The ivory and rosewood skeletons on display at the AMC’s Anatomy Museum in Visakhapatnam. | Photo Credit: C.V.Subrahmanyam
A rare masterpiece from Saraswati Mahal of Thanjavur, it’s now the prized possession of the Anatomy Museum of Andhra Medical College
A rare ivory skeleton, the bones of which have been carved to clockwork precision on the lines of the human skeleton, is the cherished treasure at the Anatomy Museum of Andhra Medical College (AMC) here.
The ivory skeleton, 5’6” in height and weighing 231 lbs (104.78 kg), reflects the ingenuity of the sculptor, who had carved it more than two centuries ago. It was procured from the famous Saraswati Mahal of Thanjavur, which was under the patronage of Rajah Serfoji (1798-1832). The skeleton is said to have been made between 1805 and 1810. Dr. R. Krishna Rau, a Professor in the Department of Anatomy between 1929 and 1946, who was instrumental in setting up the museum, had bought the ivory skeleton and a rosewood skeleton for a sum of ₹75. The 18th century skeleton has been drawing appreciation of not only experts in the medical field, but also the general public during exhibitions.
“The British are said to have paid ₹5 lakh to display it during an exhibition in London in 1970. The skeleton was taken in a specially made coffin and returned after about a week,” Dr. Ashalatha, Head of the Department of Anatomy, told The Hindu.
Mortem and taboo
“In those days, there were several taboos in handling human bodies and skeletons, and Dr. Krishna Rau was said to have stayed back in the department for a few days on the arrival of the skeletons. Even today, some anatomy professors do not tell their family members that they handle dead bodies,” says Dr. K. Lakshmi Kumari, an Associate Professor of Anatomy. “The ivory skeleton is a masterpiece and is said to be one among the few in the world. No wonder, it was taken by ship all the way to London for display at an exhibition there. The ivory and rosewood skeletons are displayed at exhibitions, organised on special occasions,” says Dr. P.V. Sudhakar, Principal of AMC.
The museum signifies the efforts and dedication of the illustrious teachers, professors and HODs, particularly of AMC during the early days.
Prof. F.J. Anderson, who as Principal of AMC, gave full freedom to Dr. Krishna Rau in securing the unique collections.
The department was named after Dr. Krishna Rau on January 24, 1984 honouring his efforts.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by B. Madhu Gopal / Visakhapatnam – April 06th, 2018
The Dravidian language family’s four largest languages — Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu — have literary traditions spanning centuries, of which Tamil reaches back the furthest, resource: .
The Dravidian languagefamily, consisting of 80 varieties spoken by nearly 220 million people across southern and central India, originated about 4,500 years ago, a study has found.
This estimate is based on new linguistic analyses by an international team, including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany, and the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun.
The researchers used data collected first-hand from native speakers representing all previously reported Dravidian subgroups. The findings, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, match with earlier linguistic and archaeological studies.
South Asia, reaching from Afghanistan in the west and Bangladesh in the east, is home to at least six hundred languages belonging to six large language families, including Dravidian, Indo-European and Sino-Tibetan.
The Dravidian language family, consisting of about 80 language varieties (both languages and dialects) is today spoken by about 220 million people, mostly in southern and central India, and surrounding countries.
The Dravidian language family’s four largest languages — Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu — have literary traditions spanning centuries, of which Tamil reaches back the furthest, researchers said.
Along with Sanskrit, Tamil is one of the world’s classical languages, but unlike Sanskrit, there is continuity between its classical and modern forms documented in inscriptions, poems, and secular and religious texts and songs, they said.
“The study of the Dravidian languages is crucial for understanding prehistory in Eurasia, as they played a significant role in influencing other language groups,” said Annemarie Verkerk of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
Neither the geographical origin of the Dravidian language nor its exact dispersal through time is known with certainty.
The consensus of the research community is that the Dravidians are natives of the Indian subcontinent and were present prior to the arrival of the Indo-Aryans (Indo-European speakers) in India around 3,500 years ago.
Researchers said that it is likely that the Dravidian languages were much more widespread to the west in the past than they are today.
In order to examine questions about when and where the Dravidian languages developed, they made a detailed investigation of the historical relationships of 20 Dravidian varieties.
Study author Vishnupriya Kolipakam of the Wildlife Institute of India collected contemporary first-hand data from native speakers of a diverse sample of Dravidian languages, representing all the previously reported subgroups of Dravidian.
The researchers used advanced statistical methods to infer the age and sub-grouping of the Dravidian language family at about 4,000-4,500 years old.
