The mysterious rock of Al Naslaa

The rock formation of Al Naslaa is located 50 km south of the Tayma Oasis in Saudi Arabia.

It has been split in half in two parts so perfectly that it looks like the work of a laser blade.

Both parts are balanced on their own tiny pedestal.

The cause of the split is unknown and leaving aside some fanciful hypotheses such as the intervention of aliens, it is assumed that it is due to natural causes, such as sand blown by the wind and periodic rain.

The rock is about 6 meters high and 9 meters wide, and is covered on the south-east side with numerous petroglyphs.

What are the most mysterious things about Indian temple?

 The Mystery of Sun Temples:

Why do we find so many Sun temples almost in a straight row and that too around 23 degrees North latitude?

Where are the Sun Temples in India?

Sun temples are famous in different parts of India. They have been built and venerated from time immemorial.

We have had Sun temples from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Afghanistan to Assam in the ancient Indian land of Bharatha, the most popular ones being Konark temple in Orissa, the Sun temple in Modhera and the Suryanarkovil in Kumbakonam among others which fall on the popular tourist circuits.

Sun Temple, Konark

Image Source: Wikipedia

Sun Temple, Modhera

Image Source: Wikipedia

The land of India today spans from 6.7 degrees North latitude to 37.1 degrees North latitude. In this wide span, we find a plethora of Sun temples, almost in a straight line around 23 degrees North latitude.

Save for a few such as Suryanarkovil near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu at 10.8 degrees North, the Konark Sun Temple in Orissa at 19.9 degrees North etc. most of the other renowned temples can be found around 23 degrees North. Some are in ruins, some are memories and some are still in use today.

• Suryanarayanaswamy temple at Arasavalli in Andhra Pradesh – 18.27 degrees
• Sun Temple at Somnath Patan near Veraval in Gujarat – 20.9 degrees
• Sun Temple at Madkheda near Tikamgadh, Madhya Pradesh – 22.9 degrees Sun Temple at Umri near Tikamgadh, Madhya Pradesh – 22.9 degrees
• Sun Temple at Kandaha, Bangaon, near Saharsa in Bihar – 23.0 degrees
• Harsiddhi temple at Ujjain – Harsiddhi – 23.09 degrees
• The famous Sun Temple at Modhera, near Ahmedabad, Gujarat – 23.5 degrees
• Kanthad Nath at Kanthkot near Rapar- 23.48 degrees
• Sun Temple at Dholavira – 23.89 degrees
• 8th Century Sun Temple in Chittorgarh Fort, destroyed in 14th century and rebuilt as Kali temple – 24.59 degrees
• Surya mandir, Deo, Aurangabad, Bihar, 85 kms from Gaya – 24.5 degrees
• Dakshinaarka Temple in Gaya – 24.7 degrees
• Uttaraka temple near the Uttara Maanas tank in Gaya – 24.7 degrees
• Gayaditya temple on the river Falgu in Gaya – 24.7 degrees
• Sun Temple at Jhaira Patan near Kota in Rajasthan: Ruins of an ancient temple – 25.1 degrees The Dwadasha Aditya temples and more in Kashi also called Varanasi – 25.2 degrees
• The Bhramanya Dev Temple at Unao in Madhya Pradesh, near Jhansi – 25.6 degrees
• Sri Surya Pahar, Sun Temple at Goalpara in Assam 26.0
• Sun Temple at Galta near Jaipur in Rajasthan – 26.5 degrees Sun temple in Morar at Gwalior – 26.2 degrees
• Sun Temple at Ranakpur near Udaipur in Rajasthan – 27.0 degrees Sun Temple near Almora in Uttarakhand – 29.37 degrees
• Sun Temple at Martand in Jammu and Kashmir 32.5 degrees

Not just these, the renowned sun temples of another Sun worshipping ancient civilization, namely Egypt, also has its sun temples at

• Abu Simbel – 22.6 degrees
• Karnak, Luxor – 25.43

Why do we find so many Sun temples almost in a straight row and that too around 23 degrees North latitude?

What did our ancestors know about the Sun that we do not, today?

What is the mystery behind this pattern?

23.5 degrees North latitude is the Tropic of Cancer.

As we have read in our school books, the Tropic of Cancer is the line up to which the sun moves North in its annual journey.

Sun at the Tropic Of Cancer on June 21

This movement of the sun between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and its significance has already been discussed by us, in the Rishimukh magazine of January 2010 and April 2010.

The way of living of our ancestors was in harmony with the Cosmos. They conducted their life, the annual and daily activities in their lives, in sync with the flow and rhythm of seasons, Rthu. Their Dharma, way of living,was governed by the Dharma, way of operating,of the Cosmic Nature.

