The first time I visited Pandharpur was back in 2007 . The names Vitthal and Pandharpur, were just names to me. I had heard of them, but that was about it. Seeing the lord standing on the brick, hands on his hips, was memorable, but more memorable was the sight that greeted us as we walked out of the main sanctum of the temple. In the mandap just outside were a group of devotees singing abhangs , and dancing. This was the first time I had heard abhangs , and even almost 15 years later, I can remember the welling of feeling within me, listening to the songs, and how fascinated I was by the sight of the devotees dancing, lost in their love of the Lord. Over the years, as I have read more about Vitthal, and participated in Ashadi Ekadashi programmes at Puttaparthi, that first experience has stayed clear in my mind and heart. Every time I tell my Balvikas students of the saints who sang of Vitthala, it is that experience that I re-live. I visited Pandharpur again, in 2010, but that experie
Any festival signifies a hectic time, but none more so than Navaratri! We have to visit all our relatives and friends to see what they have come up with for the festival, catch up with all the kolus in the vicinity, see the latest arrangement at the temple, and over and above all this, we also have to play host to everyone who visits us! It can get really hectic, especially with school on in full swing, but its an enjoyable ten days! This is practically the only time of the year we get to meet so many of our said relatives and friends. Everyone is too busy the rest of the year with their own lives to go and meet anyone else! Besides, we also get some wonderful ideas for our kolu next year! Since the people we visit are almost usually the same, the dolls and kolus are almost usually the same too! Only sometimes do we see something new, so this time, I decided not to bore you all with the same kolu pics from everyones' houses, but just some pics of things I found special or interesting.....
First, this is the kolu made by an uncle who was an engineer by profession, and makes some of the best kolus I have ever seen. Last year, he had made an American village as well as an Indian one, and another time, he had replicated the entire Dadar Railway station in miniature! This year, his arrangement was simpler (he is, of course, not getting any younger), but we still loved it! Here are some glimpses....
The main theme was based on various stories of Lord Vishnu...
and below it was an Indian village....
This was the main kolu with the steps....
And what I liked the most were the traditional tall south Indian lamps, all dressed up to resemble the Devi...
Next up is a cousin's kolu. I love seeing her arrangement for the dolls - most of them are old ones, which have a charm of their own! Here is a view at the entire arrangement....
and here are the ones I liked the most - the Dashavataram set.....unfortunately, it is not a complete set, since a couple of dolls have broken, but see the detail and the beauty of the dolls. These days, most Dashavatar dolls look almost the same, with no details actually visible....
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| From Navaratri 2011 |
Those of you in Chennai, please take a second, closer look. And if you ever see a set like this, please, please, please get it for me!!!!
Wow.... lovely dolls... Pls check out mine too here - http://sumsarena.blogspot.com/2011/10/navarathri-dasara-doll-arrangements.html and prev year's here - http://sumsarena.blogspot.com/2009/09/navarathri-festival-of-dolls.html
ReplyDeleteWow , wonderful . Dasavatharas
ReplyDeleteThanks Anu, your enthusiasm and pics, keep us going in these times:))
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot! I have left a comment on your blog too... your dolls are lovely!
ReplyDeleteoh yes they are!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much sowmya!
ReplyDelete