12th Century Temple in Bangalore

Place Name: Chokkanathaswamy temple

Distance from Bangalore: approx 11 KM from Majestic

Route: Via MG road, trinity circle

Duration: Half day Trip

Road Condition: Good (traffic can be expected during peak hours)

Best time to visit: Any time in the year

As I was looking out for ancient monuments in Bangalore, I came across this ancient temple built in the 12^th century. Although it was in close proximity to the areas that I used to traverse, I was clueless on the existence of the temple until recently. I chose to drive down to this temple on a fine Saturday, when the weather was just perfect for a drive. This temple is located in the heart of the city i.e. Domlur. The temple belongs to the Cholas dynasty of the 12^th century. Popularly known as - "Sri Devi Bhudevi Sametha Chokkanatha Swamy Devasthanam”, this place is on the way towards ITPL, with a small deviation prior to the bus stop.

This temple has two notable sculptures which are eye catching - One in Tamil and another in Kannada. It is also being told that the Vijayanagar empire also donated to this temple. I was fortunate to collect some information on this temple from an elderly lady, who claimed to belong to the 5^th generation of the priests who performed puja at the temple. The main deity – Lord Chokkanatha Swamy was adorned majestically with flowers. After finishing my darshan, I enquired more about the temple from the leading priest, who informed me that the idol of the main deity was submerged 30 years ago and that it was brought here after renovation. It was remarkable that though the temple had been renovated with the modern day granites, the structure with the old sculptures remained untouched. There was ancient scriptures in Tamil and 1 scripture written in Kannada (written during the Vijayanagar dynasty). The 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu is depicted on one of the pillars. One can also notice one of the pillar on which Garuda is carved. This temple is believed to be the only temple possessing Pranic energy.

Here are a few of the snaps of the Temple….

Mirror Coffin

One day all the employees reached the office and they saw a big advice on the door on which it was written:

Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym.

In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the company itself.

The excitement in the gym was such that security agents were ordered to control the crowd within the room. The more people reached the coffin, the more the excitement heated up.

Everyone thought: Who is this guy who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he died!.

One by one the thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood nearby the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul. There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself.

There was also a sign next to the mirror that said:

There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: IT IS YOU. You are the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself.

Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when
your company changes. Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.

The most important relationship you can have, is the one you have with yourself.

Examine yourself, watch yourself. Don’t be afraid of difficulties, impossibilities and losses: be a winner, build yourself and your reality.

Its the way you face Life that makes the difference!

A sense of a goose

Next Autumn, when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying in a "V" formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.
People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily, because they are travelling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.
If we have the sense of a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are heading the same way we are.

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.
It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
What message do we give when we honk from behind?

Finally - and this is important - when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of the formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies; and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their own group.
If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.

The Fence

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said “you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.” You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something.

Moral: World is not fair there will be many things which tempt you to be in anger, what matters is how you handle the same. It’s a Art ,that everyone has to learn, to attain peace in life.

True Winner

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?" The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. "I believe,that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child."Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, “Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."

Shay struggled over to the team's bench put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field.

Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay" Shay reached third base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their feet were screaming, "Shay, run home! Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

That day, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world. Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy and coming home and seeing his mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

Moral: Winning is not everything ,true love and humanity is beyond everything.

Weakness or Strength

The boy began lessons with an old Japanese Judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn’t understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move.

“Sensei,” the boy finally said, “Shouldn’t I be learning more moves?”

“This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you’ll ever need to know.” – the sensei replied.

Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.

Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.

This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.

“No,” the sensei insisted, “Let him continue.”

Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.

On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind.

“Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?”

“You won for two reasons,” the sensei answered. “First, you’ve almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grap your left arm.”

The boy’s biggest weakness had become his biggest strength. Sometimes our biggest weakness can become our biggest strength. Get Inspired … Inspire others ……. Share with loved ones

Appreciate little things

This story you're about to read has an important lesson for you to learn. So, read it carefully...

A young married woman whose husband was a wealthy man was expecting a birthday gift from her husband. For quite a number of months she had admired a very beautiful diamond ring in a showroom, and she knowing that her husband could afford it, if he would, told him that was all she wanted for her birthday, and nothing more. As her birthday was drawing nigh, this lady awaited signs that her husband had bought the diamond ring.

At last, her birthday finally came. On the morning of her birthday, her husband called her into his room. He told her how proud he was to have such a good wife as her and told her how much he loved her. After telling her all sort of sweet talks, he finally handed her a beautifully wrapped gift box. Very excited and curious, the wife opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the her name embossed in gold. Angrily, she raised her voice to her husband and said, 'With all your money, a Bible was all you could give me?!!' And stormed out of the house, leaving her husband.

Many years passed and the lady was very successful in all her dealings and business. She managed to settle for a more beautiful house ,more luxury, but realized her husband was very old, and thought perhaps she should say him a visit because she had not seen him for so many years. But before she could make travelling arrangements, she received a text message telling her that her husband had died, and willed all of his possessions to her. She needed to come back immediately and take care of things. When she arrived at her husband's house, sudden sadness and regret filled her heart. She began to search through her husband's important papers and saw the Bible, still as new as when it was presented to her, she had left it years before. With tears, she opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. Her husband had carefully underlined a verse, Matt 7:11, which reads 'And if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father, who is in heaven, give what is good to those who ask Him?' As she read those words, a tiny package dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a diamond ring, with her name engraved on it-the same diamond ring which she saw at the showroom! On the tag, the date of her birth, and the words. 'LUV U ALWAYS' were inscribed. How many times do we miss God's blessings, because they are not packaged as we expected? Do not spoil what you have, by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

Moral of the story: Always appreciate little things, irrespective of how small they seem to be.