This article was inspired by two events.
I visited a Hyderabad Pearl exhibition in Calcutta.
I was surprised because there are no pearls in or around Hyderabad.

The fact is that the pearl smiths in Hyderabad import fresh water cultured pearls from China and transform them into beautiful ornaments.

On another occasion, I visited the Central Marine Research Centre in Tuticorin when they had just successfully made cultured pearls.
I saw the entire process.

I even learnt scuba diving there and went down inside the sea where the pearl oysters lived, bred and made the natural pearls.
Pearls are interesting ……..

What is the value of a pearl necklace?
A good pearl necklace is priceless.
A pearl can not be cut, polished and crafted like other gems.

A natural round pearl is a piece of art created by mother nature herself.
A really beautiful pearl is rare.
A necklace made of a number of pearls matching in colour, size, shape and lustre is therefore extremely expensive and worth a furtune.

Baroda Pearls – the most expensive pearl necklace

The Maharajah of Baroda, Khande Rao Gaekwar (rule 1856 – 1870), was one of the greatest jewellery collectors of the 19th century.
Amongst his pearl collections were an ornamental belt of one hundred rows of pearls;a majestic seed pearl and a seven-strand necklace made of natural pearls from the Gulf.

When his descendant Maharajah Pratapsingh Gaekwar (rule 1939 – 1947) married his second wife, Maharani Sita Devi – one of the most flamboyant Maharanis of all time and referred to as the Indian Wallace Simpson – in 1943, Sita Devi received the pearl necklace and other items of jewellery from the Maharajah.
The pearl necklace was last seen on her neck in 1948.
Many items of her jewellery have since been sold in Monaco.
But the necklace remained in Baroda.

The Baroda Pearls – made out of the best pearls in the original necklace – a two-row seven-strand pearl necklace, comprising of impeccably matched 68 of the finest and largest pearls in the world, with a cushion cut Cartier diamond clasp, was auctioned at Christie’s in New York on April 25, 2007 for $7.1 million, setting a new world record for a pearl necklace.

The pearls measure 9.47 to 16.04 mm, from the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh strands.
The necklace has a matching pair of natural pearl and diamond ear pendants, a brooch, and a ring.
The previous record was set by a two-strand natural pearl necklace sold for $ 3.1 million at Christie’s in Geneva in November 2004.

Pearl of Allah

The Pearl of Allah (Pearl of Lao-Tse), the largest pearl on record, was recovered by a Muslim diver from a giant clam off the coast of Palawan Island, Philippines on May 7, 1934.
The chief of Palawan took the pearl because it had been found near his island.

Around 1939, Wilburn Dowell Cobb saved the life of the chief’s son.
The chief gifted the pearl to Cobb.
In 1980, Cobb’s heirs sold the pearl to Peter Hofman, a jeweler from Beverly Hills, for $200,000.

Peter Hofman still owns 33 percent interest in the pearl.
The pearl is 9.4 inches long and weighs about 14 lbs.
Its surface bears the semblance of a turbaned face.
The Pearl of Allah is valued at $40 million.
The giant pearl is also called the Pearl of Lao Tsu, after the legendary sixth-century B.C. philosopher known as the father of Taoism.
Replicas of the Pearl of Allah are on display in various museums around the world.

Paradoxically, although referred to as a pearl, and even treated as the largest pearl in the world, the Pearl of Allah is actually a non-nacreous calcareous concretion; and therefore gemmologically speaking, not actually a pearl.

The Hope Pearl

The Hope Pearl is the largest natural salt water pearl ever discovered.
It is a white, drop-shaped blister pearl, measuring approximately 2 x 4 inches, and varying in color from greenish gold on one end to white on the other.
It weighs 1,800 grains (450 carats), or approximately 4 ounces.

It was once owned by Henry Philip Hope, the one-time owner of the Hope Diamond.
Currently, it is displayed in the British Museum of Natural History.

Is the pearl a gem?

A pearl is a hard, round, shiny, lustrous object produced by certain species of the bivalve mollusks – an aquatic animal.

