of sādhus are yogīs, the sādhu is solely dedicated to achieving mokṣa, the fourth and final aśrama, through meditation and contemplation of Brahman. Sādhus often wear saffron-coloured clothing, symbolising their sannyāsa and this way of life is open to women, the female form of the word is sādhvī. The Sanskrit terms sādhu and sādhvī refer to renouncers who have chosen to live apart from or on the edges of society to focus on their own spiritual practices. The words come from the root sādh, which means reach ones goal, make straight, the same root is used in the word sādhanā, which means spiritual practice. It literally means one who practises a ″sadhana″ or a path of spiritual discipline, there are 4 to 5 million sadhus in India today and they are widely respected for their holiness. It is also thought that the practices of the sadhus help to burn off their karma. Thus seen as benefiting society, sadhus are supported by donations from many people, however, reverence of sadhus is by no means universal in India. Historically and contemporarily, sadhus have often been viewed with a degree of suspicion. Today, especially in popular pilgrimage cities, posing as a sadhu can be a means of acquiring income for non-devout beggars, there are naked sadhus who wear their hair in thick dreadlocks called jata. Aghori sadhus may claim to keep company with ghosts and live in cemeteries as part of their holy path, indian culture tends to emphasise an infinite number of paths to God, such that sadhus, and the varieties of tradition they continue, have their place. The plant is used during the celebration of Maha Shivaratri. Sadhus engage in a variety of religious practices. Some practice extreme asceticism while others focus on praying, chanting or meditating, less numerous are Shakta sadhus, who are devoted to Shakti. Within these general divisions are numerous sects and subsects, reflecting different lineages and philosophical schools, the Dashanami Sampradaya are Smartists, sadhus in the sect take one of the ten names as an appellation upon initiation. The sect is said to have formed by the philosopher and renunciant Adi Shankara, believed to have lived in the 8th century CE. Among them are the Naga, naked sadhu known for carrying weapons like tridents, swords, canes, said to have once functioned as an armed order to protect Hindus from the Mughal rulers, they were involved in a number of military defence campaigns. Generally in the ambit of non-violence at present, some sections are known to practice wrestling and their retreats are still called chhaavni or armed camps, and mock duels are still sometimes held between them
9.
Carrara marble
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Carrara marble is a type of white or blue-grey marble of high quality, popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It is quarried in the city of Carrara located in the province of Massa and Carrara in the Lunigiana, Carrara marble has been used since the time of Ancient Rome. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the quarries were monitored by the Cybo and Malaspina families who ruled over Massa. The family created the Office of Marble in 1564 to regulate the mining industry. The city of Massa, in particular, saw much of its plan redesigned in order to make it worthy of an Italian countrys capital, following the extinction of the Cybo-Malaspina family, the state was ruled by the House of Austria and management of the mines rested with them. The Basilica of Massa is built entirely of Carrara marble and the old Ducal Palace of Massa was used to showcase the precious stone, by the end of the 19th century, Carrara had become a cradle of anarchism in Italy, in particular among the quarry workers. According to a New York Times article of 1894, workers in the quarries were among the most neglected labourers in Italy. Many of them were ex-convicts or fugitives from justice, the work at the quarries was so tough and arduous that almost any aspirant worker with sufficient muscle and endurance was employed, regardless of their background. The quarry workers and stone carvers had radical beliefs that set apart from others. Anarchism and general radicalism became part of the heritage of the stone carvers, many violent revolutionists who had been expelled from Belgium and Switzerland went to Carrara in 1885 and founded the first anarchist group in Italy. In Carrara, the anarchist Galileo Palla remarked, “even the stones are anarchists. ”The quarry workers were the protagonists of the Lunigiana revolt in January 1894. It was unveiled by future UK Prime Minister Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery on 6 April 1882. Marble Arch, London Some sections of the Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas, Valencia, Spain Prem Mandir, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India Duomo di Siena, Siena, the Carrara quarries have produced more marble than any other place on earth. Working the quarries has been dangerous and continues so to this day, in September 1911, a collapsing cliff face at the Bettogli Quarry crushed 10 workers who were on lunch break under a precipice. A2014 video made at a Carrara quarry shows workers with missing fingers, the prized yield from Carrara quarries through millennia has been Statuario, a pure white marble. However, by the end of the 20th century, the deposits of Statuario near Carrara are played out. The quarries continue to remove and ship up to a million tons/year of less-esteemed marble, calcite, obtained from an 80 kg sample of Carrara marble, is used as the IAEA-603 isotopic standard in mass spectrometry for the calibration of δ18O and δ13C. List of types of marble Lizza di Piastreta Marmifera di Carrara railway Lardo, the Economy of Renaissance Florence, JHU Press, ISBN0801889820 Newman, Cathy
10.
Limestone
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Limestone is a sedimentary rock, composed mainly of skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral, forams and molluscs. Its major materials are the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate, about 10% of sedimentary rocks are limestones. The solubility of limestone in water and weak acid solutions leads to karst landscapes, most cave systems are through limestone bedrock. The first geologist to distinguish limestone from dolomite was Belsazar Hacquet in 1778, like most other sedimentary rocks, most limestone is composed of grains. Most grains in limestone are skeletal fragments of organisms such as coral or foraminifera. Other carbonate grains comprising limestones are ooids, peloids, intraclasts and these organisms secrete shells made of aragonite or calcite, and leave these shells behind when they die. Limestone often contains variable amounts of silica in the form of chert or siliceous skeletal fragment, some limestones do not consist of grains at all, and are formed completely by the chemical precipitation of calcite or aragonite, i. e. travertine. Secondary calcite may be deposited by supersaturated meteoric waters and this produces speleothems, such as stalagmites and stalactites. Another form taken by calcite is oolitic limestone, which can be recognized by its granular appearance, the primary source of the calcite in limestone is most commonly marine organisms. Some of these organisms can construct mounds of rock known as reefs, below about 3,000 meters, water pressure and temperature conditions cause the dissolution of calcite to increase nonlinearly, so limestone typically does not form in deeper waters. Limestones may also form in lacustrine and evaporite depositional environments, calcite can be dissolved or precipitated by groundwater, depending on several factors, including the water temperature, pH, and dissolved ion concentrations. Calcite exhibits a characteristic called retrograde solubility, in which it becomes less soluble in water as the temperature increases. Impurities will cause limestones to exhibit different colors, especially with weathered surfaces, Limestone may be crystalline, clastic, granular, or massive, depending on the method of formation. Crystals of calcite, quartz, dolomite or barite may line small cavities in the rock, when conditions are right for precipitation, calcite forms mineral coatings that cement the existing rock grains together, or it can fill fractures. Travertine is a banded, compact variety of limestone formed along streams, particularly there are waterfalls. Calcium carbonate is deposited where evaporation of the leaves a solution supersaturated with the chemical constituents of calcite. Tufa, a porous or cellular variety of travertine, is found near waterfalls, coquina is a poorly consolidated limestone composed of pieces of coral or shells. During regional metamorphism that occurs during the building process, limestone recrystallizes into marble
11.
Gujarati people
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Gujarati people or Gujaratis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of India that traditionally speaks Gujarati, an Indo-Aryan language. Albeit with huge migration for economic reasons, most Gujaratis in India live in the state of Gujarat in Western India, Gujaratis also form a significant part of the populations in the small union territories of Daman and Diu, and Dadra Nagar Haveli, both being former Portuguese colonies. There are very large Gujarati immigrant communities in parts of India, most notably in Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, Bangalore and other metropolitan areas like Kollam. Diasporas and transnational networks in many of these date back to more than a century. In recent decades, larger numbers of Gujaratis have migrated to English speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Early European travelers like Ludovico di Varthema traveled to Gujarat and wrote on the people of Gujarat. He noted that Jainism had a presence in Gujarat and opined that Gujaratis were deprived of their kingdom by Mughals because of their kind heartedness. This led to religious interdependence, tolerance, assimilation and community cohesion ultimately becoming the hallmark of modern-day Gujarati society, the Gujarati people are predominantly Hindu. There are also significant populations of Muslims, Christians and Jains, and minor populations of Buddhists, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, the major communities that Gujaratis belong to are Brahmins, Rajputs, Vaishyas, Patidars, Ahirs, Maldharis and Lohana. Today, Gujaratis can be found in all inhabited continents of the world, the countries with the largest Gujarati populations are Pakistan, United Kingdom, United States, Canada and many countries in Southern and East Africa. Globally, Gujaratis are estimated to comprise around 33% of the Indian diaspora worldwide, non Resident Gujaratis maintain active links with the homeland in the form of business, remittance, philanthropy, and through their political contribution to state governed domestic affairs. The second largest overseas diaspora of Gujaratis, after Pakistan, is in the UK, at a population of around 615,000 Gujaratis form almost half of the Indian community who live in the UK. Gujaratis first went to the UK in the 19th century with the establishment of the British Raj in India, prominent members of this community such as Shyamji Krishna Varma played a vital role in exerting political pressure upon colonial powers during the struggle for Indian Independence. Now this community is mostly the second and third generation descendants of immigrants from the former British colonies of East Africa, Portugal. Most of them despite being British Subjects had restricted access to Britain after successive Immigration acts of 1962,1968 and 1971. Most were, however, eventually admitted on the basis of a Quota voucher system or, in case of Uganda, as refugees after the order by the Ugandan ruler. Gujaratis in Britain are regarded as affluent middle-class peoples who have assimilated into the milieu of British society and they are celebrated for revolutionizing the corner shop, and energising the British economy which changed Britains antiquated retail laws forever. Demographically, Hindus form a majority along with a significant number of Jains and Muslims and they are predominantly settled in metropolitan areas like Greater London, East Midlands, West Midlands, Lancashire and Yorkshire. Cities with significant Gujarati populations include Leicester and London boroughs of Brent, Barnet, Harrow, both Hindus and Muslims have established caste or community associations, temples, and mosques to cater for the needs of their respective communities
12.
