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Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
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Mariamman Teppakulam, Madurai



This temple is built in the centre of a tank next to the Mariamman Temple at Madurai. Called the Mariamman Teppakulam, this is where the annual float festival (Theppotsavam in Tamil) takes place. 

One of the largest temple tanks in southern India, this one measures about 1100 ft by 950 ft. The island at the centre has a garden with a temple enshrining Lord Ganesha. It was built in the 17th century, and is connected to the river Vaigai by underground channels! Unfortunately today, neither the river nor the tank has any water! The Teppotsavam or float festival is celebrated in the month of Jan/Feb, when the main deities of Madurai - Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are brought here in a grand procession and taken in a float around the temple. 

For more information, click here. 

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