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Matthew Henson - this African-American explorer was the first man to stand on top of the world.Matthew Henson“The lure of the arctic is tugging at my heart. To me the trail is calling! The old trail, the trail that is always new.” ~Matthew Henson[1]In 1909 a team of six men and dog sledges made their way to a single at the center of vast Arctic wilderness. It was a block of ice 413 nautical miles off the coast of Greenland believed to be the North Pole. There were many who refuted the events that led up to the day, April 6th, when an American flag was planted there.[2] But in the years that followed an irrefutable truth would be revealed. The first person to stand on top of the world was an African-American male named Henson.When Commander Robert Edwin Peary set out on the expedition, his company included 24 men, 19 sledges, and 133 dogs.[3] After months of travel across an immense field of ice from the edge of Cape Sheridan on Ellesmere Island, as planed, one by one members of the party began turning back. So there were only a handful of men who could substantiate the claim. When the first human footprints were pressed into the snow at the most northern point on the planet all that remained of the original corps were Peary, 40 dogs, four native Inuit hunters and an African-American man who would be forgotten by history for almost half a century .Matthew Alexander Henson was born on August 8, 1866, to a family of freeborn sharecroppers in Nanjemoy, Maryland.[4] It was one year after emancipation and the end of the Civil War. An African-American of the first generation to roam the world after the abolition of slavery, Henson led a singular life of exploration and discovery that would usher in the modern era of adventure that continues now through the 21st century.Along with many former slaves, Matthew's parents were subjected to attacks by the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups that terrorized southern blacks after the Civil War.[5] To escape from racial violence, in 1867 the Henson family sold the farm and moved to Georgetown.When he was 10 years old, he went to a ceremony honoring Abraham Lincoln, the American president who had fought so hard to preserve the Union during the Civil War and had issued the proclamation that had freed slaves in the Confederate states in 1863.[6]At the ceremony, Matthew was greatly inspired by a speech given by Frederick Douglass, the longtime leading figure in the American black community.[7] A former slave turned abolitionist, Douglass called upon blacks to vigorously pursue educational opportunities and battle racial prejudice.[8]Orphaned at a very young age, Henson made his own way in life with uncommon courage and tenacity. When he was only 12, he signed on as a cabin boy aboard a three-masted sailing ship called the Katie Hines.[9]For the next six years under the mentorship of a Captain Childs, Henson received an education, learned a variety of technical skills, became a competent sailor, and traveled around the world visiting the then Orient, North Africa, and the Black Sea.[10]The Legacy of Arctic Explorer Matthew HensonCaptain Childs died in 1887. Upon his passing, Henson left the Katie Hines to take a job as a shop clerk for a furrier in Washington, D.C.[11] Though his time at sea as a sailor was a thing of the past, Henson was still very interested in a life of travel and adventure. So it was no small quirk of fate when a naval officer entered the shop one day to sell a collection of seal and walrus pelts that had just arrived from an expedition to Greenland.[12] Impressed with Henson’s experience and enthusiasm to see more of the world, Robert Peary hired him almost immediately as his personal assistant and invited him to take part in his next assignment.[13]Matthew Henson - Arctic ExplorerServing in the Navy Corps of Civil Engineers Peary was tasked to map and explore the jungles of Nicaragua in the hopes of creating a canal to connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific.[14] Henson and Peary spent the next two years traveling together through the rainforests of Central America, a journey that would cement their friendship and bind their destinies together for the rest of their lives.When they returned from Nicaragua, Peary helped Henson to get a job working as a messenger at the League Island Naval Yard in Philadelphia.[15] On leave from the Navy to do more exploring in Greenland, Peary once again invited Henson to join his party. In 1891 the two companions began an 18-year partnership of Arctic exploration that included the complete mapping of the Greenland ice cap.[16]From Our Vault: 1897 Meteorite RecoveryTogether Henson and Peary discovered the great island’s northern most terminus. And in two expeditions in 1896 and 1897 they recovered three enormous meteor fragments that they sold to the American Museum of Natural History in New York for $40,000.[17] The largest piece called the Cape York meteorite is also known by its Inuit name Ahnighito, which means the Tent.[18] The massive iron rock weighs 31 metric tons, is the third largest intact meteor ever discovered and the heaviest ever transported by human beings.[19] The funds Peary and Henson acquired through these two ventures would go to support other expeditions over the next ten years.Although Peary was the public face of their partnership, Henson was the front man in the field. With his skills as a carpenter and craftsman, Henson personally built and maintained all of the sledges used on their expeditions. He was fluent in the Inuit language and established a rapport with the native people of the region.[20] He was known by all he encountered as “Matthew the Kind One”.[21] Henson learned the methods the Inuit used to survive and travel through the incredibly hostile landscape of the Arctic. “He was more of an Eskimo than some of them.” Peary once said .[22]Matthew Henson Top the WorldHenson was a very capable hunter, fisherman, and dog handler. And it was he who trained even the most experienced of Peary’s recruits on each of the eight attempts they made to reach the North Pole.[23] It’s fair to suggest then that much of the success in their expeditions was due to Henson’s expertise. Though Peary repeatedly failed to reach his goal, he managed to return safely time and time again having progressed a little further with every trip.[24] In 1906 with the support of President Theodore Roosevelt, Peary and Henson managed to get within 174 miles of the North Pole by ship using a state-of-the-art ice breaker.[25] On the three-masted steam-powered schooner called the Roosevelt, Peary and Henson made it closer to the pole than on any expedition to date. “When my observations were taken, Peary wrote in his journal, “they showed that we had reached 87°6′ north latitude, and had at last beaten the record, for which I thanked God.”[26]Two years later Peary and Henson would make their eighth and final attempt to reach the North Pole. Whether they succeeded or not both men, now in their 40s, could feel the strain of their long careers and decided this would be their last voyage together.[27] Once again aboard the Roosevelt, a hand-picked team sailed from New York Harbor on July 6, 1908. Joining the party was Dr. John W. Goodsell, Donald B. MacMillan, Ross G. Marvin, George Borup and Robert Bartlett, the ship’s captain .[28]Robert Peary and Matthew Henson become the first to reach the North Pole...or Were They?In a now classic system of caches[29], the plan was to ferry and deposit loads of gear and food along the way with each successive team of dog mushers returning to the ship that was iced into port at Ellsemere Island.[30] A smaller team of two Americans and four Inuit companions would make the final push to their objective. Peary and Henson were the most likely choices to lead the Pole team.“With years of experience equal to that of Peary himself, [Henson] was indispensable,” MacMillan would recall later.[31] And even Peary agreed that the expedition would never be completed without his trusted friend. “Henson must go all the way,” he said as they planned the trip months earlier. “I can’t make it there without him”.[32]The group arrived at their starting point at Cape Sheridan on September 5, 1908.