GH tops the country with the most number of cadaver donor transplants performed free of cost
On July 1, 27-year-old K. Ilavarasi, who donated one of her kidneys to her husband R. Kalairasan, became the 1,000 live donor of the renal transplant programme at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.
Four months ago, Kalaivarasan, who works as a gardener in Singapore, was diagnosed with high blood pressure and a kidney ailment.
“He was put on dialysis there, but the doctors told him to go to Chennai,” said Ilavarasi.
The couple, from Tiruvarur district, initially came to the hospital for dialysis, but when Ilavarasi was found to be a match, she decided to donate one of her kidneys.
Both husband and wife are doing well post surgery, said doctors at GH.
“Tamil Nadu is the first State in the country to offer free transplant services,” said dean R. Vimala, at a programme held on Tuesday to mark the hospital’s milestone.
N. Gopalakrishnan, head of the hospital’s nephrology department, said they had performed a total of 1,143 renal transplants since 1986, with 1,003 being live related donor transplants and 140 cadaver donor renal transplants.
“As it is World Organ Donation Day on August 6, we would like to create more awareness of organ donation,” he said.
The hospital topped the country with the most number of cadaver donor transplants performed free of cost, said Dr. Gopalakrishnan.
“We have even had 57 beneficiaries from other States, including Bihar and West Bengal, and three patients from Sri Lanka and Nepal,” said Dr. Gopalakrishnan.
The pre-transplant evaluation and post transplant follow-ups are also free, as are the expensive immunosuppressive medicines that patients have to take all their lives, he said.
The patients’ survival rate for the first year was 92 per cent, and for the third, 85 per cent, he said.
“It is difficult to follow up beyond that, as many beneficiaries are not from the city. But our longest surviving recipient is a man from Villupuram, who received a kidney in 1993,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – August 06th, 2014
Hero stones, commemorating the death of persons who have laid down their life in battle or died while fighting for the cause of a particular community, can be seen in places near Thirumoorthi Hills and Gudimangalam. Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu
The space is not commensurate with the number of artefacts on display-exhibits made of stone are often kept on the ground in poorly lit corners and at locations that hamper visitor movement.
A visit to the district museum is unlikely to figure in the list of places one likes to spend time on a holiday. For, not many know that there exists a museum in almost every district in the region, which partly has to do with it low-key presence in locations where the rent is affordable. Invariably the locations are government owned buildings.
The poor patronage has to do with the way the museums are maintained. The space is not commensurate with the number of artefacts on display-exhibits made of stone are often kept on the ground in poorly lit corners and at locations that hamper visitor movement. In some museums a few items are in the open, outside the premises.
Security at the museums is another issue. In a few museums, valuable finds are no longer there as the Department of Museums has shifted it to Chennai. Historians and history enthusiasts, who wish to remain anonymous, want the Tamil Nadu Government to improve the museums in the region in such a fashion that they become a sought-after destination.
The Hindu looks at some of the museums in the region and how they fare.
In Udhagamandalam, the Government Museum is awaiting new place – the wait is around a quarter-a-century old. And, it will end in 2015 when it moves to the Connemora Cottage. At present it functions at a rented building on the Ooty-Mysore Road.
The Connemora Cottage is near the historical Stone House, which now forms part of the Government Arts College. The Cottage, constructed in 1884-85, is named after Lord Connemora. At its present location, the Museum attracts only about a hundred visitors a month during the off season period. During the season, the Curator K.A.Murugavel claims, the flow increases. The items on display are coins, megalithic burial urns, tribal goods, stuffed birds, rock art, palm leaf manuscripts and a few musical instruments. A few stone idols have been displayed at the entrance.
Geetha Srinivasan, Convenor, Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH), the Nilgiris Chapter, says the potential for developing the museum is enormous.
In Erode, the Government Museum enjoys the advantage of a good location – it is opposite the VOC Park. This makes the visitors to the Park to hop into the Museum. On an average, not less than 1,000 persons, most of them students, visit the Museum.
Inadequacy of space is, however, conspicuous. Though moving to its own permanent building on a sprawling area would be the permanent solution, the Department of Museums is understandably in a dilemma since there is no certainty that the existing public patronage will continue. The array of stone sculptures placed outside the museum is enough indication of the space constraint.
