Skip to main content

Featured Post

Odisha Part 9 : The Vaital Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Vaital temple is of the many intriguing temples in Bhubaneshwar. To begin with, the structure itself resembles a South-Indian temple more than the typical Kalingan style that we see everywhere else in Odisha. The temple has been dated to the last quarter of the 8 th century CE. Further , unlike most of the temples in Bhubaneshwar, this temple is not dedicated to Lord Shiva. Inside the sanctum is one of the deities who is very rarely seen in a sanctum – Chamunda, along with the Saptamatrikas. This is evidently a Shakta shrine. However, the presence of Lakulisha on the vimana indicates the connection with the Pasupata sect, which is most prevalent in this region during this time period. Further, the name of the temple – ‘Vaital’, comes from the word ‘ vetala’ , referring to spirits, which were invoked by tantrics to attain siddhis. Thus, this temple is an amalgamation of Pasupata and Shakta philosophy, with a strong emphasis on tantric rituals, and this is reflected in the iconogra...
Post a Comment

Sky Watch Friday - Random Clicks from Cars and Train

Welcome back, and Wish you all a wonderful New Year!!

I am back at last from my trip - the last one of 2011 and also the first one of 2012. I was accompanied throughout by some wonderful weather, the cyclone Thane throwing no hurdles in my path, just a lot of clouds and some rain to enliven our travel! For Skywatch Friday today, here are some random scenes from my trip!








I clicked this pic from the train, fascinated by the flaming colours of the sky.
I clicked lots of pics, and this one turned up with a ghostly image of a tree! 


For more beautiful images from around the world, go to Sky Watch Friday!

Labels:

Comments

  1. JewaiciousJanuary 6, 2012 at 12:12 PM

    What beautiful captures of nature, landscape and environment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mridula DJanuary 6, 2012 at 12:20 PM

    Lovely skies all around.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AartiJanuary 6, 2012 at 12:26 PM

    hey Anu.. Welcome back and good to hear that Cyclone Thane dint spoil your journeys.... lovely set of pics, my fav is the 1st one, looks so dramatic and beautiful.... : )

    here's to an awesome year ahead

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lady FiJanuary 6, 2012 at 12:35 PM

    What a lovely series of shots. Love the fiery sky with the ghost tree!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anu ShankarJanuary 6, 2012 at 1:38 PM

    Yes, Mridula..... the skies were too lovely all along! couldnt even capture half of it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anu ShankarJanuary 6, 2012 at 1:39 PM

    Thanks Aarti!! that first one was taken on spur of the moment, from bro in law's car!! surprised it came out so well!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anu ShankarJanuary 6, 2012 at 1:39 PM

    Thanks so much! i love that one too, esp since i was so surprised by the result!

    ReplyDelete
  8. VidyaJanuary 6, 2012 at 2:40 PM

    Nice shots Anu! Did you touch Chennai? Will await further posts..

    ReplyDelete
  9. Team G SquareJanuary 6, 2012 at 6:42 PM

    Awesome Clicks , loved the first snap .

    ReplyDelete
  10. DeeJanuary 7, 2012 at 8:50 AM

    Very cool

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anu ShankarJanuary 8, 2012 at 12:13 PM

    Hi Vidya, no I didnt touch chennai.. was at coimbatore and tiruppur and went to puttaparthi later...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anu ShankarJanuary 8, 2012 at 12:13 PM

    Thanks a lot, Team G Square~

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anu ShankarJanuary 8, 2012 at 12:14 PM

    Thanks Dee!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anu ShankarJanuary 8, 2012 at 12:17 PM

    Thanks a lot!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. ArtiJanuary 9, 2012 at 3:33 PM

    Amazing clicks, the tree shot is magic!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anu ShankarJanuary 10, 2012 at 1:06 PM

    Thanks so much, Arti!

    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