Salasar Balaji (Rajasthan)

Salasar Balaji is a religious place for the devotees of Lord Hanuman. It is situated in Churu district of Rajasthan. Salasar Dham attracts innumerable Indian worshipers throughout the year. On Chaitra Purnima and Ashvin Purnima large fairs are organized every year where more than 6 to 7 lakhs of people assemble here to pay their homage to the deity. Hanuman Sewa Samiti looks after the management of the Temple and the fairs. There are many Dharamshalas to stay and restaurants to eat. The temple of Sri Hanuman is situated right in the middle of the Salasar town.

Salasar town is a part of district Churu in Rajasthan and it is situated on the Jaipur – Bikaner highway. It is at a distance of 57 kilometers from Sikar, 24 kilometers from Sujangarh and 30 kilometers from Laxmangarh. Salasar town lies under the jurisdiction of the Sujangarh Panchayat Samiti and is well connected with Delhi, Jaipur and Bikaner by regular bus service run by the Rajasthan State Road Transport Committee. Indian Airlines and Jet Air fly to Jaipur, from where Salasar is 3.5 hours drive via a taxi or a bus. Sujangarh, Sikar, Didwana, Jaipur and Ratangarh are the nearest railheads for Salasar Balaji. This city is about 170 kilometers from the city of Pilani that hosts the Birla Institute of Technology and Science. The road from Delhi to Pilani is very good and Balaji is often accessed via that route by people approaching from the direction of Delhi.

On Saturday, Shravan Shukla-Navami -Samvat 1811, a miracle happened. A Ginthala-Jat farmer of village Asota in district Nagaur of Rajasthan was ploughing his field. All of a sudden the plough was hit by some stony thing and a resonating sound was created. He dug up the soil of that place and found an idol covered with sand. His wife reached there with his lunch packet. The farmer showed the idol to his wife. She cleaned up the idol with her sari (dress). The idol was that of Balaji Lord Sri Hanuman. They bowed their heads with devotion and worshipped Lord Balaji. This news of the appearance of Lord Balaji spread in the village Asota immediately.

The Thakur of Asota also heard the news. Balaji ordered him in his dream to send the idol to Salasar in the Churu district. Same night a devotee of Lord Hanuman, Mohan Dasji Maharaj of Salasar saw Lord Hanuman or Balaji in his dreams as well. Lord Balaji told him about the idol of Asota. He immediately sent a message to the Thakur of Asota. The Thakur was surprised to discover that Mohandasji knew minor details without coming to Asota. Certainly, it was all happening by the grace of the Almighty Lord Balaji. The idol was sent to Salasar and consecrated at the place known as Salasar Dham today.

Mecca Masjid (Hyderabad)

image credit : Azgar Khan

Mecca Masjid is the oldest and the biggest of the mosques situated in Hyderabad city. About 10,000 people can offer prayers in this mosque at a time. It is said that Mohammad Quli Qutub Shah began the construction of the Masjid in 1617 but the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb completed the construction in 1694. The Mecca Masjid of Hyderabad is located just 100 yards away from the famous and historic Charminar.

image credit : Muzammil Khamgaon

The name of the mosque has an interesting short story behind it. It is believed that some bricks were brought from Mecca and inserted in the walls of its main arch. Hence it came to be known as Mecca Masjid. There are fifteen arches that support the hall of the mosque. Three walls of the great hall have five arches each. This huge hall is 75 feet high, 220 feet wide and 180 feet long. No wonder it can accommodate about 10,000 people at a time during worship. It is said that about 8000 workers had been employed to construct this grand mosque. The mosque took 77 years to be completed.

image credit : aupeter100

Innumerable sermons from the Quran (the holy book of Muslims) have been intricately depicted on the arches of the Mecca Masjid. You can have a quiet and serene moment with yourself near the man made pond, which has soothing blue water. There are seating arrangements at the edges of the pond and it is believed that if a visitor sits on it, the person will surely visit Hyderabad again. There is a room in the courtyard of the mosque that stores ancient and holy relics. It is believed to contain the hair of Prophet Mohammed.

image credit : RahluR

Medak Church (Andhra pradesh)

image credit : shajeethomas_kaudiar

Once the centre of a flourishing Buddhist culture, Medak is richly endowed with archaeological treasures. The magnificent Catholic Church at the place is said to be one of the three big churches in South India. It’s foundation was laid in 1914 and it is was completed in 1924. On special occasions such as Easter, Christmas and New Year, this church attracts large crowds.

The Exquisite Architectural Splendour is that it Built with solid white granite, the lofty structure with its sylvan ambience is profoundly aesthetic, luring the faithful from far and wide. The main prayer hall of the church is 91m long and 45.5m wide.

The church has an impressive style of vaulting and large windows on either sides of the hall and the windows at the entrance are provided with pieces of coloured glass fitted in metal frames. The coloured glass pieces are beautifully arranged to depict scenes from the bible and Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. They serve as a picture book of the Bible to those who cannot read. The colour spectrum produced by these windows inside, by the early and late afternoon sun is marvellous.

The Cathedral is 61m high and accommodates 5,000 people at a time. The tower over the entrance is 53m high. The British artist, Sir O. Salisbury took 40 years creating this work of art at his studio in London.

The Legend has it that this church was born out of a famine that struck Medak during World War I. Mr. Charles Walker Posnett, a dedicated English missionary from England, was posted as the Reverend of Medak, which was reeling under an unprecedented famine that continued for as long as three years.

Hundreds of families approached the Reverend for food and blessings. Their pathetic condition moved him and he provided them with enough food. As an act of thanks giving to God who helped him provide food for the starving people of Medak, he proposed building a church. The grateful inhabitants of Medak instantly accepted the proposal. Thus with the labour of love from those simple peasants, the church rose. Started in the year 1914, it took ten years to complete it. It was consecrated in 1924 during Christmas.

With its immensity and beauty, this century old church stands out as one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in India.