The freshwater pearls are produced by mussels and salt water pearls by oysters.
On the other hand, a gemstone, gem, precious or semi-precious stone is an attractive and valuable piece of mineral.
Pearls are certainly not gems, yet they are included in almost every book and writing on gems for the simple reason that they are used in jewellery.
When we talk of gems, we talk of diamonds, rubies, saphires, emeralds and other precious and semi precious stones………. but we also talk of pearls.
Pearls are prized like gems and widely used in jewellery.
Pearls are also crushed and used in indigenous medicinal formulations, in cosmetics and paint formulations.

Fresh water and salt water pearls

There are two kinds of pearls – fresh water and salt water – depending on where they are formed.

The fresh water pearls are formed in fresh water mussels that live in lakes, rivers, ponds and other bodies of fresh water.
The pearls the Chinese first used – over 4000 years ago – were obviously fresh water pearls because they have been described as not quite round. Even today’s fresh water pearls are not that round.
China with a a total production of 1500 tons in 2006 is the undisputed world leader in fresh water pearl production.

The salt water pearls grow in oysters that live in the oceans, usually in protected lagoons.Over 99% of the salt water pearls we see today are cultured pearls.
Generally, only a single pearl is found in a salt water oyster. While, a large number of pearls can be found in one fresh water mussel.Natural and cultured pearls

A pearl is formed when a small irritant or parasite penetrates and lodges in the mantle tissue of a mollusk.
The mollusk secretes nacre around this nucleus.
Nacre is a complex combination of crystalline and organic substances which builds up in layers surrounding the irritant forming a pearl.

Natural pearls are formed by chance.
The shape of the pearl depends on the shape of the nucleus.
The shape of a natural pearl is therefore unpredictable.
The odds of formation of a perfect natural pearl are 1 in a million.

Cultured pearls have been given a helping hand.
A foreign object is introduced into a mollusk thereby inducing the mollusc to secrete nacre around it and create a pearl.
The shape of the resultant pearl can be controlled to a great extent.
It is possible to grow large quantities of almost identical cultured pearls.

Today, nearly all pearls in the market – both fresh water and salt water – are cultured.

How to differentiate cultured pearls from natural

The simplest and scientific way of distinguishing cultured pearls from natural pearls is through x-ray.
The x-ray will reveal the nucleus of the pearl.

If the pearl is cultured, you will see the tell tale image of the synthetic nucleus implanted as an irritant.
There will be no visible nucleus in the case of a natural pearl.

The culturing process

Kokichi Mikimoto almost single handedly developed and commercialised the modern cultured pearl industry.
Mikimoto was born in 1858 in Toba City, Japan.
He was the eldest son in a family which ran a noodle restaurant.
He started raising oysters in 1888.
By the late 1890s, he patented a process for culturing mabes (hemispherical pearls).

Over the next two decades, Mikimoto continued with his research in culturing pearls, culminating in 1916 with his patenting a process for culturing spherical pearl.
He developed the modern techniques for culturing pearls and simultaneously pursuaded and convinced the public to accept the cultured pearls.
Mikimoto created the cultured pearl industry that exists today.
Mikimoto died in 1954 at the age of 96.

Technique for culturing pearls

Freshwater pearls and salt water pearls are nucleated differently.

Freshwater cultured pearls are not bead-nucleated.
A small incision is made in the fleshy mantle tissue of a 6 to 12 month old mussel.
A 3 mm square piece of mantle tissue from a donor mussel is inserted inside it.
A single mussel can with stand upto 25 such incisions.
But in practice, only 12-16 incisions are made for production of 24-32 pearls.
The mollusks are then returned to their freshwater environment where they are looked after for 2 to 6 years.
The resulting pearls are of solid nacre, but without a bead nucleus.
These pearls are rarely perfect round.

The salt water pearls are bead-nucleated.
The oysters are opened.
A small incision is made in the gonad (reproductive organ) and a round core or nucleus which is generally a polished bead made from a freshwater mussel shell is surgically implanted into the incision.
The oysters are returned to salt water.
The pearls which will form in about 2 years will be round.
An x-ray will reveal the tell tale nucleus.

