| The University of Melbourne |
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Researchers have shown that residents
of new housing developments that have park, or other recreational areas
nearby, walk more. Walking is key in maintaining a healthy weight and
could cut the risk of obesity-related diseases such as heart attacks and
diabetes.
Image: WDG Photo/Shutterstock
The ten year study found that the overall health of residents of new housing developments in Western Australia, improved when their daily walking increased as a result of more access to parks, public transport, shops and services. Lead researcher Professor Billie Giles-Corti, Director of the McCaughey VicHealth Centre for Community Wellbeing at the University of Melbourne said the study provided long-term evidence that residents’ walking increased with greater availability and diversity of local transport and recreational destinations. “The study demonstrates the potential of local infrastructure to support health-enhancing behaviours,” she said. The study examined the impact of urban planning on active living in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. More than 1,400 participants building homes in new housing developments were surveyed before relocation to new homes and approximately 12 months later. The study found that for every local shop, residents’ physical activity increased an extra 5-6 minutes of walking per week. For every recreational facility available such as a park or beach, residents’ physical activity increased by an extra 21 minutes per week. “This means that where there is an environment that supports walking with access to multiple facilities residents walked much more,” Professor Giles-Corti said. These findings could inform public health and urban design policy demonstrating that people respond to an environment that is supportive of physical activity. “Given that being physically active reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes, which are both huge costs to the health system, these results could have huge implications for government policy such as the Victorian State Government's new Metropolitan Planning Strategy,” Professor Giles-Corti said. The study was published in the journal Social Science & Medicine.
Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.
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Thursday, March 7, 2013
Healthy cities, healthy residents
320-year-old mystery solved
| The University of Adelaide |
DNA analysis of six specimens of Dusicyon avus and two specimens of Falkland Island wolf helped Australian researchers determine D. avus was the closest relative of the intriguing Falkland Islands wolf. The latter crossed to the islands when the sea was frozen over, probably while pursuing marine prey.
Image: Michael Rothman for Ice Coinage/AUSMC
Previous theories have suggested the wolf somehow rafted on ice or vegetation, crossed via a now-submerged land bridge or was even semi-domesticated and transported by early South American humans. The 320-year-old mystery was first recorded by early British explorers in 1690 and raised again by Charles Darwin following his encounter with the famously tame species on his Beagle voyage in 1834. Researchers from the University’s Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) extracted tiny pieces of tissue from the skull of a specimen collected personally by Darwin. They also used samples from a previously unknown specimen, which was recently re-discovered as a stuffed exhibit in the attic of Otago Museum in New Zealand. The findings were published in Nature Communications and concluded that, unlike earlier theories, the Falkland Islands wolf (Dusicyon australis) only became isolated about 16,000 years ago around the peak of the last glacial period. “Previous studies used ancient DNA from museum specimens to suggest that the Falkland Islands wolf diverged genetically from its closest living relative, the South American maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) around seven million years ago. As a result, they estimated that the wolf colonised the islands about 330,000 years ago by unknown means,” says Associate Professor Jeremy Austin, Deputy Director of ACAD and co-lead author with Dr Julien Soubrier. “Critically, however, these early studies hadn’t included an extinct relative from the mainland, the fox-like Dusicyon avus. We extracted ancient DNA from six specimens of D. avus collected across Argentina and Chile, and made comparisons with a wide group of extinct and living species in the same family.” ACAD’s analyses showed that D. avus was the closest relative of the Falkland Islands wolf and they separated only 16,000 years ago – but the question of how the island colonisation came about remained. The absence of other mammals argued against any land bridge connection to the mainland. “The Eureka moment was finding evidence of submarine terraces off the coast of Argentina,” says study leader Professor Alan Cooper. “They recorded the dramatically lowered sea levels during the Last Glacial Maximum (around 25-18,000 years ago).” “At that time, there was a shallow and narrow (around 20 km) strait between the islands and the mainland, allowing the Falkland Islands wolf to cross when the sea was frozen over, probably while pursuing marine prey like seals or penguins. Other small mammals like rats weren’t able to cross the ice.”
Editor's Note: The above news release is reprinted from materials provided by the Australian Science Media Centre and can be found here.
