FRANKINCENSE

Frankincense:(சாம்ப்ராணி)

It was my first posting in Salalah in Sultanate of Oman. Salalah is the most beautiful place in Arabian peninsula. Salalah is the capital of Vilayat of Dhofar (Province) in far south of the Sultanate bordering Yemen and the Arabian sea. On my first outing in the town,I was taken to the local market area in Haffa by my colleagues, what was called Haffa Souq. It was March, 1982, formative years of rapid development of the Sultanate, still vestiges of old culture were visible in the Country.


Market looked like our own roadside markets in Tamil Nadu on a weekly shandy day , with the items of sales spread out on the roadsides. Here I found most of the "shops" were managed mostly by "Zanzibari" women, who are of African origin,  very much different from rest of the Omanis. The market was filled up with all sort of materials essential for day to day use in the household. For the first time I saw the resins of Frankincense ( சாம்ப்ராணி) sold in bulk. The sales women burnt the granules and spread the wonderful aroma around. I was curious to know more about this wonderful material that was commonly used in our Pooja . I give below a brief account of what I learnt about Frankincense.

Frankincense : சாம்ப்ராணி
The high quality frankincense tree, the boswellia sacra, grows only in the Dhofar region (and in parts of northern Somalia). The best of it comes from trees on the inland side of the Dhofar mountains, but some frankincense also grows on the plains to the south of Salalah. Visually, the tree is not so attractive, but strong, a low twisted bush-like tree which has no central trunk. And it has numerous prickly branches extended every side.

Later, I came to know Dhofar region (in Oman and Yemen) had the natural privilege of growing this wonderful tree in a relatively restricted habitat which is just out of range of the monsoon rains but where cool winds depress air temperatures in hot summer months .

The resin is extracted today the same way it was done 4,000 years ago. In the spring, tiny slits are made in the tree bark, and the resin that oozes out is collected in bowls.Ducts inside the bark produce a milky white, sticky liquid that flows out when the tree is injured. The liquid solidifies into a resin when exposed to the sun.


The Arabic word for Frankincense (Sambrani) is Luban, the Greek and Latin words for frankincense libanos and libanus are derivations of this. The traditional angular incense burner is called "Mabaakhur". Nowadays Electrically operated incense burners are available.

Frankincense is being used for religious purposes for centuries by Greeks, Romans, Egyptians. Mention of this aromatic resin is found in the Holy Bible.
Frankincense is one of the three gifts brought by the three wise-men who followed the bright star in the east to Bethlehem where Jesus was born.
"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts;Gold,and frankincense, and myrrh" (Matthew 2:11).

It is our tradition to spread the aromatic smoke of Frankincense in our Pooja in Temples as also in homes. I believe this practice must have got introduced from North or during the Maratha rule.

But I do not know the reason for calling halfwits as Mada Sambrani ( மட சாம்ப்ராணி) ! 

Oud / Agar
Oud is different.
Oud, Oodh or Oudh in Arabic is extracted from tropical tree known as Agar Tree (Aquilaria). In Sanskrit also it is known as "Agar". In Tamil "Agir" "அகிற்". "When the wood of this tree gets infected with a certain mould variety (Phialophora parasitica), it reacts by producing a precious, dark and fragrant resin, which is the perfume ingredient oud (also called agarwood)". The word "Agar-bathi" or "Oodubathi" is derived from Agar only. Oudh-oil is highly valued perfume, most expensive perfume in the world . The oil is known as "dehn al oud" and the resin is " Oud Mubakhar" in Arabic.

Oh Yes ! You are correct. Oudh or Agar is considered an effective aphrodisiac. It finds in many places in romantic literature in Sanskrit. Poet Kalidasa wrote" “Beautiful ladies, preparing themselves for the feast of pleasures, cleanse themselves with the yellow powder of sandal, clear and pure, freshen them with pleasant aromas, and suspended their dark hair in the smoke of burning Aloes(AGAR)wood…” (Abhijñāna Sākuntalam)

VISIT OF EMDEN TO MADRAS.

Visit of SMS Emden:

It happened in Madras exactly ninety eight years ago to this date on September,22,1914. The city was bombed from sea by a German war ship named
SMS Emden.


SMS Emden (Seiner Majestät Schiff -His Majesty's Ship) was a most successful German commerce raider during World War I at sea. The ship was named after a small town in northern Germany on the banks of river Weser which flowed into the North Sea.The ship formed the part of German East Asia squadron based at the port of Tsingtao on the Kiachow bay located near the tip of China's Shantung peninsula. This 3500-ton fast,light cruiser Emden was commanded by "daring,skillful and chivalrous Captain Karl Friedrich Von Müller; forty-one- year old ,tall, blond Prussian" .



With the outbreak of World War I (1914-18) Emden sailed off from its parent squadron and steamed into Bay of Bengal, an area teemed with British shipping .For three months from August 14 to November 9, Emden ravaged allied shipping along the east coast of India and Indian Ocean, virtually paralysing British trade along the Bengal coast .This single ship forced Admiralty to retain ships at ports and made troop-carrying vessels sail in convoys protected by escorts. Within a span of four days in September 10-14, 1914, Muller sank 8 British steamers on the approaches to Calcutta. With determination British Admiralty in London pooled the resources of empire to form hunter-killer groups to comb ocean to hunt down Emden, their elusive foe.

Fame of Emden rests on its Captain's ability to evade Royal Navy for so long. The ship used to appear at unexpected places at will like that of a ghost ship.This was possible because its captain masked ship's movements by resorting to a simple trick, by installing a dummy funnel which gave it an appearance of 4-funnel British cruiser instead of 3-funnels it had.



