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The Brihadeshwara temple, also known as Rajarajeswaram, India's largest temple and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola Temples".

A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism. A characteristic of most temples is the presence of murtis (statues) of the Hindu deity to whom the temple is dedicated. They are usually dedicated to one primary deity, the presiding deity, and other deities associated with the main deity. However, some temples are dedicated to several deities, and others are dedicated to murtis in an aniconic form. Many temples are in key geographical points, such as a hill top, near waterfalls, caves and rivers, because some believe the Puranas mention that "the gods always play where groves are near rivers, mountains, and springs."^[1]

Nomenclature, orthography and etymology[link]

(Jagannath Temple, Rathayatra Puri, Orissa, India)

Many Hindu temples are known by different names around the world, depending upon the language. The word mandir or mandiram is used in many languages and is derived from a Sanskrit word, mandira, for house (of a deity by implication). Temples are known as Mandir (मंदिर) in Marathi and Hindi, Devasthanam, Kshetralayam, Punyakshetram, or Punyakshetralayam in Telugu, as Deula(ଦେଉଳ)/Mandira(ମଦିର) in Oriya, Devasthana (ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ) in Kannada and Mondir (মন্দির) in Bengali, as Kshetram (ക്ഷേത്രം) or Ambalam (അമ്പലം) in Malayalam. Temples are known as kō-ail (கோயில்) (and occasionally, especially in modern formal speech, Aalayam (ஆலயம்) in Tamil.The etymology is from kō (கோ) or lord, and il (இல்) home. (Besides meaning a deity's home, this term could also mean a king's home, since the term kō (கோ) is used interchangeably for royalty and divinity.)

History[link]

The Subrahmanya temple at Saluvankuppam, near Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu. The brick shrine dates to the Sangam period and is one of the oldest Hindu temples to be unearthed

The oldest temples that were built of brick and wood no longer exist. Stone later became the preferred material. Temples marked the transition of the Vedic religion to Hinduism.^{[citation needed]}

Mandir construction and mode of worship is governed by Sanskrit scriptures called agamas, of which there are several, which deal with individual deities. There are substantial differences in architecture, customs, rituals and traditions in temples in different parts of India.^{[citation needed]} During the consecration of a temple the presence of Brahman is invoked into the main deity of the temple, ritually making the deity and temple sacred.^{[citation needed]}

Architecture and alignment[link]

Earth has its energy centres that correspond to universal data centres of life and awareness. The temple, through which contacts or relations are established among the states of being (humans, spirits, and gods), is thus a combination of the data of yoga, astrology, and sacred geography. In the temple structure, there are diagrams similar to the ones described for chakras according to yoga experience, with proportions similar to those deriving from the position of the stars, by which the influence can be explained. The characteristics of site and orientation are connected to the living structure of the Earth. The Hindu temple is thus not a place where the faithful may gather but a sacred building constructed to receive subtle influences.^[2]

Hindu temples are generally divided into four main architectural styles: the Dravida style of South India, the Nagara style of North India, the mixed Vesara style and the Kalinga architecture (i.e. the temple style of Orissa).

Altars[link]

South Indian style temple in Roermond, Netherlands.

In Hinduism, altars generally contain pictures or statues of gods and goddesses. Large, ornate altars are found in Hindu temples while smaller altars are found in homes and sometimes also in Hindu-run shops and restaurants. The word for temple is mandir (san: मन्दिर), the altar (and that which contains it, even an alcove or a small cabinet) as hypostatised temple.

In South Indian temples, often each god will have His or Her own shrine, each contained in a minitature house (specifically, a mandir). These shrines are often scattered around the temple compound, with the three main ones being in the main area. The statue of the God (murti) is placed on a stone pedestal in the shrine, and one or more lamps are hung in the shrine. There is usually a space to put the puja tray (tray with worship offerings). Directly outside the main shrine there will be a statue of the god's vahana or vehicle. The shrines have curtains hung over the entrances, and wooden doors which are shut when the Deities are sleeping. Some South Indian temples have one main altar, with several statues placed upon it.

