Vanakkam - 2016

There is a scientific reason behind the ‘Vanakkam - Namaskar’ in Tamil culture. Joining both hands ensures touching the tips of all the fingers together, which are linked to pressure points in the eyes, ears, and mind. Pressing them together is said to activate these, helping us remember that person for a long time. 
-Tamilan

Wish You Happy New Year 2016

Tamilan

Year Ending Pressure

A man was waiting to cross the highway but was hesitant because of speeding cars.

Suddenly Yamadharma appeared & said, "Man, why are you afraid like this..? You are going to live till 90 year of age. Don't let such little things scare you ever."

The man moved forward with new courage, got hit by the first car and died.

In Heaven, he asked the yamadharma as to why did he lie. 

The yamadharma answered, "Sorry man, year-ending pressure buddy, had to achieve my targets..!!" 

Sacrifice Of Goats To God

In all the ancient religions of the world, the ritual of animal sacrifice has remained a great means of attaining the nearness of the Almighty. In India, Goddess Kali is known to favor animal sacrifices—goats in particular. Killing a goat in her name is believed to relieve one of negative emotions such as fear, anger, and jealousy.

There is no scientific explanations behind this tradition apart from having a feast. Sadly this is still in practice in most of the parts in India. Can we justify the act of killing animals for whatever superstitious belief is been passed on ?

Tamilan

Time Pass Mani Jokes -1

Mani went to court

JUDGE:

"Order ! Order !"

Mani:

"1 Pizza, 2 Dosa, 3 Idli & 1 Cold-drink !"

JUDGE:

"Shut Up !"

Mani:"No,No..7-Up!

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Nithya owned a factory.

He issued orders that only married

men would be employed.

Dhanalakshmi asks: Why this ?

Nithya reply:

Because married men are more obedient.

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In an African Safari, A LION suddenly bounced on Mani's wife.

WIFE-Shoot him! Shoot him!
Mani-Yes Yes. I'm changing d battery of my camera..

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Mani: Look a thief has entered our kitchen

and he is eating the cake I made.

Palaniappan: Whom should I call now,

Police or Ambulance?

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Maths Teacher Was Teaching
Mathematical Conversions

Teacher-If

1000 Kgs= Ton.

Then

For 3000 Kgs
=How Much?

Jayaraj-

Ton!Ton!Ton!

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Rajapandi-What Is Difference

Between COFFEE Shop & WINE Shop?

Mani-COFFEE Shop Is The

Starting Point Of LOVE & WINE Shop Is Last Point Of LOVE

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Tamilan

Walking Under A Ladder Is Bad Luck

There are a couple of theories about this superstitious belief. Many Christians are believers in the Trinity—that God is made up of three parts, the Holy Father, the Holy Son, and the Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit). A ladder leaning up against a building was seen as a triangle of these three. To walk through this triangle was seen as breaking the Trinity and hence considered as bad luck. Indian origin of the superstition was a bit less specific, and had to do with the similarities between a ladder leaning against a wall and a gallows. However the fact is that, it is simply unsafe to walk under the ladder and you may get hurt or might hurt someone around by knocking the ladder down.

 -Tamilan

10000-year-old-depictions-of-ancient-aliens-and-ufos-discovered-in-india-archaeologists-say

According to archaeologists these ancient rock carvings represent 10,000-year-old depictions of ancient aliens and UFOs.

Scientists are now trying to unravel the mystery behind the curious paintings and seek help from NASA, ISRO (Indian Space Research Center) and other archaeologists in order to learn more about the origin of these carvings.

The rock paintings were discovered in caves located about 130 kilometers from Raipur, the capital city of the state of Chhattisgarh, India. According to Times Of India, archaeologist JR Bhagat says these paintings depict aliens in spacesuits.

“The findings suggest that humans in prehistoric times may have seen or imagined beings from other planets which still create curiosity among people and researchers. Extensive research is needed for further findings. Chhattisgarh presently doesn’t have any such expert who could give clarity on the subject,” Bhagat told .