This estimate, while in line with suggestions from previous linguistic studies, is a more robust result because it was found consistently in the majority of the different statistical models of evolution tested in this study.
This age also matches well with inferences from archaeology, which have previously placed the diversification of Dravidian into North, Central, and South branches at exactly this age, coinciding with the beginnings of cultural developments evident in the archaeological record.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Science / by PTI / Berlin – March 21st, 2018
Retired principal translates 101 compositions of the saint-poet
The Telugu compositions of Sri Thyagaraja have reached God’s Own Country and are available to music connoisseurs in “His own language”.
This was made possible by the efforts of Latha Varma, retired Principal of Madurai-based Sri Sadguru Sangeetha Vidyalayam College of Music and Research Centre. Quite surprisingly, Tamil acted as the bridge in translating the Telugu compositions into Malayalam.
Ms. Varma, who belongs to the royal family of Ernakulam, joined the famed college in Madurai when she was 24 and retired a couple of years ago. As Malayalam is her mother tongue and she gained proficiency in Tamil with her prolonged stay in Madurai, she decided to go the extra mile to learn Telugu literature too. And she did master it with élan through a certificate and diploma course from Madurai Kamaraj University.
Though Thyagaraja kritis are sung world over by people of all languages, many are do not know Telugu and as such miss out on its literary beauty. The mellifluous note and rhythm come in for appreciation, but the ‘Bhava’ (substance) more often than not gets lost. It is this void that the musicologist wanted to fill, at least in Malayalam.
She hand-picked 101 most popular compositions of the saint-poet and gave a word-by-word translation (Prathipadartham) and also a gist (Thathparyam) of each verse. As senior Telugu professor T.S. Giriprakash Rao translated the Telugu verses into Tamil, she picked them up for translation into Malayalam.
An academician, performer cum researcher, Ms. Varma spoke to The Hindu on the sidelines of a seminar on “Group kritis of different vaggeyakaras,”organised by Sri Padmavathi Mahila Viswa Vidyalayam’s (SPMVV) Department of Music and Fine Arts, where she was the key-note speaker.
The translation work, which she calls her “pet project”, lasted for two years. “The copies are now available at the Maharaja’s College for Women and Kerala University, both in Thiruvananthapuram, and the Chittur College in Palakkad. I will soon present some [copies] to the Maharaja’s College in Ernakulam,” Ms. Varma said.
Ms. Varma was felicitated by SPMVV Rector V. Uma, Dean (Social sciences) D.B. Krishnakumari, seminar coordinator K. Saraswathi Vasudev and academic Dwaram Lakshmi on the occasion.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by A.D. Rangarajan / Tirupati – March 21st, 2018
On March 18, while touring the historic Old Town, a group of heritage enthusiasts noticed encroachments upon the 17th century European cemetery grounds near the Kurupam market. A five-storey building has come up in the northern side of the cemetery and a boundary wall has also been constructed.
When brought to the notice of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation authorities, on Monday evening, they demolished the wall.
The encroachment has been estimated to be about 8 feet by 60 feet. One of the gates of the new building also opens onto the cemetery. “We brought it to the notice of the GVMC chief M Harinarayanan, who said he would get it examined by the town planning officers,” said Sohan Hatangadi, one of the organisers of Sunday’s Old Town heritage walk.
Notwithstanding the prompt action by GVMC that helped prevent further encroachment, it is interesting to note that the building was under construction since 2016. The GVMC had then given the permission, but had failed to check whether the structure would encroach upon the cemetery.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Visakhapatnam News / by Sulogna Mehta / TNN / March 20th, 2018
Ramachandraiah is probably the last such singer left in A.P. and Telangana
Sakine Ramachandraiah could easily have been awarded honorary doctorate by any university. An unlettered man from Koonavaram village of Manuguru mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem district, Ramachandraiah has oral histories of the Koya tribe on the tip of his tongue.
One only has to mention the story to have it cascade effortlessly from his vocal chambers, in Telugu as well as Koya language.
Belonging to the ‘Doli’ sub-division of the Koya tribe, which has been traditionally ordained with the duty of reciting the tribe’s clan histories, Ramachandraiah is probably the last such singer left in the two states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
“Some times, I cross the State border to perform in Chhattisgarh, where people want the songs in Koya language,” Ramachandraiah says.
He sings at marriages, at funerals, and he always sings at the biennial Medaram Jathara also known as the ‘Sammakka Saralamma Jathara’, which is touted as the world’s largest repeat congregation of tribal communities. The Medaram Jathara is to be held from January 31 to February 3 this year, at Eturunagaram of Jayashankar Bhupalpally district.
