Skip to main content

Featured Post

Odisha Part 8: The Parasurameshwara Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Parasurameshwara temple is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneshwar, dating back to the early 8 th century CE. It is also one of the more intriguing temples, with a wide variety of very interesting sculptures. This temple has been attributed to the Shailodbhavas , who were Shaivites. The dynasty is named for their founder, Shailodbhava, who is said to have emerged from a rock, by the grace of Lord Shiva, in response to a prayer by a man from Kalinga, to create a man capable of ruling the earth. That this temple is dedicated to Shiva is clear, not only from the Shaiva dwarapalas who guard the entrance, but also from the numerous sculptures depicting Shiva in his many forms. However, what makes this temple very interesting is the presence of multiple images of the goddesses, especially the Saptamatrikas. The presence of different forms of the goddess, a panel depicting the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, as well as an image of Ardhanareeshwara suggest a strong Shakta influence o...
Post a Comment

Skywatch Friday - The Sun, playing Hide and Seek!

It's been a while since I have posted here, for various reasons, and what better way to break this silence than this beautiful scene from our trip to Shirdi last week?




The tree, the sun, the clouds, and the play of light, as the sun hid behind the clouds... they all make for a wonderful sight, do they not?



Which makes this post perfect for Skywatch Friday! For more beautiful skies from around the world, visit the Skywatch Page!

Labels:

Comments

  1. LocomenteMarch 7, 2014 at 2:58 PM

    It is a wonderful sight indeed...
    Nature is a relentless artist and poet, according me...

    Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarMarch 10, 2014 at 5:08 PM

      Thank you, Locomente! You have put it so beautifully... Nature indeed is a relentless artist and poet :-)

      Delete
  2. HansHBMarch 7, 2014 at 4:29 PM

    Beautiful photos, well done!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMarch 7, 2014 at 7:59 PM

    Love those rays and that lone tree.

    ReplyDelete
  4. GaleMarch 8, 2014 at 7:12 AM

    The last one is my favorite!

    ReplyDelete
  5. StephanieMarch 8, 2014 at 9:24 AM

    Gorgeous sky shots!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ritesh AgarwalMarch 9, 2014 at 3:21 PM

    Hi Anuradha

    I'd say the solo photo of a lone tree is what makes this image such a powerful one... A plain sky would have looked bland. Very creatively captured

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarMarch 10, 2014 at 5:52 PM

      Thank you, Ritesh. I totally agree with you. The tree is the hero of the pic :-)

      Delete
  7. Anuradha ShankarMarch 10, 2014 at 5:45 PM

    Thank you, Niranjan :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anuradha ShankarMarch 10, 2014 at 5:46 PM

    Thank you, Mina !

    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