Main types of salt water pearls

Today, the cultured pearl industry has effectively and totally replaced the natural pearl industry with production of cultured freshwater; and the three main types of salt water pearls – South Sea, Tahitian, and Mikimoto’s original Akoya pearls.

Pearl culture in India

Natural pearls were once found in plenty in Jam Nagar (Gulf of Kutch) and Thoothukudi (Gulf of Mannar).
Over the years, both these resources were depleted.

And today, India imports almost all her requirement of pearls.
In 1972, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) started an experimental project of pearl culture at Thoothukudi.
The next year CMFRI achieved a breakthrough and produced the first spherical cultured pearl on July 25, 1973.
The Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation Ltd and Southern Petro Chemical Industries Corporation Ltd. started a joint venture pearl culture project in 1983.
But there has been no commercial success and the project has been leased out to private party.
In 1976, the CMFRI started a pearl oyster hatchery and spats (baby oysters) produced from the hatchery are supplied to pearl producers.

Artificial or synthetic pearls

These are cheap imitations made of glass, plastic, acrylic, etc.

Caring for your Pearls

Pearls have an organic origin. They are scientifically different from gemstones and precious metals.
· They are softer and far more delicate. They can be more easily scratched, cracked, and damaged.
· Chemicals in perfumes and hair spray can harm pearls.
· Even natural body oils and perspiration can dull the pearls’ luster or cloud their brilliance.
· Acids present in lemon juice, citric fruits, etc. corrode pearls.
· For these reasons, your pearls require special care.
· Apply perfume, hair spray, and other cosmetics before putting on the pearls on your person. This way, you will minimise the contact of these products with the pearls.
· After wearing your pearls, wipe them with a soft damp cloth to remove any traces of cosmetic products and body oils.
· Wash the pearls periodically with mild soap water and a soft cloth, to remove any accumulated build-up.
· Store pearls separately, in soft cloth or in a soft-lined container, pouch, or jewellery box away from hard jewellery items, to prevent scratches or other damage. If possible, store them wrapped.
· If the pearls are strung, have the pearls restrung periodically – perhaps once a year or so, if you wear them often – to prevent strand breakage. Knotting the strands between each pearl will prevent all the pearls from falling off, if the strand breaks. Knotting will also prevent the pearls from rubbing against one another and causing damage by friction.
· With a little bit of care, your Queen of Gems will remain bright and lustrous for years to come.

The Gemstone of Love and Passion

I am sure you would like to know more about the gem stones.
This article is one of a series of 5 articles covering the four precious gemstones – Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald and Pearls (which is really not a gem).

Which colour would you associate with love and passion?
The answer is pretty obvious. Red……… Deep Red.

Deep Red is the colour of love.

It radiates warmth and a strong sense of vitality.
Blood is Deep Red.

The heart is also a Deep Red.

Deep Red is the traditional colour of the rose.

(God alone knows why scientists are still struggling to produce a true black or blue rose).

Red is also the colour of Ruby, the Prince of Gemstones.
Where love is involved, ruby is the undisputed ruler of the fascinating world of gemstones.
Ruby is a form of Corundum
Chemically, Ruby is corundum, a crystalline form of aluminium oxide, found in nature as a mineral.

In this photograph on the right, you can see a piece of natural corundum.

Corundum is the second hardest mineral on Earth (the hardest is diamond).

On the Mohs scale (which is a measure of hardness), the score of corundum is 9.
It is so hard that combined with other additives, it is used as an abrasive – from the common sand paper to large machines for machining metals to the hardest stones.
Pure corundum is colourless.

Traces of other elements like chrome, iron, titanium or vanadium give it colour.

What is a Ruby

Only red corundum can be called ruby.

Corundum of all other colours are classified as sapphires.

This is the photo of a large crystal of uncut ruby.

Its length is about 0.8 inches (2 cm).

On the left is the world largest uncut ruby crystal.

Nicknamed the 125West, this natural ruby crystal weighs 8.2 lbs. or 18,696 carats.

