Thursday, February 6, 2020

The Cycle Gap - Instantly Buzzing!

Adyar has a lot going for it but one striking missing link was that it was devoid of a hep and happening resto-bar. The Cycle Gap however fills the void with it's grand opening in a big complex right in the middle of LB road. The place instantly ignites a buzz feel about it with lot of local swag and designs with the color yellow coming out rather predominantly.

The music is hard hitting and it gives quite a fizz about the atmosphere. It just invokes the feel that will be enjoyed by youngsters who can congregate and drink to their hearts content with plenty of food by the side. The music also rekindled the good ol growing up days of 90's and it was a lovely little experience going back in time hearing the vintage classics which one has grown up and been associated with.

Their drinks menu is stacked up pretty well and they have a bar right at the center which is where all the action happens. The seats are all laid out particularly for large sets of groups to come in. They have lots of imported based stuff also on the attic which adds to the proceedings. We were here to thulp and see how their liquor fares out and overall it was more than impressive. The drinks had really interesting Chennai based local names and a number of them had interesting concoctions intertwined in them.

On the food side of things, we had some crispy and crunchy corn minced with chinese spices to begin our foray. The chinese tinge continued with a succulently delivered spicy panneer. To add some sweetness we also tried the Panneer tikka with slices of pineapple laid in between. The Hara Bara Veg kebab were decent and the Vol-au-vents which are basically puff pastries intermingled with cheese & mushroom were delightful to consume. One of the stand out appetizers happened to be the Chilli Bhajji which looked as local as ever but bulky in size and inset containing a delicious layer of potatoes and cheese and along with the red chutney it was simply jaw dropping in taste.

In the main course, I quite enjoyed the pizza's. They are all made in house and both the plain margarita as well as the one topped with veggies set our taste buds tingling. We also had a try at an Idiappam Parotha which was well made but the sterling stealer of the show was the beautifully made Vegetable Pie. A circle of cheese swarmed over the dish and as we unleashed the layer, the juicy cheesy vegetables were indeed spectacular. The desserts were also interesting and the fusion of mixing traditional Indian sweets with ice cream worked wonders.

The service was friendly and ever willing to help. The rates seem par for the course. On a holistic view, they've got the drinks side of it quite well in place with truckload of varieties and really interesting options. The food also is taking up shape with lot of interesting options muddled in.  On the whole, The Cycle Gap has all what it takes to attract. Though it's still very early days, one can well and truly expect them to see a surge in customer base very soon.







P.S : Review of Anna Nagar Outlet
Anna Nagar is flooded with cafes, restaurant's and eateries but one major missing link was not having a good resto bar. Cycle Gap however fills the void with it's presence in the by lanes of the Anna Nagar main road. Its situated in a complex and occupies the upper floor. The place instantly has a buzz feel about it with lot of local swag and designs with the colour yellow coming out rather predominantly.

The music is hard hitting and it gives quite a fizz about the atmosphere. It just invokes the feel that will be enjoyed by youngsters who can congregate and drink to their hearts content with plenty of food by the side.

Their drinks menu is stacked up pretty well and they have a bar right at the center point which is where all the action happens. The seats are all laid out particularly for large sets of groups to come in. They have lots of imported based stuff also on the attic which adds to the favours.

We were here as a big gang to thulp down and see how their liquor fares out and overall we were quite impressed. The drinks had really interesting chennai slang based names and a number of them had interesting concoctions intertwined in them. Even the beers were not your usual KF's and Brititsh empire but they also possessed Corona, Hoegarden etc which was a plus one.

On the food side, I just felt they were little short on few of the items. Their menu is still being designed and worked out but the vegetarian side of things didn't really brim upto expectations. They had aloo tikki, onion rings, sauteed baby corn, potato wedges, panneer tikka, veg tempura, veg nachos, veg tempura, creamy cheesy brocolli et al. Though no real complaints, they were a drift away from being extraordinary. The best of the lot was easily the cheesy cauliflower & brocolli. I wish they come out with interesting signature starters of their own than the usual run off the mill items.

On the main course, I quite enjoyed the white sauce pasta. It had the necessary ammunition to hit the bulls eye. However exact opposite was the curried pizza which was a complete damp squib. It lacked any sort of flavours whatsoever and came across as bland. The curried hot balls and rice were passable. We didn't try much of desserts.

We ended our sojourn on a high note with shots of baileys and tequila. This was the star piece of the whole afternoon and it was a euphoric way to finish proceedings. The service was amiable and ever willing to help. The rates seem par for the course. On a holistic view, they've got the drinks side of it quite well in place with truckload of varieties and really interesting options. The food however can be spruced up a wee bit. Once this combination takes shape, they'll surely be a fantastic resto pub to reckon with.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Apakrash and Upagraha Computation in Vedic Astrology

Apart from the 9 planets which is taken in consideration as the Navagrahas in Vedic Astrology, there are also certain sensitive points which arise based on specific computations which are known as Apakrash and Upagrahas. These are also quite crucial in the judgement of a horoscope especially in the case of transits or prasna analysis. The Apakrash Grahas occur based on the degree of Sun in a horoscope whereas Upagrahas are time slots assigned to each of the 7 planets (barring Rahu and Ketu) based on which the degree in which they rise are ascertained.

It is pertinent to note that when calculating the Apakrash Grahas, you don't need to know any other detail except for the longitude degree of the Sun as it's through the position of it only these non luminous points are deduced. Upagrahas on the other hand are considered as the shadowy son's of the planets and arise from the kalavelas assigned to each of the planets where a day is divided into two halves of eight parts each ruled by 7 of the planets from Sun to Saturn with the 8th portion being lord less (At times though it's also said this blank portion is ruled by Rahu). Thus, it is not even necessary to have accurate time of birth for Upagraha computation and we just slot them in the requisite sign in a horoscope as it will rise the same time irrespective of when a native is born across day time or night time based on the time at which each of the planetary portions rise.

Apakrash: (Computed from Sun's Longitudinal degree)
 Dhooma (Mars)
➜ Vyatipata (or Pata) (Rahu)
 Parivesha (or Parivela) (Moon)
 Indrachapa (or Chapa/Indradhanush) (Venus)
 Upaketu (or Dhwaja/Sikhi) (Ketu)

Upagraha: (Computed from portions assigned to each planet in day time and night time)
 Kala (Sun)
 Paridhi (Moon)
 Mrityu (Mars)
 Ardhaprahara (or Ardhayama) (Mercury)
 Yamaghantaka (Jupiter)
 Kodanda (or Karmuka) (Venus)
 Gulika (Saturn)
 Mandi (Saturn)

Apakrash
There are 5 Apakrash Grahas which fall on 5 different points in the 360 degree zodiac. They are all arrived with Sun as the basis and all of them are generally said to be malefic by nature. The calculation of the 5 Apakrash Grahas are as below:

- Dhooma : Sun + 133°20' (or Indrachapa + 180°)
- Vyatipata : 360° - Dhooma  (or Parivesha + 180°)
- Parivesha :  Vyatipata + 180°
- Indrachapa : 360° - Parivesha (or Dhooma + 180°)
- Upaketu : Indrachapa + 16°40' (or Sun - 30°)

Rules in Computing Apakrash:
1) Ascertain the degree of the Sun in the natal horoscope.
2) Convert the degree of the Sun in a sign as per the 360 degree zodiac
3) Apply the formula with the result arrived on previous step to arrive at degree of Apakrash
4) Place the result arrived at of the Apakrash degrees as per 360 degree zodiac to the respective zodiac sign and relevant degree.

Illustration:
Lets compute the 5 Apakrash for a native born on Jun 6th 2019 at 1.10 PM in Chennai, India.
1) Degree of Sun in Horoscope - Taurus 21° 13'
2) Conversion of Sun as per 360 degree zodiac - 51° 13'
3) Apply Formula to arrive at Apakrash Grahas
Dhooma : Sun + 133°20' = 51° 13' + 133°20' = 184°33'
Vyatipata : 360° - Dhooma = 360° - 184°33' = 175°27'
Parivesha : Vyatipata + 180° = 175°27' + 180° = 355°27'
Indrachapa : 360° - Parivesha = 360° - 355°27' = 4°33'
Upaketu : Indrachapa + 16°40' = 4°33' + 16°40' = 21°13'
4) Apakrash Placement in Zodiac sign with degrees
Dhooma - Libra 4°33'
Vyatipata - Virgo 25°27'
Parivesha - Pisces 25°27'
Indrachapa - Aries 4°33'
Upaketu - Aries 21°13'

Note: It must be noted that Dhooma and Indrachapa will always be 180° apart and likewise Vyatipata and Parivesha will also always be 180° away from each other. Also Upaketu plus 30° will always end up being the resultant degree of Sun in the Natal Horoscope. If the total while computing exceed 360° in step 3, we need to subtract 360° from the exceeded total.

Upagrahas
The Upagrahas are basically the shadowy son's of the respective 7 planets from Sun to Saturn. Each of the planets rule a time interval of approximately an hour and half during day time and another hour and half during night time. The Ascendant degree rising at the beginning of the time frames ruled by these planets determine the Upagraha calculations. Unlike Apakrash, all Upagrahas are not considered to be malefic. The one main Upagraha considered in horoscope analysis happens to be Saturn's son Mandi which arises out of the time portion assigned to it known as Gulika Kaala. We must however be cognizant of the fact that Gulika and Mandi are not one and the same and that Mandi degree will fall somewhere within the range of the time period provided to Saturn and will always be different when compared to the rising degree of Gulika.