“Space is a constraint. But the inculcation of the sense of history that the Museum is now able to ensure by virtue of its location is of higher importance,” said S. Jayasankar, Professor of History and Principal of Vasavi College.
Among the prized possessions at the Government Museum is the statue of Lord Dakshinamoorthy dating back to 12th century, the oldest among the collection of statues. Urns used for storing grains, burial urns and materials used by Sholaga tribe of Erode district reflect the civilization in the region.
An excavation at Kodumanal in the district being carried out by a team of Pondicherry University is expected to add to the collection.
In Tirupur, a newly carved district, the demand for museum has only increased. Dr. K. Manivannan, a historian, told The Hindu that a museum was essential for Tirupur so that lots of hero stones and other valuables artefacts presently lying scattered or under the possession of different persons could be brought under one roof.
Hero stones, commemorating the death of persons who have laid down their life in battle or died while fighting for the cause of a particular community, can be seen in places near Thirumoorthi Hills and Gudimangalam, he said.
R. Sangameswaran, an Assistant Professor of History, said setting up a museum would enhance the tourism in the district.
In Salem, the District Museum, functioning since 1975, has exhibits related to numismatics, philately, stone balls and canons, exquisitely-carved stone sculptures and display on articles used by the British. Among the interesting exhibits are the six burial urns that were unearthed in Musiri, Omalur, Mohanur, Kamalapuram and Salem. Each weighs about 80 kg.
A 300-year-old stone carving that was retrieved from Pethanaickenpalayam in Attur that depicts a man taming a bull is on display. A picture of this was submitted as a proof to the Supreme Court in the Jallikattu case to show that the bull taming existed in olden days as well.
Also the wardrobe and articles used by Namakkal V. Ramalingam Pillai were also on display. But those that are in display are in competition with those that are lying dumped in a room, in dust.
Members of the Salem Historical Society had been asking for revamping the museum for a better display of the exhibits, said its secretary J. Barnabas.
Curator M.N. Pushpa told The Hindu that proposal for constructing a new building has already been submitted .
In Coimbatore, the Government Museum is in a pitiable condition because exhibits of historical importance are few. Apart from a few stone idols, urns, megalithic tools and wood carvings from a temple car, there is very little. The floor is damaged and roof is full of cobwebs.
With inputs from D. Radhakrishnan, R. Krishnamoorthy, R. Vimal Kumar, S.P. Saravanan and Karthik Madhavan
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Coimbatore Bureau / Coimbatore – August 02nd, 2014
A brass trident and a nandhi idol believed to be dating back to a few centuries were unearthed by the corporation workers in Dindigul when they were desilting the famous Kottaikulam in the foothills of the rockfort in the city on Saturday.
The rockfort, which was constructed in 1605 by the Nayak dynasty in Madurai assumes historical importance. In the 18th century it passed on to the Kingdom of Mysore. Tipu Sultan was crowned the king of Dindigul and he used the fort for the purpose of training his soldiers and also storing their weapons. The Kottaikulam tank at the foothills was dug by him to meet the drinking water needs of his forces. The fort is now maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India and the tank has not been desilted for many decades.
Now, the Dindigul Corporation has taken up desilting work of this tank for the purpose of rain water harvesting. On Friday, workers struck something hard when they reached the depth of about 10 feet and unearthed a brass trident and a little later, the nandhi idol. The trident is said to be weighing about 12 kg and is six feet in height while the idol is two feet tall. Mayor V Marudharaj and corporation commissioner Rajan and other officials rushed to the spot on being informed and later the discovered items were handed over to the Dindigul West tahsildar. Last week the workers discovered an entrance to a secret passage on one side of the tank, which had been covered by silt.
Sources said that a temple dedicated to goddess Abirami Amman had existed on top of the hill during ancient times and it was destroyed during Tipu Sultan’s period. “The idols from the temple seem to have been thrown into the tank after the destruction of the temple,” they added.
The desilting work of this tank has been taken up at a cost of Rs 10 lakh and is said to be one of the most stable RWH structures in the region, because it can harvest all the rain water that gushes down the rockfort during heavy rains. Once restored it would definitely impact the water table in the region.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / August 03rd, 2014
The residence of Ramalinga Vallalar in Seven Wells. Photo: K. Pichumani / The Hindu
No other regional variation of Tamil language has been subjected to as much ridicule as Madras Tamil — a dialect with inflections that make it sound rude, while it’s actually intimate.