After cutting, it could become the largest ruby in the world.
Earlier, there was some confusion and misclassification.

Red garnets or spinels were also thought to be rubies.
This is the reason why two of the British Crown Jewels, the ‘Black Ruby’ and the ‘Timur Ruby’, were wrongly named rubies, when really they are not rubies, but spinels.
Ruby and India
India was the ruby’s classical country of origin.

For a long time, India was a major supplier of Ruby.

The term ‘corundum’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘kuruvinda’.

The Sanskrit word for ruby is ‘ratna raj’, which means ‘king of gemstones’.
Indian rulers gave great importance to rubies.

The insignia of many royal households all over the world are still embedded with rubies.
Where do the finest rubies come from
Today, the finest rubies come from the ruby deposits in Myanmar (Burma).

They are a rich, full red with a slightly bluish hue ‘pigeon-blood-red’.

The finest rubies are termed Myanmar rubies even if they come from some other country, but the term ‘Burmese colour’ would be more appropriate description for them.
There are Ruby deposits in neighbouring Vietnam, near the Chinese border.

Vietnamese Rubies are slightly purplish.

Rubies from Thailand are a darker red towards brown.

The ‘Siamese colour’ is considered only second to the Myanmar rubies.
Improvements
Even natural rubies are improved.
Such improvements include:
· Color alteration,
· Improving transparency by dissolving rutile inclusions, and
· Healing, or even completely filling in, fractures (cracks).

Rubies can be carved.

On the right is a fine piece of carved ruby known as Greenland Carved Ruby.
Synthetic corundum
Surprisingly, beautiful rubies can be made artificially.

In 1837, Gaudin made the first synthetic rubies by fusing alumina at a high temperature with a little chromium as a pigment.

In 1847, Edelman made white sapphire by fusing alumina in boric acid.

In 1877, Frenic and Freil made crystal corundum from which small stones could be cut.

In 1903, Verneuil produced high quality synthetic rubies on a commercial scale by using a flame fusion process.

This simple and inexpensive process is now used to produce flawless single crystal sapphires, rubies and other corundum gems of much larger size than are normally found in nature.
Qualities of a good Ruby

A good ruby more than 3 carats is exceedingly rare and more expensive than an equivalent diamond.

What determines the price of a ruby

· First, its colour. Colour is a ruby’s most important feature.
· Second, inclusions within the ruby. A ruby without any inclusions is extremely rare.
· Third, cut. It is the cut which bring out a gem’s beauty. Only a perfect cut can do justice to a priceless gem.
· Lastly, some rubies display a wonderful silky shine, called ‘silk’ of the ruby. This is caused by very fine needles of rutile. Sometimes, the retiles create the fabulous star rubies.

A really perfect ruby is rarer than perfect love. And it is the costliest gem on earth. Even costlier than diamond.

The Blue Gemstone – Another Prince of Gems
I am sure you would like to know more about the gem stones.
This informative article is one of a series of 5 articles covering the four precious gemstones – Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald and Pearls (which is really not a gem).

Which colour would you associate with Sapphire?
The answer is pretty obvious. Blue.

Most people believe that all sapphires are blue.
It is true that the best and most precious sapphires are blue.
But sapphires extend over a wide range of colours except red.

Sapphire is a form of Corundum

Chemically, sapphire is corundum, a crystalline form of aluminium oxide, found in nature as a mineral.
In this photograph, you can see a piece of natural corundum.
Corundum is the second hardest mineral on Earth (the hardest is diamond).

On the Mohs scale (which is a measure of hardness), the score of corundum is 9.
It is so hard that combined with other additives, it is used as an abrasive – from the common sand paper to large machine tools for machining anything from metals to the hardest stones.
Pure corundum is colourless.

Traces of other elements like chrome, iron, titanium or vanadium give it colour.
What is a Sapphire

Both sapphire and ruby are corundum, that is, aluminium oxide.
Their colours are different because of the presence of different trace elements.

A trace of chrome makes the gem red and it is called ruby.