Gazette
The Doli community is described as ‘professional beggars’ among Koyas by the Godavari District Gazette of 1896. Though their duties are priest-like and along with ‘Oddis’— the superior priest class — they can be classified as the ‘literate’ in the tribe, their status is still considered ‘inferior’.
Doli men sing oral histories based on the ‘Padige’s or pictorial scrolls inherited by various communities over centuries.
“Earlier, Doli families used to live in a hamlet called ‘Soppala’.
Now, nobody lives there. Few are left who can recite oral histories as accurately as Ramachandraiah,” says Jayadhir Tirumala Rao, academic and researcher of tribal communities.
Prof. Tirumala Rao is spearheading a project to document the oral history of ‘Sammakka-Saralamma’ as told by Ramachandraiah, and he vouches that the story, if fleshed out from the myth it is enmeshed in, could substantially aid historical research.
“Sammakka-Saralamma story is about the war waged against the Kakatiya dynasty by tribal women who challenged king Prataparudra when he had levied tax on them for the tanks he had got constructed in their forests. The Koya tribe had then lived on hunting-gathering, and never cultivated any land.
So, the king sought to send outsiders into the forest for cultivation, which was the last straw on the camel’s back. This story comes out very clearly from the song recited by Ramachandraiah,” Prof. Tirumala Rao says.
Apart from ‘Sammakka-Saralamma’, the balladeer sings the stories of tribal warriors such as Gari Kamaraju, Pagididda Raju, Irama Raju, Gaadi Raju, Bapanamma, Musalamma, Nagulamma, Sadalamma and others. He also knows and recites the stories behind the endogamous tribal sub-divisions and their surnames. “Now, nobody wants to sing the stories. Even my own son refuses to follow the tradition,” Ramachandraiah laments.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by Swathi Vadlamudi / January 10th, 2018
Once upon a time there was a huge steam ship filled with passengers leaving a quaint town. But, the ill-fated ship sank with all of its 400 passengers on board. Ever since, the location where the ship sank in the sea has been haunted, with the souls of the gloomy, dead passengers haunting whoever passes by at night. They moan and take out their anger on the living, begging for attention and some relief from their after-life.
Thus goes the legend of a mysterious wreck in the Bay of Bengal popular among the fishing community of Visakhapatnam. And till recently, the wreck was nothing more than an apparition; a bed-time tale told to scare toddlers. Or so it was believed. But Vizag-based scuba diver, Balaram Naidu claims he’s discovered the remnants of that doomed ship lying in the Bay of Bengal.
“I don’t want to reveal where the wreck is yet, but the fishing community here has always had many interesting tales to tell about it,” says Balaram Naidu, owner of an adventure sports firm in the city.
From the pictures of the remnants of the said wreck that Balaram shared with Vizag Times, one can see various parts of the ship scattered around. “The shaft, motor, furnace and the rest of the main body are intact. The keel, decks and other parts of the ship have spread all over the place. The furnace even holds beautiful aqua life in it and is filled with fishes, eels and turtles,” explains Balaram.
But how did the adventure enthusiast even find the wreck in the first place? “We have been struggling to find wrecks in the sea for three years now and been taking the help of the fishing community to find them. But they can’t dive deep into the water, so they point out possible wreck sites to us and we dive to see if they’re actually there. We learnt about this site from the fishermen’s tales. We found the debris during our first few dives and it took us a while to find the wreck too,” he says, elated.
While the mention of the eerie wreck brings out excitement in Balaram, it incites fear in the fishing community. The fishermen are dead sure that this is the sunken ship that their forefathers warned them about. “I don’t know how old the ship is and when it sunk there. But generations of our children have grown up listening to tales of how 400 passengers on board died when this ship sank. I heard the story from my father, who heard the story from my grandfather and so on. My father is 85-years-old now, I think the ship sunk 300 years ago maybe. But this is the first time I’ve heard of someone actually finding it,” says Satti, a fisherman.
But why does the ship-wreck incite fear in these fishermen? “It’s not just me, anyone who has fished around that area will tell you that they feel scared to venture there. Because a lot of us who fished in that area at night, have felt someone hitting us on our backs. That’s why we avoid venturing there at night. Even when we do go that side, we go in large numbers and prefer not to catch fish there.”