Late thinker-comedian N.S. Krishnan would have the audience of ‘Kindanar Charithiram’ in stitches whenever he mimicked rickshaw pullers vying with one another to get a customer.
Critics of Madras Tamil, probably, missed the other side of ‘tharmamiku Chennai’ (the city filled with values of dharma), as described by Ramalinga Vallalar, the author of Thirvarutpa, a spiritual work in praise of the grace of god.
The city has been a citadel of Tamil scholars, especially in places like Choolai, Egmore, Thambu Chetty Street, Lingi Chetti Street and areas around Pachiyappa’s School, in what was then known as the ‘old black town’.
Vallalar lived in Chennai for 33 years on Veerasami Pillai Street in Seven Wells. He moved here with his family from south Arcot district to eke out a livelihood, after his father died.
He penned the bulk of his work while living here and left for Vadalur after he was disillusioned with ‘thettiley mikuntha Chennai’ (a city filled with vices).
Now researchers have secured photographs of Vallalar’s disciples who were instrumental in publishingThiruvarutpa. P. Kamalakannan, a retired government employee, and a researcher on siddhars, has succeeded in collecting the photos of Irukkam Rathina Mudaliar, Sivanandapuram Selvaraya Mudaliar and Puduvai Royal Hotel Velu Mudaliar.
Kikiti Somasundaram Chettiyar of Mylapore and Velu Mudaliar rendered financial assistance to the publication.
The disciple who actually persuaded Vallalar, who was not interested in publishing his works, to print his seminal work of Thirvarutpa was Rathina Mudaliar, a native of Irukkam, a small hamlet near Pulicat, now north of Chennai.
He lived near his residence on Veerasami Street.
P. Saravanan, the author of Arutpa-Marutpa and Kantana Thirattu, says it was Rathina Mudaliar who threatened to go on a fast so that Vallalar would consent to publishing his works. The first volumes were published in 1867.
Another person who worked closely with Rathina Mudaliar was Sivanandapuram Selvaraya Mudaliar. Both Rathina Mudaliar and Selvaraya Mudaliar decided to publish Vallalar’s works along with Thozhuvur Velayuda Mudaliar, the principal student of Vallalar, after a few persons printed his works with numerous errors.
Now the State government is holding parleys with the owners of Vallalar’s house to convert it into a memorial after CPI (M) whip K. Balakrishnan made a request to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – August 01st, 2014
With Madras Corporation taking charge by 1866, the Madras Zoo as it was called, became the country’s first public zoo to be formed.
A century and 61 years ago, Edward Balfour, the director of the two-year-old Government Museum at Egmore was struggling to come up with ways to attract more visitors to its premises. It was then that he conceived the idea of showcasing a collection of living animals as an adjunct to the museum. The first few animals to be exhibited — a leopard, a tiger and an orangutan — proved to be a tremendous draw, leaving visitors fascinated. A couple of years later, with the generous donations of the Nawab of Carnatic, a menagerie was established in 1855. Six years later, the facility was compelled to relocate People’s Park (Georgetown) in August 1861. Edward Thurston, the then superintendant, is said to have been plagued by complaints from neighbours who were thoroughly mortified by the roars of the wild beasts housed in the Museum campus.
With Madras Corporation taking charge by 1866, the Madras Zoo as it was called, became the country’s first public zoo to be formed. Boasting of an exotic range of animals and birds, the zoo was considered to be in the league of the best including the London Zoo.
However, with the imminent threat of the Japanese bombing the city in the Second World War, the zoo faced a turbulent time. Apart from managing the exodus of panic-stricken people, authorities had to contend with the animals in the zoo, should the city be under siege.
Mayor V. Chakkarai Chetti and Commissioner C. Pulla Reddi ordered for arrangements to transport the wild animals to safer regions. The Railways were roped in to cart the animals in sealed cages on a priority basis. Mysore zoo and Erode were some of the few shelters which were willing to temporarily care for the animals. However, despite the best efforts of authorities, many dangerous species and poisonous reptiles had to be put down.