Hence they tracked the sun and other celestial bodies in the sky to read the skies and prepare themselves for the daily, annual and spiritual change that are bound to occur as our planet earth hurtles on its journey through space along with its parent, the Sun and its siblings , the other planets in the solar system.

Each of these temples was specially designed to receive the rays of the sun inside the sanctum sanctorum, garbha graha, and illuminate the idol with a natural glow, on special days, especially the period around Summer Solstice.

June, is thus the time to watch our Sun go to the northern most point in its path in the skies and marvel at the knowledge, the sagacity and the architectural skills of our ancestors, which has found expression in the form of these temples to the Sun all over India and has become one of the traditions of India. (Source)

What are the most mysterious photos in history?

 #1 Bell Labs Experimental Video Phone 1960s

#2 Scientists Studying Moon Phases On Models In Preparation For Us Manned Flight To Moon, 1962

#3 Participants In The Miss Beautiful Eyes Beauty Pageant, Paris, 1930

#4 Digging Graves As A Hobby (1916)

#5 George Lucas Before Cgi, 1984

#6 A Motor Home In 1922

#7 1914. Painters On The Brooklyn Bridge Suspender Cables, New York City. Photo By Eugene De Salignac

#8 Lifeboat Carrying Titanic Survivors, 1912

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Which is the most mysterious Shiva temple in India?

 The Thanjai Periya Kovil (Thanjai Big Temple).

Some facts about the temple :

• Built by Raja Raja Chola I in a span of 5 years [1010 AD]
• Classic example for the Dravidian Architechture.
• An impressive display of assemblages in history.

Read : Navin Niish (நவீன் நீஷ்)'s answer to What are the most impressive assemblages of labor forces in history?

• The Temple was built with the help of slaves from the conquests of Chola.
• The statue of Nandi at the entrance of the temple is carved out of a single stone.
• The inspiration to build the temple came to Raja Raja Cholan during his visit to Sri Lanka and is a result of a dream he had.

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What makes it mysterious? Because it is surrounded by various myths.

• People losing power : This is due to the curse of Cholas. The Cholas were great but they were ruthless warriors. Their conquests and bringing in slaves and making them work had got all the curses. It is also said that the temple administration had power to release the water to farmers but it seems it was selfish. So people cursed the temple. This had led to people going to the temple losing their power.

For example : The story of ruler losing power gained weight after what happened when Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India and MGR, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu visited the temple in 1984 to inaugurate a statue of Rajaraja in commemoration his millennium of ascendancy on throne. Indira Gandhi was assassinated and MGR had a stroke forcing him to be out of power for six months.

There is also another myth that Raja Raja was pushed to death by a sinhalese woman who was a slave. Still Raja Raja’s death is said to be a complex one.

• Secret passages : The secret passages were also built by Raja Raja Chola in his period of time. The secret passages were something different from the underground passages. The underground passages were built to connect several temples built by him together. Secret passage were built in such a way that it connects the secret places of the chola kings together like the one that connects the Palace of Raja Raja Chola and the Tanjore big temple
• The Growing Nandi : The Nandhi statue, sculptured during the Raja Raja Cholan period, kept growing in size. This could be because of the unique weather conditions and the growth of its growth, which was kept aside and nailed to the grounds.

Some facts related to the Temple but not entirely the temple. The people in Tamil film industry wanted to take movies regarding the Great King Raja Raja based upon the novel Ponniyin Selvan. But what happened to them is a big mystery. Some met with accidents and some issues happened. Something or other happens if they try to do something regarding the cholas.

So yes, according to me this temple is mysterious :)

Additional : Parvathamalai is also one mysterious temple !

• The height of Parvathamalai 
  [1]
   is over 4,000 feet and the distance from the base is 5.5 km. Parvatham means mountain and ‘Parvatha Malai’ as its called, signifies ‘Hill of Hills’ or ‘Queen of Hills’. Parvathamalai presents eight different shapes from eight directions around the hill.
• A Temple at this site is believed to have existed for the last 2000 years although it is not known exactly when the current Temple was constructed at the top of Parvathamalai. However a record (Malai Padu Kadaam) shows that King Maa Mannan who was ruling that area, during the year 300 A.D used to visit a Temple (at this site) frequently and worship Lord Shiva and the Goddess. It is said that 2000 years ago great yogis (Siddhas) constructed a Temple at the top of the hill for doing meditation.
• One of the legends associated with Parvathamalai states that when Lord Hanuman carried Sanjeevini hill to revive Laxman a piece of Sanjeevenimalai fell at this spot. For this reason this particular area is famous for various herbs and shrubs which can cure the deadliest diseases. It is not just herbs that can cure disease but it is thought that the breeze alone from the Hill wafting through the plants and shrubbery is enough to help cure illnesses.