North Indian temples generally have one main altar at the front of the temple room. In some temples, the front of the room is separated with walls and several altars are placed in the alcoves. The statues on the altars are usually in pairs, each god with his consort (Radha-Krishna, Sita-Rama, Shiva-Parvati). However, some gods, such as Ganesha and Hanuman, are placed alone. Ritual items such as flowers or lamps may be placed on the altar.

Shrines are usually made of wood and have tiled floors for statues to be placed upon. Pictures may be hung on the walls of the shrine. The top of the shrine may have a series of levels, like a gopuram tower on a temple. Each Hindu altar will have at least one oil lamp and may contain a tray with puja equipment as well.

Temple tanks (Kalyani)[link]

Temple pond at Chennai

Kalyani, also called pushkarni, are ancient Hindu stepped bathing wells. These wells were typically built near Hindu temples to accommodate bathing and cleansing activities before prayer. They are also used for immersion of Ganesha idols during Ganesha Chaturthi.

Customs and etiquette[link]

The customs and etiquette when visiting Hindu temples have a long history and are filled with symbolism, solemn respect and veneration of Brahma's creation.

A bell (ghanta) hangs at the gate of many Hindu temples, which is rung at the moment one enters the temple.^{[citation needed]}

Worshipers in major temples typically bring in symbolic offerings for the puja. This includes fruits, flowers, sweets and other symbols of the bounty of the natural world. Temples in India are usually surrounded by small stores called 'dukanam' (Telugu) or 'dukan' (Hindi) which offer them typically wrapped in organic containers such as banana leaves.

When inside the temple, it is typical to keep both hands folded together as a sign of respect. The inner sanctuary, where the murtis reside, is known as the garbhagruh. It symbolizes the birthplace of the universe, the meeting place of the gods and mankind, and "the threshold between the transcendental and the phenomenal worlds."^[3] It is in this inner shrine that devotees offer prayers and salutations to the presiding deities. Devotees may or may not be able to personally present their offerings at the feet of the deity. In most South Indian temples, only the pujaris are allowed to enter into the garbhagruh.^[4] In North Indian temples, however, it is more common for devotees to be allowed entrance.^[4]

Chennakesava Temple of Vishnu at Belur, Karnataka, India

The mantras spoken are typically "Om Namo Narayana" or "Om Namah Shivaya" which mean "Obeisance to Narayana (vishnu)" or "Salutations to Shiva". These are followed by a series of shlokas or verses from the holy texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads or Vedas. Upon the conclusion of prayer, devotees get down on their knees or even fall flat on their stomach and bow before the symbol of the deity. If a pujari is present, they are likely to provide sacred symbolically blessed food, prasad to the devotee. He may also apply a holy red mark called 'tilak' to the forehead of the devotee symbolising blessings.

Finally the worshiper or visitor walks clockwise around the innermost sanctum, or garbhagriha, stop once on each side, close their eyes and pray to the All Loving Being. The worshiper may receive a sprinkling of the water from the holy river Ganges while the 'pujari' states "Om Shanti" which means "peace be unto all".

During religious holidays, temples may be swarmed with devotees chanting and praying loudly. There may be facilitators called 'paandaas' who help visitors navigate through the crowds and complete the pujas quickly.

Temple management staff typically announce the hours of operation, including timings for special pujas. These timings, due to the vast diversity in Hinduism, vary from temple to temple. For example, some temples may perform aarti once or twice per day, while other temples, such as those part of Swaminarayan movement, may perform aarti five times per day. Additionally, there may be specially allotted times for devotees to perform circumambulations (or pradakshina) around the outside of the temple.^[4] There are also timings for devotional songs or music called bhajans, which are accompanied by a dholak or tabla soloist and/or harmonium soloist. There are dates and times for devotional dances such as the classical Bharata Natyam dance performed by accomplished performers.

Visitors and worshipers to Hindu temples are required to remove shoes and other footwear before entering. Most temples have an area designated to store footwear. Additionally, it may be customary, particularly at South Indian temples, for men to remove shirts and to cover pants and shorts with a traditional cloth known as a Vasthiram.^[5]

The Hindu religion teaches that all life-forms are created by Brahma and that humankind needs to share the world with the animal kingdom. It is common to see stray dogs, cows, monkeys, and birds congregated at temples.

