The Red Beach-China

The Red Beach is located in the Liaohe River Delta, about 30 kilometer southwest of Panjin City in

China. The beach gets its name from its appearance, which is caused by a type of sea weed that

flourishes in the saline-alkali soil. The weed that start growing during April or May remains green

during the summer.

In autumn, this weed turns flaming red, and the beach looks as if it was covered by an infinite red

carpet that creates a rare red sea landscape. Most of the Red Beach is a nature reserve and closed to the public. Only a small, remote, section is open for tourists.

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Top 4 Unbelivable Balance Stones

Top 4 Unbelivable Balance Stones around the world

Earth is one of the most unstable planets in our solar system. Earthquake, volcanoes, Hurricane, storm, rain, and sun change the face of our planet since thousand of years ago.Amazingly, above our planet activities there are some huge stones that can keep its inertial stability between the relentless force of gravity of the earth and the sky. Here`s Top 4 Unbelievable Balance Stones in the world. These stones are real. No camera trick involved .

1. Balancing Rock, Digby, Nova Scotia, Canada

This rock is a 30 feet high horizontal columnar basalt at the Nova Scotia, Canada. What make the balancing rock amazing, around 50% of the rock column stands over the air. If the stone is man made, can you imagine how difficult is to find the precise calculation to stand the huge rock at the edge of cliff for hundreds of years against storms,rain, and winds

2. El Torcal de Antequera, Andalucia, Spain

El Torcal de Antequera is karst stone towers of terrace limestone rock with horizontal weathering patterns.It is tall, old and stable.Wind, rain and sun have evolved the stone become flapjack stacks that attracts many people every year. Although it is strong and balance, Climbing the rock is not recommendable.

3. Mexican Hat Rock, Utah, USA

From Distance, the rock is like a sombrero cap of Mexico. Mexican Hat Rock is the only balance rock that is located outside Monument Valley of south-central San Juan County, Utah. This rock is 60-foot wide and 12-foot thick. It is a red sandstone rock that is still under construction. Soon or later, the balancing cap rock below the Mexican hat is completely eroded.

4. The Steady Hand Of Man

This balancing rocks is the creation of ,an artist, Daliel Leite. He got inspiration from the balancing stone object around the world and he tried to make his own balancing stone in a small scale. He only know small information of art of balancing rock and he applied it on this rocks.

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Hyderabad-Bonalu

History of Hyderabad Bonalu

The festival’s history can be traced to as recent as the 18th century, unlike most other festivals whose ancestry can be traced back to the hoary past. The story has it that in 1813, Suriti Appaiah, a ‘doli’ bearer in a military battalion, was transferred to Ujjain. Cholera broke out in Hyderabad around that time claiming thousands of lives.

Appaiah and his associates went to the Mahankaal temple in Ujjain and prayed that if people were saved from the epidemic, they would install the idol of Mahankali in Secunderabad. On their return, they installed a wooden idol of the goddess in Secunderabad in July 1815. This was replaced with a stone statue in 1964.

Following brahminical traditions, all hoary Hindu festivals are marked by astrological precision: their timings marked in terms of the sun/moon entering certain constellations in certain months. But Bonalu is a festival of the farming and lower classes and is certainly not brahminical. So the timing of the celebrations is not so rigorous

Where and When in Hyderabad

Bonalu is celebrated in various parts of the city on different days, all Sundays. On the 1st Sunday of “Ashaada”, celebrations are held at the temple at Golconda fort. On the 2nd Sunday, at Ujjain Mahankali in Secunderabad, and the 3rd Sunday, at the Matheswari temple of Lal Darwaza in Old City.

About Bonalu

Bonalu involves the worship of Kali and her various forms. She destroys disease and keeps pestilence at arms length. Three deities Maisamma, Pochamma and Elamma, are worshipped. The performances are marked by an element of aggression. Potharaju, a masculine power, is believed to weed out all evils. During Bonalu, colourful brass pots, smeared with haldi and kumkum, and decorated with neem leaves are offered to the goddess. The pots usually contain a mixture of raw rice, jiggery, and milk. Sometimes, curd is also used. 

