Skip to main content

Featured Post

Odisha Part 5: Two less visited temples

My quest for ancient temples often takes me to hidden corners of the country, often less visited by regular tourists. More often than not, my drivers are completely unaware of these temples, and we often get lost looking for them, despite the ease that Google Maps has provided. On my recent visit to Odisha, I had only two such less visited temples on my list – the Varahi temple at Chaurasi, and the Gangeshwari temple. I had heard and read about the Varahi temple at Chaurasi , and was eager to go see her. The form of Varahi has always fascinated me, and this particular temple was said to have an exceptionally beautiful idol of the deity. Persuading my driver wasn’t an easy feat – he was reluctant (to say the least) about going in search of temples he had never heard of, but my persistence paid off. The Varahi Temple at Chaurasi The Varahi temple dates back to the 9 th century, and the architecture is unusual, as compared to the other temples of Odisha. The temple is closest in st...
Post a Comment

Bracket Fungi

Monsoon is the season of life, and we see the growth of all kinds of life all around us..... Not even the dead or dying wood is spared, if you notice these bracket fungi growing on them.

This first one is growing on our pomegranate tree, and it is sad to think that the arrival of this fungus means that our tree has not much longer to live.... Of course, it had never been very healthy, not one of its small pomegranates growing into fruits ripe enough for us to taste. Meanwhile, we are making the most of this opportunity to learn about these forms of life too!


This one grew on a rotting log on the side of the road. I noticed it one day as I went by, and remembered to take my camera along the next day to take a picture. Thankfully, it was still there then, but was gone the very next day!


I remember my very first walk into a jungle and our guide pointing out these interestingly shaped things... I even remember bringing back a piece with me (which crumbled in a few days). I remember how thrilled I was then, to see something 'wild'!!! Imagine seeing the same thing in my garden now!!!!

Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 14, 2010 at 10:00 AM

    Maybe too much of rains - The reason.
    Anyways, thanks for sharing. At-least someone is thinking about them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. chitraAugust 14, 2010 at 10:59 AM

    Never knew fungi spoils the tree.
    We call them 'Bebai sathuli' meaning frog's umbrella. The last picture is like a flower.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MridulaAugust 14, 2010 at 1:16 PM

    I always enjoy watching mushrooms that sprout everywhere in this season! Thanks for telling me more about them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. IndraniAugust 14, 2010 at 6:49 PM

    Some of them are edible, but of course don't try them. Some are known to be poisonous too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. RajeshAugust 14, 2010 at 9:53 PM

    Fantastic captures. As a kid I used to see these a lot. Now I do not see to get them much.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AswathiBabuAugust 16, 2010 at 9:53 AM

    Anu
    nice effort and thanks for sharing these pictures with us

    ReplyDelete
  7. subu.psAugust 16, 2010 at 11:12 AM

    Is fungii so dangerous to the tree?

    Very recently I enjoyed watching these spread completely over a tree. The trees image is posted here. http://subups.blogspot.com/2010/06/achenkovil-temple-in-paradise.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. jayasreeAugust 17, 2010 at 11:53 AM

    Didn't know these mushrooms could harm the trees...

    ReplyDelete
  9. UshaAugust 19, 2010 at 8:27 PM

    shows that your garden is growing 'wild' :D

    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

Review of Executive Lounges at New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS)

During my recent trip to Uttarakhand , I was faced with a problem I had never encountered before. We were passing through Delhi, but we had hardly any time in the city. On earlier visits when I have had to change trains/flights at Delhi, I have always arrived in the morning and left again at night, visiting relatives in between. This time, I was arriving in the city at night, and leaving again early in the morning. There was hardly any time to visit people. I would only have a couple of hours with them before I’d have to leave again. For the first time, we considered booking a hotel, but there again, we were hesitant about the actual hotels, the costs involved, and the logistics of getting from the airport to the railway station and then back again from the station to the airport.  That’s when we remembered reading something about a corporate-managed lounge at Delhi station. We soon figured out that we could book online and pay by the hour. Besides, we also learnt that there wasn’...
2 comments
Read more