Superior Ancient Indian Education System - Proven With Statistics

The British or the West in general have in the past viewed India as a poor and uneducated country (just cant do so now). The following is a report by Sri Dharampal Ji, a scholar and most importantly an unbiased one. The following is a report from the British archives themselves. One more important aspect of these reports is that it has totally destroyed to pieces the myth that the Shudras and other so called backward castes were not educated and were prevented to study by the brahmins and the so-called upper castes. Not ready to believe? Well, read and believe for yourself. Below are just a few valuable points along with some tables from the gigantic work of Shri Dharampal Ji.

*England had few schools for the children of ordinary people till about 1800.

* In his first report, Adam observed:
1) There exist about 1,00,000 village schools in Bengal and Bihar alone around the 1830s, not to talk of the rest of India.
2) The content of studies was better than what was then studied in England. The duration of study was more prolonged.
3) The method of school teaching was superior and it is this very method which is said to have greatly helped the introduction of popular education in England but which had prevailed in India for centuries.
4) The only aspect, and certainly a very important one, where Indian institutional education seems to have lagged behind was with regard to the education of girls.
5) Two on the basis of personal observation & evidence collected he inferred there were app 100 institutions of higher learning in each district meaning app 1,800 such institutions and 10,800 scholars in them.
6) Adam said that he found a number of genuine, qualified medical practioners in Bengal who analyzed the symptoms of the disease before suggesting a cure.
7) In Punjab there were 3,30,000 pupils in 1850 as compared to 1,90,000 in 1882 as per Leitner’s Report.

* Sanskrit books were used to teach grammar, lexicology, mathematics, medical science, logic, law and vedant.






* Sir Sankaran Nair in his masterly Minute of Dissent writes:-

1) Efforts were made by the government to confine higher education and secondary education, leading to higher education, to boys in affluent circumstances
2) Rules were made calculated to restrict the diffusion of education generally and among the poorer boys in particular.
3) Conditions for “recognition” for grants-stiff and various-were laid down and enforced, and the non-fulfillment of any one of these conditions was liable to be followed by serious consequences.
4) Fees were raised to a degree, which, considering the circumstances of the classes that resort to schools, were abnormal.
5) When it was objected that minimum fee would be a great hardship to poor students the answer was such students had no business to receive that kind of education.
6) Managers of private schools, who remitted fees in whole or in part, were penalized by reduced grants-in-aid.

In every Indian village which has retained anything of its form…the rudiments of knowledge are sought to be imparted; there is not a child, except those of the outcastes (who form no part of the community), who is not able to read, to write, to cipher; in the last branch of learning, they are confessedly most proficient.’
- Vide BRITISH INDIA by Ludlow.



Source: ‘The Beautiful Tree: Indigenous Indian Education in the 18th century” by Dharampalji. The book reproduces Reports of numerous Surveys undertaken in Bengal, Punjab and Madras Presidency by the British (between 1800-1830) to give you the state of education in India around 1800.

You can download the book at
http://www.samanvaya.com/dharampal/frames/published.htm

The Left Hypocrisy

The following is an excerpt from an article by Shri M V Kamath on the role of the Comrades in the 1942 Quit India Movement. The Left left the Indian struggle for Independence but did not stop with that. It went further to back-stab us by joining the British to crush the Quit India movement. Waah Comrades Waah. Now we know what to expect of you. You may now mortgage India to one of our neighbours in the name of social revolution.

Here goes the excerpts:

August 9, 1942, was the start of the Quit India Movement which shook the nation as nothing else did. Only one party sought to sabotage the Movement and that was the Communist Party of India (CPI).

It is necessary to point out the nature and character of the Communist Party of India and its role as a betrayer of the freedom movement in 1942. As K.K. Chaudhari notes in his brilliantly researched book (Quit India Revolution: The Ethos of Its Central Direction, Popular Prakashan. Mumbai. pp. 440. Rs 500): "There are indeed startling facts and truths borne out by vast documents to prove the charge that the Communists had betrayed the cause of Indian Independence in 1942-1944."

The story of Communist betrayal of the freedom movement is sickening. The CPI newspaper kept denouncing Gandhiji and Subhas Chandra Bose as "blind Messiahs" and accused them of decadence. In February 1941, the Communist wrote that "the national movement under bourgeois leadership has entered into a blind alley". The Communists heaped abuse on Gandhiji, the Congress. Jayaprakash Narayan and Subhas Babu, and denigrated the clarion call of "Do or Die" as an indication of bankruptcy of thought. Not long after Hitler attacked the Soviet Union.

The Communist leader, P.C. Joshi went on his bended knees to Sir Reginald Maxwell, the Home Secretary, pledging his help to sabotage the Quit India Movement. Chaudhari says that "on many occasions the Communists were indeed more royalist than even the King of England". In submissions to Sir Reginald, Joshi showed what a splendid job he and his party were doing to break up the Quit India Movement. Chaudhari writes that the 120-page report "could not have been improved by any other collaborator of the British or by any quisling".

