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Mughal Hidden Treasure of Alwar, Rajasthan- Not Yet Found Till today...

Alwar fort which is known as Bala Quila, is a fort in Alwar in Indian state of Rajasthan.

About the fort: 

Alwar about 150 KMs from Delhi is a well known place since time immortal.
The fort walls are of about 7 KM in length at the hill top where climbing is very difficult.  

The fort extends for about 5 km from north to south and 1.6 km from east to west. 

The fort has six gates, namely, Jai Pol, Suraj Pol, Laxman Pol, Chand Pol, Krishen Pol and Andheri Gate which tells us the story of valor and chivalry of Rajputs. 


Bala Quila walls are decorated with finely crafted with ancient scriptures and sculptures that would take you back to those golden times. It is a testimonial of Indo-Islamic architecture.


Within the fort are there are 15 ( large) and 51 (small) towers within the fort.

It is built on the ridgetop, 340 metres (1,120 ft) above the city. 

The fort has 446 openings for musketry, along with 8 huge bastions encompassing it. 

According to Hindu scriptures, it is said that 'a fort is the strength of a king'. 

During Mahabharat period, Pandav spent there Vanvaas in Alwar and one year of agyatvas was spent in Virat Nagar which is now part of Jaipur District at the border of Alwar on Alwar - Jaipur road.

The palace, which is under renovation by the Government of Rajasthan as a tourist place, can be seen anywhere from Alwar city.

About The Hidden Treasure:

It is said that Emperor Jahangir stayed in this Bala Quila when his father, the great emperor Akbar banished him. 

The place where Emperor Jahangir stayed in Bala Quila is known as Salim Mahal. Later, in the year 1775, Bala Quila was taken by Pratap Singh, the founder of Alwar state.

Mughal Emperor Jehangir took refuge here when he was exiled.  Babur also stayed here.  

It is said that a Mughal Emperor on run buried his treasure in the jungle of the fort.  

It is also said that the treasure could not be recovered in full.  Hence, a large part of the treasure is still buried there. 

The main treasure item is said to be a a drinking cup cut out of a single emerald.
  
Time to visit:

The best season to visit Bala Quila is from September to February (10:00 am to 4:30 pm) as the weather is conducive.


Dead Sea Cave Qumran Excavation

The Dead Sea Scrolls are the world’s oldest known biblical manuscripts.   In 1947 scrolls and scroll fragments dating from 150 BC were discovered in a cave by local Bedouin teenagers. They were tending goats near the ancient settlement of Qumran.  


One of the boys threw a rock into a hole in the cliff and heard the sound of pottery breaking. He and his friends gained access to the interior of the cave which housed many clay jars, containing leather and papyrus scrolls.
  
Qumran Caves:
Early in 1949 archaeologists identified cave 1, triggering the beginning of an archaeological investigation of the area. Exploration of the cave, which lies one kilometer north of Wadi Qumran, yielded the remains of at least 70 manuscripts, including bits of the original seven Scrolls. 


The cave’s discovery established the origin of the purchased Scrolls, while archaeological artifacts recovered there confirmed the Scroll dates suggested by paleographic analysis. At the same time the Bedouin continued to search for Scrolls, as these scraps of leather proved to be a lucrative source of income. 


Fresh material found by Bedouin in other caves proved that the Cave 1 discovery was not an isolated phenomenon in the desert; additional caves with manuscripts also existed.


The years between 1951 and 1956 were marked by accelerated activity in both the search for caves and the archaeological excavation of the Qumran site. An eight-kilometer-long strip of cliffs was thoroughly investigated. Of the 11 Qumran Caves that yielded written remains, five were discovered by Bedouin and six by archaeologists. 


Qumran Cave 1 (1Q) – Discovered by a young Bedouin shepherd in 1947 and excavated by archaeologists in 1949. The first Dead Sea Scrolls were found in this cave, later called Cave 1. They were the best-preserved, said to have been protected by tall clay jars with lids intact. This seven-Scroll discovery revolutionized the study of the Hebrew Bible and the origins of Judeo-Christianity. Scrolls found in Cave 1 include the Community Rule, War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness, Thanksgiving Scroll (Hodayot), Isaiah A and B, Genesis Apocryphon and Pesher Habakkuk (Habakkuk Commentary). When archaeologists excavated the cave, they found additional fragments of these Scrolls and fragments of dozens of other scrolls.

Qumran Cave 2 (2Q) –Discovered by Bedouin in 1952. Cave 2 yielded fragments of many biblical books, including all Five Books of Moses, Jeremiah and Psalms, as well as other works such as Jubilees and the book of Enoch.