There are two considerations that need to be factored into account while calculating the Upagrahas
1) By dividing the day and night into 8 equal parts ruled by 7 of the planets with one portion being left blank. In the portions ruled by the 7 planets the beginning portion of it is where the respective Upagrahas will rise. This will hold good for all the Upagrahas ruling Sun to Saturn.
2) For Mandi alone, there is a feature which is given in classical texts to compute based on specific ghatikas elapsed. This is exclusively given for computation of Mandi (Saturn's son), As per vedic calendar, time is divided into Ghatikas with each Ghatika comprising of 24 minutes each. Hence there are 60 Ghatikas in a day occurring from sunrise to next day sunrise when day and nights are equal. The day time and night time are usually divided into 30 Ghatikas each but however this will have to be proportionately increased or decreased accordingly as the length of day time or night time is greater or lesser than the aforesaid 30 ghatikas.

Time Frames ruled by the Planets and time of Upagraha Rising:
The following are the portions ruled by the 7 planets in each of the days along with the information of elapsed time intervals in which the Upagrahas rise on each of the days from Sunday to Saturday

Kala - Sun:
Kala happens to be the shadowy son of the luminary Sun. The time intervals ruled by Sun in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 5th part
Monday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 4th part
Tuesday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 3rd part
Wednesday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 1st part
Thursday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 8th part
Friday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 7th part
Saturday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 6th part

Paridhi - Moon:
Paridhi happens to be the shadowy son of the luminary Moon. The time intervals ruled by Moon in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 6th part
Monday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 5th part
Tuesday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 4th part
Wednesday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 2nd part
Thursday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 1st part
Friday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 8th part
Saturday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 7th part

Mrityu - Mars:
Mrityu happens to be the shadowy son of Mars. The time intervals ruled by Mars in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 7th part
Monday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 6th part
Tuesday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 5th part
Wednesday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 3rd part
Thursday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 2nd part
Friday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 1st part
Saturday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 8th part

Ardhaprahara - Mercury:
Ardhaprahara happens to be the shadowy son of Mercury. The time intervals ruled by Mercury in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 8th part
Monday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 7th part
Tuesday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 6th part
Wednesday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 4th part
Thursday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 3rd part
Friday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 2nd part
Saturday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 1st part

Yamaghantaka - Jupiter:
Yamaghantaka happens to be the shadowy son of Jupiter. The time intervals ruled by Jupiter in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 1st part
Monday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 8th part
Tuesday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 7th part
Wednesday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 5th part
Thursday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 4th part
Friday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 3rd part
Saturday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 2nd part

Kodanda - Venus:
Kodanda happens to be the shadowy son of Venus. The time intervals ruled by Jupiter in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 2nd part
Monday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 1st part
Tuesday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 8th part
Wednesday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 6th part
Thursday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 5th part
Friday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 4th part
Saturday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 3th part

Gulika - Saturn:
Gulika happens to be the shadowy son of Saturn. The time intervals ruled by Jupiter in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 3rd part
Monday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 2nd part
Tuesday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 1st part
Wednesday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 7th part
Thursday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 6th part
Friday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 5th part
Saturday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 4th part

Mandi - Saturn:
Mandi also happens to be the shadowy son of Saturn but the rising point is different than that of Gulika. This is based on the Ghatikas elapsed during day and night.
Mandi is said to rise after the following time intervals during day time and night time
Sunday - Day Time After 26th interval, Night time after 10th interval
Monday - Day Time After 22nd interval, Night time after 6th interval
Tuesday - Day Time After 18th interval, Night time after 2nd interval
Wednesday - Day Time After 14th interval, Night time after 26th interval
Thursday - Day Time After 10th interval, Night time after 22nd interval
Friday - Day Time After 6th interval, Night time after 18th interval
Saturday- Day Time After 2nd interval, Night time after 14th interval

Rules in Computing Upagrahas:
1) Ascertain whether a person was born during day time (sun rise to sun set) or during night time (sun set to next day sun rise)
2) If day time born, note the sun rise and sun set time of the day and if born in night time, note the sun set time and next day sun rise time.
3) Ascertain the length of duration of the day time or night time in minutes duration
4) Next divide the duration length into 8 equal parts or kaalas.
5) Next check the week day in which the native was born which could be any day between Sunday to Saturday.
6) See the portion ruled by the planet which will be one of 8 equal parts .
7) Figure out the time frame ruled by the planet which will be spanning a duration of approximately an hour and a half.
8) Mark the start, middle and end of this time slot ruled by the planet. The beginning rising time is most crucial but however it would also be prudent to mark the middle and end time as a check point.
9) Convert duration of the sunrise and sunset in Ghatikas and multiply with the elapsed portion of Upagraha by 24 which is value of a Ghatika in minutes divided by base denominator of 30 ghatikas. This is performed only for Mandi calculation.
10) Cast the horoscope for the rising time of the Upagrahas and note where the degree of the Ascendant (Lagna) falls. This would be the degree of the Upagrahas in the horoscope.

Illustration:
Lets compute all the Upagrahas for a person born on Jun 6th 2019 at 1.10 PM in Chennai, India.
1) Native born time - Day time
2) Since day time born - Sun rise time 5:45 AM and Sun set time 6:30 PM
3) Length of duration - 12 hours 45 minutes = 765 minutes
4) Average duration - 765/8 = 95.625 minutes rounded to 96 minutes
5) Check weekday - Thursday
6) Part ruled by 7 Planets :
Sun - 5th part
Moon - 6th part
Mars - 7th part
Mercury - 8th part
Jupiter - 1st part
Venus - 2nd part
Saturn - 3rd part
7) Figure time period ruled by all the planets -
Sun - 12:09 PM to 1:45 PM
Moon - 1:45 PM to 3:21 PM
Mars - 3:21 PM to 4:57 PM
Mercury - 4:57 PM to 6:33 PM
Jupiter -  5:45 AM to 7:21 AM
Venus - 7:21 AM to 8:57 AM
Saturn - 8:57 AM to 10:33 AM
8) Mark Start Time, Middle Time and End Time of all Planets -
Sun - Start time 12:09 PM, Middle time 12:57 PM, End time 1:45 PM
Moon - Start time 1:45 PM, Middle time 2:33 PM, End time 3:21 PM
Mars - Start time 3:21 PM, Middle time 4:09 PM, End time 4:57 PM
Mercury - Start time 4:57 PM, Middle time 5:45 PM, End time 6:33 PM
Jupiter - Start time 5:45 AM, Middle time 6:33 AM, End time 7:21 AM
Venus - Start time 7:21 AM, Middle time 8:09 AM, End time 8:57 AM
Saturn - Start time 8:57 AM, Middle time 9:45 AM, End time 10:33 AM
9) Check the rising time for Mandi based on Ghatikas elapsed (Start Time + Length of Duration in Ghatikas*Specific end duration of Ghatika /30 ghatikas*24 minutes per each Ghatika)
Mandi - 5:45 AM + 31.875*10/30*24 = 5:45 AM + 255 minutes = 10:00 AM
P.S: 31.875 is obtained by dividing 765 minutes which is total sunrise time by 24 minutes per Ghatika
10) Rising Ascendant of Upagrahas as per points 7 and 8 above for Mandi
Kala - Leo 20° 29'
Paridhi - Virgo 14° 16'
Mrityu - Libra 7° 44'
Ardhaprahara - Scorpio 0° 17'
Yamaghantaka - Taurus 20° 51'
Kodanda - Gemini 13° 10'
Gulika - Cancer 4° 57'
Mandi - Cancer 19° 29'

Note: The small difference in beginning time portion ruled by planet and rising time of upagraha is on account of rounding off time in minutes to the nearest decimal place. Calculations at a seconds level can yield more accurate results. For checking the rising degree of Ascendant, Traditional Lahiri Ayanamsa has been utilized. Sunrise time is considered based on the equation of 'The center of Sun's disk being truly on the eastern horizon'

Summary:
Listed below are the zodiac signs and respective degrees in which the Apakrash and Upagraha will rise as per the attached worked out illustration:
Apakrash:
1)Dhooma - Libra 4°33'
2) Vyatipata - Virgo 25°27'
3) Parivesha - Pisces 25°27'
4) Indrachapa - Aries 4°33'
5) Upaketu - Aries 21°13'
Upagraha:
6) Kala - Leo 20° 29'
7) Paridhi - Virgo 14° 16'
8) Mrityu - Libra 7° 44'
9) Ardhaprahara - Scorpio 0° 17'
10) Yamaghantaka - Taurus 20° 51'
11) Kodanda - Gemini 13° 10'
12) Gulika - Cancer 4° 57'
13) Mandi -  Cancer 19° 29'

Information:
It can be inferred that there are a total of 13 bodies comprising of Apakrash and Upagrahas. There are views stating that both the female planets Moon and Venus don't have Upagrahas and hence they should not be counted as part of the scheme. However since there is a time slot allocated to these planets based on when they rise, they have also been factored into account. Another opinion is that Gulika and Mandi are one and the same and there are also views that Gulika rises during the beginning whereas Mandi rises at the middle period of Saturn's time. This is not true as when the calculations are performed independently based on elapsed Ghatikas, the time differs somewhat from the exact mid point of Saturn's time zone. However it is clear that Mandi's time also will fall within the portion pigeonholed for Saturn.