Joshi was so anxious to prove the CPI's utility to the British rule that he claimed that he was doing a better job of stemming the Quit India Movement, of denouncing Subhas Babu and leaders of the Congress underground. than the government itself! Notes Chaudhari: "The tone and contents of Joshi's performance report reveal crystal clear what the CPI had done to sabotage the 1942 movement."

In order to win over British support, the CPI indulged in the most disgusting acts of self-abasement. A party convention, held in Mumbai from May 23 to June 1, 1943 came out abusing the Congress to its heart's content. Subhas Babu was called a Fifth Columnist. Assistance was offered to the bureaucracy in intelligence work against underground Congressmen. In the process several of these underground workers were betrayed by the CPI to the police, who subjected them to exquisite torture.

Worse still, the CPI felt impelled to support the Muslim League in its demand for the vivisection of India. Writes Chaudhari : "By incessant and vociferous repetition Communists proclaimed the thesis that (1) India was not one nation but a collection of several separate nationalities. (2) the demand for Pakistan is a just and democratic one because Hindus would oppress them in future; (3) the Muslim League itself has become progressive and secular and Jinnah himself was secular and anti-religious and (4) the Congress must concede to the Muslims the right to self-determination."

Source: The Communist Role in Quit India Movement, M V Kamath in The Organizer

Was his motive right or wrong? Decide for yourself

Before reading what is below, I would like to remind you of a small but significant incident in the lives of Mahakavi Bharathiyar and Sri Aurobindo. They were once having tea and involved in a heated argument about something. Either of them was not willing to listen to the others viewpoint. They continued to stick to their stand and went on with their arguments. Suddenly, a mystic called Kullasamy came and emptied their tea cups and ran away. This angered Bharathiyar tremendously and he yelled at Kullasamy for his act. Sri Aurobindo controlled Bharathiar and said 'Dont be angry, I feel he gave us some message through his act'. Bharathiar was puzzled and asked 'What is the message?'. To which Sri Aurobindo replied 'By emptying the cups, he asked us to empty our minds and think afresh'. Often, we are caught up with our own prejudices that we dont evaluate our own thoughts. We are taught a lot of things at school, home, in public places, etc, but do we actually verify them without any bias? The answer for majority of the times is a NO. The following is an extract from the statement of Nathuram Godse, who killed Gandhiji. Read Godse's statement in the court and think for yourself whether Nathuram Godse was justified in his motive to kill? I ask you to just weigh his motive and think about the situation prevalent that time and what would you have done if you where in his shoes? Make sure to empty your minds of all biases which have been embedded in our minds from childhood and think for yourself.



This is the statement of Nathuram Godse in the court:

"Born in a devotional Brahmin family, I instinctively came to revere Hindu religion, Hindu history and Hindu culture. I had, therefore, been intensely proud of Hinduism as a whole. As I grew up I developed a tendency to free thinking unfettered by any superstitious allegiance to any isms, political or religious. That is why I worked actively for the eradication of untouchability and the caste system based on birth alone.......

I have read the speeches and writings of Dadabhai Nairoji, Vivekanand, Gokhale, Tilak, along with the books of ancient and modern history of India and some prominent countries like England, France, America and’ Russia. Moreover I studied the tenets of Socialism and Marxism. But above all I studied very closely whatever Veer Savarkar and Gandhiji had written and spoken, as to my mind these two ideologies have contributed more to the moulding of the thought and action of the Indian people during the last thirty years or so, than any other single factor has done. All this reading and thinking led me to believe it was my first duty to serve Hindudom and Hindus both as a patriot and as a world citizen......


To secure the freedom and to safeguard the just interests of some thirty crores (300 million) of Hindus would automatically constitute the freedom and the well being of all India, one fifth of human race....

Since the year 1920, that is, after the demise of Lokamanya Tilak, Gandhiji’s influence in the Congress first increased and then became supreme. His activities for public awakening were phenomenal in their intensity and were reinforced by the slogan of truth and non-violence, which he paraded ostentatiously before the country. No sensible or enlightened person could object to those slogans. In fact there is nothing new or original in them.

I would consider it a religious and moral duty to resist and, if possible, to overpower such an enemy by use of force. [In the Ramayana] Rama killed Ravana in a tumultuous fight and relieved Sita. [In the Mahabharata], Krishna killed Kansa to end his wickedness; and Arjuna had to fight and slay quite a number of his friends and relations including the revered Bhishma because the latter was on the side of the aggressor. It is my firm belief that in dubbing Rama, Krishna and Arjuna as guilty of violence, the Mahatma betrayed a total ignorance of the springs of human action.

In more recent history, it was the heroic fight put up by Chhatrapati Shivaji that first checked and eventually destroyed the Muslim tyranny in India. It was absolutely essentially for Shivaji to overpower and kill an aggressive Afzal Khan, failing which he would have lost his own life. In condemning history’s towering warriors like Shivaji, Rana Pratap and Guru Gobind Singh as misguided patriots, Gandhiji has merely exposed his self-conceit......