Only red corundum can be called ruby.
Traces of iron, titanium or vanadium give the corundum different colours.

Corundum of all colours, other than red, are classified as sapphires.

Different kinds of Sapphires

Star Sapphires

Star sapphires contain intersecting needle-like inclusions (usually rutile, a mineral composed mainly of titanium dioxide).When viewed under a single overhead light source, the sapphire will display a six-rayed ‘star’.
Blue sapphires
Deep and vivid blue sapphires are the most in demand.
Sapphire and India

The finest sapphire in the world, having the most intense and vivid blue hue (Kashmir Blue) originated from India’s north western region of Kashmir, along the Indo Pakistani border, in the Himalayas.

A landslide caused by an earthquake in the late 1800’s revealed sapphires in that region.

The region was excessively mined for eight years.

By the early 1900s, the region was completely depleted.

Where do the finest Sapphires come from
Sapphire and Ruby Mines of Mogok

After Kashmir, the world’s finest sapphires, rubies and spinels have been found in the Mogok Stone Tract of the high-altitude Mogok Valley, about 175 km northeast of Mandalay, in Myanmar (Burma).
The 4,800 square kilometer area, comprising the Mogok Valley, has over 1000 ruby and sapphire mines. In 1972, the world’s largest sapphire (63,000 carats) was found in the Mogkok valley.
But some of the finest sapphires have come from Sri Lanka.

Both the Logan sapphire and the Star of Bombay came from Sri Lanka.

Today, Madagascar is the world leader in sapphire production.

Some fabulous Sapphires

The 182 carat (36.4 g) Star of Bombay, is one of the world’s greatest blue star sapphire.
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., the actor, gave it to his wife, the silent-film actress Mary Pickford.

It is now housed in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C.
The massive 563.35 carat Star of India is the largest sapphire in the American Museum of Natural History.

But its colour is not deep, but a grayish blue.

The giant 423 carat Logan Sapphire set with 20 diamonds is the largest sapphire in the Smithsonian collection.

The stone has a rich blue color, but unfortunately is faceted with a large window.
Synthetic Corundum
Big and beautiful sapphires can be made artificially.

In 1903, Verneuil produced high quality synthetic corundums on a commercial scale by using a flame fusion process.

This simple and inexpensive process is used to produce flawless single crystal sapphires, rubies and other corundum gems of much larger size than are normally found in nature.

The Verneuil Process has been replaced by the Flux-Grown method which produces large, high-quality gem-grade sapphire.
Synthetic sapphire crystals of large size, up to many inches in diameter, can be grown in cylindrical crystal boules.

On the right, you can see a ring with a synthetic star sapphire.
Improvements
Natural sapphires are usually heat treated to improve their appearance and color.

Heat treatment improves the sapphire’s color and clarity.

Many natural sapphires are also diffusion treated.

In this process, trace elements are added to impart or to improve colors.
The sapphire is a prized possession.

A sapphire which suits its owner is supposed to bring very good luck.

And a sapphire which does not suit its owner could bring extreme misfortune.

Prospective purchasers often test its suitability by keeping it under their pillow.

Good dreams mean it is suitable for them.

Bad dreams indicate that they should not purchase the sapphire.

All that you ever wanted to know about miraculous Rudraksha beads

If you visit any Indian temple, you will find sadhus, priests and devotees wearing necklaces made of a large number of small, round, dark red beads.

And in the lanes around every temple, you will find a number of shops selling these bead necklaces.
The shop keepers will tell you that these necklaces are made of asli (genuine) Rudraksha beads and will cure a number of diseases – including heart ailments, hyper tension and blood pressure; give you peace of mind and good health; good luck; and of course, wealth.

What more can anyone possibly want?

What is Rudraksha

Have you ever wondered what the miraculous Rudraksha beads really are?
Where do they come from?
Is there any scientific basis for all the wonders they are propagated to perform?

The term Rudraksha is used for the round berries of the Elaeocarpus ganitrus Roxb tree; and also for the Rudraksha mala or necklace made from these beads.

A Rudraksha mala contains 108 beads.

