With at least 3 marriages in my grandmother's family tree (apparently) in as many generations conducted within /b/ 1805 and 1853, this most historic bldg. in this historic city features more often than any other I know of as a setting for such events in my mother's family history. (See below.)

- "St John's Kirk is the oldest standing building in Perth, and is one of the most important parish kirks in Scotland. It was first mentioned in 1126, and has played a central part in the life of the burgh. The original building was completed by 1241, when the Kirk was dedicated by the Bishop of St Andrews, but it has undergone many alterations since then. In 1440 a new choir was built, now the oldest remaining part of the building. The nave was rebuilt later in the century.

- "The best known incident to take place [here] was John Knox's sermon against idolatry, preached on May 11, 1559. Some of the congregation (Knox referred to them as "the rascal multitude") took him at his word, stoned the priest, stripped the church of all its fittings and ornaments, then ran to the Greyfriars, Blackfriars, and Charterhouse monasteries and stripped them down to their bare walls. [Wtf?] After the reformation, partitions were erected to divide the church into 3, the East, Middle and West Kirks, each with its own congregation and minister." www.perthcity.co.uk/attractions-and-leisure/buildings-mon... www.scottish-places.info/parishes/parhistory555.html My great x 3 grandparents (Mom's Mom's Mom's Dad's parents) and the bride's parents, my great 4 grandparents, were married in this church, specifically the 'East Church Parish'. (See below.)

- St. John's has the finest collection of post-Reformation church plate in Scotland. And the collection of medieval bells is the largest to have survived in Great Britain.

- Perth's old name 'St. John's town' was a reference to this kirk.

www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/perth/stjohnskirk/

- Here's a virtual 3D tour.: youtu.be/SXPN0PN4MSc?si=IBGZ4Ils7mS_-Kch

- maps.app.goo.gl/V2KJL8wKGXzs9Pv99

- maps.app.goo.gl/55vFf9AcKjUZcFtY7

- maps.app.goo.gl/N6vrcmNNfvFLKX516

- maps.app.goo.gl/vdTNXBTKWksW8sNv9

- maps.app.goo.gl/grdzSzqYgo67PmFR6

- maps.app.goo.gl/v9WpxLHrrCycu1BD9

- maps.app.goo.gl/YHsjm5tkAoR1S47g6

The following's only of interest to close family or to those on my Mom's Mom's side. (It's a dry repository of info. re my Mom's Mom's tree.):

- My great great grandparents (Mom's Mom's Dad's folks), George McLaren and Helen/Ellen Marshall, were married in Perth in 1853, but probably not in St. John's kirk as they were members of the 'Free Church', a popular denomination at the time, and although it was only 10 years old in 1853, there were a number of Free church bldg.s in and @ town back then. They were married by a Rev. Murdoch for what that's worth. But at least 2 or 3 couples a little further up my grandmother's tree were betrothed in this medieval pile (incl. my great grandmother's father's parents David Greig and Elizabeth Whittet in 1826, Elizabeth's parents Alexander Whittet and Helen/Nelly Mackie in 1805, and possibly my great grandmother's great great grandparents, her Mom's Dad's Dad John Menzies' folks in 1767.)

- "The Free Church of Scotland was formed in 1843 when most of the evangelical ministers in the Church of Scotland resigned because of state interference in its internal affairs. ... Under a system known as Patronage, landowners could nominate and present ministers to congregations, irrespective of whether those ministers were evangelical or even whether the congregation wanted them. This was regarded by many as totally unacceptable. ... The result was that in 1843, in what became known as 'The Disruption', [the] new denomination was formed. ... Immediately following the Disruption, Perth - 'where the Scottish Reformation first sprang from thought into action' - had 5 Free Church congregations." www.knoxchurchperth.com/history.html

GREIG - WHITTET - MACKIE

- A pair of great x 3 grandparents (Mom's Mom's Mom's Dad's folks), David Greig and Elizabeth "Whytock" (sic, Whittet), were married in Perth in this church a generation earlier in 1826, specifically in the 'East Church Parish' portion or division of it, as witnessed by church 'elder Robert Duncan'. I don't know of any ancestors in my tree who married younger. The groom was 16 or 17 and already a shoemaker, and the bride was 13 or 14 (more likely 14), but only if they both reported their ages accurately to census-takers in 1851, and if Elizabeth did so in 1861. Census records are contradictory as to whether their son Robert, my great great grandfather, was born in Perth or in Edinburgh, but most likely Edinburgh; 3 records indicate Perth and 2 Edinburgh, but those 2 are the earliest (neither is a baptismal record). If he misrepresented his place of birth as Perth, that could be a red flag that he wasn't proud of his childhood in Edinburgh or that he didn't have deep roots there. But his father David, the young groom, was born in Edinburgh. David and Elizabeth were both living in Perth in 1826, where he was "in the East Church Parish of Perth" and she was "in said Parish" per their marriage record. Elizabeth was born and/or raised in Inchture, Perthshire in the 'Carse of Gowry', much closer to Dundee than to Perth. Her family was living in Perth (per this church's register) when her elder and younger sisters were baptized in this church, so the family seems to have moved back and forth some. It's also possible that they commuted from Inchture for those baptisms and that the minister or registrar was careless or assumed the family was living in Perth when he indicated as much in those entries in the register (despite his impressive handwriting).

- Elizabeth's parents, Alexander Whittet and Helen/Nellie Mackie, were married in this church as well another generation earlier by the august Rev. James Scott. artuk.org/discover/artworks/reverend-james-scott-of-perth... They spent some time in Perth. Did one of them have roots here? (More re Elizabeth's parents below.)

- @ 15 yr.s later, the young couple David and Elizabeth Greig and their 6 kids, of whom great great granddad was the eldest, were living in 'the Northback of Canongate' in Edinburgh, a crowded slum then, while David worked as a 'Bootcloser'. www.watercolourworld.org/collections/8ee47a53-02c0-3ba8-9... 10 yr.s later, he'd become a 'Master' shoemaker employing 2 people (incl. his son, great great granddad, I think, an apprentice 10 yr.s earlier) and the family had moved to an apt. in the "3rd House Right hand" in Skinner's close on the High st. at its west end in the "Parish of Tron church" (another slum then but the ultimate in prime real estate today), a low entrance to which is now covered by a convex mirror.: www.tiktok.com/@andy_highlander/video/7208633282970340614 www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/8193/skinners-c... www.google.com/maps/@55.9489106,-3.195509,3a,90y,353.68h,... (The impressive courtyard behind the entrance isn't on google maps.) My great x 3 grandmother Elizabeth's death record indicates both Skinner's Close and 64 High st. further east as her address (?). She was living as a widow in a small apt. at 64 High st. 2 yr.s earlier at age 48.

GREIG (and possibly REID, RUSSELL, FORBES, YOUNG, SHORT, REEKIE and PATERSONE)

- Genealogy can be a vice. The following lengthy series of paragraphs re the Greig branch of my tree, from a few paragraphs down to that with the heading MENZIES, is a bit like a difficult Sudoku where you make a 50/50 guess here and there, but more than once or twice leads you astray. I can and will compare the names of siblings of 'candidates' for ancestors with the names of their parents and grandparents in light of Scottish naming traditions (time-consuming), but otherwise the upper reaches of this tree are too speculative and I should edit the following way down. I revisited the Whittet-Mackie side of my tree (see below) and was reminded by those ancestors who lived in the early days of the Scottish census that as often as not baptism and marriage records are NOT extant. If not for those early censuses and the great statutory death records, I might've run with the "best candidates" and barked way up the wrong family tree(s). There are clues to look for, and I'm pretty sure I found some good ones in the McLaren branch (see below and see if you don't agree), but researching the "best candidate" w/o more to go on is wishful thinking. I'll delete most of the following re the Greig tree when I'm done, but I'll take a break too. (Why so much speculation you ask? I'm interested in the Greig branch of my tree what with the history of the clan MacGregor, which I write about here: www.flickr.com/photos/97924400@N00/9971315903/in/photostr... , and wondered if I could find results that reach back towards the early 17th cent. I'm also encouraged by the quality of the records in Edinburgh, and David Greig is the only one of my grandmother's great grandparents who was born in the city [as far as I know] and so he might well have roots there.)

- Census-takers reported twice that my great x 3 grandfather David Greig was born in Edinburgh, once that he was 41 in 1851 (going on 42 later that year?) and that his wife Elizabeth was 38. They were both 30 in 1841, but adults' ages were rounded up or down to the nearest 5 that year. So it appears that David was born in 1809 or 1810, assuming that David knew how old he was. 3 David Greigs were baptized in the city /b/ 1808 and 1811, 5 /b/ 1800 and 1820. I found 3 of the 5 in official death records and a 4th with 'Find a Grave', and none are a match. The only possible exception in extant records was sired by Robert Greig "Weaver Mint" and Janet REID in the parish of 'St. Cuthbert's' in Jan., 1807, again 2 years too old if David knew his DoB. It's not unlikely that David's baptism record isn't extant. None of the 23 David Greigs born /b/ 1800 and 1820 in Scotland who died after 1855 are a match, and the 3 Davids who appear in Church death records (typically very spotty) /b/ 1850 and 1855 don't match either.

- Re the Mint: the former premises of "the Royal Mint of Scotland ... in Edinburgh housed various trades in the early 19th cent. ... The Mint was located in South Gray's Close (aka Mint Close) off the Cowgate/South Bridge area." (Google A.I.) St. Cuthbert's is a famous church below the castle at the west end of Prince's st. gardens, and the parish was a large one that stretched to the north and south of the church. But South Gray's close is central, just @ the block from 59 Blackfriar's where my great grandmother and her family lived when she was a girl in the 1870s.

- No marriage record is extant for Robert Greig and Janet Reid in Scotland /b/ 1760 and 1808, nor a baptism record for any sibling of their son David.

- At least 55 Robert Greigs were baptized /b/ 1750 and 1792 in Scotland (many in Fife), 3 in Midlothian, 1 in Inveresk and 2 in St. Cuthbert's, Edinburgh in 1756 and 1782 (age 25 in 1807). The latter was sired by David Greig, "Weaver at Bell's Mill Steps" and Isobella RUSSELL, who have an interesting marriage record (1775) "in the Session of St. Cuthbert's".: They "voluntarily compeared [compear = "to appear in court personally or by attorney" in Scots law] before the session - being interrogate acknowledged their clandestine marriage - produced lines to that effect dated Edin. 11th November 1775. Signed [signature] one Charles Johnson as Min.r gave proof of their being single persons prior to the date of said clandestine marriage - were declared married persons rebuked exhorted and dismissed." (Strange but boilerplate, 4 of 5 entries on the page are in the same wording. "Clandestine marriages" were to be "rebuked", etc.) David and Isobella sired at least 6 kids /b/ 1777 and 1787. IF Robert Greig was also born in Midlothian, and if the records pertaining to this branch of my tree are extant to 1750, then it appears that this David Greig and Isobella Russell were my great x 5 grandparents (Mom's Mom's Mom's Dad's Dad's Dad's folks).

- "Bell's Mills was a historic milling site located on the 'Water of Leith' near Belford rd. in the Dean Village area of Edinburgh [one of the loveliest, most popular spots in the city]. The area featured a water mill - the last to operate on the river - which was destroyed in an explosion in 1971. The site, featuring steep steps leading down to the water and the nearby Bell's Brae, is now a residential area near the Dean Village." (Google A.I.) youtube.com/shorts/Ek-g5TlF5dA?si=b4LySjelC8KFzxBH

- At least 351 Janet/Jannet/Jane Reids (!) were baptized /b/ 1760 and 1792 in Scotland, 38 in Midlothian, 27 in Edinburgh, 5 in St. Cuthbert's, 12 in Edinburgh /b/ 1776 and 1792 (a better match with the candidate for Robert above [for what it's worth], but 12 is a lot) incl. 1 in St. Cuthbert's, sired in 1785 (22 in 1807) by Peter Reid, "Clerk of the Customs in the Grass Market," and Margaret Scede. "Peter Reid, Clerk of the Customs, and Sheep Flakes ["racks or open wicker cages used to hold fodder for sheep during winter" {Google A.I.}] in Grass Market, Edin.r, Residenter in Fountain Briggs [{sic, Fountainbridge} married] Margaret Seede Law.l Daur. of the Deceased Robert Seede, Gardener in Abbeyhill, pres.t Residenter in Canongate ..." in 1781. (I worked as a duty counsel for years on a per diem basis and would occasionally note a connection /b/ a surname on the docket and the crime alleged. Eg.s - Upper, Purchase, Hardware, Felato -> Drug charges, shoplifting, weapons charges, and Soliciting for prostitution [pre-2013], respectively. When everyone you meet makes the same jokes all your life when they learn your name, it can play with your head. The same dynamic applies to professional choices, etc.) Margaret's parents were "Rob.t Seed Gardiner in Abbeyhill & Giles McIntyre" in Leith South (per her brothers' baptism records). At least 3 Peter Reids were baptized in Edinburgh /b/ 1745 and 1766, 2 in St. Cuthbert's. But Janet Reid was too common a name in Edinburgh in the late 18th cent. (again 12 in that 16 yr. window), and I think it's too speculative to research her tree further (and Peter and Margaret might've been too established to have a weaver for a son-in-law, what with the vicious classism of the time, and which persists over there).

- At least 41 David Greigs were baptized in Scotland /b/ 1731 and 1761, 4 in Midlothian/Edinburgh, 3 in St. Cuthbert's in 1736 (39 in 1775), 1745 and 1751 (24 in '75), and 1 in "Edinburgh" (the High st.?) in 1734 (41 in '75). The latter 2 in St. Cuthbert's were both sired by Robert Greig, a "Shoemaker in [the] Pleasants" in 1751 (a "Cordiner" in 1743 [a name for cobblers in Edinburgh who worked with leather imported from Cordoba]), and Grissell/Grizell FORBES, who married in 1742 at St. Cuthbert's and sired 8 kids /b/ 1743 and 1761. (I assume their elder son David passed away.) IF David Greig of 'Bell's Mills Steps' was born in Midlothian and if the record for his baptism is extant, the son of Robert Greig and Grizell Forbes appears to be a match.

- Isobella Russell was the "Daughter of James Russell weaver there" (at 'Bell's Mill steps'). 19 baptism records are extant for an Isabel/Isobel/etc. Russel/Russell sired by a James, 3 in Midlothian, 2 in Edinburgh, incl. one from 1753 for an Isobell who appears to be a match, the daughter of "James Russell weaver in Waters of Leiths and spouse Elisabeth YOUNG ... witness John & George Young weavers @ Dean haugh". James and Elisabeth's unusually informative marriage record of 1751 reveals that James married the boss's niece or cousin. He was a "Weaver Servant [apprentice?] to George Young, Water of Leith ..." Isobell was one of 9 siblings baptized at "Bells Milns", the "Waters of Leith", "@ Dean", St. Cuthbert's, Edinburgh /b/ 1751 and 1770.

- At least 4 infants named Robert Greg, no Greigs (although two had siblings named Greig) were baptized in Midlothian /b/ 1697 and 1727, all in Edinburgh, 1 in 1711 in Leith South (near the docks; sired by Thomas Greg/Greig and Rachel Reekie), 2 in 1719 and 1723 in Liberton (a few miles south of 'the Pleasance'; their fathers married as "Gregg"), and 1 in "Edinburgh" in 1726. At least 11 Robert Greigs and 1 Greige were baptized in Scotland /b/ 1697 and 1727, 6 in Fife, 5 in neighbouring co.s and 1 near the village of 'Unthank' in Aberdeenshire. Per their marriage record of 1742, "Robert ... [was] in Pleasants" and "Grissell ... daughter to Alex.r Forbes in Berwick, now in this parish." Again, after a move Grissell/Grizell was "now in [the] parish", while Robert was "in Pleasants", which seems to imply by omission that he was born and raised in Edinburgh (but maybe not). "Thomas Greig Weaver" was a frequent witness at the baptisms of Robert and Grissell's kids, and Thomas Greg/Gregg and Rachel REEKIE (nope, not the most glamourous of surnames) also sired a Thomas Greig in 1720. His brother Robert is the sole candidate of the 16 (4 + 12) in extant baptism records to have a brother named Thomas. Per the baptism record of his youngest brother in 1722, his father Thomas was a "Weaver in Pleasants". In light of these points and as 2 of his siblings were baptized as Greigs, it appears that this Robert, the son of Thomas Greg/Greig and Rachel Reeky/Reekie, baptized in 1711, married Grissell Forbes in 1742 and sired David Greig, cordiner in the "Pleasants", in 1743.

- Only 1 record is extant for the baptism of a Grissell/Grizell/Grissil sired by an Alexander Forbes in Scotland /b/ 1690 and 1730, in Wemyss, Fife, but none in Berwick (the city of 'North Berwick' of Berwick witch-trials [1590] infamy? youtu.be/ZtNu6Xfv6fo?si=ezccBHX6gC3WFos7 ) or Berwickshire, and no record is extant for the marriage of an Alexander Forbes in Berwickshire /b/ 1650 and 1760. "Archbald [sic] son to Alexander Forbes in Wadderlie" (aka Wedderlie, "a prominent estate and house located in the parish of Westruther in the co. of Berwickshire" 40-50 km.s SE of Edinburgh) was baptized in 1717 and might have been a brother or a cousin. Early 18th cent. "records mention an Alexander Forbes who was a doctor of medicine and may have had legal or financial ties to that estate." [Google A.I.]) The reference to Grissell's father in her marriage record might indicate that he was notable, but a medical doctor was highly unlikely to have a cordiner for a son-in-law then, again what with the odious British classism. In any case, either Grissell/Grizell's baptism record is missing or she was sired in 1718 (24 in 1742) by "Alexander Forbes weaver in Mothil hill" (Methilhill, on the banks of the Leven and "suggested to mean "middle church," referring to its position /b/ Markinch and Wemyss" - Google A.I.) and Helen GOODALE in the parish of Wemyss, Fife, a 25-20 km. boat-ride from North Berwick across the mouth of the Forth. That Alexander was a "weaver in Wester Wooms" (Wester Wemyss) and Helen was in Methilhill when they married in Wemyss in 1717. Alexander, Helen and their family could only have sailed for Berwickshire from Fife after the birth of their daughter Janet in 1727 in Kirkcaldy. Grissil had 2 siblings, Janet and Margaret (1721), but no record is extant for the marriage of a Janet or a Margaret Forbes in Berwickshire, nor in Wemyss nor Kirkcaldy, Fife /b/ 1735 and 1777.

- The only record of the baptism of an Alexander Forbes in Wemyss (or anywhere w/in 25 km.s of Wemyss) /b/ 1670 and 1703 was that of the son of Alexander Forbes Sr. and Ewhpem (sic) GARDNER in 1688 (29 in 1717). No marriage record is extant for Alexander Sr. and Ewphem, but baptism records are extant for Alexander Jr.'s sisters Cathren (1683), Katharin (1685 [Cathren must have died in infancy]) and Margaret in 1691.

- 7 baptism records are extant for a Helen/Helene Goodale/Goodaill in Scotland /b/ 1660 and 1703, but only 1 in Fife, in Auchtermuchty, > 20 km.s north of Wemyss, sired in 1665 by an Alexander Goodaill and, coincidentally (?) a Geils RIKIE (see Rachel Reekie/Rikie below), and 6 in Haddingtonshire (East Lothian today). Alexander and Geils/Geilles also sired James in 1661, and Jaine (sic) in Pitmarry, Auchtermuchty parish, in 1664. "Andrew Rikie", a witness at the latter baptism, is noted as Alexander's "brother in law". ("Geilles" is a "Reikie" and Andrew is a "Rikie" in the same entry.) Alexander Goodeall (sic) married Geillis Rikie, "both in [the] parish" of Auchtermuchty, in 1659.

- 30 records are extant for the baptism of an Alexander Forbes in Scotland (many in Aberdeen) /b/ 1630 and 1669, 3 in Fife, but none within 25 clicks of Wemyss. A Euffon Garden was baptized in Longforgan in 1652, Euphin Gardiner sired by a Thomas in 1669 and Ewpham Gardiner sired by a William, both in Errol, Euphem Gardner in Dalkeith in 1660, and a Eupham Gardner in Dundee in 1661, but none w/in 30 km.s of Wemyss. Oh well.

- At least 4 Alexander Goodaills were baptized in Scotland /b/ 1615 and 1645, 1 in Angus, 3 south of the Forth, but none in Fyfe. No baptism record is extant for anyone with a name resembling Geils Rikie/Reikie/etc. /b/ 1600 and 1650, but 11 baptisms were held for infants named Rikie in Scotland /b/ 1628 and 1669, 10 in Fife, incl. 5 in Auchtermuchty /b/ 1650 and '54 sired by Robert Rikie, Andrew Rikie and Christian Smyth, and 3 by Henrie Rikie and Margaret Mair (for what that's worth). youtu.be/5DQHmFx3sHY?si=U6704F4cpuViW3Va

- James Russell was the son of "William Russell weaver there" at 'Water of Leith' per James' marriage record. At least 24 infants named James Russell were sired by William Russells in Scotland /b/ 1710 and 1737, 4 in Midlothian, 2 in Edinburgh, 1. the son of "William Russell poultryman & Marg.t Lennox" of Leith North in 1721, and 2. the son of "William Russell weaver in Lochend and Isabell SHORT" in Leith South in 1730. The latter for the son of a weaver is clearly the best candidate for a match. "In the early 18th cent., Lochend was located in the rural, eastern portion of the parish of South Leith, characterized by the large estate and loch of the same name ... near the village of Restalrig and east of the developing town of Leith." James had two younger brothers, William Jr. (1732) and George (1736).

- When William married Isabell in 1729, she was a "Servant to the Laird of Dirletown", a village and castle in East Lothian, @ 31 km.s east of Edinburgh. The said Laird was then 'William Nisbet, younger of Dirleton', who "resided at Archerfield House, as Dirleton castle [a medieval fortress] had been ruined [by Cromwell] in the 1650 siege". Palatial, Downton-Abbey-esque Archerfield house is pimped out today (like every one of the U.K.'s umpteen estates, etc.) as a wedding venue, luxury resort, etc. youtu.be/qE2JApHwe8s?si=EzOS2UGT-f3juXix

- Elizabeth Young was the "young daughter [of] Andrew Young shoemaker in Edinburgh" per her marriage record. At least 8 infants named Elizabeth/Elisabeth Young were sired by an Andrew Young /b/ 1710 and 1737, 2 in Midlothian, 1 in Edinburgh sired by Andrew Young and Jean Nuckle in Cramond (a suburb) in 1727, the 2nd of at least 5 siblings. Andrew's profession is omitted on all 5 records as well as on the record of his marriage in 1719 to Jean Nuccoll "in the parish of Alloa". Cramond's at the outskirts of greater Edinburgh and I'd expect Elizabeth's marriage record to specify that Andrew was from there if he was. (It's lovely, I visited my great Ena there in '85 and toured the low ruins of Roman walls.) I think it's more likely her baptism record isn't extant or that her family moved to the city when she was young.

- At least 118 infants named William Russell/Russall/etc. were baptized in Scotland /b/ 1685 and 1715, 12 in Midlothian, 10 in Edinburgh incl. 1 in St. Cuthbert's and 4 in Leith South. 2 good candidates for the husband of Isabell Short and the father of James Russell are 1. a William sired in 1702 by "Ninian Russell woivor [sic, weaver] at Loghend [sic] & Bessie Hall his spouse" and 2. another William sired in 1712 by another "Ninian Russell woivor [sic] in Lochend now abroad & Joan BORTHWICK his spouse.'' Either 2 cousins in Lochend named Ninian, both weavers, have sired 2 more cousins, or Ninian sired a William with his first wife, that child passed away, and he remarried and sired a 2nd William in 1712.

- At least 10 infants named Isabel/Isobell Short were baptized in Scotland /b/ 1690 and 1715, none in Haddingtonshire/East Lothian, and only 1 in Midlothian/Edinburgh, sired by David Short, Tanner, and Barbara HOME/Hoam in 1695. No marriage record is extant for this couple. Isobell was the eldest of 5 siblings.

- At least 3 David Shorts (and one Shortus) were baptized in Scotland /b/ 1651 and 1681, 2 in Midlothian, 1 in Edinburgh sired by a David Short Sr., "marikin dresser" (?) and Issobell (sic) WATT in 1672. (One of the witnesses was a "marikin dresser" too. "Marikin" might derive from maroquin, a type of leather.) David Sr. and Issobell married in Edinburgh in 1667, and David Jr. had 6 siblings (1668 - 1681; David's marikin dressing supported a family of 8).