The Apakrash are 5 in number and they are all based on the Sun's degree. If we look at things from a helio centric perspective, the planetary order is as Mercury -> Venus -> Earth -> Mars -> Jupiter -> Saturn -> Uranus -> Neptune -> Pluto. The planets before and after Earth namely Venus and Mars are considered and have been given the names Dhooma and Indrachapa. The Moon always revolves around the earth and hence Parivesha is considered for the Moon and the 2 nodal points of the Moon are Rahu and Ketu which have been assigned Vyatipata and Upaketu respectively.

The Upagrahas are 8 in number comprising of all the planets ruling the days of the week namely Sun for Kala, Moon for Paridhi, Mars for Mrityu, Ardhaprahara for Mercury, Yamaghantaka for Jupiter, Kodanda for Venus and Gulika for Saturn. Mandi happens to be another son of Saturn and rises within the slot assigned for Saturn but at a slightly different time.

Friday, January 3, 2020

The 8 Part Division of Time Cycle - Kala Vela, Gowri Panchanga, Choghadiya

'Time' is an essential component in the scheme of things when it comes to fixing an auspicious period for a Muhurat or for undertaking an important activity. One of the common bifurcations of time happens to be the splitting of day time and night time into 8 equal divisions each. Thus in essence there will be 16 time intervals in a day comprising of 8 each for sunrise and sunset with each of them running for a period of approx an hour and a half each depending upon the length of duration of sunrise and sunset. Each of these sub divisions are ruled by a said planet and said to connote a particular specification. Based on the methodology adopted, the computation differs taking an off shoot direction by adhering to certain principles and thus leading to a shift in the planetary sequence cabinet allotment. The 3 different types of 1/8th units of division of time (approx 90-96 minutes time frame) complied comprises of the following:

- Kala Vela
- Gowri Panchanga
- Choghadiya

Basic Concepts of Time and Day:
Before explaining the intricacies of how planetary time periods are allotted for these 3 metrics, it will be good to recall the over arching hierarchy of how time gets recorded in the vedic calendar. This is exclusively defined from one of the five elements of the Panchang titled the Vara or Day.

There are 7 Vara's obtained from the 7 week days and each of them are represented by a particular planet as seen below:
Sunday - Sun
Monday - Moon
Tuesday - Mars
Wednesday - Mercury
Thursday - Jupiter
Friday - Venus
Saturday - Saturn

Each day of the week comprises of the time beginning from sunrise and ends during the next day sunrise when the next day commences. Within this period of a whole day, we divide it into two portions viz sun rise (day time) and sun set (night time). The Sun rise or day time period runs from when the sun rises in the east till the time it sets in the west. Likewise the Sun set or night time period runs from when the sun sets in the west till the time it rises again in the east.

Now, the respective sun rise and sun set portions are bifurcated further into 8 equal parts each and that's where ruling planets are assigned to each one of them. The order of the sunrise period always begins from the order of the weekday and the sunset period begins from the 5th day of the weekday and follows a specific order. For instance Sunrise period on a Sunday always starts from Sun whereas the sunset period commences from Jupiter since it happens to be the lord of the 5th weekday from Sunday (Thursday is 5th day beginning from Sunday and it's ruler is Jupiter).

Kala Vela:
The Kala vela time periods signify that portion of time slots which are primarily ruled by each of the planets from Sun to Saturn in a particular weekday operating from sunrise to sunset and again from sunset to next day sunrise. It is through these 1/8th time zoned periods of sunrise and sunset that we account for inauspicious sub periods such as Yama Ghanta Kala and Gulika Kala.

The Kala time is said to be the shadowy portion of the planets and is mainly used for delineating the time frame ruled by each of the planets. In general parlance these are termed as Upagrahas or in essence the son's of the respective 7 planets Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn.

As mentioned, there are 7 weekdays but 8 equal parts each for sunrise and sunset. Hence 7 of these parts will be assigned to a particular planet with the 8th being headless and given to Rahu. The sequence goes as Sun-Moon-Mars-Mercury-Jupiter-Venus-Saturn-Rahu. The order starts from the ruling planet of the particular weekday for sunrise and 5th day of weekday for sunset.

Let us go about computing the kala vela order for a Friday. Since the day is Friday, first part for sunrise is assigned to the lord of the weekday Friday which is Venus. After that it will be lord of Saturday Saturn in the 2nd part followed by headless portion Rahu taking charge in the 3rd part and after that Sunday Lord Sun ruling 4th part, Monday Lord Moon ruling 5th part, Tuesday Lord Mars ruling 6th, Wednesday Lord Mercury heading the 7th part and finally followed by Thursday Lord Jupiter ruling the 8th and final part of sunrise. For sunset, order will begin from the 5th day of the weekday which in this case will be Mars since Tuesday is the 5th weekday from Friday. Thus the sequence will be Mars-Mercury-Jupiter-Venus-Saturn-Rahu-Sun-Moon making up the 8 parts of sunset.

The Kala Vela classifications with the names of the planet's son or upagraha is described below:
Sun - Kala
Moon - Paridhi
Mars - Mrityu
Mercury - Ardhaprahara
Jupiter - Yamaghanta
Venus - Indrachapa
Saturn - Gulika

Gowri Panchanga:
In the traditional sense, Gowri Panchanga is used to check auspicious time to start a new activity and avoid inauspicious time. From a religious perspective it is mainly used to decipher the right time for the purpose of a Muhurat.

The computation of time slot for Gowri Panchanga works through the following premise. As mentioned above the sunrise and sunset time are split into 8 equal parts and are assigned a planet each beginning from the weekday for sun rise (day time) and 5th day of the weekday for sun set (night time).

The only difference between the time periods of Gowri Panchanga and Kala Vela is due to the special timezone factoring of Rahu which causes changes to the planetary sequence. The Rahu period is always assigned a particular time slot for each day of the week on both sunrise and sunset and when that period arises, Rahu is always given precedence and the next planet succeeds the time period after Rahu and the similar weekday order follows. The parts assigned to Rahu for every day beginning from Sunday to Saturday during sunrise period happens to be 8th, 2nd, 7th, 5th, 6th, 4th and 3rd. During sunset period the parts assigned for every day beginning from Sunday to Saturday are 4th, 5th, 3rd, 8th, 2nd, 7th, 6th. It should however be noted that Rahu never rules the 1st part on any day whether it's a sunrise or sunset.

Rahu Kaala time is said to be associated with ultra violet rays falling on the earth that are not visible to the naked eyes. It is specifically noted that ultra violet particles fall on those portions of time assigned to Rahu on every day of the week during both sunrise and sunset and this is the main reasons that the time order of planets get impacted in order to factor this phenomenon.

To understand the concept in a simple manner, let us see how to go about computing the time slots for a Wednesday. Since the day is Wednesday, for sunrise first part is assigned to the lord of the weekday Wednesday which is Mercury. After that it will be lord of Thursday Jupiter followed by Friday lord Venus, Saturday Lord Saturn, Sunday Lord Sun, Monday Lord Moon and Tuesday Lord Mars. So we have the order of Mercury-Jupiter-Venus-Saturn-Sun-Moon-Mars. Now we have 7 planets but 8 parts need to be filled. On Wednesday during sunrise period Rahu occupies the 5th part. Hence order from Mercury-Jupiter-Venus-Saturn will remain the same and after this Rahu will come in 5th part pushing the Sun to 6th, Moon in to the 7th and Mars will finally own the 8th spot. For sunset first part is assigned to the 5th day of the weekday which is Sun (Sunday is 5th day from Wednesday). Also we know that Rahu rules the 8th part in sunset. Hence the order will be Sun-Moon-Mars-Mercury-Jupiter-Venus-Saturn-Rahu.

The Gowri Panchanga classification of planets along with the meanings indicated are listed below:
Sun - Uthi (Plan)
Moon - Amirtha (Sweet)
Mars - Rogam (Evil)
Mercury - Laabam (Gain)
Jupiter - Dhanam (Wealth)
Venus - Sugam (Comfort)
Saturn - Soram (Bad)
Rahu - Visham (Poison)

Choghadiya:
Choghadiya is again a measurement of time very similar to Gowri Panchanga and used for determining muhurat and establishing most suitable time frames to perform auspicious activities. It is more prevalent in the North of India as opposed to its counterpart Gowri Panchang which is followed predominantly in the South. They both work in a like for like vein and also tend to connote similar descriptions of the time calendar.

The main difference between the two happens to be the non factoring of the Rahu time zone for Choghadiya. Thus, it makes use of only 7 planets sans Rahu with the 8th slot being partaken by the planet that began proceedings of the 8 part sequence. The other tilt in the time computation takes place in the sequence followed which is that of the Hora order based on the distance of planets or the order of decreasing speed of planets with respect to the earth. Saturn being the farthest comes first in the order followed by Jupiter, next Mars, then Sun followed by Venus, Mercury and finally the Moon. The sequence of this order however always begins with the planet owning the weekday for sun rise day time and 5th day from the weekday for sunset night time.

Let's understand the order flow of Choghadiya with an illustration of how it is arrived at for a Thursday. Since the day is Thursday, for sunrise portion, first part is assigned to the lord of the weekday Thursday which is Jupiter. From here it will follow the order of decreasing speed of planets with the second part given to Mars (faster in speed to Jupiter), 3rd part to Sun (faster to Mars) followed by 4th part to Venus (faster than Sun) with 5th part to Mercury (being faster than Venus), 6th part to Moon (being fastest planet of them all) followed again by 7th part to Saturn (slowest planet of all) and finally 8th part aligned back to Jupiter which started the sequence. For sunset also similar process follows but starting from the 5th day of the weekday which in this case will be Moon being the 5th weekday from Thursday. Thus the 1st part will be Moon, followed by Saturn, then Jupiter, after that Mars and toeing along will be Sun, Venus, Mercury and the final 8th part will be ruled by Moon again.

