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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...
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Skywatch Friday - Sunset at Varca Beach, Goa

Physically, I may be stuck in Mumbai, but mentally, I am in Goa, remembering the wonderful time we had there.





We stayed at Club Mahindra's Emerald Palms resort, near the Varca beach. Though it meant we had to walk a short distance to reach the beach, the wide expanse with hardly any crowd was worth it!



Walking around, collecting shells, watching the sun set, it was probably the most peaceful evening we have spent in a long time.



What brought back these thoughts was meeting Sudha Ganapathy and listening to her talk about her recent Goa trip.



I have been to Goa thrice, and feel I have barely scratched the surface. There is so much more I want to explore. Wonder when I will next get the opportunity.



For now, I am settling for going through my piles of photos, re-living the memories, and sharing them with you.

For more beautiful skies from around the world, visit the Skywatch Page.

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  1. Spoken English Institute In PuneNovember 22, 2013 at 5:31 PM

    I Was Been To Goa But I couldn't Find Such Purity & Cleaning On Beaches Which Is Seen in Your Pictures,Rather I Enjoyed More In Kokan & near By Areas.

    ReplyDelete

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