Gandhi’s pro-Muslim policy is blatantly in his perverse attitude on the question of the national language of India. It is quite obvious that Hindi has the most prior claim to be accepted as the premier language. In the beginning of his career in India, Gandhi gave a great impetus to Hindi but as he found that the Muslims did not like it, he became a champion of what is called Hindustani. Everybody in India knows that there is no language called Hindustani; it has no grammar; it has no vocabulary. It is a mere dialect; it is spoken, but not written. It is a bastard tongue and crossbreed between Hindi and Urdu....

All his experiments were at the expense of the Hindus. From August 1946 onwards the private armies of the Muslim League began a massacre of the Hindus.... The Hindu blood began to flow from Bengal to Karachi with some retaliation by the Hindus. The Interim Government formed in September was sabotaged by its Muslim League members right from its inception, but the more they became disloyal and treasonable to the government of which they were a part, the greater was Gandhi’s infatuation for them.... The Congress, which had boasted of its nationalism and socialism, secretly accepted Pakistan literally at the point of the bayonet and abjectly surrendered to Jinnah. India was vivisected and one-third of the Indian territory became foreign land to us from August 15, 1947.

This is what Gandhi had achieved after thirty years of undisputed dictatorship and this is what Congress party calls ‘freedom’ and ‘peaceful transfer of power’. The Hindu-Muslim unity bubble was finally burst and a theocratic state was established with the consent of Nehru and his crowd and they have called ‘freedom won by them with sacrifice’ - whose sacrifice? When top leaders of Congress, with the consent of Gandhi, divided and tore the country - which we consider a deity of worship - my mind was filled with direful anger.

Gandhi is being referred to as the Father of the Nation. But if that is so, he had failed his paternal duty inasmuch as he has acted very treacherously to the nation by his consenting to the partitioning of it. I stoutly maintain that Gandhi has failed in his duty. He has proved to be the Father of Pakistan.

Briefly speaking, I thought to myself and foresaw I shall be totally ruined, and the only thing I could expect from the people would be nothing but hatred and that I shall have lost all my honour, even more valuable than my life, if I were to kill Gandhiji. But at the same time I felt that the Indian politics in the absence of Gandhiji would surely be proved practical, able to retaliate, and would be powerful with armed forces. No doubt, my own future would be totally ruined, but the nation would be saved from the inroads of Pakistan. People may even call me and dub me as devoid of any sense or foolish, but the nation would be free to follow the course founded on the reason which I consider to be necessary for sound nation-building. After having fully considered the question, I took the final decision in the matter, but I did not speak about it to anyone whatsoever....

I now stand before the court to accept the full share of my responsibility for what I have done and the judge would, of course, pass against me such orders of sentence as may be considered proper. But I would like to add that I do not desire any mercy to be shown to me, nor do I wish that anyone else should beg for mercy on my behalf. My confidence about the moral side of my action has not been shaken even by the criticism levelled against it on all sides. I have no doubt that honest writers of history will weigh my act and find the true value thereof some day in future.

-NATHURAM GODSE

For full statement visit
http://ngodse.tripod.com/defense.htm

What transpired in the 1857 war of Independence

1857 War of Independence

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Temples visited by Team Temple Project

The following are a list of temples visited so far by Team Temple Project. The Team has visited some of these temples multiple times.

1) Agastheeswarar temple, Valasaravakkam.
2) Vinayaga temple, Alwarthirunagar.
3) Ardhanareeswarar temple, Nanganallur.
4) Dharmalingeswarar temple, Nanganallur.
5) Kamakshi Amman temple, West Mambalam.
6) Kasi Viswanathar temple, West Mambalam.
7) Murugan temple, Porur.
8) Anjaneyar temple, Ashok Nagar.
9) Perumal temple, Valasaravakkam.
10) Sivan Koil, Vadapalani.
11) Bharadwajar Sivan Koil, Kodambakkam.
12) Ayyapan Koil, Alwarthirunagar.
13) Anjaneyar temple, Mylapore.
14) Vinayaga temple, Valasaravakkam.
15) Shirdi Sai Baba temple, Guindy.
16) Sakthi Vinayagar temple, K K Nagar
17) Kodanda Ramar temple, West Mambalam
18) Kali Bari temple, Ashok Nagar

Vedic Religion - The Universal Religion - I

The below article is from one of the best minds, the world had ever seen (hope he is not the last one). The 'He' is none other than the Shankaracharya of the prestigious Kanchi Kamakoti Matham, Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamiji. In this article, he has lucidly brought out the existence of the vedic civilisation worldwide and substantiated it with proofs. Have a good reading.


In the dim past what we call Hinduism today was prevalent all over the world. Archaeological studies reveal the existence of relics of our Vedic religion in many countries. For instance, excavations have brought up the text of a treaty between Rameses II and the Hittites dating back to the 14th century B. C. In this, the Vedic gods Mitra and Varuna are mentioned as witnesses to the pact. There is a connection between the name of Ramesses and that of our Rama.

About 75 per cent of the names of places in Madagascar have a Sanskritic origin.

