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Sri Rama Temple,Solok York, George Town

Sri Rama Temple is one of the earliest temples to be built it Penang. Although it is not known exactly when the temple was first built, according to available documents, it must have existed before 1872. This is confirmed by the existence of a will dated 12 July, 1872 that mentioned the temple.

According to the will, the land on which Sri Rama Temple stands was donated by an Indian woman by the name of Ranee Dhoby. Ranee Dhoby is of course a title rather than a proper name; it translates as "Dhoby Queen" in respect of her position over the laundrymen. Ranee Dhoby was the matriach of the dhoby community that settled along the banks of the Ayer Itam River as early as the turn of the 19th century. A land grant dated 2 May, 1802, stated that she was given a piece of land by the order of Sir George Leith (for whom Leith Street was named), the Governor of Prince of Wales Island, by virtue of the authority of the Governor General of Bengal. Somewhere between 1808 and 1811, Ranee Dhoby is said to have sold off a section of the Sungai Pinang riverbank to William Edward Phillips, so that he can have access to the estate of Francis Light which he acquired from James Scott. Phillips then built on the foundation of Light's garden estate the mansion that is now known as Suffolk House.

Before she died, Ranee Dhoby created a trust for the building of a temple, to be known as the Ranee Dhoby Koil.

Sri Rama Temple was renovated in 1982, and deities such as Rama, Sita, Hanuman and Ganesh were installed. There is also a memorial to Ranee on the walls of the present temple. The inner sanctum follows the original octagonal design. Sri Rama Temple is a Vaishnavite temple, that is to say, a Hindu temple where Vishnu and his associated avatars or incarnation are worshipped as the supreme deity. This is one of the two Vaishnavite temples in Penang, the other being the Sri Kunj Bihari Temple

Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple, Penang

The Balathandayuthapani Temple, officially the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Kovil, and better known as the Waterfall Hill Temple or Hill Top Murugan Temple, is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Penang. It was originally located within the grounds of the Penang Botanical Gardens.

According to popular belief, a sadhu (holy man) chose a spot close to the waterfalls for a shrine dedicated to Murugan. The place was called thanner malai, meaning water hill, and the deity itself was known as Thannermalaian, The "old" Balathandayuthapani temple dates from 1850, when the British authorities took over the site of the Original Balathandayuthapani Temple, and provided the Hindus an eleven-acre plot of hillside land for their temple. The Balathandayuthapani temple became the focus of the annual Thaipusam celebrations since then.

At the foot of the staricase leading to the Balathandayuthapani temple is a shrine dedicated to the deity Ganesha. The Sree Ganeshar Temple has since developed into a separate temple in its own right, and with its own devoteesor "he who resides by the waterfall".

The Balathandayuthapani temple has undergone several major renovations. This is in keeping with the requirements of the Hindu agamid tenets, that renovations be done for every mamangam, or 12-year cycle. Over the years, as the number of devotees and worshippers increased, the Hindu Endowments Board found that the hill top temple could no longer accommodate the numbers. This is especially true in the past decade, with more and more visitors converging on the temple particularly during the Thaipusam celebration (other feast days of smaller scale include the Chitra Pournami, Kantha Sasthi, Thirukarthigai and Aadipournami).
A feasibility study was conducted to ascertain the viability of expanding the old hill top temple. Consultants engaged in the study discovered that the temple was sited over several subterranean springs. This makes its location unstable. After deliberating over the various reports, the Hindu Endowments Board made a decision to relocate the Balathandayuthapani temple to a new, safer location.

The new Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani temple is planned to accommodate up to 700,000 visitors, a number expected for every Thaipusam Festival. In keeping with its position as a major Hindu temple, it will have a huge maha mandapam, the pillared outer hall in which public rituals are performed.
Visitors to the new Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple has an even longer climb than before, but the view makes the effort worthwhile. With over 500 steps (some estimates put the figure at 512 steps, though this is difficult to judge, as there are more than one route to the top), it is longer than the 272 steps up Batu Caves.