North Indian temples[link]

Kedarnath Temple dedicated to Shiva, in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

Hindu temple at Tilla Jogian, Pakistan

Most ordinary temples in North Indian rituals are very simple in stark contrast to South Indian temples which have elaborate rituals. Also North Indian temples often tend to be less orthodox and in many cases everybody are permitted to enter the innermost sanctum of the deity and worship the deity personally. In such cases, the deity is not adorned with valuable jewelry. The innermost heart of the temple is the sanctum where the deity (usually of fixed stone) is present, followed by a large hall for lay worshipers to stand in and obtain "darshan" or divine audience. There may or may not be many more surrounding corridors, halls etc. However there will be space for devotees to go around the temple in clock wise fashion circumambulation as a mark of respect. In North Indian temples, the tallest towers are built over the sanctum sanctorum.

One example of a type of more elaborate North Indian temple is the style of temple known as the Shikharbaddha Mandir found in Northern and Western India, and particularly famous in the Swaminarayan Hindu tradition. These temples have towers, or shikharas, built over the sanctum sanctorum, in which the deity is installed.^[6]

South Indian temples[link]

Temple in Kerala

Sri Venkateshwara temple of Tirupati

Many large bannabs (grand stone temples) still stand in South India. Ritual tends to be orthodox and elaborate especially in the large vedic brahmincal temples, which follow the pan-Indian Sanskrit agama scriptural traditions. Apart from the main fixed stone deities, processional deities made of panchaloha (an alloy of gold, silver, copper, zinc and tin) are bathed, dressed, decorated with valuables and taken out in processions for festivals throughout the year. The richer the temple, the more elaborate the festivals. However, many ancient temples in small villages with great architectural and historical heritage value languish for lack of funds for maintenance.

anikkattilammakshethram

Famous South Indian temples are Lord Sri Venkateshwara Temple, Tirumala Tirupati temple, Andhra; Mookambika temple, Kollur, Karnataka; Chennakesava temple, Belur (Karnataka); Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvanathapuram Kerala; Sreevallabha Temple, Thiruvalla, Kerala; Sabarimala temple, Kerala; Guruvayur temple, Kerala; Kodungallor temple, Kerala;anikkattilammakshethram pathanamthitta kerala, Kanyakumari temple, Tamil Nadu (TN); Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple, Tamil Nadu; Srirangam Ranganathar temple and Thiruvanaikaval temple of Tiruchi, TN;sri Boomi neela devi sametha Sri sundaraja perumal -pachapperumalpatti-thuraiyur tk -trichy dt-ABIMANA STALAM & PARIGARA STALAM, Golden Temple of Sripuram, TN; Brihadeshwara temple (Rajarajeswaram), Thanjavur, TN; oldest temples such as Kailasanathar temple, Varatharajaperumal temple, Kamakshi temple and Ekambareshwarar temple of Kanchipuram, TN; Thirukadiyur Abirami temple, TN; Andal temple, Srivilliputhur, TN; Natarajar temple, Chidambaram, TN; Kumbeshwara, Kumbakonam, TN; Thiruvannaamalai temple, Tamil Nadu; Palani temple, Tamil Nadu; Kodungallor temple, Kerala; Chettikulangara Devi temple, Kerala; Aranmula Parthasarathy temple, Kerala; Tripunithura sree Poornathrayesa, Kerala.

Temples in Orissa[link]

Yameshwar Temple near Bhubaneswar,Eastern India

Temples often greatly vary in their appearance, rituals, traditions, festivals and customs from region to region. Temples in eastern state of Orissa.

The most world famous temples i.e. Jagannath temple at Puri, Sun temple at Konark, Lingaraj temple at Bhubaneswar are found in Orissa. These temples are over 1200 years old. In Bhubaneswar, around 10,000 temples are present which represents strong Hinduism in Orissa. Bhubaneswar is known as temple city (mandira malini nagri) of India

Temples of Goa and other Konkani temples[link]

Saptakoteshwar Temple and the Kavi murals,Narve,Goa

The temple architecture of Goa is quite unique. As part of Inquisition of Goa, the Portuguese demolished more than 1000 temples on Island of Goa. New temples were later built in the areas in Goa which were not parts of Portuguese kingdom, and were under reign of Hindu princely states. Thus these temples are not more than 500 years old, and are a unique blend of original Goan temple architecture, Dravidian, Nagar and Hemadpanti temple styles with some Islamic and Portuguese architectural influences.Goan temples were built using sedimentary rocks,wood,limestone and clay tiles as well as copper sheets were used for the roofs.These temples were decorated with mural art called as Kavi kala or ocher art.The interiors were decorated with such murals as well as exquisite wood carvings depicting scenes from the Hindu mythology.