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கல்லிலே கலை வண்ணம் திருக்குறுங்குடி, திருநெல்வேலி
கல்லிலே கலை வண்ணம் கண்டான் தமிழன் !
யானையின் தும்பிக்கையும், கால்களும் கனமாக இருக்க வேண்டும் என்பதற்காக மங்கைகளின் இரண்டு கால்களும் ஆடைக்குள் ஒன்றோடு ஒன்று ஒட்டி இருக்கும் போது கிடைக்கும் கனத்தை கச்சிதமாக பொருத்தியாகிவிட்டது,
தும்பிக்கையை தந்த படி நின்றுகொண்டிருக்கும் அந்த பெண், அந்த நிலையில் நிற்க முடியாது என்பதற்காக இன்னொரு பெண்ணை தாங்கியபடி நிற்கிறாள்.
யானையின் கண்ணிற்கு பெண்ணின் மார்பு , காது வளைவிற்கு ஒருவரை ஒருவர் தாங்கி நிற்கும் கைகள் !.
யானையின் கழுத்துப் பகுதி வளைவாக இருக்க வேண்டும் என்பதற்காக ஒரு பெண் கால் நீட்டி உட்கார்ந்த நிலையில் இருக்கிறார், கால் நீட்டி இருப்பதால், குறுக்கில் இருக்கும் பெண்ணின் மீது தடுத்து, ஆடை சற்று விலகி அது யானையின் தந்தமாகிவிடுகின்றது !
யானையின் வாய் திறந்த நிலையில் இருப்பதை போன்று காட்ட ஒரே ஒரு பாதம் அந்த இடத்தில் கொடுத்தாகிவிட்டது.
கால் மடக்கி தொங்கிய நிலையில் அமர்ந்திருக்கும் பெண்,யானை நடந்து முன்னேறி செல்கின்றது என்பதையும் அழகாக காட்டுகிறது.
அதன் வால் பகுதி ஒரு மங்கையின் கால் பகுதி .
அடடா என்ன ஒரு கற்பனை திறன் இருந்திருக்க வேண்டும்!!!
இடம் : திருக்குறுங்குடி, திருநெல்வேலி.
யானையின் தும்பிக்கையும், கால்களும் கனமாக இருக்க வேண்டும் என்பதற்காக மங்கைகளின் இரண்டு கால்களும் ஆடைக்குள் ஒன்றோடு ஒன்று ஒட்டி இருக்கும் போது கிடைக்கும் கனத்தை கச்சிதமாக பொருத்தியாகிவிட்டது,
தும்பிக்கையை தந்த படி நின்றுகொண்டிருக்கும் அந்த பெண், அந்த நிலையில் நிற்க முடியாது என்பதற்காக இன்னொரு பெண்ணை தாங்கியபடி நிற்கிறாள்.
யானையின் கண்ணிற்கு பெண்ணின் மார்பு , காது வளைவிற்கு ஒருவரை ஒருவர் தாங்கி நிற்கும் கைகள் !.
யானையின் கழுத்துப் பகுதி வளைவாக இருக்க வேண்டும் என்பதற்காக ஒரு பெண் கால் நீட்டி உட்கார்ந்த நிலையில் இருக்கிறார், கால் நீட்டி இருப்பதால், குறுக்கில் இருக்கும் பெண்ணின் மீது தடுத்து, ஆடை சற்று விலகி அது யானையின் தந்தமாகிவிடுகின்றது !
யானையின் வாய் திறந்த நிலையில் இருப்பதை போன்று காட்ட ஒரே ஒரு பாதம் அந்த இடத்தில் கொடுத்தாகிவிட்டது.
கால் மடக்கி தொங்கிய நிலையில் அமர்ந்திருக்கும் பெண்,யானை நடந்து முன்னேறி செல்கின்றது என்பதையும் அழகாக காட்டுகிறது.
அதன் வால் பகுதி ஒரு மங்கையின் கால் பகுதி .
அடடா என்ன ஒரு கற்பனை திறன் இருந்திருக்க வேண்டும்!!!
இடம் : திருக்குறுங்குடி, திருநெல்வேலி.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Genetic insight into plant sex
| Monash University |
A study of moss has provided insight into how land plants reproduce and could help researchers engineer higher yielding crops.
