Skip to main content

Featured Post

Odisha Part 7: The Rajarani Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Rajarani Temple in Bhubaneshwar gets its name from the stone used to build it - the red and yellow sandstone used here is locally called Rajarani. This temple was once known as the Indreshwara temple, which is mentioned in the Ekamra Purana, which tells us about the temples of Bhubaneshwar, which was then known as Ekamra Kshetra. Today, the temple stands in a well-maintained lawn, and is the only ticketed monument within the city. The temple is built in the typical Kalinga style, with the tall curvilinear shikara over the garbagruha , and a jagamohana connected to it. The temple is believed to date back to the 11 th century, and is most well known for its sculptures. The entrance to the temple has two pillars with a Naga couple protecting the sanctum, holding garlands in their hands. The base of the pillar shows 3 lions standing over 3 elephants, a typical motif in temples of this region during this period. On the other side of the pillar is a horse and rider, and the two mo...
Post a Comment

A Slithering Visitor

We were returning from school and stopped by our compound wall to look at snails (as usual), trying to see if all of them were still around, when we spotted what we first took to be a rope, and only later realised was a snake! Both of us looked on, fascinated by the slithering creature which wove its way in and out of the holes in the wall, looking for God alone knows what! I realised that I had left my camera at home, and rushed up to bring it, wondering if it would still be around when I returned! It seemed to be a patient creature, for it was still around, and I did manage to get a couple of snaps, though not too good ones..... but at least now I have evidence that I have actually seen a snake in my yard!!!

It seems to be pure luck that I managed to get the entire snake in the frame for the very first pic.... Can you see its head and its tail?? and how it has managed to get in and out of the holes??


Here's a closer look at its head...... along with a lizard too... which hogs the limelight here....


But these were all the pics I could manage before it seemed to realize that it was being watched, and slithered into the undergrowth!  We barely had time to notice the greenish yellow underside before it disappeared, forget taking a pic! Neither of us had the guts to go looking for it again!!!
Labels:
Location: Chedda Nagar Rd, Kurla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Comments

  1. LakshmiJuly 27, 2010 at 10:02 AM

    Hi, I wanted to see a snake last week , nice to see it on your post

    ReplyDelete
  2. AswathiBabuJuly 27, 2010 at 10:08 AM

    anu
    congrats for the hillarious effort

    ReplyDelete
  3. IndraniJuly 27, 2010 at 10:09 AM

    That was quite brave of you!
    Great clear captures both.

    ReplyDelete
  4. MridulaJuly 27, 2010 at 10:40 AM

    I would have run away if I saw one! Great to see that both of you stood your ground.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anuradha ShankarJuly 27, 2010 at 10:45 AM

    @Lakshmi: You wanted to see a snake last week?? Why on earth?? I was so scared, but stood still only because I was fascinated and also sure that it wasnt poisonous!!

    @AswathiBabu: thanks :)

    @Indrani: not really, it was quite safe from where I was,, and I was close enough to run back inside our building :)

    @Mridula: I am sure you wouldnt have run away! you would have got much better pics with your camera!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. VidyaJuly 27, 2010 at 2:27 PM

    That was brave! And good you were able to click that picture! Nice one!

    ReplyDelete
  7. chitraJuly 27, 2010 at 5:19 PM

    snakes gives me creeps.I don't think I would have taken a photo like that.

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownJuly 28, 2010 at 5:09 AM

    I love seeing those little creatures making there way around!

    ReplyDelete
  9. SoulSpaceJuly 28, 2010 at 9:50 AM

    I really cherish yr comments...so promptly that you do leave them...
    interestingly..this post has a snake in it...and as yu know my latest too has one...
    i am sure we are destined to meet sometime in life...and figure out a connection that preexisted!!
    Take care

    ReplyDelete
  10. AartiJuly 30, 2010 at 12:33 PM

    I like watching Snakes on tv.. Thats it!!!

    Seen one when i was small,hidden behind the bathrom door [me inside the bathroom]. and then again one slithering away when i had just brot Floppy[doggie] home as a pup...

    Wow, not only did u see one, but managed to click pics too...brave woman :D

    Lakshmi's been wanting to see one since last week..lolz..!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. indicaspeciesAugust 1, 2010 at 5:43 PM

    Yikes!

    ReplyDelete
  12. flowergirlAugust 4, 2010 at 9:39 AM

    Wow, that is some snake and some photo! How long it must have been, to go in all those holes and still be seen!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw...
10 comments
Read more

Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
9 comments
Read more

Review of Executive Lounges at New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS)

During my recent trip to Uttarakhand , I was faced with a problem I had never encountered before. We were passing through Delhi, but we had hardly any time in the city. On earlier visits when I have had to change trains/flights at Delhi, I have always arrived in the morning and left again at night, visiting relatives in between. This time, I was arriving in the city at night, and leaving again early in the morning. There was hardly any time to visit people. I would only have a couple of hours with them before I’d have to leave again. For the first time, we considered booking a hotel, but there again, we were hesitant about the actual hotels, the costs involved, and the logistics of getting from the airport to the railway station and then back again from the station to the airport.  That’s when we remembered reading something about a corporate-managed lounge at Delhi station. We soon figured out that we could book online and pay by the hour. Besides, we also learnt that there wasn’...
2 comments
Read more