Balaram however wants to find the ship’s origins and believes it sunk while it was leaving Vizag harbour. “The shaft is towards Vizag, this could mean that it sunk while it was leaving the harbour. I want to find out more details about the ship and I’m hoping its records can be found at the court. They will hopefully have the navigation records.”
For Balaram the finding of a coral in the sea few weeks back and now, the wreck just reinstates the fact that Vizag has the potential to be an attractive dive site. “In fact, it could be the best dive site in India,” he says. “Scuba divers love reef diving and wreck diving, and the latter is something a lot of divers opt for because it’s exciting.”
Previously too, Balaram Naidu had told Vizag Times that he is planning to present a proposal to the tourism department to develop Vizag as a wreck diving destination. If the proposal does indeed materialise, then civilians would be able to access the wreck of PNS Ghazi, that only divers of Indian Navy are privy to so far.
“I know for a fact that the remains of Ghazi lie 30 meters deep in the ocean and that the debris is entangled in fishing nets,” he says. Apart from the wreck of PNS Ghazi, and now this steam ship, the debris of a goods ship lies at the continental beach near Dolphin Hill.
“I will soon submit a proposal imploring the Tourism Department to turn the ship wreck we discovered now and PNS Ghazi into wreck diving sites. It can transform the tourism scenario not just in Vizag but all of India,” he sums it up.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Visakhapatnam News / by Neeshita Nyayapati / TNN / January 06th, 2018
With the help of her girl students, whom she used to teach music, Mrs. Cousins worked on the tunes for ‘Janaganamana.’
He sang something like a piece of geography… and in the second verse a list of the religions in India…
Author of the anthem: Rabindranath Tagore.
The National Anthem was written by Rabindranath Tagore as early as in 1911 and was sung at the annual session of the Indian National Congress at Calcutta on December 27 that year. But it was in Besant Theosophical College, Madanapalle, where Tagore stayed for a few days in February 1919 that the now familiar tune was set. It was Margaret Cousins, wife of educationist, James H. Cousins, who composed the tune for ‘Janaganamana.’ Dr. James Henry Cousins was then the Principal of the Madanapalle College that was established by Dr. Annie Besant.
Tagore was on a tour of South India and was much tired when he reached Bangalore in the last week of February 1919. On the advice of C.F. Andrews, he decided to rest at the Theosophical College in Madanapalle, about 120 km, south-east of Bangalore.
Besides several firsts of national importance, Madanapalle also had a first grade college started by Annie Besant in 1915. Besant’s involvement in the freedom movement prompted the Government to cancel its affiliation to Madras University. Undaunted, Dr. Besant named the college “Wood National College,” after Prof. Ernest Wood, educationist and a close follower of Dr. Besant. She got it affiliated to the National University at Madras, which was newly organised by the Society for the Promotion of National Education, (SPNE) for which Rabindranath Tagore was the Chancellor. When it was suggested that the quiet atmosphere at Madanapalle College as the right place to rest, Tagore was only happy for he felt that he would be with the staff and students of the college affiliated to the National University. Tagore also felt happy to be in the company of Dr. Cousins whose poetry in English he always admired.
Song set to tune
Rabindranath Tagore’s stay in Madanapalle College became momentous because the song ‘Janaganamana’ was given the melody of the musical tunes with which it is now sung all over the country. Till then the song never had a uniform tune. People were signing it as they liked in varied ways with great regional variations.
It was the practice with Dr. and Mrs. Cousins to hold informal meetings with the college community on every Wednesday night after dinner called “sing song fun session”. It was usually a programme of healthy hilarity and fun. Tagore, who joined the gathering asked if he might sing one of his poems.
Writing about how the song was first heard by them as sung by Tagore himself, Dr. Cousins recounted thus: “In a voice surprisingly light for so large a man, he sang something like a piece of geography giving a list of countries, mountains and rivers; and in the second verse a list of the religions in India. The refrain to the first verse made us pick up our ears. The refrain to the second verse made us clear our throats. We asked for it again and again, and before long we were singing it with gusto: Jaya hai, Jaya hai, Jaya hai, Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya hai (Victory, victory, victory to thee).”
The large assembly gathered that night was overjoyed at listening to the song ‘Janaganamana’ from Gurudev himself who penned it. Mrs. Cousins, who was highly gratified at the rich thought content of the poem, decided to give suitable tunes to it. She was herself a musician having taken a degree in music from the University of London. The next day, she discussed with Tagore on the notations and the general theme of the song. Tagore explained the nuances of the poem and indicated broadly the “swara” for the song.