The Elaeocarpus ganitrus Roxb Tree
The Rudraksha tree is a large, evergreen, broad-leaved, tree found in Indonesia, Nepal and India.
About 70% of the Rudraksha trees are found in Indonesia, 25% in Nepal and 5% in India.

The Rudraksha trees flower between August to September and bear fruit between September to November.
When fully ripe, the round berries are covered with an outer shell of blue colour and are therefore often known as blue berry beads.

But the blue coloration is not due to any pigment, it is only structural.
Each shell contains one Rudraksha berry.
The Rudraksha berries have a number of grooves or lines on their surface running from one end to the other.
These grooves or lines are called Mukhis.

The Rudraksha is described after the number of grooves or or lines (Mukhis) it contains.
Rudrakshas with 1 to 14 Mukhis are more common.
Those with 15 to 27 Mukhis, or even more, are less common and considerably more expensive.

Origin of the word Rudraksha and Mythology

The word Rudraksha is derived from the Sanskrit word rudrāksa which itself is derived from the two words ‘Rudra’ meaning Shiva and ‘āksa’ meaning eye. Rudraksha, therefore, means Shiva’s eyes.
According to the ancient Hindu scripture Shiva Purana, the Rudraksha plant was born out of Lord Shiva’s tear drops.
After Lord Shiva had meditated for many years for the welfare of all creatures, he opened his eyes.
Drops of hot tears rolled down and mother earth gave birth to Rudraksha trees.

Therapeutic & Medicinal effects of Rudraksha

In the late 1980’s, Dr.Suhas Roy and other scientists from the Departments of Biochemistry, Electrical Engineering, Psychiatry, General Medicine and Psychology of the Institute of Technology in Banaras University, India carried out a combined study into the bio-medical effects of Rudraksha.
The researchers found that the Rudraksha beads were Dielectric and exerted powerful therapeutic effects.

Rudraksha are available in different sizes

Rudraksha beads come in different sizes.
They are collected and assorted into different shapes and sizes.
The larger ones (15mm and above) are the most auspicious and effective.
They should have a natural hole.
The surface of the bead should not be over thorny, but smooth; and the bead should have good hardness.

Imitation

Rudraksha beads are now sold in almost every little shop around temples and also by dealers of all kinds of alternative medicines.
There are also a host of online suppliers.
You can find Rudraksha beads of all shapes and sizes.

Unfortunately, many are cheap imitations.
Some imitation beads are carved out of synthetic materials like cork, plastic, hard foam; or made out of similar looking seeds like blueberry seeds, betel nuts and areca nuts.
Some manipulators carve out extra lines to increase the number of natural lines.

A 10 Mukhi Rudraksha can be made to look like a 14 Mukhi Rudraksha thereby increasing its price several times.

Sometimes, two small beads are carefully glued together to make a much larger bead having many more lines.
There are all kinds of manipulators.

I can only say, buy your Rudraksha beads from a reputed supplier.
Qualities of good genuine Rudraksha beads are:
· Genuine Rudraksha beads will sink in water.
· If you boil real Rudraksha beads in water for 6 hours, there would no effect on the bead. A fake will easily disintegrate.
· A good Rudraksha bead should not be broken at any end.
· A healthy bead should have well defined natural corns and contours.

Taking care of your precious Rudraksha beads

Rudraksha seeds are brittle in nature.
Protect them from chemicals and toileteries.
Wash them frequently with plain water.

The permanent residence of Lord Vishnu

In every big city of India, you will come across advertisements of exhibition cum sale of pearls and other semi precious stones.

In these exhibitions, you will also see rudrakshas, shaligrams and similar objects.

In 1988, almost two decades ago, I visited an exhibition cum sale of pearls in Chennai.
The exhibitor showed me his ware.Statuettes made of crystal; fresh water pearl necklaces; rudrakshas; shaligrams; tulsi malas, etc.

He showed me one shaligram which he said was worth at least 2.5 million Indian Rupees (65,000 U.S. $).
He said he would not sell it at any price because it would bring him good luck and much more furtune.

