Navaratri Begins....

The Parasurameshwara temple is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneshwar, dating back to the early 8 th century CE. It is also one of the more intriguing temples, with a wide variety of very interesting sculptures. This temple has been attributed to the Shailodbhavas , who were Shaivites. The dynasty is named for their founder, Shailodbhava, who is said to have emerged from a rock, by the grace of Lord Shiva, in response to a prayer by a man from Kalinga, to create a man capable of ruling the earth. That this temple is dedicated to Shiva is clear, not only from the Shaiva dwarapalas who guard the entrance, but also from the numerous sculptures depicting Shiva in his many forms. However, what makes this temple very interesting is the presence of multiple images of the goddesses, especially the Saptamatrikas. The presence of different forms of the goddess, a panel depicting the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, as well as an image of Ardhanareeshwara suggest a strong Shakta influence o...

Navaratri Begins....

Waking up this morning, the first sound that came to my ears was the chanting of the Lalita Sahasranama from the nearby temple. "And so Navaratri begins" was my first thought... an auspicious beginning to an auspicious day!

Not that we need a reminder. This happens to be our favourite festival, the one we plan for months in advance, the one for which we happily store loads of stuff, forgetting for once that we hardly have space enough for it all. Which is why, at times when we can not celebrate the festival, like it has happened since the last two years, it feels so much worse. The last few days have been the worst, seeing loads of clay and papier mache dolls at every shop, decorations and flowers at every corner, and family and friends eagerly taking out their dolls from storage. We stayed away from the shops selling beautiful new dolls, hoping it would help, but it didnt. Eventually, we gave in yesterday, and tortured ourselves by visiting one of our local shops selling clay dolls, feasting our eyes on the new ones, and wishing desperately we could buy some and keep a golu too. Sigh! We know that's not possible. But that doesn't stop us ogling at the wonderful dolls representing so many interesting stories. Here are some....

Gajendra Moksham

A Water Pump Scene.. We loved the water pump, though, as Samhith pointed out, we have a miniature water pump that actually works!

Radha And Krishna

We wondered if this is the wedding feast scene from Abhimanyu and Vatsala's marriage... ...

And this appears to be Ghatotkatcha, eating everything prepared for the feast

The story of the hare and the tortoise... sorry the pic isnt good, but I loved the milestones...
and had to show them to you!

Lakshmi - Hayagriva and Shiva- Parvati

Birds..

A Playground...we loved the slide!

Our favourite.... the kili josiyam... or fortune teller with a parrot in a cage.
Kiddo loved the way the cage had been made!

And so Navaratri begins, with mixed feelings for us.... sadness because we still can't keep a golu; relief because kiddo has exams anyways; and excitement, because, since we have no puja, we can (try) to go out and see some other golus! Of course, the exams do come in the way, but when have we allowed it to interfere with our interests?

Of course, wherever we go, you can be sure you will read about it here!

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw...

Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.

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