• It is reputed that there are Siddhars who have made this Hill their home and who keep their presence a secret only choosing to reveal themselves to few devotees of the Divine. It is believed that these Siddhars visit the Temple on the top of Parvathamalai at midnight to worship the presiding deities there. Though no one can or have seen them in physical bodies, Villagers around ‘Parvathamalai’ down below say that they can clearly hear the sound of ringing bells, blowing conch and beating drums exactly at midnight when pujas are performed by siddhars. Devas and spiritual beings from other lokas are also believed to worship on the Hill every night.

Read more : Parvathamalai Hill and Temple

Do visit Parvathamalai as a trekking experience ! It’s situated near Thiruvannamalai !

Om Namah Shivaya !

Image source : Google

What are the most mysterious photos in history?

 

• Pyramids in Bermuda triangle? Oceanographer, Dr. Meyer Verlag discovered pyramids located 2000 meters beneath the surface of Bermuda triangle using Sonar imaging.

• Salamanca cathedral, a Spanish church whose construction began in 1513 had a carving of an astronaut on it. Weird enough to blow our mind!

• A map of Antarctica from 16th century by Piri Reis was found in 1929. This map gave exact Antarctic outline and even the snow covered surface’s details. When further explored, it was found that the original mapmaker of the Antarctic map dates back to 4000 BC! What was the need of people to make map of Antarctic? If so, how have they done it with so accurate scales?

• This picture was taken in 1930’s and this shows a man talking on a mobile phone. This is a mysterious thing.

• Found in the sunken wreckage of a Greek cargo ship that is at least 2,000 years old, the circular bronze artifact contains a maze of interlocking gears. Originally thought to be a kind of navigational astrolabe, archaeologists continue to uncover its uses and now know that it was, at the very least, a highly complicated astronomical calendar. It is still the most sophisticated device ever found from that period.

(Source: The 25 Most Mysterious Archaeological Finds on Earth)

• The sailing stones of Death valley, USA. These stones move once in one or two years and make the tracks visible on the smooth valley. The mystery is they move without human or animal intervention.

• Voyich Manuscript is a mysterious book found in the 20th century by a bookseller which contains scripts that no human could read. These scripts have unusual language with illustrated range of images and zodiac signs. The book, which is currently housed at Yale University's dates back some 600 years and was likely written in Central Europe. Its code is yet to be cracked.

(Source: The 25 Most Mysterious Archaeological Finds on Earth)

What is the most mysterious object in our galaxy?

 It’s hard to say what’s the absolutely most mysterious, but the first thing that comes to mind is Eta Carinae.

The star (or stars - it appears to be a multi-star system) is among the brightest in the galaxy, with the primary component more than 5 million times brighter than the sun. At 7,500 light years away, it’s one of the most distant stars we can see without a telescope, and was the second brightest star in the night sky for a few days in March 1843.

Eta Carinae’s main component is highly active, and spewed a huge eruption of material in the mid-1800s. It was this eruption that made it so bright. It then faded so much that for a while a telescope was needed to see it. Now it’s visible again with the naked eye.

Scientists think it’s likely to explode in a supernova sometime in the near future (astronomically). That means anytime between now and say, 3 million years from now. If it does, it will be one of the brightest objects in our sky for a short period. Probably five times brighter than the planet Venus.

Despite its great distance, it might be one of the most dangerous objects in the sky, because it’s likely to be massive enough to explode as a “hypernova,” Some scientists predict it could strip the Earth of its ozone layer, something that wouldn’t normally happen unless a supernova were within 50 light years of Earth.

The Eta Carinae system is seen below. The material expelled from it during its eruption in the mid-1800s is quite evident. It’s this material that caused the star to fade in brightness from our vantage point for a while, as the material hid the star.

If the sun suddenly became as luminous as Eta Carinea (this can’t happen), the Earth’s entire surface would melt, mountains and all.

What are the most mysterious places in the world?

 Norilsk, Russia

This city is very cold because the annual temperature here is -10 degrees Celsius. At the same time, during winter the temperature changes to -55 degrees Celsius. The city is shrouded in darkness for two months every year, which is why architects designed the city in such a way that the strong winds are somewhat blocked, as it is almost impossible to stop them completely.

There are no roads to the city, only one freight railway line and the port city of Dudinka 40 miles away provides a route to the city by sea - although it freezes in winter.

The northernmost city in Russia.

The city is also one of the most polluted cities due to high concentrations of copper, nickel, and sulfur dioxide in the air. Mining and factories operate 24 hours non-stop.

Each year, nickel plants emit more than two million tons of toxic gases, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon, phenol and others.

A polluted river on the outskirts of Norilsk.

Dead fish are caused by toxic substances.

This not only caused acid rain that killed many of the surrounding trees, but also took many lives of the residents of Norilsk.