He later sent me three shaligrams.
At time, I wrote a small article “The sacred Shaligram” in the Hindu.
I got numerous letters.

Some accused me of not knowing anything about shaligrams.
Some wanted me to recommend a good dealer.

My boss read my article and summoned me.
He asked me whether it was true that I was going to accept gift of shaligrams.
I told him I love small gifts and would gladly accept them.

He became very serious.
He said don’t take them unless you can observe the daily rituals strictly.
Otherwise, you would have bad luck.

Although this trait sometimes does create problems, by nature I am very obstinate.
Finally, he made me promise that if I suffered any mishap within a week of getting the shaligrams , I would send them to some nearby temple.
The shaligrams did not affect me in any way.
And they remain with me to this day.

Lord Vishnu has taken good care of himself.

What are Shaligrams

Mythology

According to Hindu religion, God does not reside in any statue.
When we start pooja (worship) of any God (or Goddess), we first have to request that God to enter his statue and remain present for the duration of the pooja.
This is called ‘awahan’ (summon).

After the pooja is over, we have to do ‘visarjan’ (farewell) – request God to go back to wherever he came from.

But shaligram is a special stone in which Lord Vishnu is ever present.
So we have to take extreme care.
Bathe him.
Feed him at regular hours.
And perform all the rituals strictly, otherwise…… he may become angry.

Why Vishnu remains in the shaligram?
According to one legend, Vishnu had two wives – Laxmi and Sarswati.
Ladies will always be ladies!

Once the two wives had a big fight.
In a fit of rage, Laxmi cast a curse on Sarswati.
She would have to go down to the earth and live there forever.
Sarswati cried and cried.

When Vishnu came, he told Sarswati not to cry.
He would stay with her on earth.
So Sarswati came down to the earth in the form of Tulsi (Holy Basil) plant and Vishnu came down in the form of shaligram.
Tulsi and shaligram are therefore worshipped together.

According to another legend, Gandaki, a lady devotee, performed sever penance for a long time.
She asked for and got a boon from Vishnu, that he would reside in her womb (in her depths) as her own offspring.

What scientists say

According to scientists, shaligrams are fossils of Ammonite – an invertebrate which lived in the Tethys sea which existed between India and the Asian mainland.
There were about a thousand different varieties of ammonites.
Some were coiled.
Other were straight.
All are now extinct.
Their closest surviving ancestor is the pearly nautilus.

As India moved northwards – some 9000 kilometres in 250 million years – the Himalayas were formed.
A number of rivers formed and flowed down from the Himalayas into the Indo Gangetic plain. The shaligram was found in plenty in the Gandaki river.

The photograph of the shaligram here is probably a Perispyinctes of the Jurassic period – about 150 million years old.

Conclusion

Shaligrams are not supposed to be purchased and sold.
They are prized possessions in many Hindu families and are handed down from generation to generation.
The main statues in a few ancient temples are made of shaligram.
What is worshipped is the shaligram stone which has a whorl or chakra.

The one in my photo has a perfect chakra.
And you can also clearly see a serpents hood.

I met the owner again in 2005.
He invited me to inaugurate his new show room in Chennai.
He had indeed accumulated wealth.

The Jagannath Temple, dedicated to Vishnu, in Puri (Orissa) has the largest and heaviest shaligram in India.

The ISKCON temple in Scotland, called ‘Karuna Bhavan’, has the largest number of shaligrams outside India.
So far my own shaligrams are concerned, they have given me no reason what so ever to whimper or complain.

They have indeed kept me happy and content all these years.

National Fossil Wood Park, Tiruvakkarai

The First National Fossil Wood Park of India

There are no real Jurassic Parks on earth.
But there are Fossil Parks which to the scientists are as interesting as the fictional Jurassic Parks.

Fossils

Fossils are mineralized, or otherwise preserved, remains or traces of animals (such as footprints), plants, and other organisms.

Petrified Wood
The word petrified comes from the Greek word “petro” meaning “rock” or “stone”.

The word petroleum also comes from “petro”.

Petrified wood, which literally means “wood turned into stone”, is a type of fossil.