Haveli
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Haveli is generic term used for a traditional townhouse and mansions in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh usually one with historical and architectural significance. The word haveli is derived from Arabic haveli, meaning partition or private space popularised under Mughal Empire and was devoid of any architectural affiliations. Later, the word came to be used as generic term for various styles of regional mansions, townhouse and temples found in India, Pakistan, Nepal. The traditional courtyard homes in South Asia is built on the ancient principles of Vastu Shastra, which state that all spaces emerge from a single point, that is the centre of the house. Courtyards are common feature in south Asian architecture, the earliest archaeological evidence of courtyard homes in the region dates back to 2600–2450 BCE. Traditional homes in South Asia are built around courtyard and all family activities revolved around chowk or courtyard, additionally, the courtyard serves as a light well and an effective ventilation strategy for hot and dry climates of South Asia. During medieval period, the term Haveli was first applied in Rajputana by the Vaishnava sect to refer to their temples in Gujarat under the Mughal Empire, later, the generic term haveli eventually came to be identified with townhouse and mansions of the merchant class. Socio-Cultural Aspects, The chowk or courtyard served as the centre for various ceremonies, the sacred tulsi plant was placed here and worshipped daily to bring prosperity to the house. Security and Privacy, The chowk, at times, separated areas for men and women, climate, Treating open space in building design to respond to the local climate. Air movement caused by temperature differences is utilized in the ventilation of building. Different Activities At Different Times, The use of the court in the day time, mostly by women to carry out their work, mansions of merchant class had more than one courtyard. Articulation Of Space, In Mor chowk, City Palace, Udaipur, similarly, in havelis, a courtyard has several functions, commonly used for weddings and festive occasions. Materials, baked bricks, sandstone, marble, wood, plaster, decorative aspects are influenced by various local culture and traditions. All these elements join to form an enclosure and give the chowk a composed secured feel, the architectural built form of havelis has evolved in response to the climate, lifestyle and availability of material. In hot climates where cooling is a necessity, buildings with courtyards were considered the most appropriate. It acted as a perfect shading technique, while allowing light inside. The arcade along the court, or the wall around it. Many of the havelis of India and Pakistan were influenced by Rajasthani architecture and they usually contain a courtyard often with a fountain in the centre
13.
Sardinia
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Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and an autonomous region of Italy. It is located in the Western Mediterranean, just south of the French island of Corsica, the regions official name is Regione Autonoma della Sardegna / Regione Autònoma de Sardigna, and its capital and largest city is Cagliari. It is divided into four provinces and a metropolitan city and its indigenous language and the other minority languages spoken by the Sardinians enjoy equal dignity with Italian under regional law. The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *srd-, later romanised as sardus and it makes its first appearance on the Nora Stone, where the word Šrdn testifies to the names existence when the Phoenician merchants first arrived. According to Timaeus, one of Platos dialogues, Sardinia and its people as well might have named after Sardò. There has also been speculation that identifies the ancient Nuragic Sards with the Sherden, in Classical antiquity, Sardinia was called Ichnusa, Σανδάλιον Sandal, Sardinia and Sardó. Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 24,100 square kilometres and it is situated between 38°51 and 41°18 latitude north and 8°8 and 9°50 east longitude. To the west of Sardinia is the Sea of Sardinia, a unit of the Mediterranean Sea, to Sardinias east is the Tyrrhenian Sea, the nearest land masses are the island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia, the Balearic Islands, and Provence. The Tyrrhenian Sea portion of the Mediterranean Sea is directly to the east of Sardinia between the Sardinian east coast and the west coast of the Italian mainland peninsula, the Strait of Bonifacio is directly north of Sardinia and separates Sardinia from the French island of Corsica. The island has an ancient geoformation and, unlike Sicily and mainland Italy, is not earthquake-prone and its rocks date in fact from the Palaeozoic Era. Due to long erosion processes, the highlands, formed of granite, schist, trachyte, basalt, sandstone and dolomite limestone. The highest peak is Punta La Marmora, part of the Gennargentu Ranges in the centre of the island. The islands ranges and plateaux are separated by wide valleys and flatlands. Sardinia has few rivers, the largest being the Tirso,151 km long, which flows into the Sea of Sardinia, the Coghinas. There are 54 artificial lakes and dams that supply water and electricity, the main ones are Lake Omodeo and Lake Coghinas. The only natural lake is Lago di Baratz. A number of large, shallow, salt-water lagoons and pools are located along the 1,850 km of the coastline, the climate of the island is variable from area to area, due to several factors including the extension in latitude and the elevation. During the year there is a concentration of rainfall in the winter and autumn, some heavy showers in the spring
14.
Ambaji
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Ambaji is a census town in Banaskantha district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is known for its historical and mythological connections with sites of cultural heritage, Ambaji is a town within taluka district Banaskantha, North Gujarat, India. It is located at 24. 33°N72. 85°E /24.33,72.85 and it is at an altitude of 480 metres. It is surrounded by the Araveli Hill range and it is also called Mewat hills locally. Ambaji town also in between the borders of North Gujarat and Abu Road of Rajasthan, as of 2001 India census, Ambaji had a population of 13,702. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%, Ambaji has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59. 5%, with 60% of the males and 40% of females literate. 14% of the population is under 6 years of age, Ambaji enjoys all types of weather. In Summer, its hot and humid and temperature remains between 26-46 °C Degrees with hot winds, amabaji is at Altitude,480 m. Therefore, weather remains relatively pleasant through out the year, Ambaji town has branches of the State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, HDFC Bank and Dena Bank with ATM facility. Ambaji is an important temple town with millions of devotees visiting the Ambaji temple every year and it is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. Ambaji mata temple is a major Shakti Peeth of India, in the holy temple of Arasuri Ambaji, there is no image or statue of goddess the holy Shree Visa Yantra is worshiped as the main deity. No one can see the Yantra with naked eye, the photography of the Yantra is prohibited. The original seat of Ambaji mata is on Gabbar hilltop in the town, a large number of devotees visit the temple every year specially on Purnima days. A large mela on Bhadarvi poornima is held, every Year from all over the country people come here walking all over from their native place just to worship MAA AMBE in September. The whole Ambaji town is lit up as the nation celebrates the festive time of Diwali, the temple is open from 7.00 am to 11.30 am,12.30 pm to 4.30 pm and 6.30 pm to 9.00 pm. The shrine of hi Amba is regarded as a shrine by the Shakta Shaktism sect of Hinduism. It is believed that the Heart of Sati Devi has fallen here, the origin of the Shakti Peetha status temple is from the mythology of Daksha yaga and Satis self immolation. Shakti Peethas were believed to have formed when the body parts of the corpse of Sati Devi fell into different regions when Lord Shiva carried her corpse in sorrow after her death
15.
Kandla
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For the village in Estonia see Kandla, Estonia. Kandla, also known as the Kandla Port Trust is a seaport in Kutch District of Gujarat state in western India, located on the Gulf of Kutch, it is one of major ports on west coast. Kandla was constructed in the 1950s as the chief seaport serving western India and it is the largest port of India by volume of cargo handled. Kandla history kandla Port Trust, Indias busiest major port in recent years, is gearing to add substantial cargo handling capacity with private sector participation. The west coast port handled 72,225 million tonnes of cargo in 2008-09, even as much of this growth has come from handling of crude oil imports, mainly for Essar Oils Vadinar refinery in Gujarat, the port is also taking measures to boost non-POL cargo. Last fiscal, POL traffic accounted for 63 per cent of the cargo handled at Kandla Port. The four berths will be supported by a 14 m draft capable of handling 75,000 dwt vessels, the port has already received encouraging response from prospective bidders, for the project that is estimated to cost nearly 5,000 million INR. In 2008-09 container trade was 138,000 containers, down from 165,000 conatiners in 2007-08, there is currently one container terminal that is under private operatorship of ABG Heavy Industries Ltd. The port trusts plans include setting up a dedicated container terminal with two berths on BOT basis, the 3,300 million INR project is expected to annually handle 0.6 million containers. The clean cargo and container berths form only a part of KPTs expansion plans through private enterprise. Other aspects include berthing facilities off Tekra that is expected to boost cargo by 12 million tonnes, an offshore liquid terminal, bunkering facilities, Kandla Port has shown buoyant growth in cargo handling in the recent past. In 2008-09, its total traffic grew by 13. 6% to reach a high of 72,225 million tonnes. The ports share in traffic handled by all major ports has risen steadily over the years, earlier projections made by the port indicate an annual capacity handling target of 100 million tonnes per annum by 2012. The Port of Kandla Special Economic Zone was the first special economic zone to be established in India, established in 1965, the Port of Kandla SEZ is the biggest multiple-product SEZ in the country. Kandla is the first Export Processing Zone in India, covering over 310 hectares, the special economic zone is just nine kilometers from the Port of Kandla. Today, the Port of Kandla is Indias hub for exporting grains and importing oil, major imports entering the Port of Kandla are petroleum, chemicals, and iron and steel and iron machinery, but it also handles salt, textiles, and grain. A town has grown up on the port with a school and hotel etc
16.
