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.
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
Excellent!
ReplyDeleteLovely click....
ReplyDeleteLovely capture. I think I have seen this bird but then I was out with Chhavi and I was not having the camera! Beautiful.
ReplyDelete@Usha: I thought of you at once! It was sitting on the tree op my house and then it flew to the guava tree.. you would have a wonderful view!
ReplyDelete@Silence Sings: tjanks
@Mridula: apparently it is a common bird.... so says my aunt who is a zoologist... she says that she has seen it often outside our house in thane.. though i have never noticed it before!
wonderful capture!!
ReplyDeleteHi Anuradha, I found your blog while searching for an image of a golden oriole in India to complement Sarojini Naidu's beautiful poem. The bird above captured so beautifully on film seemed the right fit!
ReplyDeletePlease take a look at how it's been used [your name and a link to your blog has been given after the poem] and let me know if it is okay to use it this way.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=219469238169567
Thank you so much.
We're a new page on facebook and would love to feature your blogs there from time to time.
Meenakshi