SMS Emden searched the southeast waters off the coast of Burma, Capt. Müller found no prizes there, he changed course to the west. The captain had been planning a raid on some British shore installation, and now decided to put his plan into effect. He wrote in his log: "I intended going from the Rangoon estuary to Madras and, in the dark, shelling the oil-tank installations….I had this shelling in view simply as a demonstration to arouse interest among the Indian population, to disturb English commerce, [and] to diminish English prestige."

After coaling from Markomannia, Capt. Müller steamed his ship Emden southwest, towards Madras, all the while listening to radio traffic between British warships searching for their elusive enemy. By the evening of September 22, 1914, the German cruiser was off Madras, with the city's lights in view to the west.Then came the command "Searchlights." and. these in a few seconds found their target, which happened to be the law court Buildings of Madras, with Light-house beacon mounted on the roof. But the bomb fell on the wall of the Chennai High Court and its fragments are in the collection of the Government Museum, Chennai and of the Fort Museum. You can find a stone plaque describing the incident at the place where the bomb fell in the High Court Buildings. Another, fell opposite to the Fort St. George in the sand and it did not explode. The ship's search light fell on the huge petroleum tanks of the British owned Burmah Oil Company by the northern side of the port. The engines were stopped and the first shots fired out of five guns. Another broadside was fired. but fell short of the target: a second shot hit one of the petroleum tanks, causing it to burst into flames and explode. For ten minutes Emden steamed parallel to the coast, unleashing some 130 shells at the white-painted oil tanks. One of the six tanks exploded in a ball of flame; four others were pierced and damaged but did not catch fire. As a result of the raid, more than three hundred fifty thousand gallons of fuel (Kerosine) were destroyed, four people were killed, and "British prestige was dealt a considerable blow." It took one and half days to put off the fire.The bombardment lasted from 9.03 to 9.45 PM. During this time the British shore batteries fired only three shots, which went right over Emden. After the third shot nothing was heard from the port. During the bombardment a bomb accidentally hit a merchant steamer, which caught fire, killing one of the crew. It was 9.47 when Emden left Madras, on preset course set with all lights out and travelled on its way to the French town of Pondicherry.

Mean while in Madras, Lord Pentland, then governor of Madras, was camping in Ooty. He came down from the hills on Sept.25 three days after the bombing. He met officials at Central station at 7.10 a.m., proceeded to the harbour to inspect the damages, visited General Hospital to meet the wounded, and by 10.15 a.m., was in the government house and proceeded to Ooty to continue his stay there.The citizens of Madras responded to the event in the expected way by spreading roumers and panic. Which in turn instigated people to vacate the city. Almost 20,000 people left the city in panic.

Emden undoubtedly was the most successful German commerce raider during Great War at sea.She captured 24 steam ships during her short career September-November 1914 which includes sixteen British ships, which were sunk, at an estimated loss of £2,200,000. She also played havoc on the British trade of the Bay of Bengal, closing Colombo, Calcutta, Madras and Rangoon at various times. Her war time cruise was followed with great interest in Britain and Germany. And Captain Von Müller’s conduct of the raid was greatly admired. He was awarded the Pour le Mérite (or Blue Max) and finally promoted to Kapitän zur See.

I would like to end this post with a few words about the Ship's commander Capt.Von Müller Capt.Karl Friedrich Max von Müller, captain of the SMS Emden born in 1873 was the son of a Colonel in the Prussian Army. He was a professional soldier who had attended military academy in Schleswig-Holstein. Though entered the army first he was transferred to the Imperial Navy later, where he made his mark as a great Captain in World war I. Captain Müller was always gentlemanly to the captains and passengers of the ships he captured, and he made certain that every captured British sailor was treated well and kept safe.Most of Emden's survivors spent the remainder of the war as prisoners on Malta.After his capture Von Müller was imprisoned in Malta and England, where he attempted an escape but was recaptured. While his executive officer, wrote his experiences on Emden and prospered after the war as an author and lecturer, Capt. Von Müller, in contrast, declined to speak on his experiences and lived quietly at his home in Blankenburg until his death in 1923. Asked once why he did not write a memoir, Capt. Von Müller replied, "I should not be able to escape the feeling that I was coining money from the blood of my comrades."

I am not sure whether the present generation will understand or appreciate the historical importance of this post. But I am sure this post will evoke older generation to reminisce those glorious days when chivalry had different meaning . Finally by its exploits Emden became a household word in Tamil and Malayalam usage meaning "Shrewd, Evasive or Street-smart".

VASISHTA GUHA

Vasishta Guha:

About 22 KMS north of Rishikesh, on the road to Badri near Shivapuri there is a cave known as Vasishta Gufa (Guha) on the banks of Holy Ganga. It is the most favorite place for devotees who are interested in the art of meditation. The cave is a natural formation of 60 feet deep which opens up with a space big enough for eight people to sit and meditate. There is an alter with a small Siva Lingam illuminated by oil lamps. It is quite cool and dark. Down outside within a walkable distance the majestic Ganga is flowing with full of water, towards Rishikesh.

Beautiful place. A cave set on the side of a sheer cliff on the banks of the Ganga, and it has a spectacular view of the river and the surrounding peaks of the Shivalik Himalayas. it has been the home to ascetics for centuries, most recently the renowned Swami Purushottamananda was staying there.There is an Ashram with few rooms, run for the devotees who wish to spend a few days there.

Nearby just about a five-minute walk down-river from Vasishta Guha there is another cave smaller than Vasishta Gufa.
It is believed that Jesus had visited this place and meditated . Mention about this is found in the writings of Swami Rama Thirtha and Papa (Swami) Ramdas of Khananghad.

I have visited this place a couple of times during my pilgrimage in Himalayas.
It is a wonderful place to visit.