Diwali or Dīpāvali (Sanskrit: a row of lamps) is a significant festival in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and an official holiday in India. Adherents of these religions celebrate Diwali as the Festival of Lights. They light diyas—cotton string wicks inserted in small clay pots filled with oil—to signify victory of good over the evil within an individual.
In Hinduism, across many parts of India and Nepal, it is the homecoming of Rama after a 14-year exile in the forest and his victory over Ravana. In the legend, the people of Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) welcomed Rama by lighting rows (avali) of lamps (dĭpa), thus its name: dīpāwali. In South India, it marks the victory of Krishna over Narakasura. Over time, this word transformed into Diwali in Hindi and Dipawali in Nepali, but still retained its original form in South and East Indian Languages. In Dravidian languages it is called as Deepavali and the same is used in Malaysia and Singapore.[citation needed]
In Jainism, Diwali marks the attainment of nirvana by Mahavira in 527 BC.
Diwali has been significant in Sikhism since the illumination of the town of Amritsar commemorating the return of Guru Har Gobind Ji (1595-1644), the sixth Guru of Sikhism, who was imprisoned along with 52 other Hindu kings at Fort Gwalior by Emperor Jahangir. After freeing the other prisoners, he went to the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in the holy city of Amritsar, where he was welcomed happily by the people who lit candles and divas to greet the Guru. Because of this, Sikhs often refer to Diwali also as Bandi Chhorh Divas - "the day of release of detainees."
The festival is also celebrated by Buddhists in Nepal, a majority-Hindu country, particularly the Newar Buddhists.
In India and Nepal, Diwali is now considered to be a national festival, and the aesthetic aspect of the festival is enjoyed by most Indians and Nepalese regardless of faith.
On the day of Diwali / Deepavali, many wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks. Some North Indian business communities start their financial year on Diwali and new account books are opened on this day.
As on this day we seem to be a lot bothered about the global pollution , so it will be a wise decision on our part to decrease the use of fireworks and crackers to the minimal .
so once again we wish you a happy , prosperous and eco-friendly diwali . And remember to follow the safety measures that were in the previous post.
Wishing you all a happy and prosperous Durga Puja
Stay connected as theres a lot to follow up in this puja .
As you see we have added picasa photo gallery in our blog we need some contribution from you , if anybody has photos of damanjodi that you feel the world should know about, then feel free to send them at edamanjodi(@)gmail.com and you will see your photos posted here .
How you can reach damanjodi
By train
Damanjodi is connected to Vishakapatnam (by a day train) and Bhubaneswar by a night train. The Hirakand Express (train number 8447) leaves from Bhubaneswar at night (2000HRS), and reaches Damanjodi, the next morning (1000HRS). Most of the people get down at Viziangaram at around 0200 hrs (please tell the TTE to wake you up) and catches share taxis for Damanjodi/Koraput / Sunabeda / Jeypore takes around 4 hours and costs 250 bucks per person. An Express train (VSKP-KRDL-PASS, Train Number 1VK) leaves from Vishakapatnam in the morning (0650HRS), and reaches Koraput by evening (1400HRS). The journey through the scenic valley and hills make breathtaking.
Sambaleshwri Express has two sleepers, one ac three tire and some general coaches for Koraput leaves Howrah at 2130 daily and takes almost 24 hours to reach Damanjodi via Rourkella, Sambalpur and Rayagada. Most of the people get down at Viziangaram (50 kilometer before Visakhapatnam from Kolkata side) and takes share taxis to Damanjodi which takes 4 hours and costs around 150 per person.
For a list of trains to Damanjodi click here
By road
Damanjodi on the hills can be reached from most places in either Orissa or Andhra Pradesh by travelling up a heavily forested winding road (also called a ghat road), with many sharp hair-pin bends. The road trip from either state is quite scenic. It is the most travelled and well maintained. If travelling in the early morning or late evening, you definitely will spot wildlife feeding along the road, or even spot the odd carnivore. There are forests of sandalwood trees all the way.
Most of the people get down at Vizianagaram (50 kilometer before Visakhapatnam from Kolkata side) and catches share taxis to Damanjodi which takes 4 hours and costs around 250 bucks per person.
There are 2 ways to get to Damanjodi from visakhapatnam and vizianagaram:- 1. The route from Visakhapatnam traverses along Pendurthi, kottavalsa, Srugaravarapu Kota (S.Kota), aruku, aruku valley, jeypore, koraput, sunabeda, simliguda and damanjodi. This route is a bit long and is well paved till at least the Andhra Pradesh Orissa border. And aruku valley being the famous hill station in the northern parts of andhra pradesh one can get decent accommodation in one of the 3 Andhra Paradesh Tourism Department operated resorts at aruku valley. And from there go to koraput after a refreshing night in the laps of nature. This is also the route which the Visakhapatnam - aruku valley trains which a very scenic ride is and one ought not to miss it.
2. The other route to Damanjodi from Visakhapatnam goes via Vizianagaram, Gajapathi nagaram, Rambhdhrapuram, Salur, patungi, Simliguda. From vizianagaram the trip to Damanjodi is around 180kms.and the journey time is usually around 4 to 6 hrs depending on the road conditions, traffic conditions and weather. As mentioned above the road till the andhra pradesh and orissa border is well maintained on the andhra pradesh side but god only knows when the orissa government sanctioned funds to pave the road from koraput to the andhra pradesh border.
- The road from S.Kota to aruku valley is a ghat section or a winding mountain road which has 9 hair pin binds on route 1.
