Skip to main content

Featured Post

Odisha Part 9 : The Vaital Temple, Bhubaneshwar

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...
Post a Comment

SkyWatch Friday - Sunlight


I took this pic when we were returning from Morachi Chincholi... I think we were somewhere on the expressway.... and I remember wishing for dark clouds and some rain, but all we could see was the sun!

For more skies around the world, go to SkyWatch Friday


Labels:

Comments

  1. MridulaJuly 23, 2010 at 8:23 PM

    The sky still looks quite dramatic.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010 at 10:34 PM

    what awesome skies..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sankara Subramanian CJuly 24, 2010 at 12:22 AM

    Love the varied cloud formations and their shades...

    ReplyDelete
  4. SteffiJuly 24, 2010 at 12:23 AM

    Wow...stunning photo!Thank you for sharing and have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Light and VoicesJuly 24, 2010 at 5:59 AM

    Nice post for skywatch Friday post.
    Joyce M

    ReplyDelete
  6. stanJuly 24, 2010 at 6:16 AM

    The gathering clouds look like they r ready for an invasion of sorts. lol

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownJuly 24, 2010 at 6:36 AM

    Heavenly!
    The only word for that sky!

    ReplyDelete
  8. P.N. SubramanianJuly 24, 2010 at 7:37 PM

    A beautiful view. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  9. IndraniJuly 25, 2010 at 11:40 AM

    Nice silvery cloud patterns Anu.
    Beautiful capture.

    ReplyDelete
  10. chitraJuly 26, 2010 at 9:57 AM

    Sun peeping through clouds,silhoutted mountain and blue background...really nice.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anuradha ShankarJuly 27, 2010 at 10:57 AM

    @Mridula: yes, it does..... I loved the sun peeping from between the clouds...

    @Patty: thanks...

    @Sankara : thanks.....

    @Steffi: thanks! I just had a look at your blog, and you took me back to the days when I loved to stitch and used my mom's old sarees to practice stitching clothes for myself!!!

    @Light and Voices: thanks a lot! loved your clouds too... thats how the sky looks like here today!

    @Stan: what a way to describe the clouds!! LOL!

    @Joy: thanks so much!

    @P.N.Subramanian: thanks....

    @Indrani: thanks... yes.. the silver lining does come out, doesnt it??

    @Chitra: thanks.....

    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

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.
7 comments
Read more