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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...
2 comments

Memories of 2012 - Sringeri

The year is almost gone, and its time to look back and remember all the wonderful things that made this year so special. The year was an especially good one for travel, though not as much for writing! I managed to travel almost every month, and, as a result, have a huge backlog of places and stories to write about!!! Leaving that aside for the monent, I will be posting a photo a day from one of my (many) trips this year.... in the order in which I took them. I begin with my first trip of the year.. in January, to one of my favourite destinations... Sringeri.



We performed Samhith's Upanayanam or Thread ceremony at Sringeri, and it was a great occasion for our entire family to get together. On the flip side, we had no time to go roaming around, but just spending a couple of days in the serene environs of the ashram on the banks of the Tunga river was enough to refresh and rejuvenate us!

Posts about Sringeri:

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Location: Sringeri, Karnataka, India

Comments

  1. ArtiDecember 16, 2012 at 5:34 PM

    I remember the guest post on Sringeri. A wonderful place. I would love to see it someday with my own eyes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarDecember 16, 2012 at 5:35 PM

      Yes, Arti! I do, too...that was the most detailed post I ever wrote on Sringeri. and you should def go sometime to Sringeri, From what i know of you and your family, you all will love it!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousDecember 16, 2012 at 6:43 PM

    I love sringeri.. I visited only once, that too when I m 10 yr old.. its good that samhith got upanayana done there.. its also well known place for vidyaarambha.. don't know when I ll visit there..
    So many posts about sringeri, but also I want to read more about this place!!!
    ..... Dr.A

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarDecember 17, 2012 at 5:27 PM

      Its the kind of place, Dr.A that we can never have enough of! I could never visit Sringeri as a kid. It must have been even more beautiful then, before the bridge across the river was built.. you will see a lot of changes now.

      Delete
  3. HaddockDecember 17, 2012 at 4:53 AM

    In fact I have never heard of this place Sringeri..... must look it up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarDecember 17, 2012 at 5:28 PM

      Yes, Haddock. you certainly must! Its a really beautiful place

      Delete
  4. voyagetravellersdiary@gmail.comDecember 18, 2012 at 9:08 AM

    Nice idea of recalling your whole year travel memories.

    ReplyDelete

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