MY BLOG IS RANKED AS WORLD'S NO.3!!!!

I recently received a Mail from www.etfdb.com, a US based etf site which has ranked my Blog http://http://goodfundsadvisor.blogspot.com among the Top 50 50 Buy and Hold Investing Blogs and mine has been ranked at NO.3.
This is what the email said :

“From: Jimmy Atkinson
To: sharesher@indiatimes.com
Sent: Thu, 14 May 2009 21:59:42 +0530 (IST)
Subject: Good Funds Advisor Named a Top 50 Buy and Hold Investing Blog





Hi



Just in case you
have not yet noticed, Good Funds Advisor was named a top 50 buy and hold investing
blog at ETF Database earlier this week. I thought you and your readers might
want to check out the rest of the list. Let me know if you have any feedback, or
feel free to leave a comment directly on the blog post. httphttp://etfdb.com/2009/top-50-buy-and-hold-investing-blogs/



Thanks!
Jimmy
Atkinson

ETF
Database

http://http://etfdb.com
I dedicate this success to YOU. Yes, you dear readers, who keep visiting my blog and come up with interesting suggestion.
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Thanks to you all
Srikanth Shankar Matrubai

TIRUKKADAVUR

TIRUKKADAVUR
This legend relates to the story of Shiva's protecting Markandeya from the clutches of death.

Mrikandu Munivar worshipped Shiva and sought from him the boon of begetting a son. He was given the choice between a gifted son with a short lived tenure on earth or a dunce with a long life. Mrikandu Munivar chose the former, and was blessed with Markandeya, an exemplary son, destined to die at the age of 16.

Markandeya grew up to be a great devotee of Shiva. On the day of his destined death Markandeya continued to worship a Shivalingam. The messengers of Yama, the God of death were unable to take away the lad's life, given his devotion to Shiva and his being engaged in the act of worship then. Yama himself came in person to take his life away and sprung his noose around the young sage's neck. The noose landed around the Shivalingam, and out of it, Shiva emerged in all his fury, and kicked Yama and killed Death itself. He then revived him, under the condition that the devout youth would live for ever.

This legend of Shiva killing death itself, is frozen in metal and held in worship at Tirukkadavur. Tirukkadavur is the shrine where thousands throng to celebrate shashti abda poorthi (60th birthdays), with the belief that the blessings of the deity enshrined would prolong their lives. Tirukkadavur is one of the 8 Veeratta temples celebrating Shiva as the destroyer of evil fo

VELLOREGolden’ temple: A view of the Sri Lakshmi Narayani Temple near Vellore.


VELLORE: The Sri Lakshmi Narayani Temple located in ‘Sripuram’ (spiritual town) in Thirumalaikkodi, about seven km from here, was consecrated by Sri Sakthi Amma, head of the Sri Narayani Peedam, Thirumalaikkodi, on Friday.

Unique structure

It is a unique temple whose ‘Vimanam’ and ‘Ardha Mandapam’ have been coated with gold both in the interior and exterior.

Twelve layers of gold foils have been pasted on copper sheets embossed with the designs of Gods and fixed on the walls.

One-and-a-half tonnes of gold has gone into the design of the Sri Lakshmi Narayani Temple, which has been built at a cost of Rs.300 crore.

100-acre site

According to Sri Sakthi Amma, the decision to have the temple coated with gold is only to attract visitors and enable them to get wisdom through the messages of the Vedas, which they will have to read before reaching the temple located on sprawling a 100 acre-site.

The temple has been designed in such a way that visitors can reach the golden temple only after going through a star-shaped pathway, which has the messages from the Vedas on both sides.


Tamil Nadu can boast of its own Golden Temple now

Vellore: If you see the temple, you might even think that the temple is made of gold. And your guessing will be correct.

The Golden Temple is about 140 km from Chennai at Tirumalaikodi in Vellore district.

Sri Narayani Peedam, a private religious charitable organisation, built the temple. And the glittering monument also boasts of someglittering figures.

"The actual estimate is about 300 crores. The amount of gold that went into it's making is 1,500 kilos," says head, Sri Narayani Peedam, Sri Sakthi Amma.