With the help of the girl students of the college, whom she used to teach music, Mrs. Cousins worked on the tunes for ‘Janaganamana.’ She carefully studied the meaning of each line of the song and composed the musical notes. When she was ready with the final version of her composition, she spoke to Gurudev and briefed him on the swara she composed. With the staff and students assembled in the same classrooms, where Tagore sang it the previous day, Mrs. Cousins with the help of her students, to the accompaniment of a few simple musical instruments and in the presence of Tagore, rendered the entire song to the tune she composed.
The assembled audience was thrilled when Tagore spoke a few words appreciating the melody of the tune and the efforts of Mrs. Cousins in composing it. Thus the poet had approved the tune making it as the final form of his popular Bengali song, ‘Janaganamana.’
About this event, Dr. Cousins in his autobiography states: “It made literary history and carried the name and thought of Tagore into the minds and hearts of millions of young in schools and colleges and outside them and ultimately gave humanity the nearest approach to an ideal national anthem. It happened, as so many great events of the spirit do, without anticipation and without collusion.”
English translation
It was during his stay in the college, that Tagore also translated ‘Janaganamana’ into English. For a few days, early in the mornings, basking in the winter sun, Tagore sat on a stone-slab under the Gulmohar tree in front of his cottage and went over his Bengali song. ‘Janaganamana,’ line by line finding the equivalent words in English. He wrote in his own beautiful handwriting and named it as the “Morning Song of India.” At the bottom of the translated version, he signed his name, dated it as February 28, 1919 and presented it to Dr. James Cousins.
Later when the College was in financial crisis due to the withdrawal of grants by the government of Madras consequent to the participation of the faculty and students of the college in the Home-Rule agitation started by Dr. Anne Besant, the “Morning Song of India” document in Tagore’s handwriting was sold to an American art collector for a fabulous but undisclosed price. The money thus collected was added to the college fund. However, a photocopy of it was made before the original left the country forever. This copy is preserved in the Madanapalle Theosophical College now.
Tagore, having fully refreshed and recouped, left Madanapalle on March 2, 1919, to continue his South Indian tour. It is said that before leaving, he called the Madanapalle College ‘Santinikethan of South.’ In 1937, when a fierce controversy raged over the selection of the National Anthem, it was James Cousins who fervently pleaded that ‘Janaganamana’ should be confirmed officially as the National Anthem of India. He wrote, “The poem would become one of the world’s precious documents… From Madanapalle, ‘Janaganamana’ spread all over India and is admired in Europe and America.”
Tagore’s ‘Janaganamana’ was declared the National Anthem, as Dr. Cousins assiduously pleaded during his lifetime, when India became a Republic on January 26, 1950.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review / May 15th, 2009
Rare collection: A file photo of a staff member showing the palm leaf manuscripts in the library. | Photo Credit: C.V.SUBRAHMANYAM
Digitalisation drive launched at iconic Gowthami library
As part of protecting and safeguarding old books and manuscripts, the digitalisation of Sri Gowthami Regional Library has just taken off. Foundation was laid for new buildings for renovation and restoration was also done recently.
At present the library has 1.03 lakh books — 71,130 Telugu, 21,974 English, 7,967 Hindi, 372 Urdu , 667 others, 411 palm leaf manuscripts, six copper plates, and 40 unpublished manuscripts.
Of the 40,000 books that have been partially or completely damaged, digitalisation of 30,000 is being taken up with the support of a team of computer operators monitored by the project in charge Aripirala Narayana Rao, former reader in Sri YN College, Narsapur.
Prof. Narayana Rao said that about 30 lakh pages have to be digitalised. Five computers and two high-end scanners brought from Bengaluru each are being used for the purpose.
Akula’s initiative
The project was initiated by city MLA Dr. Akula Satyanarayana and the total cost of the project is ₹10 lakh for the first year. “It will take at least two years to accomplish the task,” said Prof. Narayana Rao. The State Bank of India has sponsored computers, printer and air- conditioners worth ₹4.5 lakh. The books that are being digitalised include Sanskrit Bible, the first published copy of the Britannica Encyclopedia, silver-coated stylus for writing on palm leaves, copper plates and palm leaf manuscripts, and 15,000 rare books.
“Viveka Vardhini magazines which were edited by Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu, Hitha Suchini published in the year 1845 and popular Swami Seva penned by Muddu Narasimha Naidu in 1862 are also being digitalised,” Prof. Narayana Rao said. The Manasu Foundation of Bangalore has acceded to their request to digitalise some valuable books.
