What are some lesser known facts about Draupadi?

 

1. Draupadi was the daughter of Hutasana (the god of fire) and the adopted daughter of Drupada.
2. Draupadi was an incarnation of goddess Mahakali and her wrath burnt the entire Kaurava clan to ashes.
3. Draupadi was a single incarnation of four goddesses, namely, Shyamala (wife of Dharma), Bharati (wife of Vayu), Sachi (wife of Indra) and Usha (wife of Ashwinis).
4. Draupadi was an incarnation of goddess Shri who was the wife of five celestial Indras of five celestial realms. These five celestial Indras took birth in dwapar yuga as the five Pandavas, namely, Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Draupadi reunited with them in dwapar yuga.
5. Lord Shiva blessed Draupadi with the boon of five husbands each having the five supreme qualities of justice, strength, valour, handsomeness and tolerance individually.
6. Her actual name in Mahabharata was Yajnaseni, because she was born from the fire of the yajna (sacrifice) which Drupada performed to obtain a son who would be able to defeat his enemy Drona. Her brother Dhristadyumna emerged from the fire, followed by Yajnaseni herself. Dhristadyumna became the son of Drupada and Yajnaseni became the daughter of Drupada.
7. Draupadi was extremely fond of playing with the bow and arrow. No wonder after her marriage with the five Pandava brothers, Arjuna became her favourite husband, and there was always a hidden warrior within Draupadi.
8. Draupadi had a bowl which would always be filled with food. This bowl helped the Pandava brothers to survive during their period of exile. Goddess Lakshmi presented Draupadi this bowl before the start of the exile.
9. Duhshasana, the second Kaurava brother, tried to disrobe Draupadi in front of the whole Kuru assembly, after the Pandavas had lost everything to Kauravas in a game of dice. Duhshasana dragged Draupadi by her hair and forcibly brought her in front of the Kuru assembly. Enraged, she took a vow that she won't tie her hair until she washed it with Duhshasana's blood. During the Kurukshetra war, Bhima killed Duhshasana and brought his blood to Draupadi. The daughter of Drupada bathed her hair with the blood and tied her hair once again like before.
10. Draupadi represented these qualities. Even in the hardest of circumstances, she always stood with a raised head, with her honour held high. Draupadi was a patron of knowledge. As the empress of Indraprastha she played a crucial role in governance of her kingdom along with the five Pandava brothers.
11. Draupadi is one of the five virgins. She is one of the five Panchakanyas, a group of five iconic heroines who owns virginity and has the ability to regain it. The five Panchakanyas are Ahalya, Draupadi, Kunti, Sita and Mandodari.
12. Draupadi is the universal icon of feminism. She was the iconic heroine of dwapar yuga who took birth for the establishment of dharma. Along with deity pair Nara-Narayana (Arjuna and Lord Krishna respectively), she played a pivotal role for this purpose.

Image courtesy: Perplexity AI

What are 10 lesser known facts about Manoj Bajpayee?

 1. Manoj Bajpayee was born to a farmer in a small village called Belwa in Bihar on 23rd April 1969.

2. Manoj father was a farmer and his mother was a housewife. He is the second child among his six siblings.

3. Manoj father was a farmer and his mother was a housewife. He is the second child among his six siblings.

4. Since childhood he wanted to become an actor. He completed rest of his schooling from Bettiah and later moved to Delhi at the age of seventeen.

5. Travelled without reservation

He came to Delhi with his friend Ravinder Chaudhary and stayed at his brother’s house for some time.

He travelled without a reservation; although he didn’t know that it was illegal. He was told to avoid the TT and for that he stayed awake the whole night.

6. Dream to join NSD

Manoj first heard about NSD in an interview of Naseeruddin Shah, and since then he decided that he would join it one day. But Failed NSD Efforts

After pursuing graduation from Ramjas College, he applied to the National School of Drama. However, his application was rejected four times.

He was so depressed at that time that he thought of committing suicide

7. Manoj Bajpayee has learnt the semi classical dance Chau (dance of west Bengal) for 4 years.

8. Manoj considers Barry John to be his teacher and guide for everything.

9.Marriage life

Manoj Bajpayee married a girl from Delhi, however, they got divorced during his period of struggle. Later on, in 2006 he went on to marry film actress Neha (real name – Shabana Raza) of Kareeb fame.

10. The two-time National Film Award winner was conferred with Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award in March 2019. The actor was honored in the field of art (cinema) for his versatile acting in more than 60 films in a career spanning 20 years.