[33] There they spent the long Arctic winter storing supplies of meat that included muskox, deer, and rabbit. Several of the Inuit men brought along their wives and children who set about the task of creating all the clothing and perishable supplies the expedition would need.[34] In February, Peary lead the party by sledge to Cape Columbia where out on the ice he established a forward base camp. The expedition began in earnest as Henson lead the first group of sledges toward the pole on March 1, 1909. [35] And for the next five weeks the teams raced toward their goal.Along the way in addition to temperatures that fell to 65 degrees below zero they encountered the frequent hazards of cracking and drifting ice that formed patches of open water called leads.[36] But the group made steady progress as each of the support teams deposited their supply caches and turned back the way they came. McMillan lead the first team back with Dr. Goodsell.[37]They were followed days later by Borup, then Marvin.[38] Bartlett was the last to return to the ship. Once he arrived the captain of the Roosevelt readied the ship for the Pole Team’s safe return.In his account of the adventure The Negro at the North Pole published in 1912 Henson made a detailed summary of the five-day march. He, Peary, and Inuits Ooqueah, Ootah, Egingwah, and Seegloo drove the five remaining dog sledges at a breakneck pace day after day for stretches that lasted 12 to 14 hours. Moving quickly to avoid the possibility of a massive lead opening up behind them and blocking their way back home they traveled more than 170 miles. In a series of hard pushes they made their way navigating by sexton and dead-reckoning until finally on April 6th, as conditions on the trail ahead seemed to improve Henson reported in his account that he felt certain their objective was within reach.“We crawled out of our igloos and found a dense mist hanging over everything,” he wrote. “Only at intervals, when the sun’s rays managed to penetrate the mist, could we catch even a glimpse of the sky. Estimating the distance that we had come during the last four days, we figured that, unless something unusual happened to us during the course of this day, we should be at the Pole before its close.”[39]According to his own recollection Henson was in the lead sledge through much of the day scouting the trail ahead.“The Commander, who was about fifty yards behind, called out to me and said we would go into camp,”wrote Henson . “We were in good spirits, and none of us were cold. So we went to work and promptly built our igloos, fed our dogs and had dinner. The sun being obscured by the mist, it was impossible to make observations and tell whether or not we had actually reached the Pole. The only thing we could do was to crawl into our igloos and go to sleep.”[40]The following day when the mist had cleared Peary took measurements of their location relative to the position of the sun at the noon hour. “The results of the first observation showed that we had figured out the distance very accurately, for when the flag was hoisted over the geographical center of the Earth it was located just behind our igloos,” Henson wrote.[41]The party had indeed reached the North Pole. But the question remained who had arrived there first. “I was in the lead that had overshot the mark by a couple of miles,”[42] Henson was quoted in a newspaper article upon their return. “We went back then and I could see that my footprints were the first at the spot”.[43]Upon their return to the United States some reports in the press indicated that there was tension between Peary and Henson as to whom between them deserved credit for reaching the North Pole first. “From the time we knew we were at the Pole, Commander Peary scarcely spoke to me,” Henson would later reveal. “It nearly broke my heart … that he would rise in the morning and slip away on the homeward trail without rapping on the ice for me, as was the established custom”.[44]Henson and Peary (Matthew Henson)It seems odd that after such a long and successful partnership the two men would become estranged from one another. With a difference of a few hours at most it would be reasonable to give Peary and Henson equal credit for having reached the North Pole together as a team. But the racially divisive climate of time would not give an African-American man the same standing in the public eye for the accomplishment of such a monumental feat of human achievement.[45] Peary was the recognized discoverer of the Pole while Henson was relegated to the role of trusty companion. Despite Henson’s indispensable contributions to their efforts for almost 20 years he received very little acknowledgment.Matters only got worse when even Peary’s claim of success was called into question. A member of a previous Greenland expedition, a man by the name of Frederick Cook, professed to have reached the North Pole one year earlier on April 21, 1908.[46] But the controversy quickly faded when several individuals came forward with compelling evidence to dispute Cook’s contrived story of discovery.[47] Unfortunately, many doubts were raised to suggest that Peary had also failed to reach the North Pole. Several skeptics speculated that he missed the mark by several hundred miles.[48]With few ways to verify the success of this kind of remote expedition, reports of a successful outcome were made on the honor system. Really the only other person to back up Peary’s story was Henson, as the four Inuit hunters didn’t speak English. Though as a black man his testimony was likely deemed by many to be less than credible, the strength of his character as substantiated other members of the party carried a great deal of weight in affirming the truth of their journey to the top of the globe.[49]Robert Perry died on February 20, 1920. After returning from his last polar expedition he was promoted to Rear Admiral and traveled the world through his remaining years of life as an acclaimed hero.[50]But history would treat Matthew Henson much differently. Upon his return from the Pole, Henson took a job as a clerk with the federal customs house in New York City, on the recommendation of Theodore Roosevelt.[51] He would spend the next 30 years leading a quiet life in relative seclusion. But in 1937 his contributions to the discovery of the North Pole would finally be recognized. The Explorers Club of New York made him an honorary member.[52]A few years later in 1946 Henson was awarded a medal, identical to the one given to Peary, by U.S. Navy.[53] In 1954 he was invited to the White House by President Dwight Eisenhower to receive a special commendation for his early work as an explorer on behalf of the United States of America.[54]He also received honorary degrees from Howard University and Morgan College.[55] It is said, though, that his most-prized award was a gold medal from the Chicago Geographic Society.[56]Henson's grave in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. The grave of Peary is behind it. (Matthew Henson)During their expeditions, Henson fathered his only child, Anaukaq, with a woman named Akatingwah.[57] Peary too, fathered an Inuit son, Kali.[58] Harvard professor and Henson biographer, Dr. S. Allen Counter, met the men’s sons on a Greenland expedition decades later, and brought them to public attention. Though Henson never saw his son again after 1909, in 1987 Anaukaq visited the U.S. with Kali, to visit their father’s graves (Peary died in 1920 and Henson died on March 9, 1955) and to meet their extended families.[59] The documentary North Pole Legacy: Black, White, and Eskimo, speaks further in depth of their experience.[60] Anaukaq’s 5 sons and numerous grandchildren still live in Greenland.Henson died the following year on March 9, 1955.[61] Though he was buried in Woodlawn cemetery in the Bronx, New York on April 6, 1988 his remains along with his wife’s were relocated to Arlington National Cemetery.[62] On the 79th anniversary of his having reached the North Pole Henson was laid to rest with full military honors near the monument to Robert Peary . In 1996, an oceanographic survey ship was commissioned as the U.S.N.S Henson in his honor.[63] And in the year 2000, the National Geographic Society presented Henson posthumously its most prestigious award the Hubbard Medal.