A breathtaking wonder of intricate designs, the temple dedicated to Goddess Narayani is in the midst of lush greenery spread over 100 acres.

Except the pathways, even the roofs and the pillars of the temple are made of gold as about 1.5 tonnes of the metal went into its making.

The Peedom says the funds for building the temple were collected from NRIs.

Now even Tamil Nadu can boast of a wonder of its own- the Golden Temple created with about 1.5 tonnes of gold and which is already on its way to making history.

NAVAGRAHA TEMPLES

NAVAGRAHA TEMPLES; Thirunageshwan- Rahu, Kanjanoor-sukra,
Sooriyan temple- surya, Thingaloor-chandra, vaitheswaran koil- kuja,
Thiruvengadu- budha, Alangudi – guru, Thirunallar- shani,
Keezaperumpallam – kethu,

KUMBAKONAM

KUMBAKONAM
THIRU PULLAM; Boothangkudi, 10kms from kumbakonam and 4 kms from swamimalai.
This is the only temple where RAMA is depicted in reclining posture , sita is not by his side, as the temple belongs to the period during which he had been
Separated by her. Legend as it that rama who had been not able to perform his
Fathers last rites set this right by performing the last rites for jatayu. As rama
felt sita’s absence for this rituals, goddess lakshmi emerged from the pond to take sitas place.
Legend has this that those who failed to perform the last rites of their father
Or parents will be liberated from this sin by visiting this temple.

COSMIC TOWER

COSMIC TOWER
Taponagar, Hennur bagalur road.

72, foot high tower, two inverted pyramids standing one on the another, which in turn are based on eight pillars bearing statues of the Asta Digpals. A kundalini tower and the Tapovan a garden housing a cive for practicing miditation with the statues of ‘ sapta rishis.

kolar

KOLAR (65 kms from bangalore)
KARUDE MALE, (GANAPATHI)
SOMASHEWARA TEMPLE
ANTARGANGE (2KMS) spring from under bulls stomach
MULBAGAL, (anjaneya temple), sitaparvathi temple, sharadha devi temple, valmiki ashram, ramalingashewara temple , antargange temple, virupakshi temple (5kms)

SITAMMA BETTA
Situated in a tiny village called AVANI , 10 kms before Mulbagal, 95 kms from Bangalore. Also known as Avantika Kshetra, valmiki parvata.
Can be assessed by climbing stone steps. At the summit the temple is dedicated to SITA and PARVATHI, A large cave on the hill belonged to
Valmiki. AVANI has a large temple complex known as Ramalingashewara temple, most of them contain lingas and saptamatrikas. Outside the complex to the north is the Sringere
Sharada Matha believed to be established by Adi Sankara 500 years ago.

MARKANDESHWARA BETTA

MARKANDESHWARA BETTA:- ( 88 Kms from Bangalore)
It is hill where Yama’s tried to take Markandaya life
Getting There:- Drive on NH4 towards Kolar till Arabhikothanur (56 kms) and turn right. Proceed further 10 kms more to Vokkaleri. A further 4 kms away is the Markandeshwara Betta. You have to drive 18 kms along curvaceous road which is pleasant experience. See the Markandeshwara Temple. In the front of the temple is the Trishula Gange, which originated from Yama’s noose falling here. The Linga has fingers like markings.
At Vokkaleri too are temples of Markandeya, Anjaneya and Ravaneshwara.
Suggestion:- Carry food and water. Temple is open only on Sundays and Mondays from 10 am to 4 pm.

MANGALORE

MANGALORE

Places to see: 10th century MANGALADEVI TEMPLE , 11th century KADRI MANJUNATH TEMPLE, nearby Pandava caves, 1000 year old KALIKAMBA VINAYAKA TEMPLE, Sri Narayana guru’s 1912 A D SRI GOKARNATH TEMPLE in Kodrolli., ABBAKKA DEVI TEMPLE in Ullal, SOMESHWAR TEMPLE beside Someshwar Beach, and other beaches, like Penambur, suratkal, ullal, someshwar and
Summer sand beach reserve, and also st: marys Island.