11. Manoj Bajpai as Sardar Khan, forms the core of the chronicle

Despite having worked together for Satya, Shool, and Kaun, Anurag Kashyap and Manoj Bajpayee hadn’t been on talking terms for a while. Kashyap was certain about the fact that no one but Manoj could play the role of Sardar Khan. So when he called him asking if he wanted to hear the script, the director wasn’t sure about Manoj’s answer. Interestingly, Manoj agreed instantly and reached Kashyap’s house at 11:30 PM where he sat with a bottle of red wine and heard the narration. The only thing Manoj said after it was done was that his character’s name should be ‘Sardar Khan’ and that’s how this iconic character was named.

12. He donate 51 lakh to bihar relief fund during flood and say to other to help bihar

What are some lesser-known stories from the Ramayana that are not typically depicted in television shows and movies?

 Everyone knows about ‘Lanka Dahan’ in Sundara Kanda where Hanuman set fire to the city of Lanka. But most people don't know that there is a ‘second Lanka Dahan’ in Yuddha Kanda. Here all the Vanaras attacked the city with torches and set fire to it.

Second Lanka Dahan

Sugriva, the immensely energetic lord of the apes, addressed the immensely strong Hanumat, indicating the subsequent course of action. ‘Kumbhakarna and the four princes have been killed. Therefore, it is not possible for Ravana to undertake any action now. There are apes who are extremely strong and dexterous. Let those bulls among apes swiftly take torches and attack Lanka.’

The sun had set and it was the start of a terrible night. The bulls among apes headed for Lanka, with torches in their hands. With torches in their hands, large numbers of apes attacked it from all sides. The guards, with malformed eyes, suddenly ran away. Cheerfully, they set fire to the turrets, floors of mansions, many roads and palaces. The fire burnt down and consumed thousands of houses and all the residences of rakshasas, who loved their homes.

With their beloveds, they were lying down on extremely expensive beds. They swiftly grabbed their sons and fled in different directions. Thousands of houses of the residents of Lanka were burnt by the fire and blazed repeatedly. There were extremely firm and extremely expensive houses, with deep qualities. They were made out of gold, in shapes of the moon and the half-moon. They were excellent and with many floors, shining like the moon. There were colourful windows and couches everywhere. Decorated with jewels and coral, they seemed to touch the sun. There was the sound of herons and peacocks and the jingling of ornaments. Those houses that were like mountains were burnt by the fire. Surrounded by the fire, the turrets looked like masses of clouds tinged by lightning, when summer is over. Beautiful women who were asleep in mansions were burnt. Throwing aside all their ornaments, they lamented, ‘Alas!’ Surrounded by the fire, the houses fell down. They were like the shattered summits of mountains, struck by the vajra of the wielder of the vajra. From a distance, as they were burnt, the houses resembled the summits of the Himalayas, blazing with groves of herbs. The tops of the mansions were burnt and blazed, engulfed in flames. In the night, Lanka seemed to be full of flowering kimshukas. The keepers of elephants set the elephants free. The keepers of horses set the horses free. Lanka was like the turbulent ocean at the time of the end of the worlds. On seeing a freed horse, an elephant was scared and retreated. On seeing a frightened elephant, a horse was scared and retreated. In a short while, the city was burnt by the apes. It seemed as if the earth was ablaze at the time of the terrible destruction of the worlds. From ten yojanas away, one could hear the sounds of the women screaming, as they were burnt and scorched and enveloped in smoke.

With their bodies burnt by the fire, the enemy rakshasas emerged. Desiring to fight, the apes attacked them violently. The sound emitted by the apes and the rakshasas resounded in the ten directions, the ocean and the earth. The great-souled Rama and Lakshmana had been freed of their wounds. With excellent bows in their hands, they fearlessly advanced. Rama twanged his excellent bow and this created a tumultuous sound that caused fear to the rakshasas. Stretching his giant bow, Rama was as radiant as the illustrious and enraged Bhava stretching a bow made out of the Vedas. The sound created by the apes, the roar of the rakshasas and the sound of Rama twanging his bow —these three pervaded the ten directions. Because of the arrows released from his bow, the main turrent of the city, resembling Kailasa’s peak, was shattered and fell down on the ground.

• Sarga 62, Yuddha Kanda, Valmiki Ramayana, CE.

Who are some of the most underrated or lesser-known athletes whose stories have genuinely inspired you?

 I’ve been following the recent National Games held in China’s Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and like many, I got drawn into the excitement. While watching, a few athletes stood out in a way that went beyond just winning—they left a real impression.

The swimming pool witnessed remarkable breakthroughs from young talents like 13-year-old Yu Zidi, who claimed three gold medals, one silver, and one bronze in her national debut, and 18-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo with his five gold medals. Seeing these rising stars compete alongside established athletes like Zhang Yufei and Sun Yang felt like witnessing the beautiful continuity of sports legacy.

