Friday, September 17, 2021

Ancient Indians Inventions & Discoveries

India Gifted To The World

Earth's orbit (700 AD)

Hindu cosmological time cycles found in the Surya Siddhanta, written between 700 BC to 600 AD, give the time it takes the Earth to revolve around the Sun at 365.2563627 days. This is just a miniscule 1.4 seconds longer than the modern value of 365.256363004 days, and was the most accurate estimate in the world for over a thousand years.

Ancient Dentistry (7000 BC)

According to historians, the Indus Valley Civilization has revealed evidence of dentistry being practiced as far back as 7000 BC. One dig site in Mehrgarh even showed evidence of healers curing tooth disorders with bow drills. 

Ayurveda (5000 BC)

Ayurveda, obviously, came from the Indian subcontinent, having been tracked as far back as 5000 BC. Therapies generally include complex herbal compounds, minerals and metal substances.


Ancient flush toilet systems (2500 BC)

Another feature of the Indus Valley Civilization was water-flushed toilets. Both in Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, almost every home had a flush toilet, connected to a sophisticated sewage system. 


Ruler (2400 BC)

Areas of the Indus Valley Civilization in both now-Pakistan and Western India have had rulers of ivory uncovered from ruins. One such specimen was even calibrated to 1/16 of an inch—less than 2 millimeters. Tese kinds of rulers were clearly very prominent, as even bricks of the valley’s buildings were found to follow the same measurements. 

Weighing scale (2400BC)

The earliest existence of weighing scales also date back to between 2400 BC-1800 BC in the Indus valley civilization, where balances were used to compare measure and compare goods in trade. 


Plastic surgery (2000 BC)

Historians believe plastic surgery was being carried out in India as early as near 2000 BC. To clarify, plastic in this phrase doesn’t refer to the petroleum byproduct but to plastikē or "the art of modelling" malleable flesh. Eventually, it was ancient Indian physician Sushruta who was credited with being the father of plastic surgery around 600 BC, whose books and teachings eventually made their way to Europe centuries later.


Pythagorean theorem (700 BC)

Mesopotamian, Indian and Chinese mathematicians all discovered Pythagoras’ namesake theorem independently long before he ever did. In India, the Baudhayana Sulba Sutra between about 800 BC to 500 BC contains a statement of the Pythagorean theorem as well as geometrical proof for an isosceles right triangle.

Crucible steel (200BC)

Historians now know that by at least 200 BC (a conservative estimate) South India was producing high quality steel, using a method Europeans would later call the crucible technique. Wrought iron, charcoal, and glass were mixed together and heated until the iron melted and absorbed the carbon, forming high grade steel.

Cataract surgery (200 AD)

Indian physicians were known to practice a different kind of cataract surgery that that known to the Greeks in about 200 BC. It was performed with a tool called the Jabamukhi Salaka, a curved needle used to loosen the lens and push the cataract out of the field of vision. Greek scientists of the time travelled to India to see these surgeries, and the technique was even introduced into China from our country.

Spinning wheel (500 AD)

This mechanised method of spinning yarn was invented in India, between 500 and 1000 AD, eventually replacing hand spinning across the world. The Charkha, as it came to be called, eventually went on to become the symbol of India’s independence movement.




Saturday, September 4, 2021

Puri Ratha Yatra

Ratha Yatra is a huge Hindu festival and it is organized each year at famous Jagannatha temple in Puri, Odisha, India. Ratha Yatra day is decided based on Hindu Lunar calendar and it is fixed on Dwitiya Tithi during Shukla Paksha of Ashada month. Currently it falls in month of June or July in Gregorian calendar.

Lord Jagannatha is worshipped primarily in city of Puri at famous Jagannatha temple. Lord Jagannatha is considered a form of Lord Vishnu and also revered by the followers of Vaishnavism. Jagannatha literally means Lord of the Universe. Jagannatha temple is one of the four Hindu pilgrimage centers known as Char Dham pilgrimages that a Hindu is expected to make in one's lifetime. Lord Jagannatha is worshipped along with his brother Balabhadra and his sister Devi Subhadra.

Ratha Yatra commemorates Lord Jagannatha's annual visit to Gundicha (गुंडीचा) Mata temple. It is said that to honor the devotion of Queen Gundicha, wife of the legendary King Indradyumna (इन्द्रद्युमना) who built the Puri Jagannatha temple, the Lord Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra leave their regular abode in the main temple and spend a few days in this temple built by Gundicha in their honor.

One day before of Ratha Yatra, Gundicha Temple is cleaned by devotees of Lord Jagannatha. The ritual of cleaning Gundicha temple is known as Gundicha Marjana (मार्जन) and is held one day before Ratha Yatra.

