Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Upcoming Indian Batsmen.

Hello people,

I put some thoughts on India’s major bowling backups that I have seen over the last decade mostly inspired by the ridicule that Indian bowling is facing ahead of the England tour. Now most of the English media is praising the Indian middle order so much so as it appears to be a collective effort to jinx them to failure! There is also talk about how the transition would be once the greats retire. So I thought about the batting bench strength.

I had always thought we had much more bowlers coming in every year, than we could probably handle and the result was none of them has, yet, emerged as a real promise. Their records just fade in comparison with say a Morne Morkel who is the next South African hope[though he is 26]. But if you think of batsmen, it’s just the opposite, but result being the same. Our middle order has been so strong, that not even Yuvraj Singh, who is among the real good ODI players, has managed to sneak in. [There has been ones like Amol Muzumundar, who by playing parallel to the like of Sachin, missed out on an opportunity. But as we are focusing on the future, lets focus on younger ones.] It’s only after the retirement of Sourav Ganguly that, even a place is available in the batting slots. But its still not grabbed as we could have hoped.

We always had one [or even 2] slots free at the opening even as late as in 2007. But with Gambhir settling in even that slot was full and Ganguly was still playing in 07’! So no one could have even a knock at the door for spots 1-6. Yuvraj Singh was the man waiting that time to replace one of the middle order stalwarts in case of an injury. But with Ganguly’s retirement, scenario has changed. Yuvraj has got some chances and he didn’t live up to the expectations. Many others have also tried their luck. Here’s who I think, may form the Indian batting order in the future.

1. Abhinav Mukund : He is in the squad now. Having made lots of runs in the domestic circuit,- its ridiculously easy to make runs there - he got the selectors call as suddenly both Sehwag and Gambhir were injured for the West Indies series. He didn’t look great, but showed ‘some resistance’. Is that what we expect form a top order player, is another question. But he is in the pecking order now and [with great luck] will also open at Lord’s on the occasion of the 2000th test. Will he cement the place remains to be seen.  



2. Murali Vijay: He was given a chance after a big 200 [243] in a first-class match, after Gambhir got suspended, after he invited Watson to a party somewhere, with his shoulder, against Australia. He scored a decent 74 in his first match. But again, is it what we expect from an opening batsman? A struggling 40? But still, he ‘looked good’ for the selectors and after some disastrous performances in all forms of the game, barring the IPL may be, he is still ‘looking good’. But he must realize at 27, he is losing time and need to come down to earth from the 127 he scored during the IPL. His team mate at Tamil Nadu, Mukund has passed him in the order, unless Mukund fails in England and what a dilemma it would be for India.  


3.Ajinkya Rahane: He is next in the order, perhaps [atleast according to the audience]. He too has lots of runs at the domestic circuit. But the problem is his patience. He is seen in Mumbai as a brilliant stroke player who can make a swift 40-50. But so was Sehwag, wasn’t he? 






4. Cheteshwar Pujara : He is by far the best that I can bank on as he has got technique and a still head. Most important of all, he has got an understanding parent, who knows about the game and its highs to back him up. So hopefully he will keep his foot on the ground and go forward. He looked fantastic while taking India to victory vs Australia. The pace of Steyn did trouble him in South Africa, but no one would have done much with that kind of bowling. 

5. Virat Kohli: He is projected as the future captain of India, having led the junior team to World Cup victory. He is just 22 and has already won a World Cup and has played 50 ODIS. His behavior was and is attracting a lot of criticism. Even his reactions [also other players] after winning the under-19 World Cup came for much ridicule. But he feels he has shed the stardom effect and is a mature player now. Cricketing-wise he looks matured, but behavior wise he still has a long way to go. He also faced some problems with the short ball, surprisingly, against the West Indies. He has been dropped from the England tour which he feels has been good for him. Still a boy who tries to avoid his angry mom, he can be a part of the future middle order. 

