Ever heard of a town where Lord Rama is worshipped as the king and the local police offer a daily guard of honour to him?

No??

Then we need to see the town of Orchha in Madhya Pradesh. A 🧵 on the temple town. Orchha is a town located in the state of Madhya Pradesh, around 15 kilometres from Jhansi, making it the perfect weekend trip for folks from Delhi.

Orchha is the heart of the area known to us Bundelkhand and served as the capital of the Bundela kings.

Whenever one thinks of Andhra/Telangana, the first temples that come to your mind would be Tirupati, Srisailam, Simhachalam or Bhadrachalam. But we have several ancient shrines which are little known outside the state. A 🧵on such places, each with an enthralling story behind. 1. Ahobilam NarasimhaSwamy Temple, Kurnool. Legend has it that this is the location where Lord Narasimha kills Hiranyakashapa to save Prahlada. The deity is wedded to Chenchu Lakshmi, an avatar of Mahalakshmi supposed to be born in the local Chenchu tribe. Confluence of cultures.

Ever heard of a story of when heavy Monsoon rains unearthed the remains of a temple destroyed by Aurangzeb? No?

Come on. I shall tell you the story of Bijamandal of Vidisha. A thread 🧵 Bijamandal (or Vijaya Mandir) was a temple built by the Parmara dynasty in the 9th/10th century. The temple was supposed to be amongst the grandest temples of its time, rivalling the style and size of the Konark temple.

The Heliodorus Pillar of Vidisha. History students must have studied about the Besnagar inscription of the Sunga period. And here we have it, among the first instances of a Vishnu Dhwaja anywhere in India. #ThisHeartWasMeantToWander Situated on the confluence of the Bes and the Betwa rivers just outside the historical town of Vidisha, this pillar was erected in 113 BCE by Heliodorus, the Greek ambassador from the IndoGreek king Antialcidas to the Sunga Emperor, Bhagabhadra.

The Varaha cave (Cave 5) of the Udayagiri Caves near Vidisha. Here Varaha saves Bhudevi from the evil demon Hiranyaksha. This 5th century Gupta period relief has a colossal Varaha rising to the heavens. You can spend hours just admiring this masterpiece This was the main reason i made this last minute impromptu trip to Vidisha. Just to see this Colossus of Lord Vishnu as Varahavatar. And i am blessed to have been able to finally witness it

So I'm here this weekend. Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh. A UNESCO World Heritage site and glowing example of syncretic cultural growth. Built by Emperor Ashoka, and embellished by the Sungas, Satavahanas, Guptas and Parmaras 🤩🤩 The most magnificent part of the Sanchi Stupa are the Ornamental Toranas or the Gateways. Four of them facing the four Cardinal directions 🤩 #Sanchi #ThisHeartWasMeantToWander

I'm in a bus and the guy behind me is loudly talking on the phone regarding his office politics.

Apparently some guys called Ramesh and Sashi are ganging up against him to deny him the credit for the latest project.
I know it's weird but I'm unexplicably invested in it all. So my bus friend has decided to take the presentation directly to the boss on Monday along with Santosh before Ramesh/Sashi can do anything. It's like a coup d'etat.

My bus friend is apparently hurt over some "Airport" incident and Sashi.

What did you do Sashi????

Kolhapure Mahalakshmi. Karaverapura vaasine! One of the 18 Shaktipeethams.

Legend has it that Mahalakshmi was enraged when Lord Vishnu touched the feet of Bhrigu rishi after he kicked him on the chest. She left Vaikuntham to settle in Kolhapur. And her husband, Srinivasa pines for her in Tirupathi. A trip to Tirumala is considered incomplete without Kolhapur, the abode of "Ambabai", as she is affectionately called.

This anger/abandonment of Lakshmi is very allegorical to the fickle nature of wealth she represents.

Visited the Jotiba Devasthan located around 20 km from Kolhapur. Dedicated to a local warrior god of the same name, it's most memorable for being covered in pink Gulaal. No haldi/kumkum offered here. The whole temple is soaked in this brilliant colour.
#IncredibleIndia The god Jotiba is worshipped here. Considered to be the amalagamation of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and the anger of Sage Jamadagni, this God appears ready for war. Turban bound in the Maharashtrian style and scimitar in hand, he is a vision to see🙏

Who said we havent built great things?😍

The Kopeshwara Shiva temple at Khidrapur, on the banks of the Krishna river.
The Swargamandapa opens to the skies. The Kopeshwara Temple is a spectacle in black basalt. Pinnacle of human achievement, you can spend all day admiring it.
Built initially by the Kalyani Chalukyas In 7th century and later expanded by the Shilaharas and Yadavas, this is a little known gem of temple architecture.

The 9 day Brahmotsavams of Kaliyuga Sri Maha Vishnu Lord Venkateswara in Tirupathi start today.