The fourth day after Ratha Yatra is celebrated as Hera Panchami (हेरा पञ्चमी) when Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Jagannatha, visits Gundicha temple in search of Lord Jagannatha. Hera Panchami should not be confused with Panchami Tithi as Hera Panchami is celebrated on the fourth day after Ratha Yatra and usually observed on Shashthi Tithi.

After resting eight days in Gundicha temple Lord Jagannatha returns to his main abode. This day is known as Bahuda (बहुदा) Yatra or Return Yatra and is observed on the eighth day after Ratha Yatra on Dashami Tithi (if we do not have any skipped or leaped Tithi during Lords' stay in Gundicha temple). During Bahuda Yatra Lord makes a short stoppage at Mausi Maa temple which is dedicated to Goddess Ardhashini.

It should be noted that Lord Jagannatha returns to his main abode just before Devshayani Ekadashi when Lord Jagannatha goes to sleep for four months. Ratha Yatra is also known as Puri Car Festival among foreign visitors.

It should be noted that rituals of Ratha Yatra start much ahead of Ratha Yatra day. Approximately 18 days before of Ratha Yatra Lord Jagannatha, his brother Balabhadra and his sister Devi Subhadra are given famous ceremonial bath which is known as Snana Yatra. Snana Yatra day is observed on Purnima Tithi in Jyeshtha month which is popularly known as Jyestha Purnima.

Nag Panchami

Shukla Paksha Panchami during Sawan month is observed as Nag Panchami. Usually Nag Panchami day falls two days after Hariyali Teej. Currently Nag Panchami falls in month of July and August in English calendar. Women worship Nag Devta and offer milk to snakes on this day. Women also pray for the wellness of their brothers and family.

Nag Panchami is a traditional worship of serpent Gods observed by Hindus throughout India. In Hindu calendar, some days are considered significant to worship serpent Gods and Panchami Tithi especially during Shravan month is considered highly auspicious to worship serpent Gods. Nag Panchami is one of those significant days and it observed on Shukla Paksha Panchami during Shravana month.

It is believed that any Puja offered to snakes would reach to the serpent Gods. Hence people worship live snakes on the day as representative of serpents Gods who are revered and worshipped in Hinduism. Although there are several serpent Gods, following twelve are worshipped during Nag Panchami Puja -

1. Ananta
2. Vasuki
3. Shesha
4. Padma
5. Kambala
6. Karkotaka
7. Ashvatara
8. Dhritarashtra
9. Shankhapala
10. Kaliya
11. Takshaka
12. Pingala

 Nag Panchami Puja Mantra

सर्वे नागाः प्रीयन्तां मे ये केचित् पृथ्वीतले।
ये च हेलिमरीचिस्था येऽन्तरे दिवि संस्थिताः॥
ये नदीषु महानागा ये सरस्वतिगामिनः।
ये च वापीतडगेषु तेषु सर्वेषु वै नमः॥

• Mantra Translation - May the snakes who are staying in this world, sky, heaven, sun-rays, lakes, wells, ponds etc. bless us and we all salute them.


अनन्तं वासुकिं शेषं पद्मनाभं च कम्बलम्।
शङ्ख पालं धृतराष्ट्रं तक्षकं कालियं तथा॥
एतानि नव नामानि नागानां च महात्मनाम्।
सायङ्काले पठेन्नित्यं प्रातःकाले विशेषतः।
तस्य विषभयं नास्ति सर्वत्र विजयी भवेत्॥

• Mantra Translation - The names of nine Nag Devtas are Ananta, Vasuki, Shesha, Padmanabha, Kambala, Shankhapala, Dhritarashtra, Takshaka and Kaliya. If chanted regularly every day in the morning, will keep you protected from all evils and make you victorious in life.


Shree Goswami Tulsidas


Tulsidas (1497-1623 C.E.) was a Hindu saint and the poet. Tulsidas is renowned for his great devotion towards Lord Rama. Tulsidas composed several works but he is best known as the author of the epic Ramcharitmanas, a retelling of the Sanskrit Ramayana in the vernacular Awadhi language.

Tulsidas was acclaimed to be a reincarnation of Maharishi Valmiki, the composer of the original Ramayana in Sanskrit. He is also considered to be the composer of Hanuman Chalisa, a popular devotional hymn in Awadhi dedicated to Lord Hanuman.

Tulsidas spent most of his life in the city of Varanasi. The famous Tulsi Ghat on the Ganges River in Varanasi is named after him. The famous Sankatmochan Temple dedicated to God Hanuman is believed to be founded by Tulsidas.

According to Hindu lunar calendar, Tulsidas was born on Shravana, Shukla Paksha Saptami and this day is observed as birth anniversary of Poet Tulsidas.