The Choghadiya classification of planets along with the meanings indicated are listed below:
Sun - Udyoga (Administrative)
Moon - Amrita (Nectar)
Mars - Roga (Fight)
Mercury - Labha (Profit)
Jupiter - Shubha (Favorable)
Venus - Chala (Movement)
Saturn - Kaala (Unfavorable)

Conclusion:
From a panoptic view each of the measures of Kala Vela, Gowri Panchanga and Chogadiya all tailor towards the 8 divisions of cycles of time and look inherently similar to one another but however they all have their own individual significance and tend to branch out when it comes to assigning planetary time periods. Kala Vela follows the weekday order and has a portion which is blank given to Rahu. Gowri Panchanga on the other hand also follows the weekday order but the planetary sequence gets entangled due to the dichotomy of Rahu which is specially carved out to configure the Rahu Kaalam time. Chogadiya on the other hand does not consider Rahu into picture at all and allocates the portions only to the 7 embodied planets but however it follows the hora order course of action. Hence each of these metrics form an integral part within the time landscape and they all are conventionally similar yet eerily different from each other

Nutshell:
Kala Vela:
7 planets plus one headless portion for Rahu and follows weekday sequence order beginning from lord of the weekday for sunrise and lord of the 5th weekday for sunset.

Gowri Panchanga:
8 planets including Rahu and follows weekday sequence order beginning from lord of the weekday for sunrise and lord of the 5th weekday for sunset. Exclusively factors Rahu time period causing a tweak to the regular weekday planetary order.

Chogadiya:
7 planets excluding Rahu and follows hora sequence order beginning from lord of the weekday for sunrise and lord of the 5th weekday for sunset.

Snapshot:
Sharing below a snapshot of the ruling planets of Kala Vela, Gowri Panchanga and Choghadiya considering sunrise and sunset as 6AM and 6PM respectively. If the sunrise or sunset time happens to be earlier or later than clock time of 6, it needs to be adjusted accordingly. This roster however provides a summarized view of the exact sequence of planetary order ruling the 8 parts each in both the sunrise and sunset time framework.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

The Most Awaited Eclipse Phenomena in Sagittarius/Gemini

Eclipses aren't an everyday phenomenon and neither is it a rare occurrence. A solar and lunar eclipse are likely to take place almost every 6 months. A solar eclipse is defined when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun and likewise a Lunar Eclipse happens when the Moon passes directly behind Earth and into its shadow. Viewing from a horoscopic angle, there are 4 essential components required for an eclipse to take place which are the Sun, Moon, Rahu (North Node) and Ketu (South Node). For all practical purposes, the Earth isn't considered as that's the place we all are in and considered more as a reference point. One more factor to note is that a Solar Eclipse takes place only on Amma Vasya which is when Moon comes very close to join with the Sun and a Lunar Eclipse takes place only on Poornima which is when the Moon is straight opposite the sun at 180 degrees. These motions are also coined as the waxing and waning phases of the Moon.

Now coming back to the question as to why this Eclipse happens to be far more anticipated than the regular set of eclipses which occur on an annual basis. The only reason attributed could be because of the stellium or joining journey of a bushel of planets happening in the zone of the zodiac sign Sagittarius. This is said to intensify energies and Sagittarius being a fiery sign in general, there could be some sense of discomfort and extensive aggression. There are always two zodiac signs coming into the forefront during an eclipse and apart from Sagittarius, the other zodiac happens to be the natural 3rd sign of communication Gemini which is said to possess an airy characteristic. Hence this projection happens in the territory of Gemini & Sagittarius and those having prominent placement in their natal chart in these two zodiac signs come under the firing line. Also just for the record, this upcoming solar eclipse would be the last in this decade (2010-19) and the impending lunar eclipse will be the first in the next decade (2020-29).

Solar Eclipse (26th Dec 2019):
Sun will be in Sagittarius (Dhanus) and Moon will also be in Sagittarius (Dhanus) and hence they are conjunct with each other. Ketu is also posited in Sagittarius along with the Sun & Moon with Rahu being 180 degrees apart in Gemini (7 signs away) giving rise to a perfect Solar Eclipse.

Lunar Eclipse (10th Jan 2020):
Sun will be in Sagittarius (Dhanus) and Moon would have moved to Gemini (Mithuna) which is 180 degrees apart. Ketu is posited in Sagittarius with the Sun and Rahu is right now in Gemini along with the moon giving rise to a perfect Lunar Eclipse.

Just to get the drift, concentrate only on Sun, Moon, Rahu and Ketu. The Solar eclipse takes place in the signs of Sagittarius and Gemini (Sun, Moon & Ketu in Sagittarius and Rahu in Gemini) whereas the Lunar eclipse will also take place in the signs of Sagittarius and Gemini (Sun & Ketu in Sagittarius and Moon & Rahu in Gemini)
Astronomical Perspective:
The ecliptic is the path where the earth revolves around the Sun. The Moon has it's own orbital path around the earth which is slightly tilted and not in the same plane. The intersection points of the Moon's orbital path when crossing the ecliptic gives rise to the Nodes which in essence equates to the earth's orbit around the Sun called Rahu (North Node) and Moon's orbit around the Earth called Ketu (South Node).

The moon completes one full orbit of 360° around the earth in approx 27.3 days. In this process it also transits across the zodiac which is an imaginary band that follows the ecliptic around the earth. There are 12 signs of 30° and hence Moon takes approx 2 1/4 days (27.3 days/12 signs) transiting against the backdrop of a zodiac sign.

When the Moon transits the zone of Sagittarius ♐ (Dhanus Rasi) on 26th Dec 2019, it's orbital path entails it to move towards the intersecting point of Ketu which cuts across the ecliptic. The Moon also comes in close alignment with the Sun which is already perched here. The Moon bordering on the Nodal axis and in close proximity to the Sun blocks the sun light from falling on to the earth resulting in a Solar eclipse.

After about a fortnight, when the Moon sectors across the backdrop of Gemini ♊ (Mithuna Rasi) on 10th Jan 2020, it's orbital path entails it to move towards the intersecting point of Rahu which cuts across the other side of ecliptic. The Moon has now gone very far away from the Sun being oppositely aligned and passes behind the earth. Since the earth is now between the Sun and the Moon, it wouldn't be possible for the light of the sun to reach the Moon as the Earth obstructs it and this results in a Lunar eclipse.

Hence a solar eclipse can only take place on Amma Vasya when the Sun & Moon are in close conjunction and when Moon revolves near by the intersecting nodal point Ketu (in this case) enabling the Moon to cast a shadow on earth. Likewise a Lunar eclipse can only occur on Poornima when Sun & Moon are at the furthest from each other and Moon revolves towards the side of the other intersecting nodal point Rahu (in this case). Here since the moon is behind the earth, the earth instead casts a shadow on Moon.

Highlights and Pointers:
As highlighted, it's only these 4 attributes viz Sun, Moon, Rahu and Ketu which are responsible for casting an eclipse but the interesting point to observe is that apart from these 4 planets, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn will also be holding hands in the domain of Sagittarius. Mercury is said to be characterizing Earthy element with Jupiter denoting Ether Tattva and Saturn is naturally said to be Airy by nature. The only two missing links Mars the fiery male and Venus the watery female are placed on either side in Scorpio and Capricorn respectively when the Solar Eclipse operates. During the time of Lunar eclipse however Venus will shift over to Aquarius with Mars staying put in it's battle field of Scorpio. Coming to those impacted, the one's having the following placements in their natal charts need to tread this eclipse phase with caution.

- Sun, Moon, Rahu, Ketu falling in the signs of Sagittarius or Gemini
These 4 components in effect are the reason eclipses even get formed and hence when someone at birth has these planets at birth in the two signs of Gemini and Sagittarius, the impact can said to trigger tribulations. Also Sun is said to denote the soul and the Moon depicts the mind with Rahu/Ketu both associated with past life karmas. Thus the one's having any of these 4 planets in their natal chart  in these signs need to treat this eclipse with care. Listing below the deities and incarnations with respect to these 4 planets whose worship can be some resolute at this point of time.
Sun - Lord Agni (Ram Incarnation)
Moon - Lord Varuna (Krishna Incarnation)
Rahu - Goddess Durga (Varaha Incarnation)
Ketu - Lord Ganesha (Matsya Incarnation)

- Ascendant being in the sign of Sagittarius or Gemini
The Ascendant is the zodiac which is rising in the eastern direction at the time of birth. If the Ascendant or Lagna falls in these two signs, it can bring some knee jerk reactions. The Ascendant is the basis or reference point of a horoscope and said to denote the physical characteristics of a person. The rising sign is considered to be the first house in a horoscope and the inter-relation of all planets are tied to it and hence it assumes paramount importance.
Dhanus/Sagittarius - Lord Dattatreya (Any form of Guru worship such as Dakshinamurthy) (Jyotirlinga - Kasi Viswanath)
Mithuna/Gemini - Lord Shriman Narayana (Any form of Vishnu worship such as Venkatesa Perumal) (Jyotirlinga - Nageshwara)

- Mercury, Jupiter or Saturn in the signs of Sagittarius or Gemini
This is just an additional consideration to be taken note of. It may not have as much of a say as the placement of Sun,Moon,Rahu,Ketu but these planets when moving along in transit in addendum to the eclipse effect crossing over their natal placements can cause a bit of an upside energy exchange. Mercury denotes the intelligence side, Jupiter portrays wisdom and Saturn on the discipline and hardships encountered by an individual. Worship to Lord Vishnu (Buddha Incarnation), Brahma (Vamana Incarnation) and Bairava (Koorma Incarnation) may be useful at this juncture.

