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.
India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety
3.
States and union territories of India
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India is a federal union comprising twenty-nine states and seven union territories. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and further into smaller administrative divisions, the Constitution of India distributes the sovereign executive and legislative powers exercisable with respect to the territory of any State between the Union and that State. The Indian subcontinent has been ruled by different ethnic groups throughout its history. Between 1947 and 1950, the territories of the states were politically integrated into the Indian Union. The new Constitution of India, which came into force on 26 January 1950, the new republic was also declared to be a Union of States. The nine Part A states were Assam, Bihar, Bombay, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Orissa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The eight Part B states were former princely states or groups of states, governed by a rajpramukh, who was usually the ruler of a constituent state. The rajpramukh was appointed by the President of India, the Part B states were Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Bharat, Mysore, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, Rajasthan, Saurashtra, and Travancore-Cochin. The ten Part C states included both the former chief commissioners provinces and some states, and each was governed by a chief commissioner appointed by the President of India. The Part C states were Ajmer, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Coorg, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Cutch, Manipur, Tripura, the only Part D state was the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were administered by a lieutenant governor appointed by the central government. The Union Territory of Puducherry was created in 1954 comprising the previous French enclaves of Pondichéry, Karaikal, Yanam, Andhra State was created on 1 October 1953 from the Telugu-speaking northern districts of Madras State. The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 reorganised the states based on linguistic lines resulting in the creation of the new states, as a result of this act, Madras State retained its name with Kanyakumari district added to from Travancore-Cochin. Andhra Pradesh was created with the merger of Andhra State with the Telugu-speaking districts of Hyderabad State in 1956, kerala was created with the merger of Malabar district and the Kasaragod taluk of South Canara districts of Madras State with Travancore-Cochin. The Laccadive Islands which were divided between South Canara and Malabar districts of Madras State were united and organised into the territory of Lakshadweep. Bombay State was enlarged by the addition of Saurashtra State and Kutch State, Rajasthan and Punjab gained territories from Ajmer and Patiala and East Punjab States Union respectively and certain territories of Bihar was transferred to West Bengal. Bombay State was split into the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra on 1 May 1960 by the Bombay Reorganisation Act. Nagaland was formed on 1 December 1963, the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966 resulted in the creation of Haryana on 1 November and the transfer of the northern districts of Punjab to Himachal Pradesh. The act also designated Chandigarh as a territory and the shared capital of Punjab
4.
Kerala
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Kerala historically known as Keralam, is an Indian state in South India on the Malabar Coast. It was formed on 1 November 1956 following the States Reorganisation Act by combining Malayalam-speaking regions, spread over 38,863 km2, it is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west. With 33,387,677 inhabitants as per the 2011 Census, Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state. The region has been a prominent spice exporter since 3000 BCE, the Chera Dynasty was the first prominent kingdom based in Kerala, though it frequently struggled against attacks by the neighbouring Cholas and Pandyas. In the 15th century, the spice trade attracted Portuguese traders to Kerala, after independence, Travancore and Cochin joined the Republic of India and Travancore-Cochin was given the status of a state in 1949. In 1956, Kerala state was formed by merging Malabar district, Travancore-Cochin, Hinduism is practised by more than half of the population, followed by Islam and Christianity. The culture is a synthesis of Aryan and Dravidian cultures, developed over millennia, under influences from other parts of India, the production of pepper and natural rubber contributes significantly to the total national output. In the agricultural sector, coconut, tea, coffee, cashew, the states coastline extends for 595 kilometres, and around 1.1 million people in the state are dependent on the fishery industry which contributes 3% to the states income. The state has the highest media exposure in India with newspapers publishing in nine languages, mainly English, Kerala is one of the prominent tourist destinations of India, with backwaters, beaches, Ayurvedic tourism and tropical greenery as its major attractions. The name Kerala has an uncertain etymology, One popular theory derives Kerala from Kera and alam is land, thus land of coconuts, this also happens to be a nickname for the state due to abundance of coconut trees and its use by the locals. The word Kerala is first recorded in a 3rd-century BCE rock inscription left by the Maurya emperor Ashoka, the inscription refers to the local ruler as Keralaputra, or son of Chera. This contradicts the theory that Kera is from coconut tree, at that time, one of three states in the region was called Cheralam in Classical Tamil, Chera and Kera are variants of the same word. The word Cheral refers to the oldest known dynasty of Kerala kings and is derived from the Proto-Tamil-Malayalam word for lake, the earliest Sanskrit text to mention Kerala is the Aitareya Aranyaka of the Rigveda. It is also mentioned in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the two Hindu epics, the Skanda Purana mentions the ecclesiastical office of the Thachudaya Kaimal who is referred to as Manikkam Keralar, synonymous with the deity of the Koodalmanikyam temple. Keralam may stem from the Classical Tamil cherive-alam or chera alam, the Greco-Roman trade map Periplus Maris Erythraei refers to Keralaputra as Celobotra. According to Hindu mythology, the lands of Kerala were recovered from the sea by the warrior sage Parasurama. Parasurama threw his axe across the sea, and the water receded as far as it reached, according to legend, this new area of land extended from Gokarna to Kanyakumari. The land which rose from sea was filled with salt and unsuitable for habitation, so Parasurama invoked the Snake King Vasuki, out of respect, Vasuki and all snakes were appointed as protectors and guardians of the land
5.
