June 2009

Srirangapatna - Mysore, Karnataka, India

Srirangapatna is a town in Mandya district. It is one of the historic, religious, and cultural hub in Karnataka. Here you will come across the entire town as an island enclosed by river Cauvery. Srirangapatnam was the capital of the Mysore State under Tippu Sultan - The Tiger of Mysore. After the death of Tippu Sultan in 1799 AD, the British shifted the capital back to Mysore. Srirangapatna is around 13km from Mysore.

Places to visit Srirangapatna are:

Sri Ranganathaswamy temple
Dariya Daulat Palace
Tippu's Fort
Gumbaz
Juma Majid
Dungeon

Sri Ranganathaswamy temple:

The Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangapatna is very famous and very old temple. It has the idol of Lord Vishnu as Ranganatha. Ranganatha is portrayed as reclining on the bed of Aadi Sesha. Ranganayaki Thaayaar is enshrined in the north west corner of the temple. The architecture is a mixture of the Hoysala and Vijayanagar styles. It is built by the Gangas in 9th century, later improved by the Hoysala and Vijayanagar kings. The Lakshadweepotsava, when one lakh lamps are lit during Makara Sankranthi is a sight to behold.

Temple timings: 7:30 am - 1 pm, 4 pm - 8 pm

The Dariya Daulat Palace :

Tipu Sultan popularly known as the "Tiger of Mysore", built this wooden palace in 1784. The palace is built in the Indo-Sarcenic style. This is the summer palace of Tipu, this beautiful Palace built mainly of teakwood. The walls of the Palace are covered with colorful pictures. The outer walls of the palace have frescoes of the battle scenes and portraits. The inner walls are decorated with scrolls of thin foliage and floral patterns. The wooden ceilings of the palace are pasted with canvas painted with floral patterns. The summer Palace of Tipu Sultan, built fully by wood is today a museum devoted to Tipu Sultan. oil paintings, pencil sketches, aquatints, engravings, coins, medals, costumes, furniture, arms, plenty of historical datas of Hyder Ali and Tipu's conquest etc are exhibited in the museum. The museum has the famous painting "Storming of Srirangapattanam" an oil painting by Sir Robert Ker Porter made in 1800. This historical painting depicts the final fall of Srirangapatana on 4th May 1799.

Timings: 9 am - 5 pm

Tippu's Fort:

In Battle of Srirangapatam , Tipu Sultan was killed within the fort of Srirangapatana, the spot where he ultimately fell is marked by a memorial. Lalmahal - Tipu's residence was also housed within the Srirangapatna Fort (Tipu's Palace). But it was completely demolished by the British, and the spot is today marked.

Juma Majid :

Tippu built this Juma Majid at Srirangapatna as well. This mosque has tall lofty minarets.There is an inscription mentioning the ninety-nine names of Allah and another records the date of its construction by Tippu in 1787 A.D.

Gumbaz :

The tombs of Tippu Sultan, his father Hyder Ali, mother Fathima Begum and sons of tipu are laid out in the Gumbaz. This is a major tourist attraction because of its architecture and craftsmanship. The importance of Gumbaz lies in its well-shaped large dome, ivory inlaid doors, carved stone windows of fine workmanship and inscriptions.

Dungeon:

It is the underground prison, here you can see hooks on the walls to which the prisoners hands were chained.

Lovely Flowers - Way to Success

Hi Friends, I am the Flower. Im the beautiful and gorgeous creature in the World. Im very proud to be like that. But my life time is 1 or 2 days, but i won't worry for that. Within that short duration i'll make others happy. First of all i'll be happy! But human beings are having 6 senses and proper lifetime. Think, by keeping this how many good things you can do for others!!! Don't worry, Be Happy, Be confident, Be Honest, Help others, say thanks to God daily.

Try out your ideas by visualizing them in action

Goals must be under our control. We need targets and directions upon which to focus our efforts

The world makes way for the man, who knows where he is going

To dream anything that you want to dream, that is the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do, that is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself, to test your limits, that is the courage to succeed

Achieving a short-term goal is like winning a game, but achieving a long-term goal is like winning the tournament

Set positive goals and reasonable expectation

The first and most important step toward success is the feeling that we can succeed

Great achievements begin with small opportunities

Success is the journey, not a destination

Many receive advice, only the wise profit from it

Desert Growing Plants

Deserts are the home to many living things. Desert plants often look different than other plants. Desert plants have two main adaptations:

Ability to collect and store water

Features that reduce water loss

Most desert plants grow far apart and their roots extend out so that each plant can get water and minerals from a large area. Other desert plants have roots that extend deep into the ground to obtain water from deep beneath the ground.

When it rains, cactuses and other succulent (juicy) plants take up as much water as possible and store it in their leaves and stems which will provide the water they need during the dry months. Their waxy leaves and stems also slow down water loss through transpiration.

Other plants survive by shedding their leaves in dry periods to reduce water loss. Some plants have pin-like leaves to reduce water loss.

Barrel Cactus:
The pleated shape of the Barrel Cactus allows it to expand when it rains and store water in its spongy tissue. It shrinks in size during dry times as it uses the stored water.

