intratext.com

I've just discovered www.intratext.com. An interesting service. Already has some trs. of Sanskrit and Pali texts. Has the Skt text of the RV in ITRANS format. Thought-provoking. Should we all jump on board?

Isidore of Charax

I've been doing a bit of work on Isidore of Charax's Parthian Stations. Thinking out loud, really, about the actual route, and what kind of communications might have been possible between the Mediterranean/ME and Afghanistan/India in the centuries around the beginning of the Common Era.

See http://tinyurl.com/fffzz/

Appaya Dikshita and Nilakantha Dikshita

Appaya Dikshita (b. ca.1520,
d. 1592) transfers his copy of the Devimahatmya to his grand nephew Nilakantha Dikshita (1580--ca. 1644), just before he passes away. This happened at Cidambaram.

The account of Appaya's deathbed transfer of his
cultural and spiritual heritage to the twelve-year-old Nilakantha is
given in the biographies of Nilakantha, the
Srinilakanthadhvaricaritam of Appaya, the
Sriappayadiksitendravijaya, both composed by Appaya's
nineteenth-century descendant Sivananda Yogindra. The former text
is translated and reprinted by Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat,
Oeuvres Po'etiques de Nilakantha Diksita I (1967), pp.7, 349. P-S Filliozat also
gives information from the latter text and other sources,
(ibid., 4).

My thanks to Yigal Bronner for drawing my attention to this image.
We're working to find out its source.

Govinda Dikshita and his wife Nagamba

This painting of Govinda Dikshita and his wife Nagamba is on one of the walls of the Pattiswaram Temple, near Kumbakonam. It appears to be recent, or recently repainted. It is in a chamber not far from the statues of GD and N. Picture taken in 10/2005.

N. S. Vayaskara Mooss

N. S. Vayaskara Mooss (1912-1986).

V. M. C. Sankaran Nambudiri

At the age of about 85 (in October 2005), V. M. C. Sankaran Nambudiri is one of the most respected teachers of ayurveda in Kerala today, and a great expert in Viṣavidyā. Pictured here at his home near Trissur, with his daughter and grandson Brahmadattan (on the bed behind him), and his pupils (Dr Madhu in the white shirt). See also the documentation at PADAM .

Agni, Pattiswaram Temple

Agni, in current worship in the Pattiswaram temple, Kumbakonam district, S. India

Google Earth kmz file of some S Indian cultural centres

Here's a set of Google Earth data for some cultural centres near Kumbakonam and Thanjavur in southern Tamil Nadu:

• S Indian cultural centres.

Once you have Google Earth running with these place markers, click once on a marker for info (in some cases). Double-click to zoom in for a specific closeup and angle.

Enjoy!

DW

Pattiswaram images

Nāgāmba, Govinda Dīkṣita's wife.

Wrestling

The gopuram from the first inner courtyard

Govinda Dīkṣita, the great paṇḍit

Sarasvatam

Today I discovered Somadeva Vasudeva's blog, http://sarasvatam.blogspot.com/
and that inspired me finally to set up my own blog. However, I'm far from sure that I'll use it.

Hello World!

Hello World!