6. Rohit Sharma: Rohit Sharma has been praised and jettisoned by many from their good books. He has got style and hours to play a ball no matter the speed of the bowler. He, like many, fell for the superficial stardom and may be like his senior example; Yuvraj Singh is still struggling to get a place in the test team. But his talent is too good to go waste and if he corrects his head a bit, can be a batting great. But he has had lots of opportunities and unless he continues from what he did in the Caribbean, he may lose out.  


7. Suresh Raina: He has seen ups and downs in his career and he is just 24. He has got talent and the English media, with all their hyperbole, described him as next Sachin Tendulkar after he took India to victory in an ODI. But his problems with the short ball never got him settled. His temperament cannot be an issue with the hostel structure in Uttar Pradesh cricket. He will be serious and may have improved, apparently, with his performances in the West Indies. He also, probably, will be part of the middle order in the future.His current coach, even thinks he is a captaincy material, though he lead a team to Zimbabwe not quite emphatically. 


 
8.Yuvraj Singh: He has somewhat been an enigma for tests. An excellent ODI player with talent couldn’t overcome technical problems to play regular test cricket. Being on the fringes for long he was given the slot, which he should have snatched from one of the players, after Ganguly’s retirement. It seemed, after an under  pressure 100, along with, ironically, Sourav Ganguly, that he may have come of age. But he still was not able to convert his talent into runs, even as he won a World Cup for India. He seems determined to cement a test spot, but as of now Raina seems to have got it. Being just in his late 20s he still has a chance to add to his tremendous ODI career.  

9.Ambati Rayudu: This guy was hyped up as next batting great to emerge from the country of batting superstars. But after his ego struggles with the administration, somewhat rightly so as players like these captain his Hyderabad side, he found himself in the ICL. But from a stint with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, one of the few things that I like about the IPL, he returned to the reckoning. I hope he rediscovers his talent and fine tune it, for he could be a real asset at the middle order.  




10.Manish Pandey: He is young and hasn’t proven much apart from being the first Indian to score an IPL century. But his knock against Mumbai in the Ranji Final meant that he was to be noticed. But a bit of controversy, eve at such a young age meant he went back the queue. A player, who has got talent and with development in temperament can be included in the side. But his place is still some way away.  

11.Manoj Tiwary: He has been unlucky of sorts. He got his chance after an impressive 06’ Ranji performance. He was to play in the first test in Mirpur, when a training injury hit him and he was out of the frame for 2 years. He did return and it was difficult it could get and was in Brisbane against Australia in an ODI. Brett Lee showed no mercy and let a scorching Yorker get Tiwary back in the hut. He waited again for 2 years and when he did play in the West Indies recently in the ODIS didn’t look the player that he was, probably because of the unfamiliar opening position. Still this guy has talent and is in the second line of challengers for a batting spot.



Notable omissions:

S Badrinath: I may be a bit harsh, but I think his career is almost over and he has not looked a good player on whatever international exposure he has had. That may be against Steyns express pace, but he looked completely out of sorts and different from the domestic run gatherer that he is. He may get a couple of years after one of the greats retires, but that will be it as he is already above 30.

Robin Uthappa: This man had/has talent. But he seems to be happy, just to hit sixes in the IPL. He seems to have no apparent interest in a test spot and is not looking for a long innings, not even aggressive or 200 ball 150 kind of a stay. He, in my view will never play test cricket [even if he does, it would be a very short stint].

Shikhar Dhawan: He has been named as captain of the 'Emerging players squad'. But I dont think he will ever feature in a test selection meeting. But he has every chance to play many ODIs. But if he does want to play tests, he can take a cue from his Delhi team mate Gambhir.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have crawled my way to an 11! So is there a shortage on the batting side? Absolutely not. Batting unlike bowling is less susceptible to injuries and if 6-7 out of these get into a settled mode, then we can be secure for another 10 years, well, hopefully. There may be some other contenders like KB Arun Karthik from Tamil nadu and Sourabh Tiwary from Jharkhand. I have not mentioned IPL wonders like Paul Valthaty or Bharat Chipli [he is already 28].

There are others like Ravindra Jadeja[who must come down to earth and be serious] , Mayank Agarwal, Ashok Menaria etc who are coming through the under-19 ranks.

