Skip to main content

Featured Post

Odisha Part 9 : The Vaital Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Vaital temple is of the many intriguing temples in Bhubaneshwar. To begin with, the structure itself resembles a South-Indian temple more than the typical Kalingan style that we see everywhere else in Odisha. The temple has been dated to the last quarter of the 8 th century CE. Further , unlike most of the temples in Bhubaneshwar, this temple is not dedicated to Lord Shiva. Inside the sanctum is one of the deities who is very rarely seen in a sanctum – Chamunda, along with the Saptamatrikas. This is evidently a Shakta shrine. However, the presence of Lakulisha on the vimana indicates the connection with the Pasupata sect, which is most prevalent in this region during this time period. Further, the name of the temple – ‘Vaital’, comes from the word ‘ vetala’ , referring to spirits, which were invoked by tantrics to attain siddhis. Thus, this temple is an amalgamation of Pasupata and Shakta philosophy, with a strong emphasis on tantric rituals, and this is reflected in the iconogra...
Post a Comment

Termite hills / Termite mounds

There is something fascinating about termite hills or termite mounds, (ant hills as we usually call them).  You don't agree? Well, most of my family doesn't either, except Samhith of course! He has the same fascination for these huge settlements built with nothing but mud, and stops every time he sees one!

Tirupati abounds in these termite hills - the Lord himself is said to have appeared in one, so undoubtedly there is something special about them!

Well, we have seen many ant hills, some small, some even bigger than me.... See this one we photographed in the Zoo... Its about 5 feet high!



We have often wondered what it would be like, inside this hill. It is believed that snakes live there too.... whether before or after the termites, I am not sure..... However, this time, the zoo not just gave us the opportunity to see some caged wild animals, but also some un-caged ones, among which were some termites - the hill had broken, probably thanks to some careless tourists - but we were able to see inside it as the termites swarmed all over! While I waved Samhith away and asked him to watch from afar, my mom wondered what attraction the repulsive creatures had for me..... as to my sister, you should have seen the expression on her face when I showed her these pics.... Now, tell me what you think about them!




To know more about termites, click on the following links.

http://www.termite-pictures.com/index.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termite


http://hubpages.com/hub/Termites
Enhanced by Zemanta
Labels:

Comments

  1. SoulSpaceDecember 31, 2010 at 8:52 AM

    wow wonderful pics
    you should get a job with National geographic!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. MridulaDecember 31, 2010 at 10:01 AM

    Lovely, the pictures are lovely Anu! Hope your sister reads your post :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. MridulaDecember 31, 2010 at 10:18 AM

    Lovely, the pictures are lovely Anu! Hope your sister reads your post :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. ArtiJanuary 1, 2011 at 7:24 PM

    Beautiful images... Looks a whole kingdom!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. subu.psJanuary 1, 2011 at 7:47 PM

    This world is full of innovative creatures!! Termite hill of 5ft!!! Lots of hard work by these tiny creatures with absolutely zero tool support. These structures are quite strong too. Infact the early day homes of Kerala had the same kind of walls (mud walls).
    Happy new year to you and your family !!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. TeamgsquareJanuary 2, 2011 at 2:12 PM

    nice photos and good info..

    ReplyDelete
  7. AartiJanuary 3, 2011 at 12:37 PM

    ha ha.. Samhith sounds like me- filled with curiousity :)))

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 4, 2011 at 11:07 PM

    @ssstoryteller: thanks so much, sowmya.. your comments brighten up my day!! now, if only the NatGeo people would think like you :)

    @Mridula: thanks.. usually she does, but she's really busy now, so should remind her to take a look!

    @Arti: thanks.....it is indeed an entire kingdom!

    @subu.ps: so true! i read somewhere that forts were inspired by such anthills...

    @Team G square: thanks...

    @Aarti: oh he is!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. SandipanSeptember 9, 2011 at 12:56 PM

    Very interesting information. I simply loved your post.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anu ShankarSeptember 9, 2011 at 9:14 PM

    Thanks a lot, Sandipan!

    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

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.
7 comments
Read more