The Ritual of Hyderabad Bonalu

Earlier they used to sacrifice a male-buffalo. Now goats and chickens are sacrificed to ward off the ‘evil spirit’ Women carrying Bonalu are believed to possess the spirit of Mother Goddess, and when they go towards the temple, people pour water on their feet to pacify the spirit. On the first day of Bonalu, phalaram bandlu, a buffalo cart, laden with fruits is taken around (phalaru means fruits and bandlu, carts)

Rangam in Hydearabad Bonalu

Rangam, or Forecasting of the Future, Women under spell foretell the year ahead when devotees ask about the future.On the second day of the festival, a ritual known as ‘rangam’ is held. Here, a woman stands on a wet clay pot and makes predictions. This is held mostly between8.30 am and 9.30. An hour later, a procession is taken out on an elephant up to Mettuguda. Earlier, Mettuguda was the border of the city. To this day, the tradition continues.

Ghatam

Ghatam is a copper pot, decorated in the form of mother goddess. The Ghatam is carried by a priest , who wears a traditional dhoti and body with smeared in turmeric . The Ghatam is taken into procession from first day of the festival till last day, when it is immersed in water . The Ghatam in usually accompanied by drums.

Ghatam is followed after Rangam. The festival concludes with immersion of Ghatam. The ghatam of Haribowli's Akkanna Madanna Temple leads the procession, placed atop an elephant and accompanied by mounted horses and models depicting Akkanna and Madanna. It ends in the evening with a glittering procession and display followed by immersion of ghatams at Nayapul

                          

A carnival like atmosphere, where thousands of people wait along the main streets of Laldarwaza to Nayapul and watch the exquisitely and elaborately decorated Ghatams. Young men dance in a unique style to the drum beats and folk songs alongside Pothraju, dress-up in various mythological roles.

The Ghatams of the Old city procession include the Mahankali temples in Haribowli Akkanna-Madanna, Laldarwaza, Uppuguda, Miralam Mandi and Kasaratta, the Jagadamba temple of Sultanshahi, Bangaru Mysamma temple of Shalibanda, Alijah Kotla and Gowlipura, and Sultanshahi, Darbar Mysamma of Aliabad and Mutyalamma temple of Chandulal Bela.

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Birla Mandir-Hyderabad

Almost all the temples in South India have an ancient history behind it. Unlike such temples, there adorns a Hindu temple of Lord Venkateshwara in Hyderabad. A quarter century old, this temple was built by Birlas, the well-known Industrialists. Yes, we are talking about the familiar and favourite attraction for all the Hyderabadis, the Birla Temple. Though the temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara with His two wives Goddesses Padmavathi and Goddesses Andal, it is named after Birlas as Birla Mandir or Birla temple. The temple resides on a hillock, called as Kala Pahad, one of the twins of Naubat Pahad. 

The temple is built entirely with white marbles (about 70 tons) brought from Rajasthan. It took about ten years to build this temple. The temple brings together the architectural style of Rajasthani, Utkal and other South Indian temples. The main temple is built in Utkal temple style while the temple of the Lord s two consorts is built as per the South Indian architectural style. Before you enter the main sanctum sanctorum, there is a four-storied rajagopuram (the main tower) built in garudalaya style of South Indian temples. The intricately carved structure beyond the Gopuram depicts the Dilwara temple style while the Jagadananda Vimanam or the main tower resembles the architecture of the Lingaraj Temple at Bhubaneswar. A 42 feet lofty dhwaja stambham made of brass, stands before the presiding deity, just outside the main temple.

Unlike the idols seen in the temples built by the Birlas, which are made of white marble, this temple has an idol that is carved out of black granite brought from Phirangipuram in Guntur District. The granite used was specially mined and transported to Hyderabad for this purpose. The eleven feet tall idol of Lord Venkateshwara stands graciously in the main sanctum sanctorum. 

When you enter this main sanctum sanctorum, just above the main statue of the Lord, you can see a lotus-shaped covering made of marble. This is superbly carved and illuminated during night times. There is a mukha mandapam that is lined with sculptures and scenes showing some of the episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. 

The temple opens at the rise of the dawn, as early as 5:30 AM. This is the time when the melodies of Venkateshwara Suprabhatam and other devotional songs from the verses of Annamacharya, Bhakta Ramadas and Tyagaraja, played, spreads with the rising rays and chirping of the birds in the nearby trees, giving you sense of spirituality. This morning raga rejuvenates one s spirit and makes you feel as if you are in the temple that has been standing since ages. 

Evenings in this temple are even more wonderful and give you an out-of-the-world experience. Generally, most of the tourists prefer to visit the temple during evening hours as the whole temple appears soaked in the ocean of illumination. Thousands of tourists and the local visitors throng in here after 5:00 PM. The pleasant atmosphere, the fresh breeze and the touch of your feet to the cold marble flooring makes you feel relaxed and lost in the crowd. 

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