[64] Ironically, the first recipient of this prize was Robert Peary in 1906.Footnotes[1] A Negro Explorer at the North Pole by Matthew Alexander Henson[2] North Pole - Wikipedia[3] The Legacy of Arctic Explorer Matthew Henson[4] Matthew Henson[5] http://Biography of Matthew Alexander Henson". Arlington National Cemetery. Retrieved January 18, 2018.[6] http://Michael., Gilman, (1988). Matthew Henson. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. ISBN 1555465900. OCLC 16581828.[7] http://Michael., Gilman, (1988). Matthew Henson. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. ISBN 1555465900. OCLC 16581828.[8] Biography of Frederick Douglass-Champion of Civil and Women's Rights[9] Matthew Henson, the Arctic Explorer Who Stood on Top of the World[10] Virtual Exploration Society - Matthew Hensen[11] Matthew Henson, the Arctic Explorer Who Stood on Top of the World[12] Who Discovered the North Pole?[13] Matthew Henson, the Arctic Explorer Who Stood on Top of the World[14] Matthew Henson Biography[15] http://Deirdre C. Stam, "Introduction to The Explorers Club Edition," Matthew A. Henson's Historic Arctic Journey: The Classic Account of One of the World's Greatest Black Explorers, Globe Pequot, 2009[16] Matthew Henson: Black Explorer Used and Discarded by Peary[17] Matthew Henson, Arctic Explorer[18] From Our Vault: 1897 Meteorite Recovery[19] Virtual Exploration Society - Matthew Hensen[20] Akatingwah & Matthew Henson[21] Matthew Henson, Arctic Explorer[22] A Negro Explorer at the North Pole by Matthew Alexander Henson[23] Matthew Henson, Arctic Explorer[24] Durham Haus - Matthew Henson[25] The Pole at Last[26] Matthew Henson, Polar Explorer[27] Virtual Exploration Society - Matthew Hensen[28] Who Discovered the North Pole?[29] Matthew Henson[30] Who Discovered the North Pole?[31] Matthew Henson, Arctic Explorer[32] Who Discovered the North Pole?[33] "Cape Sheridan" on Revolvy.com[34] https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4d16/90f57210dbe9421a2973602bbe67300721d2.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwil7-S2pqnjAhUIVK0KHTkJBWg4ChAWMAR6BAgGEAE&usg=AOvVaw2GZzqLm0d5k8USXU4l1IEw[35] Who Discovered the North Pole?[36] A Negro Explorer at the North Pole by Matthew Alexander Henson[37] The Cook & Peary files: January 8, 1912: Dr. Goodsell rebukes Dr. Cook’s account.[38] Polar Pathways: The North Pole[39] A Negro Explorer at the North Pole by Matthew Alexander Henson[40] A Negro Explorer at the North Pole by Matthew Alexander Henson[41] The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Negro Explorer at the North Pole, by Matthew A. Henson.[42] Who Was the First Person To Reach the North Pole?[43] The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Negro Explorer at the North Pole, by Matthew A. Henson.[44] We Still Don't Know Who Was First to the North Pole[45] Who Was the First Person To Reach the North Pole?[46] The Race to the North Pole[47] Did Peary Reach the North Pole on April 6, 1909? - New England Today[48] List of firsts in the Geographic North Pole - Wikipedia[49] Matthew Henson: First Man on the North Pole?[50] Robert Peary[51] Did You Know... A Customs Employee was the 'First Man to Sit on Top of the World?'[52] Matthew A. Henson and Herbert M. Frisby: Maryland's Arctic Explorers[53] Page on washingtonpost.com[54] Matthew Alexander Henson, Explorer[55] Matthew Henson's Achievements[56] Matthew Henson[57] The incredible story of Inuits fathered by a U.S. polar explorer and his aide who are making their way into a globalised world[58] Eskimo Son of Explorer Peary Has Few Regrets[59] ANAUKAQ HENSON, SON OF DISCOVERER OF NORTH POLE[60] Greenland’s North Pole Legacy – Black, White and Eskimo[61] Matthew Henson (1866-1955) • BlackPast[62] Matthew Henson[63] USNS Henson (T-ASG-63) Oceanographic Survey Ship - United States[64] Hubbard Medal for Henson by Allen Counter

1 IntroductionThe four items in the Answer of Russell Boone below are the four great Chinese inventions generally accepted in the West. But from my viewpoint there appear to be two insufficiently recognised advances which the Chinese civilisation made during the heydays of the Song and Ming Empires and which need to be re-interpreted and more fully acknowledged by the West. These advances had and continue to have an enormous impact on world history. These major developments wereThe advance in economic understanding by the first investment credit economist, the transcedental Wang Anshi (1021–1086) who created many aspects of the welfare state in the Northern Song Empire (960-1127) where he was Chancellor then Prime Minister and a personal friend of Emperor Shenzong - see Wang Anshi - Wikipedia andThe improved design of the Zheng He Great fleet which I illustrate below - this fleet was funded in the Ming Empire using Wang Anshi’s investment credit creation understanding and had a positive effect on Chinese GDP in the Song Empire and on the design of the European ships which made voyages of discovery, exploration and colonisation of America.2 The Invention of Credit Creation For Productive Investments in the Northern Song Empire (960-1126) by Wang Anshi (1021–1086).The historical importance of the Chinese master economist Wang Anshi is partially recognised in the entries made in Wikipedia (Wang Anshi - Wikipedia) and in the Encyclopedia Brittanica (Wang Anshi | Chinese author and political reformer) and in many other academic articles.Wang Anshi’s significance on the creation of a competent Chinese bureaucracy has been discussed in recent academic articles such as Wolfgang Driesler’s three articles published in Public Money and Management about public management in the Northern Song Dynasty, which areWang Anshi and the origins of modern public management in Song Dynasty China (published 1 July 2013) seehttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09540962.2013.817125?src=recsys&journalCode=rpmm20Towards Understanding Wang Anshi and Confucian Public Management (published online 11 June 2014)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09540962.2014.920195Debate: Once again on Wang Anshi and Confucian public management (published online on 13 May 2015)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09540962.2015.1047264But while Wang Anshi is recognised as a great innovative economist who used his power to limit the exploitation of the poor by the rich and establishing the first rudiments of the Welfare State in the Southern Song Empire, by establishing a basic income for the unemployed and the old, and hospitals for the poor and homes for orphans, the modern Western recorders of these actions list what he did, but fail to understand how he did it.2.1 Wang Anshi (1021–1086) Was The First Investment Credit EconomistThe issue which modern interpreters fail to understand in the actions of Wang Anshi is the creation of no-cost credit creation by the central monetary authority in the Northern Song Empire. That investment credit creation was the basic driver of the emergence of the Northern Song Empire as the first high-investment, high growth, widespread prosperity, industrial economy in the world. SeeWhy Western-Trained University Economists Are Almost Completely UselessLet me illustrate precisely what I mean. When the superstrong Graphene (see Graphene - Wikipedia) was discovered in 2004, some scientists thought it did not exist in nature because it seemed such a peculiar arrangement of carbon atoms. Then more insightful scientists examined the carbon residues at the chimney edges of steel furnaces and noted that graphene was there, as it had been for hundreds of years. But they could not have previously noted it was there, because previous to its discovery they did not know it existed, and even if they had found it they would not have recognised what they were looking at.Everyone understands their perceptions through the lens of their existing education and their “knowledge”. If they do not think that a procedure - like high-growth, no-cost investment credit creation - exists, then they will be incapable of noticing it. That is why the Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Brittanica entries about Wang Anshi are not adequately informed - their authors do not have mindsets that encompass the possibility of investment credit creation. Because they do not recognise