In the Western Hemisphere too there is evidence of Hinduism having once flourished there. In Mexico a festival is celebrated at the same time as our Navaratri; it is called "Rama-Sita". Wherever the earth is dug up images of Ganapati are discovered here. The Aztecs had inhabited Mexico before the Spaniards conquered that land. "Aztecs " must be a distorted form of "Astikas". In Peru, during the time of the holy equinox [vernal? ] worship was conducted in the sun temple. The people of this land were called Incas: "Ina" is one of the Sanskrit names of the sun god. Don't we call Rama Inakula-tilaka?

There is book containing photographs of the aborigines of Australia dancing in the nude (The Native Tribes of Central Australia, by Spencer Killan, pages 128 & 129). A close look at the pictures, captioned "Siva Dance", shows that the dancers have a third eye drawn on the forehead.

In a virgin forest in Borneo which, it is said, had not been penetrated by any human being until recently, explorers have found a sacrificial post with an inscription in a script akin to our Granthas characters. Historians know it as the inscription of Mulavarman of Kotei. Mention is made in it of a sacrifice, the king who performed it, the place where the yupas was installed. That the king gave away kalpavrksass as a gift to Brahmins is also stated in this inscription. All such details were discovered by Europeans, the very people who ridicule our religion.

Now something occurs to me in this context, something that you may find amusing. You know that the Sagaras went on digging the earth down to the nether world in search of their sacrificial horse. An ocean came into being in this way and it was called sagara after the king Sagara.

The Sagaras, at last found the horse near the hermitage of Kapila Maharsi. Thinking that he must be the man who had stolen the animal and hidden it in the nether world they laid violent hands on him. Whereupon the sage reduced them to ashes with a mere glance of his eye. Such is the story according to the Ramayana. America, which is at the antipodes, may be taken to Patala or the nether world. Kapilaranya(the forest in which Kapila had his hermitage), we may further take it, was situated there. It is likely that Kapilaranya changed to California in the same manner as Madurai is something altered to "Marudai". Also noteworthy is the fact that there is a Horse Island near California as well as an Ash Island.

Another idea occurs to me about Sagara and sagara. Geologists believe that ages ago the Sahara desert was an ocean. It seems to me that Sahara is derived from sagara.

Some historians try to explain the evidence pointing to the worldwide prevalence of our religion in the past to the exchange of cultural and religious ideas between India and other countries established through travels. I myself believe that there was one common religion or dharma throughout and that the signs and symbols that we find of this today are the creation of the original inhabitants of the lands concerned.

The view put forward by some students of history about the discovery of the remnants of our religion in other countries- these relating to what is considered the historical period of the past two or three thousand years- is that Indians went to these lands, destroyed the old native civilizations there and imposed Hindu culture in their place. Alternatively, they claim, Indians thrust their culture into the native ways of life in such a way that it became totally absorbed in them.

The fact, however, is that evidence is to be found in many countries of their Vedic connection dating back to 4, 000 years or more. That is, with the dawn of civilization itself, aspects of the Vedic dharama existed in these lands. It was only subsequently that the inhabitants of these regions came to have a religion of their own.

Greece had an ancient religion and had big temples where various deities were worshipped. The Hellenic religion had Vedic elements in it. The same was the case with the Semitic religions of the pre- Christian era in the region associated with Jesus. The aborigines of Mexico had a religion of their own. They shared the Vedic view of the divine in the forces of nature and worshipped them as deities. There was a good deal of ritual in all such religions.

Now none of these religions, including that of Greece, survives. The Greek civilization had once attained to the heights of glory. Now Christianity flourishes in Greece. Buddhism has spread in Central Asia and in East Asia up to Japan. According to anthropologists, religions in their original form exist only in areas like the forests of Africa. But even these ancient faiths contain Vedic elements.

Vedic Religion - The Universal Religion - II

Religious and philosophical truths are often explained through parables, stories, so that ignorant people can understand them easily. Since metaphysical concepts are difficult to grasp, either they have to be told in the form of a story or they have to be given the form of a ritual, that is they must find expression as religious acts. For the common people the performance of a rite is a means of finding the truth present in it in the form of a symbol. I do not, however, agree with the view that all rituals are nothing but symbolic in their significance and that there is no need to perform them so long as their inner meaning is understood.

Ritual as ritual has its own place and efficacy. Similarly, I would not say that stories from the Puranas are nothing but illustrations or explanations of certain truths or doctrines. As stories they are of a high order and I believe that they really happened. But, at the same time, they demonstrate the meaning of certain truths. As for rites, their performance brings up benefits. But in due course, as we learn to appreciate their inner meaning we shall become purified in mind. This is the stage when we shall no more yearn for any benefits from their performance and will be rewarded with supreme well-being (that is, liberation)

It is likely, though, that, with the passage of time, some stories or rites will become far removed from their inner meaning. Or, it may be, the inner meaning will be altogether forgotten. So it must be that, when new religions took shape abroad, after the lapse of thousands of years-religions not connected with the Vedic faith that is the root-the original Vedic concepts become transformed or distorted.

