CULTURAL QA 01-2024-05

All the BELOW  QA are from  Quora  digest to me  on  05-01-2024. 

Quora answers need not be 100% correct answers 

.Compiled and posted byR. Gopala krishnan,  on 05-01-2024

Q1         Why are petrol tankers elliptical inshape?

A1          Rebecca Williams, Car Lover Nov 9

Petrol tankers are elliptical in shape because ofseveral reasons related 
tostability, safety, and efficiency. Petrol tankers are vehicles thattransport 
liquid fuel from one place to another.

They have todeal with various challenges such as road conditions, traffic, 
weather, andregulations. The shape ofthe tankers is very important to ensure a 
smooth and successful operation.

One of themain reasons why petrol tankers are elliptical in shape is to lower 
the center of gravity ofthe vehicle. The center of gravity is the point where 
the weight of thevehicle is balanced. Thelower the center of gravity, the more 
stable the vehicle is. This isespecially important for petrol tankers because 
they carry a large amount ofliquid that can shift and slosh inside the tank, 
creating a lateral force thatcan cause the vehicle to tip over or lose control. 
An elliptical shape reduces the height of thetank, which in turn lowers the 
center of gravity and increases the stability ofthe vehicle.

To maximizethe volume of the tank while keeping the height under a certain 
limit. Petroltankers have to comply with the regulations and standards of the 
roadauthorities, which specify themaximum dimensions and weight of the 
vehicles. The height of the vehicleis one of the critical factors because it 
affects the clearance under bridges,tunnels, and overhead wires. An elliptical 
shape allows the tank to have a larger volume than acircular or rectangular 
shape while keeping the height within the permissiblerange. This means that the 
petrol tanker can carry more fuel withless trips, saving time and money.

To improve the aerodynamics and fuel efficiency of thevehicle. Aerodynamics is 
the study of howair flows around objects and affects their motion. Fuel 
efficiency is themeasure of how much fuel is consumed by the vehicle per unit 
of distance. Bothof these factors are influenced by the shape of the vehicle, 
which determinesthe amount of drag or resistance that the air exerts on the 
vehicle. Dragreduces the speed and increases the fuel consumption of the 
vehicle.

An ellipticalshape reduces the drag by having a smooth and streamlined surface 
thatminimizes the turbulence and pressure difference caused by the airflow.This 
means that the petrol tanker can travel faster and use less fuel, reducingthe 
environmental impact and operational cost.

My note- Thesame thing  applies to petrol tankers inGoods train also

Q2         Around what period did England stopbeing dominated by French 
nobility?Q2         

A2          Stephen Tempest, MA in Modern History,University of Oxford 
(Graduated 1985)22h

Until 1204.

Prior to that date, the French-speaking nobilitywho dominated England usually 
had lands in both England and France,with family members in both countries, and 
often travelled between the twoplaces.

Note thatthey were not only Normans: there were Angevins, Poitevins, Manceaux , 
Bretons,Flemings, Blésois, and many others numbered among the vassals of the 
Kings ofEngland and Dukes of Normandy. Nor were the Normans Vikings by 1066; 
they werejust French people with some Norse ancestry and a distinctive dialect.

On the other hand, France in 1066 was by nomeans a unified country, and the 
Dukes ofNormandy basically ignored the king in Paris — who was nominally their 
feudalsuperior, but in reality was just one more territorial magnate with a 
slightlymore fancy title. England had French rulers, but it was not ruled by 
France.

In 1202, however, King Philippe II Auguste ofFrance declared that King John of 
England was in breach of his feudalobligations to his overlord, andtherefore 
all his French lands — Normandy, Aquitaine, and Anjou — were forfeitto the 
French Crown.

John payinghomage to Philippe for his lands in France

John naturally contested this ruling, butPhilippe had a larger army, and many 
of John’s nobles in France were angry withhim and withdrew their support. In 
March1204 Château Gaillard, the strongest castle in Normandy defending the 
maininvasion route down the Seine valley from Paris, was captured by the 
Frenchroyal army after a six-month siege. With this loss, John’s defences 
collapsed,and by August the King of France had occupied all of Normandy and 
Anjou.

He then declared that Normandy was now part of theFrench royal domain. There 
would be nomore Dukes of Normandy for over a century, until King Philippe VI de 
Valoisgave the title to his son Jean le Bon in 1332.

This conquest presented the Anglo-Norman nobility witha difficult choice. They 
could no longer split their time freely betweenEngland and France: they had to 
decide which side they were on. Would John ofEngland or Philippe Auguste of 
France have their loyalty?