- Amma Vasya or Poornima being the birth Tithi
These Tithis are like the bed rocks based on which eclipse formation takes place. During birth it may or may not have been a case of an eclipse but a tithi return in conjunction with an explosive eclipse taking place, it is perhaps best to invoke divine blessings at this point of time.
Amma Vasya - Lord Pitris (Ruled by Rahu, good to worship deity Sadashiva)
Poornima - Lord Chandra (Ruled by Saturn, good to worship deity Varuna)

- Chatushpada, Nagava, Vishti, Bava being the birth Karana
A Karana is basically half of a tithi and hence these will be the karanas operating as part of the solar eclipse and lunar eclipse respectively. Chatushpada and Naga form the 1st and 2nd karana of Amma Vasya Tithi with Vishti and Bava being the 1st and 2nd Karana of Poornima Tithi. Devotion to the Karana deities may be a dutiful consideration.
Chatushpada - Kala Bairavar (Symbolised by Dog)
Naga - Nagarajar, Sarpam (Symbolised by Snake)
Vishti - Karthikeya, Subramania Swamy (Symbolised by Cock)
Bava - Lakshmi Narasimhar (Symbolised by Lion)

- Nakshatras being Mrigashira, Arudra, Punarvasu, Moola, Poorva Ashada, Uthara Ashada
These are the Nakshatras that form part of the signs Gemini and Sagittarius and virtually any planet being placed in these constellations comes into the ambit of eclipse. It seems to be more profound for Moola and Arudra/Punarvasu as sensitive points since Moon will be transiting these constellations during the time of the eclipse but all of these stars come into the fray for being part of the zodiac signs of Sagittarius and Gemini. It may not be a bad idea to offer prayers to the Nakshatra deities as well.
Mrigashira - Deity: Soma, Related: Chandra, God: Chandra Sudeshwarar
Arudra - Deity: Rudra, Related:Shiva, God: Nataraja Shiva Peruman
Punarvasu - Deity: Aditi, Related: Devas, God: Shri Rama
Moola - Deity: Nirriti, Related: Asura, God: Anjaneya
Poorva Ashada - Deity: Apah, Related: Varuna, God: Jambukeshwarar
Uthara Ashada - Deity: Vishwadeva, Related: Ganesh, God: Vinayaka Peruman

- Other Miscellaneous Factors
3 limbs of the Panchang have been covered namely the Nakshatras, Tithi and Karanas. The remaining are Vara (solar day transiting from sunrise to next day sunrise) and the Yoga (sum of degrees of Sun and Moon). It is good to note that the solar eclipse occurs on a Thursday which is a day ruled by Jupiter and the Lunar eclipse operates on a Friday lorded by Venus. With respect to Yoga, Vriddhi Yoga lorded by Mercury will happen during the Solar Eclipse and Vyatipata Yoga lorded by Rahu will be running during the Lunar Eclipse. Hence those born on these days and yogas can also take a mild consideration of the effects of the eclipse.

Conclusion:
These are in essence about the interplay of eclipses. Eclipses are said to trigger momentary motions of uneasiness due to the movement of planets. It is always good to know about them for general understanding as well as information purpose. Thankfully it isn't a long standing effect and the best way to tackle is by invoking the divine and regulated fasting. By the time one blinks an eyelid, the eclipses would have already disappeared with life restored back to normalcy.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Aadhirai - Shining South Indian!

Aadhirai is a new restaurant which has cropped up in a quaint location off Nungambakkam constructed out of a olden day vintage property. The first thing that strikes you is that it infuses the homely feel evidently. The handicrafts and wood work largely give it a very regional as well as authentic feel. The cuisine is largely South Indian and predominantly bordering into Chettinadu.

We were here on a weekend afternoon to soak in some of their special offerings. We started our foray with a delightful thirst quencher in the form of a Panagam Granita. The icy instincts didn't condense the taste one bit and this sweet traditional drink was as delicious as ever with the ice essence just adding an extra twist to this ever popular summer special. I had portions of the drink all through the meal and it acted as the perfect beverage.
On the soup side, the Malli Rasam soup was delightful. It had a subtle hint of flavours which worked very well. In the starter section, we were served a yam loaded nachos. To be frank I'm not a fan of Yam but this was done up in a renewed manner with salsa sauce and cream in the form of a nachos. It was bang on crispy and turned out to be a great opener. The karuvepillai panneer was simply sterling. This one was tossed and diced up in this traditional leafy powder and the essence it brought out was sensationally slithering.The Gobi ghee roast was again quite an eye turner. The pieces of cauliflower were cooked in ghee and a chilli based masala and were served on thin coin like pieces of paratha thatched with a touch of honey to slightly lower down the spice content. If you're a spice lover you'll love this and more so some of their special offerings loaded with abundance of chillies and spices. The Vazhapoo Vadai was one more starter which we tried. This was however more of the usual stuff and the paruppu flavour out did the vazha poo. Nevertheless it was crispy and bitesome.

In the main course we tried paratha with a well made up panneer peas combo gravy. Apart from this we had a crack at the trademark pulliyodhare which they served us tied in a green leaf potalam. The aroma and smear of this Puliyodhara is something I tell you. It was simply a delight to just feel the flavours hitting on you as it's slitheringly opened up from the green leaf enclosing. The Thogaiyil just enhances the taste. Seldom have I sampled a lovely version of this temple delicacy served in any restaurant.
The ending was in the form of a bucketful of desserts served in malayali style Nair wala tea glasses. 6 slurpy mousy desserts that simply butterly dutifully induces the instincts to dig in
1) Pomegranate Payasam
2) Coconut Souffle
3) Falooda
4) Kubani Ka Meetha
5) Black Forest Akkarivadasal
6) Karupatti Panacotta
Each of these not only looked appealing but had a lissom lusture to it and riveting in taste and texture. Such toothsome delights in small portions were indeed the perfect meal-ender enabling our sweet tongues to punch in pure excitement.
The service was quick with the items reaching our tables at regular intervals. The staff were very courteous explaining each dish in detail and also helping us with our orders. I must also mention the vadam which they serve with 4 different side dishes which complements so well namely a tomato thokku, mirapakaya pachadi (green chilli infused), Avakai Mayo and a garlic dip. From a holistic picture, if you're looking for exquisite south Indian cuisine done in traditional style yet throwing up innovations but not compromising on the taste, you should certainly check out Aadhirai for a rich home grown South Indian meal.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

A foodie's Guide on Novelty Tea House!

This is the first and oldest Novelty Tea House outlet having a rich history associated with it. They began operations in this small by lane of Sowcarpet way back in 1958 and have well and truly served delightful food over the years for more than a golden jubilee.

I was here in Sowcarpet for some dry fruit shopping and then for lunch decided to check in this place. Instantly I ordered the Pav Bhaji which was jaw droppingly riveting. This is an evergreen item on their attic and provide a whole layer of bhaji to go with your bhaji. It was a lovely masala mix submerged by a dollop of butter and it was such a joy consuming the softish bread buns with this juicy gravy.
Other than this, I ordered one of their recommended items Pure Ghee Aloo Tikki. This was done up really well with the tikkis being very crispy and smudged over with oodles of curd. The presence of curd didn't hinder the crispiness and it proved to be very tasty.
Ended the meal by ordering a cheese molagapodi onion dosa. This was again jaw dropping. The mix of the cheese and red powder with onions for that extra zest worked wonderfully well. To be frank the chutney and sambhar were just an add on and you could very well have the dosa standalone.
The prices are pretty reasonable and the service is quick. It may not be the most cleanest place around but if you're willing to get down and dirty with great food, Novelty should certainly tickle the taste tongues. Not often do I get a chance to come by this neck of the woods and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the fare on offer.

Old Review of Closed Mylapore Outlet - July 2014
Before even entering the restaurant , you are greeted with a Graffiti board in front of their gourmet store stating "Serving with Love since 1958". The brand Novelty Tea House i believe has been in existence for a good 50 + years catering to the needs of the localites in Mint Street , Sowcarpet and Purasalwalkam and the one opened in RK Salai , Mylapore is a new branch of theirs to perhaps target a bigger presence in the upmarket of Chennai.

For those not aware of their history from the name of the restaurant , you might be tricked into thinking that this place is a beverage place serving some mediterranean snacks or something along those lines. But in reality it is an authentic Indian Veg restaurant whipping up some delightful Indian food which will leave your tongues craving big time.

The restaurant is located in the same place which used to house Kabul before and the ambience is pretty decent albeit not great. Somehow you instantly get a Northie feel and flavour by looking at the waiters , crowd which predominantly seem to be comprising of Jains , Marwadi's etc and the brownish Dhabba kind of setting adorning the restaurant.

The menu was an intriguing mixture containing a wide variety of items to choose from North Indian , South Indian and Chaat. We started off our journey by ordering Papad Churri and one of their signature starters Palak Cheese Rolls. The former comprised of small broken pieces of Papad tossed up with the rightful masala ingredients to give a nice crispy feel to the mouth. It set the ball rolling and our tongues wagging. The latter was a bunch of small brownish breaded rolls stuffed inside with a creamy paste mixed of spinach and cheese and it was jaw dropping. It was something new that i had tasted and only wished they had served a special kind of cheese sauce to make the lusciousness a bit more invigorating.