Temples in West Bengal and Bangaladesh[link]

Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Kolkata

Krishna-Gouranga (Jor Bangla) Temple at Bishnupur, Bankura

In West Bengal and Bangaladesh, temple architecture has assumed a unique identity and evolved into the Bengali terra cotta temple architecture. Due to lack of suitable stone in the alluvial Gangetic delta, the temple makers had to resort to other materials instead of stone. This gave rise to using terra cotta as a medium for temple construction. Terra-cotta exteriors with rich carvings are a unique feature of Bengali temples. The town of Vishnupur in West Bengal is renowned for this type of architecture.

Usually a part of the intended total motif was carved by hand on one side of a brick and then baked. While under construction, these carved bricks were arranged to make up the entire motif.

The Bengali style of temple is not luxurious. Rather, most are modeled on simple thatched-roof earthen huts used as dwellings by commoners. This can be attributed to the popularity of bhakti cults which taught people to view gods as close to themselves. Thus, various styles like do-chala, char-chala, and aat-chala sprang up. However, there is also a popular style of building known as Navaratna (nine-towered) or Pancharatna (five-towered) in Bengal which is more luxurious than the Chala buildings. A typical example of Navaratna style is the Dakshineswar Kali Temple.

The Kalighat Temple In kalighat is a near very holy Destination Of Bengalis and the North Indians.It is dedicated to devi Kali.It is built on the traditional Bengali architectural style.

Hindu Temples outside South Asia[link]

The BAPS Mandir in London

Many members of the South Asian diaspora have established Hindu mandirs outside India as a means of preserving and celebrating cultural and spiritual heritage abroad. Describing the hundreds of mandirs that can be found throughout the United States, scholar Gail M. Harley observes, “The temples serve as central locations where Hindus can come together to worship during holy festivals and socialize with other Hindus. Temples in America reflect the colorful kaleidoscopic aspects contained in Hinduism while unifying people who are disbursed throughout the American landscape.”^[7]

Numerous mandirs in North America and Europe have gained particular prominence and acclaim. The Shiva-Vishnu Temple at Livermore in San Francisco Bay Area, for example, attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year for a variety of cultural and religious events. The B.A.P.S. organization has built over sixty mandirs in North America, as well as numerous temples in Europe. The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London, for example, has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest traditional Hindu temple outside India, and has been constructed according to Vedic architectural standards.^[8] The temples constructed in this traditional style of temple architecture are known as Shikharbaddha Mandirs.^[9]

Another example of a Swaminarayan Shikharbaddha Mandir is the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto, which is the largest Hindu temple in Canada. The Radha Madhav Dham temple, established by Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj, is one of the largest Hindu Temple complexes in the Western Hemisphere,^[10] and the largest in North America.^[11][12][13]

Temples in Indonesia[link]

Balinese temple is designed as an open-air worship compounds

Hindu temples of ancient Java, Indonesia, bear resemblances with temples of South Indian style. However later ancient Javanese art and architecture developed its own style. The fine example of 9th century Javanese Hindu temple is the towering Trimurti temple of Prambanan in Yogyakarta. In Bali, unlike the common towering indoor Indian Hindu temple, Pura (Balinese temple) is designed as an open-air worship place within enclosed walls, connected with series of intricately decorated gates to reach its compounds. The design, plan and layout of the holy pura is followed the "Trimandala" concept, three mandala zone arranged according to the hierarchy of its sacredness.

Temple Management and erosion of Autonomy by control of states and Law[link]

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir at Chicago.

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The Archeological Survey of India has control of most ancient temples of archaeological importance in India.

In India, theoretically, a temple is managed by a temple board committee that administers its finances, management and events.