Murti
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A Murti literally means any form, embodiment or solid object, and typically refers to an image, statue or idol of a deity or person in Indian culture. By the Prana Pratishtha ceremony, the idol becomes identical with the deity, murtis are also found in some nontheistic Jainism traditions, where they serve as symbols of revered persons inside Jain temples, and are worshipped in Murtipujaka rituals. A Murti is typically made by carving stone, wood working, medieval era texts describing their proper proportions, positions and gestures include the Puranas, Agamas and Samhitas. The expressions in a Murti vary in diverse Hindu traditions, ranging from Ugra symbolism to express destruction, fear and violence, as well as Saumya symbolism to express joy, knowledge, Saumya images are most common in Hindu temples. Other Murti forms found in Hinduism include the Linga, a Murti is an embodiment of the divine, the Ultimate Reality or Brahman to some Hindus. In religious context, they are found in Hindu temples or homes, in other occasions, it serves as the center of attention in annual festive processions and these are called Utsava Murti. Murti is sometimes referred to as murthi, or vigraha or pratima, Murti literally means any solid body or form with definite shape or limits produced from material elements. It contrasts with mind, thought and the immaterial in ancient Indian literature, the term also refers to any embodiment, manifestation, incarnation, personification, appearance, image, idol or statue of a deity. For example, the Maitrayaniya Upanishad uses the term to mean a form, non-Time is indivisible, Time is divisible, and the Maitri Upanishad then asserts that Year is the Murti of time. Robert Hume translates the discussion of Murti of time, in verse 6.14 of the Maitri Upanishad, as form. Most scholars, such as Jan Gonda, Max Muller, PV Kane and Stephanie Jamison, the Vedic Hinduism rituals were directed at nature and abstract deities called during yajna with hymns. However, there isnt universal consensus, with such as AC Das. This word may refer to Deva who is fixed or Deva who is foolish, one of the earliest firm textual evidence of Deva images, in the sense of Murti, is found in Jivikarthe Capanye by the Sanskrit grammarian Pāṇini who lived about 4th century BCE. He mentions Acala and Cala, with former referring to images in a shrine, in ancient Sanskrit texts that follow Paninis work, numerous references are found to divine images with terms such as Devagrha, Devagara, Devakula, Devayatana and others. These texts, states Noel Salmond, strongly suggest that temples, recent archaeological evidence confirms that the knowledge and art of sculpture was established in India by the Maurya Empire period. The term Murti has been a generic term referring to an idol or statue of anyone, either a deity, of any human being. Pratima includes Murti as well as painting of any non-anthropomorphic object, in contrast, Bera or Bimba meant idol of god only, and Vigraha was synonymous with Bimba. A Murti in contemporary usage is any image or statue and it may be found inside or outside a temple or home, installed to be moved with a festive procession, or just be a landmark
17.
Ashram
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Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions. The word ashram comes from the Sanskrit root śram- which means to toil, according to S. S. Chandra, the term means a step in the journey of life. In contrast, according to George Weckman, the term ashram connotes a place where one strives towards a goal in a disciplined manner, such a goal could be ascetic, spiritual, yogic or any other. The residents of an ashram regularly performed spiritual and physical exercises, other sacrifices and penances, such as yajnas were also performed. Many ashrams also served as gurukulas, residential schools for children under the guru-shishya tradition, sometimes, the goal of a pilgrimage to the ashram was not tranquility, but instruction in some art, especially warfare. In the Ramayana, the protagonist princes of ancient Ayodhya, Rama and Lakshmana, after they prove their mettle, the princes receive martial instruction from the sage, especially in the use of divine weapons. In the Mahabharata, Krishna, in his youth, goes to the ashram of Sandipani to gain knowledge of intellectual and spiritual matters. Residential schools, especially in the areas of Maharashtra and elsewhere in India, are called ashram shala or ashram schools. One such school is the Lok Biradari Prakalp Ashram Shala, in recent years, a number of ashrams have been established outside of India. Typically, these ashrams are connected to Indian lineages, focus on imparting Yoga-related teachings and are headed by spiritual teachers
18.
Lightwell
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Lightwells may be lined with glazed bricks to increase the reflection of sunlight within the space. Lightwells serve to reduce the necessity for electric lighting, add a space within the building. A subterranean lightwell at the front of a building to provide light to a basement is called an area, use of the light well was known in ancient civilizations, including Egypt and at the Palace of Knossos on Minoan Crete. There are also instances of light well use by the Romans, atrium Clerestory Skylight Light tube Ventilation shaft Daylighting
19.
Hinduism
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Hinduism is a religion, or a way of life, found most notably in India and Nepal. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as Sanātana Dharma, scholars regard Hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots and no founder. This Hindu synthesis started to develop between 500 BCE and 300 CE following the Vedic period, although Hinduism contains a broad range of philosophies, it is linked by shared concepts, recognisable rituals, cosmology, shared textual resources, and pilgrimage to sacred sites. Hindu texts are classified into Shruti and Smriti and these texts discuss theology, philosophy, mythology, Vedic yajna, Yoga, agamic rituals, and temple building, among other topics. Major scriptures include the Vedas and Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include the four Puruṣārthas, the proper goals or aims of human life, namely Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha, karma, samsara, and the various Yogas. Hindu practices include such as puja and recitations, meditation, family-oriented rites of passage, annual festivals. Some Hindus leave their world and material possessions, then engage in lifelong Sannyasa to achieve Moksha. Hinduism prescribes the eternal duties, such as honesty, refraining from injuring living beings, patience, forbearance, self-restraint, Hinduism is the worlds third largest religion, with over one billion followers or 15% of the global population, known as Hindus. The majority of Hindus reside in India, Nepal, Mauritius, the Caribbean, the word Hindu is derived from the Indo-Aryan/Sanskrit word Sindhu, the Indo-Aryan name for the Indus River in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. The term Hindu in these ancient records is a geographical term, the Arabic term al-Hind referred to the people who live across the River Indus. This Arabic term was taken from the pre-Islamic Persian term Hindū. By the 13th century, Hindustan emerged as an alternative name of India. It was only towards the end of the 18th century that European merchants and colonists began to refer to the followers of Indian religions collectively as Hindus. The term Hinduism, then spelled Hindooism, was introduced into the English language in the 18th-century to denote the religious, philosophical, because of the wide range of traditions and ideas covered by the term Hinduism, arriving at a comprehensive definition is difficult. The religion defies our desire to define and categorize it, Hinduism has been variously defined as a religion, a religious tradition, a set of religious beliefs, and a way of life. From a Western lexical standpoint, Hinduism like other faiths is appropriately referred to as a religion, in India the term dharma is preferred, which is broader than the western term religion. Hindu traditionalists prefer to call it Sanatana Dharma, the study of India and its cultures and religions, and the definition of Hinduism, has been shaped by the interests of colonialism and by Western notions of religion. Since the 1990s, those influences and its outcomes have been the topic of debate among scholars of Hinduism, Hinduism as it is commonly known can be subdivided into a number of major currents
20.
Aarti
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Aarti also spelled arti, arati, arathi, aarthi is a Hindu religious ritual of worship, a part of puja, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee or camphor is offered to one or more deities. Aartis also refer to the songs sung in praise of the deity, Aarti is derived from the Sanskrit word ārātrika, which means something that removes rātrī, darkness. Another word from which Aarti is thought to be derived is the Sanskrit word Aaraartikyam, a Marathi language reference says it is also known as Mahaneeranjana Aarti is said to have descended from the Vedic concept of fire rituals, or homa. The incense represents a state of mind, and one’s intelligence is offered through the adherence to rules of timing. Thus, one’s entire existence and all facets of material creation are symbolically offered to the Lord via the aarti ceremony, the word may also refer to the traditional Hindu devotional song that is sung during the ritual. Aarti can be simple to extravagant, but always involves flame or light and it is sometimes performed one to five times daily, and usually at the end of a puja or bhajan session. It is performed during almost all Hindu ceremonies and occasions and it involves the circulating of an Aarti plate or Aarti lamp around a person or deity and is generally accompanied by the congregation singing songs in praise of that deva or person. In doing so, the plate or lamp is supposed to acquire the power of the deity, the priest circulates the plate or lamp to all those present. They cup their hands over the flame and then raise their palms to their forehead – the purificatory blessing. The aarti plate is made of metal, usually silver. On it must repose a lamp made of kneaded flour, mud or metal, one or more cotton wicks are put into the oil and then lighted, or camphor is burnt instead. The plate may also contain flowers, incense and akshata, in some temples, a plate is not used and the priest holds the ghee lamp in his hand when offering it to the Deities. The purpose of performing aarti is the waving of lighted wicks before the deities in a spirit of humility and gratitude, Aarti can be an expression of many things including love, benevolence, gratitude, prayers, or desires depending on the object it is done to/ for. For example, it can be a form of respect when performed to elders, prayers when performed to deities, emotions and prayers are often silent while doing Aarti, but this is determined by the person carrying out the ritual or the holiday involved. Its also believed that goodwill and luck can be taken through symbolic hand movements over the flame, when aarti is performed, the performer faces the deity of God and concentrates on the form of God by looking into the eyes of the deity to get immersed. The flame of the aarti illuminates the various parts of the deity so that the performer and onlookers may better see, Aarti is waved in circular fashion, in clockwise manner around the deity. After every circle, when Aarti has reached the bottom, the waves it backwards while remaining in the bottom. The idea here is that aarti represents our daily activities, which revolves around God, looking at God while performing aarti reminds the performer to keep God at the center of all activities and reinforces the understanding that routine worldly activities are secondary in importance
21.