Image: leungchopan/Shutterstock
In a study published in Science, researchers from Monash University and collaborators in Japan and the US, identified for the first time a particular gene that regulates the transition between stages of the life cycle in land plants. Professor John Bowman, of the Monash School of Biological Sciences said plants, in contrast to animals, take different forms in alternating generations - one with one set of genes and one with two sets. "In animals, the bodies we think of are our diploid bodies - where each cell has two sets of DNA. The haploid phase of our life cycle consists of only eggs if we are female and sperm if we are male. In contrast, plants have large complex bodies in both haploid and diploid generations," Professor Bowman said. These two plant bodies often have such different characteristics that until the mid-1800s, when better microscopes allowed further research, they were sometimes thought to be separate species. Professor Bowman and Dr Keiko Sakakibara, formerly of the Monash School of Biological Sciences and now at Hiroshima University, removed a gene, known as KNOX2 from moss. They found that this caused the diploid generation to develop as if it was a haploid, a phenomenon termed apospory. The equivalent mutations in humans would be if our entire bodies were transformed into either eggs or sperm. "Our study provides insights into how land plants evolved two complex generations, strongly supporting one theory put forward at the beginning of last century proposing that the complex diploid body was a novel evolutionary invention", Professor Bowman said. While Professor Bowman's laboratory in the School of Biological Sciences is focused on basic research exploring the evolution and development of land plants, he said there were possible applications for the results as mutations in the gene cause the plant to skip a generation. One goal in agriculture is apomixis, where a plant produces seeds clonally by skipping the haploid generation and thereby maintaining the characteristics, such as a high yielding hybrid, of the mother plant. Apomixis would mean crops with desirable qualities could be produced more easily and cheaply. "Gaining a better understanding of the molecular basis of plant reproduction and the regulations of the alternation of generations could provide tools to engineer apomixis - a breakthrough that would be highly beneficial, especially in developing countries," Professor Bowman said.
Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.
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Vitamin C essential for muscles
| The University of Otago |
Muscle is the largest store of vitamin C
in our bodies, and is sensitive to the intake dropping below the
equivalent of two kiwifruits a day.
Image: newart-graphics/Shutterstock
Professor Margreet Vissers and her team from the Centre for Free Radical Research are involved in a large on-going study to better understand the critical role of vitamin C in the human body. They are also investigating the best way to obtain the vitamin from the diet. Their paper on the uptake of vitamin C into muscle has just been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the most prestigious publication in the field of nutrition science. The study has shown that skeletal muscle is very sensitive to changes in vitamin C intake and that the vitamin C content in muscle will fall if intake decreases below optimal levels. This is likely to affect muscle function. Muscle is the largest store of vitamin C in our bodies. Professor Vissers and her team gave 54 males aged between 18 and 35 either half a kiwifruit or two kiwifruit a day over a six week period. They then measured the vitamin C content in muscle and elsewhere in the body. The researchers found that general energy levels were increased with the ‘two per day’ kiwifruit dose, and this is likely to reflect the optimal muscle function under these conditions. She says eating high-value vitamin C foods, like kiwifruit, is the ideal way to maintain healthy levels. “Many people think that all fruit and vegetables are equally able to supply vitamin C, but this is not the case. The levels in food vary hugely across the spectrum. We should eat a good range daily, but because many fruit contain only one tenth of a healthy daily vitamin C requirement, we would recommend at least one serve per day of a high-value food like kiwifruit. This will help you easily reach an optimal vitamin C intake, as well as delivering other vital nutrients.’’ The study was funded by Zespri International and the University of Otago.
Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.
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Greens crucial for immune cells
| Walter and Eliza Hall Institute |
The new study shows how crucial eating green leafy vegetables can be for protecting the body.