- Barbara Home was sired by a William Home, merchant, and Catharine DEANS in Edinburgh in 1667. William and Catherine married earlier that year and sired at least 4 kids by 1672. (Witnesses incl. Alexander and David Home in 1672, and George and William Home, merchants, in 1669.)

- At least 1 infant named Katherine/Catharine/etc. Dean/Deans/etc. was baptized in Scotland /b/ 1627 and 1653, Catherine sired by George Deanes, advocat (lawyer) and Barbara CORSER/Corsar/Cossar in Edinburgh in 1641 (25-26 in 1667) and 1 of 12 siblings sired /b/ 1631 and '49. When George married Barbara in 1628, he was a "wreater", Scots for writer, a legal professional, specifically a "writer to the signet".

- At least 7 infants named William Home were baptized in Scotland /b/ 1635 and 1653 (William was a "young merchant" per the baptism of his son Alexander in 1672, so it's a safe bet he was younger than 33 when he married, likely no more than a few years older than his wife), ALL in Duns (!), Berwickshire. "The Home (or Hume) family, specifically the Home of Wedderburn branch, are a ... cadet branch of the Earls of Home, holding the historic seat of Wedderburn Castle near Duns, a 18th-cent. country house, after acquiring the land in the early 15th cent." (Google A.I.) The best candidates, in light of age alone, are a Williame (sic) sired by a William Home and Margaret Drysdell in 1636, William and Jenet Home in 1637, Sir William Home and Jennet Baillyie (sic) in 1641, Robert and Margrat (sic) Home in 1644 and David and Hellin Sinclar (sic) in 1644. The William sired by Sir William and Jennet Baillyie would be the same age as his wife Catherine, for what that's worth.

- At least 1 infant named Barbara Corser/Corsar/etc. was baptized in Scotland /b/ 1580 and 1617, sired in Edinburgh in 1610 by David Corser and Bessie LASOUN. No marriage record is extant for this couple, but they sired at least 7 kids in Edinburgh /b/ 1606 and 1620.

- At least 1 George Dean/Deanes/etc. was baptized in Scotland /b/ 1590 and 1617, sired by Williame (sic) Deanis and Jonet (sic) Reid in 1612, but way up in Aberdeen, and as at least 6 Deanes were baptized in that period in Midlothian (none extant elsewhere), 2 in Pencaitland in East Lothian, and 4 sired by 3 couples in Edinburgh, I'd wager that George the advocat was born south of the Forth.

-

- The ONLY extant bapt. record that might be a match for Rachel Reekie/Reeky /b/ 1560 and 1782 is for a Rachel Rikie sired by a Thomas Rikie in "cottowns [cottages] of Forret [hill]", Fife in 1686. She had 4 siblings incl. James Rikie, baptized in 1682. A James Reekie was a witness at a baptism of Thomas and Rachel's son Thomas Jr. in 1720 (the only Reekie who attended as a witness; no Gregs/Greigs).

- A Thomas Reikie (the only candidate for Rachel's father Thomas Rikie in marriage records) married Beatrix PATERSONE in Logie in 1660. A Thomas Reikie (the only candidate in Scotland), son of Thomas Reikie Sr., was baptized in Dysart in southern Fife in 1645. (The writing in these records resembles Arabic or the contents of some forbidding grimoire. Paper must have been very precious then.)

- My grandmother mentioned more than once that Edinburgh had been known as "Auld Reekie" (common knowledge today) for something of a stench in the unhygienic closes along the High st., and that residents would shout "Gardy loo!" (from the French "Gardez l'eau") as they'd pour their buckets of excrement, etc. out the windows in their closes. What would she say if I told her that her great x 5 grandmother (my great x 7 [!]; her Mom's Dad's Dad's Dad's Dad's Mom) might have been named Reekie (or Reikie/Reeky/etc.) herself? Per Google A.I., the surname "is of Scottish origin, primarily originating in Fife and Aberdeenshire as a habitational name or a diminutive of "Rickard" (a form of Richard). It likely derives from the Older Scots name Ricky or Reky, or references geographical locations like Reekie Linn. Historically, it is associated with smoky, foggy areas, possibly linked to the nickname for Edinburgh, "Auld Reekie"."

- "Thomas Greg" had been a "Serv.t [apprentice] to John Ochiltree weaver Burges of Eye" and "Rachel Reekie [was a] serv.t to Widow Stewart in Pleasants" when they married in June, 1708. They sired 6 kids /b/ 1711-1722, 1 in 'Caltoun', 2 at or near St. Ninian's chapel (both in Leith South), etc. and the youngest in 'Pleasants' south of the High st. Again the best (and only) candidate for his wife Rachel was born in 1686 (22 in 1708). I doubt that Thomas could have been > 3 yr.s younger than his wife, nor more than 10 years older. At least 10 infants named Thomas Greg/Grege/Gregg/Greig were baptized in Scotland /b/ 1676 and 1689, 5 in Midlothian, 4 in Edinburgh and 1 in Fife. The most interesting could be the son sired in 1688 by David Greig and Agnes Ballingall in "Carslogie ground", Monimail parish, Fife (the only one from Fife), "just west of Cupar", only @ 6 km.s SW of Forret hill, the home of Rachel Rikie, who was only 2 yr.s his senior and, again, the only candidate in extant records for Robert Greg's mother. A country road named "Main st." leads @ 4 km.s straight up across farmland from just north of Cupar to Forret hill. Is that too coincidental to be coincidental? But note that Robert Greg's parents married in St. Cuthbert's. At least 1 Thomas Greig was sired in St. Cuthbert's by a Thomas Greig Sr. and Margaret Watt, both "in [that] parish" when they married and who sired 2 kids in "Birsto [sic]", "the area known as the Bristo Port (gate), ... /b/ ... Grassmarket/Lauriston to the west and Nicolson St./Potterrow to the east". Nicolson st. is < 200 m.s west of Pleasance.

-

Again, I don't assume David knew his year of birth, but the 2-3 year gap and the fact that this candidate Robert was a weaver, not a cobbler (David was already a "Shoemaker" by the age of 16 or 17) weighs against him. Then again, I note that my great x 3 grandfather named his eldest son Robert, and that this candidate, Robert, was the son of a David.

- One of the 5 David Greigs I mentioned, the son of William Greig and Jane Adamson, was born in 1810 in "Jack's Land" in the 'Northback of Canongate', which again is where my great x 3 grandfather David and his family were living in 1841. So I wondered if William might be a relative, but I've researched his tree and haven't found a connection.

MENZIES (More below)

- Great great granddad's father-in-law (Mom's Mom's Mom's Mom's Dad), Archibald Menzies, was baptized in the city of Perth @ 20 yr.s earlier, but in 'the Gaelic chapel' built in 1787, which served Highlander immigrants to the city until the mid-19th-cent. Services were conducted in Gaelic there. (Archibald's mother hailed from a coastal town on the Firth of Moray not far east of Inverness [see below], and his father hailed from a gaelophone region in Perthshire, quite possibly in or @ Weem or Dull in north Perthshire.) The bldg.'s been the venue for a succession of night-clubs much more recently ('Electric Whispers' and 'ZOO Nightclub'), but was demolished in 2016. www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/perths-zoo-nightclub-to...

MARSHALL/MARSHAL - CHALMERS (and RORY/ROREY) - CAMERON

- My grandmother and both of her parents were born and raised in Edinburgh, but again 2 of her grandparents, her Dad's folks George McLaren Jr. and Helen/Ellen Marshall, were born in Perthshire. Her Dad's Mom's folks, Joseph Marshall/Marshal and Margaret Chalmers, were married in Auchtergaven aka Bankfoot, a town north of Perth (Margaret's hometown) and lived as newlyweds in Methven, a town only 6-8 clicks west of Perth (Joseph's hometown evidently) in the mid-1820s, but were back living in Bankfoot 15 yr.s later. youtu.be/1S30LCwC6GY?si=WlB0G9vi1xpvINCC While Margaret was raised in that town, she was born in Ireland to a James Chalmers and an Agnes Cameron, and was 3 or 4 years of age when her young family moved to Bankfoot in 1802 or 1803. But an extant baptismal record for a James sired by a David Chalmers (from Bankfoot) and a Margaret Rorey/Rory (from 'Little Dunkeld' youtube.com/shorts/lF9_mipSUVg?si=rvvPQt2hb234gBIE where Niel Gow is buried www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GEcRirHlqE&list=RD3GEcRirHlq... ) in 1771 in Bankfoot (specifically 'Coltrannie', the site of a farm on the outskirts of town and of a tower named Coldrayny or Koldrayny in the 16th cent. www.stravaiging.com/history/castle/coltrannie/ ) seems to be a match for her father. (It's an exact match for his age per his tombstone; he named his first son David; and Chalmers were in abundance in Bankfoot in the 1770s, incl. another James born in 1775. I haven't found any Chalmers in the Irish records, but which are as patchy as they are following the fire in the archives in Dublin in 1922. [Baptisms and marriages of Presbyterians were only recognized in Ireland if performed by a minister of the 'Church of Ireland' until as late as the mid-19th cent. - !] "There were 81 with [that] surname in Ireland in 1911" according to barrygriffin.com.) If the baptismal record's a match (and I think it is), James had travelled to Ireland (to find work? or a wife? see below) where he likely met and married great x 4 grandma Agnes Cameron, sired Margaret and 2 of her sisters there, and then moved his family back to his home in Bankfoot where he and Agnes sired 9 more kids. Cameron is a Scots surname ("There were 860 with [that] surname in Ireland in 1911" per barrygriffin.com), Margaret's parents were Presbyterian and skilled workers in the linen-weaving industry, which in Ireland in @ 1800 was based in 3 co.s in Ulster, Scots-Irish 'plantation country', and 2 contiguous co.s to the south and west, and so it's likely the young Chalmers family were living in Co. Antrim or Down before they moved to Bankfoot. It follows that if Agnes Cameron was Irish, and again it's likely she was, she was almost certainly 'Scots-Irish'.

- My grandmother said that her paternal grandmother Helen/Ellen Marshall was Irish in response to questions and in a tone of admission in a discussion at the table with my Mom in our home in the late 80s. She said her mother "didn't like her mother-in-law because she was Irish", to paraphrase. (She didn't say much about the Irish in Edinburgh, just enough to give the impression that they had a poor reputation as impoverished people who would beg for $. "Irish immigrants were frequently blamed [in early 20th cent. Scotland] for social problems like overcrowding, disease, crime, and drunkenness, even though these issues stemmed from the poverty and poor housing conditions they were forced to endure." [Google A.I.] I'm very proud of my Irish roots on my Dad's side, myself.) My grandmother was honest (e.g., she was candid about her grandmother's death from a tapeworm infection), and had told this to my Mom years earlier evidently. (Mom said that the Scots and Irish are "really the same people, you know".) But she was wrong on two counts. 1. Again, the records reveal that her grandmother was born and raised in Perthshire; rather, it was HER mother Margaret who was born, but not raised, in Ireland, and it seems it was Margaret's mother Agnes who was Irish or 'Scots-Irish' while, again, Margaret's father James was Scots. If so, my grandmother's tree was 1/16th Irish or 'Scots-Irish'. (It's also possible, but much less likely, that Agnes was Scots and married James somewhere in Scotland [she didn't hail from Bankfoot] before moving with him to Ireland to start their young family. James would've done well to travel to Ulster to look for a wife where he would've been a catch in the 1790s for any young Scots-Irish woman with an interest in emigrating. The Scots-Irish experienced economic hardship then, and Presbyterians were subject to religious discrimination in Ulster [c/o the 'Popery Act' of 1704], but not in Scotland [of course].) And 2. Her mother wouldn't have known her mother-in-law in any event as all my grandmother's grandparents had died before her parents were married. The kernel of truth in this might be that my grandmother heard her mother tease her father or gossip about his mother's Irish roots without knowing much about them, or my grandmother might have misapprehended her mother's information. My Uncle Mac believed that the McLaren clan was Gaelic in origin (i.e. from Dal Riata, SW Scotland and considered [then] to have 6th cent. roots in Ireland), while the MacGregors had (the more indigenous) Pictish roots, which might've been a point of pride for my great grandmother, whether or not it's true. And it's common for a parent to promote a sense of pride in their own heritage relative to that of their spouse in the ongoing competition for filial love, which we might consider to be a mild form of 'parental alienation' today (if that's not being unkind to my great grandmother). It's likely my great grandmother would've heard of her husband's great grandmother Agnes Cameron, for his mother Ellen, Agnes' granddaughter, had been taken in by her by the age of 12 and was living with her and 3 of her own daughters in Bankfoot while Agnes was a widow of 60 and continued to work as a 'Linen yard wind', and while Ellen's 2 elder and 4 younger siblings continued to live with her parents (which raises questions). I wonder if Agnes and her daughters (25, 20 and 20) might've been better able to support Ellen than Ellen's parents, whose hands were full with their 6 other kids. But Ellen was working as a 'Linen yard wind' then too (at 12!). Hmmm. I strongly suspect that my great aunt Agnes, my grandmother's eldest sister, was named after her father's hospitable Scots-Irish great grandmother. All the puzzle-pieces fit if so. (Btw, I think it was in that same discussion at the table that my grandmother recalled seeing Chinese women with their tiny bound feet down at the docks in Leith when she was a girl.)

- Great x 3 grandma Margaret's (much) younger sister Helen's middle name was Wyllie, for James Wylie I think who inherited the Airleywright Estate in Auchtergaven in 1806, "created feus in the villages of Bankfoot and Waterloo and offered them to [those farmers or crofters] dispossessed" by his clearances. He was probably the family's landlord. roysofauchtergaven.blogspot.com/ His son Thomas Wylie developed the 'Airleywright Linen Works' in @ 1840 at 'Graham court' in Bankfoot, a town known for its textiles heritage and its once-thriving artisan sector in which this family seems to have prospered. They lived in the 'Airleywright' neighbourhood for a time where, again, Margaret and her mother Agnes worked in the mill as 'Linen yard winds'. The Chalmers erected a large family tombstone in the kirkyard at Bankfoot (covered in 19 names over 3 or 4 generations), the only one I know of that remains standing in Scotland for any of my ancestors outside Edinburgh.

- Again it's evident that my great x 3 granddad Joseph Marshall/Marshal (Mom's Mom's Dad's Mom's Dad), a stone-mason, hailed from Perthshire too. The only candidate extant for his baptism in Perthshire's records took place for the son of a James Marshal "at Ardetie" (Ardittie per Google A.I.) in 1792 in the Parish of Methven (the site of 'the Battle of Methven' in 1306 at which Robert the Bruce was ambushed youtu.be/bhwlPToqQ_4?si=nKVNwCs4IoogVkMC youtu.be/xeM_yn7JzJc?si=38MdXIyYKEWdIhPt ), @ 3 clicks NW of Methven as the crow flies, just south of the River Almond maps.nls.uk/view/216587020 , and where he and Margaret sired 2 kids as newlyweds in the 1820s. When their eldest child, Robert, was baptized, Joseph was at or of the "Lint Mill Ardittie" (so it's an excellent bet that the baptismal record for Joseph "at Ardetie" is a match for my great x 3 grandfather). The only candidate for a James Marshall baptized in Methven parish /b/ 1735 and 1777 per extant records was sired by a James Sr. in 1770 in Cloag. ("Cloag Farm Cottages [tourist accommodations] lie just north of the village of Methven" today. www.insiderscotland.com/cloag-farm-cottages-perth/ ) The only marriage record extant for a James Marshal/Marshall in Methven before 1792 is to a Janet Alison in 1778 (although no baptism records are extant in that parish for candidates for other children sired by that couple before 1804 - ?).

McLAREN and PEDDIE (and possibly NICOL / NICOLSONE)

Update - Jan. '26: I've made quite a discovery (I think) and have a tale to tell. I'll rewrite and delete much of the lengthy write-up that follows as a result /b/ this sentence and the paragraph under the heading 'Whittet - Mackie" in caps.:

- The name Clunie or Cluny, that of a town in Perthshire (sp. Clunie), and which appears at points along both the Tay (sp. Cluny) and Tummel rivers, features in my family history as my great uncle Mac maintained that his grandfather George McLaren, a tanner, 'machine beltmaker', and allegedly the manager of a tannery in Edinburgh, was the son of "the miller of Clunie", who moved to the nation's capital as a young man in the 1840s or '50s to find work. I spent (only) a day in the archives in Edinburgh this trip (a few days after I took this photo) to research my grandmother's Scots roots, but focused on my great grandmother's side of my tree (since proven to be more opaque than my great grandfather's). I succumbed to the temptation to dive down the online genealogy-research rabbit-hole some years ago and quickly found my great grandfather's official death record dating from Feb., 1889, and a census record and official birth records for some of his kids which indicate that he was born in 1827 or '28 in the parish of Logierait, rather than Clunie. His death record indicates that he passed away at age 61 at his home at '18 the Pleasance', Edinburgh, that he was a "Machine Beltmaker", the son of 'George McLaren [Sr.]', "Farm servant" and 'Jane Graham', and, incorrectly, the spouse of 'Helen Robertson'. (Again, my great great grandmother's name was 'Helen Marshall'.) She passed away at the same address > 3 1/2 years later at the age of 63. Their son-in-law David Currie signed both death records as "Informant" (with the same signature), ample proof that the former record pertains to my great great grandfather notwithstanding the error. But the error brings the accuracy of the names listed for George's parents into some question. I now consider it to be a red flag.

- It's possible (if unlikely) that David Currie forgot his mother-in-law's maiden surname and made it up at the time the record was prepared (esp. if he would've been required to return home to make embarrassing inquiries, and then return to the office to make a second report), and, if so, it's unlikely he knew the names of George's folks. (In that case, he took pains to be informed when he reattended for his mother-in-law in 1892, whose record is accurate.) Did the clerk or official get his records mixed up when entering info., or was he due down at the pub and took liberties seeing as no-one checks these things anyway (apart from a descendant 136 yr.s later)? Noting that the name 'Helen' is correct, I thought it's more likely that the clerk or official made only one error with the one surname, but I've spent much time and treasure in a fruitless search for any other record that links any candidate for a George Sr. to a Jane or Janet Graham, and for any re my great great grandfather that predates 1853 (his marriage record). I've found no baptism record for George or any siblings, NO census records (which isn't unusual, many records didn't survive) ... UNLESS my great great grandfather was sired in 1827 in Logierait parish (again per the 1881 census and his childrens' bapt. records) by parents with different names than those indicated on his death record, who lived in Edradynate, which I've just learned (in Jan. '26) was the location of a place once named the "Miltown of Cluny" (! Bingo? - see below). I thought I'd research this mysterious George McLaren of Edradynate, who would've generated immediate interest if not for the death record, and the results, impressively coincidental details or much consistent evidence, have led to a course correction. (I'll preserve an edited [abbreviated] review of the relatively slight evidence and the leads I found and followed at length re any George Sr. and Jane/Janet Graham further below.):

- George McLaren was a relatively rare name in Scotland in the 1820s, with only 2 Georges baptized /b/ 1825 and 1831 in extant records (although 7 born in that period appear in the census of 1851, see below [I expect Scots to prefer almost any name for a boy over George, see my write-up for the photo of the Dicks in Clunie]), and only 1 in Perthshire (or 2, incl. a MAC-Laren in Dull [see the next paragraph below) which, again, dates to 1827 in Logierait parish - a "Farmer" and the son of a Charles McLaren in "Balinald of Edradyanate" and "his own [former] servant maid Christian Peddie [per their marriage record of 1822], daughter to a Donald Peddie in Smithy Haugh near the Bridge of Almond", likely the ancient, single-arch bridge at Millhaugh, still standing today in or next to Ardittie (coincidentally the home of Joseph Marshall, see above). An old map on "The McKercher Index" online reveals that Edradynate ('Eadar Dhà Dhoimhnid', "Between two deep places") once included the "Miltown of Cluny" by a stream or creek (SE and across a field from the Derculich burn, parallel) which descends to the Tay from a site just a few 100 m.s NW of it, that of the 'Beinn Eagagach Hydro Scheme' today (per Google maps). www.mckercher.org/Places?locale=Weem#:~:text=Farms%20nort... The "'Miltown of Cluny' ... is a small place name or settlement located within the Edradynate Estate area, near the village of Strathtay [see below] ... likely historically associated with a mill." (Google A.I.) The map in the link also reveals a site named 'Balnald' 200-300 m.s, a hop, skip and a jump, NW of the "Miltown". The 'Cluny House Gardens' nearby is a tourist attraction today. Charles and his family moved @ 10 clicks east to a croft in Killechangie sometime /b/ 1827 and 1832.

- Again, 7 George McLarens born /b/ 1825 and 1831 (no MACLarens) are accounted for across Scotland in the 1851 census, 4 in Perthshire, but the only potential match for my great great grandfather (per the census) is a 23 yr. old 'Ag Lab Ploughman' who hailed from Logierait, living in a bothy and working on a farm in East Dowald, Crieff for an Alexander McLaren, 47 going on 48, a farmer of 133 acres "emp [employing] 5 lab", living with his wife (35), sister-in-law, his 4 children and 2 servants, all (except the eldest servant) born in Logierait parish, incl. the 3 yr. old. I assume that Alexander was this George's relatively wealthy cousin although I haven't found a connection in the records. For what it might be worth Alexander and his wife lived in the 'Brae of Pitcastle', Strathtay (Logierait parish) when their children were born, @ 2 km.s downriver and NE of Edradynate. (Logierait parish is @ 61 square miles in area.) Alexander was born in 1803 in "Dalnesudaren" (?) to John McLaren and Elizabeth Scott, who were close in age per a census and married in Logierait in 1802. Elizabeth passed away a widow at 76 in 1857 in the "Milton of Pitcastle".

- My grandmother once mentioned that surnames with the prefix 'Mc' were of ancient Irish (i.e. Gaelic) descent, while Macs were Scots (i.e. Pictish?). I've read this is untrue, but I wonder if it might apply to some degree to McLarens and MacLarens. I note an almost surprising consistency in the spelling of the surname in the records and wonder if this coincides with some debate re the origins of the clan, either with the 13th cent. abbot of Actow in Balquhidder (the clan seat), or with Lorn, son of Erc, in Argyll in 503. My great uncle and his son Jim, who named his home in Charsfield, Suffolk 'Dalriada', were firmly in the latter camp. www.flickr.com/photos/97924400@N00/9601774507 Another rabbit-hole for later.

- At least 8 Charles McLarens were baptized in Perthshire /b/ 1766 and 1812, 3 in Logierait in the 1790s. (McLarens were in abundance in the parish then.) Generations of farmers tend to stay put, but none of the 3 were in Edradynate. 1 was sired by Duncan McLaren and Margaret Ramsay (from 'Little Dunkeld') "in [a] Croft of Pitcastle" (the closest of the 3 in proximity) in 1791; the 2nd by Donald McLaren (of Dowally) and Elspeth Butter (from 'Balnamuire' or 'Little Dunkeld' [?]) in "the Tom [hillock or knoll] of Kilmorich" (1 1/2 clicks SE of the Tummel-Tay confluence) in 1794, whose brother was born in the "Milntown of Pitnacree" (@ 2 km.s east of Pitcastle); and the 3rd by Charles McLaren Sr. and 'Emly' Campbell (sic, Emilia, a former "servant to Cap. Grant of Kinnaird" per her marriage record, 1794) in the "Milntown of Pitnacree" in 1796. (Pitnacree is best known today for an eponymous fiddle tune, 'The Pitnacree Ferryman'.: youtu.be/aiFWk4OYzNA?si=UgYcf9GPKOxryAgq ) Charles Sr. was "AT the Miln of Pitnacree" (emphasis added) per his marriage record and another baptismal record. A Miln? I asked Google A.I. "Is miln an old word for mill?" Answer: Why "Yes, miln (often spelled milne or myln) is an old term for a mill. It derives from Old English (mylen) and is frequently found in Middle English, particularly in Scottish contexts, to describe a [mill]." (Here's a site re a derelict, 19th cent. mill in Pitnacree.: www.buildingsatrisk.org.uk/details/905537 )

- More re the roots of the 3 Charles: 1. the best candidate for Duncan McLaren of Pitcastle (the only Duncan baptized in Logierait /b/ 1735 and 1764) is the son of Robert McLaren and Janet McLaren in "Wester Aberfeldie", born in 1755. 2. Donald (of Dowally) was sired by Patrick McLaren and Isoball/Isball Fleeming in 1760 in the "Mains [Scots for domain] of Killmorich". 3. At least 5 Charles McLarens were baptized in Perthshire /b/ 1750 and 1780, but only 1 in Logierait in 1765, the son of Alexander McLaren (in Logierait) and Kathrine McDonald (in Weem parish [Menzies territory], where newlywed couples are recorded in the registry as "booked & c.". Lol). The family lived for a spell @ 1770 at "the Miln of Balyoukan" (Ballyoukan today, on the A9, 5 km.s NW of Logierait). While I believe that one of the 3 Charles born in Logierait in the 1790s settled at Edradynate where he sired a George McLaren in 1827 (if the relevant record is extant), I can't (yet) say which.