Thrissur district
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Thrissur is a revenue district of Kerala situated in the central part of that state. Spanning an area of about 3,032 km2, Thrissur district is home to over 10% of Kerala’s population, Thrissur district was formed on July 1,1949, with the headquarters at Thrissur City. Thrissur is known as the capital of Kerala, and the land of Poorams. The district is famous for its ancient temples, churches, Thrissur Pooram is the most colourful and spectacular temple festival in Kerala. The district was formed on July 1,1949, the name Thrissur is derived from Thiru-Shiva-Perur, which translates to The city with the name of the Lord Siva. Thrissur was also known as Vrishabhadripuram and Then Kailasam in ancient days, from ancient times, Thrissur District has played a part in the political history of south India. The early political history of the District is interlinked with that of the Cheras of the Sangam age, the whole of the present Thrissur District was included in the early Chera Empire. The District can claim to have played a part in fostering the trade relations between Kerala and the world in the ancient and medieval period. Kodungalloor, which had the distinction of being the Primum Emporium India and these three communities are the Christians, the Jews and the Muslims. In 1790 Raja Rama Varma popularly known as Saktan Tampuran ascended the throne of Cochin, with the accession of this ruler the English or modern period in the history of Cochin and of the District began. Saktan Tampuran was mainly responsible for the destruction of the power of the feudal Nair chieftains, another force in the public life of Trichur and its suburbs was the Namboodithiri community and Menons of Royal ancestry. A large part of the Trichur Taluk was for long under the domination of the Yogiatiripppads, the wave of nationalism and political consciousness which swept through the country since the early decades of this century has its repercussions in the District as well. Thrissur District has been in the forefront of the movement for temple entry. The Guruvayur Satyagraha is an episode in the history of the national movement. According to the 2011 census Thrissur district has a population of 3,110,327 and this gives it a ranking of 113th in India. The district has a density of 1,026 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 4. 58%, Thrissur has a sex ratio of 1109 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 95. 32%. Thrissur was also the second highest urbanized district in Kerala after Ernakulam, according to the 2001 India census, Thrissur District had a population of 2,975,440
6.
Malayalam
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Malayalam /mʌləˈjɑːləm/ is a language spoken in India, predominantly in the state of Kerala. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and was designated as a Classical Language in India in 2013 and it was developed to the current form mainly by the influence of the poet Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan in the 16th century. Malayalam has official status in the state of Kerala and in the union territories of Lakshadweep. It belongs to the Dravidian family of languages and is spoken by some 38 million people, according to one theory, Malayalam originated from Middle Tamil in the 7th century. However, the current understanding proposes the separation of Malayalam from Proto-Dravidian in the pre-historic era, Malayalam incorporated many elements from Sanskrit through the ages. Before Malayalam came into being, Old Tamil was used in literature and courts of a region called Tamilakam, including present day Kerala state, silappatikaramit was written by Chera prince Ilango Adigal from Chunkaparra, and is considered a classic in Sangam literature. Modern Malayalam still preserves many words from the ancient Tamil vocabulary of Sangam literature, the earliest script used to write Malayalam was the Vatteluttu alphabet, and later the Kolezhuttu, which derived from it. As Malayalam began to borrow words as well as the rules of grammar from Sanskrit. This developed into the modern Malayalam script, many medieval liturgical texts were written in an admixture of Sanskrit and early Malayalam, called Manipravalam. The oldest literary work in Malayalam, distinct from the Tamil tradition, is dated from between the 9th and 11th centuries, the first travelogue in any Indian language is the Malayalam Varthamanappusthakam, written by Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar in 1785. Due to its lineage deriving from both Tamil and Sanskrit, the Malayalam script has the largest number of letters among the Indian language orthographies, the Malayalam script includes letters capable of representing almost all the sounds of all Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages. Malayalam serves as a language on the islands including the Mahl-dominated Minicoy Island. The word Malayalam originated from the Sanskrit resp, Malayalam words malai or mala, meaning hill, and elam, meaning region. Malayalam thus translates as hill region and used to refer to the land of the Chera dynasty, the language Malayalam is alternatively called Alealum, Malayalani, Malayali, Malean, Maliyad, and Mallealle. The word Malayalam originally meant only for the name of the region, Malayanma or Malayayma represented the language. With the emergence of modern Malayalam language, the name of the language started to be known by the name of the region, hence now, the word Malayanma is considered by some to represent the olden Malayalam language. The language got the name Malayalam during the mid 19th century, the origin of Malayalam, an independent offshoot of the proto-Dravidian language, has been and continues to be an engaging pursuit among comparative historical linguists. Together with Tamil, Toda, Kannada and Tulu, Malayalam belongs to the group of Dravidian languages
7.