The winding route allows you to stop several times to enjoy the scenery. Half way to the top, you arrive at the Old Hill Top Murugan Temple, the former site for the Thaipusam celebrations. Next to it is the Arulmamani Arumugam Pillai Mandapam, a pavilion built in 1956. It acts as a staging area for visitors and pilgrims. From here, you get a good view of the new Arulmugam Balathandayuthapani Temple before you continue your ascend. As you climb higher, the skyscrapers of Gurney Drive and eventually the rest of George Town come into view.
Arriving at the top, you enter the temple through a main gate topped by a gigantic seven-storey rajagopuram, or kingly temple tower, which is intricately embellished with multi-tier statues of deities. The maha mandapam surrounds the garbhagriha, or sanctum sanctorum, where the image of Murugan is placed. There will also be alcoves or shrines for other deities.

The maha mandapam is supported by rows of intricately carved pillars. Hanging down from the ceiling are chandeliars that cast their light over the well-polished floor. Devotees gather in groups on the floor or awaiting their turn to perform prayers and rituals.

Kamal's 'Viswaroopam'

Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan is multi-faceted and has contributed to the film industry in several ways. The ace legend is acting, directing apart from producing 'Viswaroopam' which will literally showcase his various avatars to eager fans.

The film was initially supposed to be helmed by Selvaraghavan however the duo parted ways and Kamal decided to wield the megaphone for this project, where his younger daughter Akshara Haasan is assisting him in direction.

The film is touted to be made in a whooping budget of 150 crore rupees and is produced by Kamal Haasan and PVP Cinema. Music is by Shankar Ehsaan Loy.

A major hunt was on for the heroine and several changes were made. Names right from Sonakshi Sinha to Vidya Balan to Sameera Reddy were buzzed for this spot whereas Pooja Kumar bagged the role.

Rahul Bose plays baddie and Andrea Jeremiah will be seen in a pivotal role. There are some high voltage action scenes Kamal and Rahul Bose will be seen in and it is said that the duo pulled these off without a body double!

However, everything about the concept of the film has been kept under wraps and has been closely guarded by Kamal. Rumours are abuzz that Rahul Bose plays a terrorist in this flick.

'Viswaroopam' is taking shape in a fast pace and has extended post production work scheduled

Angkor Wat the biggest temple in asia

Angkor Wat (Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត) is the largest Khmer temple complex in the world. The temple was built by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura (Khmer: យសោធរបុរៈ, present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Breaking from the Shaivism tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia,^[1] appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.
Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early South Indian Hindu architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.
The modern name, Angkor Wat, means "City Temple" in Khmer; Angkor, meaning "city" or "capital city", is a vernacular form of the word nokor (នគរ), which comes from the Sanskrit word nagar (नगर).^[2] Wat is the Khmer word for "temple grounds", derived from the Pali word "vatta" (वत्त).^[3] Prior to this time the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok (Vara Vishnuloka in Sanskrit), after the posthumous title of its founder

Neither Karthi nor Surya but it is Jeeva

Mouna Guru is a film which had Arulnidhi in the lead role. This film turned out to be a great success at the box office. Debutant director Shanthakumar had directed Mouna Guru.


There were lots of wild guesses going around that which actor Shanthakumar will direct next and who will be its producer.
At this juncture, it was confirmed that Studio Green will be producing the film which will be directed by Shanthakumar but it was not confirmed that who will don the lead role.

Jiiva, Arya, Rajesh and the laugh riot

Earlier, we have reported that actors Jiiva and Arya are also set to don a new avatar: that of a producer! Jiiva and his brother Ramesh along with Arya will soon start producing films under their newly-formed banner Spiral Dreams. There were reports that their first production venture will have Jiiva and Arya in the lead roles and will be directed by Rajesh.

But the latest buzz is that the project will go on floors after the release of Oru Kal Oru Kannadi, which has Udhayanidhi Stalin and Hansika in lead roles. So the duo's maiden production venture is likely to be a full-fledged comedy entertainer on the lines of SMS and Boss Engira Bhaskaran.