that principle, they cannot understand the higher economic growth and more full social and cultural development of the Song and Ming Empires. See the reprint ofThe Most Successful Macroeconomic Policy Of All TimeThat’s also why most learned Western comments about China are entirely wrong. Even the economists of the CIA seem incapable of reading the public debt financial data about Japan and China the right way up - that’s why they can’t perform basic accounting correctly, and can’t tell a bank liability like a bill from an asset like a mortgage, and they do not seem to be keen on having their understanding improved. SeeThe Public Debt of Japan and China – George Tait Edwards – MediumWherever Milton Friedman looked, he thought he saw the triumph of Western neo-liberalism, as in such books as Capitalism and Freedom - Wikipedia. When Francis Fukayama believed in the triumph everywhere of Western liberal values and wrote The End of History and the Last Man - Wikipedia - the problem was with his mindset and his conclusions were not supported by the reality of the world. The pre-existing beams in the eyes of these authors loomed larger in their minds than their unobserved realities of the world. So their works are dated and now largely invalid.2.1.1 The Mandate of HeavenNearly all modern economies have become, through the passage of time, captured by, dominated by and run for the benefit of their rich and privileged. Yet truly outstanding economies and nearly all world-dominating countries have grown to greatness through the inclusion of nearly all of their people in the process of economic development.The Chinese appear to understand this issue. Five thousand years of Chinese history illustrates it. When the Empire is ruled in the interests of all its people, the Emperor is obeying the The Mandate of Heaven and the Empire is much greater - culturally, economically, socially, and innovatively - due to that.See Mandate of Heaven - WikipediaThe concept of the Mandate of Heaven is not, as it is usually represented, a theoretical concept. As Wikipedia points out“….Mencius, a great philosopher who many thought was the successor to Confucius proclaimed [2]‘The people are of supreme importance; the altars of the gods of earth and grain come next; last comes the ruler.’ ”Previously world-dominating hegemonic nations can be turned into much lesser powers- culturally, economically, socially, innovatively - by politicians running their economies only in the interests of their rich elites. This is not a theory but an explanation of what has happened to the UK and USA.Read The United Kingdom and the United States of America Have Both Lost “The Mandate of Heaven”The previous hegemonic leading nations of the UK and the USA have been converted into more minor states by political leaders elevating their rich above their people. It’s like turning two cultural billionaires, which had massive innovative, economic and social talents in their people into much more minor players (but still multi-capable mainly militarily millionaires) on the World stage. The rich everywhere press for the economy to serve mainly their interests, to grant taxes and higher profits from the impoverishment of the workers. Where this comes to pass, the country loses its previous prominance.2.1.2 Wang Anshi’s Effect on Three Chinese DynastiesThe Three Chinese Empires of the Northern Song (960–1127) , the Southern Song (1127–1279) and the first Ming Dynasty (1328–98) became the greatest in the world during the 11th to the 14th centuries - culturally, economically, socially, and innovately. Wang Anshi as Chancellor and then as Prime Minister Minster operated the investment-credit-creation key under the Emperor Shenzon of the Northern Song Empire.https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjNxpO_6PjaAhUCvBQKHSV1C4EQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fslideplayer.com%2Fslide%2F4239505%2F&psig=AOvVaw3mE8_b7Vc35GBnHuKu6FcI&ust=1525961511993141The Chinese used that key to establish prosperity in these three Empires all of which were operated in the interests of all of their people while the intervening Mongol/Yuan Empire (1279–1368) did not understand the Mandate of Heaven and ruled China in the interests the Mongols, so their rule was for less than a century. The Yuan Empire, having no interest in investment credit creation for the Chinese people, created vast amounts of consumption credit for the Mongols, which caused massive inflation and widespread discontent which was one major factor in ending their Empire.2.1.3 Wang Anshi Macroeconomics and the Mandate of HeavenWang Anshi continually acted to ensure the prosperity of all the Chinese people. Some insight into Wang Anshi’s character through the 1994 research of Susan Elizabeth Edmonds is provided below, where her MA Dissertation states:“Although Wang’s character is hard to evaluate at such a distance, evidence of his moral fiber can be found in Mei Yaochen’s poem, “Seeing Off Wang Jiefu [Wang An-shih]——on his Departure to Become Prefect of Piling”. Written in 1057 A.D., this five-syllable gushi (ancient-style poem) describes Prefects as people lacking in humanity who exploited the peasants. Coming from a family of humble non-aristocratic means, Wang’s desire for political and economic change shaped his life and career. On the occasion of his promotion, Mei suggests that Wang would be a different kind of Prefect because he did not value silver and silk, but instead had an unusual compassion for the impoverished peasants. In Mei’s experience, Wang was a man who put his concern for others above personal benefit and comfort. In this respect, he was uncommon because be “never follow[ed] the world’s fashions.” Mei’s opinion is relevant and useful to include in this analysis of Wang’s character. The following excerpt comes from his poem:”From Wang Anshi’s (1021-1086) seven-syllable jueju on nature themes, p 5, Edmonds, Susan Elizabeth, 1994 Dissertation as part of MA Studies, University of British Columbia Library, available on the internet atWang Anshi’s (1021-1086) seven-syllable jueju on nature themesSo Wang Anshi was a humble man, considerate and compassionate in his behaviour towards the poor, yet he had a steely resolve in his determination to destroy monopolies and replace them with several suppliers, to tax the rich appropriately, to improve the output of farms (and doubtless small enterprises) through low interest loans, to “stop the rich from grinding the faces of the poor into the dust”, and thus to create a more fair and stronger economy. Which he did.Investment credit creation by the Northern Song when Wang Anshi was Chancellor and Prime Minster produced the world’s first industrial economy in the 11th century.2.2 The Significance of What Wang Anshi DidThe same basic macroeconomic technology of no-cost investment credit creation is responsible for the high investment and rapid growth of the Chinese economy from 1975 to the present day. The economic understandings which I christened as the Shimomuran Macroeconomics of the Tokyo Consensus Zone have a long parentage, and a more full name for the many sources of these economic insights might beWang Anshi-Keynesian-FDRooseveltian-JohnKennethGalbraithian-Shimomuran-Wernerian Macroeconomics.See my Answer at How did Wang Anshi contribute to the economic world?See “Why do you refer to “Investment Credit Economics” as ‘Shimomuran Economics’ if it was first…and FDR’s American Economic Miracle 1938-44, or the First Economic Bomb - The USA from 1938 to 1944 (Part 1)http://londonprogressivejournal.com/article/view/1513/the-master-economist-dr-osamu-shimomura-probably-the-greatest-economist-of-the-th-century-after-john-maynard-keynesSee An Extended Review of Princes of the YenWestern economists raised in the mindset of WashingtonConsensus Economics/Monetarism/ NeoclassicalEconomics/Neo-Liberalism/Austerity do not have an understanding of no-cost credit creation in their education, because no Western universities teach that alternative capitalism. SeeWhy Western-Trained University Economists Are Almost Completely UselessWestern economists are often puzzled by how such massive capital expenditures on social facilities in the Southern Song Empire or in the Zheng He great fleets could be implemented without causing inflation and