Nearby Places : 20 kms Sri Durgaparameshwari temple in KATEEL, 36 kms in MOODBIDRI, you can see 1000 pillar jain temple etc., 4kms from there is KODAYDKA SRI ANNAPURNESHWARI TEMPLE, 22 kms from there is PILIKULA , wherein there is ZOO , BOAT RIDES, WATER PARK, etc.,
38 kms from Mangalore is POLLOLI Sri Raja Rajeshwari temple (8th century) , nearby B.C .Road there is also a Narahari parvatha temple and nearby is KARINJESHWARA Temple. 75 kms from Mangalore is DHARMASTHALA, & VENNUR, 104 kms is KUKKE SUBRAMANYA TEMPLE, 52 kms is PUTTUR MAHA LINGESHWARA TEMPLE,

MURUDESHWAR

Murudeshwar is a holy & pictureseque place in the Uttara Kannada District, located 16 kms from Bhatkar on NH 17.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Mangalore – 150 kms
Bangalore – 500kms ------------

The Mahatobar Murudeshwar Temple is located on a hillock by the Arabian Sea, attracting pilgrims and tourists from all over the country. Legend has it that the “Murudeshwar Linga” is believed to have emerged when Ravana threw the cloth covering the “Atmalinga” at Gokarna while trying to lift it. This cloth is said to have fallen on this hillock called “Kanduka Parvata” also called “Mrideshwara”.






The ancient Temple which was in a dilapidated state, was renovated by the R.N.Shetty Trust from around 1977, and has been built in the Dravidian style, by the same architect who designed the Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari. There are shrines of Ganapati, Dattatreya, Parvati, Subramanya and Anjaneya in the precincts of the Temple in addition to the main Linga.
A recent addition is the LORD SHIVA idol erected just behind the temple, facing the enchanting Arabian Sea. At a height of 123 feet(36.94mts), it is also the tallest Shiva idol in the World. The seated Shiva seems to be serenly overseeing the world while towering over the scenic surroundings.





This place also has a beautiful beach, highly popular among the tourists.
The western tip of the Murudeshwar island (sunset Point) is a very enchanting place and provides a breath taking view of the sunset.
A little distance away is Netrani Island, a fav spot for scuba-diving.
Also nearby is Idaganji, a Ganapati Temple believed to installed by Sage Narada. The idol of Ganesha is very cute.

Devarayanadurga

Devarayanadurga:-70 Kms from Bangalore & 10 Kms from Tumkur lies the beautiful Devarayanadurga, surrounded by hillocks & temples. It is 4200feet above sea level.
The Bhogalakshmi Narasimha Temple is at the foothill & Yogalakshmi Narasimha Temple is atop the hill. Every year in February(around Holi) Bramha Rathothsava is held with great fanfare.
Hoysalas are said to have fortified Devarayanadurga, originally a historical place called as Annebidasari (meaning the place where elephant fell).The Hanuman Temple is another ancient temple located at the foothills. The annual car festival starts from here. The devotees pull the car for about a furlong till the colourfully decoreated ratha is pulled close to the main temple.
The temple fair apart, Devarayanadurga is also famous for its rock spring known as Namada-Chilume, deer park and a herbal garden, which is fast growing as a popular picnic spot.

Nanjungud

Nanjangud is a town in Mysore district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is a temple town and is on the banks of the river Kapila (a.k.a Kabini). It is at a distance of 23 km from the city of Mysore. Nanjangud is also called as "Dakshina Kashi" (southern Kashi).

Nanjangud - Mysore

Nanjangud is located at 12.12° N 76.68° E. It has an average elevation of 657 metres (2155 feet).Nanjangud Taluk borders Mysore taluk of Mysore district to the north, T Narsipur taluk of Mysore district to the east, H D Kote taluk of Mysore district to the west and Gundlupet and Chamarajanagar taluks of Chamarajanagar district to the south.

Nanjangud - History

The main temple at Nanjangud is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, whose another name is Nanjundeshwara. Nanjundeshwara means the God who drank poison. Hindu mythology quotes an interesting legend in which the Gods and demons churned the ocean in search of the nectar of immortality. During this churning, there were lots of artefacts that emanated out of the ocean, including poison. To prevent the poison from spreading across the universe and destroying it, Shiva came to the rescue and drank the poison. His wife Parvati then held his throat tightly to prevent the poison from spreading to the rest of his body. Nanjanagud literally means the place where Nanjundeshwara resides.