Vehicle registration plate
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A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate or a license plate, is metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric ID that uniquely identifies the owner within the issuing regions database. The first two letters indicate the state to which the vehicle is registered, the next two digit numbers are the sequential number of a district. Due to heavy volume of vehicle registration, the numbers were given to the RTO offices of registration as well, the third part indicates the year of registration of the vehicle and is a 4 digit number unique to each plate. In some countries, the identifier is unique within the entire country, whether the identifier is associated with a vehicle or a person also varies by issuing agency. In the vast majority of jurisdictions, the government holds a monopoly on the manufacturing of vehicle registration plates for that jurisdiction. Thus, it is illegal for private citizens to make and affix their own plates. Alternately, the government will merely assign plate numbers, and it is the owners responsibility to find an approved private supplier to make a plate with that number. In some jurisdictions, plates will be assigned to that particular vehicle for its lifetime. If the vehicle is destroyed or exported to a different country. Other jurisdictions follow a policy, meaning that when a vehicle is sold the seller removes the current plate from the vehicle. Buyers must either obtain new plates or attach plates they already hold, as well as register their vehicles under the buyers name, a person who sells a car and then purchases a new one can apply to have the old plates put onto the new car. One who sells a car and does not buy a new one may, depending on the laws involved, have to turn the old plates in or destroy them. Some jurisdictions permit the registration of the vehicle with personal plates, in some jurisdictions, plates require periodic replacement, often associated with a design change of the plate itself. Vehicle owners may or may not have the option to keep their original plate number, alternately, or additionally, vehicle owners have to replace a small decal on the plate or use a decal on the windshield to indicate the expiration date of the vehicle registration. Plates are usually fixed directly to a vehicle or to a frame that is fixed to the vehicle. Sometimes, the plate frames contain advertisements inserted by the service centre or the dealership from which the vehicle was purchased. Vehicle owners can also purchase customized frames to replace the original frames, in some jurisdictions licence plate frames are illegal
8.
Guruvayur
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Guruvayur, also written as Guruvayoor or Gurupavanapuri, is a municipal town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It houses the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, the fourth largest temple in India in terms of the number of devotees visiting per day, Guruvayur, according to the legends may be 5,000 years old as the Guruvayur temple idol is. There are no records to establish it. It is also believed that Lord Krishna, asked 2 sages to take the idol from his temple in Dwarka while the city was being destroyed, the idol of lord krishna was brought by Vayu deva and brhaspathi and was placed in guruvayur. The name guruvayur is a merge of both their names (guru brahaspathi and vayu deva, in the 14th century, Tamil literature Kokasandesam, references about a place called Kuruvayur is made. As early as the 16th century, many references are seen about Kuruvayur, in ancient Dravidic, Kuruvai means sea, hence the village on the coast may be called Kuruvayur. According to eminent historian Professor K. V. Krishna Iyer, Guruvayur was a subordinate shrine of Trikkunavay Shiva temple before the latter was destroyed by the Dutch in 1755. Trikkunavay in the Guruvayur documents is the same as Thrikkanamathilakam or Mathilakam mentioned in the Dutch, and this place was in between Guruvayur and Kodungallur. The story of Pandyan King building a shrine here may be a reference to the Azhavars and it was Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiris Narayaniyam through which the Guruvayur temple got famous all over India. As of the Indian census of 2001, Guruvayur had a population of 21,187, males constitute 46% of the population and females 54%. Guruvayur has an literacy rate of 85%, higher than the national average of 59. 5%, male literacy is 86%. In Guruvayoor, 10% of the population is under 10 years of age, Guruvayoor Township was formed on January 26,1962 with four electoral wards with an area of 6.49 km2. Later the wards were increased to 10 and in 1994 to 20 when the township was upgraded to Municipality status with an area of 29.66 km2, in 2010, the electoral wards were increased to 43. The Municipality has a population of 20,216 with a population density of 31,14 per km2. Guruvayoor assembly constituency is part of Trichur, Ekadasi, the eleventh day of every lunar fortnight, is very auspicious to the Hindus. Of the 24 Ekadasis in a year, the Vrishchika Ekadasi has got special significance in Guruvayur temple, a memorial honour for Gajarajan Kesavan is conducted in Guruvayur. The Karanavar or head of the elephant family places a wreath at the statue of Kesavan in front of Sreevalsam guest house and all the other elephants stand around, on Ekadasi day, the Udayasthamana Pooja is conducted by the Devaswom itself. After the morning seeveli, on Ekadasi there is a grand elephant procession to the Parthasarathi temple since it is regarded as Geethopadesam Day also, on Ekadasi after night pooja, the famous Ekadasi Vilakku with elephant procession takes place and provides a fitting finale to the festival
9.
Kottapadi
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Kottapadi is a gateway of Guruvayur town in the district of Thrissur, Kerala, South India. Kottapadi literally translates to Gates to Fort, the fort here refers to the Punnathur Kotta. Kottapadi has now gained prominence for this fort, which in now used to house elephants belonging to the Guruvayoor temple, elephants that are an integral part of certain temple rituals are trained here. Kottapadi is located only 2 kilometers away from Guruvayur temple, many tourists come here for visiting the Punnathur Kotta. There are more than 60 elephants here and these elephants belong to the Guruvayur Temple, where prominent devotees offer it to Lord Guruvayurappan. Earlier this place was the palace of a local ruler, prominent Shiva temple at Mammiyur is located close by. Nearest Airport, Kochi Nearest Railway Station, Guruvayur, Trichur Nearest Major Towns, Guruvayur, Chavakkad, Kunnamkulam Little Flower womens college, Aryabhatta womens college, St Lazers church, St George orthodox church. Chembalakulangara Bhagavathi kshethram, Sree Subramanya Kshethram, Kaveed Karthyani Kshetram
10.
