KETAKI SANGAMESHWARA'S WATER BELIEVED TO CURES SKIN AILMENTS

 C R GOWRI SHANKER

This Shiva temple dates back to Treta Yugam out of the four yugas of mankind as per the Hindu mythology.

 The ‘Amrutha Gundam’ (tank) in the temple premises which is famed.

Hyderabad: Faith brings hordes of people to gods who they believe will fulfilled their wishes. But if the water on the premises of the god’s temple is believed to have medicinal values, this faith is sure to increase.

Ketaki Sangameshwara Swamy Devasthanam or Parvathi Sametha Ketaki Sangameshwara Swamy temple, also called as Dakshina Kasi is situated in Jarasangam village and mandal, around 12 kms from Zaheerabad in Sangareddy district and 112 km from Hyderabad. It is one of the oldest temples in Telangana state with a rich history.

This famed Shiva temple sees a confluence of devotees from TS, AP, neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra throughout the year, especially on Mahashivarathi and Mondays.

Besides the temple being the ‘Inti Devudu’ (family deity) for thousands of families in the four states, the fulfillment of their wishes and the water in ‘Amrutha Gundam’ (tank) on the temple premises earned fame.

Though the exact date of construction of this temple is not known, priests said it dates back to Treta Yugam, out of the four yugas or ages of mankind, as per the Hindu mythology. The first yuga was Satya Yuga, followed by Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga and present Kali Yuga, which began in 3,102 BCE at the end of Mahabharata war.

The Shiva Lingam at the temple also has a rich past. According to some people, as per Skandapuranam, Lord Brahma personally installed the Shiva Lingam here.

It is believed a dip in the holy tank on the premises of the temple is as good as taking a dip in holy Ganga and sleeping on the temple precincts is like sleeping at Kasi!

There is also a strong belief that a small cave or guha at the holy tank leads all the way to Kasi in Uttar Pradesh.

“A story goes that a rishi Kasi baba, while taking a dip in Ganga at Kasi lost his ‘kamandalam’ (an oblong metal water pot). The baba frantically searched for his lost ‘Kamandalam’ but in vain. The Baba wandered from place to place and came to Jarasangam and it is said that he found the ‘kamandalam’ in a small stream on the premises of this temple. To add to faith, the small cave opening still exists at the tank and a Kasi matam (choultry or resting place) near the temple,” explains Sangaiah Swamy, the temple priest.

Regarding the belief that the tank water has medicinal properties and cures skin diseases, leprosy etc. Sangaiah Swamy narrates another story.

“The water in Amrutha Gundam (holy tank) here is considered as Ashta Teertha or holy water. People believe it has medicinal value. Story goes that once, Kupendra Bhupathi, Maharaja of Kuppanagar, was on a hunting mission in Ketaki vanam (forest) and felt thirsty. He asked a shepherd for water. He showed him a small stream under a stone,” the priest explained.

“The king was suffering from severe skin ailments. When he drank the water, and cleaned his hands with it, the aliments vanished from all parts of his skin where the water touched. The queen Chandrakala Devi noticed this and expressed surprise at the radiant skin of the King. The King told the Queen about the water he took. The Queen was elated. Word spread and a temple was constructed,” he adds.

Newly wedded couples from the families having faith in Ketaki Sangameshwara Swamy temple visit the temple religiously and take a dip in the holy water.

As fame spread far and wide, the temple income too crossed 1 crores per annum and is growing day-by-day.

June 17, 2018

LETTERS LEAVE A RICH LEGACY

C R GOWRI SHANKER

TS Archives preserved docus dating back to the Bahmani, Adil Shah, Qutb Shah and Asaf Jah kingdoms.

Letter by Alluri Seetharama Raju to Bastin, Dy Tahsildar, Gooden Taluq, Krishna Devi Peta.

Hyderabad: Muhammad Adil Shah (1626-1656 AD), the ruler of Bijapur in Karnataka, used to mark his firmans with his right hand impression, besides his official seal.