- The 'miltown of Cluny' at Edradynate and the 'milntown of Pitnacree' are tiny places. It's likely that any adult male inhabitant of the mil/miln-towns worked at the mill, and men who work at mills are often referred to as millers. Charles of the 'Balinald of Edradynate' was a "farmer" who lived @ 200 m.s from an active mill, but a miller can farm and a farmer can mill (e.g. a man named Robertson was a "Meal miller and farmer" in 'Milton of Pitcastle' in 1858 per the death record of his wife Catherine McLaren), the moreso if he was raised "at [a] miln" or in a small "milntown".

- In any event, the coincidence that my great Uncle Mac claimed that his grandfather was the son of the 'Miller of Cluny', and that the ONLY candidate in extant baptism and census records for someone born in Logierait parish of his age and with his name is the son of a man who lived @ 200-300 m.s from a mill in a "Miltown of Cluny" (and again that I've found no trace of a George McLaren sired by a George Sr. and a Jane/Janet Graham per his death record), leads me to believe that I've just found my great great grandfather George McLaren in the records, the son of Charles McLaren and Christian Peddie of Edradynate, Logierait parish. This is encouraging and could be something of a vindication of my great uncle Mac and his father and grandfather, as I've assumed for some years now that one of them had conflated the fact that George was raised near the site of a mill (at the confluence of the Tay and Tummel in Logierait) with his father's trade or profession (although the reference to Logierait in the records is to the parish, not the village), or that someone improved on the facts, elevating George's father from a "Farm servant" (per George's death record) to a less-lowly miller. (I shouldn't speculate that the profession of miller is any more prestigious than that of "farm servant" or "ag. lab.", but that might help to explain the disconnect if so. But again Charles is a "Farmer" per his marriage record.) Accuracy and honesty seem to have prevailed over the generations after all. That said, I wonder if Mac might have made a mistake on another point. He recounted that his grandfather George was the manager of a tannery in Edinburgh in which there was a fire, that George became wet while dousing the flames, suffered exposure and soon died of pneumonia. His death record however specifies that he died at 61 of "pulmonalis". Coincidentally (or not?) George's son's father-in-law, Robert Greig (Mac's other grandfather), a "boot-closer" (who worked in a factory or workshop I assume), died at @ age 58 of "acute pneumonia" in 1887. (All four of my grandmother's parents died fairly young, before her parents married.)

- Again, Christian Peddie was Charles McLaren's "own servant maid, being Daughter to Donald Peddie in Smithy Haugh [Millhaugh I think] near the Bridge of Almond" when Charles proposed in 1822 according to their unusually informative marriage record. Of 12 records extant for the baptism of a Christian Peddie/Peddy/Pedy in Scotland /b/ 1775 and 1808 none were for the daughter of a Donald. One sired in 1805 by a "Joseph Pedy" of 'Bridge-end' in the parish of Methven (which includes Millhaugh) and Isobel Allen of Moneydie (per their marriage record of 1802) is likely a cousin. (Sadly, she died in 1883 in a "poorhouse" in Forfar.) But the official death record for "Christina McLaren, widow of Charles McLaren, Farmer" who died at "52" (nope, 57 per the more reliable census of 1861 [Christian would've married at 12 otherwise]) of "apoplexy" (stroke) at 25 Newhall st., Bridgeton, Glasgow in 1862, lists her parents as James Peddie, "Brewery Labourer" and Janet, M.S. "unknown". The informant, her daughter Helen, was working as a "dress maker" the year before at age 24 while living with "Christina", 56, a widow, "formerly [a] Dairymaid" and Helen's sister Jane, 32 and Jane's husband James Cameron, "Block cutter", at 8 Scott st., Calton parish, Glasgow. Helen's and Jane's place of birth is listed as Logierait and Christina's is "Tippermuir", Perthshire (Tibbermore today, @ 3 clicks SE of Methven, site of the Battle of Tippermuir in 1644). Both the death record and the census seem to be a match for George McLaren of Edradynate's mother and sister Helen as Charles and Christian sired a Helen in May, 1835 (in a "Croft of Killechangie"). (No bapt. record is extant for a sister Jane born in 1828-'29 [although records are extant for 6 siblings], but Jane's marriage record confirms that her parents were Charles McLaren and Christina Peddie.)

- A James Peddie and a Janet Peddie (her M.S.), "both in [the] parish" of Moneydie, married in 1785 and sired at least 6 kids /b/ 1787 and 1801 in Tullymoran (in the parish of Logiealmond today), only a km. or 2 west of Millhaugh according to mapcarta.com. (!): mapcarta.com/W371751390?__cf_chl_tk=CiHStq3onl___I0ncn2de... They're the best candidates in extant records for Christian's parents, although Tullymoran (and Millhaugh) are @ 7-8 km.s NW of Tibbermore, and 6 baptism records are extant for James and Janet's children (up to 1801) but none for Christian (born in @ 1805), and James is referred to as a "Farmer" in several of those baptism records and in 4 of his childrens' death records, never as a "Brewery labourer" as in Christian's death record. That said, the family might have moved to "Tippermuir" after 1801 (which might explain why Christian's bapt. record is missing) and James or Donald Peddie (whatever name he went by) might have moved back to Millhaugh or Tullymoran before 1822. And if Christian's mother Janet was also a Peddie, that might explain why her M.S. is "unknown" on her death record. ("I dunno, I only ever knew her as 'Grandma Peddie'.") But the proximity of Tullymoran on the Almond river to "the bridge of Almond" is an impressive coincidence, if that's what it is. (It's almost strange that all 4 of the siblings with official death records died single, but had greater longevity than most of my Mom's ancestors, passing away /b/ age 70 and 87.)

- At least 36 baptisms of a James Peddie, Pedie or Peddy were performed /b/ 1740 and 1770 in Scotland, 11 w/in 5 km.s of Tullymoran and Millhaugh. 4 of 6 in Moneydie are the best candidates in light of their proximity to Tullymoran/Millhaugh and their age.: 1. the son of James Peddie Sr. and Margaret Nicol in "Chappel Hill", @ 1.5 km.s NE of the bridge in 1763; 2. the son of William Peddie and Aemilia Wild in Shannoch "near Tullimoran" in 1761 (24 in 1785) (No marriage record is extant for this couple, nor bapt. records for other offspring); and 1 or 2 IN Tullymoran: 3. the son of William Peddie and Jean France, "both in [Moneydie] parish", in 1766 (19 in 1785) in "Tombrandy", in Harrietfield (in or next to Tullymoran) today (this James had 7 siblings, the youngest born in 1786 in "Tombrandy"); and 4. the son of James Peddie Sr. and Janet Robertson "in Tullymorran" in 1760 (25 in 1785). James and Janet were "both in" Moneydie when they married in 1756 and had a 2nd son in Tullymoran in 1762. The James of "Chappel Hill" is an unlikely candidate (see below) which leaves 3 in or near Tullymoran.

- There's no trace of an Aemilia/Emilia/Amilia Wild in the records apart from her son's bapt. record. At least 29 infants named William Peddie/Peddy/Pedie/Pedy were baptized in Scotland /b/ 1715 and 1750, 23 in Perthshire, 11 in Moneydie alone (!). At least 3 infants named Jean France were baptized in Scotland /b/ 1725 and 1750, none in Perthshire, 2 in Clackmannan, 10-15 km.s west of Stirling, both sired by a William France and Janet Angus in 1738 and 1744. (I assume the elder child passed away.) At

A rather smart 2010 Volkswagen Crafter 305t Curtainsider covered in Lights waits in the booking in line at Amazon St Helens L30GTL has lights all on the front grill as well...No where to put any airhorns though. Photo taken 13/11/20

Cropredy has ancient origins, a chapel in the church is dedicated to St Fremund, an anglo-saxon saint thought to be the son of King Offa. It's name combines the Old English croppe or hill and ridig, a small stream. The village is only a few miles from Banbury, in hilly country along the banks of the River Cherwell. Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries Cropredy belonged the Bishop of Lincoln. More recently Brasenose College, Oxford, has become a significant landlord giving it's name to the local pub.

Dramatic changes to centuries of agrarian life were heralded by the excavation of the Oxford canal which runs alongside the Cherwell south-east of the church. This busy waterway was superseded by the Great Western railway, the village even had it's own station until 1956.

Unusually Cropredy retains the ringing of the curfew bell, in Medieval times this was a signal to return home and 'cover their fires'. Roger Lupton local priest between 1487 and 1528 was so lost in dense fog that he could only find his way from nearby Chacombe by the ringing of Cropredy's bells. He founded a fund in gratitude which paid for the daily winding of the clock and tolling the bell morning, noon and night. The bell is still rung Tuesday and Thursday nights for five minutes after eight O'clock.

The village is best known for the Civil War 'Battle of Cropredy Bridge'. A rare Royalist victory at a time when the Parliamentary forces were in the ascendancy. In June 1644 the King slipped out of Oxford to avoid two Roundhead armies which were rapidly approaching. At this point the Earl of Essex chose to lead his army south and relieve the siege of Lyme Regis leaving Sir William Waller to pursue the King with half of the men. Waller shadowed the Royal army to Worcester only for the King to double back towards Banbury where the Parliamentary commander saw an opportunity to split the Royal forces which were strung out along the Daventry road. Waller's artillery crossed Cropredy bridge but were too far ahead of the infantry and were overrun. Fierce fighting followed but neither side achieved a significant advantage and a chance of capturing the King was lost. As children we were told stories of a phantom drummer boy.

Cropredy's most prominent claim to fame is their music festival founded when Fairport Convention played the village fete in 1976. Cropredy Music Festival grew from these modest beginnings and now attracts over 20,000 music fans every year.

St. Mary the Virgin is an impressive building constructed from the local rust-coloured ironstone. While part of the wall of the south aisle has been dated to c1050 the present church begins in the 13th century with significant 14th and 15th century additions. The south wall has two tomb recesses thought to be built for Simon de Cropredy and his son c1200. The church has an interesting 13th century parish chest and the chapel dedicated to the anglo-saxon saint Fremund has two 15th century screens, one of which has the initials AD which may stand for Alice Danvers. The nave arcading, tower and choir arches are Perpendicular in style with no capitals and continuous moulding from ground level. The tower is early 15th century with the belfry and parapets added 80 years later, There are eight bells, six from the late 17th century, two added in 2007 called Fairport and Villager. Fragments of a Doom survive above the chancel arch. The church has a 17th century pulpit and a rare pre-reformation eagle lectern which is said to have been hidden in the river before the Battle of Cropredy where it lost one of it's lion feet. The beak has a slot for collecting 'Peter's Pence'. There is a beautiful 15th century head of the Virgin Mary in stained glass which was found in the churchyard. There are two fonts, one Norman and one Victorian. In the tower is a magnificent clock by John Moore of Clerkenwell dated 1831.

Cropredy is just off the Daventry road a few miles from Banbury about an hour from Stratford-upon-Avon.

www.youtube.com/user/Cotswoldchurches

www.bwthornton.co.uk

At Penrose Park in the Southern Highlands of NSW, there is a shrine dedicated to our Lady of Mercy, represented by a replica of the Icon of Our Lady of Jasna Góra, known as the Black Madonna. The Shrine is run by the Order of St. Paul the First Hermit known as the Pauline Fathers. The Pauline Fathers have been custodians of the original Icon of the Black Madonna since 1382.

The film opens in Gethsemane at night as Jesus Christ (Caviezel), at the height of his cause, prays while his disciples Peter, James, and John (James's brother) sleep. After he wakes them and tells them to pray, Jesus walks to a secluded portion of the forest wherein during his prayer, Satan appears in a hooded ghost-like androgynous, albino form, and tempts him with reasonable doubt, stating - "it is not right for one man to die for their (humanity's) sins." Ignoring it and praying on, Jesus' sweat turns into blood and drips to the ground while a snake emerges from Satan's guise. Jesus hears his disciples call out for him, and he rebukes Satan by crushing the snake's head with a footstomp, and Satan vanishes.

After receiving a bribe of thirty pieces of silver, Judas Iscariot, another of Jesus' disciples, approaches with a group of temple guards and betrays Jesus (by confirmation of his identity) with a simple kiss on the cheek. As the armed guards move in to arrest Jesus, Peter draws his dagger and slashes off the ear of Malchus, one of the guards and a servant of the high priest Caiaphas. Jesus, in turn, heals the ear as he reprimands Peter for his actions. As the disciples flee, the guards secure Jesus, and beat him during the journey to the Sanhedrin.

John informs Mary (mother of Jesus) and Mary Magdalene of the arrest, while Peter follows Jesus and his captors at a distance. Caiaphas holds trial over the objection of some of the other priests, who are expelled from the court. When questioned by Caiaphas if he is the Son of God, Jesus replies, "I am." Caiaphas is horrified, tears his robes in outrage, and Jesus is condemned to death for blasphemy. Peter, secretly watching, is confronted by the surrounding mob for being a follower of Jesus, and he angrily denies this three times. But after cursing at the mob during the third denial, a sobbing Peter flees after remembering that Jesus had foretold this coping of a defense. Meanwhile, a guilt-ridden Judas attempts to return the money he was paid to have Jesus freed, but is refused by the priests. Tormented by demons, he flees the city, finds solitude, and hangs himself from a tree with a rope he finds on a dead donkey at dawn.

Caiaphas brings Jesus before Pontius Pilate to be condemned to death, but after questioning Jesus and finding no fault, a sympathetic Pilate instead relays him to the court of Herod Antipas, as Jesus is from Antipas' ruling town of Nazareth, Galilee. After Jesus is again found not guilty and returned, Pilate offers the crowd options for either him to chastise Jesus, or release him. He then attempts to have Jesus freed by the peoples' choice, between Jesus and a violent criminal Barabbas. To his dismay, the crowd demands to have Barabbas freed and Jesus killed. In an attempt to appease the moment, Pilate orders that he simply be punished. Jesus is brutally scourged, abused, and mocked by the Roman guards as "king of the Jews" with a crown of thorns. However, Caiaphas, with the crowds' verbal backing, continues to demand that Jesus be crucified as a heretic and Barabbas released. Admonished, Pilate washes his hands, takes no responsibility of the incident, and reluctantly orders Jesus' crucifixion. During the course of events, Satan watches Jesus' bloody sufferings with great interest. A dismayed Pilate watches the march, while his wife Claudia, who knows of Jesus' status as a holy man, comforts him. As Jesus labors to carry a heavy wooden cross along the Via Dolorosa to Calvary, a woman avoids the escort of soldiers, and wipes Jesus' face with her veil. Jesus is beaten and pressed by the guards until the unwilling Simon of Cyrene is forced into carrying the cross with him. At the end of their travel, with his mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, and others witnessing, Jesus is crucified. The very act seems to affect the weathering condition of the earth itself.

As he hangs from the cross, Jesus prays to God asking forgiveness for the people who did this to him, and redeems a criminal as a saint who is crucified beside him. Succumbing to impending death, Jesus gives up his spirit and dies. A single droplet of rain falls from the sky to the ground, triggering a sudden earthquake which destroys the Holy temple and rips the cloth covering the Holy of Holies in two, to the horror of Caiaphas and the other priests. Satan is shown screaming in agonizing defeat. Jesus' lifeless body is taken down from the cross, and entombed. In the end, the healed body of Jesus rises from the dead, and exits the tomb resurrected.

Giovanni Portelli Photography

Muktesvara deula is a 10th-century Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India. The temple dates back to 970 CE and is a monument of importance in the study of the development of Hindu temples in Odisha. The stylistic development the Mukteswar marks the culmination of all earlier developments, and initiates a period of experiment which continues for an entire century, as seen in such temples as the Rajarani Temple and Lingaraj temple, both located in Bhubaneswar.

HISTORY

The Mukteswar Temple is found to be the earliest work from the Somvamsi period. Most scholars believe the temple is the successor to Parsurameswar Temple and built earlier to the Brahmeswara Temple (1060 CE). Percy Brown puts the date of construction of the temple to 950 CE. The presence of torana, which is not part of any other temple in the region makes this temple unique and some of the representations indicate the builders were starters of a new culture. The Somavamsi king Yayati I contributed to the building of the temple.

ARCHITECTURE

This architecture is one of the basic reasons why Mukteswar Temple is also known as the "Gem of Odisha architecture". The temple faces west and is constructed in a lower basement amidst a group of temples.The pyramidal roof to the jagamohana present in the temple was the first of its kind over the conventional two tier structure.

PORCH

The most important feature of the Mukteswar Temple is the torana, or the arched gateway, dating back to about 900 CE and showing the influence of Buddhist architecture. The arched gateway has thick pillars that have strings of beads and other ornaments carved on statues of smiling women in languorous repose. The porch is a walled chamber with a low, massive roof and internal pillars. The combination of vertical and horizontal lines is skillfully arranged so as to give dignity of buildings of moderate height. This early astylar form of the temple is best illustrated in this temple. The gateway has sculptures that range from elaborate scrolls to pleasant female forms and figures of monkeys and peacocks. The front and back of the arch are similar in design.

VIMANA

The Vimana is square in plan and is built in a raised platform with pilasters in each facade. The shikara is small compared to other temples; it has four Natarajas on and four kirthimukhas on the four faces. The top portion of the shikara has the kalasa. The shikara is 10.5 metres tall, with every inch sculpted with decorative patterns, architectural patterns and sculpted figures. A new form of decoration called bho, possibly developed here, became a prominent feature in later Odishan temples. It is a highly ornate chaitya window crowned by masked demon head and dwarf figures.

SANCTUM

The sanctum is sculpted with beautiful damsels exhibiting feminine charms entwined with nagas and naginis. The sanctum is cubical from the inside with offset walls in the outside.

JAGAMOHANA

This distinctive 10th-century temple is one of the smallest and compact temples. The jagamohana is 35 m tall. It is decorated with intricate carvings by the Vishwakarma Moharana sculptors. The temple is regarded as a gem of Nagara architecture of Kalinga architecture. Except for the rectangular plan of its jaganmohana, it is the earliest example of what may be termed proper Odisha temple type; a vimana with a curvelinear spire and a jaganmohana with a stepped pyramidal roof. The temple's red sandstone is covered with exquisite carvings of lean sadhus or holy men and voluptuous women encrusted with jewels. The images of Ganga and Yamuna are carved next to Chanda and Prachanda. The torana is present in front of the jagamohana. The figure of Lakulisa, seated in bhumispara-mudra and holding a lakuta is present on the lintel of the jagamohana. The figures of Gajalakshmi, Rahu and Ketu are also sculpted in the structure. A small extension from the side roof of the jagamohana has the image of a lion sitting on its hind legs. The exterior walls of the structure are decorated with pilasters with nagas and naginis.

OTHERS

The doorway to the inner sanctum houses the image of Ketu with three hooded snakes, commonly regarded as the ninth planet in the Hindu mythology. There is a tank in the eastern side of the temple and a well in the southwestern corner. A dip in the well is believed to cure infertility in women. There are other shrines within the temple coomplex with lingam inside, which were used as offering shrines. The doorway of the temple is orante. The temple is enclosed by a low compound wall that follows the contours of the temple. The temple has sculptures both inside and outside the structure. The compound walls leaves a very small passage separating the shrine.

RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE

Muktesvara means "Lord of Freedom". The temple is dedicated to Hindu god Shiva. There are a number of sculptures of skeletal ascetics in teaching or meditation poses. Some scholars correlate the role of the temple as a center for Tantric initiation with the name Muktesvara as a possible thesis. The outer face of the compound wall has niches of Hindu deities like Saraswathi, Ganesha and Lakulisha (the fifth century founder of the Pashupata sect of tantric Saivism). The numerous images of Lakulisha are found in miniature forms within Chaitya arches, showing various mudras like yoga, Bhumispara and vyakyana wit yogapatta tied to their knees. They are accompanied by the images of the disciples. According to tradition, barren women give birth to sons if they take a dip in Madicha Kunda tank in the premises of the temple on the night before Ashokastami car festival. On the evening, the water in the tank is sold to the public.

IN POPULAR CULTURE

The Department of Tourism of the state government organises a three-day yearly dance function called Mukteswar Dance Festival in the temple premises. This festival celebrates the features of Odissi, the classical dance form of Odisha. Popular Odissi dancers perform during the function, accompanied by instruments like mardal. The event is webcast in the state government portal.

WIKIPEDIA

The Pashupatinath Temple (Nepali: पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर) is a famous, sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupatinath and is located on the banks of the Bagmati River 5 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu Valley in the eastern city of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. This temple is considered one of the sacred temples of Hindu faith. The temple serves as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath. This temple complex is on UNESCO World Heritage Sites's list Since 1979. This "extensive Hindu temple precinct" is a "sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, images and inscriptions raised over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati river" and is included as one of the seven monument groups in UNESCO's designation of Kathmandu Valley as a cultural heritage site. One of the major Festivals of the temple is Maha Shivaratri on which day over 700,000 devotees visit here.

The twelve Jyotirlinga (in India) are the body and the Jyotirlinga at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu (Nepal) is the head over this body.

The temple is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams (Holy Abodes of Shiva) on the continent. Kotirudra Samhita, Chapter 11 on the Shivalingas of the North, in Shiva Purana mentions this Shivalinga as the bestower of all wishes.

HISTORY

The temple was erected anew in the 15th century by Lichhavi King Shupuspa after the previous building had been consumed by termites. Countless further temples have been erected around this two -storied temple. These include the Vaishnav temple complex with a Ram temple from the 14th century and the Guhyeshwari Temple mentioned in an 11th-century manuscript.

LEGEND ABOUT THE TEMPLE ORIGIN

Pashupatinath Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. It is not known for certain when Pashupatinath Temple was founded. But according to Nepal Mahatmaya and Himvatkhanda, the deity here gained great fame there as Pashupati, the Lord of all Pashus, which are living as well as non-living beings. Pashupatinath Temple's existence dates back to 400 A.D. The richly-ornamented pagoda houses the sacred linga or holy symbol of Lord Shiva. There are many legends describing as to how the temple of Lord Pashupatinath came to existence here. Some of them are narrated below:

THE COW LEGEND

Legend says that Lord Shiva once took the form of an antelope and sported unknown in the forest on Bagmati river's east bank. The gods later caught up with him, and grabbing him by the horn, forced him to resume his divine form. The broken horn was worshipped as a linga but overtime it was buried and lost. Centuries later an astonished herdsmen found one of his cows showering the earth with milk. Digging deep at the site, he discovered the divine linga of Pashupatinath.

THE LINCHCHAVI LEGEND

According to Gopalraj Vamsavali, the oldest ever chronicle in Nepal, this temple was built by Supuspa Deva, a Linchchhavi King, who according to the stone inscription erected by Jayadeva 11 in the courtyard of Pashupatinath in 753 AD, happened to be the ruler 39 generations before Manadeva (464-505 AD).

THE DEVALAYA LEGEND

Another chronicle states that Pashupatinath Temple was in the form of Linga shaped Devalaya before Supuspa Deva constructed a five storey temple of Pashupatinath in this place. As the time passed, the need for repairing and renovating this temple arose. It is learnt that this temple was reconstructed by a medieval King named Shivadeva (1099-1126 AD). It was renovated by Ananta Malla adding a roof to it. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world come to pay homage to this temple, that is also known as 'The Temple of Living Beings'.