Govardhan Puja
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For Vaishnavas, this day commemorates the incident in the Bhagavata Puran when Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill to provide the villagers of Vrindavan shelter from torrential rains. The incident is seen to represent how God will protect all devotees who take refuge in him. Devotees offer a mountain of food, metaphorically representing the Govardhan Hill, to God as a ritual remembrance, the festival is observed by many Hindu denominations, but is particularly prominent among the Vallabh Sampradaya, the Gaudiya Sampradaya of Chaitanya, and the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. The 2016 date for this observance is October 31, Krishna spent most of his childhood in Braj, a place devotees associate with many of Krishna’s divine and heroic exploits with his childhood friends. One of the most significant incidents, described in the Bhagavata Purana, involves Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan, according to the Bhagavata Purana, forest-dwelling cowherds living close to Govardhan used to celebrate the autumn season by paying respect to Indra, the god of rain and storm. Krishna did not approve of this since he desired that the villagers not pray to distant gods, Indra was angered upon seeing the villagers devotion diverted away from him and toward Krishna. and directed a lightning storm and a torrential downpour upon the village for days. To protect the villagers from this calamity, Krishna lifted Mount Govardhan on his finger and had the entire village come under the hill to take shelter from the storm. Indra, after causing torrential rains for seven days, ultimately gave up and this story is one of the most recognizable in the Bhagavata Purana. Govardhan has since become a pilgrimage site in Braj for devotees of Krishna. On the day of Annakut, devotees circumambulate the hill and offer food to the mountain—one of the oldest rituals in Braj, the circumambulation consists of an eleven-mile trek dotted along the way with several shrines, before which devotees place flowers and other offerings. Families create an image of Giriraj Govardhan from cow dung, adorning it with miniature cow figures as well as grass as twigs, representing trees, in the days leading up to Annakut, fifty-six food items are typically prepared and offered in the evening. Someone from a cow-herding caste officiates the ritual, circling the hill with a cow and they partake in the sanctified food after offering the food to the hill. The festival often draws a crowd, including the Chaube brahmins of Mathura. Annakut is celebrated on the day of Diwali. The fourth day of Diwali is also the first day of the new year in the Vikram Samvat calendar, therefore, the rituals surrounding Annakut are closely linked with the rituals of the five days of Diwali. Although some texts treat Govardhan Puja and Annakut as synonymous, the Govardhan Puja is one segment of the day-long Annakut festival, there are many variants of how Govardhan Puja is performed. One ritual involves making small mounds of cow dung or dirt symbolizing Mount Govardhan, prayers are also made to Lord Govardhan. As described in the Bhagavata Purana, Govardhan Puja is chiefly identified with Krishna lifting the Govardhan Hill on his finger to protect those who sought his refuge from Indra’s torrential rage
22.
Hinduism in England
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Hinduism in England is the second largest minority group in the country, with most Hindus present in the cities of London and Leicester. England has a number of Hindu temples, including the Hindu temple at Neasden which is the largest Hindu temple in Europe, recently the largest Hindu Mandir in the North of England, the Bradford Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple opened in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Hinduism has been in England since the early 19th century, occasionally there were Hindu scholars, philosophers, reformers and also visitors from the princely states of India. Raja Ram Mohun Roy was founder of a Hindu reform movement in India and he came to England in 1829 to visit his Christian friends. He also had audience with King William IV, Roy died in Stapleton, Bristol four years later. The great orientalist and reformer Sir R. G, in 1879 Aurobindo came to England as a boy with his two brothers to study, living in Manchester, London and Cambridge where he stayed until 1893. Swami Vivekananda visited England in 1895 and 1896, having addressed the Worlds Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, in England Vivekanandas talk on Hindu philosophy and particularly on Vedanta deeply influenced Miss Margaret Elizabeth Noble, who was later known as Sister Nivedita. Early Hindus in England were usually students, sometimes with exceptional ability, rabindranath Tagore came to England in 1878, returning to India in 1880. Fifty years later Tagore was at Oxford delivering Hibbert Lectures on the Religion of Man, ramanujan, a mathematical genius and an orthodox Hindu, spent almost five years at Cambridge University. Professor Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at the University of Oxford from 1939 until 1952, Hinduism had already received widespread attention in the Victorian era largely due to the work of the Theosophical Society and emergence of the new field, Indology. In 1878 Max Muller, an Indologist, delivered inaugural Hibbert Lectures at Oxford on the Religions of India, in 1929 Dr. Hari Prasad Shastri founded Shanti Sadan in London. Trevor Leggett, an English Judo teacher, met Shastri in 1936 and he was deeply influenced by Hari Prasad Shastris yoga teachings. In 1935 Paramahansa Yogananda visited England, returning from the USA, in London he addressed a large meeting at Caxton Hall introduced by Sir Francis Younghusband. A Self-Realization Fellowship Centre in London was formed after Yoganandas departure, in his autobiography Yogananda commented that the English tenacity has an admirable expression in a spiritual relationship. There have been three waves of migration of Hindus to England, the first wave was before Indias Independence in 1947. Before the second world war Hindu migration to England was minuscule, during the post-war era, economic conditions compelled many Indians including Hindus to leave their country in search of better opportunities. The fact that Indians, as Commonwealth citizens, didnt require a visa to enter or live in the United Kingdom was a factor, initially, Hindu Immigration was limited to Punjabis and Gujaratis. Later Hindu communities from other regions of the Indian sub-continent and countries like Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius and Fiji could be found in England
23.
Shree Sanatan Hindu Mandir
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The Shree Sanatan Hindu Mandir is the name of two Hindu temples in London, one situated off the Ealing Road in Wembley and the other in Whipps Cross near Leytonstone. They are run by charity Shri Vallabh Nidhi UK, the temples follow Sanatan Dharma, and in common with other temples called Sanatan their intention is to be non-sectarian and ecumenical. The temple in Leytonstone is called Shri Nathji Mandir and was inaugurated in June 1980 and it has the following deities - Shri Ram, Shrinathji, Shiv Parivaar, Amba Mataji, Jalaram Bapa and Hanumanji. It was opened in the Summer of 2010, took 14 years to build and it was constructed according to the scriptures of the Hindu holy texts, and so contains no steel supports. Its site has an area of 2.4 acres, many of the temples component pieces were hand carved in the town of Sola, in the Indian state of Gujarat - before being flown to Britain and assembled. There were 41 marble statues of deities made in India especially for the mandir, the interior is elaborately decorated with carvings on the pillars and walls, as well as the numerous shrines with painted figures of Hindu deities. Some famous spiritual leaders and forms of Gods from other religions are featured in the carvings, including one of Mother Teresa, at its highest point, the temple is 66 ft tall. The temple was built using funds raised by the charity Shri Vallabh Nidhi UK, however the temples are intended to be ecumenical. The Charity was founded by Late Shri Ramanbhai Patel of the six gham patidar community with the blessings of Krishna Shankar Shashriji Hinduism in England BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London
24.
Wayback Machine
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The Internet Archive launched the Wayback Machine in October 2001. It was set up by Brewster Kahle and Bruce Gilliat, and is maintained with content from Alexa Internet, the service enables users to see archived versions of web pages across time, which the archive calls a three dimensional index. Since 1996, the Wayback Machine has been archiving cached pages of websites onto its large cluster of Linux nodes and it revisits sites every few weeks or months and archives a new version. Sites can also be captured on the fly by visitors who enter the sites URL into a search box, the intent is to capture and archive content that otherwise would be lost whenever a site is changed or closed down. The overall vision of the machines creators is to archive the entire Internet, the name Wayback Machine was chosen as a reference to the WABAC machine, a time-traveling device used by the characters Mr. Peabody and Sherman in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, an animated cartoon. These crawlers also respect the robots exclusion standard for websites whose owners opt for them not to appear in search results or be cached, to overcome inconsistencies in partially cached websites, Archive-It. Information had been kept on digital tape for five years, with Kahle occasionally allowing researchers, when the archive reached its fifth anniversary, it was unveiled and opened to the public in a ceremony at the University of California, Berkeley. Snapshots usually become more than six months after they are archived or, in some cases, even later. The frequency of snapshots is variable, so not all tracked website updates are recorded, Sometimes there are intervals of several weeks or years between snapshots. After August 2008 sites had to be listed on the Open Directory in order to be included. As of 2009, the Wayback Machine contained approximately three petabytes of data and was growing at a rate of 100 terabytes each month, the growth rate reported in 2003 was 12 terabytes/month, the data is stored on PetaBox rack systems manufactured by Capricorn Technologies. In 2009, the Internet Archive migrated its customized storage architecture to Sun Open Storage, in 2011 a new, improved version of the Wayback Machine, with an updated interface and fresher index of archived content, was made available for public testing. The index driving the classic Wayback Machine only has a bit of material past 2008. In January 2013, the company announced a ground-breaking milestone of 240 billion URLs, in October 2013, the company announced the Save a Page feature which allows any Internet user to archive the contents of a URL. This became a threat of abuse by the service for hosting malicious binaries, as of December 2014, the Wayback Machine contained almost nine petabytes of data and was growing at a rate of about 20 terabytes each week. Between October 2013 and March 2015 the websites global Alexa rank changed from 162 to 208, in a 2009 case, Netbula, LLC v. Chordiant Software Inc. defendant Chordiant filed a motion to compel Netbula to disable the robots. Netbula objected to the motion on the ground that defendants were asking to alter Netbulas website, in an October 2004 case, Telewizja Polska USA, Inc. v. Echostar Satellite, No.02 C3293,65 Fed. 673, a litigant attempted to use the Wayback Machine archives as a source of admissible evidence, Telewizja Polska is the provider of TVP Polonia and EchoStar operates the Dish Network
25.