Qumran Cave 3 (3Q) – Discovered and excavated by archaeologists in 1952. Cave 3 unearthed a unique two-part copper Scroll, listing what may be sites of the Temple’s buried treasure, hidden throughout the Judean wilderness and Jerusalem area. According to the Scroll, the secret caches held astonishing amounts of gold, silver, copper, and aromatics. Besides the Copper Scroll, Cave 3 also contained fragments of about a dozen biblical and non-biblical Scrolls, including a copy of Jubilees.

Qumran Cave 4 (4Q) – Discovered by Bedouin treasure hunters in 1952, who were exploring right under the noses of archaeologists excavating the site of Qumran. The most legendary of all caves, Cave 4 revealed ample treasures: thousands of fragments from hundreds of manuscripts, comprising 75% of all material from the Qumran caves, including parts of biblical and apocryphal books, biblical commentaries, works on Jewish law, prayers, sectarian texts, tefillin and mezuzot. Due to their poor condition, these fragments were among the most difficult to decipher and translate.


Qumran Cave 5 (5Q) – Discovered and excavated by archaeologists in 1952. Cave 5 yielded fragments of approximately 25 parchment Scrolls, including biblical and sectarian texts.


Qumran Cave 6 (6Q) –Discovered by Bedouin in 1952. Cave 6 contained fragments of about 31 Scrolls mostly written on papyrus, including biblical works, hymns, and sectarian compositions. This small cave is the most accessible of the Dead Sea Scrolls sites to visitors today.

Caves 7-10 (7Q, 8Q, 9Q, 10Q) –Discovered in 1955 by archaeologists. All manuscripts found in Cave 7 were in Greek, including a translation of the book of Exodus. Some scholars have attempted to identify certain tiny fragments from Cave 7 as New Testament texts. Cave 8 contained fragments of Genesis, Psalms, a mezuzah, a hymn and tefillin. Additionally, the discovery of food remains, an abundance of oil lamps and 68 leather reinforcing tabs for scrolls indicate that the cave may have been used as a workshop. Cave 9 yielded only a single papyrus fragment. Archaeologists found only one inscribed potsherd in Cave 10.

Qumran Cave 11 (11Q) – Discovered by Bedouin in 1956. The last of the Qumran Scrolls found to date were discovered in this cave. The remains of around 30 manuscripts were found, including a few nearly-complete Scrolls: Leviticus (written in paleo-Hebrew), Psalms and an Aramaic targum of Job. The most exciting find was the Temple Scroll (the longest of the Dead Sea Scrolls), which rewrites the book of Deuteronomy and details regulations pertaining to Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple.
  
Scrolls Content:

The majority of the Dead Sea Scrolls are religious works, divided on this website into "Biblical" and "Non-Biblical" compositions, with a special category for "Tefillin and Mezuzot". The non-literary records in the corpus (mostly papyrus manuscripts from sites other than the Qumran caves) are grouped into "Documents" and "Letters", and a small number of "Scribal Exercises". The "Unidentified Texts" are tiny fragments in such poor condition that they cannot be categorized. 

There are also "Multiple Compositions". In most cases, a manuscript label refers to a single text. However, sometimes a single label was assigned to more then one composition. In some cases, this is due to the re-use of a scroll in antiquity-- when writing was superimposed over existing text (a palimpsest) or there are separate texts written on the two sides of a scroll (recto and verso). Other cases of "multiple compositions" with a single label manuscript number reflect modern errors and disagreements about classifying fragments.

Occasionally, scholars mistakenly thought that different fragments came from the same manuscript and grouped them together. Sometimes the fragments are the same composition, e.g., the book of Leviticus, but originate from different copies. In such cases, the texts are given an extra letter to distinguish them, such as 4Q26, 4Q26a, 4Q26b, 4Q26c, which represent different copies of Leviticus that were placed together.


New Discoveries:
Since the discovery of the initial ten caves, twenty more caves have been found, most unexcavated. In fact they are at risk of being looted and robbed by treasure hunters.  It is possible that the newly found caves contain more scrolls, coins, treasure, and artifacts that are historically significant. 
Archaeologist Dr. Aaron Judkins is heading to Qumran in December 2016 to excavate a new cave as part of a team approved by the Israeli Antiquities Authority.
He writes:
“The discovery of a new cave at Qumran holds promise of being a ancient repository that could contain treasures such as artifacts, coins, and scroll jars with scrolls. Only an excavation to discover what lies beneath the sands of time will enable us to solve this mystery. The Israeli authorities have granted us a permit to excavate at Qumran, the famous site of the community that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is an extraordinary opportunity for me to work with lead archaeologist Dr. Randall Price & archaeologist Bruce Hall…This world renowned site is historically famous, and is where the majority of the Dead Sea Scrolls (or DSS) were discovered in 1947 in Qumran. The dig has been given a narrow window from the end of December 2016 into the first weeks of January 2017.”