There are several beliefs among locals in these villages. While few worship the paintings, others narrate stories they have heard from ancestors about “rohela people” – the small sized ones – who used to land from sky in a round shaped flying object and take away one or two persons of village who never returned.

“The paintings are done in natural colors that have hardly faded despite the years.

The strangely carved figures are seen holding weapon-like objects and do not have clear features.

Specially, the nose and mouth are missing. In few pictures, they are even shown wearing space suits.

We can’t refute possibility of imagination by prehistoric men but humans usually fancy such things,” the archaeologist said.

He added that it is a co-incidence that such ancient images appear to have sharp resemblance to UFOs shown in alien movies.

“The fan-like antenna and three legs of vehicle’s stand clearly show a similarity to UFO type craft,” he said.

As you can see on the image above, the depiction shows someone wearing a helmet. This could be a 10,000 year-old cave painting of an ancient astronaut who visite our planet in the remote past.

As described in MessageToEagle’s article Flying Machines Soaring Through Ancient Sky Of India, several ancient texts like Yajurveda, Mahabharata, Samarangana Sutradhara, Rigweda, Ramayana and even older ones relate the presence of advanced extraterrestrial beings in prehistory. India was the country of flying machines known as Vimanas that were frequently visible in the ancient skies. It therefore seems logical to assume that ancient people who witnessed these alien visitors made depictions of them.

However, what might seem confusing at this point is why Indian archaeologists believe help from NASA and ISRO can cast more light on these 10,000-year-old cave paintings.

-Tamilan

Do Not Sweep The House After Sunset

This is another common myth in Tamilnadu. If you sweep your house after sunset Lakshmi will walk out of the house and hence inviting poverty.

But the real reason behind this is back in the days when there was no electricity, light of lamp was not enough to spot any small gold ornaments while sweeping and hence chances of sweeping them away with the dust is high. Hence it was not advised to sweep after dark.