BBC News
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BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the worlds largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, the service maintains 50 foreign news bureaux with more than 250 correspondents around the world. James Harding has been Director of News and Current Affairs since April 2013, the departments annual budget is in excess of £350 million, it has 3,500 staff,2,000 of whom are journalists. BBC News domestic, global and online news divisions are housed within the largest live newsroom in Europe, parliamentary coverage is produced and broadcast from studios in Millbank in London. Through the BBC English Regions, the BBC also has regional centres across England, as well as national news centres in Northern Ireland, Scotland, all nations and English regions produce their own local news programmes and other current affairs and sport programmes. As with all media outlets, though, it has been accused of political bias from across the political spectrum. The British Broadcasting Company broadcast its first radio bulletin from radio station 2LO on 14 November 1922, on Easter weekend in 1930, this reliance on newspaper wire services left the radio news service with no information to report. The BBC gradually gained the right to edit the copy and, in 1934, however, it could not broadcast news before 6 PM until World War II. Gaumont British and Movietone cinema newsreels had been broadcast on the TV service since 1936, a weekly Childrens Newsreel was inaugurated on 23 April 1950, to around 350,000 receivers. The network began simulcasting its radio news on television in 1946, televised bulletins began on 5 July 1954, broadcast from leased studios within Alexandra Palace in London. The publics interest in television and live events was stimulated by Elizabeth IIs coronation in 1953 and it is estimated that up to 27 million people viewed the programme in the UK, overtaking radios audience of 12 million for the first time. Those live pictures were fed from 21 cameras in central London to Alexandra Palace for transmission and that year, there were around two million TV Licences held in the UK, rising to over three million the following year, and four and a half million by 1955. This was then followed by the customary Television Newsreel with a commentary by John Snagge. It was revealed that this had been due to producers fearing a newsreader with visible facial movements would distract the viewer from the story. On-screen newsreaders were finally introduced a year later in 1955 – Kenneth Kendall, Robert Dougall, mainstream television production had started to move out of Alexandra Palace in 1950 to larger premises – mainly at Lime Grove Studios in Shepherds Bush, west London – taking Current Affairs with it. It was from here that the first Panorama, a new programme, was transmitted on 11 November 1953. On 28 October 1957, the Today programme, a radio programme, was launched in central London on the Home Service. In 1958, Hugh Carleton Greene became head of News and Current Affairs and he set up a BBC study group whose findings, published in 1959, were critical of what the television news operation had become under his predecessor, Tahu Hole
26.
Akshardham (Delhi)
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Akshardham or Swaminarayan Akshardham complex is a Hindu mandir, and a spiritual-cultural campus in New Delhi, India. Also referred to as Akshardham Temple or Swaminarayan Akshardham, the complex displays millennia of traditional Hindu and Indian culture, spirituality, and architecture. The temple, which attracts approximately 70 percent of all tourists who visit Delhi, was opened on 6 November 2005 by Dr. A. P. J. It sits near the banks of the Yamuna adjacent to the 2010 Commonwealth Games village in eastern New Delhi, the temple, at the centre of the complex, was built according to the Vastu shastra and Pancharatra shastra. The complex features an Abhisheka Mandap, Sahaj Anand water show, according to Swaminarayan Hinduism, the word Akshardham means the abode of Bramha, the Creator and believed by followers as a temporal home of God on earth. The main attraction of the Swaminarayan Akshardham complex is the Akshardham Mandir and it rises 141-foot high, spans 316-foot wide, and extends 356-foot long. It is intricately carved with flora, fauna, dancers, musicians, designed in accordance with the standards of Maharishi Vastu Architecture, it features a blend of architectural styles across India. It is entirely constructed from Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian Carrara marble, based on traditional Hindu architectural guidelines on maximum temple life span, it makes no use of ferrous metal. Thus, it has no support from steel or concrete, the mandir also consists of 234 ornately carved pillars, nine domes, and 20,000 murtis of sadhus, devotees, and acharyas. The mandir also features the Gajendra Pith at its base, a plinth paying tribute to the elephant for its importance in Hindu culture and it contains 148 life sized elephants in total weighing a total of 3000 tons. Under the temples central dome lies the 11-foot high murti of Swaminarayan seated in abhayamudra to whom the temple is dedicated, Swaminarayan is surrounded by images of the faiths lineage of Gurus depicted either in a devotional posture or in a posture of service. Each murti is made of paanch dhaatu or five metals in accordance to Hindu tradition, the temple also houses the murtis of Sita Ram, Radha Krishna, Shiv Parvati, and Lakshmi Narayan. The hall also features the worlds smallest animatronic robot in the form of Ghanshyam Maharaj, the theatre houses Delhis first and only large format screen, measuring 85-foot by 65-foot. The theatre shows a 40-minute film specially commissioned for the complex, Neelkanth Yatra, mystic India, an international version of the film produced by BAPS Charities, was released in 2005 at IMAX theatres and giant screen cinemas worldwide. A 27-foot tall bronze murti of Neelkanth Varni is located outside the theatre, the Boat Ride is a 15-minute journey through 10,000 years glorious heritage, using life size figures and robotics to depict life in Vedic India, from family life to bazaars and teaching. It also shows the contributions of Vedic Indians to various such as science, astronomy, arts, literature, yoga, mathematics. It shows the worlds first university, Takshashila and the subjects taught there such as horse riding, V. Raman and Satyendra Nath Bose and philosophers like Swami Vivekananda. Musical fountain, also Known as the Yagnapurush Kund, is Indias largest step well and it features a very large series of steps down to a traditional yagna kund
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Akshardham (Gandhinagar)
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Swaminarayan Akshardham in Gandhinagar, Gujarat is a large Hindu temple complex inspired by Pramukh Swami, the former spiritual head of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. Located in the capital of Gujarat, the complex was built over 13 years and is a tribute to Swaminarayan and his life, at the center of the 23-acre complex is the Akshardham mandir, which is built from 6,000 metric tons of pink sandstone from Rajasthan. The complex’s name refers to the abode of Swaminarayan in the BAPS philosophy, followers of Swaminarayan believe that the jiva or soul goes to Akshardham after attaining moksha. BAPS followers worship Swaminarayan as God almighty, in accordance with Vedic architectural principles, no steel or iron has been used anywhere in the mandir. 20 foot-long stone beams, each weighing five tons, have used as load-bearing support throughout the mandir. The mandir’s central chamber houses a seven-foot-tall, gold-leafed murti, or sacred image, of Swaminarayan, the murti rests upon a three-foot pedestal and weighs 1.2 tons. It is flanked by the murtis of the devotee, Aksharbrahma Gunatitanand Swami and Aksharmukta Goplanand Swami. In each of the four corners of the mandir sits a life-sized marble murti of the lineages of gurus or successors of Swaminarayan revered by BAPS, the complex’s five exhibition halls use audio-visual presentations and life-sized dioramas to explore various themes in Hinduism. The Neelkanth and Sahajanand Halls depict Swaminarayan’s life, work and teachings, the film, directed by Keith Melton and narrated by Peter O’Toole, was shot at 108 locations across India and boasts a cast of over 45,000 people. The fifth exhibition hall, Sant Param Hitakari, houses an audio-animatronics show conveying a message of everlasting happiness, the Sat-Chit-Anand Water Show is an interpretative performance of the parable of Nachiketa, as told in the Kathopanishad. The show’s title translates to Truth-Knowledge-Bliss and is an appellation of the Hindu ontological reality Aksharbrahma or Akshardham, the show was inaugurated on 3 April 2010 by Pramukh Swami. The vibrant show employs fire, fountain animations, laser, water screen projections, music, Nachiketa was the son of a rishi named Udalak, who organized a yagna in which he gifted sickly, barren cattle to Brahmin attendees. Nachiketa was troubled by his father’s deception and asked to whom he himself would be offered to in charity, angered by this question, Udalak banished Nachiketa to the realm of Yamapuri, the underworld. Nachiketa stood at King Yama’s doorstep for three days waiting for Yama’s arrival, Yama was impressed by Nachiketa’s resoluteness, and offered him three boons. The story of Nachiketa offers lessons in realizing one’s true Self, living by one’s principles, perseverance in the face of difficulties, AARSH is a research institute focused on the Swaminarayan tradition as well as the role of Hindu principles in solving social problems. AARSH, led by its director, Dr. Shrutiprakash Swami, is an independent research institute affiliated with Shree Somnath Sanskrit University in Veraval, Gujarat. Sahajanand Van is a 15-acre garden with various attractions, including rock arrangements, fountains, a waterfall, in addition, throughout the garden are six cultural wisdom spots which depict specific incidents and teachings of Hinduism. The first spot is a sculpture which depicts Swaminarayan on his favourite mare
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Akshar Deri
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The Akshar Deri is a major site of pilgrimage in Swaminarayan Hinduism and is located in the rang mandap of the BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Gondal, India. The structure marks the site and serves as a memorial to Gunatitanand Swami. The shrine commemorates the site of his cremation, since its construction, the shrine has become a major pilgrimage site within the sect, attracting pilgrims from around the world. A daily morning mahapuja takes place at the shrine, pilgrims offer their prayers at the altar, chant the Swaminarayan mantra, perform pradakshina around the shrine, and perform prostrations before the images. Pilgrims perform these rituals as part of praying for the fulfillment of spiritual or worldly wishes, shortly after Gunatitanand Swamis cremation ceremony, Moghiba, the then Queen Mother of Gondal, had the shrine constructed under the supervision of Abhaysinh Darbar of Ganod. The construction of the shrine started on 28 November 1867 and was completed on 29 January 1868, the shrine was modeled after the shape of the jharukhas of the Naulakha Palace in Gondal. Balmukund Swami of Junagadh installed the carved black charanavind or holy footprints of Swaminarayan inside, Gunatitanand Swami’s birth anniversary was first celebrated at the site on 1 October 1868 by followers of Swaminarayan from the Sorath region. Starting in 1867, the surrounding the shrine incurred the name Akshar Vadi, or the orchard of Akshar. The shrine became associated with healing miracles and the fulfillment of prayers recited there, on 18 January 1932, Shastriji Maharaj performed the ground breaking ceremony in the presence of Bhagvat Singh. Sadhu Aksharswarupdas was placed in charge of the construction effort with help from Sadhu Gnanjivandas. Sadhus and devotees worked around the clock to complete the temple amidst financial hardship, on the day after the ceremony, Shastriji Maharj appointed Sadhu Gnanjivandas as the mahant of the temple. On 10 January 1940, Shastri Narayanswarupdas was given bhagvati diksha or full initiation into ochre robes, a memorial shrine for the fourth spiritual successor, Yogiji Maharaj called the Yogi Smruti Mandir was also constructed here to commemorate his cremation. The Akshar Deri serves as the symbol of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha - Akshar Deri