The Prickly Pear Cactus: The prickly pear cactus grows up to 7 feet tall. It has circular pads arising from a thick, round trunk. The pads are actually fast growing stems. This cactus grows in a upright position with pads sticking out at all angles covered with barbed spin. The pads are four to six inches long, 9 inches wide, and .75 inches thick. The pads are very course and covered with spines. There are flowers located on the pads of the cactus.

Saguaro:
The Saguaro grows very slowly, perhaps an inch a year, but to a great height, 15 to 50 feet.

Old Man Cactus:
Hair on the leaves of plants helps to reduce the evaporation of moisture from the surface of leaves by reflecting sunlight and inhibiting air movement.

Some other photos of desert plants are:

Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay Flowers, California, USA

"Great minds discuss idea, mediocre minds discuss events, small minds discuss people"

"The mould of a man's fortune is in his own hands"

"Successful businesses are the result of courageous decisions"

"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is true"

"There are two things to aim at in life, first, to get what you want and after that to enjoy it,only wisest of mankind achieve the second"

"Love is the most important ingredient of success. Without it, your life echoes emptiness. With it, your life vibrates warmth and meaning"

"Success is not the matter of desire, but the product of hardwork"

"The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem and turned it into an opportunity"

"The first and most important step toward success is the feeling is that we can succeed"

Definition for Colors using Flowers

Colors: The science of color is sometimes called chromatics. Color can influence our emotions, our actions and how we respond to various people, things and ideas. Much has been studied and written about color and its impact on our daily lives.

Pink: Pink is the color of universal love. Pink is a quiet color. Pink provides feelings of caring, tenderness, self-worth love and acceptance.

Purple: Purple also considered a color of royalty and nobility in ancient symbolism. Incorporate violet flowers in your life as a symbol of faith, and a reminder that nobility of the heart is the greatest aspiration.

Yellow: Yellow is full of creative and intellectual energy. Yellow symbolizes wisdom. Yellow means joy and happiness.

Blue: Blue is the coolest color - the color of the sky, ocean, etc. A pure blue is the color of inspiration, sincerity and spirituality. Gather up a bunch of blue flowers when you need a boost of inspiration.

Green: Green is the color of nature, fertility, life. Grass green is the most restful color. Green symbolizes self-respect and well being. Green is the color of balance. It also means learning, growth and harmony.

Orange: Orange is a power color. It is one of the healing colors. It also stimulates enthusiasm and creativity.

Red: Red is the warmest of all colors. Red is a very emotionally intense color. Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Send red flowers to someone who needs a jolt of energy – this shock of color is sure to get their engines revving!

White: White is the color of purity, Cleansing, Healing and Clarity. White means kindness.

Brown: Brown is the color of the earth and is associated with the material side of life. People who prefer brown are often conventional and orderly.

Orchids - "The God's Flower"

Orchids belongs to the Orchidacae family, with all the difference in size, shape, colour and scent. A majority of orchids are perennial epiphytes, which grow anchored to trees or shrubs in the tropics and subtropics. Other species are lithophytes, growing on rocks or very rocky soil, or are terrestrial. Nearly all temperate orchids are terrestrial. Orchids are one of the most fascinating, beautiful and peculiar variety among the flowering plants.

Orchids generally have simple leaves with parallel veins. The seeds are generally almost microscopic and very numerous. Some species of orchids may flower two or three times a year and some flower annually. It is estimated that there are about 25,000 species of orchids in the world. The most famous orchid in the world is the vanilla orchid (planifolia). Both the seeds and surrounding pulp within the seed pod of the Vanilla orchid are used to make the extremely popular flavoring vanilla extract.

Orchids are grown for the astonishing beauty and variety of their flowers. Most white orchids are pollinated by night-flying moths, colourful orchids usually by bees and the smaller orchids by mosquitoes. Of the many orchid varieties, the Phalaenopsis, Cymbidium and Dendrobium orchids are the most popular types. Orchids are identified by their flowers, whose structure is always complex, designed to attract pollinating insects.

The basic orchid flower is composed of three sepals and three petals, with the medial petal usually modified and enlarged (then called the labellum or lip), forming a platform near the center of the corolla. In many orchids, the sepals are colored and generally resemble the petals. The reproductive organs in the centre (stamens and pistil) have been transformed into a structure called the column.

Hobby growers should try growing hybrids of Phalaenopsis, Paphiopedilum, Dendrobium, Oncidium, Vanda and Epidendrum. Out of about a thousand species of orchids in India, over 600 are to be found in Arunachal Pradesh alone, hence this state can rightly be called as "Orchid Paradise". The National Orchid Garden in the Singapore Botanic Gardens is considered by some to be among the finest collections of orchids in cultivation open to the public.

Orchids can impart a wide variety of messages, but historically the meanings of orchids have included wealth, love, and beauty. In Victorian England orchids took on the mantle of luxury. No doubt this image stems from the fact that these flowers are hard to find anywhere but tropical places. Anyone during this era who could afford to buy these exotic blooms would have to be a rich person. Orchids still have a connotation of luxury as they are still hard to find and exotic.