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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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Ganeshas...... and more.....

Here’s another installment of the Ganeshotsav celebrations in Bombay. Yes, there has been quite a long gap, and sheer laziness has been the cause… just didn’t feel like going out, you see…

However, yesterday, I felt a sudden bout of energy and decided to go along with my sister to Crawford market in search for a few things for Navaratri… thinking ahead, you see… and then we saw these beautiful Ganeshas there, so I found something to write about today….

The first Ganesha was right at the entrance to the crowded lanes known for their wholesale shops selling every kind of goods under the sun, located (of all places) in the parking lot! Take a look….







The Ganesha looks great, doesn’t he, but what’s more impressive is that the idol is 15 feet tall! Surely the tallest Ganesha I have seen this year….. (of course, there are others even taller, but I haven’t seen them yet!!!)


Just outside was this small, but beautiful idol…..



As we wound our way among the crowded lanes, we saw more Ganpati pandals…… all of them blaring out songs…….the crowd halting to pay their respects and causing even more traffic jams……..

This one is the main Ganesh at a pandal….



And these are part of the decoration…..

 


These represent the story of Ganesha destroying the demon Analasura by swallowing him. The demon’s heat proved to be too much for him, and all attempts to cool him proved futile until the rishis showered Dhurva grass on him. This story is cited as the reason for Dhurva grass being considered the favourite offering for lord Ganesh.


Oh, this post isn’t only about Ganeshotsav……. Our work took us towards my favourite area of Bombay – a place which I visited often during my college days, a place which still beckons to me after all these years – Nariman Point….. let me share some pics with you…..





And here’s my sister… incidentally, this is the first time we came here together….. And she posed for a few snaps…..just like all the tourists……



Finally, we turned our back and wove our way back in the growing traffic back home…..

On the way.........

A glimpse of VT station (I just can’t get used to calling it CST!!!!) ………



We passed via Lalbaug where the people were queuing up all over the place, past all the other beautiful mandals on the road, but had no time to stop, nor the inclination to stand in one of those long queues……….


And another Ganesha at Matunga……





Meanwhile, the flower decoration had changed for the Flower Market Ganesha……




We were back home just in time for Samhith's return from school.

And today is Onam……all around me, there are beautiful kolams (rangolis) made of flowers. Here is my neighbour’s.




Wishing everyone a very happy Onam!!!!

And hoping to be back soon with the last part of the Ganeshotsav……. Bidding goodbye to the lord.



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Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Comments

  1. sriSeptember 2, 2009 at 1:32 PM

    Thanks for all the lovely pics, it gave me an idea how it would be like to be in ur part of the world to celebrate this function.

    You started preparing for navraatri already hehe thats good, u can get the small train set - 2 or three because u get loads of train tracks using wich u can make tracks to go around in the park

    All the best :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. MridulaSeptember 2, 2009 at 5:13 PM

    I think VT station is part of the UNESCO World Heritage list too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. IndraniSeptember 2, 2009 at 11:02 PM

    Happy Onam!
    Lovely shots!

    ReplyDelete
  4. SujataSeptember 3, 2009 at 10:25 AM

    Very nice post Anu. it seems you had quite a trip...

    ReplyDelete

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