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BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Chicago
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The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir of Chicago, Illinois is a traditional Hindu place of worship built by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, which is headed by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, is a denomination of the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism, the mandir, located in the Chicago suburb of Bartlett, opened in the spring of 1953. It is built of hand-carved Italian marble and Turkish limestone, the mandir is the largest of its kind in Illinois and was constructed according to guidelines outlined in ancient Hindu texts of temple architecture. The complex spreads over 27 acres and, in addition to the mandir, includes a haveli, the haveli is a cultural center in which weekly congregations are held. The mandir is open daily for worship and to visitors, the temple, classified within traditional Hindu architecture as a ‘Shikharbadha mandir, ’ has been built according to principles laid out in the Shilpa Shastras. The Shilpa Shastras are Hindu texts prescribing standards of sacred architecture, within the mandir are different shrines, in which murtis have been installed. The central shrine holds the murti of Swaminarayan, with Gunatitanand Swami to his left, the murtis become worthy of worship after being imbued with the living presence of the deities. Accordingly, the Swaminarayan sadhus offer devotional worship to the deities throughout the day, the sadhus awaken the deities before dawn by singing morning hymns, called prabhatiya. Mangala aarti, which is the first of five aartis, is performed at this time. Aarti is a ritual where devotees sing the glory of God while a lighted wick is circulated before the murtis, after mangala aarti, the deities are bathed and offered food and garments that vary with the season. After the murtis have been adorned with garments, shangaar aarti is performed, at midday, rajabhoga aarti is performed and food is offered to the murtis. Food that has offered to the deities is considered sanctified. In the evening, sandhya aarti is performed before offering food to the murtis, the sadhus put the murtis to rest by adorning them with night garments. Shayana aarti is performed at this time, chamber doors are closed when food is being offered and when the murtis are put to rest. The congregation gathers for weekly assemblies in the haveli, devotional hymns are sung and spiritual discourses covering teachings in Hindu scriptures are conducted. In addition, there is a spectrum of activities for youths, such as Hinduism classes, Indian music classes. Further, leadership seminars and conferences held over school intersessions encourage youths to take a role in their community. Some of the festivals celebrated annually include Ram Navmi, Janmashtami, Shivratri, Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi
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BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto
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The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan mandir in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is a traditional Hindu place of worship that was built by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, which is headed by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, is a spiritual organization within the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism. The mandir was built in 18 months and consists of 24,000 pieces of hand-carved Italian carrara marble, Turkish limestone, the mandir is the largest of its kind in Canada and was constructed according to guidelines outlined in ancient Hindu scriptures. The grounds spread over 18 acres and in addition to the mandir, include a haveli, the mandir is open daily to visitors and for worship. In July 2017, the temple will complete its 10 years of greatness, wisdom, the temple is a type of ‘Shikarbaddha’ mandir, built according to principles laid out in the Shilpa Shastras, Hindu texts prescribing standards of sacred architecture. Within the mandir, murtis have been installed in different shrines, the central shrine holds the murti of Swaminarayan, with Gunatitanand Swami to his left, together worshipped as Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj. Once the divine has been invoked in a murti, it becomes an embodiment of the Divine, accordingly, Swaminarayan sadhus offer devotional worship to the deities throughout the day. Before dawn, they awaken the deities by singing morning hymns, the deities are then bathed and offered food and garments depending on the time of the day and season. Food that has offered to the deities is considered sanctified. These holy offerings are distributed to the devotees as prasadam, in the evening, dinner is offered. Finally, the sadhus put the murtis to rest by adorning them with night garments, the mandir’s cultural center is referred to as the haveli because of its traditional Indian architectural style. The haveli is defined by a carved wooden façade. Inside the haveli is a surrounded by teak and rosewood columns. The columns are characterized by motifs ranging from stories, the sun and moon. The cultural center serves various functions, the assembly hall provides space for weekly congregations. Classrooms are used for cultural, religious and educational activities. A full-size gymnasium is used for sports activities and dining after Sunday evening assemblies. A food shop provides visitors and members with an assortment of vegetarian snacks, there is a living quarters for the sadhus who perform daily rituals in the mandir
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BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta
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The mandir located in the Atlanta suburb of Lilburn, was constructed in accordance with ancient Hindu architectural scriptures, and is the largest mandir of its kind outside of India. The mandir is made of 34,450 pieces of hand-carved Italian marble, Turkish Limestone and Indian pink sandstone, the mandir complex also includes a large assembly hall, family activity center, classrooms, and an exhibition on the key tenets of Hinduism. The mandir is open daily for worship and to visitors of any faith, the mandir is a type of ‘Shikarbaddha’ mandir, built according to principles laid out in the Shilpa Shastras, Hindu texts prescribing standards of sacred architecture. Within the mandir, murtis have been ritually installed, the central shrine holds the murti of Swaminarayan, with Gunatitanand Swami to his left, together worshipped as Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj. The BAPS congregation in the greater Atlanta area first started meeting in the 1980s at various devotees’ houses, in 1988, the congregation purchased a skating rink in Clarkson, Georgia and renovated it into a mandir. The twenty-nine acre plot of the current mandir was purchased in February 2000 in Lilburn, Pramukh Swami Maharaj performed religious rites to sanctify the land. He visited the site again in 2004 and performed the foundation stone-laying ceremony, in February 2000, with the blessings of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, a 29-acre plot of land was purchased in the Atlanta suburb of Lilburn. The Shilanyas Vidhi, a Vedic ceremony that dates approximately 8,000 years, was performed on June 13,2004, led by Pramukh Swami and senior BAPS sadhus, several thousand people participated in the ceremony. The spiritual significance of the Shilanyas Vidhi is to purify the land, the shilanyas, or first stone laying, ceremony was commemorated by four days of celebrations and special events, including spiritual programs conducted for senior citizens, children, and youth. Each day, a yajman pujan was performed and discourses on the Taitreya Upanishad were held, construction began in September 2005, and the concrete for the foundation was poured in January 2006. In March 2006, a specialty crane was assembled to install the 106,000 cubic tons of Italian carrara marble, over 34,000 hand carved pieces of stone were shipped from India to be finished and assembled at the site. The construction of the mandir was completed in just under two years, with the inauguration done by Pramukh Swami Maharaj in August 2007. In the days preceding the inauguration, large scale festivals were held for devotees. On 24 August 2007, the congregation held a Vishvashanti Mahayagna for world peace, a festival to mark the centenary anniversary of BAPS’ establishment as a formal organization was also celebrated on 25 August 2007. On 26 August 2007, Pramukh Swami Maharaj inaugurated the mandir through a traditional Vedic ritual called the murti pratishtha, on this occasion, Pramukh Swami Maharaj noted that “this mandir is open to all. Whoever sincerely offers his prayers will attain happiness and peace. ”Dignitaries present at this event included Congressman Henry Johnson Jr. Lilburn’s mayor, Jack Bolton and this was the second opening of a traditional Hindu mandir by Pramukh Swami Maharaj in North America in the same year. The other mandir was the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto, which was inaugurated on 22 July 2007, similar to other BAPS Swaminarayan mandirs, the Atlanta mandir offers daily darshan worship and Aarti, and is open to visitors of all faiths and backgrounds. In addition, the facility holds weekly satsang sabhas on Sundays serving all age groups, the weekly sabha includes the singing of devotional hymns and spiritual discourses on Hindu scriptures and their teachings
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BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Houston