OTHER BELIEFS

There are several complex stories involving the origins of Pashupatinath. One story goes, in brief, that Shiva and Parvati came to the Kathmandu Valley and rested by the Bagmati while on a journey. Shiva was so impressed by its beauty and the surrounding forest that he and Parvati changed themselves into deers and walked into the forest. Many spots in the Kathmandu Valley are identified as places where Shiva went during his time as a deer. After a while the people and gods began to search for Shiva. Finally, after various complications, they found him in the forest, but he refused to leave. More complications ensued, but ultimately Shiva announced that, since he had lived by the Bagmati in a deer's form, he would now be known as Pashupatinath, Lord of all animals. It is said that whoever came here and beheld the lingam that appeared there would not be reborn as an animal.

FINDING OF SHIVA LINGA AT PASHIPATINATH TEMPLE

It is said that the wish-fulfilling cow Kamadhenu took shelter in a cave on the Chandravan mountain. Everyday Kamadhenu went down to the place the lingam was sunken into the soil and poured her milk on top of the soil. After ten thousand years some people saw Kamadhenu pouring milk on that same spot everyday, and started to wonder what that would be. So they removed the soil and found the beautiful shining lingam and started worshiping it.

TEMPLE COMPLEX

The area of Pashupatinath encompasses 264 hectare of land including 518 temples and monuments. Main pagoda style temple is located in the fortified courtyard within the complex guarded by Nepal Police and has a police outpost post along with living quarter within. In front of the western door there is a huge statue Nandi bull, in bronze. Along with many temples and shrines of both Vaishnav and saiva tradition.

TEMPLES AND SHRINES IN THE INNER COURTYARD

Vasuki nath temple

Unmatta Bhairav temple

Surya narayan temple

Kirti mukh bhairav shrine

Budanil kantha shrine

Hanuman shrine

184 shivaling shrine

TEMPLES AND SHRINES IN THE OUTER COMPLEX

Ram mandir

Virat swaroop temple

12 jyotirlingha and Pandra Shivalaya

Guhyeshwari Temple

MAIN TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

This main temple is built in the Nepalese pagoda style of architecture. All the features of pagoda style is founded here like cubic constructions, beautifully carved wooden rafters on which they rest (tundal). The two level roofs are of copper with gold covering. The temple resides on a square base platform with a height of 23m 7 cm from base to pinnacle. It has four main doors, all covered with silver sheets. This temple has a gold pinnacle (Gajur). Inside are two Garbhagrihas, outer and inner. The inner garbhagriha or sanctum sanctorum is where the idol is placed and outer sanctum is an open corridor like space.

THE DEITY

The sacro sanctum, or the main idol is a stone Mukhalinga with a silver yoni base bound with silver serpent. The lingam is one metre high and has faces in four directions. These faces represents various ascepts of Shiva; Sadyojata (also known as Barun), Vamdeva (also known as Ardha nareshwor), Tatpurusha, Aghor & Ishana (imaginative). Facing West, North, East, South and Zenith respectively representing five primary elements namely earth, water, air, light and ether. Each face has tiny protruding hands holding rudraksha mala on right hand and a kamandalu on the other.Unlike other shiva lingams in India and Nepal this pashupati shiva lingam is always Dressed in its golden vastra except during abhishakam, so pouring milk and ganga jal is only possible during abhishakam through the main priests.

PRIESTS

Daily rituals of Pashupatinath are carried out by two sets of priests ;one being the Bhatt priests and other Bhandari. Bhatta or Bhatt are the one who performs the daily ritual and can touch the lingam, where as Bhadaris are the helper and temple care taker priests but are not qualified perform pooja rituals or to touch the deity.

Bhatta or Bhat are highly educated Vedic bhramin Scholars from Brahmin family from South Indian State Karnataka.Unlike other Hindu temples priesthood of Pashupatinath is not hereditary. Priests are selected from a group of scholars educated by Shri Shankaracharya Dakshinamnaya Peeth Sringeri on Rig Vedic Recitation, initiated in Pashupata Yoga by Kashi Math,Shiva Āgama and learned Recitation of Samaveda from Haridwar.After qualifying and fulfilling all those criteria they will be selected for Priesthood by Raj Guru of Pashupatinath Temple undergoing strict examination on Vedas and Shiva Agamas and then the qualifies are sent to Kathmandu for performing Puja and Daily Worship of Lord Shri Pashupatinath This tradition is reported to have started by the request of Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century, who sought to unify the different states of Bharatam (Unified India) by encouraging cultural exchange. This procedure is also followed in other temples around Bharata-varsa which were sanctified by Adi Shankaracharya. The unique feature of this temple is that only 4 Bhatta priests can touch the deity.Current Bhatt priests of the temple are;

Ganesh Bhat (15th head priest of the Pashupatinath Temple aka Mool Bhat) from Udupi.

Ram Karanth Bhat from Mangaluru.

Girish Bhat from Sirsi.

Narayan Bhat(Recently appointed) from Bhatkal

Raghavendra Bhat (Priest for Vasuki Nath temple only)

Bhandaris or Rajbhandari are the treasurers, temple caretakers, and assistant priest of the temple.

These Bhandaris are the descendants of helper priests brought up by early Bhatts, but were allowed to settle in Kathmandu valley and later assimilated in existing Newar caste of Rajbhandari - a high-caste Chathariya/Kshatriya clan of Kashyapa gotra. Their main function is to help the Bhatta priest and perform maintenance of the inner Garbhagriha. They can have little or no Vedic knowledge but still qualify as assistant priests if they belong from the same family lineage and undergo some basic criteria like caste, gotra, lineage purity, educational qualification, etc. They work in set of four and change in every full moon day. There are a total of 108 Bhandaris.

ENTRY AND DARSHAN

Temple courtyard has 4 entrances in all directions.The western entrance is the main entrance to the temple courtyard and rest three entrances are only opened during big festival . Temple security (Armed Police Force Nepal) is selective regarding who is allowed entry into the inner courtyard . Practicing Hindus and buddhist of Indian and Tibetan descendent are only allowed into temple courtiyard . Practicing Hindus of western descent are not allowed into the temple complex along with other non Hindu Visitors. Sikh and Jain groups are allowed into the temple compound if they are of Indian ancestry. Others can look at the main temple from adjacent side of the river and has to pay a nominal fee of $10 (1000 Nepali rupee) for visiting hundreds of small temples in the external premises of the temple complex . The inner temple courtyard remains open from 4 am to 7 pm for the devotee but the Inner Pashupatinath Temple where the Lingam of lord Pashupatinath is established is open from 5am to 12 pm for the morning ritual and viewing and from 5pm to 7 pm for evening ritual. Unlike many other Saiva temples devotees are not allowed to enter in the inner-most Garbhagriha but are allowed to view from the exterior premises of the outer Garbhagriha.

FESTIVALS

There are many festivals throughout the year .Thousands of people attend these festival.The most important festival is the Maha Shiva Ratri .Bala chaturthi and Teej.

CONTROVERSY OF 2009

In January 2009, after the forced resignation by the chief priest of Pashupatinath temple, the Maoist-led government of Nepal "hand picked" Nepalese priests to lead the temple, thus bypassing the temple's long-standing requirements. This appointment was contested by the Bhandaris of the temple, stating that they were not against the appointment of Nepalese priests but against the appointment without proper procedure. After the appointment was challenged in a civil court, the appointment was overruled by Supreme Court of Nepal.However, the government did not heed the ruling and stood by its decision. This led to public outrage and protests over a lack of transparency. The paramilitary group of the CPN (Maoist), called YCL, attacked the protesters, leading to over a dozen injuries. Lawmakers and activists from opposition parties joined protests, declaring their support for the Bhatta and other pro-Bhatta protesters. After long dissatisfaction and protest by Hindus both in and outside Nepal, the government was forced to reverse its decision that had been declared illegal by the Supreme Court of Nepal and reinstate Bhatta priests.

2015 EARTHQUAKE

The main temple complex of Pashupatinath and the sanctum sanctorum was left untouched but some of the outer buildings in the World Heritage Site were damaged by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.

WIKIPEDIA

Italian postcard by Rotalfoto, Milano, no. N. 150.

Chinese-American actress Nancy Kwan (1939) played a pivotal role in the acceptance of actors of Asian ancestry in major Hollywood film roles. She is best known for her debut as a free-spirited Hong Kong prostitute who captivates artist William Holden in The World of Suzie Wong (Richard Quine, 1960). She followed it the next year with the hit musical, Flower Drum Song (1961). Kwan spent the 1960s commuting between film roles in America and Europe.

Nancy Kwan Ka Shen (Chinese: 關家蒨) was born in Hong Kong in 1939 and grew up in Kowloon Tong. She is the daughter of Kwan Wing Hong, a Cantonese architect and Marquita Scott, a European model of English and Scottish ancestry. Kwan has an older brother, Ka Keung. In fear of the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong during World War II, Wing Hong, in the guise of a coolie, escaped from Hong Kong to North China in Christmas 1941 with his two children, whom he hid in wicker baskets. Kwan and her brother were transported by servants, evading Japanese sentries. They remained in exile in western China for five years until the war ended, after which they returned to Hong Kong and lived in a spacious, contemporary home her father designed. Scott escaped to England and never rejoined the family. Kwan's parents divorced when she was two years old. Her mother later moved to New York and married an American. Remaining in Hong Kong with the children, her father married a Chinese woman, whom Kwan called "Mother". Her father and her stepmother raised her, in addition to her brother and five half-brothers and half-sisters Five of Kwan's siblings became lawyers. Kwan attended the Catholic Maryknoll Convent School until she was 13 years old, after which she travelled to Kingsmoor School in Glossop, England a boarding school that her brother, Ka Keung, was then attending. Her brother studied to become an architect and she studied to become a dancer, soon also at the Royal Ballet School in London. Afterwards, she travelled back to Hong Kong, where she started a ballet school. Stage producer Ray Stark posted an advertisement in the Hong Kong Tiger Standard (later renamed The Standard) regarding auditions for the character Suzie Wong for a play. Kwan was discovered by Stark in a film studio constructed by her architect father. After auditioning for Stark, she was asked to screen test to play a character in the film The World of Suzie Wong. Kwan did three screen tests, and a deadlock existed between whether to choose Kwan or France Nuyen, who played Suzie Wong on stage. Owing to Kwan's lack of acting experience, at Stark's request, she travelled to the United States, where she attended acting school in Hollywood and resided in the Hollywood Studio Club, a chaperoned dormitory, with other junior actresses. She later moved to New York. Kwan signed a seven-year contract with Stark's Seven Arts Productions at a beginning salary of $300 a week though she was not given a distinct role. When The World of Suzie Wong began to tour, Kwan was assigned the part of a bargirl. In addition to her small supporting character role, Kwan became an understudy for France Nuyen. Though Stark and the male lead William Holden preferred Kwan, despite her somewhat apprehensive demeanour during the screen test, she did not get the role. Paramount favoured the eminent France Nuyen, who had been widely praised for her performance in the film South Pacific (1958) Stark acquiesced to Paramount's wishes. Nuyen received the role and Kwan later took the place of Nuyen on Broadway. In a September 1960 interview with Associated Press journalist Bob Thomas, she said, "I was bitterly disappointed, and I almost quit and went home when I didn't get the picture." In 1959, one month after Nuyen was selected for the film role and while Kwan was touring in Toronto, Stark told her to screen test again for the film. Nuyen, who was in an unstable relationship with Marlon Brando, had a nervous breakdown and was fired from the role because of her erratic actions. The film's director, Jean Negulesco, was fired and replaced by Richard Quine. Kwan began filming in London with co-star William Holden.

The World of Suzie Wong (Richard Quine, 1960) was a "box-office sensation". Critics lavished praise on Kwan for her performance. She was given the nickname "Chinese Bardot" for her unforgettable dance performance. Kwan and two other actresses, Ina Balin and Hayley Mills were awarded the Golden Globe for the "Most Promising Newcomer–Female" in 1960. Scholar Jennifer Leah Chan of New York University wrote that Suzie provided an Asian actress—Kwan—with the most significant Hollywood role since actress Anna May Wong's success in the 1920s. Kwan was on the October 1960 cover of Life, cementing her status as an eminent sex symbol in the 1960s. In 1961, Nancy Kwan starred in Flower Drum Song (Henry Koster, 1961) in a related role. The film, based on the Broadway musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, was distinguished for being the first major Hollywood feature film with an all-Asian cast. It would be also the last film to do so for more than 30 years. Her prior ballet education provided a strong foundation for her role in Flower Drum Song, where she had much space to dance. After starring in The World of Suzie Wong and Flower Drum Song, Kwan's fame peaked in 1962. As a Hollywood icon, Kwan lived in a house atop Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles. She commuted in a white British sports car and danced to Latin verses. The 22-year-old Kwan was dating Swiss actor Maximilian Schell. Kwan's success in her early career was not mirrored in later years, due to the cultural nature of 1960s America. Kwan had to journey to Europe and Hong Kong to escape the ethnic typecasting in Hollywood that confined her largely to Asian roles despite her Eurasian appearance. Her third film was the British drama The Main Attraction (Daniel Petrie, 1962) with Pat Boone. She played an Italian circus performer who was the love interest of Boone's character. While she was filming in the Austrian Alps, she met Peter Pock, a hotelier and ski teacher, with whom she immediately fell in love. After several weeks, the two married and resided in Innsbruck, Austria. Kwan later gave birth to Bernhard "Bernie" Pock. Her contract with Seven Arts led her to travel around the world to make films. In 1963, Kwan starred as the title character of the comedy Tamahine (Philip Leacock, 1963), opposite Dennis Price. She played an English-Tahitian ward of the headmaster at an old English public school. In the aviation disaster film Fate Is the Hunter (Ralph Nelson, 1964), her seventh film, Kwan played an ichthyologist opposite Glenn Ford. It was her first role as a Eurasian character. Kwan's roles were predominantly comic characters. She divorced Peter Pock in 1968. Kwan met Bruce Lee when he choreographed the martial arts moves in the spy comedy The Wrecking Crew (Phil Karlson, 1969), starring Dean Martin as Matt Helm. In Kwan's role in the film, she fought the character played by Sharon Tate by throwing a flying kick. Her martial arts move was based not on karate training, but on her dance foundation. In 2019, the film was referenced and briefly seen in Quentin Tarantino's film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in which Tate is shown enjoying the film at the Fox Bruin Theater. She became close friends with Lee and met his wife and two children. In the 1970s, both Kwan and Lee returned to Hong Kong, where they carried on their companionship.

Nancy Kwan married Hollywood scriptwriter David Giler in July 1970 in a civil ceremony in Carson City, Nevada. That year, Kwan returned to Hong Kong with her son because her father was sick. She initially intended to remain for one year to assist him, but ultimately remained for about seven years. In 1972 she divorced Giler. She did not stop her work, starring as Dr. Sue in the action film Wonder Women (Robert Vincent O'Neil, 1973), Supercock (Gus Trikonis, 1975), and Fear/Night Creature (Lee Madden, 1978) with Donald Pleasance and Ross Hagen. The latter introduced her to filmmaker Norbert Meisel, who became her third husband. While in Hong Kong, Kwan founded a production company, Nancy Kwan Films, which made dozens of commercials for the Southeast Asia market. In 1979, she returned to the United States, because Kwan wanted her son Bernie to finish his schooling there. There she played characters in the television series Fantasy Island (1978), Knots Landing (1984), and The A-Team (1986). In 1987, Nancy Kwan co-owned the dim sum restaurant, Joss. Kwan, producer Ray Stark, restaurateur and Hong Kong film director Cecile Tang financed the restaurant, located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. In 1993, Kwan played Gussie Yang, a tough-talking, soft-hearted Hong Kong restaurateur, in the fictional Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (Rob Cohen, 1993). starring Jason Scott Lee. She played a pivotal role in the film, a character based on Seattle restaurateur and political leader Ruby Chow who hires Bruce Lee as a dishwasher and gives him the funds to open a martial arts school. She also wrote, directed, and starred in a film about Eurasians, Loose Woman With No Face (Nancy Kwan, 1993). She was asked about whether she was confronted with racism as a leading Asian Hollywood actress in the 1960s. Kwan replied, "That was 30 years ago and (prejudice) wasn't such a heavy issue then. I was just in great Broadway productions that were turned into films. I personally never felt any racial problems in Hollywood." In the 1990s, she faced a severe shortage of strong roles. She attributed this to both her age and the movie enterprise's aversion to selecting Asians for non-Asian roles. In earlier years, she was able to play an Italian and a Tahitian. She passed on a role in The Joy Luck Club (1993) because the filmmakers refused to excise a line calling The World of Suzie Wong a "...horrible racist film". In 1993, Kwan co-starred in the two-character play Arthur and Leila about two siblings who struggle with their Chinese identities, and in 1994 she assumed the role of 52-year-old Martha in Singapore Repertory Theatre's showing 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' by Edward Albee. She and her husband produced the feature film Biker Poet. of which Bernie was the director and an actor. In 1996, when he was 33, Kwan's son, Bernie, died after contracting AIDS. Four years after his death, poet and actress Amber Tamblyn compiled her debut poetry book 'Of the Dawn' and dedicated it to Pock. She acted in the film Biker Poet with him when she was nine. Into the 1990s, Kwan appeared in television commercials and appeared in infomercials as the spokesperson for the cosmetic Oriental Pearl Cream. Kwan has been involved in philanthropy for AIDS awareness. In 1997, she published 'A Celebration of Life – Memories of My Son'. In 2006, Kwan reunited with Flower Drum Song co-star James Shigeta to perform A. R. Gurney's two-person play Love Letters. Kwan appeared in the documentary Hollywood Chinese (Arthur Dong, 2007). Kwan and her husband Norbert Meisel wrote, directed, and produced Ray of Sunshine (Norbert Meisel, 2007), a Bildungsroman film starring Cheyenne Rushing and with Kwan in a supporting role. Kwan wrote an introduction for the 2008 book 'For Goodness Sake: A Novel of the Afterlife of Suzie Wong' by James Clapp. During her career, Kwan has appeared in two television series and over 50 films. Kwan currently resides in Los Angeles and has family members in Hong Kong. She recently appeared in the feature Paint It Black (Amber Tamblyn, 2016), and the documentary Be Water (Bao Nguyen, 2020) about Bruce Lee.

Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

At the beginning of the Vietnam War, there was little interest in a dedicated counterinsurgency (COIN) aircraft. The USAF was too committed to an all-jet, nuclear-capable force, while the US Army was satisfied with its helicopter fleet; the Navy concentrated on its carriers, and while the Marines were mildly interested, they lacked funding.

Vietnam was to change that. Horrendous losses among US Army UH-1s was to lead to a rethinking of helicopter doctrine, and pointed up the lack of a dedicated COIN aircraft. The USAF found itself depending on World War II-era A-26K Invaders, former US Navy A-1 Skyraiders, and converted trainers like the T-28 Trojan. The USAF also found itself in the market for a better forward air control (FAC) aircraft, due to the high loss rate of its O-1 Birddogs and O-2 Skymasters. Finally, the US Navy needed something to better cover its Mobile River Force units in the Mekong Delta, which could not always depend on USAF air support. In 1963, all three services issued a requirement for a new light design capable of performing as both a COIN and FAC aircraft. North American's NA-300 was selected in 1964 and designated OV-10A Bronco.

The OV-10 design drew heavily on independent research done at the China Lake research establishment, which in turn was inspired by the World War II P-38 Lightning fighter. The P-38 used a central "gondola" fuselage to concentrate all of its firepower along the centerline, which made for better accuracy; the OV-10 would do the same. As in the P-38, the engines were contained in twin booms that stretched back to the tail. The Bronco's four machine gun armament was placed in sponsons on either side of the fuselage, while ordnance was carried beneath the sponsons. To satisfy the USAF's requirements for a FAC aircraft, the two-man crew flew underneath a large, spacious canopy that gave them superb visibility. Because the Marines wanted an aircraft that could carry a Recon team, the fuselage was extended and, if the rear seat was removed, five paratroopers could be squeezed into the back, or two stretchers.

When the OV-10 arrived in Vietnam in 1968, there was a fear that the Bronco would be the jack of all trades and master of none. In fact, it proved to be excellent in all of its roles. As a FAC, it was a huge improvement over the slower O-1 and O-2; as a COIN aircraft, it was also a good aircraft, though it could not carry the same amount of ordnance as an A-1. The Navy equipped one squadron with OV-10As as VAL-4--nicknamed the "Black Ponies" for their dark green camouflage--and these were used extensively over the Mekong Delta. There were problems with the design: the airframe was actually too heavy for the engines, which left it underpowered, and ditching was invariably fatal for the pilot, as his seat tended to hurl forward into the instrument panel. Nonetheless, the Bronco turned in a sterling performance in Southeast Asia.

Though the Navy transferred its surviving Black Ponies to the Marines after the end of American involvement in Vietnam, the USAF and Marines would keep theirs for the next 20 years. For the 1970s and 1980s, the OV-10 replaced all other FAC designs in USAF service, aside from a handful of OA-37B Dragonfly squadrons. The Marines also kept their OV-10s and further refined the design by adding all-weather capability in the long-nosed OV-10D variant.

By the First Gulf War in 1991, the OV-10 was starting to show its age. The USAF began retiring its fleet even before Desert Storm; the Bronco was considered to be too slow to survive a modern air defense environment. Though the Marines used some of their OV-10Ds, the loss of two aircraft also led the USMC to retire their Broncos after war's end. Both services chose jets as replacements--the USAF with modified OA-10A Thunderbolt IIs, and the Marines with two-seat all-weather F/A-18Ds.

OV-10s were also a mild export success, going to seven other countries, mainly in the COIN role. Most have since been retired in favor of newer designs, though the Philippines still has a large and active OV-10 force. The type enjoyed a brief renaissance in 2015 when two former Marine OV-10Ds were taken up by the USAF for use against ISIS forces in Iraq, to see if the design was still viable. Though the OV-10s performed well, the USAF is not likely to put it back into production. 360 were built, and at least 25 are on display in museums aside from the aircraft that are still operational.

This OV-10A, 67-4623, was delivered directly to South Vietnam in 1968, where it served with the 504th Tactical Air Support Group at Bien Hoa. It was among the final American aircraft to leave South Vietnam in 1974, and briefly went to the 507th TACW at Shaw AFB, South Carolina before once more going overseas to see service with the 601st TACW at Sembach, West Germany (where I may have seen it as a kid).

As OV-10 operations began to wind down in Europe, 67-4623 returned to the United States with the 602nd TACW at George AFB, California around 1984, but would retire back with the 507th TACW at Shaw in 1988. It was redesignated a GOV-10 ground instructional trainer at Sheppard AFB, Texas and finally ended a long career in 2008, when it was transferred to the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB, Georgia.

Today, 67-1423 is displayed in a vignette depicting it while serving with the 504th TASG in Vietnam, in the museum's Vietnam wing.

Dedicated to Brage.

Dedicated to the Virgin Mary and St Chad, Lichfield Cathedral is the only mediaeval cathedral in England to have three spires (they are nicknamed 'the Ladies of the Vale'). Built of red sandstone in the Gothic style between the early 13th and mid-14th centuries, it suffered severe damage during the 17th century English Civil War. Between 1855 and 1881 it underwent extensive renovation by Sir Gilbert Scott. This photograph was taken in the Lady Chapel, at the east end of the cathedral. Completed in 1336, it is said to be modelled on the Sainte-Chapelle, in Paris. The glorious stained glass in this window, dating from the 1530s, was bought by the cathedral from Sir Brooke Boothby, who had salvaged it from the Abbey of Heckenrode in Belgium, which was destroyed in 1802 during the Napoleonic Wars. The scene depicted on the left is that of Pontius Pilate washing his hands and Christ being taken away, while that on the right is of the Resurrection of Christ.

Angkor Wat or "Capital Temple" is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world. It was first a Hindu and later a Buddhist temple. It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yaśodharapura, present-day Angkor, the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum.

Breaking from the Shiva tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious center since its foundation. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple-mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early Dravidian architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.

The modern name, Angkor Wat, means "Temple City" or "City of Temples" in Khmer; Angkor, meaning "city" or "capital city", is a vernacular form of the word nokor (នគរ), which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara (नगर). Wat is the Khmer word for "temple grounds" (Sanskrit: वाट vāṭa ""enclosure").

HISTORY

Angkor Wat lies 5.5 kilometres north of the modern town of Siem Reap, and a short distance south and slightly east of the previous capital, which was centred at Baphuon. It is in an area of Cambodia where there is an important group of ancient structures. It is the southernmost of Angkor's main sites.

According to one legend, the construction of Angkor Wat was ordered by Indra to act as a palace for his son Precha Ket Mealea.