Finally, what would India’s top 6 look like after -say- a couple of years? [Though I am never sure of Tendulkar ;)] Back up top 6, on the right.

First choice TOP 6                                              Backup TOP 6

Gautham Gambhir                                     Abhinav Mukund
Virender Sehwag                                       Murali Vijay
Cheteshwar Pujara                                    Ajhinkya Rahane
Rohit Sharma                                            Ambati Rayudu
Virat Kohli                                                 Yuvraj Singh
Suresh Raina                                             Manoj Tiwary


P.S: You can help by mentioning any one whom I might have missed.


Thanks!



Thursday, July 14, 2011

Upcoming/Lost Indian bowlers squad.

Hello people,

As the England series is here, most of the talk is about England having superior bowling along with a lot of bench strength. Yes they have an enviable line up. Tall fast bowlers are always an asset. But one thing that they should keep in mind is to stay put with feet on the ground. If they consider guaranteed about greatness, they will fall off the way swiftly. 

I feel that’s what happened or is happening with India’s bowling arsenal. India is really looking for a back for Zaheer Khan after he retires. May be Ishant Sharma is the answer with his impressive comeback against the West Indies. But we can’t be sure as he too has been among the ‘self-proclaimed’ superstars who have lost direction.
Here I give a list of bowlers who are international quality or have the potential to be successful at the top level.
Most of them have played for India in some form, but could not cement their place. Reasons could be anything. Arrogance to lack of good coaching to injuries. Even selection sometimes has been a reason as someone like Pankaj Singh went on the Australia tour of 2007-08 and didn’t play a single test. 



1. IrfanPathan : he was heralded as india’s answer to Wasim Akram. But stardom and pressure to be next Kapil Dev + Akram rolled as one has let him drift away. His strength was swing and he could bowl at low 140s which is dangerous with swing. But too much coaching led to remodeling of action, reduced speed and he lost all his zing. Any one remember the 90Mph in swinger that led to comparisons with Akram? I have no videos, but I dont need them as its so fresh in my mind.

2.  MunafPatel : He came in as the fastest Indian bowler with speeds over 150Kph. But then again, some dumb said he looked like Mcgrath and therefor he had his pace reduced and now as Andy Roberts called it, he is spinning it. [Cant say upcoming about him, he is 28].

3. RP Singh: RP Singh has in my view similarities with Pathan. An extremely talented swing bowler, who can bowl in the high 130s to 140s, has his name on the Lord’s honours board. But again lack of hunger and lack of discipline together with lack of form has somewhat thrown him out. His regress has been relatively mysterious. But he still can be Indias future if given proper care. He has got talent.

 4. P Kumar: He has grabbed every opportunity by both hands and as of now is not among the ‘failed’. But his lack of pace even at this age of 23 is not doing any good to his career. He can swing it anywhere anytime, but his pace has to be increased if he has to consistently play and trouble batsmen.

5.  A Mithun: Mithun is still young and it would be harsh to count him among the failures. He also has somewhat been shabbily treated by the selectors as he is not getting continuous opportunities. He also need to raise the pace a bit to be successful, but sure has some potential.

6. VRV Singh: He, when he came in first showed promise. Tall muscular bowler, who could regularly bowl 90Mph. But he had technical faults and bowled no-balls consistently. Lack of coaching led to his ousting. He may never come back and it is a loss.

7.  S Tyagi: Another tall bowler who was hyped up big time. But he has now drifted away with all the stardom getting to his head. Lack of temperament has led to another promising bowler’s downfall here. His arrogance is evident when he takes a wicket and you can fill a bucket full of profanity.

8. PankajSingh: Another 6 foot plus bowler who bowled in the mid-140s. I think the selectors either thought he would be like Ambrose straight away because of his height. But for whatever reason after for whatever reason they picked him, they didn’t play him a single test in Australia. He is slugging it out in the Ranjis now.

9. L Balaji: Here is one bowler who lost out not because of his own reason or any other persons, but an injury at the right time has virtually ended his international career. Anyone remember the Pakistan tour 04? He was brilliant and it seemed with Zaheer + Nehra + Balaji + Pathan, India had a decent attack [but not fearsome]. 