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The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir of Houston, Texas is a traditional Hindu temple built by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, which was headed by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, is a denomination of the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism. The mandir, located in the Houston suburb of Stafford was built in 28 months and consists of 33,000 pieces of hand-carved Italian marble, the mandir is the largest of its kind in Texas and was constructed according to guidelines outlined in ancient Hindu scriptures. The grounds spread over 22 acres and in addition to the mandir, include a haveli, the haveli is a cultural center in which weekly congregations are held. The Understanding Hinduism exhibition provide visitors with a foundation of the key tenets of Hinduism, the mandir is open daily for worship and to visitors. The temple is a type of ‘Shikarbaddha’ mandir, built according to principles laid out in the Shilpa Shastras, within the mandir, murtis have been installed in different shrines. The central shrine holds the murti of Swaminarayan, with Gunatitanand Swami to his left, the murtis are made from marble and are considered to be imbued with the living presence of diving beings. Accordingly, Swaminarayan sadhus offer devotional worship to the deities throughout the day, before dawn, they awaken the deities by singing morning hymns, called prabhatiya. The deities are bathed and offered food and garments depending on the time of the day. Food that has offered to the deities is considered sanctified. These holy offerings are distributed to the devotees as prasadam, in the evening, dinner is offered. Finally, the sadhus put the murtis to rest by adorning them with night garments, while food is being offered to the murtis and when they are put to rest, their chamber doors are closed. The congregation gathers for weekly assemblies in the haveli, devotional hymns are sung and spiritual discourses covering teachings in Hindu scriptures are conducted. In addition, there is a spectrum of activities for youths such as Hindu heritage classes, Indian music classes. Further, leadership seminars and conferences held over school intersessions encourage youths to take a role in their community. Sports tournaments are held to promote physical well-being and teamwork and to encourage youths to build camaraderie, in 1977, after Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s first visit to Houston, a small group of devotees started gathering in homes to hold spiritual assemblies. By 1979, the assemblies were being held in community halls to accommodate the increasing congregation size. An assembly of 350 devotees gathered at Alief Hastings High School during Pramukh Swami’s visit in July 1980, by 1985, the continued growth of the congregation prompted the need for a larger space
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BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Chino Hills
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The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a Hindu temple complex located in the City of Chino Hills, in southwestern San Bernardino County of southern California. The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is open to all faiths, the complex is the first earthquake-proof Mandir in the world. The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a traditional Hindu mandir that was completed in 2012, situated on a 20-acre site with a 91-foot lotus-shaped pond, the complex has a cultural center, gymnasium and classrooms. Approximately 900 volunteers, including many second-generation Indian-Americans, volunteered approximately 1.3 million man hours to construct the Mandir and this mandir uses a solar power system to generate electricity and reduce adverse effects on the environment. The solar panel power system is expected to reduce 1,556 tons of CO2 emissions, in 1977, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the present spiritual leader of BAPS, visited California. During his first visit, he encouraged a group of individuals to hold regular assemblies. He, and other senior sadhus, returned nearly every year, in 1984, Pramukh Swami Maharaj inaugurated a small center in Whittier, Los Angeles County. With his blessing, the group searching for land. After reviewing a half-dozen parcels, Pramukh Swami Maharaj guided the group to a next to the 71 Freeway in the City of Chino Hills. “Before the first public hearing, city staff misinterpreted that church and institutional zones are allowed to have towers up to 80 feet high. But only are institutional zones allowed to have such towers, official said. ”The 17 June 2003 meeting continued and led to a July hearing despite voting unanimously in favor of the project. On August 2003, the City delayed plans to review the proposed Temple because of surrounding the 164,000 square foot facility. “Plans for the temple will not be reviewing by the City Council on Aug.122003, as originally scheduled. ”“Instead, city staff will meet 26 August, ‘Why build a regional center in our small community of Chino Hills, ” said Scott Kuethen. Mayor Larson said he felt BAPS was not given the fair share they deserve and this will be a loss to the community, ” he said. “Mayor Larson cast the lone “yes” vote stating that he didn’t have any problems with the spires and supported the project 110%. ”“I support any religious institution that brings good to the community, ” he said later. Residents of Chino Hills objected to the Temple saying “it would generate too much traffic, ruin the rural atmosphere and become an unwanted regional attraction. ”Objections also surfaced from opponents who said the project would turn Chino Hills into a “Third World city”. “At least 1,600 comments – evenly split between supporting and opposing the proposal – have been received by city staff, prompting staff to move the council to Chino Hills High School. ”On September 4,2005, BAPS performed an “auspicious groundbreaking ceremony” for the new temple. BAPS navigated a 14-year journey after first approaching the city in 1998 to build a temple on Peyton Drive, code Change denied by the city council in 2004 amid public opposition to the Temple
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Gunatitanand Swami
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He was revered for his spiritual discourses and divine service. For BAPS Devotees, he embodies an element of the doctrine of Akshar. They believe based on interpretation from the Vachanamrut that “Akshar is a spiritual reality having two forms, the impersonal and the personal. ”The Vadtal and Ahmedabad dioceses of the Swaminarayan Sampraday do not subscribe to this theory. Gunatitanand Swami held various roles, most notably as the Mahant of Junagadh mandir. In addition to this, he was a prominent speaker and was held in regard as an authority on religious matters in general. Gunatitanand Swami died in 1867 and a shrine known as the Akshar Deri was built upon the spot obsequies were performed. Gunatitanand Swami was born on 17 October 1785 to Bholanath and Sakarba Jani in the village of Bhadra, situated near the river Und in what is now Gujarat and his father’s guru, Ramanand Swami, named him Mulji. Various accounts indicate an association between Mulji and Swaminarayan, who was born four years before Mulji. One such incident details how a line of milk appeared on the lips of a murti of “Thakorji, ” a small metal idol of Swaminarayan. In response to his mother’s surprise at this, Mulji had explained, Thakorji is always present in my heart. When I eat, Thakorji eats with me. ”As Mulji approached adolescence, after this event, Mulji immersed himself in learning about the various religious beliefs that were prevalent in Gujarat at the time. Mulji began visiting prominent religious personalities and learnt from them the various religious, by the time he was in his early teens, he had grasped the principles of Shuddhadvaita from Acharya Gosai Narsinhlalji of the Vaishnav Sampraday and learnt about the Pr anami sect. Ramanand Swami’s Bhagvat Dharma appealed to him the most due to its teachings and practices, Mulji would often travel to the village of Shekhpat to visit Ramanand Swami and listen to his religious discourses. For a period, they would meet every evening at a shrine to Shiva on a stepwell in the village of Kiri between their respective villages and discuss various religious matters. Mulji’s first meeting with Swaminarayan occurred in the village of Piplana, Ramanand Swami invited Mulji and Lalji Suthar amongst others to the Bhagvati Diksha ceremony of Neelkanth Varni to be held on 28 October 1800. On subsequent visits to Bhadra and throughout his association with Gunatitanand Swami, one such revelation was made to Gunatitanand Swami’s mother, Sakarba. Swaminarayan arrived at Mulji’s house along with a slew of prominent devotees including Vashrambhai, Dosabhai and Ratnabhai. ”By 1809, Mulji continued working on his farm in the hope that he would be initiated into the Sadhu fold at the earliest. On 21 November 1809, Mulji had a vision that Swaminarayan wanted to meet him, once while he was digging channels in his sugar cane fields he had a vision of Swaminarayan
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Shastriji Maharaj
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Born in a family of farmers in central Gujarat, India, he became a sadhu within the Vadtal diocese of the Swaminarayan Sampraday at the age of 17 where he was given the name Yagnapurushdas Swami. The prefix Shastri was later added in recognition of his eminent scholarship in Sanskrit and he established BAPS after a doctrinal split from the Vadtal diocese of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. Shastriji Maharaj is credited with establishing BAPS on 5 June 1907 CE in Bochasan, Gujarat to propagate the Akshar-Purushottam Upasana, Dungar Patel was born on 31 January 1865 in Mahelav into a deeply religious family. His parents, Dhoribhai and Hetba Patel had 4 other children, Mathurbhai, Laldas, Sonaba and Raliatben, various anecdotes of Shastriji Maharaj’s childhood demonstrate his early spiritual inclination and intellectual prowess. He first received formal education at the school under the tutelage of Gangaram Mehta of Alindra. In addition to this, Dungar often interacted with sadhus at the Swaminarayan temple in Mahelav and began studying the Bhagavad Gita and this initial education would be further enhanced under Vignananand Swami an illustrious and eminent sadhu who had been initiated by Swaminarayan. Dungar initially came into contact with Vignananand Swami during the Chaitra festival in 1881 whereupon the Swami impressed Dungar with his spirituality and renunciation of material objects. Having found a suitable senior sadhu to learn under in Vignananand Swami, Dungar decided to become a sadhu himself and live a life of devotional service, during this period, Dungar immersed himself in devotional service and scriptural study. Dungar continued to excel in his studies of the Sarasvat and other Sanskrit texts and he was also very adept in temple management. Taking note of this, Vignananand Swami entrusted him, while still in his teens, Dungar was initiated as a Swaminarayan sadhu on 29 November 1882 in Vadtal by Acharya Viharilalji Maharaj, the head of the Vadtal diocese of the Swaminarayan Sampraday. He was given the name Yagnapurushdas Swami, after his initiation, Shastri Yagnapurushdas resumed his duties as administrator of Surat mandir and continued to serve under Vignanand Swami. Soon, a festival was held in Surat and prominent sadhus and devotees, including Bhagatji Maharaj. During the evening discourse, Shastri Yagnapurushdas wondered how Bhagatji Maharaj, a tailor by profession, could simultaneously stitch and speak with such profound spirituality. Bhagatji Maharaj answered Yagnapurushdas’ unasked question by saying, “A man of knowledge has countless eyes and can see from anywhere. ”Intrigued by this experience, Shastri Yagnapurushdas began spending increasing amounts of time listening to Bhagatji Maharaj’s discourses. Once, Bhagatji Maharaj explained that only after understanding Swami as Akshar, Shastri Yagnapurushdas was skeptical of this statement since his guru, Vignananand Swami, who had been a paramhansa under Swaminarayan for many years, had never mentioned it before. However, when Vignananand Swami confirmed that he believed in this truth, having heard it on numerous occasions from Swaminarayan himself. Thereafter, Bhagatji Maharaj began explaining the Akshar-Purushottam Upasana to Shastri Yagnapurushdas, one important discourse involved Vachnamrut Loya 12, which explained the concept of Akshar and Purushottam. Bhagatji Maharaj explained that Gunatitanand Swami was the devotee of Swaminarayan