Some chose one way, and some the other.Those whose lands in France were more 
important to them had to swear allegianceto the King of France, and forfeit 
their English lands; those who preferred tostay in England retained their 
loyalty to the King of England, and forfeittheir French lands.

 (Of course there were plenty of exceptions andcomplications if you look at the 
fine details; but in broad terms, that was thesplit.)

>From that moment on, the nobility who dominatedEngland were English. They 
>might still speak French, but the 13th century was the time whenthe English 
>nobility began speaking English, in a 150-year longtransition which started at 
>the lower levels (the knights and gentry) andgradually spread to the peerage 
>and finally the royal court. But England wasnow their home.

My note- Ihope my readers are interested in this type of Historical  QA 
readings. 

Q3         If Lord Ayyappa never existed inMahabharata, nor in Puranas, then 
why do Hindus worship Ayyappan?

A3          Vishwanath O,Learning the history ofreligions & similarities of 
faith20h

SwamiSharanam !

Lord Ayyappa or Manikanta we see in Sabarimala wasborn in human form in less 
than 1000 years ago.He was born in Pandala kingdomat a time when Islam existed 
. Ayyappa’s friend Vavar was a Muslim .Devotees of Ayyappa visit the Dargah of 
Vavar and offer prayers beforeproceeding to Sabarimala.

Ayyappa we worship today is an avatar of Dharma sasthawho is mentioned in 
Skanda Purana . In otherwords Manikanta was deified as Ayyappa an avatar 
ofDharmasastha.

My note-Pandalam has a locality called kadakkad  occupied 99% by Muslims.These 
muslims talk Tamil also fluently, probably because  the Pandya royal family 
came from Madurai inTamilnadu spoke Tamil when they came to Pandalam. Ihave 
remembrance of Pandalam royal family speaking Tamilalso at a time. Iam native 
of Pandalam.

Q4         Can you share a funny story about yourmom?

A4          Gopalkrishna Vishwanath, I prefercomedy to tragedy Nov 27

Flashback: The mid nineteen fifties. I was about 7or 8 years old.

We had movedto Mumbai from our native place in Palakkad district in Kerala.We 
moved into aGujarati speaking neighborhood in Matunga, Mumbai

My mom knewTamil and Malayalam, and was picking up English and Hindi (the 
Mumbai brand ofHindi) and was strugglingwith speaking Hindi.

We kids hadgrown up in that neighborhood and had no problem with Hindi but for 
my mom itwas a real challenge but she responded spendidly.

She soonlearned to converse but her Hindi would often be mixed with Tamil or 
Englishwords when she did not know the Hindi word for it.

One day,wanting to know where my 7 year old playmate lived, she asked “Tumhaara 
aam kidhar hai”

 (aam in Brahmin Tamil means home, ghar,(Hindi)veedu,(Standard Tamil) mane 
(Kannada) but it means “mango” in Hindi

The littleboy replied innocently “mera aam, mai kha gaya!” to my mother’s 
shock! (I ate my mango)

On anotheroccasion, my brother was bitten by a puppy. It wasn’t too serious but 
my momwas not taking chances and she took him to the nearby doctor and told 
thedoctor “mera chokra kochota kutta baitha” (A small dog bit my boy).

The Doctor took some time to understand her!

God blessher soul. She later joined the Rashtrabhasha Prachar Sabha and learned 
formallyfor a few years and was soon proficient in Hindi and passed the Kovidh 
exam.

She must me smiling up in heaven as I write this. Shepassed away in 2006.

Q5         Which is the oldest Shiva temple?

A5          SrivathsanM Thirumurai the everythingin life19h

UTHIRAKOSAMANGAITEMPLE

OM NAMAHSHIVAAYA

A shocking answer but yes.It is regarded as MAN THONDRUM MUNNE MANGAI 
THONDRIYADHU which means evenbefore the creation appeared Uthirakosamangai 
appeared.

Uthiram –Sermon, Kosam – Secrets and Mangai – Goddess Parvati. The place got 
this name Uthirakosamangai from thefact that Lord Shiva taught Parvati the 
secrets of the Vedas.

UthirakosamangaiTemple is also known as Mangalanatha Swamy Temple and is 
located in Ramanathapuram District in TamilNadu. It is one of the most ancient 
Shiva temples. It comes under theRamanathapuram Samasthanam Devasthanam and the 
Sethupathi Maharaja family isthe hereditary trustee.