social unrest.The comments made by some sources - that Zheng He’s seven Great Fleets were constructed and fitted out and manned with no deleterious effects on the Chinese economy of the great Ming Dynasty - can only be understood from the mindset of a full appreciation of the use of Wang Anshi’s no-cost Credit Creation by the post-Mongol Ming Empire in order to fund the construction and operation of these Great Fleets.It now seems nearly certain that the World’s first great industrial revolution in the Empire of the Southern Song was financed and grew to greatness through the same government technique of targeted investment credit creation funding the commercial development of small and medium sized industry that is currently the source of much of the rapid growth of modern-day China. If the Chinese Empire of the Southern Song had not been divided, if the Jurchen-Jin had not detached the northern provinces of China from the Southern Song, a unified Chinese Empire using gunpowder technology could have defeated the Mongols, with incalculable consequences for the alternative history of the world.There would have been no Yuan Dynasty, no Mongol domination of a literate China by the militarily great but culturally defective and comparatively illiterate Yuan Dynasty of Kublia Khan, no Silk Road, no stimulation of the European Renaissance through the export of the four great Chinese inventions of gunpowder and all its metal-based munitions (the iron bombs, cannon, fire lances and better weaponry), paper, printing and the compass. If the later Ming emperors had not been so afraid of another Mongol invasion they would not have diverted China’s energies into the repair and extension of the Great Wall.The Conservatives and their usual promotion of the interests of the rich and their traditional xenophobic philosophy of fear of outsiders and the elevation of tradition above innovation, and isolation above development, dominated the actions of the late 15th century Ming court. As The Ming Voyages | Asia for Educators | Columbia University records under the heading “The Fateful Decision”“The Ming court was divided into many factions, most sharply into the pro-expansionist voices led by the powerful eunuch factions that had been responsible for the policies supporting Zheng Ho's voyages, and more traditional conservative Confucian court advisers who argued for frugality. When another seafaring voyage was suggested to the court in 1477, the vice president of the Ministry of War confiscated all of Zheng He's records in the archives, damning them as "deceitful exaggerations of bizarre things far removed from the testimony of people's eyes and ears." He argued that "the expeditions of San Bao [meaning "Three Jewels," as Zheng He was called] to the West Ocean wasted tens of myriads of money and grain and moreover the people who met their deaths may be counted in the myriads. Although he returned with wonderful precious things, what benefit was it to the state?"Linked to eunuch politics and wasteful policies, the voyages were over. By the century's end, ships could not be built with more than two masts, and in 1525 the government ordered the destruction of all oceangoing ships. The greatest navy in history, which once had 3,500 ships (the U.S. Navy today has only 324), was gone.”The Great Zheng He Fleets could have formed the foundation of the Sea Silk Road covering almost precisely the same sea “road” routes of the modern OBOR development. China had the option of becoming the world-leading hegemony based on its industrial strength and the high levels of wealth and welfare of its people soundly based upon the towering levels of invention and innovation in its people. The dominance of China's Conservatives resulted in the destruction of their great navy and Chinese decline.Just as the dominance of the 1980s Conservative agenda of Reagan and Thatcher - and their promotion of the interests of the rich above the majority of their people, along with the continual destruction (from 1880 onwards) of the local banking systems which created the economic miracles of the Scottish and English industrial revolutions and FDR’s 1938–44 economic miracle - generated the economic decline of the West, so the turning inward of the Ming Empire under the Chinese Conservatives ended the potential Chinese domination of the world economy and its retreat into isolationism.As the great Quora Answerer Hoang Nghiem (严黄) has argued in his usual encyclopaedic detail, the Zheng He fleet was a Chinese Ming Empire response to China’s dimunition by the Mongols. SeeSee Why are Zheng He's voyages considered one of the most grand accomplishments of the Ming Dynasty?If the Chinese had kept turning outward, China could have remained the paramount world-connected culture exceeding all others. But the dominance of the Conservatives turned Chinese policies inward, into a Sinn Fein “Us Alone” isolationist culture of “we don't need anything outside of China” which policy has never worked anywhere, as again Hoang Nghiem has argued.At present the very rich Chinese outside China -their foreign billionaires - appear to be trying to convert the Government of China into a country that serves the interests of the Chinese rich, just like what happens in the rest of the world, in the Western Washington Consensus/(Etc) Zone. If that well-funded attempt to change Chinese Government policy ever succeeds, then Chinese economic growth would fall to about a third of its current level, and China would join the rest of the world with the increasing impoverishment of its people. This appears to have historically occurred in China whenever the leadership of China fell to its Conservatives.See 500 years ago, China destroyed its world-dominating navy because its political elite was afraid of free tradeThere are modern echoes and interesting parallels to modern times in that Independent article.Wang Anshi was the first investment credit economist. He not only produced, through no-cost credit creation, the world’s first industrial industrial revolution in the Southern Song Empire but also after the fall of the Yuan/Mongol Empire, which fell partly due to untargeted credit creation which caused inflation, and after the Mongols were ejected, Wang Anshi’s insights during the succeeding Ming Dynasty funded the Great Fleet.The entries in the various encyclopaedias need to make the investment credit connection between Wang Anshi’s 11th century understandings as the foundation for the current great growth of China. Their editors may ultimately get around to doing that.3 The Better Design of the Ming Dynasty Zheng He Ships in the Great Fleet3.1 The New Zheng He Design of Ships The outstanding aspect of the design of the Zheng He Fleet was the raised fore and aft decks. That design made the ships more stable as ocean-going vessels. See the three examples below and the many more at the Google images section of The Zheng He FleetSketch of Zheng He Great Fleet Ship Design 1 - the largest treasure ships.The small ship in the above drawing appears to be one of Columbus’s ships, the Santa Maria, drawn to scale for comparison purposes. According to Wikipedia, the Santa Maria was 62 feet long and had a keel length of 41 feet, but Encyclopedia Brittanica states that ship was 117 feet long. No matter whatever source is correct, the flagship of the Columbus voyages was much smaller than the largest Chinese treasure ships, which were 440 feet long.See Section 3.2 The Echo Of That Design In The Three Ships Used By Columbus below.Modern precise re-creation of the Zheng He Fleet Design 2As History of the Ming dynasty - Wikipedia reports“To service seven different tributary missions abroad, the Nanjing shipyards constructed two thousand vessels from 1403 to 1419, which included the large Chinese treasure ships that measured 112 m (370 ft) to 134 m (440 ft) in length and 45 m (150 ft) to 54 m (180 ft) in width. [102] The first voyage from 1405 to 1407 contained 317 vessels with a staff of 70 eunuchs, 180 medical personnel, 5 astrologers, and 300 military officers commanding a total estimated force of 26,800 men. [103]”Same Ship, from a different angle.The Great Fleets had seven voyages,of which two were voyages of discovery and two for revisiting. The leaders and ambassadors were so impressed by these fleets