10. A Mishra: Lastly a couple of spinners. Amit Mishra has toiled for almost 10 years in domestic cricket to get his place in the squad. He immediately grabbed it as he took a 5 for on debut against Australia. His experience was supposed to make him feel at home. But surprisingly he turned very predictable after that and was using his googlies unimaginatively without flighting it enough. The spin stronghold of India is not able to help him yet. He has made a comeback of sorts against West Indies, but cannot in anyway be believed to have settled in.

11. P Chawla: Another leggie who bowls more googlies than his leggies. Fact that artists like Bishan Bedi can’t help Chawla is really a sad truth. They even come from the same state! He is still young and given direction can shoulder spinner’s responsibilities. Now no one can forget this delivery can they?

12. R Aswin: The guy has talent. But the problem is he has a mystery ball as well. He has to be careful not to overuse it. Mystery bowlers are sure to be sorted out as Mendis found out against India. So he should just concentrate on his off spin and control and such stuff.       

13. S Sreesanth: Sreesanth has been an enigma. Arrogant and caught by stardom I would say. He has the best seam position for an outswinger, at least from India. He can reverse the ball both ways. But the thing he lacks is temperament and control. Recently, Indian bowling coach has said, if he can control himself and not try to bowl 6 different deliveries, he will be really good. But he is 28 and what beckons for him, only God knows.
14. P Ojha: Pragyan is rated by none other than Kumble. He has got a few opportunities as well. But he will struggle to get opportunities outside the subcontinent as only one spinner plays and his fielding capabilities are well, no capabilities there. The problem he faces is his fitness and if he doesn’t reduce his waistline, he can end up being a Romesh Powar.  

15. Ishant Sharma :  Lastly, the man most likely to take the baton from Zaheer. Ishant has reemerged of sorts during the West Indies tour. When he came on to the scene, he was a tall erratic bowler who bowled 8 ball overs regularly, and looked like young Srinath. After which he had a dream spell in Australia and he troubled Ponting in India as well. But because of too much T20 and ODI cricket perhaps, he lost his rhythm. I just hope he has come back for good and carries the baton from Zaheer. He could be best ever fast bowler from India with time on his side.[ He is only 22!]





I have not counted  any bowler who is over 29 as this list is one which includes either up coming or 'could have been' upcoming bowlers. 

Some notable commissions

3. D Kulkarni [ another case of ridiculous selection. Didnt play a single game in NZ in 09]

 IPL every year means, every year some bowler or the other is hyped up as the next best. Those include Umesh yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Sharma, Sidhart Trivedi, Varun Aron, Kamran Khan, Ashoke Dinda, MS Gony etc etc. But I have not seen enough of those guys to rate them. There are also others who were promising once, like these guys above, but lost out on a decent career like Ashish nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Tinu Yohannan, Abey Kuruvilla etc. Then there are others like Avishkar Salvi[2004, was dubbed as McGrath!] who were ridiculously hyped up when they took a couple of wickets against Bangladesh. 

Reasons can be anything. Injuries, lack of temperament, arrogance, stardom, even fans. We pace starved Indians, rate a bowler pretty highly when ever we see him bowling at 140+. This adds the pressure on the bowler to straight away burst through a batsman with his pace. But when he cannot do that, he tries to change stuff. Then his coach tries to change stuff. Finally he loses the trick somewhere. I cant decide on one particular thing as I feel its different for every player.

Finally, so is it lack of talent in India in the bowling department being a country of batting superstars or is it some other combination of things? 



Thanks!




Wednesday, July 13, 2011

England vs India 2011 - The Best X1

Hello people, 

India will play England in the first test of the Pataudi trophy at the historic venue of Lord’s on July 21, 2011. India is the top ranked team in tests right now and England are ranked 3rd. But when I say, that this is the 2000th test ever and 100th between the two teams the interest really creeps in. Add to that, one Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is on 99 test hundreds [!]. Now, anyone would really be making sure that the date is set!   
No wonder why the media is hyping the issue already. Even before India played the West Indies or when England was playing Sri Lanka, who are number 4 in the world, the talk was about this upcoming series. 