South India
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The region occupies 19. 31% of Indias land area. Covering the southern part of the peninsular Deccan Plateau, South India is bounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west, and the Indian Ocean in the south. The geography of the region is diverse, with two ranges, the Western and Eastern Ghats, bordering the plateau heartland. The Godavari River, Krishna River, Kaveri, Tungabhadra and Vaigai rivers are important non-perennial sources of water, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Coimbatore and Kochi are the largest urban areas. Majority of the people in South India speak one of the four major Dravidian languages, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. During its history, a number of kingdoms ruled over parts of South India whose invasions across southern and southeastern Asia impacted the history. Major dynasties that were established in South India include the Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas, Pallavas, Satavahanas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, european countries entered India through Kerala and the region was colonised by Britain and other nations. HDI in the states is high and the economy has undergone growth at a faster rate than most northern states. Literacy rates in the states are higher than the national average with approximately 80% of the population capable of reading and writing. The fertility rate in South India is 1.9, the lowest of all regions in India, South India also known as Peninsular India has been known by several other names. Carnatic derived from Karnād or Karunād meaning high country has also associated with South India. Carbon dating on ash mounds associated with Neolithic cultures in South India date back to 8000 BCE, artefacts such as ground stone axes, and minor copper objects have been found in the region. Towards the beginning of 1000 BCE, iron technology spread through the region, however, the region was in the middle of a trade route that extended from Muziris to Arikamedu linking the Mediterranean and East Asia. Trade with Phoenicians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Syrians, Jews, the region was part of the ancient Silk Road connecting the Asian continent in the East and the West. C. to 14th century A. D. The Vijayanagara Empire, founded in 14th century A. D. was the last Indian dynasty that ruled over the region. The Europeans arrived in the 15th century and by the middle of the 18th century, the French, the British Empire took control of the region from the British East India Company in 1857. During the British colonial rule, the region was divided into the Madras Presidency, Hyderabad state, Mysore, Travancore, Kochi, Vizianagaram and a number of other minor princely states. After the independence of India in 1947, the region was organised into four states, Madras State, Mysore State, Hyderabad State and Travancore-Cochin
11.
Guruvayurappan
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Guruvayurappan also often written Guruvayoorappan, is a form of Vishnu worshipped mainly in Kerala. He is the deity of Guruvayoor temple, who is being worshiped as Shri Krishna in His child form. Even though the deity is that of chatur bahu Vishnu, the concept of the people is that the deity is the infant form of Lord Krishna, the deity represents the purna rupa revealed by baby Krishna to His parents immediately after His advent in Kamsas jail. Lord Krishna immediately after His birth had revealed Himself as four-armed standing Vishnu in front of His parents Devaki, so baby Krishna is worshipped on a Vishnu deity. The temple is located in the town of Guruvayur, Thrissur, Kerala, India. The word Guruvayurappan, meaning Lord of Guruvayur, comes from the words Guru referring to Brihaspati, the Guru of the Devas, Vayu, since Guru and Vayu installed Krishnas deity, the name Guruvayurappan was given to the deity. The deity is made of a stone called Patala Anjanam or black bismuth and is in the pose with four arms, carrying the Panchajanya, the Sudarshana Chakra. The holy deity of Lord Vishnu in Guruvayoor Temple is made up of a stone called Pathalanjana Sila. It is almost 4 ft tall, and it is said that the deity represents the form of Lord Vishnu in which he gave darshan to Vasudeva and Devaki during the birth of their son and this may be the reason why the child form of Lord Krishna is worshipped here. The Lord holds a conch, discus, mace and lotus on his four hands and he is in a standing pose with his darshan towards east. There is a story about the origin of the murti in Narada Puranam, many innocent snakes died in the yaga fire, but Takshaka survived. Thus Janamejaya got affected with the curse of snakes, making him a leprosy patient, even though he was well looked by his wife, children and palace doctors, there was no cure. At that time, sage Dattatreya appeared before him and advised him to worship Lord Vishnu at Guruvayoor and he also told the story of the idol. That is as follows, Once in Padma Kalpa, when Lord Brahma was doing his task of creation, when Lord Brahma repelled him and his creations, Lord Vishnu gave one idol of himself to him. Later, in Varaha Kalpa, Lord Brahma gave this deity to a king named Sutapass and his wife Prasni, who were worshipping Lord Vishnu for a child. As a result of their worship, Lord Vishnu appeared before them told them that he would be born as their son in four births. In the first birth in Satya Yuga, the Lord was born as Prasnigarbha, in this birth, he spoke about the greatness of celibacy. Later, in Treta Yuga, when Sutapass and Prasni were reborn as Kashyapa and Aditi, again later, in Treta Yuga, itself, when they were reborn as Dasharatha and Kausalya, the Lord was born as their son Rama
12.
