Culture, History, Places

The Oldest Lighthouse – Olakannesvara temple

Which is the oldest lighthouse in India? The Olakannesvara temple, an 8th century Siva temple in Mamallapuram, is one contender for the title. According to local legend, this structure served as a beacon guiding sailors over 1200 years ago.

Image attributions

1.Pagodas at Mahabalipuram

John Landseer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_Salt_-_Pagodas_at_Mahabalipuram.jpg

2.Lithograph of Olakkanesvara temple from James Fergusson’s ‘Illustrations of the Rock Cut Temples of India’

Dibdin, Thomas Colman (1810-1893), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1839_lithograph_of_a_structural_temple_on_top_of_a_cave_temple_in_Mamallapuram,_Tamil_Nadu_India.jpg

3.Olakkanneshvara Temple above the Mahishasuramardhini Cave temple, Mahabalipuram

Nicholas and Company, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Durga_temple_or_Olakkanneshvara_Temple_above_the_Mahshasuramardhhini_Cave_temple.jpg

4.The Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram

Tanay Agarwal, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Shore_Temple,_Mahabalipuram.png

5.Aerial view of Olakkanesvara Temple, Mahabalipuram

Preeti Prajapati, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aerial_view_of_Olakkanesvara_Temple,_Mahabalipuram.jpg

Tags: Mamallapuram, Olakannesvara Temple, Oldest Lighthouse, Pallavas, Siva Temple

India’s first sports superstar | Dhyan Chand

This young sepoy’s sporting achievements are so remarkable that his birthday is celebrated as National Sports Day in India. This is the story of hockey legend, Jhansi’s Dhyan Chand.

History, Places, Religions

The Jain temples of Deogarh | Uttar Pradesh

How did a small town in Bundelkhand become a pilgrimage site for Jains? Deogarh’s Karnali Fort houses a remarkable complex of 31 Jain temples with over 2,000 sculptures from the 8th to the 17th centuries.

Mythology, Places, Religions, Uncategorized

Kunjapuri Devi Shakti Peeth | Uttarakhand

The Kunjapuri Mata Mandir, nestled high up in the Shivalik mountains in Uttarakhand, is a temple dedicated to the mother goddess and is one of the Shakti Peethas in the Indian subcontinent. What is a Shakti Peeth?

Culture, History

The Story of Indian Scripts – Part 1 | The cave inscriptions of Mamallapuram

Which are the oldest languages and scripts in India? Is there a mother of all scripts, in a land that is as diverse and variegated as India? What similarities or differences exist between the south Indian scripts, and do they have anything in common with the ones used in north India? The first of this two-part video story explores these fascinating questions and more as it traces the evolution of Indian scripts over the last 2500 years.

History, Mythology, Religions

The Somaskanda sculptures: The story of the missing Ganesha

What can a popular icon tell us about the religious landscape of the territories ruled by the Pallava dynasty 1400 years ago? This video explores the story of the Somaskanda, a divine family portrait that seems to be missing an important member.

Culture, Religions

A Story of Two Indian Festivals

Rakhsha Bandhan, or Rakhi, is a popular festival in north India. Onam is the most important festival for the state of Kerala in south India. One celebrates the special bond between brothers and sisters; the other celebrates the return of a much-loved king. But what connects these two completely different festivals?

Culture, History, Places

Krishna’s Butterball, Mamallapuram – the mystery, myths and the history

In Mamallapuram, there is a big rock that stands precariously on a slippery incline. No one, no king or commoner, have been able to move this rock or roll in the past 1200 years. Who put this rock there? There are many stories and myths surrounding it.

History, People, Places

Why is Vivekananda Museum called the Ice House of Madras? | Chennai

In the 1800s, the British in Chennai had no way to cool down during Indian summers. The many layers of their clothes didn’t help either. But an enterprising American found a way for the British to stay cool. He sent them ice. But how did ice survive a journey from America to Chennai’s Vivekananda House or the Ice House? This is that hot story.

Places

Mamallapuram

Mamallapuram has had many different names. Each of its name has a meaning. After all those changes, today it is back to being called Mamallapuram.