You must be familiar with the story of Adam and Eve which belongs to the Hebrew tradition. It occurs in the Genesis of the Old Testament and speaks of the tree of knowledge and God's commandment that its fruit shall not be eaten. Adam at first did not eat it but Eve did. After that Adam too ate the forbidden fruit.

Here an Upanisadic concept has taken the form of a biblical story. But because of the change in the time and place the original idea has become distorted-or even obliterated.

The Upanisadic story speaks of two birds perched on the branch of a pippala tree. One eats the fruit of tree while the order merely watches its companion without eating. The pippala tree stands for the body. The first bird represents a being that regards himself as the jivatman or individual self and the fruit it eats signifies sensual pleasure. In the same body (symbolized by the tree) the second bird is to be understood as the Paramatman. He is the support of all beings but he does not know sensual pleasure. Since he does not eat the fruit he naturally does not have the same experience as the jivatman (the first). The Upanisad speaks with poetic beauty of the two birds. He who eats the fruit is the individual self, jiva, and he who does not eat is the Supreme Reality, the one who knows himself to be the Atman.

It is this jiva that has come to be called Eve in the Hebrew religious tradition. "Ji" changes to "i" according to a rule of grammar and "ja" to "ya". We have the example of "Yamuna" becoming "Jamuna" or of "Yogindra" being changed to "Joginder ". In the biblical story "jiva" is "Eve" and "Atma" (or "Atman") is "Adam". "Pippala" has in the same way changed to "apple". The Tree of Knowledge is our "bodhi-vrksa". "Bodha" means "knowledge". It is well known that the Budhha attained enlightenment under the bodhi tree. But the pipal (pippala) was known as the bodhi tree even before his time.

The Upanisadic ideas transplanted into a distant land underwent a change after the lapse of centuries. Thus we see in the biblical story that the Atman (Adam) that can never be subject to sensual pleasure also eats the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. While our bodhi tree stands for enlightenment, the enlightenment that banishes all sensual pleasure, the biblical tree affords worldly pleasure. These differences notwithstanding there is sufficient evidence here that, once upon a time, Vedic religion was prevalent in the land of the Hebrews.

Let me give the another example to strengthen the view that however much a custom or a concept changes with the passage of time and with its acceptance by people of another land, it will still retain elements pointing to its original source. Our TiruppavaiT and TiruvembavaiT are not as ancient as the Vedas. Scholars ascribe them to an age not later than 1, 500 years ago. However it be, the authors of these Tamil hymns, AndalT and ManikkavacakarT, belong to an age much later than that of the Vedas and epics. After their time Hindu empires arose across the seas. Even the Cola kings extended their sway beyond the shores of the country. More worthy of note than our naval expeditions was the great expansion in our sea trade and the increase with it of our foreign contacts. As a result, people abroad were drawn to the Hindu religion and culture. Among the regions that developed such contacts, South-East Asia was the most important. Islands like Bali in the Indonesian archipelago became wholly Hindu. People in Siam (Thailand), Indochina and the Philippines came under the influence of Hindu culture. Srivijaya was one of the great empires of South-East Asia.

[Here the Paramaguru briefly touches upon the stages representing the emergence of various religions]. In primeval times the Vedic religion was prevalent everywhere: this was the first stage. In the second stage new religions emerged in various parts of the world. In the third stage these decayed and their place was taken by Buddhism, Christianity or Islam. In the subsequent stage the Hindu civilization became a living force outside the shores of India also, particularly in South-East Asia. This was the period during which great temples reminding us of those of Tamil Nadu arose with the spread of our religion and culture: Angkor-vat in Cambodia; Borobudur in Java, Indonesia; Prambanan, also in Java. Now it was that our Tiruppavai and Tiruvembavai made their passage to Thailand.

Even today a big festival is held in Thailand in December- January, corresponding to the Tamil Margazhi, the same month during which we read the Tiruppavai and Tiruvembavai with devotion. As part of the celebrations a dolotsava (swing festival) is held. A remarkable feature of this is that, in the ceremony meant for Visnu, a man with the make-up of Siva is seated on the swing. This seems to be in keeping with the fact that the Tiruppavai and Tiruvembavai contribute to the unification of Vaisnavism and Saivism.

If you ask the people of Thailand about the Pavai poems, they will not be able to speak about them. It might seem then that there is no basis for connecting the that festival with the Pavai works merely because it is held in the month corresponding to the Tamil Murgazhi. But the point to note is that the people of that country themselves call it "Triyampavai- Trippavai".

Those who read the Bible today are likely to be ignorant about the Upanisads, but they are sure to know the story that can be traced back to them, that of Adam and Eve. The Thais now must be likewise ignorant about the Pavis but, all the same, they hold in the month of Dhanus every year a celebration called "Triyampavai - Trippavai. " As part of it they also have a swing festival in which figures a man dressed as Siva. Here the distortion in the observance of a rite have occurred during historical times- one of the distortions is that of Siva being substituted for Visnu. Also during this period the Thais have forgotten the Pavis but, significantly enough, they still conduct a festival named after them. Keeping these before you, take mind back to three thousand years ago and imagine how a religion or a culture would have changed after its passage to foreign lands.