Krishna
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Krishna is a major Hindu deity. He is one of the most widely revered and popular Indian divinities, worshipped as the incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. Krishnas birthday is celebrated every year by Hindus on Janmashtami according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar, Krishna is also known by numerous names, such as Govinda, Mukunda, Madhusudhana, Vasudeva and Makhan chor in affection. The anecdotes and narratives of Krishnas life are generally titled as Krishna Leela and he is a central character in the Bhagavata Purana, the Bhagavad Gita, and is mentioned in many Hindu philosophical, theological and mythological texts. They portray him in various perspectives, a god-child, a prankster, a lover, a divine hero. The synonyms of Krishna have been traced to 1st millennium BCE literature, worship of Krishna as Svayam Bhagavan, sometimes referred to as Krishnaism, arose in the Middle Ages in the context of the Bhakti movement. Krishna-related literature has inspired performance arts such as Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi. Since the 1960s, the worship of Krishna has also spread to the Western world, the name originates from the Sanskrit word Kṛṣṇa, which is primarily an adjective meaning black, dark or dark blue. The waning moon is called Krishna Paksha, relating to the adjective meaning darkening, the name is also interpreted sometimes as all attractive. As a name of Vishnu, Krishna is listed as the 57th name in the Vishnu Sahasranama, based on his name, Krishna is often depicted in idols as black or blue-skinned. Krishna is also known by other names, epithets and titles. Among the most common names are Mohan enchanter, Govinda meaning chief herdsman, Gopala, some of the distinct names may be regionally important—for instance, Jagannatha, a popular incarnation of Puri, Odisha in eastern India. Krishna is represented in the Indian traditions in many ways, with common features. His iconography typically depicts him as black or dark reflecting his name, however ancient and medieval reliefs and stone-based arts depict him in the natural color of the material he is made from, both in India and in southeast Asia. In some texts, his skin is described as the color of Jambul. Krishna is often depicted wearing a peacock feather wreathe or crown, in this form, he usually stands with one leg bent in front of the other in the Tribhanga posture. He is sometimes accompanied by cows or a calf, symbolism for the divine herdsman Govinda, alternatively, he is shown as an amorous man with the gopis, often making music or playing pranks. In other icons, he is a part of the scene on the battlefield of the epic Mahabharata
13.
Ganesha
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Ganesha, also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists, although he is known by many attributes, Ganeshas elephant head makes him easy to identify. Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences, as the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rituals and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as patron of letters and learning during writing sessions, several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and explain his distinct iconography. Ganesha emerged as a deity in the 4th and 5th centuries AD, during the Gupta period. He was formally included among the five deities of Smartism in the 9th century. A sect of devotees called the Ganapatya arose, who identified Ganesha as the supreme deity, the principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Brahma Purana and Brahmanda Purana are other two Puranic genre encyclopedic texts that deal with Ganesha, Ganesha has been ascribed many other titles and epithets, including Ganapati and Vighneshvara. The Hindu title of respect Shri is often added before his name, the name Ganesha is a Sanskrit compound, joining the words gana, meaning a group, multitude, or categorical system and isha, meaning lord or master. The word gaņa when associated with Ganesha is often taken to refer to the gaņas, the term more generally means a category, class, community, association, or corporation. Some commentators interpret the name Lord of the Gaņas to mean Lord of Hosts or Lord of created categories, Ganapati, a synonym for Ganesha, is a compound composed of gaṇa, meaning group, and pati, meaning ruler or lord. Though the earliest mention of the word Ganapati is found in hymn 2.23.1 of the 2nd-millennium BCE Rigveda, it is however uncertain that the Vedic term referred specifically to Ganesha. The Amarakosha, an early Sanskrit lexicon, lists eight synonyms of Ganesha, Vinayaka, Vighnarāja, Dvaimātura, Gaṇādhipa, Ekadanta, Heramba, Lambodara, Vinayaka is a common name for Ganesha that appears in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras. This name is reflected in the naming of the eight famous Ganesha temples in Maharashtra known as the Ashtavinayak, the names Vighnesha and Vighneshvara refers to his primary function in Hinduism as the master and remover of obstacles. A prominent name for Ganesha in the Tamil language is Pillai or Pillaiyar, a. K. Narain differentiates these terms by saying that pillai means a child while pillaiyar means a noble child. He adds that the words pallu, pella, and pell in the Dravidian family of languages signify tooth or tusk, also elephant tooth or tusk. Anita Raina Thapan notes that the root word pille in the name Pillaiyar might have meant the young of the elephant
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Guruvayur Keshavan