that they often visited China by joining the fleet and some subsequent voyages (numbers five and six) had the objective of returning heads of state and ambassadors to their home countries.Source: Derived from the Seven Voyages section ofThe Ming Voyages | Asia for Educators | Columbia University3.2 The Echo Of That Design In The Three Ships Used By ColumbusThat design of raised fore and aft decks is obvious in the three ships Columbus used in his journeys to America (of course, he insisted it was India he had “discovered” and had a gibbet mounted on the deck of his ship to kill sailors who disagreed).The ships Columbus used on his voyage of “discovery”Encyclopedia Brittanica Image of the Santa MaríaSanta MaríaReplica of the Santa María, Funchal, Madeira Islands.Dietrich Bartel3.3 Raised fore and aft decks on Magellan’s Ship of Discovery, the Nao VictoriaHere is an image of a modern reconstruction of Magellan’s ship, which illustrates that it was similarly designed3.4 The Same Kind Of Ship Design in the Mayflower.4 Conclusions4.1 The Great Significance of Wang Anshi’s Invention of Investment Credit Creation EconomicsWang Anshi’s invention of investment credit creation was (and is) the way forward for mankind, enabling the first industrialisation in the Song Empire and the rapid rise in living standards in 11th century China, and many similar results more recently.The same macroeconomic technology has caused all of the major economic miracles of the 20th century, from the Japanese colony of the South Manchurian Railway to the leading edge economies of the Tokyo Consensus Zone (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China)The partial use of investment credit economics by the countries of India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand indicates that this economic innovation is unlikely to be confined to the Tokyo Consensus ZoneThere is a direct link between high economic growth and the use of investment credit economics and the subsequent adoption of an independent central bank and much lower economic growth with the stagnation in living standards. That’s too large a topic for here, but is amply illustrated in the countries of Japan and South Korea, and appears relevant to the economic histories of four out of the the five nations where investment credit has never been fully implemented (it seems to have been continuously implemented in Singapore).4.2 The Raised Fore and Aft Decks on the Zheng He ShipsThis was the key innovation which created the massive superiority of the Chinese navy in the 11th centuryThis Chinese improvement in ocean-going ship design enabled the successful Columbus “voyages of discovery”The same design feature is obvious in the Mayflower and is present in many of the ships which carried colonists4.3 ObservationThe Zheng He fleets were like an entire Chinese village going to sea. These ships carried large amounts of fresh water for drinking and washing and a wide range of foods and seeds which prevented scurvy in their crews.Scurvy was the scourge of the European “voyages of discovery.” It is a pity that the Chinese understanding of the protection against scurvy did not travel along the land based Silk Road and the cure had wait for James Lind’s discoveries in the 18th century and their application in the British Navy after 1800. As James Lind - Wikipedia records“Vitamin C is necessary for the maintenance of healthy connective tissue. In 1740 the catastrophic result of Anson's circumnavigation attracted much attention in Europe; out of 1900 men, 1400 had died, most of them allegedly from having contracted scurvy. According to Lind, scurvy caused more deaths in the British fleets than French and Spanish arms.[6]”Decades ago, when I first visited New York two taxi drivers called me a “limey” because lime juice was used in the British Navy to avoid scurvy.

How can entry of women into the temple of God affect the celibacy of god as said by devotees of Lord Ayyappa?Thanks to Arpit Adlakha for the question;I have explained this several times in many posts of mine, mostly indirectly in form of replying to comments or short references etcI thought to reply to this question as it's direct to the point unlike indirect replies of mine to comments previously.Sabarimala is the most popular temple of Dharmasastha in India and majority of believers of Dharmasastha god, believes Sabarimala as the origin or the key temple of this tradition. There are 1000s of Ayyappa temples across India and it's so popular in South India, especially Kerala, TN, and Andhra Pradesh as well as South/Coastal Karnataka.The basic belief is that Prince Manikanda born as the son of Shiva-Vishnu fusion, who, after being adopted by Pandalam Royal Family, had decided to become ascetic and does penance in this forest shrine. On basis of the request of his adopted father (Pandalam King), he gave permission to give darshan for 41 days (one Mandalam period) to his devotees.I have answered two questions to highlight the difference between Ayyappa and Dharmasastha.Arun Mohan (അരുൺ മോഹൻ)'s answer to What is the difference between Swami Ayyappan of Sabarimala and Sree Dharma Sastha? If Dharma Sastha and Swami Ayyappan are not the same but different deities, why is the Sabarimala Swami Ayyappan Temple called as the Sastha Temple?Arun Mohan (അരുൺ മോഹൻ)'s answer to What are the main Hindu deities of Kerala?Essentially as of today, we worship Dharmasastha in Sabarimala.People by tradition believes, this Dharmasastha deity in Sabarimala is a celibate (Brahmachari) who has promised to marry a Goddess called Mallikkapurathu Amma on the day when no new pilgrims come to the temple upon its closing. And Mallikkapurathuamma is eagerly waiting for that day to marry the lord.As a custom, ladies of reproductive age (those who attained puberty and started their menses period) don’t enter into the temple, while girls below 10 (on assumption that they haven’t attained puberty) and ladies above 50 (on assumption that they attained menopause) are allowed to enter into the temple.There are many reasons for this custom. The most widely known traditional beliefs are,By basic belief, the deity is ascetic and hence every pilgrim entering into temple needs to observe a degree of asceticism. They need to observe a 41 day fasting, which is by tradition, very rigorous and extensive. The concept of fasting is to attain purity. And by tradition, it's widely believed, ladies during their period days are IMPURE. The menses as such has a connotation of impurity. So they can’t take a 41 day fasting as it's likely to face atleast one period of physical impurity. As they can’t observe 41-day fasting, they aren’t supposed to enter.Manikanda became an ascetic at a very young age in his teens. He is celibate since then and younger women are likely to affect his celibacy vows. People believe, Ayyappa as such exist only because of his Brahmacharyam (celibacy) and hence it must not be brokenWomen believers have an empathy towards the concept of Mallikkapurathu Amma. As such she is still waiting to marry the lord, they feel that they should avoid visiting her and pray before her. They believe, when the young married women pray before her, it frustrates her. Many claims non-entry to the shrine as a matter of empathy to the goddess.And there are many more traditional reasons. However, these 3 are mostly heard for a longer time.Due to which entry of younger ladies was not allowed as a matter of traditionYour question is how it affects the celibacy of the lord.That's where the hypocrisy of tradition and its irrelevance actually comes out.Majority of traditions were actually a social requirement of a time well wrapped in covers of legends and fantasies to attract and firmly believe in it.For example, there is a wide belief that one must bath soon after attending a funeral or else Yama/Kalan will accompany to your home. I don’t know whether it is popular at the national level, but very popular in Kerala. People don’t want Kalan (Death) to be at their home, so everyone takes a bath soon after attending a funeral service as a custom. Even you can’t drink water before a bath.But this custom actually had a scientific reason. In olden days, people die over various reasons like diseases, viral infections etc. Upon their death, the virus is likely to