It is actually fossil wood where all the organic materials have been replaced with minerals (most often a silicate, such as quartz), while retaining the original structure of the wood.

The petrifaction process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment and is initially preserved due to lack of oxygen.

Mineral-rich water flowing through the sediment deposits minerals in the plant’s cells.

As the plant’s lignin and cellulose decay away, a stone mould forms in its place.
Elements such as manganese, iron and copper in the water / mud during the petrification process give petrified wood a variety of colour ranges.

Petrified wood can preserve the original structure of the wood, including tree rings and the tissue structures, in all its fine detail, down to the microsopic level. Petrified wood is very hard with a hardness of 7 on the Mohs Scale – the same as quartz.

Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona, U.S.)
The Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona U.S. has one of the world’s largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood in the world – mostly of the Araucarioxylon arizonicum species.
On December 8, 1906, the Petrified Forest area was designated a National Monument.

The Painted Desert was added later.

On December 9, 1962, the entire area covering 218,533 acres (885 sq. kms) was declared a national park.

But you don’t have to travel all the way to U.S. to see petrified trees.

India’s first National Fossil Wood Park (Tiruvakkarai)

Because what is not known is that there are Fossil Wood Parks in India, too.

These parks are maintained by the Geological Survey of India.

Their web site gives very cryptic mention.

Surely, the site could provide more elaborate and detailed information!
Over a decade ago, I was posted in Chennai (Madras).

I read somewhere about some fossilised trees near Pondicherry.

I wanted to see the trees.

I phoned up my officers in Pondicherry.

They had no idea.

I told them to contact the local Geological Department and the Archaelogical Department and find out.

(I was not sure which department would know).

And so one day, I landed up in National Fossil Wood Park, Tiruvakkarai.
The signboard, in Tamil, read ‘National Fossil Wood Park, Tiruvakkarai, Villupuram District, Tamilnadu’.

(Thank God. An English sign board has since been added.)

There was a barbed wire fence with a gate on which hung a small padlock.

We could have easily jumped over the small fence.

But that would have been most ungraceful, and un-officer like.

So we sent someone to the neighbouring village to find out and bring the watchman and waited.

Finally, he came, opened the gate and we entered into 20 million years of history.
The 20 million year old wood fossils, scattered over 247 acres, are fenced within nine separate enclaves.

Only a small portion is open to the public.

There are 200 fossil trees of various shapes ranging between 3 and 15 metres in length and up to 5 metres in girth.

They lie strewn and half-buried in the soil.

The fossilized tree trunks are brown and look very much like wood, but are as hard as rock. Scientists speculate that the trees did not originally grow at that site, but were transported there before they were petrified.

Sonneret, a European naturalist, first gave detailed account of the fossils in 1781.
Seeing around
You can visit the Tiruvakkarai village which is situated in picturesque surroundings on the northern bank of a small river called Sankaraabarni.

The river is safe for visitors because there is not much water in it, but mainly sand.
Chandrasekharar Temple

You can visit the ancient Chandrasekharar Temple at Tiruvakkarai.

This vast temple covers an area of 3 acres.

It has a seven-tiered 85 feett high Rajagopuram and two prakarams and also houses a large Nandi.

This temple was famous even during the period of Aditya Chola I in 10th century.

It was renovated by the queen Sembian Mahadevi.

There is a Kali shrine dating back to the Pallava period.

The chariot shaped 100 pillared hall and the outer gopuram was built in the days of Kulottunga Chola III.
Getting there
The National Fossil Wood Park is located 1 km east of Tiruvakkarai village on the road between Tindivanam and Pondicherry.
It is 155 kms S.S.W. of Chennai via Tindivanam and a mere 20 kms from Pondicherry.

The road is good.
Accommodation
The nearest good accommodation is in Pondicherry.

You can also find some simple accommodation at Tindivanam.
Recommendation

If you travel to Chennai or Pondicherry, visit India’s unknown First National Fossil Wood Park.

Discover the wonders of nature.
This is as close to Jurassic Park as you will ever get.