According to the 13th century Chinese traveler Daguan Zhou, it was believed by some that the temple was constructed in a single night by a divine architect. The initial design and construction of the temple took place in the first half of the 12th century, during the reign of Suryavarman II (ruled 1113-C. 1150). Dedicated to Vishnu, it was built as the king's state temple and capital city. As neither the foundation stela nor any contemporary inscriptions referring to the temple have been found, its original name is unknown, but it may have been known as "Varah Vishnu-lok" after the presiding deity. Work seems to have ended shortly after the king's death, leaving some of the bas-relief decoration unfinished.

In 1177, approximately 27 years after the death of Suryavarman II, Angkor was sacked by the Chams, the traditional enemies of the Khmer. Thereafter the empire was restored by a new king, Jayavarman VII, who established a new capital and state temple (Angkor Thom and the Bayon respectively) a few kilometers to the north.

In the late 13th century, Angkor Wat gradually moved from Hindu to Theravada Buddhist use, which continues to the present day. Angkor Wat is unusual among the Angkor temples in that although it was somewhat neglected after the 16th century it was never completely abandoned, its preservation being due in part to the fact that its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle.

One of the first Western visitors to the temple was António da Madalena, a Portuguese monk who visited in 1586 and said that it "is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of."

In the mid-19th century, the temple was visited by the French naturalist and explorer, Henri Mouhot, who popularised the site in the West through the publication of travel notes, in which he wrote:

"One of these temples - a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michelangelo - might take an honorable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged."

Mouhot, like other early Western visitors, found it difficult to believe that the Khmers could have built the temple, and mistakenly dated it to around the same era as Rome. The true history of Angkor Wat was pieced together only from stylistic and epigraphic evidence accumulated during the subsequent clearing and restoration work carried out across the whole Angkor site. There were no ordinary dwellings or houses or other signs of settlement including cooking utensils, weapons, or items of clothing usually found at ancient sites. Instead there is the evidence of the monuments themselves.

Angkor Wat required considerable restoration in the 20th century, mainly the removal of accumulated earth and vegetation. Work was interrupted by the civil war and Khmer Rouge control of the country during the 1970s and 1980s, but relatively little damage was done during this period other than the theft and destruction of mostly post-Angkorian statues.The temple is a powerful symbol of Cambodia, and is a source of great national pride that has factored into Cambodia's diplomatic relations with France, the United States and its neighbor Thailand. A depiction of Angkor Wat has been a part of Cambodian national flags since the introduction of the first version circa 1863. From a larger historical and even transcultural perspective, however, the temple of Angkor Wat did not become a symbol of national pride sui generis but had been inscribed into a larger politico-cultural process of French-colonial heritage production in which the original temple site was presented in French colonial and universal exhibitions in Paris and Marseille between 1889 and 1937. Angkor Wat's aesthetics were also on display in the plaster cast museum of Louis Delaporte called musée Indo-chinois which existed in the Parisian Trocadero Palace from C. 1880 to the mid-1920s. The splendid artistic legacy of Angkor Wat and other Khmer monuments in the Angkor region led directly to France adopting Cambodia as a protectorate on 11 August 1863 and invading Siam to take control of the ruins. This quickly led to Cambodia reclaiming lands in the northwestern corner of the country that had been under Siamese (Thai) control since 1351 AD (Manich Jumsai 2001), or by some accounts, 1431 AD. Cambodia gained independence from France on 9 November 1953 and has controlled Angkor Wat since that time.

ARCHITECTURE

SITE AND PLAN

Angkor Wat, located at 13°24′45″N 103°52′0″E, is a unique combination of the temple mountain, the standard design for the empire's state temples and the later plan of concentric galleries. The temple is a representation of Mount Meru, the home of the gods: the central quincunx of towers symbolises the five peaks of the mountain, and the walls and moat the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean. Access to the upper areas of the temple was progressively more exclusive, with the laity being admitted only to the lowest level. Unlike most Khmer temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west rather than the east. This has led many (including Maurice Glaize and George Coedès) to conclude that Suryavarman intended it to serve as his funerary temple.Further evidence for this view is provided by the bas-reliefs, which proceed in a counter-clockwise direction - prasavya in Hindu terminology - as this is the reverse of the normal order. Rituals take place in reverse order during Brahminic funeral services. The archaeologist Charles Higham also describes a container which may have been a funerary jar which was recovered from the central tower. It has been nominated by some as the greatest expenditure of energy on the disposal of a corpse. Freeman and Jacques, however, note that several other temples of Angkor depart from the typical eastern orientation, and suggest that Angkor Wat's alignment was due to its dedication to Vishnu, who was associated with the west.

A further interpretation of Angkor Wat has been proposed by Eleanor Mannikka. Drawing on the temple's alignment and dimensions, and on the content and arrangement of the bas-reliefs, she argues that the structure represents a claimed new era of peace under King Suryavarman II: "as the measurements of solar and lunar time cycles were built into the sacred space of Angkor Wat, this divine mandate to rule was anchored to consecrated chambers and corridors meant to perpetuate the king's power and to honor and placate the deities manifest in the heavens above." Mannikka's suggestions have been received with a mixture of interest and scepticism in academic circles. She distances herself from the speculations of others, such as Graham Hancock, that Angkor Wat is part of a representation of the constellation Draco.

STYLE

Angkor Wat is the prime example of the classical style of Khmer architecture - the Angkor Wat style - to which it has given its name. By the 12th century Khmer architects had become skilled and confident in the use of sandstone (rather than brick or laterite) as the main building material. Most of the visible areas are of sandstone blocks, while laterite was used for the outer wall and for hidden structural parts. The binding agent used to join the blocks is yet to be identified, although natural resins or slaked lime has been suggested. The temple has drawn praise above all for the harmony of its design. According to Maurice Glaize, a mid-20th-century conservator of Angkor, the temple "attains a classic perfection by the restrained monumentality of its finely balanced elements and the precise arrangement of its proportions. It is a work of power, unity and style." Architecturally, the elements characteristic of the style include: the ogival, redented towers shaped like lotus buds; half-galleries to broaden passageways; axial galleries connecting enclosures; and the cruciform terraces which appear along the main axis of the temple. Typical decorative elements are devatas (or apsaras), bas-reliefs, and on pediments extensive garlands and narrative scenes. The statuary of Angkor Wat is considered conservative, being more static and less graceful than earlier work. Other elements of the design have been destroyed by looting and the passage of time, including gilded stucco on the towers, gilding on some figures on the bas-reliefs, and wooden ceiling panels and doors.

FEATURES

OUTER ENCLOSURE

The outer wall, 1024 by 802 m and 4.5 m high, is surrounded by a 30 m apron of open ground and a moat 190 m wide. Access to the temple is by an earth bank to the east and a sandstone causeway to the west; the latter, the main entrance, is a later addition, possibly replacing a wooden bridge. There are gopuras at each of the cardinal points; the western is by far the largest and has three ruined towers. Glaize notes that this gopura both hides and echoes the form of the temple proper. Under the southern tower is a statue of Vishnu, known as Ta Reach, which may originally have occupied the temple's central shrine.Galleries run between the towers and as far as two further entrances on either side of the gopura often referred to as "elephant gates", as they are large enough to admit those animals. These galleries have square pillars on the outer (west) side and a closed wall on the inner (east) side. The ceiling between the pillars is decorated with lotus rosettes; the west face of the wall with dancing figures; and the east face of the wall with balustered windows, dancing male figures on prancing animals, and devatas, including (south of the entrance) the only one in the temple to be showing her teeth. The outer wall encloses a space of 820,000 square metres, which besides the temple proper was originally occupied by the city and, to the north of the temple, the royal palace. Like all secular buildings of Angkor, these were built of perishable materials rather than of stone, so nothing remains of them except the outlines of some of the streets. Most of the area is now covered by forest. A 350 m causeway connects the western gopura to the temple proper, with naga balustrades and six sets of steps leading down to the city on either side. Each side also features a library with entrances at each cardinal point, in front of the third set of stairs from the entrance, and a pond between the library and the temple itself. The ponds are later additions to the design, as is the cruciform terrace guarded by lions connecting the causeway to the central structure.

CENTRAL STRUCTURE

The temple stands on a terrace raised higher than the city. It is made of three rectangular galleries rising to a central tower, each level higher than the last. Mannikka interprets these galleries as being dedicated to the king, Brahma, the moon, and Vishnu.

Each gallery has a gopura at each of the points, and the two inner galleries each have towers at their corners, forming a quincunx with the central tower. Because the temple faces west, the features are all set back towards the east, leaving more space to be filled in each enclosure and gallery on the west side; for the same reason the west-facing steps are shallower than those on the other sides.

The outer gallery measures 187 by 215 m, with pavilions rather than towers at the corners. The gallery is open to the outside of the temple, with columned half-galleries extending and buttressing the structure. Connecting the outer gallery to the second enclosure on the west side is a cruciform cloister called Preah Poan (the "Hall of a Thousand Gods"). Buddha images were left in the cloister by pilgrims over the centuries, although most have now been removed. This area has many inscriptions relating the good deeds of pilgrims, most written in Khmer but others in Burmese and Japanese. The four small courtyards marked out by the cloister may originally have been filled with water.

North and south of the cloister are libraries.

Beyond, the second and inner galleries are connected to each other and to two flanking libraries by another cruciform terrace, again a later addition. From the second level upwards, devatas abound on the walls, singly or in groups of up to four. The second-level enclosure is 100 by 115 m, and may originally have been flooded to represent the ocean around Mount Meru.

Three sets of steps on each side lead up to the corner towers and gopuras of the inner gallery. The very steep stairways represent the difficulty of ascending to the kingdom of the gods. This inner gallery, called the Bakan, is a 60 m square with axial galleries connecting each gopura with the central shrine, and subsidiary shrines located below the corner towers. The roofings of the galleries are decorated with the motif of the body of a snake ending in the heads of lions or garudas. Carved lintels and pediments decorate the entrances to the galleries and to the shrines. The tower above the central shrine rises 43 m to a height of 65 m above the ground; unlike those of previous temple mountains, the central tower is raised above the surrounding four. The shrine itself, originally occupied by a statue of Vishnu and open on each side, was walled in when the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhism, the new walls featuring standing Buddhas. In 1934, the conservator George Trouvé excavated the pit beneath the central shrine: filled with sand and water it had already been robbed of its treasure, but he did find a sacred foundation deposit of gold leaf two metres above ground level.

DECORATION

Integrated with the architecture of the building, and one of the causes for its fame is Angkor Wat's extensive decoration, which predominantly takes the form of bas-relief friezes. The inner walls of the outer gallery bear a series of large-scale scenes mainly depicting episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Higham has called these, "the greatest known linear arrangement of stone carving".

From the north-west corner anti-clockwise, the western gallery shows the Battle of Lanka (from the Ramayana, in which Rama defeats Ravana) and the Battle of Kurukshetra (from the Mahabharata, showing the mutual annihilation of the Kaurava and Pandava clans). On the southern gallery follow the only historical scene, a procession of Suryavarman II, then the 32 hells and 37 heavens of Hindu mythology.

On the eastern gallery is one of the most celebrated scenes, the Churning of the Sea of Milk, showing 92 asuras and 88 devas using the serpent Vasuki to churn the sea under Vishnu's direction (Mannikka counts only 91 asuras, and explains the asymmetrical numbers as representing the number of days from the winter solstice to the spring equinox, and from the equinox to the summer solstice). It is followed by Vishnu defeating asuras (a 16th-century addition). The northern gallery shows Krishna's victory over Bana (where according to Glaize, "The workmanship is at its worst"). and a battle between the Hindu gods and asuras. The north-west and south-west corner pavilions both feature much smaller-scale scenes, some unidentified but most from the Ramayana or the life of Krishna. Angkor Wat is decorated with depictions of apsaras and devata; there are more than 1,796 depictions of devata in the present research inventory. Angkor Wat architects employed small apsara images (30–40 cm) as decorative motifs on pillars and walls. They incorporated larger devata images (all full-body portraits measuring approximately 95–110 cm) more prominently at every level of the temple from the entry pavilion to the tops of the high towers. In 1927, Sappho Marchal published a study cataloging the remarkable diversity of their hair, headdresses, garments, stance, jewelry and decorative flowers, which Marchal concluded were based on actual practices of the Angkor period.

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

The stones, as smooth as polished marble, were laid without mortar with very tight joints that are sometimes hard to find. The blocks were held together by mortise and tenon joints in some cases, while in others they used dovetails and gravity. The blocks were presumably put in place by a combination of elephants, coir ropes, pulleys and bamboo scaffolding. Henri Mouhot noted that most of the blocks had holes 2.5 cm in diameter and 3 cm deep, with more holes on the larger blocks. Some scholars have suggested that these were used to join them together with iron rods, but others claim they were used to hold temporary pegs to help manoeuvre them into place. The monument was made out of millions of tonnes of sandstone and it has a greater volume as well as mass than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. The Angkor Wat Temple consumes about 6 million to 10 million blocks of sandstone with an average weight of 1.5 tons each. In fact, the entire city of Angkor used up far greater amounts of stone than all the Egyptian pyramids combined, and occupied an area significantly greater than modern-day Paris. Moreover, unlike the Egyptian pyramids which use limestone quarried barely half a km away all the time, the entire city of Angkor was built with sandstone quarried 40 km (or more) away. This sandstone had to be transported from Mount Kulen, a quarry approximately 40 km to the northeast. The route has been suggested to span 35 kilometres along a canal towards Tonlé Sap lake, another 35 kilometres crossing the lake, and finally 15 kilometres upstream and against the current along Siem Reap River, making a total journey of 90 kilometres. However, Etsuo Uchida and Ichita Shimoda of Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan have discovered in 2012 a shorter 35-kilometre canal connecting Mount Kulen and Angkor Wat using satellite imagery. The two believe that the Khmer used this route instead.

Virtually all of its surfaces, columns, lintels even roofs are carved. There are miles of reliefs illustrating scenes from Indian literature including unicorns, griffins, winged dragons pulling chariots as well as warriors following an elephant-mounted leader and celestial dancing girls with elaborate hair styles. The gallery wall alone is decorated with almost 1000 square metres of bas reliefs. Holes on some of the Angkor walls indicate that they may have been decorated with bronze sheets. These were highly prized in ancient times and were a prime target for robbers. While excavating Khajuraho, Alex Evans, a stonemason and sculptor, recreated a stone sculpture under 1.2 m, this took about 60 days to carve. Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also conducted experiments to quarry limestone which took 12 quarrymen 22 days to quarry about 400 tons of stone. The labor force to quarry, transport, carve and install so much sandstone must have run into the thousands including many highly skilled artisans. The skills required to carve these sculptures were developed hundreds of years earlier, as demonstrated by some artifacts that have been dated to the seventh century, before the Khmer came to power.

ANGKOR WAT TODAY

The Archaeological Survey of India carried out restoration work on the temple between 1986 and 1992. Since the 1990s, Angkor Wat has seen continued conservation efforts and a massive increase in tourism. The temple is part of the Angkor World Heritage Site, established in 1992, which has provided some funding and has encouraged the Cambodian government to protect the site. The German Apsara Conservation Project (GACP) is working to protect the devatas and other bas-reliefs which decorate the temple from damage. The organisation's survey found that around 20% of the devatas were in very poor condition, mainly because of natural erosion and deterioration of the stone but in part also due to earlier restoration efforts. Other work involves the repair of collapsed sections of the structure, and prevention of further collapse: the west facade of the upper level, for example, has been buttressed by scaffolding since 2002, while a Japanese team completed restoration of the north library of the outer enclosure in 2005. World Monuments Fund began conservation work on the Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery in 2008 after several years of conditions studies. The project restored the traditional Khmer roofing system and removed cement used in earlier restoration attempts that had resulted in salts entering the structure behind the bas-relief, discoloring and damaging the sculpted surfaces. The main phase of work ended in 2012, and the final component will be the installation of finials on the roof of the gallery in 2013. Microbial biofilms have been found degrading sandstone at Angkor Wat, Preah Khan, and the Bayon and West Prasat in Angkor. The dehydration and radiation resistant filamentous cyanobacteria can produce organic acids that degrade the stone. A dark filamentous fungus was found in internal and external Preah Khan samples, while the alga Trentepohlia was found only in samples taken from external, pink-stained stone at Preah Khan. Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination. In 2004 and 2005, government figures suggest that, respectively, 561.000 and 677.000 foreign visitors arrived in Siem Reap province, approximately 50% of all foreign tourists in Cambodia for both years. The site has been managed by the private SOKIMEX group since 1990, which rented it from the Cambodian government. The influx of tourists has so far caused relatively little damage, other than some graffiti; ropes and wooden steps have been introduced to protect the bas-reliefs and floors, respectively. Tourism has also provided some additional funds for maintenance - as of 2000 approximately 28% of ticket revenues across the whole Angkor site was spent on the temples - although most work is carried out by foreign government-sponsored teams rather than by the Cambodian authorities. Since Angkor Wat has seen significant growth in tourism throughout the years UNESCO and its International Co-ordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC), in association with representatives from the Royal Government and APSARA, organized seminars to discuss the concept of "cultural tourism". Wanting to avoid commercial and mass tourism, the seminars emphasized the importance of providing high quality accommodation and services in order for the Cambodian government to benefit economically, while also incorporating the richness of Cambodian culture. In 2001, this incentive resulted in the concept of the "Angkor Tourist City" which would be developed with regard to traditional Khmer architecture, contain leisure and tourist facilities, and provide luxurious hotels capable of accommodating large amounts of tourists. The prospect of developing such large tourist accommodations has encountered concerns from both APSARA and the ICC, claiming that previous tourism developments in the area have neglected construction regulations and more of these projects have the potential to damage landscape features. Also, the large scale of these projects have begun to threaten the quality of the nearby town's water, sewage, and electricity systems. It has been noted that such high frequency of tourism and growing demand for quality accommodations in the area, such as the development of a large highway, has had a direct effect on the underground water table, subsequently straining the structural stability of the temples at Angkor Wat. Locals of Siem Reap have also voiced concern over the charming nature and atmosphere of their town being compromised in order to entertain tourism. Since this charming local atmosphere is the key component to projects like Angkor Tourist City, local officials continue to discuss how to successfully incorporate future tourism without sacrificing local values and culture. At the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2012, both parties have agreed Borobudur and Angkor Wat to become sister sites and the provinces will become sister provinces. Two Indonesian airlines are considering the opportunity to open a direct flight from Yogyakarta, Indonesia to Siem Reap.

WIKIPEDIA

The Pashupatinath Temple (Nepali: पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर) is a famous, sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupatinath and is located on the banks of the Bagmati River 5 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu Valley in the eastern city of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. This temple is considered one of the sacred temples of Hindu faith. The temple serves as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath. This temple complex is on UNESCO World Heritage Sites's list Since 1979. This "extensive Hindu temple precinct" is a "sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, images and inscriptions raised over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati river" and is included as one of the seven monument groups in UNESCO's designation of Kathmandu Valley as a cultural heritage site. One of the major Festivals of the temple is Maha Shivaratri on which day over 700,000 devotees visit here.

The twelve Jyotirlinga (in India) are the body and the Jyotirlinga at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu (Nepal) is the head over this body.

The temple is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams (Holy Abodes of Shiva) on the continent. Kotirudra Samhita, Chapter 11 on the Shivalingas of the North, in Shiva Purana mentions this Shivalinga as the bestower of all wishes.

HISTORY

The temple was erected anew in the 15th century by Lichhavi King Shupuspa after the previous building had been consumed by termites. Countless further temples have been erected around this two -storied temple. These include the Vaishnav temple complex with a Ram temple from the 14th century and the Guhyeshwari Temple mentioned in an 11th-century manuscript.

LEGEND ABOUT THE TEMPLE ORIGIN

Pashupatinath Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. It is not known for certain when Pashupatinath Temple was founded. But according to Nepal Mahatmaya and Himvatkhanda, the deity here gained great fame there as Pashupati, the Lord of all Pashus, which are living as well as non-living beings. Pashupatinath Temple's existence dates back to 400 A.D. The richly-ornamented pagoda houses the sacred linga or holy symbol of Lord Shiva. There are many legends describing as to how the temple of Lord Pashupatinath came to existence here. Some of them are narrated below:

THE COW LEGEND

Legend says that Lord Shiva once took the form of an antelope and sported unknown in the forest on Bagmati river's east bank. The gods later caught up with him, and grabbing him by the horn, forced him to resume his divine form. The broken horn was worshipped as a linga but overtime it was buried and lost. Centuries later an astonished herdsmen found one of his cows showering the earth with milk. Digging deep at the site, he discovered the divine linga of Pashupatinath.

THE LINCHCHAVI LEGEND

According to Gopalraj Vamsavali, the oldest ever chronicle in Nepal, this temple was built by Supuspa Deva, a Linchchhavi King, who according to the stone inscription erected by Jayadeva 11 in the courtyard of Pashupatinath in 753 AD, happened to be the ruler 39 generations before Manadeva (464-505 AD).

THE DEVALAYA LEGEND

Another chronicle states that Pashupatinath Temple was in the form of Linga shaped Devalaya before Supuspa Deva constructed a five storey temple of Pashupatinath in this place. As the time passed, the need for repairing and renovating this temple arose. It is learnt that this temple was reconstructed by a medieval King named Shivadeva (1099-1126 AD). It was renovated by Ananta Malla adding a roof to it. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world come to pay homage to this temple, that is also known as 'The Temple of Living Beings'.

OTHER BELIEFS

There are several complex stories involving the origins of Pashupatinath. One story goes, in brief, that Shiva and Parvati came to the Kathmandu Valley and rested by the Bagmati while on a journey. Shiva was so impressed by its beauty and the surrounding forest that he and Parvati changed themselves into deers and walked into the forest. Many spots in the Kathmandu Valley are identified as places where Shiva went during his time as a deer. After a while the people and gods began to search for Shiva. Finally, after various complications, they found him in the forest, but he refused to leave. More complications ensued, but ultimately Shiva announced that, since he had lived by the Bagmati in a deer's form, he would now be known as Pashupatinath, Lord of all animals. It is said that whoever came here and beheld the lingam that appeared there would not be reborn as an animal.

FINDING OF SHIVA LINGA AT PASHIPATINATH TEMPLE

It is said that the wish-fulfilling cow Kamadhenu took shelter in a cave on the Chandravan mountain. Everyday Kamadhenu went down to the place the lingam was sunken into the soil and poured her milk on top of the soil. After ten thousand years some people saw Kamadhenu pouring milk on that same spot everyday, and started to wonder what that would be. So they removed the soil and found the beautiful shining lingam and started worshiping it.

TEMPLE COMPLEX

The area of Pashupatinath encompasses 264 hectare of land including 518 temples and monuments. Main pagoda style temple is located in the fortified courtyard within the complex guarded by Nepal Police and has a police outpost post along with living quarter within. In front of the western door there is a huge statue Nandi bull, in bronze. Along with many temples and shrines of both Vaishnav and saiva tradition.

TEMPLES AND SHRINES IN THE INNER COURTYARD

Vasuki nath temple

Unmatta Bhairav temple

Surya narayan temple

Kirti mukh bhairav shrine

Budanil kantha shrine

Hanuman shrine

184 shivaling shrine

TEMPLES AND SHRINES IN THE OUTER COMPLEX

Ram mandir

Virat swaroop temple

12 jyotirlingha and Pandra Shivalaya

Guhyeshwari Temple

MAIN TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

This main temple is built in the Nepalese pagoda style of architecture. All the features of pagoda style is founded here like cubic constructions, beautifully carved wooden rafters on which they rest (tundal). The two level roofs are of copper with gold covering. The temple resides on a square base platform with a height of 23m 7 cm from base to pinnacle. It has four main doors, all covered with silver sheets. This temple has a gold pinnacle (Gajur). Inside are two Garbhagrihas, outer and inner. The inner garbhagriha or sanctum sanctorum is where the idol is placed and outer sanctum is an open corridor like space.

THE DEITY

The sacro sanctum, or the main idol is a stone Mukhalinga with a silver yoni base bound with silver serpent. The lingam is one metre high and has faces in four directions. These faces represents various ascepts of Shiva; Sadyojata (also known as Barun), Vamdeva (also known as Ardha nareshwor), Tatpurusha, Aghor & Ishana (imaginative). Facing West, North, East, South and Zenith respectively representing five primary elements namely earth, water, air, light and ether. Each face has tiny protruding hands holding rudraksha mala on right hand and a kamandalu on the other.Unlike other shiva lingams in India and Nepal this pashupati shiva lingam is always Dressed in its golden vastra except during abhishakam, so pouring milk and ganga jal is only possible during abhishakam through the main priests.