Antiquity of the temple is also evident from thefact that the name of 
Mandodari, wife of Ravana(Emperor of Sri Lanka) isengraved on the wall of the 
temple.

This templeis believed to be the native of Lord Shiva and the place where the 
world’s first Natarajar appeared.This temple is worshipped by all the Rishis, 
sages and Siddhars of the world.

The temple was built even before the appearance of theNavagrahas. The temple 
dates back to foureras. The temple was built by a thousand Shiva servants who 
attained Moksha atthe same time.

This placeis where the Tamil phrase “Thennadudaya Sivane Potri; Ennatavarkum 
IraivaPotri” originated. (trans - Glories to God of south nations and god of 
allnations) The temple has theEmerald Nataraja Statue (Maragatha Natarajar).

Information collected browsing the internet for a lotof time -

The age ofthe Moolavar (Suyambu Lingam) in this temple dates back to three 
thousandyears.

Uthirakosamangai Temple is built in an area ofabout 20 acres.    It is believed 
to be the hometown of theLord Shiva.    The unity of the couplewill be 
strengthened if they stand in front of the Lord Uma Maheswarar shrineand 
worship the deities.

In thelegend of Thiruvilaiyatal, the scene catching fish by throwing net 
(valaiveesiya puranam) took place at this place.

The major renovations at the UthirakosamangaiTemple were done by the Pandya 
kings.When the reign of Pandyan kings was at its best in power, this place 
served asthe capital for some time.

In ancienttimes this place was known by different names like Sivapuram, 
ThatchinaKailayam, Chaturvedi Mangalam, Ilandi Kaipalli, Badrika Kshetra, 
Brahmapuram,Vyakrapuram, Mangalapuri, Badrisayana Chatram, Adi Chidambaram.

Before worshiping both Mangala Nathar and MangalaNayaki, if we offer prayers to 
the Pana Lingam there, we will get the fullbenefit of our worship.

For thosewho worship the deities of the temple, receive all the benefits at 
this lifeand attain Moksha afterlife.

It is believedthat if people get married at this place, their relationship will 
be longlasting and hence a lot of marriages take place at this temple 
duringauspicious days.

The maindeity Mangalanathar is also called as Mangalesuvarar and Pralayakesuvar.

The GoddessMangaleswari is also known by the names Mangalambikai and 
Sundaranayaki.

In the nameof Goddess Mangaleswari. Subramaniam Pillai has sung Pillai Tami and 
the bookwas published in 1901 and reprinted in 1956.

The name ofMandodari, the wife of Ravana, is mentioned in the inscriptions of 
the temple. Therefore, this inscription isconsidered to be the proof that this 
place appeared before/during  the time of Ramayana.

This is theplace where Vedaviyasar, Kaga Bujander, Mirukandu Sage, Vanasuran, 
Mayan,Manickavasagar and Arunigirinathar worshiped the almighty and got blessed 
bythe Lord Shiva.

ThePanchaloka Natarajar of this temple is very different and it is a 
masterpiececonsisting of men’s dance moves on the right and women’s dance moves 
on theleft of the statue.

At theentrance of the temple, Lord Ganesha and Lord Murugan have changed 
theirplaces.

The elephant is the vehicle of Lord Murugan.According to the Adi Chidambara 
Mahatmyam, the King of Devas – Indra gave hiselephant “Iravatham” to Lord 
Murugan.

This templeis located at a distance of 83 km from Rameswaram and 18 km from 
Ramanathapuram.

In ancientLiterature, the term “Ilavanthigai Palli” represents 
UthirakosamangaiTemple.   This is the place where LordShiva appeared in front 
of the Tamil poet Manikkavasagar.   The temple is also called Mangaiperuman 
whoarose under the locust tree.

It isbelieved that at this temple Goddess Mangalanayaki worships the 
LordMangalanathar.    It is stated in theMadurai Purana that the place got this 
name Uthirakosamangai from the fact thatLord Shiva taught Parvati the secrets 
of the Vedas.

The temple was in the possession of the Adi saivarswhich was later handed over 
to the King of Ramanathapuram and it has been underthe rule of Ramanathapuram 
Samasthanam ever since.

Two of theYaali were found with beautiful carvings in the entrance have a ball 
of stonein their mouths. We can move the ball with our hand inserted in their 
mouths.

The fishesthat live in the pond of this temple are not fresh water fishes but 
are thefishes that live in seawater.