Gowthami library is the biggest one in the region after the Thanjavur library in Tamil Nadu. It was set up by Nalam Krishna Rao in 1898 and christened Sri Veeresalingam Panthulu Library. Addanki Satyanarayana Sarma, a noted scholar, started another one — Vasuraya Library.
Following the advice of the elite in the city, the two libraries were merged and named as Gowthami Grandhalayam and registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1920. Vavilala Gopalakrishnaiah and AB Nageswara Rao were instrumental in getting regional status to the library. In 1979, the government took over the library.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by B.V.S. Bhaskar / Rajamahendravarman – December 09th, 2017
Boost to tourism: President Ram Nath Kovind and other dignitaries after the inauguration of TU-142 Aircraft Museum in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. | Photo Credit: C.V.Subrahmanyam
The attraction in Vizag is the first of its kind with a walk-through for visitors
President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday inaugurated the TU 142 Aircraft Museum, the first such museum in the country, on the Beach Road here in the presence of Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. He later went through the cockpit, machinery, bombs and gunner compartments of the aircraft.
Mr. Naidu presented TU 142 souvenirs and Pedana “kalamkari kanduva” to the President.
Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of ENC Karambir Singh, Lok Sabha members K. Haribabu and Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, Ministers Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu and N. Chinarajappa, ZP chairperson Lalam Bhavani, Port Trust Chairman M.T. Krishna Babu, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Mukesh Kumar Meena and VUDA Vice-Chairman P. Basanth Kumar, MLAs and MLCs participated.
The museum is the first of its kind with a walk-through for visitors. The Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) oversaw the execution of the ₹14-crore project comprising the museum complex, TU flight simulator, an audio-visual room and souvenir shop. The project, seen as a major tourist attraction with the Submarine Museum across the road, is funded by the AP Tourism. The VUDA will run the museum, set up on one acre of the Andhra University, in coordination with the Navy and the A.P. Tourism. The decommissioned TU 142 was flown in from the Arakkonam base of the Navy, dismantled, transported and reassembled into the museum.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – December 08th, 2017
Archaeologist Kadiyala Venkateswara Rao at the labyrinth in Kolimeru village, East Godavari district.
It throws light on ancient cult practices, says freelance archaeologist
A prehistoric painting of a mystic labyrinth has been discovered at a cave on top of a hill near Kolimeru village near Tuni in East Godavari district. The labyrinth, dating back to the Neolithic period, consists of seven circles in red ochre on white pigment painted on a rectangular rock in front of the cave facing the Sun.
“The discovery of the labyrinth throws light not only on the ancient religious practices of prehistoric civilisations, but also on their knowledge about astronomical signs. Ancient civilisations had worshipped Sun and were able to predict seasons and even natural calamities,’’ freelance archaeologist and former deputy director, Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh, Kadiyala Venkateswara Rao told The Hindu on Friday.
Mr. Rao had earlier unearthed a unique Menhir at Karempudi in Guntur district that threw light on the existence of prehistoric civilisations in Guntur district.
The word labyrinth is an ancient Greek word with Minoan cultural influence and means extremely complicated and therefore difficult to understand.
The hills, known locally as ‘Bangaruloya,’ and the rock shelter ‘Pandavulavari Gani,’ have mystic folklore. Locals believe that Pandavas lived in this rock shelter during “aranyavasa,’’ and also thought mystic drawings could indicate that huge gold and precious things were hidden in the caves.
Line drawings
Mr. Rao, now aged 75 years, located the rock shelter after an arduous trek. The natural rock found at the entrance of the shelter has sacred Neolithic labyrinth motifs painted in red ochre on a white pigment. He also found line drawings of a bull and a deer on either side of the labryinth, though the colour has faded away. It is believed that the rock shelter might be a worshipping place of Neolithic hunter-gatherers.
“Ancient literature has thrown light on the ways in which priests studied the equinoxes, solstices and movements of Sun and Moon hoping to gain mastery over the elements. Cult priests might have also performed rituals and other ancestral worshipping practices in front of the labyrinth symbol,’’ Mr. Rao added.
Mr. Rao also discovered a prehistoric cup mark which are also found on other prehistoric sites such as dolmen and menhirs, sacred ritual symbols.
It is interesting to note that similar labyrinths have been found in Europe and other countries and are common in aboriginal art and usually associated with creative energy. In India, labyrinths have been found at Halibedu in Hoyasleshwara Swamy Temple in Karnataka, and in Goa and Rajastan, where they are worshipped as Manas Chakra, a religious emblem.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by P. Samuel Jonathan / Guntur – October 21st, 2017