Ian Botham
Darren Gough
Some say it’s the most anticipated series in England after 2005. Others say the best touring side since 2005. 5 batsmen and 5 bowlers from either teams figure in the top10. India is looking on to continue their reign at the top. England is looking to topple them with all their planning and vision for the future. Many former English players including Botham and Gough have said that England is unofficially the best team currently. No wonder it’s highly anticipated.


Sachin Tendulkar
Graeme Swann
I am getting goose bumps as early as now thinking about the battle between Anderson and Tremlett vs Tendulkar. Dravid has already said Swann will be the key factor. I thought of selecting a Best XI among the players from both the teams. It is really straight forward when you see that there are 5 batsmen and 5 bowlers who are in the top 10 from both the teams! But a small analysis would be good.



 Openers:

Cook
Sehwag
All four are brilliant batsmen and except maybe Strauss, are in form at the moment. Cook is statistically the best pick while Sehwag can be discounted at the oppositions peril! Gambhir hasn’t played a test in England, but his form has been superb for the last couple of years. Strauss had a very good world cup and he has led England very well. But Cook is in better form and Sehwag is a match winner. Given to me I would not pick both Cook and Strauss at the top. After a lot of thought, I am going with Cook and Sehwag for the opening slot. Two contrasting batsmen, but no doubt, mightily effective. I am going for Sehwag since he can change a game within minutes. 


Middle Order:

Trott
Laxman
There are 3 batsmen from either team in the top 10. But 5 out of them can be in top 10 anytime. This is really a tough pick. I think Tendulkar has to be an automatic choice. Now at number 3 and 5 it’s a choice between Laxman, Dravid, Peitersen, Trott and Bell. 

All are equipped to bat at both positions. Considering current form, I would go with Trott at number 3 and Peitersen at number 5. Laxman has not scored a 100 in England. But he does average 44 and if you consider Laxman’s performance in England, Bell against India has been terrible in Tests.  


Kevin Pietersen


 Peitersens form has not been good. But he has the capability to turn a match and will score big in at least 1 test of a 4 match series. His aggressive style just gets him in. For the remaining spot, we have Dravid, Laxman, Bell, Morgan, Raina and Yuvraj. I wouldn’t even consider last 2. For me it’s a choice between Laxman and Bell. Dravid has been very tentative for me, these days. Considering his ability to bat with the tail, I would go with laxman at 6. 







 Wicket Keeper:

Dhoni
It’s a straight choice between Dhoni and Prior. Considering all round capabilities I would make Mahendra Singh Dhoni captain. Prior has been in good form with the bat and Dhoni has not scored enough. But Dhoni has got some runs under his belt in the last test in the West Indies and his captaincy skills take him in. Especially when there is only Cook as contender for the captaincy slot.





Bowlers:

Anderson
Ishant Sharma
Lack of genuine all-rounders in either side is the reason why I have gone for a 6th batsman. So the last 4 remaining spots will be bowlers and we have a big list for consideration. But I guess based on ability the venue and current form, Zaheer and Anderson go right in. Now Harbhajan vs Swann! Based on current form, Swann is the pick. Harbhajan has been too defensive and monotonous for at least last 2 years. At the same time, Swann has been as attacking as any spinner and also has contained batsmen. 

Zaheer khan
Some dumb rightly said, that best form of stopping runs is to take wickets! But Harbhajan may be saying that team tactics are keeping him from attacking. But I am not buying that. Let this series decide who is better. For now I go with Swann. Last remaining spot goes to Tremlett for the form he showed against Sri Lanka. Many may argue that Ishant is better. But his lack of consistency is what causes concern. Sreesanth can be at times brilliant, but woefully erratic at times. Finn also lacks consistency and I have not seen much of Bresnan in tests except a one off in Australia. 12th man will be Ian Bell as he would be fielding.