PRIESTS

Daily rituals of Pashupatinath are carried out by two sets of priests ;one being the Bhatt priests and other Bhandari. Bhatta or Bhatt are the one who performs the daily ritual and can touch the lingam, where as Bhadaris are the helper and temple care taker priests but are not qualified perform pooja rituals or to touch the deity.

Bhatta or Bhat are highly educated Vedic bhramin Scholars from Brahmin family from South Indian State Karnataka.Unlike other Hindu temples priesthood of Pashupatinath is not hereditary. Priests are selected from a group of scholars educated by Shri Shankaracharya Dakshinamnaya Peeth Sringeri on Rig Vedic Recitation, initiated in Pashupata Yoga by Kashi Math,Shiva Āgama and learned Recitation of Samaveda from Haridwar.After qualifying and fulfilling all those criteria they will be selected for Priesthood by Raj Guru of Pashupatinath Temple undergoing strict examination on Vedas and Shiva Agamas and then the qualifies are sent to Kathmandu for performing Puja and Daily Worship of Lord Shri Pashupatinath This tradition is reported to have started by the request of Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century, who sought to unify the different states of Bharatam (Unified India) by encouraging cultural exchange. This procedure is also followed in other temples around Bharata-varsa which were sanctified by Adi Shankaracharya. The unique feature of this temple is that only 4 Bhatta priests can touch the deity.Current Bhatt priests of the temple are;

Ganesh Bhat (15th head priest of the Pashupatinath Temple aka Mool Bhat) from Udupi.

Ram Karanth Bhat from Mangaluru.

Girish Bhat from Sirsi.

Narayan Bhat(Recently appointed) from Bhatkal

Raghavendra Bhat (Priest for Vasuki Nath temple only)

Bhandaris or Rajbhandari are the treasurers, temple caretakers, and assistant priest of the temple.

These Bhandaris are the descendants of helper priests brought up by early Bhatts, but were allowed to settle in Kathmandu valley and later assimilated in existing Newar caste of Rajbhandari - a high-caste Chathariya/Kshatriya clan of Kashyapa gotra. Their main function is to help the Bhatta priest and perform maintenance of the inner Garbhagriha. They can have little or no Vedic knowledge but still qualify as assistant priests if they belong from the same family lineage and undergo some basic criteria like caste, gotra, lineage purity, educational qualification, etc. They work in set of four and change in every full moon day. There are a total of 108 Bhandaris.

ENTRY AND DARSHAN

Temple courtyard has 4 entrances in all directions.The western entrance is the main entrance to the temple courtyard and rest three entrances are only opened during big festival . Temple security (Armed Police Force Nepal) is selective regarding who is allowed entry into the inner courtyard . Practicing Hindus and buddhist of Indian and Tibetan descendent are only allowed into temple courtiyard . Practicing Hindus of western descent are not allowed into the temple complex along with other non Hindu Visitors. Sikh and Jain groups are allowed into the temple compound if they are of Indian ancestry. Others can look at the main temple from adjacent side of the river and has to pay a nominal fee of $10 (1000 Nepali rupee) for visiting hundreds of small temples in the external premises of the temple complex . The inner temple courtyard remains open from 4 am to 7 pm for the devotee but the Inner Pashupatinath Temple where the Lingam of lord Pashupatinath is established is open from 5am to 12 pm for the morning ritual and viewing and from 5pm to 7 pm for evening ritual. Unlike many other Saiva temples devotees are not allowed to enter in the inner-most Garbhagriha but are allowed to view from the exterior premises of the outer Garbhagriha.

FESTIVALS

There are many festivals throughout the year .Thousands of people attend these festival.The most important festival is the Maha Shiva Ratri .Bala chaturthi and Teej.

CONTROVERSY OF 2009

In January 2009, after the forced resignation by the chief priest of Pashupatinath temple, the Maoist-led government of Nepal "hand picked" Nepalese priests to lead the temple, thus bypassing the temple's long-standing requirements. This appointment was contested by the Bhandaris of the temple, stating that they were not against the appointment of Nepalese priests but against the appointment without proper procedure. After the appointment was challenged in a civil court, the appointment was overruled by Supreme Court of Nepal.However, the government did not heed the ruling and stood by its decision. This led to public outrage and protests over a lack of transparency. The paramilitary group of the CPN (Maoist), called YCL, attacked the protesters, leading to over a dozen injuries. Lawmakers and activists from opposition parties joined protests, declaring their support for the Bhatta and other pro-Bhatta protesters. After long dissatisfaction and protest by Hindus both in and outside Nepal, the government was forced to reverse its decision that had been declared illegal by the Supreme Court of Nepal and reinstate Bhatta priests.

2015 EARTHQUAKE

The main temple complex of Pashupatinath and the sanctum sanctorum was left untouched but some of the outer buildings in the World Heritage Site were damaged by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.

WIKIPEDIA

Dedicated to the concept of Energy, covering sustainability, building biology, ecological architecture.

dedicated to all Maldivian football fans...

today, maldives lost to india in the final match of the south asian football championship...

Vishvanath Temple - dedicated to Lord Shiva, also called Vishwanath [master of the universe]. In the same premises, a temple dedicated to Nandi, holds a huge statue of Nandi [the Bull, the companion, attendant and closest aide of Lord Shiva].

________________________________________________

The Khajuraho Group of Monuments is a group of Hindu and Jain temples in Madhya Pradesh, India. About 175 kilometres southeast of Jhansi, they are one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India. The temples are famous for their nagara-style architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures.

Most Khajuraho temples were built between 950 and 1050 CE by the Chandela dynasty. Historical records note that Khajuraho temple site had 85 temples by 12th century, spread over 20 square kilometers. Of these, only about 20 temples have survived, spread over 6 square kilometers. Of the various surviving temples, the Kandariya temple is decorated with a profusion of sculptures with intricate details, symbolism and expressiveness of ancient Indian art.

The Khajuraho group of temples were built together but were dedicated to two religions namely Hinduism and Jainism - suggesting a tradition of acceptance and respect for diverse religious views among Hindus and Jains.

LOCATION

Khajuraho group of monuments are located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, in Chhatarpur District, about 620 kilometres southeast of New Delhi. The temples are in a small town also known as Khajuraho, with a population of about 20,000 people (2001 Census).

Khajuraho is served by Khajuraho Airport (IATA Code: HJR), with services to Delhi, Agra and Mumbai. The site is also linked by Indian Railways service, with the railway station approximately six kilometer from the monuments entrance.

The monuments are about 10 kilometres off the east-west National Highway 75, and about 50 kilometres from the city of Chhatarpur, that is connected to Bhopal - the state capital - by the SW-NE running National Highway 86.

HISTORY

The Khajuraho group of monuments were built during the rule of Rajput Chandela dynasty. The building activity started almost immediately after the rise of their power, throughout their kingdom to be later known as Bundelkhand. Most temples were built during the reigns of the Hindu kings Yashovarman and Dhanga. Yashovarman's legacy is best exhibited by Lakshmana temple. Vishvanatha temple best highlights King Dhanga's reign.:22 The largest and currently most famous surviving temple is Kandariya Mahadeva built in the reign of King Ganda from 1017-1029 CE. The temple inscriptions suggest many of the currently surviving temples were complete between 970 to 1030 CE, with few more temples completed in decades thereafter.

The Khajuraho temples were built about 35 miles from the medieval city of Mahoba, the capital of Chandela dynasty, in Kalinjar region. In ancient and medieval literature, their kingdom has been called Jijhoti, Jejahoti, Chih-chi-to and Jejakabhukti.

Khajuraho were mentioned by Abu Rihan-al-Biruni, the Persian historian who accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni in his raid of Kalinjar in 1022 CE; he mentions Khajuraho as the capital of Jajahuti. The raid was unsuccessful, and a peace accord was reached when the Hindu king agreed to pay a ransom to Mahmud of Ghazni to end the attack and leave.

Khajuraho temples were in active use through the end of 12th century. This changed in the 13th century, after the army of Delhi Sultanate, under the command of the Muslim Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak, attacked and seized the Chandela kingdom. About a century later, Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveller in his memoirs about his stay in India from 1335 to 1342 CE, mentioned visiting Khajuraho temples, calling them “Kajarra” as follows:

...near (Khajuraho) temples, which contain idols that have been mutilated by the Moslems, live a number of yogis whose matted locks have grown as long as their bodies. And on account of extreme asceticism they are all yellow in colour. Many Moslems attend these men in order to take lessons (yoga) from them.

— Ibn Battuta, about 1335 CE, Riḥlat Ibn Baṭūṭah, Translated by Arthur Cotterell

Central Indian region, where Khajuraho temples are, remained in the control of many different Muslim dynasties from 13th century through the 18th century. In this period, some temples were desecrated, followed by a long period when they were left in neglect. In 1495 CE, for example, Sikandar Lodi’s campaign of temple destruction included Khajuraho. The remoteness and isolation of Khajuraho protected the Hindu and Jain temples from continued destruction by Muslims. Over the centuries, vegetation and forests overgrew, took over the temples.

In the 1830s, local Hindus guided a British surveyor, T.S. Burt, to the temples and they were thus rediscovered by the global audience. Alexander Cunningham later reported, few years after the rediscovery, that the temples were secretly in use by yogis and thousands of Hindus would arrive for pilgrimage during Shivaratri celebrated annually in February or March based on a lunar calendar. In 1852, Maisey prepared earliest drawings of the Khajuraho temples.

NOMENCLATURE

The name Khajuraho, or Kharjuravāhaka, is derived from ancient Sanskrit (kharjura, खर्जूर means date palm, and vāhaka, वाहक means "one who carries" or bearer). Local legends state that the temples had two golden date-palm trees as their gate (missing when they were rediscovered). Desai states that Kharjuravāhaka also means scorpion bearer, which is another symbolic name for deity Shiva (who wears snakes and scorpion garlands in his fierce form).

Cunningham’s nomenclature and systematic documentation work in 1850s and 1860s have been widely adopted and continue to be in use. He grouped the temples into the Western group around Lakshmana, Eastern group around Javeri, and Southern group around Duladeva.

Khajuraho is one of the four holy sites linked to deity Shiva (the other three are Kedarnath, Kashi and Gaya). Its origin and design is a subject of scholarly studies. Shobita Punja has proposed that the temple’s origin reflect the Hindu mythology in which Khajuraho is the place where Shiva got married; with Raghuvamsha verse 5.53, Matangeshvara honoring ‘’Matanga’’, or god of love.

DESCRIPTION

The temple site is within Vindhya mountain range in central India. An ancient local legend held that Hindu deity Shiva and other gods enjoyed visiting the dramatic hill formation in Kalinjar area. The center of this region is Khajuraho, set midst local hills and rivers. The temple complex reflects the ancient Hindu tradition of building temples where gods love to play.

The temples are clustered near water, another typical feature of Hindu temples. The current water bodies include Sib Sagar, Khajur Sagar (also called Ninora Tal) and Khudar Nadi (river). The local legends state that the temple complex had 64 water bodies, of which 56 have been physically identified by archeologists so far.

All temples, except one (Chaturbhuja) face sunrise - another symbolic feature that is predominant in Hindu temples. The relative layout of temples integrate masculine and feminine deities and symbols highlight the interdependence. The art work symbolically highlight the four goals of life considered necessary and proper in Hinduism - dharma, kama, artha and moksha.

Of the surviving temples, 6 are dedicated to Shiva and his consorts, 8 to Vishnu and his affinities, 1 to Ganesha, 1 to Sun god, 3 to Jain Tirthanks. For some ruins, there is insufficient evidence to assign the temple to specific deities with confidence.

An overall examination of site suggests that the Hindu symbolic mandala design principle of square and circles is present each temple plan and design. Further, the territory is laid out in three triangles that converge to form a pentagon. Scholars suggest that this reflects the Hindu symbolism for three realms or trilokinatha, and five cosmic substances or panchbhuteshvara. The temple site highlights Shiva, the one who destroys and recycles life, thereby controlling the cosmic dance of time, evolution and dissolution.

The temples have a rich display of intricately carved statues. While they are famous for their erotic sculpture, sexual themes cover less than 10% of the temple sculpture. Further, most erotic scene panels are neither prominent nor emphasized at the expense of the rest, rather they are in proportional balance with the non-sexual images. The viewer has to look closely to find them, or be directed by a guide. The arts cover numerous aspects of human life and values considered important in Hindu pantheon. Further, the images are arranged in a configuration to express central ideas of Hinduism. All three ideas from Āgamas are richly expressed in Khajuraho temples - Avyakta, Vyaktavyakta and Vyakta.

The Beejamandal temple is under excavation. It has been identified with the Vaidyanath temple mentioned in the Grahpati Kokalla inscription.

Of all temples, the Matangeshvara temple remains an active site of worship. It is another square grid temple, with a large 2.5 metres high and 1.1 metres diameter lingam, placed on a 7.6 metres diameter platform.

The most visited temple, Kandariya Mahadev, has an area of about 6,500 square feet and a shikhara (spire) that rise

s 116 feet.

Jain templesThe Jain temples are located on east-southeast region of Khajuraho monuments. Chausath jogini temple features 64 jogini, while Ghantai temple features bells sculptured on its pillars.

ARCHITECTURE OF THE TEMPLES

Khajuraho temples, like almost all Hindu temple designs, follow a grid geometrical design called vastu-purusha-mandala. This design plan has three important components - Mandala means circle, Purusha is universal essence at the core of Hindu tradition, while Vastu means the dwelling structure.

The design lays out a Hindu temple in a symmetrical, concentrically layered, self-repeating structure around the core of the temple called garbhagriya, where the abstract principle Purusha and the primary deity of the temple dwell. The shikhara, or spire, of the temple rises above the garbhagriya. This symmetry and structure in design is derived from central beliefs, myths, cardinality and mathematical principles.

The circle of mandala circumscribe the square. The square is considered divine for its perfection and as a symbolic product of knowledge and human thought, while circle is considered earthly, human and observed in everyday life (moon, sun, horizon, water drop, rainbow). Each supports the other. The square is divided into perfect 64 sub-squares called padas.

Most Khajuraho temples deploy the 8x8 padas grid Manduka Vastupurushamandala, with pitha mandala the square grid incorporated in the design of the spires. The primary deity or lingas are located in the grid’s Brahma padas.The architecture is symbolic and reflects the central Hindu beliefs through its form, structure and arrangement of its parts. The mandapas as well as the arts are arranged in the Khajuraho temples in a symmetric repeating patterns, even though each image or sculpture is distinctive in its own way. The relative placement of the images are not random but together they express ideas, just like connected words form sentences and paragraphs to compose ideas. This fractal pattern that is common in Hindu temples. Various statues and panels have inscriptions. Many of the inscriptions on the temple walls are poems with double meanings, something that the complex structure of Sanskrit allows in creative compositions. All Khajuraho temples, except one, face sunrise, and the entrance for the devotee is this east side.

Above the vastu-purusha-mandala of each temple is a superstructure with a dome called Shikhara (or Vimana, Spire). Variations in spire design come from variation in degrees turned for the squares. The temple Shikhara, in some literature, is linked to mount Kailash or Meru, the mythical abode of the gods.

In each temple, the central space typically is surrounded by an ambulatory for the pilgrim to walk around and ritually circumambulate the Purusa and the main deity. The pillars, walls and ceilings around the space, as well as outside have highly ornate carvings or images of the four just and necessary pursuits of life - kama, artha, dharma and moksa. This clockwise walk around is called pradakshina.

Larger Khajuraho temples also have pillared halls called mandapa. One near the entrance, on the east side, serves as the waiting room for pilgrims and devotees. The mandapas are also arranged by principles of symmetry, grids and mathematical precision. This use of same underlying architectural principle is common in Hindu temples found all over India. Each Khajuraho temple is distinctly carved yet also repeating the central common principles in almost all Hindu temples, one which Susan Lewandowski refers to as “an organism of repeating cells”.

CONSTRUCTION

The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions: western, eastern and southern.

The Khajuraho temples are made of sandstone, with a granite foundation that is almost concealed from view. The builders didn't use mortar: the stones were put together with mortise and tenon joints and they were held in place by gravity. This form of construction requires very precise joints. The columns and architraves were built with megaliths that weighed up to 20 tons. Some repair work in the 19th Century was done with brick and mortar; however these have aged faster than original materials and darkened with time, thereby seeming out of place.

The Khajuraho and Kalinjar region is home to superior quality of sandstone, which can be precision carved. The surviving sculpture reflect fine details such as strands of hair, manicured nails and intricate jewelry.

While recording the television show Lost Worlds (History Channel) at Khajuraho, Alex Evans recreated a stone sculpture under 4 feet that took about 60 days to carve in an attempt to develop a rough idea how much work must have been involved. Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also conducted experiments to quarry limestone which took 12 quarrymen 22 days to quarry about 400 tons of stone. They concluded that these temples would have required hundreds of highly trained sculptors.

CHRONOLOGY

The Khajuraho group of temples belong to Vaishnavism school of Hinduism, Saivism school of Hinduism and Jainism - nearly a third each. Archaeological studies suggest all three types of temples were under construction at about the same time in late 10th century, and in use simultaneously. Will Durant states that this aspect of Khajuraho temples illustrates the tolerance and respect for different religious viewpoints in the Hindu and Jain traditions. In each group of Khajuraho temples, there were major temples surrounded by smaller temples - a grid style that is observed to varying degrees in Hindu temples in Angkor Wat, Parambaran and South India.

The largest surviving Saiva temple is Khandarya Mahadeva, while the largest surviving Vaishnava group includes Chaturbhuja and Ramachandra.

Kandarya Mahadeva temple plan is 109 ft in length by 60 ft, and rises 116 ft above ground and 88 ft above its own floor. The central padas are surrounded by three rows of sculptured figures, with over 870 statues, most being half life size (2.5 to 3 feet). The spire is a self repeating fractal structure.

TEMPLE NAME - DEITY - YEAR COMPLETED

Chausath Yogini - Devi, 64 Yoginis - 885

Brahma - Vishnu - 925

Lalgun Mahadev - Shiva - 900

Matangeshwar - Shiva - 1000

Varaha - Vishnu - 950

Lakshmana - Vaikuntha Vishnu - 939

Parshvanath - Parshvanath - 954

Visvanatha - Shiva - 999

Devi Jagadambi - Devi, Parvati - 1023

Chitragupta - Sun, Chitragupta - 1023

Kandariya Mahadeva - Shiva - 1029

Vamana - Vamana - 1062

Adinath Jain Temple - Rishabha - 1027

Javeri - Vishnu - 1090

Chaturbhuja - Vishnu - 1110

Duladeo (Duladeva) - Shiva - 1125

Ghantai - Jain Tirthankara - 960

Vishnu-Garuda - Vishnu - 1000

Ganesha - Shiva - 1000

Hanuman - Hanuman - 922

Mahishasuramardini - Devi - 995

ARTS AND SCULPTURE

The Khajuraho temples feature a variety of art work, of which 10% is sexual or erotic art outside and inside the temples. Some of the temples that have two layers of walls have small erotic carvings on the outside of the inner wall. Some scholars suggest these to be tantric sexual practices. Other scholars state that the erotic arts are part of Hindu tradition of treating kama as an essential and proper part of human life, and its symbolic or explicit display is common in Hindu temples. James McConnachie, in his history of the Kamasutra, describes the sexual-themed Khajuraho sculptures as "the apogee of erotic art":

"Twisting, broad-hipped and high breasted nymphs display their generously contoured and bejewelled bodies on exquisitely worked exterior wall panels. These fleshy apsaras run riot across the surface of the stone, putting on make-up, washing their hair, playing games, dancing, and endlessly knotting and unknotting their girdles . . Beside the heavenly nymphs are serried ranks of griffins, guardian deities and, most notoriously, extravagantly interlocked maithunas, or lovemaking couples."

The temples have several thousand statues and art works, with Kandarya Mahadeva temple alone decorated with over 870. Some 10% of these iconographic carvings contain sexual themes and various sexual poses. A common misconception is that, since the old structures with carvings in Khajuraho are temples, the carvings depict sex between deities; however the kama arts represent diverse sexual expressions of different human beings. The vast majority of arts depict various aspects the everyday life, mythical stories as well as symbolic display of various secular and spiritual values important in Hindu tradition. For example, depictions show women putting on makeup, musicians making music, potters, farmers, and other folks in their daily life during the medieval era. These scenes are in the outer padas as is typical in Hindu temples.

There is iconographic symbolism embedded in the arts displayed in Khajuraho temples. Core Hindu values are expressed in multitude of ways. Even the Kama scenes, when seen in combination of sculptures that precede and follow, depict the spiritual themes such as moksha. In the words of Stella Kramrisch,

This state which is “like a man and woman in close embrace” is a symbol of moksa, final release or reunion of two principles, the essence (Purusha) and the nature (Prakriti).

— Stella Kramrisch, 1976

The Khajuraho temples represent one expression of many forms of arts that flourished in Rajput kingdoms of India from 8th through 10th century CE. For example, contemporary with Khajuraho were the publications of poems and drama such as Prabodhacandrodaya, Karpuramanjari, Viddhasalabhanjika and Kavyamimansa. Some of the themes expressed in these literary works are carved as sculpture in Khajuraho temples. Some sculptures at the Khajuraho monuments dedicated to Vishnu include the Vyalas, which are hybrid imaginary animals with lions body, and are found in other Indian temples. Some of these hybrid mythical art work include Vrik Vyala (hybrid of wolf and lion) and Gaja Vyala (hybrid of elephant and lion). These Vyalas may represent syncretic, creative combination of powers innate in the two.

TOURISM AND CULTURAL EVENTS

The temples in Khajuraho are broadly divided into three parts : the Eastern group, the Southern Group and the Western group of temples of which the Western group alone has the facility of an Audio guided tour wherein the tourists are guided through the seven eight temples. There is also an audio guided tour developed by the Archaeological Survey of India which includes a narration of the temple history and architecture.

The Khajuraho Dance Festival is held every year in February. It features various classical Indian dances set against the backdrop of the Chitragupta or Vishwanath Temples.

The Khajuraho temple complex offers a light and sound show every evening. The first show is in English language and the second one in Hindi. It is held in the open lawns in the temple complex, and has received mixed reviews.

The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development has set up kiosks at the Khajuraho railway station, with tourist officers to provide information for Khajuraho visitors.

WIKIPEDIA

Dedicated to Dom and Hélène !

Dedicated to Keichosaurus....

This is a detail crop of Dedicated to an American Game. The original image was rendered at 200 megapixels. Click Here to see the large size.

Ready for the hoe down! Nordstrom Rack shirt Silver jeans Frye boots :)

You could take away a couple of years from me

But I would still live my life to the fullest

You call me old an wrinkled

But I am not what I seem to be

I may look a thousand days ahead of you

The truth is I'm just getting a thousand days younger

And a thousand times more alive

Written by:me

The poster/flyer I made for dvAsian PRIDE in NYC. I hope to meet you there!!! :D

Special Guests:

www.myspace.com/basicblackandtheoffwhites

www.julianyeo.com

www.aqux.net (Underwear and Swimwear for the Cool & Sexy Man)

dvAsian

d·v·A·sian (dē'vē-ā'shən)

noun:

a: the Queer Pan-Asian Party for Queer Asians, thier friends and allies with K.C'arl & Troy every last Sunday of the Month

b: divergence from an accepted political policy or party line

dvAsian @ NOWHERE Bar

322 E. 14th St.

9PM, NO COVER, 21+

Hosted by K.C'arl & Troy.

Host DJs Playing the best Pop, Hip Hop, Electro, Rock & Dance from

80s to today.

Troy and I are dedicated to creating something that stands out and matters, which contributes to the creation of Queer Pan-Asian American Culture. The goal is to provide a great party that's an alternative to the Queer Asian places in the city that Queer Asian Americans, their friends and allies WANT to go to.

I will be there meeting everyone personally. So, please, when I come over to say hi, represent and let me know if you have any suggestions or email me.

Please Forward or give me email addresses of those you get permission from and feel free to print the flyer or postcard to help spread the word!

K.C'arl

www.myspace.com/nowherenyc

www.myspace.com/thelyght4

kcrandallrick[at]gmail.com

Photography by: John Groo

Design by: VJnet

Join the dvAsian Event on Facebook!

