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Odisha Part 6: The Yogini Temple of Hirapur

I fell in love with this temple the first time I set eyes on it. Back in 2017 , I had been excited to see yet another Yogini temple, when I visited Puri. The resort I was staying at (and writing for), had arranged for a car and driver to take me around. The driver was happy to take me to most of the places I wanted to go, but when it came to Hirapur, he was appalled. He knew of the temple, but had never been there. It was a tantric temple, one not visited by women, and certainly not women travelling alone. He tried to convince me not to go, but my stubbornness and persistence paid off, and he reluctantly agreed when I told him that if he didn’t take me, I would find another driver who would. All along the way, he kept going on about the sinister things that happened at the temple, the tantric rituals that were performed at night…. An Odisha brahmin who took his religious duties very seriously, to the extent of stopping the car to perform the sandhyavandam when he deemed it time, he...
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Lavasa Trip Part 5 - Bamboosa


There are many interesting things to see and do at Lavasa, such as enjoy watersports on the lakeshore, a modern games arcade,  adventure sports at Xthrill and a visit to one of India’s best nurseries. However, we were able to do none of these, and instead decided to visit Bamboosa, the bamboo craft factory and shop, which provides employment to local villagers.

Having the factory and the shop at the same place was a great idea, for we got to see the artisans at work, and got an insight into what actually goes into making all those furnitures and works of art. This is one place I would love to take Samhith to!
Instead of taking you along with me through individual photographs, as I usually do, here is a slideshow this time, made from all the photos I clicked –




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