Skip to main content

Featured Post

Odisha Part 10: Bhubaneshwar – the city of temples

Bhubaneshwar is often called the city of temples . It is impossible to know exactly how many temples there are, but it has been estimated that there might be over 700 temples in the city. This number, while impressive, is just a fraction of the original number, which, sometime in the 13 th century, would have been about 7000. Wikipedia has a page dedicated to the Hindu temples of Bhubaneshwar , where 93 temples are listed. All these are ancient temples, built between the 7 th and 13 th centuries CE. Bhubaneshwar was once known as Ekamra Kshetra , the sacred mango grove. We know this name from an inscription at the Ananta Vasudeva temple, which mentions the name of the place, and the main temple (that we now know as the Lingaraja temple) in the mango grove. Ananta Vasudeva Temple, with a sculpture of Trivikrama in the niche It is extremely interesting to note that the Ananta Vasudeva temple is the only temple to Lord Vishnu in this city. Varaha, Ananta Vasudeva Temple Located v...
Post a Comment

Finding beauty in unexpected places...

October is over and November is here. Before I know it, the year will be over! And I am nowhere near catching up with all the posts I have to write. October brought in so much travel, from the unexpected Club Mahindra Bloggers Meet to another unexpected Diwali trip to Sringeri. There is so much I want to write, but the words will take some time to come. Meanwhile, I just realised that the blog has been left alone for too long without a post, so I will be posting some random images from my trips.....

We were on our way to Nainital, when we stopped to take pics of the wonderful view of the hills and valleys. But as we clicked and posed for others, these weeds by the roadside caught my eye. 



They are just weeds - unwanted and un-cared for. Yet, they grow profusely wherever they get the chance! If we see them in our garden, we pluck them and throw them off, but look closer and see the innate beauty, the perfect geometrical shapes. Remember drawing flowers with a compass in school? Doesnt this remind you of that? And yet, this is so much more beautiful, for it is  small - the diameter would be less than a centimeter - and besides, it is alive! 

Comments

  1. Julia DuttaNovember 3, 2011 at 2:16 PM

    Are these not called Dandy Lions Anu?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mridula DNovember 3, 2011 at 9:00 PM

    I think Dandelions too is the name? 

    ReplyDelete
  3. PN SubramanianNovember 4, 2011 at 10:55 AM

    Superb! Like son the mom or is it the other way round. I admire the inquisitiveness.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ZephyrNovember 4, 2011 at 7:53 PM

    loved the last line: it is indeed alive!! It is beautiful Anu.

    Can I ask you a favour? The font is fine in the post but really small in the comment form. Could you pl. increase it? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anu ShankarNovember 5, 2011 at 12:10 PM

    No idea, Julia... i wondered if they were dandelions.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anu ShankarNovember 5, 2011 at 12:11 PM

    maybe, Mridula! thinking of adding to the write up with some interesting stuff about dandelions!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anu ShankarNovember 5, 2011 at 12:11 PM

    THanks! there is a whole lot of inquisitiveness around, both for mom and son!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anu ShankarNovember 5, 2011 at 12:14 PM

    THanks so much! and thanks for pointing out abt the font.. will increase it!

    ReplyDelete
  9. KanthiNovember 7, 2011 at 3:15 PM

    New way of thinking about these so called unwanted part of our gardens! Doesn't this post apply to our daily lives!!!! Food for thought

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anu ShankarNovember 7, 2011 at 3:45 PM

    Thanks kanthi!

    ReplyDelete
  11. SudhageeNovember 14, 2011 at 9:30 PM

    Sometimes we need weeds and thorns to appreciate the ones that please the senses, don't we? And sometimes we need to see the neglected for what they are.

    Lovely post, Anu.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anu ShankarNovember 14, 2011 at 9:42 PM

    Absolutely, Sudha!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Boat Tour DubaiMay 18, 2019 at 1:55 PM

    appreciate your post ,thanks for sharing a nice post

    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

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.
7 comments
Read more