-Tamilan

Funny and Interesting Facts 2

1. Money notes are not made from paper, they are made mostly from a special blend of cotton and linen. In 1932, when a shortage of cash occurred in Tenino, Washington, USA, notes were made out of wood for a brief period.
2. The Grammy Awards were introduced to counter the threat of rock music. In the late 1950s, a group of record executives were alarmed by the explosive success of rock ‘n roll, considering it a threat to "quality" music.
3. Tea is said to have been discovered in 2737 BC by a Chinese emperor when some tea leaves accidentally blew into a pot of boiling water. The tea bag was introduced in 1908 by Thomas Sullivan of New York.
4. Over the last 150 years the average height of people in industrialised nations has increased 10 cm (about 4 inches). In the 19th century, American men were the tallest in the world, averaging 1,71m (5'6"). Today, the average height for American men is 1,75m (5'7"), compared to 1,77 (5'8") for Swedes, and 1,78 (5'8.5") for the Dutch. The tallest nation in the world is the Watusis of Burundi.
5. In 1955 the richest woman in the world was Mrs Hetty Green Wilks, who left an estate of $95 million in a will that was found in a tin box with four pieces of soap. Queen Elizabeth of Britain and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands count under the 10 wealthiest women in the world.
6. Joseph Niepce developed the world's first photographic image in 1827. Thomas Edison and W K L Dickson introduced the film camera in 1894. But the first projection of an image on a screen was made by a German priest. In 1646, Athanasius Kircher used a candle or oil lamp to project hand-painted images onto a white screen.
7. In 1935 a writer named Dudley Nichols refused to accept the Oscar for his movie The Informer because the Writers Guild was on strike against the movie studios. In 1970 George C. Scott refused the Best Actor Oscar for Patton. In 1972 Marlon Brando refused the Oscar for his role in The Godfather.
8. The system of democracy was introduced 2 500 years ago in Athens, Greece. The oldest existing governing body operates in Althing in Iceland. It was established in 930 AD.
9. A person can live without food for about a month, but only about a week without water.
   If the amount of water in your body is reduced by just 1%, you'll feel thirsty.
   If it's reduced by 10%, you'll die.
10. According to a study by the Economic Research Service, 27% of all food production in Western nations ends up in garbage cans. Yet, 1,2 billion people are underfed - the same number of people who are overweight.
11. Camels are called "ships of the desert" because of the way they move, not because of their transport capabilities. A Dromedary camel has one hump and a Bactrian camel two humps. The humps are used as fat storage. Thus, an undernourished camel will not have a hump. 
12. In the Durango desert, in Mexico, there's a creepy spot called the "Zone of Silence." You can't pick up clear TV or radio signals. And locals say fireballs sometimes appear in the sky.
13. Ethernet is a registered trademark of Xerox, Unix is a registered trademark of AT&T.
14. Bill Gates' first business was Traff-O-Data, a company that created machines which recorded the number of cars passing a given point on a road.
15. Uranus' orbital axis is tilted at 90 degrees.
16. The final resting-place for Dr. Eugene Shoemaker - the Moon. The famed U.S. Geological Survey astronomer, trained the Apollo astronauts about craters, but never made it into space. Mr. Shoemaker had wanted to be an astronaut but was rejected because of a medical problem. His ashes were placed on board the Lunar Prospector spacecraft before it was launched on January 6, 1998. NASA crashed the probe into a crater on the moon in an attempt to learn if there is water on the moon.
17. Outside the USA, Ireland is the largest software producing country in the world.
18. The first fossilized specimen of Australopithecus afarenisis was named Lucy after the paleontologists' favorite song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," by the Beatles.
19. Figlet, an ASCII font converter program, stands for Frank, Ian and Glenn's LETters.
20. Every human spent about half an hour as a single cell.
21. Every year about 98% of atoms in your body are replaced.
22. Hot water is heavier than cold.
23. Plutonium - first weighed on August 20th, 1942, by University of Chicago scientists Glenn Seaborg and his colleagues - was the first man-made element.
24. If you went out into space, you would explode before you suffocated because there's no air pressure.
25. The radioactive substance, Americanium - 241 is used in many smoke detectors.
26. The original IBM-PCs, that had hard drives, referred to the hard drives as Winchester drives. This is due to the fact that the original Winchester drive had a model number of 3030. This is, of course, a Winchester firearm.
    

Crows Are Referred As Our Ancestors

Crow is the vahana of shani who represents the karmas of past. We are indebted to our ancestors who have given us birth. So offering food to crow is regards as pacifying the hunger of ancestors where ever and whichever form they are reborn. It is believed that crows are being related to our ancestors since the ‘treta yuga’.

As per this popular legend, once Jayant the Son of God Indra, disguised in the form of crow and hurt Sita. In turn God Rama took hay and used it as an arrow and parted one of the eyes of Jayant. After realizing his mistake, Jayant asked for God Rama’s forgiveness. Then Rama forgave him and blessed him with a boon that when food is offered to the crows that will reach the ancestors.

 -Tamilan

The Tanjore (Thanjavur) Temple is not Built by Aliens But Tamilans who Respect their Gods

The city is believed to have been named after an asur (demon)  Rakshas Tanjan who was annihilated by Bhagwan Vishnu. Locals say that the city gets its name from ‘Than-sei-oor’, which means a place surrounded by rivers and green paddy fields. Several hundreds of years ago  Tanjore was initially developed and maintained by Chola dynasty (சோழர்) with rigorous hardwork and for selfless bhakti, love towards Bhagwan Shiv. That is the main reason that Tanjore is lush green, lavishly spread with good water facilities and palm forests.  Hindu RajaRaja Chola was proponent of fresh environment and cared for nature, to let divine opulence flow through Tanjore and other nearby cities developed by him and his heirs.  There are many places, structures and ancient establishments developed with Vedic engineering that are considered mysterious as it is seen with the paradigm of vested western mindset.  Bhagwan Shiv Mandir, Thanjavur or famously corrupted by english as the Tanjore big temple is one of the most mysterious dharmic structure around.