Judkins is known as the “Maverick Archaeologist”, a nickname he earned for his unconventional thinking and questing for historical truth. Most recently he worked on an expedition and documentary about Noah and the Ark. He has also spent time researching the elongated skulls of Peru and Bolivia, pursuing his passion of forbidden archaeology. He is currently raising funds to support his participation in the Dead Sea Cave project.


Site Location:

Link- Qumran Caves

7,000 Year Old Megalithic Site In South Asia Located Near Hyderabad

The most significant archaeological findings of 7,000-year-old megalithic site that served as an astronomical observatory has been found in Muduma village of Mahbubnagar in Telangana, India.

It is one of its kind of megalithic site in South Asia located near Hyderabad.

The team of archeologists described it as  ''the only megalithic site in India, where a depiction of a star constellation has been identified''. 

Prof KP Rao,History Professor of University of Hyderabad who has been conducting research at the site for the past 12 years said that usually they come across depiction of either sun, moon or few stars in the ancient paintings or rock bruisings. Depiction of a constellation of stars has so far not been noticed anywhere in India. It may be noted here that this depiction is the earliest sky chart noticed anywhere in south Asia so far.

This megalithic site which is expected to be around 3,000-years-old, there are 80 Menhirs (standing stone) which are of 10 to 12 feet high and around 2,000 smaller stones which are 30-60cm tall are arranged in alignment.

 One of the surprising details discovered at the site is a depiction of the constellation known as Ursa Major, which is formed from small cup-sized pits carved into a standing stone. The group of about 30 cup-marks were arranged in the same shape in which Ursa Major can be observed in the night sky with the naked eye. 

 Prof KP Rao also said the arrangement might be related to death rites and those who constructed the site seem to have some belief in orienting these monuments in particular direction.


Two Rare Ancient Long Swords of 6th century found in Japan

Two swords of early sixth-century tomb were found in the Shimauchi district of southern Kyushu in EBINO, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.


Two rare and unique swords have been found in a 1,500-year-old underground tunnel tomb designated no. 139 in a burial site, excavated by Ebino education board between 2014 and 2015.

One is the longest sword ever excavated from ancient tombs in Japan, and another's hilt is covered with ray skin, making it the oldest ray-decorated item found in East Asia.



Once retrieved from the tomb, the swords were passed to the Gangoji Institute for Research of Cultural Property in Nara, for scientific analysis and conservation work. The Institute revealed that the long sword had a wooden pommel and a precious textile covering the opening of the scabbard known as tate nishiki, a warp-patterned textile. 

The sword is 142cm long, but would have been about 150cm in its original condition. This is the longest sword ever retrieved from an ancient tomb in Japan. 

According to Heritage of Japan, underground tunnel tombs were a type of burial practice unique to the Kofun period in Japan’s history (250 to 538 AD).  

 
They were either stone-lined chambers in the top of mounds and entered from the top, or they were constructed on the ground under the mound and entered from the side through a tunnel called yokoana chamber. 

The interiors were usually simple, but the individuals buried inside were often found accompanied with precious treasures and grave goods. 

Tatsuya Hashimoto, an associate professor of archaeology at Kagoshima University Museum said that the swords suggest there was a powerful person in southern Kyushu, who would have directly served someone in the upper rank close to the Yamato king, and would have gone overseas in charge of foreign politics.

It appears the swords originated from the ancient Yamato kingdom who rules Japan during the Kofun period (3rd – 7th centuries). 

The Nine Unknown Men- The fascinating story of Ashoka’s Nine Unknown Men

The Nine Unknown Men is considered to be World's most powerful society who protects the knowledge which includes Time Travel, propaganda and psychological warfare etc which are harmful to the mankind.


This powerful secret society was founded by Emperor Ashoka of India in 273 BC after a bloody KALINGA battle that took the lives of 100,000 men. After the Kalinga War, Ashoka understood the extent of damage the world has to endure if power goes into the wrong hands and hence, formed a secret society consisting of Nine men.

The Nine men were each given one book to guard. Each of the books contained supreme knowledge which could help mankind into evolving but if in wrong hands, the knowledge could destroy humanity in the whole world.

The knowledge of past and present as well as natural science was vowed to secrecy. Henceforth and for next 2000 years that followed, all the knowledge that was developed was hidden in these secret books.

