The Svarna Project

When we think of the imperial age in India, the only thing which comes to our mind is the grandeur of Indian forts and the various battles fought for annexation of land. But during those times, there existed thinkers who would want to gain knowledge beyond human capacity. The Jantar Mantar built in 1734 by Maharaja Jai Singh (II) stands as a significance of astronomical advancements in the early ages. The Jantar Mantar observatory was set up to compile astronomical tables and track the movement of The Sun, moon and other planets. It is an expression of the astronomical skills and cosmological concepts of the court of a scholarly prince at the end of the Mughal period. The placement of this equinoctial sundial was made so accurately, that the instruments are aligned parallel to Earth's axis and also parallel to the plane of the Equator. The Brihat Samrat Yantra is known to predict the local time within a span of two seconds and is declared as a World Heritage...

Origin   Rajput Art or also known as the Rajasthani Art had its origin dated back to the pre-historic era in the 12th century but from the 15th century the Rajasthani painting style developed independently from Apbhransh style which was prevalent style of Jain Granths. Mughal paintings emerged from Persian Miniature Painting and was developed in the courts of Mughal Empire of 16th to 18th century. The two famous Iranian painters who started Mughal art were Mir Sayyad Ali and Khwaja Abdus Samad. Painting Style The commonly acquired themes of Rajput Paintings were events of EPICS like Mahabharata, Ramayana and depiction of Krishna’s life. The paintings were often politically charged and commented on the social values of those times. The unique Rajput style of painting also include the manipulation of space which includes the inclusion of fuller spaces to emphasize the lack of boundaries and inseparability of characters and landscapes. The Mughal style of paint...

The widely known, and widely loved game, snakes and ladders, originates from the the small houses made of clay in our tiny villages. Originally known as moksha pattam, it emphasises on the philosophy of karma, and how luck and will intertwine and together mould our life. The board was covered with symbolic images, the top featuring gods, angels, and majestic beings. The ladders represented the good deeds, i.e. charity, generosity, kindness, honesty. And the snakes represented hatred, jealousy, lust, and the rest of the major sins known to man. Then came the Britishers, who modified the game and cleared the Indian roots associated with it, adapting it to “Snakes and Ladders”. The same game that is today played by children and adults of all ages and all communities, is credited to no one but our ancestors, belonging to the 2nd Century Ancient India. ~ sp

 Mother Nature is a master sculptor and in no place that is more evident than at Jatayu Nature Park, Chadayamangalam, Kollam, Kerela. The world's largest bird sculpture stands at 300m above sea level and occupies 15,000 square feet. The construction aimed at protecting the rock and preserving the nature around it as nothing dominates the Rock and the sculpture is designed to be a part of the landscape. The Jatayu Nature Park has an inbuilt museum and a multidimensional theatre which displays the epic battle between Ravan and Jatayu with outdoor rock adventures. Depicted from the Ramayana, when Ravan abducted Sita, the demi-god Jatayu tried to fight Ravan but it's wing was cut off and the legend says he fell on the rocks of Chadayamangalam.  In a society where women are not allowed to go on roads late at night or is judged upon by the people on the clothes she wear, this sculpture signifies women's safety and honour. -Raahil Sheikh (The fact that even mythology...

Welcome to the world of tablas, violins, harmoniums, and melodies. And also unemployment, poverty, and extinction. I’m talking about Indian Classical Music.  The artists in this field often find themselves on the brink of poverty, unappreciated, undervalued, and no longer being treated as Gurus, despite being the most talented individuals of our country. Indian classical music, is exactly how I want to represent my country. Soulful, charismatic, and having no boundaries between religions and communities.  Bandish Bandits does the same. Shankar Mahadevan, Shivam Mahadevan, Ajoy Chakraborty, Javed Ali, Mohammed Aman, Farid Hassan, Sameer Samant, have beautifully played their part, and the director Anand Tiwari has showcased their voices in the best possible manner. Indian Classical Music, and I cannot emphasise enough, has the power and the ability to reach heights no other music can, or will be able to. It forms the basis for all kinds of music, even the pop songs y...

Belur Math The greatest help to spiritual life is meditation (Dhyâna). In meditation we divest ourselves of all material conditions and feel our divine nature. -    S. Vivekananda Belur Math is the headquarters of the renounced Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda’s in 1938. The temple is very famously notable for its architecture which fuses Christian, Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist art motifs as a symbol of unity among all religions and true devotion to the One above All. The ideas for the temple’s construction has said to be incorporated by Swami Vivekananda’s insight knowledge of  Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri palaces, palaces of Rajasthan, ancient temples of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, etc. and also from the buildings of architectural importance of Modern, Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance styles of America and Europe. The design of the temple was envisioned by Swami Vivekananda and was sculpted with the idea of ...