Image: Elena Elisseeva/Shutterstock
The immune cells, named innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), are found in the lining of the digestive system and protect the body from ‘bad’ bacteria in the intestine. They are also believed to play an important role in controlling food allergies, inflammatory diseases and obesity, and may even prevent the development of bowel cancers. Dr Gabrielle Belz, Ms Lucie Rankin, Dr Joanna Groom and colleagues from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute’s Molecular Immunology division have discovered the gene T-bet is essential for producing a population of these critical immune cells and that the gene responds to signals in the food we eat. Dr Belz said the research team revealed T-bet was essential for generating a subset of ILCs which is a newly discovered cell type that protects the body against infections entering through the digestive system. “In this study, we discovered that T-bet is the key gene that instructs precursor cells to develop into ILCs, which it does in response to signals in the food we eat and to bacteria in the gut,” Dr Belz said. “ILCs are essential for immune surveillance of the digestive system and this is the first time that we have identified a gene responsible for the production of ILCs.” The research was published today in the journal Nature Immunology. Dr Belz said that the proteins in green leafy (cruciferous) vegetables are known to interact with a cell surface receptor that switches on T-bet, and might play a role in producing these critical immune cells. “Proteins in these leafy greens could be part of the same signalling pathway that is used by T-bet to produce ILCs,” Dr Belz said. “We are very interested in looking at how the products of these vegetables are able to talk to T-bet to make ILCs, which will give us more insight into how the food we eat influences our immune system and gut bacteria.” ILCs are essential for maintaining the delicate balance between tolerance, immunity and inflammation. Ms Rankin said the discovery had given the research team further insight into external factors responsible for ILC activation. “Until recently, it has been difficult to isolate or produce ILCs,” Ms Rankin said. “So we are very excited about the prospect for future research on these cells which are still poorly understood.” ILCs produce a hormone called interleukin-22 (IL-22), which can protect the body from invading bacteria, Dr Belz said. “Our research shows that, without the gene T-bet, the body is more susceptible to bacterial infections that enter through the digestive system. This suggests that boosting ILCs in the gut may aid in the treatment of these bacterial infections,” she said. ILCs help to maintain a ‘healthy’ environment in the intestine by promoting good bacteria and healing small wounds and abrasions that are common in the tissues of the gut. They may also have a role in resolving cancerous lesions. “The discovery of these immune cells has thrown open a completely new way of looking at gut biology,” Dr Belz said. “We are just starting to understand how important these immune cells are in regulating allergy and inflammation, and the implications for bowel cancer and other gastrointestinal disorders such as Crohn’s disease,” she said. “Understanding the biology of ILCs and the genes that are essential for generating them will help us to develop methods of targeting these cells,” Dr Belz said. “This might include boosting ILCs in situations where they may not be active enough, such as infections or some cancers, or depleting them in situations where they are overactive, such as chronic inflammatory disease,” she said. This project was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the Sylvia and Charles Viertel Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Victorian Government.
Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.
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Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Language, uniquely, makes us human
| Amy Marshall, Centenary Institute |
FOXP2 is our 'language gene' and has a unique sequence in humans.
Image:Shutterstock
Some people insist it’s our large brains, but dolphins have proportionally larger brains than we do. Some still contend our opposable thumbs set us apart, but koalas have two thumbs on each hand. We walk on two legs? Yes, of course, but the feathered species do that too. Some are insistent that our individuality as a species rests on the fact we can use tools, but many diverse vertebrate species are tool-users, including primates, elephants and birds. Even the veined octopus and certain ants and wasps have been observed using tools. The answer, then, is… language. We uniquely have the ability to communicate complex and abstract ideas. At first it was spoken language. Then, independently, several human cultures developed the written word – the means to communicate with others over thousands of miles or years. Through language we have built civilisations, developed science and medicine, literature and philosophy. We do not have to learn everything from personal experience, because through language we can learn from the experience of others. Language makes us human, and it’s encoded in our DNA. The language gene FOXP2, known as the “language gene”, has a unique sequence in humans. While other living mammals share identical amino acids at two key amino positions 303 and 325, these amino acids are different in humans (threonine to asparagine at amino acid 303 and asparagine to serine at amino acid 325). Such substitution mutations occurred some time after we diverged from our common ancestor with the chimpanzee 4-8 million years ago. We shared this unique FOXP2 protein sequence with both Neanderthals and Denisovans, from which we diverged somewhere in the region of 400,000 years ago. Compared to these other hominids, humans have an additional mutation in a region that regulates FOXP2 gene expression. Was it this latest mutation in FOXP2 that ensured our survival through better communication, as other hominids went extinct? This mutation was swiftly incorporated into the human genome at high frequencies during the last 50,000 years suggesting it carries a survival advantage. Studies to understand the effect of this most recent change in FOXP2 are currently underway. The FOXP2 gene is involved in brain development, particularly those areas involved in vocal behaviour. FOXP2 is particularly important for animals, including songbirds such as finches, canaries and parrots that learn to sing by imitation. In the songbird brain, FOXP2 expression is highest when birds are learning to sing. Reduction of FOXP2 expression in the brain of zebra finches at this critical period left birds unable to completely or accurately learn to sing. In humans, FOXP2 mutations are associated with severe speech and language deficits known as developmental verbal dyspraxia – affecting both the ability to coordinate vocal muscles in speech and causing language comprehension difficulties. What a terrible, isolating condition that must be. In language we find both truth and beauty; then, being human, we use it to argue about what is true and beautiful. Language is fundamentally what makes us what we are. Would you disagree? If so, please, use your voice and let me know.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published by The Conversation, here, and is licenced as Public Domain under Creative Commons. See Creative Commons - Attribution Licence.
