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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

detail of sri ranganatha temple-trichy

Sri Ranganatha Temple

[Temple]
The temple is much older than the town and fort having been founded in A.D. 894 by the Ganga king, Tirumalaiya; and later enlarged by a Vijayanagar viceroy in the C15th A.D. The island shrine is dedicated to Ranganatha and is a centre for the Vaishnava faith. The temple is also referred to as Paschima (western) Ranganatha Kshetra, to distinguish it from another island temple on Srirangam further down the Cauvery near Trichy and which is referred to as Purva (eastern) Ranganatha Kshetra..
Western Gateway
Outer view of a gateway located on the south-western face of the fortress - leading down to the southern arm of the Cauvery (Kaveri) River.
Photograph © Robin Walsh 1999
Ref no. 4:29

Western Gateway
Inner view of the hidden gateway.

Rampart, North Wall

Rampart, North Wall View from the fort ramparts of the north arm of the Cauvery (Kaveri) River - looking towards position occupied by the Bombay Army in 1799.

Fortified Doorway

[Fortified Doorway] Iron-spiked wooden doorway on the northern face of the fortress.

Jibi Gate

[Jibi Gate] View of the Jibi Gate on the northern face of the fortress - narrow fortified sallyport gateway used by Mysorean troops to mount attacks against the Bombay Army encamped across the Cauvery (Kaveri) River.


Powder Magazine

[Powder Magazine] Inner view of (restored) powder magazine located in Rampart Road near the north-eastern corner of the fortress.

Masjid-E-Ala Mosque [Jama Masjid Mosque]

[Jama Masjid Mosque]
The twin minarets of the mosque were a gift from Tipu and they dominate the eastern skyline (along with the nearby Flag-Staff Cavalier). The minarets were a favourite subject matter for many contemporary European artists in their depictions of the British campaigns against the capital of Mysore.
Photograph © Robin Walsh 1999
Ref no. SRI 2:2

[minaret]
Close-up view of one of the minarets of the Jama Masjid Mosque at Srirangapatna.


North-Western Rampart

[North-Western Rampart]
View of one of the outer ramparts near the north-western corner of the fortress - suffered heavy bombardment from the enfilading artillery fire of the Bombay Army in 1799.
Photograph © Robin Walsh 1999
Ref no. BANG 4:34

[North-Western Rampart]
Memorial obelisk erected on the north-west rampart wall commemorating the names of those British troops who fell during the assault on the breach on 4 May 1799.

Tipu Memorial

[Tipu Memorial] Concrete memorial purportedly marking the spot (east of the Water Gate) where Tipu's body was found after the fighting on 4 May 1799.

Dovecote

[Dovecote]
Restored dovecote located near the entrance to the Daria Daulat (Tipu's Summer Palace)
Photograph © Robin Walsh 1999
[Water Gate - outside]
Original dovecote located beside the roadway on the way to Ganjam, Srirangapatna island.

nformation about Trichy
Tiruchirapalli, also known as Trichy, Tiruchy and Thiruchi, is only about 53 kms from Thanjavur. Trichy is situated on the banks of the Kaveri river and the fourth largest city in Tamil Nadu. Trichy has always been a seat of power over the centuries. It was one of the main centers around which the wars of the Carnatic were fought in the 18th century by the British and the French. Today, this city is a thriving commercial centre in Tamil Nadu. This city has given great Tamil scholars whose contributions to the Tamil literature have been very significant. This ancient city is famous for its architectural monuments and culture. The best time to visit Trichy is throughout the year, except in summers, when the days are very hot. Tamil and English are the main languages which are commonly spoken in Trichy.

History of Trichy
Trichy has a long history which goes back to pre-Christian era. During the first millennium, it changed hands from the Pallavas and the Pandyas when it was taken over by the Cholas in the 10th century. After the Chola rule, it fell into the hands of Vijayanagar rulers and then the Deccan Sultans. The English and the French also tried with their full strength to control this city.

Tourist Attractions in Trichy
The most important tourist attraction in Trichy is the Rock Fort Temple. This temple is a spectacular monument that is perched on a massive rock which rises abruptly from the plain to tower over the old city. The other tourist attractions in Trichy are the Srirangam Temple, Sri Jambukeshwar Temple, Thiruvanaikkaval and Narthamalai.

Rock Fort Temple
The Rock Fort Temple is situated right in the centre of the town and visible from all directions. This fort temple belongs to the 7th century and rises at a height of 83 metres from the plains to tower over the old city. The rock is one of the oldest in the world, approximately 3800 million years, which makes it as old as the rocks of Greenland and older than the Himalayas. The main attraction here is not the fort, of which very little remains, but the temple at the summit. To reach the temple, one has to climb 437 steps. The fort played an important part during the Carnatic wars and according to an inscription, mainly contributed to lay the foundations of the British Empire in India. The Uchipillaiyar Koil, a temple dedicated to Lord Vinayaka is located on the top of the rock. This temple offers a wonderful view of the city,
Rock Fort Temple, Trichy
Kaveri river, the massive Ranganatha Temple and the Sri Jambukeswar Temple. A flight of steps leads to the Mathrubutheswarar of Thayumanaswami temple, dedicated to Lord Siva where the lingam is a projection of the rock itself.