It is to be believed that each book contains the information which are as follows-

First Book- Propaganda which deals with techniques of propaganda and psychological warfare.The most dangerous of all sciences is that of molding mass opinion, because it would enable anyone to govern the whole world.

Second Book- Physiology which explains how to kill a person simply by touching him or her, known as the “the touch of death,” simply by the reversal of a nerve impulse. 

Third BookMicrobiology which focused on microbiology and biotechnology.

Fourth Book- Alchemy which deals with alchemy and transmutation of metals. According to another legend, in times of severe drought, temples and religious relief organizations received large quantities of gold from a secret source.

Fifth Book- Communication which contained a study of all means of communication, terrestrial and extraterrestrial. Alluding then that the Nine Unknown Men were aware of alien presence. 

Sixth BookGravity which focused on the secrets of gravitation and actual instructions on how to make the ancient Vedic Vimana, like Vaiminika Shastra on aerospace technology. 

Seventh Book- Cosmogony which contains knowledge of cosmogony and matters of the universe. 

Eighth Book- Light which deals with light including the speed and how to use it as a weapon.

Ninth Book- Sociology this ninth and final book discussed sociology. It included rules for the evolution of societies and the means of foretelling their decline.


For More Information-

Sources

> Pauwels, Louis, and Jacques Bergier. "The Nine Unknown Men - Sub-Figura Vel Liber Caeruleus." Excerpts from 'The Dawn of Magic'Bibliotecapleyades, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2016. http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/bb/bluebook001.htm 

> Swancer, Brent. "The Mystery of the Nine Unknown Men." Mysterious Universe. Mysterious Universe, 10 Nov. 2015. Web. 20 Sept. 2016. http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/11/the-mystery-of-the-nine-unknown-men/ 

> Ancient Explorers Staff. "India's Ancient Illuminati: The Nine Unknown Men." Ancient Explorers. Ancient Explorers, 2016. Web. 20 Sept. 2016. http://ancientexplorers.com/blog/indias-ancient-illuminati-nine-unknown-men/

> Baidya, Sankalan. "20 Interesting The Nine Unknown Men." Facts Legend. Facts Legend, 10 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 Sept. 2016. http://factslegend.org/20-interesting-the-nine-unknown-men-facts/ 

> Ancient Origins
http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-asia/mysterious-secret-society-ancient-india-and-nine-unknown-men-ashoka-006714?page=0%2C1  

Qizai- The only Brown Panda! in the World

Qizai, means ‘the seventh son’ was the only Brown panda abandoned by his mother at 2 months old was found as a weak and neglected cub in a nature reserve in Qingling Mountains in Central China. Apparently, his mother disappeared into the jungle, but one thing is sure – she was black and white.

The brown panda is rare as only seven have been spotted in the Qinling region in the last 25 years. 


Qizai is the seventh brown panda bear and he’s being raised at the Foping Panda Valley in the Shaanxi province in China. Qizai which translates to “the seventh son,” is a happy and loving gentle animal who like other panda bears loves to feast on bamboo. 


His keeper He Xin describes Qizai as "gentle, funny and adorable."Other pandas use to eat Qizai's bamboo. "He is slower than the other pandas, but he is also cuter," says He Xin. 

Qizai now weighs more than 220 pounds and eats around 44 pounds of bamboo every day. 

Therefore, the fact that Qizai has a brown and white coat is even more intriguing. Scientists guess that it’s due to some genetic mutation. Despite his tough childhood, Qizai, now at age 7, has turned into a fine specimen, and Chinese experts are planning to find him a mate. 

Being able to observe and study the appearance of his child, researchers would get a step closer to solving brown fur’s mystery.


Sixty Eight Year Old Snooty - The Oldest Manatee Living In Captivity

Oldest manatee, Snooty (68 years old) enters Guinness World Records 2017

The Guinness World Records recently announced that Snooty,68 years old is now the world's oldest manatee living in captivity. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which monitors manatee populations, the oldest wild manatee in Florida was 59 years old with the next oldest having reached 48 years of age.

Manatees are also known as sea cows and can weigh over 3,000 pounds. Most manatees living in the wild die before they reach the age of 10. Algae blooms, fishing debris and boat strikes threaten these gentle giants, which are listed as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Snooty was born on July 21, 1948 was brought to South Florida Museum as an 11-month-old calf in 1949. He lives in South Florida Museum is located at 201 10th Street West in downtown Bradenton.

Snooty's long lifespan is due to the controlled environment he lives in. He lives in a 60,000-US-gal (230,000-litre) pool with two other manatees. He's more interested in people. 

Manatees population had significantly dropped due to increase in use of marine life by humans, but they are currently protected. Earlier most manatees use to die before they reach the age of 10.  

 

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