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Temples of Kashi - The Kardameshwar temple

The absence of ancient Hindu structures in Kashi is something I have always lamented about. The shrines are certainly ancient, and that is something that has always attracted me to the city. However, I miss the beauty of the ancient structures that we see at other sites. This feeling is intensified when I see marble and concrete and tiles in temples that once would have been beautifully adorned with evocative sculptures, and worn by the passage of time, touched by the hands of seekers who came before. This time , this desire to see some remnants of an ancient Hindu structure in Kashi came true when I managed to visit the Kardameshwar Temple. The Kardameshwar temple is not one of the main temples in the city. It is part of the temples on the Pancha Kroshi yatra, a pilgrimage which takes one on a circumambulatory tour of the whole city. The temple is located on the outskirts of the city, on the western bank of a tank called the Kardama Kund. The Kardameshwar temple is one of the...
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Collaborative Posts

My blog seems to continue on the 'silent mode' while I am busy with so many things...... On one hand, as I mentioned earlier, I have been travelling quite a lot, on the other hand, I have also been busy writing about things other than travel...... Most interestingly, for the first time, I have been part of two collaborative posts on two different sites.....



My first collaborative post on 'Naming Children' was up on the Pocket Cultures site before I left for Delhi, but I was too busy to write about it here. The post has inputs from people from 13 different countries, each with their own take on naming traditions in their own countries or families.... yours truly is just one of them, so go ahead read the post here or click on the pic below.... Meanwhile, I am now a regular contributor for Pocket Cultures, so you can read more about India and Indian Culture there too...



Now for the second.... For the first time, I am part of the Lonely Planet Blog Carnival. This is the 23rd such carnival, where Lonely Planet featured Bloggers from around the world write on a chosen topic on their own blog, and all such posts are collected and posted on the blog hosting the carnival. This time, the carnival is being hosted by Kiran Keswani, a fellow blogger from India, who writes about Indian markets on this blog, aptly titled "Indian Bazaars'. Of course, the topic this time is 'The Marketplace', and among posts about markets from all over the globe, Kiran features my blog on the Hampi Bazaar. Go ahead and take a look for a virtual tour of markets from around the world! You can read the article here or click on the pic below..


There is a lot more I need to write about, but that will have to wait till I have time to sit down and put all my thoughts down..... and since there is a lot more travel lined up ahead, plus Samhith's vacations which have started today, it looks like May will be a quiet month on the blogfront. Of course, I shall still post photos and articles about happenings as and when I can, so please do keep coming back..... and I shall be back with a bang as soon as I can!
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