We also tasted their Bhel puri which was large in quantity spruced up with all the requisite toppings to appetize the taste buds and the Cheese Masala Pav Bhaji was totally a winner where the Pav was laced with a tinge of masala coating and the Bhaji was decorated with a layer of cheese floating over signalling the enticement :). Also tried their Dosas which were thumbs up - the Cheese Molagapodi Dosa was simply put absolutely brilliant and the way the Masala , Podi and melted cheese were diced upon made it totally alluring and their Novelty special Dosa which was embellished with Green chutney and Masala Aloo on the one side and spicy red podi , onions etc on the other was a thumbs up. The Dosa's standalone were exceptional no doubt but they could do with some amelioration on the Chutney and Sambar which i found to be pretty watery and bland. Polished off dinner with Badam Kesar milk shake which was the perfect fillip to end to the meal. Loved the yellowish drink and the assortment of dry fruits inside the drink made it rivetting.

The rates seem to bit on the higher side but you feel justified since most of what you are served seem to fit the bill atleast on the mouth :). The decor is decent but it isn't a place where you can enjoy a quite meal as its very noisy. The serving of the food was pretty quick but we had to call and there seemed to be confusions as to who was taking the order. The minor quibbles apart , there are a lot of positives which far outweighs the negatives. Wish to dine here more often to taste some of their North Indian stuff and also the Lunchathon concept buffet where you get to choose what you want from about 50 items on the card. All in all , another fine Veg Restaurant to satisfy the always craving Chennaiites appetite.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Big Jupiter Transit to Sagittarius!

Everyone is awaited with bated breath for the impending Jupiter transit which is looming large as it get sets to enter it's own sign of Sagittarius. Transits of slow moving planets such as Saturn, Rahu/Ketu and Jupiter generally garner a lot of interest among the general public and very many are curious about how it will play out for them. To be frank, just with a single planet transit nothing really can be deduced and in essence studying these transitory phenomenons just portray a glimpse of how the upcoming picture is likely to shape up. I suggest don't take transits too seriously but just use it as a generic indication in the overall scheme of things.

Jupiter along with Venus is considered as the only two pure natural benefic planets in vedic astrology. There is an extra footprint for Jupiter because it's transit is somewhat sporadic taking place only once a year on an average as opposed to it's contemporary Venus who transits a sign virtually every other month. Thus, you will see Jupiter coming to this particular sign of Dhanus Rasi or Sagittarius zodiac after almost 12 years and next time it is expected to happen again after only another dozen years. Also the fact that it will be congregating with Saturn & Ketu who are already stationed in the sign of Sagittarius adds that dose of extra prominence. And for the uninitiated, let me share a bite of a masala chilli spicy information. The last time these 3 planets joined forces in the fire sign of Sagittatius was behold way back almost 300 years ago in 1723.

While studying transits, the two key reference points are the Ascendant (body) and the Moon (mind). The Ascendant or Lagna harps on the physical angle where as the Moon rasi throws it's weight on the emotional side. These two many a time are complementary and is known to signify the physical framework and mental structure of an individual. As per all shastra's it's the moon sign which is pivotal when ascertaining transits but factoring in the Lagna also makes sense as any horoscope in general is always read with reference to the Ascendant being the first house. Apart from these two indexes, it's valid to also perhaps consider the karaka planet in question which is Jupiter as it would add an extra dimension in knowing how many signs Jupiter has moved from it's own natal placement. After all, this transit is all about Jupiter and it's known to have an expansive tendency.

I believe it would be futile to look at transits without considering the tool of Ashtakavarga which is a point based handy system and designed quite exclusively for transits. One important point to note in the placeholder is that even in this system, it's the planet Jupiter that contributes the maximum points of 56 out of a maximum of 337.

As mentioned out of the 56 points contributed, it casts 9 benefic dots or points to the Ascendant whereas the Moon is bestowed with only 5 benefic dots.
From the Lagna, Jupiter is given benefic dots in houses 1,2,4,5,6,7,9,10,11
From the Moon, Jupiter is given benefic dots in houses  2,5,7,9,11
Thus in essence out of a possible 24 points (12 for Lagna & 12 for Moon), Jupiter is conferring 14 points (9+5) which is only about 60%.

We find here that places 2,5,7,9,11 are commonly beneficial from both the point of view of the Lagna as well as that of the Moon with the Lagna additionally benefiting the 1st (temporal strength), 4th (default place of exaltation as per natural zodiac), 6th (service) and 10th (fame & recognition). Jupiter in essence is the karaka for the 2nd (wealth, resources), 5th (children & intelligence), 9th (father, luck) and 11th (gains, desires). Jupiter placed from itself is given benefic dots in houses 1,2,3,4,7,8,10,11. It is interesting to note here that Jupiter is devoid of being a benefic when it transits into the 5th and 9th from itself. Some food for thought here as I believe this could be on account of Karako Bhava Nashaya concept which indicates that the signifying planet fails to give results for the houses it connotes and we know that the fundamental natural karaka of Jupiter is 5th house and as per default rasi / Kala Purusha chart it holds ownership of the 9th house.

Thus, lets now look at the signs where Jupiter is expected to cast his auspiciousness in the upcoming one year time frame in the office of Sagittarius. One needs to look at both their Ascendant sign & Moon sign and infer the result accordingly.

Results of Zodiac Signs:
Mesha / Aries: Transiting in to the 9th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (9th sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Positive (9th sign is favourable from Moon)
Overall: Good

Rishaba / Taurus: Transiting in to the 8th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Negative (8th sign is not favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Negative (8th sign is not favourable from Moon)
Overall: Bad

Mithuna / Gemini: Transiting in to the 7th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (7th sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Positive (7th sign is favourable from Moon)
Overall: Good

Karka / Cancer: Transiting in to the 6th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (6th sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Negative (6th sign is not favourable from Moon)
Overall: Neutral

Simha / Leo: Transiting in to the 5th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (5th sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Positive (5th sign is favourable from Moon)
Overall: Good

Kanya / Virgo: Transiting in to the 4th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (4th sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Negative (4th sign is not favourable from Moon)
Overall: Neutral

Thula / Libra: Transiting in to the 3rd sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Negative (3rd sign is not favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Negative (3rd sign is not favourable from Moon)
Overall: Bad

Vrischika / Scorpio: Transiting in to the 2nd sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (2nd sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Positive (2nd sign is favourable from Moon)
Overall: Good

Dhanus / Sagittarius: Transiting in to the 1st sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (1st sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Negative (1st sign is not favourable from Moon)
Overall: Neutral

Makara / Capricorn: Transiting in to the 12th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Negative (12th sign is not favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Negative (12th sign is not favourable from Moon)
Overall: Bad

Kumbha / Aquarius: Transiting in to the 11th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (11th sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Positive (11th sign is favourable from Moon)
Overall: Good

Meena / Pisces: Transiting in to the 10th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Benefic (10th sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Malefic (10th sign is not favourable from Moon)
Overall: Good

Individual Score for all 144 Lagna & Rasi combinations:
The table below assigns scores for all 144 Lagna and Rasi combinations. The tool used for this is Ashtakavarga benefic dots given for Jupiter's placement with respect to both Lagna and Moon. A beneficial placement from Lagna is given 40 points whereas a beneficial placement from Moon is given 60 points. The reason Moon is allocated slightly higher weight-age is because study of transits in general are reckoned with respect to the level of the mind which in essence is the rasi in which Moon is positioned in the Natal horoscope.
Statistical Analysis:
- Houses 3,8,12 are bad for Jupiter both from the angle of Lagna as well as Moon. Hence the 3 major zodiac signs facing the brunt this time happen to be Rishaba (Taurus), Thula (Libra) and Makara (Capricorn).
- Houses 1,4,6,10 are good for Jupiter from the view point of Lagna but not from the Moon. Thus the neutral signs for this Jupiter transit are Karka (Cancer), Kanya (Virgo), Dhanus (Sagittarius) and Meena (Pisces).
- Houses 2,5,7,9,11 are great for Jupiter from the lens of both the Lagna as well as that of Moon. The propitious zodiac signs with regard to this particular Jupiter transit are Mesha (Aries), Mithuna (Gemini), Simha (Leo), Vrischika (Scorpio) and Kumbha (Aquarius).
- Out of the above 5 zodiac signs, the best of the lot can be said to be Mesha followed by Simha as Jupiter is not only a friend to both Mars (ruler of Mesha) and Sun (ruler of Simha) but it's presence as ruler of Sagittarius means it holds ownership to their trikona lords viz 9th and 5th lord respectively. For Scorpio also it's highly favourable but just slightly lesser as we are more inclined to the place of Dhanus which happens to be 2nd lord for Scorpio and hence not as felicitous as owning 5th and 9th lordship. This would be followed by Kumbha (ruled by Saturn) and Mithuna (ruled by Mercury) as Jupiter holds kind of a neutral relationship with these 2 planets.
- Combining Lagna and Moon, we have a sum total of 144 positions (12 Lagnas & 12 Moon signs) out of which 60 places (42%) are providential and 36 places (25%) are not conducive from both stand points. 48 places making up roughly 33% is favourable from Lagna perspective alone.