spread out and many infect those who attended the funeral. So it's ideal to clean their body and take maximum precaution. So instead of saying scientifically which may appear boring to many, it was covered in a wrap of mystical fantasy that Yama will accompany you back. Mystical fantasy appeals to everyone’s psyche instantly than a medical narrative. But is it worth today? Today every single body is well embalmed in a medical way and well disinfected. In majority cases, the body is kept inside a mobile freezer or glass case. So it's unlikely to get diseases just because one stood near the dead body. So does the custom has any value? No!!!There are so many customs that originated out something which was relevant at one point of time, irrelevant today. But as customs are blindly followed, no one checks the root or origin of such customs. No one questions, why a custom is followed. I am not against any customs as long as its harmless and doesn’t infringe anyone.But if a custom lost its relevance and has some sort of discrimination or some sort of cruelty or some sort of unnecessary hardships, then such customs must be reviewed.In my understanding, there were some logical reasons that lead to the starting of this tradition in Sabarimala which got intensively covered under various myths and fantasies;Theory of Menstrual odor affecting forest trekkingThe shrine as such is located in a forest range, over a hill. One has to climb around 7 hills to reach this temple. The temple is located within one of India’s largest tiger reserve as well as South India’s second largest elephant reserve forest. In olden days, the area was heavily infested with tigers and several carnivorous making it a very dangerous place for anyone to move around. In fact the concept of going there only once in a year itself likely to be originated from this hard reality of dangerous forest trekking.Historically across the world, ladies rarely trek forest regions or go for activities like hunting etc. Apart from the most common reason for taking the responsibility of rearing children at home, there is another major reason to it. Almost all cultures around the world until very recently had a belief. The belief was that menstruating ladies do have a unique body odor that does attract many animals like deer etc which indirectly brings them closer to the danger of a carnivorous attack. In most of the western world, it was even proved scientifically several times in the past that menstruating women odor do attract dangerous animals like bears who have extraordinary sniffing power and thus attract their attention.Many theories were strong that a female’s body odor is much more intense than male (as it's likely to be trapped within the body hair) and the female odor has a strong stimulating effect which in a forest environment may attract other animals.Its Camping Season, Don t Forget to Menstruate! Or, Man the Hunter and Woman the MenstruatorBears & Menstruating Women - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)Why Does the Scent of Blood Attract Carnivores?Due to these reasons in western cultures, ladies were historically avoided for any hunting or deep forest trekking.Back in India, similar beliefs do exist even though not as intense as west. Generally, women weren't taken for hunting expeditions barring those who were extraordinary brave. However especially since British Raj, many of western notions got strictly implemented and thus there was a blanket ban for women to enter forest and trekking exist in our forest rules for a pretty long period of time. Some are unofficial in nature out of practice. Many of later generation including ours rarely know such a thought existed in past. But its still a popular debate in many western countries though such theories/concepts are becoming irrelevant nowadays.Secondly, women were generally seen as weak, unable to withstand the severities of the wildness of the forest region. In olden days, the trekking would take 10–15 days in old route and needs to sleep in open areas and in wild areas, sometimes over the trees etc. So generally they were excluded from this sort of forest trekking pilgrimages.Heterodox Buddhist traditionUnlike classical Hinduism, many Buddhist/Jain and similar traditions have romanticized the concept of asceticism by abstaining from women and sex. Classical Hindu concept focused more on duality theory, i.e. ability to lead a family life while practicing asceticism. The best concept is that of Lord Shiva, who is the greatest Ascetic in Hindu Pantheon. He practices Ascetism (Viragi) as well as enjoy a family life with wife and kids (Grihastham) at same time. Every single Saptarishi (7 great sages) including the glorious sages like Vaishistha, Gauthama, Bhrighu etc were all married. They all were great sages while enjoying an active sexual life. Much of core Hindu philosophies focus on the concept of the combination of male-female energy as the basic source of every creation.However, much later traditions which challenged the then classical Hindu order like Jainism or Buddhism and many like that pushed the concept of Monastic order. Out of which Buddhism has romanticized the concept of the monastic system where sex was projected as an evil enticement that may hinder someone’s progress to Nirvana. The concept of abstinence from sex was seen as a virtue which also came back to Hinduism with its own version of Monastic orders as pushed by many later saints like Shankaracharya etc.The shrine in Sabarimala is of a mixed origin. It's never a classical Hindu temple as such. It has several traditions of Buddhism and other sects involved in its concepts. Many cite it was a shrine of Avalokiteswara, a form of Buddha and was an ascetic Buddhist Vihara in past. Majority of Buddhist viharas don’t allow young ladies to enter even today. Even in the highly modern country like Thailand, many orthodox Buddhist monks shun from seeing a young lady as part of their belief as well as don’t allow ladies to enter into some major Buddhist shrines.A Buddhist shrine operating within a Vihara in ThailandThis is a very specific tradition associated with various Buddhist concepts. In fact many progressive citizens of hardcore Buddhist nations like Thailand, Myanmar etc were criticizing these misogynists traditions and often sought for reforms.Restricted Area for Women in Thailand (Why?)Is Buddhism a Sexist Religion? The Status of Women in BuddhismThere’s a misogynist aspect of Buddhism that nobody talks aboutSo essentially partly this tradition of not allowing ladies to Sabarimala might have originated from this Buddhist tradition (mixed with local tribal/folklore traditions of the region) as rarely any of the classic Hindu shrines have such a concept in general.The Shrine of Agastya in Agyastakoodam Mountains where women entry is banned, which is another major legal fight in KeralaAnd interestingly apart from Sabarimala, there is one more place in Kerala that has similar rules- The Agyastakoodam Mountains near Trivandrum. As per belief, this mountain range is the home of Hindu sage- Agastya and the tribals of these forests have a shrine in the remote interior of the forest where ladies were barred. As the shrine is non-brahminical/Tribal in nature, its not a popular shrine for anyone in Kerala. But trekking to Agaystakoodam forests is regarded as one of the key forest trekking activity for adventure lovers and Kerala Forest Department traditionally barred ladies from doing so, highlighting this tradition. This created a controversy in recent years and finally, Kerala Govt allowed women adventurists to trek the forest last year which caused a huge issue, as the Tribal community wanted the ban to continue to protect their customs and the case is currently in the court.The fight continues: Women not allowed to apply for Agasthyarkoodam trek by Forest DeptBan for women to visit AgasthyakoodamAnd the most interesting part, as per many historians, Agastyakoodam forest once had a Buddhist Vihara with Lord Avalokiteswara as the presiding deity which was recorded by Chinese Buddhist monk- Hiuen Tsang during his travels in the 7th century. And many historians who connect Sabarimala with Buddhist origins, claims this same form of Avalokiteswara as the deity of Sabarimala.So if we read these two traditions located