Then there’s the Jiangsu women's softball team, which just won its fourth straight title. I’ve been a softball fan for a while, and what moved me wasn’t just the victory, but the story behind it. Their head coach, now in his sixties, has been with the team since the beginning. He recently got inducted into the WBSC Softball Hall of Fame—a fitting recognition for someone who’s given over fifty years to the sport.

There’s also an athlete well-known to many: Oksana Chusovitina. The gymnast is aiming to compete in her ninth Olympics at age 50. Her journey—including changing nationality to secure medical treatment for her son—is one of those rare stories that truly transcend sport.

I also once interviewed Quincy Watts, the American sprinter who broke Olympic records in Barcelona ’92. A car accident led to a back injury that eventually ended his career. He later became a coach and helped set multiple records with his athletes. But when he talks about retiring, you can still see the emotion in his eyes. He says he has no regrets—yet in that moment, you feel both the loss and the resilience. There was something honest in that moment - about dreams changing form, but not necessarily ending.

These athletes remind me that behind every competition are people figuring out what comes next, whether that's a first medal or life after competition.

What are some lesser known facts about Amjad Khan?

 Amjad Khan was 33 years old when he was offered the role of Gabbar in Sholay. He signed Sholay on 20th Sep, 1973, the day his first child was born.

His father Jayant (Zakaria Khan) was also an actor. Amjad Khan played some minor roles with his father in films like Nazneen (1951 - child actor at the age of eleven) and Maya (1961). Amjad was to be launched as a hero in 1965 with a home production Patthar Ke Sanam but the film was shelved.

His father passed away from cancer just a few months before the release of Sholay.

The very next year after Sholay, Amjad Khan met with a near-fatal car accident with travelling to Goa to shoot for The Great Gambler. The steering wheel collided with his chest and he was unconscious with a punctured lung. His ribs were broken and he had long term health issues including weight gain.

Amjad Khan was very passionate for literature and philosophy. He had a Master's degree in Philosophy.

He was always calm and composed on the sets and never lost his temper.

He was very affectionate towards animals and had two pet dogs.

Amjad Khan directed Chor Police (1983) and Ameer Aadmi Gareeb Aadmi (1985) but both films bombed at the box-office.

He was supposed to direct a film Lambai Chaudai starring Amitabh Bachchan and himself but the project was shelved as Amitabh entered politics.

He suffered a massive heart-attack and passed away in 1992 at the age of 51.

Image(s) Courtesy: Google

What are some lesser-known feats of Arjuna that prove his prowess in battle?

 In the Arjuna‑vanavasa Parva, there is a tale of celestial apsaras, Varga and her friends, cursed into being crocodiles by a brahmana. Arjuna delivers them from their curse and hence are transformed to their original self,

“Hearing what had happened the Rishi said, 'In the low-lands bordering on the southern ocean, there are five regions of sacred water. They are delightful and eminently holy. Go ye thither without delay. That tiger among men, Dhananjaya, the son of Pandu of pure soul, will soon deliver you, without doubt, from this sad plight.' O hero, hearing the Rishi's words, all of us came hither. O sinless one, true it is that I have today been delivered by thee. But those four friends of mine are still within the other waters here. O hero, do a good deed by delivering them also.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then, O monarch, that foremost of the Pandavas, endued with great prowess, cheerfully delivered all of them from that curse. Rising from the waters they all regained their own forms. Those Apsaras then, O king, all looked as before. Freeing those sacred waters (from the danger for which they had been notorious), and giving the Apsaras leave to go where they chose”,

SECTION CCXIX Arjuna-vanavasa Parva K M Ganguli’s Mahabharat

Slaughter of Gandharvas

In Vana Parva, there is an episode where Arjuna fights the Gandharvas, celestial beings, in battle and uses several astra (celestial weapons) to great effect. He traps them in arrows, cuts off their weapons, and uses powerful divine astras to check their attack and then counterattacks.

“Then Arjuna of the Kuru race shot his well-known weapons called Sthunakarna, Indrajala, Saura, Agneya and Saumya. And the Gandharvas consumed by the fiery weapons of Kunti's son, began to suffer heavily, like the sons of Diti, while being scorched by Sakra's thunder-bolt. And when they attacked Arjuna from above, they were checked by his net of arrows. And while they attacked him from all sides on the surface of the earth, they were checked by his crescent-shaped arrows. And beholding the Gandharvas put in fear by Kunti's son, Chitrasena rushed, O Bharata, at Dhananjaya, armed with a mace. And as the king of the Gandharvas was rushing at Arjuna from above with that mace in hand, the latter cut with his arrows that mace wholly made of iron into seven pieces. And beholding that mace of his cut into many pieces by Arjuna of great activity, with his arrows, Chitrasena, by means of his science, concealed himself from the view of the Pandava and began to fight with him.”