Join the NYC Gay Pride 2008 Event on Facebook!

vjnetcast.com

The Pashupatinath Temple (Nepali: पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर) is a famous, sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupatinath and is located on the banks of the Bagmati River 5 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu Valley in the eastern city of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. This temple is considered one of the sacred temples of Hindu faith. The temple serves as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath. This temple complex is on UNESCO World Heritage Sites's list Since 1979. This "extensive Hindu temple precinct" is a "sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, images and inscriptions raised over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati river" and is included as one of the seven monument groups in UNESCO's designation of Kathmandu Valley as a cultural heritage site. One of the major Festivals of the temple is Maha Shivaratri on which day over 700,000 devotees visit here.

The twelve Jyotirlinga (in India) are the body and the Jyotirlinga at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu (Nepal) is the head over this body.

The temple is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams (Holy Abodes of Shiva) on the continent. Kotirudra Samhita, Chapter 11 on the Shivalingas of the North, in Shiva Purana mentions this Shivalinga as the bestower of all wishes.

HISTORY

The temple was erected anew in the 15th century by Lichhavi King Shupuspa after the previous building had been consumed by termites. Countless further temples have been erected around this two -storied temple. These include the Vaishnav temple complex with a Ram temple from the 14th century and the Guhyeshwari Temple mentioned in an 11th-century manuscript.

LEGEND ABOUT THE TEMPLE ORIGIN

Pashupatinath Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. It is not known for certain when Pashupatinath Temple was founded. But according to Nepal Mahatmaya and Himvatkhanda, the deity here gained great fame there as Pashupati, the Lord of all Pashus, which are living as well as non-living beings. Pashupatinath Temple's existence dates back to 400 A.D. The richly-ornamented pagoda houses the sacred linga or holy symbol of Lord Shiva. There are many legends describing as to how the temple of Lord Pashupatinath came to existence here. Some of them are narrated below:

THE COW LEGEND

Legend says that Lord Shiva once took the form of an antelope and sported unknown in the forest on Bagmati river's east bank. The gods later caught up with him, and grabbing him by the horn, forced him to resume his divine form. The broken horn was worshipped as a linga but overtime it was buried and lost. Centuries later an astonished herdsmen found one of his cows showering the earth with milk. Digging deep at the site, he discovered the divine linga of Pashupatinath.

THE LINCHCHAVI LEGEND

According to Gopalraj Vamsavali, the oldest ever chronicle in Nepal, this temple was built by Supuspa Deva, a Linchchhavi King, who according to the stone inscription erected by Jayadeva 11 in the courtyard of Pashupatinath in 753 AD, happened to be the ruler 39 generations before Manadeva (464-505 AD).

THE DEVALAYA LEGEND

Another chronicle states that Pashupatinath Temple was in the form of Linga shaped Devalaya before Supuspa Deva constructed a five storey temple of Pashupatinath in this place. As the time passed, the need for repairing and renovating this temple arose. It is learnt that this temple was reconstructed by a medieval King named Shivadeva (1099-1126 AD). It was renovated by Ananta Malla adding a roof to it. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world come to pay homage to this temple, that is also known as 'The Temple of Living Beings'.

OTHER BELIEFS

There are several complex stories involving the origins of Pashupatinath. One story goes, in brief, that Shiva and Parvati came to the Kathmandu Valley and rested by the Bagmati while on a journey. Shiva was so impressed by its beauty and the surrounding forest that he and Parvati changed themselves into deers and walked into the forest. Many spots in the Kathmandu Valley are identified as places where Shiva went during his time as a deer. After a while the people and gods began to search for Shiva. Finally, after various complications, they found him in the forest, but he refused to leave. More complications ensued, but ultimately Shiva announced that, since he had lived by the Bagmati in a deer's form, he would now be known as Pashupatinath, Lord of all animals. It is said that whoever came here and beheld the lingam that appeared there would not be reborn as an animal.

FINDING OF SHIVA LINGA AT PASHIPATINATH TEMPLE

It is said that the wish-fulfilling cow Kamadhenu took shelter in a cave on the Chandravan mountain. Everyday Kamadhenu went down to the place the lingam was sunken into the soil and poured her milk on top of the soil. After ten thousand years some people saw Kamadhenu pouring milk on that same spot everyday, and started to wonder what that would be. So they removed the soil and found the beautiful shining lingam and started worshiping it.

TEMPLE COMPLEX

The area of Pashupatinath encompasses 264 hectare of land including 518 temples and monuments. Main pagoda style temple is located in the fortified courtyard within the complex guarded by Nepal Police and has a police outpost post along with living quarter within. In front of the western door there is a huge statue Nandi bull, in bronze. Along with many temples and shrines of both Vaishnav and saiva tradition.

TEMPLES AND SHRINES IN THE INNER COURTYARD

Vasuki nath temple

Unmatta Bhairav temple

Surya narayan temple

Kirti mukh bhairav shrine

Budanil kantha shrine

Hanuman shrine

184 shivaling shrine

TEMPLES AND SHRINES IN THE OUTER COMPLEX

Ram mandir

Virat swaroop temple

12 jyotirlingha and Pandra Shivalaya

Guhyeshwari Temple

MAIN TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

This main temple is built in the Nepalese pagoda style of architecture. All the features of pagoda style is founded here like cubic constructions, beautifully carved wooden rafters on which they rest (tundal). The two level roofs are of copper with gold covering. The temple resides on a square base platform with a height of 23m 7 cm from base to pinnacle. It has four main doors, all covered with silver sheets. This temple has a gold pinnacle (Gajur). Inside are two Garbhagrihas, outer and inner. The inner garbhagriha or sanctum sanctorum is where the idol is placed and outer sanctum is an open corridor like space.

THE DEITY

The sacro sanctum, or the main idol is a stone Mukhalinga with a silver yoni base bound with silver serpent. The lingam is one metre high and has faces in four directions. These faces represents various ascepts of Shiva; Sadyojata (also known as Barun), Vamdeva (also known as Ardha nareshwor), Tatpurusha, Aghor & Ishana (imaginative). Facing West, North, East, South and Zenith respectively representing five primary elements namely earth, water, air, light and ether. Each face has tiny protruding hands holding rudraksha mala on right hand and a kamandalu on the other.Unlike other shiva lingams in India and Nepal this pashupati shiva lingam is always Dressed in its golden vastra except during abhishakam, so pouring milk and ganga jal is only possible during abhishakam through the main priests.

PRIESTS

Daily rituals of Pashupatinath are carried out by two sets of priests ;one being the Bhatt priests and other Bhandari. Bhatta or Bhatt are the one who performs the daily ritual and can touch the lingam, where as Bhadaris are the helper and temple care taker priests but are not qualified perform pooja rituals or to touch the deity.

Bhatta or Bhat are highly educated Vedic bhramin Scholars from Brahmin family from South Indian State Karnataka.Unlike other Hindu temples priesthood of Pashupatinath is not hereditary. Priests are selected from a group of scholars educated by Shri Shankaracharya Dakshinamnaya Peeth Sringeri on Rig Vedic Recitation, initiated in Pashupata Yoga by Kashi Math,Shiva Āgama and learned Recitation of Samaveda from Haridwar.After qualifying and fulfilling all those criteria they will be selected for Priesthood by Raj Guru of Pashupatinath Temple undergoing strict examination on Vedas and Shiva Agamas and then the qualifies are sent to Kathmandu for performing Puja and Daily Worship of Lord Shri Pashupatinath This tradition is reported to have started by the request of Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century, who sought to unify the different states of Bharatam (Unified India) by encouraging cultural exchange. This procedure is also followed in other temples around Bharata-varsa which were sanctified by Adi Shankaracharya. The unique feature of this temple is that only 4 Bhatta priests can touch the deity.Current Bhatt priests of the temple are;

Ganesh Bhat (15th head priest of the Pashupatinath Temple aka Mool Bhat) from Udupi.

Ram Karanth Bhat from Mangaluru.

Girish Bhat from Sirsi.

Narayan Bhat(Recently appointed) from Bhatkal

Raghavendra Bhat (Priest for Vasuki Nath temple only)

Bhandaris or Rajbhandari are the treasurers, temple caretakers, and assistant priest of the temple.

These Bhandaris are the descendants of helper priests brought up by early Bhatts, but were allowed to settle in Kathmandu valley and later assimilated in existing Newar caste of Rajbhandari - a high-caste Chathariya/Kshatriya clan of Kashyapa gotra. Their main function is to help the Bhatta priest and perform maintenance of the inner Garbhagriha. They can have little or no Vedic knowledge but still qualify as assistant priests if they belong from the same family lineage and undergo some basic criteria like caste, gotra, lineage purity, educational qualification, etc. They work in set of four and change in every full moon day. There are a total of 108 Bhandaris.

ENTRY AND DARSHAN

Temple courtyard has 4 entrances in all directions.The western entrance is the main entrance to the temple courtyard and rest three entrances are only opened during big festival . Temple security (Armed Police Force Nepal) is selective regarding who is allowed entry into the inner courtyard . Practicing Hindus and buddhist of Indian and Tibetan descendent are only allowed into temple courtiyard . Practicing Hindus of western descent are not allowed into the temple complex along with other non Hindu Visitors. Sikh and Jain groups are allowed into the temple compound if they are of Indian ancestry. Others can look at the main temple from adjacent side of the river and has to pay a nominal fee of $10 (1000 Nepali rupee) for visiting hundreds of small temples in the external premises of the temple complex . The inner temple courtyard remains open from 4 am to 7 pm for the devotee but the Inner Pashupatinath Temple where the Lingam of lord Pashupatinath is established is open from 5am to 12 pm for the morning ritual and viewing and from 5pm to 7 pm for evening ritual. Unlike many other Saiva temples devotees are not allowed to enter in the inner-most Garbhagriha but are allowed to view from the exterior premises of the outer Garbhagriha.

FESTIVALS

There are many festivals throughout the year .Thousands of people attend these festival.The most important festival is the Maha Shiva Ratri .Bala chaturthi and Teej.

CONTROVERSY OF 2009

In January 2009, after the forced resignation by the chief priest of Pashupatinath temple, the Maoist-led government of Nepal "hand picked" Nepalese priests to lead the temple, thus bypassing the temple's long-standing requirements. This appointment was contested by the Bhandaris of the temple, stating that they were not against the appointment of Nepalese priests but against the appointment without proper procedure. After the appointment was challenged in a civil court, the appointment was overruled by Supreme Court of Nepal.However, the government did not heed the ruling and stood by its decision. This led to public outrage and protests over a lack of transparency. The paramilitary group of the CPN (Maoist), called YCL, attacked the protesters, leading to over a dozen injuries. Lawmakers and activists from opposition parties joined protests, declaring their support for the Bhatta and other pro-Bhatta protesters. After long dissatisfaction and protest by Hindus both in and outside Nepal, the government was forced to reverse its decision that had been declared illegal by the Supreme Court of Nepal and reinstate Bhatta priests.

2015 EARTHQUAKE

The main temple complex of Pashupatinath and the sanctum sanctorum was left untouched but some of the outer buildings in the World Heritage Site were damaged by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.

WIKIPEDIA

Dedicated to the Men and Women of Beverley who lost their lives in the Service of their Country since World War 2

1953 Korea

Private 22583514 Norman WilliamSHARP, 1st Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons Regiment. Killed in action 29th May 1953 aged 39. He is at rest in grave 3422, United Nations Memorial Cemetery, Pusan, Korea

1972 Northern Ireland

Warrant Officer Class 2, 22531241,Arthur McMillan. Aged 37 (HQ. Coy) Gordon Highlanders. From Ross-shire (Married). Killed along with two of his soldiers (Sgt Ian Mark MUTCH and L/Cpl Colin LESLIE) by a booby trap bomb while they searched a derelict house near Lurgan ,Co Down on the 18th June 1972 aged 37. He is at rest in grave 38, Section 492, Grave Row. lawn Section at Northern Cemetery, Hull, East Yorkshire

1982 Falklands

Lance Corporal 24347663 Gary David BINGLEY (Military Medal) 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment. Killed in Action at Goose Green on the 28th May 1982 aged 24. He is at rest in Grave 94 at Aldershot Military Cemetery, Aldershot. Hampshire.

Extract from the London Gazette dated 8th October 1982

24347663 Lance Corporal Gary David BINGLEY, The Parachute Regiment.

Throughout 28th May 1982, the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were engaged in fierce fighting to take well entrenched enemy positions in 'the area of the Goose Green settlement on the Island of East Falkland. Lance Corporal Bingley was a Section Commander. During the battle his section came under fire at close quarters from two enemy machine-gun posts. To destroy the enemy positions

he led his section in the assault and whilst leading was fatally wounded. His heroic action enabled his company to continue their advance and was significantly instrumental in defeating the enemy.

The QUEEN has been graciously pleased to approve the award of the Military Medal to the under mentioned in recognition of bravery during the operations in the South Atlantic:

2009 Afghanistan

Sergeant 25061301 Michael LOCKETT, (Military Cross) 2nd Battalion Mercian Regiment died 21st September 2009 aged 29. At the time of his death on 21 September 2009, he was working with the Afghan National Army at Patrol Base Sandford. He had volunteered to stay at the base because new soldiers were due to arrive, and he wanted to ensure they knew as much about the local area as possible.] He was investigating an improvised explosive device, when it detonated, killing him, and injuring two nearby soldiers.

He is at rest in Grave 404 at Linn Cemetery, Lainshaw Drive, Glasgow, Scotland

Sgt Lockett received the MC last year from the Queen for his ‘outstanding bravery’.

He had repeatedly led his men forward under heavy enemy fire during a night-time battle with Taliban insurgents near the town of Garmsir in Helmand province in September 2007.

The father of three from Moni-fieth, near Dundee, rescued several wounded comrades and the bodies of fallen British soldiers from the battleground, while under heavy fire.

dedicated to loredana

Dedicated to Heather Buckley who luvs her some doll babies. More Toy Fair 2013 Coverage at idlehands1.blogspot.com !

The World War I Overseas Flyers Monument was dedicated on November 11, 1985 in front of Harmon Hall in the Cadet Honor Court of the United States Air Force Academy. Nicknamed the "Headless Duck" by cadets, it was donated by Ira Milton Jones in memory of the first American pilots to serve overseas in combat in World War I, 1917-1918. The 7-foot tall bronze sculpture rests atop a polished black marble base and depicts the back and wings of an eagle in flight.

The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. The youngest of the five United States service academies, it was founded in 1959 and graduated its first class in 1959. With a total enrollment of only around 4,500, the Air Force Academy is among the most selective colleges in the country. The campus of the Academy covers 18,000 acres on the east side of the Rampart Range of the Rocky Mountains, just north of Colorado Springs, at a stated altitude of 7,258 feet above sea-level, which is the elevation of the cadet area.

The Cadet Area, located approximately four miles west of the Academy's north entrance off U.S. I-25, was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) and lead architect Walter Netsch, with SOM partner John O. Merrill relocating from Chicago to a Colorado Springs field office to oversee the construction. Completed in 1963, and expanded from 1965-1968 by the architectural firms of Leo A. Daly, Inc. and Henningson, Durham, and Richardson, the Cadet Area has gone largely unchanged since. The design is notable for its distinct, modernist style--contrasting the traditional designs of West Point and Annapolis--with extensive use of aluminum on building exteriors, suggesting the outer skin of aircraft or spacecraft.

United States Air Force Academy, Cadet Area National Register #04000484 (2004)

Dedicated at WCU on October 1, 2013. Frederick Douglass, the former slave, distinguished orator, author and statesman delivered his last public lecture on West Chester's campus in 1895.

Earth Day Hayarkon River Clean-Up Event,(April 28)

Sixteen tenth-grade students from mainly Russian speaking immigrant families, attending Shevah Mofet, a Tel Aviv high school, participated in a Hayarkon River Clean-up Day dedicated to Earth Day 2011. These high school students are all participants in a U.S. government sponsored competition entitled Global Impact Apprentice (GIA): 2010 Environmental Challenge, organized by a U. S. based NGO called Empower Peace. They wore appropriate “ H2O and You” T-shirts, specially for the occasion, that they received from Royalton High School, Vermont., their partners in the competition. The students took water samples to test in their school laboratory and compare with clean water. Some of the students also took the opportunity to petition the public to create awareness of the environment and to agree to help stop pollution and help preserve the local wildlife by the river. The participants were all presented with copies of the IIP Earth day 2011 posters as souvenirs for their hard day’s work.

The Hayarkon River is 27.5 km from its source at Rosh Ha’ayin springs to its estuary in the Mediterranean Sea. The river is the largest among the shore rivers of Israel. It flows through the municipal areas of Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Bnei Brak, Petach Tikva, Ramat Hasharon, Hod Hasharon and the regional council of Drom Hasharon, and has been heavily polluted since the 1980’s by sewage water and large amount of waste. Swimming in the water of the Yarkon River is absolutely forbidden according to the Israeli Ministry of Health!

Jalakantesvara Temple (Tamil: ஜலகண்டேஸ்வரர் கோவில்) is an temple dedicated to Lord Shiva which is located in the Vellore Fort, Tamil Nadu State, India. The temple of the Vijaynagar period stands inside the Vellore Fort, which is under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India, along with the St. John's Church, Tippu Mahal, Hyder Mahal, Candy Mahal, Badhusha Mahal and the Begum Mahal.

HISTORY

According to legend, there used to a giant ant-hill at the location where the sanctum sanctorum of temple now stands. This ant-hill was surrounded by stagnant water, as a result of collection of rain water, and at some time a Shiva Lingam was placed in this water around the ant hill and worshiped. Chinna Bommi Nayaka, a Vijayanagar chieftain, who was controlling the fort had a dream where the Lord Shiva asked him to build a temple at that location. Nayaka, proceeded to demolish the anthill and build the temple in 1550 AD, and since the Lingam was surrounded by water (called Jalam in Tamil) the deity was called as Jalakandeswarar (translated as "Lord Siva residing in the water"). The temple was built during the reign of the Vijayanagaram king Sadasivadeva Maharaya (1540 - 1572 AD). The temple also has the statue of Sri Akhilandeshwari Amma, the consort of Jalakandeswarar.

ARCHITECTURE

The Jalakantesvara Temple is a fine example of Vijayanagaram Architecture. The temple has exquisite carvings on its gopuram (tower), richly carved stone pillars, large wooden gates and stunning monoliths and sculptures. These Vijayanagara sculptures are similar to the ones present in Soundararajaperumal Temple, Thadikombu, Krishnapuram Venkatachalapathy temple, Srivilliputhur Divya Desam and Alagar Koyil. The Gopuram of the tower is iver 100 ft. in height. The temple also has a Mandapam, with the hall supported by carved stone pillars of dragons, horses and yalis (lion like creature).

The temple itself built in middle of a water tank (called Agazhi in Tamil), and there is water surround the temple like a garland. The circumference of the water tank is 8000 ft. The wedding hall (Kalyana Mantapam) inside the temple has a 2 faced sculpture, that of a bull and an elephant. The water user for bathing the deity (abishekam) is drawn from an ancient well called the Ganga Gouri Thhertam, within the temple.

SPECIALTY

Behind the Nandi statue, there is an earthen lamp, which is said to revolve when some people place their hands on it. The revolving is said to indicate that their wishes have been granted. Some devotees of the temple worship the golden and silver lizard sculptures and the snake sculptures in order to get relief from 'sarpa dosham'.

MUTILATION

The temple was mutilated during the Muslim invasion and capture of Vellore Fort. Following the desecration of the temple during Muslim invasion and rule, worship in the temple was stopped. An Islamic structure was also built to serve as a makeshift mosque, after destroying an Amman (Nagalamman) Temple, which stood on that site. The temple was being used as an arsenal for nearly 400 years. On the fears of desecration, the main deity was moved away to the Jalakanda Vinayakar Temple in Sathuvacheri for safe keeping. The temple was vacant for nearly 400 years. In 1921, the Vellore Fort was handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India for maintenance. At that time, the temple was not used for worship, and the ASI was keen to maintain this status quo. However, in 1981, the deity was smuggled inside the fort and re-installed inside the temple, and worship re-instated.

RE-CONSECRATION 1981

Several attempts had been made in the 20th century, to re-instate the main deity inside the Jalakantesvara Temple. However, the Archaeological Survey of India wanted to maintain the status quo, an did want the temple to be used for worship. However, on 16 March 1981, the deity was removed from the Jalakanda Vinayakar Temple in Sathuvacheri and secretly smuggled inside the fort, hiding it inside a closed truck, and stealthily installed in the early morning hours.

According to AK Seshadhri, author of the book 'Vellore Fort and the Temple through the Ages', "The staff of ASI could do nothing to prevent the forcible action of the mob, except watch the happenings and complain the incident to the police and the district collector. The district authorities took no action, saying that this is a sensitive religious matter and therefore any preventive action would lead to a law and order problem…"

Consequently, the first kumbabishekam after re-consecration was held in 1982, followed by 1997 and 2011. For the third kumbabishekam in 2011, a special gold plated car are made at a cost of INR 30 million, and used nearly 7 kg Gold.

In 2006, the 25th anniversary of the re-consecration of the Jalakantesvara Temple was celebrated by taking out the deity in a grand procession passing through Long Bazaar, Saidapet, Kagitha Pattarai and Main Bazaar of Vellore.

GOVERNMENT TAKE OVER

On Saturday, 22 June 2013, the Department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, Government of Tamil Nadu took over the administration of the Jalakantesvara Temple, at the Vellore Fort, following government order dated 18 June 2013, asking the Assistant Commissioner of Vellore to take over the temple and assume charge as the 'Fit Person' (Thakkar) of the temple. Previously the temple was managed by a private trust called Sri Jalakanteswarar Dharma Sthabanam. The private trust had opposed the takeover, by approaching the Madras High Court. However, nearly 10 years of legal proceedings resulted in the court ruling in favor of the Government of Tamil Nadu. However, the temple structure is owned and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, with only the administration taken over by the government.

WIKIPEDIA

The Pashupatinath Temple (Nepali: पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर) is a famous, sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupatinath and is located on the banks of the Bagmati River 5 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu Valley in the eastern city of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. This temple is considered one of the sacred temples of Hindu faith. The temple serves as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath. This temple complex is on UNESCO World Heritage Sites's list Since 1979. This "extensive Hindu temple precinct" is a "sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, images and inscriptions raised over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati river" and is included as one of the seven monument groups in UNESCO's designation of Kathmandu Valley as a cultural heritage site. One of the major Festivals of the temple is Maha Shivaratri on which day over 700,000 devotees visit here.

The twelve Jyotirlinga (in India) are the body and the Jyotirlinga at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu (Nepal) is the head over this body.

The temple is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams (Holy Abodes of Shiva) on the continent. Kotirudra Samhita, Chapter 11 on the Shivalingas of the North, in Shiva Purana mentions this Shivalinga as the bestower of all wishes.

HISTORY

The temple was erected anew in the 15th century by Lichhavi King Shupuspa after the previous building had been consumed by termites. Countless further temples have been erected around this two -storied temple. These include the Vaishnav temple complex with a Ram temple from the 14th century and the Guhyeshwari Temple mentioned in an 11th-century manuscript.

LEGEND ABOUT THE TEMPLE ORIGIN

Pashupatinath Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. It is not known for certain when Pashupatinath Temple was founded. But according to Nepal Mahatmaya and Himvatkhanda, the deity here gained great fame there as Pashupati, the Lord of all Pashus, which are living as well as non-living beings. Pashupatinath Temple's existence dates back to 400 A.D. The richly-ornamented pagoda houses the sacred linga or holy symbol of Lord Shiva. There are many legends describing as to how the temple of Lord Pashupatinath came to existence here. Some of them are narrated below:

THE COW LEGEND

Legend says that Lord Shiva once took the form of an antelope and sported unknown in the forest on Bagmati river's east bank. The gods later caught up with him, and grabbing him by the horn, forced him to resume his divine form. The broken horn was worshipped as a linga but overtime it was buried and lost. Centuries later an astonished herdsmen found one of his cows showering the earth with milk. Digging deep at the site, he discovered the divine linga of Pashupatinath.

THE LINCHCHAVI LEGEND

According to Gopalraj Vamsavali, the oldest ever chronicle in Nepal, this temple was built by Supuspa Deva, a Linchchhavi King, who according to the stone inscription erected by Jayadeva 11 in the courtyard of Pashupatinath in 753 AD, happened to be the ruler 39 generations before Manadeva (464-505 AD).