Srirangam Temple, Trichy
Srirangam Temple
The Sri Ranganatha Swami Temple or Srirangam Temple is another important landmark of the city of Trichy. This temple is one of the largest and most interesting temple complexes in India. This temple is built on the Srirangam island in the middle of the Kaveri river and covers an area of 2.5 square kms. The main temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Even muslims are said to have prayed here after the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire. Today, non Hindus are not allowed into the gold-topped sanctum, but they are allowed into the sixth wall. It is surrounded by seven concentric walls and has 21 magnificent gateway towers (gopurams) and a 1000-pillared hall with beautiful carvings. The 22nd gateway tower which is about 236 feet high, has been recently completed and is the tallest temple tower in Asia.

Thiruvanaikkaval
Thiruvanaikkaval is one of the most revered temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is one of the Panchabhoota Stalams that signifies the 5 elements like wind (Kalahasti), water (Tiruvanaikka), fire (Tiruvannamalai), earth (Kanchipuram) and space (Chidambaram). The water is represented by an undying natural spring in the sanctum. There is said to have been a forest of Jambu trees near the Chandrateertha tank (filled with the water of the Kaveri) here and Shiva is said to have appeared under one of the trees as a Shiva Lingam. According to the legend, the two devotees of Shiva were born under the influence of a curse as a white elephant and a spider. The elephant worshipped Shiva with flowers and brought water in its trunk, and hence the place was known as Tiru Aanaikka.

Sri Jambukeshwar Temple
The Sri Jambukeshwar Temple is built on the Srirangam island in the middle of the Kaveri river. This temple is surrounded by 5 concentric walls and has 7 gopurams. This temple has some very beautiful carvings.

Narthamalai
Narthamalai has some of the oldest structural stone temples, built by the Mutharaiyars. This temple has six large, skillfully carved statues of Lord Vishnu in the central hall. A 9th century Pallava cave temple dedicated to Lord Shiva lies to the south, and in front of this is the Vijayalaya Choliswaran temple. Vijayalaya was the first Chola ruler and as such this Shiva temple is one of the earliest Chola temple. The artistry can be seen in the beautiful figures of the dancers in front of the vimana, the elegantly carved dwara-palakas and the figures of other Gods.

Shopping in Trichy
Trichy is famous for its cigars and cheroots. Some of the other famous items of Trichy are brassware, handloom textiles, pith models of temples and the Rock Fort, wood and clay toys, jewellery, ornamental carved brass and copper plates inlaid with silver (Tanjore plates), silks, carpets and musical instruments, artificial diamonds, glass bangles.

How to reach here
By Air:
Trichy is an international airport and receives and operates flights to Colombo. Indian Airlines flights connect it to Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore, etc.

By Rail:
There are direct rail services to Chennai, Madurai, Thanjavur, Rameshwaram, Tirupathi.

By Road: 
Excellent roads connect Trichy with all the major towns of South India like Trichy and Coimbatore (for Ooty), Madurai, Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, Chennai. It is about 140 km. from madurai, 302 km. from Ooty and 320 km. from Madras.

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detail abt first human travelling space

Yuri Gagarin: First Man in Space
 
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space on April 12, 1961 April 12 was already a huge day in space history twenty years before the launch of the first shuttle mission. On that day in 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (left, on the way to the launch pad) became the first human in space, making a 108-minute orbital flight in his Vostok 1 spacecraft. Newspapers like The Huntsville Times (right) trumpeted Gagarin's accomplishment.

Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space less than a month later.

Scientific cooperation with the Soviet Union dates back to the very beginnings of space flight. The first cooperative human space flight project between the United States and the Soviet Union took place in 1975. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was designed to test the compatibility of rendezvous and docking systems for American and Soviet spacecraft and to open the way for future joint manned flights.

Since 1993, the U.S. and Russia have worked together on a number of other space flight projects. The Space Shuttle began visiting the Russian Mir space station in 1994, and in 1995 Norm Thagard became the first U.S. astronaut to take up residency on Mir. Seven U.S. astronauts served with their Russian counterparts aboard the orbiting Mir laboratory from 1995 to 1998. The experience gained from the Mir cooperative effort, as well as lessons learned, paved the way for the International Space Station.

In-orbit construction on the Station began in November 1998, and it has been staffed non-stop with international crews since November 2000. The first Station crew, made up of U.S. commander Bill Shepherd and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, was launched on board a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The crew returned to Earth on the Space Shuttle Discovery in March 2001.