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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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Om Beach, Gokarna - A Photoblog and some thoughts

I sit by the shore, enjoying the solitude it offers me, only the mountains, the rocks and the water, for company....



Watching the waves, as they rush to the shore....


Building up momentum, as if they can't wait....


And then, frothing into nothingness, merging with the sand.


I watch the huge rocks, which stand tall.... 


As they have stood for aeons, braving the sun, the sand and the sea. 


I watch the waves lash on the rocks......


Their spray wetting everything in sight....


It almost appears as if there is a game afoot....


A game that has been played for centuries....


A game that makes no sense to me, but if only those rocks and waves could speak, what stories they could tell us!


For now, I can do little but watch....



Feeling incredibly small and insignificant.....


Under the gaze of these pillars of nature, which stand strong but calm...


Even those which aren't as majestic, on a closer look...


Reveal shells and barnacles they have provided a home to...


Tiny creatures, delicate, fragile, find a haven within......


Remnants of algae, probably from the bottom of the sea, find their way here too....


Reminding us of another land, under the sea........


As the sun begins its downward journey, it seems to put it all in perspective - the sun, the sky, the mountains, the land, and of course, the sea.... 



What a beautiful sight it is! As I get up to go back in, and join the throng of people in the cafe, I wonder -
What it is that makes this scene so beautiful?
Is it the mountains, standing tall in the water, in spite of being lashed by the waves day in and day out?
Is it the water, the waves which now seem so calm, yet lashing the rocks over and over again, with no respite at all?
Is it this clash which lies at the core of this beautiful sight?
Is it, in fact, a clash?
Or is it, the perfect balance?
That exists in nature....
Which shows us...
That we can exist together, in perfect harmony, in perfect peace...
No matter how different we all are.



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Location: Om beach Road, Gokarna, Karnataka 581326, India

Comments

  1. FruitVodkaNovember 4, 2013 at 8:01 PM

    Amazing sight, amazing clicks and amazing description!

    ReplyDelete
  2. R Niranjan DasNovember 5, 2013 at 9:06 PM

    Beautiful images! I love this beach.

    ReplyDelete
  3. VivekNovember 7, 2013 at 1:46 PM

    nice..i have huge set of such beautiful pics I took during sunrise at Om beach..lemme try if a photoblog can be stitched together.. thanks :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. MridulaNovember 9, 2013 at 5:15 PM

    Beautiful pictures particularly the close ups!

    ReplyDelete

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