THE DEVALAYA LEGEND

Another chronicle states that Pashupatinath Temple was in the form of Linga shaped Devalaya before Supuspa Deva constructed a five storey temple of Pashupatinath in this place. As the time passed, the need for repairing and renovating this temple arose. It is learnt that this temple was reconstructed by a medieval King named Shivadeva (1099-1126 AD). It was renovated by Ananta Malla adding a roof to it. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world come to pay homage to this temple, that is also known as 'The Temple of Living Beings'.

OTHER BELIEFS

There are several complex stories involving the origins of Pashupatinath. One story goes, in brief, that Shiva and Parvati came to the Kathmandu Valley and rested by the Bagmati while on a journey. Shiva was so impressed by its beauty and the surrounding forest that he and Parvati changed themselves into deers and walked into the forest. Many spots in the Kathmandu Valley are identified as places where Shiva went during his time as a deer. After a while the people and gods began to search for Shiva. Finally, after various complications, they found him in the forest, but he refused to leave. More complications ensued, but ultimately Shiva announced that, since he had lived by the Bagmati in a deer's form, he would now be known as Pashupatinath, Lord of all animals. It is said that whoever came here and beheld the lingam that appeared there would not be reborn as an animal.

FINDING OF SHIVA LINGA AT PASHIPATINATH TEMPLE

It is said that the wish-fulfilling cow Kamadhenu took shelter in a cave on the Chandravan mountain. Everyday Kamadhenu went down to the place the lingam was sunken into the soil and poured her milk on top of the soil. After ten thousand years some people saw Kamadhenu pouring milk on that same spot everyday, and started to wonder what that would be. So they removed the soil and found the beautiful shining lingam and started worshiping it.

TEMPLE COMPLEX

The area of Pashupatinath encompasses 264 hectare of land including 518 temples and monuments. Main pagoda style temple is located in the fortified courtyard within the complex guarded by Nepal Police and has a police outpost post along with living quarter within. In front of the western door there is a huge statue Nandi bull, in bronze. Along with many temples and shrines of both Vaishnav and saiva tradition.

TEMPLES AND SHRINES IN THE INNER COURTYARD

Vasuki nath temple

Unmatta Bhairav temple

Surya narayan temple

Kirti mukh bhairav shrine

Budanil kantha shrine

Hanuman shrine

184 shivaling shrine

TEMPLES AND SHRINES IN THE OUTER COMPLEX

Ram mandir

Virat swaroop temple

12 jyotirlingha and Pandra Shivalaya

Guhyeshwari Temple

MAIN TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

This main temple is built in the Nepalese pagoda style of architecture. All the features of pagoda style is founded here like cubic constructions, beautifully carved wooden rafters on which they rest (tundal). The two level roofs are of copper with gold covering. The temple resides on a square base platform with a height of 23m 7 cm from base to pinnacle. It has four main doors, all covered with silver sheets. This temple has a gold pinnacle (Gajur). Inside are two Garbhagrihas, outer and inner. The inner garbhagriha or sanctum sanctorum is where the idol is placed and outer sanctum is an open corridor like space.

THE DEITY

The sacro sanctum, or the main idol is a stone Mukhalinga with a silver yoni base bound with silver serpent. The lingam is one metre high and has faces in four directions. These faces represents various ascepts of Shiva; Sadyojata (also known as Barun), Vamdeva (also known as Ardha nareshwor), Tatpurusha, Aghor & Ishana (imaginative). Facing West, North, East, South and Zenith respectively representing five primary elements namely earth, water, air, light and ether. Each face has tiny protruding hands holding rudraksha mala on right hand and a kamandalu on the other.Unlike other shiva lingams in India and Nepal this pashupati shiva lingam is always Dressed in its golden vastra except during abhishakam, so pouring milk and ganga jal is only possible during abhishakam through the main priests.

PRIESTS

Daily rituals of Pashupatinath are carried out by two sets of priests ;one being the Bhatt priests and other Bhandari. Bhatta or Bhatt are the one who performs the daily ritual and can touch the lingam, where as Bhadaris are the helper and temple care taker priests but are not qualified perform pooja rituals or to touch the deity.

Bhatta or Bhat are highly educated Vedic bhramin Scholars from Brahmin family from South Indian State Karnataka.Unlike other Hindu temples priesthood of Pashupatinath is not hereditary. Priests are selected from a group of scholars educated by Shri Shankaracharya Dakshinamnaya Peeth Sringeri on Rig Vedic Recitation, initiated in Pashupata Yoga by Kashi Math,Shiva Āgama and learned Recitation of Samaveda from Haridwar.After qualifying and fulfilling all those criteria they will be selected for Priesthood by Raj Guru of Pashupatinath Temple undergoing strict examination on Vedas and Shiva Agamas and then the qualifies are sent to Kathmandu for performing Puja and Daily Worship of Lord Shri Pashupatinath This tradition is reported to have started by the request of Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century, who sought to unify the different states of Bharatam (Unified India) by encouraging cultural exchange. This procedure is also followed in other temples around Bharata-varsa which were sanctified by Adi Shankaracharya. The unique feature of this temple is that only 4 Bhatta priests can touch the deity.Current Bhatt priests of the temple are;

Ganesh Bhat (15th head priest of the Pashupatinath Temple aka Mool Bhat) from Udupi.

Ram Karanth Bhat from Mangaluru.

Girish Bhat from Sirsi.

Narayan Bhat(Recently appointed) from Bhatkal

Raghavendra Bhat (Priest for Vasuki Nath temple only)

Bhandaris or Rajbhandari are the treasurers, temple caretakers, and assistant priest of the temple.

These Bhandaris are the descendants of helper priests brought up by early Bhatts, but were allowed to settle in Kathmandu valley and later assimilated in existing Newar caste of Rajbhandari - a high-caste Chathariya/Kshatriya clan of Kashyapa gotra. Their main function is to help the Bhatta priest and perform maintenance of the inner Garbhagriha. They can have little or no Vedic knowledge but still qualify as assistant priests if they belong from the same family lineage and undergo some basic criteria like caste, gotra, lineage purity, educational qualification, etc. They work in set of four and change in every full moon day. There are a total of 108 Bhandaris.

ENTRY AND DARSHAN

Temple courtyard has 4 entrances in all directions.The western entrance is the main entrance to the temple courtyard and rest three entrances are only opened during big festival . Temple security (Armed Police Force Nepal) is selective regarding who is allowed entry into the inner courtyard . Practicing Hindus and buddhist of Indian and Tibetan descendent are only allowed into temple courtiyard . Practicing Hindus of western descent are not allowed into the temple complex along with other non Hindu Visitors. Sikh and Jain groups are allowed into the temple compound if they are of Indian ancestry. Others can look at the main temple from adjacent side of the river and has to pay a nominal fee of $10 (1000 Nepali rupee) for visiting hundreds of small temples in the external premises of the temple complex . The inner temple courtyard remains open from 4 am to 7 pm for the devotee but the Inner Pashupatinath Temple where the Lingam of lord Pashupatinath is established is open from 5am to 12 pm for the morning ritual and viewing and from 5pm to 7 pm for evening ritual. Unlike many other Saiva temples devotees are not allowed to enter in the inner-most Garbhagriha but are allowed to view from the exterior premises of the outer Garbhagriha.

FESTIVALS

There are many festivals throughout the year .Thousands of people attend these festival.The most important festival is the Maha Shiva Ratri .Bala chaturthi and Teej.

CONTROVERSY OF 2009

In January 2009, after the forced resignation by the chief priest of Pashupatinath temple, the Maoist-led government of Nepal "hand picked" Nepalese priests to lead the temple, thus bypassing the temple's long-standing requirements. This appointment was contested by the Bhandaris of the temple, stating that they were not against the appointment of Nepalese priests but against the appointment without proper procedure. After the appointment was challenged in a civil court, the appointment was overruled by Supreme Court of Nepal.However, the government did not heed the ruling and stood by its decision. This led to public outrage and protests over a lack of transparency. The paramilitary group of the CPN (Maoist), called YCL, attacked the protesters, leading to over a dozen injuries. Lawmakers and activists from opposition parties joined protests, declaring their support for the Bhatta and other pro-Bhatta protesters. After long dissatisfaction and protest by Hindus both in and outside Nepal, the government was forced to reverse its decision that had been declared illegal by the Supreme Court of Nepal and reinstate Bhatta priests.

2015 EARTHQUAKE

The main temple complex of Pashupatinath and the sanctum sanctorum was left untouched but some of the outer buildings in the World Heritage Site were damaged by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.

WIKIPEDIA

Dedicated to fellow photographer ~ Sailor ~

Cropredy has ancient origins, a chapel in the church is dedicated to St Fremund, an anglo-saxon saint thought to be the son of King Offa. It's name combines the Old English croppe or hill and ridig, a small stream. The village is only a few miles from Banbury, in hilly country along the banks of the River Cherwell. Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries Cropredy belonged the Bishop of Lincoln. More recently Brasenose College, Oxford, has become a significant landlord giving it's name to the local pub.

Dramatic changes to centuries of agrarian life were heralded by the excavation of the Oxford canal which runs alongside the Cherwell south-east of the church. This busy waterway was superseded by the Great Western railway, the village even had it's own station until 1956.

Unusually Cropredy retains the ringing of the curfew bell, in Medieval times this was a signal to return home and 'cover their fires'. Roger Lupton local priest between 1487 and 1528 was so lost in dense fog that he could only find his way from nearby Chacombe by the ringing of Cropredy's bells. He founded a fund in gratitude which paid for the daily winding of the clock and tolling the bell morning, noon and night. The bell is still rung Tuesday and Thursday nights for five minutes after eight O'clock.

The village is best known for the Civil War 'Battle of Cropredy Bridge'. A rare Royalist victory at a time when the Parliamentary forces were in the ascendancy. In June 1644 the King slipped out of Oxford to avoid two Roundhead armies which were rapidly approaching. At this point the Earl of Essex chose to lead his army south and relieve the siege of Lyme Regis leaving Sir William Waller to pursue the King with half of the men. Waller shadowed the Royal army to Worcester only for the King to double back towards Banbury where the Parliamentary commander saw an opportunity to split the Royal forces which were strung out along the Daventry road. Waller's artillery crossed Cropredy bridge but were too far ahead of the infantry and were overrun. Fierce fighting followed but neither side achieved a significant advantage and a chance of capturing the King was lost. As children we were told stories of a phantom drummer boy.

Cropredy's most prominent claim to fame is their music festival founded when Fairport Convention played the village fete in 1976. Cropredy Music Festival grew from these modest beginnings and now attracts over 20,000 music fans every year.

St. Mary the Virgin is an impressive building constructed from the local rust-coloured ironstone. While part of the wall of the south aisle has been dated to c1050 the present church begins in the 13th century with significant 14th and 15th century additions. The south wall has two tomb recesses thought to be built for Simon de Cropredy and his son c1200. The church has an interesting 13th century parish chest and the chapel dedicated to the anglo-saxon saint Fremund has two 15th century screens, one of which has the initials AD which may stand for Alice Danvers. The nave arcading, tower and choir arches are Perpendicular in style with no capitals and continuous moulding from ground level. The tower is early 15th century with the belfry and parapets added 80 years later, There are eight bells, six from the late 17th century, two added in 2007 called Fairport and Villager. Fragments of a Doom survive above the chancel arch. The church has a 17th century pulpit and a rare pre-reformation eagle lectern which is said to have been hidden in the river before the Battle of Cropredy where it lost one of it's lion feet. The beak has a slot for collecting 'Peter's Pence'. There is a beautiful 15th century head of the Virgin Mary in stained glass which was found in the churchyard. There are two fonts, one Norman and one Victorian. In the tower is a magnificent clock by John Moore of Clerkenwell dated 1831.

Cropredy is just off the Daventry road a few miles from Banbury about an hour from Stratford-upon-Avon.

www.youtube.com/user/Cotswoldchurches

www.bwthornton.co.uk

Nandi (Sanskrit: नन्दी, Tamil: நந்தி, Telugu: న౦ది) is the name for the bull which serves as the mount (Sanskrit: Vahana) of the god Shiva and as the gatekeeper of Shiva and Parvati. In Hindu Religion, he is the chief guru of eighteen masters (18 siddhas) including Patanjali and Thirumular. Temples venerating Shiva display stone images of a seated Nandi, generally facing the main shrine. There are also a number of temples dedicated solely to Nandi.

The application of the name Nandi to the bull (Sanskrit: vṛṣabha) is in fact a development of recent centuries, as Gouriswar Bhattacharya has documented in an illustrated article entitled "Nandin and Vṛṣabha". The name Nandi was earlier widely used instead for an anthropomorphic deity who was one of Shiva’s two door-keepers, the other being Mahākāla. The doorways of pre-tenth-century North Indian temples are frequently flanked by images of Mahākāla and Nandi, and it is in this role of Shiva’s watchman that Nandi figures in Kālidāsa’s poem the Kumārasambhava.

ETYMOLOGY

The word “Nandi” is believed to be derived from the ancient word “Pandi” meaning bull or its has origins in the Sanskrit language where it means 'of Shiva', 'attendant of Shiva', or happy.

BIRTH OF NANDI

There was a Sage named Shilada who underwent severe penance to have a boon - A child with immortality. Lord Indra pleased of the austerities of Shilada appeared in front of him to offer a boon. After hearing the request of Shilada and his desire to have an immortal child, Lord Indra suggested him to pray to Lord Shiva who could provide the boon; nobody else could provide such a boon. Sage Shilada continued his penance for thousand years. He was totally immovable for many years, so the termites settled on his body and slowly started to build up their nest. Finally, his whole body was covered up by them. The insects started to eat his flesh and imbibed his blood. At last, only bones remained. Lord Shiva appeared in front of him and provided the boon for an immortal child. Moreover, Lord Shiva provided Sage Shilada his old form with a single touch. Sage Shilada performed Yagna and a child appeared from the sacrificial fire. His body was clad in armour made out of diamonds. The celestial dancers and singers performed on this auspicious occasion and the deities showered flowers on the child. The boy was named ’Nandi’ - who brings joy. Shilada brought the child home, immediately the boy lost his divine appearance to an ordinary child. The child completely forgot all about his birth. Sage Shilada was worried about the sudden change. He devoted his time for the bringing up the child, his education etc. By the age of seven the boy was well versed in Veda and all sacred texts. One day the two deities - Mitra and Varuna visited Sage Shilada. At the first sight of the boy, they commented: Though the boy had all auspicious signs, he would have a very short life. The boy would not live after the age of eight. Sage Shilada was mortified at this remark. Nandi could not bear his father's sorrow, he began to pray to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva appeared before him and blessed him. Lord Shiva adorned the boy with a necklace around his neck which he was wearing, and made him immortal. Lord Shiva blessed the child and declared that he would be worshiped along with Him and become his vahana(vehicle). Immediately the boy got all the divine powers and transformed into half bull-half human. Then he and Shilada went to Lord Shiva 's abode to live.

IN HINDUISM

Bulls appear on the Indus Valley seals, including the 'Pasupati Seal', which depicts a seated figure, and according to some scholars is similar to Shiva. However, most scholars agree that the horned bull on the Indus Valley seals is not identical to Nandi.

The various descriptions on Nandi in the Hindu Religion texts include:

Some Puranas describe Nandi or Nandikeshvara as bull faced with a human body that resembles that of Shiva- in proportion and aspect, although with four hands, two hands holding the Parasu (the axe) and Mruga (the antelope) and the other two hands joined together in the Anjali(obeisance). Brahma Vaivarta Purana mentions Krishna himself to have taken the form of a bull as no one else in the Universe can bear Shiva.

Vehicle of Shiva: The bull Nandi is Shiva's primary vehicle and is the principal gana (follower) of Shiva.

Gate keeper of Shiva's abode: The close association of Shiva and Nandi explains the presence of a statue of Nandi at the gate of many temples dedicated to Shiva. It also explains why the word "nandi" in the Kannada, Telugu and Tamil languages is used as a metaphor for a person blocking the way. In Sanskrit, a bull is called "vrisha", which has another connotation - that of righteousness or Dharma. It is important to seek the blessings of Nandi before proceeding to worship Lord Shiva.

Chief in Shiva's army: Some Puranas mention that Nandi lead the Shiva Ganas, Shiva's attendants.

A Guru of Saivism: In addition to being his mount, Nandi is Shiva's foremost disciple. In the Natha/Siddhar tradition, Nandi is one of the primal gurus. He was the guru to Siddhar Thirumulanathar, Patanjalinathar and others.

From the yogic perspective, Nandi/Nandhi/ Nandikeshvara is the mind dedicated to Lord Siva, the Absolute. In other words, to understand and absorb Light, the 'experience and the wisdom' is Nandi which is the Guru within.

Spiritually, Nandi represents an individual jiva (soul) and the message that the jiva should always be focussed on the Atman (Paramatman).

LEGENDS

According to some puranas, Nandi was born to sage Shilada who got him by the grace of Shiva.

It was Nandi who cursed Ravana (the demon King of Lanka) that his kingdom would be burnt by a monkey (Vanara). And later Hanuman burnt Lanka when he went in search of Sita, who was kept prisoner by Ravana in Ashok Vatika. In one puranic story, it is stated that once Siva and Parvathi were playing a game of dice. For any game there has to be an umpire, who has to declare who is the winner. Siva and Parvathi agreed to have Nandi (the divine bull) as the umpire. Nandi is a favorite of Siva, as he is Siva's vehicle. Although Siva lost the game, Nandi declared him the winner. It is stated that Parvathi was indignant over Nandi's partiality for Siva and cursed him that he should die from an incurable disease. Thereupon Nandi fell at the feet of Parvathi and pleaded for forgiveness. "Mother forgive me. Should I not show at least this amount of gratitude to one who is my master? Is it not humiliating for me to declare that my master has lost the game? To uphold his honor I no doubt uttered a lie. But am I to be punished with such severity for so small an offence?" Nandi prayed for forgiveness in this manner. Parvathi forgave Nandi and taught him the means to atone for his lapse. She told him. "The Chaturdasi day in the month of Bhadrapada is the day when my son's birthday is celebrated. On that day you have to offer to my son what pleases you most (green grass)". This means that one atones for one's sins when one offers to the Lord what is most pleasing and enjoyable to him. For Nandi the most enjoyable and relishing food is green grass. As directed by Parvathi Nandi worshipped Ganapathi by offering green grass. Nandi was then relieved of his dreaded disease. His health improved and by the grace of Parvathi he was redeemed.

When the positive forces, the devas, and the negative forces, the asuras, joined together on a rare occasion to churn the ocean with a mountain to obtain the nectar of immortality they utilized Vasuki, the serpent, as the rope. The devas pulled from one end and the asuras from the other. Lots of precious herbs and gems were produced during the Churning and one of them was a poison (halāhala) which became human karma. This "poison" was so dangerous that none of the devas or asuras wanted to go near it. It was extremely sticky and coming into contact with this poison, i.e., human karma, would drag the divinity down to the realms of human suffering and ego. As everyone else ran away, Lord Siva, followed by Nandi, came forward to help as he was the only one who could counteract this deadly poison. Siva took the poison into his hand and drank it, the descent of the poison was in turn stopped at His throat, by His divine consort. Siva is therefore also known as Nīlakaṇṭha (the blue-throated one) and Viṣakaṇṭha (the poison-throated one). Nandi saw some of the poison spill out of Siva's mouth and immediately drank if off the ground. The devas and asuras watching were shocked and wondered aloud what would happen to Nandi. Lord Siva calmed their fears saying, "Nandi has surrendered into me so completely that he has all my powers and my protection".

LARGEST NANDIS IN INDIA

1. Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh

2. Brahadishwara Temple, Tamil Nadu

3. Chamundi Hills, Mysore, Karnataka

4. Bull Temple, Bangalore, Karnataka

5. Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu

6. Hoysaleswara Temple, Halebidu, Karnataka

7. Shanthaleswara Temple, Halebidu, Karnataka

8. Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur, Kerala

9. Virupaksha Temple, Hampi, Karnataka

10. Nandi Temple, Western Group of Temples, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

11. Kedareshvara Temple at Balligavi (Karnataka)

12. Doddabasaveshvara temple, Kurugodu Bellary dist

WIKIPEDIA

Workshop of tea dedicated to Japanese teas and technique of tasting called « Senchado ».

Atelier de thé consacré aux thés japonais et à la technique de dégustation appelée « Senchado ».

Un tour d’horizon des thés japonais les plus connus, dont certains infusés selon une technique peu connue…

www.nikosan.com

...now living in the canton of California

Dedicated to ChocolatCake

Dedicated to the designers, developers and engineers who build the world’s most engaging user interfaces. From the community, for the community.

Completed and formally dedicated in November 2007, the Joe Crowley Student Union is one of the most transformational buildings ever built on campus. The 167,000-square-foot, “green” environmentally friendly facility signals a shift in campus expansion, offering the campus and community a new centrally located “front door” to the University from Virginia Street. Named in honor of University President Joe Crowley, whose 23-year tenure as the institution’s chief executive is a record, the Joe Crowley Student Union features a two-story ASUN Bookstore, a variety of food and drink retailers, a 1,200-seat grand ballroom, a 220-seat, two-level movie theater, a 2,000-square-foot student organization center, and is home to the Associated Students of the University of Nevada, Graduate Student Association and the Center for Cultural Diversity.

dedicated to...

Dedicated to all who have taught me anything, the fellow travelers ... in flickr especially to

Dasa Severova and Robin Scholz thank you! :-)

Design and fold:

David Martinez

13/09/2011

~ Ada Waktunya Sepi Menjadi Lebih Indah

.. Kerana Disaat Itu Kita Punya Ruang

.. Untuk Mengingati, Merindui ~

[Dedicated to CRA (ILYWAMHASAM)]

Work with Aluminium Foil

Gigaset GS290

ƒ/2

3.5 mm

1/100 Sec

ISO 140

exclusive, high Quality, high-Quality, logo design, custom, custom logo, affordable, affordable price, Professional, cheap, Hire, custom Logo Design, talented, creative, dedicated, 100%, logo twitch, business logo, logo animation, logo minimal, real estate, logo signature, icon, iconceptual, fiverr, brand style, brand identity, brand design, branding, brand identity, brand name, style guide, guideline, brand book, style book, Brand manual, clothing brand logo, branding package, brand design, brand story, brand strategy

Pillar 12: Rama flanked by Sita and Hanuman (detail, Rama)

The hero-king Rama, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, sits on a throne sheltered by a cobra. Flanking him are smaller figures of his wife, Sita, for whom he fought many battles, and his devoted ally, the monkey-god Hanuman. This pillar depicts the conclusion of the Ramayana, the epic story of Rama's life. Here Rama has been crowned king of Ayodhya in central India. Thanks to his ethical leadership, Ayodhya flourished and Rama has long been seen as the ideal ruler.

Pillared Temple Hall; Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Made in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia, c. 1560, granite

Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1919-714

Gift of Susan Pepper Gibson, Mary Gibson Henry, and Henry C. Gibson in memory of Adeline Pepper Gibson, 1919

The granite pillars, brackets, and slabs that form this temple hall (mandapa) come from the Madanagopalaswamy Temple, a sixteenth-century building complex in the south Indian city of Madurai. (The complex is dedicated to Krishna, an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, and is still used for worship today.) The architectural elements installed here were purchased in 1912 by Adeline Pepper Gibson of Philadelphia while on a visit to Madurai. They are believed to have come primarily from a freestanding hall that once stood in front of the main shrine and was probably dismantled in the mid-nineteenth century.

Fee Glade Dedicated

The Fee Glade, a green space with winding paths, is designed for both personal contemplation and community gatherings. There are stones engraved with quotations from Fee and a copy of the Great Commitments. The Glade reclaims a ravine formerly occupied by Berea’s utilities operations.

At one entrance to the glade, there is an engraved copy of the College’s Great Commitments to educate and inspire those walking through the glade to pause, reflect and re-consider Berea’s inclusive Christian principles, such as the power of “love over hate, human dignity and equality, and peace with justice,” the eternal ideals to which Bereans aspire.

Berea’s Story, Motto, and the Great Commitments

In 1855, the Rev. John G. Fee started a one-room school that eventually would become Berea College. Fee, a native of Bracken County, Ky., parted with the church in which he had been ordained because it was not sufficiently against slavery and eventually was disowned and disinherited by his slaveholding father.