Conclusion:
This is just a high level cockpit analysis of Jupiter's transit to Sagittarius. A horoscope has a plethora of factors to be viewed and transits happen to be just one solitary area. Again even from the transit angle, we have looked only at a particle of Jupiter and things could take twists & turns with the other big fellow Saturn also expected to move signs very soon. However, despite the inherent limitations, transits act as a gleam of light and tends to be a trigger point source especially when one is looking forward to an event taking place. You never know, the torch of transit can add that extra impetus with Jupiter's light of reflection being the harbinger that you're really looking forward to.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Yearly Transit Horoscope Charts in Vedic Astrology

Everyone is seemingly interested to know what the upcoming year holds for them and in the astrological parlance there are methods to deduce how things are likely to pan out through the yearly charts. There are different variations of reading yearly charts and I am listing below snippets of the methodologies adopted and how to utilize them. In my humble opinion, Vedic Astrology is a very vast tool and just with one factor you cannot really come to a conclusion. Results should be witnessed from a unified wholesome picture and the more factors supporting with basis points, the higher are the chances of events fructifying.

I shall now list down 7 types of Yearly Transit charts and give a low down on what they are all about and how to use them.
- General Transit Chart
- Tajika Solar Return Chart
- Tithi Pravesh Lunar Return Chart
- Lal Kitab Varshapal Chart
- Bhrigu Chakra Paddathi Chart
- Sudharshan Chakra Dasha Chart
- Progression Chart

General Transit Chart
This is the general way of reading transit charts taking the fixed position of Moon as per your Natal horoscope and reading the other planets with reference to the natal Moon position. It's a good ploy to do the same with the Ascendant as well as most of the time Lagna & Moon go in sync with one another with the Ascendant representing the physical aura and the Moon projecting the mental mindset. The chart can be drawn up at the time of date of birth of every year concerned and the transit placements of planets need to be considered with respect to both Lagna and Moon. In case an impending planet transit is to take place few days from your birthday date, it is good to keep that in mind as well. Additionally it would also be good to check the position of the planet in transit with respect to the same planet as placed in the natal chart. For instance if Jupiter was in Aquarius at birth but at the time of charting yearly horoscope if it is in Sagittarius, it means it's placed 11 places from it's own natal position which could indicate conferring some sort of gains.

Illustration:
Let's say someone's birth Ascendant is Cancer and natal moon is in Virgo. For instance if it's the 24th year of an individual and we find that at time of drawing up of chart, Jupiter is placed in Scorpio. We know that Jupiter in transit is said to give best results in 2,5,7,9,11. Thus, we can infer that from a physical point of view Jupiter shows positive results but however from a mental framework Jupiter in 3rd is not said to be favorable and hence we can say that overall this transit of Jupiter will be of a middling level ie successful from view point of physical self but negative from an emotional point of view. Like this we can assess the scope of other transit planets also with respect to both Ascendant and Moon.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope by fixing the Natal Ascendant and Moon as the base and reading the transits of planets based on this reference
Transit of Planets: Considered into account and effects needs to be read from both Natal Ascendant and Natal Moon
Chart Erection: The date of birth in every year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the transiting planets with reference to both Natal Ascendant and Natal Moon

Tajika Solar Return Chart
This methodology as the name suggests adopts the Solar Return Chart but here we do not fix a Lagna or Moon and all the 9 planets in addition to the Ascendant are read as per what is projected in the map of heavens at the time when chart is cast. The chart is drawn up at the time of the solar return which effectively means the degree stamp in which Sun returns to its natal position which would most likely be on the date you were born or a day apart either side. Tajika has a few other specific factors to be kept in mind such as Lord of the Year which is key and generally considered to be the strongest among 5 factors mentioned below:

A) Lord of the sign occupied by the Sun or Moon:
If the Solar return chart commences at day time, then lord of the sign where sun is placed in Annual Horoscope is considered whereas if the solar return chart originates during night time, then lord of the sign where moon is placed in Annual Horoscope needs to be considered. For this purpose, Day time is reckoned from sunrise to sunset and Night time is accounted from sunset to next sunrise
Illustration:
Let's say Sunrise is at 6:05 AM and Sunset is at 6:09 PM. Sun's Natal degree is 12.20'. Let's say we are casting the chart for the 33rd solar year and the time when Sun touches it's Natal degree is at 4:45 PM, then lord of sign where Sun sits needs to be taken, if however it was 8:40 PM in the night when sun reaches it's natal position, then Lord of sign where Moon is sitting has to be considered.

B) Lord of the Ascendant in the Birth Horoscope:
This is plain and simple, you take your original Ascendant as seen in birth horoscope and consider the ruler of the sign for the lord of the year.
Illustration:
If one is born in Mithuna Lagna, then Mercury is to be considered and likewise if one were born when Aquarius was rising, then Saturn has to be taken into account since it rules Aquarius.

C) Lord of the Ascendant in the Progressed Horoscope:
This happens to be the lord of the sign where the Ascendant is stationed at the time the chart is drawn which is when the Sun reaches its exact natal degree position.
Illustration:
Lets say when Sun reaches it's Natal Degree in the Solar Return chart, the Ascendant at that point of time is Capricorn. Thus, Saturn being ruler of Capricorn is to be considered for Lord of the year

D) Lord of Muntha:
It is believed that for every completed year, the Ascendant moves a sign. Muntha is said to travel one sign in each year beginning from the natal position. We need to consider the Lord of the progressed Ascendant for the year in reckoning to determine the Lord of the year.
Illustration:
Lets say natal Lagna is Gemini and we are now drawing up chart for the 26th year. In this case the 1st year begins with Gemini and it completes a cycle in the 12th year with Lagna being in Taurus. The same channel operates for years 13-24. Lagna returns to Gemini for the 25th year and in the 26th year it will be in Cancer. Thus, the Muntha sign will be Cancer and the lord of Muntha will be Moon.

E) Lord of Thrirasis:
This depends on whether the solar return chart is erected during day time or night time. Based on that a fixed lordship is assigned to all signs and wherever the Ascendant of the Solar chart falls depending on whether it was during the day or night we need to look up to the Day time and Night time planetary rulers of the signs and select them accordingly.
Aries - Sun (Day), Jupiter (Night)
Taurus - Venus (Day), Moon (Night)
Gemini - Saturn (Day), Mercury (Night)
Cancer - Venus (Day), Mars (Night)
Leo - Jupiter (Day), Sun (Night)
Virgo - Moon (Day), Venus (Night)
Libra - Mercury (Day), Saturn (Night)
Scorpio - Mars (Day), Venus (Night)
Sagittarius - Saturn (Day), Saturn (Night)
Capricorn - Mars (Day), Mars (Night)
Aquarius - Jupiter (Day), Jupiter (Night)
Pisces - Moon (Day), Moon (Night)
Illustration:
let's say Sunrise is at 6:05 AM and Sunset is at 6:09 PM and the solar return chart is determined at 4:20 PM which falls in Day time in the Ascendant of Scorpio, then we need to consider Mars being the Day lord of Scorpio. Likewise let's say the solar return chart is cast at 9:15 PM which falls in Night time in the Ascendant of Leo, then we need to take Sun since it is the night lord of Leo.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on solar return chart by giving importance to the Lord of the Year comprising of 5 key factors
Transit of Planets: Fully taken into consideration
Chart Erection: Yearly Solar Chart (When Sun returns to it's exact degree point in the zodiac sign)
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the transiting planets based mainly with respect to the Tajika  Lagna arising for the year and also subjecting a magnified zooming to the assessed Lord of the Year.

Tithi Pravesh Lunar Return Chart
The Tithi's are the one's that make up a lunar month and each of the months consists of 15 Tithis constituting the brighter half and another 15 Tithis representing the darker half. The Tithi one is born assumes paramount importance as it is formed based on the inter-relationship of the Sun (Father) and Moon (Mother) and hence can be an important reckoning to indicate the start of a new birth. Thus, the return of the Tithi in the respective luni-solar month is considered as the orientation of a new year. It can end up being a few days away or after your actual Birthday date as a lunar year tends to be shorter than a solar year. The Tithi Pravesh Chart is constructed at the exact time containing the remaining tithi percentage of your birth in the respective luni solar month. As it's like a new arising, reading a chart based on the remaining tithi percentage can give a basis of how the year is likely to pan out.

Illustration:
Let's say if someone was born in Shukla Paksha Tritiya Tithi with 40% remaining in the lunar month of Pushya when Sun was stationed in the sign of Capricorn. Now lets say for 32nd year if we are computing Tithi Pravesh chart, we need to cast the chart when Sun returns to the sign of Capricorn and the respective Shukla Paksha Trithiya Tithi is operating and having 40% remaining percentage. The Lunar month could continue to be Pushya or even move to Magha on account of ensuring Sun ends up being in the same rasi as that of birth.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on Lunar return chart considering the remaining birth tithi percentage
Transit of Planets: Fully taken into consideration
Chart Erection: Luni-Solar Chart (When Sun and Moon re-unite to form the exact Tithi percentage remaining as witnessed at birth in the respective solar month in which Sun is transiting)
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the transiting planets based mainly with respect to the Tithi Pravesh Lagna occuring for the year.

Lal Kitab Varshapal Chart
This is employed based on the principles of Lal Kitab Astrology. In this chart we do not consider the positions of any planets witnessed presently as per the transits but instead deploy alterations to the positions of the planets as per the natal chart making planets change houses. Lal Kitab does not give importance to signs and the first house is always reckoned from Aries. For instance if at birth you are having Sun, Mercury, Venus in the 8th house, in year 30 all these planets will move to 12th house, in the 10th house in 31st year, 6th house in 32nd year and so on and so forth. There is a 120 year table noting down the houses where the planets placed in your natal chart will move for that particular year in operation.

