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Temples of Kashi - The Kardameshwar temple

The absence of ancient Hindu structures in Kashi is something I have always lamented about. The shrines are certainly ancient, and that is something that has always attracted me to the city. However, I miss the beauty of the ancient structures that we see at other sites. This feeling is intensified when I see marble and concrete and tiles in temples that once would have been beautifully adorned with evocative sculptures, and worn by the passage of time, touched by the hands of seekers who came before. This time , this desire to see some remnants of an ancient Hindu structure in Kashi came true when I managed to visit the Kardameshwar Temple. The Kardameshwar temple is not one of the main temples in the city. It is part of the temples on the Pancha Kroshi yatra, a pilgrimage which takes one on a circumambulatory tour of the whole city. The temple is located on the outskirts of the city, on the western bank of a tank called the Kardama Kund. The Kardameshwar temple is one of the...
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Train Journeys- Fun and Photographs

Train journeys can be fun- as I keep telling Samhith. He usually gets bored on trains, and either wants me to read to him all the time, or climb up and down, troubling everyone else, and getting hurt. This time, however, the trip to Kumbhalgarh was different. We had great company in our coach - 4 young boys, about 20-25 years old, with their family, on their way to their hometown near Falna. They were only too glad to play with Samhith, and he kept them occupied! It was certainly the best train journey I have had since Samhith was born. I don’t know their names, but when we got off the train at Falna, I asked them to pose with Samhith for a photograph, and they happily obliged. Samhith remembers their nick-names, with which he called them, and I have the photograph for him to remember them by. It was certainly a memorable journey!








I am an avid photographer- not a very good one, but I just enjoy taking photos of just anything and everything. This time, while we were approaching Virar station, I was able to get a good shot of the Jivdani temple. This temple, situated on a hilltop is a very popular one, but unfortunately one I have not yet visited. I hope I get to visit the temple soon – meanwhile, I have photos of the temple.





The Jivdani Temple

Shankar refuses to touch the camera, but Samhith is taking after me, and keeps asking me to let him use the camera. While we were on our return journey, the coach we were in was empty, and we had the whole place to ourselves. While the train was held up at a small station, we saw this temple near the tracks. As the train was stationary, I helped Samhith take a photo, and the result is in front of you. It was a Tuesday, and women were praying to Shitala Devi, a form of Durga, for good health and a long life of their husbands.



I also took some snaps of the sunset, as seen from the train.







This was, really a wonderful trip, as we had a good time on the train too, and Samhith wasn’t bored at all!
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  1. D.K. SharmaJanuary 21, 2017 at 3:10 PM

    Good write up for the people interested in sight seeing and exploring the countryside.
    I wish to visit Kumbhalgarh next month

    ReplyDelete

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