A chubby, naked, fair Krishna , holding a butter ball, covered in golden ornaments, Yashoda by his side, an indulgent smile on her face, even as her finger is raised in admonition. Rama and Sita seated on the throne, Lakshmana on one side, Bharata and Shatrughna on the other, surrounded by sages and kings; Rama a distinctive green in colour. These are both popular themes in Tanjore Art. I first saw both these in temples, the Navaneetha Krishna in many homes as well, if not original, at least a recent replica or just a copy. The Ramar Pattabhishekam I have better memories of, having seen it often at the Matunga Bhajan Samaj in Mumbai, as well as at my mother-in-law’s ancestral house in Thanjavur. The latter especially is close to our family’s heart, and it’s an exquisite piece of work, the expressions on Rama and Sita’s faces as intricately done as the gold work that surrounds them. Navaneetha Krishna Beautiful as they are , to me, they are associated with divinity more than just wor
The Malabar Giant Squirrel
or Indian Giant Squirrel is described as “an upper canopy dwelling species,
which rarely leaves the trees. It is a shy, wary animal, not easy to discover;
it is active mostly early in the mornings and evenings, resting in the midday.”
Till recently, I had only
had fleeting glimpses of the Giant Squirrel, usually as it disappeared into the
dense canopy before I could get a close look. Which is why, when I saw one
perched atop a tree outside my room, I waited till I got some decent photos
before calling out to Samhith and the others, informing them of its presence.
As it turned out, I needn’t
have worried. It was a regular visitor here, having its breakfast, and in no
hurry to leave before it had its fill! It stayed on that particular tree for
over an hour before finally taking a massive leap to another one, and
disappearing in seconds!
The Malabar Giant Squirrels
are a species endemic to the deciduous and moist evergreen forests of
Peninsular India, extending as far as the Satpura hill ranges of Madhya
Pradesh.
Incidentally, it is also
the State Animal of Maharashtra, and is called ‘Shekru’ in Marathi. The
Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary was created in 1984, specifically with the aim
of protecting its habitat. However, I saw it, not in its protected sanctuary,
but at Dandeli, at the Dandeli Jungle Camp, where I stayed for a night during
my recent trip.
Great clicks, Anu..
ReplyDeleteThank you, Meghana!
Deletewe recently saw the Malabar giant squirrel when we visited thekkady and went to the deep safari, it was there lazing and sleeping on top of the tree
ReplyDelete