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Odisha Part 2 - Puri: The Experience of Jagannath

The temple of Jagannath at Puri is one of the four most important temples across India. Sometimes called the Char Dham – Badrinath in the north, Rameswaram in the South, Dwarka in the west, and Puri in the east – these temples mark four corners of our country, and each of these temples has a connection to Adi Shankara. He is said to have travelled to each of them, thus marking a sacred geography of India, long before the country actually existed. Among these 4 temples, 3 are dedicated to Lord Vishnu, while only Rameswaram is dedicated to Lord Shiva, though the lingam there is said to have been installed by Rama. Further, Shankara set up Mutts at 3 of these sites (or very close to these sites, like at Badrinath, where the mutt is at Joshimutt), while the mutt in the south is at Sringeri in Karnataka, quite a distance away from Rameswaram. Coming back to the topic, I have visited Rameswaram most often, Badrinath during my childhood, and Dwaraka a few times, but Puri had stayed out of re...
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Bringing Ganesha Home

Ganesh Chaturthi is here, and all around me yesterday were people bringing their Ganesha home.


Usually this is a time when my home is buzzing with activity, but this year I have a break since we can not perform the puja. I am planning to visit a few pandals around our home, though, so will try to post more photos....

P.S. Incidentally, I just realised that this is my 555th post on the blog!!
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Location: kelwa beach

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  1. MridulaSeptember 20, 2012 at 8:39 PM

    Lovely capture Anu!

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  2. ArtiSeptember 20, 2012 at 9:18 PM

    Ah, Anu... I was eagerly waiting for your Ganpati celebrations post. But never mind, will definitely enjoy my pandal hopping with you :) I am also looking forward to covering a bit of the festivities.

    PS: Congratulations! 555 is huge. You have been an inspiration to me since long. Keep blogging :)

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    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 20, 2012 at 9:25 PM

      Thanks so much, Arti! Looking forward to reading your ganpati blogs now!

      Delete
  3. ZephyrSeptember 21, 2012 at 8:12 AM

    Wish you many more such milestones. I Can't even imagine that figure. Truly mind boggling. And hey, did you notice that boggling is an anagram of blogging? :)

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    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 21, 2012 at 8:32 AM

      Thanks so much, Zephyr!! Actually, I have been trying to increase that figure by posting daily, but every time I try, I end up not writing for the whole month!!! as to the anagram, wow!! trust you to come up with something like this!! had never noticed it before!!!

      Delete

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