On the dayof Pradhosham, people used to worship the deities of the temple by 
offering screw-pine flowers (Thazhampoo). It is believed that ifpeople worship 
the deities by offering a garland of screw-pine flowers all theobstacles in a 
marriage can be eliminated.

My note- So the temple was there before curse bySeetha on screw pine flower

Here is theancient Varahi temple and when worshipped every Friday, Tuesday and 
Sundayduring the Rahu Kalam, all the incurable problems including marriage ban 
willgo away.

The famousMughal King Alauddin Khilji, who ruled Delhi in the year 1300, found 
out thatthere was an emerald Natarajar statue in Uthirakosamangai and tried to 
loot itbut by the grace of the Lord Mangalanathar he did not succeed in his 
attempt.

The chief minister’s alms program is held daily atthis temple and if you donate 
Rs.700 you can donate food to 50 people.

The curse ofSage Gautama on Sage Kagabujandar was removed at this place.

60 thousandShivanadiyars received enlightenment at this place.

TheMangalanathar Shrine, the Mangaleswari Shrine, the Emerald Natarajar Shrine 
andthe Sagasralinga Shrine at this temple have separate sanctorum, puja hall, 
mahahall and flag tree.

As the Natarajar here is made of emerald stonesome people call this place Ratna 
Sabha.But since it is believedto be the first temple in the world, it is said 
that it does not belong to anySabha.

KaraikalAmmaiyar also came here and worshipped Lord Shiva.

Thearchitecture of the Uttarakosamangai temple is based on Dravidian 
architecture.

Specialpujas are conducted every month on the days of Amavasai (no moon day), 
Pournami(full moon day), Pradosham , Krithigai and Chathurthi.

    Major festivals of the TempleTamil MonthChithirai (Mid – April) – 
ThirukalyanamTamil Month Vaikasi (Mid – May) –Vasantha UrchavamTamil Month Aani 
(Mid – June) – 10 days Shiva UrchavamTamilMonth Aippasi (Mid – October) – 
AnnabishekamTamil Month Margazhi (Mid –December) – Thiruvathirai festivalTamil 
Month Maasi (Mid – February) –Shivarathiri

Uthirakosamangai Temple Pooja Timings

Daily at this Temple, Morning 5.30 AM – Ushad Puja,8.00 AM – Shanti Puja, 10.00 
AM – UchchiKala Puja, Evening 5.00 PM– Sayaratchai Puja, 7.00 PM Irandam Kala 
Puja and 8.00 PM – ArthajamaPuja will be held.

Anointing ofthe Mangalanathar is done daily at 6 AM, 12.30 PM and 5.30 PM.

People canworship the deities of the Uthirakosamangai temple from Morning 5.00 
AM to12.30 PM and from Evening 4.00 PM to 8.00 PM.

It isbelieved that even incurable diseases can be cured by dissolving the 
sandalwoodtaken from the statue of the Natarajar made of Emerald in hot water 
anddrinking it.

There are atotal of 11 Ganeshas in this temple.

One canworship Mahalakshmi in the left side corner while coming around the 
LordMangalanathar shrine.

There is astatue of Sarveshwar at the royal tower of the temple.

This templeappeared before the foremost temple of Shaivites - Chidambaram 
temple.

    It is believed that Natarajar danced inChidambaram only after he danced at 
Uthirakosamangai.

    This is the place where Pranava Porul istaught to Goddess Ambikai.

    The Lord Mangalanathar here is in the formof Linga.

    The Sthala Virutcham of this temple is theJujube Tree and has been visited 
by many sages for generations. This tree isnearly 5000 years old.

    This is the place where the sages ofVedaviyasar, Parasar, Kagabhujantariji 
and Mirukandu worshiped.

    Here is the Sahasralinga which possessesthe radiant powers present in 1087 
Shiva temples in the world.

    Two festivals are conducted in a year here.One is the Chithirai Festival 
and the other is the Margazhi ThiruvathiraiFestival.

    There are nine wells (theertham) in thistemple.

    The Lord Shiva present here was the firstto introduce the art of Bharata 
Natya to the people of the world.

    This place is the hometown of the LordShiva and hence it is believed that 
even if one enters this place once in alifetime can enter heaven for sure.

    Uthirakosamangai is the place where SriRama (an avatar of Lord Vishnu) was 
given the Shiva Lingam of Lord Shiva andwas ordered to build a bridge over the 
Sethu Samudra.

    Devotees believe that children will livelonger and higher, if they sing the 
Ponnunchal song sung by the Manikkavasakaras a lullaby.

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