The journey to Dmanjodi is scenic and as mentioned above and you will definitely see wolves,fox,and if one is lucky enough hyenas and bears on the roads. And coming to the scenic part, it is a very scenic to watch but really dangerous to for the inexperienced driver who never drove on winding ghat roads(mountain roads).especially trying to avoid ditches, potholes and all other obstacles and especially the very rude and ignorant bus drivers of the orissa state department transport corporation who feel they have inherited the road from their fore fathers.
Roads on the andhra pradesh side are well maintained and marked very well even in the ghat sections of aruku and salur.But roads from the orissa border to koraput are the worst things on earth a person will ever encounter.they are full of potholes,ditches and the parapet wall of the road is never reconstructed after an accident happens and NO ROAD SIGNS OR WARNINGS.Just a handful written in the local language stating that these roads are maintained by R&B Department of orissa as this has been going on for the past god knows how many years there is virtually no boundary wall on this road and one usually finds its remnants like one finds the remnants of a lost city.and all the area is very dangerous due to robberies and dacoits.
National Aluminum Company
National Aluminium Company Limited, abbreviated as 'NALCO', (incorporated 1981) has units all over India at places like Angul and Damanjodi. It was incorporated as a public sector enterprise of the Government of India in 1981.
Today, it is Asia's largest, and one of the world's leading and the sixth largest, integrated aluminium complex, encompassing bauxite mining, alumina refining, aluminium smelting and casting, power generation, rail and port operations. It boasts of some of the world's latest and finest technology in the Aluminium manufacturing industry.
Commissioned during 1985-87, Nalco has emerged to be a star performer in production and export of alumina and aluminium, and more significantly, in propelling a self-sustained growth. It has made the country more than self sufficient in alumina and aluminium needs and has quite impressive export figures as well. Being the largest exporter of the metal in the country, it has its own section of port facilities at Visakhapatnam. All the units of NALCO employ the latest in technology and are some of the most advanced manufacturing units in the world.
The main units of NALCO are at Damanjodi (Mines & Refinery complex) and Nalconagar-Angul (Smelter & Power Plant Complex). The Bauxite mines called "Panchpatmalli Mines" is situated atop a set of five mountains called Panchpatmalli. These mines are open cast mines. The refinery complex for producing bauxite is located in Damanjodi. The smelter unit of NALCO is located in Nalconagar, Angul. The company's headquarters are located in Bhubaneswar, which is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa.
NALCO is considered to be one of the best profit making PSU in India and reaps impressively huge benefits every year. It is expanding by currently employing new projects. The ongoing second phase of expansion is set to make it the sixth largest producer of the metal in the world. The recent disinvestment issues, for the alumina giant, finally settled down after the central government decided not to disinvest profit making PSUs which meant that Nalco would not be privatized and continue to be a complete Govt of India Enterprise PSU.
The company has numerous awards to its credit, some of them being the most prestigious awards and recognitions. The Company received Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award from Govt. of India for its contribution in the field of afforestation and wasteland development. The 960 MW Captive Thermal Power Plant of the Company also received the prestigious Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar for the year 2000 from Govt. of India for its outstanding contributions in the field of environment management. Besides these, the Company and its Units have received various National, State and Institutional awards for excellence in Safety & Environment Management.
Nalco received ISO 9001:2000 awards and OHSAS 140001 for is excellency in production technology & occupational health & safety systems respectively.
Expansion
Nalco is planning to invest around 40,000 crores of Indian rupees in the next five years starting 2008. The investments will be made in alumina smelters and power projects in Indonesia, South Africa, Iran and withinIndia.
Its festive time again!
After dusshera the most anticipated festival celebrated in damanjodi is viswarkarma puja which is celebrated on 17th of September every year. As its around the corner, let me brief you about Viswakarma puja
Viswakarma Puja
| Viswakarma is known as the divine engineer since the Puranic age. As a mark of reverence he is not only worshipped by the engineering community but also by all professionals. This festival is celebrated in the month of September. On this day all the workers in the workshops and offices worship their tools and instruments in front of Lord Viswakarma, which are generally used in their profession. This is the puja of Lord Viswakarma, the main architect of the universe who had fabricated the universe as per the direction of Brahma, the lord of creation. Viswakarma Puja is celebrated by all industiral houses, artists, craftsman and weavers. The festival is observed on the Kanya Sankranti Day (September) which follows the Ganesh Puja. The Legend
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Celebration
This festival of Viswakarma Puja is celebrated with full enthusiasm. It is observed mostly in workshops, offices and factories in the industrial areas. Shop floors in various factories wear a festive look on this occasion. In beautifully decorated pandals the image of Viswakarma and his faithful elephant are inaugurated and worshipped. The industrial towns in urban area come alive with decorative pandals and loudspeakers. Most factories around the area declare the annual bonus on this day. The puja pandals are usually made within the factory premises. On this day family members of the employees come together to create a bright moment in an otherwise dull and mundane workshop. The entire factory workforce sits together for lunch.
The rituals are followed by the distribution of "prasad". The yearly feast is cooked and the workmen and the owners take their lunch get together. People are also found to be flying multi-colour kites. The sky fills up with all shades and colours. Chadials, Mombattis, Chowrangees, Petkattas, Mayurpankhis, Baggas fly high to establish the skills of the fliers. The sky becomes a war zone with the discarded kites dropping every now and then with the cry of "Bho-Kattaaa" from the distant roofs or parks.
Damanjodi being a industrial area, Viswakarma Puja is celebrated in a grand manner, with all the departments setting up their separate puja pandals and decorating them the best they can it is a major attraction. More than thousands of visitors from nearby places visit damanjodi catch a glimpse of the moment; I can assure you that if you want to see the real enthuasim of celebrating viswakarma puja then damanjodi is the place you are looking for.
Stay connected to this blog to catch a glimpse of the puja celebrations.
Geography
Nalco Mines
Geography
Nalco Mines
Nalco Mines