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Sitting down affects men’s health
| University of Western Sydney |
Sitting down for more than four hours a
day increases men’s risk of developing chronic diseases such as
diabetes and hypertension, a new study revealed.
Image: Yuri Arcurs/Shutterstock
Emma George, a PhD researcher from the UWS School of Science and Health, worked in collaboration with Professor Gregory Kolt, Dean of Science and Health at UWS, and Dr Richard Rosenkranz from the Department of Human Nutrition at Kansas State University to conduct the study of 63,048 Australian males aged 45-64. Study participants from the NSW 45 and Up Study were asked to report on a range of health-related variables including the presence or absence of chronic diseases, and their daily sitting time. Sitting time was divided into four categories: less than four hours, four to six hours, six to eight hours, and more than eight hours. Ms George says, compared with those who spent four hours or less sitting down each day, participants reporting higher amounts of sitting were much more likely to report serious health conditions. "The rates of chronic diseases reported by the participants exponentially increased in proportion with the amount of time the participants spent sitting down,” says Ms George. Independent of factors such as age, BMI and level of physical activity, the amount of time men spent sitting each day was significantly associated with chronic disease and diabetes – indicating that, despite how active people may be outside of work hours, the amount of time spent sitting during the day may still have a significant impact. "Despite your levels of physical activity, the more time you spend sitting the less time your body has to stay active and expend energy,” says Ms George. Ms George says the study is highly relevant to office workers and anyone whose daily job requires them to sit down for long periods of time, such as truck drivers. “The results of this study suggest that there is potential for people to improve their overall health if they found more opportunities to move around during the day and reduce the amount of time spent sitting,” she says. “People should consider ways that they can integrate movement into their daily routines. Perhaps arranging ‘active’ meetings rather than a teleconference, or walk around during your lunch break rather than sitting at your desk.” The research is part of the 45 and Up Study, the largest long-term study of ageing in Australia, involving more than 267,000 people. The results have been published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.
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'Junk DNA' regulates cancer gene
| The University of New South Wales |
Many cancers occur when genes that
suppress tumours are not functioning properly, but the study found that
what was once considered 'junk DNA' can re-activate these tumour
suppressor genes.
