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Odisha Part 6: The Yogini Temple of Hirapur

I fell in love with this temple the first time I set eyes on it. Back in 2017 , I had been excited to see yet another Yogini temple, when I visited Puri. The resort I was staying at (and writing for), had arranged for a car and driver to take me around. The driver was happy to take me to most of the places I wanted to go, but when it came to Hirapur, he was appalled. He knew of the temple, but had never been there. It was a tantric temple, one not visited by women, and certainly not women travelling alone. He tried to convince me not to go, but my stubbornness and persistence paid off, and he reluctantly agreed when I told him that if he didn’t take me, I would find another driver who would. All along the way, he kept going on about the sinister things that happened at the temple, the tantric rituals that were performed at night…. An Odisha brahmin who took his religious duties very seriously, to the extent of stopping the car to perform the sandhyavandam when he deemed it time, he...
2 comments

Faces in the Crowd - Business in the rain


The monsoon at Mahabaleshwar is a sight to see. The pouring rain, the dense fog, lush green valleys and mountains everywhere your eyes can see.... and vendors selling hot tea and corn at every turning. 

Some have a temporary shack, like the vendor selling corn-on-the-cob, but this man just has his bicycle, and his Aluminium steamer. He goes around, wearing a raincoat, selling plucked and boiled corn till he runs out of stock, which seemed to be quite huge considering the number of customers he had!

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Location: Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra, India

Comments

  1. ArtiJanuary 20, 2013 at 5:44 PM

    Ah! Garma Garm Bhuttas in the rain :) A treat, that is :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 21, 2013 at 11:28 AM

      I would love bhuttas in this cold too, Arti!!! but its a pity cant seem to see them anywhere in mumbai these days!

      Delete
  2. krishnaJanuary 20, 2013 at 9:38 PM

    this is my India!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Timeless Memories - My Bygone !January 20, 2013 at 11:26 PM

    Just Perfect.. there is nothing like having a hot bhutta ceremoniasly pasted with lemon & mint on a rainy day..!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 21, 2013 at 11:47 AM

      oh, absolutely, Devil Incarnate! and the thought of it makes me salivate even now!

      Delete
  4. Bhavesh ChhatbarJanuary 21, 2013 at 12:00 PM

    Poor people

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 21, 2013 at 2:53 PM

      True, Bhavesh... we do feel sorry for people like him who brave the weather to make our lives easier... and there is no doubt that it is people like him who make our memories that much more memorable!

      Delete
  5. R Niranjan DasJanuary 23, 2013 at 1:01 PM

    Tough life!

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete

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