A firman dated 1643 AD addressed to one Shah Asadullah Hussaini states that he is settling the dispute in his favour as the rightful heir to Hazrat Khwaja Banda Nawaz. These are but two of the firmans, letters and historical documents that are preserved by the Telangana State Archives and Research Institute, Hyderabad.

The documents with the archives date back to the Bahmani, Adil Shah, Qutb Shah and Asaf Jah kingdoms. It also has papers written by Alluri Sitarama Raju and Mahatma Gandhi among other prominent personalities.

Shivaji Rao Holkar, the Raja of Indore, sent a letter to the Nizam VI, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, on January 24, 1891, in flowery English, requesting him to accept a bag of sugar-coated til (sesame seeds) as a token of friendship.

Adil Shah took up construction of the Gol Gumbaz, the world’s biggest single-chamber dome structure, in Bijapur, now Vijayapuri, but passed away before he could complete it.

He wanted to build a mausoleum on a scale grander than the Ibrahim Rauza, the tomb of his father Ibrahim Adil Shah, for himself, according to papers from the archives.

Buried along with the sultan are his two wives, Taj Jahan Begum and Aroos Bibi, his mistress Rambha, his daughter and his grandson. Shivaji Rao Holkar, the Raja of Indore, sent a letter to the Nizam VI, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, on January 24, 1891, in flowery English, requesting him to accept a bag of sugar-coated til (sesame seeds) as a token of friendship. He requested the Nizam to taste the contents on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Proclamation on the abolition of Sati issued by the Nizam VI, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan.

Mahatma Gandhi’s letters, in his own handwriting, are crisp and to the point. 

There are several letters between Gandhi and Nizam VII, Mir Osman Ali Khan, besides others during the pre- and post- independence periods with the archives.

While some of them are in good shape, others need immediate attention if they have to be preserves for posterity. “We have a treasure trove of documents and they are well preserved,” Dr Zareena Praveen, director of the department, told this newspaper.

The oldest document with the archives department, and one of the oldest in the country, is a firman of Feroz Shah Bahmani dated May 14, 1406, granting land as inam to Maulana Mohd Qazi, according to Mr Khaleel, who takes care of the Urdu section. 

Another interesting proclamation is on the abolition of Sati, the practice where women jump into the burning pyre of their husbands, issued by the Nizam VI, Mir Mahbub Ali Pasha. The Nizam took serious note of Sati being continued in some parts of his kingdom despite the ban. 

Reminding the people that his government had issued a proclamation earlier in the name of talukdars, jagirdars, and other officials regarding the prohibition of sati, the Nizam says people are unaware of these proclamations and try to commit Sati due to ignorance, according to the papers with the archives.

“It is now notified that if anybody takes any action in this direction in the future, they will have to face serious consequences. If Taluqdars, Naibs, Jagirdars, Zamidars and others are found careless and negligent in the matter, serious action will be taken against them by the government,” the proclamation dated November 12, 1876, warns.

“We have a huge collection of firmans dating back to the Bahmani, Adil Shah and Qutb Shah kingdoms. There are over one lakh firmans of paper sizes ranging from the present A3 to 3 feet. They are written in indelible ink. Some are in excellent condition. We also have a huge collection of documents from the Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb era,” said Mr Mohd Raqeeb, assistant director, Telangana State Archives and Research Institute.

He added, “Some of the rare documents, firmans, letters and other invaluable material that were gifted to the archives came from 23 private and family collections before 1947. They include the Banda Nawaz collection, the Gulbarga and Inayat Jah collections.

The state archives began with Mughal records which were formerly in the Mughal Central Governor’s Archives (Qila-i-Arak), Aurangabad Fort in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Mughal daftars were set up by Aurangzeb in Aurangabad, one of which was in the Qila-I-Ark in 1695. 

The present archives were established in 1893-94 and slowly grew in size over the years and were shifted from Kurnool to Hyderabad. They are now slated for division due to bifurcation.