Image: enot-poloskun/iStockphoto
Researchers led by UNSW's Associate Professor Kevin Morris have discovered a new mechanism, which re-activate genes that have been switched off. Many cancers occur when genes that suppress tumours are not functioning properly, allowing the cancer to grow unchecked. The study by the international team is published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. It reveals how a tumour suppressor gene called PTEN, which is shut down in many cancers including skin cancer, is controlled. And it shows how DNA sequences long considered “junk” can influence disease genes. “We show that there are multiple layers of complexity in the regulation of this PTEN gene, but also that it might be possible to switch it back on in cancer,” Dr Morris says. The researchers hope this would make tumours more sensitive to chemotherapy and prevent the development of resistance to cancer drugs. Less than 2 per cent of DNA in the human genome is made up of genes, which carry the blueprint for the production of proteins. Most of the other 98 per cent of the genetic code - known as noncoding DNA – was dismissed in the past as “junk”, because it does not make proteins. Some short stretches of noncoding DNA are called pseudogenes, because of the similarity of their sequences to known genes. Dr Morris, of the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences in the Faculty of Science, says their research shows that a pseudogene regulates the activity of the PTEN tumour suppressor gene, and the “big deal” is that they found the pseudogene uses two different mechanisms to do this. “This is the first time bimodal functionality of a pseudogene has been shown,” he says. He says the exciting prospect is that small molecules could be used to de-activate the pseudogene in cancer. “When you knock out the pseudogene you get activation of the tumour suppressor gene, which would be a good thing.” Co-author, Per Johnsson, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, says: “This means that we might one day be able to reprogram cancer cells to proliferate less, become more normal, and that resistance to chemotherapy can hopefully be avoided.” Much more research will be needed before this approach is available for clinical use. Although the work was carried out on just one gene, it could be applicable to many more. “There is speculation now that there is one pseudogene for each gene,” says Dr Morris. Last year researchers in the ENCODE public consortium showed that most noncoding DNA is active: it is transcribed into RNA molecules, although mostly of unknown function. The two mechanisms the pseudogene uses to regulate the PTEN gene are: the pseudogene’s RNA controls whether PTEN is active and produces any RNA itself; it also controls whether the gene’s protein is made, or not, elsewhere in the cell. The team includes researchers from the Karolinska Institute and the Scripps Research Institute in the US.
Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.
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The problem with maths
| The University of Sydney |
Why aren’t Australian girls studying
maths? Only 1.5% of girls go on to study science or maths for their HSC;
4.4% of boys undertake advanced maths with physics and/or chemistry
components.
Image: Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock
Honorary Professor John Mack from the Faculty of Education and Social Work and Barry Walsh examined data of all Year 8 students in NSW to show the proportion who go on to study maths-science subject combinations for their HSC. The data revealed there was a substantial increase in the number of girls studying no maths at all in the HSC, and also showed a substantial drop overall in the number of boy and girl students undertaking at least one maths and one science subject in the HSC. "The decline in maths and science participation coincided with the removal in 2001 of the HSC requirement for undertaking English and at least one course in maths or science," says Dr Rachel Wilson from the Faculty of Education and Social Work, who helped prepare the report. "It is not a requirement in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia; although it is compulsory in SA, and to a small extent in Queensland and the Northern Territory. The study calls for policy change to make these subjects mandatory in order to lift participation in high school and to attract more girls to maths and science." The figures show that in 2001, 9.5 percent of girls undertook no mathematics course for their HSC. In 2011, this figure was 21.8 percent - more than double that of 10 years previously. Furthermore, in the same period the total proportion of Year 8 girls who went on to study intermediate or advanced maths dropped from 25 percent to 18 percent. In terms of undertaking science and maths the study also showed that only 1.5 percent of girls and 4.4 percent of boys go on to study advanced maths with both physics and chemistry. In 2001 some 19.7 percent of boys and 16.8 percent of girls studied a math-science combination in the HSC. In 2011 these figures had dropped to 18.6 percent of boys and 13.8 percent of girls. The decline has occurred despite the fact HSC participation increased by 5 percent over the period. This analysis suggests there is an urgent need to address declining female participation and stagnated male participation in intermediate/advanced maths-and-science combinations of study. The proportion of girls studying such combination subjects has dwindled since 2001 and there is now a greater gender disparity in maths/sciences participation than there was in the 1980s.
Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.
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Konark Sun temple!!
The uniqueness of the temple lies in the fact that between every two stone pieces there lies an iron plate (this can be clearly seen). The temples higher floors have been reinforced using massive iron beams. This fantastic effort inhuman perseverance took 1200 workers about 12 years to complete and that the ’’Dadhinauti’’ (Peak) of the main temple had to be installed by the 12 year old son of the Chief Architect. The said peak being a 52 ton magnet. This magnet was the reason the entire edifice endured the harsh conditions (being on the sea front) for centuries without being affected. The main pratima (idol) was believed to be floating in the air because of the unique arrangements of the main magnets and other series of magnets. The placement of the temple had been aligned in a way that the first rays of the Sun falling on the coast would pass thru the Nata Mandir and would reflect from the diamond placed at the center of this idol in the Main Sanctum . This phenomena would last for a couple of minutesduring the early morning. These magnets were later removed by the Britishers for acquiring the magnetic stone.