Though the construction is not mystery for Tamilans (native Indians), it is indeed mysterious for westerners due to their myopic and biased assessment of Vedic structures, that’s the reason why they wrongly connote this great structure as mysterious and an alien establishment. Whenever western scientists, archaeologists were unable to decipher divine structures of Hindu temples; they conveniently blanketed it as alien technology to save their faces from the embarrassment and logical explanation. The illicit representation of Hindu structures by such concocted and primitive scientists divulge the cunning ploy of denying existence of Vedic gods as the Supreme Beings and labeling them as lords or common alien beings. While the same logic is not applied for humans of mere 2000 year old jesus or illiterate looter mohammed who existed just 1400 years ago – while Vedic structures showcased the divine technology of Hindus, thousands of years ago when these anti-Vedic beings were not even in the wombs !

The construction of the world’s first known and only shallow Shiv temple built by interlocking stones and not by binding them is still a great mystery to the people of world who are devoid of knowledge based on Vedas and ancient Hindu texts. With the blessing of Shiv Shankar Tamil King RajaRaja Chola.

Interesting Facts About the Brihadeeshwara Temple of Tanjore

A study in Oriental architecture or history is certainly incomplete without a mention of the Tanjore Brihadeeshwara Temple or the Tanjore Periya Kovil (Big Temple). This imposing structure was built by Raja Raja Cholan and his sister Kundavai, both ardent devotees of Lord Shiva. It was constructed by the King at the height of the Chola reign to signify his power and strength. Here are a few facts not known about this Chola temple of Thanjavur:

a) The original name of the deity was Rajarajeshwar. It was the Marathas who gave it the name Brihadeeshwara or the Great Ishwara.
b) The main temple is entirely built of granite. More than 130,000 tons of granite is said to have been used to build it.
c) A long associated myth with this temple temple is that the shadow of the main structure does not fall on the ground. However, this has been proven wrong by scientists.
d) The statue of Nandi at the entrance of the temple is carved out of a single stone.
e) The main Vimanam, which is at about 200 feet is often called Dakshin Meru or Southern Meru.
f) The inspiration to build the temple came to Raja Raja Cholan during his visit to Sri Lanka and is a result of a dream he had.
g) The temple has a portrait of Raja Raja Cholan paying obeisance to Lord Natarajar. This is undoubtedly, the first ever instance of a royal portrait.
h) Inscriptions in the temple point towards Kunjara Mallan Raja Raja Perunthachan as the chief architect of the temple. His successors survive to this day and practice the art of Vastu or Vastu Shastra.
i) Depictions of nartakis or dancers showing eighty one of hundred and eight karanas (synchronised movements of hands and feet) in Bharata Natyam are carved here. These karanas are a part of karanas mentioned in the Natya Shastra of Bharata Muni or Sage Bharata. There is also evidence that the temple was a platform for talented dancers to showcase their talent. These depictions are first of their kind.
j) The inscriptions also mention the different kinds of jewels used in the period. Each of these jewels are mentioned in detail. A total of twenty three different types of pearls, eleven varieties of diamonds and rubies are mentioned in these inscriptions.

What astounds historians is that there was not a single granite quarry in about 100 km radius of the temple. This means that transporting these stones would have been a herculean task. But Raja Raja Cholan insisted on the use of these stones. All of these features make this Chola temple of Tanjore, a magnum opus of the Chola reign.

-Tamilan the Great

Breaking Mirror Brings 7 Years Bad Luck

During old times, mirrors were not cheap and they were low quality and easily defected. In order to avoid negligence it was told that breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck. That was simple scare tactic. Tamilans were the one who tagged to the broken mirror a sign of seven years bad luck. The length of the prescribed misfortune came from the ancient Tamilan belief that it took seven years for life to renew itself. If the person looking into the mirror were not of good health, their image would break the mirror and the run of bad luck would continue for the period of seven years, at the end of which their life would be renewed, their body would be physically rejuvenated, and the curse would be ended.
-Tamilan

Twitching Of The Eye Is Inauspicious

Twitching of the left eye is considered to be either a bad or a good omen, depending upon which culture we are referring to. These superstitions take into account the gender and the part of the eye in which the twitching is observed as well. Eye twitching or the sudden involuntary movement or spasms in the eyelids is a common condition. Although there is an established explanation for these constant or intermittent involuntary muscle twitches, including various medical reasons behind them. Apparently, these twitches are nature’s way of warning a person about some impending  problem or indicative of some good news on the way.