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Akshar Purushottam Upasana
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It could also be referred to as Brahman Parabrahman Upasana or Bhakta Bhagwan Upasana. According to this interpretation, Gunatitanand Swami is the successor of Swaminarayan as opposed to the Acharyas, shastri Yagnapurushdas created BAPS as a result of this difference in belief. Swaminarayans philosophy defined five eternal entities, namely Jiva, Ishwar, Maya, followers of Akshar Purushottam Upasana believe that Brahman and Parabrahman are the highest two of these entities. Whilst other schools of Hindu philosophy hold Brahman and Parabrahman to be one, throughout his discourses in the Vachanamrut, the primary scripture of the Swaminarayan Sampraday, Swaminarayan referred to Brahman as Akshar, Aksharbrahman, or Akshardham. Similarly, he referred to Parabrahman as Purushottam, or Paramatma and he taught that Akshar had two forms, a formless all-pervading heavenly abode and a physical form that served the Lord wherever he went. Furthermore, he preached that to offer worship to God, one needed to become Brahmarup, or gain qualities like Brahman. For this reason, the essence of Akshar Purushottam Upasana can be described as follows, to become Aksharup, to achieve this status, aspirants were instructed to associate with and serve Brahman - often referred to as the Sant, Satpurush, or Sadhu who incarnated with God. Also they state that it would be almost impossible for all devotees around the world to associate with just one saint, followers claim that they feel in union with Pramukh Swami Maharaj and Mahant Swami Maharaj, the current spiritual leader of BAPS. BAPS has over 860 Saints,9000 centers,400 Mandirs,2 Akshardham complexes etc, followers of BAPS and Akshar Purushottam Upasana hold Gunatitanand Swami, a saint and paramhansa of Swaminarayan, to be the personified form of Brahman as discussed above. They cite several references, incidents, and evidence, as seen below, Acharya Shri Raghuvirji Maharaj quoted Swaminarayan when he referred to Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj as his Akshardham, within whom he forever resides in. Acharya Shri Viharilalji Maharaj referred to Gunatitanand Swami as Akshar Murti Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj in his Kirtan Kaustubhamala, Brahmachari Krishnanandji named Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj as Mul Akshar Darbar Abhaysinhji of Lodhika referred to Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj as Mul Akshar in Purushottam Charitra. Similar references are used from kirtans of Jerami Brahmachari, Akhandanand Brahmachari, in the context of Akshar Purushottam Upasana, every spiritual Guru in Swaminarayans succession is believed the incarnation of Aksharbrahman in whom the Lord resides fully and eternally. According to this philosophy, Gunatitanand Swami was the first successor to Swaminarayan and he was succeeded by Bhagatji Maharaj, Shastriji Maharaj, Yogiji Maharaj, Pramukh Swami Maharaj and Mahant Swami Maharaj, the current spiritual leader of BAPS. Followers of the Swaminarayan Sampraday do not accept this successorship and they accept the instructions of Swaminarayan who formally adopted a son from his brothers and appointed them to the office of Acharya for the Ahmedabad Gadi and Vadtal Gadi. This was done so that they would maintain a line of blood descent from his family. It is stated in scriptures established by Swaminarayan primarily through the Desh Vibhag Lekh, with instructions in the Shikshapatri, Vachanamrut. As a separate sect, BAPS has not followed the authority of the Acharyas since its creation, additionally, BAPS states that for administrative purposes, he divided his mandirs into two regions and appointed two acharyas, Raghuvirji Maharaj and Ayodhyaprasadji Maharaj to guide the progress
37.
Vachanamrut
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The Vachanamrut of Swaminarayan is the most sacred and foundational scripture of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. Swaminarayan says in Gadhadha II-28, What is this discourse which I have delivered before you like, well, I have delivered it having heard and having extracted the essence from the Vedas, the shastras, the Purans and all other words on this earth pertaining to liberation. In fact every statement of the Master is packed with and based on His in-depth religious knowledge, spiritual insights and it contains practical and philosophical answers to the sincere enquiries of all types of aspirants regarding life in this world and the life hereafter. The Vachanamrut is not only a sacred shastra in the Swaminarayan faith, all the literate followers read it daily and the illiterate listen to at least a page every day. It is read and elaborated upon daily in the Swaminarayan mandirs the world over and it is a landmark shastra, philosophically and in all other aspects. It is the first modern Gujarati prose work which the noted Gujarati critic and poet, Shri Uma Shankar Joshi, the Vachanamrut, a compilation of 273 spiritual discourses, is divided into 10 sections. The discourses were delivered by Swaminarayan in the last decade of his life and they were mostly delivered in ashram-like ambience in secluded places like Ahmedabad, Gadhada, Sarangpur, Kariyani, Loya, Panchala, Vadtal, Aslali, and Jetalpur. Vachanamrut is a word of two Gujarati words, vachan and amrut. Vachan means promise and amrut means nectar, the discourses were transcribed by four contemporary scholarly-sadhus while they were being delivered. These editors were, Muktanand Swami, the senior most sadhu of Ramanand Swami,23 years senior to Swaminarayan and he was the teacher of Swaminarayan when he first arrived in Gujarat. Muktanand Swami is the author of Brahmasutra Bhashya Ratnam, a commentary on the Vedanta Sutra of Badrayana Vyas, gopalanand Swami, who had mastered ashtang yoga, wrote a commentary on the Dashopanishad and Bhagvad Gita. Nityanand Swami, a profound Sanskrit scholar, authored the Hari Digvijay Kavya in Sanskrit, shukanand Swami, was a well-known Sanskrit scholar from Dabhan and the personal secretary of the Master. In one of the Vachanamruts, one of the editors, namely, Nityanand Swami and he was pleased with the efforts of the editors and authenticated their compilation. Not only the recitation by the master is recorded but even the criticism of their answers. It means their foundation appears to be weak and if they were to face an extremely adverse situation, their love for God would not remain stable at all. However, if factors like desh, kal, sang and kriya were to become unfavourable, even the village of the questioner and his caste is described. Thus, John Carman, former Prof. of School of Divinity, Harvard University, said, In this book and it was to create almost a three-dimensional perspective of the whole situation with the object to facilitate the perception and meditation upon him. As already mentioned these discourses were approved by the master in his own lifetime, there is also a translation of the Vachanamrut in Vraj-Bhasha by Brahmanand Swami, a favourite saint-poet of Swaminarayan
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Shikshapatri
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The Shikshapatri is a religious text consisting of two hundred and twelve verses, written in Sanskrit by Swaminarayan. The Shikhapatri is believed to have written in the current form in Sanskrit by Satanand Swami. The Shikshapatri is a key scripture to all followers of Swaminarayan and is considered the basis of the sect, the Shikshapatri was written in Vadtal on February 11,1826. It is a text, providing detailed instructions on how to live a spiritually uplifting life. On February 26,1830 a historic meeting place between Swaminarayan and Sir John Malcolm, the then Governor of Bombay. At this meeting, Swaminarayan presented a copy of the Shikshapatri to Sir John Malcolm and this copy is now housed at the Bodleian Library of the University of Oxford. Acharya Tejendraprasad of Ahmedabad has indicated in a letter that he is not aware of any copy from the hand of Sahajanand older than this text, Swaminarayan instructed Nityanand Swami to translate Shikshapatri from Sanskrit into Gujarati. It has since been translated numerous times into other languages, provides a shikshaparti in Gujarati by Gadhada Swaminarayan temple
39.
Swamini Vato
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The Swamini Vato is a set of quotations and sayings of Gunatitanand Swami. It is a scripture in the Swaminarayan denomination of the Hindu religion and it was documented in the mid 19th century over the course of Gunatitanand Swamis 40 year tenure as the mahant of Junagadh Mandir. Gunatitanand Swami was born in the village of Bhadra in modern-day Gujarat, India, originally named Mulji Sharma, as a child, he was engaged in the devotion of God at an early age. He was initiated as Gunatitanand Swami by Swaminarayan as a paramhansa of the Swaminarayan Sampraday Gunatitanand Swami was referred to as Mul-Akshar Murti/Brahm, through his talks, Swamini Vato, Gunatitanand Swami gave advice for every aspect of life and beyond. Topics ranged from the glory of God, and how to gain knowledge, to how to attain peace. The scripture is believed to have discussed the value of life itself. When Gunatitanand Swami delivered discourses, devotees took notes on his talks, the notes were later studied by Achintyanand Brahmachari, after being asked by Gunatitanand Swami to continue giving discourses on these topics. At this point, the Swamini Vato was officially dubbed a scripture by the Original Swaminarayan Sampraday, the original set of Vatos has 5 prakrans and was written by Sadhu Balmukund Dasji, who was a disciple of Gunatitanand Swami
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Jay Sadguru Swami
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Jay Sadguru Swami or the Swaminarayan Arti is the arti sung in all the Swaminarayan Sampraday mandirs. Arti is conducted by the singing of a prayer and the playing of musical instruments. The piece was composed by Muktanand Swami on 5 November 1802, during the aarti, a lighted ghee lamp with wicks is waved before murtis, representations of Swaminarayan and other deities. Swaminarayan is believed to be physically manifest in the murti, and several arti ceremonies are performed throughout the day, as the murti is not permanently on view for devotees, the arti is an important opportunity to gain blessings through darshan of a physical manifestation of Swaminarayan. In shikharbaddha mandirs, aarti is performed five times a day according to Vaishnava tradition, while In dev mandirs or Hari mandirs, the BAPS version of the aarti is based on an original manuscript of Muktanand Swami’s works
Media related to BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London at Wikimedia Commons