After the war, the zoo invested heavily in expansion and fresh improvements to overcome its losses. And it did. By 1975, due to the lack of space and increasing pollution, the zoo moved outside the city limits and was named Arignar Anna Zoological Park, or Vandalur zoo as we now know it.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Chennai / Nitya Menon / Chennai – July 31st, 2014
VIT University here has decided to honour Sathish Kumar, the Vellore youth who won a gold medal for India in the 77-kg class in weightlifting in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, through a cash award. The university would felicitate him at a function to be held here after his return.
In a release VIT chancellor G Viswanathan said, the university would extend all support, including financial assistance, to Sathish Kumar, whose father N Sivalingam was also a national weightlifter and a security guard in the university.
Expressing happiness at Sathish’s achievements, Viswanathan, the founder president of the North Arcot Weightlifting Association for over 20 years said that he had done not only India and Tamil Nadu proud but also Vellore in a big way.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / July 31st, 2014
In-house canteens are an integral part of the campus. Photo: M. Karunakaran / The Hindu
From idli-vadai-pongal to vempampoo rasam and filter coffee, Chennai’s canteens have it all
Legend has it that the strike in Binny Mills in 1921 started over food. Led by V. Kalyanasundaram, it lasted six months, but was suppressed when the management tactically split workers into two groups, using canteen hierarchy. But the struggle didn’t go waste: It spawned the first workers’ union and the employee canteen got established on firm ground.
Today, every departmental canteen in Chennai has history added to its menu. “The 250-year-old College of Engineering, Guindy, gave south Indian industry its basic structure, which included the workers’ canteen,” says painter Srinivasan N., analysing the canteen concept. “In manpower-rich manufacturing, subsidised food is seen as a way to keep workers happy. Whether autonomous (IIT, DD, Anna University, Chennai Port Trust), Government-controlled (Ordnance Factory, Ripon building, ONGC, Southern Railway) or private (TAFE, Hyundai, Leyland), in-house canteens are an integral part of the campus. Now, brain-powered IT industries have switched to food courts,” he remarks.
Whether brick and mortar or chrome and steel, canteens here are a no-frills service. You check the prices of the standardized menu on the blackboard, buy coupons and accordingly collect food at the counter. Hot, soft idlis, crispy vadas, and thin dosais along with ‘meals’ are a staple.
Have you been to any of these?
AIR
The canteen opened on December 1, 1974 and shifted to the separate tower block in 1984. The shift at AIR starts at 6 a.m. and at 8 the staff is assembled in the canteen. Newsreaders are the first to choose from idli, puri, dosa or pongal and get their fill of tea or coffee. You can come back for bajji, vadai and bonda till noon, and after that you can go for a lunch thali that consists of rice, sambar, rasam, two vegetables, buttermilk, pickle and appalam for Rs 20. Peckish at 4 p.m.? Try out the kara sevai, butter murukku and the bajji.
While the pathway and the hall need sprucing up, nothing can dim the thrill of being in a place where Chennai’s luminaries broke bondas. “L.K. Advani came here in the 80s and had special coffee,” says Dr. Selva Peter, Deputy Director/Hony. Secretary of the canteen, listing out the celebrity visitors: Kannadasan, T.M. Soundararajan, P.B. Srinivas, L.R. Easwari, Sivaji Ganesan, Ilayaraja, Vairamuthu among others.
During the two years of the Isai Saaral programme, all popular Carnatic and Hindustani singers were treated to snacks, Selva Peter says.
Although the canteen staff number has dwindled, the cooks still serve “guests” from the Police Commissionerate nearby, Bank of India, Santhome branch and the Crime Records Bureau. At the All-India staff training workshop, out-of-state participants wanted to know which hotel the food was from. Not surprisingly, Sankaran, head cook since 1974, was quickly re-appointed when he retired.
Doordarshan
I join Dr. Balaramani, Asst. Director/Hony. Canteen Secretary for a special thali lunch that included bright orange jalebis and sweet mango pieces. “We make sure our guests visit the canteen and we ask them to try a meal. It costs no more than Rs. 44 (lunch is Rs. 25),” he says. Post-recording, artistes, accompanists and theatre assistants head straight to the canteen. “Only the fussiest stars leave without tasting the day’s fare,” he says.