It is in this context that you must consider the Vedic tradition. For all the changes and distortions that it has undergone in other countries during the past millennia its presence there is still proclaimed through elements to be found in the religions that supplanted it.

How are we to understand the presence of Hindu ideas or concepts in the religious beliefs of people said to belong to prehistoric times? It does not seem right to claim that in the distant past our religion or culture was propagated in other countries through an armed invasion or through trade, that is at a time when civilization itself has not taken shape there. That is why I feel that there is no question of anything having been taken from this land and introduced into another country. The fact according to me, is that in the beginning the Vedic religion was prevalent all over the world. Later, over the countries, it must have gone through a process of change and taken different forms. These forms came to be called the original religions of these various lands which in the subsequent period- during historical times- came under Buddhism, Christianity or Islam as the case may be.

Source: Hindu Dharma, a book published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan which contains English translation of two volumes of the Tamil Book "Deivatthin Kural"; which is a collection of invaluable and engrossing speeches of Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamiji.

Scientific achievements of ancient India - A BBC documentary

What the ancient Indians did for us?

Macaulay's Address to British Parliament

Samskritam in schools in US and UK

Sanskrit

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Scientific verification of vedas

Thoppu Karanam as Superbrain Yoga

What is a very common sight in every Ganesha temple in South India (not sure about North India) has become Super Brain Yoga in the West. Now that, the Whites have certified the practice to be yielding both physical and intellectual benefits, our brown folks can begin to look at the practice as a scientific one. Cheers to the slavish mentality, which we Indians have not left even though our White 'Masters' have left.

Temples and Cognitive development

Temple Ecology and Cognitive Development: A Report from South India

R. Muralidharan
Department of Educational Psychology, National Council of Educational Research and Training, New Delhi, India.

Ashok K. Srivastava
Department of Psychology,
National Council of
Educational Research and Training, New Delhi, India

The impact of growing up in the vicinity of Hindu temples on cognitive development was studied in the southern part of India. Enrolled in Grades 1 and 4, the participating children (N-281) were drawn from three kinds of ecology, i.e., families intimately associated with temple, families that are religious but not so intimately associated with temple, and families in non-temple areas, using a cross-sectional design. NCERT School Readiness Scale and Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System were used to assess their cognitive development. Children associated with temples emerged to be more cognitively competent than other two groups of children on both points of schooling. Sex differences and their interaction with ecology were not significant for most of the measures. Results point to the role of temple institutions in shaping development of children byproviding rich and variegated ecology.

Temples and their roles in the past

Different facets of temples in the past

Our ancestors were great. They constructed beautiful huge Mandirs. The Mandirs were unique in several aspects apart from the main purpose that people can offer a prayer and be one with God.

Here is an exhaustive list :

Temples as Environmental Protection & Promotion Centre

01. Mandir served the cause of Environmental Protection & Promotion besides providing greenery and water. The Mandir campus was so huge with so much open space which served as a lung space for village or town.
02. “Stala Viriksha”, was planting a particular kind of tree important for the main deity of the Mandir.
03. It had parks (Nandavanams) which means greenery, beauty to eyes, and oxygen to breathe.
04. There were no Mandirs without water tank. The water was not only used for pilgrims but even the people living in village or town. People fetched water from the tank and at the same time, thanks to the tank, their domestic wells got plentiful of ground water.

HRD Institute
05. People who take part in organising Mandir festivals and functions could develop their leadership skills. They become good communicators , motivators , speakers , right brain thinkers and executors as well as could develop HR & PR skills
06. The discourses that take place in the Mandirs develop various human skills
07. There are Mandirs which accommodate Tuition Classes.

Fine Arts Sabha
08. There are regular music and dance programmes taking place in Mandirs

Fine Arts College
09. Mandir is indeed a training place for fine arts, both dance and music from vocal to instrumental music.

Arts College for Painting & Sculpting
10. Many types of arts in the form of paintings and sculptures were accommodated and encouraged. Each Mandir was created to be an Art Treasure. The paintings and sculptures were made to be a treat to eyes and food for thought.

Floral Treat & Training
11. The flower decorations apart from providing fragrance soothed the eyes.

Culture & Heritage Centre
12. It promoted culture and became responsible for human civilization.
13. Mandirs stand as monuments representing of great heritage

Physical Fitness Centre
14. Walking around the Mandir became a good physical exercise. The walkway around the Mandir was fixed with rough granite stones. People walk and get acupressure. Same thing is in respect of Anga pradhashanam
15. It is in a way Gym . People lift the IDOL to take it on procession. They put Thopukarnam, sashtanga namaskaram. bowing etc.