Illustration:
Let's say someone were born in Cancer Lagna with Jupiter in the first house, Moon & Mars in 3rd house, Sun/Mercury/Venus in 4th house, Rahu in 5th house, Saturn in 8th house and Ketu in 11th house. Now if we were to draw up Lal Kitab Varshapal chart for say 25th year, one needs to look at the placement of planets in the 25th year as seen below:

House No. of planets as per horoscope               1 2  3  4 5 6 7 8  9 10 11 12
House position of planets in 25th year                 1 6 10 3 2 8 7 4 11  5 12  9

Thus as per Lal Kitab Varshapal chart for 25th year, Jupiter will be in 1st house, Moon&Mars will be in 10th house, Sun/Mercury/Venus will be in 3rd house, Rahu in 2nd house, Saturn in 4th house and Ketu in 12th house. Please note chart ascendant will always be Aries and Rahu/Ketu need not be in 1/7 axis when drawing up the Varshapal chart.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on shifted planetary position of houses as per 120 year Varshapal Table reckoned from each running year
Transit of Planets: Not taken into consideration
Chart Erection: The date of birth in every year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the shifted house positions of planets from natal chart

Bhrigu Chakra Paddathi Chart
This method does not employ transit positions and the key to this measure is rotating the Ascendant each year in a house in cycles of 12. The 1st house rules the first year of one's life, 2nd house rules the second year, 3rd house rules the third year and so on and so forth with the 12th house ruling one's twelfth year. Now, this cycle is continued with the 1st house ruling the 13th year, 2nd year lording the 14th year etc. Please note the positions of the planets are static and don't change at all. It's just that with each year passing by, that particular house gets activated and we can expect results with respect to the particular year and house in question.

Illustration:
Let's say someone has just turned 28 and is entering into his 29th year. Now since we are taking cycles of 12, we see that quotient is 2 (12 times 2 is 24) and reminder is 5 (29-24). Hence we can say that the 5th house is getting activated and we must see results based on which planets are sitting in that house, the aspects it receives and the position of the owner of the 5th house. In case we are looking into the horoscope of a Simha Lagna native, then Dhanus being the 5th house gains prominence and we need to look at the planets placed in Sagittarius as well as the aspects received and also importantly analyse the role of Jupiter being the house lord of Sagittarius.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on planets placement in natal chart by shifting the Ascendant one house for each year
Transit of Planets: Not taken into consideration
Chart Erection: The date of birth in every year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the activated house by considering the placement of planets, aspects received and the role played by the lord of the activated house

Sudarshana Chakra Dasa Chart
It is a technique where a yearly chart is studied from 3 different base points namely the position of  Ascendant, Moon and Sun which is said to denote the body at physical level, mind at mental level and soul at spiritual level respectively. In this system each of the 12 houses beginning from the 1st house is allotted a period of one year and chart for a forthcoming year is read by shifting all of the Ascendant, Moon & Sun individually to the year in question and reading the effect of the transiting planets based on the horoscope erected which adopts the solar return chart.

Illustration:
Let's say someone's birth horoscope has the Ascendant in the sign of Aries, Moon in Virgo and Sun in Pisces. If we want to read about the upcoming events in the 16th year, we need to consider the number 4 since we are dealing with a cycle of 12 and 16 divided by 12 will give quotient of 1 and reminder 4. Now we need to shift each of Ascendant, Moon and Sun 4 signs from their respective zodiac positions and read the solar return chart based on all these 3 reference points indicating the body, mind and soul. Thus in this case the 3 reference points will be Physical/Body Level Ascendant Cancer (4th from Aries), Mental/Mind Level Moon Sagittarius (4th from Virgo) and Spiritual/Soul Level Sun Gemini (4th from Pisces)

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on solar return chart considering 3 reference points - Ascendant, Moon & Sun by progressing them at the rate of one sign per year
Transit of Planets: Considered into picture and effects needs to be read from all 3 basis points
Chart Erection: Solar Return Chart in each year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the transiting planets with respect to the progressed Ascendant (body), Moon (mind) & Sun (soul).

Progression Chart
This is a hypo illusionary chart utilizing the planets taking a year or more to transit such as Jupiter, Rahu/Ketu and Saturn. These are the planets whose transits we anticipate with an extra dose of excitement as there is plenty of expectations on the kind of results which they are going to bestow for those born in each Lagna or Rasi. Based on the year in question, we extrapolate how many signs these forces would have traversed based on their average transit motion which is considered as 1 year for Jupiter, 1 and half years for Rahu/Ketu and 2 and half years for Saturn. Most likely, these planets may match up with the same positions as seen in the running transit chart.

Illustration:
Let's say someone's natal Jupiter is in Cancer, Rahu in Libra, Ketu in Aries and Saturn in Capricorn. Now assuming we are drawing up chart for 22nd year, Jupiter will be Aries (Since one round of 12 gets completed in Gemini with the 13th year beginning in Cancer onwards and by counting one year for each sign the 22nd will be in Aries). Rahu will be in Leo (Rahu travels in reverse and hence one round of 18 years which is 1.5*12 gets completed in Scorpio. 18-19.5 years will be in Libra again, 19.5 to 21 years will be in Virgo and 21 to 22.5 will be in Leo). Since Rahu is in Leo, Ketu will automatically be in Aquarius being exact opposite. With respect to Saturn, it'll be in Virgo (Saturn travels 2.5 years in a sign and hence would have crossed 8 signs from natal placement at age of 20 which is 2.5*8 and will be in the 9th sign which is Virgo from 20-22.5 years of age).

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based upon utilizing those planets taking a year or more to transit across a sign
Transit of Planets: Not considered in reality but more as an extrapolation
Chart Erection: The date of birth in every year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the progressed position of yearly transit planets such as Jupiter, Rahu/Ketu & Saturn with respect to both Natal Ascendant and Natal Moon.

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Kurtos - Chimney Cakes transported from Hungary!

The chimney cakes concept has caught on big time in a short stint of time. These have originated originally from Hungary and it's nice to see a specialty snack from Europe being transported to our very own Singara Chennai.

Kurtos is located by the side of Besant Nagar Beach and makes for a great evening snack. It is a little higher in rates than your usual short eats but comes across as being pretty stuffed and very filling. This outlet here is a little one and they have varied options on both the savory and sweetened side along with a bit of salads and shakes for company.

I was more aligned to try the savoury ones and hence went for an indian version of a butter panneer kurtos along with a traditional savoury Hungarian cake. I unfortunately didn't have the content to try the sweetened stuff and it's certainly reserved for another day as I'm greatly looking forward to try those ravishing looking cinnamon rolls.

The butter panneer chimney cone was nicely wrapped and what I liked about it was that the stuffing was right upto the brim and you did feel the masala in every bite of that soft dough roll. It was nicely herbed and the cheese garlic essence gave it the crackling taste it needed. I enjoyed relishing this hand held delight as I usually do adore these dunky delights and this one both had the taste and punch to give the perfect complementary effect.
The Hungarian classic chimney cake came with stuffings such as cheese, onion and paprika in a rolled over bread. This was more like a meal based option and the combination worked really well. It was a tad spicy largely due to the element of paprika but aligned very well on the taste factor. All in all, this too was quite enjoyable.
These chimney based items are a good addition to the ever growing Chennai food market and is perhaps another repertoire when it comes to one's snack craving appetite. The more the options always better and being the ever loving food denizen eagerly awaiting to to try varied spreads, these chimney based creations certainly gives an extra fillip to enjoy these fancy joyful wholesome cakes.

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Madras Kitchen Company (MKC) - Touch of fusion yet artisanal!

MKC or Madras Kitchen Company is a newly opened restaurant as part of the sprawling Westin property in Velachery. The first impression gives you an instant thumbs up with the decor being striking and the ambiance aesthetic and appealing.

It gives a very laidback as well as an insouciant atmosphere with it's signature wood work and artisanal surroundings. The menu has been created in a very crafty manner coming in the form of a large newspaper with lots of snippets thrown in not only about the food but also the city of Chennai in general. The cuisine is largely regional with a twist as there is a lot of fusion element interspersed to it. A little bit of Asian too has been added to the fray.



We were here for lunch on a lazy weekday afternoon and looking forward to what the place has to offer. The first item itself blew us away which was an amalgamation of Amul cheese and a guntur chilli spread on a bed of bread. The fill over not only looked magnificent but also tasted superlative. Next up we tried the Asian Bao's. This was an open bao stuffed to the brim consisting of juicy pieces of tofu, capsules of edamame green gram and laced with drooly layers of mayo. This was messy, junky, dunky and damn tasty. After this we tried their innovative ghee tossed podi Idly which came with a delightful kurma and a chilli coconut relish. This was served in the school tiffin style and had an old world charm about it. From the starter section, we also tried the curd rice which came with interesting concoctions which we had towards the end of our meal.

The starter section was totally top notch and no two ways about it. In the main course, we had the bombay sampler of ragda, misal and bhaji with butter pao. Though bhaji is a popular dish down south, we very rarely get to taste ragda or misal and this was a well done up 3 in 1 combo. Apart from this we also had a crack at the aloo chole with kulche. This was decent but however the chole felt a little less boiled and the taste did not come out very apparently.

We polished our meal with two gorgeous desserts. The 54℅ chocolate textures with berries had a really rich and smooth taste to it. The Madras Kitchen Sundae with a cheese cake slitted in was really yummy and mellow.

The service was friendly and the staff were very welcoming in not only answering our queries but also suggesting us on how to go about with our choices. If you're looking for regional cuisine with a sleek fusion element interlaced to it, you should certainly check out Madras Kitchen Company.