Skip to main content

Featured Post

Tanjore and Mysore Paintings at the CSMVS Mumbai

A chubby, naked, fair Krishna , holding a butter ball, covered in golden ornaments, Yashoda by his side, an indulgent smile on her face, even as her finger is raised in admonition. Rama and Sita seated on the throne, Lakshmana on one side, Bharata and Shatrughna on the other, surrounded by sages and kings; Rama a distinctive green in colour. These are both popular themes in Tanjore Art. I first saw both these in temples, the Navaneetha Krishna in many homes as well, if not original, at least a recent replica or just a copy. The Ramar Pattabhishekam I have better memories of, having seen it often at the Matunga Bhajan Samaj in Mumbai, as well as at my mother-in-law’s ancestral house in Thanjavur. The latter especially is close to our family’s heart, and it’s an exquisite piece of work, the expressions on Rama and Sita’s faces as intricately done as the gold work that surrounds them. Navaneetha Krishna Beautiful as they are , to me, they are associated with divinity more than just wor
Post a Comment

Navaratri 2010 - Day 9 - Durga Puja

We have been celebrating Navaratri the southern way for the past 8 days, and it is time for a change... Today, I have no more Golus for you, but I would love to take you along with me to the nearest Durga Puja Celebrations. The last 3 days of Navaratri are eagerly awaited by the Bengalis in my colony (and the entire neighbourhood), and they rush towards the only Bengali Durga Puja Celebration in the vicinity. Of course, this mass movement of humanity does lead to colossal traffic jams, but then again, we are used to them anyway, and who cares, when we get to celebrate just for 3 days! Anyone agree with me???

I am writing this post close to midnight, hoping to be done before then, and thus keeping up my resolution of a-post-a-day-during-navaratri! So, let me get straight to the point and take you along with me through my photographs!

Here is the decoration this year.... Any guesses?


The theme this time is the Mysore Palace, commemorating the 400th year of Dasara Celebrations there.


Here are some closer looks at the outside......






And here is a first view of the Devi.....

Now, lets enter.........
This huge and beautiful chandelier is a permanent fixture...


There are paintings everywhere, in an attempt to make it look like the Mysore Palace.




Now, I haven't yet been there, but this looks just too simple to even give an idea of the place to the masses.. What do you say, those of you who have been there?????

And here's a closer look at the Devi, taken with me straining to take a shot over the heads of all those tall people standing in front of me!



And here are a few more decorations outside.....


Samhith loved them....See how he posed in front of one!


Samhith loved the whole experience. I had taken him last year too, but he doesn't remember that one. This time, we were there during the Aarti, and he just loved the way the priest twirled the Aarti plate round and round! If you are wondering how I didn't manage to get a pic of that wonderful sight, thats because I didn't get to see it! The crowd was so huge that I just about managed to catch a glimpse of the Devi. Samhith got a better view because I made him stand on a stack of chairs, giving him an 'aerial view'!


Well, that's not all..... We also another Durga... One at a Maharashtrian/Gujarati Pandal..... Here she is....


Now that's called a merger of the East and the West. Wouldn't you agree?
Labels:

Comments

  1. Meena VenkataramanOctober 17, 2010 at 3:32 AM

    Beautiful!...Have never really been part of a Durga Puja event..
    Would love to someday

    ReplyDelete
  2. UshaOctober 17, 2010 at 1:21 PM

    lol Samhtih one a stack of chairs seems so familiar. I love the pose, btw

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sankara Subramanian COctober 17, 2010 at 8:11 PM

    Nice! Durga puja brings back so many of my childhood memories. The bhog everyday was my favourite :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. ECOctober 17, 2010 at 9:43 PM

    Nice to see the celebrations in different parts of the country....We Indians enjoy festivals to the fullest

    ReplyDelete
  5. SoulSpaceOctober 17, 2010 at 11:54 PM

    Your Enthu is amazing

    I will catch up on the rest of yr posts too...

    What a great Pandal too...
    thanks

    ReplyDelete
  6. Meghana HassanOctober 12, 2012 at 4:16 PM

    really gud to see Mysore Palace theme in Bengali Durga Puja...

    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

The Havelis of Bikaner - A Photo Post

The lanes are narrow , twisting and turning amidst buildings old and new. Crumbling old structures with intricate workmanship stand side by side with art deco buildings, and more modern constructions, which follow no particular style. Autos, bicycles, motorcycles and vans rush past, blowing their horns as loudly as possible, while cows saunter past peacefully, completely unaffected by the noise. In the midst of all this chaos, children play by the side, and women go about their chores, as we explore these by-lanes of Bikaner, and its beautiful Havelis. Facade of one of the Rampuria Havelis
6 comments
Read more

Ladakh - Planning The Trip

Over 2000 Km by road, in around 10 days. Stunning landscapes, wonderful people. That sums up our Ladakh trip. But how did it actually work? How did we make it happen? Read on to find out!  Leh, the capital of Ladakh , is accessible by air and road. Flying into Leh is the easiest, and time-saving option, while the road is the time consuming one, but with the added advantage of driving past some of the most beautiful landscapes in our country. Each option has much to recommend it, and we chose the road for just one reason – altitude sickness. Altitude sickness was one of my biggest concerns, since I suffer from motion-sickness. Yes, I do travel a lot, but that is despite my condition, and, over the years, have learnt how to handle it. I struggled with it when we visited Nathu-La in Sikkim, and wondered if I would be able to manage a week at the even higher altitudes that we would encounter in Ladakh. This was the reason we stuck to a basic plan, of only 9 days in Ladakh, though we
10 comments
Read more

Bhedaghat - Home of the 81 Yoginis

The Narmada flows down the mountains , carving out a path for herself as she makes her way down to the plains of Central India. She cascades from the rocks, her fine spray making it appear as if billows of smoke (dhuan) arise from the flowing streams of water (dhaar), giving it the name Dhuandhar. Dhuandhar Falls The force of her flow creates a gorge , smoothening and carving out the rocks into fantastic shapes, the pure white of the rocks standing starkly against the shades of the water. It is a joy to cruise down the river in a boat, seeing the natural contours created by the river, now famous as the Marble Rocks. We are at Bhedaghat, located on the banks of the Narmada near Jabalpur, where thousands of visitors turn up to see these natural landscapes, creations of the sacred Narmada, and pay obeisance to her. However, to me, the most interesting thing about Bhedaghat, isn’t the falls or the rocks, or even the river. What makes Bhedaghat special is t
40 comments
Read more