 -Tamilan

Funny and Interesting Facts

1. It is impossible to lick your elbow (busted)
2. A crocodile can't stick it's tongue out.
3. A shrimp's heart is in it's head.
4. People say "Bless you" when you sneeze because when you sneeze,your heart stops for a mili-second.
5. In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of 80 years, no one reported a single case where an ostrich buried its head in the sand.
6. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.
7. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit. (busted?)
8. More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call.
9. Rats and horses can't vomit.
10. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib.
11. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.
12. If you keep your eyes open by force when you sneeze, you might pop an eyeball out.
13. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.
14. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.
15. In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman somewhere.
16. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
17. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married.
18. A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
19. 23% of all photocopier faults worldwide are caused by people sitting on them and photocopying their butts.
20. In the course of an average lifetime you will, while sleeping, eat 70 assorted insects and 10 spiders.
21. Most lipstick contains fish scales.
22. Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different.
23. Over 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow.
24. A crocodile can't move its tongue and cannot chew. Its digestive juices are so strong that it can digest a steel nail.

Opening An Umbrella Inside The House

Restriction of opening umbrella inside house had a sensible reason back in the days. The umbrellas were built with hard metal spokes and spring triggerson , which could be dangerous to open. In fact, opening one indoors could pose a danger to people and fragile objects nearby.

Warning people not to open an umbrella indoors served to protect the health and safety of people and property indoors. Later this was considered as “bad luck” considering the injuries and broken objects, which often coincided with the umbrella’s opening.

-Tamilan

Fallen Hair Around The House Will Bring Fight In Your Family

The myth is that if you throw fallen hair inside the house instead of binning it, soon you will see a fight within your family. Well, who would like to pick up a quarrel at home?

But the real reason behind this superstition is if you leave the fallen hair inside the house it may end up falling inside the food when the wind blows.

Tamilan

Adding One Rupee To A Gift Sum Is Auspicious

It is common in India to give money for weddings and auspicious occasions. It is considered auspicious to add a rupee to the sum total.

There are various reasons, for some, it is a blessing, a token of love and luck. For some it is the beginning of a new cycle. For some it makes the sum an odd number and indivisible which is a good omen for the married couple. If the rupee is not added the sum total will be separable or it will end in zero which indicates the end, so adding the rupee will make the number odd hence assuring continuity.

-Tamilan

Bats Entering The House Brings Death

The fact that few species of bat drinks blood does not help to the superstitious beliefs revolving around them. There is an old myth that if a bat enters the house or flies around the house for three times or more then death is waiting for someone in the family. There are many different myths associated with the bats in different countries and culture which adds up to bats being an bad omen.

The real reason behind the bats entering the hose brings death is because of the disease transmitted by bats were deadly back in the days when there was no medicines for these disease. Rabies, Nipah, Hendra, Ebola and Marburg are all viruses carried by bats that can cause serious disease in humans. Marburg virus and some strains of Ebola virus can kill up to 80-90% of humans infected.

-Tamilan

Lizard Falling On Human Is Bad Luck

Every movement of the wall lizard holds some significance according to Gowli Shastra in India. The colour, spots, stripes, chirping or twittering of the lizard and where it falls on a person’s body are said to indicate future happenings. However the fact is that, lizards that are poisonous in  nature release poisonous chemicals from their body in order to protect them from their enemies. If such lizard comes in contact of a person’s body or falls in a food item like milk etc. then is bound to make it contaminated. One should wash that particular spot and area to avoid infectious disease.

 -Tamilan

Lighting Camphor In Front Of Idol – Sight Sense Activated

The inner core of the temple is usually dark where the idol is placed. You usually close your eyes to pray and when you open your eyes you should see the camphor which was lit to do the Aarthi in front of the idol. This light seen inside the dark activates your sight sense.