Mind Faculty development
16. People could meditate . The calm atmosphere was helpful for meditation

Social Service & Charitable Institution
17. Mandir also serves as a Social Service organisation. Annadhanam is something routine in Mandirs. A lot of charity is being rendered by Mandir and devotees. During natural catastrophes, Mandir becomes nerve centre in mobilising and extending help

Social Club for Socialisation
18. It became a meeting place of people. A place to harvest friends and develop friendship

Community Hall for Celebrations
19. Mandirs facilitated social gatherings including ceremonies like marriages.
It is virtually very little expense to conduct Marriages and auspicious functions in Mandirs

Catering & Hospitality Institute
20. Catering is important. Madapalli provides delicious prasadams . People cook, host and eat.

Employment Exchange providing employment opportunities –
21. Hundreds get direct and indirect employment. The Mandirs provide jobs for quite a number of people for doing the above jobs. Jobs are always available for Carpenters , Electricians , Plumbers, Painters, Masons, Sculptors, Flouriest , Cooks, Musicians, Instrumentalists ,Dancers, Gardner , etc.

Vocational Training Institute
22. Many youngsters join seniors and learn the above said vocations

Place for Relaxation
23. Mandir is indeed a wonderful place for Relaxation & Rest. Because of its height, the place inside the Mandir is always cool even during summer. People who cannot bear the summer heat go to temples and relax.

Trade Development
24. Hundreds of shop keepers do trade and get livelihood

Animal Welfare Organisation
25. Animals like cows and elephants are sheltered. Birds like pigeons stay in the Mandir towers. Peacocks are reared. People showed their love to animals.

Engineering Marvel
26. Our forefathers constructed mammoth Mandirs even before electricity was invented and petrol was discovered. They didn’t have the huge machines which we have today for construction. The Mandirs were constructed by using only human resource. They made huge and tall stone pillars and erected them with perfect alignment. There were no lifts but they were able to lift huge stones to serve as roof. Today students of Civil Engineering and Architecture learn their subjects by visiting Mandirs and studying as well as doing research.


Harmony & Oneness
28. Mandir brought oneness. People of all castes and different income levels worship together as equals before the deity.

Counselling & Mediation Centre
29. Disputes are resolved and counselling made between people by people themselves

We have to revive temples to their past glory. We feel that the above points explain what the temples stood for in the past, contrary to the popular misconception of being just a place of worship. Lets do it together.

Source: Exnora International

Swadharma - The Elixir of Life

This is the scanned copy of the booklet we have published. Team Temple Project distributes it free of cost at temples. Each booklet costs a sum of Rs 3.00 and the total cost of printing all the books has been borne by Team Temple Project along with the contributions from a few like minded people.

Swadharma continues....

Swadharma continues...

Scanned image of Adyar Talk report

This is the copy of the report published in Adyar Talk.

Temple as an economic hub - A survey

The Team Temple Project wished to bring to light, how a temple functioned as a huge economic centre. The Team correspondingly took a survey at the famous Mylapore Kapaleeswarar temple in Chennai and brought out some startling revelations, which escape not just the common man, but also the 'Intellect starved' intelligentsia of the country. The following is the report that appeared in Newstoday, an evening daily in Chennai and also in Mylapore Talk on April 5, 2008. Kapali sustains Mylai’s business April 5, 2008 The governments of the day are busy promoting Special Economic Zones (SEZ’s) and IT Parks to shore up the Indian economy, but the Mylapore Kapaleeswarar had very long ago designed its own SEZ (Society’s Economic Zone). A survey was conducted by ‘Project Temple’, a team of youth comprising mostly college students interested in understanding and propagating the cultural ethos of India.

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The survey on 157 shopkeepers and street vendors who do regular business around the Mylapore Kapaleeswarar temple (these people constitute the SEZ), has revealed that the temple is not just a religious centre, but also a separate economic zone supporting hundreds of families. The survey held recently close on the heels of the Arupathumoovar festival had some eye-opening revelations. The survey states that around 200 small vendors have put their shops either as small establishments or as hawkers or as push-cart mobile units. Of these, 157 vendors, ranging from those selling peanuts to photo frames and all others you would find on a busy market road had been interviewed. Education does not seem to be a deterrent to these vendors because, of the 157, 20 per cent had discontinued education at the primary stage, 40 per cent of the vendors had pursued secondary education and more than one-third had never ever stepped into a school. The list also included two graduates. One of the graduates Lakshmi Narayan, a fortuneteller, had an enlightened approach towards his profession. He says ‘Though I am a graduate, I never look down upon this job which has sustained my family since ages. I believe the nature of the job depends on how one perceives it.’ Secondly, women did not seem averse to ideas of becoming entrepreneurs which is normally a male bastion. The fairer sex with a total of 67 were slightly short of the half way mark as compared to 90 from the men. The survey also gave a glimpse of the hidden India with the Athithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God) mindset in some vendors who pleaded with the surveying team to have some refreshments. Around 700 people were directly or indirectly dependent on the business around the temple. These persons have been doing the business for an average of 20 years. Those in the business from five to twenty years are 51; those in business for more than 20 years are 74. The most interesting aspect is that those in the business for less than five years are a respectable 32 in number. This, the research says stands testimony to the fact that more people are still setting up shops around the temple with a firm belief on the success that the place has continuously bestowed. The survey reveals that the temple has not just been kind to the locals but even to those from other districts and even other states at a time when regional sentiments are running high. These vendors have been doing business for many years and the presence of new comers is again a positive sign. A total of 109 vendors deal with perishable items which form almost 70 per cent of the sold objects indicate how dynamically the market functions around the temple. Coming to the important aspect of the daily income, the total daily turnover around the temple was found to be just more than one lakh rupees with an average income of Rs 501 to each vendor. A festival day is a celebration not just to Gods and temple-goers but even to the vendors. The total turnover on a festival day was found to be Rs 1.45 lakh with an average income of Rs 729 to each vendor. When asked about the profit the vendors would earn, the response of Dhandapani, a vegetable seller represents all in his clan. He says ‘Our income is not on the monthly basis but on a daily one. Therefore, the profit cannot be estimated but it is enough to keep our family running, else why should we be here for the past 20 years. Doing our work without expectation is what keeps us happy’ The man may not have known what he said was in fact the essence of the Gita, which many educated have not yet understood. The highlight of the survey was the question whether they would expect any business in the absence of the temple. Only 23 per cent replied in the positive, three per cent with no clue and a staggering three- fourth replied in the negative. The message is loud and clear : ‘No Kapaleeshwara, No business’. The words of Padma, a flower vendor aptly spelt out the general feelings of the vendors. She said ‘Madras ku azhagu Mylapore, Mylapore ku azhagu Kapalee’  (Mylapore is the beauty of Madras and Kapalee the beauty of Mylapore). Looks like Kapaleeswarar has not just bestowed them with money but also with poetic skills. This is the link in the newspaper's website: http://newstodaynet.com/newsindex.php?section=12&id=6383