So this is my final team.
       1. Alistair Cook
        2. VirenderSehwag
      3. Jonathan Trott
      4.  Sachin Tendulkar
      5 .Kevin Peitersen
      6.  VVS Laxman
      7. MS. Dhoni
      8. Graeme Swann
      9. Chris Tremlet
          10. Zaheer Khan
      11. James Anderson

     12. Ian Bell      


Your own X1s are welcome.

Thanks!



Monday, July 11, 2011

Sri Padmanabhaswami Temple - The wealthiest in the World!

Hello people,



Temple in 1940
In 1931, at least one vault was opened. An auspicious time was chosen and that was 10 am, December 6th. This was done in presence of then Maharaja, Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma.
Among the contents found were gold and silver coins stored in a "granary like thing," four brass chests of coins, over 300 gold pots, and a six-chambered wooden chest containing jewels decorated with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones. Four coffers were removed and taken to the palace treasury for counting and valuation.
Sri Chithira Thirunal
In 2011, the Supreme Court of India directed the authorities from the fire services and archeology department to open vaults of the temple for inspection of the items kept inside. Assets consisting of gold, jewels, and other treasures were found in the vaults of the temple. Several 18th century Napoleonic era coins were found, as well as a three-and-a-half feet tall gold idol of Mahavishnu studded with rubies and emeralds, and ceremonial attire for adorning the deity in the form of 16-part ‘Thanka’ [gold] ‘Anki’ weighing almost 30 kilograms (66 lb) together with gold coconut shells, one studded with rubies and emeralds.
There are vessels to distribute ‘Payasam’ [A sweet dish, of milk] and that too is made of gold. ‘Sarappoli Malas’ and another 16 foot golden ‘mala’ [necklace] was also found. There were 2500 golden pots and 100s of gold coins found. Golden coins were presented by the raja everyday on his visit to the temple. Hundred thousand of them were brought from Surat and are called ‘Surat nanayam’ [Surat coins].
Supreme Court
As of now, the value found is estimated around 22 BillionDollars! When the 6th vault the ‘Bharatakon Ara’ is opened, it is said to have a vault inside it as well, the total is estimated to cross 27-30 billion $ making Sri Padmanabhaswami temple the richest in the world. But as mentioned previously, its opening has been stalled for now, by the Supreme Court.



Coins used in 16th century Thiruvithancore
Now the question is what to do with the assets. Many suggestions have come from various set of people and experts. Some say government should take over and use it for the development of the state or the country. [Total worth is more that the educational budget of the country]. Museum is another suggestion and the Trivandrum MP; Sri Shashi Tharoor alsostated the same. Museum director has said ‘he is ready to take over’ the assets to the museum. Various banks have come forward to safe guard the assets. Some say that it should be kept in the temple itself and should be kept as symbols of our rich history. But some say that if kept in the temple it would be of no use and even more money should be spent to protect it.  Someone rightly said Opinions are like ‘nose’, everyone has one! Well, not exactly, but something instead of a ‘nose’.

I think there are a 2 general ways that this wealth could be used and its absolutely not dead wealth.
One is of course to sell and convert it to cash.  Second is to keep it as a rich historical symbol and generate wealth from displaying it.

First one is rather ruthless and I am against it for sure. And, to trust our ‘great’ parliamentarians and ministers with all that cash would be like shutting the vaults again with no one guarding it! 

Kohinoor
Really, it is a test for all those who say that Europeans looted all our wealth, Kohinoor and our brains! But at least they are in some museum or the other and making us think about our history. Now, our wealth is in our hands. It’s depending on Indians on its future. The same who support corruption, nepotism, bribery, scams, vandalisms, writing names + love symbol on historical buildings and God knows what all! 