Another legends state that, the magnetic effects of the lodestone was so strong that it disturbed the ships compasses that passed by the coast and the ships would run aground. To save their trade and their ships, the Portuguese took away the lodestone. The lodestone that was acting as the central stone and keeping all the stones of the temple wall balanced, fell out of alignment because of its removal and eventually led to the destruction of Main Sanctum.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Jain Narayan Temple at Pattadakal, Karnatak (Rock cut Architecture)
Chalukyan rulers were not only empire builders, but great patrons
of art whose encouragement prompted the artists and craftsmen to
experiment and innovate in different architectural styles and giving
it a new dimension. It is in their period that transition from
rock-cut medium to structural temples took place.
Pattadakal located in Bijapur district of Karnataka was not only
popular for Chalukyan architectural activities but also a holy place
for royal coronation, 'Pattadakisuvolal'. Temples constructed here
mark the blending of the Rekha, Nagara, Prasada and the Dravida Vimana
styles of temple building.
The oldest temple at Pattadakal is Sangamesvara built by
Vijayaditya Satyasraya (AD 697-733). The other notable temples at
Pattadakal are the Kadasiddhesvara, Jambulingeswara both attributed to
7th century A.D. while Galaganatha temple was built a century later in
the style of rekha nagara prasada. The Kasivisvesvara temple was the
last to be built in early Chalukyan style. The Mallikarjuna temple was
constructed by Rani Trilokyamahadevi to celebrate the victory over the
Pallavas by Vikramaditya II. She is also credited to have built the
Virupaksha temple influenced by the architecture of the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram. The Virupaksha temple later served as a model for the Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna I (757 -783 A.D.) to carve out the great Kailasa at Ellora.
However, the last addition at Pattadakal was made during the reign
of Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna II of the 9th century A.D. in form of a
Jaina temple, locally famous as Jaina Narayana, with its two lower
storeys functional.
The sculptural art of the early Chalukyas is characterised by grace
and delicate details. The ceiling panels of the navagrahas, dikpalas,
the dancing Nataraja, the wall niches containing Lingodbhava,
Ardhanarisvara, Tripurari, Varahavishnu, Trivikrama bear ample
testimony to the sculptor's skill as well as the cult worship in
vogue. The narrative relief illustrating certain episodes from the
Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and Panchatantra fitted well with
these grand religious edifices.
The Sangamesvara, Virupaksha and Mallikarjuna temples at
Pattadakkal exhibit to a large degree the southerly elements in their
vimanas, as crystallized in the contemporary Pallava temples.
The Sangamesvara, the earliest of the three, built by Chalukya
Vijayaditya (697-733), is nearer the Pallava form in that it has no
sukanasika, while the other two, which possess this, are the earliest
of the Chalukyan type and its derivatives possessing this
architectural member, as also does the Kailasa at Ellora. Both the
Sangamesvara and the larger Virupaksha are similar to each other in
being square on plan from the base to sikhara. The Virupaksha, built
by the queen of Vikramaditya II (733-46), is the earliest dated temple
with the sukanasika, being closely followed by the Mallikarjuna, built
by another queen of the same king.
The main vimana of the Sangamesvara is of three storeys. The the lowermost storey is surrounded by two walls, the inner and outer, the second storey being an upward projection of the inner wall, while the
outer wall encloses the covered circumambulatory round the sanctum.
The Virupaksha is a large complex consisting of a tall vimana with
axial mandapas and peripheral sub-shrines round the court, enclosed by
a wall with gopura-entrances in front and behind, all designed and completed at one time. As such, this is the earliest extant temple-complex in the Chalukyan series. The massive gopuras are also
the earliest. The compound-wall of the complex, following the plan of
the group itself, has on its coping kuta and said-heads, suggestive of
a derivation from the Shore-temple at Mahabalipuram-a device which
gives the impression of a lower storey when viewed from a distance.
The Mallikarjuna, built immediately after and close to the
Virupaksha, is a smaller temple with a four-storeyed vimana with a
circular griva and sikhara. It has more or less a similar plan.
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