However since independence, the autonomy of individual Hindu religious denominations to manage their own affairs with respect to temples of their own denomination have been severely eroded. State governments of many states in India (and especially all the states in South India) have gradually increased their control over all Hindu temples. Over decades, by enacting various laws which have been fought both successfully and unsuccessfully up to the Supreme court of India, politicians of the ruling parties especially in the southern states control every aspect of temple management and functioning.

See also[link]

Media related to Hindu temples at Wikimedia Commons

• Hindu temple architecture
• List of Hindu temples
• List of Hindu deities
• Altar (section Hinduism)

References[link]

Anuradha Paudwal
Background information
Born	(1954-10-27) October 27, 1954 (age 57)
Genres	playback singing, bhajans
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocalist
Years active	1973–present

Anuradha Paudwal is a popular playback singer in Bollywood in India.^[1] She has sung songs in Hindi, Marathi, Oriya, and Nepali.

Biography[link]

She studied at Xavier's College in Mumbai. She was married to the late Arun Paudwal, who worked with music director S. D. Burman as his assistant. Her singing career started in 1973 with the movie, Abhimaan, (starring Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan) in which she sang a Shloka (a Sanskrit verse). In the same year she also made her Marathi film debut with "Yashoda" (music by Datta Davjekar). In 1974, she brought out a record of Non-film Marathi songs or "bhav geeten" which became very popular.

In 1976, she got her break as a playback singer in Hindi films with Kalicharan (starring Shatrughan Sinha and Reena Roy). Her first solo was in the movie, Aap Beati, (starring Hema Malini and Shashi Kapoor). Laxmikant-Pyarelal were the music-composer duo for that movie. She also occasionally sang songs for composers Rajesh Roshan (Des Pardes), Jaidev (Dooriyan, Laila Majnu), Kalyanji Anandji (Kalaakar, Vidhaata), and Usha Khanna (Souten, Sajan Bina Suhagan).

Anuradha apparently never received any formal training in classical music, stating in an interview, "I have not received any formal training in classical music. I have tried many times, but it has never worked out. I learnt a little here and a little there, but ultimately, I just practiced for many hours listening to Lataji".^[2]

Anuradha gained recognition with her popular numbers for the movie, Hero, for composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Her collaboration with Laxmikant-Pyarelal produced more success with songs for Meri Jung ("O Mere Kwabon Ke"), Batwara ("Thaare Vaaste Re Dola-Tu Maaro Kaun Lage"), Nagina and many more.Ram Lakhan saw Laxmikant-Pyarelal giving three major hit songs to Anuradha. Their association ended with Tezaab where she sang two good numbers for them - "Kehdo Ki Tum" and "Hum Tumko Dilbar Kyon Maane".

Following this she collaborated with movie producer, Gulshan Kumar, and began a success streak with the movies, Lal Dupatta Malmal Ka, Tezaab, Aashiqui and Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin. She along with Gulshan Kumar were instrumental in getting many unknown playback singers to the fore, including Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Abhijeet, Sonu Nigam. New Music directors, including her husband Arun Paudwal, were introduced to the music world. Nadeem-Shravan, Anu Malik, Anand-Milind, Nikhil Vinay and Amar Utpal all collaborated with T-Series (Gulshan Kumar's music label) and started a new era of melody in Bollywood. She has sung over 2000 songs til now from the start of her career. Most of her duets have been with Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu, Mohammed Aziz. She sang some songs with Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi and also with her female co-singers; Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy and Sadhana Sargam. Her other notable songs were also for the famous duo Shiv-Hari, for the movie "Sahebaan". She has also sung for R.D. Burman in her initial days and actually convinced him to make songs for Gulshan Kumar's label in his last days and the song "Aja Meri Jaan" set to one of the background score of R.D.Burman from Saagar is still popular. She also sang beautiful duets with her co-singers from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, notably S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and K. J. Yesudas.