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Gajarajan Guruvayur Keshavan is perhaps the most famous and celebrated captive elephant in Kerala, southern India. Keshavan was donated to the Guruvayur Hindu temple by the family of Nilambur on 4th of January in 1922. It is a common Hindu custom in Kerala to capture elephants either as calves or young adults from the wild, Guruvayur temple has in excess of 50 elephants. Standing over 3.2 meters tall, Keshavan was known for his devout behavior, Keshavan died on December 2,1976 aged 72, which happened to be Guruvayur Ekadasi, considered a very auspicious day. He fasted for the day and dropped down facing the direction of the temple with his trunk raised as a mark of prostration. The anniversary of his death is celebrated in Guruvauyur. Many elephants line up before the statue and the chief elephant garlands it, Keshavan was conferred the unique title Gajarajan, by the Guruvayoor Devaswom. The Guruvayoor Devaswom erected a statue of Keshavan in its precincts as tribute to the services he rendered to the presiding deity of the temple. Its tusks, along with a portrait of the elephant. Its life is the subject of the 1977 Malayalam feature film Guruvayur Kesavan, the film was directed by Bharathan, starring M. G. The story of Guruvayoor Kesavan was later portrayed in a serial on Surya TV. Cultural depictions of elephants Elephants in Kerala culture Guruvayur Temple List of individual elephants Kolakolli, a notorious rogue elephant Guruvayoor Devaswom Webpage IMDB
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Raja
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Raja, is a title for a Monarch or princely ruler in South and Southeast Asia. The female form Rani applies equally to the wife of a Raja, usually as queen consort and occasionally as regent. The title has a history in the Indian subcontinent and South East Asia, being attested from the Rigveda, where a rājan- is a ruler, see for example the dāśarājñá. Sanskrit rājan- is cognate to Latin rēx King, Gaulish rīx, Gaelic rí, etc. originally denoting heads of petty kingdoms and it is believed to be ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European *h3rēǵs, a vrddhi formation to the root *h3reǵ- to straighten, to order, to rule. The Sanskrit n-stem is secondary in the title, apparently adapted from the female counterpart rājñī which also has an -n- suffix in related languages. Cognates of the word Raja in other Indo-European languages include English reign, rather common, practically equivalent variants in Rajasthani, Marathi and Hindi, used as equivalent royal style in parts of India include Rana, Rao, Raol, Rawal and rawat and Yuvraj prince heir. Maharaja, or great king, is literally a title for more significant rulers in India, hence during the British raj, precedence was rather determined by the gun salute. Raja රජ means King in Sri Lanka, Rajamanthri is the Prince lineage of Kings generation in Sri Lanka. Rajamanthri title is aristocracy of the Kandiyan Kingdom මහනුවර in Sri Lanka, badan Singh was styled Raja Mahendra and founded the city and state Bharatpur, which his dynasty ruled as Maharajas. Raja Sahib was the style in Bansda until its upgrade from c.1829 to higher counterpart Maharaja Sahib. Raja-i Rajgan was notably the royal style of, the former Rajas of Jind from * until their 1911 upgrade to Maharaja, the former Rajas of Kapurthala from 1861 until their 1911 upgrade to Maharaja. Two consecutive rulers of Patiala, the first of which was originally styled Maharaja, Raja Bahadur, and remained the rulers of Raigarh. as 1763 upgrade from the family title Raja Sar Desai in Maratha state Savantvadi. e. Third prince in line for succession, there were many more Rajas among the feudatory states, such as jagirs. In Pakistan, Raja is still used by Muslim Rajput clans as hereditary titles, Raja is also used as a given name by Hindus and Sikhs. Most notably Raja is used in Hazara division of Pakistan for the descendants of a Turkic dynasty and these Rajas ruled that part of Pakistan for decades and they still possess huge land in Hazara division of Pakistan and actively participate in the politics of the region. In Sinhalese, the title Raja means King of Sri Lanka, Rajamanthri is the Prince lineage of Kings generation especially Rajamanthri is aristocracy of the Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka history. Indonesian has the word raja for king, leaders of local tribes and old Hindu kingdoms had that title before Indonesia became an independent nation. Various traditional princely states in Indonesia still style their ruler Raja, in the Malay language, the word raja also means king
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Mahout
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For the machine learning project, see Apache Mahout. A mahout is an elephant rider, trainer, or keeper, usually, a mahout starts as a boy in the family profession when he is assigned an elephant early in its life. They remain bonded to each other throughout their lives, the word mahout derives from the Hindi words mahaut and mahavat, and originally from the Sanskrit mahamatra. Another term is cornac or kornak, which entered many European languages via Portuguese and this word derives ultimately from the Sanskrit term karināyaka, a compound of karin and nayaka. In Tamil, the word used is pahan, which means elephant keeper, in Malayalam the word used is paappaan. In Burma, the profession is called oozie, in Thailand kwan-chang, in India, especially Kerala, mahouts use three types of device to control elephants. The thotti, which is 3.5 feet in length and about 1 inch thick, the valiya kol, which is 10.5 feet in length and about 1 inch in thickness, and the cheru kol. Elephants, and therefore also mahouts, have long been integral to politics, the animals are given away per request of government ministers and sometimes as gifts. In addition to traditional occupations, today mahouts are employed in many countries by forestry services. In India there has been controversy over elephants attacking mahouts and villagers due to the torture some elephants endure from their mahouts, more than 90% of the elephants in Kerala, for example, are not obtained legally. The verbal commands given to the elephants by the mahouts are all in Sinhalese, a shop display advertising Mahout cigarettes features prominently in the background of the rain dance sequence of the 1952 Gene Kelly film Singin in the Rain. The word mahout also features in the lyrics of the song Drop the Pilot, george Orwells essay Shooting an Elephant discusses the relationship of an elephant to its mahout, It was not, of course, a wild elephant, but a tame one which had gone must. It had been chained up, as tame elephants always are when their attack of must is due, but on the previous night it had broken its chain and escaped. Its mahout, the person who could manage it when it was in that state, had set out in pursuit