in two different places of Kerala, it highlights the preservation of an erstwhile Buddhist tradition which now got under cover of a Hindu myth.Rise of Monastic HinduismThe rise of Brahminism in Kerala was around post 8th century. In this period, already Hinduism has adopted numerous elements of Buddhist traditions, which includes Monastic traditions. Unlike the Vedic period, post 8th century, Hindus across India accepted the concept of Ascetic Sansayasis to lead the faith much like Buddhism. In Kerala, while preserving the hardcore Vedic traditions of Srautha, Nampoothiris equally accepted some elements of Buddhism to ensure the public appeal associated with it. So probably the concept of Naisthika Brahmachari as per Buddhist iconography somewhere got struck even in Hindu fold for this temple to appease others who were trained in old Buddhist school of women free asceticism.Interestingly if we look, tribals of Agayastakoodam claims the shrine is of Sage Agastya who is one of the key sages of the Ancient Vedic period and widely respected in South as the father of Tamil language. As per Vedic narrative, he has a wife- Lopamudra, but the tribals claim Agayasta as an ascetic and hence claim women should be barred from the forests. So probably this Buddhist ascetic values might have got deep-rooted in minds of locals which Nampoothiris too accepted even if they don’t believe in such ascetic tradition. As such order became more acceptable to Hindu traditions in later stages of History, it might have crystallized into a Hindu belief.Possibility of dacoityIn one of the stories of Ayyappa, there is a reference to Prince Manikanda attacking a dacoit lord called Udayan who lived in these forest ranges and frequently kidnapped young girls for his pleasure. Probably it might a reality there could be the presence of dacoits in these forest regions which may result in creating a narrative that the visit to the shrine by young girls as dangerous. It's so surprising today no one talks about this story of Manikanda killing the dacoit king- Udayan (a Malayalam movie also came based on this subject in the 1980s), so probably everyone might have forgotten the story of dacoits, rather still continues the tradition of young girls not going there.I feel the 4 logical reasons might have resulted in the creation of a custom of prohibiting young girls and ladies to the shrine. As typical of every Hindu fashion, these social realities might have been well wrapped in thick covers of tales and legends that give a mystical feel for social acceptance.One thing we need to understand, Sabarimala wasn’t a pure Brahminical temple untill 1902. It was only in 1902, the temple got its first Nampoothiri Tantri, as prior to that, it was tribal chieftains who performed and looked over the rituals of the deity. The temple was damaged in the 1950s in an arson, and redeveloped in the same period as the temple we see today, replacing every old custom related to tribal worship and a complete absorption into the typical brahminical fold. While many tribal customs got abolished, certain customs that were in public memory like the ban on young women etc seems to be continued.Those who claim as protectors of Celibacy of the deity has no explanation for the following questions which I have raised many times in Quora and other social media as well echoed by progressive people in many forums;When did mortals become protectors of divine Naisthika Brahmachari of a God? When Shiva was an ascetic, Devas tried all their level best to make the lord fall for Parvathy. They even used Kamadeva to fire his 5 emotional arrows (Panchabanam) to make god fall in love with Parvathy, but the all-powerful god- Shiva immediately understood the plot and burned down Kamadeva. That's how we are taught to understand the power of God. Then how come a few mortal ladies spoil the celibacy of divine lord- Ayyappa?In which scriptures, is it mentioned that Ayyappa of Sabarimala shrine is a celibate or Naisthika Brahmachari?. A rite or worship mode comes from scriptures, isn’t it? Someone has to showcase a scripture associated with rites and worship mode to prove the deity is a Naisthika Brahmachari? That never happened. Barring local legends and inherited hearsays, there is not even one major scripture to highlight the deity as celibateThe attached below link is Tantrasamuchayam, the holy bible of tantra which is the standard text followed by every priest to perform Tantric rites to worship a deity in Kerala. Can anyone point out a single reference from this book about worship mode of a celibate deity called Ayyappa OR Manikanda? I have taken an old version as published by Travancore University (today’s Kerala University) as in 1942 so as no one can cite a bias of the interpreters or publishers. If one takes the pain to read entire work, it's so surprising, there is no reference to worship of any celibate diety called Ayyappa, rather a married deity called Dharmasastha, that too invoking names of his wives. The priests of Sabarimala owes an explanation, which book/scripture and mantra set they follow, in invoking a celibate deity in Sabarimala, if it's outside Tantrasamuchayam (impossible in Kerala context due to standardization of Tantric rites). Thanthra Samuchayam, - :readwhereHow can onus of someone’s brahmacharya be rested upon another people? If I am fasting, it's my responsibility to keep the fasting. I cannot ask everyone around me to keep away from me or stop eating food, just because I am fasting. The true essence of fasting comes when we able to conquer the enticements successfully. This is a case as related to Mortals. And we aren’t even talking about mortals, rather gods..There are 100s of customs violated in Sabarimala.The most key custom of Sabarimala was opening the shrine only for 41 days in a year. Even as per the same legends, Ayyappa will be in Yoga Dhyanam (divine meditation) for one full year, except for 41 days when he gives darshanam to pilgrims. Since the renovation of the shrine in 1950s, the same priests introduced a new custom of opening the shrine for one week at the start of every Malayalam month. Isn’t it a Violation?The tribals traditionally had the right to perform Honey Abhishekam using the honey they garner from the forest. At that time, the priests have to go out of the sanctum sanctorum and tribals will do the poojas. This custom was abolished by the same priests in 1960s citing against Tantric rules.As per legends, Ayyappa became an ascetic and decided to give up all material pleasures. Upon request of his father, once in a year on Makarasankarthi day, he will wear the jewels as fit for a prince. Today every single day when the shrine is open, the idol is decked with jewels and gold. So isn’t a custom breach.There is much more serious custom breach when the whole temple was plated in Gold, despite the fact, the lord is an ascetic. Even the 18 holy steps were covered in gold, that violates basic tradition of not stamping on gold as it represents Goddess Lakshmi.How come an ascetic Brahmachari who gave up all worldly pleasures have abishekams with sandal, rosewater, Panchamritham etc which all represents luxurious pleasures?The much famous Aravana Prasadam of Ayyappa itself is contrary to the original tradition of an ascetic god as Aravana or Neypayasam as per Kerala concepts represents material prosperity. It's regularly used in Devi temples as an offering to be bestowed with prosperity, wealth, fertility etc. How come an ascetic deity is associated with these material benefits?The traditional custom of covering the old route by stopping at 9 holy places associated with Ayyappa and climbing 7 hills doesn’t exist anymore.There is an endless list of custom breaches reported in that shrine. How come only one discriminatory custom alone be protected?So essentially the issue isn’t the removal of an obsolete, illogical custom which no more holds valid in today’s social circumstances. It's more ironical for those who seek to protect an erstwhile Buddhist Concept in name of Hindu faith and try to invoke Hindu pride.The issue is more of political in nature and more of asserting Hindu pride etc. It's no more a religious or faith matter, rather more a political ego matter which will last till 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.