Controversies[link]

Anuradha has had her share of controversies as well. She was one of the rare singers to bloom during the reign of the Mangeshkar sisters in the Bollywood music industry. She was also under much controversy when she dubbed the songs of Alka Yagnik in the film "Dil". This also caused rifts between Anand-Milind and Alka Yagnik, thereby causing them to not collaborate for 2 years. Later in 1998, Anuradha Paudwal dubbed the songs of Alka Yagnik once again for the film Itihaas, this time under the music direction of Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen. However, Alka Yagnik, protested, to which the music company, T-Series was forced to include both versions of the same song, one in the voice of Alka Yagnik and the other in the voice of Anuradha Paudwal. She further went to dub Lata Mangeshkar's song in "Radha Ka Sangam" citing that her voice suited the heroine better. Anu Malik, a smaller name then, who had composed the soundtrack of Radha Ka Sangam, protested against this move.

At her peak, Anuradha announced that henceforth she would sing exclusively for "T-Series", and concentrated on devotional songs and "cover-version" albums. T-Series used her attractive and pleasing looks to good effect in numerous Bhajan and promotional videos. She was the first playback singer whose face featured on music covers more than the film's actors. She sang for T-series for some time and then went into a sabbatical. After about five years, she restarted her playback career. She sang a few hit songs for her old music directors but the reception for her comeback was mild.

Although Anuradha has significantly cutback in singing for films, she has continued on with her popularity for singing devotional songs and creating devotional albums, which ultimately remains her forte. She has collaborated with Pandit Jasraj on his "Geet Govind , many devotional albums with Anup Jalota. Her voice is well suited on devotional numbers.

Marathi[link]

Anuradha sang in a number of Marathi movies including the memorable Disate Majalaa, Raja Lalakaari, and Kaalyaa Maatita Maatitaa. Most of these movies had music by the duo of Anil-Arun, Arun being her husband, who collaborated with Anil Mohile to form a pair.

Bollywood Songs[link]

Awards and recognition[link]

• 1986: Filmfare Award for "Mere Mann Bajaa Mridang" from Utsav.
• 1990: National Film Award for "He Ek Reshami" from Kalat Nakalat
• 1991: Filmfare Award for "Nazar Ke Saamne" from Aashiqui.
• 1992: Filmfare Award for "Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahi" from Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin.
• 1993: Filmfare Award form "Dhak Dhak Karne Laga" from Beta.
• 2011: Mother Teresa Award for Lifetime Achievement ^[3]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Anuradha Paudwal at the Internet Movie Database
• List of Hindi movies with songs by Anuradha Paudwal
• Bio at HindiLyrix.com

Sunil Dutt
Personal details
Born	Balraj Dutt (1929-06-06)6 June 1929 Jhelum, British India
Died	25 May 2005(2005-05-25) (aged 75) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse(s)	Nargis Dutt (1958–1981, her death)
Children	Sanjay Dutt, Priya Dutt, and Namrata Dutt
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actor, Producer, Director, Politician
Religion	Hindu
As of September 25, 2010

Sunil Dutt (सुनील दत्त (Hindi); ਸੁਨੀਲ ਦੱਤ (Punjabi)) (6 June 1929 – 25 May 2005), born Balraj Dutt, was an Indian Hindi movie actor (also acted in some Punjabi movies), producer, director and politician. He was the cabinet minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Manmohan Singh government (2004–2005). His son, Sanjay Dutt, is also an actor.^[1]

In 1984 he joined the Congress (I) party and was elected to Parliament for five terms from the constituency of Mumbai North West. In 1968, he was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.

Early life[link]

Sunil Dutt was born on 6 June 1929 in the village of Khurd in the Jalandhar District of Punjab, British India now in Pakistan, in a Mohyal Brahmin family.

After the Partition of India his family settled in a small village on the bank of river Yamuna called Mandoli in what was Ambala district of East Punjab (now Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana). The Partition had a great toll on his family who had lost all their wealth and, in fact, he was left begging in the streets of Delhi before he re-joined his family. Later he moved to lucknow and spent a long time in Aminabad Galli during graduation and to fulfill his dreams he moved to Mumbai. In Mumbai, he joined Jai Hind College as an undergraduate and took up a job.

Career[link]

Starting out in radio, Sunil Dutt was a hugely popular on the Hindi Service of Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia. He moved to acting in Hindi films and got introduced to the film industry in the 1955 film Railway Platform. He shot to the stardom in the 1957 film Mother India in which he co-starred with Nargis, whom he married on 11 March 1958. In the film, Dutt played a short-tempered, angry son of Nargis. During the making of this film a fire accident happened on the sets. It is believed that Dutt braved the raging fire to save Nargis and thereby won her love.