Starting small in 1975, the canteen went departmental in 1980. “Our canteen is exclusively for the 500 plus staff, resource persons, AIR FM transmitter engineers on the premises, home guards and the TN Women Police on guard duty,” Balaramani says. The canteen specialises in dosai varieties, on Tuesdays you get idli-vadai-pongal-upma, Thursdays are for puri-masala and keerai vadai. At 1 p.m. you can choose from the lunch thali and variety rice, at 3 p.m. it is bajji, dosai, tea/coffee and kesari.
The Doordarshan dining hall too has been graced by a galaxy of cinema and theatre artistes. Helpers have served actors Vivek and Nasser, Vairamuthu, Kutti Padmini, Kathadi Ramamurthy, Delhi Ganesh, R.S. Manohar, Nagesh and G.V. Prakash. The canteen is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., five days a week, but was open for 18 hours on election counting day.
“This canteen is more than a mother to us,” says Sethu Madavan, who joined in 1986. “Today, a canteen employee’s children are engineers. We enter the hall with a prayer that the day’s work should go smoothly,” he says.
AGS Office
Annapurani of AGS office, they call their canteen of more than 50 years, in a nod to their women-dominated workforce. Homely food goes to all the offices in the complex, and if you are here, you can’t leave without sipping their coffee. Even though the canteen went from co-operative to departmental, conventional to steam cooking, plantain leaves to plates, the aroma of coffee is a constant, say officials. While vadais are permanent, major breakfast foods are on a weekly rotational basis. Lunch is served in a thali, but if you fancy tiffin, that is available too. One item you don’t want to miss is the rasam say insiders. Also, plan your visit — Monday for pongal and Friday for the famed rice upma-vathakozhambu combo.
Close to 400 officials pile in for breakfast and lunch. For the single, married-with-kids and long-distance commuters, the canteen is a boon – the food is good and the rates are low. Curd rice is rated high, as is the neer-moru. You can also pick from chappathi or mixed rice varieties. Food combos have add-ons like sweets and coffee.
A meal costs Rs. 15, coffee is Rs. 5 per cup. The canteen maintains quality by buying provisions from its co-operative store in the complex. Cleanliness is religion — steam cookers hiss, mechanical scrubbers clean up plates, a machine kneads dough, huge exhausts keep the spot smoke-free and an RO plant provides water.
If the sitting area gleams, the counter looks like it’s from a popular fast-food joint. Everything smells class, and most AGs are patrons.
The canteen prepares and supplies snacks for office functions, higher officials’ visits and farewell treats to save on office budgets. During Deepavali, the kitchen prepares 1.5 MT of mixture and nearly one MT of sweets, so make sure you order the special mixture and boondhi laddu. “The office canteen is an extension of our kitchen,” say employees. For me, its best feature is its proximity to the parking area.
Anna University
As students, parents and guardians gather anxiously at Anna University grounds during admission season, the one place that keeps them smiling all day is the “main” canteen. The food is cheap – Rs. 16 for a full thali and Rs. 4 for coffee, apart from the sweets and ice-cream which are on offer all year round.
While the campus is 250 years old, the canteen has its own history. Generations of students have succumbed to its gastronomical charms.
“My mentor Ravi and I would bunk classes, sit under the aalamaram opposite the CEG canteen and order bread omelette. Whenever I was asked which branch of engineering I was in, I’d say canteen branch,” said Crazy Mohan. Bread omelette was his son’s favourite too, at AU.
“People from the Cancer Institute and Science City take parcels of the healthy, non-spicy food,” said Registrar Dr. Ganesh, reminding me that the canteen bans soft drinks and preservatives. “The pav bhaji is very good here, have it with fresh fruit juice,” recommends Srinivasan.
“Prices are affordable, and the food is prepared with clean, modern kitchen equipment. An RO plant and a bio-waste-disposal system are part of this century-old canteen.”
The herbal food canteen at Chennai Corporation Campus. Photo : A. Muralitharan / The Hindu
Ripon Building
The canteen menu of South Indian delicacies at the Ripon Building were upgraded with a herbal touch in 2012. To ward off seasonal sniffles, it serves nilambu kashayam and sukku coffee; its vepampoo(neem) rasam is guaranteed to cure stomach trouble, thoothuvalai soup should help you breathe easy in cold weather.