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Shiva
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Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme God within Shaivism, one of the three most influential denominations in contemporary Hinduism, Shiva is the transformer within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity that includes Brahma and Vishnu. In Shaivism tradition, Shiva is the Supreme being who creates, protects, in the goddess tradition of Hinduism called Shaktism, the goddess is described as supreme, yet Shiva is revered along with Vishnu and Brahma. A goddess is stated to be the energy and creative power of each and he is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism. At the highest level, Shiva is regarded as formless, limitless, transcendent and unchanging absolute Brahman, Shiva has many benevolent and fearsome depictions. In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient Yogi who lives a life on Mount Kailash as well as a householder with wife Parvati. In his fierce aspects, he is depicted slaying demons. Shiva is also known as Adiyogi Shiva, regarded as the god of yoga, meditation. Shiva is usually worshipped in the form of Lingam. Shiva is a deity, revered widely by Hindus, in India, Nepal. The Sanskrit word Śiva means, states Monier Williams, auspicious, propitious, gracious, benign, kind, benevolent, the roots of Śiva in folk etymology is śī which means in whom all things lie, pervasiveness and va which means embodiment of grace. The word Shiva is used as an adjective in the Rig Veda, as an epithet for several Rigvedic deities, the term Shiva also connotes liberation, final emancipation and the auspicious one, this adjective sense of usage is addressed to many deities in Vedic layers of literature. The term evolved from the Vedic Rudra-Shiva to the noun Shiva in the Epics, Sharma presents another etymology with the Sanskrit root śarv-, which means to injure or to kill, interprets the name to connote one who can kill the forces of darkness. The Sanskrit word śaiva means relating to the god Shiva, and it is used as an adjective to characterize certain beliefs and practices, such as Shaivism. Some authors associate the name with the Tamil word śivappu meaning red, noting that Shiva is linked to the Sun, the Vishnu sahasranama interprets Shiva to have multiple meanings, The Pure One, and the One who is not affected by three Guṇas of Prakṛti. Shiva is known by names such Viswanathan, Mahadeva, Mahesha, Maheshvara, Shankara, Shambhu, Rudra, Hara, Trilochana, Devendra, Neelakanta, Subhankara, Trilokinatha. The highest reverence for Shiva in Shaivism is reflected in his epithets Mahādeva, Maheśvara, Sahasranama are medieval Indian texts that list a thousand names derived from aspects and epithets of a deity. There are at least eight different versions of the Shiva Sahasranama, the version appearing in Book 13 of the Mahabharata provides one such list
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Bhagavati
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Bhagavati is a popular deity in the Indian states of Kerala, karnataka, Goa and Konkan. It can be used to any of the Hindu goddesses like Durga, Kannaki, Parvati, Saraswati, Lakshmi. In Goa, Bhagavati generally refers to the Mahishasurmardini form of Shakti, Bhagavati is worshiped as one of the Panchayatana deity in most of the Goan temples. List of Hindu temples in Kerala List of temples in Goa Goan temple Panorkavu
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Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha
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Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha is a 1989 epic Malayalam film directed by Hariharan, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, and starring Mammootty, Balan K. Nair, Suresh Gopi, Madhavi, Geetha and Captain Raju. The film won four National Film Awards including Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design, in a 2013 IBN poll it was voted one of the greatest Indian films of all time. The film is based on a legend about the Chekavar warriors of present day north Malabar who practise the art form Kalaripayattu. The film portrays the legend in a different light, according to the legend, Aromal Chekavar, a well-known warrior, lost his life after a duel in which his sword broke off at the hilt during the fight. The metal rivets holding the blade to the hilt had been replaced with ones by his trusted ally. Chandu is said to have betrayed his cousin because he was jealous of Aaromals popularity, the story was filmed numerous times in the early black-and-white era. Though the language of the black and white era was generally heavily melodramatic, in Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha, the film is set in 16th-century northern Kerala. The plot unfolds at Puthooram, the house of great Kannappan Chekavar, Kannappan Chekavar adopts the son of his estranged sister when the boy loses both his parents and brings him to Puthooram to live and learn with his cousins. The orphan boy, Chandu, a learner, earns the love. As they grow up Chandu is betrothed to Chekavars daughter, Unniyarcha, several events unfold where in Chandu finds himself being pushed to the corner by his cousin. He flees to the kalari under the guidance of Tulunadan expert, Chandu has to recount only losses in his life, as Aromal ensures his sister is not married to Chandu. He even deceives Chandu by usurping and marrying Kunjinooli, who was in love with Chandu, the heartbroken Chandu moves ahead and continues to master the art of Kalari Payattu from Aringodar. On wedding day of Aromal, Unniyarcha invites Chandu to her room, however Unniyarcha’s husband, the eunuch Kunjiraman sees them. Unniyarcha, the clever vixen that she is, convinces her husband that Chandu broke into her room as she was awaiting the arrival of Kunjiraman, Chandu gets a sobriquet, Womanizer Chandu. A dejected Chandu finds solace in Kunji, Aringodar’s daughter, feudal lord Unnichandror arrives at the footsteps of Aringodar and invites him to represent his cause in an angam against mooppu feud with his brother Unnikonar. Unnikonar, in turn, invites Aromal to represent him, Chandu is now caught in a dilemma, when his uncle requests him to play second hand to Aromal in the angam against his teacher Aringodar. Unniyarcha also appears and offers to live with Chandu if he assists Aromal to win against Aringodar, a tempted Chandu, decides to second Aromal. Chandu takes on the task of revitalizing Aromals swords by providing them for treatment to the blacksmith, however, Kunji, Aringodar’s daughter, bribes the blacksmith and makes them brittle
