Astrologer's India: Venus and SriRangam Temple

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, also known as SriRangam, is notable for many reasons. It is the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world, covering an area on 156 acres. It is first and foremost among the 108 temples known as "Divya Desams", temples visited and glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil literature canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It also boasts the largest gopuram (temple tower) at 237 feet.

It also happens that SriRangam has special astrological significance, and is known as "Sukrasthalam." Prayers to Lord Ranganathar on Fridays can alleviate problems with one's natal Venus, also known as "Venus Dosha."

From the Sri Vaishavam Practices site:

Sukran is the planet which denotes all decorative items known as Alangara such as cosmetics, dresses, ornaments, sandals used in our life. Srirangam is the only temple where one could see the sandals (padhukas) of lord Sri Ranganathar in a storage place known as Kottaram nearby Dhanyalakshmi sannathi inside the temple. It is believed that Lord Sri Ranganatha regularly uses these sandals made by a cobbler, who makes it with due prayers for 48 days penance while observing strict viradam in the banks of river Kaveri, after the Lord himself gives them the measurement in the sands on the river bed. One could notice that those sandals undergoes wear and tear after some time, to prove that Sri Ranganather wear and use these sandals (divine padukas), walking inside the temple. These sandals are replaced every year by devotees. It is noteworthy to mention that Sri Desikan rendered versues known as slokams of 'Sri Ranganathar sahasram' in 1000 versues in praise the divinity of sacred sandals (divine padhukas) of Sri Ranganathar.

Here are some other ways in which SriRangam corresponds to Venus or Sukran, as per Kundandaiamudhan:

SriRangam is also associated with Revati Nakshatra. Lord Ranganathar's birth star is Revathi in Meena rasi (Moon sign as Pisces) in which Sukran is exalted.

Srirangam is also known as "boga mandapam." Venus is known ss the "boga karakan," or cause of enjoyment.

Srirangam has the biggest and tallest Garudan, and the bird Garudan represents Sukra. While Sukran's bird is given as Garuda, his animal is given as crocodile(makara.

The main idol, known as Moolavar, Sri Ranganathar put his feets on a lotus flower while reclining on the spiraling coils of Adisesha. The Lotus flower is the identified with and is a favorite of Venus.

Below is a recording of the Sri Ranganathar Stotram sung by P.B Srinivas:

You can find the text to this stotram here and with english translation here.

Churches and Convents of Goa: UNESCO World Heritage Sites

When one thinks of Goa, one usually thinks of beaches overrun by hippies and other foreign tourists. But the area known as Old Goa is the center of what was a more than 400 year Portuguese stronghold and the bearer of its Catholic traditions and architecture.

Old Goa is now mainly an archaeological site and open air museum. It is hard to imagine that this once was a city of 200,000 inhabitants. A clutter of churches, chapels and convents in different European architectural styles have survived. The churches and convents of Goa, the former capital of the Portuguese Indies, illustrate the evangelization of Asia. These monuments were influential in spreading forms of Manueline, Mannerist and Baroque art in all the countries of Asia where missions were established.

The main buildings are:

St. Catherine’s Chapel

Church and Convent of Francis of Assisi

Sé Cathedral

Basilica of Bom Jesus

Church of Saint Cajetan including the seminary ,li>Church of Our Lady of the Rosary

St. Augustine Tower

The Basilica of Bom Jesus holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier who traveled across Asia as a missionary and died in 1552. In 1542 the Jesuits, who were driven by the ardour of medieval crusaders, arrived in the city and Francis Xavier, one of the founders of the Society of Jesus, rapidly became the patron saint of Goa. The churches in Old Goa aimed to awe the local population into conversion and to impress upon them the superiority of the foreign religion. The facades were accordingly made tall and lofty and the interiors were magnificent, with twisted Bernini columns, decorated pediments, profusely carved and gilded altars, and colourful wall paintings and frescoes. Once every decade his body is taken down for veneration and public viewing.

The Portuguese explorer Alfonso de Albuquerque conquered Goa in 1510 and the Portuguese ruled the territory until 1961. The current churches in Goa date mainly from the Seventeenth century having taken a long time to establish or having replaced earlier structures. The tomb of St Francis Xavier in Bom Jesus was even sculpted in Italy by Foggini and shipped out to Goa in 1698.The main exception is the fortress-like Church of Our Lady of the Rosary which was completed in 1549 on the spot where Alphonse de Albuquerque masterminded his second and successful attempt to capture Goa after his defeat of the Muslim rulers.

If you travel to Goa, be sure to explore these artifacts of India's Portuguese colonial heritage.

Kerala Backwaters: Paradise At Your Fingertips

The Kerala Backwaters are a network of interconnected canals, rivers, lakes and inlets forming a labyrinthine system of waterways. In the midst of this landscape there are a number of towns and cities, which serve as the starting and end points of backwater cruises.

The backwaters have a unique ecosystem - freshwater from the rivers meets the seawater from the Arabian Sea. But what I find most fascinating about the Backwaters is that it is a major form of public transportation from village to village in this region.

Indeed, traversing many of these canals is akin to riding a motorbike through narrow streets in rural neighborhoods. Many homes bank onto the waterways and one can witness the rhythm of daily life - feeding goats, milking cows, etc - in the same manner as when walking down a road in any residential area.

An important feature of the Backwaters experience is the kettuvallams, or the Kerala houseboats, which are prominent tourist attractions in Kerala. The kettuvallams were traditionally used as grain barges, to transport the rice harvested in the fertile fields along the backwaters.

Thatched roof covers over wooden hulls, 100 feet (30 m) in length, provided protection from the elements. At some point in time the boats were used as living quarters by the royalty. Converted to accommodate tourists who generally spend the night, the houseboats have become floating cottages having a sleeping area, with western-style toilets, a dining area and a sitting area on the deck. Food is cooked on board by the accompanying staff .

Kerala has been placed among the '50 Destinations of a lifetime' by National Geographic Traveler. The Backwaters experience is an essential part of any South Indian itinerary.