As my humble opinion, if I can have one on this matter, I prefer the second way. We should keep this for display and protect it. Now what should be done with that income? Now, I have missed the big word that is ‘Secularism’ altogether! But I would go with being ‘Fair’ rather than ‘Secular’. I think the wealth should be used for the poorer Temples and the poor ‘Thantri’s who leaves on 50Rs daily by performing the rituals in those temples. We can help the sweepers and other workers in various temples who struggle for their daily wages. We can set up ‘Vedic Pathshalas or Sanskrit Pathshalas’ as a tribute to a great language and culture. There is no harm in donating a fair part of the income to the government as well for the development of the state or the country.
I also think we should not build a separate Museum. But instead it should be built inside the temple premises itself, or buy land near the temple and build it there as a part of the temple. It would be like a museum but part of the temple.
Louvre
Now the museum or whatever we build should be like a ‘Louvre’ and not like any other museum. It should be protected with apt security and not like our other museum from where Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings were stolen like they were being stolen from an abandoned building.
Now the question will be asked who will build the ‘museum’. If the government builds it, naturally the income also should go to the government. I think the Devasom Board which has a lot of money; together with the Palace and contributions from other ‘Bhaktas’ [I won’t say only Hindus, Bhaktas in the sense whoever wants to contribute] can cover the expenses of the same. 

Add caption
Vivekananda Rock - Kanyakumari
It should be a thing which India can be proud of. Marketing can be great as Kovalam is nearby and also Kanyakumari. So both Pilgrims and Tourists will be attracted to the display. That’s why the display should be part of the temple itself.  Lets hope something fair will materialize and India can be proud of the temple and the wealth.







P.S: Opinions, as I said are like ‘bodyparts’, everyone has one! So please spare me of your abuses. But the ‘bodyparts are welcome!


Update on 12th July : The raja of Thiruvithancore, Sri Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma , has made his opinion clear that all the wealth belongs to the God. Heres the link to the interview . He had already told the Supreme Court that none of it belongs to him.



Thanks!



Saturday, July 9, 2011

Sri Padmanabhaswami Temple - The wealthiest in India cont.

Hello people,


Uthradam Thirunal
As the Supreme Court of India has stalled the opening of the 6th vault for now, and as the media personnel have breathing space, the current Raja of Thiruvithancore [no official power nor the Title remains]- Uthradam Thirunal, who is 80 years old- has clarified to the Apex court that neither he nor anyone of his relatives wants any share of the wealth found and he is just a ‘Padmanabhadasa’ [Deity's servent] as were his predecessors. The fact that their clan knew of the whole thing and even after having full control of the temple [It is run through the trust from the Palace] have not even thought of taking any part of it and also were successful in keeping is safe and secure is creditable and that shows their character. That’s the ‘trust’ factor that I mentioned at the beginning.

Ay Kingdom - Southern tip
Venad- down south
The temple is said, by the historians, to have been built by the Ay rajas, who ruled at the end of the first millennium. Their reign coincided with the end of Chera dynasty and then a new Kingdom, the Kingdom of Venad, took over the temple and the south of Kerala. They added Mutts for visitors stay and also added to wealth of the temple. The wealth came through various means like gifts and also as present when some social issue was solved by the temple. Even elephants were received as gifts! An important contributor to the temple from the Venad kingdom was Bhootala Veera Marthanda Varma. He expanded the territory of Venad upto present day Tirunelveli in Tamilnadu. There is even a sculpture of him in Satya Vagisvarar temple in Tirunalveli. Venads history after Bhootala Veera was filled with tensions, internal tensions and clashes, and the temple was shut down for most of the time due to circumstantial inconvenience. It may have been possible that the wealth of man prominent Kings were kept in the temple for safety or donated to the temple during that time. 

Ettuveedan - Ettuveettil Pilla
The temple, then, was run by a group called ‘Ettarayogam’ [Eight and a half group]. It consisted of ‘Pottys’ from 7 prominent families, one ‘Nair Tharavadu’ and King as the half. [Koovakkara Potti, Vanchiyur Attiyara Potty, Kollur Attiyara Potty, Muttavila Potty, Neythassheri Potty, Karuva Potty, Sri Karyattu Potty, Palliyadi Karanatta Kuruppu were the ones with the right to vote].The treasurers of sorts were ‘Ettuveettil Pillamar’. During the clashes the Pillas and the King were on the opposite sides.  Using this to their advantage, the Dutch, who were in Cochin spread their roots across Venad.