SECTION CCXLIII Vana Parva K M Ganguli’s Mahabharat

Another one less remarked upon is during the Swayamvara of Draupadi. Arjuna fights Karna. Their duel is notable for how fiercely they match each other, and how Arjuna’s strength of arms, energy, and stamina are praised even by Karna.

“Then the illustrious Arjuna beholding Karna, the son of Vikartana (Surya), advancing towards him, drew his tough bow and pieced him with his sharp arrows. And the impetus of those whetted arrows furnished with fierce energy made Radheya (Karna) faint. Recovering consciousness Karna attacked Arjuna with greater care than before. Then Karna and Arjuna, both foremost of victorious warriors, desirous of vanquishing each other, fought madly on. And such was the lightness of hand they both displayed that (each enveloped by the other's shower of arrows) they both became invisible (unto the spectators of their encounter). 'Behold the strength of my arms.'--'Mark, how I have counteracted that feat,'--those were the words--intelligible to heroes alone--in which they addressed each other. And incensed at finding the strength and energy of Arjuna's arms unequalled on the earth, Karna, the son of Surya, fought with greater vigour. And parrying all those impetuous arrows shot at him by Arjuna, Karna sent up a loud shout. And this feat of his was applauded by all the warriors. Then addressing his antagonist, Karna said, 'O thou foremost of Brahmanas, I am gratified to observe the energy of thy arms that knoweth no relaxation in battle and thy weapons themselves fit for achieving victory. Art thou the embodiment of the science of weapons, or art thou Rama that best of Brahmanas, or Indra himself, or Indra's younger brother Vishnu called also Achyuta, who for disguising himself hath assumed the form of a Brahmana and mustering such energy of arms fighteth with me? No other person except the husband himself of Sachi or Kiriti, the son of Pandu, is capable of fighting with me when I am angry on the field of battle.' Then hearing those words of his, Phalguna replied, saying, 'O Karna, I am neither the science of arms (personified), nor Rama endued with superhuman powers. I am only a Brahmana who is the foremost of all warriors and all wielders of weapons. By the grace of my preceptor I have become accomplished in the Brahma and the Paurandara weapons. I am here to vanquish thee in battle. Therefore, O hero, wait a little.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed (by Arjuna), Karna the adopted son of Radha desisted from the fight, for that mighty chariot-fighter thought that Brahma energy is ever invincible.”

SECTION CLXLII Swayamvara Parva K M Ganguli’s mahabharat

Indra tells Arjuna that he had acquired invincible prowess. He challenges him to slay the Nivatakavachas, the demons who lived in the womb of the ocean. That would be his guru dakshina,

“Nothing is there in the three worlds that is not in your power (to achieve) My enemies, those Danavas, named, Nivata-Kavacas dwell in the womb of the ocean. And they number thirty million and are notorious, and all of equal forms and strength and splendour. Do you slay them there, O Kuntis son; and that will be your preceptor’s fee.”

Section CLXVII : Tirtha-yatra Parva K M Ganguli’s Mahabharat

Arjun not only annihilates the invincible demons but also destroys their city,

“Thereupon, O Bharata, in this matter the Lord commanded (Indra), saying, 'O slayer of foes, in another body, even thou shalt be (the destroyer of the Danavas).' Then, in order to slaughter them, Sakra rendered unto thee those weapons. The gods had been unable to slay these, who have been slain by thee. O Bharata, in the fullness of time, hadst thou come hither, in order to destroy them and thou hast done so. O foremost of men, with the object that the demons might be killed, Mahendra had conferred on thee the excellent prime energy of these weapons.'

"Arjuna continued, 'After having destroyed the Danavas, and also subdued that city, with Matali I again went to that abode of the celestials.'"