                                    FARMAN OF MUHAMMAD ADIL SHAH  1643 A.D

June 10, 2018,

A K MOHANTY FAMILY: LIKE DAD, SO SONS, ALL IPS OFFICERS

C R GOWRI SHANKER

A.K. Mohanty, Avinash, Abhishek believe in being bold, honest and following rule of law.

 Adviser to Governor Ajit Kumar Mohanty, retired IPS officer, along with his sons Avinash and Abishek Mohanty and his wife Rajashree.

Hyderabad: He is an upright IPS officer, a gentleman who rubbed many a politician the wrong way, courted controversy and yet rose to the top.

Mr Ajit Kumar Mohanty, a.k.a. A.K. Mohanty heads the only family with three IPS officers in the state. He feels the IPS is more challenging and satisfying as it can help the people at large.

Tall, suave and slim even at 68, Odisha-born Mohanty, an AP cadre IPS officer of the 1975 batch, served in various capacities in undivided Andhra Pradesh including as Director-General of Police in the 2009 elections. He is presently adviser to Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan.

Like dad, Avinash Mohanty (2005 batch) and Abishek Mohanty (2011) preferred the IPS. Avinash is posted as DCP, Detective Department, in Hyderabad while Abhishek is superintendent of police, Tirupati Urban, Andhra Pradesh.

“IPS was my choice and that of my children. I appeared for the IPS, was selected for the IPS and joined the IPS. Avinash’s merit could have got him the IAS, but he chose the IPS. Abhishek too choose the IPS,” Mr Mohanty told this newspaper.

“They believe the same ethics and values that I believe in. To be bold, honest, have both feet on the ground, follow rule of law, ensure justice and fair play... These are into my family. My wife Rajashree has sacrificed a lot for us”, he said.

Mr Mohanty’s handling of N.T. Rama Rao’s Save Democracy movement in 1984, the communal riots and agitations and the 2009 general elections earned him name and fame. He was appointed DGP by the Election Commission in 2009, but had a 59-day tenure.

Mr Mohanty served in the governments of Dr M. Channa Reddy, Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy, N.T. Rama Rao, Nadendla Bhaskar Rao, N. Chandrababu Naidu, Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy and N. Kiran Kumar Reddy.

“I was comfortable in all the governments. I did my job and they (politicians) did theirs. If you are a man of certain values, ethics and convictions, they (politicians) don’t bother you much. They leave it. If you don’t run after posts and personal favours, you will not have any serious problem in your career,” he said.

Did politicians take him for granted? “Stop blaming politicians. Yes, they ask you to do certain things, but don’t press it too hard if you are convinced that you are doing the right thing in the right way. In Andhra Pradesh, politicians are not vindictive. They may shift you from the post, that’s their compulsion,” Mr Mohanty explains.

He recalled two incidents: “One CM asked me to release some seized lorries. I did not oblige. I convinced him that we were right. He did not press the matter further. Another CM was tense when I took on his ally for wrong doing. I got the hint that I would be shifted. He asked me for my choice of posting. I said ‘give me anything’.”

“They have political compulsions,” Mr Mohanty said, “I don’t have one. I am obliged to the people.”

The veteran cop says the IPS offers a lot more challenges and opportunities. “Peace and order is a must in society. You (IPS) are in a position to help people in distress, create an environment of safety and security. Without that nothing in a society moves,” Mr Mohanty said.

He said the challenges were far too many today, with everything including national integrity, security and economy under threat hence need good police officers.

Interestingly, Mr Mohanty’s father-in-law Damodar Chhotray was an IPS officer of the 1948 batch in Odisha. Mr Mohanty’s father Kahetrabasi Mohanty was a government employee and mother Adarmani a home-maker. The family has four brothers and a sister.

Mr Mohanty, who is also chairman of Kalinga Cultural Trust, was instrumental in the construction of the famed Jagannath Swamy temple in Banjara Hills.

June 3, 2018