MADE IN PICTURE: INDIA

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The Konark Sun Temple, Orissa (India)

Posted in Labels: INDIA, LIFESTYLE

Konark (or Konarak) is a small town in the state of Orissa, India, on the Bay of Bengal, sixty-five kilometres from Bhubaneswar.

Konark is the site of the 13th-century Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda), built in black granite by King Narasimhadeva. The temple is one of the most important Brahman sanctuaries, and is a world heritage site. It takes the form of the chariot of Surya, the sun god, and is heavily decorated with stone carving. The temple is now partly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by the Archaeological Survey of India. The poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote of Konark: "here the language of stone surpasses the language of man". Konark is also home to an annual dance festival, held every December, devoted to classical Indian dance forms, including the traditional classical dance of Orissa, odissi. Konark beach is a popular tourist destination, though the waters are deceptively calm. Its main attraction lies in its views of the temple.

Stone Work at Konark

Wheel of Konark

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It Happens only in INDIA

Posted in Labels: INDIA

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India 100 Years Ago

Posted in Labels: INDIA

India is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Here is the proof that this remarkable country was really awesome even 100 years ago. Enjoy in this beautiful photos which has been taken by British people 100 years ago.

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An Indian woman has discovered that her husband is actually a woman, after being married for six months

Posted in Labels: FUNNY, INDIA, LIFESTYLE

Minati Khatua, from Orissa, allegedly found out the hidden truth after walking in on her spouse taking a bath.

Her husband, known as Sitakant Routray, had originally said that he was not willing to consummate the pair's marriage as 'he' was observing a religious ritual.

Police have now launched an investigation into the marriage, with investigators believing that the groom could have gone through with the ceremony in order to receive the dowry which is presented on these occasions, with a car, gold ornaments and £350 in cash part among the gifts.

'I thought he was devout and respectful of me. But when I walked into the bathroom there was no mistaking that my husband was 100 per cent a woman.

It is also being reported that Routray has now vanished with a car and a jeep, which were bought with loans taken from a bank account in Ms Khatua's name.

'I always try and unpack that he was a man, but failed many times. What was feared has been proved; she is a woman,' Ms Khatua added.

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Mallakhamb Gymnastics pole

Posted in Labels: INDIA, LIFESTYLE

Mallakhamb or Malkhamb is a traditional Indian sport in which a gymnast performs feats and poses in concert with a vertical wooden pole or rope. Mallakhamb also refers to the pole used in the sport.

The word "Mallakhamb" is composed of malla which denotes a gymnast or a man of strength and khamb which means a pole. Mallakhamb can therefore be translated to English as pole gymnastics.

The earliest recorded references to Mallakhamb is found in the 12th century classic Manasollasa (1135 AD) by Somesvara Chalukya, although the relationship between the "Mallastambha" of the Manasollasa and the more recent Mallakhamb sport is disputed. However, the sport does not become visible in practice and well recorded until it was revived or invented in the 19th century by Balambhatta Dada Deodhar, the fitness instructor of Peshwa Bajirao II during the reign of the Peshwas.

28 states in India participate in mallakhamb competitions at the national level. National Level mallakhamb tournaments were first organized more than 25 years ago. From 2010 the national level tournament will be organized in four separate groups.

Originally mallakhamb was introduced as a supporting exercise for wrestlers. "Pole mallakhamb" was started by Balambhattdada Deodhar sometime between 1800 and 1810. Later on, his student Damodarguru Moghe realized that only major grips can be developed with a pole and used cane instead of a pole. Subsequently, the unavailability of cane resulted in rope mallakhamb. Almost 25 to 30 types of mallakhamb apparatus were tried and tested over the years.

Competitively there are three main variations of mallakhamb.

Pole or fixed mallakhamb

In this variation, a vertical wooden pole is fixed in the ground and the participant performs various acrobatic feats and poses while hanging on the pole.

The mallakhamb pole used in competitions is a straight pole made of teak or sheesham wood, standing 2.6 metres (8.5 ft) in height with a circumference of 55 centimetres (22 in) at the base. It gradually tapers to a circumference of 35 centimetres (14 in) at the top.

Hanging mallakhamb

Similar to the pole mallakhamb, the hanging mallakhamb is a wooden pole that is shorter in length than the standard Pole Mallakhamb and is hung from chain and hooks, leaving a gap between the ground and the bottom of the mallakhamb.

Rope mallakhamb

In this variation, the participant performs exercises while hanging from a rope suspended from a support.

In recent Indian talent shows like India's Got Talent and Dance India Dance mallakhamb has been used in dance acts, but Mallakhamb is not a form of dance and it should not be confused with pole dancing.