Today the events start with the Dhwajarohanam (Hoisting the Lord's flag). Garuda reaches the heavens to invite the gods to the festival.
#Brahmotsavam Technically the festivities have started yesterday with the Ankurarpanam (Initiation ceremony), where Lord Vishwaksena, Venkateswara's trusted attendant and the commander of his armies takes a round of the four mada streets to oversee the preparations.
#Brahmotsavam

We have all heard of the "Navratnas" (Nine Gems) of Akbar's court. Im sure we can name a few from them as well.
But how many of us know of the AshtaDiggajas of Emperor Sri Krishna Devaraya's court at Vijayanagara?

A thread 🧵 The Vijayanagara Empire was among the greatest medieval Hindu Empires of India. Ruled by four successive dynasties- the Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva and Aravidu, it marked the heyday of Indian cultural renaissance. And its greatest Emperor was Tuluva Sri Krishnadevaraya (1509-1529).

Elite RW aren't the standard bearers of Hinduism.

We are.
Fasting on Ekadasi, reading Vishnu Sahasranamam, carrying Ganesh idols on our heads, lighting lamps before Amla trees, worshipping rivers, walking up Tirumala hills, applying tilak to new cars.

We will never be finished As long as we continue to invoke Ganesha before new endeavours, help our mothers draw rangolis outside, wake up at 4 to visit temples, offer food to strays outside as Dattatreya, apply vermillion to the threshold, sit listening to Meerabai and Tukaram, this dharma will survive

An officer got trolled massively for suggesting arranged marriage should be declared illegal.
Deleted his account now.

My two cents
"Welcome to the Real World. We are not protected by our UPSC status here."

Don't advertise your post, or stick to WhatsApp jokes and cat pics. We all have prejudices and political inclinations. Leave the IRS/IPS/IAS tag out of your handle if you want to be vocal about your passions on twitter.

Or else be prepared, because your are vulnerable to damage, and the mob can tag your boss and his boss in an instant.

Brahmanandam is not a person. Its an emotion.

You just need to see him on the screen to start laughing.
No twitter thread can do justice to his versatile talent.

But today, lets go on a ride down nostalgia lane with all of Brahmanandam's characters with caps and hats. 1.Music director JayaSurya from King(2008). The ultimate opener for the thread.
This Delta Force cap has a separate fan base of its own. I am sure people remember Brahmanandam more than Nagarjuna from this movie.

Im Telling That!

Ever heard of the Chera king from Kerala who beseeched Lord Venkateswara to give him eternal darshan and was transformed into the threshold of the Sanctum sanctorum in Tirupati?
No? A thread on the legend of Kulasekhara Alwar, and the Kulasekhara padi of the Tirumala temple. The Alwars were 12 South Indian bhakti saints of the medieval period who espoused unending veneration towards Lord Vishnu. The corpus of their devotional work is called the Divya Prabandham, and these saints are considered the bulwark of Vaishnava revivalism in the South.

Ever heard of Gollala Mamidada village in Andhra?
Affectionately called "Konaseema Ayodhya", this town has a famous Lord Rama temple. Set in the midst of lush greenery, the towering double Gopurams are a sight for the ages.

A thread. The delta area of the Godavari river is called the Konaseema. This island is created as the Godavari splits into its distributaries the Vruddha Godavari, Vasishta Godavari, Gautami and Nilarevu, just below the city of Rajahmundry. Gollala Mamidada is located here

My alma mater, Andhra Medical College and its teaching hospital, the King George Hospital, in Visakhapatnam has some fascinating history. Several of its blocks are named after personalities all over India. True national integration.
A little thread. It all started off as a little dispensary in 1845 and was upgraded to a 30 bedded hospital in 1857. It presently has 1200 beds (will be much more if we add the allied hospitals) and serves patients from Northern Andhra, Odisha and even Chattisgarh.

Folks. Ever heard of a temple with a Shiva Lingam so tall that it is worshipped on two floors?
And a Shaktipeeth where the Goddess so furious that Adi Sankaracharya changed her pose to face away from devotees?

No? A thread on the Draksharamam Bhimeswara Manikyamba Temple Draksharamam is a quaint little town located in the Godavari Delta, in the East Godavari district of Andhra. This otherwise sleepy little place hosts a temple with a history as old as our civilisation itself. Shiva worshipped as Bheemeswara and Parvati worshipped as Manikyamba.

Ever heard of a temple where the statue of the Goddess was found in a field in 1936 after spending almost a millenia under the soil?And is worshipped as the Tri-Sakthi-Swaroopini?
No?
I shall narrate the story of Nidadavole Kota Satthema temple in West Godavari district, Andhra Nidadavole is a sleepy little town in the district of West Godavari, located a few kilometres from the Godavari. Among other things, it is famous for its Gramadevatha and Kshetrapalika, the Goddess Kota Satthema

Ever been here?
The Simhachalam Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swami Temple in Visakhapatnam. It's one of the most revered Vaishnava shrines in AP, the largest temple after Tirupati.
Only temple where lord Sri Maha Vishnu is worshipped in two avatars. Located just outside the main city of Vizag atop the Simhachalam hill range, this temple traces ancestry back to the Chola period. Built in a style that merges Chola, Vengi Chalukya, Eastern Ganga, and Vijayanagara architecture, the oldest inscriptions are of Kulottunga Chola.