Modern Mumbai

THE CAPITAL a commercial complex in Mumbai, India.

Some features of the building:

• glazed facade
• cantilevered in a way that the building itself acts as a shading device
• egg shaped structure inside the sky lobby
• natural internal waterfalls that create a cooling effect
• the cladding is UV resistant
• openable windows in the office levels allow cross ventilation

James Law Cybertecture


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Hindu wedding traditions: Saptapadi

 

Agni is the Hindu god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices. He is present in many traditional Hindu ceremonies such as the honouring of a birth (diva lamp), birthdays (birthday candles), prayers (diva lamp), weddings (Yagna) and death (cremation).

The Hindu wedding ceremony is in essence a fire-sacrifice and no Hindu marriage is considered complete unless in the presence of the Sacred Fire. This has a deep origin in the ancient ceremony of cementing the bonds of friendship and alliance. A Hindu wedding  incorporates many of the timeless rituals and customs from the Vedic period.



The Saptapadi सप्तपदी is the most important component of Hindu weddings.  Sapta means seven and padi means steps in Sanskrit and the Saptapadi is a ceremony where seven encirclements of the Holy Fire by the bride and the groom together. This symbol of Agni is witness to the vows they make each other. Walking around the fire together, the most important part of the ceremony, they say a vow with each step to each other for this life long union.

The vows are about sharing, strength, wealth, health, happiness, children, comfort and friendship. During the pheras or steps, the Gods are invoked to shower blessings on the bride and the groom. It is believed that when a married couple takes seven pheras together, their married life will be happy for a long time. You can read and download the vows here.

In every region of India their are small differences such as which partner walks first and which hand is held but always there are circles around the Holy Fire.

• In North India, the first six circuits are led by the bride, and the final one by the groom.
• In Central India, the bride leads the first three or four circuits.
• In some areas of Western India, only four steps, signifying Artha (prosperity) Dharma (righteousness) Kama (energy) and Moksha (detachment).

With each circuit, the couple makes a specific vow:

• In South Indian weddings, after each saying a mantra at each of the seven steps, the couple say these words together:

"Now let us make a vow together. We shall share love, share the same food, share our strengths, share the same tastes. We shall be of one mind, we shall observe the vows together..."

• In North Indian weddings, the bride and the groom say the following words after completing the seven steps:

"We have taken the Seven Steps. You have become mine forever. Yes, we have become partners. I have become yours. Hereafter, I cannot live without you. Do not live without me. Let us share the joys. We are word and meaning, united. You are thought and I am sound. May the night be honey-sweet for us. May the morning be honey-sweet for us..."

After the completion of the seven steps ceremony, the couple sit down with the wife now on the left side of her husband. Now the couple are husband and wife. The husband garlands the wife and the wife garlands her husband.


RESOURCES:
Mythology, An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Principal Myths and Religions of the World by Richard Cavendish.
A South Indian Wedding – The Rituals and the Rationale by Padma Vaidyanath

Alien or animal?

They are Horseshoe crabs which are considered living fossils.
Their blood is blue because of copper.

Where can you find these amazing creatures?
The Japanese horseshoe crab is found in the Seto Inland Sea.

The Atlantic horseshoe crab is found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the northern Atlantic coast of North America. One main area is Delaware Bay, although stray individuals are occasionally found in Europe.

Horseshoe crabs can also be found along the east coast of India.

Holi festival of colour

at college of engineering Adoor.

Lath mar Holi being played in Barsana, Uttar Pradesh

Holi celebrations in India

One of the first Holi Festivals - Krishna, Radha and Gopis

The colourful festival of Holi is celebrated on Phalgun Purnima in late February or early March. 

Phalgun Purnima marks the birth of the Goddess Lakshmi who is the Hindu Goddess of wealth and prosperity. So, Phalguna Purnima is special to Hindus.

Holi's ancient origins joyously celebrate the triumph of good over evil. 

Hindus believe it is a welcoming of  spring's abundant colours and a farewell to winter. 

It also has a religious purpose, commemorating events in Hindu legend. 

This colourful festival also celebrates the eternal love of Radha and Krishna. This festival is celebrated in a grand style in the city of Mathura and Vrindavan. These are two important cities which are deeply associated to Lord Krishna.

The festival of colours teaches humankind to transcend above the caste and creed. It is a festival to forget old grievances and meeting others with great warmth & high spirit. This festival begins with lightening of bonfire on Holi eve. Next day, people play Holi with different types of colours, abirs and gulals. They greet each other with Shubh Holi i.e. Happy Holi and send warm wishes of the festival. HOLI FESTVAL ORG

Holi is mainly celebrated in India and Nepal and to a lesser degree by Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and Pakistan, Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, the United States, Mauritius, and Fiji.

Go to the calendar find out when Holi is celebrated this year.

HAPPY  HOLI  DAY

300 years old but keeps perfect time



Tourists at Jantar Mantar Astronomy Park

Jantar Mantar of Jaipur in Rajasthan is the biggest stone observatory in the world still in working condition. It was built by Maharaja Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur between 1724 and 1727.  

You can walk around what seem like large sculptures but are actually devices designed to probe the heavens. There are fourteen major devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking the location of stars and planets and other matters of astronomy. 

The world's largest sundial, Samrat Yantra -The Supreme Instrument - is here and it tells the time with amazing accuracy.


Jantar Mantar is World Heritage listed  as "an expression of the astronomical skills and cosmological concepts of the court of a scholarly prince at the end of the Mughal period".

Jantar Mantar also has religious significance as the ancient Indian astronomers were also Vedic masters and astrology is an important part of many Hindus lives today.

See more of this wonderful park at Architecture Science.

August 2005 PHOTO from Wikimedia Commons; Source originally posted to Flickr as Jaipur, India. Author Steve Evans