Anizham Thirunal
But in 1729, a strong-willed and farsighted King- Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma [reignal years 1729 – 1758] - took over and successfully suppressed the uprisings and also reigned in the clashes. The Travancore Kings have their names preceded by their birth star. So ‘Anizham’ is the birth star of Marthanda Varma.  He is said, again, by the historians, to have contributed most to the temple. He captured and recaptured provinces in the north up to Cochin and defeated the Dutch in the battle of ‘Coletchal’ in 1741. Admiral Eustatius De Lennoy who led the Dutch made donations to the temple. Historians say, that explains the finding of Dutch coins Belgian cut-glasses and diamonds and Portuguese coins in the vaults.     
Dutch Surrender
The Thiruvithancore Kings are called or self-confessed ‘Padmanabha Dasas’ or Gods servants. This was initiated by Anizham Thirunal, in 1749-50 as he gifted his Kingdom to the deity. The function was called ‘Thrippadi Danam’.  He announced, after gifting his sword to the deity - that henceforth the Kings of Thiruvithancore will be just the representatives of Sri Padmanabha and the deity was the ruler of the Kingdom. Before this ceremony, he re built the temple somewhat taken-aback [I won’t say ruined] by the internal clashes of Venad. He took 10000 ‘Kazhanj’ gold from the Dutch in return to pepper in 1939. The Dutch artifacts clarify this was used for a ceremony called ‘Hiranyagarbham’ at the temple. Anizham Thirunal had decided that Sri Padmanabhaswami temple was going to be his center even though he had his sword undergo religious ‘pooja’ at Thiruvattar Adikesha temple in present day Kanyakumari before going to war with the Dutch. The present ‘Vigraha’ was built by a ‘shilpi’ called ‘Balaranyakoni Devan’. The ‘Vigraha’ is about 18 foot and can be seen only from 3 doors as stated before. The ‘Ottakkal  Mandapam’ was built using a single rock procured from ‘Thirumala’ a place near present day Thiruvanathapuram. 
Kodimaram
The teak wood for the ‘Kodimaram’[Flagstaff] was brought from ‘Kakkachal’ in present day Tamil nadu. Historical artifacts reveal that there were 4000 skilled workers, 6000 ‘koolis’ and 100 elephants for the construction.
A  tulabharam Ceremony
The coronation ceremony was preceded by a ceremony called ‘Hiranyagarbham’. Before that in ‘Tulapurushadanam’ or tulabharam gold coins to match Kings Weight were distributed to Brahmans. Then King walked into a big 10 ft. x 8 ft. vessel in shape of ‘Tamara’ which is filled with ‘Panchagavya’. The vessel was then shut for around 10 minutes and Vedic chants were recited. This was called ‘Padmagarbham’. Then the King came out and the crown was placed on his head. 

Painguni Festival
He wore the crown only on that day as the King was Padmanabha dasa and the Kingdom was supposed to be of Padmanabha - the deity.  The rituals that were there in Anizham Thirunal’s time are continued even today. Festivals like ‘Alppashi’ and ‘Painguni’ are examples were the King is involved.




Rani Gowri Lakshmi Bai
Later, when we go into the British East India company time, Colonel Munro was appointed the Resident of Cochin and Thiruvithancore. Rani Gowri Lakshmi Bai, the Thiruvithancore Queen then, appointed Munro as the ‘Divan’. Munro found the wide spread corruption in the temple run under the ‘Ettara Yogam’. He brought it under government control. Even though now the temple is run by a trust from the Palace, the ‘Ettara Yogam’ is asked for suggestions for rituals and festivals as a custom.








Chithira Thirunal
It was Chithira Thirunal balarama Varma at the helm when India became independent. It is said, that he opened the temple doors for the untouchables[who were not allowed to enter then] when Mahatma Gandhi requested him to do so. He also agreed to the joint state of Kerala, even though he was initially skeptical as Cochin, which he considered enemies of his predecessors, was also going to be a part of the same state. He was the last ruling King of Thiruvithancore as the official powers were stripped off after Independence.





I will write about the things found next.


To be continued…




 Thanks!



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