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The Vaishnodevi Experience 2023

My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
3 comments

Navaratri Preparations - Part 4 - Samples for the Golu....




Taking a break from navaratri preparations, I went to Matunga yesterday to buy some essentials for the puja. A trip to Matunga is never complete without a visit to Giri Stores – the one-stop shop for every kind of book and CD we South-Indians would ever need. Every navaratri, Giri stocks up on the ‘Kolu Bommais’ – dolls for keeping in the golu, and I love having a look-around, though there’s no place for more dolls at my place.

It would have been great to take Samhith along, but he was at school, so I brought back photographs instead! Here they are –


An assortment of dolls - from Krishna to the Devis  and the Dashavatar , Tirupati Balaji and Sri Raghavendra.


More of the same... 

Rows and rows of Gods and Goddesses.....





Different types of Krishnas.......




and a Karthikeya too.....



Some beautiful representations of sculptures, recreated in clay.....



The divine musicians - Samhith asked me whether asuras knew how to play musical instruments, and when I asked why, he replied that they looked like asuras!!!





The marriage of Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi

The birth of Krishna....



Gajendra Moksham...



Lord Ayyappa.... and also the Paramacharya....


Rows and rows of Kamadhenu - the divine, wish fulfilling cow.....


Bala Krishna, stealing butter, Radha and Krishna, and Narashimha with Prahalada..... more detailed tableaus of the Dashavatars....


Moving from divinity to the human element - representations of professions - from the brahmin priests to blacksmiths and cobblers....


and vegetable sellers......


... labourers, dancers and sanyasis.....


to tribal dancers...


and village life....


One of the most popular sets of all time - a cricket team!


Mahishasura Mardini - a representation of the Durga Puja in Bengal.....



Here's something for the kids.... the ever popular stories of  "The Hare and the Tortoise" and "the Lion and the Rabbit"...



And finally, it is not only the animate, but also the inanimate which find their place on the golu - cartons of wax  fruits and vegetables!



Hope you all enjoyed these toys as much as I did! Samhith loved them, and I have promised to take him next time!


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Location: Brhmanwada, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Comments

  1. sriSeptember 17, 2009 at 12:16 PM

    thanks for all the pictures! Glad u posted them I have no way of seeing them in singapore otherwise :)

    Did you notice the idols that comes these days are not as beautiful as the ones we had back in our dad's time ? The face is dis oreinted, hands and legs not under any propotion , painting awful and they mostly look like a pulp of clay given to a child for making a doll and painted by 11 year old. :)

    yet some of the dolls stands apart, It makes me believe true workmanship is still alive
    somewhere :)

    p.s: the marriage is shiva's not vishnus :) and yes asuras play musical too

    ReplyDelete
  2. AartiSeptember 17, 2009 at 12:57 PM

    Wowww... Rhomba porumai!! lovely dolls, wish i was there to come over see them in real...

    The lions n well was damn cute... [last but one pic] :)
    This time a friend has invited me over to help her n her son put up the golu.. looking fwd to it..never done it ever!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. SidSeptember 17, 2009 at 1:25 PM

    Giri Stores is the epitome of Matunga. And how the place has grown over the years. Now it is completely air-conditioned, has a separate section for eatables and powders/chutneys etc. Had been there recently after a long time and all those earlier memories came rushing back.
    Really beautiful bommais. Loved the cricket one.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownNovember 16, 2009 at 9:05 PM

    hi people

    i was wondering if anyone can help me?

    i reside in london and have a business in religious goods. i have come across suplliers for kolu dolls but not what i am looking for.

    i have been told kancheepuram would be good to go.

    please if anyone can help me i would apreciate i also have pictures of what we stock now and what we are looking for

    ReplyDelete
  5. Vijay KumarApril 29, 2019 at 10:02 AM

    Nice post.

    ReplyDelete

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