UNITED RELIGIONS INITIATIVES (URI) NATIONAL ASSEMBLY-2016
ATJAGANATHPURI, ORISSA
URI-7th National
assembly was held on 18th to 21 November,2016 at Jaganathpuri,Orissa. It was
very proud moments to all URI members of the world. 25 delegates participated
from South India. Dr. Abraham Karickom,Secretary General of URI Asia, Prof.
John Kurakar, Global Council Trustee and 13 members from kerala participated.
Mrs. Salle Mahee from USA also participated Kollam based “Zero Limits cc”
received "Sahayog Samman"
National Award by United Religions Initiative for the outstanding performance
in cultivating Peace and Justice. National Assembly team visited Konark Temple,
Jaganath temple, Udyagiri caves temple
and some other historical places on 21 st November. Sun Temple at Konark
in Odisha, India. It is believed that the temple was built by king
Narasimhadeva I of Eastern Ganga Dynasty in 1255 CE. The temple complex is in
the shape of a gigantic chariot, having elaborately carved stone wheels,
pillars and walls. A major part of the structure is now in ruins. The temple is
a UNESCO World Heritage Site[4] and has also featured on various list of Seven
Wonders of India. The temple is 35 km from Puri and 65 km from Bhubaneswar..
The temple was originally built at the mouth of the river Chandrabhaga, but the
waterline has receded since then. The temple has been built in the form of a
giant ornamented chariot of the Sun god, Surya. It has twelve pairs of
elaborately carved stone wheels which are 3 meters[4] wide and is pulled by a
set of seven horses on the right and 3 on the left).[6] The temple follows the
traditional style of Kalinga architecture. It is carefully oriented towards the
east so that the first rays of sunrise strikes the principal entrance.[4] The
temple is built from Khondalite rocks
The greatest
attraction of Puri is the world famous temple of Jagannatha. bhubaneswar , the
capital of Orissa, is also popularly known as the "Temple City of
India". Being the seat of Tribhubaneswar or 'Lord Lingaraj', Bhubaneswar
is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre. Konark-, also known as Arka-Tirtha, is
known for its temple of Lord. Jagannatha is regarded as the supreme god and the
sovereign monarch of the Odishan empire.
Lingaraja Temple is
a Hindu temple dedicated to Harihara, a form of Shiva and Vishnu and is one of
the oldest temples in Bhubaneswar, the capital of the East Indian state of
Odisha. The temple is the most prominent landmark of the Bhubaneswar city and
one of the major tourist attractions of the state
Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves are partly
natural and partly artificial caves of archaeological, historical and religious
importance near the city of Bhubaneswar in Odisha, India. The caves are
situated on two adjacent hills, Udayagiri and Khandagiri, mentioned as Kumari
Parvat in the Hathigumpha inscription. They have a number of finely and
ornately carved caves built during 2nd century BCE. It is believed that most of
these caves were carved out as residential blocks for Jainmonks during the
reign of King Kharavela. Udayagiri means "Sunrise Hill" and has 18
caves while Khandagiri has 15 caves.The caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri,
called lena or leṇa in the inscriptions, were dug out mostly
during the reign of Kharavela for the abode of Jaina ascetics. The most
important of this group is Ranigumpha in Udayagiri which is a double storeyed
monastery.
Prof. John Kurakar
