Virupaksha Temple

Virupaksha Temple is located in Hampi in the Ballari district of Karnataka, India. It is part of the Group of Monuments at Hampi, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple is dedicated to Virupaksha, a form of Shiva.

Located in Karnataka near the modern-era city of Hosapete, Hampi's ruins are spread over 4,100 hectares (16 sq mi) and it has been described by UNESCO as an "austere, grandiose site" of more than 1,600 surviving remains of the last great Hindu kingdom in South India that includes "forts, riverside features, royal and sacred complexes, temples, shrines, pillared halls, mandapas, memorial structures, water structures and others"

***

Jakhu Temple

JAKHU  TEMPLE

Jakhu Temple is an ancient Hanuman  temple in Shimla.

It is situated on Jakhu Hill, 2.5 km from the Ridge, Shimla at a height of 8,000 feet. It offers a breathtaking view of the himalayas.

At this  ancient  Hanuman temple  every year a big festival is held during Dussehra.

You can reach the temple by foot over a steep climb from Ridge  or can hire a pony. Taxis also take you there.

Legend has it  that hindu deity Hanuman ji stopped here to rest while he was searching for the Sanjivni Booti to revive Lakshmana during the war with Ravan.

Shimla was the summer capital of the viceroy during the Raj period. Earlier, most of the area occupied by present-day Shimla city was dense forest in the 18th century. The only habitation was the Jakhoo temple and a few scattered houses.

The area was named after a Hindu goddess, Shyamala Devi, an incarnation of Kali.

***

Hare Krishna People

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known also as the Hare Krishna movement  is a spiritual movement of Bhakti Yoga. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada . Its core beliefs are based on  the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavata Purana.

ISKCON as of 2017 is a worldwide confederation. It has more than 850 temples and centres, including 60 farm communities, 50 schools, and 90 restaurants spread over the world.

Pilani. The Birla institute (BITS) campus .

It was a long time back in 1965 when. I first visited the Birla institute campus in Pilani. Towards the lend of my journey by bus I was passing through what look like typical desert area with stumps of small strange looking  trees dotting a. land of desert. Pilani is in a semi arid area north west of  Rajasthan , having almost a  desert climate . 

In sharp contrast to the last part of my journey, Pilani township was a beautifully planned township with well paved roads lined on both sides with evergreen trees of high quality like Neen. Peepal, mango, Ashoka and so many other varieties., with fountains, canals , temples, museum and very open and comfortable  residential quarters for the teaching and other staff.

Known as BITS (Birla institute of technology and science) this educational institute had a humble beginning. In 1929, the Birla Education Trust established an intermediate college at Pilani.

 In 1943 and 1950 respectively there was an addition of science and pharmacy colleges. The Birla College of Engineering, offering degree programs in electrical and mechanical engineering was, then, started in 1946.

Unique feature of pilani township is that ,with desert like vegetation  all around it , it is an Oasis. It has more greenery than most townships in Rajasthan. 

The master's program in electronics was introduced in  Pilani college in 1955. In 1964, the Birla Colleges of Science, Engineering and Pharmacy were incorporated into Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS).

Birlas, the industrialist and philanthropist family of 20th century India established a number of educational institute, grand temples and other institute for general public all over India. 

At their BITS campus Pilani they also constructed a grand Saraswati Temple in marble. Saraswati is the Goddess of knowledge and learning.

 A unique feature of this temple is that the outside walls have carvings of famous persons from all over the world in marble.

Lately India has been missing great philanthropists like Tatas and Birlas.

***