Lamayuru is one of the most ancient monasteries in Ladakh, the oldest surviving structure dating to the 11 th century CE. What makes this monastery particularly fascinating, is its location, amidst what is today called the “moonscape”, for the spectacular natural rock formations, which truly are “out of the world”! As per legend , there once existed a huge lake in this area, populated only by the Nagas (serpents). It was prophesized that there would be a great monastery built here. This prophecy came true when the great acharya Naropa (756-1041 CE) arrived. He emptied the lake, meditated for many years inside a cave, and built the first monastery here. The present structure is a new one, built around the cave where Acharya Naropa is said to have meditated. This legend seems to fit well with the geological formations seen in the area, which suggest this was a paleo-lake, which disappeared around 1000 years ago. Lamayuru is about 130 km from Leh , and the Indus River flows along th
Its been a couple of days since Ganesha came home, and its high time I shared Him with all of you.... Of course, considering that he stays home for ten full days, we have lots of time to share......
To begin with, this time, we decided to try our hand at making a Ganesha out of clay. Here are our combined outputs - the bigger one is obviously mine, but the smaller one is completely Samhith's effort....
Of course, this did not mean that we dispensed off with our regular clay idol from the market - we weren't too sure about how our handmade one would shape - so here is our very own small mandap with the market Ganesha being flanked by our very own smaller ones....
And then, here are the rest of our preparations for the puja -
My kolam (rangoli)
These are 21 types of leaves supposed to be considered very special for Ganesha....
Dhruva grass - the most sacred of all items for Ganesha (shall post the related story sometime, when I have more time ) and Tulsi leaves....
Bilva leaves and assorted flowers...(incidentally, we offer Bilva and tulsi to Ganesha only on this day...... )
And finally, the raison d'etre for the puja - the prasad.....Rice, Payasam, Kozhakattai (modaks), Vadai and Idli
Here's what the mandap looked after we finished the puja ... all of us took turns offering the flowers and leaves...
And that's just the beginning of the celebration. I am trying to post at least one pic of Ganesha everyday for the next 9 days... lets see how many I get to see!!!
To begin with, this time, we decided to try our hand at making a Ganesha out of clay. Here are our combined outputs - the bigger one is obviously mine, but the smaller one is completely Samhith's effort....
Of course, this did not mean that we dispensed off with our regular clay idol from the market - we weren't too sure about how our handmade one would shape - so here is our very own small mandap with the market Ganesha being flanked by our very own smaller ones....
And then, here are the rest of our preparations for the puja -
My kolam (rangoli)
These are 21 types of leaves supposed to be considered very special for Ganesha....
Dhruva grass - the most sacred of all items for Ganesha (shall post the related story sometime, when I have more time ) and Tulsi leaves....
Bilva leaves and assorted flowers...(incidentally, we offer Bilva and tulsi to Ganesha only on this day...... )
And finally, the raison d'etre for the puja - the prasad.....Rice, Payasam, Kozhakattai (modaks), Vadai and Idli
Here's what the mandap looked after we finished the puja ... all of us took turns offering the flowers and leaves...
And that's just the beginning of the celebration. I am trying to post at least one pic of Ganesha everyday for the next 9 days... lets see how many I get to see!!!
Lovely pictures Anu and I liked your and Samhith's effort a lot. Where did you learn it?
ReplyDeleteHappy Vinayaka Chaturthi greetings for you and your family.
ReplyDeletehey,
ReplyDeletegr8 work yaar!!!!! i m booking a ganpati for next yr frm now, dnt say no!!!! one frm u n frm my darling k??????
Kanthi
Very nice and nicely done! I think it is beautiful in every way.
ReplyDelete@Mridula: Thanks... havent really learnt it.. wanted to make one since a long time.. and this time, you tube came to my aid... there are lots of step by step videos showing how to make them.. it was quite a surprise to find it so easy!!
ReplyDelete@Chitra: thanks so much and wish you too the same....
@Kanthi: u will surely get one next year.. he has decided to give this one to sandhya..
@Anon: thanks a lot!
luvly post anu :) and the ganeshas are beautiful
ReplyDeleteLovely post Anu! Great pics too. =) Happy Ganesha Chaturthi greetings to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures and a great post. I loved the prasadam too:)))
ReplyDelete@Sandeep: thanks :)
ReplyDelete@Indu: thanks a lot! Wish you the same..
@Julia: thanks.. the prasadam is the best part of our pujas, isnt it???
Hey! This is wonderful work! Never knew you could make all this with clay! I'm impressed! Wish I knew about this talent earlier; would have learnt from you :)
ReplyDelete