Oh dear @Bruceps I expected better from you. Surgeons don't wear masks to protect against VIRUSES. It's mainly to protect themselves from blood spatter 😂

'Treasure Gods' - Sangha Nidhi' and 'Padma Nidhi', Tirumala, Tirupati.

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These are the two guards guarding the Wealth and Treasure of Lord Sri Venkateswara.

They are representatives of two treasures of Kubera, the God of Wealth.

One guard who is holding shangam (conch) on both the hands is known as Shanka Nidhi ('nidhi' means wealth).

On the other side, the guard who is holding Lotus flowers on both the hands is known as Padma nidhi.

Shangu is from the ocean which includes all types of wealth like pearls and corals.

Why shagam in his hand? Because shangam only gives the sound of 'omkaram'.

'Padmam' is the symbol of water sources in land like river, lakes, tanks etc. which is very important for all living beings.

As per the tradition, these guards are installed at the third entrance of the temple.

One enters the holy shrine after saluting the first protection threshold - Sankha Nidhi and Padma Nidhi.

A lot of bootstrappers think they have a marketing problem:

"I need to get better at marketing."

But, it's more likely that you have a product problem:

"Do customers really want this? Do they care enough about this to switch to a new solution?"

☝️ this is why most of my book, @marketingdevs, is about:

1. Choosing the right market
2. Building something they want

"If your product is remarkable, getting noticed is a lot easier." – @peldi

I was reminded of this concept again this morning while reading @pjrvs' book (Company of One):

"Sales increase when you honestly evaluate what someone needs and then teach them the value of what you're selling."

To succeed, your product has to offer an outcome that is highly desirable to a large group of customers.

The number of sales your product receives is a multiple of these two variables:

1. How big is the target market?
2. How desirable is the outcome you're offering them?

Chennakeshava Temple, Somanathapura, Karnataka.

This temple, not to be confused with the Belur Chennakeshava temple, was built during the Hoysala period by a Hoysala general named Dandanayaka Somanatha. The temple dedicated to lord Vishnu was consecrated in 1258.

Dandanayaka Somanatha established a village named Somanathapura on the banks of river Kaveri. He sought the permission of King Narasimha III, to begin construction of a grand temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu that would also showcase the might of Hoysalas.(1)

The temple rests on a high star shaped platform (jagati) with 3 sanctums (garbha griha) making it a trikuta, set in a square matrix oriented along the east west and north south axes.(2)

The western sanctum is dedicated to Kesava, the northern sanctum to Janardhana and the southern sanctum to Venugopala, all are forms of lord Vishnu.(3)

The sanctums share a common community hall (sabha mandapa) with many pillars. Above each of these sanctums rise the 16 pointed star shaped tower called vimana or shikara.(4)

SIRSI MARIKAMBA DEVI, UTTAR KANNADA DIST. (KAR)
#bharatmandir

Also known as Doddamma (elder sister of all Mariammas). Marikamba of Sirsi is both Mari (terror) as well as Maremma (savior). She is terror in anger & Mother in love. That is why she is called Marikamba.

There was a man by the name of Asadi/ Basava. He used to attend a fair at the neighboring village. Once, he was harassed by some men due to his poor status. So he did not go to the fair. Instead, he stayed in his village Sirsi and prayed to Devi.

One night, he had a dream where Devi Kali informed him about her presence in a tank at his village. When the tank was searched, people found a box with parts of murti. The different parts were assembled together and since then Sirsi Devi became popular in the region.

The kshetram has extremely striking murals in ‘Kaavi’ art. It is an art form of the Konkan region of coastal Karnataka. This stunning art involves creation of patterns in red colour against a white background.
Marikamba rathyatra is one of the biggest Car festivals in Karnataka.