Temple Project covered by Adyar Talk

Report in Adyar Talk paper of Newstoday Group (published in Chennai on 23-29 Feb, 2008):

Youth are not useless, but used less

 

Do you know why vibudhi is applied? Why homams (havans) are performed, why circumambulate the peepal tree? Why chant mantras? and the significance of 108?

These are some of the questions answered scientifically by volunteers of Temple Project which is an initiative to increase awareness about Indian culture. The architects of the project are not any religious group, not any NGO, but a group of youth - students from different city colleges.

 

These handful of youth visit temples around the city to spread the rationale behind our daily cultural practices. When questioned on how it all started, a volunteer Bala Ganesh says 'we were inspired by Swami Vivekananda's 'My Plan of Campaign' and decided to bring out the scientific explanation of our cultural practices'

 

They have been doing this for the past one year and have covered quite a few temples in the city. Their modus operandi is very simple - they obtain permission from temple authorities to display their boards which contain the reasons behind our traditional practices.

 

The volunteers explain the reasons to the people visiting temples. "Lot of people said that a small booklet containing this information would be helpful, so we pooled in our own money and came up with a booklet to distribute it free of cost' say Kalidos, a law student.

 

Of late, they have also started cleaning the temples to put in some physical labour in addition to their explanations.

 

Last Sunday, Temple project was held at Shri Sai Baba Temple at Guindy. Also, these youth make sure that they understand the Indian culture in its true dimension and thus spare some time at the temple to discuss about it among themselves.

 

Seeing the impact of these students, many temples have wanted these boards to be permanently kept in their premises. The students are working out an economical way for having their information permanently at the temple premises. But the going has not been that easy for these youngsters, 'Famous temples and those owned by HR & CE have a lot of formalities and do not give permission easily, making it tedious to arrange at those temples in our limited time' says engineering student Shankar Ram.

 

'A bigger problem we face is the burden of funds. Being students, we cannot afford the cost of publishing these booklets. In addition, we do not belong to any organisation and thus we don't get sponsors' says Madhukumar, another engineering student.

 

These spirited youth prove that youth are not useless but used less.

Temple Project covered by CNN IBN news channel

The following is the news item that appeared on the English news channel CNN IBN on July 31, 2007.

Hanging out at temples to rationalise religion

Aarti Nagaraj/ CNN IBN

Chennai: Most people who come to a temple, take the vibhuti which is given. But do they know why do it or what is its significance?

These are questions that Sairam and his friends are trying to answer. The engineering students go from temple to temple, put up posters, and try to explain the logic behind Hindu religious practices like the applying of kumkum, and worshipping the Tulsi plant.

Says Sairam, "It's only if people are going to have that awarenesss and the practice their religion that they are going to be able to develop that conviction. Out of this conviction then will they develop an India which is truly cultural."

The students gather their information from the Internet. It is this that they share as scientific logic with those visiting temples.

Says a devotee, Swaminathan, "Most of us come here to pray for ourselves and ask God to fulfill our wishes. We don't think about the scientific fact behind these practices. Only when the science behind rituals is explored will people develop an interest in these practices."

The students started doing their rounds around four months ago and they say the response has encouraged them to write a book. Meanwhile, one has to agree that it is an unusual hobby in an age when more and more youngsters are heading to pubs and discos rather than temples.

Here is the link for the video:

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/45972/hanging-out-at-temples-to-rationalise-religion.html