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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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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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