Nanjangud has been a major Shaiva centre since times immemorial. The original Nanjundeshwara temple is said to be of Ganga period (325 - 1000 CE). This temple has then been renovated by the Hoysala kings. Both Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan had close associations with this temple. Wodeyar kings have provided various grants to renovate the temple.

Nanjangud - Mysore

As of 2001 India census,Nanjangud had a population of 48,220. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Nanjangud has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 63%. In Nanjangud, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Nanjundeshwara temple - Nanjangud, Mysore

The town is famous because of the huge temple dedicated to Lord Nanjundeswara also referred to as Srikanteswara. It is believed that sage Gauthama stayed here for some time and installed a Lingam, the idol form of Shiva. Nanjangud is also known as 'Dakshina Kashi' or Varanasi of the South.

Nanjundeshwara temple - Nanjungud

The temple was originally built by the Ganga rulers in the 9th century during their occupation of this region. The residing deity of the temple was later called Hakim Nanjundeswara; a title given by the Great Tippu Sultan who had faith in the God. It is said and inscribed in the temple history that his favourite and beloved elephant was bestowed with eyesight by the Lord, after Tippu Sultan's vow with the local deity. The Sultan then had a Lingam made of jade along with an emerald necklace and donated it to the temple. The Vaidya Nanjundeswara, even today is said to be a healer for his believers, and one can see even today worshippers doing Urulu seve, a ritualistic practice after taking bath in the Kapila river.

Twice every year thousands of worshippers gather for the famous Chariot Festival locally known as the Dodda Jathre and the Chikka Jathre. Idols of Lord Srikanteshwara, Goddess Parvathi, Lord Ganapathi, Lord Subramanya and Lord Chandikeshwara are kept in five separate chariots and a traditional puja is performed to the idols early in the morning on the Jathre day. After the puja chariots are flagged off. Thousands of devotees pull the Chariots carved out of wood, across the streets of the old town. The town remains immersed in festivities on the Jathre days.

Parashurama Kshetra - Nanjungud, Mysore

Near Nanjangud is the sangam, where the Kapila and Kaundinya rivers meet. This place is termed as Parashurama Kshetra which is where the sage Parashurama is said to have cleansed himself from the sin of beheading his mother. A small rivulet called Suvarnavathy also joins the rivers here. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Parashurama here.

Banks of the river Kapila in Nanjangud

Ayurveda - Nanjungud

Nanjangud is famous for the Ayurveda medicines manufactured by the Late Sri. B.V.Pandit. The Sadvaidyashala established by him serves people very successfully. Ayurvedic medicenes produced here are marketed all over India. In earlier times (1950-70) a tooth powder brand made locally called 'Nanjangud Hallupudi' was also very famous all over Karnataka.

Raja Rajeshwari Temple, Bangalore

RAJARAJESHWARI TEMPLE:-
Less than 1km from the eye-catching Rajeshwari Entrance Arch on the Bangalore-Mysore highway.
In the early 1960’s His Holiness Sri Tiruchi Swamigal had established Kailas Ashram at Kenchanalli, a remote village close by the Vrushabhavathi river. The same village is now a posh locality, Rajeshwarinagar. Later, Swamiji built a temple dedicated to Goddess Sri Rajarajeshwari
Ashram seer had chosen Kenchanahalli for the temple and the ashram, as there are Puranic legends about the place, where Sage Athreya and his devout wife Anusuya are believed to have lived.
The eye-catching temple, built in the Dravidian style of architecture, has five Rajagopuras. However, the main attraction is the six-feet tall, inspring stone image of Divine Mother Sri Raja Rajeshwari, also worshipped as Mother Sri Gnanakshi.
Devotees from distant places can be seen in long queues at the temple, particularly on Tuesdays and Fridays. During the annual Brahmarathotsava and the Navarathri festival, the devotees offer special pujas, homas, rathotsavas. Cultural programmes are also held on all the nine days of Navarathri Utsav at the temple.
Later, Swamiji built a temple dedicated to Goddess Sri
RajaRajeshwari and SRI CHAKRA TEMPLE.