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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.
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More Ganeshas from Chembur

Here are a few more Ganeshas from Chembur.....

Usha, this one is especially for you, since both Samhith and I remembered you and wished you were with us for the Ganesha tour this year too..... and you will be thrilled to hear that Samhith didn't remember much of any of these ganpatis except that he saw them with you!

First on the list is the Duke's Ganesha....


The decoration was based on the story of a king and his cow herd who find the royal cow giving up all its milk  in an ant hill. The cow herd strikes the anthill with his axe, but is stunned to find blood. On digging further, they discover that the ant hill covers a Shiva Lingam. Usually, this set up is an animated one - kind of like a puppet show with a narrator in the background, and the characters move a little. However, this year, I elected to avoid the rush, which meant that the show wasn't on yet... much to Samhith's chagrin!


Next in line is the R K Ganpati (for those of you who do not know, this is the Ganesha at R.K.Studios, a tradition going back years... when Raj Kapoor and his entire family would turn up for the celebrations... To give due credit, part of the family still turn up for the immersion, drawing crowds galore!!)- which was simple, and just as usual. 


Next door to RK is another Ganesha - the pattern is always the same, but the decoration is usually good. However, this year they seem to have been a bit confused - I couldn't understand what Vitthala was doing, set against a backdrop of the Himalayas, with Shiva meditating on one of the peaks!! But then again, maybe they were just trying to re-use some of the stuff they had used last year... I distinctly remember the snow covered peaks and the image of Shiva from last year!!


With this, I am through with all the Ganeshas I can possibly see in my neighborhood. Going further to see some of the popular pandals is out of the question, especially thanks to the crowd! So lets see if I still manage to see any more!
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Location: Chembur, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Comments

  1. ArtiSeptember 19, 2010 at 9:44 AM

    Very beautiful..
    And you are so true about the crowds!

    ReplyDelete
  2. P.N. SubramanianSeptember 19, 2010 at 12:39 PM

    Beautiful photographs. I have been visiting all these Ganeshas in Chembur successively for the last three years. I could not go this year due to my wife's sickness (thigh bone got fractured).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 19, 2010 at 2:59 PM

    @Arti: thanks to all the crowds, i avoid all the popular ones... havent been to one since i was in college!

    @PN Subramanian : so sorry to hear about your wife. hope she gets better soon.. and next year when u come to bbay, you both have to visit us too... and see the ganesha we make next year :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. MridulaSeptember 19, 2010 at 7:08 PM

    It is so colorful Anu.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2010 at 10:34 PM

    hi!!! i went n saw matunga n dadar ganpati. but m very disappointed by ur sudden change of plans :(

    ReplyDelete
  6. SREESeptember 20, 2010 at 1:01 PM

    Hi, its really wonderful and colorful pics of Ganpathi. we saw few in koperkhairne and vashi.

    ReplyDelete
  7. UshaSeptember 20, 2010 at 9:36 PM

    Hey Anu! Thanks! I remember mentioning that trip to you on my comment to one of your new Ganesha posts! I remember Samhith being mesmerised by the puppet show on Putana at the Duke Ganpati and yes, I remember the theme at the Ganesha next to RK had a Kailash Parvat scene with Shiv and his family, including Nandi. And I think it is unfair to diddle poor Samhith out of a once-in-a-year puppet show when you can't really escape crowds in Mumbai!

    ReplyDelete
  8. RajanSeptember 22, 2010 at 11:43 AM

    Jai Jai Jai Ganesha
    Good Details and more coverage by you, Let Sri Ganesha gives everyone their wishes and more more and more happyness to all in this world.

    Regards
    Rajan Ramakrishnan
    For Sri Ganesha Sketches you can visit my blog
    www.rajandraws.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete

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