My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
This tiny flower, nestled amidst thorns, is so pretty, that I brave the thorns (and the others' warnings) to try and get a decent photo....
It is only later that I learn that this is the flower of the 'Ker' tree... We have tried the Ker berries at Suryagarh, in different dishes, and I know that it is much used locally, especially as pickles. The shrub is thorny, and resembles a cactus. It retains water, and thus thrives in the desert, even during drought.
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| A bigger Ker tree.. with flowers as well as berries |
Its popular accompaniment is Sangri, the beans of the Khejri tree, and here, they both grow together, giving each other company in nature as well!
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| The big tree is the Khejri, and on both sides are the Ker shrubs. These two are flowering too, but the flowers are so tiny, you cant see them here |
These trees and shrubs must be incredibly old, for a full grown Khejri tree is usually a short one, the roots going deep into the earth, longer than the height of the tree over the ground!
Capparis Deciduas. The flower is really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteyes, it is , PNS. Thanks for the proper name :)
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