He had one son Sanjay Dutt, also a successful film actor and two daughters, Priya Dutt and Namrata Dutt(Anju). His daughter Namrata married Kumar Gaurav, son of Rajendra Kumar. The two fathers were good friends and also co-stars in Mother India.

Dutt was one of the major stars of Hindi Cinema in the late 1950s and 1960s and continued to star in many successful films which included Sadhna (1958), Sujata (1959), Mujhe Jeene Do (1963), Khandaan (1965) and Padosan (1967). His collaboration with B.R. Chopra proved to be successful in films such as Gumraah (1963), Waqt (1965) and Hamraaz (1967). One of his favourite writers and friend until the end was Aghajani Kashmeri who wrote his Ghazal, Mujhe Jeene Do, Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke, among others. Aghajani had a special connection to him because Sunil's wife Nargis was launched by Aghajani in a movie he wrote for the famous director-producer Mehboob Khan, called Taqdeer. Aghajani and Mehboob visited Nargis' mother's home on Marine Drive in Mumbai as she came home from school and both decided she would play the lead role. "It was a heart rending letter of condolence that Sunil Dutt wrote to me", says Kashmeri's son Zuhair Kashmeri when the former died in 1998 in Toronto, Canada.

He created a record of sorts by directing and starring in the unique film Yaadein (1964) in which he was the only actor in the cast. He later turned producer of the 1968 film Man Ka Meet which introduced his brother Som Dutt who was unsuccessful in films. In 1971 he produced, directed and starred in the big-budget period romantic film Reshma Aur Shera (1971) which was a huge failure at the box office.

He bounced back when he continued to star in hit films which included Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye (1974), Nagin (1976), Jaani Dushman (1979) and Shaan (1980).

He also starred in a series of Punjabi religious movies in the 1970s: Man Jeete Jag Jeet (1973), Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam (1974), and Sat Sri Akal (1977).

He launched his son Sanjay's career with the film Rocky in 1981 which was a success. However shortly after its release his wife died of pancreatic cancer. He set up Nargis Dutt foundation in memory of his wife for the cure of cancer patients. He was also a sponsor of the India Project, a Nobel Peace Prize-nominated organization akin to Operation Smile for the treatment of Indian children with facial deformities.

In 1982 he was appointed as the Sheriff of Mumbai, an apolitical titular position, a position bestowed on him by the Maharashtra government for the period of a year. He turned character actor in the 1980s often playing an elderly police officer or family patriarch at the centre of family feuds. He retired from the film industry in the early 1990s to turn to politics after his last few film releases including Parampara (1992) and Kshatriya (1993).

His political career was halted for some years in the early 1990s when he worked to free his son from jail after he was arrested following Hindu-Muslim clashes in Mumbai.

In 1995 he won the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the film industry for four decades.

He returned to films shortly before his death in the 2003 film Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.. In this film he shared the screen with son Sanjay for the first time although they had both appeared earlier in Rocky (1981) and Kshatriya (1993) but did not appear in any scenes together.

He died of a heart attack ^[2] at his residence in Bandra, Mumbai in his sleep. His seat in Parliament was contested by his daughter, Priya Dutt who eventually won it and is a Member of Parliament from North West Mumbai. His death coincided with the death of film producer Ismail Merchant who was famous for his Merchant-Ivory productions.

Awards and honours[link]

• 1963 - Filmfare Best Actor Award for Mujhe Jeene Do
• 1965 - Filmfare Best Actor Award for Khandaan
• 1967 - BFJA Best Actor for Milan ^[3]
• 1968 - Padma Shri
• 1982 - Sheriff of Mumbai
• 1995 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
• 1997 - Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
• 1998 - Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award^[4]
• 2000 - Lifetime Achievement Award at the Anandalok Awards
• 2001 - Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement
• 2005 - Phalke Ratna Award by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy.^[5]
• Dutt was a recipient of the Glory of India Award by IIFS, London.^[6]

Selected filmography[link]