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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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Little Green Bee Eater

This is a bird I have seen often. It is quite a common bird, and yet, it is always fascinating to watch, especially when it plucks insects out of the air!




The Little Green Bee Eater is a resident of grasslands, thin scrub land, and forests, and observed all over India. I noticed this one at Dandeli, and, having nothing better to do, simply sat and watched it... and clicked...



I must have watched it for about 15-20 minutes, but the best part was when it caught a butterfly...



For a moment, it appeared as if the butterfly's fluttering wings were part of its mouth... and then the whole butterfly disappeared inside!


And that is why I love watching birds... All you need is patience, and you never know what you might see!



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Location: Dandeli, Karnataka, India

Comments

  1. MridulaFebruary 23, 2014 at 6:09 PM

    Oh so that was a butterfly! I was wondering why that green bee eater had so much yellow around its beak!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarFebruary 23, 2014 at 6:12 PM

      Yes, Mridula! not what we would expect in a bee eater, right? there is always something to see with birds, as I am sure you will agree :)

      Delete
  2. K.S.AparnaFebruary 23, 2014 at 6:34 PM

    Amazing pictures. They make me want to write a poetry...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarFebruary 23, 2014 at 6:37 PM

      Thank you, Aparna manni! And please do write a poem! and send me the link when you do.. will add it to this post :) collaborative family writing, i think we can call it!

      Delete
  3. Sandhya MenonFebruary 24, 2014 at 12:47 AM

    lovely! what is this bird's name???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarFebruary 25, 2014 at 6:13 PM

      Sandhya, the title itself has the name of the bird, and I have also mentioned it in the post :)

      Delete
  4. AnonymousMarch 2, 2015 at 4:33 PM

    Nice pictures! Have you seen it handling a bee? Quite entertaining!

    ReplyDelete

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