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Pandharpur Yatra 2023

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

Skywatch Friday - Tree and Light

In a forest filled with trees, this one stood out. Its girth, its height, in every way, it loomed over the others, clearly a patriarch towering over the rest.





The forest canopy was thick enough to shade us from the harsh glare of the sun, though the rays sometimes managed to find their way between the leaves. I have seen beautiful images of sunburst taken by other photographers, but I have rarely tried to click one myself. Here are my maiden efforts.....





I clicked these photos on my recent trip to Wayanad, when we ventured into the forest for a brush with the wilderness. As to how 'wild' it was, you have to wait to find out! Meanwhile, this post is part of Skywatch Friday. For more beautiful skies from around the world, visit the Skywatch Page

Comments

  1. Beautiful sparkles!

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  2. Nice capture of light.
    Wyanad is a beautiful place.

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  3. Beautiful photos. I do love your first shot :-)

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  4. Nice shots! Looks like the teak forests of Wayanad. Some of these trees grow really wide and tall.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Sankara! they are indeed the teak forests of Wayanad. and so nice to see u here after so long!!

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  5. Beautiful. Always refreshing to see forest-pics on my desktop.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks bnomadic!!! they always brighten up our day, dont they!

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  6. Nice captures.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

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  7. Anuradha, your post has brought the temple alive from the ruins!

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  8. Wayanad is definitely on my my bucket list of places to visit! Great pictures, I absolutely love trees!!!

    ReplyDelete

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