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...
Ah! At last! I can hear the pitter-patter of the drops as they fall on my window pane….. When I open the window, the smell of wet earth fills my nostrils… how I have waited for this! Since the first week of June, we have been preparing ourselves for the monsoon, and every day that passed without rain was a depressing one. Then, we were hit by the water-cut, which only made things worse. All over, people are praying for rain. While some look at scientific methods, others perform havans. Some, like my mother-in-law and her friends, read slokas which are guaranteed to bring rains. Whatever the method, the aim is just one – a normal monsoon – not just for Bombay, but all of India. As the days passed, and July approaches, the hopes dipped, and all over, there was talk of a missed-monsoon and drought! But at last, there is hope!
Since the last two days, it has been raining here (at least in our locality). The Met Department says these are just pre-monsoon thundershowers, but whatever they are, they have raised the hopes of the monsoon coming, if not on time, at least, as they say “Better late than never!”
I remember the days when I used to walk to the bus stop wading through knee deep water, but never late to catch the bus! While some complained about the water and the incessant rain, for most of us it was a pleasure that we got just for 3 months in the year, and made the most of it. Today, neither do I wade through water, nor does Samhith, for is school bus picks him up and drops him right on our doorstep!
Yesterday, it poured so heavily that I waited downstairs for him with an umbrella for him, and thought of carrying my camera along to while away the time… Here are some glimpses from my neighbourhood in the rain……………
Here is the sky just before it began pouring.... I was fascinated by the beautiful shade of blue.....
And here is the same scene a little while later....
Drops of water....
On the road...
When I came down, there was this crow getting drenched just inside our building....
here's a closer look..
By the time Samhith came, it was totally drenched, and wasn't moving at all...... i wondered if it was alive...
10 minutes later, it flew away!!!!!
Let's just hope the rains come on in full force. If they do, I shall keep my camera ready for more photographs!!
that crow looks soaked. poor him!
ReplyDeletewe have snow here - in the middle of summer. crazy weather.
Anu, send the rain here too. Badly needed.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rain anu.....
ReplyDeleteit is in rain -- the divine descends...
cheers.... :)
PS- Can U please take of the word verification option in the comments section. It makes commenting easy. :)
(& trust me- there will be no spamming- I have experimented with my own blog)
it isn't raining here either after the premonsoon showers. It has almost stopped. Not even showers, normally, when there is monsoon and if it rains in Kerala, the showers will be felt here in Coimbatore. But it is dry here too. Wish it rains, for the crops, farmers and for then us..
ReplyDeleteCheers!
We too are waiting for the rains to come. The sky is cloudy and temperatures have gone down but the rain is being withheld. The crow in your building seems to be enjoying the rains.
ReplyDeleteGood to see it raining well in chennai Anu, Rain's playing hide and seek in Bangalore. If we don't get good rains we will have severe water and power shortage in Karnataka. I hope the rain god's show mercy...Thomas
ReplyDeleteyeppie..d rain has come, ur blog brot d joy bak.. In bengal though late, it came n especially aftr d sweltering summer its such a grt relief....
ReplyDeleteAwesome pics...
Happy monsoon..:)