SECTION CLXXI Tirtha-yatra Parva K M Ganguli’s Mahabharat

In the Karna Parva, Arjuna slays younger brother of Sudakshina of the Kamboja tribe,

“Repairing to that further wing which was protected by the Kambojas, Partha began to grind it forcibly with his arrows like Vasava grinding the Danavas. With broad-headed arrows he began to quickly cut off the arms, with weapons in grasp, and also the heads of foes longing to slay him. Deprived of diverse limbs, and of weapons, they began to fall down on the Earth, like trees of many boughs broken by a hurricane. While he was engaged in thus slaughtering elephants and steeds and car-warriors and foot-soldiers, the younger brother of Sudakshina (the chief of the Kambojas) began to pour showers of arrows on him. With a couple of crescent-shaped arrows, Arjuna cut off the two arms, looking like spiked maces, of his striking assailant, and then his head graced with a face as beautiful as the full moon, with a razor-headed arrow. Deprived of life, he fell down from his vehicle, his body bathed in blood, like the thunder-riven summit of a mountain of red arsenic. Indeed, people saw the tall and exceedingly handsome younger brother of Sudakshina, the chief of the Kambojas, of eyes resembling lotus petals, slain and fall down like a column of gold or like a summit of the golden Sumeru. Then commenced a battle there once more that was fierce and exceedingly wonderful. The condition of the struggling combatants varied repeatedly. Each slain with a single arrow, and combatants of the Kamboja, the Yavana, and the Saka races, fell down bathed in blood, upon which the whole field of battle became one expanse of red, O monarch”.

Section 56 Karna Parva K M Ganguli’s Mahabharat

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While in exile, Arjuna and Kirata (a disguised Lord Shiva) combat. Totally in awe of the Pandav’s skill, Lord Shiva bestows the Pashupata weapon on him.

What are some lesser known ancient temples in Tamil Nadu?

 Tamil Nadu is like a treasure house, the more you find the more you get surprises and it's no wonder why every month some other other family gets some or other artifacts when they dig up their ground to build a house.

There are some temples in Tamil Nadu that are very beautiful, ancient but doesn't get much visits.

These temples are not much famous and can be found in interior parts of Tamil Nadu and listing a few of then here.

1.Jurahareshwarar Temple, Kanchipuram

Located on the banks of Palar river in Kanchipuram is a Pallava temple built in Dravidian style of architecture.

It's said that this temple was built by Narasimhavarman 2 during 700 to 728 CE ( 1300 years old) which is now maintained by ASI.

Juram or Jwaram means fever in Tamil and Lord Shiva here is considered as the one who saves people from fevers

Unlike other temple, the sanctum is semi circular which is unique to Dravidian temples.

2. Udayarpalayam Payaraneeswarar Temple

Present in the Udayarpalayam village of Ariyalur district, this temple is very old, it's said that it's nearly 1400 years old built by Cholas.

This temples has the largest temple tank in Tamil Nadu and the temple has many sculptures.

This temple doesn't get many visitors as it's so much famous but actually most temple scenes in Tamil movies gets shooted here because of the peace( very less visitors and hence can shoot without any disturbance).

Also this temple is maintained by the Udayarpalayam Jamindar family and thus it's private temple and gets easy permission to shoot films.

3.Talagirishwara Temple, Panamalai, Villupuram Dist

This temple is built on a small hill next to a Panamalai lake and this makes the temple more beautiful.

This temple is also built by Narasimhavarman 2 of Pallava dynasty ( actually this King has built many temples during his reign).

He is the one who built the Shore Temple as well teh Kailasanathar temple which both are UNESCO world Heritage sites.

So this temple is built in 7th century, there are many beautiful Sculptures in this temple and also a 7th century mural painting of the Pallava king .

4.Marudamalai Murugan Temple, Coimbatore

Built by the Kongu Vettwa Kings, Marudamalai Murugan temple is a famous as well a beautiful temple present in the foothills of eastern side of the Western Ghats.

Actually there are 6 abodes for Lord Muruga Or Karthikeya in Tamil Nadu but the Marudamalai temple is considered as the 7th and a special abode for Lord Muruga.

The temple is special because the ancient Tamil poets have sung many famous songs praising the Nurugan here.

Beautiful right?

5.Chitharal Malai Kovil Or Cave Temple and Bhagavathi Temple, Kanyakumari

These two temples one is Jain and the other one is Hindu temple is next to each other.

The cave temple is bit old in 1st millenium CE but the main temple is said to built in 9th century by the Pandya king Vikramaditya Varaguna Pandya.

It's a very holy site for Digambara Jains and for Hindus as well .

6.Erumbeeshwarar Temple, Tanjore

Actually this temple is very unique because it's built like a small fort which is unique to Tamil NaduAditya but inside it has many sculptures.

Interesting mythological story explains how Devas (celestial creatures with godly characters) worshipped Lord Shiva, disguising themselves like ants, tricking the demons ( Erumbu means ant in Tamil)

The Lingam here is a sand linga and it is believed those who pray in this temple can avoid their fears and attract prosperity to the family.

This temple is built on a small hilllock by Chola King Aditya!