In an effort to promote millets, the canteen serves varagu, saamai, thinai and kuthiraivali rice varieties. These can be washed down with herbal tea, herbal soups, juices and ginger buttermilk. The kollu (horsegram) rasam helps reduce weight, so eat away at this historic canteen.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Featurer> MetroPlus / Geeta Padmanabhan / Chennai – July 17th, 2014
Santha Sheela Nair, retired IAS officer and vice president of Tamil Nadu Planning Commission, lighting the first lamp at the Chozeeshwarar temple in Gangaikonda Cholapuram on Friday | express
Jayankondam :
People of Gangaikonda Cholapuram and its surrounding villages took pride in celebrating the crowning millennium year of King Rajendra Chola.
Thousands of people, including women and children, thronged the Chozeeshwarar Temple on Friday evening and a huge rally started from Maaligai Medu, the village where remains of the king’s palace were excavated.
Three elephants walked in front of the rally in memory of the king whose skills on the battle field was well known. The elephants were followed by folk artistes, who caught the eye of people as the rally passed by. Slogans praising the king were raised all along the rally.
Writers Balakumaran, Kulothungan and Kudavayil Balasubramaniyan, who wrote books on the king and the temple, Santha Sheela Nair, vice-president of Tamil Nadu Planning Commission, P Senthil Kumar, commissioner of disciplinary proceedings, Nagercoil, K Dhanavel, IAS officer (retd) and Porko, former vice-chancellor of Madras University were taken on a chariot-like vehicle.
The writers were later honoured for their contributions to Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
Meanwhile, in Thanjavur, a torch relay commenced at Thanjavur Big Temple. The rally was flagged off by Collector Dr N Subbaiyan, in the presence of writer Balakumaran, who lit the torch. The torch was escorted through Thanjavur city by 1,000 volunteers on motorcycles.
From Palliagraharam, around 100 volunteers on bikes escorted 20 torch bearers, who took turns in taking the torch to Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
The torch was used to light up 1,000 lamps around the temple in Gangaikonda Cholapuram. The Thanjavur chapter of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) made arrangements for the torch rally. The team of torch bearers later joined the rally.
A huge crowd welcomed the rally when it reached the temple. Around 6.30 pm, Santha Sheela Nair lit the first lamp at the temple, after which a thousand small lamps were lit by women, marking the millennial year of the king’s coronation.
Ramu (75) of Thottikulam village, said, “I haven’t seen such a joyful festival before. When I was young I heard a lot about King Rajendra Chola and this temple. Only now am I seeing how the people are celebrating the king. The joy of people here gives me the feeling that the king is alive and in our midst.” Later, a grand symposium was held on the temple and writers and historians spoke about King Rajendra Chola’s achievements in various fields.
(With inputs from TNIE Thanjavur correspondent)
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by K. Ezhilarasan – ENS / July 26th, 2014
Late King Rajendra Chola was on Saturday remembered not just for his skills in battlefield but also for tackling drought.
“The lakes, especially those built by Rajendra Chola 1,000 years ago still help us in tackling water problems,” said Porko, former vice-chancellor of Madras University, recalling his contributions at a grand symposium held at Gangaikonda Cholapuram on Friday night marking the millennial year of the crowning of the Chola king.
Writer Balakumaran said children should be taught the history of Tamil Nadu so that they will understand the importance of personalities like Rajendra Chola. “Every Tamilian should know the history of the Chola kings. I appreciate the people of Gangaikonda Cholapuram and the surrounding villages for organising this celebration,” he said. He also requested the State government to build a memorial for Rajendra Chola at Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
M Rasendhran, commissioner of agricultural department, praised Rajendra Chola for his skills on the battlefield.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / July 27th, 2014
Fourteen Jain rock beds dating back to the 5th century AD have been excavated inside three caverns on top of a hill in Vellore district.
The beds were found on the Bhairavamalai in Latheri on the Vellore-Gudiyattam road when Jeeva Kumar, a Jain priest, was on a study tour in search of abandoned and neglected Jain sites in Tamil Nadu. “It was difficult to climb the hill because the rock steps to the caverns were almost lost over the years. Recently, the locals have built a temple near the caverns. They have also built a flight of 1300 steps for the new temple. Unfortunately, there is no passage to these caverns that house the ancient rock beds,” says S Jeeva Kumar, who has excavated a number of Jain sites in various parts of Tamil Nadu.
The hill is situated in a small village called Kukkara Palli and scholars say the word ‘palli’ has a strong association with Jainism.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / M. T. Saju, TNN / July 21st, 2014