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Mammootty
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Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer best known for his work in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning three decades, he has acted in over 350 films. Mammootty was a lawyer by profession, after establishing himself as a lead actor in the 1980s, he got his major breakthrough with the commercial success of the 1987 film New Delhi. He has won 3 National Film Awards for Best Actor,7 Kerala State Film Awards, in 1998, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contributions towards the arts. He has also received honorary degrees from the University of Kerala in January 2010. Mammootty is the chairman of Malayalam Communications, which runs the Malayalam television channels Kairali TV, People TV and he is also the goodwill ambassador of the Akshaya project, the first district-wide e-literacy project in India. He is the patron of the Pain and Palliative Care Society and he has also been working with the Pain and Palliative Care Centre situated in Kozhikode, India. His father, Ismail, was a farmer and his mother, Fatima and he has two younger brothers, Ibrahimkutty and Zakariah and three younger sisters, Ameena, Sauda, and Shafina. Mammootty had his education from Govt. Later Mammoottys father shifted his family to Ernakulam in the 1960s and his school life was at St. Alberts School and Government School Ernakulam. He did his pre-university course at Sacred Heart College, Thevara and he attended Maharajas College, Ernakulam for his degree. He graduated with a LL. B. from Government Law College, Mammootty practiced law for two years in Manjeri. Mammootty married Sulfath on 1979 and has a daughter, Surumi, Mammoottys younger brother Ibrahimkutty is an actor in Malayalam films and Malayalam TV serials. Ibrahimkuttys son Maqbool Salmaan is also a film actor, Mammoottys debut was in the 1971 film Anubhavangal Paalichakal directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan. His second film was Kaalachakram, a 1973 Malayalam film directed by K. Narayanan, in 1979, he played his first lead role in Devalokam, directed by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. However, this film was never completed and his first release was the 1980 film, Vilkkanundu Swapnangal, directed by Azad, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. Mammoottys first starring role in a film was the 1980 film Mela, written and directed by K. G. George Mammootty films of the 1980s include Sphodanam, Munnettam. In 1981, he got his first state award in the Best Supporting Actor category for his performance in Ahimsa and his performances included Aalkkoottathil Thaniye and Adiyozhukkukal
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Elephants in Kerala culture
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This article covers the role of elephants in the culture of Kerala state, southern India. Elephants found in Kerala, the Indian Elephants, are one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant. Since 1986, Asian Elephant has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 25,600 to 32,750 in the wild. The species is threatened by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. Along with a population of wild elephants, Kerala has more than seven hundred elephants in captivity. Most of them are owned by temples and individuals and they are used for religious ceremonies in and around the temples, and some churches and mosques also, and a few elephants work at timber yards. Elephants in Kerala are often referred to as the sons of the sahya, as the State Animal, the elephant is featured on the emblem of the Government of Kerala state, taken from the Royal Arms of both Travancore and Cochin. Most of the Hindu temples in Kerala own elephants, the majority of which are donated by devotees, the famous Guruvayur temple has more than 60 elephants. The worlds only Elephant Palace is constructed in Punnattur Kotta,3 km from the Guruvayur temple, a famous elephant, named Guruvayur Kesavan, belonged to this temple. Almost all of the festivals in Kerala include at least one richly caparisoned elephant. Elephants carry the deity during annual festival processions and ceremonial circumnambulations in the Hindu temples, the temple elephants are decorated with gold plated caparisons, bells, and necklaces. People mounted on the elephants hold tinselled silk parasols up high, swaying white tufts, seventeen elephants are engaged for the daily ceremonial rounds to the accomplishment of Pancari Melam in Kudalmanikyam temple. The headgear of seven of these elephants is made of gold and rest of pure silver. Many elephants are featured in the legends of Kerala. Aitihyamala by Kottarattil Sankunni was written in eight volumes, each ending with a story or legend about a famous elephant. Each elephant has three mahouts, called paappan in the Malayalam language, the most important duty of the mahouts is to bathe and massage the elephant with small rocks, and the husk of coconuts. In the monsoon season, the elephants undergo Ayurvedic rejuvenation treatments which include decoctions with herbs and it is called Sukha Chikitsa in the Malayalam language. Mahouts may be classified into three types, called in the Sanskrit language, Reghawan, Those who use love to control their elephants, yukthiman, Those who use ingenuity to outsmart them
India