The other reason of lighting camphor is for the idol to absorb the heat and vibrate within the Garbhagudi for certain period.

-Tamilan

Time Pass Mani Jokes

Pooja had been talking on the phone for about half an hour, and then she hung up.

"Wow!," said her father, "That was short. You usually talk for two hours. What happened?"

"Wrong number," replied the Pooja.

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Palaniappan: Why are you crying? 
Jayaraj: The elephant is dead. 
Palaniappan: Was he your pet? 
Jeyaraj: No, but I'm the one who must dig his grave. 

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Teacher: "Nick, what is the past participle of the verb to ring?" 
Mani: "What do you think it is, Sir?" 
Teacher: "I don't think, I KNOW!" 
Mani: "I don't think I know either, Sir!"

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 A teacher asked a student to write 55. 

Mani asked: How? 
Teacher: Write 5 and beside it another 5! 
Main wrote 5 and stopped. 
teacher: What are you waiting for? 
Mani: I don't know which side to write the other 5! 

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Son: Dad, what is an idiot? 
Mani: An idiot is a person who tries to explain his ideas in such a strange and long way that another person who is listening to him can't understand him. Do you understand me? 
Son: No.

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Mani: I could go to the end of the world for you. 
Manimozhi Devi: Yes, but would you stay there?

Mani: I offer you myself.
Manimozhi Devi: I am sorry I never accept cheap gifts.

Mani: I want to share everything with you.
Manimizhi Devi: Let's start from your bank account. 

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Teacher: Why are you late? 
Mani: There was a man who lost a hundred dollar bill. 
Teacher: That's nice. Were you helping him look for it? 
Mani: No. I was standing on it. 

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Lighting 3 Cigarettes With One Matchstick

‘Three on a match rule’ apparently was a tale told to the young ones after the World War 1. When it was night and you lit a pipe or cigarette if you lit three people off the same match a sniper would have time to zero in and he would kill the third man. Would you want the enemy knowing exactly where to lob a grenade because you lit the pathway for him? This story was twisted around as the time passed by and considered to be bad luck.

So folks, as long as you are not in war zone you are safe to light three cigarettes. Oh, hang on you are not safe until you quit smoking technically.

Do Not Leave A Dead Person’s Eye Open

This is a very common superstitious belief in India,  if a dead person’s eyes is left open it is believed that the other soul around the dead body will be taken away with him through his eyes. But the real reason behind this is to make the dead person look as if he is sleeping peacefully and nothing more or less.

Bells in temples

People ring the temple bell on entering as the sound of it is said to clear our mind and help us stay sharp, keeping our full concentration on devotion. Moreover, these bells are made in such a way that the sound they produce creates unity in the left and right parts of our brains. The duration of the bell echo is ideal to activate all the seven healing centres in our body, clearing us of negativity.
-Tamilan

Menstruating Women Are Considered Impure And Unclean

In India, menstruating women are considered impure and unclean. This, of course, gives rise to many superstitious beliefs. Women who are menstruating are not allowed to enter the kitchen. They are also supposed to stay away from temples, mosques and all religious spots in the house itself. A woman on her period is not allowed to perform regular household duties like cooking food. Some might argue that the reason behind this superstition is scientific, and that a woman menstruating loses a lot of blood and thus becomes weak and must refrain from strenuous activities. Others claim that there is nothing scientific in this belief and it is just another superstition created to subordinate the position of women in society

-Tamilan

Pregnant Women Not Allowed To Go Out During Eclipse

In India it is believed that during an eclipse one must not wander out, since it is believed that the Sun is swallowed up by the demon. Pregnant women, especially, must stay indoors in order to ensure that their babies are not born with any deformities. In fact, pregnant women are often not allowed to sew or cut vegetables during an eclipse. Some families avoid cooking and eating altogether during an eclipse. However, the reason behind some of these superstitions can be scientific. For example, one should actually avoid going out during an eclipse in order to keep away from the harmful UV rays.
-Tamilan